Chapter 53

The Stronger We Become

(Quistis)

Once it was in the air, NORG's pod was surprisingly easy to control. Although the pod had manual steering set as the default, on-board sensors and stabilizers kept Quistis steady and prevented her from overcompensating and sending the pod into a roll.

Clad in the armor of the flying machine, with monitors and readouts surrounding her and a metal shell encasing her, Quistis felt a sense of distance from the rest of the world. It made her feel untouchable, invincible. Inside the pod, she smirked. She briefly had an impulse to fly to wherever Mireya was waiting and bear down upon her with the full weight and power of this new weapon. To assault her with the twin magical orbs, firing spells while the pod kept Quistis safe from retaliation. To leave absolutely no doubt that insurrection would not—and would never be—tolerated within Garden.

Quistis shook her head.

(I must remain calm.)

Tempting as the thought was, it was foolish and naïve. Quistis didn't yet know the full power—or the full limitations—of NORG's pod. Although rushing straight to Mireya and trying subdue her immediately seemed like the best way to end the fight quickly, it was also the best way to make a mistake, to allow Mireya to wriggle free of defeat and once more turn the tide against Quistis.

Quistis reminded herself that Squall and the others had successfully cracked open the pod and defeated NORG. The same could happen to her, if she wasn't careful.

(I can't overextend myself.)

(I can't make a mistake.)

Before she made a move, she surveyed the situation.

She had cut a hole from the basement and successfully emerged through the walkway leading to the cafeteria, as she had intended. She didn't see any signs that she had accidentally killed or wounded any students in the process, which was a good thing. There was now a gaping hole blocking the way to the cafeteria, but that could be fixed at a later time.

Xu, Nida, and members of the Trepies—about a dozen or so students in total—were climbing out through that hole. It wasn't much of a counter-resistance force, but Quistis hoped that the power of NORG's pod would be enough to compensate for their small squad.

She turned and looked to the cafeteria. At least two dozen students came rushing down the hallway at the sound of Quistis breaking through the floor and now stood gaping and awestruck in the breezeway leading to the cafeteria. They gazed down at the hole in the floor, then up at the giant metal pod hovering at head-height above them. None of them moved or attacked right away, so Quistis briefly turned her attention elsewhere.

As she looked around the wide central area of the school, she saw that Mireya had placed squads of two dozen or so students at each of the six main entrances. All the students were turned to look at her, making her intensely aware of herself and her actions.

She could hear fighting from above her, coming from the second floor hallway. If the students were fighting Galbadians, then Quistis' attack would almost surely cripple the school from the inside and guarantee Galbadia's victory. But if it was White SeeD or Esthar—or really, anyone other than Galbadia—then she needed to act quickly to keep Mireya's forces from defeating Quistis' allies.

(I have to trust myself.)

With the students in the cafeteria hallway stunned into silence, Quistis rotated the pod and pointed the intimidating front side of the hovering vehicle directly at them. She pressed the button for the microphone and spoke.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Quistis Trepe," she said in her most authoritative voice. "I am declaring that SeeD is once more under the command of myself and the Headmaster Cid Kramer. Disregard all orders given to you by Mireya and cease any further rebellion against the established authority of Balamb Garden and I promise that no harm will come to you and no punitive actions will be taken against you."

She nudged the controls forward just a touch, making the pod lurch menacingly towards the SeeDs clustered in the hallway, adding extra weight to her threat. Although she was definitely willing to use the strength of NORG's pod to put down the insurrection, she would only do so as an absolute last resort. She didn't want to attack any SeeDs if she did not have to.

She waited a moment, trying to gauge the reactions of the SeeDs in the hallway. Were they listening to her? Would they obey? Or had Mireya wormed her way so deep into their minds that they were willing to fight against Quistis and the strength of NORG's pod?

To her relief, one of the SeeDs raised her hands above her head, her sword dangling loosely from one hand. Another joined her, then another and another. Soon almost the entire group had surrendered. Quistis sighed in relief.

"There's no need to surrender," Quistis said through the microphone. "This isn't a hostage situation. But tell me, who is Garden fighting?"
The noise of battle could still reach Quistis, even encased in the pod. She could feel the seconds tick by, knowing that every moment lost could mean another SeeD casualty, another student who would never fight again.

"White SeeD and T-Garden, Commander," one of the SeeDs with her hands raised said. "We… don't know why. Mireya ordered us to attack whoever came in, so we are."

"Because they are allies of the sorceress!" another SeeD said—one who didn't have his hands raised. He turned to face the other students, almost pleading. "The sorceress from T-Garden is trying to take over the school!"

Quistis sighed.

(So it seems that a few of Mireya's staunchest supporters are in this group as well.)

"That is a lie," Quistis said. "Garden's only enemy right now is the Galbadian Army. We cannot afford to waste time fighting our allies. Now, I order you all to abandon this post, regroup near the front gate, and await further instructions."

She found the volume control on the pod and cranked it up to maximum. She turned the pod around to face towards the middle of the school.

"That goes for all students at all posts!" she said, her voice booming through the pod's speakers. Xu, Nida, and the others winced and covered their ears, since they were standing right next to the pod. "All students, cease fighting against White SeeD and T-Garden and regroup near the front gate. Further hostile actions taken against other SeeDs or other students will be treated as an act of severe insubordination and punished accordingly."

Students all around the school lowered their weapons and emerged from their guard posts, watching Quistis. A few even began to march dutifully towards the front gate, not arguing, not questioning, only obeying the order. But the sounds of battle above raged unabated. Either Quistis' voice had not reached the students up there, or they were willfully ignoring her.

