Chapter 22

Rout

Hikaru had swiftly contacted General Zebalga from the flatbed. She and Tyris were the same rank, so there was no obvious successor to Domitian. As Tyris could not bear to speak to the General, Hikaru had told Zebalga what happened as concisely as she could. Their superior provisionally appointed the more experienced Hikaru as the succeeding commander of the Dollet force, warning her there would be a full investigation into how Domitian could have been assassinated and the Tonberry King lost on the eve of Galbadia's invasion.

There had been no reports as to the location of the Tonberry King. Likely, its essence was heading over the northern ocean, back to Centra. Hikaru had been shaken by the whole ordeal, despite agreeing with Tyris' misgivings earlier on.

On the way back to the air force base, out of earshot of the Adels, Tyris said, 'There's nothing more we could have done! I warned Domitian that we were too exposed in the city! And we never asked to be put in a luxury hotel!'

'I froze when the Tonberry King appeared,' Hikaru admitted. 'For a second, I had no idea what to do! It all happened so fast! But you showed no fear; you walked right up to it! You should be leading this force now, Ty! Not me!'

Tyris tried to play it down. 'I knew the King would likely flee faced with another GF. It had the chance to escape, the first chance in a generation,' she smiled inwardly. 'Jumbo looks far more intimidating than Ramuh, though. It probably made the difference.'

'But Jumbo was given to me,' Hikaru said. 'You earned Ramuh!'

Tyris' gaze became vacant, remembering the mission on Poccarachi Island.

'I was lucky,' she said dismissively.

'But they said it was you that ran Ramuh through with your spear! That you drew him into the Empress' magicite yourself!' Hikaru acclaimed.

'After he had been worn down by countless soldiers, yes,' Tyris softened.

'You're too humble, Ty,' Hikaru told her. 'You could be Mitsuhide's second-in-command in a few years! Or the youngest ever to become a Praetorian!'

A Praetorian, Tyris thought, not for the first time. Within striking distance of the Empress.

That could never happen, as the Empress did a vetting mind contact before anointing anybody as one of her Twelve. And there would be little need for the Adel Unit after the war. In the long term, Tyris would have to settle for being Selena's second-in-command. If she did not turn on Esthar or take early retirement, that was.

As they approached the air force base, their young driver seemed just as shaken as Hikaru. He had seen Domitian's head blown off and the Adel's get eviscerated. Tyris, a post-traumatic stress sufferer herself, could only hope the man was spared the flashbacks. She had not seen Domitian die, but would not be losing sleep over his death.

Tyris informed the driver that they could make their own way across the strip to the waiting Valkyr, which they did as soon as their gear was taken. When their group reached the airship, they were saluted by the same airman that had greeted them yesterday. With Domitian's absence, the airman confusedly looked between the two Lieutenants and the identical stripes on their left arm.

'Good morning… ma'ams. Did you enjoy your stay in the city?'

Apparently, word of the assassination had not yet trickled its way down to the Dollet grunts. Hikaru's mouth parted, but she said nothing.

'At ease!' Tyris urged. 'And stand aside!'

The airman quickly sidestepped before one of the Adels barged into him. 'The Valkyr is ready to go, ma'am! Is Colonel Domitian boarding with you?'

'No. He's dead,' Tyris said simply. She did not think any Dollet soldiers would be sorry to hear about it, either.

Tyris silently looked down at the landscape as the Valkyr flew. Most of the settlements they passed were unmemorable, save for the south Dollet city of Jericho, which had been built up around the Tower of Owen on the scenic riverside. The borderland between Dollet and Timber was noticeably less arid, the land becoming a richer green and better forested the further south they flew. In no time the crew witnessed the sequoias of Roshfall Forest, some standing so high they seemed to brush the more low hanging clouds, unmatched anywhere other than the Grandidi.

Their destination was East Academy, which had been briskly expanded by the Empire since the annexation, now containing a sizeable airstrip. There was a swelling Esthari camp by the broad river snaking by the town, about twenty miles from Yaulney Forest. The round forest itself was between a natural break in the mesas, nestled between the thin strip of sloped plain and the Monterosa Plateau.

