Chapter 45: A Strange Twist of Fate

"Squall, you can't!" Rinoa whispered as he held her close to his body.

"I had to," Squall replied, his voice muffled by her shoulder pressing against his mouth. "It took me too long to realize what I should have done. It took me too long to realize what I needed. What we both needed."

"But you know what I am . . . ."

"I don't care," he replied firmly. "I just want to be with you, and I'm not letting you go, ever again." He pulled back for a second, and looked into her eyes. "Let's go."

She nodded, and then pulled him tightly to her once more, and he squeezed back. He quickly broke out of the hug, however, knowing that they didn't have the luxury of time at the moment. Doubtlessly the Estharians were already on their way to try to stop them from escaping. Without another word, the two of them turned and ran, following a path leading out of the forest of machinery and toward the observation balcony. The technicians were still there, one of them shouting something into a speaker. Squall shut the man up by planting the Revolver into the device, sending the tech scrambling back in shock and fear.

"There's no way you're going to escape," another commented as the pair headed for the door. "The entire army's mobilizing!"

"For all the good it'll do them," Rinoa replied as she and Squall ran outside, into the hallway leading toward the entrance. They rushed outside the double doors, and Squall stopped, pushing Rinoa back as a battered Estharian soldier hit the stairs before them. Beyond that man were about ten more of the insectile-armored soldiers, all laid out unconscious on the stairs, with the quartet of SeeDs standing triumphant over them.

"Great timing!" Zell shouted, spotting Squall. "Got the drop on these guys when they turned and started heading back in. Figured-"

"Rinoa!" Squealed Selphie, and she bounded up the steps, glomphing their returned friend. "He did it! He did it! Yes!"

"See?" Irvine added, smiling. "I knew you had in you, Squall." Quistis, however, didn't say anything, just honestly smiled as their comrade was returned to them.

"I'd hate to ruin the reunion," Squall suddenly cut in, and nodded beyond them, toward the Ragnarok, which was quickly becoming surrounded by thick ranks of Estharian soldiers. Corsair transports began to drift overhead as well, training their guns on the entrance of the Memorial. Estharian soldiers, many of them in the blue and green of cyborg warriors, began to advance up the steps moments later.

"Ready for round two?" Zell said as the SeeDs quickly formed up into a defensive line. "Only about a hundred of them."

"Seems like there's a bit much, wouldn't you say?" Quistis commented as the soldiers moved up the steps, shotaxes raised and plasma rifles leveled.

"Quistis, if you cant handle your share, I'll take them," Irvine cut in.

The Estharians were getting closer, now only about twenty feet away. Squall took a step forward, raising his gunblade, obviously intent on cutting through the Estharians if they continued to stand in their path.

Then, without any warning, the Estharians stopped, standing straight and lowering their weapons. Squall watched, puzzled, as they quickly split down the middle, the soldiers turning and backing up to open a path between their ranks. Striding up between the lines of troops was a single tall man in an Estharian robe, bearing a similar cut and coloration to Foreign Affairs Advisor Spark. This man, however, was huge, likely built similarly to a truck. A thick blonde beard obscured his face, but something about the man was very familiar.

The Estharian official moved to the front of the lines of troops and made a waving gesture with his hand. He then gestured behind him as he stepped out of the way, toward the path the soldiers had made. As he moved, the group of SeeDs could see the Estharians surrounding the Ragnarok moving away from the ship, giving them a clear route to the aircraft.

"What?" Irvine asked. "They letting us go?"

"Yeah," Selphie replied, looking at the mysterious Estharian official curiously. "We can go?" she asked him, and the man nodded.

"Well, it would be rude not to take the invitation," Rinoa added, and Squall nodded. He stepped forward, moving between the lines of Estharian soldiers, Rinoa right behind him. The others followed them as they moved out. Squall kept his eyes open and hands ready to react if the Estharians made the slightest move to attack them. Moving between thick ranks of the soldiers put them in the perfect position for a surprise attack.

The insectile warriors, however, stood at attention as they moved between them, and within moments the six teenagers were back at the Ragnarok, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of Estharians. There was utter silence as they boarded the airship and Selphie activated its hovering systems. Squall stood at the bridge, looking down at the distant, hulking official who had allowed them to leave, and ran his features through his head.

He knew that man from somewhere. But where was another question entirely.

He was cut off from his thoughts by giggling behind him, and turned to see Rinoa standing there, covering her mouth with one hand, suppressing her laughter.

"What is it?" Quistis asked, and Rinoa raised a hand from cheeks that were turning pink.

"I'm embarrassed," she admitted.

"That Squall would come flying out of the sky riding a dragon to charge in with gunblade raised to rescue you from peril?" Irvine asked.

"Yeah, she is!" Selphie added. "Because that's what every girl wants her boyfriend to do for her!"

