Chapter 7
Up to You
(Quistis)
DELING CITY AUTHORITY
A NEW SORCERESS THREAT!
General Caraway has been forced to alter his military strategy after yesterday's revelation that the recent Timber uprising is being led by a woman who claims to be a sorceress.
What was initially a routine operation to shut down dissent in the rogue nation of Timber has become more difficult with the introduction of a sorceress to the situation. The powers of a sorceress are not fully understood and as such, any real sorceress must be dealt with carefully, to prevent catastrophe.
General Caraway released a statement this morning in which he responded to the rebel leader's claims.
"Although her claim has yet to be validated," the General said, "We cannot risk our soldiers' lives with careless action. If she does prove to be a sorceress, then the nature of the situation in Timber—and our necessary response to it—changes drastically."
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THE RIFLEMAN QUARTERLY
FIREARMS STANDARD ISSUE AGAIN!
General Caraway announced today that mass production of rifles and other firearms will continue until the situation in Timber is appropriately dealt with.
Rifles and machine guns have not been standard-issue military weapons in Galbadia since the early days of President Deling's administration. Although the technology proved invaluable during the Sorceress War against Esthar, prohibitive manufacturing costs plus a spike in stolen arms being used against Galbadian citizens forced President Deling to switch to the now standard-issue Galbadian Military Saber.
Production of firearms resumed under the brief reign of Sorceress Edea, who insisted on reviving the technology to help in her war against SeeD. Delays in manufacturing prevented her from ever using the weapons on a massive scale, but production reached 100% just in time to assist in quelling the Timber insurrection.
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Ordinarily, Quistis would not be concerned about The Rifleman Quarterly, a small hobbyist newsletter published out of Deling City, but the implications of Galbadia using long-range weapons again had serious consequences on SeeD and the war effort in general.
For many years, SeeD had enjoyed a natural advantage over the Galbadian military. By using magic to stay out of reach of the military's swords, SeeDs could effectively respond to the overwhelming numerical superiority of the G-Army. One well-trained SeeD was easily worth ten or twenty G-Soldiers in a battle.
(But if that advantage is about to be taken away…)
Quistis was about to click the link for more information about Galbadia's rifles when the chiming of the intercom made her pause and listen.
"Will Lieutenant Commander Quistis report to my office," Headmaster Cid said. "Quickly, please."
The intercom shut off. A few others in the library glanced up at Quistis, curious, then resumed their work, scribbling away on notebooks or typing at the other computer stations. She pushed a button on her keypad and shut down her station, then pushed her chair away from the computer and began striding rapidly out of the library and towards the elevator.
She kept her face calm and rigid, despite the tension in her mind. The Headmaster rarely asked anyone to come to his office quickly, and when he did, it was always for a good reason. Her first thought was that Selphie and Irvine—or maybe even Squall and Rinoa—had made contact with Garden. But while both of those were important events, and things Quistis would definitely want to be alerted about, neither of them really demanded any haste.
(Unless something is terribly wrong at Trabia or Esthar.)
Worry tightened Quistis' stomach. She fought it back with sheer willpower and cold logic. While it was possible that maybe some emergency had arisen in Trabia, or maybe Squall and Rinoa had learned something critical about the sorceress in the cafeteria, something that couldn't wait a single moment, both scenarios were unlikely.
That left two options: either an emergency update in Timber, or perhaps news of another time compression sorceress appearing somewhere in the world. Quistis feared both of these outcomes, and hoped for another possibility. But she couldn't think of anything else.
She moved up the steps towards the elevator, taking them two at a time, then pushed the elevator call button. It arrived a moment later and brought her up to the third floor with a soft chime. She hurried across the reception room and saw that Cid's office door was ajar. Without bothering to knock, she pushed the door open all the way and stepped inside, her shoes clicking across the marble floor.
Cid, alone, sat in a leather chair behind his desk. Quistis tried to read his expression to see if she could guess the situation before the Headmaster revealed it, but his face betrayed no emotions. She stopped just shy of his desk and saluted.
"At ease," Headmaster Cid said. Quistis relaxed, and the Headmaster went on. "Let me be quick. A representative from Timber is on the line right now, with the intention to form a contract with SeeD. I wanted you to be in attendance for this. Please," he said. He gestured to his side. "Come back behind the desk. I want you to be a part of this."
(A representative from Timber?)
Quistis was confused. Galbadia had managed to effectively block off all communications to and from Timber shortly after the first hints of a Timber rebellion. Even the handful of SeeDs inside Timber had incredible difficulty relaying information back to Garden. For the people in Timber, communications with the outside world were almost impossible. So how had they managed to contact SeeD? Even though the sorceress had reclaimed the TV station, that would only give her the ability to broadcast radio transmissions, not connect onto the HD cables.
Curious, Quistis stepped around Cid's desk and stood next to his chair. The monitor on his desk was currently black, but an icon flashed in the corner indicating that there was a live video call on hold.
