Chapter 20: Irvine Kinneas
The SeeDs and their client assembled outside the front entrance of the Garden. Classes were apparently still in session, as there were almost no students or SeeDs out, excepting the occasional patrol, and the exoframes in the sky above. Squall did notice that the sharpshooter at the northern end of the complex was apparently done practicing, as the wind no longer carried thundering shots across the grounds. The outside of Galbadia Garden was as quiet as its interior.
As the SeeDs and Rinoa lounged around, waiting for Martine to arrive and give out their orders, Squall became aware of a problem. Namely, Rinoa. Not being a SeeD, her presence may complicate the situation. He did not want to have to leave her behind, but at the same time, Martine may object to them bringing along a civilian.
"Rinoa," Squall said, stepping over to her. Their client sat on a stone railing seperating the main path leading to the entrance from a large garden. She looked up as he approached.
"There may be a problem," he said. Rinoa quickly nodded, understanding the situation before Squall said anything further.
"Pretend I'm another SeeD," she said quickly. "Best to avoid complications, after all." Squall nodded, realizing that the less Martine knew about Rinoa's status as a civilian, the better. He then quickly stood at attention, bringing his right hand up in front of his face, palm inward.
"This is the SeeD salute," he told her. Rinoa nodded and mimiced it fairly well. "You'll need to salute Martine when he arrives and when he dismisses us." Rinoa nodded, and then a flicker of motion caught their attention, coming from the direction of the Garden complex. Squall and Rinoa turned to see a car approaching, emblazoned with the Garden symbol.
"I think that's him," Rinoa whispered, to which Squall nodded. He signaled the rest of his group, and they formed up into a quick line as the Garden vehicle approached. Rinoa fell into place beside Squall, after telling Angelo to move somewhere out of sight. The dog obeyed and scurried away. Moments later, the Garden vehicle pulled up in front of the group.
The passenger door swung open, and out stepped a tall man, moving with a fluid, yet regal, pace. He wore a long blue coat with gold trim, fashioned in an old style, like that of Dollet's officers from several decades ago. The coat was fastened across the man's chest by a trio of archiac cloth fasteners, and a bandoleer ran from the middle of his right waist down to his lower left waist.
Headmaster Martine Cayes squinted his eyes as he looked over the SeeD party. His face was heavily wrinkled, and an almost imperceptible white scar traced itself across the left side of his face, down to his neck. He wore his graying blonde hair long, fastened into a ponytal at the back of his head. As he scrutinized the group, Matrine clasped his hands behind his back and stood tall. In response, the SeeDs quickly stood at attention, and saluted as one, Rinoa a split second behind them.
"Good day," he told them with a nod, after several long seconds. His voice was cultured, almost aristocratic, that of a man from Dollet. he looked over the Seeds again,a nd then began pacing back and forth, looking down at the pavement.
"I have official orders from Headmaster Cid addressed to you," he began. "As per regulations, considering you are temporarily stationed in my Garden, I have reviewed these orders. After considering the options and information that we ourselves have been gathering concerning this operation, we have opted to fully assist Headmaster Kramer in this mission." Martine paused, and turned back to the SeeDs.
"To tell the truth, we ourselves were planning something similar for quite some time now," Martien continued. Squall and his group waited patiently through the Headmaster's explanation, curious as to what the man was leading up to. "In order to stress to you the importance of this mission, I must first brief you on the current situation." Then, almost as an afterthought, Matrine spoke again. "At ease."
The SeeDs and Rinoa relaxed and waited for Martine to continue.
"You were in Timber recently," Matrine said. It was a statement, not a question. "And you observed the announcement by Vinzer Deling concerning the Sorceress being appointed as ambassador. We have been tasked recently with gathering intelligence concerning this Sorceress." Martine paused at a questioning blink from Zell. "Yes, we were aware that a Sorceress had resurfaced. We had thought the only active Sorceress was the one in Esthar, Adel, but this one we had discovered recently. She has been acting in concert with Vinzer Deling over the last year, but to what end we do not know. Until now.
"The Sorceress has been appointed as ambassador, but in reality, this ambassador thing is just a lie," Martine continued. "There will be no talks or negotiations with other nations, merely threats and force. The Sorceress creates fear and awe. As an emmissary, she could cow any other nation's leader by her mere presence, not to mention the magical powers at her disposal, including abilities such as the power to read minds and subvert victims with her willpower. In such a state, peace talks are meaningless.
"Galbadia is planning to put the Sorceress' power to use in conjunction with the Galbadian military to completely dominate the western world," Martine said, waving a hand emphatically. "No nation will be able to resist this combination of the innate fear of the Sorceress and a military juggernaut backing any claims and threats Galbadia makes. Deling's ultimate goal is nothing short of world domination. Garden is no exception; in fact, Garden is one of the first targets on their hit list."
That bit of news hit the gathered group. Garden, which had always been neutral in most struggles, had often been the thorn in the side of many military powers and rougue groups. However, none had ever attacked or even threatened Garden before, mostly due to the fact that they could just as easily hire Garden to turn its sizeable military power against the enemies they had been backing just days before. In the words of one SeeD, Garden could save a government one day then overthrow it the next. By being useful Garden was immune.
Was Deling changing the rules now? And what of the declaration that Garden was not being held responsible for the attack in Timber? If Galbadia was targeting Garden, why had Garden been exonerated from a perfect excuse to attack?
