Edge examined the sigil on Tucker's cheek.  "Doesn't look like
anything I'VE ever seen before.  I know someone that might know something
about it... two people, actually..."
	Tucker looked at Edge expectantly.  "Where are they?"
	Edge shrugged.  "One of them is saving the Big Whale from being cast
into the Sun, and the other I have a death wish for.  Sorry."
	Tucker sighed sadly, and could only nod.
	Edge then turned his attention to Cecil, the Paladin of Light from
ages past.  Cecil hadn't changed much over the years... "He's aged rather
well, actually," Edge mused.  "Must have been using Rosa's beauty cream."
	"Cecil!" Edge began.  "Where have you been all my life?  Myself,
I've been trapped in Eblan for the longest time... Striving to survive on
fungi and perseverance."
	It then sunk in.
	"The BIG WHALE?!  Edge, you were on the Big Whale?"  Cecil was
frantic.
	"Well, yes, Cecil, but you of all people should have known that."
	"... How so?  I haven't seen the Big Whale since the defeat of
Zeromus!  Were you alone?"
	"But Cecil, it was you that I saw... you told me Golbez was planning
to send the Big Whale into the Sun, and sent Celes to do it."
	"Golbez?  Celes?...  Edge, what ARE you talking about?  Has old age
finally caught up with you or something?"
	"Cecil... you weren't on the Big Whale recently?"
	"NO!  How could I have been?"
	Edge's face dropped.  "Then who DID tell me about Golbez's plot?" he
pondered, and began to shiver.  "Oh, no... could it have been one of Golbez's
tricks?  Then... Celes..."  Edge withdrew the Orb necklace that he stole
from an innocent Celes.  Tears began to well in his eyes.  Edge hung his
head in shame.
	"Edge, is something wrong?"  Cecil put his comforting hand on Edge's
shoulder.
	"Terribly so, Cecil, and it's all my fault.  I have to find some
answers, and fast.  Tucker, do you have any idea where an area called the
Veldt might be?"
	But there wasn't time to talk about that now.  In the distance, a
large cloud of sand was swiftly approaching our heroes.  Rumbling could be
heard emanating from the cloud.
	"Tucker!"  Cecil exclaimed.  "Can you see what that is over there?"
	Tucker nodded, and set his visor on 'scan'.
	"Looks to be a stampede of chocobos.  Someone's riding one, and he
appears to be fleeing from a separate group of chocobos."

--------

	"CECIL!"  Edge shouted above the dull roar of the stampede.  Cecil's
body had fallen to the onslaught of a warrior's autocrossbow.
	Tucker rushed to the attack, slashing madly with his Tech Sword.
	Edge wondered if he should use his magic to fall these new enemies.
He decided against it.  "I'd rather hack and slash my way through a fight
anyway... it's more fun!"  Reaching into his tunic, Edge withdrew a small
sharp shuriken, and hurled it at the nearest foe.  The shuriken glinted,
then multiplied into many of the deadly projectiles.  The poor chocobo never
stood a chance.  It toppled over, crushing its rider underneath its own
corpse.  "One down..." Edge mused, and looked at the oncoming horde of
Chocobo and their armed riders.
	"Only two or three dozen to go."
	Drawing his twin blades, Edge dashed to Cecil's downed body.
	"TUCKER!  Can your fancy sword cure wounds?"
	Edge and Tucker fought on for minutes.  It seemed that they had
been fighting for hours.  As more and more of the enemies fell, Tucker's
and Edge's wounds grew in number.  Down to his last breath, Edge saw that
the odds were greatly against him.  There seemed to be no other alternative.
	Edge weaved his fingers, summoning the magic from the Orb.  "It's
gotta work, or we're all doomed..."  Beads of sweat poured down Edge's dusty
face.
	"FLOOD!" Edge called.
	From deep under the swirling sands of the desert, a river of cool,
refreshing water ran for several miles.  The Orb called out to this river.
In a rush of watery fury, the river forced its way through several hundred
feet of silt, breaking free at the surface.  In a crushing wave of force,
the river flowed forth, inundating the enemy horde of chocobos.  Many of the
enemies were crushed under the pressure of the wave, many others drowned
under the amount of water that seemingly sprung from nowhere.  Those that
survived felt that they had had enough, and fled.
	Edge collpased from the sheer effort of fighting, and, exhausted,
hoped that whoever it was he and Tucker had saved was on his side.