"Are you ready?" Cid said to Quistis. She nodded, then raised her chin and straightened her back, trying to look as professional as possible. Cid turned to the screen and pushed a button on his keypad, revealing the monitor again.
On the screen was a familiar sight: the Sorceress Ciel, still dressed in her ragged clothes, a red bandanna tied around her head. Nothing about her appearance had changed since her broadcast the previous day. The only thing different at all was that now the background had changed. Instead of being in the Timber TV station, the sorceress was now in a white, non-descript room with no windows or other features. It was impossible to guess her location from the video alone.
She sat, looking just off-screen, tapping her finger on the desk before her. Her eyes flicked to the camera in front of her when the call reconnected.
"Sorry about the delay," Headmaster Cid said. He gestured towards Quistis. "This is Lieutenant Commander Quistis Trepe. She is acting Commander of SeeD at this time."
"Okay," Ciel said. She offered no greeting, or welcome, or any consideration at all. She scratched a spot underneath her bandanna and seemed impatient for the conversation to continue. Quistis frowned.
(I expected more courtesy from her.)
(At least a "Hello.")
Cid didn't seem to notice the sorceress' poor manners. "We would like to hear your offer," he said.
She grunted. "I already—"
She looked at the Headmaster, then at Quistis. She sighed, closing her eyes. She looked exhausted. "We're asking for help getting Galbadia out of Timber. We want to hire SeeD."
A number of questions jumped into Quistis' mind. Who, specifically, was this "we" she mentioned? What did she plan to offer for SeeD's services? Where was she broadcasting from? All these questions and more begged to be answered, but Quistis started with the question that seemed most important to her.
"Is this line secure?" she asked.
"If it wasn't, I'd be dead already," Ciel said. "Or, at least, the Galbadians would be beating down the door right now, trying to kill me."
"How is that possible?" Quistis asked. "How'd you get a line from the TV station out of the city without Galbadia noticing?"
Ciel smirked. "After all this is done, I'll write a book about all the things Galbadia doesn't know about Timber. This is our city; they just occupy it."
"What does that mean?" Quistis asked.
"It means that it's a national secret," Ciel said. A petulant whine crept into her voice, totally unbecoming of the strong, focused image she had projected in yesterday's broadcast.
(Is this even the same person?)
The sorceress continued, "And it doesn't matter anyway. As far as can I see, how we're communicating is totally irrelevant. I mean, what does it matter, really?"
Quistis' initial awe of the sorceress began fading into anger and disappointment. In the broadcast, Ciel had seemed powerful, confident. Quistis had been momentarily swept up in the wave of revolution, for the first time believing that not only was Timber going to fight, but they were going to fight with a real chance to win. Quistis had looked forward to meeting this girl, to working together to free Timber.
Now that Quistis had the time to really get a good look at the sorceress, it was obvious that she was younger than most SeeDs at Garden. She seemed fifteen, maybe sixteen at best. Hardly old enough to be a great leader.
(She's probably only the leader because she's the sorceress. I doubt she ever commanded much authority before now.)
Still, young or not, any sorceress could drastically alter the course of Timber's future. By her sheer power, she could win the war, even without SeeD's help. Although the sorceress was less than Quistis' had imagined, she was still immensely powerful and deserved consideration.
Quistis swallowed down her annoyance and continued the conversation. Cid sat by and watched his young Lieutenant work.
"What are you offering in compensation for our services?" Quistis asked.
Ciel shrugged. "What do you want? I mean, what's a good offer?"
Quistis sighed in exasperation.
(Not only do we have to do all the work, we have to do all the negotiations as well.)
But Cid, who had previously handled all the negotiations for SeeD up until this point, had experience with clients like this. He smiled politely and said, "Well, give us a starting point, and we'll negotiate from there."
"Umm…" Ciel said, biting her lip. She looked off screen at someone or something beyond the camera. She blinked, inhaled, and frowned, but did not respond. Cid waited patiently. Quistis crossed her arms, ready to be disappointed yet again.
Finally, Ciel turned back to face the camera. "I don't… know what prices you usually charge?" Ciel said, raising her voice as if her statement was a question. "What would you expect for a mission like this?"
Cid responded. "Well, what you're asking for will take the majority of our available forces, if not the whole of SeeD. Depending on an individual SeeD's rank, we ask anywhere from five hundred to thirty thousand gil per student per day."
Ciel's jaw dropped. "Thirty… per student?"
Cid smiled and brushed off her concerns with a gentle wave of his hand. "Few SeeDs have ranks that high. In truth, they average around eight thousand or less each."
Ciel was not comforted. Her face slackened into dull shock. "Eight thousand each," she repeated in a monotone voice. "Per day."
Cid nodded, still smiling. "And let's just, for the sake of easy math, say we have two hundred SeeDs at our disposal. That comes out to a little more than a million and a half gil per day. Sound reasonable?"
