Dael, as it turned out, had a lot of time to herself. After the shower, she was grateful to see that Bahamut had done as he was told. He said he was going out to exercise afterward and, reluctantly, asked her permission. Dael hesitated for a full minute before saying if he went anywhere near the front doors he wouldn't exercise for a month. After that, she waited the three hours it took him to get back and then went with him to eat for a change. He clearly didn't like being watched, but that was tough for him. He forfeited his rights to the contrary.
On coming back, Dael, having little else to do, checked her own email, but saw that there was nothing new there. No new assignments as of yet. Well, that was only typical. With everything that had happened, she had forgotten that today was the exact same day she had gotten back. Keeping that in mind, she began to grow rather tired at the thought. Even if she wasn't physically drained, she had more than enough reason to be mentally drained. She figured she'd call it a night…but didn't do so right away. Bahamut was staying up (no longer being allowed by her to exercise this late or to go about any studies where he might be looking into something he shouldn't be), and so she sat up with him and watched him, seeming to wait for him to go down first before she did.
As a result, Dael found herself reading an online book on her laptop at the moment. She never really was one for recreational reading, but anything beat just sitting there staring at Bahamut as if he was on suicide watch. Unable to do anything else, and lacking access to any reading material, Bahamut had been left with doing some exercises within the room…whatever he could manage, such as pushups, squats, lunges, and situps. To be honest…Dael was rather surprised at what she saw. He had to have been working out to a great extent even before she met him. Only malnutrition had to have been holding him back. Even after only a short time, he looked over twice as strong as he did when they met. If she still wasn't so upset at him, she'd think back to her earlier comment about how he could join Esthar's Hawks. He seemed more than suitable for the job in the physical department. And if he really managed to get into the Gordian Vault all by himself…then his cunning was nothing to sneeze at either.
As it turned out, Dael couldn't really read that well. In spite of her determination to ignore Bahamut, she kept thinking back to what he was saying. The modern world took a lot more of ancient history seriously than previous generations. They had to once the Guardian Forces arrived and became prominent. Although there were some "nay-sayers", such as the people in Sybenia, many other places took those things very seriously, and Esthar was among them. What if he was telling the truth? Could humans really come up with the technology to replicate those sorts of things? And if so…what then?
Dael exhaled a bit and tried to focus on reading a bit more. It had been hours since the prison at this point, and still she didn't feel anywhere near the traditional "swing of things". Her mind was awash in far too much. Even if she didn't have Bahamut's "food for thought", it didn't change the fact that she had a lot on her mind. Perhaps she shouldn't be worrying about things like this anyway. After all, as much responsibility as she had gotten lately, she was still barely above the level of regular officer…which wasn't much higher than "grunt" on its own, much as she hated the term by Taraketh. But even if she was as high as the colonel, what could she do about this?
As Dael was thinking these things, she soon received a shock that nearly made her jump. Abruply, a flash of light erupted in the middle of the room. It would have been dazzling if Dael had been focused on it or looking at it, but luckily she was focused too much on her laptop. At any rate, it seemed to startle Bahamut a bit too, and both slightly recoiled. However, as fast as it had erupted, the light died down again. Immediately, the two wheeled on the source, and soon received a bit of a surprise. Even Dael was taken aback by it, having forgotten about this little ability…so rarely did it get used.
Carbuncle stood in the center of the room, shaking out his fur. He let out a sigh.
"What an afternoon…" He grumbled. "I hate meetings. And there weren't even any donuts at this one…just lots of weak coffee…blech."
Dael paused only a moment longer before collapsing her laptop and putting it to one side. Bahamut immediately leaned up as well. Before Dael could even get out a word, he was already talking to him. "What happened at your meeting?"
The young officer nearly turned to him as if to say "that's my line", but she didn't get the chance as Carbuncle turned to Bahamut with a frown.
"Gee…nice to see you, Carbuncle. Sorry you had to be gone all day, Carbuncle. You know, we didn't even get a lunch break and I've been forced to sit around listening to a bunch of humans muddling and stumbling over everything that they think they know. It gets rather tiresome. Can't I get a soda at least? Or, better yet, a beer?"
Dael sighed. "You know I don't keep food or drink in my room."
"Well, you should." Carbuncle answered. "What, afraid they're going to penalize you for leaving crumbs on your sheets? At any rate, I've got a 20 ounce Koltz in the mini-fridge. Let me pop that sucker."
Dael turned to the fridge…then froze. She immediately snapped back to Carbuncle and opened her mouth. Before a word could come out, he pointed a paw at her.
"Don't start with me, Dael. Not tonight. You don't like having an illegal container of alcohol in your room…hurry up and pass it over to me so I can drain it and get it out of here."
The young offcer frowned in response to that, but then finally let it slide. Getting up, she walked over to the mini-fridge in her room. Although she was allowed one, she never used it for anything but ice in case she was injured or needed to cool down after a hard workout. She opened it up and, sure enough, a tall can emblazoned with mountains was inside. Sighing, she took it up, walked over to Carbuncle, and set it down next to him.
Carbuncle looked to it, then back up to Dael with a frown.
"Um…how exactly do I pop a top with these?" He asked, waving his paws.
Dael frowned herself, but then leaned over and opened it. The green creature seemed to grin before grabbing the can and, with considerable effort, knocked it back and took a long drink from it. After a few seconds of chugging, he lowered it and wiped his tiny mouth with the back of his paw.
"That's the good stuff… You know, I remember when Mt. Koltz was a real mountain, but that was before the Collapse of course…"
"Carbuncle…" Dael began to say with some impatience.
