Final Fantasy 8: Future Bound

by Darsar

The continuation of the events of Final Fantasy 8, shortly after the conclusion of the game.

44. Chapter 44: In Battle

Chapter 44

In Battle

(Quistis)

Quistis knew that she only had a few moments to decide on a plan.

The last two Galbadian cruisers had retreated, providing a reprieve of battle, but with Galbadia Garden in pursuit—and gaining—and with more G-Navy vessels coming with, Quistis knew that peace was only temporary. Battle was inevitable. As long as Galbadia Garden was being towed by eight cruisers, it had the speed advantage and no amount of clever maneuvers or trickery would be enough to save Garden this time, like it had earlier outside of Timber.

(I have to decide and I have to decide now.)

She was aware of Squall standing nearby on the balcony, and she was desperately tempted to dump all the decisions into his lap. But she knew that was both unfair to Squall and unfair to SeeD. Squall had only just recovered from severe injury and only knew a small portion of what was going on at the moment. Putting him in charge would only weaken SeeD overall and place an impossible task on Squall's shoulders.

(I have to be the one to do this.)

She quickly thought through her priorities, organized her soldiers in her mind, and considered possible plans of attack that Galbadia might try. It only took her a few seconds to decide on a plan.

"Selphie, Irvine," Quistis said. The two hopped over to her and saluted. "I need you two to get on the bridge and defend it for as long as you can."

Selphie frowned. "Shouldn't we all stick together?"

Quistis shook her head. "We need to defend the bridge. Now go!"

Without further argument, the two dashed off the balcony and headed inside the school.

Because it was so high up, the bridge wasn't ordinarily a weak point in the school. Soldiers attacking from a ship or from ground level would have a tough time scaling up to the tall peak of Garden.

However, now that Galbadia Garden had entered the picture, Garden lost its height advantage. G-Garden could send troops directly from the top of its school down to the top of Garden. If they managed to break the glass and gain entry, they could seize control of Garden itself. Also, if the bridge was lost, it would be fairly easy for the rest of the soldiers to march their way down to the bottom of the school through the elevators, attacking SeeD from within.

(We can't afford to lose the bridge.)

"Zell, Ami," Quistis said, pointing to the two of them. They rushed to her and saluted. "Go down to the quad and provide reinforcements."

Zell shuddered visibly. "You mean…" he gulped. "Go down with Mireya?"

Quistis nodded. "Exactly. I want you two to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't try to overstep her bounds."

The previous battle had been just a warm-up. Judging by the amount of force Galbadia was applying, this next fight would be long and difficult. Breakdowns in communication and discipline would be inevitable. The last thing Quistis needed was for Mireya to think she was in charge and then to go against the main plan. Hopefully, Zell and Ami would be able to deter her from trying to make a power grab.

Zell reluctantly saluted, and he and Ami rushed inside the school and vanished.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Rinoa asked. "Separating us like that?"

"We're too concentrated on the balcony here," Quistis said, speaking with more confidence than she felt. "We need to spread out."

(I hope this is the right plan…)

Quistis unhooked her radio from her belt and brought it to her mouth.

"Nida, come in," she said. At this range, it was likely that Galbadia could intercept their radio transmissions, so she kept her messages brief and vague.

"Here, Commander" Nida said.

"Get on the intercom," she said. "Alert the students that Operation Rolling Fire is under effect."

"Understood," Nida said, and ended the transmission.

"What's Operation Rolling Fire?" Rinoa asked, scrunching up her face. She glanced up at Squall, looking for answers, but he only shrugged.

"You'll figure it out as you go along," Quistis said. She didn't mean to sound so abrupt, but there was no time to explain the nuances of the plan. She turned and addressed the rest of the SeeDs assembled on the balcony. "All right, I want long-range weapon specialties arranged along the perimeter of the balcony. Organize yourself according to Student ID, with the highest numbers closest to this side." She indicated the side nearest to the pursuing Galbadians. The students carrying guns or projectiles or those who specialized in magic rushed to obey her order.

"Short range specialties gather in a phalanx near the door," Quistis said. "Medics and support teams get inside behind the door and await further instructions."

The remaining SeeDs divided themselves according to her order. Squall—who had appointed himself as a medic for the duration of the fight—moved inside the building with the other medics and support teams.

Rinoa watched him go with a slightly pained expression, then hardened her face and turned to Quistis. "What should I do?"

"Stay here with me," Quistis said. "Do what you were doing before."

"It's going to be harder without Selphie backing me up," Rinoa said.

"I know, but we'll have to manage," Quistis said. She turned away and headed for the balcony edge. She had to squeeze between a pair of SeeDs holding rifles, but she was able to peer over the railing and see both the White SeeD ship and Trabia Garden moving alongside the school. The wake rushed behind both Gardens and the ship as they all sped to the east in a tight cluster. She could see Tomomi near the controls for T-Garden. She was looking up at Quistis and occasionally casting worried glances back at the approaching Galbadians. Quistis looked as well and tried to gauge how long it would be before the Galbadians got within range.

(Maybe a minute…)

(Maybe two at the most.)

She grimaced, then turned and leaned over the balcony edge.

"Are you going to fight, or are you going to run away?" Quistis asked the T-Garden students and White SeeDs. Once again, her need for haste had made her words sound harsher than she intended. She would have understood perfectly well if T-Garden and White SeeD chose to run away and leave Garden to its own devices. After all, White SeeD was currently carrying a cargo hold full of unarmed noncombatants, and T-Garden had almost no defenses to speak of—other than whatever magic Tomomi could whip up. It was madness for them to try to stay and fight, but Quistis wanted to give them a choice in the matter.

"We're staying," Tomomi said with little hesitation. The T-Garden students around her nodded in agreement.

On board the White SeeD ship, the Commander looked up at Quistis. "We shall fight as well."

Quistis nodded solemnly. "Good. Both of you focus on defense. Protect yourselves first. Move in front of Garden and stay there as long as you can. Don't expose yourselves to any artillery fire. Tomomi, focus on support magic. Don't try to get too aggressive unless you're sure you see an opening. Understood?"

Tomomi and Commander Alnaj nodded, providing perfect and identical SeeD salutes.

Quistis was still working under the assumption that Galbadia wanted to seize Garden intact. As the previous battle had worn on, it became more and more obvious that Mireya's theory was correct—Galbadia would not destroy Garden unless they had no choice. Although all the ships that had attacked Garden had been equipped with heavy cannons and other artillery that could have easily decimated the school, the guns had been turned almost exclusively on T-Garden and White SeeD, leaving Garden mostly out of it.

If Galbadia continued to spare Garden the worst of its wrath, then it stood to reason that Garden was going to be the safest place in the ocean, once the fighting commenced. Quistis figured she could use this to her advantage, by using Garden itself as a sort of shield to protect T-Garden and the White SeeDs.

(Hopefully we can help shield them from the worst of it.)

Quistis pulled back from the railing and set a hand on her chin. She glanced up at the pursuing ships. Only few seconds remained before the battle would enter its second phase. She tried to think if there was anything else she needed to prepare.

(Operation Rolling Fire has been initiated.)

(The balcony is secure.)

(White SeeD and T-Garden are in place.)

(All noncombatants are in the basement.)

(Selphie and Irvine are defending the bridge.)

(Mireya is accounted for.)

