Chapter 4
From Shadowed Depths
The green light faded as the recording came to an end. Seated before the oracle drive, Kairi blinked a few times as she tried to take in everything she had seen.
"Umm," she began slowly. "Who were those other two people?"
Whatever the others were expecting her to say, that was obviously not it from the expressions that cropped up. Indeed Snow even let out a slight chuckle as the tension he felt bled away.
"The one that showed up first, we think is Serah Farron," Hope answered. "She's, Snow's fiancée, and we'd lost track of her when the Ark launched."
Kairi's face tightened at that, but before she could say anything a hand from Snow came to rest on her shoulder.
"Don't worry about it," Snow assured her. "You saw how patchy that recording was. We still don't know what's actually going on."
The girl hardly looked convinced, but she gave a nod nonetheless. "And the woman at the end?"
"That was Lightning," Fang took that one. "She's Serah's big sis."
Kairi frowned. "The one, that you mentioned was in crystal stasis?"
Fang nodded. "That's right."
A pensive, thoughtful expression crossed Kairi's face. "So, this is something that's going to happen?"
"We think," Hope emphasized. "But as we've learned in the past, what these oracle drives record can be subject to rather wide interpretation. The specific events we see might happen, but what led up to them, what happens afterwards, it's almost impossible to infer."
Kairi tilted her head slightly. "But you're going to try anyway, right? Because Serah, Lightning, they're both people very important to all of you. And I'll be fighting them."
"Possibly," Hope began.
"We don't know that for sure," Snow cut in. "We think that first girl was Serah, she has the hair for it, but we never get a good look at her face. And the Serah I know wouldn't disappear into a puff of smoke like that."
To that Kairi nodded again, though the look on her face remained speculative.
"That being said," Fang took over, "we have seen other things go poof like that when you hit them with a keyblade. I'm assuming that was another keyblade?"
"It is," Kairi said softly. "It, belonged to someone else."
A reminder there, that the people of the Ark were not the only ones to lose those close to them. This time it was Fang that placed a comforting hand on Kairi's shoulder.
"Well, the one I saw do that was your flowery one," Fang said. "Sliced right through a cie'th, and then made them disappear in a puff of smoke. You remember?"
"Yes," Kairi answered firmly. "It was just after I arrived, and you went down to search for those, stowaways." The girl frowned thoughtfully again. "You think that, girl, was a cie'th?"
"We're not sure what she could be," Hope said. "And there is another candidate. Those, Heartless you've been teaching us about."
To that Kairi's eyes widened. So did her mouth for that matter. It was fairly evident that Hope's suggestion meant something to Kairi, something more than idle speculation.
"Is it possible," Hope continued, "that this woman, is Serah's Heartless?"
Kairi said nothing in response for a few moments, instead taking a deep breath. That was answer enough in its own way, but the girl obviously had more to share, more nuances to cast light upon.
"It's possible," she finally said. "There have been Heartless that were able to, cling to their form. If the person they were created from possessed an especially strong heart, if they have some goal that they can't let go even after losing their heart. They could retain their original form."
The mood noticeably thickened at those words. Snow's expression shifted between a grimace and a glower, while Hope took a deep breath. Kairi sat there patiently, waiting for the others to gather their thoughts and compose further questions. They were not long in coming.
"You said before that when a Heartless is struck down by a keyblade, that the heart it was formed from is released from the darkness," Hope began. "What does this, release, do to the heart?"
"It kind of depends," Kairi said. "Someone whose former vessel, well, Nobody, that's still around, their heart can recombine with it to restore them to being whole again. Hearts whose vessels are gone, they pass on."
"There a way to know if there is a Nobody running around?" Fang asked.
To that Kairi slowly shook her head. "Not really. I'm sorry."
"You got nothing to apologize for," Snow said firmly. "And if Serah's heart really has been trapped by darkness, well, what you gotta do, you're saving her. Nothing less."