Boyfriend? Squall thought. He'd never thought he would have that label stuck to him. He turned away from the conversation, and considered what was next. Now that he'd saved Rinoa, they had other problems to deal with, among them this Pandora thing. No way he was going to let Seifer get away with whatever they were planning with Sorceress Adel.

"Squall, you got quiet all of a sudden," Zell cut in. "What's up?"

"As an expert Squall observer," Quistis added, garnering an annoyed look from the SeeD in question, "he's thinking about what we're going to do next, right?" Squall nodded after a moment.

"We can't leave Adel or Pandora alone," he said. "We'll have to deal with them and Galbadia's rebels sooner or later."

"Seifer's in charge over there, remember?" Zell added, and Squall nodded again.

"He's Ultimecia's puppet in all of this," Squall explained. "She was the one who told him to raise the Pandora and take it to Esthar to recover Adel."

"Yeah, that Ultimecia bitch!" Zell added, punching a fist in a palm. "We can't let that Sorceress from the future screw around with out world! We gotta kick her ass! We're SeeDs, we kill Sorceresses-"

"Zell!" Quistis said, cutting the brawler off in the middle of his rant. Zell blinked, and then his eyes widened and he covered his mouth, turning toward Rinoa.

"Sorry," he said, but she shook her head.

"Its alright," Rinoa replied. "Where are we heading now?" she added a bit quietly.

"Away from Esthar," Selphie said with a shrug. "Why? Somewhere in particular you want to go?"

"You guys were talking about that orphanage, right?" Rinoa asked, and Squall nodded.

"Edea's orphanage," he confirmed. "There's few places more remote. Selphie, you can find it, can't you?"

"Simple enough," Selphie commented, turning the Ragnarok slightly. "We'll be there soon!"

"Why would you want to go there?" Quistis asked. "Its in shambles."

"I just want to stay away from people right now," Rinoa said quietly. "If Ultimecia possesses me again . . . ."

"I understand," Squall said, putting a hand on her shoulder. In response, she reached over and pulled him into a hug. He hesitated only a second before responding by putting his own arms around hers and pulling her close.


The Ragnarok was set down outside the crumbling walls of Edea's old orphanage, and the SeeDs and Rinoa disembarked together, moving in toward the structure. Squall and Rinoa trailed behind slightly as the others moved ahead. As the group moved into the decaying orphanage's grounds, stepping over the overgrown cobblestones, Irvine slowed as well, dropping back to the trailing pair.

"This is real good, you know," Irvine commented, and Squall looked at him, confused.

"You can't see them," Irvine commented, "But Rinoa bruised me good back outside the prison. Those Guardian Forces hurt. But its all worth it to see you two together now."

"Sorry about that, Irvine," Rinoa apologized, but he shook his head and waved a hand, shooing the apology away.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, grinning. "I'll leave you two alone now." Irvine then sped up, walking ahead and moving near Selphie as they moved through the marble ruins. Squall and Rinoa followed them, but she paused a moment later, looking out over one ruined wall and toward a wide, expansive flower field beyond.

"Wow," she said, stepping toward it, and Squall followed her out onto a small stone patio that was located at the very entrance to the flower field itself. He peered out over the meadow, which was one of the last bastions of beauty and life in this part of Centra. The field itself had been massive when Squall was a child, but now it stretched out as far as the eye could see, a lush, verdant overgrowth of green carpet, upon which were thousands of hues and shades of hundreds of colors. It was as if a cosmic horticulturalist had snatched up every flower in the world and dropped them here.

Of course, that was not the case, but it was close enough. Squall knew that Edea had sown many varied flowers and plants into this field, and used a combination of her own knowledge and a dose of magic to allow it to grow free and unchecked.

The sun was shining, but through a light cloud cover, causing shafts of light to slant down and fall upon the field, highlighting segments of it in the afternoon daylight. Coupled with the distant call of the ocean, and with Rinoa standing beside him, Squall found himself looking and standing within one of the most beautiful places in the world.

"This place is beautiful," Quistis echoed his thoughts, joining them for a moment outside. He nodded.

"I'd forgotten all about it," he added.

"You've changed so much," she added. "All thanks to Rinoa, too."

"I knew I'd eventually get through your thick head," Rinoa said, and smiled at Squall.

"Good thing this didn't happen before the exam," Quistis continued. "You never would have made SeeD if you had her on your mind." She paused, and looked back, before turning to the pair once more.

"I'll leave you two alone now," she added, and stepped away, back toward the ruins behind them. Squall and Rinoa were once again left in silence for a few moments, during which she reached up and fiddled with the pair of rings on her necklace.

"What's going to happen to me?" she asked after a moment.

"Don't worry about it," he assured her. "There were many good Sorceresses in history. Look at Edea."

