Well, I'm back in college now in my next-to-last semester, and it's proving to be a big drain on my time - four classes, a senior project to program, and a part-time job at said college is definitely limiting the amount of time I get to do anything in. Still, I've managed to write this chapter to wrap up the field exam at Galbadia.
Begin!
Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery
Chapter V—Justice
[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, First Floor, Hallway | 5:15 PM]
Paine, strangely enough, found herself pleased that their group had been encountering little resistance throughout the compound - it meant that her friends and allies were doing their jobs well. Never mind the fact that some part of her was eager for more combat - they had a job to do, and that came first.
"Naoki, any sign of hostiles?" she asked the Symbologist, his oddly-colored Sharingan eyes scanning the passageways ahead of them as they moved.
"Nothing," he replied, Sumiko trailing behind him and watching their backs for enemies. "It's reassuring that we've seen no resistance for some time now."
"Yeah," Paine remarked, nodding. "With luck, we'll be done with this mission soon."
Paine had never been one for inaction, something that showed as she easily outpaced either of her squadmates. Both of them had to quicken their pace to keep up with her, and she was still several feet in front of them both even with their brisk walking pace. As they turned another corner in the building, however, they were alerted by the sounds of gunfire coming from down the hallway.
"Something's up," Paine said, looking back to her squadmates. "Let's move!"
Instantly ready for combat, the three squad members began dashing down the hallway, but their advance proved to be unneeded as they found the source of the firing - three figures in SeeD uniforms, insignias showing that they were all of Lieutenant rank, were standing over twice their number of dead or dying Galbadian soldiers.
"Looks like we're a bit late to the party," Sumiko commented, causing the foremost of the SeeDs to nod.
"Most of the first floor's already under our occupation," the older officer said, looking to Paine. "The order to withdraw should be coming soon."
"Understood," Paine answered. "Should we begin falling back to the command post?"
"Probably not a bad idea. We should be able to handle things from here," he replied. "Good work, you three."
Paine and her squad took the compliment in stride, offering little more than nods to the higher-ranked SeeDs. The apparent squad leader turned to the rest of his squad then, the three-man group continuing on past the bodies of the fallen soldiers.
"Job's done, huh?" Sumiko said, placing a hand on her hip. "They hardly needed us, wouldn't you say?"
"That's likely the reason why they chose this for the field exam," Naoki remarked. "It's only reasonable that they had a plan to complete the mission even before we were brought in."
"That's good enough for me," Paine added. "Let's get back to the streets."
[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, First Floor, Hallway | 5:15 PM]
"Do you think everyone else is okay?" Yuna asked Lenne, the latter applying a curative spell to a wounded soldier who looked remarkably surprised at the action.
"I'm sure they're fine," the brown-haired girl replied, glancing up from the now-disarmed Galbadian soldier. "They had the same training we did, after all."
Said Galbadian soldier and two of his comrades were sitting on the ground, being tended to by the SeeD cadet while Sephrenia and Yuna watched. Unlike the other squads, Yuna's squad hadn't been exceptionally tailored for close combat, or extended combat in general. Instead, her squad took a very systematic approach to things, proceeding slowly and steadily with Sephrenia providing scouting and trying to separate lone soldiers or pairs from their groups before engaging.
Not to mention that they had avoided inflicting any casualties on the enemy at all - instead, they'd captured nearly every soldier they'd engaged with. No less than a dozen soldiers had been taken into custody by Caraway's forces, something that the general had appreciated. After all, no commander wants to see their soldiers, even those who had defected against their country, killed after serving valiantly in times past. Lenne's skill with healing magic had ensured that no enemy soldiers had been severely wounded, and Sephrenia's skill with Dark-elemental Alchemy techniques had ensured that no soldiers had seen them coming until the situation was out of their grasp.
"Commander, this is squad E reporting," Yuna said over her comlink as Lenne finished patching up the wounded soldiers.
"We copy," came Camdus' voice from the device. "What is your status?"
"Sir, we have three more Galbadian soldiers in custody and ready for detainment," Yuna continued, nodding towards Lenne as she stood up again.
