Author's Note: Many thanks to my husband for helping to write the battle scenes!
Chapter 22 – Battle Royale
A battle can be intense, chaotic, and mentally depleting. This, however, was an all-out invasion. Thus, the hours before seemed to echo those same sensations. The warning had come from a SeeD operative, warning of the mobilization of the Galbadian military. Esthar and Garden had flown into the action without any delay. The depleted Estharian soldiers swept through the city and evacuated civilians to shelters as best as possible. Other civilians, out of love for their country and their president, took up arms and joined the soldiers. The depleted forces nearly doubled in a mere matter of hours. Even still, 4,000 against 10,000 was no battle. It was a slaughter.
Yet, those were the best estimates supplied by SeeD operatives stationed outside of Galbadia. And soon, the enemy would be at the southeastern shores of Esthar. Laguna surprised both staff and family with how quickly he organized supplies, armor, and weapons for the troops. Even Squall had to admit that he was proud of Laguna for the role he would play, even if this would be their last stand.
With a sigh, Squall Leonheart ran his hands through his hair as he stared out of the presidential palace. Reinforcements from Garden had begun to arrive by way of Ragnarok, at first, but the Galbadian military had anticipated such a move. Though a vessel more than capable of dishing it out, Ragnarok was no match for the dozens of airships stationed between Balamb and Esthar. Ragnarok was grounded. That left him with a force roughly half the size of the opposition.
"How much of a chance do we really stand?" Kylah asked, stepping up next to him to gaze out the window.
Squall's only response was a slightly-helpless shrug. "We'll do the best we can. But… they have more than twice the manpower we do. Things don't look good."
Kylah turned to him. "It's never hopeless," she said, sticking her chin out defiantly. "Whatever happens, I'll be right there to back you up."
Squall turned from the window and looked down at the fiery redhead next to him. The fire and determination in her eyes brought a smile to his face. Spontaneously, he wrapped his arms around her and crushed his mouth over hers. "We'll get through this," he promised, pulling slightly away. "Together."
As sunset touched the red sands of the nation of Esthar, the sands shifted under the vibrations of Galbadian military vehicles and troops who were marching against the capital city of the continent. Laced throughout the large force were over a thousand more troops bearing the insignia of Punishment Syndicate. From his binoculars, the commander of the Estharian military assessed their odds. They weren't good. Squall had chosen the area between Tear's Point and the Lunar Gate as their battlefield. The enemy troops would be more spread out and easier to deal with in terms of wide-area attacks. Still, against such numbers, even the most veteran of troops were more than a bit shaky.
As the Galbadian military drew closer, Squall picked up a communicator in front of him and spoke into it, his voice echoing over the Estharian plains. "There's no turning back now," he said to everyone gathered. "Some of you have never fought a battle before in your life; others have seen battle and death, and have tasted both victory and defeat. I know that our odds don't look real great at the moment, but some of the biggest battles have been won against the worst of odds. We have hope. Just stick together and cover each other, and we can take these guys."
As Squall closed his address, the troops had a reaction he had not anticipated. A thunderous roar erupted from every corner of the gathered army. Weapons were raised and voices even overwhelmed the sound of the oncoming troops. Spinning on his heel, their commander threw his gunblade forward and shouted out the charge. From their trenches, Esthar loosed as much hell upon the earth as possible. Artillery fired over and over from the higher hills, bombarding the front lines with explosions and shrapnel that tore flesh and metal.
Following the power of the explosions came smaller arms fired. High-caliber machine guns opened fire from concealed positions in the red sand, tearing through more of their ranks.
With their entire front infantry decimated, the enemy changed its strategies. Vehicles charged around the dead and wounded, running them down as necessary. The armored vehicles bore down on the encamped Estharian army. The machine guns mattered little to the tanks and they were too fast for the second volley of artillery. But Squall had anticipated this. Just as the lead tank had its sights on one of the offending machine gun nests, it exploded to the sound of shredding metal beneath it. Four more quickly met with the same fate as hidden land mines beneath the surface detonated against the oncoming vehicles.