That was about all that she could do at the moment. She wished that she could personally monitor what was happening down in the quad—which was one of Garden's other major weak points—but she would have to abandon her post in the balcony in order to do that. Quistis would have to trust that Mireya could handle the responsibility—and that Zell and Ami would be there to pick up the slack if she couldn't.

Quistis had a sudden thought, then turned to Rinoa.

"Where's Xu?" she asked. "Did you see her?"

"She said she was going to the bridge," Rinoa said. "I guess she might still be up there."

Quistis nodded. The bridge was a good place for Xu at the time. She could help organize Selphie, Irvine, and Nida, and possibly use the intercom to relay down messages to the rest of the school if need be.

(I guess that's it.)

(We're as ready as we're going to be.)

Heart hammering, Quistis unhooked her whip from her belt and ran her fingers along the leather straps that criss-crossed the handle. They had prepared as much as possible. All that was left was to lay the cards on the table and see who the winner would be.

The Galbadian ships had now gotten just outside of rifle range. Quistis raised a hand to signal everyone to prepare for combat. She could hear clicks and pops as SeeDs disengaged the safeties on their weapons, drew their equipment, and braced themselves.

"Ready!" Quistis said. She hesitated, then dropped her arm. "Fire!"

The report was deafening as dozens of SeeDs fired at once. Others launched their magic spells—freezing blue ice magic, brilliant cracks of lightning, or burning orbs of fire. Rinoa hurled some of her colorless magic as well, which hit the hull of one of the ships, tearing open a smoldering hole in the side.

"Rinoa, focus on defense," Quistis said. "Watch what they do, and counterattack."

Rinoa nodded, then stopped her magic, bracing herself for the Galbadian counterattack.

The pursuing ships drew closer and closer, suffering under the brutal attacks from the SeeDs, but yet there was no immediate response. The guns on their decks were silent. There were no soldiers moving about. The Galbadians seemed to be accepting the attack without any mind for defending themselves.

Quistis grew nervous.

(They're plotting something.)

Then, when the ships were almost within throwing range of Garden, the deck cannons of three of the ships rotated in place, took aim and the school, and launched a series of small canisters at Garden.

Fearing that they were explosives, Quistis shouted, "Down!" and crouched. Rinoa spun around in place, calling up a small tornado that snagged several of the canisters midair and hurled them into the ocean. A few, however, broke past her defense and hit the side of the school and tumbled down the side, clanking hollowly as they fell.

Quistis narrowed her eyes at them, watching them descend.

(They're just… cans?)

One of the canisters took a lucky bounce and fell in the middle of the balcony, only paces away from Quistis. As it settled to the stop, both ends of the can burst open, spraying thick, billowing green smoke out into the air.

"Gas!" Quistis yelled, leaping away from the canister. Quistis' mind froze for an instant. She had not considered gas attacks in her strategies, and she struggled for a moment to think of the best way to deal with it.

But Rinoa, lacking training but full of instinct, immediately leapt in. She spun her arms in loops and summoned a tornado that sucked up the can—and the gas as well—up into the sky. She angled the tornado to the side, hurling the canister far into the ocean, where it continued to spew out a trail of green gas all the way until it hit the sea with a tiny splash.

And then the Galbadians opened up their attack.

The deck cannons opened fire all at once, aiming—not for the engines or the weak parts of the school—but at the expendable parts. The parts with the most SeeDs on them. A few rounds blasted off the side of the balcony, spraying up chunks of debris and smoke and staggering Quistis with the force of their impact. Once more, Rinoa rushed to the defense, leaping headfirst into the assault and holding out both hands, fingers splayed. She created a shield that diverted the shells away from the balcony, bouncing them off and shooting them into the sky or down into the ocean. She clenched her teeth and strained with the effort, but she seemed to be more than a match for the Galbadian artillery.

Meanwhile, aboard the Galbadian ships and G-Garden, the formerly empty decks and unoccupied launch pads on G-Garden flooded with green-suited paratroopers, wearing their heavy, shoulder-and-back-mounted propeller systems. Several of them cried out and collapsed when they stepped into view, victims of Garden's uninterrupted magical and long-range attacks, but a few managed to break through the assault and get airborne. Their engines sprung to life, emitting sounds like miniature helicopters as they took off from the ships and from G-Garden and into the sky.

Immediately, the long-range fighters on the bridge diverted their focus from the more distant targets aboard the ship and began taking shots at the flying paratroopers, plucking them out of the sky one at a time. Quistis stepped in and slashed her hands through the air.

"No! No!" she shouted. "Keep aiming at the ships! Hit them when they come out! Ignore the ones in flight!"

Although the paratroopers in the air were bigger threats, the ones still on the ships and on G-Garden were forced to cluster in tight groups before they could take off. It was easier for the SeeDs to focus on the paratroopers before they were airborne, when they were better targets. That way, they could cut down many more of them, reducing the total number of paratroopers drastically. But if Quistis had allowed the SeeDs to focus on the ones already in flight, they would waste a lot of time and bullets going after the Galbadians in ones and twos, rather than taking down entire groups.

Her strategy inevitably meant that some paratroopers would escape and make it all the way to Garden. Quistis spun to face the short-range fighters behind her. "Prepare to engage! Battle junctions up! Cast any support magic you have!"

The secondary team obeyed their orders and drew their weapons, brandishing swords, spears, staves, bladed shields—whatever their weapon specialties were. Quistis readied her whip and cast protective magic on herself.

"What's my mission?" Rinoa asked, keeping her shield up and deflecting the worst of the Galbadian artillery.

"Keep it up," Quistis shouted above the chaos. "Stop that artillery fire!"

Rinoa nodded and focused on her work. Unfortunately, Rinoa could only attack or defend—she could not do both at once. Although Quistis knew that they could deal a serious blow to the Galbadians if Rinoa was allowed to unleash her full powers against them, she also knew that it would come at a cost. Allowing the Galbadians to hit the school with their artillery without Rinoa's protection—even for a few moments—could completely destroy Garden.

(We have to stay on the defensive.)

(Make them come to us.)

Outnumbered and outgunned, defense was their only shot at survival.

As the paratroopers buzzed their way closer and closer to Garden, Quistis spied movement down below, from the water. She turned and looked. There was T-Garden, moving around the school and heading straight at the Galbadian ships. Tomomi stood out front, both her hands sticking out, using her magic to deflect bullets and artillery. And there, behind T-Garden, White SeeD followed in their wake, protected by Tomomi's magic.

Quistis grimaced and ran for the edge of the balcony. She tried to wave them off. "No! Turn back! Stay out of the way!"

But they either weren't listening or didn't care. They kept advancing until they were moving alongside the school, just underneath the balcony. Dozens of White Seeds clustered on the deck of their ship, then—as one smooth unit—they all leapt up at once. They shot up over the balcony railing, somersaulted midair, and landed in the middle, expertly dodging between the SeeDs and finding the gaps of open space where they could land safely.

Before Quistis could stop and ask them what they were doing, the White SeeDs all bent their knees again and looked up at the paratroopers, then jumped once more.

The paratroopers shouted in surprise as a wave of White SeeDs flew directly into them. The SeeDs caught onto the paratroopers, clinging to the engines or to the paratroopers themselves. The Galbadians snarled and tried to punch and kick their opponents off, but to no avail. Once the White SeeDs had closed the gap, the Galbadians stood no chance against the SeeDs' superior strength and dexterity.

