The Island Closest to What? [PA/Action]

[commanderzabala]

[At 0800, the intercom chimes to life.]

Good morning, Balamb Garden. Congratulations to finishing another quarter of classes.

As of yesterday, Balamb Garden has docked as far northeast on the Esthar continent as possible. For those of you unfamiliar with our geography, we have come to the closest point to the Island Closest to Heaven as possible. I am afraid we will be having a working break, this quarter.

Over the course of the break, the Ragnarok will ferry cadets and SeeDs to the Island. Once there, you will find yourself in conflict with the local monsters. You will find these monsters to be almost completely unbeatable; the purpose of this break is to teach you teamwork, perseverance, and tactics in the face of an overwhelmingly powerful opponent.

I will not deceive you: it is also to teach you about pain management and the protection GFs give you against an otherwise mortal wound. You will not come to any permanent harm as a result of these encounters; I, and any other SeeDs who possess the ability to defeat these monsters, will ensure that any person dropped to an unconscious state receives paramagical care immediately. This will merely be incredibly unpleasant in the short-term, as most learning experiences are.

Traveling to the Island Closest to Heaven is mandatory for all SeeDs and all cadets capable of Junctioning a GF. You must travel to the Island at least one out of every three days of the break. That is an order.

To provide some recompense for this misery, all SeeDs who do not possess either an instant-kill attack or an otherworldly power that would essentially guarantee the defeat of these monsters will receive one rank increase for challenging these monsters. Should you succeed in defeating one with at least one team member surviving, all members of the team will receive a three rank increase for their effort.

All cadets who participate in this will receive a 10 point bonus on their SeeD exam. Should any team of cadets defeat a monster with one team member surviving, without the use of otherwordly powers to guarantee victory... we will think of an adequate reward. I promise you it will be worth your effort.

Any SeeDs who have the aforementioned capability to defeat these monsters with comparative ease, please report to my office for assignments.

We will begin at 0800 sharp next Monday. Make what preparations you feel are necessary. I, the SeeDs, and the Instructors will be available for any help or assistance you feel you need.

That is all. Good luck.

[The intercom clicks off, as the Commander returns to her paperwork, awaiting the arrival of the SeeDs.]

Comments

[espio]

['sup, Commander?

Have one pissed off lizard appearing in your office. And I mean appeared - he snuck in here. Oh, sure, he salutes, as he's supposed to, but he doesn't hide the fact he is not impressed.

He doesn't even wait for permission to speak before he comes straight out with it.]

Why is this required for cadets?

[commanderzabala]

[She quietly checks the time on her laptop. She'd made some private guesses as to how long the first complaint would take...]

[Then, brushing it aside, she folds her hands on her desk and gives him her full attention.]

Because they need to know what it's like, and I am opposed to their Instructors lining them up and shooting them till they collapse.

As much as I would like it to be otherwise, Garden is not safe. Safer than outside, for the most part, but Galbadia's attack ought to be proof enough that anyone in this building could be abruptly put into mortal danger at any moment. And as grim as it sounds, they need to see their teammates and fellows hurt, and then recovered later, because there will be times that a mission will only be completed over the unconscious body of a friend. They need to know that if they put themselves in danger, they will recover.

They'll learn all this one way or the other, you know. It's better if they learn it now than on a mission.

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

[The announcement made, Grell has mixed emotions. On one hand, she's excited about the chance for some action, but on the other, she's concerned about her son. Toby isn't going to be doing this trip very well, considering the history he has.

She reports to the commander's office, bypassing the secretary altogether. Grell has enough control to knock on the door.]

[commanderzabala]

Enter, please.

[The Commander pushes aside her laptop, then folds her hands on her desk.]

[Action]

[fierybluebird]

[Marco snorts and also lines up at the door, with a grim expression.]

Your pilot is inches from disobeying orders you realize.

[However, unlike Espio, Marco knows that Toby is highly proficient with his GFs and has experienced rather intense pain already in his life.]

[commanderzabala]

I expect this to be an unpopular decision. [She nods in acknowledgement, beckoning him in.]

I hope you'll be among the SeeDs who assist in defeating the monsters and rescuing cadets as needed? I admit, given what you can do you were the first person I thought of to help in that role.