Quistis looked at the Headmaster, at his smiling, paternal face. It was clear to her that Ciel had entered into a negotiation that was far beyond her means, yet Cid kept pressing on, as if the girl was right on the same page as him.
(Is the Headmaster trying to talk her out of hiring SeeD?)
It was possible. Maybe the Headmaster was just as disillusioned with the sorceress as Quistis was, but years of experience had shown him how to back out of a negotiation without refusing a client directly. Maybe he was subtly convincing her to abandon her ambitions to hire SeeD, for her own good, and the good of SeeD itself.
Quistis didn't know how she felt about that, but she trusted Cid's judgment in any case. Quistis wanted to help Timber, but she wasn't sure about the wisdom of helping this young sorceress who had more power than sense.
(Seems like trouble for everyone involved.)
Ciel laughed in breathless disbelief. There was a note of hollow defeat in her voice as she replied to Cid's offer. "I'm… I'm sorry. All of Timber couldn't foot that bill."
Cid spread his hands, showing his palms. "You asked me to provide a number to start with. We can haggle from here."
Quistis' anger towards the brash sorceress softened a little, turning into pity as she empathized with the situation Ciel had put herself in. She'd started a war with a superpower, publicly broadcasted her face to the world, and dared anyone to try to stop her. Now she was realizing the cost of her actions, and how grossly she had underestimated the ramifications of war.
(Freedom comes at a high price.)
(It's unfortunate, but true.)
"Don't think that this is the end of the negotiation," Quistis said. "Tell us what you can offer, and we'll decide if we can take it. We are quite flexible."
Ciel shook her head. "If you guys are expecting a million and a half gil a day, then there's no way I can bring you down to the price I was hoping for."
"And what were you hoping for?" Quistis said, crossing her arms.
Ciel winced. "Umm… three thousand a day?"
"Per student?"
"For… all of SeeD," Ciel said. She laughed nervously.
And in that instant, all the pity Quistis had gathered collapsed, returning back to the anger she felt before.
(That's not being naïve. That's being outright ignorant.)
"You're asking us to risk our lives in battle for you," Quistis said. She spoke slowly, tamping down her frustration. "And you expect to compensate us with pocket change?"
Headmaster Cid held up a hand to settle Quistis down. "Please, let me handle the numbers. If it's for a good cause, I'm willing to lose a little bit of money."
(We'll lose more than just money.)
A series of beeps came from the monitor. Quistis and Ciel both heard the beeps and looked confused. Cid smiled again, ever calm, ever placating.
"It appears we have another caller," Cid said. "We're rather popular today. I can dismiss this caller if you want to continue the discussion."
Ciel was visibly relieved. "No, actually… you should answer it. We… we need to talk this over. Don't hang up on me, okay? I'll be back. One sec."
Cid nodded. "I'll just put you on hold for now."
"Thanks," Ciel said.
She pushed back from the desk and was standing up as Cid leaned forward and tapped a button on the keypad. The screen went black for a moment, except for a blinking red light in the corner and the text, "Incoming Call." Cid pushed another button, revealing detailed information about the caller.
"It's from Deling City," Cid said. He looked at Quistis. "No doubt it's General Caraway."
(At least he'll know how to negotiate with SeeD.)
Quistis nodded. "He most likely has an offer of his own to give us. I don't plan on accepting any missions from Galbadia, but we should at least hear him out."
"My thoughts exactly," Cid said. But instead of answering the call, Cid rose from his chair and offered his seat to Quistis. "I think you should handle this alone. Without me, this time."
"What? Why?"
"If the General is offering SeeD a contract, then it is your duty to respond," Cid said. "Remember, the SeeD Commander makes the final decisions concerning missions now, not the Headmaster."
Quistis stepped back, unconsciously putting a hand to her chest.
(I can't negotiate with the leader of the Galbadian military!)
Cid smiled yet again and offered his chair. There was no backing out. The longer Quistis waited, the more frustrated Caraway would be when she answered the call. Reluctantly, Quistis slid into the leather chair. The padding exhaled as her weight pressed into the cushion.
(This is too much, too fast. I'm not ready.)
"But… you are the one who can negotiate a price," Quistis said. "When it comes to our rates, I honestly don't know much more than Ciel."
Cid raised an eyebrow. "Is there any price in the world that would make you consider siding with Galbadia over Timber?"
She thought for a moment. Quistis knew that it was morally right to side with Timber. They were a weak nation, unjustly conquered and occupied by a tyrant military and stripped of all powers and freedoms. If there was any justice in the world, then SeeD would back Timber without question.
But after Ciel proved that she and the rest of her organization, however many people it consisted of, were unable to meet SeeD's prices, Quistis realized that what was morally right and what was smart were not necessarily the same thing. If Timber could only offer a pittance for the blood of SeeD, then what was the point in being a mercenary force at all? Why not just work for free, if morals held more weight than money?
