Chapter 18
Leadership Qualities
(Quistis)
Quistis sat in her office, her glasses pressed close to her face, her body angled over a topographical map of the world. The eastern half of the map was curled into a tube and out of sight; nothing east of Balamb had any relevance to her at the moment. Instead, her eyes combed over the Galbadian continent again and again, checking the major cities, the train routes, the major roads, the landscape, and the shorelines.
There was nothing on that map that she didn't already know. She could, if she wanted to, draw a detailed world map entirely from memory and have it be almost as precise as any of the world's official maps. But she was not reading the map to gain any new insight from it, or learn any additional information. She desired pure logic, an unbiased, accurate representation of the world.
The map would not agree with her, simply because she was acting SeeD Commander. The map wouldn't tell her that her plan was a solid one, just because it was her friend. The map could only show the world as it truly was, regardless of who Quistis was or what she stood for.
Although she trusted the advice from the Headmaster and her allies, sometimes she wondered if they agreed with her only because they wanted her to feel confident in her leadership. This was a foolish thought, she knew. The Headmaster wouldn't blithely go along with her plans just to spare her feelings, yet the doubt remained.
So she pored over the map again and again, trying to erase the doubt with irrefutable facts and data.
(This is the right plan.)
(This is the next logical step.)
Her worries were interrupted by the chiming of the intercom. After a moment of fumbling and muttering, Headmaster Cid's voice came over the speakers. "Ah. Here we go. Yes, Commander Quistis to my office, please."
The intercom chimed again and the line went dead.
Obsessively neat—almost to a fault—Quistis refused to leave her office in even the slightest disarray. She rolled up the map and tucked it in its appropriate drawer. She took what few documents remained for her to finish and stacked them in a pile in her inbox, then removed her glasses and placed them in a side drawer.
There was no need for her to rush. For once, she already knew what Headmaster Cid was calling her to his office for, and it was nothing urgent. She had already asked him to alert her when they were within ten minutes of Dollet, and the Headmaster was merely obeying her request.
She pushed back from her desk and stood up. Her eyes went down to her clothes, to inspect her uniform before leaving, but when she looked at herself, she remembered that she'd changed into her civilian clothes an hour previously. She was momentarily surprised to see herself dressed so casually. Her peach-colored dress and high black boots, once almost as familiar as her own skin, had become strange to her.
(When was the last time I was in my civilian clothes?)
It had been a while. She marveled at this fact for a moment, then pulled her coiled whip off a hook next to her door, belted it to a loop on her waistband, and stepped outside, closing her office door behind her. She strode confidently out of the dormitories, very aware of how her clothes made her stand out in the Garden, where everyone else was still wearing their uniforms.
Out in the halls, the general air among the students was light and celebratory. Only last night, Xu had radioed in from the TV Station, announcing that General Caraway had been assassinated by the sorceress. Because of strict limitations to their radio use, Xu did not elaborate further on the situation, but many SeeDs took this news to mean that the war was essentially over, or at least in its final stages. After all, they reasoned, with its head cut off, how long could the snake continue to live?
Quistis had taken a more pragmatic approach and thought through the situation logically. The sudden assassination of the General would be an unexpected blow to the Galbadians, but hardly a fatal one. She knew that the G-Army had a rigid chain of command, as well as contingency plans for every possible outcome, including assassination of the General during a state of martial law. The best she could realistically hope for was a few moments of confusion, while Galbadia recovered from this shock. No more than that.
But confusion, she knew, was a blade that cut both ways. With no cable access and extremely limited radio services out in the ocean, Quistis and the rest of SeeD had been working mostly blind since the operation had begun. She knew that Caraway had been assassinated—Xu would never report something so major until she was absolutely sure it was true—but that was the extent of her knowledge. What was Galbadia's reaction to this news? What was going on with the election? Was Galbadia going to ask SeeD for peace, or did they have another plan?
These were questions Quistis had to answer. She had two choices: either sit in the ocean and wait for Galbadia to send another envoy or Xu to send another communication, or go out and find the answers herself. She knew that she would doubt herself, regardless of what choice she made, but if she was destined to be criticized for her choices, she would want be blamed for taking action, rather than for taking no action.
(And Dollet is the closest place that will have reliable news.)
It was a gamble. Leaving the immediate vicinity of Timber left it vulnerable to counterattack. If Galbadia surprised her and pushed all their forces down upon Timber while SeeD was away, it could be a decisive end to the entire war. But she had concluded—and the Headmaster agreed—that it would take days for Galbadia to plan and stage such a huge operation, and with their leader recently deceased, it was reasonable to assume that the government would need some time to recover.
