Categories > Games > Tales of Symphonia > Tin Soldiers
The bases' loudspeaker systems crackled, both at once, and a voice came over them. It was a voice that all the officers knew well (even if the one who knew it best had all-too-recently gone to a watery grave...best not to dwell on that), and one that even the newest recruit couldn't help but listen to with respect.
"May I have your undivided attention, please," it said, "This is your leader, Lord Yuan, speaking. I have grave news for all of us."
A tense silence settled over both bases like a heavy, wet blanket. No one dared to break it with so much as a whisper, waiting with dread in the pits of their stomachs to hear what had happened now, with so much already having gone wrong.
The voice continued, "I trust that you have all been trained well enough to behave professionally and not panic, so I'll come right out and say it. All the evacuation plans we made for the worst-case scenario, the ones we kept and never thought to use...start dusting them off. Yggdrasill has discovered my treachery, and it's only a matter of time before he tracks us down here. I want all of you gone by the time that happens."
Now the whispers did start. How could this have happened? After all they'd done, all the precautions they'd taken...was there a spy among them? Had someone broken under interrogation? Had one of them - Martel forbid - grown careless? If Cruxis knew about Lord Yuan, what else could they have learned?
"I want to apologize to you all for this," Yuan's voice continued solemnly, "and to reassure you on a few points. To the best of my knowledge, our contact network has not been compromised, so you should be safe using that to hide. This incident is no one's fault but my own." Yuan sighed, actually sighed, and when he continued, his voice held the weariness of far too many years of being a ruthlessly efficient leader. "I didn't realize that...well, it doesn't matter. The point is, I was careless, and he saw me, overheard me giving orders to the soldiers I had with me...by the time I knew he was there, it was far too late. I made a mistake, one that I couldn't afford to make, and now it has cost us everything. For that, I am sorry.
"There is still a chance that the dream we share may come true. Lloyd Irving and his companions are still fighting Mithos, and I have come to believe that if a way can be found for him to wield the Eternal Sword, he and his friends may be able to overcome Yggdrasill. But your part in this is done, for now."
The whispers changed to mutters of disappointment. No one could really blame Lord Yuan, of course; clearly, circumstances must have been beyond his control, no matter what he claimed. They had faith that he had done his very best for all of them, and more importantly, for the world. Still, it would be disappointing to be left out of the end of this epic confrontation.
But Lord Yuan wasn't finished. "However, although we can do no more until Cruxis falls, I want all of you to remember this: our struggle will not end with Cruxis. There are two worlds which, if all goes well, must be integrated with one another. There are cities to be rebuilt, bonds of trust to be formed, governments to create...If Lloyd succeeds, our work will continue for many years to come. This is a setback, not the end. And if Cruxis does fall, we won't have to hide in the shadows anymore. We'll be able to come out and operate in the open, and all of you will eventually gain the respect and acclaim that you so richly deserve.
"And you do deserve it, all of you. I want to thank each one of you for following me this far, for sticking around when things got tough, and even for joining in the first place. It isn't an easy decision to make, choosing to fight without hatred. We may be separating physically for now, but I know that that spirit, the spirit of the Renegades, will endure this test, as it has every one before it. And I know that, should the world pull through this, we'll all meet again in happier times. So pack your bags, say your goodbyes, but don't give up hope. One way or another, we'll all meet again. ...Yuan out."
And as they went to shut the base down, shred the sensitive papers and remove the computers' memory banks (Memory was stored in removable cylinders for just this reason, Lord Yuan was always prepared for the unexpected), there wasn't a dry eye in either base...but neither was there a heavy heart. Yuan's speech had done its job: they were leaving with the knowledge that they had done, and would continue to do, good work.
----
Once he'd finished his announcement, Yuan sat in his office with the door locked and stared at the ceiling.
"Did I do that well, old friend?" he whispered to distant ears that would never hear him again, "At least they'll die happily now, believing that they made a difference. Even though nothing we've done really matters, here in the end, with the worlds about to split permanently and drift away, or the seed about to die...either way, we'll all die of the mana deprivation. So what does all our hard work really matter, if the world's going to end in spite of everything?"
And for a moment, he could almost swear he heard Botta's voice once again, telling him not to be an idiot. Everyone dies eventually. What's important is how a person lived. You gave us all a chance to live well, doing things that were right. That's why they follow you, why they love you...and they're right to do so.
Yuan sighed, and tried to believe in the words he knew he must have imagined. "Well, that's stupid of me," he muttered to himself after a moment, "If I imagined it, then it came from my own subconscious, which means that on some level, I already do believe it." He broke into a rueful chuckle, feeling, if not hopeful, then at least somewhat lighter. Considered packing up the various items in his desk for just a moment, then remembered that he had nowhere else to go, and dropped the idea. He would wait here, come hell or high water. Whether he waited for the end of the world or the return of his Renegades, even Yuan couldn't say, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted to try.