Like acrobats, the White SeeDs contorted themselves, twisting and bending the Galbadians' arms and legs. The Galbadian soldiers went from screaming rage to screaming pain as their joints snapped and their bones broke. As the Galbadians were incapacitated, the White SeeDs clambered on top of their foes and undid the complicated network of safety harnesses, dropping the stunned Galbadians into the ocean with a series of splashes. Then the White SeeDs climbed down into the harnesses and assumed control of the paratrooper's engines, piloting them as easily and naturally as if they'd been training on them since birth. Soon, Galbadian paratroopers were having midair dogfights with White SeeD paratroopers.

(Impressive.)

But even with the White SeeDs turning the paratroopers' own weapons against themselves, it wasn't enough. Dozens of White SeeDs had commandeered the enemy's weapons, but hundreds of paratroopers were now taking to the skies to replace their fallen comrades. Quistis watched as more and more continued to pour out of the ships and out of G-Garden.

(My goodness, it has to be their entire paratrooper force!)

Last time the two Gardens had clashed, the paratrooper force had only had a nominal effect on the battle. There simply wasn't enough space to accommodate them all on G-Garden.

But now that they had G-Garden plus a significant number of ships, Galbadia could truly unload the full weight of their paratrooper unit upon SeeD. And there was little SeeD could do to stop it.

Paratroopers wove their way through the skies, dodging White SeeDs and magic and bullets, before hovering above the balcony, the quad, and other key areas in Garden. When they were low enough, they dropped down and drew their swords.

Four landed in a group on the balcony. Quistis raised her whip. "ATTACK!" she yelled, and the short range SeeD fighters moved forward to engage the enemy.

Quistis struck out with her whip, catching one of the paratroopers around his ankle. She yanked hard, throwing the soldier face first to the ground. A SeeD ran up quickly and planted his spear in center of the soldier's back. Another paratrooper was sliced across the chest by two SeeDs working together. The third fell quickly, a pair of throwing knives sticking out of his throat. The last one slashed desperately in circles with his sword, fending off a cluster of SeeDs, before Quistis struck him down with a bolt of lightning.

The whole encounter took only a few seconds, but that initial wave of paratroopers had done their jobs. They had broken up the concentrated phalanx of SeeDs, and now the students were disorganized and spread out along the balcony, exposing weaknesses and gaps.

"Reform the line!" Quistis said. "Defend the door at all costs. Do not let them get behind you!"

The SeeDs rushed to scramble back to the door, while several more paratroopers dropped down from the sky and landed amongst them. Swords slashed, and people on both sides of the battle cried out in pain. A few SeeDs fell to the floor. Others rushed up and dragged the wounded through the door to Squall and the other medics, who were waiting just on the other side.

Quistis spun around in place, looking at the battle as a whole. The SeeDs along the balcony edge were doing their best to take out the paratroopers—which were still coming out in endless waves from the ships and from G-Garden. Rinoa held up her shield, keeping the balcony from being blown to pieces by artillery fire. Tomomi held up her own shield, struggling to defend both T-Garden and the White SeeD ship. The White SeeDs continued their aerial battle, but now they had given up on commandeering the paratrooper gear and now focused solely on jumping from soldier to soldier, knocking them out and dropping them to the ocean before moving to the next target. Beside Quistis, paratroopers dropped down onto the balcony and attacked with long, wicked swords.

A blade slashed just to the side of Quistis. She snapped out of her thoughts and reflexively dodged and spun around, cracking her whip across her assailant's face. The man staggered, a bright line of blood opening across his neck and shoulders. Quistis raised her whip and spun it in a circle, then struck again, knocking the soldier back and over the balcony, where he fell into the ocean.

(How long can we keep this up?)

The Galbadians seemed to be in no danger of running out of soldiers to throw at Garden, but meanwhile every lost SeeD exposed dangerous weaknesses in the formation, allowing more and more Galbadians to reach the balcony alive.

(It's sheer attrition.)

(They're wearing us down.)

"ROBOTS!" Rinoa yelled, her voice strained by her continual effort to maintain her shield.

Quistis spun and looked. Paratroopers were now exiting the ships in pairs, and each pair was tethered to a single tall, humanoid G1M52A model android. The androids glowing mechanical eyes locked onto the SeeDs. Machine guns mounted in their arms opened fire at the balcony and other places on Garden. The bullets bounced off Rinoa's shield, producing bright circles of light in the air every time they hit, but the additional strain was beating Rinoa down. She took a step backward, her head bowed, her hair falling over her face, then another step back, losing more and more ground.

(She won't last much longer.)

Quistis rushed to the balcony edge to address the SeeDs.

"Aim for the paratroopers!" she yelled. "Bring them down!"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, one of the paratroopers was shot. He cried out and clutched his chest, while his flight unit spun out of control spiraling down towards the ocean. His cable snapped, severing his link to the robot, while the remaining paratrooper struggled to stay aloft. But the robot lashed to his unit was swaying wildly, and without a second paratrooper to balance it out, the incredible weight of the machine dragged both the android and the paratrooper down into the ocean waves.

A few more paratroopers suffered similar fates, but the SeeDs were—at best—only taking down two out of every three. The survivors were getting closer and closer. Soon the androids would get past Rinoa's shield and join the fight.

(There's too many.)

The SeeDs were running low on magic and ammunition. Quistis could hear them shout as they ran out of bullets or dried up their magical reserves. Meanwhile, the Galbadians seemed to have an infinite supply of paratroopers and an equal number of robots to replace the ones lost to the sea. Even though a single SeeD was worth almost ten Galbadians, the G-Army had arrived ready and willing to expend however many soldiers it took to bring Garden down.

(They were prepared for this.)

Quistis had known that Galbadia would not try to use the same tactics twice in the next battle between G-Garden and SeeD. President Martine, apparently, had studied the last battle between the two Gardens and had learned from their mistakes. This time, he had come prepared to win.

(We may not escape this time.)

The paratroopers carrying the robots were advancing quickly. The first would be upon them in seconds. Quistis scowled, knowing she had no choice but the initiate the next phase of Operation Rolling Fire.

(We have to fall back.)

"Gunners, cease fire!" Quistis yelled. "Retreat into Garden!"

Disciplined and precise, the long ranger fighters put up their guns and withdrew their magic, then rushed across the balcony and fled into the school. When they were clear, Quistis turned to face the fighters.

"Fighters, retreat!" she yelled.

The fighters beat off the last two paratroopers remaining on the balcony, and then escaped to the safety of Garden.

"Rinoa, give 'em one big blast and then run!" Quistis yelled.

Rinoa nodded. She took a deep breath through her nose, and then pushed out with her whole body. Her shield spread out in all directions, pushing aside a wave of paratroopers that were advancing to the balcony. The stunned paratroopers lost control of their machines and spun wildly through the air.

Rinoa turned to run and dropped her shield. Instantly, artillery fire began punishing the structure of the balcony, blowing open holes and spraying the air with bits of the school. Quistis and Rinoa ran, explosions tearing up all around them. Quistis ran with her head bowed and her ears ringing. She was aware of paratroopers landing on the balcony behind her, but she could not stay and fight. It would be suicide at this point.

Inside the school, the beaten and exhausted students had clustered together just beyond the door. Further down the hall, Squall had set up a makeshift infirmary and was helping tend to the wounded. Quistis spun around and lifted a hidden panel in the wall. Inside the panel, she pushed a large red button and then pressed a numerical code into a machine. A thick metal blast door descended over the door to the balcony, sealing off the balcony from the rest of the school.

