A/N: A special thanks to all the people who reviewed my prologue. Hopefully it wasn't too boring, and I equally hope this is much more an enjoyable read. As always, this story was disclaimed in the prologue, so I'm not doing it any more. And yes, I hope to have many questions forming in your minds…because I intend many twists to shape this story…(insert mad laughter here)

Hope you enjoy.

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Star Ocean: Wrath of Heaven

Chapter 1: Upon the River Styx

Sphere Corporation-Fourth Dimension Space

Blair Lansfield entered code after code into the digital matrix of the Sphere, trying desperately to undo the damage done. She had, in her own eagerness, entered the code to permanently and irreversibly separate the Sphere from her own world, severing the ties of creator and subject.

She had managed to submit a single message into the Sacred Orb in the hopes that her friends of the Milky Way Galaxy would receive it before her connection was severed; yet it did not stop her from trying desperately to reverse her own actions.

It was nearly impossible to determine, and had she not been more careful, she would never have seen the nearly invisible code of information traveling into the Milky Way. Immediately she understood where the data source had come from, but could not distinguish its purpose.

Unable to reconnect her link to the galaxy, Blair pressed the call button of her intercom and spoke frantically into the device. "Owner," the woman called, hoping her brother would respond. "Luther, what did you do? What was the data you sent into the Eternal Sphere?"

A cold, bitter laugh filtered from the other end of the intercom as the voice of the owner responded to the frantic pleas of his sister. "Why Blair, I did nothing more than I promised. I set them free."

Turning her eyes back to the monitor, Blair felt her blood freeze as she quickly translated the series of code, realizing the horrors her brother had unleashed upon the unsuspecting universe. "Luther how could you?"

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The fundamental foundation of Quantum Physics it seemed, had the vicious way of playing tricks on the young man. Walking aimlessly through the haul of the Diplo, Fayt Leingod paused momentarily to check his bearings only to realize he had past the same location he now stood not ten minutes ago, or a half an hour past, or even two hours before. It really mattered little that he was walking in circles, as every inch of the ship now appeared to blend together with every other inch in a collage of stagnant solidarity.

It seemed nearly ironic that during his mad quest to save the universe from deletion, the pace had been so harrowing that each and every one of his friends who battled by his side were strained beyond endurance by the relentless rate of events that hurled them into their destiny. Now however, with the crisis behind them, each tick of the clock seemed to take a lifetime of eternities to register in his mind. Had he remembered how, he would have laughed at the turning of the events. For now, he had all the time in the world to rest, when it was unnecessary.

In the week since coming aboard the Diplo in fact, Fayt had accomplished nothing other than the apparent shadow that seemed to dog his every move. For reasons he suspected but could not quite understand, Lieber seemed to take a great interest in the movements of the blue-haired young man. It was a manner of difficulty for Fayt to maintain his dignity and contain his desire to lash out at the apparently jealous man. The situation had not dissolved to words, but the lovesick officer never missed the opportunity to grace Fayt with a challenging and often hostile stare that hid no meaning from the sword wielder.

And as to be expected, Fayt found himself face to face with the very man the moment he turned the corner. To his credit, Lieber had the courtesy to act surprised, feigning that their chance meeting in the corridor was nothing more than coincidence, but Fayt held back a sigh of exasperation as he moved around the man and continued his course.

In some ways, he felt sorry for the lovesick fool. Lieber, he knew, had it bad for the captain, though from his experience dealing with Maria, Fayt also knew she was not a woman to accept affection lightly, especially those flaunted so openly as Lieber's one-sided infatuation. But Fayt also knew that any advice he might offer Lieber would be taken as a diversion, believing, as Lieber was likely to do, that Fayt was giving bad advice to the officer in the hopes of wooing Maria himself.

Despite the snail's pace that time had taken aboard the ship, Fayt checked the digital reader mounted in his glove. Acknowledging the time, the young man parted his random journey and traveled towards the conference room. Since being aboard the Diplo, Maria had held two such meetings, none of which Fayt attended, as they concerned only the ranking officers of the ship. However, when Marietta informed him of the latest council, her words gave the distinct impression that Fayt should attend.

He had considered the summons briefly, wondering what had happened to warrant his presence when he was not an officer, but pushed all concerns aside, knowing he would get his answers soon. Stepping into the 'War Room' as Cliff liked to call it, Fayt was immediately greeted by his friend.

"So, finally decide to join us huh?" Cliff asked from his position across the table, his deep, playful voice betraying the serious tone he offered.

"You're late," said Lancar, his body half turned to face the new comer "What happened, did Lieber hold you up?" He asked, giving a playful smile to Maria who either paid no attention or ignored the security officer's teasing.

"You're not late Fayt, just take a seat wherever," the captain replied, again ignoring the comment Cliff made about 'if it had been one of them…'

The young man entered the room and moved around the table, taking his seat beside Cliff and hoping the large Klausian would refrain from further needling. Before Cliff could say anything more however, Maria called the meeting to order.

