Three Days Later

I can't believe I'm doing this…but why not? The kid seems to know more about everything else. Maybe he really knows about this.

Dael let out an exhale as she held her weapon before her. Her eyes were forward, looking out to sea, and her body tight and rigid. "Are you sure about this?" She called out to Bahamut nearby. "You're sure you read about all of this?"

"I didn't 'read' any of it." The boy somewhat crossly responded. He was looking already far better than when they picked him up. With the gel washed off, it was revealed all of his prior injuries had been tended to, and once he was acclimated to movement again he was soon stronger than ever. He accepted Cryder's gifts and made use of them, training himself almost as hard as Dael had. For now, however, he was seated on deck with his weapons to one side and his arms crossed. "I know this works by experience."

Dael suppressed the urge to frown. She again swallowed the fact that she might have been as insane as the boy for going with this, and continued to stare forward. Dead ahead, on the front of the deck and framed by the ocean, was a flagpole. It wasn't running any standards at the moment, not even that of Esthar. Normally it would have Sybenia's, but that had long since been taken down as soon as they had returned to international waters. As she looked to it, she couldn't help but feel a tad hopeless. If she hadn't seen the Elite Hounds and Jalab in action, she might have doubted this was even possible. But even knowing one could do it didn't mean she could pull it off…

Although the sun had gone down and the trip was rough with two passengers, the group had returned to the stolen patrol boat that same day. They still hadn't been found. The next major question was either to wait out a potential search or try and leave right away. Dael thought either option was bad. After all, any ship that would just appear would look suspicious. However, it seemed Cid was ahead of them once again. Perhaps, for all of Jay's boasting, they hadn't been as "let in" as he had hoped. He first moved their ship to the mouth of the bay with lights killed, staying just out of view of any boats going by, before he paused and waited for the new patrols. As he did so, Dael had watched the radar, and saw several ships both of Leuco make and Sybenian make come by. Finally, he made a radio transmission to the ships on one of his modified radios, saying that he had spotted activity on one of the shores a few miles to the right. He only notified one ship, namely the next one in "sequence", and, once again, gave all the proper codes and designations. As a result, the ship broke off and, not missing a beat, their own patrol boat moved out into line in its place, soon joining the sequence. They stayed that way for a few hours, sailing closer to the main port, where Leuco had requested thinner amounts of Sybenian ships to avoid hampering their own trade. When they received the order, they turned away the same as everyone else…and gunned the engines for the north. By the time they started getting messages asking where they were going and their designation, their faster craft was clear, and they were on their way back to Esthar.

It was a good thing Taraketh wasn't with them. Dael could do without his rants about making them all sleep in the same room as the Sorceress again. Faerio passed right out in the commons room. It was almost enough to make her smile. When she fell asleep, and her power ebbed, she just looked like a regular kid sawing logs. Cid even broke away from his controls long enough to pick her up and carry her to one of the bunk beds, like he was putting his little sister down. She wondered how many people who held such a "heavenly" vision of the Sorceresses and even the Order of Hyne itself would react to seeing such a thing.

Bahamut was another matter entirely. She tried to pester him about it, but it was no use and, ultimately, she realized it made sense. He cleaned himself up and changed into fresh clothes, but then immediately went to work on his exercises again without sleeping. Dael realized he had already been asleep for who knew how long, so she had might as well deal with it. He wanted to get back up to top physical form soon anyway. There was little other information that he could share, however. He had merely been beaten, chained, and hauled about until they slipped him into drug-induced unconsciousness, after which nothing had happened until he had been awakened by Dael and Cid.

The trip back was not too eventful. No one pursued them. They must have been able to evade any Hound ships, assuming there were any, unlike last time. That left the Black Corsairs, but if tensions were really strained between them and Leuco, Dael doubted the pirates were in a very "helpful" mood. They should have been clear all the way back to Esthar. That meant Dael had more time to practice.

She had done better against Jay than she had thought she would so soon after their last meeting. After all, she actually managed to land a blow. However, that wasn't nearly good enough. She had to do better…be on even footing with him…ideally surpass him. And she was beginning to understand that she was missing something. She had received the best training in the world, been brought up pretty much as a soldier her whole life, and was junctioned to a Guardian Force. Yet she knew she couldn't defeat the likes of people like Jalab Tierras or Li Juanhong before he was junctioned himself. They had something she lacked…some power she had yet to tap into. For the first day, she tried to find it herself. She figured maybe she simply wasn't training hard enough, or didn't have enough grip on her magic. But as she continued to practice, she started to wonder what she was missing…for she didn't feel too much improvement from this.

She talked to Cid, to Cryder, and even to Faerio, but none of them could offer any suggestions. Of the three, Faerio was the only one who had mastered magic, and she said that what she used was little more than spells to enhance one's physicality. Cryder merely said years of living on the ocean and pirating was the secret to his success, and it wasn't much help…as Dael was confident she could beat him in a straight fight. And as for Cid…combat was pretty much new to him to begin with, so there wasn't much assistance there. However, in the course of moving about and talking to everyone, she had gained the attention of the only other passenger besides Quaren. He was the one who approached her, and asked if she was willing to listen to him. Having little other recourse…and realizing that every time she hadn't listened to him she had been the one who ended up looking stupid…she decided to go ahead.

Now she found herself on the deck, facing down the flagpole.

"Alright." Bahamut said after a moment. "Cut it in two."

The pole in question was a good twelve feet away from the most extended portion of her blade. She sighed. "Even if it was right next to me, my force isn't enough to cut metal that durable."

"Why does it have to be next to you?" Bahamut called out. "You saw that Jalab and the Elite Hounds can cut without even making physical contact."

"I know that. I don't know how they do it. That's the problem." Dael answered.

"Just try."

The young officer frowned, again wondering why she was letting this twelve-year-old give her pointers. It's wasn't like she had seen him pull this off either. However…he had to have something to him. After all, he had struck all three Elite Hounds at once with that blow from out of nowhere. Deciding to go with it, she tightened up and focused some more. She was mostly recovered from the other day by now, so she figured she was near her full power. She devoted her full attention on her target, gathered her strength, and then, after a moment longer, raised her blade and chopped down, giving a cry.

The blow was powerful indeed…easily enough to make a loud cutting sound through the air and the floor of the deck creak. But as for the flagpole…it bent a little from the cast off force…but no more. It came back and went still again. Dael frowned.

"Just cutting at it doesn't do anything." She said with a groan.

"That's because just cutting really hard through the air isn't the secret to it." Bahamut simply answered.

Dael sighed as she lowered her sword and turned to him. "Alright then, what is the secret?"

"You rely too much on straight physical power." The boy responded. "No doubt, that's what you've been taught your whole life…rely on focusing on points of weakness in your physiology and push them to their limits to grow stronger, and then act. It's good for reaching your limits, but you need to be able to tap into something greater. The ancient knights, dark knights, sorcerers…that's the sword-wielding kind, mind you…ninjas, samurai…each one of them was able to tap into a power flowing through them. Nowadays, all of those types are lumped together and thrown into the Order of Hyne as soon as they demonstrate some magical power. But even if they can't generate spells, even the smallest amount shows a 'proficiency', if you will, to tap into the energy of the Planet that flows through them."

The woman sighed. "Look…all that metaphysical stuff might be a big deal for you, but, like Taraketh says, I'm just a soldier. I thought magic was tapping into my spiritual energy."

Bahamut groaned. "You're not listening. Magic does tap into your spiritual energy. Magic, however, is something only a few people can do. But so long as you're a living thing and familiar with magic, you have the potential to tap into something everyone has. The Planet's energy flows through everyone. It's like blood to spirit. It comes forth from Gaia, constantly being depleted and renewed by your interactions with other living things. One day, all of it will go back and be recycled again. But until that time, it resonates with this world just like a radio tuned to the same frequency."

"Look, assuming you're right," Dael continued. "Assuming that I do have this power that Jalab and Raven have been using…what then? They have to have been trying to use it for years."

"And normally it does take years to unlock." Bahamut responded. "But you have good foundations for it already. You're near the peak of your physical skill, you know how to call on magic naturally as well as with help, and you're able to still your own spirit and pay attention to its flow. As little as a few hundred years ago, anyone who still practiced fighting in any capacity learned how to call on this power. Nowadays, it seems its depleted to everyone except those who have a background in the Order of Hyne…but like I said, anyone who has any tie to magic, whether it be natural or artificial, can 'unlock' this ability. It goes by a lot of names. When it was used by the old Midgar corporation/government, they called it 'limit breaks' because people could only release it when they had taken a certain level of punishment. And generally, that's true. But even knowing its there can sharpen your fighting ability overall…allow you to tap into things you didn't know you could do."

