Hells Bells

The Incident in D24 P3

Originally written in 2022

January 29th 2025. The Empire.

Wyte feels a kick to his pelvis that jolts him awake.

PETER: Get up, we're approaching a village.

WYTE: Couldn't you have woken me up without destroying my manhood.

Wyte squirms around in pain on the floor of the transport truck.

PETER: I was gonna kick you in the knee, but you moved at the last moment.

WYTE: Fuck you.

The truck comes to a stop with Wyte struggling over the side and slamming onto the road. Two soldiers helped him to his feet.

WYTE: Thank you, alright lets stop fucking around, everyone gas masks on.

The soldiers of the 101st load off the trucks and put on their gas masks to avoid disease. The helicopters above fly over the town, the convoy moves forward with the soldiers flanking it. They move into the town keeping close. The townspeople look at the strange looking men and carriages with bewilderment and curiosity. The Bradley in the front of the convoy comes to a sudden stop as a man steps in front. The convoy stops and confusion sets upon it. Wyte runs up to the front and hops up onto the Bradley.

WYTE: What's the situation?

BRADLEY COMMANDER: A man moved in front of the Bradley and is flailing his arms rapidly.

The Bradley's main gun focuses on the man, as two soldiers move out to converse with the him blocking the convoy, Wyte jumps off and approaches the man as well.

WYTE: Any idea on what he's saying?

POLOSKY: No clue, he doesn't speak English.

Wyte lets out a sigh.

WYTE: I knew that Polosky, I was talking to the translator who studied the language, to see if he picked anything up.

TRANSLATOR: The language they speak is actually very close to what the people in the Innerworld speak.

WYTE: If that's the case then everyone should know what he's saying, but I can't understand a lick of it.

TRANSLATOR: Yeah, even though I studied the language, I can't pick up what he's saying either.

WYTE: That's bizarre.

The group talks for a few minutes with confusion.

WYTE: Alright, just bring up the princess.

TRANSLATOR: Is that a good idea?

WYTE: It's our only choice, we don't want to cause an incident before the coup d'état, we're already churning the water with our presence in a village.

Wyte calls for the princess to the front, and waits a few more minutes in confusion with more townsfolk gathering around the man at that time. The princess approaches the group, when the townspeople kneel at the sight of her and silence overcomes them. The princess approaches the man and converses with him for a few minutes, gesturing at the convoy while talking. The princess comes back over to the convoy.

WYTE: So what's going on?

AZEL: The man thought you guys were military forces from the Republic, and wanted to welcome you to the town as liberators.

WYTE: The Republic? Liberators? Is there something you're not telling us about the country?

AZEL: The Republic is a part of the country that split away from the Empire after the rapid industrialization brought on upon your incompetence.