Chapter 6: In the Wake of Tragedy
Cephiro Castle
The atmosphere in the castle was one of pure dread. Word kept coming in about the casualties from the Zill attack, and they were getting worse all the time. Even the weather was affected by the tragedy; lightning flashed across the now darkened skies and the wind howled.
"How...how could they do such a thing?" Umi wondered aloud as she sat, head hanging.
"All those people, gone," said Fuu in a trembling voice.
"The Zill...The Zill don't care about anything or anyone at all," said Hikaru, hands clenched into fists. "All they care about is getting exactly what they want!" Even as she said it, she couldn't help but recall Kefka's reaction to the slaughter. The way his confident voice had sounded so shaken and uncertain. The way he had tried to apologize for the actions of his countrymen.
Mokona looked on sadly, as if unsure of what to do. "Pu puuu..." he said, his ears drooping.
"So, what do we do now?" asked Umi. "That was only the beginning. When they come back, it will just be with more ships and soldiers."
"We do exactly what we've been doing," said Hikaru. "We are going to protect Cephiro, no matter what the cost. We can't let them scare us into giving up."
"I agree with Miss Hikaru," said Fuu. "If we lose hope now, then Cephiro will fall for certain. And none of us could live with ourselves if we allowed that to happen."
After a brief silence, Umi stood and said, "You're right, we've come too far to give up now. We have to see this through to the end, whatever it may be."
The girls all looked at each other and nodded. They had been hurt, yes, but they were not broken. They would move forward and do whatever it took to save Cephiro and stop the Zill.
Zill Dreadnought Adjudicator
"Perhaps you'd like to explain to me what happened out there, Commander," said Rahksha, drumming his fingers on his armrests. Even through the visor, Kefka could feel the Admiral glaring at him with eyes that could have shot plasma beams.
"When I saw the ship open fire, I assumed that we were progressing to a different stage of the operation, so I ordered a withdrawal," said Kefka, hoping his answer would suffice.
"Your orders were to deal with the Magic Knights. I thought I made that clear, Commander. Instead, you quit the field of battle at a most inopportune time and allowed them to escape yet again. Tell me why I shouldn't charge you for cowardice in the face of the enemy," Rahksha growled.
Kefka took a deep breath and said, "Sir, my service record speaks for itself. I've never been a coward once, nor do I intend to do so in the present or for the far future. I made my decision based on the actions of your crew and I stand by that decision. It was a practical choice."
Rahksha gripped his armrests, looking hard at Kefka, and said, "Very well...I'll assume this was a simple misunderstanding. But mark my words...if you fail to neutralize the Magic Knights again, I'll have you and your entire unit executed for treason. Dismissed."
Kefka saluted and left, feeling sick to his stomach. Not only had he failed in his duty, but he'd witnessed a completely senseless slaughter of non-military targets. It wasn't the first time he'd witnessed strikes on civilian targets before; such was the nature of warfare. But it had always been to undermine an enemy military, to weaken the morale of soldiers. And Cephiro had no army, no warriors to defend it. It had only three girls in Rune-Gods to protect its millions of people.
He stopped and leaned against the wall, tightening a fist. He was so very confused now. He'd never questioned an order or his work once in his life, not even as an Initiate. But now he was beginning to doubt everything. And it all came back to one conclusion: Hikaru. Everything started and ended with that girl.
"Hikaru," he whispered to himself. He steadied himself and went to the ready room where his men were waiting.
"Sir, is everything alright?" asked Tino worriedly.
"The Admiral has made it clear that if we don't secure the Magic Knights in our next encounter, we're all dead men," said Kefka.
"Execution? After all we've done for the Imperium? After all our service? They can't do that, can they?" asked Meex.
"Nobody is exempt from the ultimate punishment," said Shakku, "not even the most loyal and dedicated soldier."
"Why did they even perform an orbital strike anyway?" demanded Raxx. "We had the whole situation under control! If anything, it's that damned Admiral who screwed everything up!"
"Regardless of who did what, the fact remains that we're in hot water," said Kefka. "We don't have a choice. As soon as our mobile armors are fixed, we're engaging the Knights again. This time, we either capture them...or they die. There's no middle ground for us anymore."
"Sir, there's something else," said Jiang. "I've been hearing rumors among the rest of the crew that Autozam may be sending a fleet to reinforce Cephiro. Fahran may also be sending forces as well."
"So Cephiro's allies are getting involved now," said Kefka. "Very well then...looks like we're going to have a bigger fight on our hands in the future. We'll just have to show them both the error of crossing the Zill on a bad day."
His men all agreed, but inside Kefka didn't believe a word he said. All he could think about was Hikaru and her friends, and how they would look at him now.
Cephiro, an Open Field
"Flame Arrow!"
The fiery projectile screamed through the air, striking the monster dead in the chest, blowing it to ash.
"Water Dragon!" shouted Umi, unleashing the spell against a small pack of monsters, obliterating them instantly.
"Emerald Typhoon!" Fuu called out, sending the torrent into a large beast, destroying it on contact.
Hikaru stared at where the monster had been, panting, and said, "Kefka...did you know? Did you know what they were planning to do?"
"Hikaru, you're doing it again," said Fuu.
Hikaru blinked and looked up at her friend. "Huh? I was doing what again?" she asked.
"You were talking to yourself," said Fuu. "This time I heard you say 'Kefka.' You were thinking about the commander of the War Wolves, weren't you?"
"I...yes, I was," said Hikaru, looking up at the sky, imagining him somewhere up there aboard a Zill warship. "I was wondering if maybe he knew what was going to happen. That that battleship was going to just attack all those people."
"As an officer, I think he must have had some idea," said Fuu. "Unless they truly did not tell him what they were planning."
"I think he knew all along," said Umi. "He must have just been trying to keep us busy."
"I don't know," said Hikaru, "but I need to know. I need to ask him directly."
"What's with you, Hikaru? Why are you so concerned with him?" asked Umi.
"I don't know," Hikaru replied, "but it's just this feeling I have. And the way he spoke to me after that ship opened fire...he sounded truly devastated."
"I suppose we will never know the truth until we face him again," said Fuu. "Whenever that day comes again."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Hikaru, looking back up at the sky, wondering where Kefka was in that starry expanse, and what he was doing now.
Zill Dreadnought Adjudicator
Rahksha sat in his chair, looking at a holo-screen, speaking to a fellow officer on another ship. "So that's the situation," he said. "I no longer have faith in the abilities of the War Wolves commander. To let such an obvious opportunity slip through his fingers...I wouldn't be surprised if he was compromised."
"This is quite the turn of events, my old friend," said the officer, Admiral Jeddak of the Carcharodon. "The War Wolves are the elite of the elite, and to dismiss them so quickly after what could be a genuine mistake seems...impulsive."
"One of the reasons I've gotten as far as I have is because I don't take chances, as you well know," said Rahksha. "If Kefka has truly begun to show weakness, then he's a liability. And his men will surely follow if that's the case. No, this is the better option. I want the Black Dragon dispatched here to handle the Magic Knights."
"If you say so, I'll put the word out," said Jeddak. "Just be careful, you know the Dragon doesn't answer to anyone, not even to us."
"As long as he's paid well, he'll do exactly what I tell him to do," said Rahksha, "and I intend to pay him very handsomely for this service."
"In that case, I wish you the best of luck," said Jeddak. "Jeddak out." The call ended immediately.
Rahksha switched the screen over to a star chart depicting the location of the fleet, and something else that was gradually coming closer. "So Autozam and Fahran have decided to interfere in our invasion plans," he said with a chuckle. "Very well then...let them come, right to their own doom."