Dael paused for a moment more, but then looked more focused on Bahamut. "Alright…then how do I do it?"

"You can't really see it's full potential unless someone was to beat on you for a bit." Bahamut responded. "But so that you can do that when it comes, first of all…get back in your position."

The Esthar's Hawk paused a moment, but then raised her katana and shifted back into her previous standing.

"Now focus on your target."

Dael did so, looking again at the flagpole.

"Look at it for a while…" Bahamut responded, making his voice slower and quieter, but no less deliberate. "Get a good image of it. Keep looking at it until you can see it perfectly in your mind's eye. Only then, close your eyes. And when you do…I want you to keep seeing it."

The woman tried not to roll her eyes, but then did as she was told. She looked at the flagpole and stared, almost as if it was one of those optical illusion drawings. She continued to do so for some time. After about thirty seconds, she was about to close her eyes…but Bahamut must have seen that.

"Don't rush it. It has to be perfectly in there."

Dael hesitated, but then did as she was told. She continued to stare. Her eyes went over the flagpole again and again, examining a bit of peeled paint here, or a spot of rust there. Every imperfection…every detail…everything about it. Even the ambient surrounding railings and deck in her field of vision were noted. And she continued to look it over again and again until she almost had a photograph of it in her mind. A full seven minutes passed before she exhaled, and closed her eyes.

She saw it almost perfectly before her, like an after image.

"Now…" Bahamut continued, still calm and slow. "Connect with your spirit, like you're going to cast a spell. But don't focus on any spell in particular. Don't try to form a connection. Just feel your own spirit moving through you."

Dael soon began to do so. She was getting better at it by now, after all. She could even do it while distracted, at least for minor spells. And she was on the ocean, a place gentle, flowing, continuous, and yet natural. It took only moments for her to feel the sensation flowing through her. In fact…she realized, by now, that she could only feel it better. It was so strange. She hadn't worked at it for too long, but she already could feel it so much more strongly than usual…even her entire life. It was so odd… For years, she had never bothered to try something like this, and now that she was…perhaps she was a natural far more than Taraketh could suspect.

"Just keep feeling it." Bahamut said…his voice moving around now. He had risen, and was walking around behind her. "Concentrate…and stretch out. You'll begin to feel more. The world is full of life…ambient with the Lifestream. As you concentrate, you'll almost feel it flowing outside of you…connecting you…part of everything around you… Feel it now between yourself and your target."

The woman didn't question this time. She merely continued to concentrate. For almost a full minute, she felt nothing. But then…she swore she could almost feel 'threads' coming out from her, strands of the flow through her moving around. As she breathed in and out, she could almost see bits of light flowing inside of her and then out again. Soon, she could feel it on the sun beating down, and almost see it, even with her eyes closed, crashing in the waves. She continued to concentrate…continued to feel…and it only grew in quantity. She, a living creature, was the strongest of all…but there were traces of it everywhere…even in her target. Like a child drawing in chalk, she saw colored lines begin to appear in her mind's image…

To be honest, normally this would have been surprising to her…but she was so in the moment that her very mind had been calmed, almost as if she had hypnotized herself. All she could do was continue to listen.

"Now feel the connection. It's there…between you and your target…and the world around you. Everything moves as one, in and out of the Planet…"

Dael continued to hold…and, slowly, it came to pass. She noticed the light did seem to dim and brighten in a pattern, one that resonated with her. It flowed out and back along with her own movements. And as she continued to hold, she saw the connection with more and more of the world around her. How there was more energy than she thought there…and all of it was one with her and she was one with it. She could almost feel it flowing through her. She could almost see her breathing in sync with the oceans and winds…or even the oceans and winds in sync with her breathing. Even the light of the sun seemed to be governing her and being governed by her. The world around her that she could see with her five senses seemed to slip away as she saw it all in a new light.

"And now…strike the flagpole."

Dael was practically in a self-induced trance. As a result, her body simply obeyed…and she barely even knew it happened. Instead…a few seconds later, the world seemed to fade in around her, and she found herself no longer posed, but with her arms angled downward, her sword against the deck. She couldn't even see or hear at first, although her eyes were open and the image she had seen behind closed eyes had abruptly vanished. She blinked a few times…and reality came back. She was again on the deck of the ship. The ocean was gently rolling, and a light breeze was going by. She began to hear the sounds of water and the engines humming. She blinked a few times. What had just happened?

She turned to where Bahamut had been seated, but he was up now. Soon after, she looked behind her, vaguely remembering his voice from back there. There, she saw the boy…but he had changed. He had fallen backward and was now seated on the deck. His eyes were wide and his pupils shrunk. He was showing a rare moment, to Dael's surprise, where he looked shocked. His eyes were wide open as he stared at Dael and beyond her. He even seemed to be breathing a bit heavy.

Dael blinked at him, and then looked forward a second time, and finally she saw it. Soon, she gaped as well.

Even with her enhanced strength, it took a blow of some power to cut through metal. However, it seemed as if the blow that Dael had just summoned was far stronger than anything she had ever unleashed before. Her target, the flagpole, was not only cleanly sliced with the end now lying on the deck…the edges gleamed, as if something incredibly hot had done it. But that wasn't all. A duct up ahead was also neatly cut, as was the railing beyond it. If Dael had been fully alert…she would have seen that her slice also went twenty yards out onto the ocean and had caused a rather intense splash. Yet even not knowing that, she was rather surprised.

A moment later, she heard a rush of footsteps coming up a metal stairwell from inside the ship. She heard one of the hatch doors open, and turned around to look. She soon saw a rather puzzled Quaren nervously gripping his rifle.

"Are we being attacked?" He said incredulously, looking around on the ocean. "I heard a sound like a cannon…"

Now, Dael's own eyes mimicked Bahamut's. A cannon?

"That…was better than I thought…"

The sound of Bahamut's voice turned the attention of both Dael and Quaren downward, although only Dael could see the look on his face, as well as know the reason for it. He managed to look fully to Dael, however.

"I'll be honest… When I showed you that, I expected a scratch or a light cut on that pole at the most…for a first time." He told her. "But that…that was overwhelming. I didn't think anyone who was trying this for the first time could pull it off, junctioned and trained or no."

Dael blinked for a moment longer at Bahamut. She had never seen the boy look so stunned. She soon turned and looked back to what she did…and was justly amazed yet again. Comments of Bahamut aside, she had no idea she was capable of such power. Was this how the boy had struck the Elite Hounds? Had he mastered this technique somehow? All she knew is, if she could somehow master this power herself…she actually had a chance against them.

Before anything else could be said, however, the door opened again. The three looked up, having calmed a bit now, and soon saw Cid poking his head out.

"I sure hope that noise wasn't an Esthar cannon firing on us…" He said aloud. "We're almost to shore."

It wasn't, of course. Cid had taken the precaution of blaring all of the clearance codes for dock at the military section of the port, to say nothing of also continuously transmitting the message that their ship was only impersonating a Sybenian vessel. He was so thorough that the actual docking had no problem whatsoever. On landing and pulling the ship into dry dock to be refitted (after all, if they had reclaimed the patrol boat, they should have used it again if they could), they immediately dismounted. There, they bid farewell to Faerio, who immediately departed for the fort to rendezvous with Carbuncle and teleport back to Garrado. Cid offered to escort her and meet up with them later. As it turned out, those left behind, Dael, Cryder, Quaren, and Bahamut, didn't spend much time holding back. They only stopped long enough to radio back into base through the secure line at the port authority and give the news. It took a few transfers and some waiting, but they eventually contacted the colonel himself. He congratulated them, and also gave a personal message.

"Tell Master Bahamut never to pull a stunt like that again, because this is the last time I ever authorize a mission like that."

Dael was eager to give a bigger report outlining details about the weapons, transport methods, and even Jay, but it wasn't good to say too many things in such a situation if it could be avoided. She kept the comments brief, and only asked one additional question…inquiring about the others. To her relief, their mission had been a bit rough, but a success as well. After a layover of a few days in Fuliet, they too were bound for Esthar again as well. With that in mind, Dael ended the transmission to head back to base.

Even though the mass transit line didn't run by Esthar's city proper, the enthusiasm she had built…namely that her friends and comrades were all still alive and that both sides of their "task force" had succeeded in their respective missions…soon diminished. Even at the docks, things were tightening up. There was a team of Esthar's Hawks there full time investigating each ship that came in and left, and a few of the artillery units that they had were moved into place. Dael didn't like the fact that she saw a grand total of three…which was hardly enough to fend off a single destroyer, let alone an attacking fleet. At any rate, there weren't many civilians here anymore, and many places were under lock and key…especially fuel and other hazardous materials. Almost everything was regulated now. Aside from that, she saw the fear and anxiety on the faces of almost everyone. No one was very upbeat or even able, it seemed, to focus much on their work.

