Chapter IV
"No!!!! Stop!!" Quistis yelled. The Black Widow came closer, running on its metal claws, clunking on the ground.
"Why won't it work?" she screamed. She rattled the gun furiously. It was getting closer and closer.
"Stupid thing!" she screamed, a braid of hair falling over her eyes, and started beating the large gun mounted at the stern of the boat. "WORK!!" Tears were beginning to form in her eyes.
The metallic arachnid was less than 10 metres away now, and jumped towards her. It blocked out light and Quistis screamed as it came down on top of her….
"Come on Squall, we'll miss the train." Rinoa said, playfully, as she stood up and pulled at his arm.
"Yeah, I know. just coming…You think I would even consider missing the train?"
(At the moment I couldn't care less.)
"No of course not COMMANDER Leonheart.." Rinoa giggled.
(He can command me anytime)
Squall pushed the chair back and they walked to the exit of the café. They went up the steps to the station, where most of the SeeDs were waiting. One or two of them nudged each other and made smooching sounds. Squall looked a bit irritated, but Rinoa giggled into his arm.
"Leave it, Squall." she said playfully. "They're pleased for us, I'm sure."
After a few minutes of waiting the train arrived. "Everyone here?" Squall asked, as the train pulled in. He surveyed the crowd. All 8 SeeDs were here, Rinoa was….Selphie!
(Where IS she?)
"Oh my god, I'm so late!" came a voice from the door. "Squall's gonna kill me…"
Through the door came Selphie running, out of breath. Squall was reminded of a time, not so long ago, his first meeting with Selphie actually……
"Squa..Commander Leonhart." Selphie amended, "I'm so sorry!!!"
Squall shook his head. "It doesn't matter, Selphie. The train hasn't left, so you're not late."
A look of relief crossed Selphie's face, and her anxious face transformed instantly to the more familiar one, one of cheerfulness.
One or two of the SeeDs looked slightly surprised at Squall's generosity, but nodded wisely at Rinoa.
"Everyone get on!" Squall commanded. He had already paid at the booth. The group got on the train. The train left, and Selphie ran to the corridor, almost straight away.
"o/' Train, train take me away…o/'" came floating down the corridor.
Squall , Rinoa and a couple of SeeDs went into the compartment, and sat down. Rinoa sat close to Squall and looked out of the window to the countryside flying past them. She wondered how Angelo was. She had had to leave him with Edea whilst she went to Galbadia. She was going to miss him. She looked up at the sky and sighed a contented sigh.
"It was so real!" Quistis exclaimed. "But I was so babyish about it…honestly….I'm setting a bad example for all my students. Screaming and writhing like that….I'm so ashamed."
"Quistis, it's alright." said Zell. "Dreams aren't something we can control. It's our subconscious speaking, processing and recalling memories and thoughts. It's OK to get scared by them…in fact, apparently it's good to have a nightmare, once in a while, as it shows your brain is functioning properly."
Quistis looked surprised at this information, not least because it came from Zell.
(He's a lot more intelligent than people give him credit for, actually)
"Really?" she said. "That's good…but I still was a bit un-Instructor like.."
"Even Instructors can have nightmares." Irvine added. "And I think, we, of all people, deserve to be scared, after what we went through."
(True, but it wasn't like I was even scared of the Black Widow in real life, and no-one else has had nightmares about them.)
"Well, we're almost there." said Zell, peering out the window at the lush rolling landscape of Hasberry Plains. For some reason, the station was quite far outside the town, and they had to walk the rest of the way in. As the train decelerated, they prepared their things, and got up, ready to go. Zell stood up, and stretched, as he was doing so the train came to a halt, and he promptly fell into Quistis.
"Sorry.." he gushed, stumbling as he got up.
"That's OK." Quistis said, smiling. Irvine sniggered at Zell, who had almost fallen over 3 times now.
Eventually all the SeeDs and Irvine had got off the train.
"This way everyone." called Quistis leading the troupe down the road towards Dollet. "Not too far, I assure you."
"It'd better not be." growled Irvine, who appeared to be limping slightly.
"What's the matter with your leg, Irvine?" Quistis asked as they walked.
"Oh, I sorta knocked it when the train stopped." Irvine explained. "But I was too busy watching Zell make a arse of himself, to really notice there and then."
"Fuck you!"said Zell lightly, and made a mock threatening gesture at Irvine.
"Boys!" hissed Quistis, "Keep it down, what sort of example are you setting?"
"Sorry…" said Zell, with a mock look of sorrow on his face. Irvine sniggered.
Quistis sighed.
(Why don't they grow up? I know they can be sensible…why don't they? Am I the only one taking this seriously?)
Zell must have noticed this, because he said, "Seriously Quistis, we're not being immature…we're just trying to let off steam…we're a bit nervous too y'know."
"Yeah, OK." she said, and smiled weakly. "I'm nervous too…but mucking around isn't going to help."
They reached the crest of the hill above Dollet, and looked down at the coastal town below them. It glinted in the sunlight, and the sea sparkled behind it. Above it, on the Hasberry Plateau they saw the Dollet Communications Tower.
The road sloped down the hill to the town. They followed it, snaking through the gorge formed by the two sides of the Hasberry Plateau. They soon came to the gate of the town.
"Quisty?" Irvine said. "Uhhh..where exactly do we go?"
"To the mayor's residence." she answered. "He will fill us in on the details of the mission."
"Where are we staying though?" Irvine queried. "I doubt he's got the room or would want to."
"It's a she actually…" Quistis corrected, apparently very pleased with this. "And no..she hasn't."
"We'll be staying in the hotel." Quistis said. "Free of charge the mayor said."
"The hotel….brilliant!" Zell said.
"First we need to see the mayor." Quistis said. She stopped, and the rest of the SeeDs stopped. "Right, everyone go to the hotel just down here on the right." We're under the name of Trepe. They'll be expecting you."
The SeeDs traipsed off to the hotel. Zell, Quistis and Irvine continued on to the mayor's residence. It was a fairly modest building, near the outside of town. Quistis rung the doorbell and waited for an answer.
The train pulled into Timber station. It stopped and 11 people disembarked. They converged on the station platform.
"Right everyone, to the hotel." Squall commanded. They travelled through the town, towards the hotel in Timber. The town was in a bit of disarray, as they had just gained independence, and were now going to be under attack from the Galbadians again. There was a heavy tension in the air, it could be felt just by walking down the street. Mothers didn't let their children stay out late, and many people walked in the street with heads low and shuffled quickly and uneasily. The fact that a group of 11 strangers walking together didn't help and they acquired glances and stares from all the citizens who they passed. Heavily armoured as they were, they intimidated several residents, and they felt like a Western where the strangers come into town, and all the grandmas get off their rocking chairs and run inside.