"The Galbadian military is preparing even now for war," Martine informed the group. "The Sorceress intends to turn Galbadia Garden into her base of operations, and to seize any other Gardens she can. The statement issued earlier today was merely a reassurance intended to make us drop our guard. In reality, if we allow Deling and his Sorceress to remain, war will be inevitable. We have very few options available to us that will prevent this war." Martine paused again, then met Squall's eyes.
"As the single best SeeD to have come out of Garden, Leonhart, we have no one better to entrust this mission to," Matrine told him. He reached into his pocket and drew out a set of folded papers.
"Official orders," Martine stated. "All details of the operation are enclosed here. Destroy these papers when you have read them. Good luck."
The SeeDs snapped off a set of quick salutes, and Martine handed the papers off to Squall. He quickly ran over them once, and then paused as he read the mission description. he scanned it a few more times, and then frowned.
"It says 'by means of a sniper,'" Squall said, looking up at Martine. "We don't have anyone qualified to use a sniper rifle." It was true. Squall and his group had cross-trained with firearms, but none of them were certified Garden sharpshooters. The Headmaster nodded.
"Don't worry," Martine assured him. "As part of our cooperation with Headmaster Kramer, we are going to attach one of our own SeeDs to your group. Let me introduce you to the best sharpshooter in Galbadia Garden." Martine turned to face away from the group, towards the west side of the grounds.
"Kinneas! Irvine Kinneas!" he called. In response, a brown-clad figure laying back on a nearby hilltop moved.
As the group watched, he reached up with a black fingerless glove and pretended to shoot a butterfly out of the air. Then, the figure sat up quickly, and the SeeDs noticed the black hat he wore on his head, a wide- brimmed hat made famous by countless movies about Galbadian frontiersmen. He also wore long brown hair, loose around the front of his face and worn into a long ponytail at the back. As he rose, a large, weathered brown trenchcoat could be made out, matching the brown and equally weathered pants. He turned to face the group, and one could see the sleeveless, dark blue denim vest he wore beneath the coat. He grinned at them with a boyish smile and large blue eyes, and casually shouldered a powerful, solid- looking double-barreled rifle.
"This," Martine stated as the man, a SeeD probably barely any older than the rest of them, calmly swaggered down the hill towards them, "is Irvine Kinneas. He is your sniper. A certified expert on firearms of all types." Martine turned back to the group.
"You may leave whenever you are ready," he added. "Failure is not an option, for both Garden and the world." With that, Martine returned to his vehicle and climbed in through the passenger door. The vehicle then pulled back and drove away swiftly, just as Irvine reached the bottom of the hill. He glanced over to the dissappearing car, and with his free hand pretended to fire a pistol at it, even adding sound effects. He then "twirled" his mock pistol and slid it into an imaginary holster, before turning back to the rest of the group.
"So, I'm with you rubes from Balamb, eh?" Irvine asked with a smile. He looked over the group, and seemed to consider them for a moment longer than a simple examination would warrant. He then bent into a short bow, tipping his black hat in the direction of Rinoa, Quistis, and Selphie. "Greetings. Always nice to work with ladies." He turned back to Squall and Zell. "You two don't look like slouches either," he added, smiling. Zell scowled, and Squall took a note of it. The hot-headed martial artist always overreacted, especially around people like Irvine. Somehow, the sharpshooter reminded Squall of Seifer at that moment, and not in a good way. It might not be good idea to put Zell together with Irvine.
Irvine noticed Zell's scowl, and perked up an inquisitive eyebrow.
"You cool with me helping you?" the sharpshooter asked.
"That depends on your attitude," Squall replied with a shrug.
"I may say things that would get a rise out of some people," Irvine explained. "Its just a joke, so don't let it bother you and we'll get along fine." Squall nodded.
"I'll remember that," he said. "I'm the team leader, Squall Leonhart."
"Irvine Kinneas," the sharpshooter replied with another tip of the hat. "Though I'm sure King Turd of Shit Mountain over there already told you. That guy really needs to take the oak tree out of his ass . . . ." Irvine then shrugged. "Not that it really matters. So, the old man briefed you on the job?"
Squall nodded again and held up the orders.
"What's it say?" Selphee asked. Squall glanced down at the paper and began to read the relevant parts out loud.
"The SeeD team assigned for this operation is under orders from both Balamb and Galbadia Gardens, and has one primary objective: Nuetralization of the Sorceress employed by Galbadia as ambassador," he said blankly. Squall glanced up at his team, reading their expressions. There was some surprise, but for the most part his team understood what Martine had been leading up to in his explanation.
"Kinneas is to perform the assassination," Squall said, nodding to the sharpshooter. "He will snipe the Sorceress from a distanced, concealed position. Should the sniper fail, we are to eliminate her ourselves." Irvine smiled and fingered his rifle again.
"Thanks for the support," he replied, "but I never miss my target."
"We are to head for the Galbadian capital, Deling City," Squall continued, and held up a set of papers, the majority of the content in the folded set he had recieved from Martine. "These will get us inside the city. They've been forged by our contact we are supposed to meet."
"Who's the contact?" Zell asked, looking over the identification.
"General Hirbrom Caraway," Squall replied, looking at the name. "He's head of defense around the captial and the Great Plains of Galbadia."
"Caraway?" Rinoa asked suddenly, her voice uncertian. Squall turned to her and nodded.
"Something wrong?" he asked, to which Rinoa shook her head quickly. Too quickly.
"Rinoa, are you hiding something?" Squall asked, to which she shook her head, more emphatically.