The Guardian Force frowned. "Alright, alright…" He inhaled a bit, and then reclined more before looking to Bahamut. He saw he was looking on him eagerly as well, but that only made him frown before he turned mostly back to Dael and began.
"It was a proverbial 'who's-who' of bigwigs in Esthar. Apparently, they were taking this pretty seriously even before I started flapping my lips. They must have done some research after the first time they saw something being taken. Anyway…everyone was there. Advisors…the military, represented by the colonel…Grand Chancellor Barbarossa and his little retinue…and even Sorceress Mianyl. Seems she's been sticking to Barbarossa most of the day trying to get a word in edgewise, and when she overheard what had happened, she wanted in on it…probably because she's got such a great knowledge of magic.
"Anyway, we talked about the essences for a little bit and what exactly they could do, but there was nothing much new there. Things got more interesting when Colonel Regalis brought out the evidence. He had some of the captains in Class III back him up as he went over everything. I can't remember all the details, but they discovered a few things. Namely, someone invested a boatload of gil in a company that eventually they were able to trace back to Boss Capulluno…approximately three days before the whole mess got started. They eventually traced it to something that looked like a dummy company…but apparently you guys didn't know the half of it. As soon as Esthar's Hawks began to sniff out the people who worked for it…they started to disappear. And I'm not talking never existed in the first place…just vanish. Well, we all know by now who makes people vanish. But apparently it wasn't until a few weeks ago that Esthar's Hawks really got the news…right after Sybenia's mass exodus."
Dael realized what Carbuncle was talking about. Apparently, hours before all incoming and outgoing transports from Sybenia were grounded, before restarting up as a state-controlled program, what few people who managed to see what was surely coming, had moral objections, or were just in line for the government chopping block if they didn't leave soon, had fled Sybenia. They were mostly civilians, but they did include some doctors, scientists, and engineers who were privy to some of Sybenia's deadlier secrets. At least a third of Esthar's Hawks personnel had been engaged for a two week period to gather as many of these people as possible to give them a better view of how advanced Rozan's war machine had become. Although it was taking time to get all of their information compiled, for speed had been of the essence to merely locate these individuals and place them in protective custody before the Hounds got them, some information that came out was merely put aside or relegated to "need-to-know" bases. After all, there was no need to make the information public and have Sybenia scramble to change everything.
Apparently, however, some of their information had recently become of note. They were supposed to be sitting on this case until now, after all.
"Some of them made claims that they were fleeing after having set up this company and then being 'retired'…in other words eliminating the paper trails and the personnel behind it. What was even worse, however, is that some of these people were discredited scientists who were nevertheless retained in Sybenia…at least for a little while. Apparently, the little runt who's the guiding hand behind the 'Guiding Hand' wasn't so quick to completely dismiss magic. Some of these guys claimed that he was well versed in the use of magic in warfare…that he went so far as to read up on a lot of literature his own father banned. And they had a few of these scientists do some studies…studies on how effective various magical techniques were against other things. Worse than that, how to neutralize some magic with other magic as well as conventional means.
"Essentially, what the colonel was implying, and what Mianyl and I both agreed with, was simple…this guy is covering all his bases. He's not just building all these weapons and war machines…he wants the help of magic, too, even while he's kicking out all these people."
Dael furrowed her brow. "That almost seems counter-intuitive. If he wants his own mages, then why is he driving out the Order of Hyne and turning everyone who can use magic into a scapegoat for his country's problems? Wouldn't it be easier to hang onto them?"
Carbuncle gave only a shrug in response, but even as he opened his mouth to speak…Bahamut interjected.
"Because the Order of Hyne is ultimately subservient to a higher order and standard than the Guiding Hand." He responded calmly. "Almost all magic users of any real power on Gaia are in the order already. If he wanted people who could already use magic, he would have to go through them. And they don't seem like the type that would bow to his whims. If he wants to use magic, he needs to find other sources for his power."
Carbuncle paused, but then shrugged. "More or less, yeah."
"I thought that these essences were only supposed to evoke Guardian Forces." Dael maintained. "If so, he'd only have access to a few of them, wouldn't he?"
"He would," Carbuncle responded. "If not for the fact that this might not be the first he's learned about it. There are other Guardian Forces in the world too, and not all of them are accounted for. We're not sure if he knows about those yet, but if he did…" He frowned a bit. "…All they would have to do would be to pass the trial and they could command them. Now it wouldn't be easy, but, in theory, some of them could."
"Even if that wasn't the case…" Bahamut responded. "That doesn't mean this is a matter to shun off. Even having access to a few Guardian Forces could be disastrous." He turned to Dael. "I already told you what it could mean if even one wrong Guardian Force comes into being. Or worse yet, if their scientists are able to engineer something that can achieve similar effects to a Guardian Force."
"He's right." Carbuncle answered with a frown. "It would take time, but it wouldn't be the first time a human has managed to 'reverse engineer' something based on our powers and abilities. However, the Sorceress brought up something a lot worse than all of that." He glanced to Bahamut, then back to Dael. "…I'm guessing you're both familiar with 'poaching', right?"
Dael was a bit puzzled by that response, but she gave a nod. Bahamut too was hesitant, but he soon did the same. Carbuncle shifted a bit.
"Alright…well, everyone knows that Adamantoise tortoises are some of the most highly poached creatures in the world since they have the finest and strongest shells. At any given time you're set to live high off the hog for a year if you manage to get one, but typically if the price is real high due to market scarcity, you can get a lot more…up to ten times what they're normally worth. Well…Sorceress Mianyl mentioned the fact that a decade or so back this one group of poachers, about 1,000 in all, were caught in the middle of a poaching frenzy…except they weren't taking shells. They were just killing all the Adamantoises they could find, including immature ones with inferior shells…and they found out why. They had three warehouses full of their shells already. They were trying to drive the species extinct and then control the price for their shells. They'd make billions of gil." He leveled his gaze. "Get the idea she was making?"
