Laguna, Kiros, and Ward frequented the lounge to hear Julia play the piano. Every night they were free from army requirements or duties, they were there. The trio remained stationed at Deling City, enduring daily training drills in case of a full-scale war with their enemy Esthar.
The battles had been few, with neither side able to gain a decisive victory in any of them. Except for Galbadian's opening expedition into Esthar that started the conflict between the world's major powers, the fighting had taken place entirely at sea. Both sides had attempted to invade the capital cities, which were located near the coast, but the naval forces had managed to drive them away.
President Vinzer Deling was fuming due to his lack of headway. The losses were many, the progress was minimal, and the Galbadian populace was discontented. His plan had worked at the beginning: falsely promising the people the opportunity to elect a leader had satisfied them, and then the declaration of war on Esthar had enabled him to seize power in the government and become ruler for life.
However, things had not gone smoothly since then. The Galbadians wanted victory over their hated nemesis, but nothing was happening. Deling paced around his office in the Presidential Residence, hoping to come up with an idea that could raise his approval ratings among the people. He desperately needed some kind of resolution for the situation. He had to consider what they wanted. They desired a conquest over a despised rival as quickly as possible. Esthar had already proved to be too strong to be defeated in a short amount of time, but the president believed he could find another possibility.
"Who could we beat in a relatively small period of time?" he asked aloud. Vinzer Deling walked over to a world map and scanned it for a candidate. He grinned deviously once his eyes came across the target. "Timber…A small, weak country on this continent…It's perfect, but now I need an excuse to go to war." He pondered on a plausible reason for a while and eventually came up with an idea. "In the morning, I'll put my plan into action."
The next day, Laguna, Kiros, and Ward watched the news in their respective rooms. "…Breaking news here…Not long ago, we received word for the Galbadian government that President Vinzer Deling has infallible proof that the Timber government had made plans to assassinate him. He has not disclosed any further information, but a representative of Timber has vehemently denied the report's authenticity. President Deling did not comment on whether or not he will take action against the small republic. We will keep you updated as we receive more information…"
Kiros groaned in disappointment. "Not another conflict…Will this ever end? We'll probably get sent to this one, too."
The three soldiers dressed and met each other in the hallway. "Hear the news?" Ward asked.
"Yeah…What's this mean for us?" Laguna wondered.
"The soldiers stationed here will be the ones sent. Matter of fact, it won't even take that long. Galbadia's army is overwhelmingly stronger than Timber's. It should fall easily," Kiros replied.
"But do you think it's true? I mean, it sounded pretty suspicious to me. He couldn't even reveal why he felt they wanted to kill him. It's like he was just looking for an excuse to attack somebody," the bulky soldier commented.
"Either way, I got a bad feeling about this," Laguna said.
"I guess we'll find out what'll happen later," the thin soldier stated.
They reported to the military base just outside of Deling City later that day to learn their assignments and responsibilities in case of an invasion. However, most knew that attacking Timber was an imminent course of action. There was little doubt of it. The three soldiers were told that they would be sent to the front when the fighting took place, and they were required to report to the base each morning until then. They needed to be prepared for an immediate departure at any crucial moment.
"Who'd have ever thought there would be so much bloodshed in such a short period of time?" Kiros mused.
"I know. I didn't expect this at all when I joined," Laguna said.
"…But it's the army. What were you expecting?" Ward asked, perplexed.
"I know that! I mean, there hasn't been a war for a long time, and I figured this was the only way I'd see the world," the man with the machine gun answered with a sigh. "I'm not cut out for this kinda stuff."
"Maybe not, but you're getting' better at it," the Winhill native said encouragingly.
"Yeah, you'll get used to it…eventually," the witty soldier agreed.
"I don't know if I want to though. Maybe I should just quit," he said. His two friends remained silent, unsure of what to say. "Besides, if I go, I may never see Julia again."
"…But you've never even talked to her before. How can you feel such a strong attachment to her?" Kiros asked.
"I just feel like I have some sorta connection with her."
"So…what are you gonna do?"
"I don't know. I think I'll sleep on it tonight and get back to you guys in the morning."
They returned to the hotel that night, neither of them speaking much. They were deep in thought. All of them wondered about the consequences of his decision.
