Well, it's taken a decently long time to get this chapter uploaded. I've been working hard on my senior project, and have just now finally gotten enough time and inspiration to start writing again. Hopefully, I can get some serious work done on this after the 9th of December, once my last final exam is over and done with. Until then, though, I'll likely be focusing on studying for said exams.
Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery
Chapter II—Zero Hour
[June 30, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Briefing Room | 3:57 PM]
The briefing room on the third floor is much more hectic now than it was the last time I was here. Instead of the large conference table that was there, now the room is occupied by a smaller table at the front of the room as well as several rows of chairs facing the table, apparently for those taking the field exam. Several chairs are behind the table at the front as well, but no one is sitting at the moment. Looking around, I notice several of the command staff talking quietly at the front of the room, as well as many other uniformed cadets already seated in the room. I recognize several of the people instantly, like Yuna and Rikku, but there are several people I don't know. Among others, I notice a male cadet with short black hair, around my age, sitting with two female cadets - one with blond hair just past her shoulders, the other with black hair just shorter than shoulder-length.
"This seat taken?" I say with a smile, quickly sitting down beside Tidus and Yuna.
"It is now, apparently," Paine says flatly from a few seats over, gaining a giggle from Yuna. Rikku, normally the perky one of our group, is the quietest of the three girls, a fact which serves to sadden me just a bit more. Ever since the whole situation with Fayt, we haven't really been able to talk to each other. We talked about our relationship right after I came back from the Ethereal Realm, but it didn't take long for both of us to realize that things would never be quite the same if we stayed together.
One more reason for me to have a grudge against the Pillar, I suppose.
Taking another look around, I notice that a few more cadets have filed in, and I see the Headmaster check his watch before nodding to Katanas, prompting the SeeD Commander and the others around him to move to the table. Katanas clears his throat, signaling that he's ready to begin, and all of us immediately quiet down and stand from our seats, all performing the SeeD salute in unison. Katanas nods at the front, glancing between the others standing beside him before turning back to us.
"At ease."
All of us relax, retaking our seats, as Katanas picks up a sheet of paper from the table in front of him.
"I'll be getting straight to the point, then. At approximately 1430 hours this afternoon, the Presidential Palace of Galbadia, located in Galbadia City, was compromised by a force of roughly company-strength, made up of defectors from within the Galbadian military itself. They are holding fourteen of the Galbadian province leaders and an unknown number of other staff and personnel hostage inside, and have demanded that President Deling and his advisory staff resign their offices, or he will begin systematically executing the hostages."
Murmurs of surprise immediately begin to come from all of us, myself included - I didn't expect our field exam to have anything to do with a takeover of the center of Galbadian political affairs.
"The Galbadian government has steadfastly refused any suggestions of negotiation with what they're calling a "terrorist cell," and have instead turned to SeeD to provide assistance, as they feel they cannot afford to risk having more of their forces turn against them in a failed incursion. This is where we come in. You will be separated into five groups of three, and will be tasked with several important objectives that will allow us to establish a beachhead for our forces. Once your objectives are complete, you are to hold your positions until you are relieved by our primary SeeD squads. Does everyone understand so far?"
I nod quietly, most everyone else in the room either doing the same or saying that they understand. A part of me is becoming a bit scared now, after hearing the short explanation of our mission. This is what SeeD life is truly like, and the thought of it is a very nerve-wracking prospect, especially now that it's time to actually go out and do such a dangerous and important mission.
"As a note, if something goes wrong during the mission, we will have special operations forces standing by to extract you from the building and take care of the situation. They'll get the job done - they always do."
Something about that statement eases my mind just a bit, but nowhere near completely.
"That being said, I'll go ahead and announce the group compositions now. Squad A will be made up of Naoki Ishida, Sumiko Remiere, and squad leader Paine Zaraki. Squad B will be Tetsuya Kurabasa, Locke Cole, and squad leader Benji Powell. Squad C will be Shuyin Mishima, Uriko Kurabasa, and squad leader Yuki Kurabasa. Squad D will be Tidus Kuroda, Rikku Katsuragi, and squad leader Silvia Conrad. Squad E will be Sephrenia Roethe, Lenne Kaibara, and squad leader Yuna Kaname."
