CHAPTER 11:

SINS OF THE FATHERS

Balamb Garden was drifting peacefully along the ocean's surface, but that peace wasn't matched by the inhabitants. They had been forced to uproot the Garden in order to avoid Ultimecia's attack. The problem was, Harry knew that Ultimecia wouldn't rest until she got Ellone.

Ultimecia's words echoed in his mind. Imagine a single moment, lasting forever. All of time and space, compressed to a single area. A never-ending now where everything happens at once. At the centre of all of this, a single Sorceress with the powers of all the Sorceresses in history. The ultimate power. The power to make sure peace is achieved. No more strife or battles or hatred. Just peace. A never-ending paradise free of conflict. That is Time Compression. Worth any price to pay.

Ultimecia was not power hungry for the sake of power. She was desperate for it, because she thought it was the only way to achieve peace for herself. She had deluded herself into believing that, once she had achieved that power, she would be able to remake the world as a utopia. Always assuming that it didn't tear her apart.

It had only been a few hours since Harry had contacted Laguna. Rinoa had asked Squall to take her on a tour of the Garden. Harry and Quistis had accompanied them, though not before fetching Ellone. Given that Ultimecia had probably contacted Norg before they managed to get here…

Soon after they finished their tour, one of the Garden Faculty approached. "Master Norg wishes to see you," he said bluntly. He was the more friendly one. "Dincht and Tilmitt have already been summoned down there, as has Kinneas."

"Ellone, go to Cid's office, and…" Harry said, only for the Faculty to hold his hand up.

"Norg requires Ellone's presence too."

"Over my dead body."

"Kramer, I don't want to have anything to do with this. But other Garden Faculty members will be more than willing to oblige. If you refuse to go, Norg intends to kill your friends," the Garden Faculty member said. "The only people he wants alive to deliver to the Sorceress are Ellone, Heartilly, and yourself. If you want to save them, get down to his chamber right now." Then, after a moment, he said, quietly, "Norg himself is vulnerable to wind magic. However, he resides in a special protective pod. If he seals it, attack the orbs if they change colour from blue, or he will use powerful magic."

"Why are you helping us?" Quistis asked suspiciously.

"I hate Norg, and unlike those idiots, I value my skin over my salary," the Faculty member said. "Do you know how to access Norg's chambers, Kramer?"

"Level B1. I remember…"

As they disembarked from the elevator into the darkened chamber, they heard the distinctive loud and warbling voice of Master Norg burbling from nearby. "…WILL OFFER YOU SEEDS' HEADS ON A PLATTER TO THE SORCERESS, ALONG WITH THAT OF THE KRAMERS! THAT, ALONG WITH ELLONE, SHOULD PLACATE THE SORCERESS! BUJURURURU!"

"You bastard!" came the distinctive yell of Zell. Harry and the others dashed around the corner to Norg's chamber. Zell, Selphie, and Irvine hadn't been hurt, yet, thankfully. But given the belligerent attitude of the person they were facing, that may yet change.

Master Norg was a Shumi, a yellow-skinned creature dressed in robes, with a frog-like face, massive jowls, piggy little eyes, and long fingers on his hands. Harry had seen other Shumi, and knew that Norg was very much a black sheep of that peaceful and humble race. Norg was a greedy bastard, someone Cid had regretted dealing with to fund Garden. He was seated in a massive, mechanical pod, control panels arrayed in front of him.

"SO, KRAMER'S WHELP HAS SEEN FIT TO SHOW HIMSELF," Norg sneered. "YOU'RE LATE! WHEN I SUMMON YOU, YOU MUST BE HERE WITHIN THREE SECONDS!"

"Go fuck yourself, Norg," Harry sneered. "Ultimecia just wants Ellone. The moment she has her, she's going to try and destroy Garden."

"ULTIMECIA? YOU MEAN THE SORCERESS? YOU LIE! ONCE I GIVE ELLONE OVER ALIVE, ALONG WITH YOU AND HEARTILLY, AND THE CORPSES OF THESE IMPUDENT SEEDS, SHE WILL SPARE ME OUT OF GRATITUDE. THIS IS MY GARDEN! NOT YOUR IMBECILE OF A FATHERS! BUJURURURU!"

"I refuse to go to Ultimecia," Ellone said.

"And we're not going to let you play with our lives any longer," Quistis said.

"YOU HAVE NO CHOICE. I AM NORG, MASTER OF GARDEN! AND I WILL PUT AN END TO YOU, AND EVERYONE ELSE OF CID'S ILK(1)!" With that, he shut the pod up.