Still, Quistis could not shake her doubts. She passed students in the hall who recognized her even in her civilian clothes. They nodded, smiled, and said, "Commander" politely. She tried to match their energy and enthusiasm, but couldn't. They were excited because everything appeared to be going SeeD's way, and the end of the conflict seemed to be in sight. There was even a rumor that Garden was going to Dollet in order to negotiate Timber's liberation with Galbadia on neutral territory.
Quistis wished that that rumor were true, but wishing did not make it so.
(If only it were that simple…)
She knew in her heart the conflict was only beginning. What had once been a mere uprising in Timber had now become a murder plot in Deling City. The war had been brought into the heart of Galbadia, and few things could stir people into a war frenzy better than the direct invasion of their homeland.
(Especially an invasion by a sorceress.)
If there was anyone left in Galbadia who was still neutral to the conflict in Timber, they would not remain neutral for long. This assassination would energize the Galbadians and encourage retaliation.
Quistis pushed the button for the elevator, lost in her thoughts. Two other girls, a pair of cadets in their blue uniforms, stepped up beside her to wait for the elevator.
"Commander," both cadets said simultaneously. Quistis smiled and nodded. She was worried that they would take this opportunity to ask her questions about the trip to Dollet, or ask about state of the operation overall. She feared, most of all, that she wouldn't have adequate answers to their questions. That they would scoff at her logic and criticize her leadership.
"Can't you see the obvious flaws in your plans?" they would say. "Are you really so foolish?"
To her relief, the two cadets immediately turned to each other and descended into meaningless small talk. Quistis sighed and closed her eyes for a moment.
The elevator arrived with a chime. Quistis and the two girls stepped inside. One of them pushed the button for the second floor, while Quistis reached forward pressed for the third. The elevator doors slid closed, and the machinery hummed as it brought the three to the upper levels.
(I'm just tired…)
(Not thinking straight.)
She hadn't had a full night's rest since the operation had begun. It wasn't that she was overwhelmed with work—she usually finished all her duties well in time for bed—but she worked long into the night going over the details of the plans and the maps again and again, making sure she wasn't making any tactical errors.
(I'm not going to let the students down.)
The elevator chimed as it arrived at the second floor and the two girls exited, leaving Quistis alone in the elevator. The doors shut and the elevator continued its journey upwards.
(Anything less than perfection is failure.)
With another chime, the elevator reached the third floor and deposited Quistis in the Headmaster's receiving room. The door to his office was slightly ajar, left open in anticipation her arrival. She stepped inside and crossed the marble floor to his desk, her shoes clicking with every step. The late afternoon sun beat down through the skylight, making the office appear to glow with a reddish orange hue.
Cid looked up from his paperwork as Quistis stopped before his desk and snapped off a salute.
"At ease," he said. "Nida says we're a few minutes from Dollet. I wanted to ask you if you know who's accompanying you on this trip."
In truth, Quistis hadn't put much thought into it. Dollet was probably safe for SeeD—they'd never heard any intelligence reports to suggest otherwise—so she hadn't seen any point in worrying much about the specifics of her team. She would simply take whoever was available, just for the sake of not going alone into town.
Quistis' thoughts on the subject were interrupted by a knock on the door. Cid looked up, furrowing his brow.
"Now who could that be?" he said. "Come in!"
Mireya poked her head through the doorway and then strode across the office, her neat SeeD uniform appearing crisp and immaculate in the sunshine. Her young face was hard and cold, her gait rigid and professional. She stopped next to Quistis and saluted the Headmaster. Cid put her at ease.
"You have a question, Mireya?" Cid asked.
"For the Commander, yes," Mireya said. She turned to Quistis. "I'd like to go with you into Dollet, if that is alright."
Quistis had to admit, Mireya was probably the furthest person from her mind when considering who she preferred on her team. After their argument yesterday, Quistis would have liked more time apart, to let them both cool down.
On the other hand, she had to admit that there was a certain logic to bringing Mireya. Emotionally, Quistis didn't want to be anywhere near Mireya at the moment, but professionally she knew that refusing Mireya's request would only worsen their already frayed relationship. As Commander, she was the leader of all the SeeDs—even the ones she didn't particularly like.
(This could be a chance for us to bond. Perhaps begin to understand one another.)
