11

CHAPTER 11 – WAR ON THE HORIZON

The headmaster's insistence for everyone to remain calm following the collision had evidently fallen on deaf ears. Squall and his two comrades had rushed back into the main atrium to find a buzzing swarm of cadets and SeeDs strewn about, many among them packed together around the elevator capsules on the central platform. Recognizing the impracticality of squeezing through such a throng to reach the lifts, the three turned back to the hallway leading to the training center, and made haste for the maintenance stairway they had passed along its length. Several flights of steps later, they came to the second floor landing. Squall gingerly cracked the door ajar, taking care not to fling it open into the path of any oncoming student, and led the way amid the fresh wave of rampaging cadets to the port-side observation deck.

The wide stretch of curving hallway they traversed toward the fore of the academy mirrored that of the starboard side, where he had watched Ellone take her leave with the White SeeDs two weeks ago. As they approached the heavily contested doorway, crowded by many heated students vying for a spot on the deck, he took note of the emergency exit set beside in an identical manner, and realized that it would perhaps come to serve its purpose very shortly. Squall forcibly cleared a path for Quistis and Rinoa to follow behind, and stepped on through the doorway to join the crowd of onlookers. The sea breeze swept across his face as he set foot outside, chilly as he peered over the heads of those before him to take in his first glimpse of Fisherman's Horizon.

The town proper appeared to have been constructed around a winding, circular train depot shooting off from the Horizon Bridge. The lengthy stretch of abandoned, intertwining railroad tracks had been appropriated to become streets on the edge of the water, paving the way around the looming, rusted central complex. Dozens of ramshackle domiciles had been erected in its shadow all along its circumference, the infrastructure of each appearing to be composed of a variety of recycled building materials. A great number of wooden docks extended outward from the tracks below, several trailing nearly as far as the imposing reinforced sea wall that the Garden had smashed clean on through. More than twenty large windmills sat atop the surrounding barrier, kept in perpetual rotation by the same chill breeze. For as soothing as it felt on Squall's skin, the sounds it carried to his ears brought him no peace of mind.

"Is that… gunfire?" Rinoa asked him from his side, echoing the murmurs of every other student standing in their company on the deck. He raised his eyes to the source of the incessant racket, the height of the central structure around which the entire settlement had been established. A contingent of seemingly frantic townspeople spilled from over the lip and onto the surrounding upper set of tracks, scattering every which way as they raced for the nearest downward incline leading to sea level.

"What's going on up there?" one student pondered from nearby.

"Guess we really freaked the hell outta 'em," another piped up in response.

"But what are they shooting at if it's not us?"

"It's not them shooting!" Quistis loudly declared, instantly laying to rest any excess muttering surrounding them. "There's not a gun in this town if there's a person who'd be willing to touch one. All of you, get back inside. Spread the word for all SeeDs who are able to prepare for battle immediately, and to report to the second level for deployment. You two! Get over to the starboard-side deck and throw open the emergency exit. Start sending people down as soon as they're ready to go. Let's move, everyone!"

The congregation of students quickly dispersed back through the door at her command, the head of the pack kicking up a ruckus as he bellowed her instructions practically verbatim to anyone within earshot. As the crowd to have gathered on the deck rapidly thinned in his midst, Squall's eyes remained fixed to the chaos afoot upon Fisherman's Horizon. The niggling, sinking feeling that had been building in his gut all the while came to fruition as he noticed the swathe of familiar blue and silver uniforms beginning their charge in the distance, pushing forward along the lower streets from the direction of the bridge's west end. In an instant, Quistis' hunch had been proven to be so much more, and her rapid-fire orders to the student body justified.

"Squall!" she called to him as she ducked back through the door. "Give me a hand with this!"

He spun on his heel in tandem with Rinoa to follow Quistis back into the bustling hallway. There he found her by the port-side emergency exit hatch, setting her grasp firmly on one of the dual release levers. He wasted no time in taking hold of the one opposite, having managed to accurately predict their method of disembarking from the floating academy. That they would potentially do so while under enemy fire he could never have guessed. After a quick three-count, the two heaved hard on their respective levers and pulled upward with all of the might they could muster. The hatch raised to the rusted, worn out facade of Fisherman's Horizon, just as Squall had seen it moments before from the balcony.

Above the sudden gust of wind whipping into the hallway, the sound of yet more air rapidly pressurizing came from directly below his feet. The lengthy yellow slide promptly inflated with the speed of an airbag. It shot out from the compartment beneath the open hatch in a manner akin to a striking hedge-viper, arcing over the full span of the surrounding waters and falling to earth on the edge of the encircling railroad tracks. The angle at which it settled was not especially steep, instead providing a gradual decline over to the besieged settlement for the gathering contingent of armed SeeDs to take.

