Final Fantasy VIII Part #37 - Part Thirty-Seven: Shifting Gears

Part 37: Part Thirty-Seven: Shifting Gears

Part Thirty-Seven: Shifting Gears

Having left the hellish environs of the D-District Prison, everyone pulls up to this intersection in the desert.

Selphie then runs over to that metal thing, whatever it is.

: What?

I think Seifer might have mentioned something, but Quistis seems to really expect Squall to know.

: That's what Rinoa heard from Irvine!

Who told Irvine? And why wasn't he in prison?

Anyway, Squall needs to take a minute to think about what to do.

: The only thing we can do now is go back to Garden as soon as possible and warn the students. Alright, let's get in the car and go.

Galbadia's kind of got us on our back foot on this one.

: They're targetting both Balamb and Trabia Gardens!

Well, that's a wrench in the works.

: We have to interfere with the launch! We have to stop the missiles!

Now we have a chance to walk around a bit and hear what everyone else has to say.

There's an Aero draw point over here. Might as well.

Now, back to taking to people. Zell's not got much to say, but it is interesting to see him not chomping at the bit.

Irvine's scared to piss off the sorceress.

Rinoa will just go along with the plan, but seems to implicitly favour going to the missile base.

Quistis is stating the obvious, but it's true. Attacking Trabia as well is a pretty big shift, since they're not really attached to the whole attempt on the sorceress's life. That's just whatever vendetta she has against Gardens.

Since we're the responsible party here, let's make the classic Squall play and run away from our problems.

Unfortunately, we can't actually leave this map. Let's go talk to Selphie.

: I can't just sit around knowing that Trabia Garden is in danger! So Squall, please! Decide who's gonna go to the Galbadia Missile Base, before it's too late!

: (It's easier said than done... What if something happens to the party members I choose...?)

Selphie's not wrong, and Squall knows it, but he's scared of something happening to them.

: Let's take a vote!

There's no way the B-team is just going to let him off the hook for it, either.

: Squall will decide on the party. Squall will return to Balamb Garden, because he's the leader. Anyone against this plan please raise your right hand!

No hands go up, but I couldn't get a shot without the next text box starting.

: (But you're an outsider?)

I think that a big part of why Rinoa comes with the party here is because she understands how responsible she is for everything going on. It's similar to what happened in Deling City.

: (Leader? I never asked to be the leader.)

The fact that Squall doesn't voice his concerns or objections, again, informs a lot of the character interaction here.

The conversation about who's doing what is cut short by the missiles.

: I...heard they were hitting Trabia first, and then Balamb.

Selphie, naturally, takes this pretty hard.

: Please, let everybody be all right. Please...

For now, it's back to talking to everyone.

Rinoa and Quistis are both pretty clear here.

Zell and Irvine are a little less thematically inclined.

Back to Selphie.

It wasn't something I paid attention to while playing, but everyone except Selphie is facing away from Squall here.

Squall doesn't want to do it, but he'll do it anyway. That's just how he is.

This is the party I'll be taking back to Balamb with me. Squall, since he's got to go; Rinoa, since it's still Squall's responsibility to protect her, as per the contract; and Quistis, since she knows the most about Garden and might still have some pull. I think this party is most thematically appropriate, but it also has some other effects that made me choose it.

: I have to be! They launched missiles at MY Trabia!

Naturally.

Let's go.

This is true, and it's a pretty big change. This is a pretty big turning point for both the game, story-wise, and for Squall, personally.

: Selphie, do you have some kind of plan?

: I think if we take this Galbadian army vehicle, we should be able to make it inside the base. But...that's about it. I'll have to think about the rest once we're inside.

This is also a change. Until now, we've always had very detailed plans laid out beforehand.

: Do you think that'd be ok? I'm sorry... I mean, thanks. There isn't much time! You better hurry to Balamb Garden!