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"Balamb Garden is down. I repeat Balamb Garden is down, need immediate pick up of all cadet and SeeD. Have medical staff on hand, approximately 100 men down" Xu's voice cut through the chilly night air, followed by the crackling of a radio signal. The metal box was broken a large dent in the side. The black plate had been removed, and some of the wires were hanging out where she had painstakingly spliced them back together.
She prayed to Hyne her frantic messages were getting through to Galbadia. Her eyes gazed out across the plains, taking in the sight of row after row of injured SeeD. All of them laid on the ground, crisp white sheets wrapped around them to try and keep the frigid breeze at bay.
Doctor Kowdaski and any other SeeD with medical training were weaving through the lines administering care where they could. Healing magic and potions were running dangerously low. The crashed Garden behind her, crawling with more SeeD, all of them were trying to fix the broken halo.
Xu turned her attention back to the radio again, holding down the button to send her voice across the airwaves. Only moments later gunfire rang out across the plain. The commander of the fallen Garden turned, looking over the lines of wounded. A sense of dread filled her to the core as she saw the black monolith of the Lunatic Pandora on the horizon.
"All SeeDs battle formation! Protect the wounded!" Xu said dropping the radio receiver as she pulled her pistol.
What the hell is going on? It was the first thought that registered through Quistis' head as she started to wake up. The sound of gunfire and yells were prominent in the air. Blinking back the sleep in her eyes she tried to take in the scene happening around her. Shrugging out of the white sheet covering her she stood.
An enormous battle was taking place under the Lunatic Pandora. Wired men attacking SeeD, and the SeeD were losing.
"That dream" Quistis said suddenly remembering the dream of two men talking. No, it wasn't a dream it was a memory. She had no time to think about it now, everyone was in danger. It was against her nature not to try and help, but she was weaponless.
Searching around frantically Quistis' eyes landed on something gleaming in the dust. It seemed unreal to see it laying there, her vision taking in every detail. The black pistol grip, swooping gracefully up into the gleaming chamber. The barrel of the revolver extending into the sleek black blade of the sword. The edge still razor sharp, and as deadly as the first day she had seen it.
Hyperion, Seifer Almasy's weapon of choice.
Of course she knew how to use it. It had been in her instructors training, she had been the one to teach Seifer to use it in the first place. With out another thought Quistis swooped forward and lifted it off the ground into her hands.
It was moments before Quistis had thrown herself into the battle. The black blade calling for death in front of her, man after man falling to her wide strokes. One man grasped her arm trying to bring her to a stop, in a slash of blood and gore he was dead at her feet.
She moved onto the next, beheading him his blank eyes staring at her as he slumped to the ground. Zell was near by using his fist and feet to bring down any man daring to come near enough. The sound of Xu's pistol cracked through the night air.
"The Pandora is retreating!" a male voice shouted as the building above them began to shudder and move. Its blackness blotted out the stars in the night sky, its machinery silent. A loud noise was heard from behind the group of SeeD as the killed off the remaining wired men. The giant hatch under the Pandora closing to block their retreat.
Quistis turned and looked behind them, the sight of Galbadia Garden moving towards them a welcome one. It's red body hulking against the sky like a giant fire angel.
"Wonder why they left all their troops behind to die" Zell said coming to stand beside her, folding his arms across his chest.
"These troops don't matter, they can always grow more" Quistis said with a sneer as she wiped the Hyperion clean on one of the corpses.
Quistis hardly had time to breathe before she was ushered into Galbadia's cockpit area. It was a state of chaos and mayhem a very young cadet at the helm. The headmaster in his pajamas and their commander a very young man.
"It seems we arrived just in time," the young man said plastering a cocky grin across his face. He strode across the room to stand in front of Xu, Zell, Quistis, Rinoa and the group of cadets behind them. They had left Irvine and Selphie on the ground helping the wounded into the Garden.
"I'm Xu, you must be Lachlan" The commander of Balamb spoke up her eyes raking over him.
"Yes ma'am, I am the one that took over for Martine after the war" Lachlan said nodding curtly. Quistis disliked him instantly, the arrogance practically rolled off of him in waves.
"Pleased to meet you at last" Xu said not even bothering to smile.
"Those men were giving you a run for you money it looks like, I'm sure Galbadian SeeDs could have taken them out for you" Lachlan said with an arrogant grin.
"You obviously have no idea what is going on," Xu said flatly as she crossed her arms.
"Of course I do, those were the men that were at the Untied Council meeting" he responded with a grin.
