09-03-2021, 04:56 AM
Côte-Verte, Southwestern Auria
September 2nd, 2021, 10:05 PM
The small bar near the Port in Côte-Verte was nothing special from the outside, a small storefront of old brick and stone blending in with the rest of the slow port town. A mild storm rapped on the windows of the almost-empty bar, drowning out the light Aurian pop music playing in the background. And near the back, in a dark corner, five soldiers sat in uniform, getting slowly drunk.
"This has got to be the worst assignment ever." Corporal Lauris Kalnins, infamous stater of the obvious, sipped a drink while looking towards the window with distaste. "What did we do to deserve getting put here? Did any of you piss off some upper officer or something?"
Private Quentin Bachelot, the widely known hothead of the group, gritted his teeth. "Those assholes sure deserve a good telling off. They talk all about the traitors of the last government, damn hypocrites. Don't get me wrong, the last government was horrendous. But at least it was a damn government. God, I wish I was stationed in Lumiere so I can punch whoever came up with those 'Military Mantras'. Those are so annoying."
Two more Corporals, Lucas Silvain and Anastasija Liepina, watched Bachelot with a mix of agreement and amusement. "Oh, really, Quentin? You wouldn't step a toe out of line, and you know it. Confronting the heads of the new 'United National Force' would be way out of character for you." As Bachelot started to protest, Liepina elbowed him.
"That wasn't a challenge, you know. Not everything directed at you is a challenge." She sipped a glass of Spēce before continuing. "But, even though your tough talk is BS, you're not wrong on the other points, loathe as I am to admit it. This situation is horrible, and it keeps getting worse. The executions of everyone who steps a toe out of line, the mobs of Orangecoats taking and destroying what they please… Auria isn't the same anymore."
After that statement, all four of them looked at the fifth soldier at the table, waiting for a reaction. Major Julien Dauchez, the only officer in their small drinking group. He was more of a somber leader, articulate and laconic. Every order and direction from him had always been short and succinct, every word thought over carefully.
After a seemingly long time, Dauchez finally spoke up. "Fifteen years in the Aurian Army, and I've never seen anything like this. We never expected anything remotely like this. They ordered us to stand by while they executed our government, and we just… obeyed. We obeyed as they destroyed everything we were supposed to be loyal to. And for what? They've taken Auria for themselves now. And we just let it happen. What kind of soldiers are we?"
That somber note brought the whole group into a depressive silence for several minutes. The sound of raindrops hitting the window provided a nice replacement for discussion as each soldier sipped their drinks.
Silvain looked over the table at the bored bartender, lowering his voice as he broke the long silence. "Not everything is lost. Our government still exists. They may be in Eiria, but they are at least alive. The navy is free with them. And they have allies." He paused, making sure no one heard them talking. "But they likely won't stage an invasion of Auria. Not on their own."
Kalnins looked at him with a slightly incredulous expression. "Are you suggesting that we help them? How?! We are five people. Five bloody people against thousands, plus the mobs and gangs."
Dauchez cleared his throat. "We are much more than five people. We are five people with the means and motive to cause those traitors a hell of a lot of trouble. We could recruit thousands of like-minded soldiers and rebels, because, let's face it, they're out there. We aren't alone in this."
He finished his drink and stood, placing a Mera note on the table. "Let's get to work."
September 2nd, 2021, 10:05 PM
The small bar near the Port in Côte-Verte was nothing special from the outside, a small storefront of old brick and stone blending in with the rest of the slow port town. A mild storm rapped on the windows of the almost-empty bar, drowning out the light Aurian pop music playing in the background. And near the back, in a dark corner, five soldiers sat in uniform, getting slowly drunk.
"This has got to be the worst assignment ever." Corporal Lauris Kalnins, infamous stater of the obvious, sipped a drink while looking towards the window with distaste. "What did we do to deserve getting put here? Did any of you piss off some upper officer or something?"
Private Quentin Bachelot, the widely known hothead of the group, gritted his teeth. "Those assholes sure deserve a good telling off. They talk all about the traitors of the last government, damn hypocrites. Don't get me wrong, the last government was horrendous. But at least it was a damn government. God, I wish I was stationed in Lumiere so I can punch whoever came up with those 'Military Mantras'. Those are so annoying."
Two more Corporals, Lucas Silvain and Anastasija Liepina, watched Bachelot with a mix of agreement and amusement. "Oh, really, Quentin? You wouldn't step a toe out of line, and you know it. Confronting the heads of the new 'United National Force' would be way out of character for you." As Bachelot started to protest, Liepina elbowed him.
"That wasn't a challenge, you know. Not everything directed at you is a challenge." She sipped a glass of Spēce before continuing. "But, even though your tough talk is BS, you're not wrong on the other points, loathe as I am to admit it. This situation is horrible, and it keeps getting worse. The executions of everyone who steps a toe out of line, the mobs of Orangecoats taking and destroying what they please… Auria isn't the same anymore."
After that statement, all four of them looked at the fifth soldier at the table, waiting for a reaction. Major Julien Dauchez, the only officer in their small drinking group. He was more of a somber leader, articulate and laconic. Every order and direction from him had always been short and succinct, every word thought over carefully.
After a seemingly long time, Dauchez finally spoke up. "Fifteen years in the Aurian Army, and I've never seen anything like this. We never expected anything remotely like this. They ordered us to stand by while they executed our government, and we just… obeyed. We obeyed as they destroyed everything we were supposed to be loyal to. And for what? They've taken Auria for themselves now. And we just let it happen. What kind of soldiers are we?"
That somber note brought the whole group into a depressive silence for several minutes. The sound of raindrops hitting the window provided a nice replacement for discussion as each soldier sipped their drinks.
Silvain looked over the table at the bored bartender, lowering his voice as he broke the long silence. "Not everything is lost. Our government still exists. They may be in Eiria, but they are at least alive. The navy is free with them. And they have allies." He paused, making sure no one heard them talking. "But they likely won't stage an invasion of Auria. Not on their own."
Kalnins looked at him with a slightly incredulous expression. "Are you suggesting that we help them? How?! We are five people. Five bloody people against thousands, plus the mobs and gangs."
Dauchez cleared his throat. "We are much more than five people. We are five people with the means and motive to cause those traitors a hell of a lot of trouble. We could recruit thousands of like-minded soldiers and rebels, because, let's face it, they're out there. We aren't alone in this."
He finished his drink and stood, placing a Mera note on the table. "Let's get to work."
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