Star Ocean is the property of Enix and Tri-Ace. All rights reserved. All original characters are mine.
A little sequel to the second game. A bit mature and a bit odd, picks up the story and goes with it. Enjoy.
ALL COMING TOGETHER
Prologue:
Where We Went
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The empty bottle of Jack Daniels rests on the floor, the cup rolling out of his limp hand as he lies, passed out, on the bed.
He doesn't know what time it is.
Quite frankly, he doesn't care what time it is.
All he counts at this point are days, months, and years, which he uses to count the time since he left home.
Left home as the captain of his own starship at 22 years old. Four years ago.
He's twenty six years old and he commands the most powerful ship in the Terran Federation Starfleet.
And he's not as enthusiastic as he thought he'd be.
"Captain?"
He slowly opens an eye, strands of blonde hair straining over his vision as he groans, reaching out to his nighttable and tapping the small, circular device lying on the alarm clock.
"This's Kenni.", he mutters, "How can I help you?"
"Captain, we're getting a distress call from Arcturus.", the female voice states, "I think you should report to the bridge."
...Arcturus?
"Got it."
He taps the circle again, sitting up, tossing aside the glass.
Good thing the bottle was nearly empty, anyway. Otherwise they'd never get him up.
He grabs his light blue jacket from the chair by the nighttable, throwing it on over his white button shirt and zipping it up, grabbing the circle and attaching it onto the right side of the jacket, over his rank insignia.
Arcturus...same system as Expel.
"I really hope it isn't what I think it is...", he mutters, climbing to his feet, and walks out, the lights in his quarters shutting off as the doors close behind him.
Chapter 1:
Familiar Territory
________________
The large, silver-white doors slide open as Captain Claude Kenni walks in, everyone on the bridge standing up as his shoes hit the metal.
"Captain on the bridge!", the gold-skinned, tendril haired woman with the insignia of Commander announces.
Claude sighs, lazily saluting.
"At ease, Commander.", he mutters.
Commander Ayla Malles nods, clapping her heels together as the bridge crew takes their seats again.
"Is the message audio, video, or both?", he asks, walking over to her side, staring at the large viewport above the half-circle helm controls.
"It's both, Captain.", she says.
"Great. Put it on.", he mutters, clasping his hands behind him, "This is Captain Claude C. Kenni, commanding officer of the TFS White Star. How can we hel-"
The screen crackles, flashing...
And becomes the image of a beautiful, blue-haired woman with green eyes, her face covered in dirt and grime, her eyes conveying terror and desperation. He swallows, hard, instantly recognizing her. Even after seven years, he still recognizes her...
"Is anyone receiving?", she asks, her voice rattling in her throat, "This is Mother Rena Lanford of the United Expel. We are under attack. If anyone out there is receiving, please respond. We are under attack and we do not know what they are. Please respond. Is anyone receiving this?"
He swallows, again. He looks over to Ayla, nodding, and turns back to the screen.
"This is the TFS White Star. We're enroute."
He makes a cutting signal, Rena's eyes closing as the image disappears.
Claude turns to Ayla, biting his lip as the starscape reappears.
"And?", she asks.
"Set course for Arcturus 4. Maximum warp."
"Sir? That's an undeveloped planet."
"Cite the fact that three Nedians live there and that there's tetragene tech somewhere on the planet.", he responds, "And that's not a request."
She nods, sighing.
"Aye, sir.", she says, "Set course, maximum speed."
The three men at helm control get to work, typing in coordinates as the floor begins to vibrate as the power core comes online.
"Course set.", Ayla says, "Captain?"
"Engage."
The screen flashes white as the starfield is replaced with the gold-white swirls of hyperspace, Claude staring for a moment before turning to the door.
"Travel time, Commander?"
"Six hours, thirty four minutes until we reach Arcturus."
"I'll be catching some winks.", he says, "Call me when we get there."
He walks out, closing the door behind him, as Ayla walks over to the center chair and sits down.
He can see the swirls passing by his window as he stares at the ceiling, his hands folded on his bare chest.
He's already taken the hangover medication. He'll be in top shape when he sees Rena...