"Since Fayt wasn't available for the first two meetings, I'll recap," the blue-haired captain said. "From the scattered reports we've been getting, it appears as if the Vandeeni have been rather active lately."

"What?" Fayt asked, his eyes growing in alarm as he digested the information. Despite his best efforts, he could not suppress the shiver that snaked its way down the length of his spine, nor the tension that built within his limbs.

The sudden shift in the young man's posture however, did not go unnoticed by the other senior members of Quark, yet Maria chose to move forward with the information. "Since the departure of the Executioners, the Pangalatic Federation has been in ruins. The fleet was all but destroyed and…Earth itself, well…we all saw what happened to the earth.

"From our reports, it appears as if the Vandeeni knew previously of the Creator's intentions, that was why they were so intent on capturing you," Maria stated, directing her remarks to the young man. "At any rate, during the occupation of the Executioners, the Vandeeni had apparently scattered. It seemed to be a pre-arranged strategy to stay out of the way of the creator might infest our universe with, but it was also, we believe, due in part to the loss of their military commander Biwig."

Pausing a moment to collect her thoughts, Maria continued, "Regardless of what we know, and at this point we know quite a bit…it appears as if the Vandeeni fleet is reunifying on the outskirts of the Alpha Sector."

"It makes sense," Mirage said, voicing her own thoughts on the subject. "After all, the Alpha Sector is practically a straight shot between every world belonging to the Pangalatic Federation. They can gravitic warp to any place once belonging to the Federation."

"Exactly," the captain continued. "From our recent intelligence, it appears as if the Vandeeni are intent on conquering what was once the Pangalatic Federation. If they succeed in their conquest, they'll possess more than half the galaxy, and with their ruthless methods of intimidation, the other worlds will fall into line."

"So let me get this straight," Cliff said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his hands together, "You want to use Quark to stop the Vandeeni?"

"Do you see any other options Cliff?" Maria continued, staring evenly at her second-commander. "We fought to keep the Pangalatic Federation from oppressing the worlds within their control and strong-arming those outside their jurisdiction. For all the faults of the Federation, it can be said they were not the Vandeeni. If the Vandeen Empire succeeds in this endeavor, they will bring an era of chaos to the galaxy beyond any evil the Federation was responsible for. We can't let them succeed."

A moment of silence filled the chamber as each person gathered around the table considered the information given, and the course laid before them. "So, what you want us to do?" Cliff finally spoke, his words coming uneasily as he struggled to consider the direction Maria was taking them.

"It seems at the present, that the Vandeeni have already begun their assault into Federation space," said Maria as she pressed a series of buttons on the monitor in front of her, illuminating the display before each person. "Nearly two days ago, our spies reported an explosion at Federation Station 5, Moon Base."

"Why would the Vandeeni attack Moon Base?" Lancar replied, studying the information. "All the information that could have been recovered has been."

"It's unlikely, but still a possibility that not all the information was recovered from Moon Base. As for a motive for the attack, its possible the Vandeeni still fear the Creator's obsession to destroy our universe. By destroying whatever information may still be located there could be their way of ensuring no one ever recovers the data. That's why I'd like Cliff and Mirage to go to Moon Base and determine if any data is salvageable. Mirage, you should be able to hack the system and we'll work remotely from here as well to gather everything we can find."

"Roger," came the recognizable reply.

Cliff, however, gave Maria a searching look before nodding his head once. "Alright, we'll prep the Eagle and leave within the hour."

"Very good," Maria stated before turning her attention to the security officer, "Lancar, does your father still sit on the Klaus Senate?"

Twitching his mouth unpleasantly at the mention of his father, Lancar adjusted his posture before answering. "That's right, but I…haven't really been in touch with him in over a year."

"That doesn't matter. At least we have an in. I need you to pick a team and head to Klaus III. You'll need to address the senate and request more aid. The Diplo is hardly the most formidable ship in the galaxy, so we're going to need the support of Klaus if we're going to suppress the Vandeeni."

"Then I'll go with Cliff and Mir…"

"No," Maria responded quickly, interrupting Fayt's suggestion before the young man could address his request. However, unwilling to say more on the matter, she addressed the assembly. "In the mean time, I will be working on establishing a plan to recruit other worlds before the Vandeeni can bully them into servitude. Keep me updated on your progress on a daily basis. You have your assignments. Dismissed."

As Lancar and Mirage left the room, followed quickly by Cliff, Fayt stole a dissatisfied glance at the captain before turning to follow his friends.

"Wait a minute Fayt," Maria said, calling the cerulean-haired young man back. Taking a deep breath as she surveyed the information once more, she turned her eyes to her friend. "I know you're not happy with my decision to keep you on board the Diplo."

"Wow, am I that transparent?" The sword expert said, not attempting to contain his sarcasm or displeasure in the assignment.

