Operation story: FC-4

Operation

Story

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Characters
Bagpipe Ch'en Fischer Harmonie Loughshinny Reed Eblana Fionn Selmon Dublinn Soldier Special Forces Captain Special Forces Soldier Taran Refugee Father
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5 6

Before operation

“

The refugees catch up to Dublinn, but find it to be a group of dead soldiers. Among them, Selmon identifies her own big brother.

”

<Background 1>
[A Taran refugee informs the rest that,]
Taran Refugee	Guys, I see people ahead! There's army! That way... er, seven? Seven o'clock?
Bagpipe	Oh, no worries, we got the message. But are you sure that's what you saw? There's not a hint of human life anywhere in these parts... Why would the army be patrollin' out here?
Reed	Hand me the binoculars. There's very little terrain nearby that would conceal us. Everyone, please hide here for the moment.
Bagpipe	I'll go with you. I'd know the Victorian Army more thorough than you, na?
Reed	...Mm. Thank you.
<Background fades out and in>
Fionn	Selmon, come take a look... If I crouch under this rock, the enemy won't see me from any angle, will they?
Selmon	Hah, not half bad.
Fionn	Good, then. God, we go through the wastes for four days without a peep, no Catastrophe or savage beasts... and then we hit a roadblock at the very end. Just our luck, you figure. Now stop sticking your head out, keep low with the rest of us. It's been so long, you still don't trust Reed's lot?
Selmon	No, as a matter of fact. It's the bland type like her I least trust. She only wants to do stuff that doesn't offend nobody. That way, if she ever makes a mistake, it won't really BE her fault.
Fionn	You bloody... You just don't like her stopping us from going to Dublinn.
Selmon	Maybe. But I don't say nothing to you neither, do I?
<Background fades out and in>
Reed	...Confirmed. It's a small-scale Victorian deployment, but judging by their equipment, not from a nearby barracks. Their weapons are highest caliber. If we fought... there's very little chance we'd win. They might not be searching for us, but just in case, we'd better hide ourselves. Based on their current advance, they won't catch sight of us.
<Background fades out and in>
Fionn	You don't give me lip for what I say because nobody listens to what I say.
Selmon	Anyhow, I'm jealous of how she's taken over my show. ...Those troops are coming closer. Budge over, give me a good position to watch 'em.
Fionn	*sigh* I'm begging you, don't cause trouble now.
[Sounds of fighting are heard in the distance.]
Fionn	Wh–What's happening? Are they scuffling?
Selmon	...Some group ambushed them at a pass.
Fionn	S–So if we'd not stopped to hide just now, we would've been sprung too? Who was waiting there?
Taran Refugee	Hey... I can't make out too clearly, but those clothes they're wearing look a bit like Selmon's, don't they? That's gotta be... Dublinn, right?
<Background 2>
Fischer	...Dublinn. One dawn eight months ago, just after I'd finished work, I was eating breakfast in a cafe in County Peninsula. A voice came from my radio. It said, with their flames, they would cleanse Victoria of filth. In the name of the Tarans... they would declare war on Victoria. They called themselves "Dublinn".
Special Forces Soldier	...Just a bunch of greedy thugs trying to give themselves a title.
Fischer	Thugs? The ones common sense would identify as thugs more or less all died in County Hillock. Someone intended on using an entire city of Tarans to test the Taran-born Duke... but didn't anticipate the leader of Dublinn conversely exploiting that. After the conclusion of the incident, Dublinn successfully purged all unstable elements from the city, and further gained the surrounding Taran populace's support, escaping intact directly under Victoria's nose.
Special Forces Soldier	Dublinn's leader is undeniably well-versed in the behavior of nobility. It's no wonder, considering her background and her hidden supporters.
Fischer	That leader and her intelligence personnel are both fully aware it was the barracks that shelled the masses with dirty bombs, that being why the truth of the County Hillock incident will never be traced nor pursued. However... I've read the reports. All the reports. Some say the Dublinn "Leader" that appeared in County Hillock on that day... is more than one person.