At any rate, the train ride was uneventful, and Fort Morningstar was under the same amount of security as before. Obviously, the whole incident with Bahamut had never been highly publicized among Esthar's Hawks when he broke into the Vaults, for they all took him for a simple kid after examining his things and sent him right in. Once inside, they saw that Cid had run off, Faerio had already left, and the others still hadn't returned. With that in mind, everyone went to their respective chambers to clean up. Dael grudgingly had to admit she felt a great sense of well-being to have Bahamut accompany her back to her own quarters and essentially "move back in". She didn't know it, but even the young man seemed more at ease as well. Only having the missing Carbuncle there would have made it better. After showering, changing, and instructing him not to leave the room until she got back, she reported to the colonel's office.

It took some time to gain an audience. She ended up waiting around 45 minutes, but she was patient. After all, there was nearly a continuous stream of personnel coming in and out from all Classes, not just Class IV. She wasn't sure how much authority the colonel was assuming, but she guessed it had to be a considerable amount. After all, she had heard nothing so far to indicate that the situation in the Legislature had changed or improved. Esthar's Hawks may have had the means to act, but they hadn't the manpower or resources of Sybenia. Something bigger had to be done soon… She doubted even Fuliet and the Order of Hyne could save them from the brunt of the Sybenian military.

When it was finally her time to come in, she was almost caught off guard by being called "commander", still not used to the title. At any rate, by this time, she almost felt more at ease to be in with the colonel alone and giving the full report. This time, she included the details. Regalis showed considerable tension on hearing about the methods they had been using on prisoners, as well as the fact that they were obviously engaging in some sort of experimentation.

"Unfortunately, Leuco is getting harder and harder to infiltrate." He finally stated. "And without more information, or even a precise location, we can't risk any sort of laboratory strike. Frankly, we don't really have any of the resources for such an operation. Nevertheless…this is good information. Now we have some combat data on the Aegis Armors as well as the Elite Hounds…to say nothing of a Sorceress. Please have Sir Boer and Mr. Morningjay give supplemental reports as soon as possible."

"Understood, sir." Dael replied. "What are our new orders?"

"At the moment, commander, you have no direct orders." The colonel responded, a bit to Dael's surprise. He leaned back and folded his hands. "While I definitely prefer if you wouldn't sit idly, for better or for worse…this is the proverbial time where I see what you're made of. Esthar's Hawks has more autonomy now. Unfortunately, we also have many officers who are used to only doing what they are ordered by the government. You, however, are part of a task force that is allowed a measure of independence. It's true that I have no assignments directly lined up for you. At this point, I'm wanting to keep as many officers as I can on 'stand-by' to respond to any new information or moves that Sybenia makes. That said…sitting on our laurels is hardly productive.

"You are in a unique position, commander, having members of your group with close ties to Fuliet, the Order of Hyne, Garrado, and even the Black Corsairs. You've had a lot of contact with the Sorceresses themselves as well…all of them. For that reason, I am giving you permission to enact your task force's primary mission and continue in a course that seems best suited to the protection of Esthar for the moment."

To be honest, Dael was a bit surprised by such a thing, and she was hard pressed not to show it. Although Regalis' reasoning seemed valid enough, that didn't change the fact that this order was, more or less, "make yourselves useful". It was hardly a good policy for a rigid military organization, especially one as highly-skilled or disciplined as Esthar's Hawks. But then again, she soon realized, going the "standard" way hadn't exactly yielded a tremendous amount of benefits. Maybe it was time to not play so much "by the rules". After all, in spite of her years of discipline and dedication, hadn't she been growing frustrated with the way things were? And the colonel was right…they had to take charge. And if she truly wanted to be a great officer of Esthar's Hawks, then she should be able to pull this off.

"Now, of course, you don't have full independence." The colonel reasserted. "Any mission you decide to embark on will have to be approved by me. And I'd prefer that no matter what you decide to do, you have a window where you can return to Esthar within the span of approximately two days as necessary. As I said before, I need as many personnel as possible available at all times for assigned missions." He gave a bit of a shrug. "Naturally, under normal conditions, that wouldn't give you too much freedom…but I think I can remedy that soon. That can wait until you decide on a course of action, however."

Dael hesitated a bit longer, but then nodded again. "Yes sir."

"If there is nothing else, commander, you are dismissed."

At this, Dael rose from her chair, as did the colonel. Both of them exchanged salutes, and Dael then turned to leave to let the next officer in while the colonel returned to his seat. However, the young officer was only halfway to the door when she heard him call out again.

"Oh, one other thing, commander."

The officer paused and turned fully back to him.

"Sir Boer made a request to use the computers and archives of the fort recently, which I approved, as I had no reason to deny it. However, I must admit that I didn't see the reason for his needing it. If you please, contact him as soon as you are able to ascertain why. Otherwise I'll have to go through the cumbersome procedure of analyzing his accesses which would put me through a great deal of intelligence technobabble that I would rather avoid."

Dael nodded in response. "Yes sir."

About thirty minutes later, Dael found herself headed to the mess hall, although food was only secondary on her mind. The main purpose was to meet with the others again. She had only been back in her room from her meeting with the colonel for ten minutes when a email got sent from Quaren. Taraketh's group had returned. They soon arranged to all meet in the mess hall. After all, they might as well get a meal in the process. Even cafeteria food seemed preferable to Dael after a couple days of eating canned rations.

Bahamut was at her side, cleaned up and changed into a fresh set of civilian clothes. He seemed to prefer them to the cadet-issue wear, after all. He also kept his sword and shield on him, although on his back. He looked up to her as they walked along.

"So, have you decided on what we're going to do next?"

"I'll think about that after we rendezvous with the others." Dael simply responded. "They have just as much, if not more, valid input to give as I do."

Bahamut seemed to consider this a moment, but then thought it was valid. He turned and looked forward as they walked on a bit further. Already, the mess hall was just up ahead and becoming visible. "Of course, how much can we do?" He asked after a moment. "Even if we had total freedom, there's just a few of us. Now, granted, that's enough under some situations…but only if we have some idea of what we're dealing with. I doubt the colonel is going to let us go on an assassination mission of Rozan Heirarch, and aside from that I can't really think of anything else."

"Same here." Dael admitted. "We could use some more manpower and weapons, but even if we could order the government to do both, which we can't, we aren't going to have enough in time to counter Sybenia. In all honesty…if they were to begin a full scale assault, I'd say the only advantage we'd have is if all four Sorceresses were here."

"Hmm…" Was the only response the boy gave.

Dael soon looked to him. "…What's the matter?"

He paused a moment, then shook his head. "Nothing. Just musing over how things seem to come full circle."

The young officer looked on for a bit longer, then looked forward and kept walking.

Soon, the tables themselves came into view. As it wasn't exactly one of the normal meal times, there were few people there, and it didn't take long at all for Dael to spot that one of the larger tables had some familiar faces at it. Quaren, of course, was motioning to her to come over. Cryder was sipping a soda, seeming to have a face that indicated he wished it was alcoholic. Cid was still gone, but the others were present. Jalab gave a smile and a head bow to her as she neared. Even Taraketh looked up a bit and, surprisingly, looked happy to see her. That left Ceja, who looked up and offered a weak smile, but in general seemed very tired and even a bit disorientated. Naturally, she was getting stares from the others in the mess hall as, to Dael's chagrin, she saw she was back to dressing in leather and hides. That was her decision, of course…but she knew that it was going to cause more than a few stares in Esthar.

At any rate, she and Bahamut soon arrived and slid in seats of their own.

"Glad to see you all made it back in one piece."

"It took a little 'stitching' on the part of Lady Cybus, as well as both the tribal doctors and the medical professionals in Esthar, but yes, we did." Taraketh answered. "I hope your mission was a little less stressful than ours…"

Quaren gave him a look as he sat back in his own chair. "From what you told us, you didn't even have to do anything…"

Taraketh glared back at him. "Exactly." He sharply responded. "Instead I was stuck in a position of helplessness and confusion as I wondered if Ceja was being murdered and if Sir Tierras was chasing a wild goose. The only thing more tense than being in a life and death situation is to be watching a life or death situation and not being able to do anything about it."

Dael, hearing this, gave something of a frown. "I'm assuming from that response that your trip wasn't exactly 'fun' either."

"Not at all, lass." Cryder threw in as he made another disgusted face at his soda. "Damn sugar drinks…anyway… Seems Miss Ceja's got somethin' on her back now I don't wish on anyone, even if it's necessary."