Galbadia Garden was absent from the Monterosa, having gone mobile again. Esthar had not been able to locate it on their satellites due to Garden's emulation of Esthar's cloaking technology. Although the mobile fortress could be pinged on sonar, Esthar's fleet was now massing north of Galbadia, unable to conduct a wide search.

The garrison at Dollet had matched the Timber force at over half a million strong, but most of this force was still in transit through the Hasberry Plains. There was not much order to the Esthari camp, with tents and military vehicles extending widely across the plain. Monsters being plentiful here, there were dozens of slaughtered geezards unceremoniously left in piles around the camp. The carcasses stared lifelessly and open mouthed after being carved for their less gristly fillets, already beginning to stink. The piles of funguars and bite bugs, mostly killed for sport, were even higher.

As soon as the Valkyr touched down, they were greeted by the Deputy Commander of the Adel Unit, Basch – twin brother of Praetorian Gabranth. Basch shared the light blond hair of his brother, but it was not slicked back, hanging level with his firm, clean-shaven jaw. Basch looked between the seven Adels; the shell shocked survivors of the Tonberry King's vengeance. Then he addressed Hikaru and Tyris.

'A tragedy, Lieutenants! May the Colonel rest in peace!'

'When will we be moving?' Hikaru quickly asked.

'The remaining troops will be here before last light, ma'am,' Basch replied. 'I will break off with the van in the early hours, at your word.'

'Then you have it,' Hikaru said.

Basch led their group into the camp. If any of the troops were affected by news of the Domitian's assassination, they did not show it. Any that stood in the path of the female officers saluted them earnestly and without feigned respect.

Tyris felt horribly exposed here, more than once looking up to the plateaus to their west. Either mesa was surely harbouring the sniper that had killed Domitian, who had managed to fire three successive shots into the swirling, ocean winds from above Dollet City with pinpoint accuracy. Only one junctioned with Pandemonium could have performed such a feat. Ramuh said that he had felt Pandemonium's essence on the bullets, in addition to Siren's, meaning that her mother had been either the sniper or the spotter. Fujin must have seen her long-lost daughter.

Not to mention that someone from SeeD or the Children of Sarona had junctioned with Siren under Esthar's nose. But this had been anticipated, as Siren had successfully evaded Esthari patrols into the plateaus.

Tyris did not believe that she was in danger, but she had advised Hikaru to hide their magicite from view. The crystals were veiled within their uniforms. After twenty years of war, Esthari troops knew that the Empress gifted her officers GFs during a major campaign, so displaying their magicite as a symbol of power was unnecessary. Reina would have to reconsider letting any of her trusted subjects flout the magicite at all, after Domitian's death.

Some infantrymen had already prepared tents and a hearty lunch for the two officers. Bidding the seven Adels a good night as they joined Basch's vanguard, Hikaru joined Tyris in her tent.

'I just can't shake the feeling, Ty.' Hikaru was openly anxious now they were alone. 'That sniper had a day to get ahead of us! Whoever they are, they probably have their crosshairs on the tent!'

One sniper, even with a GF's power, could do little against half a million troops. And it would not be able to free the Jumbo Cactuar from its now hidden prison. Being ambushed by a group of free GFs had seemed a possibility to Tyris while encamped in this bottleneck, or while crossing the open Monterosa. But they would only succeed in denting such a large force, and would deplete their energy before the decisive battle.

Tyris told Hikaru as much, then said, 'The sniper's probably back in Galbadia, by now.'

'It's the Cyclone, isn't it?' Hikaru asked.

Tyris took a deep breath. Although she trusted Hikaru, only Selena knew who Tyris' parents really were.

'We'll find out soon enough.'

The two female officers left the tent after a couple of hours, stretching their legs by strolling along the entirety of the camp. A line of iron giants stood motionlessly in a ring around the western edge, over a hundred in all. The cyborgs stood just as stilly in a rectangular formation, all fifty thousand of them, as attendants worked around them to check for any malfunctioning.