"But . . . ." Rinoa sighed, looking out across the field. "I'm still a Sorceress, good or evil. And besides, Ultimecia doesn't care. If she possesses me again . . . You saw what I did to those men in space, and how I released Adel. What if she possesses me again like she did with Edea? What if I end up fighting everyone, just like she did?"

Squall listened to her, but inwardly was shaking his head. Rinoa was important to him. More important than anything, even his own life. It had taken him so long to realize that, but now that he understood how much he cared for her, he would stand by her, regardless.

Even if she became the world's enemy, Squall vowed, he would stand by her. He would be her knight.

"If I fall under her control again," Rinoa was saying quietly. "SeeD will come after me. They'll come to kill me. And the leader of SeeD is you, Squall." Her words caught his gaze, and he looked to her, seeing her hold a hand over her chest.

"Squall's blade will pierce my heart," she said, in almost a whisper. "I guess it wouldn't be that bad, if its you, Squall. If it ever comes down to that, will you-"

"That's enough!" he said suddenly, turning and grabbing her shoulders. He met her eyes, and looked into them, solid, dauntless determination burning in his blue orbs. "I will never turn on you, Rinoa. You are not my enemy. My enemy is Ultimecia."

"Ultimecia lives in the future," Rinoa said, shaking her head. Squall could see she was virtually in tears. "She uses me or any other Sorceress as her extension into the past. We can't attack her directly, you know that! How can you fight her?"

"I will find a way," Squall said firmly. "There has to be a way. Maybe Ellone . . . ." Rinoa didn't immediately answer, instead looking down at the marble patio beneath her.

"Trust me," Squall said, squeezing her shoulders. She looked back up after a moment, and nodded.

"I trust you, Squall," she said, managing a smile that wavered a second later. "But, until you do, maybe it would be better if I stayed in Esthar, in the Sorceress' Memorial. At least there, I wouldn't be-"

"No," Squall said, shaking his head. "I'd just come after you again, and we both know that. Rinoa . . . Just . . . Just stay close to me." She blinked at those words, and suddenly smiled.

"Oh, those words," she said.

"What?"

"They were what started it all," she explained. "Remember?"

"No, not really," Squall replied. "What did I say?"

"'Stay close to me.'!" she replied, shaking her head. "Remember, in Deling? The assassination mission? You said them to me?"

"No, doesn't ring a bell," Squall replied. Rinoa put her hands on her hips, obviously exasperated, but then Squall smiled slightly.

"Okay, I do remember them," he said. "The GFs don't steal my memories that easily." He paused, and nodded to her. "Feeling better now?"

"Yeah," she replied, nodding as well. She looked back out over the field, and went silent, her eyes distant.

"What is it?" he asked her, and she looked back to him.

"Can I tell you a story?" she asked, and he nodded. "I had this dream while we were sailing around in Garden, before we fought Galbadia. Well, more like a nightmare." She took a breath, before continuing.

"We had made a promise," she explained. "We promised to meet and look at shooting stars together. Yeah, I know, silly, right?" Squall shrugged, and she resumed. "I get dressed up, and I even put on your ring, though I have no idea how I got it. It's a dream though, so it doesn't matter. So, I go out, but I can't find you. I look around, but you're nowhere to be found. I start to panic. I mean, I really wanted to see you, and only you, but I can't find you. I go everywhere. I run through the forests, the mountains, the desert, Timber, Galbadia, Dollet, Garden. I keep running until I can't run any further, and then I stop and start screaming for you. And that's when I woke up, crying."

Squall said nothing, just watching her and listening to her tell the story, and finally she shook her head.

"Silly, I know," she repeated. "I just wanted to tell you about it."

"Its just a dream," he explained. "It doesn't mean anything. Don't worry about it." She nodded after a second. He hesitated, then reached out and took her hand in his gloved fingers.

"How about this," he said. "We make a promise. I'll be here." She looked at him, confused for a moment.

"Why?" she asked, uncertain.

"The reason why we couldn't find each other was because we hadn't promised where we were going to meet," he explained. "So, I'll be waiting here."

"You promise?" she asked, and he nodded.

"I'll be waiting here," he said. "If you come here you'll find me. I promise."

"Okay then," she said, smiling. "I'll be here too."

They were interrupted by a sudden tapping of metal on stone, and turned to see Zell standing behind them, knuckles rapping on a low stone wall.

"Hey, sorry to cut in," he commented. "We got a radio transmission from Esthar. Specifically, the government. They're wanting to hire SeeD to take out Ultimecia."

"Might be a trap," Squall replied. "To get Rinoa back." He didn't precisely believe it himself. Logically, it made sense as a trap, but Squall's gut told him otherwise.

"They're arranging a meeting on neutral ground," Zell explained. "They want to talk with us in Garden. And they're also trying to get in touch with Dollet and the new Galbadian government too."

"Why?" Rinoa asked, and Zell shrugged.

