MISSION: Creta takes West City

[Guest]

The Cretian Coup - Chapter 1: Plans In Motion

Markus smiled to himself. There it was - West City. A place that was now their target - and possibly the catalyst in a plan that Markus himself had devised, along with his good friend Spade Aeries, who was to enter this battle on the side of Amestris, and yet leave victorious under Creta. He grinned, and unhooked the cross off his back, before unwrapping the large steel weapon. He raised it into he air, and stared downrange at the City with a smile, and a shout.

"Expect the unexpected! We may have reinforcements on our side soon, so you know your orders! We touch nobody but military! Do not harm civilians, they have done nothing!" He knew that he was going against the direct orders of his government, but if everything went well, they wouldn't be his government much longer... No, he'd be the government, and the end of this poinless war with Amestris.

A sigh escaped his lips, and he motioned the cannons forward.

"We're going to be expecting a battle within in the city, so I want you to hang back. Any sign of loss, fire. I don't want to level this city, nor do I wish the death of it's citizens. So only on my signal. UNDERSTAND?! I also want Battalions B and D to hang back with them - it is imperative that we have backup in an emergency." The soldiers shouted out in unison, and Markus nodded, drawing a pair of long-barrelled muskets from the holsters on his belt. He had a nice plan for these...

And Spade had a pair exactly the same.

[Spade Aeries]

Spade was a pirate! He laughed to himself, taking a swig of rum from the bottle that hung from his elegant uniform. Ah, what a sweet taste. Such a beautiful morning... It was too bad he couldn't share this wonderful alcohol with Markus! Hah! More for him.

Spade's cold, jade eyes darted to the side from atop the West Head Quarters roof. It seemed the Cretans were almost ready to attack... Markus' breaking away would soon be clear. He waited for the sound of gunshots and met Josef's steady gaze beside him. Spade smirked, finishing off their conversation. "When this is over, I'll take you to your first bar, so no more suicide-bombing, you hear?" He nudged the 17-year-old in the arm and strut away towards Natsu's position.

This was a problem. It had his nerves racing in circles, and being the soft-hearted idiot that he was, Spade couldn't withhold the information he had just realized with shocking clarity. Maybe it was because he wasn't drunk yet. Shit. Well, Josef was with him on this, so he wasn't completely facing the world alone--the world being Amestris. He stopped beside his second in command and gave a nervous smile, running a clammy hand through his wavy, dark brown hair. "Natsu..." He met the other 17-year-old's eyes. "There's a huge problem..." He took another gulp of the rum to buy himself some time and to think of the way to word it exactly. "If we side with Markus in this battle, there's no returning to Amestris. We'll be stamped as traitors. This is your last chance to back out." Spade narrowed his eyes from below his sunglasses. "No hard feelings." With that, he turned and walked away, fondling his muskets with love. It was time.

[Guest]

Riffel stood silently as the wind ruffled his hair in the wind and wondered how much longer it would be until things would start to get more exciting. He listened to Spade talk to a young man named Josef, about taking him to a bar after everything was over. "Hah Spade up to your old shenanigans as usual huh?" He crossed his arms as a slight breeze blew past him. "Man it's getting cold out here...hope this thing ends quickly..." He rubbed his hands together, wishing he had some sort of gloves. But the only thing he had in his pockets were some mittens that he found lying around and they wouldn't be good for keeping grip on his juttes. "Oi Spade if this whole thing finishes rather quickly I'll buy you a nice large bottle of vodka...sound good?" He rapped his juttes against the ground impatiently, sooo damn cold.

[Guest]

Loki sat on a wooden chair nearby all the others. Spade, Josef, Riffel and the other guys. They kinda outranked him.. not that it mattered to Loki - he never gave status much credit. He placed his legs on the table in front of him and started rocking forth and back, looking at the others, not minding whether they would find this inappropriate.
Then a yawn escaped his lips, and he spoke, trying to make time fly by faster:

"Oh man, when will those chumps attack already?! It's not like their army consist of old people! They could hurry up and make their move - it's booooring!" - Loki crossed his arms on his chest, talking loudly so that everyone present could hear him. Just everyone present here.
He was wearing his usual purple elegant suit and jewellery here and there. He wasn't feeling the cold in the slightest - he was Drachman after all - he feared no cold but the Drachman cold. He smirked when he heard Riffel say it was cold.
Now... this would be fun. Spade Aeries was going to betray Amestris and side with Creta on this one. Loki was gonna stick with him - just for the fun of it. It's not like he'd be branded a traitor to Amestris - he was never with Amestris from the beginning. Besides - he was virtually nobody and his name wasn't going to be mentioned anywhere as he assumed. He would be just some military who deflected with his commander.