"I'd be glad to have you," Quistis said. "Change into your civilian clothes and meet me by the front gate when we arrive at Dollet. Bring your weapon, as well, though I don't think we'll need it."
Mireya nodded. "Thank you, Commander," she said. She spun around and exited the office. When Quistis heard the hum of the elevator as it brought Mireya safely out of hearing range, she turned back to the Headmaster.
"I don't understand her, sir," Quistis said.
"Hm?" Cid said, looked up at her. "What's not to understand?"
"I don't know why she dislikes me so much," Quistis said. "Is it something I did?"
The Headmaster waved a hand dismissively. "She doesn't dislike you. She's just very…" he gazed into the distance, trying to think of an appropriate description. "… Very serious."
Quistis put a hand on her hip. "Well, Squall is very serious too, and he and I get along."
"If I recall correctly," Cid said, "You two only started to bond after you were dismissed as instructor. Try to understand, Quistis, that people like Mireya and Squall have a hard time being friendly towards their superiors. It goes against their nature. And you are the SeeD Commander, remember. That's the first thing she sees when she talks to you: your rank. It will take some time before she can see you for who you are as a person, and until then, she'll treat you like her Commander, and nothing more."
(He has a point…)
She remembered—it seemed an eternity ago—the night of Squall's graduation into SeeD. Coincidentally, it was the same day she'd been dismissed by the Garden Faculty, and reduced to nothing more than a regular SeeD. That night, under the stars, Quistis had brought him to the "secret area" behind the training center, opened up her heart to him, confiding her fears, and seeking solace from her best and most trusted student.
He then told her to go talk to a wall.
(Maybe she is a lot like Squall then.)
Being reminded of that memory—of how Squall used to be before he met Rinoa—made her feel a little better. Time and frequent interactions had turned her and Squall into friends and comrades, and it could do the same for her and Mireya. She began to look forward to spending a little time with Mireya. It was a chance to build up mutual trust and friendship. If nothing else, maybe at least it would reduce the hostility between them.
(Perhaps it won't be so bad after all.)
Quistis felt the floor beneath her feet shift as Garden slowed to a stop. A moment later, Nida descended the steel lift from the bridge, his hands folded in front of him. When the lift hit the floor, he hopped off and saluted the pair.
"Dollet's just in sight," Nida said. "Where d'ya want me to park?"
"As close to the city as you can," Quistis said. "No sense in making us walk any farther than necessary. Dollet's not going to raise a fuss if Garden is at their doorstep."
"Aye aye, Commander," Nida said. He jumped back onto the lift and rode it up to the bridge. The floor shifted again, and Garden lurched forward. Through the windows around the office, Quistis could see the rocky shoreline grow ever closer, as well as the shimmering city of Dollet, which was nestled in a massive sandstone canyon.
Nida avoided the cliffs, went up the beach, and around the city. With the city barricaded on all sides by high cliffs, he had to travel a brief distance before he found a clearing wide enough and flat enough to serve as a landing place. When he did, Garden stopped again, then sank to the ground.
Nida came down the lift again, rushing to meet up with Quistis. Habitually, he snapped off another salute.
"Yes?" she said.
"Can I come with?" he asked, dropping his arm. "Please? I'm always stuck on the bridge. I'd like to get out once in a while, you know? If it's okay with you, I mean."
Quistis crossed her arms. "I don't think that's a good idea. We need you to monitor the radio, in case Xu or the others call in."
"But… but… aww…" he said. He slumped his shoulders dramatically, a gesture he'd picked up from watching Zell.
"Sorry," Quistis said.
"I can take the radio," the Headmaster said. "I'll be sitting here doing paperwork all day. I can just leave it by my desk and relay any important information to you when you come back."
Nida brightened and looked at Quistis with big, puppy eyes. "Is it okay, Commander?"
Quistis smiled. "Sure. Give the radio to the Headmaster, change into your civilian clothes, and meet me by the front gate. With your weapon."
"Yes, ma'am!" Nida said. He scampered over to the Headmaster and pulled the radio out of his pocket. With a whispered, "Thanks, sir" he set it on Cid's desk and rejoined Quistis. Together the two exited the office and rode the elevator down to the first floor.
(Now I'll have the chance to learn about both Mireya and Nida.)
(Interesting…)
In the short trip down to the first floor, Quistis realized how little she actually knew about Garden's pilot. She spoke to him almost every day, but it was always to issue orders or directions. Aside from his name and his general duties, she knew almost nothing about him personally. She frowned.