There was only a moment of silence in the room, before, once again, Bahamut spoke up. However, as Dael looked to him this time when he spoke, she saw his face was particularly dark and grim.
"…She's hinting that the other Guardian Forces could be in danger. That Sybenia is seizing up the ones it can and then would destroy the others to ensure it had magical superiority."
Dael blinked on hearing that, before shaking her head. "But what good would that do? It wouldn't stop all the mages from having magical power, right?"
"No…" Carbuncle answered. "But it would definitely allow Sybenia to have near-magical superiority. I'm not sure how high the Sorceresses can go, but I know that the average mage can only do simple stuff without the help of a Guardian Force. The junction is necessary to pull off really destructive magic…the enhancements they give to the body as well as the mind. And if Sybenia is the only one who has any people who can do it…even if they're only a special group of elites so that no one knows that they're condemning magic while at the same time using it…well…that would be a problem." He frowned soon after. "Plus, I've been hunted by a government before, and I didn't enjoy it."
The young officer sighed and sat back down, leaning back on her bed. "Terrific…yet another thing to worry about in regards to Sybenia. And if we followed standard procedure for Esthar's Hawks, most of the evidence we obtained against them was obtained through illicit methods, meaning we can't even formally accuse them of doing it…like it would matter. And it's practically impossible to get any intel out of Sybenia, meaning even if we were willing to infiltrate them to get the essences back…we wouldn't know where to look."
"Yeah…and I doubt that your Grand Chancellor is going to 'jeopardize' his 'great peace accord' to risk sending in a covert team anyway…" Carbuncle grumbled. "This is terrific. I'm not in too much danger myself, as I'm better prepared to teleport than I was back when I was grabbed a few centuries ago. But we don't even know where the others are."
"Can't they refuse a challenge?" Dael asked. "Assuming Sybenia finds them first, can't they just say they won't allow themselves to be tested?"
Bahamut again spoke up. "Normally that wouldn't be an issue. It takes more than raw power to beat even the weakest of the Guardian Forces and to be accepted. It takes strength of will and spirit. Unfortunately, that doesn't really matter now. Like Carbuncle says…they'll destroy a Guardian Force they can't claim for their own."
"And, unfortunately, not all of us have exactly 'high moral standards'." Carbuncle added with a frown. "A lot of those that sided with Diablos last time will look for any chance to kill humans, regardless of for what purpose."
"Is there anything we can do?" Dael finally said, getting a bit exasperated from all this.
"Actually, yes." Carbuncle answered, running one of his paws along his chin. However, he frowned soon afterward. "Though I doubt your Grand Chancellor would go for it…"
"What?" Dael maintained.
"Basically…find all the Guardian Forces first." Carbuncle responded. "And have someone on this 'side' become their junction. It's obvious really. Even if two different people are both junctioned to it, you can't summon a Guardian Force to destroy itself, which is essentially what you'd be doing if you tried summoning a Guardian Force in that situation. As far as if Sybenia would be trying to find them, either to try and destroy them or replicate them or whatever, you'd at least know where they all were in case Sybenia made a move on them, and you could warn them to move to different locations."
Dael paused after hearing this explanation, stewing over what she was told. After a moment, she gave a shrug. "Sounds like a good idea. A precaution, at least. Why wouldn't the Grand Chancellor pursue it?"
Carbuncle frowned. "You weren't at the meeting, so you don't know. His advisors were constantly telling him not to do anything that looked like a hostile move against Sybenia and ruin the peace treaty. That's why he's not allowing Esthar's Hawks to engage in any covert missions to try and find if Sybenia has them and, if they do, to take them back. He's afraid that if we started 'snatching up', in his own words, Guardian Forces that it would look like we were bracing for a major conflict."
"Which we would be." Dael responded a bit sardonically.
"Be that as it may, he's so worried about covering his own butt that he won't try it." Carbuncle answered. "Not if it risks losing him a single anti-war voter."
Dael sighed. "So I suppose this is just another matter we'll have to 'ignore'?"
"Now I didn't say that." Carbuncle responded, getting a slight edge to his voice. "While your Grand Chancellor may not have a spine, other people in that room did. I proposed this idea, and both Colonel Regalis and Sorceress Mianyl were very receptive to it. They seemed to be talking it over quite a bit when I left. You see, after the Grand Chancellor left, there wasn't much need for me to hang around. I had already shared everything and given my opinion. But they were trying to work on a way to get around the order."
The young officer wasn't that reassured. "That still doesn't help too much. The mandate for Esthar's Hawks is pretty clear. We're only allowed to operate in a clandestine manner in regards to things for the general defense, and it'd be a stretch to say that this was for that."
"You might be surprised." Carbuncle answered. "The colonel may be too much of the devoted-soldier type for me, but Mianyl is pretty sharp. I think, despite herself, she's leaning more to how Faerio was thinking."
Dael exhaled in response, rubbing the back of her head. "At any rate…I was waiting up for you to come back, so I think I'll head to bed." She stated. "There's nothing I can do about any of this right now. It's been a long day and I've been rather busy ever since I've set foot off the boat. I could use some sleep in my own bed for a change."
"I can appreciate that." Carbuncle responded even as he saw Dael rise up to start changing her clothes. "From what I heard, everyone's more busy than ever. Offensive measures or no offensive measures, the colonel is keeping everyone busy. And if he really has so much faith in you, he'll likely have some new assignment for you pretty soon."