"Someone give this man a gold star," Quistis said rolling her eyes.
"The wounded are all on board, Xu" Irvine's voice crackled over the hand held communications device they had been given when they came on board.
"Thanks Irvine, you and Selphie help the doctors in any way you ---" Xu's voice was suddenly cut off by Irvine's screaming through.
"Xu it looks like the Pandora is commin' around again" Irvine said frantically, the sound of boot heels ringing on metal.
"Get Nida up here ASAP, they've got some 12 year old flying this thing" Xu shouted into the Com as she ran over to the windows peering into the glass. Quistis was shortly behind her peering out into the night, the enemy structure only visible by its inky mark in the sky.
Nida reached the deck, pausing only a moment before saluting to Lachlan. The boy at the helm barely had time to protest as Nida pushed him out of the way.
"What do you think you are doing, you can't just come in here and take over like this!" Lachlan explained as Nida expertly took over the handling of the Garden.
"We have to get to the water, the Lunatic Pandora can't lower itself under the wave line. It won't be able to break the halo there" Nida said a Xu stepped up beside him.
"Good, get us there Nida" Xu said flashing him a smile for his brilliance.
"I will not be known as the man that crashed two Gardens" Nida said gritting his teeth. His gaze concentrated on the land in front of him, and the ocean that wasn't far off.
"No, you'll only be known as the man that crashed one! Now give the helm back to my man!" Lachlan spoke up. They all ignored him, peering out the windows at the approaching Lunatic Pandora.
"This is the best Garden outfitted for war, we will not run, we will not surrender!" Lachlan shouted his voice echoing off the walls. He stamped his foot, his hands fisting at his sides.
"Look!" Quistis shouted turning away from the window. She strode across the room to stand in front of him, glaring up into his grey eyes. The Red Garden still moved steadily towards the ocean.
"I don't know when Cid and Edea decided to put Cadets in charge of Galbadia, but get this straight you aren't anymore. We are taking over now, so why don't you just go down and take a nap" Quistis said gritting her teeth together. She was tired, she was worn, and the past week was really making no sense to her at all.
"Mr. and Mrs.' Kramer will be hearing about this" Lachlan hissed before turning on his heel and storming off the bridge.
"We've reached the water" Nida spoke up as the halo mechanism emerged.
"They aren't following" Xu said with a sigh of relief as she stepped away from the window. She looked over and Quistis and gave her almost a pleased smile.
"Let's have a meeting tomorrow morning," Quistis said with a halfhearted smile back. Xu nodded seeing the exhausted looks in everyone's faces around her. Xu turned towards the Cadets gathered by the door.
"Jill, Finoa, and Paul please take SeeD Trepe to one of the guest rooms and watch her door for the night, we don't want her disturbed" Xu said.
"Yes ma'am" one of the blond girls answered.
"SeeD Trepe?" Quistis asked raising an eyebrow, "Does this mean I'm not a Cadet anymore?"
"You never really were" Xu said with a grin before sending Quistis on her way.
The meeting room of Galbadia mirrored the one that was in Balamb. It was strange to be in a room that was so familiar but to know that it was in a completely different building.
Quistis felt relaxed and more at ease after a long sleep, and a shower. The fresh SeeD uniform that she was wearing was a welcome change as well. Even though she knew they were on the brink of a war of some kind Quistis couldn't stop the small smile from spreading across her face.
Xu stood at the head of the table, the windows behind her revealing an expanse of glistening blue ocean. They sky was a shade paler, dotted with fluffy clouds.
"We need to find out who is controlling those men, and what the Lunatic Pandora has to do with it" Xu said placing her hands on the table.
"I might have remembered something," Quistis said telling them all about hearing the voices while she had been knocked out, remembering what they were saying.
"Something must have happened to you in Shumi, that's the only place you've been outside the Garden" Xu said thoughtful looking a spot on the wall.
"Esthar was the one funding the archeological dig in Esthar" Rinoa said softly, looking down at her hands folded in her lap.
"Laguna obviously knows something he isn't telling us" Irvine spoke up from the place he was lounging at.
"To take down the Lunatic Pandora we will need to utilize the full force of Galbadia Garden" Quistis said looking across the table at Xu.
"Only one man knows this Garden that well," Xu said staring back at her.
"Seifer Almasy" Quistis breathed. Xu pulled the Com from her belt and lifted her to her lips.
"Nida, set a course for Esthar. Its time we got some answers" Xu said.
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Author's Notes:
I feel kind of bleah about this chapter. I still hope you all liked it though. Should be good stuff next chapter ;)