(I'll have to fix that.)
The two parted ways when the elevator opened, with Nida rushing off to the far end of the Garden to the dormitories, while Quistis went straight ahead to the front gate. She went over a mental checklist for everything she might need on the trip, but the list was very short. The trip to Dollet was solely for gathering information, and all she truly needed was her mind and her memory. She had her whip as well, which could handle any unforeseen circumstances.
Mireya was waiting by the massive steel door that had been welded to the front entrance. At first, Quistis was going to admonish Mireya for failing to change into her civilian clothes, until Quistis got closer and realized that Mireya was in her civilian clothes. It just so happened that Mireya chose to dress, for leisure, almost exactly as a SeeD dressed for duty. She wore a black, button down blouse with matching skirt and sensible, all-purpose shoes. Strapped to her waist was a Galbadian military saber—her weapon of choice. From a distance, she looked like a SeeD ready for battle.
Quistis nodded at her. They were alone in front of the gate.
"Commander, I have a question," Mireya said.
"Go ahead," Quistis said. She hoped that it wouldn't be a question about the mission. Quistis had a feeling that if anyone in Garden was going to judge her decisions, it was going to be Mireya. She didn't want to start off their trip with another argument.
"How well do you know the Headmaster?" she asked. "I'm curious."
(… Odd…)
"Well…" Quistis said, unsure of how much information to share. But then Cid's words came back to her. She remembered how he had said that Mireya would have trouble seeing her as a person, and not just as the SeeD Commander. With this thought in mind, Quistis decided to be open and honest and reveal a fair amount about herself.
"He and I actually go very far back," Quistis said. "He and Matron—Edea, I mean—ran the orphanage where I grew up. I don't have many memories of back then, but what memories I do have are all fond ones. Later, when I joined SeeD, he often encouraged me and guided me, especially after I became an instructor. Recently he and I have grown much closer, and I feel that he trusts me. And I trust him in return. He has always been kind and gentle my whole life and I respect him deeply."
Quistis felt good, sharing this bit of her life story. It was more than most anyone knew about her, and there was something satisfying about revealing her humanity to another person. But Mireya's face didn't seem to register any emotion. After a moment of thought, she said, "And it's his kindness and gentleness that you value in him?"
Quistis shrugged. "Yes, but there is more to it than that. He is also more intelligent than he lets on, and more capable than he would have us believe. He's strong, but modest as well. I respect those qualities in people."
Mireya nodded. "I see. What if you—hypothetically—found out that he was neither kind nor gentle? Would your opinion of him change? Would you still respect him as a leader?"
Quistis bristled.
(What is she getting at?)
"I… I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying," Quistis said. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
Mireya shook her head and waved a hand. "No, no. Just a hypothetical question. You see, I'm just concerned that you're the type of person who puts loyalty above logic. I fear that if you—hypothetically, of course—found out that the Headmaster was not all he wants us to believe he is, you would stand by him nonetheless, just for the sake of unity. Even in the face of opposing evidence."
Quistis' mood was wrecked, almost instantly. She trusted the Headmaster, respected him, and had never been given the slightest reason to doubt him for an instant. It seemed sacrilegious to question his integrity, even in a hypothetical situation. She stared hard at the girl beside her and wondered what Mireya's objective was, asking such an inflammatory question.
Then the thought entered her head that maybe this was Mireya's awkward and tactless way of breaking the ice with her Commander. Squall had once been anti-social to the point of seeming hostile many times, but Quistis never exploded on him. If she had given in to her anger back then, it was unlikely that she and Squall would be friends today.
So she resolved to answer the question truthfully, hoping that Mireya would slowly open up and be less harsh with her questions.
"Well…" Quistis said. "I suppose if the Headmaster was proven false, I'd have to side against him. I believe in honesty and integrity, and I'd be a hypocrite to side with a man who believed in neither of those things."
Mireya nodded. "I agree."
And the conversation abruptly ended there.
Quistis paused, expecting Mireya to ask follow up questions, or perhaps suggest another outrageous hypothetical situation, but her companion chose to remain silent, watching the students pass in the walkway down the hall without speaking. After a few minutes, Nida came jogging into view.
Nida was a quiet, reserved individual, and his clothes reflected his personality perfectly. He wore a steel-gray t-shirt and loose-fitting blue jeans. There were no decals or logos on his clothes, no bright colors or stripes. No accessories. Only quiet, solid colors, expressing nothing. Resting on his shoulder was a willowy-thin spear slightly taller than he was, with an ornate blade shaped like a dagger.