Special Forces Soldier	That doesn't match up with the other intel we got from the Dukes.
[Puzzle reveals two jigsaw puzzles with him.]
Fischer	Have you seen these two jigsaw puzzles?
Special Forces Soldier	They're exactly the same...
Fischer	As long as the forms are identical, they can fill the same holes. And the moment you put them together like this, most people who cast an eye would treat one piece like the other's shadow.
Special Forces Soldier	...Shadow? So that's why you suspect that previous arson case, the one tied to Dublinn...
Fischer	It was only a suspicion at first. It was, until... the reaction from that Harmonie Feline fed me some interesting information. Who knew the Duke of Wellington would actually turn a blind eye to King Gaeil's other descendant walking freely in the wilds?
<Background 3>
Harmonie	......
Dublinn Soldier	Madam, as you predicted, someone took the people from those farming households in for questioning this morning. I looked into it. They weren't wearing barracks uniform. it seems they're not part of the nearby patrol at all.
Harmonie	Hm... say, if I asked for a holiday and went out traveling, what would the better location be? Leithanien, or Kazimierz? Or maybe I'll run off even farther... just maybe, like my good friend from the school days, I'll take a trip to Yan?
Dublinn Soldier	...I don't understand what you mean.
Harmonie	*sigh*. Forget it. We'll be caught in a snare if we don't tiptoe... but either way, we do need to remedy this as best we can. Ensuring her safety is priority number one.
Dublinn Soldier	You mean...
Harmonie	My dear friend, Loughshinny.
Dublinn Soldier	You're sure she's the one they're looking for?
Harmonie	Well, can you be sure she's not? We've got no other choice. Who let her be "The Leader" too? We can't allow her to fall into anyone else's hands... especially not the Duke of Caster's. Come, now. We need to pay "The Brigadier" a visit.
<Background 1>
Taran Refugee	Selmon, what do we do? You said you'd take us to shelter with a Dublinn squad, and now they're right here in front of us, fighting with Vic's army. My gut says we should head in and help the Tarans' troops. My brain says we need to show some loyalty before we join them... I mean, right, right?
Fionn	No, no, what are you people on about?! We'd never beat those servicemen! A–And besides... what would Reed's lot think?
Taran Refugee	They're hiding over there. They're not that near us. Maybe they won't see what we're doing.
[A refugee falls dead.]
Taran Refugee	Oh, God, down goes another... ...We can't just sit here watching Tarans get beat to death, can we?
Selmon	...Fionn, take a look behind. How are Reed's bunch reacting to this?
<Background fades out and in>
Special Forces Captain	All men, pull back! Prioritize shaking pursuit! Our investigatory mission is complete! We can't waste our time here. Dublinn's deployed far too many diversions.
Special Forces Soldier	Captain, human activity at three o'clock.
Special Forces Captain	...Who are they?
Special Forces Soldier	Seemingly normal refugees, with improvised weapons.
Special Forces Captain	Initiate contact, confirm the true situation. All men, prepare to fight on two fronts.
Special Forces Captain	Beware the possibility of Dublinn's regular forces disguising as civilians.
<Background fades out and in>
Bagpipe	Hey, what's he doin' pokin' his head out from the bunker?! Oh, the unit noticed him. They're comin' over. I'll try and see about negotiatin' with them. I'll tell them it's all civilians here.
Reed	No. Tara's local barracks–would never trust civilians... ...They've never protected us before.
[A Dublinn soldier walks toward the refugees...]
Dublinn Soldier	......
Taran Refugee	Hah... hah... hi–hi there... we're Tarans, we want to join Dublinn...
Dublinn Soldier	......
Taran Refugee	...Hello?
[...but the soldier does not respond and instead attacks the refugees...]
Taran Refugee	Guh–wh–what the hell?!
Ch'en	Fall back!
[...and Ch'en cuts down the strange Dublinn soldier.]
Ch'en	...Retreat ASAP. These two units are attacking us simultaneously.
