Chapter 37

Exoneration

Tyris tried to keep count of the days since the battle. But with no contact with the outside world aside from an analogue clock and a couple of visits to the holding cell, it was difficult. And, despite her fairly good treatment and amenities, a cell was exactly what it was.

After Esthar's retreat, Tyris had been swiftly taken into custody as an enemy officer, despite the protests of Thalassa and her efforts to thwart Zebalga's vanguard. Kept away from any other POWs she had been transported north, then offshore. Then Tyris had been taken to the nucleus of Neo-SeeD, the repurposed Battleship Island, for 'debriefing'. Tyris knew what that meant. She did not expect to be interrogated and tortured for intelligence as a high value prisoner. The true loyalty of the Stormbringer was now known to everyone who had participated in the battle, and there was nothing more the enemies of the Empire needed to know.

The cell was below decks and spartan. It had a compact but comfortable single bed and a shower, toilet and sink in the far corner. There was a cheap plastic shelf with variety of literature and a compact television opposite her bed, with a digital video player and a small selection of movies. Tyris had already exhausted the vids. She could not watch The Fall of Sarona, For A Few Gil More or The Sorceress' Knight any more times. They had done little to distract her from reliving the films being repeated in her head. Her failed attempt on Zebalga's life. And her confrontation with Selena.

The former grated on her. Twelve years she had waited for vengeance, and she had failed. Tyris could not know how many times she relived that duel with the demonic General in her mind. Highlighting every misstep. How he had been able to get within her spear. How she had let herself become disarmed. If not for Gerra, she would be with Matron and Cid again - at long last. After Quistis had left them, Tyris had led the charge against another wave of Esthari, sighting the regrouped Praetorians. Though Selena had been there, a charge from Boko cutting Tyris off. The valiant Nida had engaged Zebalga. Tyris had not seen Ifrit spirit Gerra away in pursuit of Ultimecia.

'How could you, Ty?' Selena said tearfully.

She swung her short swords furiously, golden light trailing after them as she went all out to try and match Tyris' newfound power. Tyris was able to keep her at bay with the legendary Dragonhair, eerily calm now their inevitable confrontation was happening. She forced herself to meet Selena's teary eyes.

'You should have known I could never forgive the Empress for what she did! For everything I went through after Edea and Cid died!'

Selena had not relented until the horns of retreat had sounded.

There was an exercise tower and cycling machine in a different corner of the room, which Tyris took full advantage of. Additionally, she had been gifted three nutritious meals and a new set of clothes each alternating day, through a hatch in the automatic door that had only opened four times since her arrival. She still had her Guardian Forces, which she silently communicated with often in attempt to pass the time. But this did not give Tyris much reassurance, as she knew that Rinoa could forcibly take them from her.

The first real break from monotony had been what she guessed was a few days following the battle. Tyris had been visited by the Lionheart himself, replete with his impressive sapphire gunblade, which was sheathed now. The legendary SeeD leader was backed by some of his subordinates at the opening, including the slender form of Rhodry Blaen, with his equally awesome weapon. There was also a stocky bald man with a pointed beard and axe behind his back, giving her a disdainful look.

Nida was there too, giving Tyris a single nod as they made eye contact. Following Quistis' death, his off hand protruded from the centre of his SeeD uniform. The badge of shame was a Balambi custom set by Hideyoshi; Knight to Sorceress Nakano, Leviathan's first known summoner, and the original wielder of Murasame. Hideyoshi had lived on in infamy after failing to defend Nakano from Adel and Jadis. That Hideyoshi and his comrades had been grossly outnumbered by the Praetorians of Adel and the Paladins of Jadis had not mattered.

He no longer bears Siren, Ramuh noted.

There was no sign of Raine. Another reunion Tyris had been dreading, after striking down her father.

The SeeDs did not follow their leader through the opening before it closed. Tyris had met Squall only once before, at a formal occasion before the Fall of Balamb. He had knelt before Tyris and asked her if she wanted to enrol as a junior classwoman. That had probably been to infuriate Seifer more than anything else.

