Our gas-powered military vehicle could only take us so far. The border patrols were tight. I did not want the H.Q. to be alerted of my departure, therefore, I could not use my rank to let us slide past the blocks. Once at the border, we parked our vehicle in a secluded but inconspicuous area. We went invisibly on foot, past the border guards and across a ring of restricted border grounds around Vector four miles wide. Any unauthorized trek across the belt was met with fatal encounters by a squadron of Spitfires that tirelessly circled along it. Our invisibility barrier lasted long enough.
Tomyn, who had just recovered from an injury, slowed us down a bit. It was to be understood. My Heal magic did the best it could. The rest was up to his own body. Stromsburg asked plenty of questions despite our agreement. I let a few slide, but not most. I had no love for the rebels. I had no love for the sympathizers. I'd have arrested them and put them behind bars if the situation were different. But the situation was beyond treason.
I needed their help. I had not yet a plan in my head, but whatever it might be, I would require a means of communication between my self and the citizens of Maranda. Such a communication was not directly possible. Why would anybody trust a messenger who would announce her self to be the bringer of death and ruin?
Therefore, I needed others to speak for me. With such a short time before the date, Jasom, Stromsburg and Tomyn were all that I could muster. They had to do. For tomorrow, there would be a battle--a battle between my self and my very own military. I needed to win it.
Stromsburg, though mostly confused, slowly understood my dilemma. I did not give her the details of the conspiracy. In fact, I did not mention it to her at all. All that she knew and understood in the end was that I had no choice but to march and attack. And if I should decide not to lead the march, another would only take my place.
Jasom was quiet for most of the time we walked together, thinking of a plan. Besides my self and Guardian, he was the only one who understood the play that was about to happen on stage the next day. "Convincing the military by not killing the innocent people would have to be one heck of a magic trick," he had commented.
Once we had crossed the restricted belt, we came upon a huge-sized caravan. They had settled themselves beyond the killing zone and did their business of trade. Tents were pitched, booths were erected, wares were laid down and displayed everywhere. Chocobos, horses and mules were tethered to trees and manmade posts. The place looked like a bazaar. These traders were the usual Vector-goers before the lockdown. None of them had set foot onto Vector ever since the Terra Episode.
They came from many villages, towns, and nearby kingdoms. Just like Vector's citizens, their lives had been drastically changed. They had relied very much on trading in the City Circle of Vector. Now their trading nexus was off-limits to them. Income had gone down and many had grown desperate. The many who tried to cross the restricted belt died on the spot, shot down by Spitfire units or bombarded by Magitek Armor discharges from miles away.
Soon, the traders got the message and ceased trying. Instead, they settled down as close to Vector as they could, waiting for Vector's gates to reopen. In the meantime, the caravan had grown in considerable size that the exchange of wares and money soon took place in spite of it all.
I dispelled the barrier that covered Stromsburg and Jasom. I gave the both of them careful instructions of what to do next. As the visible ones walked through the busy trading grounds, Tomyn and I trailed them silently, carefully avoiding bumping into other people.
We arrived first at a Chocobo seller. The farmer who was in charge happened to have five at the time. Stromsburg bought four with the money I had provided her. While this deal was going on, Jasom went to the nearest clothes dealer and bought cloaks for the two of us. He made sure that the fashion style was Marandan. A disguise was in order if I were to hide my rank.
The four of us regrouped at the western edge of the caravan. Jasom and I wore the cloaks over our uniforms. Tomyn and Stromsburg looked inconspicuous enough in their clothes. We rode the giant birds westward. They may not have been the healthiest of the flock, but I observed them to be well-disciplined.
We crossed plains, and grasslands before we saw the first signs of the independent farming villages who owed allegiance to no kingdom or nation. Such villages, or even towns, were not uncommon miles beyond Vector's borders. The villages were either too remote or too small for certain kingdoms to take interest in them. They were mostly self-sufficient, staving off bandits and raiders with their own militia. If one had a mighty aerial view, clusters of these independent villages could be found in all directions from Vector.
To the north were the Sith Cairn Villages, so-named due to the ancient monoliths that had been built around in a cryptic pattern seen from above. To the west were the Lantern Villages. They were aptly named so due to their use of colorful and festive-looking lanterns as street lamps. Caravans that traveled from one village to the other made sure that these lanterns were used to ward off possible raiders. The distinct lanterns usually meant that the caravan was protected by the village militia or formidable Maranda escorts.
"How did these villages become part of Maranda anyway? They're hundreds of miles away from the Maranda mainland!" Stromsburg observed. She was already getting tired of the chocobo ride.
It was a good question. The village was closer to Vector and three other nations than its own. Maranda's mainland was easier to reach by taking a boat and following the southern shore to the west. To reach Maranda by land, one would have to travel west, past the village nestled between two mountain ranges, across more grasslands and a small patch of desert, and then south as one hit the western shore. Reaching the Maranda mainland by land was impossible to do in one day.
Fortunately for us, the Military chose the orphaned Maranda village. It was good enough for them. It was logical, too; a rebel outpost was never on the mainland. The location added to the plausibility factor of the falsified reports. Jasom was kind enough to explain the rest to us.
"It didn't used to be part of Maranda until one of the Lantern Villages decided to strike a deal with the nation. The nameless Lantern Village voluntarily submitted their allegiance to Maranda in a typical commonwealth concord. This meant that they would pay taxes to Maranda for all their trading income."
"Taxes from a small village? Was it worth it?" Stromsburg asked.
"Very. Think about it. Vector is at the nexus of trade for this continent. Maranda is at the western end. The location is her disadvantage. Foreign trade for her is slower than the other nations and kingdoms. The deal struck with a simple village changed that.
