A bit shorter chapter than last, this time; hopefully, my inspiration will return soon enough to this story. Other issues have been taking up a lot of my time as of late.

Begin!

Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks

Chapter II—Vested Interests

[July 6, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Hallway | 4:17 PM]

Being summoned to the Commander's office is one of those things that makes my stomach do flip-flops inside my body – no matter whether it's good or bad, it leaves a general feeling of unease until you figure out exactly what you've been called for.

It either gets better or worse from there, usually, never staying quite the same.

Or maybe that's just some extension of how sick I've been feeling these past few days. My body has felt more tired than usual lately, and I've had a faint headache off and on to go along with it, but it's been nothing too serious. Some caffeine and an aspirin or two have made me feel better for the most part, but I can honestly say that it makes me feel a bit more normal here to even have a headache. I haven't really felt sick at all since I first went to Spira, and it makes me feel like the world is a more normal place for it, somehow not as alien or following different universal laws.

'Wonder if Squall ever saved the world with a cold?' I muse to myself, smiling a little at the thought. Raising a hand to my mouth to stifle a yawn, I step up to the desk that I can see Ein working at, busily shuffling papers around with a mildly concerned look on his face.

"How're things?" I ask, causing the smaller SeeD to look up from his papers momentarily.

"Just trying to find a mission report for mister Katanas," he replies. "Do you need something?"

"Is Katanas in? I got a message on my GLD to come to the Commander's office," I continue, resting one hand on the desk.

"Um…" Ein looks unsure for a moment, glancing at the door briefly before looking back at me. "I know he's around, but I think he stepped out for a minute…"

"Crap…that figures," I mutter, shaking my head. "My timing sucks."

"I would say it's not that bad," a voice says suddenly, the quiet noise of dress shoes on carpet heralding the approach of the uniform-clad SeeD Commander.

"Evening, Commander," I say politely, quickly turning and offering Katanas a salute right before he waves his hand dismissively.

"At ease," he says, turning to Ein. "Have you found that report I asked for yet, Ein?"

"No, sir," the young SeeD replies. "I'm sure I'll have it soon…"

"That's fine," he remarks, nodding slightly. "I've some things to discuss with Ensign Powell first, anyway. Come with me, if you would?" he continues, turning his attention briefly back to me as he heads towards the door of his office. With a nod of assent, I follow, falling into step behind him as we enter his office. I notice offhandedly that the office floor is clean again from the recent encounter with Destine as Katanas takes his seat, followed by myself a moment later in the chair across from him.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Ensign," he states, causing me to shrug.

"Can't just ignore a summons from the Commander," I remark. "What do you need, sir?"

"No need to be very formal right now," Katanas continues, resting his hands on the desk. "It's not necessarily what I need this time, Powell." He reaches to the left side of his desk, pulling over a folder and opening it in front of him. As he does, I notice an upside-down picture of myself on the first page of the papers inside, realizing that he must be looking at my SeeD file. "Congratulations are in order for how you handled the confrontation with Destine."

"Thank you, si- ah, Katanas," I say, momentarily caught off-guard by the statement and similar insistence on casual address. "I'm glad Rubedo was there to help, but I don't know much about what he did fighting that demon he was up against."

"Daiesthai," Katanas corrects. "Beings from the Nether Plane. Sort of a parallel to the Malakh that once inhabited the Ethereal Plane, you could say."

"Can't say I've seen either, really," I say with a faint shrug. "I thought all the Ethereal Plane beings were Erudite?" I'm still learning about the Ethereal Plane itself and its history, so I can't say I really knew anything about these Malakh, whatever they are.

"They are, now – the Malakh were all but wiped out a few centuries ago during the last war," Katanas explains, causing my eyes to widen briefly – I had been aware that there was a war during the time Katanas just mentioned, but I hadn't gotten many more details besides the fact that one had happened. As far as I knew up until now, Erudite were the only race. "But that's neither here nor there."

"So, what exactly is this about?" I ask Katanas, also making a mental note to visit the Ethereal Plane and learn more about the Malakh race sometime soon. The SeeD Commander merely smiles, flipping through the file for a moment before stopping on another page full of text that I can't read – it is, after all, upside-down in my view.

