Consequences
by Soul Hunter and TacomaSquall
Chapter 7:
A Mountain of Guilt
As Quistis made her
opening statement in my defense, I gazed around the makeshift courtroom. The onlookers had all their attention
focused on Little Miss Instructor as she addressed them. In some instances, jaws dropped in surprise
as her strategy was revealed. The
Timber contingent actually stopped bristling at the adjacent Galbadians for a
few moments.
More important to me
was the opportunity to see how the Balamb Garden's Headmaster was taking
Quistis' stance. I saw a frown begin to
crease his serious face, which was replaced by a look of alarm and worry when
Quisty mentioned his wife. He struggled
with his worry, mastering it before the end of the opening statement.
Of course, I was also
amazed by Quistis' statement. She
actually sounded like she had done more than just listen to what I had told her
before, in my cell. I felt a faint
glimmering of hope that she might actually be trustworthy, short-lived against
my cynicism about members of SeeD. After all, they were willing to murder the woman who took care of them
as children. Their Headmaster was
willing to order them to kill his wife.
A resolute look came
over Cid's face as he called for an hour-long recess. I turned to Quistis and asked her if I could be taken to the
library, during the recess. I wanted to
look in the newspapers for any news about Fuujin and Raijin. I was more than a little worried about them,
since they had not been in touch with me since the arrest at Fisherman's
Horizon. She nodded her agreement.
Under the watchful
eyes of four of the SeeD Dragoons who had obviously been assigned to guard me,
I was led to the elevator. Two of the
guards stepped into the elevator with me, and we rapidly descended to the first
floor of the Garden in silence. I had
no wish to speak with them, and they seemed to share my sentiments.
In that strangely
comforting silence, we marched to the library. The pig-tailed Iris Deen stared at me as I walked past her. Untended, the books she was carrying to be
reshelved fell from her nerveless grip. It seemed that I still carried the mystique of the dreaded Sorceress'
Knight with me.
I walked over to the
periodicals desk, and located the newspapers. They were on thin bamboo lathes that resembling nothing more than the
slender training weapons, called shinai, that we used to learn the basics of
swordsmanship.
I looked over the
papers on display. The Esthar Cry – I was on the front page, captured by a combat
correspondent as I stood on the bridge of Lunatic Pandora. Beneath me stretched the massive ultra-technological
city of Esthar, as it was attacked by Galbadian paratroops. The headline screamed, "Almasy on Trial for
War Crimes."
Next to the hulking Cry, the Dollet Tribune dangled from its bamboo lathe. The headline here was rather different. "Liberator of the Transmission Tower on
Trial for Life." It seemed someone
remembered my actions during Galbadia's invasion of Dollet Dukedom fondly. The photograph was of me, along with Rain
Boy and Chicken-wuss, dashing forward at a group of three Galbadian soldiers.
The third newspaper
was the Balamb Journal. The paper's headline caught my
attention. "Sorceress' Knight Guilty as
Sin, Prosecution Affirms."
They had something
right, I was as guilty as sin of the crimes I committed. I still do not understand the reason I
allowed myself to become what I became, but I am responsible for the deaths of
many. Their blood is on my hands, and
no matter what I try, I cannot just wash them clean.
The next paper was
the one I was looking for, The FH Gazette. The headline surprised me. "Mayor A. Dobe Speaks Against Capital
Punishment." Beneath the headline, the
paper elaborated on this statement – "On the Eve of Almasy's War Crimes Trial,
Mayor Advocates Alternative Solution." I pulled the lathe out of its holder and took the paper to a nearby
table. I sat in one of the chairs
nearby.
I turned the pages of
the small newspaper, scanning for any follow-up stories about Fuujin and
Raijin. Once through, and I saw
nothing. I shook my head and worked
through the paper a second time. Still
nothing.
I stood and walked
over to Iris. She was a cute girl, if
you could stand her nauseatingly insipid pigtails. She gulped in surprise to see me bearing down on her and steeled
herself for whatever imagined atrocity I was about to commit.
I spoke. "Excuse me, I was wondering if you could
find the last two weeks' issues of the FH
Gazette?"
Her eyes goggled in
surprise. "What?" she asked.
I started again. "I was wondering –" I was cut off by a soft cough from one of
the Dragoons. I looked at him, and he
indicated that it was time to go back to the courtroom. "Would you please look in the back issues of
the Gazette for any articles about two former Garden students? Their names are Fuujin and Raijin. Please send any articles you find to my
advocate, SeeD/Instructor Quistis Trepe."
She nodded at me,
surprised at the mundanity of my request, as I was escorted out of the library
to go back to the circus.
We returned to the
third floor of Garden and the courtroom in silence. I kept watch on my escort out of the corners of my eyes. They were very professional and cool,
keeping a close eye on the passers-by and looking for potential ambushes. They were well-trained enough to realize
that their greatest danger was in the open area near the Directory. There were lots of places that a would-be
rescuer could conceal themselves.