"Listen up!" Quistis turned back to address the small group of first respondents in their midst. "You're to secure the town streets and make your way to the summit. There could potentially be a hostage situation in progress up there, so exercise extreme caution. Now, move out! Go, go, go!"

The uniformed squad of roughly ten raced forward at her command, two at a time seating themselves on the lip of the yellow slide and taking the plunge down into the fray without hesitation. From his current vantage point by the left hand-side of the hatch, Squall shifted his gaze further along the winding tracks where the slide met its end, to see its starboard counterpart had touched down in the interim. However resilient the constructive fiber that both were comprised of appeared to be, he very much doubted their integrity would withstand incoming gunfire. As such, it was imperative that as many operatives be deployed as quickly as possible while the Galbadian troops were still preoccupied with the swathes of townspeople run amok. With his gunblade and Guardian Force sphere both readily on hand, he took a deep breath in through his nose to prepare himself for a spot on the front lines.

"Rinoa," he addressed his student as he turned back to face her. "Stay up here and help with sending people-"

Squall cut himself short as he realized the girl was nowhere in sight amid the commotion-ridden corridor. He frantically darted his eyes left and right, hoping to catch a glimpse of the familiar flowing head of dark hair among the bustling swarm of uniforms, but to no avail. It was then that his gut instinct brought him to redirect his focus to the one place he desperately hoped not to see her; that he felt so was reason enough for him to believe that she was. His eyes landed on the slide, just in time to see Rinoa push off from her seated position on the edge.

"No, wait!" he desperately called out, barely resisting the urge to lunge forward for fear of tumbling out of the hatch. Whether or not she had heard him, gravity refused to comply with his request.

"Looks like someone's ready for her field exam," Quistis dryly commented, appearing appropriately concerned if not at all surprised. "Go on, I'll catch up later once we've gotten more troops on the ground. Make sure she doesn't get herself killed out there."

"You don't have to tell me," he snapped back, falling to his rear and casting off down the yellow slope on command.

The wind rushed through his locks as he plunged downward, gaining momentum at an alarming rate. Raising his eyes to the looming central structure, growing ever more imposing in scale as he slid toward its base, he could see the stream of civilians to have emerged onto the upper tracks had become a rampaging mob. Frenzied men and women alike, a number holding tightly to children in their arms raced down the curving roads, no doubt vying desperately for the safety of their homes. By the pack's sheer density, Squall could reasonably assume the hostage situation Quistis suspected had involved the entirety of the town's population, as evidenced by the stark vacancy of the lower tracks where his comrades had touched down.

He abruptly seized hold of either side as the flume finally met its end, quickly maneuvering his feet over the edge of the inflatable material and onto the side of the rails running through the street. He surveyed his immediate surroundings, quickly spotting Rinoa amid the dispersing SeeDs, and rushed over to her side. Further along the stretch of track, the first batch of Garden troops deployed from the starboard side had begun to make landfall, spreading out down the west end the moment their feet met the ground.

"What the hell are you thinking!?" Squall chastised the girl, prompting a startled jolt out of her as she turned to face him. "Don't just go rushing off into a war zone like that!"

"And don't you tell me to stay behind!" she countered with a determined stare. "I asked you to teach me how to use this sphere so I could pull my weight. That's what I'm here to do."

With the fast encroaching chaos by way of of citizenry and soldiers alike well on its way, he stifled the urge to remind her that she had only started training two weeks earlier. Regardless as to whether she would listen, he recognized there was presently no way for her to re-board the Garden to begin with.

"Stay close to me," he acquiesced, activating the sphere clipped to his belt. "And get your shield up, now."

"Way ahead of you," she smirked, evidently satisfied by her small victory over him.

Squall swiftly conjured his own protective barrier, the shimmering blue aura fading into infrared moments after it flashed before him. The sporadic clatter of gunfire continued to echo down from atop the central complex, sounding to be concentrated further inward as opposed to around the ring where the civilians had scattered. The absence of snipers situated around the circumference appeared to have been a tactical blunder on the part of Galbadia, if their goal had indeed been to contain the hostages on the central elevated section of the town. Regardless, that the shots had yet to cease altogether was proof enough that they urgently needed to surmount the structure as quickly as possible.

At an imposing fifty feet or more removed from the tracks below however, Squall recognized that his wind leap technique would undoubtedly come up short, much less being forced to do so while carrying Rinoa. He had only just managed to reach the Presidential Residence's upper level with Irvine hanging onto him, after a running start to further build speed no less. The tracks, while spacious enough to function as a medium-sized roadway, had been laid down largely in the shadow of the structure's upper lip, leaving nowhere near sufficient room for such an approach. With the lion's share of pedestrians currently storming down the nearest decline to the east, they would be forced to seek passage upward further along the tracks circling due west. To do so would require fighting their way through the approaching troops he had previously seen stationed on the side of the bridge leading toward Timber.