The announcement from Katanas makes my heart skip a beat, and not in a particularly good way, either. I'm going to be the one in command of squad B? That's not what I expected at all, and I honestly don't know if I'm even prepared for a leadership role in a mission like this, no matter if it is only two other cadets. A part of me wants to protest the decision, but the rational part of my mind knows that this isn't the time or the place to worry - the only thing we can do now is act, because if we don't, there's no telling how many innocent people will die. If I want to worry about why Katanas just threw me into a leadership role, I can worry about it when I get back. If this is what I have to do to become a SeeD, then so be it.
"You'll be briefed on your specific mission objectives upon boarding the transport ships to Galbadia. Camdus will be your field commander for this mission - file out behind him to the airship hangar. Good luck, cadets."
Katanas salutes us again, prompting us to do the same as we stand from our seats. Camdus is already at the door by the time we drop our salutes, and he nods to us as our entire group quickly begins following him out of the room and down the hall.
Thoughts begin to run through my mind as we all walk in silence, mostly pertaining to the nation of Galbadia itself. Why would its own military revolt against it, for starters? From the impression I've been given so far, Galbadia's military is one of the most patriotic, if a bit misguided in its actions. It's hard to imagine even a part of that same fighting force just up and turning on its country.
My other major thought is a bit simpler - why call Trabia to deal with the mess? Surely Balamb is closer and more well-equipped than Trabia Garden for a matter like this one, especially with Squall as the SeeD Commander. Maybe that's the whole point, though. Maybe they wanted detachment and distance from the situation just to make sure that it could be handled objectively. I know that I don't have anywhere near the right amount of details to bother making guesses about the situation, but that doesn't seem to be stopping me. Hopefully, we'll find out a bit more on the way there.
[June 30, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Airship Hangar | 4:13 PM]
Despite having been inside the airship hangar here at Trabia around two months ago, the sight of it still manages to fascinate me as if it were the first time I'd set foot inside.
After the rebuilding of Trabia Garden, Darius DeValle Sr. decided that he wanted Trabia to take on more of a militaristic style, making SeeD into more than just the sorceress-response mercenary force it was originally designed as. Thus, while the rebuilding of the main complex was underway, he orchestrated the building of a hangar for a future airship force. Part of the complex is actually built directly into the mountain, offering additional protection and a place for discreet research and development labs.
The airship fleet, however, is still a small force, numbering only around a few dozen all total - most of those being one-man fighters. By comparison, Esthar has nearly two hundred fighters at its disposal at any given time, not even considering its line of Ragnarok-class "flagships."
Regardless of the small size, there are a also a number of transport aircraft in the fleet, almost like flattened, aerial versions of the Salamander water transports utilized by Balamb Garden. As we approach, I take another look at the strangely aerodynamic craft. The entire ship is of a very flat shape, barely tall enough for a person to stand upright in - maybe eight feet high all in all - and about thirty feet long, with a rounded front and sides that give it the appearance of some sort of hovercraft. The flat body of the craft sits atop five ski-like pieces of landing gear, their flimsy appearance belying their stability. The hovercraft comparison seems strangely fitting, considering that the craft uses a combination of bottom-mounted thrusters and anti-gravity technology designed by Esthar to achieve vertical take-off and landing capability, along with a set of three primary engines at the back for propulsion. The ship's design reminds me of waterborne hydrofoils, with a steel floor and body replacing the floatation-giving raft.
The hangar itself is quite the testament to Estharian engineering, as well as that of Fisherman's Horizon. The compound appears to have been carefully designed with both space and security in mind, with three individual compounds housing three floors each. Only the bottom floors of each are used for storing aircraft, with the other two floors being used for supplies, logistics, and maintenance equipment. The central building actually extends back into the mountain for a short distance, providing a well-constructed and defensible location in case of an attack, while the other two buildings are shorter but still a few hundred feet in length.
Looking upwards at the catwalks above us as we walk in, I can see technicians and SeeD officials moving about, exchanging clipboards and information quickly as they go about their maintenance and other tasks. Some sort of truck is also approaching behind us, moving towards the back of the hangar with its cargo of metal and fuel drums. At the moment, though, we don't really have time to worry about all of that.
"Alright, listen up," Camdus says in a loud voice, over the sounds of working and engines around us. "Separate into your squads and file into the dropship. Once we're inside and en route, I'll begin the explanation of mission objectives." Two large doors, one on either side of the ship, swing down as he speaks, and I turn to the large group of cadets, looking for Tetsuya among the crowd. A hand claps me on the shoulder suddenly, and I glance backward to see Tetsuya standing there, having found me instead.
"You're the leader of this little band?" he asks, shaking his head. "I would've figured Locke would've been picked."