Sees Rena...for the first time in seven years. Ever since he left Expel and went back to Earth.
And he promised he'd return as soon as he could. Kissed her goodbye, clicked his communicator, and told them to transport.
And he simply...forgot.
He reaches over to his nighttable, pulling open the draw, pulling out a small cube, resting it on his chest before pressing a side of it.
An image of Rena, seven years before, appears.
She mouths something, the audio turned off by his own command as she delivers her message to him. A message asking him to come back when he can. Telling him she wants to see him again. Telling him to give his mother her consolations.
Dev sighs, turning off the hologram and placing it on his nighttable, lying his head back as the faint light flickers slightly.
Just about everyone stayed there. Chisato left, and started a career as a journalist in the Tetragene States. Noel stayed on Expel, Bowman went back to his wife in Linga, Celine and Ashton became an item, Leon went back to Lacuor, Dias went on his less than merry way...and Claude had every intention of settling down with Rena.
And then he went back to Earth, and one thing led to another...and he has no idea how he ended up in charge of a two mile long battleship. With the firepower to annihilate all life on Expel if he ever got pissy.
He fingers the communicator badge, sighing. He has the authority to trace that signal and reconnect with the communicator he left Rena before he left.
But what would I say? Hi, Rena. Sorry I abandoned you for seven years. Sorry I tore out your heart and stomped it like a mariachi dancer. Want to go out on a date?
He rolls his head back, covering his eyes with his hands.
"Lights, off.", he mutters.
And he falls asleep as the lights fade out.
With a flash of light and a blurr of motion, an object appears in the Arcturus system. Two miles long, constructed of silver white metal. A giant 'beak' that runs the length of the entire ship, two nacelles jutting out from the sides, connected to a third nacelle underneath by a giant, half circle cradle.
The first Osiris-class battleship. The White Star.
Its three engines ignite in blue light as it begins its steady path to the blue-green world fourth in the Arcturus system.
And something watches it from a distance away.
"Captain, we are now in orbit of Arcturus 4."
Claude opens his eyes as the communicator beeps, Ayla's voice coming over and waking him from his slightly pleasant slumber.
"Hn...got it. I'll be in Transporter room 1 in twenty minutes. Assemble an away team an-"
"Captain, we've read some sort of outside interference. The transporters can't penetrate them. I'll have a shuttle powered up and waiting, but I still recommend not going,. It's an uncertain enviroment."
"I appreciate your concern, Commander, but I know these people.", he says, sitting up, "If anyone should deal with them, I should."
"Then I insist on coming along."
"Fine, Commander. Bleed off a copy and keep your other half on the ship. I still need someone watching over my bridge while I'm gone."
"Very well. I'll see you in Hangar 4, Captain. Bridge out."
Claude puts the communicator down on his nighttable, standing, rolling his head back and cracking his neck, groaning.
Commander Malles is one of his best assets. She's a carboscian. A shapeshifter, a being who's natural form was a semi-liquid gold puddle. Not only was she roughly seven times faster, stronger, and durable as he, but she could also make copies of herself by cell division. Drained her a bit, but she recovered off the bat. And also allowed her to be literally two places at once.
He grabs a towel, walking to the bathroom and undressing, and walks into the hot stream of water from his shower as he begins to sing a tune Rena taught him, years ago...
Chapter 2:
Off Into Uncertainties
__________________
White and grey sneakers clap on the metal floors as Claude walks through the double doors, dressed in a typical grey, loose fit duty uniform. He takes a moment, looking around the seemingly endless bay, lined with sealed, massive doors behind which lie fighters, shuttles, and utility vehicles which keep a ship this massive running.
And at the center of the runway is a bulbous, dark red painted, wingless shuttle, four people mulling about it.
"Alright, everyone in the back seat!", he yells, "I'm driving!"
They turn. Ayla, Doctor Kerrins, a tall, grey skinned man with a line running down his face, and Lieutenant Okono, one of the security heads on the ship, a young man from one of the more famous military families. Blonde hair, blue eyes, all that sort. And, unlike Claude, a bit too eager to be in the fleet.