"Continue the operation!" Quistis said to the students. "Move to your secondary battle positions and prepare for the next wave of combat. Take the wounded to the infirmary and await my orders!"

The SeeDs rushed to obey, clearing out of the hallways quickly. Squall picked up a wounded SeeD and threw the SeeD's arm over his shoulders, carrying him back down the hall. Rinoa rushed forward to help him.

Behind her, Quistis heard paratroopers landing on the balcony in droves. The hammering of the artillery fire stopped as the Galbadian ships allowed their soldiers to completely take over the balcony. Quistis turned and looked at the blast door.

It had been built by the Centra, as a necessary feature when the school had still been used as a shelter. The shield would hold off the Galbadian advance for a short while, but it wouldn't keep them out forever.

(As long as we have time to set up our secondary defenses, it'll suffice.)

But still, the fact that the Galbadians had forced her to retreat so soon in the battle worried her. When they had originally drawn up the plans for Operation Rolling Fire, they did not anticipate the amount of force Galbadia had brought to bear. Quistis tightened her jaw and breathed steadily, trying to settle her pounding heart.

(We must keep fighting.)

The monsters that had been placed in the second floor classrooms had done their jobs so far. Although several paratroopers had tried to gain access through the classroom windows, they had found themselves stymied by a wall of furious, half-starved monsters roaming loose. Quistis could hear roars and clattering and shouts as paratroopers tried to fight their way through the monsters.

Quistis followed behind the last of the SeeDs as they evacuated down to the first floor.

Here, a problem in the plan revealed itself. A cluster of SeeDs had gathered around the walkway, awaiting their turn to enter the elevator. The elevator could only hold so many students at once, and there was only the single elevator connecting the first and second floors of Garden. As such, the elevator had become a delay point in the retreat. Quistis scowled at her lack of foresight and stood just behind the group of SeeDs.

"Everybody move forward as much as possible," she yelled. "Squeeze in."

The SeeDs glanced at her, then moved to comply. After a few seconds of shuffling around, they all—just barely—managed to fit together on the walkway.

(That will have to do.)

Quistis stepped onto the walkway after them and turned around. There in the wall was another hidden panel. Like with the previous one, she opened the panel, pressed a button, and entered a numerical code, closing shut a second blast door and blocking the second floor hallway off from the elevators. Galbadia still hadn't broken through the first blast door, so Quistis hoped that the second one would give the SeeDs enough time to get down to the first floor and get into position.

She tapped her foot nervously, waiting for the elevator to arrive. It arrived with a ding, and the SeeDs began moving towards it.

"Wounded students first," Quistis said. "Get them down to the infirmary. Everyone else, stay up here with me. We'll catch the next one."

The students stepped aside to let the wounded SeeDs among them squeeze tightly into the elevator. The elevator was stuffed to absolute capacity, to the point where everyone was crammed elbow-to-elbow. The doors shut and the elevator jerked into motion, the motors whining under the strain of all the additional weight.

Quistis sighed and tried to take a head count, estimating how many trips it would take to get all the students down to the first floor. She guessed it would take at least two more. She grimaced and shook her head.

(We should have foreseen this.)

Behind her, far down the hall, she felt a rumbling in the floor. Without being told, she knew that the Galbadians had breached the first blast door. She could hear boots running down the hall and voices shouting.

"Everyone turn around and prepare for battle," Quistis said. She spun in place and withdrew her whip, letting it stretch out on the floor of the walkway. Rinoa moved through the crowd to stand beside her.

"I can get everyone down faster," Rinoa said. "So we don't have to wait for the elevator."

Quistis thought about it for a second, then nodded. The Galbadians could break through the second blast door at any moment, and being pinned between the hallway and the elevator was about the worst possible scenario for the SeeDs.

When Rinoa got the nod, she headed over to the edge of the walkway.

"Everybody get on the edge of the walkway," Rinoa said. "On the count of three, we're gonna jump. Ready?"

The SeeDs looked at her, mouths gaping. They were accustomed to putting themselves in danger, and familiar with following orders without question. But what Rinoa was asking seemed like suicide. Their eyes turned to Quistis, silently asking her what they should do.

(We have no choice but to trust Rinoa.)

Quistis decided to lead by example. She approached the railing of the walkway, clipped her whip to her belt, and gripped the railing with both hands.

"You heard Rinoa," Quistis said. "Everybody move!"

The SeeDs snapped out of their thoughts and rushed to obey. All the wounded students had already gone down in the previous elevator, so everyone remaining was healthy enough to manage the jump. They lined up in two neat rows, one on each side of the walkway. A few made the mistake of leaning over the rails and looking down at the long, long drop to the first floor. Their faces blanched and they gulped.

"Don't think about it," Quistis said. "Just do it."

(Rinoa, I hope you can handle this…)

"Alright everyone," Rinoa said, approaching the railing. "On three. One… Two… THREE!"

And with that, Rinoa jumped over the side, her black hair billowing out as she plummeted down to the floor. Quistis and Squall followed an instant later, and the rest of the SeeDs jumped after, some of them yelling for courage as they fell.

For one brief second, Quistis was sure she was going to die. The ground was rushing up too fast—there was no way Rinoa could stop them all in time. Quistis squeezed her eyes shut and wondered if she'd feel the impact or die instantaneously.

Then a massive rush of air swooped up from the floor and hit her hard in the body, nearly taking her breath away. Her descent was slowed to the speed of a falling feather, and Quistis opened her eyes to discover herself hovering only a short distance above the floor. The wind vanished suddenly, and Quistis plummeted the last little drop. She hit the floor hard—but smoothly—and rolled off to the side. All around her were grunts and thumps as the other SeeDs hit the floor as well. A few splashed—having landed in the nearby water fountains—but everyone seemed to have survived the fall intact. Rinoa stood up quickly and checked on the others, nodding proudly to herself when she saw that everyone was fine. Squall smirked at her, the barest hint of a smile, and she beamed even brighter.

Above, on the walkway, the second blast door exploded and flew inward. It tumbled down onto the walkway as a storm of blue uniforms ran screaming into view.

(Just in time.)

"Into positions!" Quistis yelled. "Take them out!"

The SeeDs scrambled to recover themselves and rush to their defensive positions. Some ducked behind parked cars that had been placed in strategic locations around the school. Others squatted behind the low walls that separated the walkways from the nearby water fountains. Those with long range weapons fired up at the Galbadians on the walkway, while the rest focused on using magic. Students with short range weapons or who had run out of magic switched to supportive roles, healing the wounded and shoring up defenses.

Ordinarily, it was a tactical advantage to possess the high ground. But in this situation, the Galbadians were trapped in a tough situation. From the walkway, there were only two ways to get down to the first floor: to jump as the SeeDs had done, or to ride the small, cramped elevator.

Quistis knew the Galbadians undoubtedly had rappelling gear and could descend from the walkway to the lower level, but that would leave them exposed on the trip down, making them easy targets for the SeeDs. The soldiers could attempt the elevator, but only a few could cram in at once, and with the elevator's glass doors, it offered zero protection for its occupants. In this situation, it was actually advantageous for SeeD to yield the upper level in order to pin down the Galbadians at a choke point.

(Additionally, I can now do this...)