Dael again looked intrigued at this, and Bahamut with her. "In that case, how about you explain first."

Over the next twenty minutes, Ceja, Taraketh, and even the occasional heavily-accented comment from Jalab proceeded to explain what happened on their end. To be honest, Dael was a bit surprised, and not just at the sudden power that Ceja commanded. It seemed Jalab had stuck his neck out for her far more than she expected even given his friendly demeanor. Also, it was no secret that she could see both him and Ceja blushing at more than one point.

They couldn't really…

She quickly put that thought from her mind, focusing more on the matter at hand. "So, if I follow you correctly, this new council formed prior to you departing?"

Ceja nodded. "I couldn't have left beforehand. Luckily, the beasts of Fuliet still aren't good enough to catch chocobos. Although the tribes are still in the process of moving, we managed to get representatives for everyone together. I presented the offer of Esthar to them. There was heavy skepticism, naturally, but thanks to Aizel and Lady Cybus, the tribal heads realized fairly quickly that not only did they not have the luxury of waiting, but this was the only reasonable alternative. After all, our people can't stay in Fuliet until something can be done about this explosion of monster populations, and we can't fight off Sybenia alone. As soon as they finish organizing, they'll be on their way."

"In that case, I thought you'd be making more contact with the colonel about all this." Dael responded. "Even the government."

"Lady Cybus is a better communicator than I'll ever be." Ceja responded. "And I already passed on word through radio before I even left and en route here. In the next few days, the tribes will begin their migration. The colonel talked it over with your government and, as part of the emergency powers given to Esthar's Hawks, agreed to allow them not only to stay on the land but to be supplied with food, water, and other necessities from governmental stock."

Quaren scratched his head a bit uncomfortably. "I hate to say it…but smart move. Waiting for a measure like that to be passed through the government would take forever. But if war does break out, I wonder how they'll take it."

"Don't worry." Taraketh reassured. "I've passed the message along to the Order of Hyne, and they'll lend a hand if it comes to a strain."

"Good. That's the easy part." Dael stated somewhat wistfully. "But I don't think the Legislature will allow him to make an emergency order to supply them with firearms. That's going to take a bit more effort. And I'm sure they aren't going to be too happy that they were brought here only to be commanded to 'stand on a wall with a gun'."

Ceja looked grim in response to that as well, but sighed. "We'll have to deal with that moment when it comes."

"Commander…how did you do?" Jalab suddenly asked. "Bahamut safe. Mission accomplished?"

Dael turned to him and managed a nod. "For the most part, yes. But our trip wasn't exactly easy either." Soon afterward, the young officer began to tell their own story. Although this too took a bit of time, Cid still hadn't joined them by the time she drew it to a close.

Taraketh was rather incensed. "Sybenian inhumans…" He grumbled. Calming down only slightly, he looked to Bahamut. "Are you sure you can't remember anything that happened to you?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't honestly think there was anything to remember. Perhaps they did plan on experimenting on me once I arrived at that facility, but until that point…I was merely being kept in stasis." He let out a sigh soon afterward, putting an elbow on the table and leaning his head on it.

Cryder frowned a bit in response. "Now you aren't still moanin' and groanin' about that cave, are you lad?"

That was true enough. On the way back to the ship, the whole story of how they had come up upon the junction where they had reclaimed Bahamut had come out. On learning of the discovery of the exposed cave, Dael remembered how Bahamut had lit up like a flashlight. But on hearing that they had seen no signs of a water symbol, she had seen him on the brink of literally losing his composure in frustration. Since then, he had gone back to normal fairly quickly, but every time the incident came to mind he only reverted into this state of mind. At any rate, he soon looked sourly at the pirate.

"Out of all the potential Guardian Force locations it could have given you…perhaps one for every Guardian Force left on Gaia…that was the one Guardian Force that it didn't mention." Bahamut answered. He looked to the table and sighed. "It's almost maddening… I can't find the slightest clue."

Dael figured now wasn't the best time to remind him of what she had said a while ago, about learning to adjust to "being human", even if it was something she wished he would recall at the moment. Before she could consider anything else to say, however, she began to hear a series of footsteps drawing closer. She looked up, as did the others, and turned her head toward the direction of the noise, just in time to see Cid approaching. In moments, he was at the table and giving everyone a smile before throwing a closed file down on it.

"Sorry I'm late. Hang on a second. I can't stand going this long on an empty stomach."

With that, he turned and head over to the food. The others looked back to each other for a moment, but, on seeing Cid departing again already, decided to simply wait. In the meantime, Dael looked over to the folder, and thought of opening it up and looking around at the contents briefly, but then decided it would be rude. She decided to wait instead. Along with the others, save for Cryder, she looked over to the mess lines as Cid went about and selected as much food as he could shove on a tray, and soon what they expected to last only a minute or two dragged on.

As for Cryder, he again choked down another swallow of his soda, before looking up to Dael. "Exactly how high to I have to rank in this outfit before I can get something hard?"

Dael merely rolled her eyes in response.

The pirate, on his part, snorted and looked back to his drink. "Wish I was a pirate back in the old days…when you had to guzzle rum instead of water…"

After a few more minutes, Cid returned, half of a sandwich sticking out of his mouth, and setting a tray overloaded with food in their midst. He quickly took a seat as well and continued to munch a bit longer as he began to talk. Of course, as a result, only a string of muffled syllables came out, causing everyone at the table to grimace a bit. As he didn't seem to get the hint, Dael spoke up to him. "Uh, Cid…why don't you swallow first?"

The engineer paused, but then nodded. After eating his bite and washing it down with one of three drinks he brought, he reached for the folder. "So as soon as I got back…" He began. "I wanted to take a look at those photos I snapped. Took me a while, but I finally found a decent one. Then I just pulled a map of the world off the net and superimposed an outline of the map from the cave onto a modern one." He flipped open the folder, pulled out a picture, and slid it over on the tabletop toward the others. "Have a look. Guess what you thought was right about those places."

Dael soon looked over it, and Bahamut leaned in closer to get a look of his own. After searching over the photograph for a few moments, they soon began to notice the similarities in locations.

"Your suspicion was right…that map does correspond to locations that the Guardian Forces seemed naturally drawn to in order to live in."

"And if that's the case…" Bahamut interjected, not looking up from the map. "Then it might point the direction to the remaining Guardian Forces."

Cid nodded. "Right."

"Anyone have a pen on them?" Dael spoke up.

In response, the engineer fished in his pockets and, after a few tries, pulled one out and handed it to her. She uncapped it and went over the superimposed map, beginning to drawn Xs through various symbols…much to Cid's chagrin, as he had spent quite a bit of time making that map. Nevertheless, he took the opportunity to resume eating.

"The Guardian Forces that we currently have in our possession between all of us are Carbuncle, Quetzacoatl, Shiva, and Ifrit." As she said each one, she marked off the corresponding symbols on the map, which was also where they had been found.

"And the Minotaur Brothers. Don't forget them." Taraketh interjected. "They came from this shrine…right here." He reached over and indicated.

Dael quickly scratched that one out as well. "That's five Guardian Forces in all…or six, but five symbols. Who are the other Guardian Forces?"

"Pandemona, Siren, Cerberus, the Doomtrain, Leviathan, Alexander, Diablos, the Tonberry King, and the Gigantuar." Bahamut readily spoke, cutting off Taraketh as he opened his mouth to say them.

The High Child paused a moment, but frowned and looked back to the map. "You can go ahead and ignore Diablos. Even if we knew where the find the Magic Lamp he was imprisoned in, I doubt we'd want to risk letting him out in order to use him. For that matter, so would Sybenia. And we know Leviathan isn't on the map either. That leaves seven."

"And three of those are in the pockets of our Elite Hound maties." Cryder pointed out.

Taraketh thought for a moment. "The records are a bit sketchy on what the Tonberry King and the Gigantuar were…but I think 'Nature' and 'Steel' were what they ended up getting, respectively. Pandemona is Pure Wind. Siren is Music. Cerberus is Vigor. The Doomtrain is Decay. Alexander is Holy."

"I'd bet 10,000 gil that the Guardian Force Jay ended up getting is Pandemona." Quaren came in. "I mean…just look at those tornadoes he whipped up."

"And the icy wench must have Siren." Cryder added. "I may not be an Order of Hyne monk or a scholar, but I know the tales about Siren from my time as a swabbie…some evil enchantress of the waves who lures sailors to their doom and sings so horribly it can kill."

"And remember," Bahamut also added. "Those people who were killed back at Helheim…they seemed to die from rapid disease or rot…in other words, Decay. That must be Doomtrain."