When they entered the hotel, they got a similar greeting from the owner. Squall went up to the desk.
"We're the SeeDs. We're booked in here."
"Ah yes…" the man's fearful look dissolved and he became businesslike.
" 6 rooms…for unspecified amount of time…cost covered by mayor….yes." he looked up. "Matthew!"
The porter came over.
"Take these ladies and gentlemen up to Rooms 8-13 please."
"Yes sir…" he sniffed.
Up in their rooms, they unpacked the little stuff they had brought, and Squall sat down on his bed. He had a room to himself. Rinoa and Selphie were sharing. He remembered he had to go and see the mayor to tell him that he had arrived.
(Probably everyone in the town knows by now)
Rinoa and Selphie breezed in.
"Hi! Squall!" Selphie enthused. "You got your own room!. Well, I s'pose you ARE Commander…"
Rinoa went and sat down next to him, and put her arm around him.
"Are you OK?" she asked gently.
"Yeah, fine…" Squall replied.
"You two are getting on so well!" Selphie exclaimed, beaming. "I'm so pleased for you!"
"Thanks Selphie." Rinoa smiled.
(Selphie….she really is genuinely happy for us…she's cares about our well-being…..that's very nice of her…)
"Thanks." Squall echoed. "I have to go and tell the Mayor that we are here…if he doesn't already know."
"I'll come too." Rinoa said.
"Me too!" Selphie eagerly exclaimed.
"OK…we'd better head off now."
The trio left the hotel and walked to the mayor's house. It was only a few minutes walk away. They arrived at the house and knocked on the door. The mayor answered it. He was a fairly small man, and very amiable. It was what Timber needed really, a man who had ideas and was outgoing and wanted to improve the town.
"Hello!" he said cheerfully, "You must be the SeeDs!"
"Yes." said Squall.
"I'm Mayor Randall." he said. "Mayor of Timber."
(We know…)
"I'm glad you arrived, we need to go over to the plan, fairly quickly…"
A man came running up the path of the mayor's garden. He had obviously been running fast, and far as he was totally out of breath…
"Scout Chanders!" Randall said, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Sir.." he panted, "Galbadians! Nearing the town!!! Estimated half an hour away!"
"Good lord!" Randall exclaimed.
Selphie looked at Squall.
"That's not a good thing is it?"
"No…" he said.
Chapter V
"Hello Mayor Yorkeston." said Quistis, extending her hand.
Mayor Yorkeston shook it. She looked quite fatigued, as if she hadn't had much sleep recently.
"Hello Ms. Trepe." she smiled wearily. "And you two as well."
"Hello Mayor." Zell and Irvine said simultaneously.
"I understand you are tired from the trip, so I will not keep you long. "
"Thanks, Mayor." Quistis said. "We appreciate that."
"You're basically free until the Galbadians arrive. We'll notify you when we need you. Basically what you do is that you will defend our town. Basically you'll be joined by our own army and you'll travel up to the top of the hill outside town. Strategically that's the best position to defend. Basically that's it."
(It all sounds so basic…)
When the mayor had finished talking, they headed back to the hotel. They were greeted by the receptionist, who informed them they were staying in rooms 23, 24 and 25. She called the porter to show them to their rooms.
When they got to the doors, Quistis went into her room and slumped down on the bed. She was pretty tired. She remembered she had to phone Squall. She got up, headed out of her room and went downstairs to the reception.
"Do you have a payphone here?" she asked.
"Yes we do...it's over there in the corner." the receptionist pointed.
"Thank you." Quistis replied and headed to the payphone. She pulled out a few gil, and put them in.
(Now what was that number? I've got it written down somewhere…)
Quistis struggled around in her pocket for a moment and pulled out a scrap of paper with the number of the hotel on it. She lifted the receiver and dialled the number.
It rang…..and rang….
(Come on…this had better not be a wrong number…)
Eventually the phone was picked up.
"Hello...Timber hotel…"
"Hello? Can I speak to Squall Leonhart please? I believe he is staying at the hotel."
The line wasn't very clear and fuzzed a bit. Quistis had a bit of trouble hearing the man.
"Yes…he 's just here…the Commander of the SeeDs, I assume you mean?"
"Yes."
"Hold on….Mr Leonhart, phone for you."
Quistis heard quite a lot of commotion going on in the background. She wondered what the hell was going on.
"…Quistis!" Squall had picked up the phone. "I'm glad you phoned. The Galbadians are attacking Timber within half an hour. We're preparing to leave now. We think they'll probably be attacking Dollet very soon. It might well be a simultaneous attack."
(Oh great…we're all shattered...and now they're going to attack?)
"Right then." Quistis sighed. "We'll be prepared."
"Good." Squall said appreciatively. "I'm glad I can count on you…..right we've got to go know…they're getting very close….bye Quistis…good luck."
"Bye Squall…good luck as well." she replied seriously.
"Thanks." he said. The phone went dead.
Squall replaced the receiver. He looked at the group of SeeDs assembled in the foyer.
"OK everyone." he licked his lips nervously. He wasn't that good at making motivating speeches. Or any sort of speech really. "We've got to go out there and fight our best. This is our job. We will be joined by the Timber army. The number of soldiers in the Galbadian army is estimated at about 60, and the Timber army is about 30 strong, so the numbers are slightly in their favour, but we have the skill to win. So let's show our skill. We are all SeeDs..."
He looked at Rinoa, and gave her a smile.
(Well she's a Sorceress so that will probably help)
"…And are all good fighters, but we can also use our brains and strategise effectively. I KNOW we can do it. We have to do our best. That's what I'm asking for. If you don't we might lose…or we might win. But at our best we will win. So go and do your best…that's all I'm asking from you."
The foyer fell silent, but there was an aura of determination around it.
"Yeah! Come on people we can do it!" shouted Selphie enthusiastically. " We've got Squall Leonheart as our leader. We can beat those stupid old Galbadians EASILY!!"
Several of the SeeDs responded well to this, and looked pumped for the battle.
"Let's go!" shouted Squall.
The 11 students left the hotel and marched out onto the street with a new sense of confidence.
"Well done." remarked Rinoa to Squall. "You really inspired them. You too Selphie. You were great!"
"Hehe, thanks Rinoa!" Selphie giggled. She was genuinely excited now.
"Selphie...don't get too complacent though….remember we should win…if we work for it…we can't expect to win by doing nothing…"
"Yeah, I know!" she breezily replied. "But we're gonna do our best, aren't we?"