"I dunno," he said. "But whatever it is, its gotta be big. Oh, and by the way, Squall," Zell added, turning to him. "The guy who contacted us. I think we know him."

"Who is he?"

"Says his name's Kiros."


Balamb Garden was still docked at Fisherman's Horizon as Selphie had brought the Ragnarok in. Alongside the tall white structure of Balamb Garden was the blood red cobra shape of Galbadia Garden, still undergoing repairs. Selphie couldn't find a good place to set down the airship, excepting a wide open stretch beyond Mayor Dobe's house, in the center of the solar power plant. Reluctantly, she set the ship down, hoping the mayor wouldn't mind. The group disembarked, Zell stretching.

"Been a while," he commented. "Never thought I'd be happy to be back here!"

"The Headmaster is waiting for us," Squall added. "Let's not waste any time."

Squall led the way up through the solar power plant and along the struts connecting the city to Balamb Garden, and reentered the home he had left a few days ago. It felt like months since he'd walked through the corridors of Balamb Garden, hearing the waters rushing beneath the bridges and seeing the verdant plant life surrounding him. The group made their way past numerous SeeDs who were quite happy to see them home, and a number who were surprised and joyful that Rinoa was back with them. Several cadets and SeeDs thanked her personally for saving their lives in the battle against the Galbadians, something that actually embarrassed her.

Shortly after the minor reunion celebration, the six comrades were riding up to lift leading to the third floor, and soon entered Headmaster Cid's impromptu office down the hall from his original one. They entered to see the Headmaster seated behind his desk, and across from him, a trio of men who were both familiar yet very different, two in Estharian robes, and one in a casual pink button up shirt.

Squall recognized the pair of figures standing on either side of the central man. One was lithe and slender, even within his robes, and his face was youthful despite his age. The other was hulking and massive, with a thick yellow beard.

Kiros and Ward. And if that's them, then he must be . . . .

What the hell is up with Esthar?

"Hey there!" he said, grinning and waving. His hair was a lot longer, pulled into a rough ponytail behind him that ran down to the middle of his back, and his youthful features were a bit aged and wrinkled, but his green eyes still shone with vigor and energy.

"Elle told me you were the guys running around in my head," the man Squall had known as, and lived as, Laguna Loire said.

"I'd been wanting to meet you guys ever since Ellone got back in Esthar. Told me all about her friends from the orphanage while we were out in space," Laguna continued. "She also told me you guys kept ending up in our heads whenever we were in trouble. Always felt kind of weird, like there were waves of energy running through my head and body. Gave us all kinds of power in combat. Guess that's what its like to have junctions, huh? We always thought they were some kind of faeries or spirits or something. You know, we always were wondering-"

Ward tapped the rambling Laguna on the shoulder.

"Yeah, babbling," Kiros added, and Laguna chuckled.

"Sorry, I get carried away," Laguna replied. "Even as the President of Esthar. So, yeah. That's me. President Laguna Loire of Esthar. Pleased to meet you guys. If Esthar wasn't in so much trouble right now, I'd have a nice chat, but as it is, we've got an army of Galbadians, hordes of monsters trying to get inside the city, and a Sorceress dictator about to wake up from a sleep I personally put her into. Not a good day, huh?" Laguna scratched the back of his head, and then shrugged. "But hey, you guys are here, and I'm here. Why not have a quick talk before we settle down to business? I know you guys have a lot of questions."

"This is . . . Kind of surreal, you know?" Selphie commented as the SeeDs and the leaders of Esthar pulled up chairs and sat down. Squall nodded, still shocked that, of all people, Laguna Loire would be the leader of Esthar. How had a silly Galbadian soldier ended up the leader of the most powerful nation in the world?

Laguna was regarding Squall with unusual attention as he sat down.

"Hey, man," the President said with a grin, "You look way too serious. Lighten up a little, would ya?" Squall shrugged.

"Whatever," he replied.

"So, how did you become President of Esthar?" Quistis asked, and Laguna chuckled, almost sounding embarrassed.

"I'm sure I don't need to go too deep into the details," he said. "You guys saw the highlights from inside my head anyway, right? To be brief, when Ellone was about two or so, there was this big hunt by Esthar, looking for little girls. They wanted one who matched a certain genetic structure, and could support the powers of a Sorceress. I think Adel was wanting to find a successor. Rumor had it she was working on mind control technology or something, stuff that would transfer her consciousness over as well as her powers.

"The Estharians came to Esthar, and Ellone's parents resisted their efforts to take their daughter, so the Esthar troops killed them. I'm not sure how, but Ellone was able to get away from them while they were searching for her. After the Estharians left Galbadia sent troops to protect Winhill, and Raine started taking care of Ellone. That was when I arrived, all bloodied from our adventure in Centra. Raine took care of me, and that was how I got to know them both. Raine and I got real close. Really close." Laguna smiled, and fiddled with something on one of his fingers. It looked like a wedding ring.