Dael looked over the map for a few minutes. This was harder. After all, she was never certain what all of the symbols meant. Some of them could represent a lot of things that were now abstract to everyone else. In the end, she picked out what she thought looked the closest to those symbols, scratching them off. She also removed one that looked like a skull, hoping it meant Death. After a few second thoughts and changes, she leaned the map back down. "That leaves Cerberus, Alexander, the Tonberry King, and the Gigantuar."

"Are you sure that one isn't 'Decay', Dael?" Quaren asked, pointing at one of the symbols.

Dael sighed and shook her head. "To be honest, I really don't know. And there's more than four symbols left on the map anyway even if it is… I have no idea what 'Vigor' might look like. And as for 'Holy'…that could be anything too."

"Ah!" Jalab suddenly spoke up, having been watching the map quietly for some time. Soon after, he reached out and pointed to a small island off the coast of the Southern Continent, but just slightly more distant from the Eastern Continent. It had a single symbol on it. "Nature!"

The others looked to him for a moment, then back to the map. Dael herself honestly couldn't tell and, for once, even Bahamut didn't seem to know. She looked at the symbol a moment, then back up. "Are you sure, Jalab?"

The monk nodded. "Yes. Symbol here. Symbol similar to older scrolls of Pallas. Use for oasis. Means 'Place Where Life May Be Born'…Nature."

Dael looked back to the location. Quaren looked it over as well for a moment longer, as did Cryder. Eventually, the corporal blinked. "Hey…that's one of those restricted islands. No resources and hostile monsters."

"Restricted for good reason, mate." Cryder threw in. "People in Leuco call that place 'Cactuar Island', and you couldn't pay a Black Corsair to make landfall there."

"But if Cactuars dwell there, it would make sense that the Gigantuar would as well." Ceja maintained. "It sounds intriguing. I myself have never encountered a Cactuar before, but they are so renown that even the tribes of Fuliet are aware of them. It's quite an honor to be able to hunt one."

Taraketh frowned in response. "I thought you already had the honor of the Shenindunten…"

"I took that hunt not out of desire but necessity." Ceja responded. "A Cactuar is more of a challenge in the ability to be able to strike one down as well as to survive them. As a hunter, it's a matter of interest at the challenge, especially since one of those is still easier than hunting any one of the three of the Shenindunten."

"Alright, that takes care of the Gigantuar…but what about the Tonberry King?" Dael asked.

Cid, in response, looked over the map a bit longer as he shoved the rest of his sandwich into his mouth, but then pointed out another location, this one in a small archipelago just off the northern coast of the Southern Continent. "I think that might be it for Steel." He remarked.

Dael looked to the location, and the accompanying symbol. However, she didn't see much to it. It looked almost like some sort of comet…although more of a conical-shaped one rather than a sphere. She looked to Cid a moment later. "How can you be sure?"

"I can't." Cid responded, going for a donut. "But I'm assuming it is. Think of it this way… We're assuming this map was made by something that has greater knowledge than the human race at the time of its construction. Well, if that's true, then it's a reasonable assumption that humans had no idea what steel was. They might have not even been able to forge iron at this point. So it's reasonable to assume that the only source of steel would be on whatever this race brought with them…which would be a spacecraft."

Dael and the others paused at that. The young officer looked back to the symbol. Now that she looked at it again…she realized it did seem to resemble a spacecraft more than a comet, shooting through the sky. Taraketh seemed to take this as well.

"That should be the area near Centra Ruins." He said after a moment. "The Order of Hyne knows about them but we've kept people away from them to the best of our ability. Supposedly, it's the only remaining intact castle that the original King Odin constructed. He had several, after all."

"I thought the Centra nation built it." Dael asked. Centra itself had been a rather prominent player in times past. It used to be one of the greatest civilizations in the world. However, that wasn't saying much, considering how things went. So were places like Vector, Baron, and Midgar. In the end, they all only had one thing in common…all of them had died out. Centra, actually, was still standing at the moment, but only in the most academic sense of the word. There was historical evidence to indicate that, at one time, the nation had gained access to alien technology that had enabled it to become a major world power that dominated the entire Southern Continent. But the empire didn't last and broke up, eventually migrating elsewhere and having their technology incorporated into other kingdoms and nations, who, in turn, passed it on to the modern day. In fact, Esthar was one of the countires that could trace its roots back to the Centra Empire. The modern Centra, however, was little more than a city-state totally subordinate to Leuco, possessing no saying power or world-authority, and totally neutral. There was more than a good chance that if they ever got involved in any major event such as this world war, their nation would be obliterated and all that would remain would be a few older ruins of their earlier age around the world.

"Centra built on it at the height of their power…adapted it for their use." Taraketh explained. "But they didn't lay the foundations or have the original ownership. That's why it's still standing when everything else has fallen."

"Wouldn't Sybenia want it then?" Quaren asked.

"They can 'want it' all they like…it doesn't mean they could possibly claim it." Taraketh responded. "The place is overrun with a powerful monster race that rips apart anything that travels more than fifty feet through the gates."

"Let me guess…" Dael responded. "Tonberries?"

Taraketh nodded. "Right. Seems an ideal place for the Tonberry King."

Dael looked at the map a bit longer, staring at the two locations that had been pointed out. "Both of those are near Leuco, but three of the symbols we crossed out are all on Sybenia. It makes sense. That must be where the Elite Hounds got theirs. If I had to guess, before they made their assault on Esthar's Vaults, they went ahead and scoured their own landscape for whatever Guardian Forces they could get."

"In that case, we have a problem." Taraketh answered darkly. "Now that they have an alliance with Leuco, they're free to search for more on the Southern Continent. It's only a matter of time before they find those two."

"Hunting a single Cactuar is one thing." Ceja responded. "Going on an island infested with a nest of them, however, is a venture for the foolish. And even the greatest warriors on Fuliet, myself included, are not mad enough to try and attack a Tonberry. Even their most advanced metal weapons can't hope to bring one down."

Dael still looked grim. "Juanhong could kill more than one Tonberry at a time by himself before he was junctioned. By now, I don't think either the Cactuars or the Tonberries would be much of a deterrant to him or to the other Elite Hounds. If nothing else, they could go in there and get the Guardian Forces."

There was a pause from everyone around the table, as they mused this for a moment.

"Well, in that case, I guess I know where all of you are headed next."

Everyone, Bahamut included, gave a bit of a jump and turned their heads at the sound of the sudden new voice. They were just in time to see Carbuncle leap up onto the tabletop from the nearest unoccupied position, further surprising them. He took a moment to scratch one of his extra-long ears while Dael and the others recovered from the shock. However, because of his arrival…none of them noticed Bahamut give pause.

"Carbuncle," Dael actually exclaimed a little. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be back in Garrado after teleporting Faerio."

The Guardian Force waved a paw at her. "Eh…I'll head back there soon enough. Didn't think I was going to leave you guys without checking in, do I? Especially you, Dael. I expected that they'd have shipped you to the medical wing as soon as you got here. One of these days I'm going to find you missing a limb or two when I pop in."

The young officer frowned. The green creature merely shrugged.

"Don't give me that look. Anyway, forget that. So, it looks like it's back to the hunt for more Guardian Forces for you, eh?"

Dael blinked momentarily. "Well…not exactly. We just turned up this map in an exposed cave when we were getting Bahamut, and we were trying to see what to make of it."

"I think he's got a point, Dael." Quaren interjected. "I mean…we're kind of idle at the moment. We are a task force now. We're supposed to be thinking of something productive we can do for Esthar…so why not this?"

"I have to agree." Taraketh added. "It seems to me that the Elite Hounds are already somehow able to get 'more out of' a Guardian Force than a normal junction. That disturbs me. It makes me think they're already able to use Guardian Forces for powers they were never intended to wield. I think it's in everyone's best interest not to allow them to get any more if we can help it, now more than ever. I don't trust these locations to stay secret for long, and the last thing we need are two more Elite Hounds to cause trouble. After what I heard regarding your report, if one of them is capable of bringing down a category four or five tornado wherever he wants…that's quite bad enough. We don't need them getting ahold of more powers like that."

"It might work out too, Dael." Cid threw in, pointing back to the map as he started on a fruit cocktail. "These locations aren't far. In a good boat, or, better yet, an airship, we could make them both in just a few days. We might not even have to get in within the perimeter of the coastal defenses of Leuco."