"I hope so." Squall said.
They converged out on the street and headed to the edge of town, where they saw the Timber army was waiting. They reached the boundary and stopped by the army. Their commander stepped forward.
"I am Commander Tresallick of the Timber Army." he said, extending his hand. Squall shook it.
"I'm Commander Leonheart of the Balamb Garden SeeDs." he replied politely.
Squall surveyed the Timber army. The commander looked very young, not older than about 25 and Squall wasn't sure how he became the Commander, at such a young age.
(That's rich coming from me though…)
However when he looked properly at the Commander he saw that he had a definite wisdom and intelligence about him. The rest of the army however was slightly different. Apart from 5or 6 of them, they seemed to be largely amateurs, in terms of fighting. They didn't hold their weapons properly and looked very unsure. There were a few exceptions, but Squall's confidence sank a little.
(Oh well….we'll just have to do a bit better…and I'm sure their hearts are in the right place...this is their town we're fighting for after all…it's amazing what you can do out of adrenaline and determination…)
"Nice to meet you Commander Leonhart."
"This is umm… Sub-Commander Tilmitt." he gestured to Selphie.
Selphie's eyes widened slightly and she her face suddenly gained a slightly red tint, at being mentioned.
"Hello...Sub-Commander Tilmitt." said Commander Tresallick, and extended his hand again. He seemed even more surprised that a girl who looked about 15 was the Sub-Commander.
Selphie nervously shook his hand, glowing all the while.
"H-h-hello Sir Commander.." she stuttered.
He smiled at her.
"Let's head out to the edge of Roshfall Forest then." Tresallick said briskly. He seemed to be a very good leader actually, very decisive and strict without being unfair or cruel. The Timber people certainly seemed to be in awe of him, and followed him Squall, Selphie, Rinoa and the other SeeDs headed out of the town, and towards the forest. All the citizens who had eyed them suspiciously before, were now cheering them on, and certainly looked less hostile.
Soon the crowds, buildings and noise of Timber were far behind them, and ahead they saw the advancing Galbadian army, and Roshfall Forest was to their right.
"Have you any specific plan in mind?" Squall asked Tresallick.
"I think we should maybe split off into smaller groups, and attack that way. Groups of maybe three. "
He eyed Squall's gunblade, Selphie's nunchakas and Rinoa's Shooting Star and thought they would obviously be able to look after themselves.
"If you organise your SeeDs…though you'll need one of my troops I see…..Stardling! Get over here!"
"Right…me Selphie and Rinoa…. ummm… Gilmour, Mason and Wright you three form a group…..Novoselic, Cobain and Grohl…. and Yorke and O' Brien go with the Timber soldier." Squall ordered. The SeeDs nodded and formed their groups. Meanwhile Tresallick was ordering his troops around. He came over to Squall, with the Timber soldier.
"You ready?" he asked.
Squall nodded, as the Galbadian army drew ever closer.
"We're ready." he said firmly.
"And so are we." said Tresallick.
"Are we waiting for them to come or do we go" asked Rinoa.
"We're gonna head out." said Tresallick decisively. "It puts us less on the defensive and also further away from Timber the better…In case of well…you know.."
"Yes, it makes more sense." said Squall.
"We're leaving then." Tresallick said.
"FORWARD!" he cried to the troops.
Squall, Selphie, Rinoa and the other SeeDs turned and began to walk towards the mass of Galbadians in the distance.
Chapter VI
" Right everyone, listen up." said Quistis. She was in her element here, with her most authoritative voice possible. "Commander Leonheart has informed me the Galbadians have approached on Timber, and will probably be doing so on Dollet very soon. We must act quickly."
Several SeeDs groaned.
"We've only just got here Instructor."
"We're here for work not a holiday." she replied sharply. Then her voice softened slightly. "I know you're probably pretty tired. I am too. But if we don't get out and face them, then we may be too late and we will fail our mission."
Several of them were slightly pacified, as Quistis, although not the most outgoing person, had a way of persuading people and was an eloquent speaker. She was also admired by almost everyone at the Garden, and people trusted, respected and believed her. The admiration for her meant that people would trust her judgement on this matter.
"We must leave almost immediately." Quistis said. " They may be very close already."
A man burst into the hotel. "Ms. Trepe!" he said. "I'm from the Dollet army. The Commander has requested you and your party join him immediately."
"OK everyone set?" Quistis looked round the group. "Let's go!"
They all left the hotel.
"Where is the Commander and army?" Quistis asked the messenger.
" By the entrance and exit to the town, Ms. Trepe." he replied.
They left the hotel and headed down the road to the gate at the entrance to Dollet town. The road was fairly long, but they could hear a commotion long before they reached the end of it.
"What's going on down there?" Irvine wondered.
"I hope the Galbadians haven't arrived…" Quistis said.
Their pace quickened a little, as they continued along the road. The road twisted and came over the crest of the miniature hill and saw the source of the noise. The Dollet army was blockading the town gate, and the Galbadian army was only 50 or so metres up the road outside. There seemed to be 400 or so, all headed towards Dollet. They would reach the town in less than a minute. The SeeDs ran down the hill immediately. Near the back of the 300 or so men in the Dollet army was a man who they presumed was the Commander.
"Ah, the SeeDs." he said. "There's no time to explain now but some of the Galbadians will be attacking by boat, as we speak. I would like you to go to the harbour and stop them. Some may already have landed, so be as quick as you can. The residents of Dollet have only just recovered from the last attempted invasion of Dollet. We're sure their intended target, as well as the city, is the Communications Tower, which we liberated after the Galbadians were weakened. I am confident in our ability to repel the Galbadians here, and around this side of the town, but I will need you to stop any aquatic assaults. Do you understand?"
"Yes Commander, we understand." Quistis replied.
"Good. my name is Commander Lithdan, by the way. I hope your mission goes well. Good luck."
"Thank you. And the same to you too." Quistis said.
"I hope to speak to you, after this is over, a bit better, but for now we have some more immediate problems." he said, and turned to the army.
"Come on all SeeDs let's go." Quistis shouted to the group from Balamb. They all returned into the town, leaving the sounds and sights of the Galbadian army and Dollet army behind them.
"Right." Quistis was saying, " We'll split into separate patrols, and scour the streets and harbour. Two people can go and guard the Communications Tower bridge, the rest of us split into 3 groups of 3. We must head to the harbour, and stop the Galbadians. It's quite simple."
She looked round the group.
" Ashcroft and Waters go and guard the bridge to the Communications Tower. Molko, Olsdal and Hewitt go that way." she pointed down the street to her left, "Lennon, Harrison and McCartney go that way." she pointed to her right. " Remember everyone, stop the Galbadians, and for goodness sake…be careful. I have faith in all of you. Good luck."