Quistis grimaced. Although the pod probably had the ability to hover high enough to reach the second floor, it was likely too big to fit through the hallways. If Mireya and the other students decided to have a last stand there, they could potentially cause a lot of damage and Quistis and the pod would be unable to do much to assist.

But that was a more distant concern. At the moment, it seemed like Quistis' plan was succeeding. The in-fighting inside Garden had stopped. The SeeDs were listening to her. Even though she was sure that many of them had fought on Mireya's side, they weren't fighting at that moment, which Quistis counted as a victory.

(Now if I can find Mireya—)

Her thought was cut off by an explosion rocking the back of the pod. Quistis was pushed forward, her head snapping painfully on her neck as the pod jerked with the force of the impact. The thrusters controlling the pod's movements flickered in and out of functionality, making the pod wobble drunkenly in the air. The monitors in front of Quistis flashed red and spat out damage reports, complete with a 3-D model of the pod, with the damaged areas flashing in red.

(What was that?)

She turned to look, just in time to see three SeeDs fleeing from the cafeteria hallway. Instead of trying to get around the hole in the floor—and past where Xu and Nida and the rest of Quistis' ground troops were waiting—the SeeDs jumped onto the retaining walls that surrounded each fountain and plunged down into the knee-deep water and dashed as quickly as they could, with two of them heading towards the front gate and one sprinting off by himself towards the dorms.

Quickly, Xu and Nida split up to intercept the fleeing SeeDs, with the Trepies moving in as well. Some of the more loyal SeeDs from the cafeteria hallway joined in the chase, leaping over the dividing walls and plunging into the water after the others.

Quistis looked around and saw that a similar scene was happening at every other major entrance to the school. Mireya's loyal supporters were breaking off from the groups and sprinting towards the central elevator, with the most loyal SeeDs fighting to restrain them. Some SeeDs stayed out of the fighting, still not sure whose side they were going to take. Quistis ignored them.

(As long as they don't fight against me, they're a minor concern now.)

Quistis wondered why all Mireya's followers seemed to be converging on the elevator. To reunite with Mireya? To consolidate their forces into one group? Quistis didn't know, but her hopes of a peaceful resolution to this situation were slipping away. Obviously, Mireya's supporters had no intention of handing the school over without more bloodshed. Furthermore, the fact that all her supporters seemed to have the same idea suggested that Mireya had planned for this possibility, and had come up with a strategy to counter it. Quistis frowned. She had hoped to catch Mireya off guard, but it seemed that Mireya had expected this as well.

(This is insanity.)

Another blast hit the pod, making it wobble and spin and knocking Quistis out of her thoughts. She gripped the twin control sticks and fought to keep the pod stable. This time, she had managed to see the flash of white light and the crackle of electricity as one of Mireya's supporters launched a lightning spell at her from down near the quad.

(Lightning. A machine's weakness.)

All SeeDs had been thoroughly trained on how to identify and exploit the weaknesses of their opponents. Quistis herself had even taught a few of those courses. And now that training was being used against her to destabilize the pod and remove it as a threat.

(Hmph. At least I cannot accuse them of being idle in their studies.)

While Quistis tried to regain control over the fried circuits and damaged machinery, she could see as Xu and two other SeeDs caught up to one of the fleeing SeeDs in the water fountain. Mireya's ally stopped running once he knew he could go no further and spun around, raising his hands in a boxing stance. Xu closed the gap quickly, splashing in the water. The other SeeD foolishly tried to kick diagonally, aiming for Xu's body but forgetting that the water would slow his attack down. Xu easily ducked under the kick and rose to drive her fist into the SeeD's jaw, knocking him backwards. He fell into the water with a heavy splash, and the other SeeDs behind Xu rushed in to subdue him.

On the other side, the two other students fleeing from the cafeteria had been surrounded by Nida and the other loyal SeeDs. The rebels stood against the far wall inside the fountain, standing back-to-back and forcing Nida and the other pursuers to approach slowly, cautiously.

Quistis regained control of the pod and turned it around. Both magical orbs were fully charged, so she selected a magical attack—a fire spell—and aimed it just above the two SeeDs' heads. A fireball erupted from the right orb, arcing across the air and exploding against the wall behind the SeeDs. The attack was close enough to stun them, knocking them off balance, but not enough to do any serious harm.

Once they were staggered, Nida and the others rushed in with fists and magic to quickly put them down. They didn't have any handcuffs, and sleep spells would be ineffective against SeeDs, so their only option was to physically restrain each rebellious SeeD. This meant that, for every SeeD that Quistis and the others subdued, two or sometimes three others were required to keep them from breaking free.

(There's nothing to be done about that.)

(I refuse to kill them, and they cannot be allowed to remain loose.)

(This is the only option.)

Quistis looked at the cafeteria hallway. Everyone there seemed to be either loyal to Quistis or at least indifferent to the overall fight, so she turned her attention to the other entrances. In the hallway leading to the library, three of Mireya's followers were pinned down on the ground, with SeeDs kneeing them in the back to hold them in place. A similar scene was taking place in the training center hall and the hall to the parking lot.

White SeeDs and T-Garden students began rushing out of the dormitory hallway and burst into the main section of Garden. A familiar boy with bright blonde hair led the group. He reached the end of the hall and posed quickly, his hands balled into fists. He shouted something encouraging, but Quistis couldn't hear it.

(Zell?)

Quistis smiled. It was the first time in a while that she had seen one of the six people that had fought Ultimecia with her, and it was good to know he was alright. With the White SeeDs and T-Garden students adding weight to the forces fighting in the dorm room hall, Mireya's loyal subjects were quickly and easily overpowered. The White SeeDs, as it turned out, carried small zip-ties in pouches on their belts, and any captured rebel was quickly trussed up.