"We ready to go?" Nida asked brightly. Quistis nodded. With that, Nida stepped over to the control panel for the heavy steel door. He punched a glowing red button and the massive front gate for Garden folded downward to the ground, allowing the warm sun to spill into the wide hall.
When the door was all the way open, Quistis walked down the ramp, followed closely by Mireya and Nida. When all three were outside, Nida rushed around the ramp to go push another button on the outside of Garden, sealing the door shut behind them. Then the three headed down the road, with Mireya and Nida flanking on either side of Quistis.
The paved roadway descended down into a dusty canyon. The canyon snaked its way towards the sea, following the path of a river that—generations ago—had carved its shape. Now, where there had once been the mouth of that mighty river, there was a glittering city, shielded on two sides by canyon walls and resting on the edge of the ocean.
Quistis was bothered by her brief conversation with Mireya back inside Garden, but she was determined to form a bond with the girl nonetheless. However, after Mireya's bizarre hypothetical, Quistis couldn't think of anything appropriate to say, so she approached the problem from a new angle: by talking to Nida instead.
"So, Nida," Quistis said. "You seemed eager to get off the bridge. Do you dislike piloting Garden?"
"Oh, no no no, Commander!" he said, shocked she would even suggest such a thing. "I love it. It's just, you know, I'd like to do other things once in a while too."
"Like what?" Quistis asked, sensing an opening for further conversation. "What do you really want from SeeD?"
"Hmm… I haven't really put much thought into it," Nida said. "I guess I like… I like knowing that I'm useful. That if people need me, I can help them. And when you guys stick me on the bridge for weeks on end, I start to wonder if that's all I'm good for, you know? I feel like I'm not living up to my potential when I'm only doing one thing."
"Then I'll be sure to include you in our plans more frequently," Quistis said, with a smile.
"That'd be great!" Nida said.
"How about you, Mireya?" Quistis asked. "What do you want from SeeD?"
Unlike Nida, Mireya had already considered this question long before Quistis ever asked it, and her response reflected that fact. She spoke without hesitation. "I want to be perfect. In everything. Absolute mastery of myself and my surroundings. SeeD, I believe, can offer me that. Or at least start me on the path."
Quistis was struck by this answer, and how surprisingly similar it was to her own outlook on SeeD. Quistis empathized with the desire for perfection; she herself had mused on this idea earlier that day. This discovery that she had some common ground with Mireya brightened her outlook, and gave her hope that she would find even more similarities between them, if she began to look.
(We may never be friends, but perhaps we can learn to understand one another.)
"I don't wanna be perfect," Nida said. "I don't think it's possible. It's like… wishing you were someone else, or wishing you could fly. Yeah, it'd be nice, but I'd rather have goals that I could actually reach."
"You might be right," Mireya said. "The pursuit of perfection is almost certain to be futile. But for me, I cannot accept lowering my standards to anything less. Why should I settle for inferior dreams? Why should I be tolerant of imperfection?"
"That's just life," Nida said. He shrugged. "You can't be perfect all the time."
"So then you think we shouldn't try?" Mireya asked. She looked past Quistis and to Nida. Her gaze was cold.
"I… well… I mean," Nida said. After a few more stuttering attempts at a rebuttal, he lapsed into silence. He glanced at Quistis, wordlessly asking for her support.
"I happen to agree with Mireya on this," Quistis said. "Whether or not we can actually achieve perfection is not necessarily the point. It's the pursuit that's important. Striving for perfection leads to greatness, even if perfection is never truly reached."
"Well said," Mireya said. She turned her gaze to the road ahead, adding nothing more.
Quistis was surprised by herself. It was if those words had been floating around in her mind all her life, and then assembled together for the first time in that very moment. And now that they were out in space, spoken aloud, she realized how much she believed—had always believed—those words to be true.
(I seem to be learning about myself as well.)
The trio reached the bottom of the hill and crossed through the wide metal archway that welcomed travelers into the city of Dollet.
Stepping into Dollet was like traveling backwards in time. The design of the houses, the cars that passed by on the road, and the way people dressed all gave the impression that the city was trapped in a bygone age, while the rest of the world marched onward. The buildings were built one after the other, in long rows that formed walls on either side of the streets. Flashing neon lights advertised pubs, restaurants, nightclubs, and general stores. The brick streets had a thin layer of shiny grease on them, making Quistis' boots slip a little with each step. The smell of car exhaust, cigarettes, and cooking filled the air.