Several of them smiled, and thanked her and then they all turned and headed the way that they had been asked by Quistis.
"Come on you two, we'll head down the main road." Quistis said, and the remaining trio set off down the main road to the harbour. The main road led through the centre of town, but it was almost totally deserted, though that's not to say people weren't above the shops watching down fearfully. They continued along until they reached The Nautilus, where they saw two Galbadian soldiers, shooting the window of the shop, and laughing. The window smashed and they grabbed some of the items on display. One of them had a Phoenix Down in his hands and was laughing.
"Hey, look Brad, I got a…." he read the label. "….Phoenix…Down ."
Suddenly there was whip around his wrist and it tugged sharply and he dropped it in shock.
"Not any more." Quistis said. She pulled her Save The Queen off his wrist, and cracked it menacingly. Irvine drew out his gun, and Zell punched the air a few times.
"Hey…a few resistance fighters…" Brad's friend chuckled. " I hoped we'd run into a few."
"Yeah.." Brad laughed as well. "I haven't had a good win in a few days now."
He pulled out his gun and shot at Quistis. She dodged and avoided most of the fire. One of the bullets grazed her shoulder. She grimaced a little, not because of the pain, but because her SeeD uniform was damaged. Zell had run up to Brad's friend and started laying into him with his Erghiez gloves. He dodged as the Galbadian soldier tried to retaliate. Zell stood back as Quistis recovered and cracked her whip over Brad's friend. Irvine shot at Brad, who returned fire. Irvine got him though and he collapsed on the ground, though was still conscious. He was kneeling on the ground and looked in great agony. His own bullet had hit Irvine, but due to his magical junctioned defence., he barely felt it. Zell ran up to Brad's friend again, and this time his punch connected and the full force of the mighty Erghiez spread across the unfortunate soldier's chin. The soldier fell over and lay slumped on the street. Quistis ran up and delivered another blow to Brad. The incredible power of Quistis and the unique and devastating Save The Queen was too much for Brad. He joined his friend in their position on the street of Dollet.
"Scum." Irvine said kicking their bodies.
"Irvine." Quistis said. "We're only killing because it's our mission orders."
Irvine seemed to disagree, but said nothing further on the matter. He bent down and searched the bodies.
"A Hi-Potion and a few gil..." Irvine said, taking the potion.
"Mind you, Irvine…" Zell said, "If you'd stayed at Galbadia Garden. you'd have been in their army probably, y'know."
Irvine glared at him slightly and he reddened, because he knew it was actually true.
"I wouldn't have known then, what they have become now." he said stiffly. "When I joined, they were fine."
"I know Irvine. I'm sure you wouldn't have joined them." Quistis said, trying to placate everyone. She gave Zell a look which plainly told him to not say comments like that again.
"Yeah, I know Irvine,. I was just saying though, that you probably would have been forced to…not that you necessarily wanted to."
"OK thanks Zell." Quistis said again. "Can we proceed now?" She walked on, indicating that they were going to anyway.
They continued along the road, getting slightly nearer to the harbour. They then ran into another group of Galbadian soldiers, 5 this time. However their backs were turned, and Quistis whipped one, Zell punched one and Irvine shot one, before they were even aware of the SeeDs. The three that were struck were all kneeling on the ground, and close to death. The other two immediately shot back at Quistis and Irvine. One of three wounded shot at Zell, who promptly retaliated with a blow to the chest and chin, and the soldier slumped backwards and died. Irvine shot again at the one Quistis had whipped and the bullet went straight through his heart. He gurgled and slumped to the ground. Quistis quickly saw off the remaining injured one, who slumped to the ground with a line of blood across his face and body in the shape of a whip. The sting of the Marlboro had once again performed. The other tow shot, this time at Quistis and Zell. However their extremely potent magical defence junctionings ensured that they received little damage.
Zell ran up and punched one of the remaining two soldiers, however he really connected well, and felt an extra power surge through him, and the last thing the soldier heard was his neck snap, before he too became a resident of the Dollet gutter. Irvine shot the remaining one down immediately after and he slumped to the ground, and joined his comrades.
"Phew, well done everyone." Quistis said. Irvine went and searched the bodies, returning with three potions and an elixir.
"Heads up!" Zell said. "More soldiers!"
3 more soldiers, seeing the disturbance, came running down the street. However their fate was the same as their predecessors.
"Hmm the street's getting slightlty crowded now isn't it?" Zell remarked casually, as if he was talking about the weather.
"Yes, we'd better move on." grinned Irvine.
They travelled down the remainder of the winding street, and anyone who was from the Galbadian army they met, soon met a similar fate. Quistis' whip, Zell's fists and Irvine's gun saw to that.
Eventually they reached the harbour area. There were two Galbadian vessels situated there, with soldiers streaming off both. Several had gone ashore, such as the ones they had fought, but there were more, about 30 or so more still on the beach.
"Bloody hell!" Irvine breathed. "How many more of them are there?"
"I don't know." Quistis said. " I hope the other SeeDs are alright."
"Yeah, look there's a group over there." said Zell as three SeeDs came round a corner, and onto the harbour road.
"And the other's over there." Irvine said pointing to the other side of the beach, where another three were finishing off a Galbadian soldier.
"That's a relief." said Quistis. "Hey Zell go over to them, and tell them to come here, and Irvine tell the others."
The two teenagers ran off to the groups and called them over. They were now all standing just slightly under the bridge, where they could see the beach, but not be seen very well from the beach.
"Right, everyone OK?" Quistis said. The two at the Communications Tower were like a last line of defence. We were really to stop them first. I'm sure one or two got through, but I'm sure they dealt with them."
She paused and looked round.
"Now, everyone's done well, but we still need to get rid of them." She pointed to the beach. "There's quite a few down there, about a 3:1 ratio with us, but I'm sure we can do it. "
"So what are we gonna just charge down then?" said one of the SeeDs.
"In a way, yes, but carefully. I have an Ultima stocked which I will use…that may wipe some of them out. Again we'll approach from different angles. You three go down these steps to the left, you three go down the ones over to the right, and we'll go down these ones here in the middle. I'll crack my whip when we go down, alright? Once we reach the beach, and start fighting, try and use magic to kill multiple enemies if you can. OK? Good luck everyone…you've done well so far."
The three groups separated again and got to their positions. The soldiers seemed to be about to launch a new wave of attacks on Dollet, and were about to head up to the road.
(It's now then I guess…..)
Quistis cracked her whip loudly, and immediately 9 SeeDs charged down onto the beach.