"Eighteen years ago Esthar came back," he continued. "And this time they got Ellone, despite my best efforts. So, I got Kiros and Ward together, and said goodbye to Raine, and set out to save Ellone.' He paused and looked at Squall again. "Raine was pregnant at the time. I promised her I'd be back in time to see the baby get born. We kept in touch as I went all over the globe, trying to find my way in. Luck had it when I was on a movie shoot and got inside Esthar shortly afterward. We got grabbed by the military, made into slave laborers for a while, and escaped. Linked up with the resistance, and saved Ellone. I sent her back to Winhill."

Laguna paused again, once more looking to Squall, before glancing away. Why does he keep doing that?

"Raine died a little after Ellone got back," Laguna continued, slowly. He shook his head, looking at the floor. "Complications during the birth, they said. Ellone ended up being picked up by a concerned woman who was running an orphanage far away from there. That was Edea Kramer."

"Why didn't you go back?" Squall asked, and Laguna shook his head.

"I tried to, believe me!" he replied. "But I couldn't find Ellone for the life of me. I didn't find out until after I went looking for her again that she was at the orphanage, and by the time I had gotten there she had already been moved out."

"Edea was aware of Ellone's powers," Cid cut in. "We had a ship made in order to keep her safe. After Laguna rescued her, Doctor Odine was seeking her out to run experiments on her based on her ability to manipulate time. We kept her safe aboard that ship, though it pretty quickly became another orphanage. The SeeDs from Garden would eventually start coming from our first orphanage, and would be the Black SeeDs, which is what you all are. The White SeeDs would come from that ship."

"Ellone was on that ship for about ten years," Laguna continued. "After that she left and started wandering around, with the White SeeDs keeping her safe. She eventually found her way into Balamb Garden, and from there back onto the ship. It was attacked by Galbadia, who was hunting for her, I'm sure you know. We extracted her and took her back to Esthar. She followed me out into space when I went up to check on Adel this month. And, well, that's about where we pick up, huh?"

"And now Ellone's in the Lunatic Pandora," Zell muttered. "We got to get her out of there, but we'll need an army to get in there!"

"We've got some ideas," Laguna answered with a nod. "Well. Anything else?"

"Yeah," Squall replied, nodding. "The President of Esthar?" Laguna burst out laughing, shaking his head.

"Trust me, it's a long story, all of it," Kiros cut in, and Ward nodded.

"Basically," Laguna explained, "we rescued Ellone, but couldn't just leave Esthar. No way we'd get out as it was, and Adel was running around with Doctor Odine doing Hyne-knows-what. It didn't help that both of them wanted Ellone for their own reasons. So, we stuck around to take her down.

"The resistance had a lot of plans, but none of them were particularly feasible. Lots of scientists and scholars who knew a lot about a lot. When Kiros, Ward, and myself looked over them, we saw two important objectives. The first was the Lunatic Pandora and the Crystal Pillar. Adel was close, very close, to getting that thing to the point where it could call down a Lunar Cry. We couldn't leave that thing alone. The second was Adel herself. So, we set out organizing everything, and managed to convince Doc Odine to help us out, even though he kept commenting that all his research would be 'kaput'. He explained that he had developed a device capable of sealing magic. That became the centerpiece of our plan.

"We went back to the Pandora's laboratory, and with a little work from Odine, we set the thing's autopilot to set it to move out into the ocean and take a belly flop. And . . . goodbye. Just like that, the Crystal Pillar was out of our hair. But then came the hard part.

"It wasn't easy to miss something like the Pandora flying out into the ocean and taking a dip, so we knew Adel would be coming after us. So, we factored that in and led her straight to the sealing facility, which is where the Sorceress' Memorial stands now. She arrived, all by herself, because she didn't think she needed her army to win this. We immediately moved to surrender, explaining that we knew she was the righteous ruler of Esthar, blah blah. We then told her that Ellone was being held hostage inside. She went right inside, right up to the sealing device, where we were projecting a hologram of Ellone.

"She knew what it was the second she saw it, but by then, it was too late. I knocked her close enough to be grabbed by gravity beams, which snatched her up, pulled her into the sealing device, and it was over. We knew we couldn't keep Adel around as a trophy, though."

"She wouldn't fit over the bar in the Presidential Palace," Kiros added, and Ward chuckled.

"So, we knew we had to send her away. Someplace far away. The Lunar Base was at the Lagrange Point over Esthar, and with Adel gone power immediately shifted onto the resistance, almost bloodlessly. Only Adel's loyalists refused to join up with us, but that's another story. We took Esthar's flagship, the Ragnarok, and two of her sister ships, known as the Razor and the Ravage, and took her up into space. Incidentally, we lost Ragnarok shortly afterward, but it looks like you guys recovered it."

"Much to the benefit of Garden," Cid added with a smile.