"Let's move!" he gestured to Rinoa, setting out after his fellow SeeDs who had already begun their charge into the fray.

Numbering roughly three dozen in total, the first offensive wave spread their formation as wide as possible given the limited space between the street-side houses and the water. With the distinct lack of carnage or ruin strewn about the settlement, relative to its naturally disheveled and makeshift appearance, Squall could assume that the people of Fisherman's Horizon had accepted surrender to Galbadia without any kind of struggle. Quistis' seeming knowledge that the people were of a staunchly pacifist persuasion reflected as much, leaving him to hope they would be more welcoming of their sudden imposition once they had successfully repelled the invaders.

After no more than half a minute, the enemy troops came into visibility from further down the tracks. In terms of infantry, the number appeared to almost evenly match that of the SeeD forces; what genuine cause for concern they had brought with them trailed closely behind. The pair of imposing tank-like mechs rumbled and jerked as their treads fought to remain balanced atop the uneven rails running through the road. Both sported a sizable cannon engraved into the fore, complimented by a spooling machine gun turret set directly below.

Assault rifle fire kicked up instantaneously from both sides, the Galbadian rounds predictably pinging off of the SeeDs' protective barriers. No matter the amount of times each had seen combat in their respective careers, Squall could imagine the presence of the infrared shielding still did nothing to keep from instinctively flinching in the face of oncoming bullets. Despite the momentary invulnerability provided, enough concentrated firepower would whittle away at their integrity all the same and lead to the energy's diffusion. It was because of Rinoa's inexperience in forging a shield of sufficient durability that he had sought to keep themselves relegated to the rear of the platoon. Even as the enemy troops began to fall in the midst of the crossfire however, the SeeD forces began their dispersal from the center of the tracks to the houses erected along the inside. Taking Rinoa by the hand, he forcefully guided her along out of the tanks' line of fire, seeking refuge behind the nearby support beam to the central structure.

The twin detonations came one after another the next moment. The sheer volume of the explosions engulfed Squall's ears as he reflexively brought his arm up before himself and Rinoa by his side; true to his expectations, he could not resist the urge in spite of his shielding. The ground shook as shrapnel and smoke promptly filled the air, rising from the pair of freshly carved craters bored into the tracks. Soaring steel and concrete fell from the sky into the water and across the fore of the neighboring domiciles. He strained his eyes to peer through the slowly settling devastation, catching a faint glimpse of a pair of bodies lying motionless beside the wreckage; it appeared not every operative had managed to clear the blast zone in time. Before the haze could fully settle, a blindingly bright light shot forth into its midst, forcing him to avert his vision. The sudden burst of luminescence promptly overtook the ravaged set of tracks, rapidly growing in size until it exploded outward from its source.

The light gradually faded away, revealing a striking humanoid female standing amid the rubble. Much like Quistis' own Guardian Force, the woman's slender figure was almost completely exposed for all to behold, albeit sporting a far more natural skin tone than the ice familiar's pale blue. With the volume of golden feathers sprouting from her back appearing to be arrayed around her in a manner befitting an open corset and skirt, she very well might have passed for a human being from a distance. Besides her sharpened claws, gleaming in the midday sun as she raised both of her hands up before her, it was her hairstyle which definitively drew the line; what at first glance appeared to be two unnaturally long blonde fringes trailing down to her ankles were in fact wings resembling those of an angel or large bird.

A pair of glistening, radiant spheres suddenly formed within the clasp of the woman's talons. By their sheer vibrancy alone, Squall could deduce them to be comprised of the same holy energy he had seen Selphie's familiar utilize to destroy the president's body double. She unleashed them the next moment, sending the two blasts careening toward the twin tank mechs. Surviving Galbadian troops scrambled for cover, those nearest the water diving in headfirst to escape the blast. The ensuing destruction was likewise comparable to the blazing inferno that had engulfed the decoy train carriage. Both heavy-armored vehicles detonated on impact with a tremendous roar, putting to shame the damage they had dealt to the stretch of decommissioned railway.

Squall swung his head back around behind the support beam for cover, he and Rinoa fighting to maintain stability in the presence of the massive tremor all the while. He dared not peek out again until, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the mystical woman's figure become engulfed by the same light which had heralded her arrival. The energy dispersed in a flash, leaving no one standing atop the ruined segment of road until the familiar's conjurer stepped forward over the debris with a squad of seven additional SeeDs in tow.

"Keep pushing forward!" Commandant Xu shouted to all who could hear. "To the summit! Let's go!"