Squall was significantly older now, his brown mane streaked with grey, his beard much longer than she remembered it. His appearance mirrored his former rival's, facial scar and all. He wore only a white sleeveless top over black combat trousers and boots; his broad shoulders having filled out since his teenage years. Tyris observed the tattoos on Squall's arms. Covering most of his right was the unmistakable form of Griever, holding Lionheart. On his left shoulder was a smaller image of Griever crouching sidelong above a pointed cross, identical to his necklace. They looked new, though at Squall's age, Tyris assumed this was because Rinoa had branded the images onto her Knight herself.

After some brief pleasantries, the SeeD Commander pulled the chair from her desk, facing her in front of the bed.

'Forgive us for taking so long with your debrief, Tyris. As I'm sure you can appreciate, there is a massive clean-up operation underway in Galbadia City and on the plains. And we are still trying to get an accurate picture of all the casualties. Rhodry is now my Deputy Commander and has been running things in my absence. With the death of President Caraway, we have had to await Vice President Martine and the rest of the Cabinet's return from Wilburn before Martine can be sworn in as the new President. Then, we need to decide our next course of action against Ultimecia.'

Tyris nodded slowly. 'My father mentioned she and Reina are one and the same.'

'Seeing as you mentioned Seifer, I'll get straight to the point. We know that you killed him.' Her mouth opened in protest, but he quickly cut her off with a wave of his hand. 'Because he told you to. Fujin asked Ellone to show her what happened.'

Squall paused to allow her to answer. Although her mouth was still open, Tyris found her voice had reduced to a croak. She recalled hearing her mother's screams as she had plunged her sword into her father's chest. In her grief, Fujin must have tried to stop her via Ellone's power, even though it had been Seifer's request.

'You've been under a tremendous amount of stress as a double agent, Tyris,' Squall acknowledged. 'And that was something we never would have expected of you, after we were neglectful enough to let you be taken from Edea's House.' He paused. 'Although that was after Garden fell, words can't describe how deeply we all regret that. We won't presume to ask you for forgiveness.'

Tyris said nothing.

'I'm admirable of what you and Thalassa have been able to achieve up until now. Your accomplishments have matched my own when I was your age.'

'Thank you,' Tyris allowed.

'Though I've got to admit that Seifer's death is partially my fault,' Squall confessed. 'We had the upper hand against Christophe when Rinoa reached me during the sea battle. Believing him to be a man of honour, I allowed him to rejoin Ultimecia. Then at the city, he crippled Seifer, maimed Fujin and murdered Quistis. And now, Ultimecia's power has grown exponentially. With Eden at her disposal, we may not be able to stop her,' he admitted, looking away for the first time. 'Never again will I show Christophe mercy, even if I have to kill him in cold blood,' he vowed.

'Christophe maimed my mother? Where is she?' Tyris demanded.

'Wilburn. She'll be fine, although I fear her soul has become a vessel that only the blood of Christophe can fill. She got careless, and he robbed her of her dominant arm.' Squall explained. 'Perhaps Rinoa or Selphie could restore it, but she's too proud to ask. And she's currently in hiding with Ifrit, who was targeted by Christophe at Wilburn.'

'Does she want to see me?' Tyris asked hesitantly.

Squall nodded. 'She does, but she needs more time.' After some silence, he said, 'The main thing that concerns us about your betrayal of Esthar,' he paused, 'is Raijin.'

He paused again to gauge her reaction, but Tyris betrayed little. She knew that Bahamut would see through any duplicity on her part, but that was fine. Tyris was done with deceit.

'Raijin was going to kill me!' Tyris struggled to say.

'You sought Raijin out on the Great Plains. You could have revealed yourself to him, but you chose to fight. You cut him down and took Quetzalcoatl,' Squall stated.

Tyris could no longer meet his gaze. Instead, she looked to the blank screen of the small TV.