"I wonder if everything will go as planned, eh Josef?" - Loki asked Josef, directing the sound directly to him. He simply didn't want to hear comments from others on this.

[Guest]

Josef sighed as Spade pranced off to go consult natsu. Drinking? Again? It was bad enough Josef was left to deal with all of Spade's hijinks and drunken mishaps, act as his designated driver, and help him get over his hangovers, Josef really didn't like the thought of waking up with no recollection of what occured the night before, and knowing Spade, that could easily be anything.

Josef stared off into the distance, the direction of the Cretarian forces. The plan seemed simple enough on a layed out board. There were two opposing forces, each had a faction of soldiers and commanders ready to surmount a coup and incapacitate the other faction of its force. The odds were in their favor at this point. If the Cretarians failed on their part, then there would only be a weakened fraction of the Cretarian army left to deal with. If Spade's team failed to carry out their half of the operation....no that was very unlikely, Josef expected Markus to have quite the showy takeover, but Josef opted for a much more subtle approach.

Josef smiled weakly at Loki as he asked about the plan. He reached into his bag and pulled out his copy of 'The Art of War'. He always carried this with him onto the field.
"The odds our in our favor, if we all stay synchronized, their should be nothing wrong with our plan."

Josef glanced back toward Spade and Natsu and then back to Loki. "Spade is going to remove West HQ's commander, You and I are to take out the field commanders and surround the bulk of West's army. Loki, you role in this is vital, so I'm placing my trust in you. I would like you to lead a detachment of our forces to where the West HQ soldiers are currently on standby. Our men will surround the West soldiers and subdue them, we won't open fire if the others will simply lay down their arms. If you use your manipulation of sound , you can mute the footsteps of our soldiers to make surrounding them easier, or perhaps you can disorient the enemy by breaking the sound barrier and their eardrums along with it, I would like casualties kept a minimum. Meanwhile, I will personally see to the field commanders. Understand?" Josef stated with a composed calmness that masked his fear of killing. If a single mis-step occured, a bloodbath could ensue and Central would have to overwhelm West by pure force.

Josef motioned for a nearby by medic team to follow him with a simple hand gesture. Josef's alchemy was perfet for subduing individuals, but how their bodies handled it varied, one could simply pass out form exposure to this power, or one could die on the spot. The medics were there just in case the lethality percentile came into play.

Josef flipped through the pages of his book carefully, skimming over the words written over a thousand years ago. He then closed the book softly and put it back into his bag. "Are you ready Loki?" Josef asked the sound alchemist while keeping a single saying vivid in his mind, 'Keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer'

[Guest]

Loki looked at Josef as the later explained what he wanted for the sound alchemist to do. He pouted and sighed as Josef made a pause in his speech, before asking him if he was ready for what was to come. Of course Loki actually listened only to the half of it all - he could care less about what others were gonna do. He only listened to his own personal targets and about keeping casualties to a minimum.
The sound alchemist threw his body forwards, getting off the chair and standing up on the table. Quite a feat, but Loki preferred to keep in shape. He had to get away from sticky situations from time to time. Be that a high ranking officer or an angry bartender. With a single step forward he fell off the table and landed on his feet.

"What? I'm not some child - no need to explain it to me that way. I know what to do with my powers." - Loki pouted again, but in the next moment his pout turned into a tricky smile. - "C'mon Jo - we're gonna do this right and get the hell outta here until everyone at Central get word of what happened. No need to be nervous too - you got me, of all people, with ya on this one, desu ne?"
Loki patted Josef on his shoulder once in a friendly way and continued:

"I was born ready, friend. I'll keep our "noise" to a minimum and make it hard for anyone in the vicinity to alert others of our actions."

[Guest]

OOC: AAHHH i had like forgotten about this hahahah been busy busy.