"Good work," Camdus said, pausing for a moment to give muffled orders before returning his attention to the transmission. "A team is moving to your location now - you are to hold position and wait for their arrival, then proceed out of the building along with them. All cadet squads are being recalled as of the present time."
"Understood, sir. Squad E out."
"It appears that our job here is finished," Sephrenia said, looking at her squad leader with a respectful gaze. "A job well done, I might add."
"Yeah...good work, you two," Yuna said, nodding towards both Lenne and Sephrenia - they'd performed extremely well under the circumstances, at least in her eyes. She was just glad that no one in her squad, or the enemies they had faced for that matter, had been seriously hurt in all the fighting. It wasn't the soldiers' fault, after all...they were just following orders, like all soldiers were trained to do. It was just a shame that the orders had to come from misguided people.
[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, First Floor, Office | 5:15 PM]
"Have I mentioned just how much I hate guns?!" I yell to my squad, over the sound of automatic gunfire peppering the walls of the hallway. One of my blades is resting at my side, and I'm currently looking for any break in the fire that might allow us to get inside.
"You've made a note once or twice," Tetsuya remarks, also raising his voice to be heard as he rests his gunblade against a shoulder.
"Then I'm making another one!" I rant, frustrated at the amount and rapidity of the fire pouring from the room. Focusing, I cast a Protect spell on myself before peering inside - bullets start ricocheting off my shield immediately, but I only need a glimpse to see what we're up against. Five soldiers are inside, each spread out fairly well and aiming automatic rifles towards our position in the hall. Something in my gut is telling me that we need to get inside before we get flanked, too, and I'm not one to ignore my instincts.
"Tetsuya, on my mark, we're going to get in there and take them down - fast and hard!" I say, turning to face Tetsuya and Locke. The gunblade-wielding cadet nods, stepping away from the wall and waiting for my signal. "Locke, go in behind us, but keep an eye on this hallway if you can to make sure we don't have any more company!"
Locke also nods as I turn my attention back to the task at hand, reaching down to my belt and taking a fragmentation grenade from it and stepping away from the wall. Quickly, I pull the pin from the explosive before lobbing it around the doorframe and into the room. The gunfire immediately slackens, and yelling is heard right before the grenade explodes inside the room.
"Go!" I yell, casting another Protect spell on Tetsuya before entering the room. Four of the soldiers are still picking themselves up from the floor, but one looks like he was caught with the worst of the blast, his gun discarded beside him and hands clutching his abdomen. Immediately, I take a running leap over to the nearest soldier as Tetsuya enters the room behind me, cleaving down hard with my blade and sending the soldier right back to the ground with a jagged chest wound. What sounds like another gunshot rings out from beside me, a sound that I recognize as the sound of the cadet's gunblade being fired, followed quickly by the sound of a body hitting the floor. On my left side, I can see the other soldier reaching for a saber at his belt, but he doesn't get the chance to finish as I put a trio of throwing knives into his upper body. He staggers, wobbling and clutching at the knives right before I cut him down as well with a scything kick into his midsection.
On the other side of the room, Tetsuya's gunblade rings again, and the last soldier in the room drops, leaving the two of us alone in the middle of the room. Turning, I see Locke standing just inside the doorway, leaning up against the wall and trying to peer around the door to see outside.
"More coming!" he says, causing us to turn and start heading back to the doorway upon hearing footsteps from outside...right before the telltale sight of Thunder magic flies across the hall, followed by a pained scream. Fire and gunshots follow, and the sounds of footsteps that we just heard cease abruptly, replaced by an unfamiliar voice.
"Hold your fire!" the voice yells, followed by quieter and calmer footsteps from the opposite direction. Moments later, two figures dressed in SeeD uniforms come into view, looking relieved to see the three of us.
"Squad B, I presume?" the first figure says, a tall and gruff-looking man with a bald head hefting an oddly-designed rifle in his hands.
"That's right," I say, keeping my sword at the ready just in case. "Something wrong?"
"Just pulling you guys out of the fire," he replies, slinging the firearm back over a shoulder. "Almost had a dozen soldiers walk around the corner on you three. Most of the Galbadians have pulled back to the second floor now, but the ones that haven't have grouped together to try and hold their ground. Commander didn't want to risk anything - you understand."
