Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Celestial Rise ❯ The New Council ( Chapter 8 )

"What are we to do now? The colonel will certainly have us killed, one way or the other!" Mr. Lemarr said to his companions who were in the same predicament as he. He, Ardner and Siroch were huddled closely together at the corner of the entrance hall of the Imperial Military Council Chamber. They weren't alone. The twenty-two other council members were present in the large entrance hall, speaking amongst themselves in small groups. Distress was in the air. An unexpected event had just occurred, and they were mostly furious about it.

"We voted for him. That was the deal! We could not guarantee the result of votes. We kept to our end of the bargain. We have it in writing, and there is nothing he can do about it. Just as there is nothing we can do about this!" Ardner explained to his companions, trying to look at the situation positively.

"Then perhaps you would like to volunteer to explain this to him personally," interjected Siroch. "He will want an answer. And not just any answer--he will want a solution!"

"Colonel Llurd will have to see for himself that this is beyond our power to change! We did what he wanted us to do. This… development was absolutely unexpected. He will have to accept it!" Ardner argued.

Lemarr was not the least bit optimistic.

He was the most nervous of them all. "I was the one to report to him about the votes! He will take it out on me!" Lemarr said, with a voice that sounded like a squeal at the end of the sentence. He was panicking. He kept glancing over his shoulders seeming to be wary of assassins breathing down his neck. "I don't know about you but I'm leaving Vector the first chance I get. I'll take my family with me. We'll hide somewhere… Maranda, perhaps! No… we'll go to the North Continent!"

"Don't be a fool, Lemarr! You cannot leave Vector that easily. The Empire is still in yellow alert. If you even try to leave you'll be shot without question!" warned Siroch.

"I will talk to Colonel Llurd when he comes. I will explain to him everything that can be explained. Look around you! The others are in the same predicament as we are in. None of us saw it coming. I don't know about you two, but I'm partially relieved that this did happen. Think about it! We're essentially off the hook!"

"Only if we can convince the Col--"

The double doors to the antechamber opened wide suddenly. Two men walked in wearing military gala uniform. It was Colonel Llurd and Lt. Barnes. The twenty-five council members all hushed to complete silence and watched the two. A few stepped out of the way as Llurd walked toward the center of the antechamber with slow, deliberate steps. Barnes stayed standing by the open doors. Llurd scanned the room with his cold, calculating eyes. He looked straight into the eyes of each of council members and recognized the thirteen who were supposed to vote for him immediately. He knew their names, and he remembered the deals he had made with them.

Llurd spotted Lemarr last. He locked eyes with him and approached him slowly. The other council members parted to get out of his way. His face was like stone. His anger was contained coolly within, but it was not something to be tested. Lemarr trembled in his presence. He started to breathe quick, short breaths.

Llurd stopped about three feet away from him and stared right into his eyes, inflicting fear upon the poor fellow. Then he spoke clearly--and almost slowly--in a normal tone of voice that everybody present heard.

"Mr. Lemarr. I come to you because there seemed to be a bit of… misunderstanding in the earlier conversation that you and my personal assistant had over the military comm device. I hope that it is something that can be attributed to an… electrical interference due to the signal-jammers surrounding the Bronze Compound."

"C-Colonel Llurd. I… I'm afraid that Lt. Barnes had heard correctly," Lemarr said, his voice barely audible.

"Indeed? Hmm…" Llurd raised his brows as he turned away from Lemarr and back to the crowd behind him. He walked towards the center of the antechamber again. Everybody was still silent and nervous, including the ones who weren't supposed to vote for him for they knew that Llurd was not the type of man anyone should cross.

Suddenly, he smiled a fake smile and spoke out loud, "So! Who is the new general? Colonel Bramon Ranger? Colonel Saric Blaey? Lt. Barnes over there didn't quite catch the name of the… winner. Who do I salute tomorrow morning?"

Nobody answered. They knew the answer, but no one dared to call the Colonel's attention towards himself.

"Ah! No matter! I'll find out tomorrow when you gentlemen announce it in public. However, I would like to know whom I have to thank for this." Llurd said the last sentence ominously.

Llurd was already on his way out when two more men appeared at the door. He stopped and smiled slyly.

"Well, now! What a coincidence!" he said sarcastically. "Colonel Ranger and Colonel Blaey are here, too. Good morning to both of you, colonels," he greeted with the same bitter tone of voice. "Or would it be more accurate to say, 'colonel and general?' Forgive my ignorance, I would salute the new general but, unfortunately for me, I simply do not know who it is."

"Calm down, Harold!" Colonel Blaey said, scornfully. "None of us got the job!"

A puzzled look overcame Llurd's face. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious, Harold?" Colonel Ranger.

"Did General Fencross recover from his coma?" Llurd asked, casting a glance at Lt. Barnes who was supposed to know such news.

"No, Harold," Ranger said, derisively. "The Council chose somebody else! And from what I've heard, it was a unanimous vote."

Llurd turned back to the crowd behind him. "Unanimous?!" he exclaimed wearing an ugly frown on his face. "Not one of you voted for me?" His stare went back to Lemarr.

"It's not what you think, Colonel!" Lemarr began.

"Indeed?" Colonel Blaey said. "Please explain it to us, gentlemen. How was it that a unanimous vote was achieved when our… informants reported to us a different voting result?"

"It's really quite simple, Colonels," began Ardner wearing a calm face. He opened his mouth to say the explanation when the door to the Imperial Military Council Chamber opened.

From it emerged an unexpected figure. General Cristophe stood before them all with a slight smile on his face. He seemed to be enjoying the confusion in the antechamber. The three colonels and the first lieutenant all saluted to him. They were shocked and even more confused. What was General Cristophe's business with the Council at this time of day?