Kaoru stood in the bathroom of the bar or whatever kind of drinking establishment this was. Kaoru had just finished making another broad sword out of his blood since his last one from the battle in the south was ruined. As Koaru place it btween is studed belt and his pants slidding it through the gap so it would stay there. Kaoru pulled his shirt up so he could see the massive bruise he got when his constantly flirting with woman and probably drunk or starting to get drunk commander had been blown by a bomb into the poor kid. The bruise was less swollenbut still able to be seen,Kaoru put his shirt down after expecting the bruise then Kaoru spoke to himself " That damn drunk that better not happened again or im gonna kill him myself "

Kaoru took his lighter out of his left pocket and a packet of cigerettes out of his back right pocketand he takes a cigerette out of the packet and put te packet back in his pocket where he got it from. Kaoru then he lit up the cigerette put it between those soft lips of his and he takes a deep puff then breaths out Kaoru keeps the cigerette between his lips as he slie a winter coat on only god and Kaoru knows why he did that it didnt really matter for anyone else, he takes another puff and breaths out again before walking out whre everybody was and says " I hope those boys didnt forget about me aye haha " Kaoru yawn and walked out of the bar and towards west HQ, Kaoru really hopped theydidnt forget about him.

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila stared at her fax for at least an hour before she grasped every angle of it. It was an order from Central, signed by the Fuhrer herself... Reila clutched strawberry blond bangs in a fist at the top of her head. This was bad... Hild wanted her and as many Briggs Brigade members she could spare to be sent to West Head Quarters so they could prevent Spade Aeries from starting a Coup with Creta. What was that idiot drunkard thinking!? Reila wanted to bash him in the head with a snowball. Unfortunately, that wouldn't absolve the situation. Still...there was something definitely wrong with this entire operation. Spade was too lazy to be a part of something so complex unless there was a dire reason for it. And she had heard nothing about it until now. Reila pressed a button on her desk. "Send Dai and Houka in here ASAP."

Leaning back in her chair, she stared at the ceiling with a forlorn look in her golden eyes. Briggs would go; either way they had to go, but what they would do there was the mystery. Reila wanted to get the Cretans out of West City as much as she wanted to get the Aerugese out of South City... But she couldn't exactly oppose Hild directly; it would be suicide. There was no way she would submit her men to be massacred like the Central forces were in South City. Reila shuddered at the mere thought, dragged her hand from her hair and across her face to massage at her temples. This decision would not only effect the fate of Briggs, but all of Amestris. It was something that even Reila felt she most certainly couldn't do alone.

She picked up her cellphone and dialed Brigadier General Tataki Masu's phone number, listening to the tone that indicated it was ringing. She would have to ask for his assistance. They were an alliance...if Briggs were being sent into a trap in West City to be annihilated, East City would definitely help. Reila was sure that if she had East City forces with her, they would be able to overcome anything together. She was sure, and she was also sure of her new alchemic abilities that could extend to an extremely far distance. They could do this... The only instance in which Reila would pull out of West City would be if Hild commanded them too. She would not, under any circumstances as of yet, oppose the Fuhrer directly. "Ah! Yes, this is Lieutenant General Reila Tsukino speaking from Fort Briggs, I would like to talk to Brigadier Tataki Masu if I may..."

[Guest]

Houka had been in the training room practising with her newest alchemic addition: Water bombs. A useful ability that came from her original fire alchemy and was a more advanced version of one of Roy Mustang's alchemic techniques. It was then that a soldier walked in. She listened carefully to his message and then dismissed him. Something was up. Reila wanted her in her office ASAP. That meant something big. She holstered her gun blades and quickly ran to Reila's office knocking once and announcing herself before walking in.

As she walked in she quickly saluted and then spoke. "You asked to see me as soon as possible Reila?" she asked rhetorically. "What problem have we got to solve this time?" Houka did not bother with small talk. She knew there was a problem and she knew they had to solve it. It probably meant going miles out of their comfort zone again. Both her and Reila were suited for cold-weather combat more then anything else.

[Guest]

Tataki had just finished up some paper work he had to do. Certainly there was a better use of his talents elsewhere but that seemed not to be so for now. It seemed his afternoon would be a little more than boring now that the paper work was finished but he wouldn't say anything. He didn't want to jinx himself after all. He then received a message.

"Brigadier General Masu sir, there is a woman on line one who says shes Lieutenant General Reila Tsukino from Briggs. Shall i patch her through," his assistant said over the intercom in her nasally voice.

