Points of View
A Star Ocean 3 fanfic
by Intrasonic
Setting?
Some people say that you learn something new every day.
Some people actually do.
And if she didn't stop learning things, Nel thought murkily, she wasn't going to live to see her next birthday. Or even next week.
"Ah, I see that you're waking up."
Waking up? Nel groaned as a slew of recent memories were brought to her attention.
Scouting out the Kirlsa Training facility. Seeing her friends appear. Seeing the Vendeeni appear. Seeing them fight. Seeing her friends make a strategic retreat. Seeing them mount a counter-attack. Destroying the strange device that was apparently responsible for the tactical imbalance. Dodging the hail of counter attacks from the angry Vendeeni. A blinding pain in her shoulder, coupled with a sudden lack of responsiveness from the limb. Finally passing out from the pain...
"Take it easy," the voice instructed, feminine but unfamiliar. "You're still weak."
"W-where..." Nel swallowed, almost painfully. She would have at least maimed for a glass of water at the moment. And her left shoulder still throbbed in a way that shouldn't be physically possible, as though it had been dipped in acid. "...am I?"
There was period of hesitation after the question. "You're... with friends. Just rest."
Nel's mind insisted otherwise, but her body had other ideas. So she rested.
When Nel woke up next, her body seemed more willing to respond to her commands. To be certain, it provided a abundance of pain to go with the obedience, but that was something she could deal with. A soldier like her knew full well that pain was a minor problem compared to what could happen. An aching limb was far better than having no limb at all.
Her eyes seemed to be doing their job as well, giving Nel a slightly better picture than the glaring white haze from before. Now, they were giving her a more detailed picture. She was on her back, obviously enough, looking up at a rather plain ceiling. Several orbs of light were suspended downwards, looking much like magical orbs, but without any pulsing or flickering in their output.
The air had a rather... strange smell to it, as well. As though it was devoid of the usual traces of civilization. No food, no animals, no plants... merely a hint of something vaguely... sterile.
"Feeling any better?"
It was the same female voice that she had heard earlier, Nel was certain. It seemed fairly pleasant, if unknown, which was a comforting thought. "Where... am I?" she managed.
"That is a tougher question than you might think, I'm afraid."
Gritting her teeth, Nel forced her arms to lift her body up, only to be rewarded by a spasm of pain from her left shoulder, severe enough make stars appears in her vision. Hissing a few colourful phrases (definitely not approved by the Church of Apris), she collapsed again, but felt a pair of hands carefully catch her, one placed at the small of her back, the other at the base of her neck, both mercifully sparing her shoulder.
Gingerly turning her head, she finally had a chance to look at her (seeming) benefactor. If nothing else, Nel had quite recently expected to be dead, or at least have a giant hole in her shoulder. Clearly, she had either imagined the whole thing, or some drastic intervention had occurred while she was unconscious.
"You soldier types are all alike," the woman observed, with a trace of amusement on her face. "You don't know when to stay down and rest."
Definitely a healer, Nel decided, having endured the mothering, teasing, chiding tone of voice more times than she cared to remember. At least this healer was helping her to sit up, instead of pushing her back down and trying to force her to drink something alcoholic to dull her wits.
"We had to do extensive tissue and bone reconstruction on your left shoulder, but you should make a full recovery." Something in the woman's voice suggested that she was a little surprised herself. "You're the first race I've seen that has been able to compete with Klausians in the recovery department. Quite fascinating, really, even considering that your physical conditioning practically over-qualifies you for the 99th percentile. I wonder if your extensive personal use of symbology on your body is what makes the difference? The field of symbological medicine is quite under-researched unfortunately..."
There were several moments of silence on Nel's part.
"Did you want to try and sit up?" the woman tried.
Nel was staring. At everything.
"This is probably going to come as a bit of a shock to you," the woman granted.
The entire room was... different. Nel would have never considered herself illiterate, but she knew of no word that could possibly convey the sheer uniqueness of the room she was in. She had traveled the far reaches of her continent, through the highest levels of royalty to the lowest and meanest of dungeons, and had never seen a décor to match what she was seeing now. It was simply... different.