(… We're winning…)

Quistis had to fight down a feeling of confidence and premature celebration. She had to remind herself that the battle would not be over until Mireya surrendered, and Quistis had still not even seen her yet. Plus, the sounds of combat were still raging on above, indicating that the fighting was fierce on the second floor.

(I can't celebrate yet.)

She turned to face the quad hallway. There, Mireya's supporters had greater than average numbers and had managed to band together and fight unified against the loyal SeeDs there.

In one strong cluster, Mireya's supporters advanced on their foes, pushing back the other SeeDs, forcing them out towards the quad. Although the rebels looked identical to all other SeeDs, Quistis could tell Mireya's supporters by their ruthlessness, the way they attacked to kill, not to restrain. They fought with fire and lightning—destructive magics—while the loyal SeeDs preferred wind and water, although the heat of battle had caused some to abandon such mercy.

Quistis pushed forward on the controls, urging the pod to rush towards the quad. The lightning attacks had damaged some of the thrusters, making the pod jerk and shake. A prompt on one monitor repeatedly asked Quistis if she wanted to power down and go into self-repair mode. She ignored it for now and pressed on. Xu and Nida broke from the rest of the SeeDs and followed behind her.

Right at the end of the quad hallway, where it joined the central ring that surrounded the interior of the school, two students armed with Galbadian swords fought against one armed with nothing but magic. Quistis made a snap judgment call, assuming that the two armed with swords were allied with Mireya.

She aimed the targeting reticle on the pair and selected another fire spell. Although NORG's pod had a lot of energy to spare, its selection of magic was very limited. It could only cast fire, lightning, wind, and status effects. Hardly ideal for the situation, but she had to work with it. She lowered the reticle until it was just at the feet of the two SeeDs and then fired.

The heat and the force of the blast knocked one of the SeeDs down to the floor and pushed the other off balance. The outnumbered SeeD recovered, then sprinted away, heading for the front gate.

"Wrong ones!" Xu shouted from behind the pod.

Xu and Nida dashed around the pod and chased the single fleeing boy as he tried to get to the front gate. Xu caught up to him and threw out one foot, tripping him up. He fell to his hands and knees and Nida pounced on top of him, wrestling him down to the floor.

Quistis shook her head and looked at the two SeeDs—her loyal supporters—that she had just accidentally burned.

"I apologize," she said. "Are you okay?"

They both nodded and stood up, dusting themselves off and glancing at their charred uniforms.

(I suppose it's harder to tell the difference than I originally imagined.)

(… Good thing I didn't aim directly at them.)

She looked up at the fighting that continued out in the hall to the quad. In the midst of the cluster of Mireya's followers was a massive blonde SeeD with arms lined with muscles. He was throwing violent haymakers at the other SeeDs, each swing threatening to nearly decapitate anyone unfortunate enough to be struck. Quistis thought he looked familiar, but she couldn't be sure. However, familiar or not, he was the biggest and easiest target—and probably the most dangerous in the group—so she targeted him first. As she aimed, she felt almost certain that she had seen him with Mireya before, but she couldn't help feeling a moment's hesitation before she pressed the button.

(I have to trust myself.)

She shot out another fire spell, aiming for the big man's feet. The conflagration hit right by his ankles, spraying fire around in every direction and knocking aside a few smaller SeeDs, but the force of the blast barely even startled the big guy. His stance was too firm, his strength too overwhelming. He turned and glanced at her, fury in his eyes, and scowled.

The big SeeD glanced back at his comrades. "C'mon!" he shouted. "Regroup!"

Before Quistis could fire off another shot, the SeeD vaulted over the retaining wall and landed in the water inside the fountain. His allies jumped in after him without question, and the loyal Garden SeeDs gave chase.

While most other SeeDs were slowed down by the knee-deep water, the big guy powered through as easily as moving through air, his bulging legs reaching up to his stomach with each step. The others who served Mireya ran after him, albeit much slower.

A couple White SeeDs arrived from the dorms and jumped into the fountain and tackled Mireya's supporters, knocking them down into the water and sending up massive sprays of water. They hastily tied up their captives and then leapt forward to the next target, working their way up the pack and towards the big guy.

Quistis watched the White SeeDs work their way through Mireya's fleeing supporters until there was nothing but the big burly one left. A White SeeD leapt out of the water like a fish and landed on the blonde's shoulders, but instead of falling down like all the others, he merely stumbled and kept running.

He reached one hand over his shoulder, grabbed the White SeeD, and pulled him off before tossing him into the water—all without breaking stride. Another White SeeD leapt at him, one knee thrust forward to strike the big guy down, but he saw the attack coming and managed to sidestep in time, water sloshing around him as he moved. The White SeeD hurtled past where he had been standing and then landed hard in the water, the cold blue liquid spraying everywhere.

Quistis glanced towards the big SeeD's destination, and saw that Mireya's remaining forces were rallying together at the front gate. A cluster of those who had escaped from the other entrances had gathered there, continuing the battle and slinging magic and weaponry at their enemies. Quistis was glad to see that no more than ten or so students still continued the fight on Mireya's side, but she would have liked to see even fewer than that.

(And yet there's still no sign of Mireya.)

Quistis charged up another spell and thought about how to stop the big SeeD from reaching his allies near the front gate. Fire, she knew, would not do the trick. Since the SeeD was in water, she would have to score a direct hit on him to do any damage, and if his junctions were not properly set to deal with fire, then she could severely wound him—if not outright kill him. Even after seeing how dangerous he was, Quistis refused to kill other students.

