Chapter 21: A Brief Break from Hell
                   -----------------------------------

        'Invincible,' Garland thought.  'She said, invincible...'  He
remembered what his angel had told him about the status of the Empire now
that he was with her... 'It'll be... invincible..?'  Garland couldn't get
the thought out of his head.  It seemed impossible that the vision of
perfection he held in his arms could be the Arch-nemesis of all good
beings in this world.  'Must be a different Sascha DelAubre...' he
rationalized.
        The sleek Black ship cruised smoothly and silently through the
sky, it's recently rebuilt engine purring softly.  Most of the Crew was
sleeping rather soundly, but a few still stirred.  One of the stirring
members was the recently-promoted Mason.  Slinking around in the arkness,
he ducked into a closet, and produced a small device from his pocket.  On
the device were a few dials, numerous buttons, and a small screen and
speaker.  Fiddling with a few of the Aforementioned gadgets, Mason spoke
into the device.  "Come in, blue Gopher.  Blue Gopher, this is green
chocobo..."
        The screen flickered momentarily, and the image of a black-haired,
ornery young man appeared.  "What is it?!"  The image barked.
        "Kromm, you're a genius," Mason said sincerely.  "How do you do
it?"
        "'S'quite easy for me," Rokegg replied lightly.  "Just comes
naturally..."  He gave a superior chuckle which seemed to say, "I can do
anything, you simpleton."
        Mason frowned, forgetting that Kromm was watching his every move. 
"It seems to me that things are going well..." he said darkly.
        "Oh?"  Kromm questioned eagerly.  "The Empire is losing the battle
for Jidoor?"  His face was stretched into an evil grin, accenting the dark
bags below his eyes.
        "Yes," Mason replied.  "We've taken heavy losses, and lost two
airships..."
        "Hmmm..." Rokeg mumbled. "And... the Returners?"  His face
momentarily betrayed no emotion.
        "Basically wiped out.  And it seems Garland may actually have
become an ally..."
        From the screen, Kromm laughed a pitiful, somewhat maniacal laugh.
It was the kind of laugh one would use after you've lost everything you
ever owned.  Mason began again.  "Kromm, get some sleep.  You need it."
With that, he shut off the device, and stepped out of the closet.
        As Mason emerged, he was greeted by a very surprised Luitenant. 
Anyone would be a bit startled if a three-and-a-half-foot tall man emerged
from a coat closet right next to them, and Thomas Oliver was no exception.
Stepping aside, he let his superior by, but followed not far behind. 
There was a long, uneasy silence as the two walked through the corridors. 
Finally, the young Lieutenant began to break the stillness.  "So-"
        "I'm going to kill him..." Mason interrupted.
        "Wha..?" Thomas questioned.  He hadn't even started his question. 
"You mean-"
        "Yes, I mean Garland, you weak-minded twit," Mason interrupted.
Thomas Oliver was thoroughly baffled.  He was quite speechless.  At the
moment, so was Mason.  "Wait a minute..." he began.  What did you just
say?"
        "I didn't say anything..." Thomas replied.  "You responded before
I finished..."
        Mason thought for a moment.  "This is highly irregular..." he
stated.  Lieutenant Oliver nodded lamely.  "Quickly," the undersized
officer snapped eagerly.  "Think something!"  In the darkened corridor,
Thomas Oliver began thinking.  Mason stared him in the face for long
minutes, concentrating.  Cursing, he turned away.  "Damn... nothing..."
Thoroughly disappointed, he swiftly strode down the corridor in the
opposite direction from young Thomas Oliver.
        The lieutenant stood a moment, watching his dwarfed superior tromp
down the hall.  'Kill... Garland?' he thought.  'For my Lady's sake, I
must-'  His thoughts were cut short as he noticed Mason stop abruptly.
        "Oh, and Lieutenant?" the short one began.  "Don't even think about
it, or I'll kill you too..." he grinned evilly as he saw, for the first
time, a look of fear from someone he envied.  "Or maybe... I'll kill her. 