The walls were a glossy, smooth white, that didn't appear to be made of any material she'd ever seen before. There were platforms built into the wall, similarly smooth, except shaded gray. The large platform she was presently sitting on had a 'bed' suggestion to it, save for the strange fabric that the sheets seemed made of, and the odd fixtures that jutted out from either side of it. Several orange sections of the walls had the suggestion of doorways, except they lacked any sign of hinges, keyholes or handles.
And then there were The Lights.
They were everywhere. In the walls, in the ceilings, in her bed, everywhere. Not glaringly bright, once her eyes had adjusted, but the combination was enough to make for a general absence of shadows, even in the corners.
Then there were further sections of the wall, coupled with unassuming objects scattered throughout the room that sported moving lights, rapidly displaying glowing words and symbols, which she might have guessed to be meaningful somehow. One thing was certain, they didn't look like any runological patterns she'd ever seen.
For a brief moment, Nel actually considered the possibility that an elaborate hoax was in progress, to make her think she was somewhere else... except that the sheer alien-ness of the room seemed beyond anything that could be invented for a mere hoax.
Finally tearing her eyes from the scene, Nel refocused on the woman still supporting her. "Where is this place?"
The woman smiled. "Welcome aboard the Diplo."
Nel groaned as she regained consciousness. Somehow, her shoulder had gone rather numb since she last passed out. She wasn't complaining.
She had passed out again, she realized, after the woman had touched something on the side of her bed. The bed had immediately begun to vibrate and shift, which had brought Nel's catlike reflexes into play, prompting her to immediately abandon her bed before it collapsed under her. She had hit her thigh against one of the blocky obstructions in the process, then been betrayed by a pair of suddenly-limp legs, and landed on the ground on her injured shoulder, and had mercifully blacked out shortly after.
And now, she realized, she was back on the same bed, which looked remarkably un-collapsed. If someone was trying to mess with her head, they were doing remarkably good job of it.
"Ah, you're awake again," the woman remarked, sounding just a little amused. "Sorry about that before. I'll warn you next time I adjust your bed."
"Adjust my bed?"
The woman nodded, reaching down in the same location as before. "Don't worry."
The vibration was the same as before, but Nel felt the top section of her bed smoothly lift up, turning the bed into a recliner of sorts.
"There you go. I thought you might like to sit up. You don't strike me as the kind of person who enjoys lying down any more than necessary."
" Quite true," Nel admitted. She tried to piece her thoughts together in a constructive fashion. "My shoulder feels rather... numb."
"I injected a dose of painkillers into your shoulder after your last spill, along with some anti-inflammatory drugs. Your shoulder's numbness will be gone in several hours, by which time your shoulder muscles should be less troublesome. I didn't quite understand the phrases you were using, but I have a feeling they probably shouldn't be taught to any children."
Nel flushed, despite herself. "Thank-you. So... I'm inside that... ship? The Diplo?"
"That's right, you're in the medical bay, to be exact. I'm the doctor."
As though merely seeing the giant flying ships wasn't enough, now she was actually onboard one of them. "We're... flying?"
The doctor pursed her lips, as though considering, but finally nodded. "I suppose you could call it that, yes."
Somehow, it felt... dull, aside from the obvious visual differences, of course. There was no rush of wind, no weightless feeling, no sensation of leaving the ground behind... a little disappointing, even. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but aside from the strange décor, the general sense of calm and peace in the room was something of a let-down. "I see."
The woman's earlier statement finally registered. "I'm sorry, you're the doctor? You have my thanks for healing me. I... didn't quite see the damage, but I'm sure it was rather... serious."
The doctor chuckled. "That's an understatement if I ever heard one. You had a hole burned clean through your shoulder, muscle, bone and all. You're quite lucky, in fact. Had you been wearing stronger armour, the force would have been dispersed over a larger area and probably simply vaporized your entire body. As it was, I had to regrow a considerable portion of your shoulder joint and muscle tissue."