She was about to say that yes, yes there was theoretically a price Galbadia could offer that would make her reconsider her allegiance, but she could see in the Headmaster's eyes that that wasn't the answer he was expecting.
Instead, she said, "No. No there is no price."
"Then you do not need me," Cid said. "Be courteous, but firm when dealing with him. He is unlikely to be accustomed to having people refuse him."
Cid stepped away from the computer and stood on the other side of the desk. "If you need me, I'll be right here. But if you don't, then pretend I'm not here. If he asks, tell the General that I am unavailable."
Quistis nodded and took a breath.
"How do I answer the call?" she asked, looking blankly at the array of keys on the keyboard. His setup was different from the way the consoles in the library worked, and had a number of colored buttons of indiscernible function.
"The green button, right there," Cid said, pointing at the keyboard. Quistis pressed the button, and the red "Incoming Call" message on the monitor changed to a green "Connecting Call," message. Quistis waited a moment, composing herself as the call connected.
The message on the screen vanished, replaced by General Caraway's face. As usual, he was dressed in his full military uniform. A window behind him looked out over Deling City, the shapes of the city buildings blurred through the glass. Quistis didn't recognize what room he was in, but the décor matched what Quistis remembered from her brief stay at Caraway's mansion.
General Caraway nodded. "Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon," Quistis said. She tightened the muscles in her neck and chest, to better control her breathing and the tone of her voice. She was nervous, but didn't want Caraway to know that.
"I'd like to speak to the Headmaster of Balamb Garden," Caraway said. "We have important business to discuss."
Out of the corner of her eye, Quistis saw Cid shaking his head.
(Pretend he's not here.)
"I am the ranking SeeD official at the moment," Quistis said. "I will be able to speak with you concerning any business you may have."
General Caraway frowned and adjusted in his chair. "I'm not in the habit of discussing foreign policy with teenagers. If the Headmaster is available, put him on the line."
(Well… I wanted to speak with someone who had more authority than the sorceress. I certainly got my wish.)
Instead of being intimidated by Caraway's dismissal, Quistis drew strength from it and answered sternly, "I am the ranking official. If you want to speak with SeeD, then you want with speak with me."
She could see Cid smile, but she didn't react.
"You're joking," Caraway said. He looked into Quistis' emotionless face and sighed. "You're not joking. I knew SeeD entrusted a lot to its youth, but this is going too far." He waved a hand, as if brushing away a fly. "It doesn't matter. This will not be a negotiation so much as a statement of facts. I don't need the Headmaster himself, only someone who can relay a message to him."
"Go ahead," Quistis said.
The General laced his fingers on his desk and looked Quistis directly in the eye. "As you are no doubt aware, the situation in Timber has recently… let's say, 'escalated beyond the limits of diplomacy.' That seems an elegant way to phrase it. In any case, it seems that nothing less than a show of force will return Timber to a peaceful state. Is SeeD aware of my offers of peace towards the Timber rebels?"
(What you offered could hardly be called "peace.")
She nodded. "We're aware of the speech you made, and the general situation surrounding Timber."
"Good," Caraway said. He paused and examined Quistis' face. "You're familiar. I don't remember your name, but I do remember that you were part of the Gateway Team during the operation in Deling City. Am I wrong?"
Quistis noticed how he was being careful not to say what that operation was, or give any hint as to when it happened, or what it was meant to accomplish.
(Is he afraid someone is eavesdropping on the conversation, or is he just naturally cautious?)
"My name is Quistis, and yes, I was part of that team," Quistis said.
"Then you should know that I am a man devoted to his country," Caraway said. "I will do what is necessary to defend Galbadia. While I regret that peaceful negotiations have failed, I will not back down from a threat to my nation. In the interest of preserving our unity, I wish to employ SeeD's services in cutting down the rebellion in Timber."
(As if Timber is the one threatening Galbadia, instead of the other way around.)
Quistis paused for a moment, and considered his offer. Galbadia surely had the strength to overwhelm the tiny nation of Timber. Why would they bother hiring SeeD to do their dirty work? Furthermore, it was rather odd that both Timber and Galbadia, after days of silence, suddenly both petitioned SeeD's help. Not only on the same day, but within minutes of each other.
(Is something going on, or am I just being paranoid?)
(Maybe the connection with Ciel isn't as secure as she thinks…)
Hoping to learn more, Quistis said, "State your terms."
"We have learned from past experience that an assassination attempt against a sorceress is maybe not the best course of action," Caraway said. He looked at Quistis knowingly, but didn't elaborate.
"Furthermore," he said, "Subtlety is neither needed nor desired in this situation. We intend to storm Timber, reclaim the TV station, and eliminate the sorceress, effectively neutralizing the uprising and putting an end to all this nonsense. A direct assault will do more towards breaking the rebellion's spirit than secrecy and murder plots. SeeD's role will be to assist our soldiers in putting down any unruly citizens and helping corral and ultimately destroy the sorceress. You will be paid according to the number of SeeDs you choose to employ, and also the duration and effectiveness of their service. We can discuss exact gil amounts now if you'd like, or we can save that for the future."
