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[cross_swords]

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[vacantexpression]

[ Whether they wanted to be or not, Squall and his friends (he calls them that now and it never stops feeling strange) have become war heroes. It's a grotesque title he shirks whenever possible and one that feels especially bitter in the face of more qualified SeeDs who easily could have stepped into his shoes and done the job just as credibly. In fact, if it were Nida who had gone up against Ultimecia, chances were that he would have done a much better job of leaving blueprints for success. Instead, Matron got him.

The smile almost loosens one from Squall, but he tips his head instead in a conciliatory manner. Like recognizing like. Except even after everything, Squall still isn't prone to rambling, or being a gracious listener to rambling, but Nida led with a trump card that has him going stiff. He doesn't hear half of what's being said as sound cuts out, giving way to a ringing in his ears. There hasn't been any movement on that particular standing order since he'd given it. The one that instructs anyone with intel regarding the whereabouts of former sorceress knight Seifer Almasy to report directly to him.

Just hearing it said aloud is enough to make Squall feel like the floor has dropped out from under him. It takes him a moment to recover and he catches the tail end of what else Nida has said, but can't bring himself to pry about how he has half the information he does. All that matters is the standing order.

The record player that had previously been turned down is cranked up a few decibels louder than it had been before Nida joined him. Squall's movements take him to his door next, locking it. It's only when he's standing directly in front of Nida with their eyes locked that he finally says: ]

Report.

[seed_pilot]

[Seems like Nida's won the battle of being off on vacation. Because now he's clearly on duty again. He throws another, crisp salute, and immediately slides into the more casual, relaxed stance he was more prone to when working. Like there was something about being here, about being on duty, that made him feel better.

Honestly, they eventually needed to hire a therapist for this place, given how many SeeDs had their own special neuroses. Squall was clearly caught up in some of his own right now, but Nida was too. In fact, he was flopping down in a chair without being asked to do it and looking up at Squall.]

I'm guessing you probably don't have all the personnel files memorized. Going to skip what I can but there's some needed context, especially since our history instruction doesn't cover it. The Timber region used to have a lot of small holdings and villages near it. When Galbadia started moving on the region, most of the people living in those places withdrew to Timber in hopes of safety. Very few people moved back out to where they were from, mostly because Galbadia didn't want us out of their sight.

Some of those holdings survived, deeper in the parts of the forest that didn't get burned or otherwise damaged. When I was out hiking in the woods out there I neared one of those and heard noises. I proceeded to investigate as carefully as I could, given no one lingers out in those places anymore. Caught sight of a man from behind. Tall, blonde hair, dark blue vest accented with white around the edges. Once I determined who it was, I started back to Timber to get a train.

[There are things being left out, clearly. Details that can be supplied in a full report if Squall really wants them. Oral and written. In triplicate. By hand. Pretty please? But Nida can recognize the intensity in the other man, and he intended to answer it in the best way he could.]

I can't imagine he's out there, chopping wood, if he doesn't intend to stay. And I know I'm good enough to have gotten out of there without him noticing me. I wasn't there long enough and I am good through woods. That considered, I think he's probably looking to stay there a while.

[vacantexpression]

All of that overdue vacation time and Squall has just contributed to its continued delay. He can't blame Nida. The only reason why Squall's able to clean out his mandatory vacation hours is because he logs them whenever he's doing non-Garden affiliated business. Interviews or peacekeeping work with Rinoa, technology screenings with President Loire (good luck getting him to call the guy dad), even afternoon lunch dates with Ellone. All of it gets flagged as personal time so he doesn't have to own up to the policies he helps enforce.

Maybe he'll share this trick with Nida once his head stops buzzing with all of the loaded potential his standing order possesses.

As Nida makes himself comfortable, Squall takes a moment to suck in a breath and remember the plan he promised to put in motion should information about Seifer ever make it onto his desk. The whole world wanted a scapegoat for the war once it ended. With Edea pardoned, it hardly left anyone else to blame except Seifer. That he went into hiding is shocking. Not because he thinks Seifer wants to be punished but because Seifer was never one to buck the opportunity for the spotlight.

Squall's grateful to see that's changed, just not at the expense of present circumstances. He has a plan though. He just has to focus on that and not the annoyance bubbling up in him over the fact that Seifer's idea of laying low is to do it in the most recognizable outfit after Squall's bomber. Fucking idiot. Unless...No. Squall shakes the thought. Why would Seifer want to be found?