Nel's eyes grew wide, darting sideways to look at her shoulder. Now that she was looking closer, the skin on her shoulder looked... paler than the rest. And it felt strangely tender when she gingerly prodded it, as though it hadn't experienced the same weathering and toughening that the nearby skin had... "You mean... you grew... h-how?"
The doctor nodded. "Tissue regeneration. I suspect that your world doesn't have such capabilities, but it's within our abilities in some cases, such as yours. And as I understand recent events, it was the least we could do after your timely assistance."
That statement was enough to jolt Nel's memory, particularly regarding why she had been injured in the first place. "The others? How are-"
An interruption occurred, in the form of a chirping noise from a flat panel in the wall, which looked to be perforated with tiny holes. Aside from that, nothing further happened.
"Come in," the doctor invited, sounding quite unsurprised by the noise.
The orange section of the wall next to the noise-making panel immediately separated, sliding apart smoothly and quietly, to reveal what lay beyond them.
"You're awake now, I see."
Nel managed a smile in response. "Maria. Cliff."
The two individuals entered the room, taking up placement on either side of the bed.
"How're you feeling?" Cliff inquired.
"I've been better," Nel admitted. "But I'm feeling much better than I was a short time ago. Your... medicine is quite incredible, I must admit."
"It was the least we could do," Maria assured her. "Without your intervention, I suspect there might have been far more casualties than there were."
"Casualties?" Nel inquired worriedly. "Who-"
Maria grimaced, briefly looking angry.
"Just one," Cliff supplied quietly. "But it was Fayt's old man."
Who they had been specifically trying to rescue, Nel recalled. "How is Fayt?"
"He's a little overwhelmed right now. I think he'll come around soon, but..."
Nel bowed her head. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"We're moving forwards," Maria replied, sounding just a little like she was convincing herself as much as anyone else. "Fayt's father gave us a lead, although it remains to be seen where it will take us."
"That's... good, I suppose."
"Under the circumstances, it's the best we could have hoped for," Maria admitted. Looking over at the doctor, "What's your prognosis?"
The doctor shrugged. "To be quite honest, I've done everything I can. As near as I can see, she's made a full recovery and is fit to leave the medical bay at any time. All she really needs is a day or two with minimal activity for the tissue inflammation to go down, and for her body to replace the blood it lost. And plenty of food, of course."
"Excellent," Maria approved, starting towards the doorway. "Can I ask you to see to providing some food for her? Things are just a little busy at the moment."
"Of course."
"Thanks. Cliff or myself will check up on her later."
Cliff gave Nel a grin as he followed Maria out of the room. "Buck up, soldier. You'll be kicking ass again in no time."
"I certainly intend to," Nel agreed, returning the smile.
"Now then," the doctor announced, standing up. "why don't we see to getting some nourishment inside you?"
Nel could feel her stomach agreeing with the sentiments. "That would be appreciated. Do you handle cooking duties on this ship as well?"
"Not exactly." Crossing the room to a hollowed-out section of the wall, the doctor tapped several coloured patches with numbers written on them. In response, the hollowed-out section began to glow. "We have a little device called a 'food synthesizer' that handles that chore."
Nel watched, forcing herself to keep quiet, rather then ask the obvious question.
"So," the doctor inquired with a smile, "how does filet mignon sound to you?"
Twenty minutes later, Nel had come to another conclusion. For all the energy weapons, bizarre flying ships, mass destruction, and general confusion surrounding these 'other worlds', being able to create fully-cooked, prime-grade cuts of beef and fresh vegetables appear from a hole in the wall was helping to make up for some of it. Not to mention the fact that it could apparently make the dirty dishes disappear afterwards.
"And this... 'food synthesizer' can prepare any food?"
The doctor looked thoughtful as she daintily sipped at a cup of tea. "Well, it has its limits, but its menu is fairly diverse. In a lot of cases, I find it lacks a homemade touch to what it makes. Nutritionally, it's quite fine, but it's not quite fit for a really upscale restaurant."
Considering that some of the food she'd been forced to subsist on during the wartime probably hadn't been fit for cattle, Nel didn't see any cause to complain. "I see."
"Did you want something else to eat?"
"No, I'm quite fine now, thanks."