"Believe me, I wish he had been," I remark, looking around momentarily for the third member of our squad. "Leadership isn't exactly what I wanted."
"Oh, you'll be fine. We'll go in, deal with a few angry soldiers, and be back here before dinnertime. Piece of cake," Tetsuya says, grinning. Somehow, I can't help but think that the grin is just a mask, and that he's really as nervous as I am. Maybe he really is as confident as he looks, too - there's no telling with him.
"So, uh...this squad B?" a voice asks, sounding decidedly older than either myself or Tetsuya. I look over to see a blond-haired man about my height, but easily quite a few years my senior, approaching us. Tetsuya waves the man over, looking quite amused now.
"I guess they're just letting any old geezers walk into this squad, huh?" he ribs, clapping a hand on the man's shoulder and chuckling as we begin to walk into the dropship. The man, apparently Locke Cole, rolls his eyes.
"Cute, kid," he remarks, settling into a seat along the dropship's interior with us following suit beside him. "Aren't you forgetting your diapers? Wouldn't do to have you wet yourself on the flight."
Tetsuya goes into a fit of laughter at the joke, leaving me to wonder exactly what kind of squad I've been put in charge of as Camdus heads towards the front of the ship, pulling down a small television screen from overhead.
"Listen up, cadets," Camdus begins, turning the screen on with the push of a button and showing the outside of a large, two story building that reminds me of an extremely large courthouse in terms of the design and appearance. "I'll only have time to go over these objectives once, so listen carefully."
Even as Camdus begins to speak, I can feel the dropship moving, seeming to float forwards for just a few seconds before a roar comes from the engines behind us, lifting the dropship up and into the sky on our way to Galbadia.
'No turning back now...'
The screen at the front changes to display a sort of street map of the city with a location circled in green near the edge of the city, a good distance away from the Presidential Palace, which is also displayed and named in red.
"We'll be dropping in at an airfield a few miles from the Palace to meet with General Hibrom Caraway. His men have the Palace perimeter secured at the moment and are awaiting our arrival. On their best estimation, there are approximately two hundred and fifty men inside the building, most armed with standard-issue firearms - Videlic Arms M4 Carbine assault rifles and P226 sidearms will likely be the most common weapons you encounter."
"How well-trained are these soldiers?" I hear a male cadet ask from near the middle of the side opposite me.
"Most are your standard Galbadian infantry, but we estimate that around thirty to forty of them are commanding officers at or above the rank of major. Furthermore, we have confirmed reports of at least four snipers on the top of the building itself, but General Caraway is working now to eliminate that threat for us," Camdus explains calmly, looking at the cadet.
"Has there been any further intelligence regarding the number of hostages inside?" Silvia asks, paying close attention to Camdus.
"Nothing definitive, but it appears that most of the staff are still inside the building, along with the province leaders. Caution is imperative in this situation, as you will not be able to discern easily whether a friendly or a hostile unit is just around the next corner." Camdus appears to be reiterating key points of our SeeD teachings as well, perhaps as a reassurance and reminder to try and eliminate our worries beforehand. A SeeD needs to be able to put emotions aside for the sake of mission completion, but I'm not completely sure I can do that...at least, not fully.
"The initial assault will be made after General Caraway informs us that the roof is clear of hostiles," Camdus continues, snapping back into the briefing's explanation. "You will proceed to entry points designated on your communications devices, and will enter into the building on my mark. Once that is complete, you will begin a systematic sweep of the first floor in order to secure it for friendlies. You objectives are to capture or eliminate all hostile presence on the first floor and to escort any rescued hostages outside the building. Any questions?"
Camdus has done a good job of the explanation so far, and so I'm not particularly surprised to see a lack of inquiries. The Paladin of the Sphere nods, turning the screen off with the quick press of a button before beginning to walk the length of the transport ship.
"Each of you has been trained to the best of Garden's ability. Trust in that training, and you shouldn't have any problems succeeding in your duty."
[June 30, 2152 | Galbadia City, Galbadian Central Military Command | 4:30 PM]
"Sir, we have a transmission coming in!" a technician shouts, the tone of his voice immediately alerting General Rustov - who had been left in command by Caraway after he departed to meet with SeeD officials - that something was very wrong. The general's eyes moved to the viewscreen in front of him in time to see Marcus Duran's face appear before him, as serious as ever.
"Your two hours is up," Duran said bluntly. "I've heard no news of resignation."