Several of the others nodded in agreement at that bit. Kairi managed a weak smile, but she did at least smile.
"So," she began once more. "That recording is of the future."
More statement than question, but Hope nodded nonetheless. "That's right."
"And that person at the end there," the girl continued. "That was Lightning."
The others quickly picked up on Kairi's train of thought, but let her finish it herself.
"That would mean, she wakes up from crystal stasis at some point."
"It does indeed," Fang said. "And don't worry, we're not gonna let anything happen to you on account of that."
Kairi gave the older woman another smile before she continued. "I'll be fine. Besides, if I really do end up fighting Serah's Heartless, I can see why Lightning might not take it well. Serah is still her little sister, whatever else has happened to her." The girl placed a hand over her heart. "If my own family was threatened like that, I would fight too."
A pained silence fell as the others listened to those words. A guilty one too, at how Kairi seemed to harbor no resentment for the harm that might befall her for trying to lend a helping hand. She was kind, that was a given. Perhaps even too kind.
"You're just like her," the youth standing before the drive said.
The others looked over at him.
"What was that?" Fang inquired.
"Serah," Noel said, a bit more loudly. "You're just like her. Always thinking about others. Never giving a damn about yourself." The man's fists tightened. "Never thinking about how that makes the rest of us feel."
The others understood immediately, and none could disagree. The natural kindness that Kairi extended to anyone and everyone, when doing so placed her in actual danger, the sense of guilt at receiving such kindness was a cruelty in and of itself. That Kairi would apologize for causing some pain was made worse by the sincerity of her apology. There was no perhaps about it, she really was too kind.
"Heh, now that you mention it," Snow said, scratching his head. "You're right. If there was anyone that could measure up to Serah, it'd be you, Kairi. Can't think of a better compliment than that." He sighed. "Can't think of a better way to give me sleepless nights either, thinking about all the trouble you'll get yourself into."
"Well, I don't really mean to," Kairi offered weakly.
"Maybe not," Fang said, wrapping an arm around Kairi in an affectionate half-hug. "But sometimes it feels like you forget we're all here too. You don't gotta try and do everything yourself. It's okay to ask for our help, and it's also okay to let us help. Let us stand by your side, okay?"
Kairi nodded. "I know I can't do everything myself. I know I'm not strong enough for that. And I know that together, we're far stronger than I could ever be alone."
"That's my girl," Fang said, giving Kairi an affectionate rub on the head.
"Hehe." Kairi looked over at the others. "And, I think all of you would be stronger too. If you had your friend with you too."
That caused everyone else to stiffen once more as they caught onto Kairi's inference.
"So, can I see her?" the girl asked.
It was certainly true that Kairi did not consider herself alone anymore. It was also true that she knew she needed others' help. But the final truth was that Kairi was not afraid to lend her own help in turn, which was exactly what she was doing now. Even if it meant immeasurable danger to her in the process. But then again, that was also why all present were determined to help her. For if they could not at least lessen some of the danger that Kairi might face, then what good was any help they might ever offer this brave young woman?
The large chamber Kairi entered felt cold, and not because there was any explicit effort to keep heat out. The chill was more than physical, it felt as if one's very being was being tugged at within these halls.
"Relax," Fang said, placing a comforting hand upon Kairi's shivering shoulder. "It's all in your head. Mostly."
Kairi glanced back at the woman. "Mostly?"
"The mana in the air's being drawn in, and that's what you're feeling," Fang said. "It can't hurt you, just creep you out a bit."
"I see," Kairi said, wishing she sounded a bit more certain.
Fang did not seem to begrudge her lingering doughts, flashing a slight smile. "C'mon now, the faster we get this done, the sooner we can get out under the sun again."
The two resumed walking and approached a third woman waiting for them in the center of the chamber. Once they were before her, she flashed a cheerful smile.
"Hello, Kairi," the pink-haired woman greeted. "I hope Fang has been doing a proper job minding you?"