"No!!!! Stop!!" Quistis yelled. The Black Widow came closer, running on its metal claws, clunking on the ground.
"Why won't it work?" she screamed. She rattled the gun furiously. It was getting closer and closer.
"Stupid thing!" she screamed, a braid of hair falling over her eyes, and started beating the large gun mounted at the stern of the boat. "WORK!!" Tears were beginning to form in her eyes.
The metallic arachnid was less than 10 metres away now, and jumped towards her. It blocked out light and Quistis screamed as it came down on top of her….
"Come on Squall, we'll miss the train." Rinoa said, playfully, as she stood up and pulled at his arm.
"Yeah, I know. just coming…You think I would even consider missing the train?"
(At the moment I couldn't care less.)
"No of course not COMMANDER Leonheart.." Rinoa giggled.
(He can command me anytime)
Squall pushed the chair back and they walked to the exit of the café. They went up the steps to the station, where most of the SeeDs were waiting. One or two of them nudged each other and made smooching sounds. Squall looked a bit irritated, but Rinoa giggled into his arm.
"Leave it, Squall." she said playfully. "They're pleased for us, I'm sure."
After a few minutes of waiting the train arrived. "Everyone here?" Squall asked, as the train pulled in. He surveyed the crowd. All 8 SeeDs were here, Rinoa was….Selphie!
(Where IS she?)
"Oh my god, I'm so late!" came a voice from the door. "Squall's gonna kill me…"
Through the door came Selphie running, out of breath. Squall was reminded of a time, not so long ago, his first meeting with Selphie actually……
"Squa..Commander Leonhart." Selphie amended, "I'm so sorry!!!"
Squall shook his head. "It doesn't matter, Selphie. The train hasn't left, so you're not late."
A look of relief crossed Selphie's face, and her anxious face transformed instantly to the more familiar one, one of cheerfulness.
One or two of the SeeDs looked slightly surprised at Squall's generosity, but nodded wisely at Rinoa.
"Everyone get on!" Squall commanded. He had already paid at the booth. The group got on the train. The train left, and Selphie ran to the corridor, almost straight away.
"o/' Train, train take me away…o/'" came floating down the corridor.
Squall , Rinoa and a couple of SeeDs went into the compartment, and sat down. Rinoa sat close to Squall and looked out of the window to the countryside flying past them. She wondered how Angelo was. She had had to leave him with Edea whilst she went to Galbadia. She was going to miss him. She looked up at the sky and sighed a contented sigh.
"It was so real!" Quistis exclaimed. "But I was so babyish about it…honestly….I'm setting a bad example for all my students. Screaming and writhing like that….I'm so ashamed."
"Quistis, it's alright." said Zell. "Dreams aren't something we can control. It's our subconscious speaking, processing and recalling memories and thoughts. It's OK to get scared by them…in fact, apparently it's good to have a nightmare, once in a while, as it shows your brain is functioning properly."
Quistis looked surprised at this information, not least because it came from Zell.
(He's a lot more intelligent than people give him credit for, actually)
"Really?" she said. "That's good…but I still was a bit un-Instructor like.."
"Even Instructors can have nightmares." Irvine added. "And I think, we, of all people, deserve to be scared, after what we went through."
(True, but it wasn't like I was even scared of the Black Widow in real life, and no-one else has had nightmares about them.)
"Well, we're almost there." said Zell, peering out the window at the lush rolling landscape of Hasberry Plains. For some reason, the station was quite far outside the town, and they had to walk the rest of the way in. As the train decelerated, they prepared their things, and got up, ready to go. Zell stood up, and stretched, as he was doing so the train came to a halt, and he promptly fell into Quistis.
"Sorry.." he gushed, stumbling as he got up.
"That's OK." Quistis said, smiling. Irvine sniggered at Zell, who had almost fallen over 3 times now.
Eventually all the SeeDs and Irvine had got off the train.
"This way everyone." called Quistis leading the troupe down the road towards Dollet. "Not too far, I assure you."
"It'd better not be." growled Irvine, who appeared to be limping slightly.
"What's the matter with your leg, Irvine?" Quistis asked as they walked.
"Oh, I sorta knocked it when the train stopped." Irvine explained. "But I was too busy watching Zell make a arse of himself, to really notice there and then."
"Fuck you!"said Zell lightly, and made a mock threatening gesture at Irvine.
"Boys!" hissed Quistis, "Keep it down, what sort of example are you setting?"
"Sorry…" said Zell, with a mock look of sorrow on his face. Irvine sniggered.
Quistis sighed.
(Why don't they grow up? I know they can be sensible…why don't they? Am I the only one taking this seriously?)
Zell must have noticed this, because he said, "Seriously Quistis, we're not being immature…we're just trying to let off steam…we're a bit nervous too y'know."
"Yeah, OK." she said, and smiled weakly. "I'm nervous too…but mucking around isn't going to help."
They reached the crest of the hill above Dollet, and looked down at the coastal town below them. It glinted in the sunlight, and the sea sparkled behind it. Above it, on the Hasberry Plateau they saw the Dollet Communications Tower.
The road sloped down the hill to the town. They followed it, snaking through the gorge formed by the two sides of the Hasberry Plateau. They soon came to the gate of the town.
"Quisty?" Irvine said. "Uhhh..where exactly do we go?"
"To the mayor's residence." she answered. "He will fill us in on the details of the mission."
"Where are we staying though?" Irvine queried. "I doubt he's got the room or would want to."
"It's a she actually…" Quistis corrected, apparently very pleased with this. "And no..she hasn't."
"We'll be staying in the hotel." Quistis said. "Free of charge the mayor said."
"The hotel….brilliant!" Zell said.
"First we need to see the mayor." Quistis said. She stopped, and the rest of the SeeDs stopped. "Right, everyone go to the hotel just down here on the right." We're under the name of Trepe. They'll be expecting you."
The SeeDs traipsed off to the hotel. Zell, Quistis and Irvine continued on to the mayor's residence. It was a fairly modest building, near the outside of town. Quistis rung the doorbell and waited for an answer.
The train pulled into Timber station. It stopped and 11 people disembarked. They converged on the station platform.
"Right everyone, to the hotel." Squall commanded. They travelled through the town, towards the hotel in Timber. The town was in a bit of disarray, as they had just gained independence, and were now going to be under attack from the Galbadians again. There was a heavy tension in the air, it could be felt just by walking down the street. Mothers didn't let their children stay out late, and many people walked in the street with heads low and shuffled quickly and uneasily. The fact that a group of 11 strangers walking together didn't help and they acquired glances and stares from all the citizens who they passed. Heavily armoured as they were, they intimidated several residents, and they felt like a Western where the strangers come into town, and all the grandmas get off their rocking chairs and run inside.
