A Glitch in the Collective Consiousness: Prolouge [Code Geass Odysseus SI] (Patreon)

Prologue

Secluded deep in the wilderness of America North West, stood the summer retreat of the Britannian Royal Family, Elysium. Built at the foot of the Cascades and surrounded by a sea of redwood and pine, it was as far away and separated from the courtly intrigue and the jockeying for power and influence in Pendragon; Perfect for when the extended family needed a break or if one of them needed to be pulled away from the limelight. Such was the case for later as the news of Odysseus’, the First Prince of Britannia, very public mental breakdown spread throughout the kingdom.

“Of all people, who would have thought it was Odysseus that was closest to snapping,” Schneizel mused sadly while he leaned against the window of the stagecoach, gazing up to the towers of the summer palace as it came into view, and reminiscing of the times before things become so complicated.

Burnout was an all too familiar occurrence among the Imperial Family. Thanks to the darwinistic views promoted by father, Charles zi Brittania, competition among siblings was rampant as each strived to outshine the other. Among such bright stars, Odysseus could be said to burn the steadiest despite appearing mediocre. Schneizel snorted, scowling at the reminder of his brother's nickname. The Mediocre prince they call him with some even daring to call him the Clown.

His musing was cut short as the carriage came to a stop before the entrance of the palatial estate. Yawning, he reached out for one of the energy drinks that he had kept stashed inside only for Kanon’s hands to stop him. He glanced up to his secretary, silently asking him why he would deny him his drink, but Kanon met his gaze before shaking his head.

“My prince, you’ve already on your 3rd can. It might not be the best idea to consume more as caffeine is no proper substitute for sleep,” his lovable secretary scolded him lightly before giving him a soft smile, “You’re officially on vacation so there’s no need for that ok?”

He sighed as he relented, gazing longingly at the cold energy drink before placing it back inside the cooler. “I wish I wasn’t,” he grumbled, his gaze turned to the servants as they lined up to greet him.

“Just don’t push yourself. You don’t have to hold the weight of the world on your shoulders all the time else something could break” Kanon whispered to him softly, reminding him of his own limitations before he reached out and opened the door to their carriage.

The reception was warm though without much pomp as summer had already passed and there was no need for such a large staff on hand, a refreshing change of pace from Pendragon. “My prince, it’s good to see you are in great health,” The old butler that had served his family for generations greeted him before he turned his attention to his companion. “And I see that you’ve brought Earl Kanon as well. My, I still remember when you two first met in the gardens as if it was yesterday” the man chuckled while Kanon averted his eyes as his cheeks gained a rosy tint.

“It’s good to see you are as well, Jebidiah,” Schneizel chuckled as he replied back. His good mood was soon dampened as he noted that his brother was not to greet him but it was to be expected after how… explosive his episode was. He shook his head, putting that matter in the back of his head for now as he made pleasantries with the old man.

As the man guided them inside, they made pleasantries and small talks. He asked them about the castle, silently making notes to adjust the budget to their needs as well as give some a raise while replacing some of the staff. Still, as much as he wanted to just chat with the butler, he was here for a reason.

Turning around a corner, he smiled fondly as they passed by a broken bust of a barely remembered emperor that was crudely glued together sitting proudly on its own pedestal. “After all these years, you still haven’t had that bust fixed? I do hope that my brother hasn’t broken another important thing. God knows what Cornelia would do if one of her training frames was messed with,” he said, remembering that particular incident.

“I do remember it was you Prince Schneizel that broke that bust, not the crown prince,” The man replied, remaining stoic even as the edge of his lips twitched.

“He just merely took the fall for it,” he admitted. His brother was just simply too nice for his own good.

“He’s a good man…” His butler whispered as he frowned, shaking his head in dismay. “It’s not fair for the public to tear at him after just one unfortunate incident. After all that he had done, they tore at him like rabid wolves.”

“It’s the price we must pay as royalty. There is simply no room for mistakes,” He replied as he schooled his features. It was simply human nature to tear those at the very top. “How’s my brother doing?” he then asked.