A similar problem presented itself with thunder magic, leaving wind as her only viable option. Quistis pushed the button to load up the spell, aimed, and then fired.

A cylindrical blast of wind—spiraling straight out of the orb like a tornado tipped on its side—burst forward, kicking up a line of water as it rushed towards the burly SeeD. It was a direct hit, slamming into his body and lifting him clear out of the fountain before throwing him hard against the far wall near the front gate. He managed to brace himself with his arms and legs at the last second, absorbing some of the impact with the wall. He landed hard near the front gate and staggered to his feet, surrounded by the cluster of his allies.

(Damn! I just helped him!)

She spun the pod around and looked at the battle raging in at the front gate. The ten or so who still fought for Mireya were holding their own for the moment, but there were only ten of them. Considering the fact that earlier on the Garden had nearly been divided into thirds—with a third choosing to defend Mireya—this was a considerable improvement.

(It's almost over.)

(Only a few more left to deal with.)

She accelerated, eager to see the end of this battle. She got within range of the fighting and slowed down. Here, both her allies and her enemies were in close proximity. She couldn't blast out a tornado—or any other spell—without catching some of her supporters in the crossfire.

(I can't get a clear shot.)

She reached forward, about to press the button for the microphone and tell her supporters to open a firing lane when a startling bang came from the top of the pod, and Quistis' right arm burst out in agony and fell limp to her side. She yelled out and reflexively grabbed her right shoulder with her left hand and felt a thick blade embedded in the meat of her shoulder. Gritting her teeth in pain, she turned her head as much as she was able and looked at the wound.

A Galbadian Military Saber had pierced downward from the top of the pod, shearing clean through the armor protection, and gone down into her shoulder, down to the bone—maybe even deeper. Quistis looked up and could see Mireya on her knees on top of the pod, holding the sword downward. High above, Quistis could see the second floor walkway—the point where Mireya must have leapt from for her attack.

(She jumped from all the way up there?)

Mireya pulled up, freeing the sword and spilling a rush of red blood from Quistis' shoulder. Quistis cried out and clapped her hand to the wound to staunch the bleeding. Mireya raised her blade again and thrust it down, but her ordinary strength wasn't enough to pierce the armor a second time—not without the additional force that the drop from the second floor had given her. The blade glanced off the armor and shot sparks in all directions, but did not pierce through.

Before Quistis could react, Mireya leapt down and landed on the floor beside the pod. A moment later, she ducked down and vanished from sight.

With tears blurring her vision, Quistis desperately looked around, trying to see where Mireya had gone, when suddenly sparks shot up from underneath the pod. Damage reports on the monitors flashed, indicating an attack from below.

(The underside!)

Quistis eyes snapped open wide. Although the top and all the sides of the pod were heavily armored, the bottom was left completely exposed. It had been—after all—the same way that Quistis herself had used to gain access to the pod. With the pod hovering in the air, there was nothing preventing Mireya from attacking the pod's weak underbelly.

With her one good arm, Quistis reached forward and grabbed one of the two control sticks. Her only thought was to slam the pod straight down, hopefully crushing Mireya beneath her. There was no time for mercy or for non-lethal tactics. If Quistis didn't stop her here, Mireya might seize the pod, destroy the pod, or kill Quistis.

She yanked back hard on the controls. But since she was only using one stick—not both in tandem—the pod shot down at a sideways angle. The edge hit the floor first, giving Mireya time to react and roll out from underneath before the rest of the pod hit the bottom as well.

When the pod settled on the floor, Quistis saw Mireya stand up and raise her hand. An instant later, lightning leapt from her fingers and slammed into the pod. Once again, alert systems flashed inside the pod, this time they were frantic. The word "Critical" was written on almost every monitor, and the 3-D model of the pod was showing catastrophic damage in several sectors.

(This is unbelievable.)
Mireya, armed with nothing but a sword and her magic, had somehow proved herself stronger than a flying armored tank. Quistis was at a loss as to what to do. With her arm injured, she simply could not respond quickly enough to deal with Mireya's rapid, focused frenzy of attacks.

But fortunately, she did not have to. Rushing around the walkway were Xu, Nida, a many other SeeDs, White SeeDs, and students from Trabia Garden. Zell was in the group as well, shouting encouragement for his friends and threats to his allies as he charged forward, pumping his fists and running headlong into the battle.

Mireya spun around, saw the advancing wave of students, and fled, leaving Quistis alone in the pod. Mireya leapt on top of the retaining wall around the fountain and slashed out with her sword at anyone foolish enough to try to stop her. She leapt over a fire spell thrown her direction, rolled under a lightning spell, and then leapt to the group of her supporters in the front gate. She raised her sword and stood ready for battle.

The fighting stopped for a second, as the two sides of the conflict stared each other down. Mireya waited at the front of her cluster of allies, her sword in both hands, pointed forward. Beside her was the burly SeeD that Quistis had pursued earlier. The rest of Mireya's supporters stood in a tight group, brandishing their weapons and waiting for Mireya—or someone else—to make the first move.

Inside NORG's pod, Quistis took this moment of peace and attended to her wound. With the giant hole in her shoulder, she couldn't move her arm at all, forcing her to perform her curative magic with one hand—her left, non-dominant hand. It was difficult to focus the magic and keep it tight on the wound with her weaker hand. The energy kept trying to disperse throughout the rest of her arm, healing minor bumps and scrapes that Quistis could not care less about instead of concentrating at the wound.

(Focus.)