"Caraway is speaking with the President now," Rustov replied, trying to keep his voice level and avoid betraying anything to the officer. "The negotiations are not finished yet."
"I made it very clear what would happen if Deling did not resign," Duran countered, eyes narrowing. His hand gestured to something outside of the view, and the sounds of screaming instantly cut through the relative silence in the room. Scuffling was heard for an instant before a gray-haired man, balding just slightly in the front and wearing a pair of glasses over his dark eyes, was dragged into the camera's frame by another soldier, his once-immaculate dark blue suit now dirtied and ripped. The man had also been gagged with cloth, and was trying frantically to speak through the object that covered his mouth. Rustov recognized him as Rufus Lockley, a former mayor of Deling City who had run for the position of province leader around three years ago, soundly beating his opponent almost solely because of the topic of economic policy.
"Duran! Don't do this!" Rustov yelled, slamming his hand onto the console in front of him. The Lieutenant General's face looked as if it were etched from stone as he stared back into the camera.
"You had time to comply, and you did not. Therefore, this man will now lose his life on account of your inactivity," Duran remarked. The panicked screams from off-camera only got louder as Duran spoke, and the soldier that had dragged Lockley into the camera's view pulled a pistol from his sidearm and fired off-camera, causing the screams to lower to little more than whimpers of fear.
"Duran...!" Rustov's voice was tense, and he was dimly aware of his teeth grinding as he watched, unable to tear his eyes away from the spectacle.
Duran didn't reply, merely pulling a sidearm of his own from its holster and turning away from the camera. Lockley tried to desperately fight his way free, screaming behind the gag that muffled his voice, but the grip of the two soldiers holding him was unyielding. Rustov silently said a prayer as Duran raised the pistol, refusing to close his eyes and dishonor the doomed man in front of him.
The pistol kicked once in Duran's grip, and Lockley slumped in the soldier's grasp, falling still as the bullet pierced his skull. Crying could be heard from the direction of the remaining hostages in the room as the man's limp body was dragged away, and Duran turned back to the camera.
"You have one hour before I execute the next hostage. Do not keep me waiting, General."
The line was immediately cut, and Rustov resisted the urge to let out a scream of rage, instead whispering a prayer to Hyne that the SeeD members Caraway had contracted arrived soon enough to prevent any more senseless loss of life.
[June 30, 2152 | Location Unknown, Dropship | 4:37 PM]
Paine, by her very nature, was a collected and pragmatic individual. Thus, it was only logical that she would be very unaffected and calm by the news of her election as squad leader. In keeping with her logical nature, she began to carefully go over the equipment in the employ of both her and her squad.
"So...what branch of SeeD are you from?" Sumiko asked with a glance to Paine, hoping to start conversation with the normally silent woman.
"Combat specialization," Paine replied simply, not looking up from the inspection of one of her backup combat knives.
Trabia Garden's specializations were now a bit more varied than they had been before the Senior took over. In addition to the normal, well-rounded SeeD specialization, students could choose to specialize in combat, magic, Alchemy, or even business. Each branch focused on a different aspect of the SeeD specialization with the exception of the Alchemy branch, expanding the basic concepts taught to SeeDs and giving students a much more specialized and thorough knowledge of their branch of choice.
In Paine's case, she had decided on the combat specialization - forms of attack and defense with melee and ranged weapons of all varieties and styles, as well as disarming techniques, unarmed combat, improvised weapons, and more were taught in the field, and Paine saw it as a more comfortable extension of her own swordsmanship training than simply being a SeeD.
"I'm still in the SeeD specialization," Sumiko replied, somewhat put off by the woman's blunt answer. "Thought about moving to magic, but I haven't made the decision yet."
"Have you checked your equipment yet?" Paine cut in, interrupting the girl's attempt at conversation. Sumiko nodded lightly, now thoroughly discouraged, but made no comment on her feelings as Paine looked to Naoki. There were more pressing matters at hand.
"I can't believe I'm gonna be taking orders from a kid," Uriko muttered, looking over at her squad leader. Yuki was a full three years younger than her, and Uriko couldn't stand the thought of being bossed around by anyone that was her junior.
"That, unfortunately, isn't your choice to make," Shuyin said simply, trying to ignore the girl - he had little patience for ignorance.
"Oh, shut up."
He let the comment slide, electing instead to look across the dropship at his lover. He would've rather been by her side instead of beside the bratty girl he was teamed with, but there was little that could be done about that now.