Dael considered these comments for a moment. She was caught a bit off guard by them. After all, she had only been trying to study the map a bit. Yet now that she heard all of this, she had to admit everyone had a point. She had advocated getting the powers of the Guardian Forces earlier, and her opinions hadn't changed to that effect…especially now that she saw what Sybenia could do with them. She really didn't want to have to deal with anymore Elite Hounds. Already, she began to wonder if they would be just as destructive as the Sorceresses when war broke out. In the end, it made sense, especially given Cid's comments. With the right ship, such as the class they used to get to the Lamb Archipelago on her second mission, it wouldn't be a problem and they could easily make it back to Esthar prior to any major change.

"In that case, I'll present this to the colonel. We'll need his approval, although I'm sure he'll give it."

"And I'll contact Lady Mianyl about it as well." Taraketh threw in. "I'm sure she'll throw her support behind it."

"Well, if that's the case, be careful, you guys." Carbuncle added. "You're moving on past the 'easy' ones at this point. These two are a bit nastier. We aren't even sure about them, because they weren't originally espers."

Cryder sipped his soda again. "I think we can go with the assumption: 'A Cactuar and a Tonberry…only a lot worse.' Meh…days like this reminds me why I don't get you all to become my new crew…"

Carbuncle shrugged. "Pretty accurate. I can tell you the only way I beat the Tonberry King a couple hundred years back was by teleporting him to the middle of the ocean."

"In that case, how about joining us and doing something similar?" Ceja asked.

"Are you nuts?! He never forgave me for the first time!" Carbuncle snapped back. "I didn't even know a Tonberry could look pissed! It's damn scary!"

Dael sighed. "We'll have to find some way to do it ourselves. I'd prefer if Carbuncle stay back at Garrado."

The green creature paused in response to this. After a moment, he exhaled. "Well…much as I'd like to give a 'take me with you' speech at the moment…considering this, I think I'll just do as you say."

"In that case, I think everyone else should get all the R&R they can." Dael responded, turning back to the others. "Because I think we'll need everyone for this one, and if it's dealing with things like Cactuars and Tonberries, we're going to be in for another one of those 'pain-intensive' missions…"

"Sure. I'll see if I can't get some specialized ammo…just in case we run into more armored units." Quaren responded, already starting to rise.

"I better send the message now." Taraketh said, getting up and ready to move. "Lady Mianyl is so busy, there's no telling when she'll have time to get it."

"And if we're going to be hunting such larger game, I need to make sure all of my old injuries are fully healed, so I'll be headed back to your medical wing." Ceja added. She sighed soon afterward. "Much as I hate 'civilized' medicine…I will admit it cures one much faster than traditional remedies."

"I should probably see if I can adapt one of my tools to be more useful against things that are fast and have high durability." Cid suggested. "After I eat, of course."

"…I think I'll just stick with trying to find some decent drinks for the trip." Cryder threw in. "A man can only pull so many crazy stunts cold sober."

"Carbuncle." Jalab spoke up, causing the green creature to look to him. "Speak with you? About Lady Veriguno?"

"Hmm?" The Guardian Force answered, turning back to him. "Oh…oh sure, man. I forgot. You'd probably like to hear how things are going." He looked up soon afterward, back toward Dael as well as the others who, by now, were getting up and leaving. "Guess I'll stick around for about an hour. I'll try to catch you in your room if I'm able, Dael. Otherwise, I'll be headed back for Garrado. There's nothing major going on but they never stay put for more than a little while, so I don't want to end up teleporting into a company of Sybenians."

"Don't worry about it." Dael responded…although she did feel a bit regretful that Carbuncle couldn't hang around much longer. Still, she preferred if he would stay with the Sorceresses. After this, she turned to Bahamut. On doing so, she hesitated momentarily. For the first time, she had noticed his expression…and that it seemed hesitant now, as if something had come to his mind and was now commanding his attention.

The woman looked to him for a moment, but then called out. "Bahamut, are you coming?"

The boy actually didn't respond or even seem to hear right away. But after a moment, he looked up and to Dael…but only hesitantly. "Actually, I'd like to talk to Carbuncle about something after he's done with Jalab. I'll head back to the room after I'm done."

Dael looked at him a bit longer. Bahamut gave a light sigh.

"…I won't 'get into trouble'."

That wasn't Dael's true concern. In fact, after all he had been through, she thought of actually 'letting him off the leash' for a bit to try and readjust. At any rate, she didn't press it. Instead, she just nodded. "You got a key, right?"

Bahamut nodded.

"Alright then…I'll see you later."

As it turned out, Dael didn't get an audience with the colonel nearly as quickly as she hoped. She returned to her room and sent out an electronic mail requesting another meeting, but she supposed that Regalis didn't get to it for some time. About the same time she was finishing the message, a breaking news story came out regarding the situation in Esthar.

On reading up a bit more, Dael found that things really hadn't improved much with the Legislature. Although bickering was lowering, civilian hostility was on the rise. Protestors made it almost impossible to go to and from the Legislature, and many of the representatives were being harassed at home or in session for their inaction or viewed contribution to the current situation. Justified as it might have been, Dael knew now wasn't the time. It was making it harder than ever to conduct governmental affairs, and right when they might have been ready to "step up to the plate". And with the Senate stalled, it wasn't long before other issues that they had been quibbling over frivolously when they still had the luxury of being petty crept forward. One of them was the issue of refunding the civil service sector, such as police and firemen.

Apparently, the Legistlature couldn't come to an agreement even on something like that. Before, the issue had been pensions that had stonewalled it until now. The stakes were a bit higher at this point. People were a bit too worried to care about pensions or even minor pay cuts for the time being. However, Esthar spent almost all of its tax revenue in federal benefit programs. There wasn't much to spare on expanding a military or military-connected expenditures. If there was going to be any increase in the military, a new source of revenue would be required…and a lot of it to have any hope of matching Sybenia. A tax hike was considered, but even in a time such as this, the representatives were obviously worried that people wouldn't go along with it or would protest the action. However, they may have opted for something just as contentuous. While most representatives would have loved the opportunity to simply let this salary issue stand as it was, the routine pushbacks had reached a deadline…either a decision would have to be made or the civil service sector would be shut down.

That was when one of the representatives stated, in a quote that got leaked to the media, to instill a temporary 8% cut in salary for all workers within the civil service sector to provide a source of funds for military expansion.

Whether the Legislature would have seriously considered this or not would remain in doubt. They certainly weren't now, of course. They had not only removed any pay cuts but were back to the issue of pensions. Yet the mere mention of that was like throwing a match into gasoline. Half of the police stationed there were soon struggling to suppress a riot. The other half joined in with the crowds, being of a like mind. It came close to getting out of hand and even the Order of Hyne had stepped in. Although the police had argued against the magic order turning themselves into lawkeepers, they truly couldn't argue before long, as they themselves were insufficient. Naturally, Lady Mianyl was there trying to calm things down too. But as a result of both issues, Regalis was turning his attention to trying to keep similar "copycat" riots from breaking out, and the Sorceress wasn't in much shape to read correspondence from anyone. Dael merely had to wait until she was summoned.

Unfortunately, she didn't get her meeting with Carbuncle. Jalab and Bahamut must have kept him for some time. She spent most of the time in her room, which made her uncomfortable. Now that she had learned that new technique, she was eager to master it even more than magic. After all, it wouldn't do much good if she had to tell one of the Elite Hounds to stand still for ten minutes while she warmed up. And as busy as they were nowadays, she realized she had to get in whatever practice she could when and where she could. But she didn't want to risk being late. Regalis was having to squeeze people in for matters like this now, and any extra time he spent could be problematic. It took four hours for him to finally call her, and during that time about all she could do was check up on the news…all of it bad. She focused mostly on Esthar, but Sybenia only had news of one victory after another from Garrado coming on their own state-controlled media, as well as doing test launches and displays of their naval power in public view.

However, the call finally came. As quick as she could, Dael returned to the office. She soon went in and gave her proposal, that her task force be allowed to pursue the two Guardian Forces. She also showed the map to present their location. The colonel, in response, seemed to go with it…but wasn't as enthusiastic as she might have hoped.

"I don't think I need to remind you that while Leuco may not be Sybenia, it has more than a good-sized garrison searching the area, especially after your latest operation." He informed her. "They're more intent than ever to ensure no one is able to just slip through their borders again, enough to where they're making a new system of security protocol. To be honest, if I had known that Sir Boer could get someone in so flawlessly, I might have canceled your previous operation all together to have instead used the opportunity to sneak a team in for a purpose that might have been more beneficial to Esthar. All of that said…" He paused momentarily. "…I think your latest mission made it clear that we're dealing with individuals who are more than just exceptionally strong agents of the Guiding Hand, but ones that might pose a serious threat to the security of Esthar in a conflict. And based on these locations, I think you might have a good chance of it. Leuco itself is patrolling a bit closer to the shore, so they should ignore Cactuar Island. As for the Centra Ruins…those are a bit more problematic since they're in the midst of the archipelago. However, as you noted, that place is lethal. There's little reason for anyone to go near them."