Taran Refugee	But aren't Dublinn... meant to be defending Tarans?
Ch'en	...I can't give you a response. All I know is these soldiers are already dead.
<Background fades out and in>
Special Forces Captain	Standard piledriver spear, Vouivre... you're ex-Tempest Platoon personnel, aren't you?
Bagpipe	Oh! Have we met before? Well, since we're not strangers, that makes things easier. We're not an ambush, and we've got nothin' to do with Dublinn either. You've gotten the wrong idea about us.
Special Forces Captain	...Hah, surprise, surprise. That Fischer boy only sent me out here to follow a trail, and here we've run into his true goal headfirst. No, I'd wager he sent me here specifically to wait until you ran into us. Bagpipe, why are you protecting the Tarans?
Bagpipe	Eh? Because that's our duty, right? The Tarans are Victorians too. If we've cleared up the misunderstandin', are we able to ceasefire? Attackin' civilians is a violation of military discipline.
Special Forces Captain	...What gives you the continued right to say that?
Bagpipe	Eh? What's wrong with me?
Special Forces Captain	You seem to not be duly aware of the situation here.
Bagpipe	Oh, excuse me, I'm very well aware. My friend said you wouldn't protect Taran civilians, and I've just confirmed she was right. You're the same as that old Colonel Hamilton back in County Hillock, na? So even though I'm discharged? I'm positive now, I still have to fulfil a Victorian serviceman's duty, and do what you're not willin' to do– Defend these civilians' lives.
Special Forces Captain	Then let me ask. Have you ever inquired into that white-haired Vouivre's identity?
<Background fades out and in>
Fionn	C–Come on, let's go, Selmon... Everyone's looking to escape!
Selmon	...No.
Fionn	Ugh, now's not the time to be stubborn! I know this is hard to take, but... what Ch'en said seems true... so, let's get away for now? Come on, survive first, then we can talk after... ...Who's that you're staring at? Wait, it can't be...
Dublinn Soldier?	......
Selmon	...... ...Bro.
<Background 4>
Reed	There, Fionn... Your wound is like last time's. It's not too severe. But–it'll still hurt.
Fionn	Nrgh, that's whatever... as long as I don't see blood. Anything else flies with me.
Taran Refugee	Coward. You said you'd help Selmon. All you've done was scarper with her on your shoulders.
Fionn	N–Nothing wrong with that, at least we made it out. All of us made it out. ...*sigh*. Reed, I need to ask something... I've been wanting to ask it all day. You and your friends seem to be professionals with this stuff. But–I still just don't get. Why do you say those people... those Dublinn people are dead? Is there any off-chance they're sleepwalking? Maybe it's that witchcraft from the legends that makes people lose their consciousness? Just... just on the off-chance, that they are sleepwalking, we could go and wake them up...
Reed	...We can't. I wish I could provide you some consolation, but–it's a unique Originium Arts I recognize.
Fionn	*sigh* Alright. I'm just a little frightened myself. What's Selmon gonna think, though?
Reed	What's... wrong with her?
Fionn	......
Taran Refugee	Oh, go on and tell, Fionn, we all know her. You were the one vouching for her since the beginning. She's a good girl. We wouldn't have come with her otherwise.
Fionn	The... the truth is, I actually know her because she robbed me, once. We sat down and got talking with one another in the end, of course. She just wanted a pair of sturdy boots. Her brother was out in the snow that winter with half his soles worn through, feet frostbitten something hideous.
Taran Refugee	So you gave her yours?
Fionn	No, actually. Her brother went off to Dublinn. I was only in time to cover for them. Couldn't do them any solid boots quickly enough. Fact is, she's been out here this whole time looking for her brother.
Taran Refugee	What? She brought us to join Dublinn just for that?
Fionn	No, it's more than that, it's... She wanted to join Dublinn along with her brother, she just ran away on the way there. That was two years ago. ...Think how tough it must've been on her, catching up to her brother today.
