Under the Veil of Night

[milicia]

Dusk had settled over the Twilight Castle as Queen Lunestice awoke from her trance. Feeling refreshed she marched through the halls towards the briefing room, keeping her footsteps quiet. The soldiers around the castle were alert tonight and with good reason.

"A war is coming." Many whispered in the corridors and towers as they switched shifts. Rumors flew through the castle halls, pondering what had spurred the queen into such action. It was true the kingdom had not faced the deathly grim of battle since Milicia had become Queen of Crepusculum Kingdom and the sudden battle plans had shocked all who knew of it.

Yet as Queen Milicia got closer and closer with each step to the briefing room, no soldier nor general waited inside for her. No one had called her this night. Tonight she would hatch a plan that would help her overcome the Fire Lord, Onyx Volkanon.

The door swung open and three young men sat around leisurely near the large rectangular table. Musashi, Zeke and Donovan had waited only a few minutes before Queen Lunestice had arrived and she wasted not a moment with idle pleasantries before getting down to business. With a quick movement she shut the door and moved her hands in an eratic pattern around the knob as she enchanted it with a trap to whom any foolish enough to try and spy would learn their lesson the hard way. She approached the three heroes and spoke, her tone hushed.

"What is said in this room tonight is not to be mentioned again till this war is over. I have a mission for you three. It is a covert operation to ensure that my men do not perish before even reaching the shoreline to Ignis. The only one that knows of this plan is me, you three, and my most trusted captain. Though this will be slightly dangerous I promise you the threat you face in this is far less than what you would face in the fleet should you deny my request. Are we clear so far?" Her eyes scanned briefly over the three, taking a moment to pause on Donovan before continuing. Milicia had warned her that he could be...resistant to anything he felt was extra work or danger for him. The silence held annd she began to describe the plan.

"I fear a traitor is in my castle. Or rather, I know a traitor exists. Milicia does not wish to accept it, but our enemy has on a few occasions known more than they should have. It is because of this that I believe our preemptive strike will fall to Onyx's shoreline defenses while we attempt to invade. Our landing zone is an obvious choice and to change it would only waste valuable time that we need to avoid fighting Ignis while it is most prepared." Queen Lunestice moved closer to the map and began to move small statues of boats along it.

"Before my men will even set off, I need you three to depart one day early for the southern boader of Ignis. The defenses there will be nearly non-existant as Onyx will likely pull them to add reinforcements to the main area. You will be accompanied by a small platoon of 50 soldier as you make your way north and knock out the enemy's weapons and forces so that we may land as we make our move. Any questions?"

Though Milicia had mentioned to Zeke and Donovan that she was a different person in the night, it would have been hard to ignore even if she had said nothing beforehand. The queen's words were powerful and full of conviction. Not even a hint of a quiver in her voice could be heard as she had walked them through the battle plan. It was clear that this "other side" of Milicia not only felt the war was necessary, but seemed excited by it.

[Donovan Siroaki]

Donovan sat patiently in the chair, constantly shifting one of his cards' shape into different origami figures, something he had started doing to practice more minute movements with his powers. Donovan could feel Milicia's eyes linger on him but a bit longer that the rest, but it was inconsequential; whatever she thought about him was of little importance.

As he took Milicia's battle plan to heart, he began to realize, it was quite similar to the Battle of Thermoptlae; a small contingent of soldiers would advance ahead of the rest to crush the forces, rendering them weak and more susceptible to the eventual assault that would befall them. Donovan was an avid watcher of historical documentaries, and these included all of histories notable battles and the great men that had lead their troops to victory. It was something he had taken up toput his time to good use, rather than wasting time on a social life.

She wasn't kidding about the whole "different person" thing, and I gotta say, she seems a hell of a lot more competent then she did prior. Who knows, perhaps she'll actually win this thing. But I shouldn't get ahead of myself, all we have is a good starting plan, what'll follow will be dependent on out performance

Shifting forward in his seat, Donovan crossed his arms and placed them on the table. "So we're, in all simplicity, a squad of shock troops..." he paused for a second realizing his Earthly colloquialism may confuse things.

"...Umm, rather a premature strike force to open things up for the rest of the troops, yeah?"

[Musashi]

The idea of war did not sit well with Musashi, and to make matters worse, he could see the gleam in Queen Lunestise's eyes as she conversed about her plans to crush the opposition. Musashi knew that he would much prefer to avoid this conflict, but he had promised Milicia that he would help her, and by proxy, Queen Lunestise. All Musashi could do at the moment was wiggle back and forth in his seat, hoping the feeling of discomfort would dissipate, but knowing full well that it wouldn't.

It was hard trying to mentally prepare himself for what would be needed of him. Musashi wasn't against killing strictly, but rather against killing man upon man, simply to try and foil the efforts of one person. Was it necessary that so many people die? And not just on Ignis' side, but on the Crepusculums' side as well? The surge of uncertainty that washed over Musashi as he tried to contemplate all those that he might kill made it difficult to keep his mind keen and focused on the matter at hand, but with perseverance, he understood what his task was, but the true problem was whether he could do it when the time came.