When they entered the hotel, they got a similar greeting from the owner. Squall went up to the desk.
"We're the SeeDs. We're booked in here."
"Ah yes…" the man's fearful look dissolved and he became businesslike.
" 6 rooms…for unspecified amount of time…cost covered by mayor….yes." he looked up. "Matthew!"
The porter came over.
"Take these ladies and gentlemen up to Rooms 8-13 please."
"Yes sir…" he sniffed.
Up in their rooms, they unpacked the little stuff they had brought, and Squall sat down on his bed. He had a room to himself. Rinoa and Selphie were sharing. He remembered he had to go and see the mayor to tell him that he had arrived.
(Probably everyone in the town knows by now)
Rinoa and Selphie breezed in.
"Hi! Squall!" Selphie enthused. "You got your own room!. Well, I s'pose you ARE Commander…"
Rinoa went and sat down next to him, and put her arm around him.
"Are you OK?" she asked gently.
"Yeah, fine…" Squall replied.
"You two are getting on so well!" Selphie exclaimed, beaming. "I'm so pleased for you!"
"Thanks Selphie." Rinoa smiled.
(Selphie….she really is genuinely happy for us…she's cares about our well-being…..that's very nice of her…)
"Thanks." Squall echoed. "I have to go and tell the Mayor that we are here…if he doesn't already know."
"I'll come too." Rinoa said.
"Me too!" Selphie eagerly exclaimed.
"OK…we'd better head off now."
The trio left the hotel and walked to the mayor's house. It was only a few minutes walk away. They arrived at the house and knocked on the door. The mayor answered it. He was a fairly small man, and very amiable. It was what Timber needed really, a man who had ideas and was outgoing and wanted to improve the town.
"Hello!" he said cheerfully, "You must be the SeeDs!"
"Yes." said Squall.
"I'm Mayor Randall." he said. "Mayor of Timber."
(We know…)
"I'm glad you arrived, we need to go over to the plan, fairly quickly…"
A man came running up the path of the mayor's garden. He had obviously been running fast, and far as he was totally out of breath…
"Scout Chanders!" Randall said, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Sir.." he panted, "Galbadians! Nearing the town!!! Estimated half an hour away!"
"Good lord!" Randall exclaimed.
Selphie looked at Squall.
"That's not a good thing is it?"
"No…" he said.
Chapter V
"Hello Mayor Yorkeston." said Quistis, extending her hand.
Mayor Yorkeston shook it. She looked quite fatigued, as if she hadn't had much sleep recently.
"Hello Ms. Trepe." she smiled wearily. "And you two as well."
"Hello Mayor." Zell and Irvine said simultaneously.
"I understand you are tired from the trip, so I will not keep you long. "
"Thanks, Mayor." Quistis said. "We appreciate that."
"You're basically free until the Galbadians arrive. We'll notify you when we need you. Basically what you do is that you will defend our town. Basically you'll be joined by our own army and you'll travel up to the top of the hill outside town. Strategically that's the best position to defend. Basically that's it."
(It all sounds so basic…)
When the mayor had finished talking, they headed back to the hotel. They were greeted by the receptionist, who informed them they were staying in rooms 23, 24 and 25. She called the porter to show them to their rooms.
When they got to the doors, Quistis went into her room and slumped down on the bed. She was pretty tired. She remembered she had to phone Squall. She got up, headed out of her room and went downstairs to the reception.
"Do you have a payphone here?" she asked.
"Yes we do...it's over there in the corner." the receptionist pointed.
"Thank you." Quistis replied and headed to the payphone. She pulled out a few gil, and put them in.
(Now what was that number? I've got it written down somewhere…)
Quistis struggled around in her pocket for a moment and pulled out a scrap of paper with the number of the hotel on it. She lifted the receiver and dialled the number.
It rang…..and rang….
(Come on…this had better not be a wrong number…)
Eventually the phone was picked up.
"Hello...Timber hotel…"
"Hello? Can I speak to Squall Leonhart please? I believe he is staying at the hotel."
The line wasn't very clear and fuzzed a bit. Quistis had a bit of trouble hearing the man.
"Yes…he 's just here…the Commander of the SeeDs, I assume you mean?"
"Yes."
"Hold on….Mr Leonhart, phone for you."
Quistis heard quite a lot of commotion going on in the background. She wondered what the hell was going on.
"…Quistis!" Squall had picked up the phone. "I'm glad you phoned. The Galbadians are attacking Timber within half an hour. We're preparing to leave now. We think they'll probably be attacking Dollet very soon. It might well be a simultaneous attack."
(Oh great…we're all shattered...and now they're going to attack?)
"Right then." Quistis sighed. "We'll be prepared."
"Good." Squall said appreciatively. "I'm glad I can count on you…..right we've got to go know…they're getting very close….bye Quistis…good luck."
"Bye Squall…good luck as well." she replied seriously.
"Thanks." he said. The phone went dead.
Squall replaced the receiver. He looked at the group of SeeDs assembled in the foyer.
"OK everyone." he licked his lips nervously. He wasn't that good at making motivating speeches. Or any sort of speech really. "We've got to go out there and fight our best. This is our job. We will be joined by the Timber army. The number of soldiers in the Galbadian army is estimated at about 60, and the Timber army is about 30 strong, so the numbers are slightly in their favour, but we have the skill to win. So let's show our skill. We are all SeeDs..."
He looked at Rinoa, and gave her a smile.
(Well she's a Sorceress so that will probably help)
"…And are all good fighters, but we can also use our brains and strategise effectively. I KNOW we can do it. We have to do our best. That's what I'm asking for. If you don't we might lose…or we might win. But at our best we will win. So go and do your best…that's all I'm asking from you."
The foyer fell silent, but there was an aura of determination around it.
"Yeah! Come on people we can do it!" shouted Selphie enthusiastically. " We've got Squall Leonheart as our leader. We can beat those stupid old Galbadians EASILY!!"
Several of the SeeDs responded well to this, and looked pumped for the battle.
"Let's go!" shouted Squall.
The 11 students left the hotel and marched out onto the street with a new sense of confidence.
"Well done." remarked Rinoa to Squall. "You really inspired them. You too Selphie. You were great!"
"Hehe, thanks Rinoa!" Selphie giggled. She was genuinely excited now.
"Selphie...don't get too complacent though….remember we should win…if we work for it…we can't expect to win by doing nothing…"
"Yeah, I know!" she breezily replied. "But we're gonna do our best, aren't we?"
"I hope so." Squall said.