She sucked in a breath through her teeth and slid her eyes shut. She didn't have time to be idle. If the standoff at the front gate continued for much longer, someone—either Mireya or another SeeD—would seek to break the silence with more bloodshed. Quistis couldn't allow that. Not when she was so close to ending this uprising.

But her wound had to be dealt with. If she left it the way it was, she would likely bleed to death. At the very least, the pain was distracting enough to cloud her judgment, and she needed her mind to be clear in the next few moments.

Fortunately, Xu managed to buy some extra time by ordering the loyal SeeDs into groups, cutting off possible escape routes, and making sure that none of Mireya's followers tried to do anything rash. Xu tightened the circle of SeeDs around Mireya's group until there was no way to escape.

Quistis hurriedly sealed the wound shut. It stopped bleeding, but it still ached horribly and when she tried to move her arm, she found that she couldn't raise it above shoulder-level, nor could she move it very quickly in any direction.

(It will have to suffice.)

Wincing at the pain, she gripped both of the control sticks. The monitors flashed red repeatedly, urging her to shut down and convert to self-repair mode before the pod was too damaged to be able to fix itself. But there was no time for that. Quistis needed to trick Mireya and the others into thinking that the attack had done little to diminish the power of NORG's pod. If she showed any weakness, even the slightest hint of vulnerability, they might try to attack, hoping to capitalize on her disadvantage.

The pod lurched back into the air, hovering unsteadily. Quistis could feel the control sticks quaking in her hands as the thrusters fought to maintain altitude. She hoped that the shuddering wasn't visible to any outsiders as she pushed forward, approaching the ring of SeeDs surrounding Mireya and the others. She stopped just outside the group and hovered in place while she took a brief moment to gather her thoughts, clear her throat. Then she pushed the button for the microphone.

"This is your last warning," Quistis said. She was surprised how calm and even her voice sounded. "Surrender peacefully and we will forgive your transgressions. However, if you continue to stand against us—to stand against SeeD and Garden—then you will be treated as traitors and dealt with accordingly."

The SeeD guidebook had a section devoted to various crimes and their punishments. Having already memorized the entire text, Quistis didn't have to think very hard to recall what the prescribed punishment for treason was. The penalty was immediate expulsion, plus the forfeiture of all GFs, magic, and any equipment belonging to SeeD.

It was a pretty minor punishment, considering that most other governments punished treason with the death penalty or lifetime prison sentences, but SeeD was not equipped to hold prisoners indefinitely, nor could Headmaster Cid bear the thought of executing students—however severe their crimes were.

But still, many of the SeeDs were orphans, and Garden was the only home they had ever known. The threat of being cast out—thrown into a world they barely knew and where they had no connections—was intimidating enough. Quistis saw a few flickers of fear and indecision cross the eyes of several of Mireya's supporters. One of them panicked, tossed down his sword, and fled away from Mireya's group. Two others followed immediately after, their weapons clattering on the floor as they abandoned their rebellious leader and rejoined the other SeeDs. Mireya scowled darkly at them as they left, but did not take action.

Quistis didn't bother to remember the names or the faces of those three who turned their backs on Mireya, nor did she seek to separate them from the others. She had promised them forgiveness, and she intended to give it to them. As far as she was concerned, they were now loyal SeeDs, as trustworthy as any of the others.

(But still…)

(Only three?)

Quistis sighed, disappointed, as the rest of Mireya's group stayed loyal to her, even though it was now beginning to be clear that they could not win this fight.

Above, the sounds of battle coming from the second floor grew louder and closer. Quistis glanced up and could see that the fighting had reached the bridge connecting the classrooms to the elevator. She could see Tomomi leading a charge of White SeeDs and T-Garden students against a crumbling line of Mireya's supporters.

Just then the intercom chimed, and a male voice came over the speakers. Quistis recognized it as Commander Alnaj of White SeeD, from the time he had spoken with her over the radio.

"Attention students," Alnaj said. "White SeeD has recovered control of the school. We will be handing authority back over to Headmaster Cid and Lieutenant Commander Quistis Trepe, and returning Garden back to the Esthar fleet. That is all."

The intercom chimed again and shut off. A few seconds later, Garden slowed to a stop, then the floor beneath the students gently lurched as the school changed direction and headed back towards where Esthar waited for the Galbadians.

"The fight is over," Quistis said over the pod's speakers. "It's pointless to continue this."

Mireya visibly ground her teeth, looking around her at the circle of SeeDs surrounding her and her allies. She lowered her sword, raised her chin, and addressed Quistis. Mireya's eyes were not focused directly on Quistis. It took her a moment to remember that the metal shell was only transparent from the inside. The observers on the outside could only see the ornate patterns on the pod's shell—not Quistis.

"I'm willing to negotiate," Mireya said.

(Yes!)

Quistis' eyes widened, and she almost bounced in her chair with excitement. However, she quickly contained herself. She knew that Mireya was unlikely to agree to any deal that Quistis proposed and vice versa. Also, it was doubtful that Mireya would stay honest to any proposed settlement, since she had already proven her capacity to rebel against the established authority of SeeD. But the mere fact that Mireya was talking about negotiation—rather than fighting to the bitter end—was a sign of progress and gave Quistis renewed hope.

She pushed the button for the speaker and said, "Your terms?"

"I'll surrender if you remove the T-Garden sorceress from the premises immediately," Mireya said. "Also, I want your official declaration that no other sorceresses will be allowed inside Garden for as long as the school remains open."

Quistis sighed to herself.

(I knew I wouldn't like her terms.)