"There's a tavern with cable across the street," Quistis said, pointing at a bar that advertised "Free Cable" in glowing pink letters on its front window. Quistis waited for a gap in traffic, then hustled across the street and to the bar. She passed under a sign that revealed the bar to be named, "Paradise Spirits," and pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped inside, with Mireya and Nida right behind her.
Three grimy pool tables and a thick haze of smoke dominated the small tavern. A couple of regular patrons sitting on barstools and nursing strong drinks twisted around and stared sleepily at the new arrivals, then turned back their conversations, their booze, or one of the two televisions mounted high on the wall behind the glittering bar.
Quistis looked at the twin screens, each one broadcasting a different sports game. She stepped her way between the pool tables and approached the bartender, a heavyset man wearing an apron that may have once been white, years and years ago. He was polishing the bar and cleaning glasses with a rag.
"Excuse me," she said, leaning forward. "Can you turn one of those televisions to the news?"
The bartender looked up at her and grunted. "No. Ain't nothing but the assassination on today. I'm tired a hearin' about the damned Galbadians and their General or whatever. You want news, there's a cable terminal in the corner by the jukebox. Knock yourself out."
(Well, forgive me for asking…)
Quistis nodded at him and turned around. Tucked in the far corner of the room, next to a glowing pink jukebox, was a stained computer terminal on a small desk, with a cracked wooden stool beside it. Quistis went over there and pulled out the stool and sat on it. The legs wobbled as she sat and the terminal's keyboard was sticky and covered in a mysterious brown film.
(Glad I've got gloves on.)
She fired up the console and connected to Dollet's major news sites. She read through the articles quickly, getting herself up to speed on Galbadian activities in the wake of Caraway's death.
As she expected, the Lieutenant General of the Army had quickly filled in for Caraway. So far there had been no troubles with the exchange of power. Mixed in with the real news were stories about Caraway's life, plans for an upcoming memorial service, and the occasional article where paranoid people predicted future assassinations that would be carried out by the sorceress. Quistis mostly ignored these articles, until her eyes fell on a story about how all other presidential candidates had dropped out of the running except for one. She clicked on it and read it.
"Martine Dodonna?" Quistis said. She pulled her face back from the screen, perplexed. "The Headmaster of G-Garden? Since when was he even in the running?"
Behind her, Nida and Mireya were silent, but Quistis soon found other articles that answered her questions. She began losing track of time, clicking through article after article. Her trance was only broken when she heard a handful of bar patrons erupt into moans of annoyance. A few booed loudly.
"Hmm?" Quistis said, in response to the interruption. She spun around on the stool to see what the commotion was. The bar patrons were looking at the television screens and sneering. There, on both screens simultaneously, was Headmaster Martine, standing behind an elaborate podium that bore the official seal of Galbadia on the front. He was addressing the camera, gesturing with both hands as he spoke, but the televisions were muted, so she couldn't hear him. On the ticker tape at the bottom of the screen, the words, "SPECIAL REPORT" scrolled by again and again.
"Aw, not this crap again," the bartender said. He reached up to turn the televisions off, but was stopped by Quistis' protest.
"Wait!" she said, getting up and rushing to the bar. "Could you unmute it, please?"
The bartender looked at her, his hand hovering above the power button. "You buying anything, lady, or you just browsing?"
"Um… I'll have a soda. Whatever," she said. "Please."
"Fine," the bartender grumbled. Instead of turning the televisions off, he hit the volume, allowing Martine's voice to come over the speakers. The bartender ignored the televisions and poured Quistis' soda into a glass and set it on a napkin before her. She didn't notice the soda, her attention focused on the screens.
"—the wake of this tragedy," Martine said. He paused for effect, then continued. "But we must realize the simple truth of the matter: this was an act of terrorism committed by a terrorist, with the intent of breaking our will as a people, and forcing us to submit to the whims of villains. General Caraway attempted to reason with these irrational rebels, and has paid the ultimate price for his temperance and patience. It is clear now that kindness extended to these terrorists will only be met with hatred, and offers of peace will be returned with acts of violence. The sorceress in Timber must be brought to justice, swiftly and decisively. There is no other option."