"I'd normally be thrilled to do something besides escort missions." Dael responded. "But for right now, I wouldn't mind a few days break to get back in the swing of things…"
"Wakey-wakey, eggs and bacie."
Dael moaned slightly, rolling over a bit in the covers, trying to block out the annoying noise that had managed to partially rouse her from a particularly nice dream she had been having, under the vain hope that the dream would resume. However, she had no sooner managed to turn her head to one side before she felt a paw batting her face. Frowning, and wincing slightly under the tiny barrage, she opened her eyes at length and immediately looked out to where she kept her alarm clock. She soon saw it was a full fifteen minutes before when military personnel traditionally awoke. Enjoying every moment of her normal sleep routine, it didn't take her long to frown.
Turning her head back…she saw that Bahamut had once again beaten her. Although he couldn't go out without her permission now, he had gotten dressed and was sitting in the desk chair in the room, seeming to wait for Dael to wake up so that he could do something. Naturally, rolling her head over a bit more, she saw Carbuncle perched on top of her, practically in her face.
She groaned.
"…I've got fifteen minutes left. You couldn't wait fifteen minutes?"
"Hey, you're the one who said after last time you wanted to be on top of things like this." Carbuncle responded. "You've got mail."
Dael grumbled a bit and began to pull off the covers to get up. However, she only got about halfway before pausing again, and looking to Carbuncle. "…How do you know I have mail?"
"How do you think?" The green creature answered. "I checked it."
The young officer frowned, and resumed exiting the bed. "I might as well make my laptop a public resource…" Moving a bit stiffly, she made her way over to the desk, where she had placed her laptop the night before. She bent over it and moved the mouse. Sure enough, the email listings were already open, and she glanced over them momentarily before finding a new email on the bottom. She felt the now-familiar sensation of tension growing when she saw it…seeing that it was another message from command. She only got these when another mission was coming. They definitely weren't letting her rest anymore. Already, it looked like they were sending her out again.
Opening the message and taking a look inside at it, she soon grew a bit more tense…although not nearly so much as when she started. She was getting a little used to this by now.
"Well…?" Carbuncle asked.
"Another email from the colonel…requesting another one-on-one meeting."
The Guardian Force chuckled, as Bahamut raised his own head to hearing that. "My, you're practically his best buddy. If I hadn't tagged along with you all these times, I'd start thinking something was going on between you two."
"Does it say what it's about?" Bahamut asked, showing, for once, some interest in Dael's work.
However, the young woman shot him down immediately. "Nothing that need concern you." She barely kept from snapping back. "At any rate, there aren't any details. I'll need to just head out there. It must be something else that we don't need to share publicly. He wants me to meet him in forty-five minutes…" She immediately collapsed the laptop and began to stand. "I better hurry up and get ready."
"Sounds great." Carbuncle said as he began to leap off the bed. "Just wish he'd give me a little more time to brush my fur…"
"Actually, Carbuncle," Dael responded even as she went to her closet to get her toiletries. "I'd prefer it if you stayed behind. I need you to keep an eye on Bahamut."
The boy sighed in response to this, leaning back and crossing his arms. Dael heard this, paused momentarily, but then finally caved with a sigh.
"…Maybe you can supervise him while he heads to work out for today…make sure he stays out of trouble."
"Aw man…" The green creature griped in response. "How come I've got to be babysitter all of the sudden?"
"Hey, you got to run around with the colonel all day yesterday!" Dael responded. "It wouldn't hurt you to have to stay in the base more or less by yourself for once. Besides, you'll spend most of the time playing 'Furious Chocobos' anyway."
"Speaking of which, I need to check to see if my top score's gotten beaten yet." The green creature responded. Immediately, he began to move over to the laptop.
Dael frowned at this, but decided to let it slide as she gathered her things and made for the shower. "Just stay away from my private stuff and keep an eye on him from time to time, got it?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Carbuncle responded as he reached the laptop and flipped it open again.
As for Bahamut, he let out an exhale and turned to Dael. "Listen, I'm not going to pull anything like that again if it's going to cause this much trouble. But I need to-"
"You need to stay right here for a while until things cool down a bit more." Dael cut off as she stepped inside and began to close the door behind her. "And you're damn right you're not going to pull a stunt like that again, for whatever reason or whatever fears you have. For once, why don't you just act like a normal kid and just play around or something today?"
Bahamut frowned. "Because I'm not a-"
Dael didn't stop to listen. She shut the door to the bathroom.
Bahamut was left glaring at it. Abruptly, however, he heard a snicker from nearby. He turned his head in response to that, and found Carbuncle had paused and was giggling at him. He gave him a cold look.
"What's so funny?"
"You just sounded a lot like a guy I used to know 300 years ago." He remarked. "You almost sounded exactly like him."
Bahamut paused at that, seeming to ponder it. Soon after, he rolled his eyes and groaned, before looking away again. A hand went to his brow and massaged it.
"I know who you're talking about…" He muttered in response. "That's all I need…"
Carbuncle, however, simply ignored this last statement, focusing entirely on his game now and launching his first chocobo at the fortress of moogles.
By now, the whole routine was becoming commonplace. The only difference this time was that Carbuncle was gone. Ironically, that made Dael more nervous. She was so used to him tagging along on everything that going anywhere without him was like missing a shoe. She tried not to focus on it as she was once again called into the colonel's office, and once more passed through the doors into the interior.
