Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Finding Sanctuary ❯ Necessary Evil ( Chapter 1 )

Author's Notes:

STOP!! The fic that follows is the third installment of theoretical prequels of the Final Fantasy VI storyline. Therefore, it is a must that you read them in order before starting with this one. Otherwise, the plot will contain holes for you throughout. The correct order is given below.

1.) The Terra Episode
2.) The Celestial Rise
3.) Finding Sanctuary

The Empire of Gestahl suffered plenty during the Terra Episode. The incident was promptly met with an interval of recuperation starting from within the ranks. But even in that intended period of recovery, a struggle was fought. Seen by the civilians of the Empire as another rebel attack, it was considered to be more audacious than the previous ones, if not more catastrophic.

The first reported attack was the sabotage of a Magitek reactor that killed a handful of people. The offender was caught and identified as Terra--a rebel magic-user. She escaped authorities through the help of unidentified accomplices, and managed to hijack a Magitek Armor in her attempt to break out of the Bronze Compound, killing approximately fifty people in under three minutes. The exact numbers were undisclosed to the public.

The Terra Episode started a chain reaction of events within the Empire. A new general was needed to temporarily replace the other who was injured during the attack. A power struggle within ensued, but with the help of a New Military Council formed by General Leo Cristophe, the imminent collapse of authorities was averted. A new general was appointed from the most unlikely of ranks. The new mantle of authority was given to Celes Chere--a former lieutenant with no battlefield experience. The whole army was shocked, to say the least, and those who vied for power silently grew resentful.

During the Inauguration of General Celes Chere, an assassin--identified to be Arnold Beigeletter--attacked the general in front of hundreds of soldiers (including General Cristophe) with a dagger. The assassin, disguised as one of the cape-bearers, caught General Chere by surprise and was successful in driving the dagger through her plate armor and into her flesh. It was a mortal wound.

The assassin was brought down by a colonel by the name of Harold Llurd but was too late in saving the new general's life. General Chere died just seconds after the assassin was subdued.

The greatest minds of Vector rushed the lifeless body of the general to a highly-restricted complex, known as Magitek Lab Omega, to bring the general back to life through magical means. It was a hard battle in itself, which was victoriously concluded. General Chere lived again, and the preparation for retaliation against the rebels began.

**********

Maranda: Day Thirteen of the Celestial Rise.

Though the village was on the map, it had no name. Perhaps it was because that the village itself started out as a remote farming community for Maranda. But that was so many years ago. The community soon turned into a remote outpost of minor trade because of its location. The community stood alone to the east of Maranda. More and more families settled there until the small community flourished into a small village that shared a single well in front of the town hall. A grove of trees hugged the town like a crescent moon would to its own shadow, so that where the crescent began and ended was the entrance to the town.

The village sat peacefully alone in the plains. It was hard to believe that it served as an outpost for rebel operations. In fact, General Celes Chere did not buy the report. But whether or not it was true, was not the question. They had been given an order to neutralize the threat. And General Chere was in charge of the task.

General Chere rode on a Magitek Armor--a formidable war machine that walked on two monstrous legs like a mythical beast of untold ferocity. It was the Imperial Military's grand creation that brought fear to her enemies. What was really special about the machines was not so much that it was a highly-technological achievement, but rather that it was an achievement brought about by the amalgamation of machine and magic.

The presence of such a machine in a quiet and small village such as the one that they now faced was considered overkill. And yet, four were dispatched for the mission. The first was manned by the general. The second, by Colonel Harold Llurd. The other two, by especially-trained lieutenants. With them was a company of Imperial foot soldiers.

The village was small enough for them to surround it in only a few minutes. The foot soldiers took their places behind the crescent of trees. Two Magitek Armors waited on the north of the village. The other two would be making their entrance through the front of the village. It was sunset. General Chere had chosen the time of the attack. She judged that it would serve her best with the shadows on her side. To Colonel Llurd, it was a ludicrous idea. The village had very little manpower to defend themselves from such a force. They needn't be so overcautious about their approach. But for his sake, Colonel Llurd had to concede to his commanding officer's decision.

"General, we are in position," hissed the radio device on General Chere's console.

"Very good. Signal the approach, Colonel. Remember… I don't want anybody getting away," General Chere commanded.

"Understood. Llurd out."

The lights from the Magitek Armors flared up. The foot soldiers set up in a wide arc saw the lights as the signal to advance. And so the circle of soldiers converged steadily towards the unsuspecting village.

Very few people were about outside their houses. Being mainly a farming community, they had no need to be outside their houses. Sunset was usually their time of retirement. But the very few people who were outside were the first ones to see the incoming threat.

One of them ran inside the town hall and begun pulling the ropes that sounded the two bells. The alarm had been sounded. The others ran in their homes and closed their doors. The foot soldiers passed through the crescent of trees and emerged from it like a ghost would through a solid wall. There was no escape for the villagers. Two Magitek Armors were forced to crash through the trees. The ground trembled as the Armors lumbered towards the center of the town, watchful for hidden attackers.

General Chere smiled secretly, seeing as there was no active resistance to meet their force. The citizens have barricaded themselves inside their small houses. It was a futile gesture. Colonel Llurd spoke through a megaphone that he carried with him.

"Citizens of…" he began but stopped abruptly when he realized that he didn't even know the name of the small village. "Citizens of Maranda!" he reasserted. "This is the Imperial Military. By order of the Emperor Gestahl, this village is now under our direct control. Come out with your hands up, and no harm shall befall your pitiful village."