"No, I've just heard his name mentioned before," she replied, looking away, her eyes not meeting his. Squall watched her for a second, then turned back to his team.
"General Caraway knows the details of this operation," Squall continued. "It says that we need to meet him soon, by tommorow. We'll need to get moving."
"Well, then," Irvine said, smiling. "We'll need to split up into teams. I'm sure we'll be operating as a cohesive force, but until we get to know each other better, I'd suggest we form smaller groups of, perhaps three each?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps you two," he said, placing his hands on Rinoa's and Selphie's shoulders. "would be good teammates with me?"
"No," Squall stated flatly, shaking his head. "Rinoa stays with me," he added, his tone leaving no room for argument. Irvine arched his eyebrows again, and looked back and forth between them.
"He's a bit protective," Irvine commented. He gave Rinoa a questioning look. "Boyfriend?"
Rinoa had a good laugh at that, and Squall snorted. He crossed his arms and glared at Irvine.
"Rinoa isn't a SeeD," Quistis explained. "She's a civilian, and the client for Squall's team. And as team leader, he is her bodyguard, along with Zell and Selphie." Zell and Selphie nodded in accord, while Irvine simply shrugged, conceding defeat.
"And furthermore," Squall added, "We aren't splitting up into seperate teams. There's more safety in numbers." Again, Irvine, with no real choice, had to concede to Squall's descision. The group's commander then nodded toward Irvine's rifle.
"How good are you with that?" he asked, to which Irvine laughed. He quickly spun, raising the rifle and leveling it at an unseen target.
"I've been training with guns like this since I came here," Irvine replied. "For me, guns aren't weapons, they're extensions of the body, and part of my very soul." He lowered the rifle and turned to face the SeeDs and their client.
"This," he said, holding the double-barreled rifle out for inspection, "is the Galbadian Special ME-22 Valiant Multipurpose Assault Weapon, possibly one of the best rifles in the world. It can hit a target at one thousand feet within a diameter of two inches using standard ammunition, and features recoil compensators in the stock and grip to reduce the shock of firing." Irvine then flicked a lever on the rifle, and opened a pair of revolver-style rotating chambers behind the barrels.
"This weapon can accommadate over a dozen different types of shells and rounds," he explained. "It uses standard fifty caliber Action Express rounds, the kind you only see in heavy revolvers and rifles, but it can be fitted with special shotgun, high explosive, grenade, or flame rounds. The Valiant can even be set to fire on fully automatic setting as well, if you have magazines for the bullets. All of which I have in plentiful supply." Irvine opened his coat to show pockets filled with shells and rounds, as well as several large magazines of ammunition. With the coat opened, one could also see a pair of revolvers in holsters beneath Irvine's arms, well- hidden from view.
"Those are my backups," Irvine added as he noticed Squall looking at the revolvers. "Six-shooters with .357's. More than enough to kill anything that moves." He flashed the group a smile, and everyone's respect for the sharpshooter went up a bit. At least he wasn't all bluster.
"Good," Squall stated after Irvine's explanation was finished. "We need to leave, now," he added, gesturing to the southwest end of the grounds, where there was a train station for commuters to and from the heart of Galbadia. No one disagreed, and they headed off.
As the group crossed the grounds, Irvine expressed some curiosity for those he was going to be working with. He knew Squall was a gunblade specialist simply by his weapon, but he was uncertian about the rest of his new team.
"Selphie Tilmitt is a specialist in magic and is an expert in demolitions and vehicles," Squall explained, gesturing to Selphie. Irvine smiled and nodded, though Squall thought he caught something extra in the sharpshooter's expression. Whatever it was was gone to quickly to identify.
"Pleased to meet," Irvine said with another tip of his hat.
"Zell Dincht is a martial arts specialist," Squall stated, gesturing to Zell. The martial artist nodded quickly, which was matched by a similar nod from Irvine. Again, Squall caught the odd look.
"Quistis Trepe is a former Instructor," Squall continued, gesturing to Quistis. She nodded, and Irvine tipped his hat as well.
"So, you're the blue magic specialist I heard about," Irvine commented, his words catching the attention of the rest of the group. Squall glanced back at Quistis, curious. He knew that Quistis was skilled at monster magic, though he had never seen it in action.
Blue mages operated by learning how to manipulate the energies of monsters and other nonstandard magic techniques. They were most common in Trabia, either in the Garden or operating in the wilderness, studying the animals and monsters.There were few enough in Balamb, and almost unheard of in Galbadia, which explained why Irvine knew about Quistis.
"Yes," Quistis replied with a slightly embarassed nod. "The only blue mage to have ever attended Galbadia Garden."
"I heard blue magic wasn't easy to learn," Zell commented, to which Quistis nodded.
"The skill is hard to learn unless you're born with the knack. Something having to do with genetics," she said with a shrug. "I have a knack for learning how monsters use magic. Its that simple." Irvine nodded in understanding, glad to have Quistis along now that he knew of the unusual power she had. He finally turned back to Rinoa, who had spoken little.
"You're a civilian?" he asked her, catching her attention, Rinoa quickly nodded after she registered his question.
"My group hired SeeD," she explained. "To support us in Timber."
"Timber resistance?" Irvine asked, then nodded in answer to his own question. "Ah, don't worry. I may be from Galbadia, but I'm with those that don't like the fact that we're occupying Timber. You're secret's safe with me." Rinoa nodded, reassured by the shapshooter's words. Despite his somewhat obnoxious nature, Kinneas was undoubtably honorable.
