Consequences
by Soul Hunter and TacomaSquall
Chapter 8:
Zell Takes the Stand
Terrific. Just terrific. I knew that sooner or later that one of my friends would be
called to testify against Seifer. I was
to much of a realist to believe that Xu would turn away from using the
testimony of at least some of the heroes who defeated the Sorceress
Ultimecia. And Zell hated Seifer, with the passion of a
long-bullied child.
Of course, I reminded
myself that that was exactly what Zell's relationship to Seifer was. As far back as I can remember, Seifer was
always picking on Zell. His current
nickname for Zell, Chicken-wuss, was mild compared to some of the names he had
called Zell in the past.
All of which meant
that I was facing a very hostile witness, and possibly the one person who could
make or break Xu's case.
I turned away from my
musings to listen to Zell's testimony. There might be something to object to, or something to come back to when
I cross-examined him.
"For the record,
please state your name, rank and specialization." Martine's command was soft, but assured.
Zell looked at
Martine as he spoke. "I'm Zell Dincht,
Rank A SeeD Unarmed Combat/Infiltration Specialist."
"Raise your hand,"
Martine continued, and Zell complied. "Do you swear to speak only the whole and unabridged truth in your
testimony to this tribunal?"
Zell's voice was
clear. "I do."
"You may be
seated." Martine's gaze turned to
Xu. "Prosecution's witness."
I looked at my friend
as she rose from her seat behind the table across the aisle from me. She looked fresh and vital, as if she were
drawing energy from the power of the testimony that already been presented
before the tribunal. I knew that she
was covering a great deal of torment inside. She still did not understand why I was defending Seifer.
I knew I didn't.
Xu walked forward,
and met Zell's gaze. "SeeD Dincht, what
role did you play during the Second Sorceress War?"
Zell smiled nervously
and laughed. "I was one of the SeeDs
who served alongside Commander Squall. I was with him from the exam in Dollet, which we both passed, until we
defeated Ultimecia in her castle."
Xu smiled
reassuringly to Zell. "So, for the
record, you are one of the SeeDs who has been called, in the media, the
Saviours."
"For defeating
Ultimecia? Yes." Zell's answer was a little perplexed.
"SeeD Dincht, during
that time, you had extensive contact with, and conflict opposing, the
prisoner. Is that correct?"
Zell nodded firmly. "That's right. Seifer deserted and joined up with the Sorceress. We fought him in Deling City, in the Clash
of the Gardens over the Centra continent, and in Lunatic Pandora as it hovered
over Tears Point."
Xu nodded
slowly. "But these were not the first
times you had dealt with the prisoner, were they?"
Zell frowned. "Before this all started, he was a student
here at Balamb Garden. I came here when
I was thirteen, at which time Seifer had already been enrolled for a number of
years. In the years that followed, I
had ample chances to become acquainted with the self-appointed head of the
Disciplinary Committee."
Xu looked at the
jurors. "For the record, would you
explain what exactly the Disciplinary Committee was?"
"Seifer and two of
his friends decided to enforce discipline amongst the student body." Zell's voice was bitter. "They got their kicks off of 'punishing'
anyone for anything and everything. If
you wore the wrong clothes, you'd get disciplined by them – perhaps forced to
do something embarrassing or even beat up. Similar 'offences' included speaking back to any of the Committee
members, making them look bad in public, doing better than they did themselves
on exams. They claimed to have a list
of people, including SeeDs and instructors, who would eventually get punished
by them."
Xu nodded. "I thought that they took it upon themselves
to punish infractions by students only."
Zell shook his head
negatively. "They didn't just punish
student infractions. I heard they
claimed to have been responsible for –"
I interrupted, "I
object! This is hearsay."
Martine nodded. "Sustained. SeeD Dincht, please confine your comments to things that you saw
happen." Chastened, Zell nodded.
Xu continued. "So you have known Seifer for more than five
years?"
Zell nodded. "Yes." He glared at Seifer, who met his stare levelly. "And that is five years more than is to my
liking."
"After those five
years, would you say that you know Seifer as well as anyone else?" Xu prompted.
"With some few
exceptions, like Squall, sure." Zell's
voice was tinged with a little of his usual boisterousness, but he seemed to
recognize the seriousness of the situation. "Not that Seifer is that complex. He's just a stubborn, egotistic bully."
I knew where this
would be going, and started to formulate the questions I would need to use to
attack the framework Xu was building.
"SeeD Dincht, in your
estimation, did Seifer ever act as if he were being coerced?" Xu's question caught me off guard. She was starting to figure out my
defense. Damn.
""Seifer wasn't being
forced to do anything." His voice
became cold and hard. "Anyone who
fought him during the battle of the Gardens could see that. He was filled with the battle lust that he
had shown during previous battles, including the Final Exam in Dollet. He was savage, and seemed to get off on the
power he had."
