Disclaimer: I own nothing of Star Ocean. All characters are the sole property of Tri Ace, SquareEnix and whoever else worked to make this great game.
Timeline: After Star Ocean III
A/N: Keep in mind, I haven't beaten the game, the last boss kills me in his final stage. Anyway, this is an idea I came up with while playing SO III. Notice that this is just the prologue; so don't expect any action or excitement, just setting up the story. Thanks for reading.
Star Ocean: Wrath of HeavenPrologue: Hymn of the Fallen Angels
-Earth Federation Station 5: Moon Base
Sweat poured from the brow of Dr. Clive Esteed in a sheen of perspiration that moistened his skin and stung his eyes. His current condition however, was not due to physical exertion, but rather the horrific, incomprehensible fear that gripped the very fiber of his soul.
Only three days prior had the doctor received authorization to return to his lab, the relative threat of the Executioners abated by some means unknown even to those involved. Yet the readings filtering from his diagnostic test of the experiment gave no desire to celebrate with the rest of the universe, it gave a premonition of the unspeakable horror to come.
"This can't be happening," Dr. Esteed said, turning his wide, frantically searching eyes to the large black stasis chamber that lined the far wall. Readings registered on the instrument panel of the chamber acknowledged active life signs that should have been dormant, bringing a chill to the aging man's heart.
"They were supposed to be taken offline. Dr. Leingod told me they were," turning back to examine the indefinable data stream that coded into the network's system, Dr. Esteed recognized the significance of the coded programming. For reasons he could not even fathom, the messaging program was nothing short of the activation sequence of the ten capsules that lined the laboratory wall. "They should have been disposed of."
Trying desperately to correct the malfunction, Dr. Esteed sought to disconnect the activation sequence before it completed, only to learn to his added horror that he, himself, had been locked out of his own system.
Activating his remote laptop, the professor worked in a furious pace, trying desperately to outrun the apocalypse. Yet as he logged the final command to allow himself to enter the mainframe through the secured access, the decompression of the first chamber drew his attention from his appointed task.
Standing from his seat, his laptop falling against the metal floor and shattering against the ungiving surface, Dr. Esteed watched the first of the creations he had helped to resurrect, step from the chamber. The dawn of the gods, had come once more.
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Fayt stood idly at the observation deck of the Diplo, watching from the large window the ever-distancing planet as the ship moved further into space. He had, over the course of the last several months, pondered many things about his life, and the course that his life had taken. This too, was yet another step into the uncertain future the young man felt bearing down upon him.
But he had little time to dwell on the uncertainties of his decision, as the electronic door slid open, inviting the ships captain to join the young man.
"I must say, I'm quite surprised to hear you decided to come with us," Maria Traydor said, staring the cerulean haired young man in the eye before walking to join him at the window.
"Is that a problem?"
"No…not at all. You'd be welcomed to stay, as long as you want," she said, considering the issue before continuing. "In fact, I had toyed with the idea of asking you to join us permanently."
"Then…why didn't you?" Fayt asked, turning his head curiously to address the leader of Quark.
Shrugging in only a half-hearted attempt to brush off the question, Maria continued. "It's not important. I'm just surprised, that's all."
"Well, part of the reason I wanted to come was…well…its kind of hard to put into words," Fayt said, tilting his head to lean against the glass as he addressed his friend. "I guess it has to do with the powers I have…that we both have. I guess it has to do with…well, wanting to know how you deal with it. I mean, this basically makes us something other than humans, doesn't it?"
"Fayt, you're not really making any sense," Maria said, shaking her head as she turned her attention once more to stare into the peaceful sky. "You and I are who we are, we're not anything particularly special…just a little different."
"That's a bit of an understatement, don't you think? I mean, I blew up a starship…you blew up a starship. I think that qualifies for a better word."
"What would you have me say? That we're gods?" Maria asked, the hint of sarcastic bite prevalent in her words. "After what you and I both witnessed of the creator of the universe, how could you even think to classify us so narrowly? He was nothing more than a man with obsessive ideas. Ultimately, despite the power that we wield, we will be whom we choose to be. That's what it means to be human…we have a choice."
Maria turned to leave Fayt with his thoughts, turning only briefly before leaving the room. "For what its worth though, I'm glad you came."
Fayt watched her leave before turning once again, picking out the distant glimmer of Hyda IV. "Sophia…you'll be happy there," he said to growing distance between them, knowing she'd never hear his words, but hoping she'd receive the sentiment he sent. "I just need to find my own path."
-The beginning
