Jon Higgins 30/04/03
Prisoners of War
Introduction
The legendary Squall Leonhart and his brave allies have long since defeated Ultimecia. The world is recovering from the oppression she imposed and has never been at such a peak before. It is a time of success, economic development and progression but as with most great times, they come to an abrupt end.
The Galbadians still dream of world domination. They seek out weak nations, invade, conquer and destroy. With these small but decisive victories, the Galbadians establish strategic outpost and defensive positions where they gather and prepare their growing troops and technologies for larger, more damaging invasions on larger nations. The citizens of Gaia are in despair and even the Eldars and Guardian Forces are unsure of the fate of the planet. It seems that enormous resistance of a scale unseen before on Gaia can only halt the industrial machine of the Galbadians. It calls not only on SeeD but also, the united efforts of the remaining free nations of Gaia.
Chapter 1 - A Breach in the Line
Squall had been on the trail for days. He was ever vigilant, studying every slight hint of pressure on the ground, seeing every disturbed leaf, every upturned stone. To anyone watching him it would seem as if he could actually sense the way their energy had gone. His tracking skills had led him far from where he picked up the trail. Over mountains, across streams, through valleys, along hills and dotted woodlands. he didn't understand quite where the trail was leading him but something inside him nagged him to continue. He had deciphered that he was on the trail of Galbadian troops long before now and had certainly realised they were highly trained soldiers. They had not left much for him to follow and he hadn't once found the remains of a campsite. He was growing increasingly disturbed. He noticed by foot patterns that it was a four-man team and that they were travelling with speed due to the long stride lengths. The fact they were this far across the front line was uncommon of Galbadian troops. They hadn't made many advances far across the front line since the beginning of their campaign and none yet had dared to move so deeply inside the Allies territory. Squall was on to something. He followed the trail for two more days without incident but at the end of the third day he felt his spine tingle and adrenaline pumped through his veins. He immediately crouched down to present a smaller target and gripped the pistol grip of his Gunblade, ready to draw it at any second. He waited there for a few long minutes of undisturbed silence before assuming it was safe to start moving once more. He kept his grip on his Gunblade and slowly straightened up but as he did, the quiet night air was torn apart by the loud cracks of gunfire somewhere in the distance. Squall immediately drew his Gunblade and moved into a defensive position but the gunfire didn't seem to be focused on him. He sensed trouble and immediately found the trail again. It was what he suspected. The trail pointed directly to where the gunfire had come from. Squall feeling of discomfort was growing. Something was definitely wrong and those cracks of gunfire sounded suspiciously like the sound of a Galbadian G23 assault rifle. He sheathed his Gunblade once more and sped off along the trail like a hound.
Meanwhile, in the allied outpost - Esthar Battalion HQ 23, Jecht Miller was dusting off his shooting skills on the special arms trainer. Jecht was headhunted for the Esthar Special Forces (ESF) by Laguna Loire himself and is one of the allied armies best marksmen and most respected field commanders. He has been involved in every conflict and visited every hotspot on Gaia that has occurred in recent times and boasts hundreds of distinctions under his name. His legend is widely spoken and he has successfully completed 32 operations behind enemy lines. He had retired from the ESF years ago but re-inlisted after the outbreak of war with Galbadia. The battalion couldn't be more pleased to have his experience and skill back again. Suddenly, Jecht was blinding by the large fluorescent lights, which had been suddenly switched back on. He waited for his eyes to adjust before turning round to find out what was going on. A young recruit, barely old enough to buy a pint, was stood to attention. He looked extremely anxious and addressed Jecht nervously. "Sir!" "At ease private. What's the problem?" Jecht asked, trying not to sound to annoyed about the fact his off-duty time was being interrupted. "I was ordered by the Colonel to tell you to proceed to the intelligence room ASAP Sir." This worried Jecht. The only times he had been given orders like this on such short notice and whilst he was off-duty, had been in extreme circumstances. "What the fucks goin' on?" Jecht asked angrily. "I wasn't told what the orders were about Sir but the whole barracks are in a frenzy. some things up Sir." "I see. thank you private, you're dismissed." "Yes Sir, thank you Sir" Replied the young recruit. He then snapped to attention and hurriedly saluted before rushing out of the room. Jecht decided to trust to his instincts and hurried out of the room. He walked barely at a slow jog in order to get to the intelligence room as fast as possible without raising suspicions. It was rare you ever saw an officer running about Battalion headquarters. As he passed the mess hall, he noticed that the alert state had moved up to red, (the highest state of alert). This really got him worried and he broke into a run. As he passed the armoury he saw a huge line of jittery soldiers collecting their rifles and ammunition. They were all excitedly mumbling to each other. All around him, soldiers were stripping down rifles, putting them back together, scribbling out wills and letters, filling out life insurance forms and picking up loose equipment. Then just as he reached the intelligence room, a voice boomed across the loud speakers. "All weekend passes are revoked. All soldiers from commando units 42, 45 and Special Forces are to assemble in the briefing room at 0600 hours." "0600 hours!" Jecht blurted out in disbelief. "That's only four hours away!" He passed through the reinforced doors of the intelligence room at a sprint and into the gloomy atmosphere of tabacco smoke, buzzing computer monitors and downscaled, terrain models. "Can someone explain the current situation for me. and why the hell are we at red alert?" Jecht barked out to the intelligence officers, regardless of the higher ranks in the room. Many of them looked as if they hadn't slept in days. They were unshaven, grim and heavy eyed. A high ranking intelligence officer motioned Jecht over to a large, vertical, glass panel in the middle of the room. Jecht had seen one of these thousands of times. They were always showing alarming information but what he saw now made him speechless.