"Yes please, and Thank you Dorothy," he said to her turning the intercom off and picking up the phone and pressed line one. "Hello Lieutenant General Reila Tsukino, and to what do I owe this wonderful call," he said pleasantly not knowing what she was going to say to him. He remembered helping her escape when South City fell and kept in relative contact with. He did enjoy her company but duties had caused him not to have as much time as he would have liked. Trying to take up part of the slack that had occurred when South HQ fell to the Aerugese. He liked the Aerugese having spent some time with them in his younger days. But, a attack on his country was a attack on him in his opinion. Whether they be enemy, someone he liked, or even ally forces.

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila laughed and held the phone away from her ear a moment. She held a finger up to Houka to indicate that she was on the phone and it would only be a moment. Then, she carelessly tossed her sister-in-arms the fact she had received from Hild in Central. Seeing as, by this time, she was still holding on, Reila whispered to the redhead. "We have to go to West City to prevent a Coup and Cretan take over." There was no snow there...Reila and the rest of her Briggs Brigade would be out of their element. Luckily though, the sky had plenty of water to share! Absentmindedly Reila wondered if precipitational alchemy had negative effects on the environment...

Reila suddenly heard the familiar voice of her friend and ally on the other line. "Ohoh Tatak--I mean Brigadier General Masu." This was business; Reila couldn't be sounding informal at this present time. "I just received word from the fuhrer herself that West City will soon be invaded by Cretarians and that Brigadier General Spade Aeries will be assisting them. Briggs was ordered to prevent Spade from doing this..." Her voice had an implying edge to it the entire time and the stress was apparent in her girlie tones. She sighed and pulled at her hair again, worry clouding her usually clear, gold eyes.

[Dai]

"You're fucking kidding me." He hadn't spoken up too loud - not wanting to disturb Reila's call at all. Spade Aeries? That guy? The drunken head of Central HQ? No way. There was no way! He had to have a good reason - it was something, he was sure of it! He may not be for traitors, but Spade wasn't betraying Amestris for himself... Was he? He waited for the call to end, and stepped through the door.

"I don't believe it. I really don't. Spade... Spade isn't a traitor. He may be a bit of an idiot, but he's not going to up and betray Amestris without a good reason. I don't want to fight him. If I have to, I will. But I tihnk we need to find out why he's going over to Cre-" He decided to stop. Any more, and he might be seen as a traitor... And he really didn't need that on his record. The redhead lowered his eyes, and leaned back against the door.

He would get ready for battle, and he'd get his troops ready also. He should at least try to take West City back without killing too many innocents... Least of all Spade. He grimaced, and hung his head. Nothing needed to be said, not to Reila, not to Houka.

[Guest]

(OOC: Oh damn it, I mixed up Aerugese and Xingese for the lose, sorry everyone.)

Tataki's face became grim with the news Reila relayed to him. So they had a traitor in there midsts. He loathed traitors of Ametris. I'm fact he didn't like them in general. A bunch of cowards that needed to be squashed in his book. Plus, to top it off they were being attacked by the Cretarians. So another one decided to attack them. This disappointed Tataki, after all Ametris was a wonderful place though not perfect. Tataki paused for a second to regain his composure. "You have Eastern HQ's full support. Is there anything else? Also, where would like us to meet," he said then asked rather seriously but, he no longer carried any anger in his voice. He hoped it wasn't too straight forward for her but his duty was to defend Ametris as best he could and he wanted to get started.

Cupping his hand over the the mouth end of the phone he pressed the intercom button but, was still listening to Reila as he did this. "Dorothy tell the men to get ready to head out. I want any available men you can find," he said with a slight grin. "Were going to stop a invasion and capture a traitor" They needed to be ready, they couldn't just go in half cocked and hope for the best. He continued to listen to Reila to see if anything else was needed.

[Guest]

"I will prepare our troops for departure." she said calmly before performing another swift salute. "Creta nor those who aid them will not have their own way." she quickly read the fax and sighed deeply. What a pain this was. Spade was leading a coup. That could be a problem. He had quite a few faithful followers. "The sky's tears will extinquish the flames of war." With that she saluted again before moving out pulling out her headset radio and tuned it to the control room.

"This is Brigadier General Yochi. Initiate emergency protocol 7382." she stated calmly. After this was said an alert began to be played from the speakers. "Code a732bf56"

Emergency Protocol 7382. This is not a drill. All soldiers from division 1 through 5 prepare for departure to West City. All others are on defence duty This alert continued to play on a loop. Houka headed to her room to change her clothing so it more suited West City climate. This was not a major change, she just forgoed her trenchcoat for a vest top and her arms were covered by bandages. A piece of cloth was attached to each of the shoulders of her vest top and on this was the symbol denoting her rank. She then headed down to the vehicle storage bay to supervise the preparations.