Vanille and Kairi had been introduced some time ago, though the two never really found the opportunity to just sit down and chat, at least not until after Kairi was shown the oracle drive foretelling her confrontation with Lightning, and possibly Serah. Afterwards, in preparation for being brought to where Lightning lay at rest, Fang and Vanille both had sat Kairi down for a much longer conversation about l'Cie, cie'th, crystal stasis, and all of the assorted details that might come in handy. As such Kairi now knew in fullness what Fang and the others had gone through, how they had been branded by their capricious gods, and ultimately how they managed to successfully escape their fates. It was an inspiring tale in many ways, and offered some hope that more such miracles might yet be possible.
"Oh, she's really the one taking care of me," Kairi said, bowing politely.
Fang gave a snort. "Yeah, like you've needed any handholding at all."
Vanille chuckled, then adopted a more somber demeanor. "Well, best not dawdle. This way."
Seated upon a massive ornate throne was a crystalline figure, that of a graceful, breathtaking woman. A cloak was draped over her to help preserve her modesty, but from the open slits Kairi could make out a golden, amber sheen to the flesh made stone. Taking a deep breath, Kairi made her approach with care. She did not think anything she would do today could possibly harm the crystalline figure, but she did not want to presume anything either. Lightning Farron was extremely respected by the people of the Ark, even revered. And loved.
As Kairi neared, she felt the tingling of her skin build up until it felt as if the air itself was abuzz. The concentration of mana was exceedingly dense around the crystal statue, suggesting it was the one doing the drawing in.
"Why is the statue sucking in mana like this?" she inquired.
Vanille shook her head. "We honestly don't know. No one else in crystal stasis has ever done anything like this. But, before she went into stasis, Lightning had become something greater than a mere human, or a l'Cie. That might be why things are, different, with her stasis."
A goddess in her own right, that was what Fang had called Lightning. Kairi could feel the subtle traces of power sleeping within. It was a vague sensation, unlike the prickly mana. And yet it felt so much wider, as if it was just the surface of a deep, deep ocean, with all the mana sprinkled about mere raindrops that caused tiny ripples to cascade.
Kairi took another step closer, holding out a hand as she tried to sense the heart sleeping within the crystal. For any warmth beyond the cold stillness just beneath the crystal's surface. Recalling what little of her training that she had completed, Kairi leveled her breathing and let the beating of her own heart reverberate within her. The sound overwhelmed all others, blocking out any distractions that might otherwise fill her senses. With each beat, Kairi felt for the echoes that would indicate another heart, another soul. She listened, and listened, and then-
"AH!"
The girl's form was thrown back by some invisible hand, only to be caught by Fang before she could tumble onto the ground.
"You alright?" Fang asked, cradling Kairi in her arms.
Kairi blinked a few times, mentally stunned but otherwise none the worse for wear. She gave herself a shake as she found her footing again.
"I-I think so," Kairi said. "Umm, what happened?"
"Was hoping you could tell us," Fang said incredulously.
"You were thrown back from the statue after reaching out to touch her," Vanille's response was a bit more helpful. "Did something happen?"
Kairi frowned, thinking back to the moment just before she momentarily blanked out. "I think, I think I felt something in there. Someone. And that someone felt me too. Except, she didn't want to be touched. So she, threw me back."
"Why in the world would Lightning do that?" Fang said in befuddlement.
Vanille shook her head slowly. "I have no idea. I hope, I hope it isn't because she doesn't want to awaken. That would be, really sad."
Kairi could not help but agree. To lock oneself away for eternity, even when there were others waiting for you? What could drive Lightning to reject the waking world so vehemently? Did she know something? Like the future recorded in the oracle drive? Or something even more tragic? The crystal statue gazed back at Kairi silently, no answers forthcoming. And none would be until and unless they could wake Lightning up, if she ever let them.
"Alright, I think that's enough for today," Fang said. "We'll have to think of something else to try, but until then we shouldn't push our luck, with either of you."