The battle that followed was rather arduous to say the least. But thanks to the Garden Faculty member who warned them, they were prepared. Ellone hung back, as did the Garden Faculty members present. Once the pod was shattered open, the tide began to turn. Quistis managed to draw a new GF from Norg, Leviathan.

Norg, for such a cowardly creature, fought back well. But soon, he sagged back in his chair. "FUSHURURU…I'M DONE FOR…I'M AFRAID OF YOU…NO…NO…" Then, a ball of energy seemed to surround him, and Norg was soon encased in it.

"What the hell is that?" Zell demanded.

Quistis blinked. "A Shumi evolution cocoon. We must have hurt him enough to trigger a regeneration or evolution. Don't worry, he won't be coming out of that for months at least. We can't kill him while he's in that state…but he can't hurt us either."

Harry nodded, before turning to the gathered Garden Faculty. "Now, does anyone else want to object to Cid being the Headmaster of Garden?"

The Faculty members, wisely, said nothing.

"I wish this could have been resolved without violence," Cid said quietly. "But Norg…"

"Was a greedy, venial son of a bitch," Harry said. Harry, Quistis, Ellone and Squall were in his father's office shortly after that whole saga. "Anyway, Norg isn't actually dead."

"Yes. Perhaps we should contact the Shumi when we have a breather, ask for their help where Norg is concerned," Cid said. He looked out across the sea from the cockpit-balcony thing his office had become. "If we continue on this heading, we'll come close to Fisherman's Horizon, possibly even collide with it."

"Bet they'd be thrilled to see us," Squall remarked sarcastically. Harry agreed. Fisherman's Horizon was a noted colony of pacifists, intended originally to be a haven for those who wished to avoid exploitation. Many of them were expats from Esthar, and indeed, the place derived its name from the fact that it was on the Horizon Bridge connecting Galbadia and Esthar. They were noted for their outspoken opposition to any kind of military force, national or mercenary. Harry could understand why: many of them had had to deal with war. But there were some things discussion and negotiation couldn't resolve. It was a sad fact of life.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Cid said. "The White SeeDs may come to pick up Ellone. I'm not sure we can risk her being at Balamb Garden any longer."

"Ultimecia won't stop pursuing her, Dad," Harry pointed out. "And if Ultimecia learns that Ellone has left Balamb Garden, she'll try to attack again."

Ellone nodded. "I don't like it, but I am your shield. As long as I am here, Ultimecia daren't risk the full-scale destruction of Balamb Garden before she can get a hold of me. There's also Uncle Laguna to consider. He said he might be sending something that might help."

"It wouldn't hurt if it was half the Esthar army," Quistis remarked.

"We wouldn't be able to fit them all in Balamb Garden," Cid said. "Keep in mind that Doctor Odine is one of the foremost authorities on Sorceresses and their powers."

"Laguna said he'd contact Odine about that," Harry said.

Suddenly, as if on cue, they heard a humming buzz, and then, something flew into the office. Cid recognised it. "An Esthar reconnaissance drone," he said as the disc-like device landed.

After a moment, an aperture on top of the drone opened up, and a beam of light shot out. A figure crackled into existence in the beam via a blizzard of static. It was definitely Laguna. "…Hey, it worked. Great! Can you guys see me? Can you guys hear me?"

"Unfortunately," Squall remarked.

"Harsh, man. Though I guess I deserve it," Laguna said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Anyway, got some info for you guys, plus a few gadgets. You know how I didn't know about the Junction Machine Ellone, right? Well, turns out that Odine did create a prototype years ago."

"Based on my abilities, Uncle Laguna?" Ellone asked.

"Hey, Ellone! Long time, no see! And yeah, Odine found a way to replicate them. The machine itself is still in development stages, but it can send people's minds back to the past. He's all excited that someone from the future is using one, even if she's a Sorceress with an axe to grind. He didn't really care that much about Adel being in charge, as long as he could do his experiments, though you know that much already, Ellone." Laguna sighed. "Odine's still working on a counter to his machine, something that will be able to disrupt Ultimecia's junctioning to Edea." His voice took on an accent as he imitated Odine. "Of course I can do zat. Vat? You vant Edea to be alive afterwards? Oh, vell, it vill take longer, zen."

Ellone shuddered. "Please don't mimic him, Uncle Laguna. He wasn't a very nice person."

"Yeah, well, even not-nice people have their uses, Ellone," Laguna said. "Anyway, I sent this drone partly as a beacon for any further drops I have to make. It uses something called quantum entanglement technology. I don't understand the details, but it's some new-fangled tech that allows people to communicate without the need for radio, and given the signal blockage we use to keep Adel quiet…well, let's just say that once we get this crap out of the way, Esthar will be coming back onto the world map, and peacefully, I hope. This will be some of the tech we'll be exporting."