Their vigilance
notwithstanding, no crackpots appeared to try and rescue me. For that matter, no vigilantes decided to
take justice into their own hands and rub me out.
When we arrived back
and the courtroom, my escorts brought me up to the defense table, where Quistis
sat. I could see from her body language
that she was furious about something that had happened during the recess. As I sat down, I asked, "You look like
someone just died, Quisty."
She snapped at
me. "Do you know the price I am paying
to defend you, Seifer? My best friend
has just become my enemy, and why? Because I am trying to save your life. You were guilty of everything you did, but your death will not solve
anything at all."
She stopped before
she could say anything further, which spared me from the necessity of replying
to that uncharacteristic outburst. Quistis was walking a fine line, her desire for vengeance doing battle with
her idealism, and for the first time in my life, I found that I hoped her
idealism would win out.
We sat in silence, as
the jury filed back into the courtroom. The court's bailiff, a powerfully-built SeeD by the name of Brett
Marcus, strode forward, and commanded us, "All rise." As Cid made his weary way to his bench, Brett continued, "This
session of the Balamb Tribunal is now in session."
Cid banged his gavel,
and faced the people gathered within this courtroom. He sighed and spoke.
"Before we begin with
the prosecution's first witness, I have an announcement."
Beside me, Quistis
looked up at the SeeD Commandant in shock. A similar look was on Xu's face, across the aisle.
"From the tenor of
the opening statements made by the parties of this trial, it has become obvious
to me that either I or my wife may be called as witnesses for this trial. This composes a conflict of interest, and I
recuse myself from sitting as the head of this tribunal. I have spoken with Commandant Martine
Garrelts, from Galbadia Garden. He has
agreed to take my place on this tribunal."
He looked at Xu and
then Quistis. "Do either of you have an
objection to Martine as judge advocate for this tribunal?" Xu shook her head negatively. Quistis swallowed before she also indicated
her lack of objection. Cid continued,
"Seeing no objection, I ask you to rise for the tribunal judge advocate,
Martine Garrelts."
We stood once again,
and Martine walked into the courtroom. His blond hair was showing more gray than the last time I had seen him,
when he fled from Ultimecia's forces as they took over Galbadia Garden. Things were getting worse…
Martine called things
to order. "Advocates, I have no need to
hear your opening arguments, having watched the recording of the first portion
of this trial. Without further ado,
let's get down to business. Prosecution, you may call your first witness."
Over the next three
days, Xu called a series of witnesses to the stand. Each added their testimony to the mountain of proof that stated
that I had commanded Galbadia's forces in the service of the Sorceress
Ultimecia.
From Lieutenant
Biggs, who had deserted from Lunatic Pandora: "Sure. When we were stationed at the D-District Prison, we were placed
under Almasy's command, by verbal order of the Sorceress."
From Doctor Kadowaki:
"All I know is that there were dozens of casualties after the battle against
Galbadia Garden that bore gunblade wounds similar to the ones caused by
Hyperion's blade."
From a Galbadian
presidential aide who had went into hiding once Vinzer Deling was murdered by
Ultimecia: "He was there, in the parade, smiling ferally at the crowd, as the
Sorceress made her procession through the streets of Deling City. He leapt into battle against the SeeDs who
attacked the Sorceress with a savagery I had never before seen."
From General
Carraway: "He stood there by her side as the Sorceress wrested control of
Galbadia's military forces away from the leaders of the military. And he welcomed the opportunity to prove his
devotion to her by wallowing in the blood of her enemies."
From a Galbadian
student: "He ordered all of us to wipe out the SeeDs of Balamb Garden. We weren't to take prisoners or give anyone
a chance to escape."
From Kiros Seagill,
aide to President Laguna Loire: "I saw him, exhorting Galbadian paratroopers to
attack Esthar as Lunatic Pandora flew over the city, just prior to its arrival
at Tears' Point."
From Rowan King: "I
was fortunate. I watched him cut down a
couple of the other students, the battle ecstasy written plain on his
face. I was swept away by the rush of
battle, and did not see how Squall and the others met him during the Clash of
the Gardens."
From a Galbadian
Garden SeeD, Ruth April: "He stood by each of us, and promised that the
Sorceress would be watching our efforts in the coming battle. Those of us who did well, he promised, would
be rewarded equally well. And anyone
who brought down Balamb's leaders would be rewarded doubly. The only exception was Squall Leonhart. He said that Squall was his alone."
These were just a few
of the more than 100 witnesses, who testified to my evils. Throughout this barrage, Quistis sat
coolly. Each time, she refused to
cross-examine the witness. I was
beginning to wonder what in Hyne's name she had planned, when I heard Xu speak:
"The Prosecution
calls SeeD Zell Dincht to the stand."