'Ramuh was drawn to his other half!' she said frantically. 'I needed to wait until I knew that the Emp – that Ultimecia's enemies had a chance of beating her back! The time just wasn't right!'

Squall seemed to consider this. 'Tyris, I can't help but think you put your personal vendetta against General Zebalga and Ultimecia before sparing Raijin's life. Don't expect Ellone and her children to be so understanding of your rationale. Raine and Raiden are both SeeDs now, and Elle herself is no pushover – Edea and Raijin made sure of that.'

The thought of Raijin's family hating her, after she had finally escaped from the Empire, filled her with anguish.

'Is Raine here on the ship?' she asked anxiously.

'Raine is on a mission,' Squall told her. 'Which is probably for the best, while you remain here.

Silence followed, which the SeeD leader ended first.

'We're burying Seifer at the Tomb of the Unknown King, in accordance with his wishes. With the capital now a desolation, it's been decided that Quistis, Caraway, Raijin and Xu will also be interred there in a mass ceremony. There will be a memorial service for Irvine and anyone who's bodies have not been recovered. I'm sure you will be there in spirit, but it goes without saying that Raijin's family don't want you in attendance.'

Tyris understood. It was okay; she had already said goodbye to her father. Squall suddenly rose from the chair and turned to go.

'Thank you for your efforts in the battle, Tyris. You tipped the scales, ambushing the van the way you did. Ballad Deling and the Garlands will never forget it. I've instructed Rhodry to allow you an hour on deck each afternoon. Don't presume to flee if you want us to trust you,' he warned.

'I won't flee, Squall! I want to see the war through to the end!' Tyris assured him.

With that, he was gone, the door sealing shut behind him. The silence that followed was oppressive and deafening.

A whole week passed before Tyris had another visitor; the passing of time made more countable by her daily recreation breaks up topside. Each day a taciturn Rhodry would escort her personally, saying nothing more than necessary, then leaving her to roam in the open air. The strain in Rhodry's tone with her was apparent. He must have hated Tyris for what happened at Adaryn, even though it was her that had warned SeeD of Esthar's renewed push north. On her second day, walking several yards in front of Rhodry, she had tried to address it.

'I'm sorry for what happened Adaryn, Rhodry. I leaked the plans to Thalassa, and if there was anything I could have done to stop it, I would have!'

'I suppose Adaryn's importance paled to that of Galbadia City,' was all Rhodry said, not looking at her.

When they walked onto the deck, Tyris said, 'Colonel Vlahos was my closest friend in Esthar. She rescued me from the mines after I was taken. I didn't want to interfere in your duel, but I couldn't bear to see her cut down in front of me!'

'What's done is done,' Rhodry replied, not responding to anything more she said on the matter.

Tyris walked the deck at a leisurely pace, as she got enough cardiovascular exercise on the bike machine in her room. As if to counteract this, she had been offered cigarettes. Although not ordinarily a smoker, they were low nicotine and would help to deal with the tedium. She would drag on them whilst leaning on the ship's rail, gazing at the ocean's horizon in the vague direction of Centra. The completely opposite direction to the carnage that had just taken place.

After five monotonous days, her cell's door had opened one evening. Thalassa entered the room. She was unarmed, back in her White SeeD uniform, her blonde hair tied into its usual dual pigtails. Her facial tattoo stood out darkly. Concealed in FH, Tyris had forgotten she had it. She was carrying a brown paper bag.

Tyris started crying. Gone was the impassable wall she had placed between them during their irregular meetings since Timber. She leapt from the bed and embraced her childhood friend for the first time in a dozen years, who began weeping wordlessly in turn.

'I'm so glad you've come back, Ty!' Thalassa choked the words out after a few moments.

With her eyes closed, Tyris struggled to respond. 'I never truly left, Lassa,' she managed.

Thalassa opened the bag to reveal a fresh selection of movies and boxsets. There was a couple of bottles of wine and a few packets of cigarettes. 'I've got no idea what your vices are any more, but I did my best!'