"Suit yourself. But your body is still recovering, so make sure you eat regularly. And drink lots of fluids as well, understand?"
"Understood," Nel assured her, glad to know that some medicine never went obsolete. "I will be sure to do so."
"Good. That said, if you'd like, you can go see your friends. There really isn't any reason to keep you shut up in here any longer, and I'm sure a little walking would do you some good after being bedridden."
"I could use a stretch," Nel admitted, easing herself off the bed. It was with some relief that her legs, while still weak, no longer threatened to collapse underneath her. "Are they close by?"
The doctor nodded, pointing towards one of the doorways. "The computer says that they're all in Fayt's quarters. Just head out through that doorway, turn left, and it's the third doorway on your right. Just make sure you take it easy for the next day or two."
Nel nodded slowly, memorizing the directions. She wasn't sure how to interpret the lack of escort, but assumed that it was simply an indication of the fact that she was considered a friend. And if she was truly on the 'ship' and it was flying, it wasn't as though she could wander very far off-course in the first place, right?
"Thank-you."
Conveniently, the doors slid apart and closed again afterwards for her, just as she'd seen them do for Cliff and Maria earlier. As disconcerting as it was to have something happen without being bidden, Nel idly wondered if something like that could be arranged back home... some sort of runic detection spell, perhaps...
The ship felt different now too, now that she had stepped out into what appeared to be a hallway. In fact, it had been noticeable the minute she'd left the medical bay, the floor suddenly pulsing with a faint, but alien energy. Her hearing could pick up noise now, sounding like nothing so much as a quiet, sustained, roaring noise. Like a roaring blacksmith's furnace, when the smith was furiously pumping the bellows. Perhaps the medical room had been intended to insulate against the true nature of the ship, but now that she had left it behind...
It felt like power, Nel decided, with a capital 'P'. The kind of Power that allowed giant ships to effortlessly levitate in the air, safely protected against even super-weapons like the Thunder Arrow, all the while poised to rain down destruction on the ground below...
Unbidden, an almost giddy smile crept to her face. This was what flying in a Celestial Ship was supposed to feel like! And what would the world look like from this high up? Would Castle Aquaria look like a child's toy? The Mosel Desert like a sandbox? The Traum Mountains like a pile of rocks?
A window, then. Surely a ship would have windows somewhere, if only so that the captain could see where his ship was heading...
It took only a cursory inspection of the corridor before her eyes spotted what she was looking for. A large, full-height window, almost as wide as the wall of her quarters back home. From her angle all she could see was blackness, but it would hardly surprise her to know that it was nighttime by now. Inconvenient, but surely she could still make out some details on the ground below...
Nel walked up to the window and peered out eagerly... this time, despite her best efforts, she actually gaped openly. "By Apris..."
Up, down, to her sides, everywhere, was a veritable sea of blackness. A sea of blackness filled with hundreds of points of light, looking like a bolder, far more intense version of a star-filled sky. Nel had looked up into many cloudless nights, quite able to appreciate the simple beauty of a star-filled sky (even if she lacked the inclination to wax romantic), but this outstripped anything she had seen previous by a wide margin.
But even more bizarre was the fact that she could see no ground below her. Even when she strained to see directly below the window, there was nothing but more stars to be seen. It was almost as though she was lying down and staring up at the sky, except that she knew she was standing up and looking outwards. Right?
Another window then, against a different wall. Further down the corridor, a suitable window presented itself, at a right angle to the one she was presently using. Even if this flying ship was somehow rotating her world by ninety degrees, it stood to reason that looking through another window would allow the ground to be seen. Although Nel couldn't help but wonder what direction she would have to look to see the ground...
Defying all logic, there wasn't any ground to be seen in this window, either. What was present occupied a great deal of the scene, and like everything else on this ship, was most definitely new to her. It seemed to float in the sky, super-imposed over the clusters of stars, and despite the lack of perspective, Nel couldn't help but get a sense of... size. Lots of it.