Taran Refugee	...Say, how do you think my family's doing? They're still back living in the village. It's about time they replaced the roofing straw. Once we find a place to stop over, I'm getting a Messenger to ask how they're doing.
Fionn	It's alright, I'm sure they're fine. I'll help you find that Messenger, come then.
Taran Refugee	Grand. ...But where are we going? We chased a Dublinn squad that was all dead people, and Selmon's not found her own. Where should we head now?
Fionn	*sigh* Reed, what do you... ...Reed? Where'd she go?
<Background fades out and in>
Selmon	...Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen... three less than in the day. ...I just don't get it. What kind of Originium Arts is this? Makes me sick looking at it.
She squats behind a boulder, looking around. The soldiers keep marching for their heart's destination, upon the twilight wilds. The colors of the Dublinn uniform fade beneath layers of mud and soil. They seem as if held in a silhouette, one lit by a glimmer from somewhere unknown.
Selmon	I just need to... pounce, then retreat, and I'll be fine.
A hundred meters. They turn to walk straight for the boulder Selmon hides behind.
Selmon	Tch, he's at the back of the squad. Looks like he didn't get to be the leader. Made himself out so bloody big in all his letters. They're headed for... yeah, same direction as the letters said.
Fifty meters. Selmon clenches the wooden cudgel in her fist.
Selmon	...Is the city you're heading for that important to you? Who's telling you to head on? You'd still go, even if you died? Even though you're being battered by–wind, and rain, and all these people one after another? You'd still go?
Thirty meters. She remembers the first time she saw Dublinn's troops, two years ago. They told her, once she was decided, she could come to them. The Leader would give all Tarans a place to survive.
Selmon	...I'm sorry. I... never could be as sure as you were. You never looked back, but I did.
She rushes out. Like those Victorian soldiers in the daytime did, like Ch'en did, these people that have ceased to be can be knocked down again, so long as every attack comes swiftly enough, ferociously enough. Until they'll sleep peacefully in the soil of Tara, never called to stand again.
Dublinn Soldier	......
[Selmon stops and hits the fleeing undead Dublinn soldier, who turned out to be her brother.]
Selmon	–!
The soldier does not fall. He merely stumbles for a moment from the blow to the neck, and then swiftly spins around, pulling out his sword. He is ghastly silent.
[More undead soldiers show up.]
Dublinn Soldier	......
Selmon	You lot! Out of my way! I'll send you all right back with him! No, I will, I'll do it! I was just here to find my brother, but you're all the same...
Dublinn Soldier	(Silently attacks)
Selmon	–Piss right off! At least say something!
[Selmon fights her way through the undead soldiers, but her attacks do nothing against them.]
Selmon	Grgh... Square, that was... Hah, bloody hell. Head, chest, it's just not enough, is it.
Her cudgel flies out of her hand blocking the next attack. And in that moment, the soldier's mask falls off.
Selmon	–
She feels a sort of illusion for a moment. As if the way he brandishes his weapon slows, for a fraction of an instant. As if her brother is about to give him both his hands, like when Victoria's police accosted them in younger times, shielding her in his embrace. And then she sees his familiar face all so clearly. His forehead drips no blood, and his eyes turn no look to his little sister. Those eyes gaze to the distant, vague horizon, a rage of firelight longing, burning within. –Just like the night he decided he'd seek out Dublinn. And Dublinn soldiers surround them. Selmon blankly, dazedly, reaches a hand out to the man before her. Admiration, aspiration, guilt. Regret. All swallowed up by the ice-cold fire that her fingertips brush.
[...]
Fear. All she is left with is fear. The fear of that longing, maniacal, burning unto death.
<Background black>
And before time can move again, flames blaze high, incandescent sparks blossoming into the night sky. So close her fingers could almost touch, a flame blooms forth, and vanishes again before she can grasp it. The soldier falls over, to the ground, and never makes another whisper.