Kairi gave a nod. "Alright, that's probably a good idea."
Despite being back on her own too feet, Fang still kept a protective hand around Kairi's shoulder. Now she used that hand to start turning Kairi towards the exit. Even as she was so guided, Kairi glanced back one last time at the statue. She had felt it, the loud beat of a strong heart. Too loud, in fact, if that made any sense. Which made her wonder, what exactly she had heard. And what else she could have heard.
The days that followed Kairi's semi-successful attempt to sense Lightning returned to a familiar pattern. Chip and Dale continued their work advising the Ark's engineers on how to construct their own gummi ships making use of the salvage that had been recovered from the last battle against Bhunivelze while Kairi lent a hand making the runs to gather said salvage. In between these expeditions, she continued her studies of the keyblade, either by digging through the Kingdom ship's archives or undergoing more applied training from Fang.
"You've got good instincts," the older woman had said, "and you held your own when we went to clean out those stowaways. But it's pretty clear you're still new to all this, and I'll be damned if I let the savior of the Ark get in another scrap unprepared."
Kairi had tried to protest that savior bit, which only earned her a dry snort from Fang.
"You came in guns blazing just as Bhunivelze was about to tear the Ark a new one. Then you tagged along to help deal with the Cie'th that snuck on board during the battle. And then you healed one of my men after he was maimed by one of those monsters? You know what else we could call you instead of a savior, Kairi? A hero."
The pout on Kairi's face had given Fang a good laugh, but the woman did not press the point and instead got down to business. And that was how Kairi ended up being drilled in how to use her keyblade as a proper weapon instead of swinging it about instinctively. Merlin's tutelage had only begun covering that aspect of her training, so there was quite a bit for Kairi to learn.
"There are lots of different weapons in the world," Fang lectured, "and each has got its own style and way of holding it. This here keyblade of yours ain't like any sword, it's shaped closer to an axe than anything else. That said, you used it to both cut and stab, so at least we know it's got a pointy end as well as an edge."
True though that may be, Destiny's Embrace certainly did not quite look like some weapon. Instead its floral design made it look like some artfully decorated staff, a whimsically studded one at that.
"Your keyblade does hold a few advantages over a regular axe though," Fang noted. "You have a proper guard for your hands, and the shaft itself is obviously made of the same material as the keys, so you can use it to block as well. That means you can switch up between a couple different styles depending on what you're fighting."
Kairi gave a nod at the pause, indicating she understood Fang's points.
"There is one tricky point about that keyblade of yours," Fang said. "Its weight, or rather the fact that it doesn't seem to weigh anything at all."
The girl gave a wry smile. That was not entirely true, but Fang was certainly on point about how little the keyblade felt like it weighed. They had actually tried to physically weigh the weapon, only to have it just sit there on the scale without moving the needle. Then they tried a hanging scale, and after it settled again the counterbalance sat idle. The final test they did was have Kairi try throwing the keyblade and measuring the force of the impact. To some not inconsiderable surprise, there was indeed some force being registered. An awful lot of it in fact, way more than one would have expected considering the speed at which it was moving and the relative lack of weight. It would be fair to say that the keyblade was driving Academia's researchers bonkers. Fang however did not care about the how or the why, her focus was simply on the consequences of the what.
"Hold your keyblade straight out," Fang instructed, "and keep it that way best you can."
Kairi obeyed, gripping the handle with both hands as she pointed the weapon straight ahead. Fang brought her own spear to bear, then began pushing up on the keyblade with it. Needless to say Kairi's efforts to keep that from happening were proving rather futile, the difference between her strength and Fang's readily on display.
"By all rights I should have a harder time than you here," Fang said, "since both your own strength and the weight of your weapon would be pressing down on mine. Seeing as your muscles have to basically work by their lonesome, it's all the more important we start buffing you up a bit."