"As you're aware, Trabia has a number of regulations for almost everything – by necessity, of course, to keep such an organization running smoothly. We don't often do things by sole decision; even I, as the SeeD Commander, consult with others such as Albel and Camdus before deciding on courses of action. Missions, course policies, promotions, nearly everything is handled by at least a small group of ranking officials."

He pauses briefly, skimming another line of text on the page before looking up again. "I took the liberty – yesterday, in fact – of bringing your name up to the promotion board for consideration after the mission two days ago."

"You…what?" The sound of my voice is somewhat of a surprise to even myself, more for the way it came out than the fact that I spoke.

"Just as I said. Rubedo, for one, seemed satisfied with your performance, and he didn't object to the idea when I brought it up."

"…He's a SeeD?" I ask, more than a little confused. "You didn't tell me that."

"Well, time was short, you understand, not to mention the fact that you didn't ask," he continues, the smile on his face growing somewhat cheeky. "He's actually one of the command staff – a Knight of the Sphere, to be precise. Rubedo has been a SeeD here at Trabia about as long as I myself have."

"…You really like toying with people, don't you?" I ask, not sure whether to be annoyed, amused, or both at the actions of the SeeD Commander.

"Some have said that," Katanas admits with a faint shrug, "but, I digress. A SeeD can only be promoted at the allowance of a promotional board, which convenes around twice a year. However, there's a stipulation that says the board may be convened if a promising candidate is suggested by their commanding officer, and that suggestion notarized by the acting SeeD Commander."

"Can I safely assume you're not telling me all this because you're trying to make conversation?"

"Of course not. Instructor Lucretia, as it just so happens, decided to submit your name to the board for consideration yesterday following certain…events. Given your performance on missions so far, I saw no particular reason not to certify the suggestion and pass it along."

Instructor Lucretia, I remember, is the blond woman in charge of the Alchemy division here at Trabia Garden. I haven't seen her around much, besides an appearance to all the new cadets after the initial program registrations and a few choice walk-ins during classes, so I haven't really gotten to talk to her face-to-face at all – which means I have no idea what kind of person she is beyond a couple minutes of what were probably often-said words. Despite the obvious implications of what Katanas just said, the statement – more specifically, the way it was said – does bring up another interesting thought that I can't help but ask about.

"If you don't mind me asking, Katanas," I start, glancing around the room for a brief moment before looking back at the Commander, "just…how many people know about the whole Planeswalking deal, anyway? After what happened two days ago, and what you said about it being an official Garden mission and all…"

I can't quite find the words offhand to vocalize what I want to say in a succinct manner. With everything that happened with Destine being a Garden mission, if no one knows about us Planeswalkers, what could be written in a mission report that wouldn't be classified to all but a few? If the Headmaster didn't know, then there's no way he would approve the mission itself. Luckily, Katanas seems to understand what I want to say but can't, at least in part.

"Actually, very few people know about our extraplanar dealings. Excluding me and Rubedo, obviously, the rest of my family here knows – my two brothers, my mother, and my father – as well as Andréa and Ein. Albel also knows, though it's also accurate to say that he doesn't care, as does the Headmaster of Balamb Garden, Cid Kramer."

Okay, so at least one fear was unfounded – the Headmaster does know, and not just the one here at Trabia, either. Quickly, I nod, feeling a bit bad for interrupting Katanas in the middle of something clearly important.

"Going back to what I was saying, however, Lucretia submitted your name for consideration. Under protocol, the promotion board was convened, and a decision was reached after examination of your conduct, your SeeD file, and your mission history, among other things such as psychological exams and medical records."

"Nothing if not thorough, right?" I ask with a nod. Nothing he said a moment ago comes as any real surprise to me, as I already figured from his first words that if anything was to be done, they'd look at every scrap of information available to them, no matter how minor. I'd expect nothing less out of such an organization, personally, considering the standard of the things we handle.

"Of course," he remarks, still skimming through the folder. After a few more seconds, he flips to the back and pulls out a small, yellow manila envelope, passing it across the desk to me. Picking it up, I quickly flip it over – noting that it appears to be nearly empty in the process – and open it up before dumping the contents out into my hand. A small card and another rectangular object meet my eyesight, the card quickly identified as a SeeD identification card, while the other object appears to be a uniform rank insignia, bearing a pale yellow border around a gray background, upon which sits the SeeD insignia with a teal outline on the far right side, along with a single yellow bar that sits vertically to the left of the insignia.

