War Stories

Chapter IV: Into the Breach

Having completed the recruitment materials for setting up the members who would be part of Squad 7, Alicia offered an encouraging smile before collecting the box and moving to leave the office for the purpose of returning the portfolio to Captain Varrot. Before leaving however, she was met by a tall man with light brown hair standing in the doorway.

"Oh, excuse me," Alicia said, smiling as she made to step back into the room and allow the young man to enter.

"No, by all means, you're the one with your hands full."

"Faldio?" Welkin asked, rising and walking around the edge of the desk as he moved into the open office, taking his friend's hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "I had no idea you'd be here."

"Yeah, looks like with the war in full swing, they began recruiting all the officer in training boys. Geoffrey is actually in charge of Squad 3. They put me in charge of Squad 1."

"Squad 7 for me," Welkin replied, filling the silence to announce his placement. "Oh, Alicia, this is Faldio Landzaat, my closest friend from university," the young Lieutenant said, introducing his best friend with the young woman who helped him guide so many refugees from the burning town of Bruhl.

"A pleasure Lieutenant Landzaat," Alicia said, shifting the weight in her arms and offering her hand to shake in greeting.

"Please, Faldio is fine," he offered in response as she looked from Welkin to Faldio and back.

"Um, well, if you insist. Anyway, I'll take these forms to Captain Varrot. I'll see you later Welkin."

"Sure Alicia, we'll talk tomorrow before addressing the squad."

As the young woman left, Faldio fixed his friend with a crooked smile. "First name basis and everything. I'm impressed Welkin, you're usually so slow on the uptake."

"It's not like that Faldio," the young man shook his head at his best friend's usual efforts to match him with a potential dating partner. The entire time they've known each other, Faldio was insistent that Welkin needed to devote less time to his studies and more in his social life, much to the chagrin of the young biologist. As Welkin moved further into the officer, signaling his friend to follow, Faldio arched an eyebrow in speculative curiosity.

"So enlighten me, what is it like?"

"Alicia was a squad commander for the Bruhl Town Watch. She helped me out of a few really tough scrapes and, well, I did the same. We've kind of been watching each others backs while making our way to Randgriz."

Hearing the name of Welkin's hometown sobered Faldio as his playful expression and intention to tease his best friend about the young woman who just left his office shifted to one of concern for the young man. "I heard about Bruhl, I'm sorry Welkin."

Moving to sit on the edge of his desk, arms crossed over his chest, Welkin could offer no words but merely provided a tight nod as his attention was fixed to the floor, remember the scene of the battle he escaped.

"We all knew war was coming, but I never expected this Faldio," he said, his attention now turned to his friend. "We were completely unprepared and overwhelmed by the ferocity of the attack."

"I figured," the historian said, as he trained his attention to the window, as if gazing beyond the horizon, to the coming monstrosity of the Empire's approaching army. "Easiest way to win a war is to overwhelm the enemy with superior numbers. Most of the Empire's army however is tied up with fighting the Federation. That might actually be the only chance we have of victory, that they've not devoted their full attention to that."

"It's more than that," Welkin said, his attention returning to the floor as he replayed the memory of the battle. "They were targeting civilians Faldio. If they were just invading to conquer our lands and strip our reserves of Ragnite, they'd have no reason to butcher unarmed townsfolk in the streets. This wasn't a battle of conquest, it was the intent of annihilation."

For several minutes, Welkin fell silent once more, trying desperately to ignore the shaking of his hands as he recalled the dead bodies of the townspeople, many of whom he knew personally. "Mrs. Grandeur, she used to spend every Sunday putting flowers on my mother's grave. She was best friends with my mom growing up, was even in the wedding party when my mom and dad got married. Man she made the best peach cobbler," Welkin said, his voice tightening as he worked to restrain his emotions. "The Imperial's gunned her down while she was trying to find shelter inside the general store.

"Then there was Mr. Abbott," he continued, his jaw locking in an effort to hold back the emotions that retold the stories of those who had been slaughtered for no reason than that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Everything my father ever taught me about nature he learned from Old Man Abbott. He used to love making candy apples for the kids during the fall festival. He must have been...I don't, at least close to 70. A harmless old man shot dead in the street. None of it made any damn sense."

Considering the words for a moment, Faldio allowed a contemplative frown to mar his visage as he rationalized the words. "What's you're take on all of this?"

With his mind drawn to the quick, successive campaign that stormed through the mostly defenseless town of Bruhl, Welkin considered his own analysis of the tactics used. "In nature," he began, his mind correlating the invasion with his area of expertise, he continued. "When one ant colony becomes too big and begins running low on resources, they attack another ant colony when their territories begin to encroach upon each other.

"The attacking colony will destroy everything in their way to make a direct course for the queen. Kill the queen, the rest will be subjugated.

"To counter this though, the defending ants will make traps, tunnels that lead away from their queen. They do anything and everything to defend their colony. Ultimately it's a coin toss," he said, his eyes meeting Faldio's. "More often than not the colony with the larger force just overtakes the enemy. If I'm to be blunt Faldio, I'm not liking our chances."

As the words fell silent between the two friends, Faldio turned his attention once more towards the horizon and what was to come. He was fully aware of the monster military the Empire commanded, but was not as afraid of the force the enemy unleashed so much as he was afraid how this conflict would impact his beloved country.

"You know, there's a strategy meeting tomorrow between all the squad leaders. You'll be expected to talk in front of them, relaying the information you just gave me..."

"What? Me?"

Chuckling lightly at his own confusion at being expected to answer questions in relations to strategy, Faldio was equal parts amused that his friend was alarmed at being called upon for his assessment of the enemy, and annoyed that his best friend never seemed to appreciate how much other people valued his opinions. "Of course you. You're the only one who's actually faced the enemy, the only one who's seen their tactics, the resources they brought to bear against a small town like Bruhl. What are they likely to use against a large city like Perg, or Randgriz?

"The more we know about what our enemy is capable of, the better off we'll be. Though," Faldio offered with a slight laugh, "I'd tone down the biology lecture a bit. This is the military, they'll mostly just want the facts."

Silence again filled the room as the two former students considered their role in the coming war and the steps that would be needed to protect their nation. Welkin's remembrance of the fallen citizens of his town however brought one true reality to the forefront of both of their minds. Every life that would be impacted by this war had a story to tell, and neither could deny the dangling question of how many of those stories would end in this conflict.

"Hey, enough of all this for tonight," Faldio said as way of distraction from the uncertainty laid out before them. "Geoffrey is getting us a table at the officer's club. Let's go have a couple of drinks and forget about all of this for the moment."

Considering the words, a slight smile pulled at the edges of his lips as Welkin nodded. "Alright, that sounds like a good idea. I could use a break anyway."

"And, if you're so inclined, you can always invite Alicia..."

"Faldio!"

The words caused a genuine laugh to escape the archaeology major as he led his friend from the stuffy confines of his designated office into the open hallway and out into the night. For just tonight, this would be a much needed distraction, for tomorrow, the counter-offensive would commence, and who knew when they would next have the chance to just be a couple of friends, having a beer and talking of things that didn't matter.

For in those little moments lived hope, and with the fear of tomorrow on the horizon, hope was a much needed friend.