Chapter 1: The Frozen Esper

A/N: Chapter 1 will be somewhat familiar to those who have played FFVI before. It is designed primarily to set the stage for this story and to emphasize that this isn't a garden-variety retelling. Things will start out fairly bog-standard, but they will go off the rails fairly quickly. This chapter is also designed to get you familiar with my writing style (for better or for worse!) and how I will be playing with characterizations.

Of note, Chapters 1 and 2 will be more dense than other chapters. These two chapters are designed to set the stage for the world. As such, things that will be merely referred to in later chapters (such as Imperial Armor, Magitek Armor, etc.) will be described in additional detail here.

You'll notice that some characters will be elaborated on based on their descriptions in the game. Biggs and Wedge will be presented more realistically (beleaguered soldiers vs. "heheheh puppet go boom!").

Synopsis: The Gestahlian Empire has discovered the location of a potentially important artifact. They have sent a strike team of three soldiers to take this artifact by force.

Wedge his head low within the cramped cockpit as he attempted to avoid another low hanging tree branch. "Dammit!" he cursed, as the decorative part of his helmet bumped against the branch and dumped snow and ice all over him. Its hard to see these damn trees at night, he thought, especially with all this snow.

He used his left hand to wipe some of the slush off of his controls. The partially exposed interior of his Magitek Armor was waterproof, fortunately, but Wedge didn't want to take any chances. The Empire was heavily pushing its new Magitek weapons and he didn't want to be first soldier to accidentally fry one, especially on a mission as sensitive as this one.

The sound of his Magitek Armor's feet crunching through snow and stone brought him back to attention as he neared the edge of a steep cliff. As his armor came to halt, he could hear the gears shift and the engine start to wind down until it produced only a low hum. He could hear the thudding steps of two other sets of Magitek Armor come close.

The other two sets of Magitek Armor came into position behind him, both overlooking the valley below. Clouds hung heavy in the night sky, as a heavy snow fell down over the valley. Wind whipped through the trees and crevices lining the valley's floor, blowing so hard that it whistled. The cold was bitter and the air was dry. Wedge could see lights in the distance, at the other end of the valley.

In the closest set of Armor, behind him and to his left, Wedge could see his subordinate, another soldier named Biggs. Biggs was somewhat taller than Wedge, and he had a more defined jawline. He wore a similar uniform to Wedge, with a black leather coat, bronze colored metal shoulder guards secured via belts that crossed across his chest, and a dark colored helmet. His helmet had the same decorative fins on it that Wedge's did, both looking like small upward facing ice picks, one each side of the helmet. Wedge never liked those fins, but he kept that to himself. One didn't get ahead in the Empire by speaking out.

Unless they look like a circus freak or a robot princess, Wedge thought bitterly.

With that thought, he looked behind him and to his right at the other soldier who had been sent under his command. She was a young woman, who looked to Wedge as though she may not have even been 20. Her blonde hair was pale in tone and was tied in a messy ponytail. It was long enough in the front for her uneven curls to frame the sides of her face. She was a fair bit smaller than either Wedge or Biggs and, rather than wear standard Imperial armor, she wore a regal looking red dress. The sleeves on the dress were not connected to the dress itself, leaving her shoulders exposed to the cold mountain weather. On her forehead she wore an object that looked similar to a headband.

All in all, it seemed to Wedge like an outfit that was more suited for a banquet than for a mission to one of the coldest places on the Planet. Despite how light her outfit was, particularly in comparison to the standard armor that Wedge and Biggs wore, it appeared as though the women did not feel cold at all. In fact, she seemed almost indifferent to the weather, as if she didn't even notice it was there.

"Hey Wedge, there's the town…" came a deep, but tentative, voice from Wedge's left. It seemed that Biggs was just as nervous about this mission as he was.

"Hard to believe an Esper has been found intact in there," Wedge replied, "1,000 years after the War of the Magi..." He could tell that he sounded as uncertain as he felt. Something felt ominous about this mission.

"Do you think it's still alive?"

Wedge could feel his nose running, another sign of how miserable and cold the night was before them, and wiped his nose before responding. "Probably, judging by the urgency of our orders."