After operation

“

After Reed dispels the Arts behind the Dublinn soldiers, the rescued Selmon tells Reed of the dreams she'd invested in Dublinn.

”

<Background black>
Are you scared of my fire? But your fire is the same as mine, Loughshinny. It will burn forever. Trying to smother its glow, to extinguish it, is futile. You needn't fear it being seen. Why don't you let those who see it, fear it?
<Flashback starts here>
<Background 5>
I know that in my body is a fire. If I feel for it, I can feel it burning me. After so long, the pain of it comes to me even before my thoughts do. Our parents warned us to take these flames we were born with and swallow them down, hide them away, and never let them be seen by anyone. But I knew–how my sister would secretly burn whatever she didn't want, and then she'd get something better for it. Can I do that too?
Loughshinny	Dad, can you take me to the bookshop?
That morning, I thought I'd try acting like her, talking to my parents in her tone of voice. Every time she told them what she wanted, they'd agree with panic, like they were being burnt, yet with love. She and I had the same appearance and voice, and wore the same clothes, so why couldn't I disguise myself as her?
Loughshinny	I want to read the sequel to the Steam Knights adventures... since–I don't want anyone asking me, how come a Victorian wouldn't like stories about the Steam Knights.
Father	...Tomorrow, Loughshinny. Your mum and dad are exhausted for today.
Loughshinny	Dad... did you recognize me?
Father	Of course. How could I ever mix up my own two daughters?
<Flashback ends here>
<Background black>
I only realized, after that snowy night, that he didn't say yes–because what I wanted was far too small. She wouldn't have gone begging to our parents, just for a new book.
<Flashback starts here>
<Background 6>
[A bell tolls.]
I followed behind her, running as fast as I could. The bells to reunite sounded–yet–we no longer could go home.
Loughshinny	Eblana... Where... are we going?
Eblana	...Where do you want to go?
Loughshinny	I... don't know...
Eblana	Nowhere's home, so go knock on any old door. You just need to be honest to whoever opens it, and tell them that we have no home to go back to on this snowy, festive night. No matter how cold they are, surely they'll sympathize with two children. Go, Loughshinny, don't be afraid. I'm watching over you.
Under the glow of icy, purple flames, I knocked haltingly on the first door. The flames had taken the lives of those we hated so only moments ago, but I wondered so badly–if those flames would come to kill me instead, if I did anything wrong.
<Background 2>
[Loughshinny questions,]
Loughshinny	–But–what did Sir do wrong?
I heard–there was a play being put on in the Tarans' neighborhood, hence why on such a snowy night, Sir never came home for being so late. My sister made me sit down in his study. She simply warmly stared at me, and never answered my questions straight. I knew–she was very disappointed in me. I should have been able to reach my own answers.
Loughshinny	...He taught us–to ruin the lives of the innocent, to stir the schism between the Tarans and Victorians. He even... plotted his fallen opponent's murder, just like–those Victorians–killed our parents. So, taking his life... was what we were meant to do.
My sister could always do the right things, while I never could. She gifted her spear to me, yet every time I gripped it, that pike burning with flames, I shivered. Just as I did now.
Loughshinny	Am I... right?
<Background black>
Eblana	No, Loughshinny. Death is merely there to guide him to his dreams.
Eblana	He showered us in conspiracy and political trickery, peeled us of our freedom and dignity. That was detestable, yet detest is all that is. But even while he'd mastered his methods, his sights were set too narrow. That's what was truly regrettable. He wanted little more than the control of a brittle, fantasy nation, with us serving as the puppets that would crown him. The power I look to have in my hands is far grander than the daydreams of that madman. –What about you, Loughshinny? What do you want? Yes, it's good that your blood and your upbringing have you carry yourself high, but if you want for nothing, then what sort of position am I meant to leave by my side for you? Go on. This is your wish on a snowy night... I'll let you aspire as grand as you want.
Loughshinny	...... ......
I didn't answer. I only had the tiniest dream, like the warm fire of a hearth. I didn't dare answer.
Eblana	No matter, my sister. If you don't know where your own desires lie, then first become me. From hereon, you and I are both "The Leader".
<Flashback ends here>
<Background black>
Intently, that flame watched me, and I became her shadow.
<Background 4>
Selmon	Hah... have you been after me all this time? Since when?
Reed	No, I simply heard from Fionn–that you'd seen your brother, in the squad of parted Dublinn... I guessed you'd come here yourself.
Selmon	It's not as if it's any of your business.
Reed	I've been searching... all this way, for these dead controlled by Arts. I want them to find peace. And I can accomplish that. Just as you saw, just now.
Selmon	......
Gone are the marching footfalls of soldiers. The barrens turn silent. Neither of them say a word. After a while, Selmon squats down, brushes the dirt off the mask, then carefully places it over the soldier's face.