That was the last of Esthar's luck, it would seem. The remaining tanks suddenly folded over on their treads, then began moving just off the ground. "Hover engines," Squall gulped. "I didn't think they had finished developing those, yet," he said quietly, furrowing his brow. Still, he did not panic or allow his thoughts to be public. Instead, he signaled the Estharian vehicles to advance. Already the Galbadian armor had passed over the entire mine field and were peppering some of the machine gun nests with their heavy canons. The Estharian tanks sprang into battle quickly, meeting the enemy tanks head-on. Though Galbadia had come a long way with their technology in the last decade, Esthar still had the edge. The massive shells of the enemy tanks knocked off the heavier armor of the Galbadian tanks. The Estharian tanks were also more nimble on the field of battle, quickly unleashing laser blasts and sonic weapons that tore through the enemy armor like a hot knife through butter.
At first, it looked like the Estharian vehicles might be able to hold off Galbadia. Then came yet another unpleasant surprise. Large airships began swooping in on the battlefield and, using touch-and-go tactics, dropped two tanks each. Dozens of the vehicles quickly joined the fray and quickly began to overwhelm the Estharian vehicles. On top of that, the carriers then began dropping bombs all over army. Blast after blast tore through the barricades and ceilings, easily killing those within. Victory suddenly seemed a small straw to grasp at for Esthar.
"Hey, Squall," came a voice over the commander's com, "I hope you don't mind, but I had an idea." In the background of the message, the Squall could swear he heard Irvine shout, "Yee-haw!" Just as he was about to ask what Irvine was up to, one of the carriers suddenly crashed to the ground in the middle of the battlefield. Shots began raining upon all of the transports as they vainly tried to scatter from the sudden assault. Galbadia had stopped Ragnarok from reinforcing the troops, but had not factored on her getting of the ground in the heat of battle. It was an oversight that tipped the scales back somewhat.
Irvine and Selphie had let loose everything the spaceship had, by the looks of it. The machine guns quickly peppered through the lightly armored transports, sending one after another crashing to the ground. On one swoop, her pilot even graced the nearly exhausted Esthar armor with a strafing shot from her main canon. The blast quickly tore through several of the enemy vehicles and provided the remaining allies with a chance to fall back. Squall also saw opportunity and called up foot-troops and their anti-armor equipment. Dozens of missiles suddenly erupted, arcing through the air and slamming into tank after tank, reducing them to wreckage.
Clenching his teeth, Squall waited for another barrage of tank shells to come their way as the troops reloaded, but none came. There was no sound of treads or high-powered tank shells, though. Instead, the only sound that came was a low rumbling sound. Overhead, Ragnarok dodged gracefully through the air as several smaller ships flew at her, spitting deadly rounds at her red armor. Squall knew there was nothing he could do to help them now. He could only put his faith in Selphie and Irvine.
That turned his attention back to the ground. As he looked at the smoking wreckage, though, a large form began looming through the carnage that had once been the Galbadian armored division. The large shape seemed formless, but as it tore through the leading edge of the smoke, its true form was revealed. Two Guardian Forces that Squall had never seen before launched themselves towards the trenches. As he dove towards the rough earth, Squall cried out for everyone to take cover as the GFs unleashed their attacks upon the entrenched soldiers. The first GF resembled an oversized bull with two heads. Its attack was in the form of the ground suddenly buckling and shaking beneath the defenders. The attack shook the very foundations of the bunkers, caving them in on the souls within. Even through the shaking earth, though, Squall could both hear and feel the sudden charge of the enemy infantry. They were closing in, and fast.
The second Guardian Force, which resembled a four winged bird, used what looked like falling stars from the sky. Small specks of light bombarded from the heavens as the creature commanded them, crashing into the now exposed ranks of Esthar. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out they were dead if they stayed there and did nothing. With a wordless look to Quistis on his left and Zell just down the bunker from him, Squall nodded and the three sprang into action. From the center of the bunkers, three Guardian forces sprang forth, engaging the two that had just attacked. From one of the side bunkers, Kylah followed suit and unleashed her on Guardian Force upon the exposed flanks of the enemy. Together, Eden, Bahamut, and Pandemona were quickly overwhelming the two enemy Guardian Forces. That left the newly summoned Guardian Force to deal with the enemy troops. Flying forth from Kylah, a great ocean of flames seemed to form, and then erupted into a large, burning Phoenix. With an outraged cry, the creature dove at the side of the enemy, tearing through the frontlines and incinerating the foot soldiers thereof.