Without breaking stride, she drew her short swords from either side of her waist, her face as stern and determined as Squall had ever seen it. A brief cheer of camaraderie sprung up along the interior of the tracks, as the SeeDs relieved themselves from cover and resumed their charge toward the now smoldering enemy lines. Squall shared a brief glance with Rinoa, concerned that being in the presence of so much destruction would be liable to leave her rattled. Her eyes met his, brimming with understandable apprehension, but not the crippling fear she had displayed following her close brush with the lizard creatures in Deling City. Satisfied, he turned away and silently motioned for her to follow behind him.

The two fell back into formation with the offensive surge, bringing up the rear as the machine-gunners to the fore cleared a path. As they steadily progressed, he would perform routine checks behind to ensure they were not being flanked, or that any enemy stragglers had emerged from hiding in the aftermath of the standoff. All he could see was throngs of frightened townspeople having made their descent, hurriedly dashing all along the street for what safety their dwellings could afford them. Before long, the squadron hung a sharp left at Xu's behest, and began their ascent up a connecting set of tracks leading toward the settlement's apex. What few infantrymen they encountered along the way were dispatched of with ease by the frontlines.

It was only then that Squall fully realized just how paltry a detachment Galbadia had deployed to occupy Fisherman's Horizon. Given its compact area, comparatively low population to most standard towns, and the notion that there would be little to no resistance offered, he could understand the logistics behind keeping the invading battalion sparsely fortified. Gazing out over the iron guardrails as they continued their climb, he observed still more SeeDs and cadets alike spilling from the Garden's dual evacuation slides; the numbers were very clearly in their favor. He had yet to draw his gunblade for battle, nor had his student been provided an opportunity to make use of her offensive spellcraft. As they neared the top of the tracks, he offered up a silent prayer that their fortune would remain favorable.

The squadron fanned out in either direction as they reached the upper ring, circling around what appeared to be a massive divot incised across the full length of the central structure. Upon drawing closer, Squall realized it to be so much more. The concave basin stretching from one end to the other had been fitted with more solar panels than he had ever seen arrayed together in one place. Panning his vision across the lay of the land, he caught fleeting glimpses of straggling civilians darting beneath for cover. The lengthy set of stairs before him leading downward had laid bare its casualties, wounded and deceased alike strewn about in the aftermath of the rampage. Upon closer examination, he noticed a number of Galbadian troops lay among them, seemingly disposed of well ahead of their arrival.

So they did fight back after all?

The SeeDs made their advance, some circling around the circumference while others charged down the stairs and into the fray. As his immediate surroundings cleared, Squall's eyes landed on a nearby pair of enemy corpses lying prone on the lip of the wide basin. Both rested beside their fallen sniper rifles, their sheared-through helmets appearing to have each suffered a shot from one such high-caliber round. Before the possibility of friendly fire among the Galbadian forces could even properly register, it was confirmed for him with a single glance down to the center of the solar array. Uniformed soldiers clashed with one another before the rustic home erected on the platform below, locked in what appeared to be exclusively close quarters combat. What assault rifle fire still met Squall's ears seemed to emanate from his rear, further down along the lower tracks.

"What's happening?" Rinoa echoed his thoughts as she stared on beside him. "Why are they fighting each other?"

"Just get down," he ordered, quickly racing over to the pair of fallen snipers and dropping to his knees. He forcefully shoved the nearest body aside, hefted the rifle up into his arms, flattened himself against the hard concrete ground so as to further reduce visibility, and took aim upon the platform through the magnified scope.

The civil confrontation had indeed devolved into a purely close range affair, seemingly clustered around two particular spots on either side of the house's fore. To one end, a lone, particularly scrawny infantryman expertly fended off assault from all sides by way of a pair of glaives held in either hand. On the opposite side, another isolated soldier repelled similarly stacked odds with what appeared to be only his physical prowess. As the two parties momentarily broke from one another, Squall focused the reticule upon the man's fists, and felt his breath catch in his throat as he recognized the familiar stone armoring both had been magically reinforced with.

It can't be…

He rapidly swiveled the scope back to the first soldier, now well and truly cognizant of their comparatively puny stature to each of their opponents. As he breathlessly observed the manner in which the fighter wielded the dual blades, he suddenly recognized the style to be one not derived from any school of swordsmanship, but rather martial arts. The elegance and distinct flowing motion present in each strike was unmistakable, at times appearing as if the pair of glaives were connected by an invisible chain. He watched on in disbelief, only snapping back to reality as a duo of incoming soldiers abruptly toppled over onto the platform, one after the other, well before having come within range of the blades. Their necks jerked violently as they fell, evidently dispatched of via a successive pair of well placed sniper shots. They had certainly not been his own.

That makes all three… I don't believe it…

"Anything?" Rinoa lightly inquired from his side. "What's the call?"

