CHAPTER 10:

THE FURY OF GARLAND

In another place, in fact, in another world entirely, an old, bearded man apparently dressed in armour adorned with a cape glared at a glowing screen. His name was Garland, and he was very annoyed. And in truth, he was no man, with the equivalent term for him being an android. And despite the emphasis of his creators on logic and objective reasoning, they still gave him emotions. Which was why he was annoyed.

Not one, but two of his creations were currently outside of his control. He didn't like not being in control. Especially as his oldest creation was currently using the ultimate Terran warship, the Invincible, as his own tool to do with as he wished. Kuja's usages of the Invincible were mostly unauthorised, especially as Kuja was barred from travelling back to Terra, and Garland wanted to find out exactly what he was up to. Kuja had the Invincible's remote control and authorisation codes, but only so he could do what he was meant to do.

Kuja had been careful, wiping the records, but Garland knew exactly how to recover them. It helped that the souls ensnared by the ship had accessible memories. It was intended to act as a secondary means of removing souls from Gaia, mostly in battle, for interrogation and intelligence. Those who died shortly after being exposed to the energy waves of the Invincible would be ensnared.

Garland watched the data being reconstructed, and eventually had to stifle a curse. The glowing red light set in a hollow in his armour-like body flared briefly with his anger. There were surveillance records of the Invincible's latest sojourn to the Iifa Tree, which had become inactive shortly beforehand. The last message from the Soulcage stated that a quartet of meddlesome Gaian natives, along with Zidane, had destroyed it, and while that wasn't a truly serious blow, as the mechanisms required to replace Gaian souls with Terran souls weren't part of the Iifa Tree, it was still an annoyance.

Besides Kuja and the Alexandrian Forces, there was another group, which included the five who had killed Soulcage, as well as two others, along with some Eidolons. It was the five from the Iifa Tree that interested him more, and calling up the relevant data from Soulcage as well as the souls trapped within the Invincible, he began building up data on them.

The two he had dismissed were a pair of bounty hunters, according to the soul of Queen Brahne. Lani and Amarant. Competent thugs for hire, but nothing truly special. The five below were another matter entirely, especially as little information could be gleaned about two of them.

Brahne knew her daughter was a summoner from Madain Sari, and judging by the horn protruding from the forehead of the blue-haired girl, she was one too. And the boy with the dark hair seemed to be one as well, for he was the one who dismissed the bird-like Eidolon. Soulcage, in his dying messages, had sensed that this one had travelled recently from another world. But the boy also had the signature of a Madain Sari summoner, according to the Invincible's sensors, so it was possible that he had been sent to another world when Kuja attacked Madain Sari. Whatever his origins, the boy was a threat, especially as Kuja seemed set on finding Eidolons to usurp Garland. And he had command of one of the most powerful Eidolons in existence, as it had wiped out Soulcage. The name Harry came from one of the screams of fear when he was attacked during the Soulcage battle.

The dark-haired girl was Princess Garnet til Alexandros XVII, but he knew of no actual summoners in that royal line, not for centuries. Brahne's memories confirmed that. The Black Mage was one of Kuja's prototypes. The Soulcage had heard the name Vivi. The summoner child with the blue hair was Eiko.

And then, there was Zidane Tribal. His second attempt at creating an Angel of Death to speed up the conversion process, but one whom Kuja had cast into Gaia before any indoctrination could be performed. It seemed that Zidane had gone native, and was now utterly useless for Garland's plans. Worse still, he was becoming a liability. Soulcage had been indiscreet, and Zidane now seemed to know something of his origins. And judging by the way the surveillance feeds on the Invincible picked up on the body language of Zidane and his comrades, there was no rift between them. Zidane would therefore be an enemy of Terra, and thus a danger to Garland's plans.

But not as much as Kuja, whose ambition was far outstripping his usefulness. Kuja had knowledge of Garland's plans, and could work on a way to stop him. And while such a thought was laughable, Garland was no fool. Even the smallest of insects could, through disease or poison, bring down the largest of animals.