Which would hurt more for you?"  He drew his sword and ran a slender
finger down the broad side.  His face twisted into an evil scowl, and he
ran the same finger over the deep scar on his right cheek, then his left.
He momentarily shook with rage, then jammed his sword back into it's
sheath, and stormed down the hall to his chamber.
                                 *  *  *  *
        Meanwhile, in an entirely different corridor, Sascha DelAubre was
escorting her new-found love to his chamber.  "I'm sorry we can't sleep in
the same room," she began longingly.  "It's just that... I don't think
Akfek would have it."
        "Why is it so important what he says?"  Garland asked, irritated.
        "Well, I owe him so much, you see..." Sascha replied, looking at
the floor for a moment.  "And, he'd probably kill you.  He likes that sort
of thing."  She Looked into Garland's eyes, and kissed him gently.  "Sleep
well, my love..."
        "And you, my angel..."  He replied softly, reluctantly loosening
his tight embrace.  He watched indecisively as she backed down the
corridor, heading for her own chamber.  As he lost sight of her, the area
around him seemed to grow noticeably cold.  Sighing, he opened his chamber
door, and prepared for a night's sleep.
        The room was small, yet well furnished.  A good-sized bed stood
against the far wall, with a shelf directly above it.  Several boxes lined
the left wall, some of whiched were marked with names.  The left wall was
fairly bare, apart from a small round table keeping it company.  A window
sat between the bed and the shelf above it.  The room could be described
as "Quaint".
        Garland sat heavily on the bed.  "What am I doing here?"  he
sighed rhetorically.  It was quite odd, switching sides so suddenly and
accidentally.  He removed his obsidian helm, and placed it on the small
bedside table.  Sighing pensively, he laid down to sleep.
        Perhaps not two minutes later, Garland awoke again.  He found
himself in total darkness, as though no source of light had ever existed
to light the Earth.  Placing a hand on his pillow, he found it to be
soaked with sweat.  Something wasn't right.  Pulling back the curtains of
his window, a single ray of light shone through.  In the sky there was but
one single star shining.  No moon seemed to exist, just a single point to
pierce the inky blackness of night.  Leaving the curtain open to Light his
path, Garland made his way to the chamber door.
        The corridor into which Garland proceeded seemed to be lit by an
eerie blue-grey light.  Stumbling about in the dimness, Garland thought he
heard a voice.  It was a voice he hadn't heard in a very long time, and he
didn't much care to hear it again.  Putting a hand to his head, he
realized that his helmet was there.  He was sure he had taken it off
before bed, though... Not giving it much thought, he proceeded to make his
way above decks.
        Upon reaching the outer area of the Defiant, Garland cast his eyes
to the sky.  There was that one solitary star, staring down at him for a
moment.  It flared brightly for a moment, then abruptly disappeared.  For
a moment, the inky blackness took over again.  Then, the moon, a great
circle of light, appeared.  Garland was entranced by it's beauty for a
moment, then something happened.  The great moon faded to a deep crimson,
and a silhouette appeared in front of it.  A deep, cruel, confident laugh
ushered forth from the silhouette, and Garland instantly knew who the
figure was.
        "Cardia!" Garland exclaimed, as the wizard's form descended. 
Suddenly, Millions of stars, more stars than Garland had ever seen, filled
the sky.  The light threatened to blind him, as Cardia's face became
discernable.
        "Salutations, friend..." the Red Wizard said smoothly as he
floated gently to the ship's deck.  "It's been awhile..."
        "How...?!" Garland exclaimed, as he took a fighting stance.
        "Oh, just a bit of advanced Red Wizardry..." Cardia mocked.  He
touched a finger to his wide brimmed hat, and smirked.  "But it wasn't you
I came for.  It was just my luck that we should both re-emerge in the same
time window..."  His feet lightly touched the ship's floorboards as he
spoke.