Biggs seemed to have something on his mind, as he shifted in his seat. He had a determined look when he leaned over and asked, in a pointed voice, "And this woman, this…sorcerer. Why is she here?" His voice was harsh, and he sounded resentful as he continued, "I heard she killed nearly 50 of our Magitek Armored soldiers in less than 3 minutes. Can we trust her?"

Wedge sighed. Biggs had either failed to pay attention during their briefing or that he had no faith in the Empire's technology. He sounded as exasperated as he felt when he replied, "You shouldn't worry. That little bronze headband on her head is a slave crown. It robs her of all conscious thought. If there's anything you should be sure about during this mission, it's that she'll follow our orders." Wedge tried to put on an air of confidence as he finished his statement in order to better allay Biggs' fears.

He felt a pang of guilt as he looked back at the girl. No one in the military, with the notable exception of Kefka, felt good about using the slave crown. But…as bad as it is for you, it would be worse for me if I spoke out. If I did anything to interfere with that crown, they would never find my body. Kefka would ensure of it.

Wedge pulled himself out of his thoughts and decided that it was time to quit dawdling. "Alright, we'll approach from the east. Move out!"

The three sets of Magitek Armor began trudging down the cliff. Although they were loud, as they shifted earth and snow beneath them, the sound was easily covered by the wind and snow that whipped around them.

Once they were down on the valley floor, they continued their march forward further into the mountains. As they moved, the weather seemed to only get rougher and the temperature only seemed to get colder.

For the people of Narshe, tonight seemed as though it was going to be another dull night. The weather was cold and bitter, and the snowfall did much to keep most people indoors.

The town was fairly remote, nestled near the end of a large valley. Due to the old age of the town, many of the buildings were constructed primarily out of wood, with stone being present only in decorative fixtures and support beams. The valley was somewhat narrow and, though most buildings resided in the trough of the valley, many were built into the rock faces that hugged the town. At the front of the town was a large building, nearly as wide as the valley itself, which acted as a sort of barrier to both the elements and the monsters that hunted further down the valley.

Shops were closed, and most of the townsfolk were home, either getting ready for bed or in bed already. The only creatures that stirred this night were the town guard and the silver lobo they trained as guard hounds. Training a monster such as a lobo to be used as a guard animal would normally be frowned upon, considering how dangerous and difficult it is to train most monsters, but for a town as isolated and treacherous as Narshe, it was considered a necessity. Most of the guards who patrolled the streets were followed by at least two lobo.

Although the streets were quiet and the town had largely fallen asleep, there was a visible tension that could be felt by members of the guard. They carried this tension with them in their anxious gazes and hurried steps.

A guard manning the main gate looked out at the snow-covered fields outside of the city and noticed something peculiar. Something big was moving towards the city.

"Hey, Captain, I see something moving out there! In the field!" yelled the guard.

As the object moved closer to the city, the guard was able to make out more its details. He could tell now that it was a machine, and an intimidating one from the looks of it. It was black and gold and it had a large body covered in spikey protrusions. It was supported by two large, spikey, legs that were shaped similar to those of a bird. Under its "head" it had what looked like a pointed mouth, and on its back it had what appeared to be two small wings. To him, it almost looked like a dragon.

He froze. There was only one explanation for a dragon shaped machine being at Narshe, and that thought chilled him to his core.

"It's a machine!" he yelled. "It looks like some kind of weapon, I think it might be from the Empire!"

With that confirmation, the Captain turned on his intercom and started raising the alarm. "The Empire is here, I repeat, the Empire is here! Get the gate closed and everyone move to defensive positions. They have heavy weapons, so be prepared to fight!"

For the sleepy town of Narshe, and for the people of the Planet, this was the night that changed everything.

The three soldiers closed in on the town of Narshe, and upon reaching the city limits Wedge noticed that the main gate was closed. It appeared that the town guard was more prepared for them than had been expected. No matter, with three sets of Magitek Armor, it didn't really matter how prepared they were. They would be crushed all the same.

As they neared the gate, Wedge raised his right hand and signaled for Biggs and the girl to stop. Once they did as instructed, Wedge turned to Biggs and said, "It looks like they've put up a reinforced gate and, if my hunch is correct, they probably have an ambush set up on the other side. They're going to try and overwhelm us before we can make any headway into the city."