Besides, even if there was nothing left for the Renegades to do as a group, surely he could do something to try and help Lloyd succeed...
"May I have your undivided attention, please," it said, "This is your leader, Lord Yuan, speaking. I have grave news for all of us."
A tense silence settled over both bases like a heavy, wet blanket. No one dared to break it with so much as a whisper, waiting with dread in the pits of their stomachs to hear what had happened now, with so much already having gone wrong.
The voice continued, "I trust that you have all been trained well enough to behave professionally and not panic, so I'll come right out and say it. All the evacuation plans we made for the worst-case scenario, the ones we kept and never thought to use...start dusting them off. Yggdrasill has discovered my treachery, and it's only a matter of time before he tracks us down here. I want all of you gone by the time that happens."
Now the whispers did start. How could this have happened? After all they'd done, all the precautions they'd taken...was there a spy among them? Had someone broken under interrogation? Had one of them - Martel forbid - grown careless? If Cruxis knew about Lord Yuan, what else could they have learned?
"I want to apologize to you all for this," Yuan's voice continued solemnly, "and to reassure you on a few points. To the best of my knowledge, our contact network has not been compromised, so you should be safe using that to hide. This incident is no one's fault but my own." Yuan sighed, actually sighed, and when he continued, his voice held the weariness of far too many years of being a ruthlessly efficient leader. "I didn't realize that...well, it doesn't matter. The point is, I was careless, and he saw me, overheard me giving orders to the soldiers I had with me...by the time I knew he was there, it was far too late. I made a mistake, one that I couldn't afford to make, and now it has cost us everything. For that, I am sorry.
"There is still a chance that the dream we share may come true. Lloyd Irving and his companions are still fighting Mithos, and I have come to believe that if a way can be found for him to wield the Eternal Sword, he and his friends may be able to overcome Yggdrasill. But your part in this is done, for now."
The whispers changed to mutters of disappointment. No one could really blame Lord Yuan, of course; clearly, circumstances must have been beyond his control, no matter what he claimed. They had faith that he had done his very best for all of them, and more importantly, for the world. Still, it would be disappointing to be left out of the end of this epic confrontation.
But Lord Yuan wasn't finished. "However, although we can do no more until Cruxis falls, I want all of you to remember this: our struggle will not end with Cruxis. There are two worlds which, if all goes well, must be integrated with one another. There are cities to be rebuilt, bonds of trust to be formed, governments to create...If Lloyd succeeds, our work will continue for many years to come. This is a setback, not the end. And if Cruxis does fall, we won't have to hide in the shadows anymore. We'll be able to come out and operate in the open, and all of you will eventually gain the respect and acclaim that you so richly deserve.
"And you do deserve it, all of you. I want to thank each one of you for following me this far, for sticking around when things got tough, and even for joining in the first place. It isn't an easy decision to make, choosing to fight without hatred. We may be separating physically for now, but I know that that spirit, the spirit of the Renegades, will endure this test, as it has every one before it. And I know that, should the world pull through this, we'll all meet again in happier times. So pack your bags, say your goodbyes, but don't give up hope. One way or another, we'll all meet again. ...Yuan out."
And as they went to shut the base down, shred the sensitive papers and remove the computers' memory banks (Memory was stored in removable cylinders for just this reason, Lord Yuan was always prepared for the unexpected), there wasn't a dry eye in either base...but neither was there a heavy heart. Yuan's speech had done its job: they were leaving with the knowledge that they had done, and would continue to do, good work.
----
Once he'd finished his announcement, Yuan sat in his office with the door locked and stared at the ceiling.
"Did I do that well, old friend?" he whispered to distant ears that would never hear him again, "At least they'll die happily now, believing that they made a difference. Even though nothing we've done really matters, here in the end, with the worlds about to split permanently and drift away, or the seed about to die...either way, we'll all die of the mana deprivation. So what does all our hard work really matter, if the world's going to end in spite of everything?"
And for a moment, he could almost swear he heard Botta's voice once again, telling him not to be an idiot. Everyone dies eventually. What's important is how a person lived. You gave us all a chance to live well, doing things that were right. That's why they follow you, why they love you...and they're right to do so.
Yuan sighed, and tried to believe in the words he knew he must have imagined. "Well, that's stupid of me," he muttered to himself after a moment, "If I imagined it, then it came from my own subconscious, which means that on some level, I already do believe it." He broke into a rueful chuckle, feeling, if not hopeful, then at least somewhat lighter. Considered packing up the various items in his desk for just a moment, then remembered that he had nowhere else to go, and dropped the idea. He would wait here, come hell or high water. Whether he waited for the end of the world or the return of his Renegades, even Yuan couldn't say, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted to try.
Besides, even if there was nothing left for the Renegades to do as a group, surely he could do something to try and help Lloyd succeed...
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