The people did not respond. Instead, the lights from inside the houses went out as if to resume their hiding.

"How stupid do they think we are?" Colonel Llurd muttered. "You have been warned!" he said through the megaphone.

"Force them out of their houses!" General Chere ordered. The soldiers that surrounded the village gripped their swords tighter with their hands and stormed the house closest to them. Screams and shouts from the inside followed. From some of the houses, a struggle ensued. Some villagers even tried to make a run for it as soon as they broke down the door. They were summarily captured and cuffed. Yet, most of the villagers surrendered peaceably, much to General Chere's relief.

General Chere stood in front of the town hall and waited for the chaos around her to die down. The villagers were all cuffed and gathered in front of the town hall before her. It took a few minutes until finally, the task was done.

"General Chere, the prisoners have all been rounded up as commanded. What are your orders?" the soldier asked with a salute.

Celes looked at the great number of Maranda civilians on their knees in rows and columns. A few of them--those who fought and resisted--were wounded, bleeding, and dying. Women and children were among the numbers, frightened, crying, and pleading for mercy. The soldiers who kept them in check ignored their pleas heartlessly. Celes looked at them coldly.

"They're civilians!" she exclaimed in disgust. "Militia! Farmers with shovels and pitchforks! There is nothing to be gained from them. Your Intel was flawed!" she accused the colonel.

"I beg to differ, general," Llurd interjected. "Reports say that there are spies here. Rebels in hiding. And where rebels are allowed to hide, there should be rebel-sympathizers as well… perhaps all of them. I say we start executing two of them at a time until they give the rebels up to us! Unless, of course, you would rather risk letting the spies free," Llurd said the last sentence slyly. He was challenging his general.

Celes regarded his subordinate icily. But she retained her composure. "I've a better idea," Celes replied. She turned to her personal aide and gave him an order, "Jasom Keep, have the prisoners locked up in their town hall. Make sure all exits are secure from all sides."

Jasom Keep nodded and moved quickly, relaying her orders to the other soldiers. The soldiers keeping the prisoners in check started pushing and shoving the people inside their town hall. The choir of crying children grew louder still. The wails of their mothers joined the chorus. The men, however, were unusually calm and passive. Within a few more minutes the civilians were detained within the building. The doors and windows were closed and barred.

Llurd frowned and objected, "General, your method is utterly ineffective! We have no time to keep them here as prisoners. We have a mission to accomplish. There is no time for us to wait for them to-"

"Burn it down!" Celes ordered her men.

Llurd's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?!"

"I agree with you, Colonel. We have no time to waste sorting them all out. Just kill them all… now. Order your Magitek Units to burn down the town hall. Low setting. Just enough to start the fire," Celes said casually.

Llurd hesitated. He did not expect her to be so… heartlessly efficient.

"Are you going soft on me, Colonel?" she asked loudly for all the soldiers to hear.

Colonel Llurd flushed and choked. "N-not at all, General!"

"I'll meet you back at the base," Celes said, turning her Magitek Armor around. "And remember, Colonel, low setting. No explosions. I don't want any burning splinters ruining my hair," she said coldly.

Llurd was still amazed at the general's command. He didn't care about the innocent civilians of Maranda. But her standing order was completely out of character. It didn't make sense at all. It was not expected of her.

Shaking his head, he turned on his radio to relay his general's command.

"Ground units, move away from the town hall. Magitek Units, Ready fire bolts, low setting. Set the town hall ablaze from all sides on my mark." Llurd waited for his Magitek Knights to surround the town hall. He glanced back towards his general who was already at the exit of the town.

The comm device on his Magitek Armor crackled to life. "Colonel, we are in position."

"Very well. I repeat, fire bolt, low setting."

"Affirmative, Colonel. Ready and waiting."

"Burn it down!"

Four Magitek Armors shot fire beams at the town hall. The building was ablaze in an instant. Screams from within could be heard. The people inside tried to break through the doors and barred windows to no avail. Soon the screams were replaced with coughs. Time passed, and the walls collapsed at the same time, bringing down the roof of the building onto the people civilians.

Llurd watched with satisfaction as there had been no reports of people escaping the burning rubble. He flicked his comm signal on again and dialed a private channel.

"General Chere, this is Colonel Llurd. Over."

"Report, Colonel."

"Mission accomplished, General. Over."

"Then stop dawdling. Move out!"

**********

Retaliation--the necessary evil.

This is the sort of action that the people of Vector have hungered for, and I had to carry it out. By tomorrow morning, everybody in Vector will know what happened here today. 'General Celes Chere torched a village in Maranda.' The headlines, however, will not permit such a long title. They will risk the inaccuracy and the exaggeration: 'Vector General torched Maranda.'

But the people won't care. They will applaud me. The people just want to see somebody pay for the past aggressions against Vector. They don't really care who we target. It is such a disquieting concept of war. Punch a helpless stranger to vent your anger. Unjust… but it works. Torch a defenseless village in retaliation--it is unfortunately a necessary evil. I am general now. The military look to me. I cannot show them my weakness if I am to acquire their trust, their admiration, and their respect. I cannot show signs of hesitation when I give my orders. I must be decisive and efficient.

And so I torched a village in Maranda. No time to interrogate them. No time to take them prisoners. All men, women, and children were rounded up like cattle, locked up in their town hall, and set aflame... by my order. It's hard to believe that it has come to this. And to think that all I wanted to do was to find a stolen name.

Forgive me. This must be confusing for you. Let me start this story from the beginning…