He stopped for a moment, and turned to look at the girl. She turned to look at him. Her eyes were glazed over, appearing dull and lifeless, and he realized that she was waiting for instruction.

"Due to the risk, I think it makes the most sense if we put you on point Knight Branford. Bust down the door with a smaller attack, and be prepared for respond to any assault with a magic based counterattack. Once we're in, press forward with a full assault until we reach the mine." He took a moment to collect himself, considering the gravity of what he was about to order. He took on a look of grim determination before finishing his order. "Offer no mercy, and take no prisoners. We must get to this esper at all costs."

The girl looked at him blankly, as if she couldn't understand what was being asked of her. Then, as if flipping a switch, she appeared more focused and replied, "Yes, sir." After providing her acknowledgement, her eyes glazed over again and she started moving her Armor forward towards the gate.

She approached the gate and pressed a button on her control yolk. The "mouth" on the front of her Armor shifted down and a portion of the "head" of her Armor slid open to reveal multiple tubes. The armor started buzzing as something within it powered up, growing higher pitched as it continued to charge. The sound started to distort and warble, sounding vaguely otherworldly, as a sphere of pure energy began to grow around the mouth of the Armor. Although the sphere generated no heat, the air around it popped and sizzled as if it were being superheated.

Suddenly, the machine stopped. Two Magitek Missiles launched from the exposed tubes on the front of the Armor and impacted the gate with a flash of light and fire. There was a loud explosion and Wedge could tell that the Tek Missiles had done their job. He watched as the girl proceeded to march her machine through the gate and, as he and Biggs followed behind, he could hear the screams of the guards as they were mowed down by another Magitek attack.

As they stomped their Armor through the streets of Narshe, Biggs and Wedge initiated only the occasional Magitek attack, feeling it unnecessary to do more as they watched the girl shred through the Narshe guard. A Tek Missile blew up a pack of lobos and, as if on autopilot, the girl quickly pivoted and launched a fire attack that blew through the side of a building that the guard was using as cover. She marched through the bodies of the guards she had just killed as if they were nothing more than debris.

Wedge watched as she fired her attacks efficiently, but with no regard for collateral damage. He pushed his machine forward, past the ruins of a small house that she had destroyed with a fully powered lighting attack. Wedge didn't know if anyone was in the house at the time, but he had the feeling he didn't want to know.

Biggs pulled up next to him and asked, "Hey Wedge, why is her Armor so much more powerful than ours? She's using attacks that we don't have access to!"

Wedge resisted the urge to dress down his subordinate before replying; "You really didn't pay attention during the briefing, did you? She's a Magitek Knight! She's been infused with the same magic they put in the Magitek Armor, so she can use her own magic to juice up her attacks." Wedge ended the conversation by pushing forward at a more aggressive pace. He wasn't really in the mood to deal with Biggs, not with the chaos unfolding around them.

By the time the three Magitek Armors reached the northern edge of Narshe, the main thoroughfare through the town was littered with corpses and rubble. Fires raged behind them, dark smoke billowing out of ruined homes and businesses. A dull orange glow hung in the sky, blending into the blackness of the night sky.

The northern entrance to the mine was nestled into a rock face just outside the town. It was new construction, as evidenced by the fresh wood that made up the entrance to the mine. The entryway was large, easily dwarfing the three Magitek Armors, and it was protected by a thick metal gate. Wedge pulled ahead of the girl and came to a stop before the gate. He raised his right hand to signal that this was where they needed to stop.

"This looks like the entrance they described in the report," Wedge announced, "and…it looks like these bastards sealed the entrance to the mine. Biggs," he turned to his subordinate, "blow the gate to hell, then we're going to let the girl take point again."

"Roger!" Biggs responded enthusiastically. He moved his Magitek Armor forward and initiated a full power fire attack. The gate exploded in a burst of heat and flame, and was shortly reduced to a heap of molten slag. Biggs pulled back and watched as the girl pushed her Magitek Armor forward into the mine. After a moment, Wedge gestured him forward, and Biggs made to follow behind the girl.

The mine was dimly lit, illuminated only by the few small lights strung across the walls. The mine seemed empty, and Wedge could hear little besides the loud clomping steps of his Magitek Armor.