Tyris managed to laugh. 'Remember the night we got drunk on Matron's red, at the lighthouse? I never touched wine again after that night! But I think I can stomach it better, now!'

In truth, after drinking nothing but desalinated water, diluted orange juice and weak, sugarless coffee for about ten days, Tyris would take any alcoholic beverage. She rapidly lit one of the cigs as Thalassa popped the cork on a bottle, taking a long drag as she happily remembered the night they had got so ill sinking those bottles of aged red. Matron had no longer been a Sorceress, so Alexander had purified them. Although Tyris' smile faded when she remembered that had only been a week before everything had changed for her. Which had always been her problem with seeing Thalassa again. They were the only two from the orphanage who were still alive.

'What's going on outside?' she demanded. 'No one has told me anything since I spoke to Squall!'

'I've been back Home,' Thalassa responded, referring to the White SeeD Ship, 'so I only know as much as Kurin has told me.' She opted to sit with Tyris on the bed rather than the chair. 'The memorial service is at the Tomb, tomorrow at midday. There's going to be a council at Caraway's manor after the wake, from where President Martine is now ruling provisionally. The Children of Sarona retook Dollet a few days ago, as the Esthari retreated to Timber. They hired SeeD and Garland to eliminate a few HVTs before the uprising. They hired us, too; they needed Leviathan to ambush the Esthari fleet. Shawn Argus is in power there now, and the country has been renamed New Sarona.'

Tyris blinked. 'Really?'

Thalassa nodded. 'The junta have called up all reserves and conscripts. Argus claims his force now numbers over three hundred thousand, and he's expecting to negotiate with SeeD and Galbadia in exchange for any more assistance against the Empire. The bulk of Esthar's land force is now in Sequoia. No doubt, Ultimecia will wait for us to march on Timber so that she can unleash Eden.'

Tyris mulled on this for a few seconds, the strong wine rapidly hitting her bloodstream. She took another deep drag on her cig, the smoke she exhaled sucked in by the ship's efficient ventilation system.

'So, you're junctioned with Leviathan now?' she asked. 'What happened to Carbuncle?'

'Ultimecia took him,' Thalassa said sadly. 'But I'm going to get him back! I vowed to keep him safe!'

'The time will come, Lassa,' Tyris assured her. 'We'll get him back together!'

Thalassa smiled. 'I broke Ultimecia's jaw, you know! That's good enough for now!'

She laughed, and Tyris joined her, feeling as elated as she had for years.

'Zell would have loved that!' she remarked.

'I'm so sorry about Seifer,' Thalassa said solemnly. 'They told me what happened.'

'It's okay,' Tyris said, not knowing if Thalassa knew the whole of it. 'He was too proud to ask Rinoa or Quistis for help, and he didn't think they would restore his spine after the things he'd done. He couldn't bear to live if he couldn't fight again. He said it himself.'

They had finished both glasses. Thalassa topped them up and asked, 'So, you met Gerra?'

Tyris stiffened a little. She had not put all the pieces together during the battle. But after reflection, Ramuh confirmed her suspicion that Gerra did not belong here.

'Yes. Gerra saved me from Zebalga. Then he saw me euthanise my father and asked if he could wield Hyperion in his honour. I'm assuming he comes from the same timeline that Christophe did. I saw him falling before Quistis was killed. Did he die?'

'He survived, just,' Thalassa said. 'Rinoa healed him, and he's at Home. We're going to the Fire Cavern after the service so he can junction with Phoenix. Our ship can veil itself like the Esthari boats, but it will appear on their sonar. We'll need another vessel to enter Balamb's waters, and I can get him one. You can join us if you like.'

'I'd love to!' Tyris exclaimed. 'I can't wait to get out of here!'

'There's something else, Ty,' Thalassa mentioned. 'Ultimecia tried to have Christophe kill Ifrit, but Rhodry fought him off. She knows that Gerra is his direct descendant, and she probably thinks killing Ifrit will erase him from existence.'