Beside him, Yuki sat very quietly, trying not to let Uriko's comments get to her. She was scared enough at the idea of leading her group into combat, and she was beginning to have faint doubts that she was well-prepared enough, SeeD training or not, to do just that. Fear, she knew, was a dangerous thing to bring with you into combat, but the thoughts continued to run unbidden through her mind, leaving her hoping that she didn't end up paralyzed into inaction at a critical moment.
Tidus wasn't completely his normal, cheerful self, but the thought of a dangerous mission didn't seem to be hurting his demeanor much at all. If anything, it was making the normally active blitzball player even more curious about things.
"I wonder what Galbadia is like..." Tidus said, seemingly not caring that he was speaking out loud.
"You've never been to Galbadia?" Silvia asked, looking over at the blond-haired cadet.
"We never really traveled much," Rikku cut in, causing Silvia to silently nod at her words. Lying had never really felt right to Rikku, but it seemed like the lesser of two evils, considering the alternative. She was sure that hearing about dimension-traveling cadets would go over really well with the Garden administration.
"I've only been to Deling...Galbadia City a few times," Silvia admitted with a slight shrug. "Business trips with my father and such."
"Oh...what's it like?" the Al Bhed girl asked, now genuinely curious.
"Well, the food's good," Silvia said jokingly, earning a giggle from Rikku. "Maybe we'll get a chance to go sightseeing after this mission's over with."
"I wouldn't mind that," Rikku agreed, causing Tidus' unseen face to break into a smile. It was good to see the girl smiling again, and he silently hoped that it would stay that way this time.
Yuna had stared down everything up to and including common fiends, Yevonite soldiers, murderous spirits, towering machina, and a physical manifestation of the cycle of death and rebirth. Compared to all that, one might say that there was no way she could possibly be scared of a small group of armed terrorists.
They would be partially right.
Yuna still considered Sin the most fear-inspiring thing that she had ever confronted in her short life, so it was hard for her to be anywhere near as scared of a group of armed humans as she was of Spira's long-lasting terror. That didn't mean that she wasn't apprehensive about the idea, however. Her mind kept reminding her of all the things that could go wrong, no matter what she did to push the thoughts away. A glance beside her showed the impassive face of Sephrenia, sitting quietly and seemingly unworried about the impending mission. A part of her considered trying to speak to the girl, perhaps in hopes of reassuring herself, but something kept the words from leaving her lips.
"Are you nervous?" Lenne asked from beside Sephrenia, the brown-haired singer's face set in a look of concern.
"It's hard not to be," Yuna stated, sighing. "After all, there are so many lives at stake..."
"All that we can do is focus on accomplishing what we are told to do. That is the best possible way that we can minimize the loss of life," Sephrenia spoke up, her voice more firm and full of resolve than either of the other two girls. Something in the words seemed to harden Yuna's own resolve, and her eyes began to glimmer with the determination she'd had many times before in the past years.
"You're right...let's just get our mission done, and hope for the best."
"Look alive, people - ETA to landing is thirty seconds," Camdus says loudly, his voice echoing very faintly in the enclosed area. Silently, I do a final check to make sure that my junctions are set, before turning to my two comrades.
"Stay close, and watch your backs," I say, trying to force myself into the role of a leader. "Whoever these guys are, they've probably got some nasty surprises waiting for us in there."
"Probably nothing we can't handle," Tetsuya says with confidence, nodding from his seat. "Let's just hope there are people to save once we get in there."
"Agreed," Locke adds from beside the swordsman. "Provided we work fast enough, things should turn out well."
A dull rumble suddenly shakes the ship as it lands, shivering for a moment on its landing gear before the doors open, letting Camdus exit the ship and take a quick look around the area. Our squads file out behind him in an orderly fashion, grouping up and standing behind him to await our transportation to the Palace.
"Welcome to Galbadia City, boys and girls," Camdus says, turning back towards us with a determined expression across his features. "Time to go to work."
As I said before, I'm not particularly experienced with writing of this sort, so I would really appreciate feedback on things that might not have made sense, or could've been explained better. I'm particularly concerned with things that might seem out-of-character or irrational, though neither of my co-authors have alerted me to anything of that kind. I also tried to at least give a little insight into everyone's thoughts before the exam. Obviously, everyone isn't quite as excited as some to be participating, especially given the circumstances.
Hopefully, I'll be able to have another chapter ready sometime around the end of finals. As always, please read and review.