"Congratulations," Katanas continues, watching as I examine the new identification card. "As of now, you are a Lieutenant in the Alchemy division, with all the rights and privileges that go along with the position."

My first thought upon seeing the card and new insignia is something akin to shock mixed with, of all things, paranoia – am I just being set up for a fall, or is someone having a joke at my expense? Reality comes back to me quickly, though, and I remember after a moment that I did just help bring down someone who is effectively a goddess among men, so maybe I deserve this a bit more than I think.

"…Thank you," I finally say, putting the card down again. "What kind of changes does this mean for me? Responsibility-wise, I mean."

"For right now, very little, actually," Katanas replies. "Obviously, you now have a slightly higher security clearance, but you won't have any real command responsibilities to worry about just yet – those are reserved mostly for Majors and higher, sometimes Captains."

"So, mostly just a change of name with regards to duties, that kind of thing?"

"You could say that. Just another step up the ladder."

'A deserved one,' I think to myself, putting the identification card and insignia into my uniform's pants pocket. 'If I had to beat a goddess to get promoted to this kind of early rank, I wonder what I'll have to do to get promoted to Captain.'

"Is that all, Katanas?" I ask a moment later, suddenly wanting to get out of the office. I'm definitely starting to feel a bit grumpier than usual, which means I probably need to eat something, and the headache isn't helping much with that.

"That will be all, Powell. Just keep doing your job well, and I'm sure you'll do fine."

A quick nod is the only thing that accompanies my rising from the chair, and I snap a quick salute before starting to head out of the office. I've only had one really good meal since yesterday, mostly because of my tendency to get wrapped up in things like Alchemy training and forget to eat, and my stomach is starting to realize that fact as well. I start to head towards the elevator even as I consider what I might want to get from the cafeteria, right before my rambling thoughts make a rather loud observation.

'You idiot. You just got promoted, for Hyne's sake! Go out and have lunch at a nice restaurant for a change!'

The more I think about it, the more appealing that idea sounds – I haven't gotten a chance to really look around Esthar yet, and I figure that given the size of the city, it's bound to have some nice places to eat. Guess that means it's time to take a little break and go explore a city. There's a slight tingle that runs over my body as I keep walking, and I let the energy flow as the entire world suddenly shifts around me after another step, the nearly-instant transition replacing the normal world around me with the exotic hues and environs of the Crystal Path.

[July 6, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Headmaster's Office | 4:37 PM]

"Vector Industries, you say?"

Darius DeValle, Sr. held his office phone to his ear, interested already at the mention of those two simple words. Those words didn't mean much in the minds of many people – just another business name that had sprung up in the growing economic world – but to a man like the Trabian Headmaster, they meant far, far more. Vector Industries was, in fact, a newly-growing business in the Esthar region, but the true interest to the Senior lay in how fast it had grown. From the business' creation and institution in the region's capital city to the current time, it had only been a scant few years, with the business being founded – as best he remembered, at least – around the year 2146. Within one year, the business had established itself to be a company of the highest quality in Esthar. Within three years, it had risen to the top ten of the hundred most influential world companies. Within four years, it had begun taking contracts from the Estharian military.

All the power, the influence that the company had garnered, sat squarely in the hands of one company president by the name of Arthur Wilhelm.

"That is correct," the voice on the other end of the telephone line replied. "I've reason to believe that Vector Industries has been indulging in some rather…unsavory business practices," they continued, pausing briefly as if unable to find a word that accurately described the subject at hand.

"Corporate espionage is neither new nor unheard of," Senior stated, his tone reverting to that of the shrewd businessman he so often was, "so I assume there is a reason as to why you would come to Garden with this information?"

"The information that I received which led me to this conclusion came from within Vector Industries' First R&D Division."