Which meant in addition to the weapons training, Kairi's martial tutelage included plenty of conditioning to help increase her endurance and basic raw strength.
"Now, let's get started. One hundred swings, the last one as strong as the last!"
"Got it," Kairi said. "One!"
To Fang's credit, the older woman did not simply watch Kairi's exertions, matching the girl's every swing with a short sword.
"Two!" she called out alongside Kairi.
Fang's preferred weapon might have been a spear, but having a basic proficiency with a range of weapons was important for a warrior. And being more practiced, she was not even breathing hard when the final count sounded. Kairi on the other hand felt as if her arms were made of rubber by that point. Even if the keyblade seemingly weighed nothing, the mere act of moving her arms so many times was still draining. Too bad that was just the warmup, and her real training commenced quickly thereafter.
Fang insisted on an early morning start to the regimen, claiming that getting the blood flowing like that would help keep Kairi energized for the rest of the day. The girl in question was, less convinced of that rationale, but she dutifully went along with it. Still, there was no doubt that her body did feel light and limber by the time noon rolled around and she basically inhaled the lunch presented to her. She was still a growing girl after all.
"Wow, Fang must really be working you hard," Alyssa remarked as she partook in her own meal next to Kairi.
The girl chewed for a moment and swallowed before responding. It was hardly polite to speak when eating after all.
"It's alright," she said. "I did ask for help, after all. I may have a keyblade, but there was still a lot I didn't get a chance to learn."
The older girl nodded. "Well, that's what we're here for. And I gotta say, the more I learn about that weapon of yours, the more I want to unravel all of its secrets. I mean, so far we haven't even been able to figure out what it's made of!"
Kairi gave a wry smile as she recalled a prior discussion where Alyssa and the other Academia researchers had contemplated how exactly to perform what they called a material analysis of the keyblade. The destructive ones were immediately dismissed out of hand, but even after they had run every non-invasive test they could think of they were still no closer to identifying what, if anything, the keyblade was made of. Perhaps one of the problems was because it seemed to absorb any and all light used to try to scan it.
No, that was not true. They did learn one thing about the keyblade. Specifically, it did not actually reflect light in the conventional sense. Light cast upon it was instead absorbed, something they were able to determine when it was shown no matter what angle or shade of any light cast upon the keyblade, it always looked the same. How exactly it did this was a complete and utter mystery. But just because the keyblade absorbed light did not mean it did not emit any. It had to after all, otherwise Destiny's Embrace would have been a black void instead of its colorful floral pattern. The only hypothesis they could surmise was that the keyblade was a light source in and of itself, with the colors that composed the floral pattern visible because the keyblade was emitting light of that frequency. Again, how this was achieved, no one had the slightest idea.
All this did however give Kairi much food for thought, including providing one possible explanation for why keyblades were so effective against Heartless. As creatures of darkness, Heartless would of course be naturally weak to something that could create light. That, the ability to create light, Kairi was certain that understanding it would be crucial to becoming a proper keyblade wielder, and in time a keyblade master. Because, as much as it still pained her to think such thoughts, she could very well be the last one left.
A poke of her cheeks caused Kairi to start.
"Wha-?"
"You were stewing again," Alyssa said, withdrawing her spoon.
Kairi smiled wryly. "I suppose I was. Just, there's lots of things to think about."
"Well, that's true enough," Alyssa conceded. "But you don't have to shoulder all that thinking by yourself. Me and Hope are here to lend a hand."
"I know," Kairi assured her. "I know you two are. And I know that all of you will do everything you can to help me. But, I'm still the only keyblade wielder. And that means, some things, I have to do."
"At least until we figure out how to forge new keyblades," Alyssa pointed out.
That was easier said than done, since as Alyssa previously pointed out they were still trying to understand what the keyblade was made of. Thinking back, Kairi recalled when Riku, still trapped in his Ansem form, had handed her Destiny's Embrace to help defend herself in the World That Never Was. Just where he got the keyblade in the first place was a detail that Kairi never clarified, much to her regret now.