Tyris and Hikaru turned down any invitations to participate in melees that evening. They had a dinner of boiled rice, vegetables, and surprisingly tender geezard steaks. Then the two Lieutenants returned to their tents, leaving instructions for everyone to be in their own tents by last light. Hikaru received a casual video call from Mitsuhide, and Tyris passed Hikaru's tent as her friend disappeared within it.

That night, Tyris thought about Thalassa for the first time since FH. She assumed the White SeeD was back at sea by now. Matron had told a young Tyris that White SeeD endured long into the future, so the seafarers must survive the coming battle. Thalassa would be a target for the Empress, as Carbuncle's bearer. Tyris knew that the hunger for vengeance would be just as strong within Thalassa, as the White SeeD had long awaited the chance to avenge her parents – in addition to Matron and Cid. Would Thalassa's sensibility win over if Galbadia lost the sea battle? Would she remain to join in White SeeDs retreat?

Tyris had done everything she could to prepare SeeD and Galbadia. But she believed that the Empress was still likely to defeat them, especially after enslaving Selphie. Esthar outnumbered their opposition more than two to one and had an equal number of GFs, even after losing the Tonberry King. Or so Reina thought.

Only time would tell.

Two hours before first light, the vanguard peeled away from the camp. It contained fifty thousand cyborgs, with a shock detachment of five hundred from the Adel Unit. There were over a hundred Lunar beasts around the soldiers: hulking behemoths, near impregnable iron giants and imposing, winged elnoyles.

Rhodry and the others were indeed atop the split plateau. They watched the vanguard move through the narrow prairie between the cliff face and the winding river that fed Obel Lake to the east. They had a sprawling view of the Esthari camp, which was encircled by the towering iron giants that were visible without their binoculars, half of which had joined the vanguard.

The GF bearers knew most of these advancing soldiers to be cyborgs, from the way they had uniformly marched in perfect synchrony at the same pace for two hours. They did not tire, their shoulders never dropped, and their feet never dragged or stumbled on the uneven ground. This marked them from the single detachment of Adels, irrespective of their differing armour. Rhodry spotted Basch at their front. The Deputy Commander's countenance was creased with concentration despite seeing nothing but the occasional bite bug moving across the grassland.

'Ready?' Seifer said to his left.

Rhodry and Nida nodded.

Fujin replied with, 'Affirmative!'

Siren appeared in the sky, hovering above the Esthari with steady beats of her head-wings, joined by the equally ravishing Shiva. The more inhuman looking Ifrit materialised alongside them. The brawny, horned Bringer of Hellfire tensed its bushy body, his massive torso disproportionate to his lower half. Embers appeared around him as he barred his fangs; he was covered in maroon fur and had a crimson mane that matched a smaller patch of pelt covering his groin. Fujin summoned Pandemonium, a curious looking GF like no other creature in the world. It was wide set with a large violet torso, chunky turquoise legs, and jade, webbed feet; its alien head was long and narrow, framing three columns of yellow eyes.

A melodic tune sounded over the wind as Siren began to sing in an enthralling voice. Ifrit moved away to their right, digging his feet and claws into a section of cliff edge. With a sharp hissing sound, Pandemonium started sucking in air from a funnel in its abdomen, the orange bag behind its back now rapidly expanding as the Wind Lord descended the cliff face. The jewel on Siren's harp glowed brighter as her melody increased in tempo. Either side of her Ifrit and Shiva were also gathering energy.

Some of the Adels had noticed Siren and Shiva, raising the alarm. The cyborgs halted as one. Those with long-range weapons fired at her, lighting the sky with differing shades of plasma rays. Dozens of violet lights shot outward from the jewel of Siren's harp, curving down to the Esthari in a neon rain. With deadly precision, each laser-like beam struck the slave crowns adorning all the Lunarians, shattering the diadems but leaving their heads unscathed.

Rhodry heard the feral roars of rage in unison as the monsters were freed. They instantaneously turned toward the Esthari, who lowered their weapons to meet the new threat. The iron giants swung their awesome swords in full semi-circles, cutting through dozens of androids like stalks before a scythe. Elnoyles swooped down with spine chilling cries and ripped cyborgs and Adels limb from limb. Behemoths crushed scores of Esthari beneath broad, taloned paws in a frenzied stampede.