Under the cover of darkness, oblivious to the developing crisis, Squall scurried on. He was challenging his skill with his speed. He kept low, his face only inches from the moist soil. He had been travelling for several hours now and he could feel the electricity in the air. It felt like the intensity just before a thunderstorm. Something was about to happen. Every step he took became more careful. Then he spotted a flickering light up ahead. He moved in its direction silently. He didn't make a single sound. Adrenaline raced through his veins. After a few minutes he came to the edge of the trees where a dirt road cut through the forest. What he saw made his temples pound and rage clouded his mind. The bodies of three SeeDs lay across the road in pools of dark blood. Their bodies were riddled with bullets. The light Squall had seen was the dancing flames of a burnt out Jeep and sat next to it were three elite Galbadian Shock Troopers (STs). Squall guessed that the other ST was keeping a perimeter. It was apparent to Squall that he had been tracking an advance ambush team. The only thing that Squall couldn't understand was why an elite team of STs were so far behind enemy lines, let alone why they would ambush three SeeDs. Something wasn't right. There must have been an important objective for the ambush and Squall knew he had to find out what it was. The thought of taking out four elite Galbadian STs didn't faze Squall. He had seen worse odds. The only thing that bothered him was the fact that he could only see three of them and he was certain there was a fourth team member. He thought over his battle plan for a few moments and decided he had to eliminate the STs. the sooner the better. Squall took a deep breath, drew his Gunblade and leaped out of his hiding place onto the road and charged at the STs. They were so surprised that they froze. Squall hoped this would happen. He squeezed off a round from his Gunblade and caught one man in the face at point blank range. He died instantly. This brought the other two back to reality and they tried to sort themselves out. However it was too late. Squall struck them both down before they could even raise their weapons. "Three down. one to go." Squall muttered to himself. He found cover in the undergrowth, sheathed his Gunblade and prepared for the arrival of the fourth ST. As Squall predicted, the elite ST had heard the noise of Squalls first shot and cautiously re-entered the area. He looked a stocky man as far as his silhouette showed but Squall knew he wouldn't pose a problem. Squall waited for the ST to approach his position and as soon as he turned his back on Squalls position, he pounced. Squall drew his short dagger and pressed it to the Galbadians neck. "Don't move or ill slit your throat! Answer my questions and I will spare your life." Squall ordered aggressively. "What are you doing here so deep into allied territory?" "I w-wont tell you anything" The Galbadian answered nervously. Squall kicked him in the back of the legs, sending him to his knees. "Answer me or I WILL KILL YOU" "Please, I am a soldier in the Galbadian Shock Troopers. My orders were to find and ambush the three SeeDs over there." The ST blurted out whilst pointing to Squalls fallen comrades. "What were your objectives in the ambush!" Squall barked at the trembling Galbadian. "I can't say. I won't say!" The Galbadian tried to sound strong but his nervousness was apparent. Squall didn't appreciate the Galbadians stubbornness and twisted his arm round his back in an excruciating position until it snapped. The Galbadian screamed and started to breathe shallowly. "That is you final warning. Tell me what your objectives were. Next time you wont be so lucky." Squall whispered into the Galbadians ear patiently. "Ok! Ok! Our objectives were to retrieve valuable. information that we believed the SeeDs were. transporting off the front-line and to transmit it back. to HQ as soon as it was. acquired." The Galbadian spoke with short pauses to draw breath. He sounded in pain. This was all Squall needed to hear and the possibility that the Intel may have already been transmitted made him worried. He had no shame in slitting the Galbadians throat and enjoyed avenging his fallen comrades. The Galbadian slumped to the floor, his neck gushing dark blood. Squall searched the STs body but he carried nothing of importance. He did the same with the other three ST bodies. One of the Galbadians was carrying what Squall was looking for. The STs had captured Intel on Allied personnel and troop placements. If the Galbadians had succeeded in transmitting the Intel it would cost the lives of many allied soldiers. Squall had been away from home and out of contact for weeks. This was something that needed reporting so he decided to head back immediately. Just as he turned to leave, a radio crackled into life. The voice sounded foreign. "Corporal, the transmission was successful. Your orders have been updated. Move to the extraction point, Understood? Over." There was a long, silent, pause. " Alpha Whisky Charlie Red, this is Alpha Whisky Charlie Blue. Are you receiving? Over." Vigour didn't need to hear anymore. The Galbadians had already transmitted the dangerous Intel. He had to get back to HQ as soon as possible. He set off at a phenomenal pace just as the radio attempted another burst transmission.