Martine paused again, his words engulfed by a torrent of frenzied applause. It was in this moment that Quistis realized that he was speaking from the balcony of the Presidential Residence in the middle of Deling City. It didn't escape her notice that Martine was coincidentally talking about assassinations and sorceresses in the very spot where the Sorceress Ultimecia—in Edea's body—had murdered Vinzer Deling, her first action in her failed attempt to conquer the world.
"As President, it is my duty and my obligation to protect the people of Galbadia from any who would cause them harm," Martine said.
(President?!)
(So it's decided. He's won by default.)
Martine was still talking, preventing Quistis from considering the implications of his election.
"But this is a threat to more than just Galbadia," Martine said. "The sorceress is a threat to the entire world. Not just this sorceress, but all sorceresses in history, and all sorceresses in the future. The sorceress is the enemy of mankind and must be destroyed, in order for mankind to continue. With this in mind, I have authorized the full mobilization of Galbadia's army, the full weight of our might to be brought down upon Timber and all who stand in support of the rebels. I will not relent until the threat is neutralized. I will not submit until the cancer of the world is cut out. This I swear."
He paused, allowing another burst of applause to sweep over the crowd that had assembled on the streets below him. The blood drained from Quistis' body as if someone had punched holes in her. It was almost too much to believe. The exact series of events that she and the Headmaster had assumed were impossible were now coming to pass. Galbadia had not been stunned into a temporary truce by the death of their general. On the contrary, they had gathered strength from it, muscled in a new president, and were launching a full counterattack less than twenty-four hours after Caraway's death.
(I've made a terrible mistake…)
Martine continued.
"Twice before, Galbadia has stood alone in the path of a tyrant sorceress who sought to destroy us. Once, seventeen years ago, against Sorceress Adel and her Esthar army. And again, less than two months ago, when the Sorceress Edea assassinated President Deling and started a world war. Both times Galbadia has prevailed. And we shall again. Long live Galbadia!"
Martine stepped back from the podium to thunderous applause. He raised his hand to the crowd, accepting their love. His face was stern, but confident as well. The volume of the applause died down as a female reporter's voice came over the video feed.
"That was newly appointed President Martine Dodonna," the reporter said, "addressing the citizens in Deling City."
"You seen enough?" the bartender asked Quistis. He already had his hand up to the power button on the television.
Quistis nodded. "Yes, thank you."
She reached into her pocket and blindly shoved a few gil onto the counter to pay for her drink. Whether she paid too much or too little, she neither knew nor cared. She was absolutely lost in her thoughts, and the trivial matter of a bar tab was beneath her at the moment. She turned and marched out of the tavern, trying to keep from breaking into a sprint. Trying to keep from screaming.
(Stupid, stupid, stupid!)
Once back outside, Quistis turned up the street and headed for the city exit. She sped up to a jog, then broke into a sprint, unable to restrain herself.
("Everything that happens from here on is your fault.")
And what a terrible, painful coincidence, that the very same person who'd laid that criticism upon her was with Quistis now, running a few steps behind her. The three cleared the city walls, with citizens of Dollet observing their flight from the city. Mireya sped up to get alongside Quistis.
"This was a mistake," she said between breaths. "We never should have abandoned our position."
"Yes, in hindsight, yes," Quistis said, gritting her teeth and gasping for breath as she ran up the long sloping hill back to Garden. "But we had no way of knowing that until now."
"It was a tactical error," Mireya said, refusing to give up the point. "You took a massive gamble, and you lost."
"Yes, I know!" Quistis said.
"Furthermore," Mireya said, "We're probably already too late. Martine wouldn't announce his plans to attack Timber until after he'd already put the plans in motion. Who knows how close the G-Army is to Timber by now. The city may already be under attack."
"Yes, I know!" Quistis repeated.
"Galbadia always retaliates after being attacked," Mireya said, her voice rising. "Their national pride gets in the way of rational thought, and they plunge in headfirst after their enemies. You should have known this was coming!"
The three reached Garden. Quistis ran to the cool metal wall of the school and found the keypad that opened the door from the outside. Unlike the simple open/close button on the inside, the outside keypad had a numeric code, installed by the technicians at FH. Quistis paused for a moment, remembered the code, and then punched it into the keypad. The pad glowed green, and the door began to drop open.
"You haven't told me anything I don't know," Quistis said, turning to Mireya. "So what is your point? To rub salt in the wound? To act like you're better than me? Or do you just love to argue?"
Mireya didn't answer the question directly. Instead, she crossed her arms and stared at Quistis. The front gate opened all the way, but neither of the two women moved to step inside.