After polishing off her plate, Kairi made her way to where the Kingdom ship was parked. Several engineers were crawling over it, taking notes as Chip and Dale pointed out various features of note. The girl gave them a wave, enthusiastically reciprocated, before heading into the ship itself. With a whimsical smile, she recalled the first time Hope had stepped onboard. He immediately latched onto Chip's explanation about the bigger on the inside bit and engaged the chipmunks in a conversation well beyond Kairi's comprehension, throwing around words like subspace or pocket dimensions. The young man seemed particularly enthused about trying to recreate the space within a space, and Kairi wished him all the luck. Her task lay in another direction however.
Settling into her private quarters aboard the ship, Kairi fired up the console and laid out her notebook. There was so much information in the ship's computers that it was literally impossible for her to examine all of it in detail. Instead she spent her time perusing a select sampling of the records to try to find information of immediate use. Right now that meant information about keyblades and what powers they possessed.
At the most basic level, keyblades channeled the light within one's heart, allowing that light to manifest in a physical way and be used to affect the world around you. In some ways, the limit to what a keyblade could do was tied to the strength of your heart. Masters of ages past had apparently figured out how to use their keyblades to channel magic, bridge great distances, and even reach into the heart of others. Kairi frowned as she contemplated that last one. Such an act seemed so, indelicate. So intrusive. Could there ever be a good reason for reaching into another's heart like that? Especially without permission? The girl made a silent vow to never treat such a power so casually.
Of the more mundane abilities, Kairi already knew how to cast magic using her keyblade. Granted she was still a novice, but practice made perfect and in the afternoons much of her time was spent studying the basics behind spellcasting. Oddly enough, the system of magic that Academia's mages practiced was strikingly similar to what she had been taught while under Merlin's tutelage. For example, fire magic ranged from the simple fire spell, useful to scorch an enemy's pants, to the firaga spell, which could outright incinerate entire squads of opponents. Then there were what Hope had called the deus-class spells, spells that touched upon the divine in their degree of power. Kairi was not at the point of being able to learn those yet, but based on what had happened, she would need to in the near future if they were to survive the darkness.
Kairi's pencil came to a halt as her eyes fell upon the name of the next datafile in the queue. Chasers. Now why did that sound important. Frowning slightly, she clicked it open.
While the need for such skills has waned with the passage of time, any knowledge thusly lost is still a tragedy all its own. For this reason I set down the means by which the masters of old, of whom I am merely the latest, and perhaps last, would engrave upon metal the light of a heart and thus forge a keyblade.
The frown disappeared and instead Kairi's eyes shot wide open.
The process of forging a keyblade by no means assures success. First and foremost, the one whom will wield the new keyblade must possess a heart of sufficient fortitude and will. Otherwise, the act of grasping the key could see an ill-prepared wielder suffer from a collapsed heart. And a poorly crafted keyblade risks tearing at a heart by attempting to draw forth light beyond what it can shine.
Kairi shuddered. This was sounding more and more like trying to forge a keyblade themselves was more risk than it was worth. Or might be in normal circumstances. Now, there was a certain desperation driving all of them. She was determined however not to let such determination result in further tragedy.
For these reasons alone, the bequeathing ceremony is a far safer route by which keyblades may be passed on from master to apprentice. When a keyblade is bequeathed, the act ignites a spark within the apprentice's heart, the light of which will grow in accordance to the strength of that person's heart. The keyblade projected from such a light would thus always be in accordance to the strength of that heart.
But a bequeathing could only be done by a master, as far as Kairi knew. And to be a master was more than about the raw strength of one's heart, one also needed to be able to exercise very subtle control over that power.
Alarms started blaring, interrupting Kairi's mulling. Since their arrival, the gummi ship's communications system had been tied into the Ark's network. That connection was now being exercised as an all systems alert was issued. Bringing up the message, Kairi inhaled sharply. Bhunivelze was back, and with a lot of company.