Unless, unless, unless.

"I'll need a full report of the surrounding area and a detailed map of where he was last seen. If you tailed him, I want the route." The orders come unbidden, flowing out of him and a little too readily received if Nida's posture is anything to go off of. Squall considers him a moment, then adds, "This will remain classified for the time being. If this information gets out in any capacity, someone less talented than you in infiltration is bound to screw this up for us."

It's a compliment. Squall's still not good at giving them even after all this time being a leader, but he's learned how to dole them out when they're due.

[seed_pilot]

Not everyone can cheat their 'off time' the same way Squall can. It's really impressive. And it's also got a lot to do with Squall's power over many things paperwork. Sometimes that's an edge to have. Problem was, it wasn't like Nida had much to do outside of Garden. Except for a thing he'd been avoiding, but that wasn't here or there.

Or well, maybe it was there in the form of 'in a forest outside of Timber'.

"I can get you the maps you need, but I should warn you I didn't spend time tailing him. No way Seifer wouldn't have recognized me, even after all this time. Not without memory issues larger than that of an active duty SeeD."

As for the compliment, Nida manages to quash the urge to smile. Instead he manages a curt nod that is more in line with what should be expected in his position.

"Detailed maps and reports are going to take several hours. Should I just take a nearby office to get started, sir?"

[vacantexpression]

It's impossible not to clock the remark about being recognized. Squall knows Nida because they survived a war together in close proximity, but Seifer? His brows furrow as he tries to place a possible connection. Yes, they took the SeeD exam together but would that be enough to identify someone while they weren't in uniform? A strange coil of jealousy wrenches his gut; strange only because he can identify the feeling and be unsettled by it.

The possibility of Nida and Seifer being familiar is a question he can't bring himself to ask. It's none of his business. And yet, for a moment, Squall is silent as he looks the SeeD over, appraising him with a subtle narrowing of his eyes. If they hadn't both picked gunblades...Would Nida have been Seifer's rival instead? Was that one more thing Squall potentially got in the way of? It's hard to look at his successes now and not see the patterns of favoritism. To think he'd foolishly believed he'd earned all of his rank and title when maybe...

That's not important right now.

Squall sucks in a deep breath and shakes his head. "No. Use mine."

As Squall rounds the desk, he drops into a crouch to reach under it. There are a series of switches and plugs which he activates and engages. When he rises and offers his chair, Squall notes, "This system is officially off-network. Any reports you generate will remain sealed from all other personnel until they've been declassified."

Again, Squall draws a breath, fingers digging into the bridge of his nose before rubbing up the length of his scar. He has a few hours then. A few hours to get everything he needs sorted. Straightening, he nods down at Nida. "Your discretion is appreciated...Welcome back."

[seed_pilot]

If only Nida knew what direction Squall's thoughts were flowing in. He would of course be quick to correct his Commander's suspicions. In a way Nida had a similar history in Garden to Squall's, at least in friendships. No, his belief of Seifer remembering his face comes from one specific fact.

Nida had been the fourth SeeD to graduate in Seifer's final attempt to claw a place for himself out in the Garden. It made Nida notable in a way that would be lasting, for a while at least.

But instead Squall's thinking and brooding and then switching things around. Nida sits up straighter in the seat, his eyes widening with delight. Secret things going on? He's so tickled by that. Things, systems, machines: they always made more sense than people. Well, they at least behaved in a more easily predictable pattern than people.

At the words 'Welcome Back', Nida springs to his feet. Throws one more salute.

"Thank you, sir. I'll do this as quickly as I can. How should I inform you of when I'm done?"

Granted he figures Squall will peek his head in from time to time, but if he finishes early... Well, no doubt Squall will want to know. And then while Squall is distracted Nida can slip out and try to avoid vacation for a bit longer. At least until the fallout of all this information delivery comes out.

[vacantexpression]

Having a father is surreal, but having a father who's the president of an advanced nation is another thing entirely. The technology currently powering his console is all Estharian. Its relay speeds are twice as fast than what Garden is capable of and there are plenty of satellite resources at Nida's disposal to play around with. Playing doesn't even sound like a stretch either, not with the glimmer of interest in Nida's eyes.

