Breaking the Silence

D'ye want some, sir?

Don't mind if I do.

Would be better if we had some seasoning from home, perhaps some marinated meat.

What is it?

I ken who ye are now, and ye’re a wee bit different from whit’s in the news.

Ah. Well, you can ask your captain. I held her when she was wee.

Little Rita touched my horn and asked why her dad didn't have one.

...I apologize for my insolence at the time, Your Grace.

Not many have the nerve to touch my horns, Lieutenant Skamandros. You showed courage from a very young age.

...

Or should I say... all of you are brave warriors of Victoria.

Your defense of Chetleigh was outstanding, as was your performance at Brentwood.

The Exemplars, you call yourselves...

I've long wanted to meet you, though it seems your leader does not welcome my presence.

...

Pardon my frankness, Your Grace, but it is hard to treat your sudden appearance as a pure gesture of good faith.

Of course, Lady Windermere. I understand.

Especially in times like this.

I sent men to the Irnclad Galavae. They were traveling quickly, but fortunately, I made it in time to present funeral flowers for Amphelise.

...I appreciate the gesture.

I assume the duke of Gododdin hasn't come all the way here just to give us a medal?

What if I say I have?

Most of us are neither nobles nor intelligentsia. It would be best if you didn't beat around the bush.

Your Royal Highness Alexandrina is as direct as they say.

Or would you prefer that I called you 'Siege', like your friends do?

I fully understand why the Exemplars avoided the ducal armies along the way.

You didn't want them to get involved in the machinations of the dukes.

You want to fight only for Victoria and her people, like the legendary unit that you're named after.

And so, I'm not here as the Duke of Gododdin.

I'm here as Sean Gododdin, Member of Parliament, to extend an invitation to the Parliament authorized Tempest Platoon and the rest of the Exemplars.

Leave that outdated identification code behind. I'm asking that you intervene in this war in the name of Parliament.

The miners' camp has burned to the ground.

No sign of Sarkaz soldiers.

Miners. Remains of the Infected.

It's all the same, everywhere.

What's that sound?

Nice hiding spot, Sudaram.

Nachzehrer spotted to the northwest of Gibsonham—

Out of comms range already?

Death has you.

Shush now...

I have you too.

...Duke Gododdin.

I understand that the Victorian Parliament has not held a session for a long time.

Everyone who escaped Londinium knows that the Sarkaz have been the ones giving the orders from the Palace of Westhaleg during this time.

Of course. I don't deny the present circumstances.

Why don't we cast our gaze further, though, to the future beyond the war?

The future? Isn't it a little too early to be bargaining over that — if 'bargaining' and 'coercion' were synonyms?

You misunderstand me. Gododdin is not Caster. I would much prefer to sit by the fireside than gather at the negotiation table. I'm more about drinking and playing cards with friends.

It gets cold rather quickly once summer is gone. Mind if I have my men add some wood to the fire?

You might as well have them come in.

Thank you.

That's much better.

Where were we? Oh yes, the future.

We know that the war will end, and Victoria will triumph.

The war will inevitably bring... or should I say has already brought about irreversible changes, ending a twenty-year stalemate.

If anyone in the room is interested in the empty throne, it certainly isn't me.

Excellent, excellent! See? We already have a consensus.

As a matter of fact, I held a little meeting not too long ago and saw the Iron Duke in person.

Seeing him always reminds me of when I first saw the Gastrell.

Like so many other children who grew up hearing tales of the Empire's Death Knell, I searched for the shadow of the ruins that belonged to Lingones, only to find not Gaul...

But the glory of the strongest nation of our time, so splendid that I could not bear to turn away.

You want us to believe you care more about Victoria than Gododdin?

Make no mistake, I would never call myself a patriot.

A duke must always put his dukedom before all else; this is not just a matter of interest, but also a duty, a responsibility.

But I wonder... what is the difference between Gododdin and Wellington?

Wellington would still be Wellington, with or without Victoria. But what would become of Gododdin, if the light of Victoria went out?

Perhaps it would survive. But things would certainly not get better.

You don't want the Grand Dukes to really divide Victoria.

I'm not the only one.

You know that.

As strong as Victoria is, she is not without her rivals. Ursus, Leithanien, Columbia, Sargon... all the ambitious nations of Terra have their eyes on us.

We need a single, unified voice to bring stability.

This is why Parliament exists. All the ducal realms will select an appropriate representative... including Windermere.

...

This is what the Exemplars mean to Victoria. No soldier who fights for the cause of Victoria will need to fear betrayal again.

...

The Speaker of Parliament has always been the king, for the entirety of the role's existence. But that does not mean that he — or she — must sit on the throne.

And this is what you can mean to all of us, Your Royal Highness Alexandrina. If you are willing.

...

I have only one question for Your Grace.