"After Adel was dealt with, we still had a lot to do to restore order. The resistance had already laid out plans once Adel was knocked out, so they took charge pretty fast. I was helping them handle things and getting Ellone sent back home, and when I wasn't looking, the people made me out into some big hero of the revolution. Next thing I know, I'm President. Odine starts making a lot of noise about researching Ellone, so I manage to get her out of the country and back home, but I opted to stay just long enough to fix things up.

"And seventeen years later I'm still fixing things up," Laguna added with a sigh. "I really should have gone back to see Raine before she died. I have a lot of regrets . . . ." He shook his head.

"You guys don't really need to hear that, right now," he added. "Anything else?"

"What's the plan to take down Lunatic Pandora?" Squall asked, and Laguna nodded.

"Simple enough, but we need to wait for word from some others I'm hoping to bring in on this. They should have arrived by now, or at least sent representatives . . . ."

"The Generals are en route," Cid confirmed with a nod. "In fact . . . ." The Headmaster hit a button on his desk. "Xu, have our guests arrived in Fisherman's Horizon yet?"

"A Galbadian cruiser and a Dollet battleship have docked with Fisherman's Horizon," answered Xu's voice. "I already have SeeD escorts leading them in."

"Good, have them come to the briefing room to meet with us and President Loire."


Squall sat beside Rinoa, noticeably close to her as the others took their seats in the briefing room. Laguna Sat down at the t able, not quite across from Squall, and towards the head of the table so he could address everybody. Zell, Quistis, Kiros, Ward, and Cid took separate seats, and Irvine and Selphie seemed to take seats remarkably close to one another, apparently without thinking about it. Even as they were settling in, and before Squall could ask any questions about the mission, three more figures stepped into the room.

One was the familiar midget-like form of Doctor Odine, his strange frilly neckpiece still flopping in the air as he waddled across the room, looking left and right with his beady little eyes. He opted not to sit. Right behind them were two men in military uniforms, with significant ornamentation on their left breasts.

"Dad?" Rinoa said in surprise as General Hibrom Caraway, current leader of Galbadia, entered. He looked at her and smiled, obviously glad to see his daughter again.

"Yes, Rinoa," He replied, walking across the briefing room and taking a chair beside her. "President Loire sent out a communiqué to the heads of the other two strongest nations, getting us together in order to prevent another Sorceress War from beginning." Rinoa nodded, glancing back to Squall. Beneath the table, he grasped her hand slightly. No, they weren't going to tell him . . . yet.

"Look who got made a general!" exclaimed Irvine as they were speaking, and an equally familiar figure, his olive uniform outfitted with the shiny new stars of a freshly minted general, strode across the room.

"Someone up top likes me," commented Randolph, taking a seat next to Cid. "They apparently decided to give me a whole new division after what we did in Centra. The Duke and the Parliament wanted to assist President Loire in his plan to cut off another war, so they gave the job to me and the 125th once again."

"Glad to be fighting alongside you guys again!" Zell added, and Randolph nodded.

"Now that everyone's here, let's get this briefing underway," Laguna announced. "Doctor Odine?"

"It iz my turn?" he asked, and Laguna nodded.

"Make it short and quick, we don't have much time to waste."

"I vill talk however I vant!" Odine exploded, before turning to the assembled SeeDs and leaders. "Sorceress Edea has told me everything. Ze enemy zat ve are dealing with iz from ze future. She iz a Sorceress named Ultimecia."

"The future?" Randolph asked, blinking. "How?"

"Zat is vat I am getting at! She zends her consciousnezz back in time to ze past, into other Sorceresses. Iz thiz zounding familiar?"

"Sounds like Ellone," Quistis replied, and Squall nodded.

"Ellone sends our consciousnesses back in time into Laguna, Kiros, and Ward seventeen years ago," he said. "I'm surprised we didn't make the connection sooner."

"Indeed," Odine replied, nodding. "My first guess waz zat someone from ze future had a power similar to Ellone's, but zat iz not ze case. Ven I first had Ellone in my lab I scanned her brainwaves wiz my instrumentz. From zat data I have been able to conztruct a machine that mimickz Ellone's powerz."

"You can do what Ellone can do?" Irvine asked, and Odine shook his head.

"No, not quite. Zees device iz juzt a toy now, but apparently in ze future it is an impressive verking machine! I am quite proud of ze accomplishment, knowing zat my dezign iz uzed in ze future!"

"You mean to say that your research is the reason all of this has happened?" Squall growled. Odine shrugged.

"You could zay zat, yez."

"Don't blame the doctor," Laguna replied quickly. "Its not really his fault . . . Yet."

"Ve continue!" Odine said. "Ze only vay to ztop Ultimecia iz to kill her, obviouzly. She can only be killed in ze future, because she sends her consciounezz back in time here to pozzez Sorceresses. But Edea haz told me ze vay! Ultimecia planz to compress time. We vill uze zat to travel to ze future and kill her."