"I… suddenly feel a little lighter," he commented, setting the rifle aside and raising himself back to his knees.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind," he brushed her off, standing up straight. "Come on. I have a feeling everyone here's going to be in for one hell of a surprise."

Squall took off down the stairs before Rinoa could pester him for an explanation, bolting along as quickly as his legs would carry him. He kept his eyes firmly trained downward all the while so as to avoid stumbling over the significant number of bodies littering the steps. The steepness gradually subsided as he drew closer to the bottom of the basin, to the point where he could comfortably relieve his gaze from his feet and re-orient his focus on the platform. His fellow SeeDs had come to a halt in the open stretch of space surrounding the house, observing the ongoing conflict with puzzlement. Xu, presently situated at the head of the group, held her arm out to signal a ceasefire. Whether or not she had made the same observations he had, the contained struggle provided little incentive to intervene for the time being. No hostages presently occupied the platform, and with plenty of reinforcements waiting in the wings, picking off the surviving troops would take little effort in any case.

Within less than twenty seconds, the last of the genuine Galbadian forces fell to the ground, leaving only the two interlopers standing. The pair shared a glance between one another, before turning their attention to the gathered crowd of onlookers. The taller of the two allowed his earthen gauntlets to dissipate from his grasp, just as another flash of light emanated before the stout soldier with the dual blades; it was the telltale sign of a protective energy barrier dissolving. What tension already hung in the air following the battle's conclusion had thickened to an entirely new threshold; not a one among the SeeDs around Squall dared so much as breathe. The smaller of the two dropped the glaives without reservation, and strode forward to the edge of the stage, appearing unfazed by the platoon of armed operatives tracking their every move. The soldier reached up to grasp hold of their visored helmet, and with nary a pause to savor the suspense, hoisted it upward to reveal their identity.

"Booyaka!"

Instantly, Squall felt a sensation of relief unlike any he had ever known wash over him. That the girl standing atop the platform, proudly beaming as she belted her victory cry could elicit such an emotional response from him was unthinkable. From the very moment he had literally bumped into her in the Garden atrium, he had regarded her as nothing but a nuisance he desperately longed to be rid of. The discovery of her illegitimate Guardian Force and the deception she had engaged in to keep it a secret had only furthered his dislike for her, to speak nothing of the newfound distrust it brought. And yet, try as he might, the corners of his mouth instinctively and contentedly curled upward.

"Selphie!" Rinoa shrieked her name from behind him.

He turned back, only for her to dash on by and through the gathering of bewildered SeeDs at breakneck speed. Without thinking, he was on her heels the very next moment. The crowd, now buzzing and hooting with exhilaration, parted at Rinoa's behest, clearing a path for him to follow in her footsteps. As he neared the front, he noticed Xu as she relieved herself from her position and began to make her way after her. He reached the commandant's side just as Rinoa cleared the top step, meeting Selphie in an excited embrace. The second soldier stepped forward as he and Xu started up, lifting off his helmet to reveal the exact head of spiked blonde hair Squall had hoped he would see beneath.

"Hey!" Zell called to him, his eyes alight with excitement. "Long time no see, huh? Man, are you guys a sight for sore eyes."

"It's great to see you, too," Squall replied candidly as he took the stage. "And I'm guessing those sniper shots from before were…?"

"Yup, he'll be right down," he confirmed as Rinoa released her hold on Selphie and darted over to offer him a hug in turn.

"Did'ya miss us, Squall?" the brown-haired girl giggled with a radiant smile. "Were you worried?"

"Of course I was," he affirmed. "When the missiles showed up, I was sure you'd been discovered. How did you wind up all the way out here, anyway?"

"We oughta be asking you the same thing!" Zell quipped as he and Rinoa parted. "And since when the hell can the Garden move!?"

"It's a long story on both ends, I'm sure," Xu interjected herself into the reunion. "Nevertheless, it's good to see that you're both still in one piece. You've done a fine job here today, at the very least."

"Don't go fergettin' 'bout me down here, sugar!"

Squall did not have to turn his head to know who had made the comment. The familiar twangy inflection, previously so irksome to him, suddenly came to him as the sweetest melody to grace his ears. He swiveled his eyes to face its source, meeting the sharpshooter's sharp, chiseled features staring back up at him. The cowboy hat was missing, having been abandoned in exchange for the anonymity of a Galbadian helmet. The milling congregation beside him bristled at his approach, likely still wary of the enemy uniform this unfamiliar man wore; it was to his benefit that he had made his way down armed with nothing but a slick grin.

"And who exactly are you, sir?" Xu irately acknowledged the comment.

"A real character," Squall assured her as Irvine started up the steps. "But a damn fine marksman."