They converged out on the street and headed to the edge of town, where they saw the Timber army was waiting. They reached the boundary and stopped by the army. Their commander stepped forward.
"I am Commander Tresallick of the Timber Army." he said, extending his hand. Squall shook it.
"I'm Commander Leonheart of the Balamb Garden SeeDs." he replied politely.
Squall surveyed the Timber army. The commander looked very young, not older than about 25 and Squall wasn't sure how he became the Commander, at such a young age.
(That's rich coming from me though…)
However when he looked properly at the Commander he saw that he had a definite wisdom and intelligence about him. The rest of the army however was slightly different. Apart from 5or 6 of them, they seemed to be largely amateurs, in terms of fighting. They didn't hold their weapons properly and looked very unsure. There were a few exceptions, but Squall's confidence sank a little.
(Oh well….we'll just have to do a bit better…and I'm sure their hearts are in the right place...this is their town we're fighting for after all…it's amazing what you can do out of adrenaline and determination…)
"Nice to meet you Commander Leonhart."
"This is umm… Sub-Commander Tilmitt." he gestured to Selphie.
Selphie's eyes widened slightly and she her face suddenly gained a slightly red tint, at being mentioned.
"Hello...Sub-Commander Tilmitt." said Commander Tresallick, and extended his hand again. He seemed even more surprised that a girl who looked about 15 was the Sub-Commander.
Selphie nervously shook his hand, glowing all the while.
"H-h-hello Sir Commander.." she stuttered.
He smiled at her.
"Let's head out to the edge of Roshfall Forest then." Tresallick said briskly. He seemed to be a very good leader actually, very decisive and strict without being unfair or cruel. The Timber people certainly seemed to be in awe of him, and followed him Squall, Selphie, Rinoa and the other SeeDs headed out of the town, and towards the forest. All the citizens who had eyed them suspiciously before, were now cheering them on, and certainly looked less hostile.
Soon the crowds, buildings and noise of Timber were far behind them, and ahead they saw the advancing Galbadian army, and Roshfall Forest was to their right.
"Have you any specific plan in mind?" Squall asked Tresallick.
"I think we should maybe split off into smaller groups, and attack that way. Groups of maybe three. "
He eyed Squall's gunblade, Selphie's nunchakas and Rinoa's Shooting Star and thought they would obviously be able to look after themselves.
"If you organise your SeeDs…though you'll need one of my troops I see…..Stardling! Get over here!"
"Right…me Selphie and Rinoa…. ummm… Gilmour, Mason and Wright you three form a group…..Novoselic, Cobain and Grohl…. and Yorke and O' Brien go with the Timber soldier." Squall ordered. The SeeDs nodded and formed their groups. Meanwhile Tresallick was ordering his troops around. He came over to Squall, with the Timber soldier.
"You ready?" he asked.
Squall nodded, as the Galbadian army drew ever closer.
"We're ready." he said firmly.
"And so are we." said Tresallick.
"Are we waiting for them to come or do we go" asked Rinoa.
"We're gonna head out." said Tresallick decisively. "It puts us less on the defensive and also further away from Timber the better…In case of well…you know.."
"Yes, it makes more sense." said Squall.
"We're leaving then." Tresallick said.
"FORWARD!" he cried to the troops.
Squall, Selphie, Rinoa and the other SeeDs turned and began to walk towards the mass of Galbadians in the distance.
Chapter VI
" Right everyone, listen up." said Quistis. She was in her element here, with her most authoritative voice possible. "Commander Leonheart has informed me the Galbadians have approached on Timber, and will probably be doing so on Dollet very soon. We must act quickly."
Several SeeDs groaned.
"We've only just got here Instructor."
"We're here for work not a holiday." she replied sharply. Then her voice softened slightly. "I know you're probably pretty tired. I am too. But if we don't get out and face them, then we may be too late and we will fail our mission."
Several of them were slightly pacified, as Quistis, although not the most outgoing person, had a way of persuading people and was an eloquent speaker. She was also admired by almost everyone at the Garden, and people trusted, respected and believed her. The admiration for her meant that people would trust her judgement on this matter.
"We must leave almost immediately." Quistis said. " They may be very close already."
A man burst into the hotel. "Ms. Trepe!" he said. "I'm from the Dollet army. The Commander has requested you and your party join him immediately."
"OK everyone set?" Quistis looked round the group. "Let's go!"
They all left the hotel.
"Where is the Commander and army?" Quistis asked the messenger.
" By the entrance and exit to the town, Ms. Trepe." he replied.
They left the hotel and headed down the road to the gate at the entrance to Dollet town. The road was fairly long, but they could hear a commotion long before they reached the end of it.
"What's going on down there?" Irvine wondered.
"I hope the Galbadians haven't arrived…" Quistis said.
Their pace quickened a little, as they continued along the road. The road twisted and came over the crest of the miniature hill and saw the source of the noise. The Dollet army was blockading the town gate, and the Galbadian army was only 50 or so metres up the road outside. There seemed to be 400 or so, all headed towards Dollet. They would reach the town in less than a minute. The SeeDs ran down the hill immediately. Near the back of the 300 or so men in the Dollet army was a man who they presumed was the Commander.
"Ah, the SeeDs." he said. "There's no time to explain now but some of the Galbadians will be attacking by boat, as we speak. I would like you to go to the harbour and stop them. Some may already have landed, so be as quick as you can. The residents of Dollet have only just recovered from the last attempted invasion of Dollet. We're sure their intended target, as well as the city, is the Communications Tower, which we liberated after the Galbadians were weakened. I am confident in our ability to repel the Galbadians here, and around this side of the town, but I will need you to stop any aquatic assaults. Do you understand?"
"Yes Commander, we understand." Quistis replied.
"Good. my name is Commander Lithdan, by the way. I hope your mission goes well. Good luck."
"Thank you. And the same to you too." Quistis said.
"I hope to speak to you, after this is over, a bit better, but for now we have some more immediate problems." he said, and turned to the army.
"Come on all SeeDs let's go." Quistis shouted to the group from Balamb. They all returned into the town, leaving the sounds and sights of the Galbadian army and Dollet army behind them.
"Right." Quistis was saying, " We'll split into separate patrols, and scour the streets and harbour. Two people can go and guard the Communications Tower bridge, the rest of us split into 3 groups of 3. We must head to the harbour, and stop the Galbadians. It's quite simple."
She looked round the group.
" Ashcroft and Waters go and guard the bridge to the Communications Tower. Molko, Olsdal and Hewitt go that way." she pointed down the street to her left, "Lennon, Harrison and McCartney go that way." she pointed to her right. " Remember everyone, stop the Galbadians, and for goodness sake…be careful. I have faith in all of you. Good luck."