During the night, Laguna debated and weighed his choices in his mind. The rain was pouring heavily and pounded resoundingly upon the roof. Occasionally, a bolt of lightning would streak across the sky and the deafening thunder would continue to rumble for several seconds. The Galbadian soldier seemed oblivious to his surroundings and was not fazed by the storm.
(What should I do? If I leave, I may never see Julia again, but I don't even know her. All I know I'd be missing is her beautiful music. There are always the possibilities though…They make me wanna stay, but what about the things I already have? If I quit, I'd be losing two friends. I guess that decides it.) Then Laguna rolled over onto his side, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
In the morning, Kiros and Ward put on their uniforms and met in the hallway. "Should we knock?" the muscular soldier asked.
Before his comrade could answer, the door swung open and banged loudly against the wall. Their clumsy friend stepped out with his machine gun held in his hands. "Were you waiting for me?" he asked with a smirk.
"Does this mean you're going with us?" Ward asked.
"Yeah, I've figured out what's important right now," he replied.
"Good to know. By the way, you might want to put your machine gun away," Kiros suggested. "It's not exactly legal to have an exposed weapon in a public place, even if you are a soldier."
"Oh, right!" He concealed his gun with an embarrassed grin. "Let's get going, guys."
They reported to the Galbadian base and discovered that the raid on Timber was already preparing to commence. Dozens of trucks with turrets mounted on top and assault vehicles were lined up outside of the headquarters, ready to carry the military forces and artillery to the nearby country.
"They're not pullin' any punches," Kiros commented.
"You three! Get into a truck now!" a familiar voice barked from behind. They turned around to see that it was Lancera. "Did I stutter, men?! I said now!"
The trio followed the rest of the soldiers and loaded into a truck. Shortly afterwards, when everything was ready, they drove off, carrying the men toward their destination. All of the soldiers were cramped closely together, leaving little room to maneuver. It particularly aggravated enormous men like Ward, who was constantly squirming in his seat to give himself some more space. He sat between Laguna and Kiros, and bumped them into surrounding soldiers with his consistent movements.
"Ouch! Cut it out, Ward!" his clumsy comrade moaned after receiving an elbow to the jaw.
"Sorry, guys," he apologized. "I can't stand the lack of space."
"Are you chlorophobic or somethin'?"
"Huh?"
"I think he means 'claustrophobic,'" Kiros corrected.
"Oh, not at all. It's just a tight fit in here."
"Well, how do you think we feel sitting next to you?"
"Yeah, you keep squishing us!"
"Anyway, didn't you guys find it weird that Lancera didn't recognize us?" Ward asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, it did seem kinda strange," Laguna concurred.
"I hope he did. That guy wanted to ruin us," Kiros said.
The journey to Timber was long, and felt like an eternity to the Galbadian soldiers who would smash into each other every time the vehicle encountered a rough spot. They already had bruises from hitting themselves before the fighting had even begun. When the trucks suddenly came to a halt, they all slid forward, getting squashed by the ones around them. The soldiers emitted a loud, collective groan. The back was opened and they began filing out, each clutching tender wounds inflicted by the ride.
"Now what?" Laguna asked curiously.
The actual country was surrounded by lush forests, making an excursion into the midst of it difficult without the high risk of being ambushed by enemies that were bound to be lurking within. Being in large groups would make them even more susceptible to a massacre. Timber had a definite advantage if Galbadia tried a tactic like that.
"We wait, I guess," Kiros replied.
Galbadian soldiers began getting into assault vehicles and mounting the turrets that sat on top of the trucks. Several others began unloaded crates of explosive devices and then proceeded to get into position. Some stood on top of the vehicles with the gunners, while others remained on the ground. Laguna, Kiros, and Ward stood by silently as they prepared their assault.
"On my mark!" the commanding officer ordered. "Ready…Aim…Fire!!!!"
They began opening fire and launching explosives into the woods of Timber. As they detonated, trees were set ablaze and the inferno quickly engulfed their leaves. Cinders flew off from some and landed on others, causing them to burst into flames as well. The gigantic trees snapped at the truck and fell, colliding with others. They toppled the surrounding foliage as well, causing a domino effect. They creaked loudly as they began to drop and shook the ground violently as they landed simultaneously. Laguna watched wide-eyed as the clash with Timber was signified by the sound of trees falling.