Removing Tomomi from Garden wasn't an unreasonable request. Once the battle on the second floor concluded—and from the looks of it, that could be any moment—then Tomomi would probably return to T-Garden of her own volition. No need for Quistis to force her out at all.

But the second part was not acceptable. Barring all sorceresses from the school would mean keeping out Rinoa and Selphie, and that was not something Quistis would consider. Furthermore, such a policy could have long term and unforeseeable effects on Garden's future. There might come a time when SeeD needed to negotiate with a sorceress, or if one of their own suddenly acquired the power. If SeeD held on to a strict policy against sorceresses, it could result in unnecessary friction later on.

Yet Quistis wanted to appear willing to negotiate, so she said, "I agree to the first term. The Sorceress Tomomi can be sent back to T-Garden once hostilities within Garden have concluded. But I cannot establish any long term policies concerning sorceresses in the school at this time."

"Why not?" Mireya asked defiantly.

Above them, the sounds of battle abruptly ceased. Quistis could hear voices talking, and what sounded like people giving orders. She glanced up and saw the last few remaining supporters of Mireya lay down their weapons. Members of White SeeD moved in and used their restraints to ensure that the all Mireya's rebels were neutralized.

(The third floor has been reclaimed, and now the second floor is cleared as well.)

(Once I resolve this situation with Mireya, it will be over.)

Quistis responded to the question. "Because it is unreasonable to bar all sorceresses from school grounds."

"Unreasonable?" Mireya said, looking shocked. "That girl in the yellow dress just attacked Garden from within, and presumably destroyed our quad. It's obviously too dangerous to allow a sorceress into the school."

Quistis grimaced.

(She knows she can't fight her way out of this…)

(… So she'll try to argue her way out.)

And what was worse, Quistis wasn't sure that she could win this debate. It was difficult to explain her side of the argument, especially in light of recent events. Selphie had been possessed by Ultimecia and driven to attack the school against her will.

But Quistis knew that even if she explained this, it probably wouldn't convince anyone, let alone Mireya. If it was indeed true that any sorceress—even one as kind and loyal as Selphie—could be possessed and driven to attack Garden, then there did seem to be a certain logic to banning all sorceresses from the school. Therefore, claiming that Selphie was not acting under her own power would not help Quistis any, but would actually damage her side of the argument.

(I'm trapped in a situation where the truth can only hurt me.)

Behind them, the White SeeDs began jumping down from the second floor, carrying T-Garden students down with them. Apparently, they had discovered that the elevators had been shut off, and that the only way down was to jump. One of the White SeeDs was carrying Tomomi. She landed on the ground, then stepped forward and stood near NORG's pod, next to Zell, Xu, and Nida. She spoke in whispers to a couple T-Garden students, getting caught up on the current situation.

(Regardless, I cannot stay here and argue forever.)

(I need to wrap this up and prepare for the inevitable fight against Galbadia.)

Quistis wasn't sure if she knew the right approach to take, but she pressed the speaker button and began her counter-argument.

"Strength is perilous," Quistis said. "A person with a great deal of strength can defend others, or they can exploit others. And we cannot know what a person will do with their strength until after we have allowed them the freedom to use it. We take that risk every time we teach a student to junction, every time we give them a Guardian Force, every time we hand them a weapon and show them how to kill. If you wish to argue that sorceresses cannot be allowed in Garden because they are too strong and unpredictable, then you must also question our policies for every other SeeD, because—while no individual SeeD has the strength of a sorceress—we are all still far beyond the abilities of an average person and each of us carries immense destructive power within us."

Quistis released the speaker button and leaned back in her chair, waiting for the inevitable response. Mireya twisted her lip, but said nothing. Several seconds passed, and finally Mireya looked down and to the side, trying desperately to think of a comeback.

(She… doesn't have an immediate retort?)

Quistis was almost dumbfounded. Mireya always seemed to the best argument. The fact that Quistis had managed to force Mireya to think about her response was a victory in its own right.

But Quistis didn't allow her surprise to stop her for long. Now that a weakness had been revealed, she knew she needed to press her advantage, to absolutely convince Mireya and the others that they were in the wrong. And so she pushed the speaker button and continued.

"No matter what your opinion of sorceresses is," Quistis said, "You cannot deny that SeeD survived its most recent battle against Galbadia thanks to the combined efforts of the sorceresses Tomomi, Rinoa, and Selphie. They defended our school from missile strikes, battled back the Galbadian invaders, and routed the G-Army, eventually forcing them to flee. We would not be here to have this discussion without their selfless efforts. If it weren't for them, we would be in chains—or worse—and Balamb Garden would be in the hands of the Galbadians."

"So we are helpless without the aid of sorceresses?" Mireya said, looking up at the pod. But Quistis could tell by her tone of voice that she knew that this was a poor argument. Quistis easily thought of a response.

"No, but we are foolish to cast aside their aid," Quistis said. "We will take strength where we can find it, and we will use that strength to improve our school, ourselves, and our allies."

Mireya sighed and closed her eyes. Quistis eagerly leaned forward in her chair. This was it. Quistis could feel it. This was the moment when Mireya would finally surrender. There was nowhere for her to go. She could no longer fight, and her strongest argument had finally been beaten down. Every option had been taken from her. Quistis had won.

(Come on.)

(Say it.)

(Say that you surrender.)

But Mireya lifted her head, eyes blazing with defiance, and Quistis' heart sank as she realized that Mireya was not finished yet.