"Captain," Ayla says, "We are ready to depart when you are."
"Fine by me. Is everyone ready?"
"Of course. But what sort of opposition will we have?", Kerrins asks.
Claude sighs, shrugging.
"Expel's a nexus for bad crap.", he responds, "Last time I was there, the place was invaded by ten Nedian war machines. Be prepared."
He fingers the small, decorative sword hilt on his belt, before walking past them and up the ramp on the back of the shuttle.
"So let's get onboard, fire her up, and get planetside. We've got us some people to save!"
The shuttle flies out of the side of the White Star, gracefully looping around the ship before igniting its engines and shooting towards Expel, rolling as it speeds away.
Claude slowly slides his hand over the lever, lines following it as he slides it forward, the light green display numbers rising as the speed increases.
"Alright, here's some pointers," he says, "First, anyone here study Heraldic science? Good. On Expel, Heraldy is basically magic, and they can use it without any forms of machines. Usually through tatoos, but nedians do it through sheer psionics."
He sees Ayla folding her arms in the co-pilot's seat out of the corner of her eye, her face skeptical.
"How?", she asks, "The best they could do on Earth is a form of exoskeleton. How do tatoos allow these people to use heraldy?"
"I'm figuring because Nede was in the same star system. Might have been some sort of alien incursions, but I'd have to check mythology.", he responds, "Second, there are three major kingdoms. Cross, which is where we're heading, Lacour, and El. El was pretty much leveled a few years ago, so don't expect much.
"And finally, there is a cave west of where we are going. Do not, and I mean under NO circumstances, are you to ever go in there!"
"Why?", Okano asks, from behind him.
"Because walking into that place is like signing a license to get your head handed back to you. Trust me on that, it nearly happened to me three times."
The windshield flashes red, then turns to blue as he pulls up, leveling it off as he looks out to the clear blue skies of his second homeworld.
"Lady and gentlemen," he says, "Welcome to Expel."
"Explain to me again how she convinced me to do this."
Noel Chandler looks up from the squirrel resting on his knee to Ashton Anchors, watching the still young, dark haired swordsman pace about, the two dragons on his back snapping at each other as he continues his rant.
"I tell Rena that I might be a bit unfit to play diplomat to the terrans," he continues, "And what does she do? She has Celine convince me! Does she have any idea how hard it is for me to say know when she is asking me?!"
"Yes, she does.", the nedian responds, as the squirrel climbs up his extended hand and onto his shoulder, "That's why Rena asked Celine."
"Does she have any shame?"
"Oh, of course she does. She also knows exactly how to get the job done.", Noel responds, smiling as he hands the squirrel an acorn, "I'll say, she has changed quite a bit. She knows how to lead, and knows how to set an example. Also knows how to drive off male suitors. I've heard rumors she drove the Prince of Cross to tears when he tried to court her."
"She's been burned. That probably makes her a bit wary."
Ashton sighs, sitting down, leaning on one of his two scabbards as the wind blows around his shoulder-length, fair hair.
"The anniversary's tomorrow, by the way.", he says, "Celine and I will have been dating for seven years."
"I take it your anniversary involves you two in bed together."
Ashton nods, smiling slightly.
"Oh, of course.", he responds, "She has this thing she does where-...wait, why am I telling you?"
Noel looks up, shrugging, the squirrel hopping off his shoulder and darting away.
"Well, probably because I'm the closest person available," he responds, "And also because I won't judge, because I have no experience on the subject."
"No...Noel, you've never...?"
He nods.
"Noel, you're still a virgin?!"
Noel nods again, shrugging.
"You're thirty two years old. And you've never..."
"I've never felt the need to.", Noel responds, "Never found someone I wished to share my bed with."
Ashton simply stares at him for a long moment, scratching his head.
"Huh...and I thought Gyoro and Ururun were odd."
Noel chuckles...and looks up, standing.
Ashton quickly jumps to his feet, turning and looking in the same direction...and sees a metal object in the sky.
"Is that..."
"It's a shuttle, yes.", Noel responds, "Do it."