Even with the covering fire of the Guardian Forces, though, Galbadia continued its charge, trampling the living and dead from the fiery attack in an effort to reach the bunkers. This time, though, it was too late to use another swoop from her Guardian Force. Commanding it to hit the rear flanks, Kylah leaped to her feet and called the charge for her soldiers. Squall, Quistis, and Zell were all in the middle of the same action, themselves. With a loud roar from both sides, the two forces were upon each other in seconds. The roar was quickly replaced by the sound of metal striking metal and bodies being torn into by the various weapons of war. The Galbadian forces, though, still outnumbered the remaining Estharian soldiers by nearly 4 to 1, though. Squall knew it, but wouldn't turn his back on this fight. At least he would die doing what he was best at. Resigned to his fate, Squall spotted Ragnarok making another pass with two more ships still giving chase. "Selphie," he called across his com, "Things are tricky down here. If we can't hold them, you get Cass, Laguna, and everyone else you can fit into Ragnarok out of there."
The yellow-dressed SeeD's protest was cut short by a gunshot that nearly separated Squall's head from his shoulders. The blast had been diverted by an Esthar soldier who felled the enemy as they made the shot, though. With that, Squall led a small group back into the fray. All around them, their list of allies grew smaller and smaller. Quistis' group was nearly depleted and Zell's was just holding their ground against the larger force. There was no support left to call upon and they were quickly being overwhelmed. Obviously the members of the enemy army and Punishment Syndicate had been instructed to take no prisoners.
Then came the death-blow to Esthar. With a fluid motion, the Galbadian soldiers parted and a full division of Punishment Syndicate charged into the fray. These soldiers were not like Galbadian troops, though. They mimicked the training and warfare of Garden. This final straw quickly broke the remaining ranks of the defenders.
"Fall back!" Squall called over his com and to any who could hear him. "Fall back, now!"
But, there was little to fall back to. Their backs were now against the wreckage of the bunkers and navigating them was nigh impossible. The defenders were quickly pushed into a half circle against the ruined walls of the defenses. Squall quickly made his way to the front lines. There, Kylah had already positioned herself for the final assault. Quistis and Zell stood at the flanks.
"Well," Kylah spoke up, wiping blood from her lip, "at least we gave 'em hell, eh?"
Squall could not stop the half-grin that crept up on his face. "If I have to die, then at least it's beside you," he said softly, wearing his emotions on his sleeve for one of the rare instances in his life. He only hoped Selphie and Irvine would get Cass and Laguna to safety.
"So," came an all too familiar and arrogant voice from the enemy ranks. "Ready to surrender, Leonheart?"
Hatred leaped into Squall's eyes as he turned to face the voice. From the ranks, the familiar white jacket moved towards the front, then stepped into the front lines of the enemy. "Seifer…" he hissed between clenched teeth.
"Hasn't this personal vendetta gone far enough, Seifer?" Kylah called out from beside her commander. "How many more have to die for some imaginary crime against you?" she asked, trying one last ditch effort at talking their way out.
"Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah," was the only retort that came from the leader of the Galbadian forces. "Is that all you do is talk, little girl?" Seifer shot back as he leveled his bloody gunblade at her. "If you want to blame anyone, blame your dear boyfriend," Seifer went on, the blood vessels in his neck swelling with each word. "He brought this judgment upon you all."
"Then spare them and take me, instead," Squall countered, lowering his gunblade.
A white-toothed smile slowly spread across Seifer's face as he looked at his long-time adversary. "What? A final showdown between the two of us?" he shot back. "Hrmph. I've won, and I have no need for ANY prisoners except you, Leonheart." With a maddening look upon Seifer's face, he stared long at Squall before adding, "Then I can make you watch as I kill your little woman, your friends, your child, and dear old dad. Only then will I grant you the peace of death."