General Cristophe regarded the three colonels scornfully.

"What is your name, lieutenant?" General Cristophe asked Barnes at the very back of the crowd. He had recognized his status with the uniform he was wearing.

"Sir, First Lieutenant Jeremy Barnes, sir!" he answered promptly.

"Lieutenant Barnes, your presence here is not needed. I order you to return to your quarters immediately," General Cristophe barked.

Lt. Barnes did not hesitate. He saluted again and with a final glance at his colonel he left, closing the double doors behind him. The silence reigned in the antechamber. He had not yet acknowledged the colonels' salute. General Cristophe approached the colonels. He started with Llurd.

"Colonel Harold Llurd?"

"Yes, sir!" he answered.

He examined Llurd closely. He noticed the military gala uniform that he was wearing and General Cristophe found it amusing. Nevertheless, he kept his amusement to himself. He walked next to Colonel Blaey.

"Colonel Blaey?"

"Yes, sir!" answered Blaey as well.

He went to the last colonel present. "Colonel Ranger," he said. It didn't sound like a question this time.

"Yes, sir!" he also promptly answered.

"At ease, gentlemen!" the general ordered. "I'm sure that you have a lot of questions in your mind at this very moment. Don't despair, gentlemen. Questions will be answered." General Cristophe turned back to the doors of the main chamber. "Therefore, let us not waste any more time. The Military Council awaits us within!" he announced.

The colonels all glanced at each other uncomprehendingly. "The Council, general?" Colonel Llurd braved to ask.

General Cristophe turned to face him with a twisted smile. "That is correct, gentlemen."

"Begging your pardon, General, but we do not understand," Llurd said.

"Mr. Ardner, you were in the process of explaining to the colonels what precisely is going on. Please continue for the colonels' sake," he said.

"Of course, general," Ardner began. "Colonel Llurd, we are no longer members of the Council. We, to put it simply, have been replaced by the New Military Council, effective precisely an hour ago." Ardner said it rather proudly despite the fact that he had just been fired from his job.

The colonels' mouths all hung slightly open in surprise. Without further delay, General Cristophe pushed open the doors and entered. The old council members followed him. The three colonels entered last. The crowd found themselves at the center of the half-circular room. A long arching table faced them. Behind the tables sat the members of the New Military Council. A chair in the middle of the long table was empty. There were only ten of them, not counting the empty chair. They were old war veterans no longer in field service. General Cristophe had the honor of being under the command of a couple of them a long time ago.

General Cristophe walked around long table and sat down at the middle chair.

"I wish to make this quick," General Cristophe announced. The people to his sides stared at the colonels with stern, icy-cold looks. "The Old Military Council is no more. All of its members have been discharged. A New Council is present before you. They shall continue what the Old Council has started.

"However, there will be changes. Vector had long endured the weak ruling of the old council. I have personally proposed to the Great Emperor Gestahl of its reformation, and his Benevolent Lordship has granted me the power to make it so. He believes that this reformation is a strong and prudent initiative to root out the corruption within the ranks. In turn, this action shall temper even more the integrity of the Imperial Military.

"To my sides are but a few of the surviving war heroes of Vector. They are those who still believe in the honorable hierarchy and stringent chain of commands. They are incorruptible. They are powerful. And they are granted the right and authority to strip anybody of command which does not exempt anyone--even me. They are to be feared! They are to be respected! And though they no longer hold any rank within the military hierarchy, they are still to be saluted. To offend one of the New Council members is to make the gravest mistake of your military-political career.

"We shall not make an apology for the… inconvenience that this has caused each of you. The Old Council members' disbandment without investigation had been a generous ruling of the New Council. Do not expect it to happen again in the future for whatever the situation.

"We shall not make an apology for the annulled decision to promote an individual to the rank of general. The annulment of the decision without investigation had been a lenient ruling of the New Council. This, also, is not to be expected to happen again.

"In short, due to your past services, we have granted each of you reprieve for all unlawful acts committed. But the New Council shall look the other way only this once. Consider yourselves fortunate.

"The Council will now entertain any question," General Cristophe ended.

A soft murmur among the Old Council members rose to a tolerable noise.

Mr. Ardner asked the first question. "W-what happens to us now?"

The ten new members glared down at Ardner with cold stares and furrowed brows but none of them said anything. They looked down on him with utter disgust. General Cristophe slowly glanced to his left and then to his right to see if any of the New Council members would like to answer the question. When he saw that none were too happy about the question, he himself glared at Ardner. The new members and General Cristophe were silent. Their stares did not leave Ardner.

Ardner's heart raced. Their stares stabbed him through the heart like heated needles. He had gotten his answer. "I-I respectfully withdraw my question!" he said immediately and disappeared behind his disbanded comrades.

"Are there other questions?" General Cristophe asked again.

"I have a question, general," Colonel Llurd said in a loud and clear voice. "How will the decision be made now?"

"What decision do you speak of, Colonel Llurd?" asked the man to the immediate right of General Cristophe.

"The choosing of the acting general in place of General Fencross," Colonel Llurd promptly explained.

"There will be no such decision to be made," answered the man to the left of General Cristophe.

The colonels glanced at each other, blinking in confusion.

"So… Vector will not have a new general?" Colonel asked for confirmation.

"Negative," said the man to the far right. "Vector will indeed have a new general. There will be no such decision to be made for we have already made a decision most unanimous."

"Who? Who is our new general?" Llurd asked worriedly. If Lt. Barnes was right, it was not him.

"Not you," General Cristophe answered disdainfully.