Upon entering the first major excavation site, he noticed movement. At the far side of the room, a small contingent of guards moved into defensive positions. Behind them stood a snail creature, almost twice the size of a Magitek Armor. The guards attempted to use this snail creature, that they referred to as a Whelk, to kill the Imperial soldiers. This creature, and the guards who fought alongside it, were eliminated in short order.

Seeing nothing of interest, Wedge ordered them to push forward to the next excavation site.

The temperature seemed to drop as they entered the second excavation site. The air was soon cold enough that Wedge could see his own breath. The sudden change put him on edge.

This new room was dark, but Wedge could see something large at the other end of the catacomb. This object, which was easily the size of his Magitek Armor, was encased in ice and let off an ethereal glow. Once he saw it, he couldn't tear his eyes away, almost as if this large object was pulling his attention towards it. At that thought, Wedge felt a sense of dread wash over him.

He heard movement to his right and his eyes went wide. Even though it should have been impossible, thanks to the power of the slave crown, the girl had started to move forward towards the object on her own accord.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" he yelled at her, "Fall back, and get behind Biggs!"

She ignored him, continuing forward towards the object as if in some trance. Wedge pushed his armor forward and attempted to catch up to the girl, but some force seemed to be pushing against him. As he came closer, he thought he could make out the shape of a large bird entrapped within the ice. It was covered in colorful feathers and its wings were spread as if it were frozen mid-flight.

"Wait!" he shouted desperately as he watched the girl's Armor approach the block of ice, "You can't go near that thing without us! We don't know what it is capable of!"

She stopped before the object, and the room started to illuminate as the object started to glow a brilliant blue. Wedge was about to yell something when he noticed something that chilled him to his core. The girl was starting to glow too. Her pale skin was now emanating the same blue color that he could see coming off of the frozen creature. He stopped in his tracks and stared, his mouth agape and his mind racing, as the girl's Magitek Armor lifted off the ground and floated in the air.

The air became almost unbearably thick as the girl floated before the creature. Both her and the creature within the ice both continued to glow brighter, and the light blinded him. The air around him was hot, almost unbearably so, and he could feel his shirt cling to him as it became damp with sweat.

Unable to see and paralyzed with fear, Wedge cowered in the seat of his Magitek Armor. Suddenly, as if it could feel the fear in his heart, a burst of intense heat rolled over him. He could hear his skin sizzle and he could feel his blood boil as the bright light emanating off of the two figures before him assaulted his body.

There was a bright flash and, in an instant, it was over. There were no scorch marks on the ground where Wedge had been standing, and there was no debris left behind. It was as if he and his Armor had simply ceased to exist.

"Wedge! Hey, Wedge! Where are you?" came a panicked call further back near the middle of the excavation site. Biggs couldn't see, the light blinding him just as it had blinded Wedge, and he cowered in his cockpit. His body felt heavy, like a lead weight had been placed on him, and he could feel himself becoming weak. There was a wetness under his eyes, tears falling down his cheeks.

"W…what's happening!?" he cried, as the room was hit with another bright flash of light. When the light died down, there was no trace of Biggs or his Armor.

The girl stared at the block of ice standing before her.

She had not been ordered to approach the block of ice, so she wasn't sure why she had moved towards it. All she knew was that she felt a certain...warmth emanating from the object. It was a familiar warmth and, for a moment, this feeling overcame the dull fog that the slave crown had used to overwhelm her mind.

The object before her began to glow and, as it grew brighter, she could feel that same warmth spread across her body. A sense of weightlessness came over her as her Magitek Armor lifted off the ground and began to float before the object.

She began to lose herself to the wave of feelings that washed over her. The comfort provided by the warm light, the freedom she felt floating in the air, and a feeling of happiness at the sense of familiarity she felt in that moment.

Suddenly, as if summoned by her feelings, the object before her started to spark. Bands of energy rolled across its icy surface, crackling and sparkling like electricity. She closed her eyes in anticipation of something, although she couldn't say she knew what that "something" was. A beam of light burst forth from the object and hit her directly in her chest and, for a moment, she felt an odd power course through her veins. She wrapped her arms around herself and curled into a ball, giving in to this force that now flowed through her body.

She heard an explosion, and everything went dark.