"So, are we authorized, sir?" Dael asked.

"I actually received a call from Lady Mianyl prior to your arrival." The colonel responded. "She throws her support behind this, provided everyone in your task force goes. This is a dangerous undertaking even if you don't encounter anyone from Sybenia or Leuco. As a result…" He paused, but then nodded with just a shadow of a smile. "You have my clearance. I would prefer if these Guardian Forces were on 'our side' rather than Sybenia's."

Dael nodded in response. "Thank you, sir." She paused for a beat. "But, as you probably know, we'll need to have clearance to another transport."

"I'm aware of that, commander." The colonel responded. "In fact, this is what I alluded to earlier. As you are now heading your own task force, and I now have the autonomy to do so, I am going to place a craft at your disposal on something of an 'extended loan'."

The young officer felt her eyes widen a bit despite her reserved manner. That was a surprise. A pleasant one, to be sure, but quite a surprise none the less. "…Are you certain, sir?"

"It would be ridiculous to say that most of the craft available to the Order of Hyne are warships, commander." The colonel continued. "And as for the others…they are suited for combat against something like the Sybenian navy only by a fairly generous stretch of the imagination. You are a Class IV operative and, as it has likely become clear to you by now, you are required to be able to move about Gaia quickly and over large distances. This is indeed appropriate. If I could, I would assign you an airship, but all of our aircraft are too valuable. Nevertheless, I have every confidence that you'll make good use of this 'extended loan'."

Dael hesitated a few moments longer. However, she wasn't about to refuse this. Although a part of her thought even a minor boat might help things in Esthar, she reasoned as long as they got back in plenty of time it would be fine. In the end, she nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"Now, it won't be ready for another day yet, although I can pass along the message to prepare it to be seaworthy as soon as possible." The colonel responded. "So you and your task force have a free day to prepare for the trip. I'll forward the message along to your account of when and where you can pick up the ship, as well as the appropriate clearance codes, as soon as I have all of that information squared away. Once again, remember, you should report back at once if you are summoned."

Dael nodded. "Yes sir."

"In that case, you're dismissed. And good luck, commander."

In ten minutes, the young officer was already back in the residential area and standing before her chambers. As soon as Dael unlocked her door and began to step inside, she already called out while halfway through.

"Bahamut? Are you back yet?"

There was no response. Dael soon stepped in the rest of the way, but didn't bother closing the door behind her. Instead, she paused for a moment to look around her room. However, there was no change from earlier. Everything was just as she left it. Bahamut cleaned up after himself, but he still left changes behind…and there were none. He wasn't there.

The woman hesitated here. This was odd…which usually meant something was up. Bahamut wasn't exactly perfectly "obedient", after all. Usually he could go all sorts of places in the fort without telling her. Still, he wasn't dressed for a workout when she saw him last, and the fact that his weapons were gone meant little. He carried those with him when they went to their "meeting". Still, this was unusual. If it was a common place that Bahamut was going, he usually told her or Carbuncle…and since Carbuncle wasn't around anymore, it made sense to tell her. That made her think he might be up to no good again. He had been acting strangely earlier.

With that in mind, Dael finally went in and closed the door. She took a few minutes to change into her own workout attire. Once that was done, she exited the room and locked it. Although she intended to look around a bit, she planned on working out afterward. She needed to keep sharpening that skill if they were going against Tonberries and everything else. However, she wanted to check in on Bahamut first. Perhaps he was already in the training area and they could run into each other there. Before going there to see, though, she thought of going to the mess hall. Although it had been almost four and half hours, she wondered if, for some reason, Carbuncle might still be there talking to him. Even if he wasn't, she wanted to grab a water bottle or two for the training room. Soon, she was headed back in that direction.

It was evening by now. Dinner had come and gone, but Dael really wasn't that hungry…or, rather, during the time she would have been, she was more concerned with the meeting with the colonel. Most of the people in the fort were on duty by now. The few who were simply stationed there had gone to their own rooms or were in other areas doing training, drills, or other tasks. All in all, Fort Morningstar was mostly empty at the moment. Only a few people could be seen moving about.

As Dael neared the mess hall, she decided to grab something "energetic" as well. She didn't need to crash while she was working out, after all. As her thoughts turned to what she should grab, the same view of the various tables and chairs began to come into view just up ahead. There were even fewer people there than before. Only a small group of cadets were at one of the farther tables. They were part of a younger group, one that normally wouldn't appear in Fort Morningstar. However, given the world situation, it was thought that it might be safer for some of the ones old enough to do drills to conduct them closer to the fort rather than at the more exposed academy. However, Dael soon slowed at what she managed to pick out next. There was one other person there too.

Bahamut was still sitting in the exact same chair he had been in four and a half hours ago.

The woman nearly halted, her face turning to puzzlement. Bahamut wasn't a person to hang out in the mess hall. She had never seen him do so before. Normally, he came in, got his food, ate, and then left, without any loitering or talking to others. However, at the moment, his arms were crossed in front of him, and he was leaning forward. At first, Dael thought he was still talking to Carbuncle after all…but venturing a bit further, she saw he was quite alone. Instead, he was staring at the group of cadets…something else that was unusual. Bahamut usually never paid any mind to any of the other personnel in the fort. Dael was soon rather confused at what she saw.

After a few moments more, Dael picked up her pace again and closed the remaining distance. She soon passed among the tables and chairs, and made for the table from earlier. She approached from the side, so that Bahamut could see her coming rather than have her walk up behind and startle him. Although she had rarely seen him caught off guard, he seemed to genuinely be distracted today. Sure enough, as soon as she entered his field of vision, he looked to her in a "jerk" fashion.

"Oh, hi Dael." He said

Immediately, Dael's suspicions that something was up were aroused again. Bahamut was being unusually quiet. At any rate, she stayed normal for the time being.

"Hi. Did Carbuncle just leave?"

Bahamut paused momentarily, a shade coming over his face, but then shook his head. "No. He went back hours ago."

Dael looked to him momentarily. "In that case, what have you been up to?"

"…Nothing, really."

"Where have you been?"

"…Right here. Pretty much ever since you left."

Now Dael was definitely puzzled. Moving to the side of the table next to him, she pulled out a chair and sat down, fixing her eyes on him. "…You've just been sitting here for four hours?"

Bahamut looked a bit surprised at that. "Four hours?" He echoed. He turned his head around a bit, looking for the nearest digital clock. He soon found one, and gaped slightly at it. However, even this seemed subdued, and he still seemed distracted. "Oh…I must have lost track of time." With that, he looked away and forward again…back to the cadets.

Dael looked at Bahamut a moment longer, then turned and looked to the cadets themselves. All of the trainees in Esthar's Hawks were rather disciplined and firm, but it wasn't until the later years that most "silliness" got driven out of them. The cadets she were seeing were still young enough to participate in the basic intermural sports they offered. After listening to them for a moment, she realized they were talking about a basketball game, and seeming to get into it. Soon after, their talk went into a chat of one of the players on Esthar's Flames, the professional team for the city proper. There were even a few laughs. Dael looked back to Bahamut at this. Silly as the conversation seemed, he appeared to be rather engrossed in it.

"Have you just been sitting here watching those cadets over there?" She asked after a moment.

Bahamut paused, and frowned a bit. "…They only got here about an hour ago, so no. I was doing some thinking before that. When they got here…I just started thinking a bit harder as I watched them."

"About what?"

The boy was silent in response. He continued to stare at the cadets. In the end, he moistened his lips and bowed his head a bit, shifting his gaze to the table. He simply stared at it, saying no more.

"Bahamut…what did you want to talk to Carbuncle about?"

The boy said nothing for a few more seconds. He never looked up. Finally, he let out a long sigh.

"…Even as old as I am and as much as I've seen, sometimes things that are so obvious just slip right by me. But I was reminded by just the most innocent-seeming event." He began. "While we were sitting here and Carbuncle came up behind us, I was just as startled as everyone else. I thought about how irritating that was. Normally, when I'm at full power…at least, as I recall…I could sense anyone approaching, and I could read their energy signature and know who they were long before they arrived. I don't have that anymore, along with any of my other abilities. I was wistful about that for a moment…when it hit me.

"I may not have those powers, but every other esper, now Guardian Force, does. I realized now that when I started using the name Bahamut, both Ifrit and Shiva treated me with puzzlement. Carbuncle has been humoring me just as you have. Yet I realized that even if I don't look the part or have the power, they should have known it was me. My spiritual signature is unique. No matter how much or how little power I have, they should have realized I was Bahamut…but they didn't. And finally, it became clear to me. They never realized I was Bahamut because they never sensed Bahamut's spirit in me."