Quistis nodded. Now that he had made the offer, she was eager to be rid of him as quickly and tactfully as possible. She'd hoped, distantly, that he had a more peaceful plan in mind. But seeing as how he wanted—not only to fight Timber—but to crush their spirit, Quistis found her desire to negotiate with the Galbadians evaporating by the second.
"Understood," Quistis said. "We will need to discuss this before we accept any large-scale missions from Galbadia."
Caraway snorted dismissively. "As I suspected, you don't have the authority to negotiate with me. You're wasting my time. Put the Headmaster on."
Quistis controlled her emotions, with some difficulty. "I have the authority, General, but it is SeeD protocol to not accept major missions without due consideration. We have the health and safety of our students to consider."
Caraway didn't seem impressed. "Fair enough," he said. "However, you might choose to keep your 'due consideration' to a minimum, as we plan on moving on our enemy soon."
"How soon, exactly?" Quistis asked.
Caraway appeared insulted. "I will not discuss details of the mission until you have agreed to work with us."
(He's not as foolish as Ciel.)
(…Unfortunately.)
Quistis nodded. "I will speak with the others and we will reply to your offer shortly." Quistis reached for the red "End Call" button, but was stopped by Caraway.
"Before you go," he said, raising a single finger. "There is one more thing I would like to add."
Quistis dropped her hand and turned back to the screen. "Yes?"
"I am aware of the fact that SeeD tends to favor Galbadia's enemies," Caraway said. "In the past month or so, you have lent aid to Dollet, resulting in a number of Galbadian casualties, and you have also given your services to terrorist organizations in Timber as recently as a few weeks ago. But whatever Timber offers you, rest assured that we can offer far more."
Quistis suppressed her emotions again, to keep from giving him any information he didn't already have. She wasn't surprised that he knew about the operation in Dollet. That had been a large-scale mission involving dozens of SeeDs and cadets openly fighting in the streets of the city. It would be odd if Caraway didn't know about that.
But the operations in Timber were discreet, like most of Garden's missions. SeeD thrived on secrecy, dressing its operatives in civilian clothes when on most missions so as to not arouse suspicion. It would be potentially fatal for SeeD if the world knew how SeeD chose to use its resources, and how its students were employed. Best if people never found out.
So having Caraway confidently accuse SeeD of working with Timber put her on guard. There was no way he should know about that, as Squall's recent mission was confidential, carried out with secrecy.
(He might be trying to trick me into a confession.)
"In the case of Dollet," Quistis said, "You launched a surprise attack on a sovereign nation and began an unnecessary battle, resulting in destruction of property and the loss of civilian lives. You can hardly fault us for siding with Dollet. As for the claims that we have aided Timber terrorists, we have done no such thing."
Caraway's expression turned to ice. "Do not lie to me. You see, Quistis, when you employ children to do your work, childish mistakes are made. During the operation in Deling City, your leader let slip that he and the rest of you were under contract with my daughter Rinoa."
The memory of that incident came immediately to Quistis' mind, filling her with a sudden sense of guilt and fear. She'd been caught in a lie. On top of that, SeeD's secrecy and integrity had been compromised.
She remembered the moment in question. She and the others were in Caraway's drawing room, discussing the mission to assassinate the Sorceress Edea during her parade. Squall had only meant to inform Caraway that his first priority was his client, Rinoa, and not the Galbadians. It was a simple statement, but it revealed too much, and Caraway had not forgotten it.
(Oh no… Squall…)
"I don't know what idiocy drove him to tell me that," Caraway said, "Especially in the middle of another operation. But I know that my daughter is part of the anti-Galbadia movement in Timber. Therefore, I have an admission—from a SeeD member himself—that you have in the past, and most likely continue, to aid forces which seek to overthrow the Galbadian government. Knowing this, I have taken the appropriate measures to ensure that you do not interfere with our coming operation."
"What do you mean?" Quistis asked. A sinking sense of despair washed over her. She felt weak and vulnerable as the General spoke.
"I have sent troops to Balamb to seize the train station and prevent all transport from Balamb to Timber," Caraway said. "In addition, I have sent a number of Galbadian vessels to prevent any ships from leaving Balamb harbor."
Quistis was astounded and, for the first time, she let her shock and anger register plainly on her face. "You… you can't do this. This is an invasion of Balamb's sovereignty, and nothing short of an act of war."
"This is already a war, Quistis." Caraway said. "And we are not acting against Balamb: we are acting to prevent SeeD from assisting known terrorists. Balamb is only an unfortunate bystander."
(Even though he once claimed he wanted to stay out of politics, he is acting quite boldly.)