[Action]

[selphie_t]

[It's Selphie's first time meeting this Commander and already she's feeling uneasy. She can understand the usefulness of training missions such as these but it doesn't make it any better. Sending inexperienced cadets out to face monsters that could very well turn them into mincemeat didn't sit well with Selphie.

Regardless, she makes her way to the Commander's office and knocks on the door.

What could this Commander possibly be thinking?]

[commanderzabala]

Enter.

[It would be nice, Zabala reflect, to have someone not criticizing her today, but she doesn't expect it as she waits for this latest arrival.]

LATER...

[corruptedsouls]

[And a good while into the day, there's another knock at the Commander's door. It's very hesitant and light, and with good reason -- Tobias is absolutely scared out of his mind doing this.

But, for once in his life, he's got a burning feeling that he can't let himself run away from.]

[commanderzabala]

Enter.

[The Commander, at the knock, has set aside her work to face the door with a neutral expression.]

[plotdeviceturk]

[Tseng may or may not have a mild case of the smug, he's at least mildly amused that she's actually gone through with it though and after waiting on the secretary to wave him through he'll enter her office.]

I suppose I should be the one offering to buy a round of drinks for you at the end of the week, considering the backlash I'm sure you're getting.

[He won't be surprised if he's the least pissed off person in her office today.]

I'll gladly go out there with teams as often as they want to deal with me.

[This is a lot more like Turk work, and he's only a little eager to be out there with the overhanging threat of death again. It'll help him sort his head out.]

[commanderzabala]

You're obviously not getting out of it. [She shoots him a mild look.] Do you actually have the capability to defeat these enemies?

[That isn't a slight on his competence or strength, simply an acknowledgment that the enemies are level 100. If not for Zabala's own Limit Break, she wouldn't dare fight them.]

Action;

[feedmyglitch]

[While he's not the kind of person who can take out the monsters easily, he understands that this is probably going to see a decrease in popularity. And above all else, he supports this decision and wants to speak to her. So he'll wait until he doesn't see others arriving and come to see her, complete with a small bouquet of flowers. He's read these life a human female's spirits sometimes, even outside of romantic gestures. So he'll knock, before peering in.]

I hope you don't mind. I'm only somewhat here because of the announcement. I also thought you might need some support.

[commanderzabala]

[Oh dear. After nothing had come of that BBS post he'd made some time ago, she'd put the awareness of his... growing affections to one side. Now he'd caught her slightly off-guard.]

Well, I certainly don't mind someone coming up not to chew me out.

[youngnobelman]

[Touma has a piece of paper in his hand when he knocks on the Commander's door, his mouth set in a thin line.]

[commanderzabala]

Enter.

[The Commander makes a private note to herself to see about a secretary.]

PM

[rewritethis]

Put me with the least experienced cadets. The ones who've only been here a quarter, the ones with the worst relevant grades, whatever metric you want to use. So long as there is one, I don't care.

[commanderzabala]

I have no objection to anyone forming the team they desire, but, are you asking to be specifically placed regardless of that?

[curiouseyes]

[Sorry, there's one more person and she's not very happy either. Not a SeeD, but a very upset cadet. She's been essentially brooding since the announcement and is visibly shaking, trying keep her emotions in check. She stands outside the door for a few long moments, visibly tense if anyone were to see her.

Finally, she knocks, probably a little harder than she was intending to]

[commanderzabala]

Enter.

[Yes... she definitely needs to get a secretary...]

PM

[fotlenke]

I accept this task and thank you for the opportunity to prove my strengths as a warrior.
- Sigyn Freyasdotter

[jointheclub]

[Without much standing on ceremony, Slughorn reluctantly steps into the office...]

You're allowing medical exemptions, of course? Or at the very least, common sense? A battered old bag like myself would be simply torn apart, torn apart by all those monsters. Tragic, really.

[commanderzabala]

[The Commander simply fixes Slughorn with a stern look.]

action.

[guidethesun]

[ An annoyed librarian is knocking on the Commander's door. But he's not surly ...yet. ]

[commanderzabala]

Enter.

[Maybe a take-a-number booth... ]