She noticed things hadn't changed much since her last time in here. There were more papers on the desk. Obviously, his workload had increased. She began to realize that this setting was becoming more familiar than the large briefing room, although that was usually where things were held for personnel of her standing. She should have been expected to do almost all of her work in groups. It also had the advantage of less pressure. However, she supposed such things weren't her lot in life, and that might actually be a good thing.
The colonel was looking over a few papers as she came in, and as she approached the desk he lowered one and signed it. She soon stopped directly in front of the desk and gave a salute. The colonel, in turn, put the paper aside, and saluted back.
"At ease." He told her. Then, soon after, he gestured to one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Have a seat."
For a fraction of a second, Dael actually paused. She was used to standing through orders and debriefings. This was the first time she could recall in a while she was told to sit. It seemed a bit unusual, but in the end she thought little of it. It probably simply meant that he had a lot to say. And so, Dael turned to the nearest chair and sat down in it. After sitting up straight and making sure she was in it within the proper "military" style, she focused completely on the colonel. He, in turn, put a few more things aside, folded his hands, and then looked directly at Dael.
"Normally, in situations such as this, I would believe that you were totally ignorant to the results of the discussion that I had last night with the Grand Chancellor and Lady Mianyl. However…this is a special case. After all, Sir Carbuncle enjoys an unusual status within this installation, somewhere between civilian and fully commissioned officer, and that's to say nothing of his relationship with you. Therefore, I am not going to offer the opportunity for my intelligence to be insulted by assuming that, despite being a confidential meeting with some of the highest levels of security and power in Esthar, that he didn't share at least something of what was said." He leaned back slightly. "So that neither of us waste any time…perhaps you would care to tell me what he already shared with you."
Dael suppressed a swallow. This wasn't quite as bad as her initial flub on her first mission, but it still left her feeling rather nervous. It wasn't the fact that Carbuncle had talked. That was his own problem. It was the fact that she had requested information from him. Again, she recalled how offended she had been that she had been left out of the loop yesterday…how mad it made her. At this point, it seemed like a rather childish and foolish notion, especially considering that she was now sitting before her superior officer. Like a kid demanding to know what parents were talking about even if it was none of her business. At any rate, the only thing that would make it worse at this point was letting onto that fact, and silence might do that. And so, after a moment, she inhaled a bit and spoke.
"The general main points that he made were that we now have strong suspicions that Sybenia was originally behind the attempted theft of the essences, meaning they're likely the culprits who actually made off with them. Furthermore, this indicates that Sybenia is actually pursuing magical superiority in their future military plans."
Regalis nodded. "That's what the bulk of the meeting discussed, yes. From the encounter the Hounds of Sybenia had with Lady Veriguno in the desert alone, they have to realize by now that for all their weapons and training, their power still has a severe weakness. And based on their earlier attempts, it's likely that they recognized this long before they had that particular incident. So yes, we arrived at the conclusion that Sybenia was trying to bolster its offensive capabilies using the essences, and it was brought up that they might even be getting analyzed for research to develop new weapons we're not yet aware of. All of this, as you may have guessed, is extremely problematic.
"You may further note that both Lady Mianyl and I agreed that this was a matter the deserved attention, and I, for one, believed it to be up the alley of Esthar's Hawks. However, based on Lady Mianyl's own reports as well as what debriefings we were able to obtain from the captains, an infiltration would indeed be a last-resort maneuver. Although even allowing Sybenia access to one essence would be problematic, this was unfortunately something we cannot deal with at this point. Even our intelligence on conventional weapons within Sybenia is limited, let alone any facilities that might house the essences. So naturally, we'd need to work on that as soon as possible before the trail grew too 'cold'.
"Unfortunately, there's another major concern from all of this. As bad as you might thing young master Bahamut's break-in was, you have to realize it's unprecedented compared to this. He at least left a few traces behind and was caught. These other intruders, whoever made off with the essences first, didn't leave the slightest bit of evidence behind. To be able to slip in and out of our most secure facility without leaving so much as a camera record out of place requires more than just technical sophistication and infiltration skill. They had to be aware of some of the countermeasures before they even arrived. This is, without a doubt, our worst breach in security ever. And, unfortunately, this is also what the Grand Chancellor focused on for the bulk of the meeting.
"Although Sir Carbuncle and Lady Mianyl agree that we not only have the extra resources to devote to tracking down the essences, but that we need to as a matter of national security, the Grand Chancellor has requested that we devote all of that energy to closing up the holes in our security systems. He does have a point…but this is more the domain of a select few specialists, many of whom are outside of Esthar's Hawks and more in the technical field. Nevertheless, the orders stood. The Grand Chancellor does not want Esthar's Hawks making any gestures that can be construed as acts of war, which would include infiltrations to steal property of Sybenia…even if said property was already ours. At the moment, we cannot even formally accuse Sybenia of the theft. Most of our evidence that fingered them as the perpetrators is based on deduction and clandestine methods…neither of which would hold up and would likely damage relations."
Dael found herself speaking up again here.
"Begging your pardon, sir…but I thought Car…Sir Carbuncle," She was still not used to saying that name. "Suggested an alternative method for potentially bracing for a magical threat."
The colonel nodded. "I see Sir Carbuncle informed you of that as well. That method was taken into consideration, and also received endorsement not only by myself and Lady Mianyl, but a few other officials who considered it a far better 'defensive' measure that could not be seen as being hostile if it was discovered. Further discussion from Sir Carbuncle and Lady Mianyl revealed that this was likely an excellent priority, as Guardian Forces cannot be used directly against one who has the right of being junctioned to them…which is a good precaution to have, since some of the Guardian Forces in this world have powers comparible to major artillery units and missiles. Some are supposedly even more powerful than that, according to Sir Carbuncle, able to unleash major tornados and tsunamis. Unfortunately, the Grand Chancellor did not consider this a necessary measure at this time."