Quistis returned to the elevator and removed a key from her pocket. She inserted the key into a panel on the outside of the doors, just below the button used to call the elevator. She inserted the key inside and twisted, totally disabling the elevator. Now the Galbadians were unable to go down and attack the SeeDs or go up to the third floor and try to seize the bridge.

(But Selphie and the others are now trapped on the bridge…)

Quistis shook her head. She had to believe that they could hold off the Galbadians on their own without needing to retreat. If they couldn't defend the bridge, then SeeD was likely doomed either way.

From her vantage point atop the stairs, Quistis could see the other secondary battle station, the one led by Mireya. This one was positioned in the hallway at the end of the quad, taking advantage of the natural choke point formed when the quad entered into the school. Students were hunkered down behind armored cars, hurling magic and bullets at the Galbadians. The bodies of slain G-Soldiers were beginning to pile up in the hallway, making it more and more difficult for the Galbadians to advance.

Above, on the walkway, G-Soldiers tried to lean over the railing and take shots at the SeeDs, but every time one poked his head out, he was showered with bullets and magic. The Galbadians could only manage to get a few shots off at a time, and what they did fire off was poorly aimed, usually ending up harmlessly splashing in one of the fountains.

(The plan is working.)

The secondary defensive positions were holding strong, even better than the primary ones had.

Rinoa ran to position herself exactly underneath the second floor walkway. She looked up and then punched her arm straight up, sending an orb of white light shooting skyward. It passed through the bottom of the walkway and emerged on the top side, taking out two or three G-Soldiers at once without damaging the walkway itself. Once Rinoa realized this was an effective tactic, she repeated it again and again, sending up blasts in a steady one-two rhythm.

Soon, the G-Soldiers retreated back into the hallway, abandoning the walkway entirely. Their advance had been halted for now, but Quistis knew better than to celebrate. This was only another temporary reprieve. Although the G-Army was no longer pushing forward, they were still inside the school. It would be difficult—if not impossible—for the SeeDs to retake the walkway at this point. The battle was far from over.

(Meanwhile, the G-Army gets a chance to rest and recover.)

(And think of new ways to breach our defense.)

And after a few minutes, Galbadia tried something else. This time, Quistis did not see the blue uniformed soldiers appear on the walkway, but rather a continuous line of G1M52As marching in single file. Without any SeeDs left on the balcony to shoot down the paratroopers, Galbadia had been able to transport the hulking machines inside Garden.

"Lightning magic only!" Quistis yelled. "Attack their elemental weakness!"

The students effortlessly switched to lightning magic, and the inside of the school came alive with crackling bolts of energy. The first Galbadian robot to step into view took a lightning blast directly to its torso. It twitched midstride, sparks shooting from its circuitry. Legs and arms jerking spastically, the machine collapsed on the floor while its compatriots behind it marched mindlessly forward, stepping on and over the fallen robot.

The SeeDs continued to fire their magic up at the Galbadian robots, their attacks smashing into the machines, or burning smoking holes into the bottom side of the walkway or the nearby walls. But the machines continued to advance with suicidal determination, ignoring their flailing, broken comrades.

Soon the walkway was jammed full of robots. As one perfect unit, they all turned in unison and faced the edges of the walkway, staring out over the edge of the railings.

Quistis narrowed her eyes.

(Are they planning to jump?)

She had no more considered the possibility when the robots—moving in perfect synchronization—gripped the railings and hurled themselves over the sides.

"WATCH IT!" Quistis shouted.

She kept her eyes focused upwards as a dozen purple androids plummeted down from above. She jumped aside, narrowly avoiding a falling robot. It slammed into the floor beside her, sending up a spray of concrete and bits of metal. Another one landed hard nearby, then another and another, peppering the ground with their bodies and embedding themselves into the floor.

Most of robots broke on impact, the inhuman yellow lights of their eyes fading and blinking out as their primary circuits lost power, but some of them managed to retain a few of their functions. Once they landed, their primitive AIs switched to their next tasks—to eliminate the SeeDs.

Robots with mangled legs turned their torsos and aimed their arm-mounted guns, firing wildly into the crowd of SeeDs. Androids with broken torsos stood up on twisted, uneven legs and marched towards their enemies, prepared to kick and stomp the students to death. Whatever could be done to attack, harass, or distract the SeeDs, the robots were willing to do.

Within minutes after the first android had appeared on the walkway, the battle swung back in favor of the Galbadians. The first floor turned to chaos as the students were forced to duck and cover behind whatever shelter they could find to escape the mindless, relentless assault of the partially broken androids. Meanwhile, from above, more and more were filling the walkway and tossing themselves over the edge to join their predecessors.

"Rinoa!" Quistis shouted. "Defense!"

Rinoa nodded and looked up. She stopped attacking up at the walkway and switched to creating a series of transparent shields to protect the SeeDs on the ground. The androids' bullets deflected off her shields and bounced away, allowing the students time to break cover and mount a counter-offensive. They leapt up from behind the walls and the armored cars and lunged at the androids, slashing, shooting, and smashing to destroy the android's circuitry.

Soon, the ground floor of Garden was a tangled mess of twitching purple machinery. Some of the robots were ruined as soon as they had hit the floor. Others needed to be finished off with magic or weaponry before they gave up the fight. Still, dozens of glowing yellow eyes gazed at Quistis and the other students with mechanical indifference and more were falling from above every second.

(We can't hold them off.)

Galbadia—like it had done so many times before, in so many wars before—was going to win by sheer force of numbers. No Galbadian robot could stand against a fully trained SeeD. No Galbadian soldier was a match for even a SeeD cadet. But hundreds of robots and thousands of G-Soldiers could crush Garden under the weight of their numbers.

Quistis glanced over to the quad. Her heart sank when she saw that Mireya and the others had already fallen back to their third defensive position—the spot at the end of the hall, where the hallway joined the circular ring that ran around the bottom of the school. Quistis could see Mireya, her sword flashing as she fought off the waves of desperate Galbadian attackers, but for every soldier she felled, two rushed forward to take their places. Zell and Ami were mixed into the crowd too, fighting with fists and swords, but being beaten back, step by step.

(We're being overrun.)

And now the situation on the walkway was becoming dire. Emboldened by the success of the robots, the G-Soldiers had returned. They didn't even bother trying the elevator. They quickly took out their rappelling gear and attached themselves to the railings on either side of the walkway. With all the SeeDs desperately fighting off the androids on the ground, the Galbadians were able to work with minimal distractions.

Before Quistis could give the students new orders, the G-Soldiers were clipped in to their harnesses. They tossed themselves over the sides of the walkway in waves and slid down thin black cables at a speed faster than Quistis had anticipated. Rinoa and some of the other SeeDs tried to take them out as they descended, but the SeeDs were spread too thin. Between the robots on the ground and the humans rappelling down, there were too many targets and too many threats coming from all directions.

There was nowhere else the students could fall back to. No third or fourth defensive position. Theoretically, they could have retreated into the basement and found shelter, or into the training center or the dorms. But that would essentially end the battle in favor of Galbadia. The G-Army would be able to lock the students into the dorms or basement and then casually take over the rest of the school. In order to hold Garden, Quistis and the others needed to protect both the bridge and the main hall. Losing those spots would lead to immediate defeat.

(We have to hold...)

(… But it's impossible.)