Rinoa intercepted him as he came to the top and thrust herself against him for yet another embrace. Noting the clatter of gunfire from the town's outer rim had subsided, Squall stared out over the heads of the gathered SeeDs in the interim, casting his eyes toward the height of the solar array. An additional detachment of Garden operatives had begun to descend the set of stairs to the north, led onward by another familiar head of blonde hair. He could perfectly imagine the relief Quistis would feel to know that their comrades left behind in Galbadia had indeed survived. It was the very same way he felt now, surrounded again by those he thought he had sent to their deaths. With her imminent arrival on the scene, the coalition of six would be fully reunited.

Everything's… alright after all…

"Ahem!" came a sudden hoarse clearing of the throat.

Squall abruptly spun back around to face the house from whence the grunt had originated, to see an elderly couple emerge from the doorway. The man at the fore was outfitted in a patterned khaki shirt atop plain green trousers, sporting a head of dark shoulder-length hair with noticeable streaks of grey. The woman following after him was of a similarly plain fashion; fading blonde hair with a simple purple blouse and beige jeans trailing down to her muted brown heels. For what Squall presumed were the mayor of Fisherman's Horizon and his wife, their wardrobe presented nothing at all to differentiate themselves from the common folk.

"Am I to assume it's finally safe for us to come out?" the man spoke with his eyes trained to Zell.

"Oh!" the young man snapped to attention. "Yes, of course, sir! Thank you very much for your cooperation. We've managed to secure the solar array, and the rest of our forces should be mopping up the remaining Galbadian troops in town."

"I can see that," he muttered, sweeping his gaze across the platform strewn with bludgeoned and beaten infantry.

"There's no need to thank us, sir," Xu formally recited, stepping forward to act as the Garden's diplomat. "Commandant Adrastia of SeeD, at your service."

"Mayor Dobe," he introduced himself in return. "But please, young miss… do not misunderstand me. I'm not thanking you. I simply wish to know when it is you intend on leaving."

The bluntness of the remark struck Squall with greater force than he could have anticipated. Evidently, it was the same for every other Garden operative in the vicinity. All fell silent at the mayor's words, even as Quistis' platoon arrived at the basin's nadir moments later, coming to a halt behind the previously murmuring crowd clustered around the platform. None had been prepared for such a seemingly ungrateful reply out of the man.

"Y-yes, sir," Xu stammered with a deep bow. "I'd like to sincerely apologize on behalf of our navigation crew for the damage we caused to your outer wall."

"And the rest of my town, I would assume?" he grumbled without regard for the apology.

"Yes, of course, sir. We only just discovered that our Garden is capable of mobility. The base technology is quite archaic and in desperate need of proper servicing, which we believe is why we failed to come to a stop in time. In addition, our supply of food is beginning to dwindle. With your permission, sir… we would ask you to please allow us to stay docked in the harbor until we have finished our repair efforts and restocking."

Silence again enveloped the heart of the solar array, Xu remaining hunched forward in deference all the while. Dobe shared a brief sideways glance with his wife, her own wrinkled face showing obvious apprehension at the request. Squall privately clung to the hope that the two would find the kindness to repay them for the liberation of Fisherman's Horizon, but prepared for the worst all the same.

"I will speak with our technicians – presuming they are still alive – and have them assist you with your repairs," he responded after a long pause. "As for your shortage of food, and need to resupply… I'm afraid that is something I cannot abide."

"Why not!?" Selphie blurted out, appearing to either not grasp or not care for the delicacy of the conversation.

"Is it not obvious?" Dobe rhetorically mused. "How do you think we manage to sustain ourselves while staying so far removed from civilization? These waters have kept our little town well fed for more than fifty years, and we have taken great pains to ensure the ecosystem here stays viable for our needs. You can't honestly expect us to just allow your army to start fishing our port dry."

"We would only require enough to keep us fed for a few more days," Xu attempted to negotiate.

"Even that may be too much for us to allow. I'm positive that the number of you aboard your vessel vastly exceeds our own population. Especially now with…"

The mayor trailed off, his eyes veering away from the commandant and panning all across the solar array. Squall followed his field of vision, once again taking in the silhouettes of fallen townspeople and soldiers alike lining the stairways. Although the body count was nowhere close to what he had witnessed on the shores of Dollet one month before, such loss of life was not something to be so easily brushed aside.

"I understand," Xu finally conceded. "I'll pass this information onto the headmaster. Regardless, thank you very much for offering your people's assistance with the repairs."

"So long as it helps you all on your way sooner rather than later," he coldly replied, turning away back toward the house with his wife. "Good day."

What a crotchety old asshole…

"Excuse me!"

Squall instantly craned his neck over to face Rinoa, staring daggers at the girl for fear she was about to voice the very opinion he dared not speak aloud.