It was spherical, that much was obvious, but Nel would have been hard-pressed to adequately describe it to another person. There was a great deal of blue and brown and green randomly splashed all over it's shape, but many areas appeared to be overlaid with a white-grey, transparent-looking colouring. And the very top and bottom of the sphere were almost completely white... It was strange, but at the same time, somehow very natural-looking.
She was missing something, Nel was certain. A crucial puzzle piece, that would allow the final product to be identified. Something that would make this whole picture make sense...
So distracted was she, that she didn't hear the passing footsteps until they were directly behind her. Turning quickly, she came face to face with a man she didn't recognize, but who's clothing suggested that he was probably a member of the ship's crew.
Nel opened her mouth to ask a question, but the man didn't appear to be paying her much notice, giving the scene out the window an offhand glance.
"Huh," he muttered, more to himself than anyone nearby, "I guess we're still in orbit around Elicoor II."
Nel's jaw slammed shut again, even as her eyes widened, even as the man innocently strode off to parts unknown. In fact, she thought she could feel her entire body beginning to grow numb.
Elicoor II?
Slowly, with an interesting mix of horror and anticipation written on her face, she forced herself to look out the window again.
The sphere was still there. With its rather strange, yet natural-looking colour scheme.
Its earthy and sandy-looking browns...
Its grassy and foresty-looking greens...
Its watery-looking blues...
Its icy-looking whites...
Overlaid with its cloudy-looking transparencies...
Elicoor II. The same name that Fayt and his friends had occasionally used to refer to the world they were visiting.
"Apris..." Nel whispered again, feeling her knees beginning to weaken.
It was her entire world, she realized, looking small enough to fit in her bedroom. Even now, her mind was beginning to draw correlations between the pictures she'd seen in maps and what she was seeing before her. The continents of Gaitt and Greeton. The Inland and Greater seas. The Northern and Southern icelands...
She would, Nel knew, never look at a globe in the same way again. She had earlier deduced that other worlds could be reached by flying high enough, but now understood the issue far better. You didn't travel up to leave the world, you traveled away. And, as ludicrous as the idea would have sounded five minutes ago, eventually you moved so far away that the world was nothing more than a highly realistic globe to look at.
The gleeful smile she had worn earlier was now resurfacing, despite her best efforts. She had actually left her world! Even riding the Marquis was child's play compared to this! And to tell this story to Claire and Adray upon returning again...
...almost immediately, her smile began to dim, as did the adrenaline rush that had surfaced so quickly. She would, of course, be returning to her world. Now that her injury was healed, there was no reason to overstay her welcome, and they were probably bending rules just by letting her on board in the first place.
Nel sighed regretfully. Just the same, to have been given just a glimpse... and be forced to leave it behind again? How many years would she spend, always wondering what else there might have been to see, if she'd just traveled a little further from her own world? Telling those around her about what she had seen, but being forced to admit that it had only been the tiniest glimpse?
The room with her friends in it was simple enough to locate, despite her brief detour. After all, you didn't infiltrate Airyglyph military installations unless you were good with directions. Or, to be more accurate, you didn't make it back out again afterwards, unless you were good.
Partially out of habit, and partially (though she would never admit it) out of nervousness, Nel allowed herself to lean against the wall next to the door. She could hear some familiar voices inside, most notable being Maria giving Fayt a verbal dressing-down regarding recent events. It appeared that the group was done with Elicoor II, but they were now heading towards another place called 'Moonbase'.
The literal explanation for such a name was also a highly improbable one - almost as improbable as the existence of other worlds and giant flying ships that could travel between them. The logical premise was that, among many other things, people had figured out how to build bases on their moons. And they were planning to travel to one now...
Claire's earlier words echoed in her mind, telling her to be on the lookout for new opportunities when they were presented. And as unlikely an opportunity as this was, Nel knew she'd regret it to her dying day if she didn't at least try...
Steeling herself, Nel stepped in front of the doorway, allowing it to automatically slide open for her. Even as every face in the room immediately turned to face her, she willed any scraps of confidence to make themselves shown when it counted. All they could do was say no, she told herself. And they might say yes...
Casually leaning against the doorway, she gave them all a smile. "Moon... base? Sounds interesting."
end