[Reila Tsukino]

[I have no idea what you mean, but I didn't notice anyway so it's cool <3]

Reila snickered to herself, overhearing Dai who was leaning against her bright pink door. She had to press her polished fingers to her lips to keep from letting full-on laughter spill out into the receiver. Tataki would probably hit her through the phone for finding this amusing. When Dai's rambling ended, Reila was able to refocus on the other line. She blinked in surprise at Tataki's immediate response. That was why she liked him. Beaming, she answered happily despite the situation. Reila had the rare ability to bury her worries the moment they surfaced.

"Thank you so much Ta--Brigadier General Masu!!" Reila grinned and spun around on her chair, noticing that Houka was no longer there and Dai was staring at her like she was crazy. Well, she was! Then Dai dropped his head, and Reila's focus once again shifted.

"Oh right... I haven't gotten that far yet. I have," Reila raised her voice an octave so that Dai's attention would be had, "to talk it over with my head of military operations. So I will get back to you as soon as I figure out Briggs' plan of action. Is that okay?" She waited for an answer before saying bye and hanging up. Almost immediately after wards, she rose to her feet, boots pounding against the ground in haste. She stopped in front of Dai.

"What should we do...?" It seemed that ever since the terrible loss in the South Reila's plans and determination have faltered. When she closed her eyes and saw all the dead Amestrian soldiers, she knew why Spade was betraying Amestris.

[Guest]

{OOC - As I'm pretty sure that Reila's post won't affect the outcome of this post... I shall begin the attack.}

Three...

Two...

One...

Markus looked up from his watch and grinned widely. It was time. He had agreed on this time with Spade... And he wasn't going to make his friend wait. He raised his left hand into the air, and pointed down to West City.

"We attack! Now!" The soldiers moved quickly, straight for the West City defenses. As the converged upon the entrance, Markus pointed out any West City Soldiers that he saw (Spades forces had a special band on their arms) and his men took them out with ease. They moved silently through the streets, killing soldiers that weren't Spade's, and subdueing civilians out in the streets, before sending them back home. He wanted to win the hearts and minds of the people, and hurting them was not the way to go.

It was the beginning of the end - not for Amestris, but for Creta's governing body. And Markus was going to make sure that his bullets was the one that did the job. Permanently. He pulled a megaphone off his hip, and shouted into it.

"Citizens of West City - we will not injure you... We are not going to touch your women and children, nor anybody who does not resist. You will be kept safe, and we don't wish any deaths to occur. That is all."

[Guest]

"Leaving the flank behind exposed... well, this is going to be hell, isn't it?"

This level statement was immediately followed by a wide smile, Kor staring up at the speaker blaring the alert, as if it was the best thing he had heard all day. He was in the break room of East HQ, wearing an undershirt and standing before an unfinished ice block; much as it agitated him to leave a work of art, well, this one wasn't even started.

Walking over to a nearby unattended chair, Kor picked his uniform shirt up from its perch hanging over the back, quickly swinging it on, buttoning it as he went for the door. He tapped the canteens on both of his sides, and gave a smirk. Whatever was in West, he was sure that it would do something to curb his boredom.

Regardless, he would soon find himself at vehicle storage, more than ready to hop on the first van departing to West.

"Quite a move... somethin big must be goin on..."

[Spade Aeries]

Spade pushed the speaker on his headset, connecting him with all of his men. "We're on! Our goal is to disable all of West HQ before Creta gets here. Don't kill 'em if you don't have to." Spade was done with his orders. The rest was left up to Josef...His job now was, well, to take out the Brigadier General that was supposed to be on the same alchemic level as him...hardly. Spade was a genius AND he was lucky. Nothing was touching him! Damn he really needed a beer...and a beautiful woman. War really sucked.

He pushed his wondrous sunglasses up his nose and reached for the radio. Too bad all the booze was gone or he'd be reaching for that instead. "Riffel, I need a lock down on the General's position..." With that, Spade took off sprinting through the doors that led down from the roof. He knew his troops would successfully take care of the rest, especially with Josef leading them. Now to just beat the shit out of the West City General...