Xu looked up at
Martine. "I have no further
questions." She walked back to her
table, coolly professional in that manner that Xu reserved for appearances in
public. Zell had given her the answers
she wanted, and now I had to figure out a way to weaken the foundation she had
built over the last few days.
"Defense, the witness
is yours."
I rose, feeling a
wave of trepidation sweep over me. The
self-doubt that had plagued me since being named the youngest SeeD Instructor
in Garden history returned.
That self-doubt was
something I was familiar with, though. It had been my constant companion since my graduation. I knew it by heart, and knew how to oppose
it. With an effort that had become
routine, but was nonetheless an effort, I shoved my doubts and fears to the
back of my mind. It was time for me to
do my job.
"Zell, will you
please state my name for the jury?" As
I asked Zell the question, I strode forward, in front of the stand and the
jury.
"Sure. You're Rank A SeeD/Instructor Quistis
Trepe." His voice sounded perplexed.
"And how long have we
known each other?"
""For more than five
years." Zell's eyes were wide with
incomprehension.
"Have we worked
together before?" I asked.
"Sure, we fought
against Ultimecia. You're another one
of the Saviours."
I nodded. "I need you to trust that I am looking for
justice, Zell. I know you do not
understand why I am defending Seifer." I turned to the jury and looked at them. I had their attention.
"I'd like you to
think back to your graduation day, little more than a year ago. Do you remember what happened before the
Graduation Ball, when you had just been informed of your graduation?"
Zell shrugged. "Squall, Selphie, Nida and I went down to
the second floor. We needed to pick up
some things from our homerooms. We
strode into the passageway outside your room, Quistis, and were met by a bunch
of cadets, including the Disciplinary Committee."
I met Zell's gaze and
held it. "What happened next?"
Zell gulped. "Seifer looked at us. You could cut the tension in the passageway
with a knife when he met Squall's gaze. Then he gave a twisted grin and started applauding us!"
"I couldn't believe it. Here was the guy who was always giving me a
bad time, congratulating me for passing the SeeD Final Exam." He paused, and rushed on. "Although, I think
his applause was meant mainly for Squall."
"So, was this action
uncharacteristic for Seifer, in your opinion?" I pressed the point home.
"No," Zell slowly
admitted. "Seifer wasn't the type to
avoid giving credit when it was due. He
just jumped on every mistake others made."
I turned away from
Zell and walked back towards the table. About halfway there, I paused for a moment, and asked Zell, "Do you know
the story of how Seifer and Fuujin met?"
"I don't,
Quistis." Zell's negative was quick in
coming. I nodded.
"Okay." I returned to the table and picked up some
papers. I then returned to the stand,
carrying the papers with me. "Zell, I'd
like to ask you to read this aloud."
He nodded, and took
the first sheet of paper. He read, "The
Dollet Final Exam: After-Action Report by Squall Leonhart."
"I would like to have
this report entered into Evidence as Exhibit 11-B." I handed the report to one of the Dragoon guards. "At this time, all I would like to do is
confirm that Zell was one of the members of Squad A, under Seifer's command."
"That is
correct." Zell nodded. "Squall and I were placed under Seifer's
command."
"And what happened on
the mission?"
Zell paused for a
moment, taking a deep breath. "We were
given the assignment of capturing the town square, which we completed with
ease. Seifer became bored with waiting
for the recall order, and he ordered us to help him secure the broadcast
tower. I didn't want to do it, but
Squall, for some reason, backed him up – so we went up into the hills to the
radio tower outside of Dollet."
"We continued on into
the radio tower, where we drove off some Galdbadian troops that were working to
reactivate the tower. We were too late,
as the Galbadians had already succeeded in repairing the device and powering it
up. Later, we found out why the
Galbadians wanted the tower up and running – to broadcast to the entire world a
speech by Vinzer Deling."
Quistis nodded and
held up a hand to forestall Zell's onoiing narrative. "During this march, did Seifer say anything of a personal nature
to you and Squall?"
"He said something
about some sort of romantic dream that he had." He shrugged. "That's
about it."
"And how would you
characterize Seifer, at that time?" Quistis asked.
"He was reckless,
headstrong, a fierce combatant with more natural skill than any other cadet in
our class. He was always trying to hog
the spotlight – to have everyone's attention on him."
"Would you say he was
disloyal to Garden?"
Before Zell could
answer, Xu interrupted. "I object! This is speculation."
Quistis nodded. "I'll withdraw. Your honor, I have no further questions."
Martine looked at
Xu. "Any redirect?" Xu shook her head. "SeeD Dincht, you are dismissed."
Xu stood as Zell
walked away from the stand. She
announced in a clear voice, "The prosecution calls Seifer Almasy."
What in the world was
Xu doing? Was she hoping to get Seifer
to confess his guilt before I began my defense?
I looked at
Seifer. The expression of sheer
hopelessness on his face was something I had never expected to see, as he stood
and walked forward to the stand.