        "Cut the superiority complex crap!"  Garland snapped, impatient.
        "Oh-ho!"  Cardia retorted.  "Such hostility, for an old fiend...
er, friend..."  The Wizard turned his back to Garland, sniffed, tilted his
head back, and continued.  "I hope your lady friend will greet me with a
bit more kindness..."  He cast a sidelong glance at Garland.
        "Don't you go near my dear Sascha!"  Garland fired back.  "If you
harm her in any way..." He paused grimly, eyes flaring with rage.  "I
swear, I'll kill you..."
        "Now, now, Garland," Cardia began again, steadily rising into the
air.  "I didn't come for a fight.  As a matter of fact, I came to give you
something."  In Cardia's hand, a thick book materialized.  "You... dropped
this..?"
        "My book!" Garland exclaimed, eagerly leaping forward.
        "Not so fast!"  Cardia exclaimed, lifting the book out of reach. 
Floating higher into the air, he opened the book.  "Let's see now..."  The
wizard began flipping through the pages, with mild mock interest.  "Celes
Chere... not bad... Setzer Gabbiani... heard the name... Uh-huh... Gungnir
Lance...ooh..."  The mages face looked puzzled for a moment.  "Who's this
Tara Gualtier?"  Garland shrugged in response.  "Kelly Rush?"  Cardia
asked.  Garland shook his head.  "They make a cute couple..." Cardia
commented.
        Garland came closer to the red wizard.  He could see an opening 
for attack forming gradually, as the Cardia gained genuine interest in the
book's contents. Of course, so was Garland, but once Cardia was gone, he
could look over the pictures with Sascha.  The wizard continued to marvel
at the people, things, and ideas inside the book.  "Look at this..." he
said, intrigued.  "Zodiac magic?  Preposterous!" Garland made his way a
few feet toward Cardia.  "Talismans? I've heard of such things..."  Cardia
frantically flipped pages.  Garland was now within three feet of the
wizard, but he sniffed, and distracted Cardia's attention.  Looking up,
Cardia's mouth slowly curled into a good-humored, yet strangely
intimidating smile.  "Of course," he began.  "What am I thinking?  I
figured you'd want me dead."  Cardia's form, which had gradually come back
down to mett the airship's surface, began to rise again against the
backdrop of ten billion more stars than any man had ever seen.  He tossed
the book back to Garland, and his form began to fade.  "I leave you with
one thought, sir..." the wizard concluded. "You're not the only one who
can find an orb, you know..."  As the statement came to a close, so did
Cardia Lemieux's presence in the Defiant's general area.
                                 *  *  *  *
        Garland sat bolt upright in bed, his face sweating, his heart
pounding, and his head aching.  As he looked around the darkened room, he
was fairly reassured.  'Just another damned dream...' he thought.  Then,
his gaze fell upon the small round table, upon which was a large book,
where there had been no book before.  The book was his, and in between the
cover and the first page was a note.  Garland read it aloud to himself.

        "Interesting Reading, Friend...
                            -Cardia"

        Garland shuddered, and closed the book slowly.  There was a soft
rap at the door.  "Who goes there?"  Garland asked, fatigued.
        "It's Sascha," a voice said.
        'The voice of an angel...' Garland thought.  "Please, come in..."
        "Is something wrong?"  Sascha asked, worried sick.  She stared
intently into Garland's chaotic eyes.
        "Just..." Garland started.  "...just a nightmare."
        "You poor thing," Sascha said sympathetically.  "Let me ease your
mind..."  She put her arms around him tenderly, and kissed him softly. 
"There, there, it's all right..."
        "I hope so..." Garland said quietly, to himself. He accepted her
embrace, and gave his own in return.  "Sascha..?"
        "Yes?"
        "Don't ever leave me, please..."  Garland said, near tears. 
Something deep down inside him was pulling, aching, streching.  Buried
memories began to be ressurected...