"So you're forcing our cooperation?" Quistis said. "Sending troops to coerce our decision?"
"No, not forcing. You have two options," Caraway said. "You can accept my offer of an alliance, in which case the Galbadian troops in Balamb will gladly escort you to Timber, where the mission will begin. Or you can choose to remain neutral, and stay on Balamb Island until this issue is resolved. You do not have to aid us. Only stay out of our way. It's not coercion: it's guidance."
"This is an outrage," Quistis said, her composure slipping. If Cid, still standing nearby, was trying to give her any assistance, she was utterly unaware of his attempts, having focused entirely on the conversation at hand. "Everything in your speech about peace and diplomacy was a lie. You're a warmonger, like Deling before you."
"You should control your temper, Miss Quistis," Caraway said. He began speaking very slowly, very deliberately. Each word was given its own emphasis. "Let me make something absolutely clear. You and your organization are not a threat to Galbadia. We have permitted your existence for all this time because we believe you are a true mercenary force, one whose allegiance is to money, rather than to any one government. We believe, if necessary, we can simply purchase your loyalty. If, however, this belief is proven false, if you continue to support Galbadia's enemies despite all we can offer you, we will have no choice but to declare you enemies of the nation of Galbadia and destroy you."
Caraway paused for a moment, then continued. "Before you go confer about your course of action, let me say one more thing. When we deal with Timber, we will do so with care and foresight. They have a great many resources, and an infrastructure that benefits us too greatly for us to damage recklessly. Balamb Garden, however, holds no value to us. If we choose to destroy you, we will destroy you utterly, and leave nothing behind."
Caraway unfolded his hands and nodded. "Good day to you, Miss Quistis. I await your reply."
Before Quistis could hang up, Caraway pushed a button on his own monitor, ending the call and leaving Quistis facing a blank screen. She exhaled slowly and leaned forward, resting her head in her hands and her elbows on Cid's desk.
The Headmaster moved around the desk and stood beside Quistis, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"You handled that well," he said. "Don't doubt yourself."
Quistis shook her head, her head still buried in her hands. "I lost my composure, I lied to a head of state, and I appeared weak and foolish in front of the largest military in the western world. Nothing I did was done well."
(I can't do this.)
Cid removed his hand and laced his fingers in front of his stomach. Quistis sighed, then leaned back in the chair and looked up at the Headmaster.
"If you think I would have done better in your place, you're wrong," Cid said. Quistis expected him to smile reassuringly, but his expression was calm and serious. "I have lost my composure during negotiations many times, and over far more trivial matters. I think the General would have had me screaming and yelling if I'd been there instead. You did well, believe me."
(I don't believe you, but there's no sense in arguing.)
"What do we do?" Quistis asked. She rose out of the chair and gestured for the Headmaster to take it. Cid shook his head and continued to stand.
"Well, Ciel is still waiting for us to finish our negotiations with her," the Headmaster said. Now the reassuring smile she had expected earlier appeared on his face. "And after what Caraway put you through, negotiations with her should be rather easy."
"She probably needs more time to come up with a good offer," Quistis said.
(And I need time to think.)
"Whenever you're ready," Cid said, "Tap the same green button as before. It will connect you with the call on hold."
Quistis nodded.
One the one side was the might of the Galbadian army, its military and its technology almost guaranteeing a crushing victory over the people of Timber. Siding with them would ensure SeeD a secure and easy victory, with a cash incentive that they desperately needed. And perhaps, with SeeD helping oversee the battle, the bloodshed could be kept to a minimum. Quistis could order the students to use non-lethal force, subduing the rebellion rather than crushing it. Much as she hated the idea of working with Galbadia, especially after Caraway's aggressive threats, choosing Galbadia might result in the shortest battle and the fewest deaths, both SeeD and civilian.
But then there was Timber. Timber, which SeeD had supported several times in the past. Timber, the innocent nation occupied by the late dictator Vizner Deling, and still under Galbadian control even after his passing. There was no doubt that Timber had the moral ground in this battle, but they had neither the strength nor the money to defend that morality. Their sole hope rested on a childish sorceress who had thrown a rock at the hornet's nest and expected SeeD to rush in and save her. Even adding SeeD's strength to theirs, Quistis doubted they could overcome the Galbadians.
(Neither option is right. Maybe we shouldn't get involved at all.)
She looked to the Headmaster.
"What would you do, in this situation?" she asked.
"That is not for me to decide," Cid said. "As Commander, your duty is to decide who we fight and what we fight for. I trust your judgment. If I didn't, I wouldn't have made you Lieutenant Commander. And to tell the truth, I am not much of a strategist. You are better equipped to make this decision than I am."
"But you trained us," Quistis said. "SeeD is your project to train soldiers. Surely you must have a great deal of knowledge about—"
Cid waved a hand, interrupting her. "I merely hired the people who trained you. And then I entrusted all of your education to those hired staff members. And now, those people who trained you have all left. You and your fellow SeeDs are the only people in Garden right now with any military training at all."