"We're all very sorry for what's happened here today," she began. "But speaking for myself, I really don't appreciate the attitude you've been showing her. Why is it that you want us gone so badly?"

Virtually every other Garden operative on the platform went wide-eyed at her interjection. Squall followed suit, feeling his jaw fall to earth of its own accord.

Please just keep your mouth shut! They obviously have their reasons. Who cares? You're just going to screw up what little goodwill we already have with them!

"Very well," Dobe started in an irritable tone, turning back to face her. "The long and short of it is that military organizations of any kind are not welcome here in Fisherman's Horizon. The very nature of your trade flies in direct defiance of our principles. Violence only begets violence, as we have seen so very clearly today. We do not aspire to hold any affiliation whatsoever with your mercenary ilk. This town was founded on the belief that any problem, large or small can be settled with peaceful discussion."

"And how did that work out for you with Galbadia?" Rinoa shot back. "SeeD just saved you and your people from having your way of life snuffed out. The least you could do is show a bit of gratitude instead of festering like a stubborn jacka-"

"Rinoa!"

Quistis suddenly jumped in from behind, placing her hand firmly on the girl's shoulder. Squall had been so taken aback by her words, that he had not even taken notice of his former instructor having climbed the stairs up to the platform. While he shared her sentiments to a tee, he would never have dared to speak them aloud in such a brash manner. Her apparent lack of a filter had all but certainly sullied their chances of receiving any assistance with the necessary repairs.

"Gratitude!?" the mayor snapped, his wrinkled features turning fierce as he stormed over to her. "Be grateful to an organization like yours? An army formed for the sole purpose of profiteering off of war? The absolute nerve! Don't try to act like you've done us some noble deed by saving us. At the end of the day, all you lot care about is how much money you can squeeze out of every conflict."

"That's not true!"

Once again, all eyes fell upon one person standing on the stage. Squall's own momentarily darted every which way, until the realization fully sunk in that the voice had been his. He froze as he was placed on the spot, wondering what could have possessed him to speak out in Rinoa's defense.

"It's… it's not all about the money to us," he eked out, fighting to keep himself composed. "That's not what SeeD was established for."

"Oh?" Dobe questioned, his focus now directed squarely to him. "Is that so? Then please, tell me. What is it all about?"

Squall's tongue at once became leaden. His mind raced frantically for something, anything to say that would possibly appease him. He knew full well that SeeD's mercenary stature had only come into being through Norg's stranglehold on the Garden. He understood the truth of the matter, that the organization had been established by Headmaster Cid and his now estranged wife to prepare for the coming of any sorceress seeking to follow in Adel's footsteps. And yet, as he sucked in a breath through his nose to calm himself, such distinctions were rendered meaningless, and he realized the only thing that truly mattered was what SeeD meant to him, personally.

For what purpose did he fight? Why had he made the choice to commit himself to a life fraught with such bloodshed? Though a single reason may have led Cid and Edea to found the organization so long ago, it had not been the one which had kept him pushing onward for so many years. Indeed, he understood the reason was different for each and every one among them. He could only share his own perspective of what it was SeeD stood for, or rather, what it was he stood for as a SeeD.

Here goes nothing…

"It's hard for me to explain… and maybe I'm not the best one to be explaining it to begin with, but… I also wish everything could be settled without resorting to violence, just like you're preaching. And that there would be no need for battles like this to happen. That we could settle everything with discussion, and come to a mutual understanding with each other. The problem is that there are times when people just aren't willing to listen, making that kind of conversation and negotiation impossible. And it's at times like those, when fighting becomes unavoidable, that we must speak with our actions rather than our words. Especially when innocent lives are at stake, and our opponents are beyond reasoning with, like today. It's an unfortunate reality, but it's one that we can't just pretend doesn't exist. That's why I fight… why we fight, and why we'll continue to fight. We lay down our lives today, in the hope that future generations will learn from our human mistakes, and come to work their differences out peacefully."

Nary a breath could be heard in the stark silence as Squall brought his speech to a close. He at last averted his stare from Dobe's to glance around; from Rinoa, to Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, Zell and Xu, every one of his comrades kept their eyes intensely locked to him with what appeared to be awe.

"T-that's all I have to say," he concluded, turning on his heel. "You don't have to respect what we do, or even give us your thanks, but… I just wish you could be a little more understanding about who we are. We're not just a bunch of warmongers. I hope you understand someday. I think the world needs both people like you and us. Thank you again for your help. Good-bye."

He began across the stage, his eyes downcast and focused on the stairs leading to the ground. He had scarcely reached the top step before the silence was shattered by a single clap. The sudden crack came without warning, prompting Squall to bolt up for fear of it being a gunshot. The next moment, the clapping doubled, then quadrupled, exponentially swelling in volume among the gathered audience of SeeDs standing before the platform. Within the span of two seconds, the light applause became a full-blown standing ovation, replete with whistles and gratuitous hollering aplenty.