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Twenty minutes later, the team had arrived at the train station at the southwest end of the complex. Squall recieved the ticket, billing the charge to Garden's expense account, and led his group onto the train. Not waiting around, he immediately used his ticket in the reader beside the security door, which beeped and slid open. Beside him, Selphie giggled, understanding why Squall had made sure to do that first.
"You've caught on!" she exclaimed, and then burst through the door. "Thanks!" she called over her shoulder as the door closed behind her. The rest of the team followed her, though none of them stayed in the outside hallway, instead crowding into the private SeeD room. Irvine detached from the group and hovered near the door, a thoughtful look on his face, while Zell and Rinoa immediately lounged on the couches. Quistis and Squall remained standing for a moment.
The train suddenly lurched, and was accompanied by an announcement over the intercom about the train's departure for Deling City, capital of Galbadia.
"This is the only train headed for Deling anyway," Rinoa commented, getting a giggle out of Quistis and Zell. Squall didn't respond, and Irvine seemed too caught up in thought to notice. Squall glanced at him as the sharpshooter let out a thoughtful "hm."
"I wonder if it's fate?" he asked himself quietly, and stepped out of the cabin and into the hallway with Selphie. Squall watched him leave, along with the others, whose expressions ranged from curious to slightly concerned.
"He kind of just . . . walked off," Quistis commented after several moments. Squall nodded, recalling Irvine's general attitude. He was acting a little too friendly towards the women, particularly Selphie and Rinoa . . . .
Squall finally decided he should go and at least check. He poked his head out the door, then stepped into the hallway. Sure enough, Irvine was standing beside Selphie at the windows lining the hallway, watching the brown landscape flit past. Immediately, from their body language, Squall could tell that Irvine had made Selphie uncomfortable, somehow.
"Selphie, come on," he said quietly to her, leaning over the much smaller SeeD. "We're destined to be together!" He spoke the words dramatically, almost like a parady of an epic romance movie. Selphie stuttered for a second before replying.
"Yeah, right," Selphie responded quietly, her words carrying a slightly sarcastic tone.
"Words of love?" he asked playfully, to which Selphie quickly shook her head.
"N-No," she replied firmly. Irvine then shrugged, and then glanced at Squall, as if sensing the other SeeD's presence. The sharpshooter turned to the small woman again, smiled and tipped his hat, and then turned back.
"Pardon me," he said quietly but politely as he stepped back into the guest room. Squall watched him leave, and then shook his head. They had met less than an hour ago and already the guy was hitting on one of his teammates.
"You okay?" he asked her, to which she nodded. The small SeeD put a hand to her chest, and looked a bit flushed from her encounter.
"My heart's pounding," she said. Squall nodded, understanding that Irvine's not-so-subtle advances had probably startled her.
"You handled him pretty well," he commented. "Part of its probably also pre-mission jitters. Get used to handling pressure when you can." Selphie nodded, understanding the double meaning behind Squall's words. Pressure took on different forms, after all.
Squall stayed out in the hallway for a bit, watching the landscape scroll by along with his teammate, before turning back to the cabin. He opened the door, and was surprised - though he really shouldn't have been - to see Irvine standing beside a flushed Rinoa, who was glaring at him. Irvine had an apologetic look on his face, and it didn't take Squall long to figure out that Irvine had gone after Rinoa too. But if Selphie had rejected his approach, then it seemed that Rinoa had practically shot Irvine out of the sky.
"Irvine Kinneas!" Quistis scolded the sharpshooter in her "instructor" tone, before Zell could hop in with something louder and likely more violent. Irvine turned to face her, and then looked down at the floor, away from the rest of the group. Squall recognized the posture, and knew what was coming.
"No one understands me," Irvine muttered. Squall would have laughed if he had felt like it. Deflection. Irvine was deflecting the issue with a tirade about his personal problems. How very Seifer-like.
"Sharpshooters," he whispered. "We're loners by nature. We hone our instincts and bodies, pouring our entire essence into a single bullet. Waiting for that one moment, that final second, before we take the shot. We put everything into that one bullet . . . ." Irvine trailed off, and moved out of the way.
"The pressure of that instant, that one moment,' he said. "I have to face that alone. Its not easy . . . ." Irvine said no more, instead walking out of the door. Squall poked his head outside again, confirming that Irvine was headed up front in the train, not toward Selphie. Once the sharpshooter was gone, Squall returned.
"What was that all about?" Rinoa asked, to which Squall shrugged.
"Deflection," he explained simply. "Trying to get our attention away from the facts."
"What fact?" Rinoa asked, though she likely knew the answer.
"That Irvine thinks he's Hyne's gift to women," Quistis commented.
"Idiot," Zell growled, punching the floor in frustration at Irvine's bold antics. His junction-enhanced fist hammered the train's deck, and sent a shudder through the entire structure. The lights flickered, and after a moment there was quick announcement over the intercom concerning the "slight vibration," telling the passengers to remain calm in spite of the shudder and that there was no damage.
Rinoa couldn't supress another giggle at Zell's expense.
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Huh. That one was short, but fun. Irvine is one of my fave characters from FFVIII, behind Seifer and Squall.
Well, obviously, this chapter had quite a bit of original dialogue. I wanted to try and link some of the character's lines together, and such. I may be handing Irvine some more sympathy than he might deserve, but then again, maybe not. shrug Also, I made sure to make some references to the future events in the game as well. If you read closely, you may pick them up.