"Do you think that will make up for everything you've done?" Squall asked coldly, glaring at his father.

After a moment, Laguna shook his head. "Nah, I know I've got a lot to make up to you and Ellone personally. Tell you what, when we meet in person, you get a free punch or kick. It won't make up for everything, but hey, it's a start, right?"

After a moment, Squall nodded. "Yes. I guess it's a start."

"Oh, by the way, Harry told me Julia's kid was with you, little Rinoa!" Laguna said. "You look after her, okay? I heard about the way she embarrassed her daddy by joining the Timber resistance, so I want you to give her this message from me!" He gave a thumbs up and a big grin. "Kudos!"

Harry and Ellone couldn't help but laugh, while Quistis smirked. Even a faint smirk came over Squall's features before he hastily smothered it.

"Anyway, I'd better get going. Odine's not getting any sleep, but he functions on very little when something gets his attention like this. Sadly, I don't have that skill, and it's really late here. Not to mention I've got the upcoming annual inspection of Adel's Tomb to prepare for. It's another few weeks, but space travel's a bitch. Ellone, Squall, I hope to see you both again soon. Hell, I hope to see all of you soon. At the very least, I'll call when I have time. Benefits of being President of Esthar? Long-distance charges are waived. Bye!"

"Goodbye, Uncle Laguna," Ellone said. The others nodded, and Laguna's hologram faded…

Cid had asked Harry and Quistis to stay behind for the time being, dismissing Squall and Ellone. After they had left, Cid put his head in his hands. "God, I'm tired of this. I hope Odine can find some way of freeing my wife, and preventing Ultimecia from gaining a foothold in this time again."

"I hope so too," Harry said quietly.

"Even so, Headmaster, we must be prepared for the possibility that we may need to kill Edea," Quistis said quietly.

"I've been prepared for that possibility for a long time, Quistis," Cid said quietly. "Edea made me promise her, if she ever went rogue…well, this wasn't something I wanted to hear as her husband. It's something every Knight must face, Quistis. And given how you are Knight to Harry's Sorcerer…"

Quistis nodded solemnly. "I…don't want to think about that possibility. Though if Ultimecia decides to choose Harry to act through in this time…"

Cid nodded. "Detachment and objectivity can be hard in such situations. No, I can't say can be hard. It will be hard. I speak from experience. It's one of the factors behind a decision I wanted to ask your input on. While I am more than capable of running the administration of Balamb Garden, I believe we need another leader in charge of military affairs. Someone drawn from the ranks of SeeD."

"Who?" Harry asked. "Quistis?"

"No. And not you either. You are my son, and Quistis is known for her link to you. I would be accused of favouritism in that regard. I need someone with less links to a Sorceress or Sorcerer. That's why I decided on Squall. Reports from himself, his team, and Rinoa have shown that, in terms of military operations, he works in an objective, decisive manner. So do you, Quistis, but given your links with Harry, and the fact that you're out of favour with the Garden Faculty, even with Norg out of the picture…"

"I understand," Quistis said. "But is Squall ready for the responsibilities of command?"

"I believe so," Cid said. "Yes, it is rather much placed on his shoulders, but I think he's up to the challenge. Better than I am, anyway."

"I hope so," Harry said. He didn't envy Squall. He just hoped that the sullen teenager was ready for the burden of command. Squall might act like a hard man, but sometimes, hard men were brittle, and this new burden might just crush him, make him shatter.

He hoped his father had the right idea. That was all he could do…

CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:

No, this story isn't dead! It very nearly was, but it's been brought back from the grave! I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway.

I've decided to skip all that Fisherman's Horizon malarkey. As much as I admire actual pacifists who can stick to their guns, Dobe and Flo are obnoxious idiots. Here, Garden misses FH, and it will be Laguna's techs from Esthar who help renovate things. We'll have the concert at Balamb, though, rather than at FH. And FH won't be targeted by Ultimecia and Galbadia (yet) because Ultimecia knows that Ellone's on Balamb Garden.

Review-answering time! Blackholelord: Thank you. But no, Ultimecia won't be their distant descendant.

1. This is actually my riff on a similar line from the end of episode 3 of Doctor Who: Paradise Towers. The Chief Caretaker is being confronted by a being he once thought was his pet, but was utterly malevolent and out of his control (and was the crazy architect who created Paradise Towers, but hates people living in his creations). When he refuses to accede to his 'pet's latest demands, said creature roars, "YOU HAVE NO CHOICE. I AM KROAGNON, THE GREAT ARCHITECT! AND I WILL PUT AN END TO YOU, AND EVERYONE ELSE IN PARADISE TOWERS!"