Chapter 1: Dire Straits.
"Sir, the FAC list from yesterday's battle is in". The Shinra soldier cautiously lifted aside the flap of the blood-red tent and poked his head inside, careful not to intrude too much lest the Commander was in one of his more temperamental moods. FAC stood for Fatalities And Casualties- it was a list comprised of all the injured and dead soldiers in any particular battle. In this case, the bloody conflict between the Wutai and Shinra armies was the subject of the macabre collection of names.
"Sir, are you in here?", the soldier questioned, casting a quick view around the darkened interior of the tent. The Commander's jet black cloak made in extremely hard for him to be seen whenever the light was bad, and the fact that it was night time, and that the tent lacked any kind of light source ensured that the Commander could have been sitting 5 feet in front of the soldier and he still wouldn't have seen him. As it was, a voice from the far reaches of the tent revealed his position. "Enter".
Even when granted the Commander's permission the soldier was still reluctant to enter- the man was just too damn creepy for his liking. Regardless, he made his way towards the source of the voice and began to recite his message, "Uh, the FAC list from yes.."
"I heard you the first time. Give me the figures immediately".
He placed emphasis on the word "immediately", prompting the soldier to hastily inform him of the details of the yesterday's encounter with the Wutai army. This was the last man on earth you wanted to annoy.
"153 dead. 246 injured. Dr. Kazuyuki also wishes to inform you that medical supplies are running low, and most of our restorative materia has been lost to the enemy in battle. He asks that you send a request to Midgar for both new troops and fresh supplies. Otherwise he won't be able to treat what little survivors are left".
"I'll take that into consideration. Now, is there anything else?".
"No. Nothing else". The soldier fervently hoped that the Commander would dismiss him- he didn't want to stay in this tent any longer than absolutely necessary. He breathed a deep sigh of relief when the reply came...
"Very well. Leave me be." The soldier saluted, then immediately turned and hurried towards the exit, only too glad to leave. In his haste, he cracked his knee off a nearby table. Cursing under his breath, he wondered just how the Commander could find his way around in near pitch blackness. "He must have excellent vision", he thought, then pushed aside the flap of the tent and stepped into the awaiting darkness.
Back in the tent, the Commander returned to his reflective meditations. The deaths of the soldiers did not bother him- the only thing he was worried about was whether or not he would have a sufficient number of healthy men left to continue the battle against Wutai in the coming days. Powerful as he was, he couldn't win the war by himself, and his victory relied on the state of his troops when the battle finally began, much as he hated to admit it. Even with his strength and his materia, the enemy's sheer numbers would eventually overwhelm him.
For several minutes, he considered placing the request for more troops and supplies, but every time he reached for the nearby PHS, his overwhelming sense of pride prevented him from making the call. This was his first command position- asking for help from Midgar would be like admitting that he had failed. Then again, if he single-handedly lost the war because he was too proud to ask for assistance...
After many hours of inner conflict, he reached for the PHS and punched in the number which would connect him to Heidegger's personal line. A gruff and arrogant voice answered: "Sephiroth. This better be important. I'm in the middle of something right now". As Heidegger finished his sentence, Sephiroth could hear a female laugh in the background, more than one female laugh if he heard correctly. Heidegger was busy all right.
"Don't worry. I won't interrupt your after-hour activities for much longer". Sephiroth's voice was harsh as he replied. After all, here he was trying to wage a war, and Heidegger was too busy with his bevy of whores to give him the time of day. "I want to place a request for more troops. 10 regiments should be sufficient. And have them send some medical supplies while you're at it".
"Hmmm, I'm sorry, but that would be quite impossible", came the maddeningly nonchalant reply. "Since you've left, there has been a significant increase in the number of attacks on Mako reactors and other Shinra facilities in Midgar, Corel and Junon, to name but a few places. We've had to increase security around all our property in hope of deterring any further assaults, and as a result we need all the soldiers we can get. However, we anticipated that you might need some reinforcements, so we dispatched one of our First Class SOLDIER candidates about 3 days ago. He should be at your location by tomorrow, and hopefully he will provide you with all the assistance you require".
"Just one!?". Sephiroth did not respond kindly to this news. He knew that Shinra could have easily dispatched 10 such SOLDIER candidates to help him, but they only sent one. Why? Were they testing him? "One SOLDIER candidate isn't going to help me, even if he is First Class".
"Hmmph", Heidegger replied," You should be thankful. Unarmed, one First Class SOLDIER is equal to at least 30 infantrymen, 100 if he has the right weapon and materia. Side by side, you two should easily be able to defeat the advancing Wutai army".
Sephiroth hung up. That was bullshit, and Heidegger knew it. True, he had volunteered to lead Shinra's forces against Wutai, but he knew he knew that Hojo had a vested income in the outcome of the war. Ever since the death of Professor Gast, Hojo had taken it upon himself to continue his research, and that entailed continuing the testing of Sephiroth. Sephiroth knew that Hojo wanted to see what he was really capable of, and he had a feeling that it was Hojo who persuaded Heidegger to dispatch only one SOLDIER to help him. With only one SOLDIER, Sephiroth would have to fight much harder than if there had been 10 to help him, thus giving him a chance to improve his skills. Just what Hojo wanted.
Intelligent as Hojo was, he was far from wise, and Sephiroth hoped that this latest little experiment of his wouldn't get him killed. Himself, one First Class SOLDIER and the remainder of his troops against the Wutai army? The odds weren't in his favour. He just hoped that this SOLDIER they sent was good...