The SeeDs and their client assembled outside the front entrance of the Garden. Classes were apparently still in session, as there were almost no students or SeeDs out, excepting the occasional patrol, and the exoframes in the sky above. Squall did notice that the sharpshooter at the northern end of the complex was apparently done practicing, as the wind no longer carried thundering shots across the grounds. The outside of Galbadia Garden was as quiet as its interior.
As the SeeDs and Rinoa lounged around, waiting for Martine to arrive and give out their orders, Squall became aware of a problem. Namely, Rinoa. Not being a SeeD, her presence may complicate the situation. He did not want to have to leave her behind, but at the same time, Martine may object to them bringing along a civilian.
"Rinoa," Squall said, stepping over to her. Their client sat on a stone railing seperating the main path leading to the entrance from a large garden. She looked up as he approached.
"There may be a problem," he said. Rinoa quickly nodded, understanding the situation before Squall said anything further.
"Pretend I'm another SeeD," she said quickly. "Best to avoid complications, after all." Squall nodded, realizing that the less Martine knew about Rinoa's status as a civilian, the better. He then quickly stood at attention, bringing his right hand up in front of his face, palm inward.
"This is the SeeD salute," he told her. Rinoa nodded and mimiced it fairly well. "You'll need to salute Martine when he arrives and when he dismisses us." Rinoa nodded, and then a flicker of motion caught their attention, coming from the direction of the Garden complex. Squall and Rinoa turned to see a car approaching, emblazoned with the Garden symbol.
"I think that's him," Rinoa whispered, to which Squall nodded. He signaled the rest of his group, and they formed up into a quick line as the Garden vehicle approached. Rinoa fell into place beside Squall, after telling Angelo to move somewhere out of sight. The dog obeyed and scurried away. Moments later, the Garden vehicle pulled up in front of the group.
The passenger door swung open, and out stepped a tall man, moving with a fluid, yet regal, pace. He wore a long blue coat with gold trim, fashioned in an old style, like that of Dollet's officers from several decades ago. The coat was fastened across the man's chest by a trio of archiac cloth fasteners, and a bandoleer ran from the middle of his right waist down to his lower left waist.
Headmaster Martine Cayes squinted his eyes as he looked over the SeeD party. His face was heavily wrinkled, and an almost imperceptible white scar traced itself across the left side of his face, down to his neck. He wore his graying blonde hair long, fastened into a ponytal at the back of his head. As he scrutinized the group, Matrine clasped his hands behind his back and stood tall. In response, the SeeDs quickly stood at attention, and saluted as one, Rinoa a split second behind them.
"Good day," he told them with a nod, after several long seconds. His voice was cultured, almost aristocratic, that of a man from Dollet. he looked over the Seeds again,a nd then began pacing back and forth, looking down at the pavement.
"I have official orders from Headmaster Cid addressed to you," he began. "As per regulations, considering you are temporarily stationed in my Garden, I have reviewed these orders. After considering the options and information that we ourselves have been gathering concerning this operation, we have opted to fully assist Headmaster Kramer in this mission." Martine paused, and turned back to the SeeDs.
"To tell the truth, we ourselves were planning something similar for quite some time now," Martien continued. Squall and his group waited patiently through the Headmaster's explanation, curious as to what the man was leading up to. "In order to stress to you the importance of this mission, I must first brief you on the current situation." Then, almost as an afterthought, Matrine spoke again. "At ease."
The SeeDs and Rinoa relaxed and waited for Martine to continue.
"You were in Timber recently," Matrine said. It was a statement, not a question. "And you observed the announcement by Vinzer Deling concerning the Sorceress being appointed as ambassador. We have been tasked recently with gathering intelligence concerning this Sorceress." Martine paused at a questioning blink from Zell. "Yes, we were aware that a Sorceress had resurfaced. We had thought the only active Sorceress was the one in Esthar, Adel, but this one we had discovered recently. She has been acting in concert with Vinzer Deling over the last year, but to what end we do not know. Until now.
"The Sorceress has been appointed as ambassador, but in reality, this ambassador thing is just a lie," Martine continued. "There will be no talks or negotiations with other nations, merely threats and force. The Sorceress creates fear and awe. As an emmissary, she could cow any other nation's leader by her mere presence, not to mention the magical powers at her disposal, including abilities such as the power to read minds and subvert victims with her willpower. In such a state, peace talks are meaningless.
"Galbadia is planning to put the Sorceress' power to use in conjunction with the Galbadian military to completely dominate the western world," Martine said, waving a hand emphatically. "No nation will be able to resist this combination of the innate fear of the Sorceress and a military juggernaut backing any claims and threats Galbadia makes. Deling's ultimate goal is nothing short of world domination. Garden is no exception; in fact, Garden is one of the first targets on their hit list."
That bit of news hit the gathered group. Garden, which had always been neutral in most struggles, had often been the thorn in the side of many military powers and rougue groups. However, none had ever attacked or even threatened Garden before, mostly due to the fact that they could just as easily hire Garden to turn its sizeable military power against the enemies they had been backing just days before. In the words of one SeeD, Garden could save a government one day then overthrow it the next. By being useful Garden was immune.
Was Deling changing the rules now? And what of the declaration that Garden was not being held responsible for the attack in Timber? If Galbadia was targeting Garden, why had Garden been exonerated from a perfect excuse to attack?