Dael swallowed again, before, once again, feeling the need to interject.
"Again, forgive me for being too presumptuous, sir…but why would the Grand Chancellor feel this is the case? This hardly even fits the realm of defensive military measures in the traditional sense."
"Ours is not to question why, lt. commander." The colonel immediately responded. "The order has been given from above and it will be obeyed. Suffice to say, there was some discussion how even if Sybenia did not view this as an overt military action, it could gain that reputation in the civilian sector. Magic being used for warfare is unfortunately an aspect of history, lt. commander. Any association with it could lead people to believe we were pursuing a more war-like course. And once leaked to the media on that presumption, it could somehow get back to Sybenia, thereby making it another indication of hostility."
Dael, again, had to suppress giving a frown. In spite of all this, it all still boiled down to one thing…not wanting to do anything militarily. The more dominant problem from all of this, at least in the Grand Chancellor's eyes, was that he still had opponents to any war-making policy, and that was the "true" threat he was worried about. Esthar's line of politicians prided themselves on having only the Esthar's Hawks as a true military branch, and they didn't want to change that anytime soon. The mere act of collecting Guardian Forces at this point would imply that they were training a new special corps to be able to use them, even if such wasn't true. That would have the anti-war activists jumping on him…or, if not, the same groups that looked down on Dael for having magic and being military personnel. However, this gave her an idea.
"Sir…I must insist that this is still 'right up our alley', so to speak. It's not necessary that the entire nation gain the power of these Guardian Forces or even that they be used. A few individuals could go to them, pass their 'tests', and then that would be the end of it. There wouldn't even be the necessity of making it a major operation. This is the sort of thing Esthar's Hawks were created for."
"Be that as it may, lt. commander," The colonel responded. "An operation of this magnitude would span several countries and doing so would require resources from Esthar's Hawks. Under the scope of this particular mission, Class IV would need clearance from either the defense department or the Grand Chancellor himself. We have neither. This mission is not a go. While it may be exactly as you say, that the mere scale of this mission means we can carry it out with relatively little investment, and very little risk…we still need the clearance of the Grand Chancellor. All of these points have been made by myself, Sir Carbuncle, Lady Mianyl, and other advisors, and the decision of the Grand Chancellor still stands to not pursue this. And he's explicitly stated that any military action toward this goal would be unauthorized and treasonous, so I can do nothing…not even order a satellite search for the locations."
Dael opened her mouth slightly after this, but then closed it again. That was it, and she knew it. Esthar's Hawks weren't allowed to go gung ho. In fact, they were trained not to. Dael was a bit surprised the colonel wasn't disciplining her for mentioning so many things opposed to the will of the Grand Chancellor. Just as he said, they were supposed to follow orders without question. The fact that the colonel wasn't naturally meant that he agreed with most of her sentiments. However, there was nothing either of them could do. Even the colonel was, ultimately, a soldier in the service of politicians. In Esthar, what they said went. But this was ridiculous. She knew her plan as she presented it would indeed be something appropriate for Esthar's Hawks. And despite how strenuous the experience had been with Quetzacoatl, she was sure she could win against another Guardian Force. But it looked as if they weren't even going to get the chance. So now what? Did they just wait for Sybenia to get them?
The colonel, in response, was silent for a few moments. Then, he leaned back in his chair and folded his hands. After that, he swiveled around and away from Dael, in a move that made her somewhat puzzled. Without saying anything, he faced the window, leaning back and seeming to be musing. At length, he began to speak, sounding as if he was simply thinking aloud.
"…It seems as if Lady Mianyl is growing exasperated with Esthar's government. I can't very well say I blame her… She's moving to carry out Sir Carbuncle's plan. She's sending out Sir Taraketh Sabian to do it, as he already has two Guardian Forces. However…she expressed some doubts to this effect. She confided in me that she would prefer to have you along as well…saying that you too have two Guardian Forces, and that it was only due to your intervention that Sir Sabian obtained his second."
Dael listened to all of this…for, musing as the words were, they almost seemed to be directed to her to listen…although she didn't know why.
"Unfortunately…" And here, his musings became even firmer. "There was little I could tell her. While Order of Hyne members are perfectly allowed to take whoever they want with them…I couldn't directly order anyone to accompany her because of the Grand Chancellor's order. They would simply have to go themselves…"
The young officer's brow furrowed slightly at this. The colonel was implying something…something that he wanted her to get. She began to realize that now. Yet even as she thought this, the colonel spun back around in the chair and faced her again.
"Anyway…as to why I called you in here, lt. commander." He said as he leaned forward again. "As you well know, we're going to be quite busy in the coming months. None of us expects this treaty to last for long, and we're proceeding on that assumption even if the Grand Chancellor wants to give the impression that everything is now fine. But if war breaks out, there won't be any time for R&R for any of us. That's why, despite the fact that it's been less than six months since you started service, I'm going to give you two weeks leave right now. An early vacation." He gave a shrug afterward. "I know it's a bit early, but it might be the only chance you get. Naturally, you understand that you could be called back to active duty at a moment's notice, so you should have your preferred method of communication on you at all times. But other than that…"
Here, he leveled a hard look at Dael, looking at her right square in the eye.
"…You'll be free to do whatever you wish, just as if you were a civilian."