An explosion shook the ceiling high above the battle, forcing Quistis to look up. As the smoke from the explosion cleared, Quistis could see a small hole in the third floor. A sheet of ice nearly as wide as Quistis was tall and thick as her forearms suddenly formed from the hole and shot out into the central room of Garden. The sheet extended itself into a long, looping slide that stretched all the way down from the whole to the ground floor, ending a few paces away from where Quistis stood. She gaped at the slide for a moment, and even a few of the Galbadians and SeeDs turned their heads from the battle to gaze at the massive, crystalline spectacle.

Selphie emerged into view, riding on the back of her ice GF Shiva, who was busy breathing out puffs of snow to keep the ice slide frozen and stable. Shiva slid down on her belly, her stoic face showing no emotion as Selphie rode atop her like a sled. Selphie hooted and hollered as she sped down. Behind her, sliding less gracefully, was Irvine, Nida, and finally Xu. Quistis watched them come down, fear knotting in her stomach.

(Are they coming to help…)

(… Or are they retreating?)

Selphie and Shiva were the first to hit the ground. She and the GF tumbled along the floor and then stretched herself out flat, her legs and arms splayed. She was covered in cuts and bruises and snowflakes. One look at her and Quistis knew that the situation was hopeless. Despite Selphie's cheerful grin, she was panting and visibly exhausted. Shiva weakly got to her feet and stepped out of the way as Irvine came down the slide. He yelped in surprise and hit the ground hard and tumbled into Selphie.

"OOF!" they both shouted when they collided. Irvine came to a stop, lying across Selphie's torso. Selphie groaned, but neither of them made any move to get up.

Nida and Xu came in next. Nida slammed into the Irvine and Selphie pile, pointing the tip of his spear up and away from them to keep from impaling them as he collided. Xu was the only one who hit the floor with any degree of grace. Her feet skidded on the ground and she somersaulted several times before rolling into a crouch. She remained hunched down on the floor, her face bleeding, her breath coming out ragged.

"What's going on?" Quistis asked, shouting above the gunfire and chaos. "What's the situation?"

Xu shook her head. "Too many. Couldn't…" she coughed. "Couldn't hold 'em. Sorry."

As soon as Xu spoke, three chimes came over the intercom. The Galbadians—as if they had been expecting this all along—backed away from the battle. They formed small defensive perimeters, forcing the SeeDs to take a moment to reassess the situation. Meanwhile, the Galbadian robots powered down and stopped firing. This brief hesitation created a pause in the battle and soon the sounds of fighting tapered off and then died completely.

Both sides of the battle glared at each other, weapons raised and ready. Another few Galbadians finished rappelling down to the floor, then unhooked themselves and drew their weapons. After that, all was silent.

"Attention, SeeD," a voice said. Quistis closed her eyes when she realized who was speaking.

(Martine...)

"Balamb Garden is now the property of the Galbadian Government," Martine said. "Throw down your weapons and surrender immediately. You have lost."

Quistis hesitated. She looked around her. The students on the first floor were bloody, ragged, and gasping, but they still clutched their weapons. They were still ready to fight.

And for a moment, Quistis considered ignoring Martine's message. Why should Garden surrender as long as there were still students alive in the school who were willing to defend it? She opened her mouth to speak, when Squall stepped forward and placed on gloved hand on her shoulder.

"It's over," Squall said.

"We can't surrender!" Quistis protested. "We'll get no mercy from the Galbadians!"

As if in response to Quistis' argument, the ground below her lurched as Garden slowed to a stop. Above her, the ice slide Selphie had created began to melt. Chunks of it fell off and landed in wet clumps on the floor.

(Maybe we can still…)

(We can try…)

Quistis looked around her. For every SeeD still upright and able to fight, there were almost as many Galbadians there as well. And while the SeeDs were beat up and exhausted, the Galbadians were so fresh that even their uniforms were spotless.

Above her, she could hear more Galbadians marching onto the walkway, and the heavy clanging of more robots following along with. As she turned to look at the quad, she could see a steady stream of Galbadians marching in from there as well. A few others came from the parking lot and some from the dorms. The G-Army had breached almost every point in Garden and was flooding the interior of the school. Quistis had no idea how many more soldiers Galbadia was willing to expend, but she knew SeeD couldn't hold out much longer.

(We have two choices.)

(Fight to the last man…)

(… Or surrender.)

At her belt—almost totally forgotten—Quistis' radio crackled to life. She was startled by the sudden sound.

"Quistis?" a voice said over the speaker. She recognized the Headmaster's voice and unclipped the radio.

"Yes, Headmaster?" Quistis said, bringing the radio to her mouth.

"I heard the announcement," he said. "Call the surrender."

"But Headmaster!" Quistis said.

(He can't be serious!)

"We discussed this possibility when we first drew up the battle plans, Commander Quistis," Cid said, his voice growing stern. "We knew we could not afford to lose the bridge. And now we have. I suppose, if some miracle were to happen, we could recover it. But that seems unlikely. You're all still young. Too young to throw your lives away like this."

Quistis clenched her jaw. "But this is what we signed up for!" she shouted into the radio. She was aware that students and G-Army soldiers alike were eavesdropping on the conversation, but she did not care. "We risk our lives every day! We fight and die for this school! How can we possibly surrender as long as we still live?"

There was a pause. Then Headmaster Cid continued. "SeeD cannot be so easily destroyed. Garden is just a building. There are other ways, other options we might consider. But if you choose to fight until nothing is left, then there are no other options. That's my advice. However, the choice is still yours. I will say no more."

And the radio went silent.

("SeeD cannot be so easily destroyed.")

Her mind raced, trying to follow Cid's logic. How could SeeD continue on without the power of Garden behind it? Even before the school had become mobile, it had been a hulking, intimidating, and powerful presence on Balamb Island. It was a symbol of SeeD's power, the base of its operations. Perhaps SeeD—the organization—could persist without Garden, but it would be a shadow of itself. Meanwhile, Galbadia would be strengthened with the might of a second Garden—possibly a third if they had also seized T-Garden.

(We can't allow them to take that much power.)

She looked around, seeing that more soldiers were continuing to pile into the school. Now there were fully three or four Galbadians inside Garden for every SeeD. Even if Quistis chose to fight now, it was already too late.

(Or maybe it had been too late from the beginning.)

"Do what he says," Quistis said in a defeated voice. "We surrender."

In the eerily silent school, her voice carried easily. Students gaped at her in amazement, but then moved to comply, dropping their swords and their rifles and raising their hands above their heads.

Further down the hall, Mireya glared daggers at Quistis, but then tossed her sword down as well. The rest of her unit did the same. Quistis sighed, then dropped her whip.

(We did our best.)

In truth, Operation Rolling Fire had been incredibly successful. Looking around the battlefield, Quistis could see dozens and dozens of ruined Galbadians robots, many dead Galbadians, and a relatively small number of SeeD casualties. Considering the odds and what SeeD had been up against, they had performed magnificently.

(But it wasn't enough.)

"This isn't the end of SeeD," Squall whispered to Quistis. "You did the right thing."

"How do you know?" Quistis asked.

But before he could answer, the intercom chimed again.

"I am told that you are all complying," Martine said. "Good. Let's cease this senseless bloodshed. Now, if Quistis Trepe would be so kind as to join me in the Headmaster's office, we can discuss terms."

(Terms?)

