A slight vibration ran through the deckplates of the Galbadian airship, and Irvine was able to keep time with the spin of the massive rotors that helped to hold the craft aloft. For its size, the ship was remarkably claustrophobic, with a stark, utilitarian design that did not seem to have had comfort in mind. A row of small viewports in the mess hall were the only means to view anything beyond the airship's stiff metal walls, and all they could see there was the endless stretch of ocean. The nine SeeDs had all been bunked in the same room, a barracks-like arrangement with enough beds for two dozen. Although they were free to move about the ship, the vessel was a military transport whose control and engine rooms were sealed behind heavy pressure doors, so aside from a mess hall and armory, there was nothing particularly interesting to see.

Irvine had just returned from dinner in the mess, which was where most of the others still were; he was a little surprised to find Selphie sitting in a corner at the far end of the room. At first, he thought she was asleep, as it was a rare occasion when he could recall seeing her so still. Her nunchaku rested in her lap, and she was simply staring at it, not even seeming to notice Irvine as he approached.

"Hey," he said. "What's up?"

She glanced at him, offering a distracted smile. "This trip is so boring," she complained. "There's nothing to do."

"Hey, you don't have to tell me." He lowered herself to the floor beside her. "So what d'you think these Galbadians are up to?" he asked, as her attention seemed to be drifting off again. "I mean, they only use these airships for really long-range travel, when boats can't get there fast enough. So wherever they're taking us, it must be really important."

Selphie didn't respond at all. Irvine was getting concerned; he couldn't remember the last time she had been this preoccupied.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Hm?" she glanced at him. "I'm just worried about Rinoa. I mean, what if the Galbadians really did capture her?"

"I wouldn't worry about it," he said. "After all, she's been fine so far, hasn't she?"

He wondered if the words seemed as false to her as they did to him. The fear for Rinoa's safety was something they had all become familiar with over the past year. Indeed, Selphie had always been the most vocal in her desire to go to Timber and help her fight against Galbadia. But Squall would always say that there was no way any of them could help, and that Rinoa didn't expect any. He always got angry when someone brought it up, too; eventually, even Selphie had stopped talking about it.

"It's so unfair that Squall can't even go to help her," Selphie complained. "The hero should always be with his true love."

"Yeah," Irvine agreed. "This story's got problems."

They lapsed into silence again for a moment, until Irvine decided that, when Selphie was this somber, it could have dire repercussions for the stability of the universe. "Hey," he said. "You know that band you were talking about getting for the Garden Festival? Back in Galbadia, I knew this jazz group that plays in Dollet sometimes. Maybe I could get them to make a performance. They've got this really great rendition of Slide Show..."

"Really?" Selphie was instantly restored to her customary cheer. "We could have them after the play! And...heey, maybe we could have a big dance party, too! This'll be great!"

Irvine smiled. He thought of Selphie as the person best able to lift all their spirits; it was somewhat gratifying to know that he could do the same for hers.

"I just don't understand why they wouldn't tell us anything about our mission," Paige said as she picked at her meal, which only slightly resembled the Zeio broth that the chef had purported it to be. "Wouldn't it help everybody if we knew what to prepare for?"

"Politics make people do strange things sometimes," Quistis replied, absently stirring the remnants of her own soup. "I think Galbadia might just want to get us out of the way. They hired all the SeeDs who had anything to do with the Ultimecia campaign, which I don't think is a coincidence."

"Well, what about us, then?" asked Karenna. "Paige and I weren't involved in any of that business. What would they want us for?"

Quistis shrugged. "Garden always reserves the right to select at least one-third of the team. Letting Xu pick you three was the only way they could be sure to get the six of us."

"So basically, the Galbadians have something in store for you guys, and we're just along for the ride," Karenna inferred.

"I suppose so," said Quistis. "Sorry."

Then she noticed that Paige had become a fair degree paler. "I doubt they'd actually do anything to us," she said. "They gain a lot from their agreement with Garden, too; they wouldn't want to jeopardize it by harming SeeDs."

Paige nodded. "Right. Okay."

"It does seem kind of mean of Xu to send rookies like us out on a job like this," Karenna noted.

"Well, she didn't have much choice," said Quistis defensively. "With four A-rank SeeDs already, she couldn't really afford to send any more veteran members. Besides, you wouldn't be SeeDs unless —"

"Uh-huh," Karenna said, nodding.

"I just can't help being a little scared," said Paige. "I was like this during the field exam, too; and then we were just hunting down a bunch of monsters."

Quistis gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry; it's perfectly normal to be apprehensive. My first few missions as a SeeD, I was terrified. It actually helps; if you get overconfident, you don't concentrate as hard, and you can make mistakes."

"...Okay," Paige conceded. "But it doesn't feel very good."

"You'll get used to it in no time," Quistis promised. "Trust me."

Being finished with her meal, she excused herself and deposited her tray in the washer bin. She stole a glance at Squall, who had found himself the most isolated corner available and sat glaring at the rivets on the table legs. It occurred to her that a leader should be taking some part in reassuring the team; she didn't necessarily want much from him, but maybe if he acknowledged their existence once in a while...

After a moment's deliberation, she went over to join him. "Squall," she said, sitting down across the table from him. "I'd like to report about the status of your team."

He glanced at her, but didn't answer.

"They're worried, and frightened about what we'll find at our destination." She gave him a pointed stare, despite the fact that he wasn't looking at her. "This would be an ideal situation for the leader to reassure them."

Squall didn't respond; but Quistis could easily imagine him thinking, Go away. Can't you see I want to be alone?

"Squall, you don't have the luxury of brooding like this," she continued. "The leader has to set an example. You have a responsibility."

Now he glared at her.

"I know you're a good leader, Squall. I remember how you handled the battle with Galbadia Garden, and how inspirational you were to everyone." She nodded to the SeeDs clustered around behind her. "Well, your team needs that here. For some of them, it's their first mission, and a lot of us aren't prepared for this situation we're in." She caught another glimpse into his thoughts. "It doesn't matter if you're any more prepared then they are. You have to show confidence, because that's what lets them know that they are capable of doing this job."

Still, Squall didn't reply, and she lost his attention again to the table leg. Sighing, she stood, but then bent down again to try one more time.

"You can't help Rinoa like this," she said quietly. The mention of her name caused his eyes to snap up at her in half a blink. "But you can help your team. The best thing you can do for everyone right now is to put her out of mind until you're in a position to act."

With that, she left him to his table.

A moment later, the tone of the rotors' hum changed, and the deck began to tilt slightly to the left. Quistis frowned, and made her way to one of the portholes on that side of the mess hall, peering out in search of the reason for this change.

It didn't take her long; below them and off to port of the airship was a massive platform rising out of the sea. A collection of landing pads, control towers and low, bunker-like buildings, the facility looked to be a cross between a military base and a mining rig. She could see vehicles parked on some of the landing pads, and ships docked at the sides; a set of landing lights were flashing on the largest of the pads, as the airship circled in towards the facility.

Most of the others in the mess hall had also come to have a look. "What is that thing?" Jeck demanded.

"It's a Galbadian weapons-research facility," Quistis said. "They used to conduct research on GFs and para-magic, especially the draw system. We found it a year ago, but it was abandoned then."

"Well, it sure don't look abandoned now," Jeck replied.

"Battleship Island," Paige breathed. "Why would they want to bring us here?"

Quistis shook her head. The facility passed out of view as the airship settled into place above it. "I suppose we're going to find out."