If Senior's attention was roused at the mention of Vector, it was fully alert now. Vector Industries' main complex was split into three working divisions, each of which carried their own duties and responsibilities like any other company. Vector's Second R&D Division was primarily dedicated to the construction, research, and contracting for various types of firearms, both ballistic and energy-based weaponry, and competed alongside companies like Videlic Arms in this regard. Despite Vector Industries' rapid growth in the past few years, Second R&D had so far been unable to outstrip Videlic Arms in both quality and quantity of their weapons, as Videlic supplied both to the Galbadian government and Galbadia Garden alongside other clients, such as the Estharian government. As such, they held a considerable share of the market when it came to weaponry, and their name was often associated with being the market leader for firearms of all kinds.

Vector's Third R&D Division was dedicated to the construction of high-tech, often-experimental designs. Often, these designs were created for military use – better armor and weaponry for personnel, modularly-designed equipment that could be quickly and easily deployed on a battlefield, or improved engines and frame construction for vehicles, among others. This division was often much more secretive about their work than Second R&D, for good reason; completed projects often garnered vast profits for both Vector itself and the companies buying the products, and all parties involved desired that information to be well-protected. Executive Outcomes was, at least recently, one of their largest competitors in this division's line of work due to the military-focused nature of many of their projects.

Vector's First R&D Division, however, was the most elaborate and secretive part of the company as a whole. First R&D handled experimental, high-risk, and cutting-edge technology products, products which often took months to design blueprints and prototypes for once the initial ideas had been formed and approved. They held a higher standing in the company than the other divisions, as well; First R&D had the power, internally, to requisition anything it needed from other divisions, regardless of importance. All information that entered First R&D was kept at the highest secrecy levels and classified such that only those working on a certain project, the division head and their assistant, and the president could access information on that project. Nothing left the division without knowledge and highly-secure protocols in place, and often never left the division at all.

That was why Senior knew that if something had left First R&D, especially if it were to fall into the hands of another company, there was an extremely good reason for confidentiality.

"I see…" Senior said, leaning forward in his chair. "What kind of contract are you interested in making with Garden?"

"While I have files that could incriminate Vector if taken to the Estharian Business and Safety Administration, I would like to have something more solid before I present this data – I fear they could simply claim, somehow, to not have known about these practices. If I present this, I want the evidence to be incontrovertible."

"Then you wish for Garden to acquire that evidence?" Senior asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes. I know of the Senatorial Hall and Merchant's Alley branches of Trabia Garden, which is why my request was directed to you instead of Balamb or Galbadia. You are, in my opinion, best suited for the task I'm asking for."

Senior smiled faintly, pleased – they had done their homework beforehand, it seemed. "What kind of evidence, precisely, are you after?"

"Vector's First R&D, as you likely know, deals with highly-experimental projects, each worth millions of Gil on its own more often than not. Unusual monetary expenditures may not stick out as much in First R&D as they would in other divisions or businesses, but it is worth investigating. However, there is a particular project that alerted me to the potential unsavory practices I mentioned above – the information I have on it is scarce, you understand, but I have a project designation that you may look into, if you are willing to offer your help."

"Very well, then. If you'll hold one moment, I'll begin drawing up the contract now." The one on the other end of the line couldn't see the smile on Senior's face grow; dealings of this nature had high potential to be extremely lucrative, particularly if they wound up giving Vector a major issue with the Estharian government. If the information was as serious as it was made out to be, the rewards for such a find would be grand, indeed. "What is the designation of the project that we should look into?"

A sound like shuffling papers came from the other end of the line before the voice spoke again, seemingly beginning to read from a document. "Vector Industries First Research and Development Division…official project designation: KP-X Advanced Combat Gynoid. Serial number: zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-dash-one. Abbreviated name: KOS-MOS."

Senior's fingers moved smoothly over the keyboard in front of him as he made notes in the contract file he had pulled up on his desktop terminal, the phone now held between his ear and shoulder. "I'll need some personal information for our records in order to finalize the contract. What is your full, legal name?"

The shuffling of papers returned for a brief instant, presumably the papers from before being reorganized and filed away, before the voice came back over the phone crisply once more.

"James William Alnon."

Anyone happen to remember, around ten chapters ago, Tetsuya Kurabasa being asked to drop something off at his father's office? We'll be seeing exactly what that was all about in this arc, among other things.

As I mentioned above, my inspiration seems to have taken a dive lately because of some issues I'm working through at present, not just for this story, but for all my stories. I'm hoping it will pick up soon, but I can't say for sure. As always, please read and review.