"I can't move on this intel until I have other things squared away. Your orders are to generate the reports, provide detailed maps of the surrounding area, and get me the most optimized routes to his last known location. Once done, remain here. We'll need to work out a suitable cover for your premature return."

Squall offers a salute of his own before turning on his heel. He hovers near the record player then ultimately decides it's in his best interest if people think the office is occupied. At the door, he pulls in another deep breath. "I'll be back in a few hours. Don't start a war before I come back."

There's nothing on the system that can do that, but he's been told to lighten up enough that he's trying to take that advice...Even if it does sound rather ominous.

[seed_pilot]

"Injury?" Nida suggests, but he doubts it would work if he wasn't actually injured.

Then again, he's not really invested in the question because he's already slipping into the seat and his fingers are flying over the keyboard. Sure, he is doing to do some research to supplement, but he knew that area too well not to do most of it as something he explains from experience.

Even is already happy with the work he's doing until Squall says those last words. He shudders and looks up to Squall. Looks hurt. But not in the 'how can you think that of me' sort of way. In the 'you think I want to live in that again' way.

After all, he'd been there for the war within Garden and watched people get hurt. And he'd been there in the battle between Gardens and been put into a position where he couldn't help protect a single person.

"Coffee might be appreciated, sir."

[vacantexpression]

They'll workshop alibis later, but as Nida begins his works, Squall can't help but wonder if the right person is in charge when the other SeeD looks so much more natural behind the desk than he does. It's Nida's drive that he's always admired and he's not so far removed from the minutiae of what happened during the war that he can't recognize merit or distinction and how Nida operated with both. Kadowacki is alive because of him, after all. So are many of the junior classman.

And now Nida's brought him this. He owes him more than just orders. He certainly owes him more than flippant remarks about a war they're both processing in different ways.

The room's melody urges him to keep moving. To not be stuck in the singular moment where Nida's face crumpled even though his brain is playing it on loop. If he'd been bad about being trapped in his thoughts before, it's only worsened since Time Compression.

"A meal too, I'm sure. I'll bring up both."

Squall idles for a moment, fingertips lingering on the tabletop where the record player spins, then sets his knuckles to the wood, bracing himself for the ache that always comes when vulnerability is on display. "And thank you...for bringing me this information. I'm glad it was you who found him. There's few others I would trust with his whereabouts."

The salute honors that. It's not the half measured one he'd given upon receiving Nida in the room. It's one that has him at full attention, his respect and admiration worn openly. "I'll give you the room."

[seed_pilot]

Clearly Squall needs nothing so much as someone to genuinely knock him out of his funk. Because Squall really was in one. Nida, of course, was not that man. He was instead a guy there to facilitate it, in an odd way. Though he does lift his head to consider the thank you. Because he doesn't understand it.

Did he really have that much trust from Squall? Amazing.

"It was pure dumb luck, sir. Right place at the right time. Just... be careful about him. I have no clue how people out that way will regard him if they see him."

Which is also a way of saying 'be fast, who knows how much he has in the way of supplies'.

[vacantexpression]

"Dumb luck doesn't mean anything if it isn't followed by good instincts," Squall remarks with a firmness that's meant to be encouragingly persuasive. Another SeeD might have tried to telegraph the information or run it up the chain of command until it finally got to Squall's desk. But Nida is here, telling him in person, because he understands the stakes and with a nod of his head, Squall acknowledges them too.

"It won't be pretty, but I don't intend to let the mobs have him." He doesn't doubt that he and Nida are aligned on that. Again, something scratches at the back of his mind, a desire to know why, but he swallows it down. All that matters is that neither of them want to see Seifer at the mercy of angry townsfolk. "I'll leave for Timber as soon as your reports are ready. You're more familiar with the terrain than I am so any recommended provisions or necessities you can think of, include them in your report. I'll do my best from there."

He's survived devastating battles while locked blade to blade with Seifer throughout the course of the war. He's endured torture at his hands. But Squall still remembers their conversations before the SeeD exam and the resigned fatalism with which Seifer had attacked President Deling with. He remembers watching Seifer talk about romance and knows that not all of the war should be put squarely on his shoulders. He'd spoken to him once about Ifrit protecting him and he can feel the heat of the GF rise up to meet Squall's desire to do the same.