At once, Dael understood. Her eyes actually widened a bit. She couldn't believe it. After years of drilling in the Academy, she honestly felt anxious at what she was hearing. Although she had made a few statements now, they were more insistencies to reconsider rather than defiance of orders. However, this was something new all together. The colonel was actually encouraging her to go around the order handed down from the Grand Chancellor. For a brief moment, the fleeting thought to deny this went through her mind. She might not have been doing anything wrong, but this was still a "weaselly" way of doing it. And it bordered on insubordination…even treason…
But then, Dael thought of what Carbuncle and Bahamut both had said to her…about what this could mean…how important this was. Her allegiance was to Esthar's leaders…but her responsibility was to Esthar. And although she had been trained to only do as ordered for years…something inside her told her that, at least just this once, she could go "above and beyond the call of duty".
After a few more moments, she swallowed, and then nodded.
"…Understood, sir."
"It would be effective at 0500 hours starting tomorrow morning, meaning you're due back to report for duty in two weeks at 0500 hours…unless, of course, you're called to duty sooner than that for a state of emergency."
Dael nodded. "Yes sir."
"Very well, then. You are dismissed."
Dael rose up out of her chair and saluted. The colonel stood as well and saluted back. After that, feeling a bit more tense and uneasy, but also a bit more excited, Dael turned and began to make for the door. However, she had just nearly reached it when she heard the colonel speak again.
"Oh, by the way…"
The young officer turned and looked back. The colonel was seated again, and gave a shrug.
"In case you were wondering, Lady Mianyl thought the best way to carry out this task would be to first meet up with Sorceresses Cybus and Veriguno, who both know the location of two other Guardian Forces. Hence," His voice grew firmer and clearer here. "Sir Sabian…and, I presume, anyone who wished to go with him, would be leaving the Order Shrine in Esthar at 0600 hours tomorrow to head north to Fuliet, where Sorceress Cybus is currently located." He paused afterward. "…In case you wish to see him off, seeing as you won't have duty at that point."
Dael paused in response, but then nodded.
"…I'll make sure to stop by, sir."
Without another word, she turned and exited the room.
"Well, well, well…look at you."
Dael was back in her room at this point, attempting to pack for her "vacation". As it turned out, it was more difficult than she thought. Having lived in the Academy and moved right to Fort Morningstar afterward, she didn't have anything that wasn't a uniform or military wear of some type. So far, all she had managed to pack were socks, bras, and underwear. Knowing what she planned to do during this trip, she would have preferred her mage gun as well. That was the weapon she had last time against a Guardian Force, after all. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible this time around. Although the gun was hers, the ammunition was paid for by Esthar's Hawks courtesy of the Esthar government, and they weren't about to blow millions of gil on a vacation.
Dael had gone straight back after the meeting with the colonel. There wasn't much to see. Apparently, Bahamut was behaving. He had contented himself with reading some of the few books Dael had, almost all of them regarding military procedure or other country customs. Carbuncle was still playing video games. Soon after arrival, she had explained the situation even as she went about packing yet again. Thus far, Bahamut had been seated on his own cot and simply watched her. However, Carbuncle was buzzing around her as she got things ready.
"Look at me what?"
"Heh…a few months ago, you were the model soldier." Carbuncle responded. "Always ready to live and die for her country."
"And I'm not now?"
"No…but your definition of what that means certainly has changed. You're essentially going behind the back or over the head or around whatever body part you care to call it with the Grand Chancellor."
"We're still following his orders." Dael responded, almost insisting. "He said we couldn't do this officially…so we're not doing it officially. I'm doing it on my own time and it'll end up benefiting Esthar's Hawks and Esthar itself in the end. I'm the only one really qualified to do this in the first place."
"Sure, sure…you just keep telling yourself that." Carbuncle answered. "The fact of the matter is, by doing this, you think your Grand Chancellor is full of crap."
"I never said that!" Dael shot back, almost nervously and pausing in her packing.
"Alright, then you think he's incompetent and can't make good decisions." The Guardian Force answered with a shrug.
"I never said that either!" The young officer retorted. "He's our elected chief executive! I owe him my allegiance as a soldier!"
"If you don't think he's making bad decisions…" Carbuncle idly answered, leaning on a pillow on her bed and propping up his head with one paw. "…Then how come you're not simply obeying his command and staying out of this?"
Dael was caught off guard by that. She was forced to be silent for a moment. However, she finally turned back to packing. "…I don't disagree with the decision and I see the points to it. I just think that this is a venture that would benefit the country and that I can carry it out at no extra expense to Esthar's Hawks or to taxpayers. It seems the prudent thing to do and I'm the best for the job."
Carbuncle chuckled. "Spoken like a true individual who's good at dreaming up reasons for their actions. You might really be officer material."
Dael frowned, but said nothing as she shoved one last set of undergarments into her bag, then sighed and looked at it.
"Looks like you've already hit on the problem with this whole thing…" Carbuncle spoke up even as she stared. "You're going to need some civilian clothing."
The young officer kept her frown. "I can always just wear some combat fatigues…"
"Yeah, if you want to look like a crazy veteran." The green creature chuckled. "And I thought you wanted to be a bit more discrete on this 'pseudo-mission'? You are aware that you're heading north to Fuliet, right? And that they don't take kindly to your average visitor, but especially not ones from Esthar's Hawks that drove all of those monsters north during Northern Rancor, right? Probably not the best idea in the world to advertise you're one of them."
Dael paused and rolled her eyes, but knew the Guardian Force was right. She couldn't very well go waltzing around up there flashing her insignia. The people of Fuliet might have tolerated Order of Hyne members, but after what happened way back in her first mission? She'd need to be more careful. That meant she'd have to go shopping…which, on it's own, was more than just a cumbersome and expensive affair. The woman had been practically told what to dress in for her entire life. What was she supposed to do now? She knew nothing of fashion, and if she wasn't careful she'd stick out far worse than anyone else. She supposed she'd just have to ride to Esthar, visit the first clothing store she found, find a mannequin that didn't look too "feminine" for her tastes and take it.