“He’s doing quite well, recovering his memories after his episode and returning to his old self somewhat. I was afraid that he had simply forgotten everything but he now remembers,” The man happily recounted, smiling as he noted, “There were times that he asked what date it was along with the current state of the world but it’s probably cabin fever, nothing more.”

Schnezeil nodded before frowning as he then asked, “Has anything strange happened to my brother?” If his brother has not returned to his former self by now, he might have a crisis in hand. As it stands, Odysseus was essential in keeping peace amongst his siblings. He was the compromise as nobody outright hated him. With him out of the picture…

“Well… I’d like to apologize to the crown prince in advance. Ever since he recovered, he has developed some strange habits which often lead him to be preoccupied.” “He’s been switching from one project to another, stripping down cars and even one of the knightmare frames if we couldn’t provide him with the parts. In fact, he has yet to come out of the Motorpool since yesterday…”

Schneizel frowned as he asked, “Projects?” That was odd, he thought to himself. He had expected his brother to become lethargic but to engross himself in work and possibly be elbow deep inside a car engine and covered in grease? That was quite odd. “Did he tell you what he’s working on? What has my brother been doing all this time?”

“After the crown prince calmed down, he went off to the motorpool and started tinkering around. At first, we thought it was merely the prince taking an interest in cars until he started dismantling one of the practice Knightmare frames and using them for parts for the gizmos and doodads he’s making, your highness,” The wizened old man explained as he guided them a familiar path towards that part of the castle.

Excusing himself for a moment, the old man went out and fetched a portly man wearing an orange jumpsuit and belt of tools. “Maybe it’s best that the head mechanic himself explain the situation” The butler told him.

Turning to the man, he questioned him, “So, what has my brother been doing these past two months?”

“He’s working miracles, your highness!” The man claimed ecstatically before he caught himself as he bowed in apology. This had Schneizel raising a brow as he gestured for the man “Pardon for the language but it’s just it’s been ages since I felt this excitement. Semi Autonomous drones, advanced electronics, and even the very secret of gravity itself, you just have to see it my lord!”

Schneizel was taken aback by the man’s claims and he would have dismissed it yet, the manic and almost fervent worshiping tone the man held for his brother told him otherwise. He had expected his brother to be out in the woods or maybe by the main balcony to gaze down upon the nearby city but not this. Machinery and electronics was never something he was passionate about, in fact, his brother had little passion for anything. It was true that his older brother never pushed himself, having only earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Harvard before pursuing philanthropy and humanitarian missions so to hear him taking an interest in heavy machinery was quite out of the ordinary.

“Maybe it’s best that we ask the crown prince himself?” Kanon suggested.

“O-of course.” The mechanic nodded fervently before he grabbed the door and pulled it open to reveal something truly miraculous. Schneizel felt his jaw drop as there, floating in the middle of the motor pool, was a car floating in the air.

“Hah! I finally got to make you work, you son of a bitch! We’re going to drive out of here in style!” the crown prince hooted as he peered out the driver's window. He almost didn’t recognize his brother thanks to the grease stains in his face, his unruly hair, unkempt beard and a worn jumpsuit. Noticing them, Odysseus waved at them before slowly floating towards them in his hover car, passing over tools and wooden pallets without so much as making them twitch. “Yoo Kanon, Schneizel, you should have told me you two would be coming today! Like my new ride? I had to strip down one of the newer models but I think the upgrades are well worth it no?”

“We reminded you yesterday your Highness,” Their butler deadpanned. Truly, his brother was forgetful as ever.

“Oh, oops. My bad?” Odysseus winced before apologizing.

“Your… floating,” he replied dumbly as he placed his hands on the hood of the car before pressing down. It was as if he was pressing down on a solid unmoving block.

“Well, my car is but yeah. Isn’t it great?” Odysseus asked him with a grin before he said, “But where are my manners? Gottwald, can you get us some orange juice?”