It also hasn't escaped him that Ultimecia sought Seifer out at the beginning of it all. She'd come to him. It wasn't happenstance or coincidence, it was intentional, and that knowledge has vexed him since the war's end because it means that somehow, Seifer's part in the grand circular design of their destiny isn't over, but this time Squall refuses to let him meet it alone.

"Can I get you anything else?" He's at the door now, coffee and food and a million sparks from duels of old taking over his thoughts that have him looking lost in thought. It'll all be walled off behind a look of stoic determination once he leaves the room but he spares a glance to Nida and wears his concern for the matter at hand openly between them. Why bother hiding it when they both know what's at stake?

[seed_pilot]

Where Squall is lost, Nida is finally in his element, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he types.

"Honestly, sir? Just some space to work. Until this week I haven't taken that specific route through the woods in years, so remembering it enough to provide route markers to another person isn't going to be the easiest. And the coffee. Extra coffee. Been on the move since I saw him."

Which came from a nervousness about trains, but he's not getting into that.

"Though maybe you should consider a nap for yourself," he adds as an afterthought. "I doubt you're going to get much rest for a while."

[vacantexpression]

Space is easy. Squall can give him that and while he doesn't consign himself to the idea of rest, he does agree to consider it before unlocking and slipping out of the door. He doesn't lock it behind him or leave the floor until he's brought Nida a carafe of coffee from the small station where a pot of it is kept along with various fixings for it. Cid might have liked to mingle in the cafeteria but he and Xu both prefer to be close enough to sustenance so as not to disturb their work. He appreciates having her as headmistress. It makes sharing a level with her easy with neither of them directly getting in each other's way unless they absolutely have to.

"I thought he was on vacation," she says to him, joining Squall who's loading up a tray.

"He will be," Squall assures, eyes fixed on the variety of snacks laid out. "President Loire called and is in need of a test pilot for a prototype."

"Because they don't have pilots in Esthar," Xu quips dubiously.

"None familiar with flying anything as robust as Garden." He's lying through his teeth but the necessity of it makes it easy as he falls back into his old training. "Any interest Nida has in the offer will need to be pursued on personal time."

Xu hums, seemingly appraising the idea as she pours herself a cup of coffee from the dwindling pot. "You mean vacation time. Careful, Commander. People might suspect there's a heart under all those medals."

The eyeroll sees him out and he returns to his office to leave Nida with refreshments. He won't return for a couple of hours. Time enough to make a phone call to his father ("I found a potential pilot for the test program you mentioned the last time I was there." "What test program?" "The one you wouldn't tell me more about because it's secret." "Oh. Oh! That program! Right, the secret program.") and to fetch his things from his room. The sight of Rinoa's side of the bed almost makes him hesitate. The compulsion is likely magical; it has a pull that is heady and overwhelming.

Since returning from Time Compression, Squall has noticed that the longer he's away from Rinoa, the more clear headed he feels. He's not sure why yet, but there is something that lulls him into complacency and devotion when they're together. She becomes all he can think about and then when they're apart, the fog lifts and Squall feels like he's lost himself to Time Compression again. It's unsettling and any time he's tried to talk to Rinoa about it, it's ended in her feeling like he's pulling away or trying to put distance between them. Her distress amplifies his own, feeding into a desire to make her happy again, which results in the cycle starting all over again.

...Garden really does need a staff therapist.

When he returns to his office with a duffle bag and gunblade case in tow, Squall acknowledges Nida with a nod. "Progress?"

[seed_pilot]

By the time Squall returns for real the entire carafe of coffee is finished, which makes a lot of sense given how long Nida claimed to have been awake. He's already nodded over toward the printer where a stack of paper is waiting, this one of the maps.

"Purged the memory of the printer and already printed and destroyed a few other documents to obscure original printed data. I need about another hour on some of the local intel you'll need and a letter for supplies if you find you need to linger for a while. I'd already ordered them and figured I'd pick them up later but..."

He does a shrug as if to say 'what can you do'.

[vacantexpression]

The printer's existing stack is methodically flipped through so Squall can parse as much information as possible. "Good work." He doesn't just mean the cleanup that's necessary to cover their trail. The maps and reports are detailed in an easily digestible format.

It's not unfamiliar work. He's had the odd mission or two since the war's end, but nothing consistent. Apparently being one of the key players in preventing a world destroying event makes it hard to keep up anonymity, thus reducing a mission's success rate. A lifetime of trying to avoid the spotlight and now it follows him.