"Makes sense..." I say, thankful to hear that we've had backup this whole time. "Any idea how many soldiers are left down here?"
"Not many," the SeeD replies. "You lot didn't do half-bad."
I shrug, not really knowing what else to say at the moment, right before a message begins to transmit over our comlinks.
"Attention - all SeeD cadet squads are to begin withdrawal from the premises immediately. I repeat, all SeeD cadet squads are to begin withdrawal from the premises immediately," Camdus' voice states, the sound seeming to be much louder now than I remember.
"Looks like the mission's over," the SeeD comments, looking over the three of us. "We'll mop up the rest here - you guys get back to the command post."
"Got it," I say, looking towards Tetsuya and Locke. "Well, you heard the man. Let's get a move on!"
"And it was just starting to get interesting, too," Tetsuya says, causing me to roll my eyes.
"I've had enough excitement for today, myself," I say, chuckling as I sheathe my blade again. The two SeeD officers give us a final nod before exiting the room again, heading further along in the direction we were moving as the three of us regroup at the door to the room.
"Not too shabby for a bunch of kids," Locke jokes, earning a facepalm from Tetsuya.
"I was surprised you could keep up, old man," he shoots back, causing me to sigh.
"Here we go again..." I mutter, shaking my head and checking my comlink map again for the nearest exit. A bit of rest can't come soon enough for me.
[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, First Floor, Infirmary | 5:15 PM]
Yuki's squad moved quickly and silently through the halls of the Palace, making good time through the abandoned hallways. They hadn't come across any Galbadians in several minutes, which was making both Shuyin and Yuki concerned.
Uriko, on the other hand, was convinced that it was because they were running scared from the SeeDs within the complex.
"We should be ready for traps," Shuyin said, looking over at Yuki. "The Galbadians are on the defensive now, and they know it. They'll be trying to consolidate what little ground they have left."
"Yeah," Yuki agreed, nodding towards the taller cadet. A moment later, she sighed - Uriko had run ahead again, and the concerned feeling was only getting stronger. Because of that, she didn't realize exactly what Uriko was doing until it was too late.
"Clear!" Uriko shouted, already through the door in front of them and standing inside the next room. Yuki paused, momentarily conflicted as to whether she should call the girl back or move forward, but Shuyin advanced towards Uriko's position - albeit more carefully.
"Uriko, be careful," Shuyin said, stepping through the door after her. The room beyond appeared to be a medical room or infirmary, with several beds and many cabinets and shelves lining the walls, full of vials, bottles, and other equipment. Curtains hung from racks above the beds to give privacy to the patients if need be, and the air in the room smelled faintly of disinfectants and cleaning supplies.
"I don't think we should be moving so quickly," Shuyin continued, walking up behind Uriko with one hand on his blade.
"Why no-"
Before Uriko can finish her question, the lights in the room cut out suddenly, causing Yuki to run up behind the duo as they both drew their weapons. A gunshot rang out immediately after, deflecting off the bed right beside Uriko and causing her to flinch and yell in surprise. Shuyin's blade leapt from its sheath as more gunfire sounded, and he dragged Uriko to the floor as more rounds struck the equipment all around them.
"Down!" he yelled, trying to figure out where in the room the gunfire was coming from. Footsteps joined the gunshots a few seconds later, and he could hear several Galbadian voices yelling to each other over the sounds of gunfire.
"I could say I told you so..." Shuyin growled, popping up just long enough to cast a Blizzaga spell from the cover of the bed. Uriko scowled in response, fiery energy gathering around her hands as she started preparing for an attack.
"Shut up and fight!" she retorted angrily, glaring at Shuyin. Yuki was quick to act again, focusing and melding magic in her hands before releasing it over all three of them, the Protectga magic forming transparent shields over their bodies.
More shots began to come from their flank, however, reflecting off the newly-formed magical defenses and causing Yuki to grimace as she tried to hold the shields up. Though the spell was powerful, Yuki's magical energy was beginning to wane, and the exertion on her face became more and more apparent even as Shuyin tried to put the Galbadian soldiers back into cover with well-placed spells of his own.