Back at Esthar Battalion HQ 23, Jecht was working furiously with the other intelligence officers. Moving troops into positions, sorting out Intel, making sure Logistics were properly supplied. There was a large break in the frontline. Galbadians had sent a huge invasion force into allied territory. Hitting the bases, which had in-sufficient personnel numbers. They had hit these places so hard that areas of the frontline had been cut off with no supply routes or way of retreat. What was most surprising, was the fact that the Galbadians seemed to have acquired astounding Intel on allied personnel. However this would have to wait. It wasn't important at the moment. What was important was opening up the collapsed supply routes and pushing the Galbadians back. The operation was planned out as flexible as possible and put into motion. Hundreds of troops from the Esthar Commandos and ESF were given orders, after the briefing, to board the flatbed trucks and prepare themselves for frontline action. The plan was for Esthar Commandos to reinforce frontline bases and hold them until reinforcements arrived. Any unwanted Commandos were to get into positions in the frontline town of war-torn Windville and prepare to engage advancing Galbadian troops. Whilst this was going on Jecht would be leading a team of around 10 ESF Commandos to intercept Galbadian infantry at their outposts before meeting the Commandos, holding Windville, to attack the Galbadian field HQ.
Prisoners of War
Introduction
The legendary Squall Leonhart and his brave allies have long since defeated Ultimecia. The world is recovering from the oppression she imposed and has never been at such a peak before. It is a time of success, economic development and progression but as with most great times, they come to an abrupt end.
The Galbadians still dream of world domination. They seek out weak nations, invade, conquer and destroy. With these small but decisive victories, the Galbadians establish strategic outpost and defensive positions where they gather and prepare their growing troops and technologies for larger, more damaging invasions on larger nations. The citizens of Gaia are in despair and even the Eldars and Guardian Forces are unsure of the fate of the planet. It seems that enormous resistance of a scale unseen before on Gaia can only halt the industrial machine of the Galbadians. It calls not only on SeeD but also, the united efforts of the remaining free nations of Gaia.
Chapter 1 - A Breach in the Line
Squall had been on the trail for days. He was ever vigilant, studying every slight hint of pressure on the ground, seeing every disturbed leaf, every upturned stone. To anyone watching him it would seem as if he could actually sense the way their energy had gone. His tracking skills had led him far from where he picked up the trail. Over mountains, across streams, through valleys, along hills and dotted woodlands. he didn't understand quite where the trail was leading him but something inside him nagged him to continue. He had deciphered that he was on the trail of Galbadian troops long before now and had certainly realised they were highly trained soldiers. They had not left much for him to follow and he hadn't once found the remains of a campsite. He was growing increasingly disturbed. He noticed by foot patterns that it was a four-man team and that they were travelling with speed due to the long stride lengths. The fact they were this far across the front line was uncommon of Galbadian troops. They hadn't made many advances far across the front line since the beginning of their campaign and none yet had dared to move so deeply inside the Allies territory. Squall was on to something. He followed the trail for two more days without incident but at the end of the third day he felt his spine tingle and adrenaline pumped through his veins. He immediately crouched down to present a smaller target and gripped the pistol grip of his Gunblade, ready to draw it at any second. He waited there for a few long minutes of undisturbed silence before assuming it was safe to start moving once more. He kept his grip on his Gunblade and slowly straightened up but as he did, the quiet night air was torn apart by the loud cracks of gunfire somewhere in the distance. Squall immediately drew his Gunblade and moved into a defensive position but the gunfire didn't seem to be focused on him. He sensed trouble and immediately found the trail again. It was what he suspected. The trail pointed directly to where the gunfire had come from. Squall feeling of discomfort was growing. Something was definitely wrong and those cracks of gunfire sounded suspiciously like the sound of a Galbadian G23 assault rifle. He sheathed his Gunblade once more and sped off along the trail like a hound.