"Do you remember when the Vandeeni attacked Hyda IV and Elicoor II to get to you Fayt?" The young woman asked, regretting her need to bring up the painful memories to state her point. "The Vandeeni attacked those places because they were trying to get to you. That means you will only be safe so long as the Vandeeni doesn't know your whereabouts. Its fortunate that they only know of your existence or my presence would have put Quark in danger before now. But our very power has upset the balance of the galaxy. We can't let ourselves be known, because even if we succeed against the Vandeeni, another threat will emerge and make us a target. We have to be careful."

"So you expect me to sit back and hide from the Vandeeni?" Fayt snapped, curling his fingers in frustration.

"For the time being, yes." Maria said, realizing the words did nothing to calm the young man's temper. "I know what you feel for the Vandeeni Fayt, but you have put your feelings aside."

"Really? Do you know?" Answered Fayt as he narrowed his eyes at the unmoving young woman. "They murdered my father and chased me half way across the galaxy. I don't like being hunted like a dog Maria, and I think I have the right to do what I can to stop them."

Folding her arms across her chest, Maria shook her head slightly as her mouth thinned to a single line. "Yes I do understand Fayt, because whereas the Vandeeni were hunting you, the Aldian Empire was hunting me. But getting angry does nothing but confuse you. You want to strike back at the Vandeeni; you have to pick your moment. Acting rashly will not help you succeed."

Considering the words the sapphire-haired woman spoke, the young man sat in his chair and stared hard at the table, shaking his head slightly in response of his anger. "You're right Maria. I'm sorry," his words were followed by several moments of silence as he traced his fingers over the tabletop, drawing various shapes in his mind's eye.

"How do you do it Maria," Fayt asked, turning his eyes towards the captain as she studied him during the moment of silence. "How do you know exactly what to say to me to explain everything I've overlooked?"

Shrugging her shoulders simply, Maria offered the smallest of smiles as she addressed the lost young man. "Because, everything you're going through Fayt, every question and argument you've raised, are all issues I've had to address myself," at that moment, her smile tugged at the corner of her lips, expanding her smile for mere seconds before she completed her advice. "You and I, Fayt, are a lot alike."

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The Eagle soared through Gravitic Space with little interference, meeting only a merchant vessel along the chosen trajectory as they sped towards their destination. The silence within the cockpit however was palpable as Cliff pressed a series of buttons to obtain the most recent information on the status of Moon Base.

"Cliff," Mirage asked, interrupting the man's actions and intruding upon his silent contemplations. "I asked what was wrong."

"Huh? Oh, its nothing Mirage, just thinking."

"Well for something thinking about nothing, you have a pretty serious look on your face," the navigator said, smiling at her partner as she prodded him to speak his mind.

"Its just…."

"This mission?" She replied, perfectly interpreting his thoughts as he turned his eyes in mock challenge at her ability to read him so well.

"Yeah, something like that."

"You don't agree with Maria's choice to challenge the Vandeeni?"

"It's not that really," Cliff continued, pressing the autopilot and allowing the ship to fly its own course for the moment. "Its just, when I started Quark, we were only supposed to help oppressed planets fend off Federation law…and now we're looking to start a war with the Vandeeni. Quark was only supposed to be a reply and response group. It was never meant to take the initiative against warring planets."

"So you think Maria is wrong?" Mirage asked, effectively pushing the issue to get the large man to open up.

"No, it's not really that. It's just; I don't know… we were never meant to do this kind of operation. Working to unify planets to stand against the Vandeeni. Its almost like we're trading the Federation for Quark now."

"And that's the problem? You think Maria will get carried away and become another figurehead leader like the Pangalatic Federation was?"

"No," the large Klausian said, punching his fist into the palm of his other hand, more out of habit than the need to accentuate his comments. "If that was ever the case, I never would have willingly handed over command of Quark to her. Heh…she's a better leader than I ever was at any rate."

Pausing a moment to stare out the window at the passing stars, Cliff completed his words before continuing. "I mean, after she became leader, Quark membership swelled. But I never thought, not in a million years, that Quark would ever become such an important part of the Galaxy's future," closing his eyes while taking a deep, satisfying breath, Cliff completed the thought and confessed the issue bothering him most. "Its just, I can't help but wonder if Quark hasn't outgrown me."

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In the kingdom of Cross, on the planet Expel, the lone man stood in his solitary isolation atop the large, rocky surface of Mountain Palace. The casual observer, upon witnessing the cloaked figure, might assume him to be nothing more than a peasant or beggar who lost his way, that could not be further from the truth.

Beneath his hood, his aged and ancient eyes scanned the surroundings, not of the horizon and the various settlements that formed the Cross kingdom, but rather at the sky itself. Beyond the perfect blue heavens that domed the peaceful planet, beyond even the stars that stretched the eternity, his consciousness searched and sought the source of his recent unsettling premonitions.

And as he found it, the realization of the fear long since thought destroyed, the robe of his upper back shifted nervously in response to his own worries. "I know my friends, I sense them as well," the man said, his deep, raspy voice comforting the spirits that surrounded his very old life. "It seems as if they have returned, and I suppose our job is not yet finished."

-To be continued