It was what he found in Brahne's memories after interrogating them that had him truly furious. Kuja was hoping to try and capture the Eidolon Alexander, while camouflaging it with his task of provoking strife on the Mist Continent. Kuja had whispered in the greedy queen's ear about the powers of the royal jewels.

Garland resolved to travel with the Invincible the next few times it made the transition to Terra. That way, he could take control of the ship when Kuja decided to use it.

As he examined the records, he heard Mikoto approaching. Although her body had been created long ago, her soul was only recently granted to her(1). She was to be Kuja and Zidane's replacement as an Angel of Death, once her indoctrination was complete. But first, Garland would need to deal with his wayward creations.

"Garland, I have the projected revisions to the process quotas now that Soulcage has been destroyed," she said, proffering a computer tablet.

Garland took it, and looked over the figures. While he felt little positive about either Kuja or Zidane, towards Mikoto, he felt something that he supposed was akin to paternal pride. She was mostly obedient, but also wouldn't hesitate to point out serious errors. The right mixture of obedience and initiative. She was cool, calm, and collected. And she had just enough curiosity to satisfy his desire to teach, though not enough to question too many orders.

"Good," Garland said, handing over the computer tablet. "Losing Soulcage is a problem, true, but it's not a disaster. We will need to find a way to continue the discharge of stagnant souls across the Mist Continent. We will create a new Soulcage eventually." He looked at Mikoto. "I will be absent from Terra for the next couple of times when the Invincible is summoned to Gaia. I will trust the administration of the assimilation to you, Mikoto."

"I will not let you down, Garland," Mikoto said quietly with a bow.

"I know you won't, child," Garland said, reaching out and touching her face gently. "I have had two disappointing children thus far, though Zidane's opposition to me is Kuja's fault. I know that you won't fail me, Mikoto. Now, leave. Kuja will summon the Invincible ere long, and you are needed here to take on my duties for the time being."

"Yes, Garland," Mikoto said, again bowing, before she made for the Invincible's personal teleporter. Meanwhile, Garland sat in the commander's chair in the cockpit, and brooded, waiting for the time when he would show Kuja the folly of his ways…

Harry peered around the dank, dim cave with curiosity, filled with all sorts of cooking paraphernalia and food. It was an hour's walk from Treno. "So, your grandfather lived here with you?" he asked Vivi, who was holding a ladle, looking at it with a nostalgic expression. Well, as much as Vivi could when only his eyes were visible.

Vivi nodded. "He actually fished me out of the sky, so he claimed. There's a balcony of sorts out the back. It might be that, well, I was dropped into the ocean, and he managed to get me out. I honestly don't know how I ended up there, because my first memory is of being fished out by my grandfather. His name was Quan. I asked Quale, Quina's master, about him, but Quale wouldn't give me an answer. I'm sure s/he lied, s/he seemed angry about it(2)."

"It feels like a home," Harry mused. "The Dursleys would have freaked out at this, but this feels more like home than their house ever did."

"Zidane told me a little about these abominable people on the way over to Treno," Freya said, as she examined a jar of some sort of pickled product. "That you come from another world is astonishing enough."

"I came from this world originally, according to my Eidolons. I was sent to that world by my father when that big airship attacked Madain Sari. My Eidolons remembered what happened. My adoptive parents were apparently good people. Mages in a world where magic is hidden. But they were murdered, and I was sent to the Dursleys." He thought about one thing that made him shudder. "Oh God, Queen Brahne reminded me of Aunt Marge."

"A tragic tale, no doubt," Freya said, coming over to Harry. "But I am grateful to you and Eiko for helping my friends, young Harry. I have known Zidane from before I left Burmecia, and I consider myself privileged to have met both Garnet and Vivi. Like Vivi, you and Eiko have great valour for children so young. It worries me that you have chosen to continue with us in fighting Kuja, but your resolve and ability is far beyond your years."

"Well, Kuja's gotta be stopped, right?" Eiko asked as she came back over from rooting around in a rotting cupboard. "He might try to capture me and/or Harry and take our Eidolons!"