"Status," Hope said as he entered the command center.
"Multiple contacts detected about fifteen minutes out," an operator answered. "The big waveform pattern matches that of Bhunivelze, but the number of cie'th we're also detecting is way beyond anything we've seen before."
"Looks like the old bastard brought reinforcements," Snow remarked. "Deploy all defense squadrons."
"Squadrons deploying, aye. What of the gummi ship?"
Snow visibly scowled at that but answered levelly. "Put me through to Kairi."
The image that was projected show Kairi already seated in the gummi ship's cockpit. Fleet of foot, the girl certainly was.
"I'm here, where do you need me?" she asked.
Ever ready to lend a hand, even if the fight was not necessarily hers. Then again, Bhunivelze probably would not be terribly discriminating, especially considering Kairi had clipped his wings the last time they met.
"You're our ace in the hole, Kairi, can't have you charging straight out the gates," Snow said. "Hang tight, once the swarm around Bhunivelze clears up a bit, we'll let you loose."
"Got it, I'll be waiting."
The display flickered and Kairi's face was replaced with the tactical telemetry it was previously displaying.
"I'm not sure I like these numbers," Hope remarked as he examined his own display.
"Me neither," Snow said. "Where's the old bastard even getting all these cie'th from, anyway? Gran Pulse is gone, and the only survivors are on the Ark."
"That we know of," Hope said. "Pulse wasn't the only world, Kairi's mentioned plenty of others that existed before. Even if those worlds were also destroyed, there might still be people out still alive, like us."
"And they were unlucky enough to run into Bhunivelze?"
Hope's lips thinned. "Unlikely, in retrospect. You raise a good point, and something tells me answering it might be a major step in dealing with Bhunivelze once and for all."
"Well, we'll have to survive the day to try to find those answers," Snow said.
"All defensive squadrons deployed and in formation," the operator reported.
"Director," Snow addressed Hope more formally. "Permission to utilize the Ark's defensive batteries."
The Ark had been designed as humanity's final refuge, which naturally meant it mounted defenses both active and passive to keep danger at bay. The scale of these defenses varied, but some of the larger ones had the power to level entire mountains when fired. Such destructive power however came with a corresponding cost in energy, of which the Ark had only a finite amount of. That amount however had seen a considerable boost thanks to the salvage runs Kairi's gummi ship had allowed, and the Ark was running at a far greater capacity than it had since its harried escape from Gran Pulse.
"Permission granted for two shots," Hope responded.
Granted there was still a finite limit to the Ark's energy stores, hence why it was ultimately Hope's call when and how often those defenses could be used.
"Two shots should be more than enough to clear out the riffraff," Snow said, "if we can get them to clump up."
Hope frowned. "That seems, risky."
Hope snorted. "And fighting Bhunivelze in the first place ain't? Don't worry, my boys and girls can take care of themselves." Then to the operators. "Assault squadrons one through four are to sortie. Approach the enemy swarm and strafe, but pull back immediately if the enemy attempts to converge upon them."
The orders were duly passed on and more squadrons of ships departed from the Ark's hangers. At the lead, Sazh gripped the controls of his own fighter.
"Alright boys and girls, watch your six and keep it tight. Remember, strafe and run. I don't want anyone trying to be a hero out there."
A chorus of acknowledgments flowed back, along with a few playful remarks about Sazh's own chronic heroism. The man cracked a wide grin, but his expression hardened as the squadrons closed in on their objective. There was certainly no shortage of targets, but that also meant no shortage of dangers.
Something the Guardian Corps had learned after their first few engagements against Bhunivelze, in the void in-between there was no air to slow them down. That also meant shots fired from their guns would keep traveling in a straight line until it finally hit something. As a consequence, the range of engagement came solely down to targeting and how mobile your intended target was. Once that realization occurred, the radar guided targeting systems on the Ark's ships were hastily upgraded to deal with the extreme ranges that were now possible.