Ashton sighs, stepping back and folding his arms.
The two dragons rear back, sparks beginning to come from Ururun's mouth...before the dragon roars, a burst of flame shooting into the sky.
"Looks like a signal to me.", Claude says, watching the burst of flame coming from the ground, "Hold on tight, put your seats and tray tables in their upright and locked positions. It looks like we've found the reception par-"
"Captain!"
He turns his head slightly at the sound of Kerrins' voice.
"What is it, Doc?"
"Unidentified high-speed object is heading this way! I'm reading an energy discharge!"
Claude looks over to the circular radar screen...and sees a red dot speeding towards the center. He looks out the side window with Ayla, and sees a ball of fire streaking towards them.
"Looks like we've run into the token isolationists.", he mutters, gripping the stick, "Hold on!"
The ship lurches as he banks left, diving towards the ground...
And shakes as something slams into the side.
"That makes no sense!", Ayla yells, as the panels start shorting out, "That thing tracked us!"
"I've seen weirder, Commander...", Claude growls, "Everyone hold on tight! We're going in hard!"
Ashton watches, stock still, as part of the shuttle's side erupts in yellow flame, the ship slamming into the ground, sending dirt and grass flying through the air...
And heading straight for him.
"Earth Grave!"
Two pillars of rock rise from the ground in front of Ashton, a net of heraldic energy forming between them as the shuttle slams into it, lurches...
And stops, inches from Ashton's face.
He slowly steps away, looking over to Noel, who's hands are still glowing slightly.
"A little trick I picked up.", the nedian says.
Ashton shudders involuntarily, turning as the hatch in the back of the shuttle opens.
They walk over to the opening, Ashton trying to remember the 'diplomatic' speech he has to give to get these people to come with him...
And freezes when he sees the first person off the shuttle.
"Well," Claude Kenni coughs, "Any crash you can walk away from..."
He freezes as he sees the two waiting for him, as a gold-skinned woman, a young man, and a grey skinned man walk down the ramp behind him.
"Bloody Hell," Ashton says, cracking a smile, "You really do have a knack for showing up when we least expect you."
"Ah, we were in the area. Call it Karma."
The two laugh, Claude walking over and the two exchanging a tight, macho hug, Claude slamming him on the back and nearly getting headbutted by Gyoro in response.
"Good to see you again, ye little bugger!", Ashton growls, smiling, "I hope you brought more than a shuttle."
"I've got my ship in orbit.", he responds, "Ashton, this is my first officer, Commander Ayla Malles. Commander, this is Ashton Anchors. One of my comrades during my time on Expel."
She extends her hand, taking Ashton's in a surprisingly strong grip.
"A pleasure.", she says, "You have...growths...?"
"Oh, yes. This one is Gyoro, the other's Ururun."
The blue dragon squarks something, nodding his head.
"Gyoro says he's happy to meet you."
The red dragon bobs his head up and down, rumbling.
"Ururun, stop that!"
Ashton smiles, embarassed, his cheeks turning red.
"Ignore Ururun," he says, "He's...he's young."
The two dragons start bickering again, as Noel walks over, clearing his throat.
"Oh, and Commander, this is Professor Noel Chandler," Claude says, "He's a Nedian."
Ayla nods, bowing deeply.
"Thank you for receiving us.", she says, "Do you know what attacked us?"
"One of the reasons we asked for you help.", he responds, "Trust me on that much. If you'll follow us, the others are waiting for us in Arlia."
"We're close?", Claude asks, dusting off his clothes.
Noel raises an eyebrow, folding his arms.
"Hey hey," Claude says, raising his hands defensively, "I have been gone for seven years, remember? Don't blame me."
"I won't take issue with you. It's not my place. And your shuttle?"
"Autorepair, Noel. It'll fix itself up, and I locked out the controls. It'll be safe here."
Noel nods, sighing as he turns back to the forest in front of the shuttle.
"Very well," he says, "Follow me."
He walks towards the forest, the others following, Claude and Ashton chatting the entire way.
Westa Lanford groans, hearing the creaking in her knees as she sits down on the circular bench surrounding the fountain in the Arlia town square.