Squall stood dumbfounded upon the stairs, his face undoubtedly flush with embarrassment in the face of such acclaim. He turned back to those gathered on the platform, to find his comrades, and even the commandant had joined in, all among them beaming with pride. Only the mayor and his wife had abstained, both hobbling back into their house with what appeared to be embarrassment comparable to his own. It had not been his intention to cause such a scene, the applause finally dying down only once the door had shut behind them.

"Now that's what I call havin' somethin' between yer legs," Irvine piped up as he approached. With a friendly pat on Squall's shoulder, he promptly descended the steps and made his way around the still bustling crowd without waiting for a proper order of dismissal. It came only moments later as Xu instructed all present to begin clearing the area of bodies and wreckage. The crowd began to disperse on command, trailing back up the various staircases lined with carnage to undertake their duty.

"That was quite the inspirational speech," she addressed him as she strode over to his side. "Probably the single greatest morale boost someone could have given the troops right now."

"It was just something I needed to get off my chest," Squall modestly accepted the praise. "Whether or not it made any difference in how he sees us."

"I see," the commandant mused as she descended. "Still, don't be surprised if you suddenly find yourself gaining a reputation around the Garden. In fact… well, let's just say I'd bet on it if I were you."

Why don't I like the sound of that?

"Welp," Zell groaned as he stretched. "I can't wait to finally get outta this uniform and back into my own clothes."

"Tell me about it," Selphie agreed. "Oh, and by the way, nice new threads, Rinoa! Looking to join up?"

"Sorta, kinda," the girl replied. "It's more just because my old clothes got so torn up. It's a real pain having just the one set, though."

"I could give you my old cadet uniform if you want! It's barely been worn."

"I think we ought to get started on tidying things up around here," Quistis interrupted as she bent down to hoist up a Galbadian soldier's limp body. "Lets get them piled up over on that side for now."

The remaining four hastily complied, spreading out across the platform to wherever they could be of immediate use. Squall paced several steps to the nearest infantryman and lifted him up with both hands from beneath his underarms. A moment later, the feet were elevated courtesy of Rinoa opposite him.

"You've… really changed," she spoke softly as they carried the soldier together across the stage. "I never would have imagined the mercenary I knew back in Timber making a speech like that."

"It's the truth," he insisted. "I don't take pleasure in any of this. I never have, and anyone who would has to be a lunatic."

"I love battles. The scent of scorched earth, the roaring sound of gunfire, the sheer visceral energy between you and your enemy as you strike him down… I live for that shit."

That's the dividing line between us… the one I'll never cross…

"Well, it's a day full of surprises, then," Rinoa replied as they tossed the body over the edge of the platform and onto the makeshift pile below. "You looked really happy to see the others were okay."

"What's surprising about that?" he raised his eyebrow to her. "I was the one who grouped them together and sent them off to the missile base. Their safety was my responsibility."

"But that's not all, is it? They might be your comrades, or your subordinates, or whatever they are to you, officially. But moreover, they're your friends, and you know it. And it was… refreshing to see you act so honestly."

Squall turned his head back across the platform to Zell and Selphie, seeing the pair struggling to haul a bulky red Galbadian commander to the drop-off pile. The duo had irritated and infuriated him numerous times over the course of their tenure together, to speak nothing of the wisecracking sharpshooter who had taken off of his own accord. And yet, he could not deny the pangs of melancholy he had felt for the past two weeks whenever he had stopped to consider their ultimate fate.

Friends, huh?

"Hey, Squall," Rinoa addressed him again. "Would you have been that worried about me, too? You know, if you'd sent me along with them instead?"

"It never would have come to that," he explained, keeping his eyes trained to his squadmates. "It would have been too dangerous to send you out there. When I was deciding on the teams, your safety was my top priority, and as long as you were teamed up with me, I'd be able to see to that myself."

It was only as he swiveled his head back to her that he realized the implications of what he had just said. The surprised expression on her face was proof that they had not been lost on her, either. His mind went numb just as a bottomless pit suddenly formed in his stomach.

"You… really care that much?"

"I… well, what I mean is… you know, you were my employer, and I-"

"Oh my gosh, you're turning red!" she chuckled, keeling forward as she clutched her sides in hilarity. Squall stood still in disbelief, utterly mortified and unable to muster a response. "You are so cute, taking it so seriously."

"What's so funny?" Zell asked unassumingly as he and Selphie finally reached them bearing their hefty load.

"Nothing," Squall spat as he frantically spun on his heel and briskly walked away from his snickering student. "Quit messing around! We've got work to do."