Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Celestial Rise ❯ The Terra Aftermath ( Chapter 1 )

STOP!! The fic below is a sequel to the other story that I wrote entitled: The Terra Episode. Therefore, it is a must that you read that first before starting with this one. Otherwise, the plot will contain holes for you throughout.

More importantly, the fic below is simply a rewrite of the original fanfic that I wrote three (3) years ago. Concepts contained in the story such as war, terrorism, mass-murder, justice, security, vengeance, etc… are purely generic. In that, I mean the chapters here are not patterned to, based on, or inspired by any specific event and they are not to be interpreted, compared to, contrasted from, likened to and/or linked to any specific event in the history of the world. I make no reference to any event in the real world from my fanfic. The story that follows is purely fictional-no more, no less.

On a lighter note, I ask for your patience to endure this first chapter especially if you're not used to a lot of narrative. This chapter is mostly a combination of a recap of The Terra Episode and the summary of general events introducing the setting of its sequel. Just be patient. Celes will make her introduction in the fourth chapter. Thank you. =)

The explosion of the Magitek Reactor shook not only the foundations of the Bronze Compound, but also the nerves of Vector's citizens. Thought at first to be a tragic accident, the investigation proved otherwise. Vector was attacked. Fear gripped the capital. The citizens mourned for the lives lost in the incident, and a manhunt began, led by the capable hands of General Fencross of the Imperial Military.

The investigation suspected the work of a rebel who was caught in the act of another alleged crime--the murder of the sole survivor of the explosion. Jailed, the rebel awaited her trial and sentencing. To everyone's surprise, the suspect was not a rebel. Rather, she was an Imperial soldier by the name of Tina Branford--a traitor who infiltrated the most restricted Magitek Lab and sabotaged a Magitek Reactor to cover her escaped. Most disturbing, however, was the fact that the girl was also a magic-user.

While behind bars, the Imperial authorities prepared the magical diffusion chamber to strip the suspect of her magical powers. However, when the soldiers escorted the suspect to receive the diffusion treatment, she escaped their grasps and disappeared. The authorities locked down the Bronze Compound and deployed a thorough search for the escaped suspect.

In truth, the suspect was secretly "rescued" by a group of cult fanatics under the orders of Adviser Kefka Palazzo to further his own ends. Kefka enslaved the mind of the suspect and ordered her to inflict chaos within the Bronze Compound. Stripped of her own will, Tina Branford obeyed without question. She hijacked a Magitek Armor and began her mission of death and destruction. Tina Branford was recaptured shortly after and was pacified--held deep within the secrecy of the Devil's Lab, imprisoned and hidden from everybody's eyes. The tragic incident left the citizens of Vector greatly alarmed. Many questions were asked, but instead of revealing the truth to the public, the authorities--by the order of the Emperor--gave them a different story. The citizens were told that the incident was a rebel attack to incite anger and hatred from the citizens. They were not told of the existence of a traitor who came in the form of Tina Branford. Instead, her identity was clouded by a mysterious name--Terra. To the majority of the citizens, the Terra Episode was a daring and successful affront of a rebel group called the Returners. Very few knew of the whole truth.

To make the cover-up more plausible, martial law was declared. The streets of Vector vacated an hour before sundown, while the Imperial Army did inspections of business and residential places-- sweeping all areas for possible rebel hideouts within the Empire. Ships and cargoes were grounded and thoroughly inspected. Foreigners were all detained without question--men, women and children alike. Activities outdoors were severely limited.

The Empire stopped the departure and arrival of people into the capital. Whoever tried to sneak out were arrested and thrown in jail. Whoever tried to sneak in were shot by Magitek Weapons on patrol. Suspected rebel affiliates were beaten and tortured, thus making the scope of the "witch hunt" more extensive. There were a lot of finger-pointing and wild accusations. The word 'suspicious' took on different levels of meaning which eventually spread over ordinary everyday routines, thus, effectively, but unintentionally, restricting personal freedoms out of fear of both the rebels and the authorities--mostly the authorities.

Anxiety was in the air inside and outside of the Bronze Compound. From within, a more intensive search of every facility was done. Army barracks were turned inside out. Soldiers and civilians alike were interrogated, and their backgrounds were checked and double-checked. Their communication beyond the boundaries of the Bronze Compound was severed. The use of transmission devices to communicate beyond the marked boundaries was prohibited until further notice. Despite all these, a power struggle was fought.

During the Terra Episode, General Bernard Fencross suffered a head injury from an explosion that would otherwise have killed him if it weren't for a magical barrier he had produced around him just in the nick of time. He survived the explosive energy beam sent to him by the Terra rebel, but he fell deep in a coma. The military infirmary did their best to revive him. His wounds had been tended to, but it was his psyche that needed restoration. No known magic or medical technique was available to the highly technological empire to speed up the human process of mental reconstruction. All they could do was wait. It was all up to Fencross's body and mind to revive his mental health. In the meantime… Vector was missing a general.

********** The Emperor ordered the Vectorian Military Council to find a replacement, if only temporarily. And so the Council made the announcement to the Empire's military population… and the result was nothing short of predictable. It was like waving a fresh slab of meat at a pack of starving wolves.