"Time compression?" Caraway asked. "Perhaps you should be talking to us like we don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Vine, vine," Odine replied. "Ze Sorceress vants to initiate temporal compression wiz powerful time-bazed magic. All time iz compressed into tree basic ztatez: pazt, prezent, and future. Zen ze time iz compressed to one place, and zen to one perzon. Zis results in all time and existence coming together into zis one perzon. Ze result iz zat ze one perzon can rewrite history, or maybe change ze vorld az zey zee fit."

"You mean that they become a new Hyne," Randolph asked, and Odine nodded.

"Ultimecia comez back to zees time to zeek Ellone," Odine continued. "Apparently she cannot go any further back wiz ze machine az it iz, but uzing Ellone, she can go further back. Ve only needs to zend her mind back a little further in time to initiate ze temporal compression."

"Which means we can't leave Ellone in the enemy's hands," Zell said, pounding his fist on the table.

"Ve have two optionz," Odien explained. "Ze first iz to rezcue Ellone and take her avay from ze Pandora, and try to keep her out of Ultimecia's reach. Ze ozer . . . Iz to uze Ellone's power to allow Ultimecia to initiate time compression, and then uze zat to travel to ze future to defeat her zere."

"Ultimecia will continue to wreak havoc on our time until she gets what she wants," Laguna said, shaking his head. "She'll do whatever it takes to initiate time compression. We're lucky she tried to do it in this time frame so we know what we're up against."

"And if she tried it later on?" Randolph asked. Laguna shook his head.

"If she tried later on, after further improving that time traveling machine, she likely would achieve it without needing Ellone," Laguna explained. "We wait around and try to keep Ellone away from her, she might just pull it off."

Laguna stood.

"So, the only option we've got here is to kill Ultimecia," Laguna explained. "Odine basically explained to me that with time magic like what Ultimecia wants to use, if we kill her, everything sorts itself back out, even if she has compressed time. And if we wait around for her machine to get improved to where she can use it to go past this time frame, we're screwed anyway. Better we stop her now."

"We'll need to get inside the Lunatic Pandora first of all," Randolph said, and Laguna nodded.

"The Galbadian separatists loyal to the old government are holed up in there," he explained. "I don't have enough troops to spare to break through them. All my forces are tied up trying to keep the monsters out of Esthar."

"Same here," Caraway answered. "My men are restoring order in my country. I can't pull them away from this, or at least, not very many of them. However, we do have a significant number of jet fighters that we can spare. The loyalists got about two thirds of our air fleet, but the remainder are intact and we have plenty of pilots."

"I can augment that with what part of my air force survived the battle," Laguna replied, nodding. "I've got plenty of Corsair transports, and I can deploy about a third of my air fleet as well."

"That's fine and all, but you'll need men," Randolph added. "I'm sure SeeD will be quite willing to spearhead this assault, correct?" Squall and Cid nodded at the same time.

"It is our duty to deal with threats presented by Sorceresses," Cid answered. "We'll lead the assault."

"What, with less than five hundred men left after Centra?" replied Randolph. "And half of them are busy elsewhere, helping to restore order in Galbadia and repair Galbadia Garden." The Dollet general grinned. "Didn't I tell you I have a division under my command? Twenty thousand Dollet soldiers. Granted, I doubt we can fit that many on the transports that President Loire can spare."

"Maybe close to a thousand, or two," Laguna answered. "How many loyalists will we be dealing with?" he asked Caraway.

"Most of the rank and file are loyal to Galbadia, not to any Sorceress," replied the Galbadian general. "The majority of the troops on the Pandora are likely officers. Good fighters, but hard pressed to fight as rank and file. Many are pilots or navy officers, too. A few thousand troops, plus a couple hundred SeeDs, should be all it takes to break through. They can't all defend the Lunatic Pandora, after all, not with how big it is."

"Alright, gentlemen," Laguna said. "We have Galbadian air power assisting us, and Dollet and SeeD troops, as well as my air force and its transport capabilities. How soon can your men be ready?"

"I have aircraft already warmed up and able to get to Esthar in a few hours," Caraway replied.

"The 125th is still under my command," Randolph added. "They can be ready to march in minutes. My men can be inside the Pandora in less than a day if you need it."

"SeeD is always ready, as well," Squall answered. "We can go immediately."

"Lets get everything ready, gentlemen," Laguna finished. The two generals and the Seeds stood, and as they began to move out of the briefing room, Laguna spoke again.

"Squall, could you and your people stay here for a moment?" he asked. "We have a special job for you guys." The SeeDs paused, and then sat back down as the two generals left.

"Let me guess," Selphie asked. "We need someone to actually kill Ultimecia, right?"

"Right," Laguna explained. He glanced to Rinoa. "And I don't want to tell the generals about Rinoa's . . . condition."