The place has changed, that is for sure. Because the adventure that, for all intents and purposes, saved the world started from this village, Cross and Lacour have both put effort into making it more...presentable.
Roads have been paved, landmarks erected.
While her daughter protests that the money would be better spent reclaiming Cliff and rebuilding El, she most likely had an inkling of a second thought upon seeing the plans for a solid platinum and sapphire statue dedicated to her. Before ripping up the plans and strongarming them into following hers.
That's her daughter. The woman who can boss around two of the most powerful men on the planet with ease. People react to her voice like it was the voice of God.
And with the tell-tail click of the front door of the small house next to Westa's two story modest house, she knows that the woman both feared and respected by every power of the world is walking her way.
A little taller than her, but still well under six feet tall, dark blue hair going down to the middle of her back. Same ankle-length dresses she's taken a habit to wearing, same sharp green eyes that seem to glow when she gets angry.
She walks over, sitting next to her on the bench, sighing as she folds her hands in her lap.
"It's a beautiful day out, Rena.", Westa says, "You should get out more often."
"Now that it's apparently gone, I think I should.", Rena Lanford responds, "I'm starting to feel guilty."
"About what?"
"Calling the terrans here. They've come all this way, and we're no longer even in danger."
Westa sighs as she wraps an arm around her daughter's shoulds, smiling to her as she pats her hands.
"Don't worry yourself about it. If anything, we can convince the terrans to help us. Think of how much faster we'd rebuild with their aid."
"Yes, yes. I know. Which is why I agreed to it in the first place."
Westa turns as the metal gates at the entrance to the city creak open, hearing footsteps as she stands, smiling...
And freezes, seeing the man following Ashton and Noel through the gates.
"Oh, dear.", she whispers.
Rena stands up, turning to the gate...and slowly clenches her hands into fists.
She slowly walks from the bench, taking deep, measured breaths, gritting her teeth behind her delicate lips, trying to calm herself.
And he simply smiles.
Claude takes a deep breath as he walks through the gate(which he remembers wasn't there), looking around, remembering the village he called home at one point.
He spreads out his arms, rolling his head back, smiling widely to himself as he looks up into the clear blue skies, smelling the fresh, clean air, feeling the grass beneath his feet...
And seeing the beautiful blue-haired woman walking to him.
He smiles, burying his hands in his pockets, the bitterness he's been feeling for six years washing away as the memories he has of this place, this world...and this woman return to the forefront of his mind, turning him from the quirky, quick tempered captain to the laid back, confident man who through mostly accidents and sheer luck saved the entire universe.
He continues smiling as Rena stops in front of him, folding her hands in front of her, Claude simply staring into her eyes as they stand there, for a long moment.
"Hi.", he says.
"Hello, Claude.", she responds, "Welcome to Arlia. If you'll follow Noel, he'll take you to the mayor, and he will brief you on the situation."
She quickly turns to Noel, nodding.
"Noel, I'll be in the Shingo Forest. Call me if you need me."
She turns, and briskly walks away, disappearing over the bridge to the forest as Claude simply stands there, dumbstruck.
"Um...what was that?", he asks.
Ashton shrugs, Noel sighing.
"Yeah...okay.", Claude mutters, "Ayla, you meet with the mayor. I'll be back in a few minutes."
He starts following her, chewing on the inside of his cheek as his mood begins to once again darken.
"Um...Captain?"
He turns, as Ayla gives him a questionable glance, tilting her head.
"I didn't say that as a request, Commander.", he responds, turning back to the forest, and starts running after her.
The White Star slowly orbits Expel, its engines reduced to a soft glow as the Arcturus star reflects of its silver hull.
On the bridge, Ayla purses her lips, listening in on her other half as she talks with the nedian on the planet, walking with him to the largest house on the planet.
So far, the shuttle has been shot down by a tracking ball of fire, the Captain has gone off to chase after a village girl, and it seems that there's more to this threat than anyone can really tell her.
She's starting to think the Captain's statement about Expel being a 'nexus for bad crap' is too true.
