Chapter 3: Timber

A few minutes later they arrived in Timber. The train came creaking to a halt and a rough voice crackled onto the intercom.
�We are arriving in Timber. In a few seconds the doors will open, then you may exit.� The static cut off, signifying that the intercom had switched off.
Squall and the others left the train quickly. Once they were out, they were greeted by Watts.
�Hello sir. You�re very early. Oh well. Come on, Zone is waiting for us.�
A short, yellow train car pulled up. �Come on In!� Zone�s head was hanging out of a window. �Come on board.�


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Once inside they train, the six SeeDs sat down. Zell looked around. There was much in there that was not in there the last time that they were there he thought. New addition, such as the chairs that they were sitting in, ad wallpaper, really livened up the place. He could hear the machinery under the train still, but it was more muted, like they had put insulation up.
One other thing that he noticed was that it was nice and cool in the train. Outside it was incredibly hot. Inside it was pleasantly cool. He wondered where they had gotten the money to afford an air conditioner. He smiled. At least they had it.
Watts spoke first, breaking the heavy silence that had descended on the group. �Well sir, I suppose that you want to know all the little details.�
�Yeah,� Squall replied. �That would be nice.�
Watts chuckled. �Okay. As you may know, we plan to free Timber from the Galbadian forces. For some reason, they have pulled out all of their grunts and replaced them with high-ranking officers. Even though the officers cost more, they seem to be stronger and quicker than the regular grunts. They seem to be expecting us to rebel. That�s why I asked Mr. Kramer about lending us the same three that had helped us out before.�
Squall interrupted, his voice sounding annoyed. �Please don�t tell me you have a plan.� Last time they had a plan it ended up almost killing all of them. Squall still remember realizing that it was an undead creature just in time, and cured it to death. He had caught on to that fact almost too late to save Zell. That was what happened if one followed an amateur into combat.
�Yes sir, we do have a plan. However, this time it will work. You see we brought another professional, this one for tactics. She also donated money so that we could fix this train from a piece of junk to a high class vehicle, almost as good as the President Car in Galbadia.�
�Who is she and where did you get her?� Squall was skeptical about the validity of this woman.
�Her name is Sefany. We acquired her assistance from another one of the resistance groups that merely didn�t have enough members to plan an effective rebellion against Galbadia. She has all the paperwork needed to prove that she is a master of tactics, as well as the use of magic. She graduated from Balamb Garden just a year before you did. She was also assigned by the headmaster to help out the resistance in Timber.�
�May we speak with her?� Squall still looked at Watts like he were nuts to suggest that Cid would have offered any more assistance than he already.
Watts started to walk down the hallway. �Right this way sir.�

Zell agreed with Squall. Why would Cid have given help when he assigned them to the case? But it was a different group so it was possible. Zell thought about her and found that he could not imagine what she would look like. They reached the end of the hallway and stopped at Rinoa�s former room.
Watts knocked on the door. �Hello, may we come in?�
The door opened slowly, as if someone pushed it lightly. Zell looked in the room and was surprised at what he saw. Wow! He thought. She�s gorgeous.
Inside the room, Sefany sat at a desk. Papers were stacked to her left and to her right. The room was still pink, but was covered with various strategies that she had used in the past that would allow one or two people to destroy an army of enemies of equal strength. Zell examined the papers on the wall and was shocked. These were the very types of plans they had used when Galbadia invaded Balamb Garden, only more complex.
One to the right showed how to scatter the men so that no enemies could get past. Another showed how one person could stop an entire army by releasing the supports in a hallway. Defense plans were crowded around one single offensive plan, the only one present on the walls.
This one plan had seven people in the offensive team. One person held a blade of some sort, and another had nunchukus. Zell looked at them in surprise. One held a gun, and one had no weapons. The last two that Zell guessed at held a whip and a spear. The final person stood with her hands stretched out in front of her. Blue waves coated her hands.
Zell guessed that this was the attack plan for this operation, and the seven people in the picture were the six SeeDs and someone else. Zell could not for the life of him figure out who this mysterious seventh person was.
Zell looked at Sefany and sucked in his breath. She was one of the most beautiful people he had ever seen. She had shoulder length dark colored hair, he couldn�t figure out if it was brown or black. She had a slender build and was dressed in a pair of jeans and a crimson red shit. Her face was simply beautiful.
But the most noticeable feature was her eyes. They were dark brown. They were so dark that it looked like you could fall into them and never return. Zell a weird sensation in the back of his throat that quickly got worse. Realizing what the problem was, he let out his breath and started to gasp for air. Irvine started laughing at him.
�What are you here for?� Sefany�s voice was soft and smooth. Zell thought that her voice was as beautiful as the rest of her.
Watts spoke first. �These are the other SeeDs here to help us out. Sefany, this is Squall, Zell, Selphie, Quistis Irvine, and our princess Rinoa. SeeDs, this is Sefany. Now that we have our introductions, explain the plan to them Sefany.�
�First, Lets get this straight. One of you is a sorceress, right?� Rinoa nodded her head. �We need your help for when we fight the Harzinger. The Harzinger is an anti-attack suit. Galbadia stationed it here. It�s the second generation of a line of weapons known as the XATM series. The Harzinger has no weaknesses to any specific elements, so the unlimited power of the sorceress will be useful.�
�Next, our hand-to-hand fighter.� Zell looked up at her. �You are most definitely in the front line in all fights, so we can take advantage of the lightening fast speed that you possess. In one area, here,� She pointed to one attack plan she was forming up. �Here you will need to be in the back, because we expect the Galbadian Paratroopers to fly in if we do not attack instantaneously.�
�The sniper. You need to stay in the back lines at all times. Take out the enemies one by one while your teammates inflict damage on the bigger enemies. You will be needed when the president comes into Timber six days from now.  Simply snipe him and timber should be home free.�
�The nunchuku expert. You are to guard the sorceress and back her up with GF�s and magic. Remember to always be on alert for snipers so the sorceress does not die.�
�Now, the whip. One of the single most unused weapons ever. Since you whip is very flexible, you should focus on appearing behind the enemies to distract them and give them enemies on both sides of the line.�
�Squall, I believe your name is. You will be fighting a defense. When the opportunity presents itself, you must attack any enemies threatening the sniper. Defend the rest of you team with not only the blade, but also the gun.�
�I will fight beside the hand fighter. Our objective is to take out any enemies that threaten to overwhelm us from the front. If the enemy attacks from the back, then the sorceress can take them out. Any questions?�
The SeeDs remained silent, then Zell spoke up. �Care to go on a date?� The incoming slap from Sefany was so hard that it left a red mark on Zell�s face for more than a day.


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One day remained until the Galbadia president paraded through Timber. Squall and the others walked through town and saw all the same stuff that had been there the last time. Timber Maniacs was still popular, and had one new issue out since they last checked. Unlike the rest for the past couple of years, this one had an article by Laguna in it. Squall read the article that his father had written.

Balamb Garden is one of the most Famous places on the planet. However, few people know of the people within it�s walls. The headmaster, and the SeeD leaders are just a few of the important people in it.
Those are the ones that you may have heard of. However, what of the normal people in there that try to lead ordinary lives? Every person in the Garden is either a SeeD or a SeeD in training. The life of these people is rough, with classroom and field training every day.
A normal day begins with classes. Inside the classroom the students are instructed by SeeDs ranging from weapons specialists to tacticians to historians. They cover every range of subject from math to theology to battlefield tactics. In the end, the SeeDs know more than almost any other person on the planet.
Weapons training is tough and almost certainly deadly. Every day, the students go to the training center and battle against live adversaries. The Garden breeds three types of opponents. Two lesser creatures and the T-Rexaur are available for training with.

The rest of he article was about Cid and the other high-ranking people that lived there. Squall and the gang found a place to stay the night and slept.


The next day, Timber was invaded.