[Guest]

Heads and eyebrows rose in slight surprise as Lyte Icarus walked down the hallway that led to the office of Brigadier General Tataki Masu; the soldiers stationed in the Eastern Command center were wondering who this Ishvalan boy was, and why he was walking so confidently toward the office of their general. However, something kept them all from saying anything, perhaps it was luck, as Lyte was so nervous that if anyone had stopped him to question him, they might have been sent across the room. Although he projected confidence, the young Ishbalan was nervous beyond belief. To his intense shock, the Fuhrer herself had assigned him to become the...second in command of the Eastern Command Center! Was it luck that landed him this position? Fate? Skill? Or perhaps it was his brother's influence?

Whatever the reason, Lyte Icarus found himself standing outside of General Masu's door. After taking a few deep breathes, he knocked once and opened the door. Walking in and closing the door behind himself, Lyte took a few steps forward then, arriving at the General's desk, he saluted and introduced himself in a voice that was holding up surprisingly well considering.

Sir, 2nd Lieutenant Lyte Icarus reporting as ordered by Fuhrer Schwartz. I was assigned to become your new second in command, and to assume all of the duties that come with the position. I swear that I will do my best, and that I will not disappoint you!

After finishing with his 'introduction,' Lyte noticed that General Masu was on the telephone, and felt a little bit warmer than usual, then colder. Had he just interrupted an important call?!

[Guest]

Loki clapped his hands as Spade ordered the start of the operation. It was going to be a piece of cake, since nobody knew about this little coup. At least that was what Loki thought. He made a 180* turn and waved goodbye back to Josef, who now was behind him, as he started to walk off, directing the soundwaves back to him:

"See ya after I'm done on my part. I'll keep radio contact on Spade's channel, so you can talk to me any time you want. Don't wanna be left in the blind here." - Loki made a slight laugh and headed downstairs, where his squadron awaited for his arrival. These men were now under his direct control. Oooh! That felt exilirating and somewhat insecure for Loki - it was not often, not often at all that he would lead a squad of soldiers.
He coughed twice and spoke to the men:

"Okay, you already know my name, and I hope I don't need to repeat it for ya lads... and girls." - Loki noticed that there were 4 females in his squadron. - "We act fast and careful. As you know - there's no need to shoot your fellow Amestrians to death, and if you do shoot - shoot to disable, not kill. Legs and arms are the best way to disable the... "enemy" with a shot or two, but I guess I don't need to tell you that. I'll make it so that we won't be heard as we move and should a need arise - I can mute the enemy which will try to alert others of our presence." - Loki brushed his fingers through his hair and nodded with a smile. - "Let's go people - we've got work to do!"

Loki turned around, activating his alchemy and motioned the soldiers to follow him. Now they were going towards the West City's officers positions. Loki was going to keep this quiet and without any victims on his side. He hoped that he would be lucky enough to do that, just as planned.
The young alchemist placed his finger on a commlink in his ear and spoke:

"This is group Sigma - Strategist, come in. Bachelor, come in. The sound is flowing forwards as expected." - Loki decided to check the communication channel and spoke in terms that others of his team would understand - it was a private secluded channel, but caution was still necessary. It was never a bad idea to be on the safe side. Loki tried to contact Josef and Spade, and was now waiting for a reply as he moved further to the designated location.

[Guest]

OCC: Sorry for being so late. Internet's off and I've just been able to reach a comp. Once again really sorry guys. Alright now I have to catch up to everyone.

Natsu listen to Spades words and honestly he had knew all of this before he had even came out to the roof. Natsu thought about his family in Creta. He looked over at the others and knew they were all prepared for what was going to happen. Natsu balled his fists up as a small breeze blew the cloth around his waist. He remebered back to something his father use to tell him, he whispered it "Never give up. Take back what is yours." Afterwards Natsu begin to prepare for the upcoming battle. He had tweaked his attire a little to prepare him for the battle. He had the left sleeve of his shirt completely removed and the high collared shirt was replaced with one with no collar, same color though. His shirt was zipped up to his upper chest. Now all that remained was for Spade signal.

After while the words had finally rung through Natsu ear's. The mission had begun and he was gonna show everyone why he was the rank he was. His eyes sharpen as a slight smile found it's way on his face. He casually walked off the roof and into the street; seeing Loki prepare his team for the battle. Natsu attention was suddenly grabbed as he remembered Spade. Natsu hurried after Spade it was his duty as his second in command to be with him at time of importance like this one; even if they were destroying the very thing that tied that connection together. It didn't take him long to catch up "I got your back. " He said as he followed close behind him.