Meanwhile, in the allied outpost - Esthar Battalion HQ 23, Jecht Miller was dusting off his shooting skills on the special arms trainer. Jecht was headhunted for the Esthar Special Forces (ESF) by Laguna Loire himself and is one of the allied armies best marksmen and most respected field commanders. He has been involved in every conflict and visited every hotspot on Gaia that has occurred in recent times and boasts hundreds of distinctions under his name. His legend is widely spoken and he has successfully completed 32 operations behind enemy lines. He had retired from the ESF years ago but re-inlisted after the outbreak of war with Galbadia. The battalion couldn't be more pleased to have his experience and skill back again. Suddenly, Jecht was blinding by the large fluorescent lights, which had been suddenly switched back on. He waited for his eyes to adjust before turning round to find out what was going on. A young recruit, barely old enough to buy a pint, was stood to attention. He looked extremely anxious and addressed Jecht nervously. "Sir!" "At ease private. What's the problem?" Jecht asked, trying not to sound to annoyed about the fact his off-duty time was being interrupted. "I was ordered by the Colonel to tell you to proceed to the intelligence room ASAP Sir." This worried Jecht. The only times he had been given orders like this on such short notice and whilst he was off-duty, had been in extreme circumstances. "What the fucks goin' on?" Jecht asked angrily. "I wasn't told what the orders were about Sir but the whole barracks are in a frenzy. some things up Sir." "I see. thank you private, you're dismissed." "Yes Sir, thank you Sir" Replied the young recruit. He then snapped to attention and hurriedly saluted before rushing out of the room. Jecht decided to trust to his instincts and hurried out of the room. He walked barely at a slow jog in order to get to the intelligence room as fast as possible without raising suspicions. It was rare you ever saw an officer running about Battalion headquarters. As he passed the mess hall, he noticed that the alert state had moved up to red, (the highest state of alert). This really got him worried and he broke into a run. As he passed the armoury he saw a huge line of jittery soldiers collecting their rifles and ammunition. They were all excitedly mumbling to each other. All around him, soldiers were stripping down rifles, putting them back together, scribbling out wills and letters, filling out life insurance forms and picking up loose equipment. Then just as he reached the intelligence room, a voice boomed across the loud speakers. "All weekend passes are revoked. All soldiers from commando units 42, 45 and Special Forces are to assemble in the briefing room at 0600 hours." "0600 hours!" Jecht blurted out in disbelief. "That's only four hours away!" He passed through the reinforced doors of the intelligence room at a sprint and into the gloomy atmosphere of tabacco smoke, buzzing computer monitors and downscaled, terrain models. "Can someone explain the current situation for me. and why the hell are we at red alert?" Jecht barked out to the intelligence officers, regardless of the higher ranks in the room. Many of them looked as if they hadn't slept in days. They were unshaven, grim and heavy eyed. A high ranking intelligence officer motioned Jecht over to a large, vertical, glass panel in the middle of the room. Jecht had seen one of these thousands of times. They were always showing alarming information but what he saw now made him speechless.
