"The Third Sorceress War, Act III: Terra Rossa"
3. H-Hour
1 (Dollet – Outside the City)
It was two in the afternoon when Field Marshal Irvine Kinneas arrived at the Dollet Dukedom via land.
Dollet's main entrance was an archway that ran from one side of the highway to the other, looming over those who would step in. Two, low guard towers were keeping watch of the road, and in the middle were great, black gates, closed and locked by a mechanism operated by both guards.
Irvine lifted the collar of his greatcoat up and shook off the last bit of tension from his body. Behind him, a platoon of 50, backed by two standard mobiles, his own jeep and a support of several SAM08Gs (three per each of the four squads) waited for his command. Irvine put one hand on his ceremonial sword. Strapped to his belt, in its holster, the weapon he had been using all this time, his PK380 was waiting and strapped to his back was his Bismarck.
Irvine strutted forward until he was certain that the guards on either side of him could hear him loudly and clearly.
"We are here on behalf of President Heartilly of Galbadia." He said, "As of this moment, the two days' notice given to the Dollet Dukedom to expunge all SeeDs residing therein, is over. We are authorized to conduct a search of the city."
"You aren't authorized to be here." The guard on the left said.
"Dollet is a sovereign state! What your President declares has no bearing here." The guard on the right added.
Irvine pulled out his handgun. The guards reacted exactly as he anticipated: they brought their rifles to bear. In response to their action, the sharpshooters stepped out of the crowd behind Irvine and took firing formations, devoting equal attention to each of the guards.
"Please put down your weapons." Irvine said, "I don't want to have to end up killing either one of you."
"We can't do that!" the guard on the left said.
"You have no authority here!"
Irvine sighed.
"Fire!"
Before the guards could react, a hail of bullets tore into them. Irvine then motioned for them to follow and together, as one unit, they marched to the gates.
2 (Dollet – Inside the City)
The residents of Dollet watched in disbelief as the rhythm of jack boots pounding on cobblestones came echoing in. Those hearing it immediately rushed to their windows and doors, eyes searching for the soldiers they were accustomed to and feared seeing: they looked for the weapons gleaming in the afternoon sun, the helmets obscuring intents. The platoon marched into the city as a singular unit, flanked on both sides by the lumbering SAM08Gs, and continued to sieve through the streets until they arrived at the Dollet Square.
Once there, Irvine turned to his soldiers and took a moment. He was almost shaking with excitement, feeling the air as a thick mass of adrenaline.
"Squads, as assigned, will separate and sweep each of the four main directions throughout the city. If you encounter resistance, and you will, what you do is at your discretion, but if any of you kills a civilian, there will be a drumhead court martial and believe you me, my verdicts will be severe. Any questions?"
"Sir!" a soldier said, "On the off chance that we do find SeeDs, what do we do?"
"Bring them here, make sure you are followed by as many civilians as possible. A public execution is what I have in mind."
"Yes, sir!"
"Now, scramble!"
Irvine sat down on the edge of the fountain as his soldiers moved around the square in an orderly fashion and went off in their separate directions. All that was left were the standard mobiles and his own retinue of four soldiers. He put on his com-link and thought it miraculous that Odine could get them from back-carried comcasters to portable, wireless communications. Ah, the hidden miracles of Esthar.
Now all he had to do was wait.
3 (Dollet – The Search)
The soldiers dispersed in their directions, and separated their squads into further four groups, one per building. The squad leaders charged themselves with idly waiting for their squad to finish the sweep of the first square of their "grid" before moving on. The war machines, their dual gatling barrels twitching lazily, remained with the squad leaders.
The soldiers entering the buildings systematically moved from the top floors on down, knocking on every door, stating their intent and entering every home, always to be followed in by the protestations of the homeowners as they proceeded. The soldiers turned the homes they entered inside out, looking everywhere but under the kitchen sink, often not-so-gently shoving away the hovering, objecting civilians. Balambites and a few Estharians watched in awe and disgust as the soldiers marched out the same way they had marched in.
Once they cleared their assigned homes, they got out to the street, to their squad leaders, and moved onto the next four residences.
As they went through the city, each squad came across bars, cafes, restaurants and shops, the people in some of which were discussing even in that very moment the possibility of a Galbadian incursion into Dollet ("Oh, don't be absurd! President Heartilly would never go that far!") The soldiers poured into them and asked questions to random patrons, searched the kitchens and storage rooms. The soldiers took the demure solace of each of these places, leaving their patrons shaken from their assumptions.
Near the end of their search, three of the squads came across SeeDs, four of them. The SeeDs took up arms and resisted, one actually managing to kill two of her attackers before being overwhelmed by too many hands and too many punches. She, along with the others, were cuffed and dragged along the streets, followed by a flurry of curses and taunts. A few of the onlookers followed them down to Dollet Square, joined along the way by some of the more curious. One journalist, dining in a café, saw one of the SeeDs being taken away, and leapt at the chance to follow.
When the platoon converged on the square, Irvine was waiting.
4 (Dollet – The Public Execution)
The SeeDs were pushed down to their knees in front of the Field Marshal. The rest of the troops stood by in wait as the Field Marshal rose to his feet. A man's voice broke through the silence as he demanded to be let through, and he was followed closely by the reporter. Wading through the disorganized ranks of soldiers, he made his way to the opening.
Irvine saw that the man, wearing a navy pinstripe suit, also bore a white sash. Irvine smiled. The Duke of Dollet.
"What is the meaning of this?" he asked.
"My Duke." Irvine saluted him in mock respect, "These SeeDs are in direct violation of President Heartilly's policy."
"President Heartilly has no power here." The Duke said, "Dollet Dukedom is an independent sovereign. We didn't elect your president, and we do not fall under her jurisdiction."
"We aren't interfering in Dollet's affairs." Irvine said, "We aren't here to try to do what Fury Caraway failed to do some years ago. We are here simply to ensure that all SeeD presence is withdrawn from Galbadia. One way or another."
"You're obviously new to these affairs," the Duke said, ", so allow me to enlighten you. These SeeDs are under my employ."
"So you admit to harboring terrorists, then?"
The Duke opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't form the words. He knew that he was cornered. The notion didn't leave any breathing room, and he couldn't object to it after admitting that he had been employing SeeDs.
"So stay out of our way and we'll be out of your hair soon." Irvine said.
He drew his PK380. A few of the soldiers around him exchanged glances – it was rare that the Field Marshal meted out punishment by himself. The SeeDs kneeling in front of him were silent and still. Was it resignation, he wondered, or were they simply trying to calculate their odds?
Either way...
Irvine went to the first one in line. He aimed at the back of his neck. He shifted the barrel slightly to avoid the spine. He pulled the trigger. The SeeD jerked forward and fell, and there he lay, twitching, gurgling, slowly choking in his own blood. He recalled Joaqim, writhing to his death similarly, but this time, he felt nothing for the dying man in front of him.