His interest however diverts when Nida mentions the supplies and he cocks a brow to encourage him to elaborate. "Later? Timber isn't exactly a common vacation spot." It made for good camping but for some reason he finds it hard to imagine Nida out in the woods roughing it for fun.

[seed_pilot]

That earns a deep sigh from Nida. He looks up from the computer at last to look at Squall, very seriously. After a moment he sits back as he thinks of how to explain it.

"I own the cabin. Maybe. Probably. Inheritance laws got really messed up when Galbadia took over the Timber region. Especially since they didn't want people living away from Timber proper without their oversight. It's... all I have left of my family. Whatever happens out there, I'd appreciate if it was still standing if at all possible."

Which probably explained why Nida was never sent along on the Timber mission. It wasn't that he wasn't one of Cid and Edea's charges. Rather there was a chance that he might have been assumed to be too invested in the mission if he was sent on it. Or maybe it was because of the fate thing. Either way, it probably was better that Nida hadn't been sent with them.

[vacantexpression]

There are no coincidences anymore, only the elaborate web of fate they've all become tangled in. To have his eyes opened to how intricately woven Nida's been this whole time makes Squall realize there are more forces at work than just those in his immediate circle. If he were to think back on his time lost to the whims of Time Compression, would he see Nida there in the background of it all? A slowly turning cog just like the rest of them?

He feels sick thinking about how widespread his own ignorance is when it comes to the far reaching fingers of fate and knows that the only way he can hope for a divergence from it is to shake himself of his malaise so he can start to look at the larger picture; moments in time that have helped contribute to their place in the world when Ultimecia descended upon it and everything that has come after that will facilitate her rise to power. Nida's family, his relationship to Seifer (whatever it might be), the cabin where their reunion will take place... Squall's mouth firms into a grim line as he forces himself to breathe through the rising panic that comes whenever he thinks of the lines fate has drawn and how he can't seem to stray from its path.

Briefly, Squall considers whether it's Nida who should try and intercept Seifer but there's a fire in him now that not even Shiva can suppress. No. No, it needs to be him. Even if the reasoning is purely selfish rather than a position of rank, Squall needs to do this for himself. And Hyne, maybe it's arrogant, but he truly believes he's the best shot Seifer has at getting to safety and reintegrating somehow with society.

"I'll make sure they're both standing at the end of it." He doesn't say Seifer's name. He hasn't said Seifer's name. Not once since Nida's reported to him. If pressed, Squall would say it's because it feels like a jinx. As if the moment he says it, Seifer will somehow disappear into thin air and elude him like he has since the war ended.

Squall's eyes lower to the pages in his hands and Hyne, so much makes sense about this and yet he can't quite put the puzzle pieces together in a way that doesn't incite a primal envy in him he thought he'd buried. "I wasn't aware you were from Timber..." More pieces fall into place. Like why Nida was the only new cadet not assigned to the Forest Owls. "Does he know the cabin's yours?" There's nothing good that will come from knowing except to gauge what kind of familiarity Seifer is likely to already have with the place. It might mean he's better fortified. Squall tells himself that's the only reason why he asks.

[seed_pilot]

Well, he did see visions of the dance, right? And Nida happened to be dancing with someone to the side of the couple Squall and Rinoa ran into. So yeah, maybe he was there in the background. Sometimes that's just how life plays out. It doesn't have to be grand circles within circles. Though if the idea was put to Nida he'd agree that it seemed entirely possible that things fit together in unexpected ways that should be considered.

"Honestly, from my point of view, I'm not. My father was a Galbadian deserter after the war against Esthar and Adel, my mother the younger daughter of some mid-level Galbadian major. From what little I remember, they weren't exactly treated the most friendly in Timber because of that, and when the military came in..."

Nida shrugs and then taps his head. "Thanks to the GFs I don't remember as much of them as I should. Probably for the best from what I understand. And no. I doubt he knows. Talking wasn't really something we did."

By which Nida means 'we didn't really know each other', but there were definitely ways that people could 'know' each other without much talking.

[vacantexpression]

Talking about himself isn't something Squall has a lot of experience in, even amongst his newfound friends, but he does acknowledge that both he and Nida's fathers were Galbadian military. Unsurprising in a lot of ways, but knowing now how interconnected they are, Squall has to wonder whether there was ever any overlap before either of them were born. He nods too at the mention of GFs...their usage something that has since been cautioned against, but not fully outlawed due to the confirmed deterioration of memories.