"You cannot compare the power of SeeD to the power of sorceresses," Mireya said. "You said it yourself: no SeeD has the strength of a single sorceress. While allying ourselves to a sorceress may bolster our strength for a time, the risk is too great to bear for long. If we ally with a sorceress and that sorceress decides to turn on us, what can we do to stop her? You saw what the girl in the yellow dress did to our quad. What else could she have destroyed if she had decided to completely eradicate us? Who here would be dead if she had decided to linger just a few minutes more? Gaining a bit of temporary strength doesn't justify chaining ourselves and our fates to a capricious monster. We need allies we can control and trust, and that means we cannot align ourselves with sorceresses."

Quistis saw the stubborn determination return to the faces of Mireya's followers. After Mireya's speech, it was hard to say who was winning the argument, but Quistis could see that Mireya's supporters were once more fully behind her again. And Quistis knew that this new argument was harder to rebuke, because it had its roots in the inherent paranoia most people felt about sorceresses. As long as Mireya continued to play on that ingrained fear, Quistis was unsure if she could ever win the argument.

(But I must try.)

However, before she could open her mouth to speak, a flash of light burst from the right, scattering some of Mireya's followers. Mireya turned her head to look, just in time to see Tomomi leap from the crowd and grasp Mireya on the wrist.

"Shut up and surrender, or I'll pass my powers on to you," Tomomi said.

Mireya's eyes went wide. She raised her sword and brought it to Tomomi's throat. She held it there, pressed against the sorceress' skin, but did not finish the attack. Tomomi could still—with her dying breath—carry through on her threat and pass on the sorceress powers. Tomomi didn't want to die, but at the same time, Mireya didn't want to become a sorceress. Therefore, it was a standoff, with Mireya's blade poised at Tomomi's neck and Tomomi's hand clutching Mireya's wrist.

Mireya's supporters stood watching, nervous, not sure how to act. The other SeeDs around them were confused as well. Only the White SeeDs seemed dispassionate, watching the scene unfold with narrowed, calm eyes.

(This is dangerous…)

"Tomomi," Quistis said over the speakers, but she wasn't sure what else to say.

On the one hand, Tomomi's move was smart. If Mireya became a sorceress, then all her rhetoric instantly turned into hypocrisy. She could no longer argue for the removal of all sorceresses, since she would be one herself. And if for some reason Mireya continued to advocate the expulsion of sorceresses, then Quistis would have no qualms about following through and expelling her. Mireya would either have to stop arguing, or accept her own judgment and effectively expel herself from the school. Either way, Mireya would be neutralized.

If Mireya tried to pass on the powers to someone else, that posed another set of problems. She couldn't give the sorceress powers to another girl in the school without looking like both a hypocrite and a coward—one willing to pass judgment on others without accepting it herself. And if she tried to pass it back to Tomomi, then it would be a simple matter to keep Tomomi away from her. In any case, it would take time for Mireya to figure a way out of this predicament; hopefully allowing time for Quistis and the rest of SeeD to survive the upcoming battle against Galbadia.

But on the other hand, while Mireya's arguments would be destroyed, she herself would gain vast amounts of power. Even though she was outnumbered, a potential Sorceress Mireya could still win the fight and recover her place as the Commander of SeeD through sheer force. She would probably lose most of her followers in the process, but without another sorceress like Rinoa or Selphie to check her power, it was unlikely that anyone would be able to stop her.

So the question became, was Mireya more determined to be morally correct, or more determined to gain control of SeeD? Tomomi was betting everything that Mireya would choose to avoid hypocrisy, and the consequences if she was wrong would be catastrophic.

(So what should I say?)

(Should I stop her, or encourage her?)

(Is this foolishness or wisdom?)

Quistis saw movement from behind Mireya. Her eyes flicked in time to see the big, burly guy from earlier step forward and—with a movement as fast as a snake—grasp Tomomi's head in two of his meaty hands and twist. The sickening crack of bone and sinew was audible even inside NORG's pod.

"Dax! No!" Mireya shouted, releasing Tomomi, but it was already too late. Tomomi's limp body dropped to the floor, a lifeless heap of flesh, her eyes staring out at nothing.

Balamb Garden had never before known such total silence. Quistis could hear her heart pounding in her chest, her breath coming in and out through her open mouth. No one spoke. No one moved. Mireya's supporters and the loyal SeeDs, T-Garden students and White SeeDs all looked down at the girl with the brown hair sprawled out on the floor. They were all accustomed to the idea and the sight of death, but this was different. It wasn't a fight on a battlefield. It was murder.

"Problem solved," Dax said, staring down with hatred and contempt at the dead sorceress girl.

But Tomomi still had the unnatural state of un-death on her side. Her lifeless body reached forward and grasped Mireya's ankle. Mireya yelped and tried to pull away, but Tomomi's grip was fierce and tenacious. Mireya slashed down at Tomomi's wrist, but still Tomomi would not let go. Blood splattered from the wound torn into her flesh, but since her heart was no longer beating, it came out slowly, in fat red drops, already congealing as it fell.

Mireya stopped struggling and twitched in place, and there was a silent, invisible—but somehow tangible—wave of sensation as the energy passed from one woman to the next. Tomomi sighed, her eyes closed, and she was truly gone.

The silence in Garden resumed. Dax stared down, dumbfounded.

"I thought…" he said. He looked to Mireya.

"You idiot," she muttered.

"You're not…" Dax said. "You're not one of them now, are you?" He looked around, confused.

Quistis did not know what to say. Words completely failed her. But she knew she had to say something. She had to reassert her authority over Garden, over SeeD, and keep this moment from escalating back into mindless violence. She had to reason with Mireya, because the alternative to reason was more bloodshed.

She did the only thing that came to mind. Robbed of all other thought, she reverted back to her instincts as an instructor and she taught Dax the truth of what had happened, easing his confusion.