There was no way that Martine wanted to negotiate. Undoubtedly, when Martine said "terms," he really meant to say, "the rules that SeeD would have to abide by." Garden had lost the fight, and therefore had no bargaining power left to them. All that remained was for Martine to instruct Quistis on how the subsequent transfer of power was going to take place. Her stomach churned and for a moment she considered rescinding her surrender.

(I cannot…)

Two G-Soldiers stepped forward, swords raised, and motioned for her to head for the elevators. Quistis sighed and obeyed. Out of the corner of her eye, she checked on the status of her friends. Zell was over in Mireya's group, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, glowering at nothing. Ami stood next to him, looking defeated. Galbadian soldiers were busy emptying out the students in the infirmary, including Dr. Kadowaki. Selphie, Irvine, Xu, and Nida were still where Quistis had seen them last. They had untangled themselves from the pile and sat on the floor with their hands empty and raised. Rinoa stood underneath the walkway, with a dozen G-Soldiers watching her tensely. Nearby, Squall watched Quistis with a steady, unreadable gaze.

(He seems so calm.)

(What does he know that I don't know?)

Quistis climbed the steps to the elevator. She had to take out her key again to reactivate the lifts, and once she did, she pressed the button to call the elevator. In the silent school, the hum of the elevator's machinery was deafening. The doors opened and Quistis stepped inside, still flanked by two soldiers.

The three rode the elevator up to the third floor, with Quistis' heart pounding in her chest. She had never before been this nervous on her way to Cid's office. In fact, this was the first time she had ever been reluctant to go to his office. Even as a cadet, she had never had any disciplinary problems or reason to fear the Headmaster, so every trip up to his office was generally another chance to receive a commendation or award.

The elevator arrived and chimed merrily, unaware of the dire circumstances that had befallen SeeD. In the reception area outside Cid's office, several dozen armed G-Soldiers stood ready, their guns and their swords drawn and pointing at Quistis. She grimaced, then raised both hands above her head and stepped out of the elevator. In the floor to the left was the small hole that Selphie and the others had blasted open to allow their retreat. The floor there was damp with melted ice.

The two guards stepped behind Quistis and shoved the points of their swords into her back, pushing her towards the door to Cid's office. Another pair of soldiers opened the doors and admitted her inside, then closed the door behind her.

Cid's office had been devastated. The domed glass ceiling was shattered, with only a few jagged triangles remaining in the frame. Large chunks of glass had fallen and landed on the marble floor, crunching under Quistis' boots as she walked. The walls were pockmarked with bullet holes and burned with traces of magic. Bodies—G-Soldiers and SeeD alike, but mostly Galbadian—had been pushed to the walls, leaving the central area relatively clear of carnage.

Martine sat at Cid's desk. The sight of him there in that chair made Quistis' stomach turn with anger. He glanced up at her, his bright blue overcoat shining in the light. He smiled warmly, arrogantly at her, and spread his hands wide.

"Quistis Trepe," Martine said, saying her name slowly and deliberately. "Commander Quistis Trepe, I should say. How pleasant to see you again."

Quistis approached the desk and stopped. Her two guards stopped as well, keeping their swords pressed into her back. All around, the room was full of Galbadian soldiers, ready and waiting to attack her if she made the slightest move. She considered her options.

(I could probably kill him before anyone stopped me.)

(I'd likely die as well… but maybe it'd be worth it.)

But no. Even though Galbadia Garden's symbol was a snake, cutting off the head of Galbadia would not kill the body. The military would simply find a new president and the cycle would continue. Her death would be in vain.

"I wish we could have met under better circumstances," Quistis said politely. She was speaking honestly. She would preferred, for instance, meeting Martine inside of G-Garden and calmly receiving his surrender instead.

"In truth," Martine said, rising from the chair, "I'm glad it's you here, as opposed to Headmaster Cid, or that boy Squall. You and I have a bit of shared history together, and I think that will help make this transition as smooth as possible."

Quistis narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything.

Their "shared history" was more of a brief acquaintance really. Shortly after becoming an instructor, Quistis had spent time in G-Garden, teaching a course on para-magic. The idea was to give G-Garden a more rounded and versatile fighting force, but junctioning never quite fit in with the rest of G-Garden's curriculum and the class was canceled after one semester.

During her stay in Galbadia, Quistis had gotten several opportunities to speak with Martine and they had acquired a casual respect for each other. Martine's actions since becoming Galbadian President, however, had dashed apart Quistis' respect for him, so that now she could only look at him with contempt and disgust.

(To think, I once believed he was a decent man.)

"Let's make this quick, shall we?" Martine said. "Here are the terms. SeeD is to surrender unconditionally to the will of the Galbadian government. Balamb Garden shall forthwith become the exclusive property of the Galbadian government, to be used in any manner we see fit. All SeeDs will be held in Galbadian prisons, awaiting trial for the actions taken by SeeD in Timber and elsewhere."

"We're all to become your prisoners?" Quistis asked, fighting down her humiliated outrage.

(This is too much.)

"For now at least," Martine said with a casual shrug. "We'll sort this out on a case-by-case basis. Those SeeDs who admit their crimes and who are willing to serve Galbadia will receive light punishments and will be drafted into the Galbadian Army. Those who resist will be dealt with… more harshly."

Quistis' hands balled into fists. She was aware that the guards around her were growing tense, sensing her mounting anger, but she didn't care.

"And if we refuse?" Quistis asked.

Martine looked at her levelly. "Then we'll continue killing SeeDs until you accept. Look, Miss Trepe, all I want is to obtain Garden. Only the school itself has any value. Whether or not it's full of live SeeDs or dead SeeDs at the time I acquire it makes no difference to me. It's only a matter of how much blood I have to clean up before I can use it."

(Bastard.)

"What happened to you?" Quistis said. She crossed her arms. "You never used to be so heartless."

"A lot has changed, Miss Trepe," Martine said. "Yes, perhaps I was softer, gentler in the old days when you first knew me. I believed in hard, honest work—and I still do. But then the Sorceress Edea appeared, and I learned firsthand that it doesn't matter how hard you work, or how noble your intentions, or how fiercely loyal you are to your government. If someone stronger than you comes along and decides to take everything you have worked for—everything you have earned—then you have no choice but to sit down and hand over your entire life."

Martine kept his eyes on Quistis as he stepped around Cid's desk, now standing almost an arm's-length away from her.

(So now you're going to do to us what she did to you.)

"And you fail to see the irony of the current situation?" Quistis asked. Martine ignored her comment.

"I don't think you quite understand how humiliating it is to have your entire livelihood ripped out from underneath you," Martine said. "To have your very identity stolen by some creature of undeniable power. Did you know that most students at G-Garden didn't even know my last name? I was always 'Master Martine' to them. The job had become a part of my name, my identity, and Edea took that from me and replaced me with some teenager."

Quistis blinked, uncomprehending, until she remembered that Seifer had been put in charge of G-Garden and the Galbadian Army after Martine had been deposed.

(I suppose that would anger just about anyone.)

But she still didn't pity him.

"So that's why you're fighting against sorceresses?" Quistis asked calmly. She had no real desire to talk to Martine, but she was willing to do whatever was necessary to delay officially surrendering to him.

"It's what first awakened me to the fact that sorceresses are a threat to the world," Martine said. "While I was in exile, I realized that what happened to me could happen to anyone around the world. Think of the damage one woman was able to cause in the span of mere days. She assassinated President Deling, seized control of the entire Galbadian military, and nearly destroyed SeeD."