Several of them smiled, and thanked her and then they all turned and headed the way that they had been asked by Quistis.
"Come on you two, we'll head down the main road." Quistis said, and the remaining trio set off down the main road to the harbour. The main road led through the centre of town, but it was almost totally deserted, though that's not to say people weren't above the shops watching down fearfully. They continued along until they reached The Nautilus, where they saw two Galbadian soldiers, shooting the window of the shop, and laughing. The window smashed and they grabbed some of the items on display. One of them had a Phoenix Down in his hands and was laughing.
"Hey, look Brad, I got a…." he read the label. "….Phoenix…Down ."
Suddenly there was whip around his wrist and it tugged sharply and he dropped it in shock.
"Not any more." Quistis said. She pulled her Save The Queen off his wrist, and cracked it menacingly. Irvine drew out his gun, and Zell punched the air a few times.
"Hey…a few resistance fighters…" Brad's friend chuckled. " I hoped we'd run into a few."
"Yeah.." Brad laughed as well. "I haven't had a good win in a few days now."
He pulled out his gun and shot at Quistis. She dodged and avoided most of the fire. One of the bullets grazed her shoulder. She grimaced a little, not because of the pain, but because her SeeD uniform was damaged. Zell had run up to Brad's friend and started laying into him with his Erghiez gloves. He dodged as the Galbadian soldier tried to retaliate. Zell stood back as Quistis recovered and cracked her whip over Brad's friend. Irvine shot at Brad, who returned fire. Irvine got him though and he collapsed on the ground, though was still conscious. He was kneeling on the ground and looked in great agony. His own bullet had hit Irvine, but due to his magical junctioned defence., he barely felt it. Zell ran up to Brad's friend again, and this time his punch connected and the full force of the mighty Erghiez spread across the unfortunate soldier's chin. The soldier fell over and lay slumped on the street. Quistis ran up and delivered another blow to Brad. The incredible power of Quistis and the unique and devastating Save The Queen was too much for Brad. He joined his friend in their position on the street of Dollet.
"Scum." Irvine said kicking their bodies.
"Irvine." Quistis said. "We're only killing because it's our mission orders."
Irvine seemed to disagree, but said nothing further on the matter. He bent down and searched the bodies.
"A Hi-Potion and a few gil..." Irvine said, taking the potion.
"Mind you, Irvine…" Zell said, "If you'd stayed at Galbadia Garden. you'd have been in their army probably, y'know."
Irvine glared at him slightly and he reddened, because he knew it was actually true.
"I wouldn't have known then, what they have become now." he said stiffly. "When I joined, they were fine."
"I know Irvine. I'm sure you wouldn't have joined them." Quistis said, trying to placate everyone. She gave Zell a look which plainly told him to not say comments like that again.
"Yeah, I know Irvine,. I was just saying though, that you probably would have been forced to…not that you necessarily wanted to."
"OK thanks Zell." Quistis said again. "Can we proceed now?" She walked on, indicating that they were going to anyway.
They continued along the road, getting slightly nearer to the harbour. They then ran into another group of Galbadian soldiers, 5 this time. However their backs were turned, and Quistis whipped one, Zell punched one and Irvine shot one, before they were even aware of the SeeDs. The three that were struck were all kneeling on the ground, and close to death. The other two immediately shot back at Quistis and Irvine. One of three wounded shot at Zell, who promptly retaliated with a blow to the chest and chin, and the soldier slumped backwards and died. Irvine shot again at the one Quistis had whipped and the bullet went straight through his heart. He gurgled and slumped to the ground. Quistis quickly saw off the remaining injured one, who slumped to the ground with a line of blood across his face and body in the shape of a whip. The sting of the Marlboro had once again performed. The other tow shot, this time at Quistis and Zell. However their extremely potent magical defence junctionings ensured that they received little damage.
Zell ran up and punched one of the remaining two soldiers, however he really connected well, and felt an extra power surge through him, and the last thing the soldier heard was his neck snap, before he too became a resident of the Dollet gutter. Irvine shot the remaining one down immediately after and he slumped to the ground, and joined his comrades.
"Phew, well done everyone." Quistis said. Irvine went and searched the bodies, returning with three potions and an elixir.
"Heads up!" Zell said. "More soldiers!"
3 more soldiers, seeing the disturbance, came running down the street. However their fate was the same as their predecessors.
"Hmm the street's getting slightlty crowded now isn't it?" Zell remarked casually, as if he was talking about the weather.
"Yes, we'd better move on." grinned Irvine.
They travelled down the remainder of the winding street, and anyone who was from the Galbadian army they met, soon met a similar fate. Quistis' whip, Zell's fists and Irvine's gun saw to that.
Eventually they reached the harbour area. There were two Galbadian vessels situated there, with soldiers streaming off both. Several had gone ashore, such as the ones they had fought, but there were more, about 30 or so more still on the beach.
"Bloody hell!" Irvine breathed. "How many more of them are there?"
"I don't know." Quistis said. " I hope the other SeeDs are alright."
"Yeah, look there's a group over there." said Zell as three SeeDs came round a corner, and onto the harbour road.
"And the other's over there." Irvine said pointing to the other side of the beach, where another three were finishing off a Galbadian soldier.
"That's a relief." said Quistis. "Hey Zell go over to them, and tell them to come here, and Irvine tell the others."
The two teenagers ran off to the groups and called them over. They were now all standing just slightly under the bridge, where they could see the beach, but not be seen very well from the beach.
"Right, everyone OK?" Quistis said. The two at the Communications Tower were like a last line of defence. We were really to stop them first. I'm sure one or two got through, but I'm sure they dealt with them."
She paused and looked round.
"Now, everyone's done well, but we still need to get rid of them." She pointed to the beach. "There's quite a few down there, about a 3:1 ratio with us, but I'm sure we can do it. "
"So what are we gonna just charge down then?" said one of the SeeDs.
"In a way, yes, but carefully. I have an Ultima stocked which I will use…that may wipe some of them out. Again we'll approach from different angles. You three go down these steps to the left, you three go down the ones over to the right, and we'll go down these ones here in the middle. I'll crack my whip when we go down, alright? Once we reach the beach, and start fighting, try and use magic to kill multiple enemies if you can. OK? Good luck everyone…you've done well so far."
The three groups separated again and got to their positions. The soldiers seemed to be about to launch a new wave of attacks on Dollet, and were about to head up to the road.
(It's now then I guess…..)
Quistis cracked her whip loudly, and immediately 9 SeeDs charged down onto the beach.