"Uriko, hurry! She can't keep these spells up for long!" he hissed, eyes turning to his comrade. Uriko cursed under her breath, the glow around her hands building even as the soldiers began to reorganize to press the attack.
"I need more time...!" she objected, looking back at Shuyin with eyes full of fury.
Suddenly, one of the soldiers screamed a warning as the gunfire slackened, then returned...now aimed away from the cadets. Another soldier screamed in pain, then another, and the gunfire began to wane considerably as Yuki finally dropped the barriers around her team. The lights that had been cut came back on suddenly, and Yuki cautiously looked around in the newfound silence to see a lone figure standing in the middle of the room.
Andréa Beoulve stood tall amidst a newly-slain throng of Galbadian soldiers with a bloody scythe in hand, looking for all the world like a physical manifestation of death itself, come to reap the souls of anyone foolish enough to stand in the way.
"That's...what it means to be SeeD...!" Yuki breathed, awed by the speed and ferocity of the elder SeeD's attack.
"Truly amazing..." Shuyin said, also impressed by the woman's skill.
"Tsh...we'd have been fine!" Uriko said, the fiery energy around her hands now dispersed. Before she managed to get back to her feet, though, she found Andréa directly in front of her with a poise that practically radiated anger.
"You idiot," she hissed, the hood of her outfit covering eyes that still seemed to bore into Uriko's soul. "Do you realize that your stupidity was this close to making you worm feed? What could possibly possess you to toss punishing months of training to the wind so that you could run into an obvious ambush? Worse yet, you did so without the consent of your squad leader - and then called the room clear without running the most rudimentary checks for enemies!" she yelled, the tone of her voice causing Uriko's eyes to widen and both Shuyin and Yuki to take several steps away from the scene. Blue flame seemed to glimmer from behind Andréa's hood as she continued, lifting Uriko up by the collar of her SeeD uniform and nearly picking her up off of her feet.
"If not for safeguards against foolishness like this, you'd all be dead," she spat, shoving Uriko aside as she turned and began to walk over to the Galbadian soldiers' bodies, kneeling down beside them.
"For that alone? You can forget about SeeD."
A stunned silence filled the room as Andréa finished speaking, the only sounds being those of the SeeD officer checking over the Galbadians' bodies. Uriko's face had gone slightly pale, and she looked like she'd been physically slapped in the face.
"Uriko...?" Yuki said quietly, walking over towards her fellow cadet along with Shuyin. Both looked a little startled from Andréa's outburst, but they seemed to have regained their wits as they approached the third member of their squad.
"We should...probably keep going," Shuyin said after a few moments, looking towards Yuki in an attempt to restore some semblance of order. Yuki nodded quietly before looking back at Uriko, who seemed to be trying to keep from breaking down on the spot.
"Um...don't cry..." she stammered, trying to find some way to console Uriko, if only slightly. "I-I'm sure they'll see it was all just a misunderstanding..." she continued, chewing on her lip a bit out of nervousness.
"Who's crying?" Uriko suddenly said, her eyes sharp again at Yuki's words. She brought a hand up to her face and touched her eye, fingers coming away wet with tears she didn't realize she had been crying. She dabbed at her eyes a moment longer before Andréa turned back to the group, now calm after finishing her searches of the soldiers' bodies.
"I doubt you heard it over the commotion, but Camdus has given the order for all cadets to pull back to the command post. Go ahead and get going - I'll clean up from here."
Uriko, more than suitably chastised, just nodded mutely as Yuki and Shuyin also voiced their acknowledgment, quickly heading towards the door at the far side of the room to leave the grim scene behind.
[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace, Second Floor, Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs | 5:19 PM]
Duran sighed as he heard the reports. The first floor was more or less completely under SeeD occupation, and what little men were left were falling back to the second floor. At the moment, no SeeD personnel appeared to be making their way into the second floor, but the reports were so scattered and rushed that no one really knew for sure. Not to mention that with the first floor under enemy control, their escape routes were extremely limited.
It was a risk that he had to take, he surmised.
"Everett. We're pulling out," he said, nodding to the Galbadian major. "Find the quickest route to the tunnel system and issue orders for all troops to proceed along that route immediately."