Dael sat silently, saying nothing in response to this…although her mind worked a bit, actually expressing regret. So, despite her intention to never make this blatant…Bahamut had finally figured it out on his own. She didn't know what to say to that. The boy himself sat a moment longer, then looked up again.

"…I haven't been fully truthful to you and the others." He stated. "If you ask me if I'm Bahamut, I'm inclined to say yes. I remember things…I remember everything. I don't know how I ended up in this body, but I remember the rest of my life clearly. I remember the power I once wielded and how it felt to move about in a draconic body. I remember the burning of Ultima Nexus, the founding of Terratopolis, the surface of the Lunarian moon…all of it."

He held for a moment, and swallowed again.

"…But sometimes, late at night, while I'm asleep…I remember other things. A human father reading me a book in that public library. Barely managing to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a human sister. Hugging a human mother around the waist. I thought they were fake…I thought they were side effects of something, whatever happened to trap me in this body. But I'm not a fool. I heard the story that the librarian told…the excuses…or, at least, what I thought were excuses…that she made. There's what Carbuncle said…what I made him tell me face to face when Jalab left, that he could honestly tell me he couldn't sense Bahamut within me."

The boy paused again as he looked to Dael at last.

For the first time since she had met him, he had something new in his eyes…something that wasn't strong, confident, or wise. For the first time, he showed a hint of things like hesitation…

…Even fear.

"…The last time I was on this world, I learned of new things that humans were capable of in terms of the mind. Things that could be done artificially…and even to oneself. I learned of a man who had given himself completely the identity of another because he couldn't bear the pain in his own life, and had conditioned himself to simply 'black out' the parts that were inconsistent. I learned of a woman whose entire life, a life she thought she was certain of and was true in every way…was nothing more than 'data' written onto her brain.

"Dael…I believe I'm Bahamut. I believe it more strongly than anything else in this world, just as you believe you're Dael Levinson, and Quaren believes he's Quaren DeSur, and so on."

He swallowed again…and Dael saw his eyes shimmer for a moment. For just a half of a second, the strong, mature, and certain individual she knew Bahamut was vanished. What was left there was a frightened twelve year old.

"…But I don't know I'm Bahamut anymore. There's a part of me…a very, very small part…but a very real one…that's wondering if everything you believe, and that librarian believed, is true…that I'm really just a confused boy who's trying to blot out a painful memory."

The young officer couldn't believe it, but she was rendered mute…not knowing what to say now that this moment had come. If anything, she actually began to feel uneasy for the boy. It seemed, at long last, Bahamut was having a breakthrough…his illusion finally beginning to crumble. And yet, now that it had come to this, and Dael began to see the effect it was having on him…she couldn't be happy about it. She could tell Bahamut was only doubting himself a little…but even this little was wrecking havoc on him. She knew it would only get worse. She realized if he did remember everything…then he'd go through the agony of seeing his entire family murdered in one day once again, as well as having been shot himself. There was no telling what it would do to him…but it would likely destroy who he was. And, as annoying and troublesome as he could be sometimes…Dael realized she didn't want to lose that person. As much as she never thought she'd admit it, she almost wished she could say something at that moment to confirm to him that he was the real Bahamut.

In the end, she tried to speak up. "Bahamut…"

The boy lowered his gaze and cut her off with a sigh. "I know what you're going to say…that it's not such a bad thing. But it is to me, Dael. If I'm not Bahamut…who am I? Just some crazy orphan? It's not just about never regaining my power, Dael…it's about never regaining who I am…or, at least, who I think I am. What happens now? Where do I go from here? What do I do from here? If I'm not Bahamut, then why do I have all of these memories? Why do I feel like I should be Bahamut? Am I just like those humans I saw? Am I just some demented lab experiment that went wrong? If I take away the memories and the identity…am I just a nobody orphan? No past? No home? No family? No friends?"

"You have friends."

The boy paused a moment on hearing this, looking back up to her. Dael stared back for a moment, and finally exhaled as she ran a hand through her hair.

"…I honestly don't have any answers to your questions, Bahamut. I know you don't want people to patronize you…so I'll come out and say it. I never believed you were really a great dragon esper. But that doesn't make you any less of a person. Whatever happened to you…whatever reason you know all these things…whether you researched them all or somehow this information was put into your brain…you're still someone great and noble. You're intelligent, strong, dedicated…and more sensitive than most children your age. I won't pretend to imagine what it will be like for you if one day you do suddenly remember everything and you end up realizing your time as Bahamut was a lie.

"But I can tell you this. You won't be a nobody…and you'll still have something. You may have thought of us all as just being comrades until now, but we're your friends. Whatever happens to you, we're all in this together now. Why else do you think we went to the Southern Continent to get you? We weren't on any mission…that was just to save you. No matter what happens, we're going to be behind you from now on. You won't be alone. And you're already someone great, even if you don't have a name to go with it. I don't care who you used to be…I know, right now, you're a good person, and you're going to end up doing great things."

Dael once again felt a need to do more. This time, she didn't question it so much, although she still wondered why. As a result, her hand went out and rested on Bahamut's shoulder.

"This may not be what you'd like to hear right now, Bahamut…but this might be a blessing in disguise. Instead of trying to live according to someone else's role and fulfil someone else's destiny, you can be your own person. You can worry less about becoming someone else and worry more about being the best person you can be. Because even if you're not a great ancient dragon, you've already shown me you can do a lot of good for a lot of people."

Bahamut looked to her for a moment of silence. However, he seemed to take in everything she was saying rather than dismissing it. Eventually, he exhaled again and lowered his gaze a bit.

"I'm afraid this isn't something that I can just 'slough off' so easily, Dael. I have thousands of years of memories of being a great esper in my mind, whether it's because I'm Bahamut or for some other reason. Adjusting to being a human boy isn't something I can just do, especially now. Like I said…a small part of me wonders if it's true, but a large part of me believes it's not. And I don't know if I can get rid of the impact of these feelings and memories within the span of a single human lifetime…"

This wasn't exactly the response Dael wanted. Yet before she could press anymore, Bahamut looked back up to her.

"…But if it ends up being something I have to do, whether I like it or not…" He hesitated again, swallowing. He seemed to be admitting something that he didn't like. "I'd…I'd really like to stay with you and the others." He finally choked out. "I'm not used to being dependent on other people. I thought I reached the point in my life where others would just come to me for help from now on, not the other way around. Being like this is more than a lesson in humility. Now that I'm starting to wonder if, deep down, in the core of me, I'm just a human boy who had his entire family taken from him in one night of cruelty…" He swallowed again, and closed his eyes and finally admitted it.

"…I'm scared. Perhaps it's silly or immature of me…but I am. If it's like you say…that I became Bahamut to escape pain…then maybe I did it because I wanted to feel like nothing could hurt me or kill me. Yet over the past few weeks, especially since I met all of you…I'm starting to realize just how weak and vulnerable I can be. I know that might only get worse with time…and the thought of being this way forever scares me even more."

After a second longer, he looked back up to Dael.

"But…and I don't know why…" He said more hesitantly, but with a bit more confidence. "When I'm with the group…when I'm with you…I don't get scared. I even find myself thinking…" He paused again, once more admitting something. "…Maybe being a human boy isn't so bad."

The young officer was rather taken aback by all of this. She had never known Bahamut felt all these things. Yet even more surprising was the emotions she felt inside herself on seeing them. First regret, then pity…and now, much as she might have wanted to deny it…a bit of happiness. She actually felt herself smiling a bit at the boy to hear this last part. And, to her surprise…Bahamut began to smile a bit as well. Although there had been similar incidents before now…Dael was beginning to realize something. Troublesome and annoying as Bahamut was, he wasn't just a friend. There was a link between the two of them… When she was with him in moments like this, an emotion stirred inside her that was more than friendship.

She didn't know it…but from that moment on, Bahamut began to feel the same thing.

After a moment longer, Dael spoke again.

"I was heading to the training area to work out." She paused. "…Why don't you come with me?"

Bahamut hesitated, his smile fading. "…I still have my weapons and I'm not dressed for it."

"Then go change first."

"That'll take a while."

"I don't mind waiting."

The boy paused again. "…You don't?"

Dael paused as well, but didn't stop smiling slightly, and finally shrugged. "…I think I'd like to do it with you for a change."

Bahamut stared a bit longer…before his smile returned.

"…I'd like that too."

To be continued...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The title for this chapter comes from Bertrand Russell, "The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."