They lapsed into silence again at the mention of altering time. Tyris was starting to feel the alcohol depressing her anxiety as she smoked again. The sudden chain smoking was giving her a headache, but she got her GFs to block the increasing pounding. Not for the first time Tyris noticed how attractive Thalassa was now, even in her baggy white uniform. She wondered about her private life.

Trying to divert that train of thought, Tyris said, 'I've never met Ifrit, and I still haven't spoken to my mother. I don't even know what to say to either of them!'

'I'm not sure that they do, either.'

'So Rhodry defended my brother's life?' Tyris asked. 'I'll have to thank him. He despises me, though. I fought him when his town was taken, and I think he was the only one who survived that bloodbath. The Esthari who fought there call him the Abadon of Adaryn, now.'

'A fitting moniker,' Thalassa said. 'Rhodry would end most of us in single combat. That he stood against Christophe and lived is testament to that.'

They continued to drink, and Thalassa smoked socially. Tyris asked all the questions, satisfying her curiosity as to what her oldest friend had done for the last dozen years. About her time with the Centran nomads, her years on the White SeeD Ship, how she came by Carbuncle, whether Thalassa had been with any men – or women. As Tyris suspected, the White SeeD's life had been much like her own. One of survival. Tyris filled in the blanks about her own history. She skirted on the mines but divulged on her acquisition of Ramuh at the Thunder Plains, her on-off flings with Selena and her own military adventures.

When Tyris was subdued enough by the wine, she took the photograph of Hikaru from under the pillow, which they had allowed her to keep. She told Thalassa the truth of the matter.

'I had no choice, right? Hikaru wanted to end her life. I didn't want her joining the battle, using her GF in a suicide charge. And Raijin,' she shut her eyes, remembering something else as her head spun. 'Oh Hyne, have you spoken to Raine?'

Thalassa fidgeted a little. 'Ellone had her Connect with Raijin on the plains; she knows what happened. She knows that we need you, though.'

'I acted so cold toward her when I met you both in Centra last year! In truth, I was really happy to see you again,' Tyris admitted. 'I just resented the two of you for years for having better fates than I did! Now, Raine probably wants to kill me!'

'I don't know, Ty. Raine understood what you went through as well as anyone.'

'Please tell me I made the right choices, Lassa!' Tyris said pleadingly.

'I don't know if I would have done the same,' she said, 'but I'm not really in a position to judge. I was too cowardly to follow you back to Matron that night.'

'You weren't a coward, Chicken-wuss!' Tyris confessed. 'You always were smarter than me! I should have stayed with you. For what it's worth, I forgive you.'

'Thanks, Ty!' Thalassa said happily. 'That means the Planet to me!'

'I've never been back there,' Tyris said. 'The orphanage. We need to go together, one day. We'll be going there to look for Alexander, won't we?'

'We will,' Thalassa replied. 'Steiner had Matron and Cid buried there when he found them. His stonemasons made them a beautiful white tomb with an epitaph. I always get teary when I see it.'

A look briefly crossed Thalassa's face, as though she had just remembered something substantial, but then it was gone.

'I need to see it for myself,' Tyris said. 'I always assumed their bodies were left in that prairie!'

They continued to talk, mainly of their time at the orphanage before that fateful day, their tongues loosened by the fine wine. But all good things had to come to an end, their final glasses slowly diminishing in volume.

With reluctant acceptance, Tyris said, 'We managed to halt Ultimecia, just. We've potentially got a brighter future ahead of us. But Ultimecia, Christophe and Zebalga still stand in the way of it. Selena, too.' She met Thalassa's eyes. 'Let's not dwell on what happened in the past anymore, Lassa.'

The White SeeD smiled warmly. 'Fine by me.'

Emptying the last of the wine, they shared a long embrace. Thalassa left Tyris to neck a pint of desalinated water and get some sleep.

(A/N: I planted the seeds for a short story here, with the reference to Raine's mission and Dollet's liberation. Initially I wanted to have it included in this story, but it ended up becoming longer than I intended, so I will be publishing it separately in the next month or so.)