-x-x-x-

“I have to say, that was quite an impressive proof of concept,” Schneziel replied as he watched several dish shaped drones with underhanging arms floating by while they served them drinks and snacks. “And these drone, this would definitely catch the eye of the military if you can mass produce it”

As he recovered from the initial shock, he could finally make his judgment on his brother. So far, his brother appeared stable even if he was a bit odd. He was still the same lovable goofball that was before but there was something more to him, something that he had only seen in the eyes of their more accomplished siblings. It was as if he was a whole new man.

“If you’re impressed with that, just wait till I actually make my own Knightmare Frame. It’ll blow your pet project out of the water!” Odysseus claimed with a confident smirk.

“Truly? Well, if you're looking for some funding, I’m sure I can squeeze out something from the budget,” Schneizel chuckled as he turned to his brother. “I’m just glad that your ok,”

Odysseus’s features softened as he replied, “Thank you.”

They shared a few minutes of silence between, making comments and asking some questions before his brother spoke up. Rubbing back of his head, he admitted, “About that mental breakdown, yeah I was in a dark place. I thought I was doing ok, staying clean and everything but it wasn’t enough. The stress was getting to me and just a few choice comments later, I spiraled out of control. I didn’t know I needed some time away from it all until I got here.”

While he didn’t want to admit it, Schneizel felt some relief knowing that his brother was fine. As much as he desired the throne, he wanted to earn it and not have it simply fall to his lap because his brother was indisposed. “Hey, who knew getting coped up in my room was a great motivator to learn. Hit the books and the next thing I knew, I was cracking the secrets of gravity,” his brother then joked.

“Finally found your passion I see,” He replied as he gazed back into those blue eyes and there he found the spark of ambition in them, the drive that had been lacking in him all those years. While many would scoff in disbelief citing that no one could simply just read and show up the best and brightest of Britannia by cracking the secret to hover flight first, they did not account that Odysseus was his brother. There was more to him than meets the eyes and now that he found his calling, he knew he would shake the world itself.

“It’s definitely a journey, I'll tell you that,” Odysseus answered, before he had one of his drones pour him another glass.  “But yes, I’m actually looking forward to getting back out there. I’ll probably step out of politics and focus more on business. I actually have the draft for a company along with a whole series of products to sell,”

“Oh?” This was unexpected by Odysseus turning to business was not catastrophic and maybe even beneficial for his own plan.

“I have the name, logo and motto for it and everything. Tau Technology, For the Greater Good. The motto’s still a work in progress,” his brother told him, chuckling to himself as he told him about the motto.

“I don’t know, it sounds catchy.” He claimed, liking how close it rings to Odysseus' own nature. He’s definitely going to be busy for quite some time and maybe he finds distaste in ruling? Regardless, his new found technological prowess would be of great use to himself. Now, how would he make use of him?

“Maybe I’ll keep it then,” His brother then said before he shifted in his seat. He then asked him,  “So I know this might be a bit too fast but can I ask you for a loan? I have big plans for Schneizel and it’s definitely going to change the world but I can’t do it without your help.”

Schneizel couldn’t help but smile as his brother turned to him once more. To think he doubted that his brother would not turn to him. “All you need is to ask,” he told them, all too willing to help. Things would definitely get interesting once his brother returns. He could feel it in his very bones, Odysseus was truly going to change the world and he was going to be in the front row seat when it happened. So absorbed was he in his own success that he missed the smirk that temporarily grazed his brother's lips.

A/N:

In a slight mental funk. Couldn't do the chapter I was supposed to do. Decided to do an experiment instead. Doing shorter, more compact chapters. I can reasonably do this in a single day if I start early. If you like this, you can give this a like so I could do this during my down time or when I feel like it.

Also, this is an SI along the lines of Neon Cogs but he just has Tau Tech inside his head. This however would not touch Psyker stuff and would not be set in Warhammer 40k. This is all happening inside Code Geass verse.