However Squall's ability to empathize ends there and he swallows hard as Nida clarifies what his relationship to Seifer was. Apparently one where they didn't need to do a lot of talking. There is ice in his heart, a stab of it that he has to force himself not to react to, and he wonders if maybe he's right back on Edea's platform, skewered by magic. That's what it feels like anyway.

"I see." To his credit he manages to make the words sound neutral and passive. "A coincidence then." Not that Squall believes in those anymore.

His posture straightens as he taps the stack of papers into an orderly pile, moving them along in the conversation before his mind can betray him with further questions on the subject of Nida and Seifer. "I've established a cover for you. You can see it through or decline, but it should prove sufficient for why you're here."

[seed_pilot]

"Probably a coincidence. But Irvine did lend me Cactaur before I headed out. Maybe that has something to do with it."

No reason to explain why the sniper would give Nida the luck-enhancing GF. But perhaps luck really had come into play with the timing of things, with seeing Seifer before he was seen.

Still, he returns his gaze to the computer now that they are in safer territory. His fingers return to his typing as he does so. He needs to make sure these resources are available for the Commander.

"I'm almost afraid of what you mean when you say 'see it through or decline'."

[vacantexpression]

That was another thing. How much of their luck was luck at all and not some higher form of magic rippling across time to influence events? If Squall were to ever speak these thoughts aloud, he's pretty sure he'd be stripped of his rank and possibly referred to some kind of in-patient program, so he just hums his acknowledgement and logs the information away, adding, "Knowing Irvine, I'm sure that's not the kind of luck he was hoping to impart."

Squall's thoughts betray him again as he tries to pin down a possible timeline for Seifer and Nida to have been sleeping together, thoroughly convinced now that that was the basis of their former relationship. Maybe that's why he thinks Nida will be amendable to his plans and why he feels comfortable sharing them at all.

"If I bring him back to Garden, the world will demand a trial. If we refuse, the consequences could be catastrophic to the SeeD program, but if I bring him to Esthar, President Loire can issue a pardon, perhaps even grant him citizenship. With the protection of the Estharian government, Garden can then step in and offer opportunities for a peaceful reintegration to society outside of Esthar's borders...If that's what he wants. Either way, he'll have options." Something that hasn't always been the case for Seifer.

With a deep breath, he adds, "If you want to see your alibi through, President Loire is prepared to offer you the opportunity to test pilot one of their space team's latest prototypes as a cover. This is the excuse we're using for your arrival today. If you want your involvement to end here, just say the word. However if you're willing to help lay the ground work for his pardon, I could use a man on the ground working in tandem with the President while I'm off the grid...You will, however, need to be doing all this on your own personal time which means using up those vacation hours."

[seed_pilot]

"I'm certain it wasn't," Nida admitted with a nod. Maybe he wanted stories about Nida meeting people, to live vicariously now that he was locked down by Selphie.

The plan is laid out and Nida hits the print button as he tries to contemplate it all. Was that really the best thing to do? Of course, Squall had a whole different stance on Seifer Almasy than most people had. It was definitely something to wonder about. Makes him wonder if he shouldn't try and get a hold of Fujin and Raijin for Seifer.

"If you think that's really for the best, then do it. But I don't expect you'll get anything but push back from Galbadia for his role in things. Actually, you'll get them from both of the other Gardens too, Galbadia for 'leading them astray' and Trabia because of all of the people who died there. You're going to have an uphill battle. Might be better to hope the Esthari are willing to forgive him for the damage the Lunar Cry did."

And seeing as even all this time later there were stupid regular contracts for higher level SeeDs to go out and deal with the lunar monsters that had done even more damage to the local ecosystems... Well, Nida wasn't sure even the Esthari president had that sort of pull.

Still, the other part, Squall doesn't even know what he's dangling in front of Nida here.

"So that's it? Hold out one of my greatest childhood dreams in front of me in return for helping you pull strings for Seifer? And you're still going to get forcing me to take a break at the same time? Strange, I didn't see you in my intel classes with Aki. Are you just a lot better at stealth than I remember you being while we were growing up?"