Selmon	...Meddling little Fionn. Did he tell you about the first time I ever saw Dublinn? We were in the city, me and my brother. If we were in good moods, we'd line up to see if any of the pubs needed last-minute waiters or what-have-you. If we were in bad moods, we'd hit Viccies' windows with our catapults. Hah. Couldn't tell you if all the nobles were Viccies, to be honest, I just knew the one who drove us off the ag plate was. Then, one day, there was this injured woman lying in an alley who shouted at me in Taran, wanted me to deliver a letter for her. We guessed who she was. I delivered it, and found her a place to hide. I told her, of all the scummiest Victorians in this city, the number one would be that one with the tiny moustache who issued all the decrees. Bloody, Originium product taxes, alcohol taxes to "target Taran drunks", ordinances to round up unemployed Tarans and house them in one place, he was the one on telly delivering all of that. And then there was the army man stationed in the alleys. I couldn't do nothing but watch him beat all those people to death, and if I'd stared at him a moment more, he would've taken me away. If she and her spectre force wanted marks to attack, then those two had to be on the list. But I was wrong, she responded, it wasn't Dublinn's aim to retaliate against Victorians in Tarans' stead. My brother told her which noble had the biggest house, which had the poshest dinner parties, which had a treasure hoard enough to arm an army, support a plate's farmers. That was even more wrong, she said. Dublinn wasn't stealing from the Victorians to give to the Tarans. And she said, if all we do is kill a few people, and seat ourselves in their positions, it won't make things better for the Tarans, it'll just make us become them. Just like how Tarans who learned Victorian etiquette, copied Victorian accents, could pass as Victorian nobles...
Reed	...Then, did she tell you–what it was Dublinn wanted?
Selmon	Hah, nope. But my brother had it all figured it out afterwards, so. We decided to join Dublinn, and went following them on the info they left behind. We left the nomadic city, heading for a settlement close by. It was along the way there I suddenly remembered how Dublinn disposed of their eyewitnesses. I was scared for my life, so scared I felt I had to run. It's not as if I hate every last Victorian, y'know. And if I don't hate them, I'm not prepared to make them bleed.
Reed	But... there's no alternative to it. I–don't like saying this. But–Dublinn is an army, and the one thing armies face is war.
Selmon	I know, of course I know. Rationally, I know they're in the right. What's wrong is I can't do it. ...How come I can't do what my brother could? How could he be so sure, while I had to run? How could he put up with dying, and burning after death, while I can't even stand seeing him turn out this way?
Reed	......
How can she stand up from the ashes, while I can only shrink into her shadow and weep? Loughshinny, what is it you want?
Reed	..."I wrote, for you, what my life knew / In terms of love, and dreaming too,"... ..."But in your burning ecstasy, there was no place to hold them"...
Selmon	Wha...? You... you're not reciting poetry, are you? Are you serious? At me? Are you trying to show off your upbringing?
Reed	Sorry... I–don't know what I should say. There's so much I could say to encourage others, or comfort others... but none of it is mine.
Selmon	Hah... you can stop reading... ......
Selmon buries her face in her hands. Her grief, like the Dublinn soldiers who no longer speak, is shrouded in a deep green silhouette. "I dreamt..." they murmur.
Selmon	Years and years ago, we were working in a Victorian's manor. One day, my brother got me to drop everything I was doing, and slip out with him for fun. ...We walked for ages, until we reached the edge of the ag plate, and we looked out down into the wilderness below. We couldn't see where the soil ended, it was all bursting full of wild flowers. My brother said, that there, that's Tara. He said so much daft, arrogant shite, he sang into the wind at the top of his voice. He said there was so much we wanted to say but couldn't, because the Victorians robbed us of our language. The only thing we could do was hide our love and sorrow away in our time-old folksongs. And he said we'd done something incredible today. We didn't work for the Victorians today, so we'd rebelled against them. He must've been absolutely full of it back then, full-on dreaming of becoming like a hero in the legends... hah. Same here. ...They're very pretty, the flames you've left him. They're just like the flowers we saw that day.
Reed	But these flames aren't true flowers. They're just...
"From the moment we're born to the moment we die, it all runs past in the blink of an eye."
Reed	...You aren't–even able to hold them.
Selmon	That's fine. I don't care. I knew for the longest time he'd die. Even I was prepared to die when we went looking for Dublinn. I... don't care. I never trusted he'd die like he bragged, like we dreamed, with a hero's death. But at least, Reed... I want to hear the truth. Your truth. Was the... future Dublinn promised, the thing he was chasing even once he'd died, was it made up?
Reed	......
<Background black>
In the dark of the night, a flame ignites at the tip of a spear. Cast in the firelight, Reed sees–tears, finally flowing down her face.