"A sorceress cannot truly die until she has passed on her powers," Quistis said tonelessly. "And now that…" she stumbled. Although she had never known Tomomi that well, the shock was still affecting her. "And now that Tomomi has died, it is clear that her powers have been passed on. To Mireya."

Dax turned to Mireya.

"I… I didn't know," Dax said.

"There's a lot you don't know," Mireya said, her anger rising with every word. "That's why you weren't supposed to do anything without me telling you to first."

The intercom chimed. Everyone paused to listen to the announcement as Commander Alnaj spoke.

"Galbadia is visible on the horizon," he said. "It won't be long before they are close enough to engage. We need Commander Quistis or Headmaster Cid to come here and decide on a battle plan immediately."

Inside NORG's pod, Quistis cursed. Her first thought was to consult the Headmaster as to what to do next. But he was down in the basement. The elevators were inoperable—the key still presumably in one of Mireya's pockets—and the aging Headmaster couldn't possibly hope to climb up through the rubble and up the hole in the basement. A White SeeD might be able to jump Cid out of the hole, but the force of the jump might injure him.

But then Quistis remembered that Cid had delegated all combat authority to the Commander of Garden. Even if she spoke with Cid, he would simply tell her that this was her responsibility and that she was the one who needed to lead the school.

Quistis clenched her teeth. Her shoulder ached and her head spun with the chaos of all that had happened in the past few hours.

(I must do this.)

(I must lead Garden.)

(If I don't, we'll all die.)

"Mireya," Quistis said. "Fight with us. If you help us survive this battle, I'll forgive you of all your past transgressions. But if you choose to fight against us, you must realize that your actions will destroy Garden. If you have any love for this school at all, you need to fight with us now."

That was no exaggeration. With Galbadia only a few minutes away, Mireya could easily decimate the school, leaving it too weak to attempt a serious defense against the invaders. Even if she chose not to fight at all and simply wait and see what happened, the absence of a sorceress on the front lines might be enough to spell the end of SeeD. No matter what, the fate of the school was in Mireya's hands.

Mireya looked down at the floor. Her hand tightened around her sword, her other hand clenching and unclenching. Quistis could see her shoulders shaking spasmodically, like she was laughing—or crying. Quistis narrowed her eyes, wondering and fearing what would happen next.

When Mireya raised her head, her eyes were moist, and her lips were curved in a crazed smile.

"If I have any love for this school?" she said. And then her features hardened into a mask of anger. "No. I am a sorceress!"

She raised a fist in the air and the thrust it downward, punching at the ground, releasing a shockwave that threw aside everyone around her—her allies, her enemies—and even pushed back NORG's pod. The students were thrown to the floor or over the retaining walls and into the water fountains.

As Quistis fought to regain control, Mireya leapt forward and bounded up to the pod. She jumped, using wind magic to boost her height, and landed once more atop the pod. But instead of trying to pierce it with her sword, she knelt down and pressed her free hand against the shell of the machine.

Instantly, everything inside the pod went out of control. Lights flashed on and off, the monitors cycled madly through all their screens, menus opened and closed, and the thrusters went mad, spinning the pod around in circles, forcing Quistis to frantically grip the armrests to avoid being thrown from the chair.

A couple of White SeeDs bravely leapt up to attack Mireya, but she effortlessly protected herself with a translucent shield, tossing them aside and back down to the ground. Other SeeDs hurled magic or shot their weapons, but nothing could pierce Mireya's defenses.

(I can't stop her!)

A second later, the chaos inside the pod ceased and all the monitors went blank except for one. The lone operational monitor spat out the words "Open Pod," and with a gasp of air and a rush of steam, the pod split open like a flower opening its petals in the sun. Mireya moved aside to avoid the moving parts, then leapt down behind Quistis' seat.

Quistis looked up and had enough time to raise one hand in defense as Mireya fired a blast of wind that hurled Quistis out of the cockpit. She was airborne for an instant, and then she slammed down hard onto the floor, landing on her wounded shoulder. She cried out and her whole world was engulfed in screaming red pain for an instant as she rolled to a stop.

She was vaguely aware of the sound of the pod closing behind her, and the realization struck her that Mireya was assuming control of the machine—and that Mireya was now both a sorceress and in command of NORG's pod.

Quistis fought her way up onto one arm to look behind her. The pod was lifting off the ground as Mireya hit the thrusters. In her disoriented state, Quistis still managed to notice one peculiar detail about Mireya's attack.

(She used wind magic.)

(She could have killed me, with spells or her sword.)

(But she used nonlethal magic.)

Quistis wondered about this fact for an instant, watching as Mireya sped up higher and higher in the school. She rose up past the second floor, then accelerated. SeeDs shot at her, and White SeeDs bounded after her but it seemed like nothing could stop her now.

"Are you okay, Q?" Xu asked, rushing to Quistis. She knelt down beside her friend. Zell and Nida were behind her, alternately looking at Quistis and glancing up at the fleeing pod in the air.

"Yes. I am fine," Quistis said, although she felt anything but. Her wound had reopened and was spilling red blood through the fabric of her black uniform. She was dizzy and disoriented and she could see no possible way that SeeD would survive their upcoming battle against Galbadia. Yet she knew that if Garden was to stand any chance at all, they would need her to successfully lead them. The burden and the responsibility were crushing, but Quistis bore it all. She knew she had no choice.

"We must prepare for battle," Quistis said, while Xu helped her to her feet.

(Although it may already be hopeless.)

(We must still fight to the end.)

Quistis gritted her teeth and planned the school's defenses.