"Yes sir," Everett said, turning to the computer terminal nearby and beginning to work. Before he could manage to pull up the map on screen, however, the door to the room exploded in a burst of light and noise, sending shards of the wooden door flying everywhere as motion came from the doorway. Galbadian soldiers throughout the room brought weapons to bear, only to be cut down immediately by fire as soon as they moved.
"Marcus Duran, if you value the lives of your men, order them to stand down immediately," a voice called from the doorway as the smoke from the explosion cleared. Duran's eyes narrowed, then widened again as he saw the figures that had breached into the room.
There were four figures in total, each armed with some kind of assault rifle sporting various attachments to the weapon including laser sights, grenade launchers and sound suppressors. Each figure was clad in the same uniform, if it could even be called that - it was more like some sort of modular armor, bright white in color and made out of what looked like some kind of ceramic plating that covered each soldier from head to toe. Imposing helmets with vaguely T-shaped visors adorned each of the soldiers' heads, hiding their faces from view completely, and each soldier had the same insignia on the left and right shoulders of their armor - a jet-black rectangle with a slanted gray cross, each containing varying numbers of small bars in the bottom-left corner.
Duran remained silent in the face of the new and sudden threat. He'd never seen such...commandos before, but knew that the armor they were wearing couldn't possibly place them as Galbadians - it resembled Estharian design to him.
"You'd better do what he says," another voice piped up, one that had a distinctly gravelly and almost rumbling sound to it, as the figure it belonged to shifted their rifle almost anxiously.
"Sev, please," the third commando said - this one a female's voice that was soft, yet firm and commanding - as they put a hand on their fellow soldier's shoulder. The soldier grumbled something that was too low to hear, but obligingly deferred.
"...Stand down," Duran finally said, raising a hand slowly to signal the remaining men in the room.
"Guns on the ground - carefully," the lead commando ordered, keeping his gun at the ready just in case. The soldiers around the room that were still standing cautiously eased to the ground, placing their guns on the floor while keeping their hands in view. The lead commando quietly nodded his approval; there was no need for anyone else to die needlessly today. Calmly, he tapped the side of his helmet, opening a transmission to his commanding officer.
"Commander, this is Boss. We have Duran."
"Excellent work. Bring him and his men in for arrest, Deltas."
"Will do," the commando replied, lowering his rifle and causing the two soldiers beside him to do the same, though 'Sev' did so somewhat reluctantly.
"I think you forgot to introduce us, Boss," the fourth commando suddenly said from the back, chuckling softly to himself.
"Mission first, Scorch," he chided, even as the female commando began to approach Duran's men to take them into custody. "Oh, and next time? Go easy on the door."
"That was easy!" the soldier countered, earning sighs from both 'Boss' and the female commando.
"Fixer, you and Scorch wrap things up here. Sev, you and I will apprehend the rest of the soldiers on this floor," he ordered, turning to his comrade.
"Understood," Sev growled, shouldering his rifle and walking back outside without any further hesitation. Quietly, 'Boss' walked over to Duran, the impassive visor shielding his face from view as he stared at the Galbadian general.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this."
"There will be others, you know," Duran said, his voice calm despite the situation. "I'm far from the only officer displeased with both the former and current president's incompetent leadership. Galbadia's military is but a shadow of its former self, and it's not because of the men and women who comprise it."
'Boss' seemed to contemplate the words for several long seconds, before turning away from Duran and striding towards the door.
"Violence, however, isn't the way to solve the problem."
[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Presidential Palace | 5:23 PM]
As my squad and I approach the makeshift command post on the streets of Galbadia City, we can see Galbadian soldiers loading equipment back into military vehicles as well as some soldiers already beginning to depart with their commanding officers. Camdus is still present, as well as no less than two of the other cadet squads - those being Paine and Yuna's squads. Thankfully, none of them appear to be injured, and I can also see Silvia's squad making their way back from the opposite side of the building.
"Look who made it back," Paine remarks, folding her arms upon seeing me and my squad approach the area.