"The Galbadian military is preparing even now for war," Martine informed the group. "The Sorceress intends to turn Galbadia Garden into her base of operations, and to seize any other Gardens she can. The statement issued earlier today was merely a reassurance intended to make us drop our guard. In reality, if we allow Deling and his Sorceress to remain, war will be inevitable. We have very few options available to us that will prevent this war." Martine paused again, then met Squall's eyes.
"As the single best SeeD to have come out of Garden, Leonhart, we have no one better to entrust this mission to," Matrine told him. He reached into his pocket and drew out a set of folded papers.
"Official orders," Martine stated. "All details of the operation are enclosed here. Destroy these papers when you have read them. Good luck."
The SeeDs snapped off a set of quick salutes, and Martine handed the papers off to Squall. He quickly ran over them once, and then paused as he read the mission description. he scanned it a few more times, and then frowned.
"It says 'by means of a sniper,'" Squall said, looking up at Martine. "We don't have anyone qualified to use a sniper rifle." It was true. Squall and his group had cross-trained with firearms, but none of them were certified Garden sharpshooters. The Headmaster nodded.
"Don't worry," Martine assured him. "As part of our cooperation with Headmaster Kramer, we are going to attach one of our own SeeDs to your group. Let me introduce you to the best sharpshooter in Galbadia Garden." Martine turned to face away from the group, towards the west side of the grounds.
"Kinneas! Irvine Kinneas!" he called. In response, a brown-clad figure laying back on a nearby hilltop moved.
As the group watched, he reached up with a black fingerless glove and pretended to shoot a butterfly out of the air. Then, the figure sat up quickly, and the SeeDs noticed the black hat he wore on his head, a wide- brimmed hat made famous by countless movies about Galbadian frontiersmen. He also wore long brown hair, loose around the front of his face and worn into a long ponytail at the back. As he rose, a large, weathered brown trenchcoat could be made out, matching the brown and equally weathered pants. He turned to face the group, and one could see the sleeveless, dark blue denim vest he wore beneath the coat. He grinned at them with a boyish smile and large blue eyes, and casually shouldered a powerful, solid- looking double-barreled rifle.
"This," Martine stated as the man, a SeeD probably barely any older than the rest of them, calmly swaggered down the hill towards them, "is Irvine Kinneas. He is your sniper. A certified expert on firearms of all types." Martine turned back to the group.
"You may leave whenever you are ready," he added. "Failure is not an option, for both Garden and the world." With that, Martine returned to his vehicle and climbed in through the passenger door. The vehicle then pulled back and drove away swiftly, just as Irvine reached the bottom of the hill. He glanced over to the dissappearing car, and with his free hand pretended to fire a pistol at it, even adding sound effects. He then "twirled" his mock pistol and slid it into an imaginary holster, before turning back to the rest of the group.
"So, I'm with you rubes from Balamb, eh?" Irvine asked with a smile. He looked over the group, and seemed to consider them for a moment longer than a simple examination would warrant. He then bent into a short bow, tipping his black hat in the direction of Rinoa, Quistis, and Selphie. "Greetings. Always nice to work with ladies." He turned back to Squall and Zell. "You two don't look like slouches either," he added, smiling. Zell scowled, and Squall took a note of it. The hot-headed martial artist always overreacted, especially around people like Irvine. Somehow, the sharpshooter reminded Squall of Seifer at that moment, and not in a good way. It might not be good idea to put Zell together with Irvine.
Irvine noticed Zell's scowl, and perked up an inquisitive eyebrow.
"You cool with me helping you?" the sharpshooter asked.
"That depends on your attitude," Squall replied with a shrug.
"I may say things that would get a rise out of some people," Irvine explained. "Its just a joke, so don't let it bother you and we'll get along fine." Squall nodded.
"I'll remember that," he said. "I'm the team leader, Squall Leonhart."
"Irvine Kinneas," the sharpshooter replied with another tip of the hat. "Though I'm sure King Turd of Shit Mountain over there already told you. That guy really needs to take the oak tree out of his ass . . . ." Irvine then shrugged. "Not that it really matters. So, the old man briefed you on the job?"
Squall nodded again and held up the orders.
"What's it say?" Selphee asked. Squall glanced down at the paper and began to read the relevant parts out loud.
"The SeeD team assigned for this operation is under orders from both Balamb and Galbadia Gardens, and has one primary objective: Nuetralization of the Sorceress employed by Galbadia as ambassador," he said blankly. Squall glanced up at his team, reading their expressions. There was some surprise, but for the most part his team understood what Martine had been leading up to in his explanation.
"Kinneas is to perform the assassination," Squall said, nodding to the sharpshooter. "He will snipe the Sorceress from a distanced, concealed position. Should the sniper fail, we are to eliminate her ourselves." Irvine smiled and fingered his rifle again.
"Thanks for the support," he replied, "but I never miss my target."
"We are to head for the Galbadian capital, Deling City," Squall continued, and held up a set of papers, the majority of the content in the folded set he had recieved from Martine. "These will get us inside the city. They've been forged by our contact we are supposed to meet."
"Who's the contact?" Zell asked, looking over the identification.
"General Hirbrom Caraway," Squall replied, looking at the name. "He's head of defense around the captial and the Great Plains of Galbadia."
"Caraway?" Rinoa asked suddenly, her voice uncertian. Squall turned to her and nodded.
"Something wrong?" he asked, to which Rinoa shook her head quickly. Too quickly.
"Rinoa, are you hiding something?" Squall asked, to which she shook her head, more emphatically.