"Why not?" she asked, a little apprehensive.

"Because the plan revolves around you," Laguna explained. "When the main assault occurs, you guys need to head straight for Adel and kill her. Immediately. Rescuing Ellone is secondary to taking Adel out. Once you kill Adel, she will pass on her powers to you, and I suspect that Ultimecia will try to grab Rinoa. After you save Ellone, have Ellone enter your mind and send you back to another Sorceress. Edea or Adel, it doesn't matter. Once she gets back there, she can initiate time compression."

"And we can go ahead into time and kill that bitch," Zell said, and Laguna nodded.

"Once Ultimecia begins time compression, Ellone should send Rinoa back to our time. Then, when time begins to bend and collapse, you guys can slide forward through time to Ultimecia's world, where you can beat her ass."

"Sounds complicated," Selphie said, and Laguna shrugged.

"Best we've got," he replied. "From what Odine explained, you keep your mind focused, and as everything breaks down, your mind will allow you to move ahead through time. You can basically go to whatever time you want when its all compressed. Or something. You'll eventually end up in Ultimecia's world."

"And after that," Squall said, "Its all up to us."

"Five SeeDs and a Sorceress traveling to the future to kick the crap out of a psychotic Sorceress bent on annihilating everything," Zell muttered.

"Another day at the job," Irvine replied.


And that's it for that chapter. Whee! Get a lot of the talky planning stuff out of the way, because next chapter will be WAR! Another HUGE battle is waiting around the corner, with the return of the 125th and Randolph, as well as more SeeDs, battles with Fujin and Raijin, Mobile Type 8, and Seifer and Adel! Its gonna be crazy, and I'm itching to get to it!

Y'know, I think that, for once, there were no references at all in this chapter. Wow, I must be losing it.

Anyway, shouts-outses!

Chloe: thanks! Like I've said, I really think I'm developing more and more toward the serious side of things, as opposed to the pure violence side.

Chris Ganale: Yeah, I think they have music in that scene. I'm not sure which music, maybe the one from Squall's speech, "The Oath"? At least, at the beginning. The scene where Squall saves Rinoa has no music.

GANTZ! Yes! I love GANTZ, and I haven't even seen it. XD I've only seen one guy RP Kei and Kaze, and I'm already in love.

Rinny Leonhart: Hey, that's part of my objective, to fill in holes and make the story that much better. Glad you enjoyed it.

DBZ Fanfiction Queen: I'm not a big fan of Qualls because, in all honesty, little moments like where Quistis says that she's given up on trying to get to Squall pretty much rule them out. Heh.

Kolostramin Indincranin: Jeez, that's a crazy name. XD I have an idea for Bahamut now. Just stand by and wait for it….

Daniel Wesley Rydell: Indeed. Squall is better than all j00 n00bs.

Red Eyed, Divine Dragoon: Oh, those are good ideas, but I've got one better I'm cooking up. Bahamut will kick ass in Ultimecia's tower, I promise.

Kimahrigirl: I've got ideas, I just need to knock out Gunblade so I can write my own fanfiction based on FFVIII. I do have a semi-creative idea: check out Bittersweet Synthesis, if you haven't. Have you? I'm not sure. Its my other fanfic.

Dragoon Swordsman: Yeah, Squall is pretty much Rinoa's knight now, more or less.

Solid Shark: It does seem weird, doesn't it?

Lizardios: Thanks for telling me.

…what? Expecting more? Leave me a longer review next time, so I can at least comment. XD

JadeAlmasy: Oh, no, Laguna has another gift to give to Squall. Wait till you see it.

Shootski: The entire team will be going head-to-head against Ultimecia, yes. Not that they'll all survive to the next stages of the battle….

Kaiser-kun: Really. I always felt that the space arc was fairly well integrated, at least in my opinion. I really felt I didn't do so well describing the Lunar Cry, though….

Avion Jade: That conversation was one of the parts of the game I liked writing the most. I actually have been referencing the script for the last few chapters, mainly because I don't have the time to actually play the game right now.

Wolf: Oh, yeah, I tend to write so fast I forget to include capitals. I really need to get Word on this computer . . . .

Imaginaryfriend101: Nah. I do have a better idea, myself. Makes more sense, and not weak at all. And Diablos . . . Disappeared by the wayside. One of many things I have yet to include. I'm likely going to go back through once I'm done and edit and rewrite more stuff into the first chapters to enhance the story.

Ma-chan1: I was actually a bit nervous when I was writing that bit, hoping I got it done properly. I later read back over it and was quite satisfied.

Carbuncle should have appeared somewhere (my original idea was that Xu was going to give him to Squall) but I haven't been able to include him up to this point.

I might do FFIX if I ever get a Playstation. But Sony is the devil, so no, likely not.

That everybody? Good. Now go out and write, for the great justice!

Till next chapter.