(He's dumping far too much responsibility on us. Too much, too quickly.)
(I thought he would ease me into the transition more gradually. Not just stop one day and expect me to make all the decisions.)
"I will assist you in whatever way I can," Cid said. "And I will inform you if I feel you are making a tactical error. But I leave this decision in your hands. You and the others are the future of SeeD, and I want to ensure that you are all ready to bear this burden before Edea and I leave Garden wholly in the hands of our students."
Quistis ground her teeth. She wanted to argue with him. She wanted to tell him that maybe he didn't have any formal military training, but he had well over a decade of experience leading Garden and making its decisions. After serving as Headmaster for so many years, he must have learned something that could help Quistis sort through her decision. For him to stand by and watch seemed not only unwise, but outright foolish and reckless.
(Is this how Squall felt, when we all pushed him to be our leader?)
(… No wonder he always seemed so angry.)
Quistis crossed her arms. She could spend the rest of the day and night, the next hundred years, mulling over her decision without finding an answer. Her thoughts returned to the sorceress.
(Maybe Ciel is ready with an offer.)
Hoping that the sorceress could clear her mind, Quistis sat back in Cid's leather chair and tapped the green key on Cid's keyboard. Cid moved to stand beside her, placing a hand on the chair's backrest. A few moments later, the monitor lit up, showing the room where Ciel had been. It was now empty, the chair where the sorceress had sat, unoccupied. Quistis could hear whispering off camera, but nothing was visible.
"Hello?" Quistis said. "Have you reached a decision?"
The whispering stopped, and there was a bump and some fumbling around, knocking the camera askew. Finally, Ciel emerged from the side, her face taking up most of the frame as she readjusted the camera. When it was level, she sat down and quickly bowed her head in apology.
"Sorry, sorry," she said. "Yeah, we've got a deal for you."
(I hope it's good.)
"Let's hear it," Quistis said.
Ciel sighed, as if she was reluctant to answer. Then she said, "Three percent of Timber's national income, for as long as Timber is free and independent. Paid every year, directly to SeeD. We can show you our yearly budget, so you know we aren't cheating you out of any money."
Quistis, once again, was surprised. She had expected a specific gil amount. A trivial gil amount, to be honest. And she expected to be disappointed. Instead, she was overwhelmed by the offer. It was unreal. Entire nations routinely contracted with SeeD, but never had any of them offered a permanent cut of their income. To do so was almost absurd.
(That… is quite an offer.)
Quistis shook her head. "I-I'm sorry, but who are you to offer that kind of arrangement?"
Ciel opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again. Finally she said, "I've got connections with the family of the former President of Timber. At least, he was president before Deling overthrew him. We've talked about this before—I mean, 'we' being the resistance members. If we get our independence, we're going to make his son into our new President, and he just agreed to that three percent offer. Do we have a deal?"
(She's managed to occupy both ends of the absurdity spectrum in a single negotiation. First offering an amount SeeD would be foolish to settle for, now offering an amount SeeD would be foolish to believe.)
Quistis shook her head, trying—like Cid had done—to maintain her calm throughout the entire farce of a negotiation. After the debate with Caraway, it was easy to keep her cool.
"I can't accept an offer like this on your word alone," Quistis said. "You are speaking on behalf of an entire nation. Furthermore, you're only offering a hypothetical payment. If Timber wins and if the right person is made president then maybe you'll pay us back. Forgive me, but this seems unreal."
"I can get you official documents," Ciel said. "A contract with the Seal of Timber and the signature of the former President and the—hopefully—next President. It'll all be legit. We'll honor the deal, I swear."
Quistis didn't know how to proceed. At a loss, she looked up at the Headmaster. He smiled to her and nodded, then bent down to better get his face into frame.
"I believe I can help with this," Cid said. "You see, I've dealt with Timber in the past, before Garden and before Galbadia's occupation. I am familiar with the former President. You say that he's recently agreed to this plan, which must mean he's nearby. If there is any way I could speak to him, I could solve this issue immediately."
Ciel bit her lip and glanced off camera. Out of frame, there was muttering and whispering, none of which Quistis could discern. After a few moments, Ciel nodded to someone Quistis couldn't see.
"They're here," Ciel said. She gestured off screen, and two men stepped into frame, standing on either side of the sorceress. On her right was an older man, roughly Cid's age, with small glasses balanced on his hooked nose. Dark, but gentle eyes looked through his glasses. His hair was wispy thin and mostly gone. The man on Ciel's left was a younger version of the elder, with the same eyes and the same glasses. Even their posture and expressions were alike.
Cid smiled at the older man. "It's been a long time, Gian."
"And to you, Headmaster," the older man said.
(How do these two know each other?)
(I'll have to remember to ask later…)
"And you will honor this arrangement?" Cid asked.