Slowly, and under the pain from his shoulder, Squall brought his gunblade back up. "Their fate is mine, then," he boldly answered Seifer.
With only malice in his eyes, the head of Punishment Syndicate and the Galbadian army swung his gunblade out and called for the last charge against the resistance. The enemy soldiers quickly began to cross the small gap between them to deliver the finishing blow, but then stopped dead in their tracks, looking up.
Not daring to turn his back on his enemy, Squall resisted the urge to look, as well. That was the first time he noticed the ground shaking and a low, but very familiar hum. A wide smile spread rapidly across his lips as Squall was suddenly shadowed by a very, very large Garden that slowly flew overhead. Balamb couldn't get their reinforcements to the battle through Ragnarok, so they had brought the entire Garden facility. As Balamb Garden approached, it drifted out to the side, revealing a second and equally imposing shape behind it: Trabia Garden. Cid hadn't just brought out the cavalry; he had brought an entire army of trained SeeDs!
Through the stunned silence of the enemy forces, another sound quickly permeated the battlefield as the two large vessels flew overhead. Small orbs flew down at the gathered armies, whistling through the air until they hit. Only after dozens of the objects hit the ground did they explode into a vortex of fire and shrapnel. Through the explosions, zip-lines and parachutes fell from both Gardens. Literally thousands of SeeDs were leaping from their home to the aid of those below. Now, it was not the Estharian army that found itself boxed in; it was Galbadia. As they dropped their armies, both Gardens flanked the enemy army and settled to the ground, unleashing thousands more soldiers to the enemy's exposed ranks.
With a war cry, Squall Leonheart drew back his gunblade and charged the enemy ranks. His closest friends were right behind him, along with the remaining Estharian soldiers. The shocked and disoriented enemy put up little fight as they clashed into each other. But, Squall cared little for the soldiers he passed or cut down. His focus was on only one individual: Seifer.
The white coated foe was waiting for him, too, Gunblade ready to strike. Running at top speed, Squall slammed his gunblade down at his enemy. The impact of the two weapons fired off sparks and sent the two men reeling. Seifer immediately leaped back at Squall, swinging his weapon at the SeeD. Squall, however, grimaced as his shoulder shot pain up and down his entire back. The immediate onslaught from Seifer, though, forced him to override his body's desire to collapse. Diving to the side, Squall nimbly evaded the down strike from Seifer's gunblade, and then met it with his own in a side-strike. Standing back up, Squall renewed his assault against the fallen Sorceress' Knight. The weapons met time and again as the two both called upon their best dueling skills against each other.
The advantage was Seifer's, though. Squall was already exhausted and his shoulder was past its limit. He could literally feel the bones of his shoulder grinding against one another as he swung his weapon. As the SeeD commander continued to meet blow after blow from his opponent, Seifer began to strike more erratically and taking risks. That has always been his weakness, Squall thought to himself as he threw a stab at Seifer.
Then came the sensation and the blast that he had experienced many years ago. A fiery blast erupted from Seifer's hand. Swinging his gunblade into a defensive position, Squall met the blast head-on, intending to charge through it and sever the enemy commander's head from his shoulders. His shoulder couldn't withstand the impact, though. As he charged through the fiery attack, Squall's gunblade was slammed backwards, arcing around him into an awkward angle.
Seifer, never one to pass up a free strike, took it. To the horrified eyes of Kylah and Quistis who were dealing with a group Galbadian soldiers who just refused to die, Squall Leonheart charged forward and impaled himself on Seifer's waiting weapon. The trained SeeD had recognized too late that he couldn't maintain his attack and tried at the last second to break off. The move had saved his life, but now Squall found himself dropping his weapon, his chest just beside his good arm torn open by his opponent's gunblade. The other SeeDs tried to run in and help Squall, but it was too late. As he looked up, Squall saw the laughter on Seifer's lips as he drew back for the final strike.
That was before the world went white and soundless….
Laguna stood restlessly in the presidential office, gazing anxiously out the window over the city. Desperately, he wished his vision would allow him to see past the city's edge to the battlefield miles away. It was his army out there. His people. His tanks.
His son.