She sighs, clicking on the chair's specialized communicator, a vid screen folding from the left armrest.
"Get me Professor Deborah Kenni, Heraldy Research Institute.", she says.
She's getting the feeling she'll have to call in specialized help.
He can feel the fresh dew on the sides of the tree-trunks as he walks along the path, hopping over the familiar fallen tree as he enters the clearing...
And sees her, back to him, standing at one of the larger trees several feet away from him.
He silently walks over, reaching out, placing his hand on her shoulder...
And receives a right cross to his jaw as she turns, sprawling him out on his back as he hits the ground.
"You bastard!", she spats, her eyes flashing bright green as she stands over him, "Where were you!?"
He straightens out his jaw as he sits up, seeing Rena towering over him, her hands clenched into tight fists as her eyes bore into him.
He slowly stands up, matching her gaze as he raises his hands defensively. He sighs, burying his hands in his pockets, hanging his head as she folds her arms.
"I know," he says, "I know you have every right to hate me for what I did."
She says nothing, her cheeks still flushed with anger, her shoulders shaking slightly.
"Where were you, Claude?", she asks, "Why did you leave?"
"I...got sidetracked.", he responds, "Mom was worse off than I thought when I got home. She needed me there."
He shrugs, rolling his head back, looking at a fading cloud above them.
"Look, it's a bit complicated," he continues, "But my parents were divorced for a while."
"Divorced?"
"Meant they weren't married anymore."
"I know what divorce is. Why did that change things?"
He shrugs again, shaking his head.
"I thought she and Dad didn't love each other, anymore.", he responds, "I thought I could go there, give Mom the consolations, tell her what I wanted to do and come back here in a few weeks."
He hangs his head again, biting his lip.
"They were already getting back together when Dad died."
He sees Rena nod, folding her hands in front of her, her cheeks returning to their normal, fair color as the anger drains out of them.
"I had to stay with Mom for a while.", he says, "I had to grieve with her. I found out more about my father than I ever knew. Seems he wasn't such a bad guy after all...and I had to grieve, myself."
"And what happened then?"
"Seems word about my deeds went around, thanks to a certain reporter in the States. The Federation needed a new hero since my dad was gone...and, wouldn'cha know it, I got tapped for the job."
"I thought that's what you wanted, Claude."
He shrugs, groaning.
"Maybe a few years ago.", he responds, "But I just didn't have the balls to resign. And I don't think they would have accepted it, either. So I ended up commanding a ship about twice as big as my father's. And I hated every moment of it."
He reaches out, placing his hand on her cheek, his thumb wiping away a tear running down it.
"You haven't changed a bit, you know that?", he asks.
"I have.", she responds, taking his hand in her own, "I think if I keep this job any longer I'll lose my mind."
"What job?"
"I'm...well, I'm pretty much the leader of Expel."
He tilts his head, taking back his hand as he furrows his brow.
"Leader?"
"My title is Mother Lanford.", she responds, "I teach the heraldic wizards how to use healing spells, and I also have final say on the rebuilding efforts. The kings of both Lacour and Cross go to me for advice and delegate tasks to me, and the people of El see me as some sort of saint."
She looks down, sighing.
"I needed you here, Claude.", she says, "I can't do this alone."
"Which is why you have Noel and Ashton helping you out."
"And Celine and Bowman and Dias and Leon. And occasionally getting advice on what to do from Gabria."
"You mean...that Gabria?"
"One and the same. She's been around long enough.", she responds, smiling, "I have enough help. I just wish I had someone to actually lean on."
She sighs, looking up, looking into his eyes.
"I missed you.", she says, "I wish you would have at least contacted me. Or let me know you were alright. I feared for the worst when I never heard from you."
He nods, biting his lip.
"I know...I know. I didn't want to worry you. Still, I think we have bigger problems to take care of."
She nods, sighing, turning to the road back to Arlia.
"I know, I know.", she says, "I guess you should come with me, Claude. I'll explain everything when we meet with the mayor."
She extends her hand, Claude smiling as he takes it, intertwining her fingers with his, as they walk down to road.