Rhodry spotted Basch desperately trying to sort an organised defence. The Adel leader's hands and mouth worked furiously, though he had one hand on his throat. It occurred to Rhodry that Siren may have taken the voice of Basch, as she was known to be capable of, further hampering attempts at cohesive defence.

Shiva shot toward the ground as she launched her attack, directing it into a mass of flashy-armoured soldiers where there were no rampaging beasts. She unleashed an intense blizzard on thousands of them. As the cyborgs were caught in the sub-zero temperatures, their processors literally froze and they became immobile, encrusted in ice from head to foot. Siren continued to play her harp, purple rays intermittently striking down and shattering frozen soldiers.

Ifrit rose and folded his burly arms, a substantial section of cliff face breaking away from the plateau, black and smouldering like molten rock. The fire GF moved forward on its floating platform until it was directly above the enemy. With a roar that split the heavens and a mighty axe-handed smash, the flaming cliff-chunk was sent hurtling to the ground. It flew directly towards Basch's position. The impact was deafening and could be likened only to a meteor. Nearly a thousand Esthari were caught in its impact, with even more engulfed in the fallout of surrounding flames.

Then Pandemonium made its move. The orange bag behind it had swelled to an enormous size, visible even atop the cliff. It let loose a furious hurricane that not only knocked much of the beleaguered vanguard from their feet but intensified Ifrit's hearty flames into an inferno. Any androids that remained grounded melted and bubbled within their armour, the skin falling from their artificial skeletons, and any of their non-metallic components quickly liquefied.

Some Lunarians were caught within the attacks, others were overwhelmed by concentrated plasma fire, but the remainder continued to terrorise their former enslavers. With Basch's demise, either Tyris or Akechi must have called for a retreat. Suddenly the surviving cyborgs turned west as one, sprinting faster than any human could towards the main army miles across the plains. The Adels must have all been killed. The surviving Lunarians made off in pursuit. Ifrit, Shiva and Siren all hit the fleeing cyborgs with one last attack before they were recalled.

Fujin spoke first. 'Routed!'

Seifer had a huge grin on his face. 'I love it when a plan comes together, especially one of mine! I can't wait for the next part! I might not be a SeeD, but I still gotta be doing something big!'

'Quistis' plan,' Nida stated quietly.

'Don't rain on my parade, Fly Boy!' Seifer replied. 'Your loving Sorceress and Eden haven't had a hand in this, yet!'

'They will,' Nida assured him. 'Our GFs are strong, but can only hope to chip away at such a vast force.'

Rhodry knew that the next stroke against Sorceress Reina was to be an extremely bold one, one that would determine the outcome of the coming battle. The Trabian cared nothing for who was the mastermind, only that it worked.

Fujin said nothing, doubtless wondering where Tyris was.

Tyris and Hikaru were at the front of the main force as they broke camp. They had seen everything. They did not need binoculars to know that the vanguard was being rapidly devastated, seeing Ifrit's hellfire intensified by Pandemonium's hurricane, the intermittent purple beams of Siren lancing through the sky, and the pale blue of Shiva's attacks looking like neon snow.

Tyris waited for Hikaru's command, now knowing without a doubt that both Seifer and Fujin had seen her in Dollet City. Her parents had likely been watching her every step from somewhere atop those plateaus. That was a confrontation fast approaching Tyris before she was ready, despite years of playing scenarios of it through in her mind.

Hikaru made no move, sound, or gesture as she watched the carnage with one hand on her earpiece.

Tyris felt it would be natural to say, 'We have to do something!'

Only she and Hikaru could reach the vanguard in time. Likely, that was part of her parents' plan. They would know that Jumbo and Ramuh was no match for those four GFs, unless their energy was greatly depleted. Perhaps her parents expected her to lead Hikaru into their snare and turn on her. That would not be happening. Tyris would switch sides at a time of her choosing, and not before.

Hikaru probably assumed that Raijin was lying in wait with Quetzalcoatl, too. But Tyris knew that was not the case. Ramuh always knew where his more bestial half was.