Many military leaders fought for the position. Temporary or not, being a general was no trivial matter. The rank held power. It was their chance to prove their worth. The announcement, of course, was definitely not an audition of sort. In theory, the decision was up to the Council. The Council reviewed the candidates' records of experience and service, and then chose the best one for the job. The Vectorian Military Council was composed of twenty-five members, each with political position but no military ranking. So close were they with military affairs, however, that they were mainly concerned with political-military matters as opposed to dwelling on either side of the extremes. Each member had the right to vote for a candidate once. Those vying for power wasted no time and spared no effort. The Council Members were not as protected as the Emperor--to put it mildly. They were easily corruptible, influenced, and swayed by bribes, promises and threats. The colonels were on the lead, and nobody trusted the others. They pulled their strings, summoned their contacts, and deployed their resources--everything that they could afford, perhaps even their own blood, all directed to the acquisition of the majority of the Council votes.

The contest was abhorrently played. The control, wrested away from the Council members themselves, as the colonels' fight for power reduced the members to nothing more than trophies. Those greedy were subject to monetary offers, while those noble were still prone to threats either to themselves or their loved ones. It was a losing battle to resist the tide they were meant to hold at bay. The only logical thing to do was to take advantage of the situation. And so, the Council members sold their very votes to the highest bidder. But even this was not easy. The hotheaded colonels were spiteful. Pleasing one meant enraging the others. So while one might offer the most in gold, many others might resort to threats. And to ensure that a Council member would not change "allegiance" they were promised protection.

This went on for days. It started out with seven top colonels fighting for the rank. Then when a few realized that there was no way to win the race, they backed out from it, cutting their losses. In the end, only three were left: Colonel Harold Llurd, Colonel Bramon Ranger, and Colonel Saric Blaey. The day before the decision came, and the clock was ticking fast.

********** Harold Llurd hadn't had a good night's sleep for days. He couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. The race was very close between his rivals, and he did not want to give up. He was very close. He ensured ten votes for himself while his opponents, Ranger and Blaey, had nine and six, respectively. He was in the lead. If the Council were to make the decision now, then he'd be the new general. But the decision was to be made the next day. This did not bring him any comfort at all. It took him a great deal to acquire the ten he had, and a great deal more to keep them. The fight did not end there. He intended to keep his ten and gain more in only a matter of hours. He needed to steal more votes from his opponents for even if he had the most votes, his position was not yet secured. If in the last minute his two opponents decided to strike a bargain then the result would be fifteen against ten. Should one of his opponents back out of the race instead, then the votes would be up for grabs.

Llurd did the math many times in his head. It wasn't that hard. In fact, it was obvious. To fully secure his lead, he must garner three more votes from his opponents. It didn't matter where the three came from. He just knew that he needed three more. This way, should the division shift to two, instead of the current three, his votes would still come out ahead. He leaned back on his comfortable leather chair in front of a fireplace, cautiously pouring himself a glass of red wine. It was his first in many days. How he craved for the soothing taste of a far stronger drink in his mouth to help him finally get some rest. But alas, he needed his wits with him intact. This was definitely not the day to get drunk. That moment was reserved for the hour his name was appointed as the next general of Vector. The glass of wine he just poured for himself was just to warm up his heart and keep the cold away. He took a sip, savoring the bacchanal sensation with his every taste bud.

"Three," he uttered almost inaudibly before taking another sip. His head leaned back against the soft, yet firm, comfort of the expensive leather chair. His eyes closed, granting them the teasing reprieve of rest. The bottle of red wine and glass, still in his hands. "Sir?" a subordinate's voice returned.

"Three, Barnes. I want three more," Llurd repeated in a more clear voice. Barnes frowned and did not answer. He swallowed out of fear as his gaze remained fixed on his tired commander sitting on the chair. His commander looked like a weary old man, about to give in to the weight of the world. But to think so would be utter folly. Llurd was far from weary and old. And he was definitely far from giving up.

"Did you hear me, Barnes?" The voice startled Llurd's subordinate.

"Y-yes, sir. Quite clearly," Barnes said. Llurd opened his eyes fully and took a deep breath. He finished the rest of his glass rather quickly and impatiently. He held out his left hand that was holding the bottle of wine for Barnes to take. This was done promptly. The empty glass, however, he threw into the fire, smashing it to bits against the burning log. The act was not of anger or impatience. It was habit, casual and perfunctory. Even Barnes was not surprised. He even expected it of his commander.

Llurd stood up "Tell me now, Barnes. Where do we get these three from?" Barnes didn't know. He knew that it had taken them everything they had to acquire the ten votes. He knew that they were lucky to even have the ten votes. They have tried to "persuade" the other council members to vote for Llurd, but they were very much protected by their competitors. The fifteen refused gold, favors, and even resisted threats.

"I don't know, sir," Barnes riskily answered in honesty. He braced himself for a rebuke from his commanding officer. But that didn't come, much to his relief. Llurd remained very calm. Barnes was amazed at his commander's control of temper considering the stress involved in the situation. He had seen his commander very upset before. It was not something he'd be delighted to see again soon.

"Hand me the latest report from our spies," Llurd said. Barnes was quick to produce the needed document. Llurd thoroughly reviewed the pages of the report. It was a report of his personal spies' observations of all the council members and his competitors. He ordered them to keep track of their every move. He didn't like the idea of his competitors striking a deal to take him out of the race. He needed his spies to be his eyes and ears. After a few minutes, Llurd handed the report back to Barnes. "Tell my men to get ready, Barnes. We're arresting some suspected rebels tonight. Then I want you to get me Ardner, Lemarr, and Siroch. Drag them out of their cozy beds if you have to. But do make it silent."

Barnes wrote down the names on a piece of paper so he wouldn't forget. He recognized them all. All of the three were council members whom they had failed to "convince" to vote for Llurd before. He assumed that Llurd had a plan to attempt, perhaps for the last time.