With a frustrated cry, Laguna punched the window, accomplishing little more than bruised knuckles. He sighed with annoyance and turned away from the window, impatiently waiting for Kiros to bring him a further update from the battlefield. As he turned, however, his eyes rested on a glass case in the corner. Inside, protected yet ready for battle at any moment, was his machine gun.
Laguna gazed at it contemplatively for a long moment. He could feel the cool metal of the gun in his hand, though he hadn't fought with it in over two decades. He had kept it in good condition, however, making sure it was ready at a moments notice. A slow grin spread over his face. With a quick glance around, he stepped over to the case and unlocked it. Quickly, he withdrew his gun and shouldered it, taking care to grab extra ammunition and a couple of grenades. I was a soldier, he thought. Surely I can still do this…
"Laguna, we just got the latest reports from the battlefield, and –" Kiros stopped as he entered the room, catching sight of Laguna, who looked very much like a child with their hand in a cookie jar. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"…"
"Ward says don't even think about it," Kiros added, folding his arms over his chest.
"Forget it, man," Laguna said, brushing past Kiros and Ward. "I have to do this. I can't just sit here and wait and see what happens. I need to be down there."
"You're the president," Kiros replied, sounding exasperated. "You can't get involved in a battle."
Laguna, who by now was halfway down the hallway outside of his office, turned back around and grinned at Kiros. "Then I resign!" he called cheerfully. He then turned and dashed toward the exit, suddenly appearing a lot younger than he was.
Kiros sighed and looked up at Ward. "You don't really think he meant that do you?"
"…"
The hand grenade had landed right under Seifer's feet. Alarmed, the ex-SeeD leaped back, but not in time to totally avoid the attack. The explosion sent him flying through the air, landing face-first several feet away. As Seifer stood back up, he turned his bleeding head and glared back at his chosen target. Squall was still there, but looked dazed from the concussive blast of the grenade. A pair of brown trousers obstructed Seifer's view of the SeeD commander. Following the legs up, Seifer narrowed his gaze as it met a blue jacket, machine gun, then the black hair of Laguna Loire. To say the least, the president of Esthar was NOT happy.
"Well, well, well," Seifer coughed as he stood back up. "Dear old dad decided to jump in and save the day."
"Get the hell out of my country," Laguna commanded in the best presidential tone he could manage. Truthfully, he was sweating more bullets than his clip held. He hadn't been in actual combat in over two decades, and Seifer seemed to know it. With a grin, he bowed at Laguna, and then jumped at him.
Rolling to his side, Laguna peppered the area with bullets, shredding the coat tails of Seifer's jacket as he flew by. Unfortunately, Laguna had to keep himself between Seifer and Squall. To let his opponent through would mean certain death for his son. The younger, more agile, and battle-hardened Seifer was taking complete advantage of this. He kept Laguna on the defensive, forcing him to fall back further and further. The gun just wasn't effective against such close-ranged combat against a bladed weapon.
As Laguna was quickly trying to think of options to get out of this, Seifer performed a maneuver he'd never seen before. With a mad charge, his enemy dashed forward, ignoring the biting bullets as they tore into his shoulder and thigh. Scraping his weapon along the ground, Seifer imitated one Squall's moves, Rough Divide. In desperation, Laguna thrust his weapon forward to take the attack. With a crunching sound, the machine gun split in half as Seifer's weapon met with Laguna's chest.
The president of Esthar flew backwards, his entire world on fire. As he met the ground, Laguna rapidly stood up, then fell back to his knees, unable to breathe. A quick look down told him that his chest was bleeding heavily from the massive gash that Seifer had left him. Looking to his left, Laguna saw Squall, still kneeling from his injury, as well. Seifer stepped forward, laughing maniacally as he brought his weapon back to slay both of them in one move.
"S-son," Laguna managed to gasp.
"Dad…" Squall answered in a raspy tone.
Both men looked at each other. In that look, they communicated what they had not been able to for so long. Both of them smiled, despite the emanate death approaching them. Neither saw the blue arcs of raw energy flowing between them. Neither of them felt a Guardian Force activate and materialize in the physical world. Neither stayed conscious long enough to see the shocked look on Seifer's face.