"The village volunteers their allegiance to Maranda. In return, Maranda upholds the commonwealth concord by sending enough troops to protect the village's caravan, or by supporting the local militia with weapons and supplies. With the soldiers from Maranda, they no longer need to fear the raiders that plague this place. With that protection established, the pass is now safer for the other caravans to use. They are encouraged to continue westward without fear. The trade routes are extended to the west and this makes everybody a winner.
"Maranda is already cooperating with the other western nations to build a railroad. The humble Lantern Village will be a full-blown trading outpost once it's done."
"Why not just ferry across the sea?"
I answered this one. "Because Albrook charges too much for using their ports and ferrying services. This is partly Vector's fault. Vector's very protective of the seaport in Albrook. They're slowly turning it into a Military seaport, too. Only rich traders are able to ferry their wares with mandatory naval escorts."
I didn't know about that bit of information until I became a general. The military politics that I hated gradually became clearer to me.
It wasn't long after that when we saw the first of the Lantern Villages. The sun was still readying itself for the setting. Three more hours, perhaps. The lanterns weren't lit yet though we saw people readying the lamps around the village. According to our Intel, the next village was going to be our target.
"Do we have a plan yet?" Stromsburg asked impatiently. "I'm still not sure why they would listen to us."
I wasn't sure either. Jasom glanced at me, giving me a hopeful look. I simply shook my head.
"I almost wish the reports were true," I said. "Then I wouldn't have to pretend. I wish I could run away from this, too."
"Couldn't you have contested the reports?" Tomyn asked.
"And made my self look like a weakling in front of the Military?" I paused. "I should've," I said with a sigh of resignation.
"You didn't have a choice," Jasom said encouragingly.
"Oh, yes, I did. I just blindly waived it when I took Guardian's lead."
"Who?" Stromsburg asked, curious.
"Never you mind," I said firmly. "But the point is that the Council has already made up their decision. Only General Cristophe or the Emperor could've reversed it. Not that they would've were they even present at the time."
"What exactly are we hoping to accomplish there?" Tomyn asked.
"The incursion cannot be stopped even if General Chere steps down. We know that already. The only thing we could hope for right now is to have minimal casualties."
"Zero," I said resolutely. "I want zero civilian casualties and no follow-up raids! I want this to be done tomorrow. I want it to end tomorrow. This can only be done if I do what is expected of me. They want to see me draw blood. If I weasel out of it, it would only make things worse. They'd most likely order other villages to be raided. Anything to make me look bad."
"There's nobody in that village who deserves to die," Jasom muttered.
Tomyn thought about what Jasom said for a few seconds. "What about criminals?" he said afterward.
"Say what?" Jasom asked.
"Criminals deserve the punishment. Why not kill them in front of the Military instead of the innocent?"
"What criminals do you speak of?" I asked, intrigued.
"We have murderers locked up in prison back in Vector!" he said, suddenly excited about his idea. "Let's take a couple of them and make them look like they're rebels! I don't know... let's tie them up and gag them so they can't protest. When you ask the villagers to give the rebels up, we'll bring them out with blindfolds, and you may execute them in front of everybody!"
Stromsburg's face was red with anger.
"Have you completely lost your sense of morality?!" she yelled in rebuke. "First you try to murder a man, then, you're suggesting that we do it again!"
"But they're criminals!"
"They're people who've made mistakes! Who are you to judge which ones are impossible to rehabilitate? Who made you judge and executioner?"
Stromsburg's words clawed at Tomyn's heart and at mine. While Tomyn explained his plan, I was actually considering it. My mind quickly drew plans of how to smuggle out criminals from their cells, disguising them as rebels without compromising the involuntary charade. I was already calculating the time it would take, the risk, and the effort. It was a great plan. I didn't stop to think about the morality of it all.
That was what made me ashamed. How could I have even considered it? I was willing to forget all that I stood for in an instant. I was reminded of when I hoped that somebody else would open the allegedly dangerous package instead of Cid back when Guardian first 'showed me the way.' I was so desperate that I was ready to choose between two evils with a favorable outcome.
I found my self doing it again with Tomyn's plan. Stromsburg was looking at me now. Looking for a sign on my face whether I liked the idea or not. I knew that she would oppose it. I relieved her of the concern.
"No, I won't do it," I said simply. I could not tell them my reasoning behind it. I rejected the idea not because my moral compass reasserted itself. I rejected it because my cold logic did.
The plan would not have worked at all. Whoever falsified the reports knew that there weren't any rebel in the village. If a couple of rebels did happen to show up, then they would be extremely suspicious about it. Though, it would be enough to convince the Military, my true enemy would not be so easily fooled. They would only try again.
That was my reasoning. Principles and morality had nothing to do with it. I played judge and executioner for my own selfish sake. I had just discovered my own capacity for evil. Perhaps, the only consolation I could extract from it was that the consideration was brought out by necessity and desperation.
I shook my head to ward off the thoughts. It was not helping me at all. I was in the front, taking point. Looking behind me, I saw Jasom taking the rear, making sure that our two temporary allies wouldn't try anything funny. The two of them were talking, whispering. Both their faces looked haggard. Stromsburg whispered harsh words to Tomyn from time to time. Looking away into the distance, she would suppress the sobs wanting to escape. She never gave her tears the chance to fall. She would wipe them with the back of her hand with a sniff.
Tomyn was unusually silent after his enthusiasm was promptly shot down. I didn't feel sorry for him. There was no excuse for his actions. It was time to speak with him alone.
"Jasom, Stromsburg," I called out. "Take point!"