[Guest]

Yeon-hwa was sitting in her office, the pre-section that everyone would have to walk through in order to reach the Brigader General. Her face was supported by two of her hands, her lips pursed around a straw as she contently sipped in ice-coffee. What was it with people of Briggs? they had this fascination of staying cool in mid winter!
Buzz!!! Get Dai and Houka in here!
" cough!!! bleh "

She had not expected the sudden paging from the general, the suprise causing her to swallow too much coffee then she could handle. Bleh! She cleaned herself up as she watched two soldiers breaking into a run as to find the Northern Head Quarters General and the the Head of Military affairs walked past her and into the office of the General.
"oh my.... looks serious"

Yeon-hwa had been listening the whole time and by the looks of it a General had leagued himself with Creta and were currently planning to take over the west city. She stepped in to the cozy little office, somewhat watching the exchange between Dai and Reila then Reila and the phone and then Dai and Reila again. The whole time she has turned into furniture rather than a person, blending into the enviroment. " ahh General?

[Guest]

Kaoru had left the bar that he was at since he was wearing a winter it instantly got hot to kaoru's dismay he spoke to himself " Ugh just a bit longer for where I’m going after this it will be worth it "Kaoru had an odd feeling that the others had forgotten about him, he also knew that he would have to fight soon but he wasn’t really in the mood but he would have to cast the mood aside when the time came Kaoru was still walking then he heard he alarm on his watch start going off " Hmmm it seems like its time heh they must have forgotten me ugh haha " Kaoru then started to whistle which sounded similar to Mozart’s lacrimosa which was sometimes used in funerals " That’s for you those that is for you those that will die today may your journey to the next life be a good one hahahah can’t believe I said that next life hah when you die you die "

it had been a few minutes since he had started whistling and speaking so he start to run to his destination the west city HQ Kaoru new that this would be his last fight for someone else but it probably would fight for other people to his own dismay his heart started pumping more and Kaoru knew it was time for battle and to fight for his life which he wouldn’t let slip away so easily Kaoru could now see the western HQ in sight.

[Guest]

Josef nodded back at Loki as he set off to fulfill his part of the mission. The majority of West's forces would be left to Loki, but the scholarly alchemist was to strike the beast at the head. Josef set his commlink in his ear and tucked his book under his arm. After going over ever single detail and necessary preparation in his mind, Josef sat out in the direction of the field commanders, West's fellow tactical minds. The strategist's pace was casual, he was in no apparent rush, or at least, he certainly couldn't make it seem so, or he may alert the men he sought to disable to the nature of his intent.

Josef walked past several West HQ soldiers, those that made their routine rounds or where heading off to carry out their orders. They'd all be lost without the guiding hand to command them very soon, left to the mercy of Loki's squadron. The sounds of gunfire were already cracking in the distance like fireworks, each signaling the possible death of another man, just following orders, just doing his job. The Cretarian army had already made its move, the gunfire of Loki's men would have not been audible, so Josef was 100% sure of Creta's deployment. Hopefully, Loki's men would suppress the bulk of West before the Cretarian soldiers got to them. Another possible scenario was that Creta could suddenly attack Spade's men, either by accident or on purpose, from Creta's perspective, this may have been a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, Josef kept this in mind, and was already formulating a plan for retaliation if that were to happen. Josef Draper was normally very trusting, perhaps even naive and over idealistic. War in itself had mutilated that innocence the he had once held close to his heart. The worst of men came out in these senseless acts of bloodshed, that was something Josef had realized in his time in the military. Peace was impossible, and intangible ideal in this day and age, Amestris was corrupt and looking to soak the soil of their country in the blood of its own people, as they had done in South. The countries that were surrounding Amestris were hardly any better, always acting out of greed, they too did not value peace and the lives of people.

Josef shed away such morbid and depressing thoughts from his mind as the field commanders came into his view. They stood outside of a tower several stories tall and decorated with the crest and symbol of West HQ. This branch of the main building was a war room, for general planning and discussion, if Josef's memory served him right. There was three of them in all, clad in decorated military uniforms with several guards accompanying them. There was no mistaking the higher ups of this army. Josef continued to approach the officers, pretending to be set about doing something else, trying not to make eye contact with the officers or the guards. The sound of Loki's voice briefly broke Josef's concentration as he called in through the commlink. Josef reached up and touched the side of the commlink in his ear, trying to seem as if he were just scratching an itch. "I copy, Sigma, now moving into position" the 'strategist' whispered in a low but audible voice.