[milicia]

A smile crept over her face as Donovan spoke. "Clever man aren't you? So very glad to see you understand this plan. Donovan is exactly right." Her eyes turned towards Zeke and Musashi. "The outcome of your mission will be fundamentally tied into the success or failure of our invasion plan gentlemen. I know it is a great burden I place on your shoulders, but your triumph in this one battle alone could secure our victory for good in the end. Now if there are no more questions than I have your materials ready for you on a small dock just a mile outside the castle. This is of course so no one will see you as you head out by longboat to one of our smaller ships."

This was easier than I thought. Maybe these Earthlings are quite familiar with war in their world. She stood silent pondering the thought further as she waited for the other three to react.

[Zeke Omoihake]

Zeke had mulled over the situation that laid before them as the others talked. Fear, apprehension, dread, and so much more churned within him, bubbling over his usual joyful expression. He sat deep in thought, his face pale with a tortured expression on his face.

Do all warriors face this? This same dilemma that I face? How many do I have to kill to save this world? One? Ten? One hundred? Can I justify this path I walk to myself? Can I justify saving myself at the cost of so many lives?

The last thought scarred him. He wanted to save the world. But he feared that under the righteous front he put up that this was all self serving. Did he want to save the world for the world's sake, or for his? Yet as the mental tug-of-war raged on he kept his front, finding comfort in its safe familiar embrace.

"I don't like this plan. It feels sneaky and dishonorable, but I suppose that that's the nature of war isn't it? I only hope you're sure that this will lead us down the right path Queen Lunestise. I will accept this mission."

[Donovan Siroaki]

Donovan grimaced a little at Zeke's disapproval of Queen Lunestise's plan. After having offered to put his life on the line to satisfy Zeke, Donovan was a little irritated that he was beginning to have second thoughts about wanting to help.

Donovan was used to the idea of war, the strategies and tactics required to pull victory out of your opponents reach and brandish that fact in their face until the either admitted defeat, or died in some futile attempt to prove they haven't lost yet. This knowledge came not from watching his historical documentaries, but rather from the business world and the relentless "war" that was waged between rival companies. Underhanded moves and sneaky tactics where all part of the process, and those who choose to try and be fair and honorable were quickly weeded out. The plan was not devious or underhanded, it was logical and efficient, but Don had to make Zeke see that so that he wouldn't be so hesitant in his approach, as that was something that could get him killed on the battlefield.

"Look Zeke, think about the Ninja and how they fought. People don't think of them as cowards, or underhanded tricksters, but rather as one of the deadliest strike forces in history. This is not because of their stealth, but because they were master tacticians who seldom killed anyone. Their mission took top priority, and killing was only required as a last resort. In our case, we're like them, as we need only secure the shoreline, and we can achieve this with a simple siege which should cause them to retreat to a centralized meeting point near the castle. All we gotta do is kick up a bit of trouble and they'll run thinking we're the whole army."

[milicia]

Queen Lunestise chimed in. "He's right young Zeke, this is a strategic move for the better. By destorying the forces at the shoreline we can march directly to Ignis' capital with less resistance. In the end less blood will be shed, and victory will be claimed faster. Is that not what you want?" Her lips remained in a calculating smirk, hoping that Donovan's words and hers would be enough to beat away his doubts. She needed him obediant and ready to act, not debating whether or not he would be doing the "right" thing. It was a pipe dream to her, for there was no right in war, only victory and defeat.

[Zeke Omoihake]

Zeke hung his head low as the two talked. He felt like he was being scolded for his attitude, but decided it was better to just go along. He knew how he felt, and knew just as well that this was going to get done with or without his opinion being acknowledged.

"I said I'll do this didn't I? I'm a man of my word. I know this is the best way to get this done, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Is that okay?" He tried to sound sincere but couldn't completly remove the bit of annoyance that escaped in his words.

[milicia]

She glared an icy stare at Zeke for a second before deciding it was better to stay on track than berate him for his attitude. "Than it seems that we are all agreed. After all, I trust that the silence from my loyal warrior is that of polite agreement?" Her words brought everyone's eyes on Musashi, seeing if he would indeed have anything to say. Yet before he could have had the chance to argue otherwise Queen Lunestise was already making her way for the door.

"Take the west exit out and follow the pathway through the forest to the docks. My men will await you and you'll set out immediately. I will be only a day behind you, with the forces of good in tow to set this world right once more." Her eyes turned skywards, as if lost briefly in some fantastic daydream. "I've entrusted the lives of my men and even myself to you warriors. Don't let me down." With that she shooed them on their way, and went back to her study. With the war so close, she had been busy trying to learn new and powerful spells. She only hoped that when the time came she'd be strong enough to turn the tide in their favour.