"Sir, the FAC list from yesterday's battle is in". The Shinra soldier cautiously lifted aside the flap of the blood-red tent and poked his head inside, careful not to intrude too much lest the Commander was in one of his more temperamental moods. FAC stood for Fatalities And Casualties- it was a list comprised of all the injured and dead soldiers in any particular battle. In this case, the bloody conflict between the Wutai and Shinra armies was the subject of the macabre collection of names.
"Sir, are you in here?", the soldier questioned, casting a quick view around the darkened interior of the tent. The Commander's jet black cloak made in extremely hard for him to be seen whenever the light was bad, and the fact that it was night time, and that the tent lacked any kind of light source ensured that the Commander could have been sitting 5 feet in front of the soldier and he still wouldn't have seen him. As it was, a voice from the far reaches of the tent revealed his position. "Enter".
Even when granted the Commander's permission the soldier was still reluctant to enter- the man was just too damn creepy for his liking. Regardless, he made his way towards the source of the voice and began to recite his message, "Uh, the FAC list from yes.."
"I heard you the first time. Give me the figures immediately".
He placed emphasis on the word "immediately", prompting the soldier to hastily inform him of the details of the yesterday's encounter with the Wutai army. This was the last man on earth you wanted to annoy.
"153 dead. 246 injured. Dr. Kazuyuki also wishes to inform you that medical supplies are running low, and most of our restorative materia has been lost to the enemy in battle. He asks that you send a request to Midgar for both new troops and fresh supplies. Otherwise he won't be able to treat what little survivors are left".
"I'll take that into consideration. Now, is there anything else?".
"No. Nothing else". The soldier fervently hoped that the Commander would dismiss him- he didn't want to stay in this tent any longer than absolutely necessary. He breathed a deep sigh of relief when the reply came...
"Very well. Leave me be." The soldier saluted, then immediately turned and hurried towards the exit, only too glad to leave. In his haste, he cracked his knee off a nearby table. Cursing under his breath, he wondered just how the Commander could find his way around in near pitch blackness. "He must have excellent vision", he thought, then pushed aside the flap of the tent and stepped into the awaiting darkness.
Back in the tent, the Commander returned to his reflective meditations. The deaths of the soldiers did not bother him- the only thing he was worried about was whether or not he would have a sufficient number of healthy men left to continue the battle against Wutai in the coming days. Powerful as he was, he couldn't win the war by himself, and his victory relied on the state of his troops when the battle finally began, much as he hated to admit it. Even with his strength and his materia, the enemy's sheer numbers would eventually overwhelm him.
For several minutes, he considered placing the request for more troops and supplies, but every time he reached for the nearby PHS, his overwhelming sense of pride prevented him from making the call. This was his first command position- asking for help from Midgar would be like admitting that he had failed. Then again, if he single-handedly lost the war because he was too proud to ask for assistance...
After many hours of inner conflict, he reached for the PHS and punched in the number which would connect him to Heidegger's personal line. A gruff and arrogant voice answered: "Sephiroth. This better be important. I'm in the middle of something right now". As Heidegger finished his sentence, Sephiroth could hear a female laugh in the background, more than one female laugh if he heard correctly. Heidegger was busy all right.
"Don't worry. I won't interrupt your after-hour activities for much longer". Sephiroth's voice was harsh as he replied. After all, here he was trying to wage a war, and Heidegger was too busy with his bevy of whores to give him the time of day. "I want to place a request for more troops. 10 regiments should be sufficient. And have them send some medical supplies while you're at it".
"Hmmm, I'm sorry, but that would be quite impossible", came the maddeningly nonchalant reply. "Since you've left, there has been a significant increase in the number of attacks on Mako reactors and other Shinra facilities in Midgar, Corel and Junon, to name but a few places. We've had to increase security around all our property in hope of deterring any further assaults, and as a result we need all the soldiers we can get. However, we anticipated that you might need some reinforcements, so we dispatched one of our First Class SOLDIER candidates about 3 days ago. He should be at your location by tomorrow, and hopefully he will provide you with all the assistance you require".
"Just one!?". Sephiroth did not respond kindly to this news. He knew that Shinra could have easily dispatched 10 such SOLDIER candidates to help him, but they only sent one. Why? Were they testing him? "One SOLDIER candidate isn't going to help me, even if he is First Class".
"Hmmph", Heidegger replied," You should be thankful. Unarmed, one First Class SOLDIER is equal to at least 30 infantrymen, 100 if he has the right weapon and materia. Side by side, you two should easily be able to defeat the advancing Wutai army".
Sephiroth hung up. That was bullshit, and Heidegger knew it. True, he had volunteered to lead Shinra's forces against Wutai, but he knew he knew that Hojo had a vested income in the outcome of the war. Ever since the death of Professor Gast, Hojo had taken it upon himself to continue his research, and that entailed continuing the testing of Sephiroth. Sephiroth knew that Hojo wanted to see what he was really capable of, and he had a feeling that it was Hojo who persuaded Heidegger to dispatch only one SOLDIER to help him. With only one SOLDIER, Sephiroth would have to fight much harder than if there had been 10 to help him, thus giving him a chance to improve his skills. Just what Hojo wanted.
Intelligent as Hojo was, he was far from wise, and Sephiroth hoped that this latest little experiment of his wouldn't get him killed. Himself, one First Class SOLDIER and the remainder of his troops against the Wutai army? The odds weren't in his favour. He just hoped that this SOLDIER they sent was good...