"I want you to think logically," Mireya said. "The battle is lost. We need to come up with a new plan to help the Contact Team escape from Timber, and break the eight captive SeeDs out of prison. We need to denounce the sorceress immediately and try to make amends with Galbadia. It's the only way."
Quistis railed on her with a fury. "Are you insane? We are not abandoning our client in the middle of a mission!"
"There is no mission!" Mireya said. "The mission has failed. It's over. We can do nothing for Timber except prolong a losing battle and add to the body count."
"SeeD fights for justice," Quistis said. "Timber is fighting a worthy battle, and I aim to help them in that fight."
Mireya scoffed. "SeeD fights for itself. We don't owe any loyalty to the people of Timber, or the Galbadians, or anyone else for that matter. We owe loyalty to ourselves and our school. And you're asking us to die for some misbegotten notion of 'justice?' Don't be ridiculous."
Nida slowly began walking up the ramp and into Garden, but he paused when he saw that the two girls were not coming with. He looked up the ramp, into the school, then down to the pair.
"You are a coward!" Quistis said, stepping forward in her anger. "You will obey my orders, regardless of whether or not you think the battle is justified."
"Don't call me a coward!" Mireya said. Her hand reached for the handle of her sword, gripping it tightly. "I am merely trying to fix your mistakes!"
"Um… guys?" Nida said, pointing at the open door.
"My mistakes?!" Quistis yelled.
"Yes!" Mireya shouted. "This whole operation has been madness from the start. You've let your own sentimentality and weakness drive us into a corner, and you refuse to admit that your failures are going to cost SeeDs their lives!"
"Quistis?" Nida said, growing worried. "Mireya?"
"We are fighting for a better future!" Quistis said. "We are holding ourselves to a higher standard! We will not abandon the weak to be oppressed by the strong."
"That's just talk," Mireya said. "Stupid, ignorant, dreams. Without the strength to back it up, you truly are wishing for the impossible. SeeD cannot carve out a utopia by suddenly deciding to pick a fight with the largest military in the world! Admit that you've taken on a task bigger than yourself, get our people out of Timber, and let's go home! Or else step down as Commander and let someone else with more sense take over!"
"Someone like you?" Quistis asked.
"Yes," Mireya said. "If that's what it takes."
"GUYS!" Nida shouted, finally bringing the argument to a stop.
Both women turned to Nida, who was standing on the metal ramp leading into Garden. When he had their attention, he pointed to the open entrance. There, along the edge of the ramp, a small crowd of SeeDs, cadets, and underclassmen had gathered to watch the debate. Quistis blushed.
(Oh no…)
"I… I…" she stammered, looking at the crowd, at Nida, at Mireya. Mireya lowered her voice, but didn't let the argument end there.
"You've overstepped your bounds," Mireya said. "You accepted a foolish mission and you refuse to admit it. I understand what you were trying to accomplish, but you have taken on too much, too quickly, and now we all will suffer the consequences. I told you before that I desire to be perfect. But the pursuit of that goal is a process, one that must be taken carefully and deliberately. You cannot simply jump to the final conclusion and expect everything to work out. I, too, desire a better future. But there are many things that must happen between now and then before such a dream can be realized. You've allowed your idealism to cloud your judgment, and that is your mistake."
Without another word, Mireya turned away and headed up the ramp. Quistis watched her go, seething inside, a thousand furious retorts bubbling in her mind.
(No… I'll only make the situation worse if I say something to her now.)
Mireya reached the top of the ramp. The students broke apart to let her pass through, then stared awkwardly at Quistis. She sighed and gathered her thoughts, calming herself down.
(I am still SeeD Commander, regardless of what Mireya thinks.)
"Begin preparations for battle," Quistis said to the crowd at the top of the ramp. "And await my next order."
Though the students were confused, years of discipline made them respond instantly, without question. They broke apart, disappearing into Garden to prepare for yet another battle. Quistis turned to Nida.
"Go back to the bridge," Quistis said. "Make a course for Timber."
"Roger," Nida said. He nodded and started up the ramp. He took a couple steps, then paused, and turned back to Quistis.
"… Commander?" Nida said.
"Yes?"
"I… I just want you to know, I'm totally on your side," he said. "I wanna fight for Timber. And I don't think this was all a big mistake."
Quistis sighed, and nodded. "Thank you."
Nida smiled weakly, then raced up the ramp and into the Garden. Quistis followed at a walk, trying to recover her emotions and calm herself down.
(So much for being perfect...)