No, it wasn't that, and he knows it. How the hell was Squall supposed to know Nida had once had a dream he considered silly as a child. A dream to go into space. The momentary annoyance he'd had back during everything when Xu explained Squall had gone into space with Rinoa and another one of his team had been pretty serious. But of course Squall was meant for things that were really amazing.

[vacantexpression]

There's no clean way to integrate Seifer back into society. The alternative to any kind of amnesty is to live on the lamb, constantly on the run and always at risk of being discovered. His brows furrow as Nida challenges this, but all of the points are valid. Seifer is the face behind untold harm on a global scale. Yes, Edea might have murdered a president in front of a crowd, but Seifer was on the front lines for every assault and grand declaration of tyranny. It would be hard to convince most people all of that was simply a product of manipulation or mind control. Worse, even if they could arrange a pardon under those circumstances, it could be argued as a dangerous precedent for others to claim they were under the sorceress' sway.

"Any chance for amnesty is going to be an uphill battle. The alternative is setting him up somewhere away from civilization, where he'll never get a chance to do anything else with his life. Where we let the history books write him off as some great evil when that's not who he is." But it was. It was exactly who he'd seen during the war. Someone who was ready to commit atrocities for his sorceress. And yet Squall can't shake the conversations they had before the SeeD exam. He can't simply erase the Seifer he knew and replace it wholesale with the Seifer who had tortured him. Who had tried to kidnap Rinoa and unleash Adel onto the world. Squall is clinging to the possibility that Seifer was somehow coerced or controlled because the alternative means coming to terms with the fact that he may be beyond saving or protecting. He'll do whatever he can to find out one way or the other.

"You were always going to take those vacation hours, Nida. Esthar's space program isn't a bad place to spend them." It's the most informal he's been with Nida since his arrival. Squall's smile is a shadow in the corner of his mouth as if to acknowledge the advantage that's been aired out between them. He knows he's bargaining for discretion here...and help too. If he can utilize all the advantages at his disposal for a shot at getting to Seifer and potentially finding him protection, then he'll cash in on every favor he acquired during the war to do it.

[seed_pilot]

Was he going to take those vacation hours though? Or was he going to keep fighting Squall about it? Granted, the fact that it's space being dangled in front of him makes it a lot more likely that he's going to agree with all of this.

"If this deal is real, then I'm going to agree," Nida says after a moment of consideration. "And I'm honestly assuming it's real because I can't see what you'd really get from lying to me."

Not that there would be repercussions to Squall if he did lie. Nida was loyal to Garden to a T, so he was going to agree either way. Especially since he believed in his Commander. The guy did save the world after all.

"But if you want me laying ground work, you also have to find a way to get me in to talk to people to make plans for this. And some authorization to actually make those. I'm not one of your friend group, just a regular SeeD. My word isn't going to carry the implied support that Selphie or Zell's would."

[vacantexpression]

There's nothing secret about Esthar's space program. Its operations, perhaps, but certainly not that they have one. Calling it as much is just Squall's way of tipping Laguna off over a phone line that he's asking for help. If he wanted to lean on the benefits of nepotism, he knows Laguna would make Nida's space faring dreams a reality and after everything he's drawn up to put him in touch with Seifer? It's the least he can do. To ask more of Nida feels unfair, but he can't trust anyone else. Not Rinoa, not his friends, and certainly not Garden. Each of them have good reason to want Seifer brought in and charged for his part in the war and no amount of persuasion from Squall is going to change that.

But Nida...Whatever it was they were to each other, Squall feels safe to lean on that connection. "You won't be there to represent SeeD. You'll be there on your own merit and at the request of the President, helping him personally build his case while we make our way across Horizon Bridge to the border." The folded piece of paper is withdrawn from his pocket and offered across the desk for Nida to read. It outlines the exceptional qualities displayed during the war and Nida's prowess at the helm of Garden which he's hand drafted in their time apart. "Give this recommendation letter to the President on your arrival. He's sending transport to collect you."

It's not enough. Squall understands there's still a definitive lack of power that Nida must feel. Power that, until now, could only be achieved through rank or recommendation. He has something more meaningful, however, to tie him to Laguna. With a bracing breath, Squall says, "I always assumed I'd have to do this alone, but it'll be nice to have a man on the inside. This is something the President and I have been organizing since...well, since we lost track of him. He's prepared to support us however he can as both a political ally and my father."