If all of this could have waited until after the war—

Then if I refuse now, can my friends and I leave with the Sighs of Kings?

...

Hah.

Siege!

Crossbowmen outside!

We're surrounded. Maybe we already were the moment he showed up...

Well, well. First we learn what a 'commitment' is to Caster, now we learn what 'friendship' is to Gododdin.

Friends treat each other as equals, do they not?

My offer remains fair.

At the minimum... I gave this young friend from Gododdin the opportunity to point her piledriver spear at me.

Lost the signal from Drone 6 again... blasted place!

Alright, Balin, Yvres, Viktor. We have to do this manually.

Status reports, everyone?

All good here. The beacon's in there and the sensor's running. We're still getting strong interference from the wind and sand. I'm trying to filter out the noise.

Waiting on you now, Viktor!

Five minutes. The ground's softer than expected.

Careful, quicksand!

The soil's very different from the samples we collected. I've sent the data back. You got that, captain?

I knew it was a good idea to get you onboard, Yvres. Worth a few days of angry stares from Earthspirit.

I think you can do with a better working environment, Closure. Try not to get too much sand in your mouth...

Stop talking like Amiya, Balin!

Haha.

Hey! Don't just laugh at me, keep working! The sooner we get this signal tower set up, the sooner we can broadcast the safe zone locations, and the sooner you can go to town.

I'm trying! Rhodes Island equipment isn't like anything else I've seen. I'm already doing an 'exemplary' job, get it?

Seriously, though. You and Rockrock shouldn't be here with me in the first place.

You have my drones. Of course I'm staying here with them.

Well, that is a solid reason.

I know you’re concerned about my safety, but I’m actually really strong! What’s that… those Vampire worms would disagree? Well, not all Vampires are built the same, you know?

It's you two I'm worried about. Put your helmets on. Oripathy infection is no joke.

Alright, alright. But you lot are the ones who need to be careful, running around the battlefield like this.

'You lot'?

Rhodes Island. You lot are all over the battlefield, not caring for your own safety at all.

Balin is an Infected from Victoria. Yvres is Infected, but not Victorian. Viktor isn't Infected or Victorian. How amazing...

Why? Everyone knows Rhodes Island operators come from everywhere.

I can't help but think of my Granny, Clovisia... plus Tommy and the gang.

I once hoped that the Self-Salvation Corps could be as united as the Rhodes Island operators I'd seen.

Well... people aren't really born good or bad.

As circumstances change, so do people. Maybe, one day...

One day, the Self-Salvation Corps will become a tightly knit, united group.

Just like the Exemplars, now all fighting for the same thing. We're ready to brave the worst, ready to deal with defeat, even betrayal.

But it's not necessarily race, upbringing or circumstance that will unite us... just like Rhodes Island.

Alright, alright, enough with the compliments, I know you want to keep our equipment. Should I get you a contract now?

I'm not jealous of Rhodes Island, Miss Closure.

You lot give me the same kind of feeling as this strange communication equipment you're holding.

A possibility. Something that proves I'm not just a naive dreamer.

Wait.

Maybe your monologue is starting to bother Closure, Feist...

What's that sound?

Let me check the feed from Rock-18...

Catastrophe? But I don't see the data...

Nachzehrers... what are they doing here?!

Go.

You two, leave, now. Everyone from the Self-Salvation Corps, head for Gibsonham, now!

What's that sound—

S-Sarkaz! They're already here!

Battle stations! Open fire!

Explosions?

Sir, the Sarkaz are attacking the town! We have to leave, now.

They found us quicker than expected.

Looks like the Sarkaz remember the success they had with Amphelise.

What of the attackers?

Nachzehrer elites, sir.

Your Royal Highness, you and your people must leave with us, now. This town is not worth defending, but you and your friends are of paramount importance to the future of Victoria.

Our battleships can take us back to the Silverrock Bluffs front in three hours. That is where you belong.

Me or the sword?

Sir, we don't have time—

You don't have time and you don't plan to fight, even though you know how many civilians there are.

But of course you wouldn't. They're not important to you or the Parliament. These poor families wouldn't produce a single member of Parliament in a hundred years.

There's no place for them in your game of cards.

I simply have my sights on reality, Your Highness.

Reality? Reality is that the future of Victoria you dream of is to be found in grand halls filled with noble coats of arms.

My Victoria is here with these people.

Sir—

Very well, Your Royal Highness.

You're like your father at times. Naive, reckless...

Is that so? Not that I care. I don't remember anything about him.

Hah. Very well.

Good luck.

Horn. Order all combat-ready personnel on the plate to their stations, now.

On it.

Delphine. Have Lieutenant Shearer get the logistics and medical staff ready.

Already done.

Follow the plan. Protect the civilians. Prepare for battle!