The cie'th on the other hand possessed no such technological tricks and could only rely on their natural senses and acuity. Those natural senses however fell well short of what modern science could produce artificially, at least for this particular need, granting the Ark's defenders a significant advantage. Indeed their ability to engage the cie'th at range and start whittling them down well before the creatures could respond effectively was a major reason for why the Ark was still intact.
That was not to say the cie'th did not have some advantages of their own. Despite their countless numbers, the cie'th somehow moved in perfect synchronicity with one another, allowing them to execute complex flanking maneuvers and launch multi-pronged attacks once they were in range. They also reacted instantaneously to the changing ebb and flow of battle, responding to threats and opportunities with frightening effectiveness. That made it all the more imperative that the guardians hold the cie'th at range and not allow them to close, hence the hit and run tactics they were even now employing.
"Sir, part of the swarm is breaking off," a voice sounded over Sazh's radio.
"I see 'em. Squad 2, peel off and intercept."
"Roger that."
A dozen or so ships veered away from the main formation to give chase. Closer to the Ark, a few of the remaining defense squadrons shifted their positions just in case the enemy still managed to break through. Sazh's own attention turned back to the cie'th he was presently engaging and he watched as the estimated count slowly ticked down. They were bleeding the enemy swarm, but those numbers weren't dropping quickly enough. Not with just the defense squadrons, at least. The radio beeped, sending Sazh a warning of what was about to happen.
"All squadrons, evacuate firing lane."
Off in the distance, the long-range battery mounted upon the Ark's surface lit up. As the energy coalesced, for a brief moment it looked as if a single star was peeking out once more amidst the darkened sky. The brightness bloomed into a tight lance, punching through the void leaving a glowing after-trail. The beam's width might have been a single combat ship, not terribly wide in the grand scheme of things, but certainly gigantic from mere human perspective. It became even more so as the beam struck the first cie'th, and then fractured into countless splinters in a cascading chain reaction. As if each cie'th were a prism, the beams of light that struck them were refracted and split to hit even more of the swarm. The cascade of light looked rather pretty from the distance, like a canopy of ice forming over the branches of a mighty tree. Behind the beauty however marked the destructive power of a sun.
"Count is down to 20% of initial numbers," the report flowed in. "The rest of the swarm's dispersing."
"The way's clear," Sazh radioed back to the Ark. "Send in the cavalry."
Emerging from the Ark, flanked by dozens of other ships, the gummi ship's engines roared.
"This is the Highwind," Kairi said. "Preparing to engage."
End of Chapter 4
Work has been on something of a continuous crunch for the last month or so, which made finding any time to write at all extremely difficult. I'm glad to get this chapter out however, just to move the story along. The chapter itself was a bit easier to write now that I've sorted out just how fast I'm willing to pace things. Previously I thought I would have to spend a lot more time doing worldbuilding, but I just could not come up a way to write the scenes without them bogging down. For now I'll instead try to worldbuild at the same time as I advance the overall plot, so expect Lightning to show up proper next chapter. I'm expecting 8 to 10 chapters per 'world,' so we're technically already halfway through the FF13 world. Right now I have mapped out four worlds, ignoring anything endgame related.
In a lot of ways, Kairi and Serah are very similar. That similarity is allowing me to slot Kairi into a specific role with respect to the rest of the FF13 crew. All of them are seeing her as a sort of surrogate little sister that they feel the need to protect. And all of them are also realizing that Kairi, while she does need protection in some ways, is also the only one capable of protecting them back in other ways. This dynamic is going to play a significant role in how they handle and treat her, much as a different dynamic will play out when Kairi interacts with characters from other "worlds." By the end of this story however, I intend for Kairi to well and truly be recognized as Master Kairi.
I actually outright forgot that the default gummi ship in KH was called the Highwind. Now that I actually remember, I'll be using its proper name hereafter.