Martine shook his head. "Don't you understand? Sorceresses are a threat to the very fabric of society. You see, ordinary power comes from resources. Finite resources. With enough capital, you can build armies, conquer nations, establish governments. But sorceresses break the rules of society. Their power doesn't come from anything. With a flick of their wrist, they can topple a civilization that has stood for thousands of years. They can enslave an entire people in days. They can do what they want with utter impunity and we are helpless to stop them."

He paused and nodded to himself, as if agreeing with his own statements. "Humanity can't sleep peacefully knowing that there's a dragon in the basement. There is no way that ordinary people can coexist with sorceresses. The imbalance of power makes that impossible."

"So that makes it okay?" Quistis asked. "That gives you the right to demolish Timber? To bomb Fisherman's Horizon? To kill innocent civilians?"

"If they harbor sorceresses, then yes," Martine said coldly. "You know the damage one sorceress can do. So you must realize then that we cannot afford to leave a single sorceress alive."

"Then have you found a way to kill them?" Quistis asked. "To truly end the life of a sorceress?"

Martine shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. But, in our experiments, we have learned that a sorceress becomes remarkably docile once defeated. As long as she is kept away from other women and cannot pass on her powers, it's a simple matter to keep her locked away indefinitely."

Quistis fought back a wave of revulsion. "That's your plan? To kill the sorceresses and leave them in a permanent state of half-life? An unending nightmare of pain and suffering?"

"Compared to the slaughter of thousands and the toppling of civilization?" Martine asked. "I'd say that that is a fair price to pay for peace."

"Stop pretending to be so heroic," Quistis said. "You're out for revenge, that's all. You were humiliated by a sorceress, so you've taken it upon yourself to strike back at them. You're not serving justice, you're only serving yourself."

Martine shook his head and sighed. "Miss Quistis, I had hoped that you would be more reasonable than your companions. There doesn't need to be a war between Galbadia and SeeD. All you need to do is step aside and let us do our work. Honestly, this whole battle? The dead SeeDs you see around you? That's on your head, not mine. You're the one who chose to get in our way. You picked up your arms and fought us."

Quistis ground her teeth, but could find nothing to say.

"I am not an unreasonable man, Quistis," Martine said. "So I am prepared to offer you a deal. Hand over all the sorceresses currently in Garden, and I'll let you go. You'll be free to carry on in whatever manner you wish, so long as you don't interfere with our overall mission. I know you have Rinoa. My soldiers have seen her in the building. So don't lie and say that there aren't any sorceresses here. Hand them over, and we will go away."

(Give him the sorceresses?)

(And sell out Rinoa?)

(And Selphie?)

(Never.)

Quistis didn't even need a moment to consider her answer. "That will never happen."

"Oh, no, Miss Trepe," Martine said. "It will happen. It's just a matter of whether or not you'll cooperate. You see, if you refuse my very reasonable offer, then we will simply take all the sorceresses and Garden and SeeD and whatever else we see fit. In either case, you'll forfeit the sorceresses. The only question is, how much are you willing to lose in the process?"

Quistis' mind raced. She couldn't accept his offer, but nor could she just surrender either. She couldn't allow Martine to take Rinoa and Selphie, to kill one or both of them and leave them locked away in some Galbadian prison, living in a nightmare that Quistis couldn't even imagine.

A thought occurred to her.

(He's making a deal.)

(Which means he doesn't want to fight.)

Martine may be evil. He may be crazed in his pursuit of sorceresses. But he was not stupid. He knew that even if he subdued every student in Garden, he would still have a difficult time trying to take down two sorceresses working together. The costs to him would be enormous, and the ensuing battle would likely destroy much of Balamb Garden as well.

When it came down to it, Martine was still afraid of sorceresses. He knew that his best chance was to try to get SeeD to cooperate with him, so that he needn't fight the sorceresses himself. It was in his best interest to negotiate.

(Well, I'm certainly not going to do his work for him.)

"The answer still is and always will be no," Quistis said firmly.

Martine frowned. "Then I propose a third option." He made a short gesture with his hand and one of the guards standing behind Quistis suddenly raised his sword and shoved the tip hard against the base of her skull. She could feel a trickle of blood run down her neck.

"Surrender the sorceresses, or die," Martine said. "You have three seconds to decide."

Quistis closed her eyes.

"One," Martine said.

(I won't do it.)

(I won't betray my friends.)

"Two."

Quistis exhaled.

(… I'm sorry.)

"Three," Martine said.

As soon as the word escaped his lips, there was a deafening explosion. Quistis flinched, her body going instantly numb. She felt a sensation like she was floating.

(It was so fast…)

(I didn't even feel it.)

But then there was a second explosion, and a third, and Quistis snapped her eyes open. Martine was looking all around, his face twisted in a snarl. The Galbadian soldiers in the room were hunched over, looking up at the ceiling with fear. The sword at her neck had been removed. Quistis glanced behind her and saw that both of her guards had stepped back, staring up at the ceiling.

"What is it?" Martine shouted. "Someone tell me what's going on!"

"It's Esthar!" a soldier with a radio shouted. "The Esthar navy is here!"

That was all Quistis needed to hear. She took advantage of the momentary confusion and called forth a fire spell. For one brief second, she considered firing it at Martine, destroying his arrogance, his vengeful madness, and wiping his grin off his face forever.

But doing that, as she had already decided, would be pointless.

(I need to save myself first.)

(I'll kill him later.)

Instead of attacking, she aimed the spell downwards at the floor, and everything around her burst into flame. She called upon her Guardian Force to protect her, to deflect some of the damage from the flames. Her skin glowed with heat and her eyes and nose burned, but she survived unharmed.

The soldiers behind her caught on fire and ran away, slapping at their bodies and screaming. Martine yelped loudly and dove behind the cover of Cid's desk. The other soldiers in the room averted their eyes from the heat and lowered their weapons, giving Quistis a moment to escape.

She jumped and rolled away from the other guards, casting a protect spell on herself. To her surprise, she wasn't immediately sprayed with bullets from all directions. She glanced up and saw that Esthar soldiers had appeared along the broken edges of the ceiling, firing down with their strange weapons. Faced with the threat of foreign Esthar soldiers, the Galbadians ignored Quistis completely. She leapt onto the lift to the bridge and curled into a ball, covering her head with both hands. When the lift sensed her weight, it began to rise up.

"Shoot her!" Martine howled at the nearby guards. "Shoot her, damn you!"

Only then did the first few sparks of gunfire begin to fly in her direction, but within moments, she was already too high up for the soldiers to reach her. Their bullets bounced off the bottom of the lift, or hit the massive steel column around her, but none came close to touching her.

She arrived at the top and found that the bridge was deserted. Keeping low to avoid more gunshots, Quistis ran for the intercom and hit the switch. Three chimes sounded, but she barely heard it over the sounds of chaos outside.

"Attention students!" Quistis yelled into the speaker. "Esthar has joined the battle! Fight! Fight!"

She hit the intercom again to shut it off.

Below her, Martine snarled. "Retreat! Pull back to G-Garden! Move, move, move!"

Quistis cautiously peered over the edge of the bridge, watching as the remaining G-Soldiers in Cid's office dashed through the hole in the window and fled back for G-Garden, pursued by Esthar soldiers. Martine ran with the crowd, but just before he exited, he turned and looked up at the bridge. His eyes met Quistis' and narrowed.

Then he spun around and escaped from Garden.