'It's a trap,' Hikaru finally said. 'They might destroy the whole van, but they can't do the same to the main force, and we'll be able to hold them off if they try! Their GFs will have little power remaining after this!'

'But what if they have more?' Tyris asked. 'Cerberus lies within the Jade Passage. His last known vessel was the Torama Fang. Diablos, too; Squall, Rinoa and Quistis would have the power to reach the Dark Messenger! SeeD have had time to recruit Sacred and Minotaur, too!'

Rinoa had been junctioned with Eden during the last war, but Tyris did not mention that, wondering how widely known it was within Esthar. If the Elder GF had been awoken again, Hyne help them all. Hikaru did not respond, continuing to watch the devastation. The Esthari were growing anxious behind them, awaiting her command.

The sporadic and calculated ambushes made Tyris wonder what else Caraway and the Lionheart had up their sleeves. The Monterosa Plateau was naturally suitable for an ambush, walled by high plateaus with only narrow openings granting passage. Sheer white crags fell to the ocean in the north. Sorceress Jadis had been driven into the plateau for this very reason.

If Tyris were in Hikaru's shoes, she would do nothing more than call for the surviving cyborgs to make a beeline for Yaulney Forest. Basch and the Adels, she knew, were doomed. When a cyborg informed them that Basch had perished, Hikaru informed the survivors to do just that. They would be hounded by the freed Lunarians, but it would be easier to lay ambushes for them in the dense forest. The main force was in no immediate danger and would close the distance to the forest by the end of the day.

Once the last of the androids broke the treeline, Hikaru took out her sat phone to give General Zebalga more bad news.

'Sir!' she pleaded, then answered a question with, 'the Bloodhound, the Cyclone, the Trabian that Colonel Vlahos called the Abadon of Adaryn, and the new summoner of Siren!'

Unsurprisingly, Zebalga was highly displeased. Tyris could hear the low rumble of the voice of her nemesis but could not make out the words.

'Please, sir, we've already lost the Tonberry King!' Hikaru said frantically, repeating the thought process that she and Tyris had come to separately, 'and it's likely the Thunderstroke is also present! Our GFs would have been out in the open and easily subdued! If our magicite is taken, it would compromise the invasion even further!'

Hikaru would be held responsible for all decisions taken, even though Tyris believed she had made the correct one. Likely, Hikaru would receive a dishonourable discharge if she survived the campaign. There would be significant cuts to the imperial force when the war was over. Every loss would have a scapegoat; fifty thousand cyborgs was a costly one.

Hikaru responded to more admonishment firmly. 'I strongly suggest that we should reconsider our advance, sir! We've been ambushed twice already, and are about to march through unfavourable terrain! It will lengthen the campaign, but my entire force can reach the border to southern Galbadia from East Academy in forty-eight hours! It will take another–!'

Zebalga cut her off, and Hikaru moved the phone away from her ear as the General's voice rose.

'Sir, we still have the numerical advantage!' Hikaru protested, frustration creeping into her voice now. 'A few more days will not change the outcome, and the Galbadians don't have the strength to flank you from the east!'

Zebalga said something else before abruptly ending the call. Hikaru's face was a picture of desperation that she was careful to hide from the soldiers behind her.

'I don't believe this!' she said to Tyris. 'The General has demanded we continue the advance! We're walking into a deathtrap! If I had a hotline to the Empress, I would beg for Tiamat and Leviathan to escort us!'

'The Empress believes her victory is a near certainty,' Tyris tendered. 'She doesn't even need our force. Zebalga's is adequate. She'll smash the Galbadians at sea and cut a path straight to Caraway from the north.'

Tyris remembered the effect the mercenary Christophe had had on Reina in Trabia. The event had not crossed her mind again since Domitian's death.

'Also, the Empress knows something that we don't,' she added.

Hikaru ignored this last statement, turning to address her waiting force. Tyris thought more about that strange event in Trabia. She had not seen the Empress in the flesh many times, but that was only time she would have described Reina as seeming vulnerable, or being in a state of disequilibrium. Just who had that mysterious Centran been, and what had he shown her?