"True," Freya said, scratching at her nose. "But there is his agenda to consider. Garnet said that the beast within the Iifa Tree claimed that Zidane came from the same world as Kuja, something Kuja confirmed. And Zidane is Kuja's brother. Which begs the question: what manner of people and place gave rise to Zidane and Kuja? It could be that they are conquerors every bit as vicious as Kuja, or else peaceful, or everything inbetween."

"The Soulcage said that the Mist was used to provoke war," Vivi pointed out. "If that thing wasn't Kuja's creation, but that of the world Zidane comes from…"

"And Kuja claims that Zidane had the same purpose as him," Harry said, remembering what the flamboyant man had said at the Iifa Tree. "Causing death and destruction. That he was created to do that. And I think 288 back at the Black Mage Village said that Kuja claimed his master was called Garland, the one who ordered the destruction of Madain Sari."

"Then it is fortunate that Zidane does not act like his brother," Freya said. Then, she frowned. "Created? Like a golem or an automaton perhaps? Many golems and automatons have ways of receiving new instructions and orders. In other words, perhaps Zidane's creators have a means of bringing him back under their control. I should hope not, and this is something I will bring up with Zidane myself. He is our ally, not our enemy. But we must be vigilant, for he may be forced to become our foe."

It was a chilling thought, and not one Harry liked to consider. He already thought of Zidane as a friend, and he didn't want to view him as a potential enemy…

In Doctor Tot's observatory, Tot examined the Dark Matter Amarant and his associates had given him. "It certainly appears to be the genuine article," Tot said. "And the Bishop family give me a significant grant for research. I will pay 5000 gil now as an initial surety, and contact the Queen for a final price."

Jessie scoffed. "That cheapskate auctioneer's agent only offered 1300 gil for that thing when we sent out feelers."

"Hey, Tot," Biggs said. "Amarant here said that Garnet wants information from Treno, right? We're pretty well-connected with the underclass here. Would she be willing to retain our services?"

"It would certainly fit into a plan she and I have discussed," Tot said. "Her Majesty is looking to make sure that the nobles of Treno remember that they are part of Alexandria. Can we count on your assistance?"

"If the pay's right," Biggs said. "We have eyes and ears in a lot of places in Treno."

Tot nodded. "I'm curious, did Kuja ever say anything about himself?"

"When we asked him once, he laughed long and hard," Wedge said with a shiver. "But he told us a name that we've never heard of, and I've looked at an atlas once. There's no place with that name anywhere on Gaia."

"What was that name?" Tot asked.

"He said he came from a place called Terra…"

CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:

There you have it, the latest chapter, with some insight into Garland and some father/daughter interaction between Garland and Mikoto.

BTW, who here's excited about the re-release of Final Fantasy IX for Steam and the mobiles, eh? It looks like they're giving it a damn good polish at least, as it's 20GB of space. I wish they'd hurry the hell up and give a price and release date.

Review-answering time! knightblazer85: You have a point, but I think Zidane is more skilled with his charisma than he is with actual etiquette. He's probably a good BS artist.

jgkitarel: Garnet hasn't decided on a reward for Harry and Eiko, simply because they're kids, and it'd be hard to reward a kid as young as they are. I actually had a thought as I was writing this, though. I think she will try and have Madain Sari rebuilt, when everything is said and done. Anyway, I think both Harry and Eiko will be adopted by Cid and Hilda, as Eiko was in the game.

Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros: You're very welcome. I don't normally take suggestions, but that one was too good to pass up. As knightblazer85 mentioned, Zidane probably has experience dealing with nobles before, but I doubt that he got a full-on etiquette class. Baku probably taught him the bare basics for both acting and theft as part of Tantalus.

Jostanos: Wait and see, something might happen. I have no plans for this fic, but should I complete this fic and start a sequel, I will have Harry brought back to Earth during the events of The Goblet of Fire.

1. The Final Fantasy Wiki claims that Mikoto was created a little less than a year prior to the game. I decided that her physical body has existed for a while, but her actual soul was only put into it about a year prior.

2. Note how Vivi uses the weird gender pronouns for Quale, but 'he' for Quan. This was deliberate. Vivi considers Quan his grandfather so much that he only uses male pronouns.