Gian placed his right hand over his heart and nodded solemnly. "On my life, and on my honor," he said.
Cid brightened, clapping his hands once, as if sealing the deal between his fingers. "Then it is settled," he said. "I need no further proof of your sincerity."
Ciel smiled for the first time since the negotiations began. Excitedly, she looked from Gian to Cid. "So you're gonna help us? SeeD is coming to Timber?"
Cid smiled, but shook his head. "I cannot promise that just yet. I merely said that the payment you offered is acceptable. I haven't said whether or not we will accept it."
Ciel's shoulders slumped, and her voice deepened.
"When will we know for sure?" Ciel asked.
"Soon," Cid said. "How can we contact you?"
"You can't," Ciel said. "This connection is scrambled. It only makes outgoing calls. Maybe… maybe we can arrange a time to speak?"
Cid looked down to Quistis. She took a deep breath and considered.
(I have all the evidence before me. Both sides have made their cases. There's really nothing left for me to do but think it over, and I've already spent much of the past week doing that…)
Quistis turned to Ciel. "Tonight. After sunset. Call us again, and we'll have a decision ready."
"Cool," Ciel said. "See you then."
At the same time, both the SeeD Commander and the Timber sorceress reached for their monitors, tapping buttons to disconnect the call. In Cid's office, the screen went blank, leaving Quistis alone with Cid.
(Maybe I should have given myself more time.)
"Our friend Ciel has some impressive connections," Cid said. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I must admit, I had my doubts about her. But with her sorceress powers and the backing of the former Timber administration, we may yet be able to pull this off. Providing, of course, you accept her offer."
The conversation with Ciel had done little to move Quistis to either side of the debate. If anything, Ciel's stunning offer had only confused her more.
To stall for time, she looked to the Headmaster and asked, "What's your connection to the former president of Timber?"
Cid laughed once, without humor, his smile stuck to his face. But his eyes betrayed his emotions, and Quistis felt she had stumbled upon an emotional subject.
"It is… a long story," Cid said. "We are not friends, in the strictest sense. But we have helped each other before. Long ago, in another lifetime. Before Garden, before the Sorceress War, before Galbadia invaded Timber. If you're concerned about his integrity, don't be. He's an honorable man, and I owe him a great debt. I have every confidence that he will uphold his end of the bargain, if we help him liberate Timber."
(If.)
"And… how much would that be?" Quistis asked. "Three percent of Timber's national income?"
Cid thought for a moment. "A truly massive sum. Timber is a tiny nation, yes. But it has abundant and plentiful natural resources. That is why Galbadia covets it so much, and why they expend so much effort in occupying it. Even a mere three percent of their income… I'd have to do the math, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was enough to support SeeD forever. We would never need to take another mission for money ever again. All our expenses would be paid for life."
Quistis had both hoped and feared that was the case. Hoped, because it meant that she could side with Timber for both moral and monetary reasons. Feared, because she knew the cost of that bargain would be the blood of SeeDs. There was no way SeeD and Timber could escape open war with Galbadia without massive casualties.
If anything, her decision was growing harder by the second.
Strangely, she felt guilty about both options. Siding with Galbadia felt like betraying SeeD's ambitions, betraying everything they believed in. Whereas siding with Timber felt like betraying the students at Garden, failing to protect them by sending them into a battle where surely many of them would die.
The Headmaster waited patiently. Quistis sighed.
(Squall would know what to do.)
But Squall was another continent away, with a full day's head start on his journey. If he wasn't in Esthar already, he was very close to it. And the situation in Timber was about to burst wide open. She had at best a day or two, maybe three, to interfere in the conflict. Quistis needed to make up her mind, and she would need to do it quickly. Squall would never be reached in time.
(Rinoa would want to help the people of Timber.)
(And Squall would want to help because of Rinoa.)
(In fact… isn't Squall still under contract until Timber is liberated?)
That thought opened up a ray of light in her reasoning. A crack formed, through which a chain of thought could be threaded. From this idea, she came to another idea, then another. Suddenly a choice that seemed impossible became clear.
(I am the Lieutenant Commander of SeeD.)
(I am here to lead SeeD in the absence of the Commander.)
(Thus, I should act as the Commander would act, if he were here.)
(So I need only ask myself, what would Squall do?)
What Quistis would do, what SeeD should do, what the Headmaster wanted to do, these were all complicated and contradictory choices. But if she narrowed all her options down to the simple question of, "What would Squall do?" then the complex net of possibilities reduced itself to a singular answer. Suddenly, she knew the solution. In her head, in her heart, she knew what needed to be done.
"We side with Timber," Quistis said. She spoke firmly, and with finality. There was no question in her voice, or doubt in her mind.
The Headmaster nodded, pleased, but unsurprised. "I am glad you decided that. May I ask what ultimately led you to make this choice?"
Quistis leaned back into the chair and looked up into the Headmaster's eyes.
"It's what Squall would do."