"No, I've just heard his name mentioned before," she replied, looking away, her eyes not meeting his. Squall watched her for a second, then turned back to his team.
"General Caraway knows the details of this operation," Squall continued. "It says that we need to meet him soon, by tommorow. We'll need to get moving."
"Well, then," Irvine said, smiling. "We'll need to split up into teams. I'm sure we'll be operating as a cohesive force, but until we get to know each other better, I'd suggest we form smaller groups of, perhaps three each?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps you two," he said, placing his hands on Rinoa's and Selphie's shoulders. "would be good teammates with me?"
"No," Squall stated flatly, shaking his head. "Rinoa stays with me," he added, his tone leaving no room for argument. Irvine arched his eyebrows again, and looked back and forth between them.
"He's a bit protective," Irvine commented. He gave Rinoa a questioning look. "Boyfriend?"
Rinoa had a good laugh at that, and Squall snorted. He crossed his arms and glared at Irvine.
"Rinoa isn't a SeeD," Quistis explained. "She's a civilian, and the client for Squall's team. And as team leader, he is her bodyguard, along with Zell and Selphie." Zell and Selphie nodded in accord, while Irvine simply shrugged, conceding defeat.
"And furthermore," Squall added, "We aren't splitting up into seperate teams. There's more safety in numbers." Again, Irvine, with no real choice, had to concede to Squall's descision. The group's commander then nodded toward Irvine's rifle.
"How good are you with that?" he asked, to which Irvine laughed. He quickly spun, raising the rifle and leveling it at an unseen target.
"I've been training with guns like this since I came here," Irvine replied. "For me, guns aren't weapons, they're extensions of the body, and part of my very soul." He lowered the rifle and turned to face the SeeDs and their client.
"This," he said, holding the double-barreled rifle out for inspection, "is the Galbadian Special ME-22 Valiant Multipurpose Assault Weapon, possibly one of the best rifles in the world. It can hit a target at one thousand feet within a diameter of two inches using standard ammunition, and features recoil compensators in the stock and grip to reduce the shock of firing." Irvine then flicked a lever on the rifle, and opened a pair of revolver-style rotating chambers behind the barrels.
"This weapon can accommadate over a dozen different types of shells and rounds," he explained. "It uses standard fifty caliber Action Express rounds, the kind you only see in heavy revolvers and rifles, but it can be fitted with special shotgun, high explosive, grenade, or flame rounds. The Valiant can even be set to fire on fully automatic setting as well, if you have magazines for the bullets. All of which I have in plentiful supply." Irvine opened his coat to show pockets filled with shells and rounds, as well as several large magazines of ammunition. With the coat opened, one could also see a pair of revolvers in holsters beneath Irvine's arms, well- hidden from view.
"Those are my backups," Irvine added as he noticed Squall looking at the revolvers. "Six-shooters with .357's. More than enough to kill anything that moves." He flashed the group a smile, and everyone's respect for the sharpshooter went up a bit. At least he wasn't all bluster.
"Good," Squall stated after Irvine's explanation was finished. "We need to leave, now," he added, gesturing to the southwest end of the grounds, where there was a train station for commuters to and from the heart of Galbadia. No one disagreed, and they headed off.
As the group crossed the grounds, Irvine expressed some curiosity for those he was going to be working with. He knew Squall was a gunblade specialist simply by his weapon, but he was uncertian about the rest of his new team.
"Selphie Tilmitt is a specialist in magic and is an expert in demolitions and vehicles," Squall explained, gesturing to Selphie. Irvine smiled and nodded, though Squall thought he caught something extra in the sharpshooter's expression. Whatever it was was gone to quickly to identify.
"Pleased to meet," Irvine said with another tip of his hat.
"Zell Dincht is a martial arts specialist," Squall stated, gesturing to Zell. The martial artist nodded quickly, which was matched by a similar nod from Irvine. Again, Squall caught the odd look.
"Quistis Trepe is a former Instructor," Squall continued, gesturing to Quistis. She nodded, and Irvine tipped his hat as well.
"So, you're the blue magic specialist I heard about," Irvine commented, his words catching the attention of the rest of the group. Squall glanced back at Quistis, curious. He knew that Quistis was skilled at monster magic, though he had never seen it in action.
Blue mages operated by learning how to manipulate the energies of monsters and other nonstandard magic techniques. They were most common in Trabia, either in the Garden or operating in the wilderness, studying the animals and monsters.There were few enough in Balamb, and almost unheard of in Galbadia, which explained why Irvine knew about Quistis.
"Yes," Quistis replied with a slightly embarassed nod. "The only blue mage to have ever attended Galbadia Garden."
"I heard blue magic wasn't easy to learn," Zell commented, to which Quistis nodded.
"The skill is hard to learn unless you're born with the knack. Something having to do with genetics," she said with a shrug. "I have a knack for learning how monsters use magic. Its that simple." Irvine nodded in understanding, glad to have Quistis along now that he knew of the unusual power she had. He finally turned back to Rinoa, who had spoken little.
"You're a civilian?" he asked her, catching her attention, Rinoa quickly nodded after she registered his question.
"My group hired SeeD," she explained. "To support us in Timber."
"Timber resistance?" Irvine asked, then nodded in answer to his own question. "Ah, don't worry. I may be from Galbadia, but I'm with those that don't like the fact that we're occupying Timber. You're secret's safe with me." Rinoa nodded, reassured by the shapshooter's words. Despite his somewhat obnoxious nature, Kinneas was undoubtably honorable.