"What, you thought a bunch of renegade soldiers could put us down? Not a chance," I counter, smirking. "You didn't cause too much property damage, did you?" I continue, taking a jab at her now. Paine simply gives a short 'hmph' sound, returning the smirk before turning back to her team.
"Ben, are you guys okay?" Yuna asks, walking over with a slightly concerned look on her features.
"Yeah, we're fine, Yuna," I reply with a nod. "What about you and yours?"
"A few scratches, but that's it," she says, smiling. "We managed to capture a whole lot of Galbadian soldiers, too!"
Something in my stomach does a flip as her words reach my ears, sparking a thought that I hadn't brought to light before now.
'I killed people today...'
SeeD training obviously had measures for teaching people to cope with the taking of a life, things that were told to us and procedures that we went through while training. But the actual killing, the knowledge that you've just ended someone's life...it's still a distasteful thought, no matter the circumstances. Everyone wants to avoid it, but in this line of work...it happens, and everyone has to be ready for it.
My mind is still working a bit rapidly thanks to all of the adrenaline from the mission, but I can feel a sort of chill working its way through my body as the idea sinks in. Taking a deep breath, I try to keep myself calm, something that's proving easier said than done now that the danger is past. Another thought then works its way through my mind - these people were trying to kill not just me, but the people I care about. If it was in self-defense, well...I know that it's still going to make me feel bad for a long time to come, but as much as that may be true, I did what I had to in order to survive and protect the people who were counting on me. If I hadn't...well, I don't really want to continue down that line of thought at the moment.
"Ben...?"
Yuna's voice brings me back to reality, and my eyes focus again to find her waving a hand in front of my face.
"Are you alright? You sort of...drifted off for a moment there..."
"Yeah...I'll be fine," I say, somehow managing to put on a smile despite the thoughts still floating around in my mind. "Just need some time to relax, that's all. By the way...where's Commander Marché?" I ask, quickly trying to change the subject. "I need to report in."
"I think he's over towards those transports, talking to General Caraway," Yuna replies, pointing off towards the west side of the area. Quietly, I nod, motioning for Locke and Tetsuya - who had been conversing among themselves while Yuna and I were speaking - to follow as I head over in the direction she pointed.
"Fine work you did today, Commander," I hear Caraway say as we approach, the older military officer shaking Camdus' hand firmly as men behind him continue packing up their gear. "Easy to see how much Trabia has recovered since that disaster last year."
"Yes, well, we've had quite a bit of exceptional leadership and cooperation from the rest of our staff in the Garden Network as of late," Camdus says, taking the compliment in stride. "Just doing our part for world peace, General."
"Be that as it may, the entirety of the Galbadian government thanks you for your service today. Thanks to you, this rebellion was quashed with minimal effect and casualties. You saved a lot of lives here today, Commander, and we're in your debt for that."
"It was a pleasure working with you and your men, I assure you. The days would be rather dull indeed without hearing from the Republic every once in a while," Camdus remarked, nodding politely to Caraway. "However, I have reports to attend to, General, so if you'll excuse me...?"
"Of course, of course. Take care, Commander," Caraway replied, turning and heading towards one of the military transports that had finished being loaded.
"Commander Marché," I say, saluting along with the rest of my squad as we face the Paladin of the Sphere. "Squad B, reporting in."
"Good to see you all back safely," Camdus states. "We'll be heading back to Trabia as soon as all of our forces are accounted for."
"Understood, sir. Anything we can do to help?"
"Unless you want to assist some of the Galbadians with their equipment, no. I'll let you all know when we're leaving, so feel free to relax for a bit if you like."
"Yes, sir!" I can't quite stifle the smile that creeps across my face, but I give a short nod to Camdus before heading off with the rest of my squad to think about the day's events. I do feel bad for all the lives that were lost today on account of the Galbadian rebels, but I'm taking solace in the fact that it could've been much worse than it was. Knowing that we kept that worse situation from happening makes me proud, and I can only hope that everyone else feels the same way that I do.
Well, I hope the chapter was up to reasonable standards - I do not like the lack of free time that this semester is bringing on, but I'm dealing with it. This chapter effectively wraps up the field exam itself, and the next parts will contain a fair mix of earthly and Ethereal situations for everyone to deal with. As always, please read and review.