Under the cover of darkness, oblivious to the developing crisis, Squall scurried on. He was challenging his skill with his speed. He kept low, his face only inches from the moist soil. He had been travelling for several hours now and he could feel the electricity in the air. It felt like the intensity just before a thunderstorm. Something was about to happen. Every step he took became more careful. Then he spotted a flickering light up ahead. He moved in its direction silently. He didn't make a single sound. Adrenaline raced through his veins. After a few minutes he came to the edge of the trees where a dirt road cut through the forest. What he saw made his temples pound and rage clouded his mind. The bodies of three SeeDs lay across the road in pools of dark blood. Their bodies were riddled with bullets. The light Squall had seen was the dancing flames of a burnt out Jeep and sat next to it were three elite Galbadian Shock Troopers (STs). Squall guessed that the other ST was keeping a perimeter. It was apparent to Squall that he had been tracking an advance ambush team. The only thing that Squall couldn't understand was why an elite team of STs were so far behind enemy lines, let alone why they would ambush three SeeDs. Something wasn't right. There must have been an important objective for the ambush and Squall knew he had to find out what it was. The thought of taking out four elite Galbadian STs didn't faze Squall. He had seen worse odds. The only thing that bothered him was the fact that he could only see three of them and he was certain there was a fourth team member. He thought over his battle plan for a few moments and decided he had to eliminate the STs. the sooner the better. Squall took a deep breath, drew his Gunblade and leaped out of his hiding place onto the road and charged at the STs. They were so surprised that they froze. Squall hoped this would happen. He squeezed off a round from his Gunblade and caught one man in the face at point blank range. He died instantly. This brought the other two back to reality and they tried to sort themselves out. However it was too late. Squall struck them both down before they could even raise their weapons. "Three down. one to go." Squall muttered to himself. He found cover in the undergrowth, sheathed his Gunblade and prepared for the arrival of the fourth ST. As Squall predicted, the elite ST had heard the noise of Squalls first shot and cautiously re-entered the area. He looked a stocky man as far as his silhouette showed but Squall knew he wouldn't pose a problem. Squall waited for the ST to approach his position and as soon as he turned his back on Squalls position, he pounced. Squall drew his short dagger and pressed it to the Galbadians neck. "Don't move or ill slit your throat! Answer my questions and I will spare your life." Squall ordered aggressively. "What are you doing here so deep into allied territory?" "I w-wont tell you anything" The Galbadian answered nervously. Squall kicked him in the back of the legs, sending him to his knees. "Answer me or I WILL KILL YOU" "Please, I am a soldier in the Galbadian Shock Troopers. My orders were to find and ambush the three SeeDs over there." The ST blurted out whilst pointing to Squalls fallen comrades. "What were your objectives in the ambush!" Squall barked at the trembling Galbadian. "I can't say. I won't say!" The Galbadian tried to sound strong but his nervousness was apparent. Squall didn't appreciate the Galbadians stubbornness and twisted his arm round his back in an excruciating position until it snapped. The Galbadian screamed and started to breathe shallowly. "That is you final warning. Tell me what your objectives were. Next time you wont be so lucky." Squall whispered into the Galbadians ear patiently. "Ok! Ok! Our objectives were to retrieve valuable. information that we believed the SeeDs were. transporting off the front-line and to transmit it back. to HQ as soon as it was. acquired." The Galbadian spoke with short pauses to draw breath. He sounded in pain. This was all Squall needed to hear and the possibility that the Intel may have already been transmitted made him worried. He had no shame in slitting the Galbadians throat and enjoyed avenging his fallen comrades. The Galbadian slumped to the floor, his neck gushing dark blood. Squall searched the STs body but he carried nothing of importance. He did the same with the other three ST bodies. One of the Galbadians was carrying what Squall was looking for. The STs had captured Intel on Allied personnel and troop placements. If the Galbadians had succeeded in transmitting the Intel it would cost the lives of many allied soldiers. Squall had been away from home and out of contact for weeks. This was something that needed reporting so he decided to head back immediately. Just as he turned to leave, a radio crackled into life. The voice sounded foreign. "Corporal, the transmission was successful. Your orders have been updated. Move to the extraction point, Understood? Over." There was a long, silent, pause. " Alpha Whisky Charlie Red, this is Alpha Whisky Charlie Blue. Are you receiving? Over." Vigour didn't need to hear anymore. The Galbadians had already transmitted the dangerous Intel. He had to get back to HQ as soon as possible. He set off at a phenomenal pace just as the radio attempted another burst transmission.
Back at Esthar Battalion HQ 23, Jecht was working furiously with the other intelligence officers. Moving troops into positions, sorting out Intel, making sure Logistics were properly supplied. There was a large break in the frontline. Galbadians had sent a huge invasion force into allied territory. Hitting the bases, which had in-sufficient personnel numbers. They had hit these places so hard that areas of the frontline had been cut off with no supply routes or way of retreat. What was most surprising, was the fact that the Galbadians seemed to have acquired astounding Intel on allied personnel. However this would have to wait. It wasn't important at the moment. What was important was opening up the collapsed supply routes and pushing the Galbadians back. The operation was planned out as flexible as possible and put into motion. Hundreds of troops from the Esthar Commandos and ESF were given orders, after the briefing, to board the flatbed trucks and prepare themselves for frontline action. The plan was for Esthar Commandos to reinforce frontline bases and hold them until reinforcements arrived. Any unwanted Commandos were to get into positions in the frontline town of war-torn Windville and prepare to engage advancing Galbadian troops. Whilst this was going on Jecht would be leading a team of around 10 ESF Commandos to intercept Galbadian infantry at their outposts before meeting the Commandos, holding Windville, to attack the Galbadian field HQ.