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Twenty minutes later, the team had arrived at the train station at the southwest end of the complex. Squall recieved the ticket, billing the charge to Garden's expense account, and led his group onto the train. Not waiting around, he immediately used his ticket in the reader beside the security door, which beeped and slid open. Beside him, Selphie giggled, understanding why Squall had made sure to do that first.
"You've caught on!" she exclaimed, and then burst through the door. "Thanks!" she called over her shoulder as the door closed behind her. The rest of the team followed her, though none of them stayed in the outside hallway, instead crowding into the private SeeD room. Irvine detached from the group and hovered near the door, a thoughtful look on his face, while Zell and Rinoa immediately lounged on the couches. Quistis and Squall remained standing for a moment.
The train suddenly lurched, and was accompanied by an announcement over the intercom about the train's departure for Deling City, capital of Galbadia.
"This is the only train headed for Deling anyway," Rinoa commented, getting a giggle out of Quistis and Zell. Squall didn't respond, and Irvine seemed too caught up in thought to notice. Squall glanced at him as the sharpshooter let out a thoughtful "hm."
"I wonder if it's fate?" he asked himself quietly, and stepped out of the cabin and into the hallway with Selphie. Squall watched him leave, along with the others, whose expressions ranged from curious to slightly concerned.
"He kind of just . . . walked off," Quistis commented after several moments. Squall nodded, recalling Irvine's general attitude. He was acting a little too friendly towards the women, particularly Selphie and Rinoa . . . .
Squall finally decided he should go and at least check. He poked his head out the door, then stepped into the hallway. Sure enough, Irvine was standing beside Selphie at the windows lining the hallway, watching the brown landscape flit past. Immediately, from their body language, Squall could tell that Irvine had made Selphie uncomfortable, somehow.
"Selphie, come on," he said quietly to her, leaning over the much smaller SeeD. "We're destined to be together!" He spoke the words dramatically, almost like a parady of an epic romance movie. Selphie stuttered for a second before replying.
"Yeah, right," Selphie responded quietly, her words carrying a slightly sarcastic tone.
"Words of love?" he asked playfully, to which Selphie quickly shook her head.
"N-No," she replied firmly. Irvine then shrugged, and then glanced at Squall, as if sensing the other SeeD's presence. The sharpshooter turned to the small woman again, smiled and tipped his hat, and then turned back.
"Pardon me," he said quietly but politely as he stepped back into the guest room. Squall watched him leave, and then shook his head. They had met less than an hour ago and already the guy was hitting on one of his teammates.
"You okay?" he asked her, to which she nodded. The small SeeD put a hand to her chest, and looked a bit flushed from her encounter.
"My heart's pounding," she said. Squall nodded, understanding that Irvine's not-so-subtle advances had probably startled her.
"You handled him pretty well," he commented. "Part of its probably also pre-mission jitters. Get used to handling pressure when you can." Selphie nodded, understanding the double meaning behind Squall's words. Pressure took on different forms, after all.
Squall stayed out in the hallway for a bit, watching the landscape scroll by along with his teammate, before turning back to the cabin. He opened the door, and was surprised - though he really shouldn't have been - to see Irvine standing beside a flushed Rinoa, who was glaring at him. Irvine had an apologetic look on his face, and it didn't take Squall long to figure out that Irvine had gone after Rinoa too. But if Selphie had rejected his approach, then it seemed that Rinoa had practically shot Irvine out of the sky.
"Irvine Kinneas!" Quistis scolded the sharpshooter in her "instructor" tone, before Zell could hop in with something louder and likely more violent. Irvine turned to face her, and then looked down at the floor, away from the rest of the group. Squall recognized the posture, and knew what was coming.
"No one understands me," Irvine muttered. Squall would have laughed if he had felt like it. Deflection. Irvine was deflecting the issue with a tirade about his personal problems. How very Seifer-like.
"Sharpshooters," he whispered. "We're loners by nature. We hone our instincts and bodies, pouring our entire essence into a single bullet. Waiting for that one moment, that final second, before we take the shot. We put everything into that one bullet . . . ." Irvine trailed off, and moved out of the way.
"The pressure of that instant, that one moment,' he said. "I have to face that alone. Its not easy . . . ." Irvine said no more, instead walking out of the door. Squall poked his head outside again, confirming that Irvine was headed up front in the train, not toward Selphie. Once the sharpshooter was gone, Squall returned.
"What was that all about?" Rinoa asked, to which Squall shrugged.
"Deflection," he explained simply. "Trying to get our attention away from the facts."
"What fact?" Rinoa asked, though she likely knew the answer.
"That Irvine thinks he's Hyne's gift to women," Quistis commented.
"Idiot," Zell growled, punching the floor in frustration at Irvine's bold antics. His junction-enhanced fist hammered the train's deck, and sent a shudder through the entire structure. The lights flickered, and after a moment there was quick announcement over the intercom concerning the "slight vibration," telling the passengers to remain calm in spite of the shudder and that there was no damage.
Rinoa couldn't supress another giggle at Zell's expense.
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Huh. That one was short, but fun. Irvine is one of my fave characters from FFVIII, behind Seifer and Squall.
Well, obviously, this chapter had quite a bit of original dialogue. I wanted to try and link some of the character's lines together, and such. I may be handing Irvine some more sympathy than he might deserve, but then again, maybe not. shrug Also, I made sure to make some references to the future events in the game as well. If you read closely, you may pick them up.