"…So where's my bag?"
Dael and Carbuncle both paused on hearing that. They turned and looked to who had spoken, and soon found themselves looking at Bahamut, sitting there with arms crossed.
For a moment, the two stared silently at him, before Dael responded. "…Pardon me?"
"My bag. Where is it?" Bahamut asked simply. "Unless you want me to carry everything on my person."
Dael paused again on hearing that. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about how I'm supposed to take my things with me when I come with you on your 'vacation'." Bahamut responded.
Immediately, the young officer's brow creased. She turned fully to him and put her hands on her hips. "You are not going anywhere. You are going to-"
"To what?" Bahamut suddenly cut off with a snap, causing Dael to actually be surprised and taken aback by the sharpness of the response. "Stay here? Were you about to tell me that you really trust me to stay here on my own while you're away after what happened last time? Or was all of your reactions to what I did simply you venting frustration from something else?"
Dael hesitated before responding. The boy had a good point. However, she countered it soon after. "Carbuncle can stay and-"
"Oh no." The Guardian Force suddenly spoke up, causing Dael to look to him and be just in time to see him waving his paws in a cutting motion. "I'm not hanging back here. I'm not going to be stuck in here babysitting for two weeks without a drop of booze. Besides, I'm you're going on a trip to recruit as many Guardian Forces as possible, you're going to need my help. I'm the only one who knows all of them personally."
Again, the young officer was struck silent. She thought of telling Carbuncle to stay back, but in truth she didn't want him too. He was right about what he said. Plus, there was an unfortunate detail that Colonel Regalis had mentioned earlier…Taraketh would be coming. Carbuncle was about the only one who could keep him "in line".
"Besides…" Bahamut spoke up again, redirecting Dael's thoughts back to him. "You might be able to use me along this trip. Perhaps I can lend a hand provided you can get me some weapons."
Dael's look readily turned incredulous. She actually let out a bit of a snort before crossing her arms. "You're going to help me? After all you've done is cause trouble so far?"
Bahamut's look turned angry at that, his eyes momentarily blazing with a power that seemed impossible for a young man, and it once again struck Dael dumb.
"…Don't forget that the only reason you're even in Esthar right now is because I helped you once already…a debt which you have yet to repay according to the agreed terms. And your colonel has already realized that as angry as you might be for me sneaking into the Gordian Vaults, the only reason that your government is aware of the theft, the only reason you are heading out on this 'side mission' is because I found out what was happening. So maybe you should keep those things in mind before you dismiss me so readily.
"That said…I'm a bit better than what you saw when you met me in Leuco. I've had a chance to get consistent meals of quality food and work out a bit. I'm still far from the peak of this body's performance, but I'm hardly a slouch."
"He does have a point there, Dael." Carbuncle threw in with another shrug. "I've seen him in practice. He's definitely good enough to hold his own against cadets his age. Probably even better."
"That's not nearly good enough considering where we're going." The young officer retorted. "This is Fuliet, home to some of the wildest and most savage monsters on the face of Gaia. These things tear up Esthar's Hawks privates, let alone cadets."
"I won't get in the way."
This comment too was spoken with considerable fierceness and strength…again, more than one would expect from one so young. It served to fully turn Dael's attention onto Bahamut again. Once looking at him, she saw the fire in his eyes was still burning. Even stronger than before.
"I've never been one to 'drag my feet', and I won't here." He stated resolutely, not as a hope or a promise but as a fact. "I've been practicing with weapon types ever since I 'woke up' in Leuco and I've ironed out the kinks here. As important as this mission is to you, it's important to me as well. You're going to find Guardian Forces. That's exactly what I want to do too. There's a chance one of them knows where Leviathan is. And if I can find out where he is from one of them, then there's no need for you to give me access to the records or anything else. You debt will be 'paid in full' and I'll get out of your life and leave you to whatever career you want to pursue. Just let me come along on this."
The young officer looked on at Bahamut after he had concluded. The fire was still in his eyes and wasn't diminishing. It seemed almost unnatural that he could show that much passion. However, she shook that off and thought over what he said. The last part made the most sense. There he was…trying to find Leviathan again. In the end, that's what motivated him more than anything, this obsession of his. Although, she had to admit…it also appealed to her. She had a feeling if anyone knew where the other Guardian Forces in the world were, it would either be the Order of Hyne or the other Guardian Forces themselves. Both of those she would be in contact with if she brought him along, and this might be a chance to kill two birds with one stone. At this point, Dael was so eager to get rid of Bahamut that she might take him up on the offer for him to be out of her hair.
But all that aside, it, unfortunately, only made sense for her to take him along. He was her 'ward', after all. Where she went, he was to follow. She couldn't just leave him at the fort while she went on vacation. And this was the only way to keep tabs on him. If she didn't take him along, there was little doubt in her mind that he would try to access the records. And if he did that, there was no way he'd get off as easy as last time. Heck, if he was left behind after what just happened, unsupervised, the higher officers might begin to suspect she actually had a hand in on his work or wasn't taking his crime seriously. She would prefer not to deal with either of those aspects. And so…that truly left only a single option.
Letting out a tired sigh, Dael turned back to her bag and closed it for the time being.
"…Get your shoes on." She called out to Bahamut. "So long as we're getting me new clothes, we might as well grab a bag for you."
To be continued...