"Ah! Heinrich!" Josef called out to one of the officers, the tallest one with the unshaven face. He had memorized all there names, Heinrich was the one of greatest stature among them. "Oh, Josef, did Aeries send you?" the man replied in an unsuspecting voice. "No, no, I just thought I'd go over tactics one more time, the Cretarians have already made their move, I thought it may be wise to revise our plans" Josef explained as he held his hand out in a friendly gesture, making sure to hide the transmutation circle inked into his skin from the commander's sight. "Well I'm sure we can discuss it all when we head down to-....". Heinrich fell silent as he took Josef's hand and shook it. The officer slumped to the ground without a word. Perfect, it took more energy considering the distance from the central nervous system, but the jolt of energy Josef had sent crashing through Heinrich's muscle tissue had done its work. The other officers were only able to cry out in astonishment as they watched their friend collapse, but they did little else, as the meek looking tactician lashed out and jabbed the closest one with his index finger, right in the neck. He immediately fell to the ground and started to convulse violently. Damn, that time he had caused a seizure. It would be bad if he died, very bad, it would guilt Josef for weeks. But now wasn't the time to hesitate. Josef set upon his final target, striking him on both his arms and legs with rapid succession. This man yelled out in terror as he feared for his life, watching helplessly as his peers lied on the ground, one unable to control his own body, the other still and motionless. But he could do nothing, as his limbs would not respond to his commands, Josef was sure of that.

Sergeant Draper quickly maneuvered himself behind the paralyzed officer, seeing that his consciousness would be key for this to work. Josef drew a gun from his belt and pressed it against the side of the man's head. The officer cried out desperately, making no attempt to show his fear of dying. He must of been the type that got to where he was by influence, not valor in battle, yet Josef did feel sorry for this man. This quivering officer now stood between the two guards that had accompanied the group, who were now faced with this sudden dilemma, the looks of anguish on their face made it apparent enough that they were unsure of what to do. "Drop your weapons and kick them away, or I'm afraid I will have to kill him" Josef called out to them both. It was a bluff really, the last thing Josef wanted to do was kill someone, but they didn't know that. The man he was holding hostage was a bit portly, it was a struggle to hold the man up, seeing as his legs were completely limp from Josef's alchemy. "D-d-do it! Drop your weapons!" the man cried out. With some hesitation, both guards did just that. Their weapons fell to the ground with a loud metallic clank as they hit the pavement, followed by the sound of scraping as they kicked them away.

As soon as they guards disarmed themselves, Josef's team of central soldiers leaped into action. A team of medics, garbed in white with a red cross-shaped patch on the shoulder of the sleeves of their uniform rushed over to assist the two men whom Josef had struck down. They also tended to the third officer, who was simply paralyzed, though the expression he wore was that of pathetic fear. The rest of the soldiers, standard riflemen, took the guards into custody, lining them both up at gunpoint.

Josef Draper sighed in relief as the situation was brought under control. He touched the device in his ear once more "This is Draper, everything is clear on my end."

[Guest]

"Not a problem at all Lieutenant General Reila Tsukino, and if you wish or if it would make it easier you may just call me Tataki," he said with a kind of smile on his face, just as his new second in command entered. He was plenty able to listen to both him and Reila speak at once. After Lyte spoke he put up his finger as if to say one minute. Shifting his attention to Reila. "Alright then be free to call me back and I'll be sure to get there as fast as I can, speak to you then Lieutenant General Reila Tsukino," he said happy to help fellow commanding officer and hanging up the phone. He now turned his full attention to Lyte. "So you are my new eh," he asked rhetorically. He did find himself rather shorthanded, with much of the old staff gone. He could definitely use the help. He would like to take the time to get to know his new second in command but they found themselves in a rather pressing situation.

"Now I would like to get to know you, Lyte was it? But we have a little matter of assisting Fort Briggs with surpressing an invasion in the west. Could you go and tell the men to stay on standby until ordered by me not to be," asked his new second in command. This would be perfect to see how well he was at following. "We will get to know each other on the way to are destination when Lieutenant General Reila Tsukino calls and lets me know where we will be meeting her. That is all," he dismissed his new second in command.

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