Star Ocean: The Novel
Chapter 6: Welcome to URTH
It had been several weeks since Dorn had turned to stone and the Calnus continued on its way to the planet the Humans called Earth. Milly and Ratix had begun to get used to the strange, new things the ship had provided. Ratix continued to train on the Holodeck, but no matter how much he practiced, the Impossible Fight lived up to its name… That angel was too much for Ratix no matter how hard he tried.
As for Milly, she was busy learning how to use the devices the Earthlings called computers. While she was learning much, the keyboard, as it was called was a little unwieldy, an learning the home key stuff was nearly impossible. So she began to type with what the earthlings called the Hunt and Peck Method. Usually she just stuck to playing card games on the thing, at least the Earthlings had SOMETHING familiar enough on these things. But she was starting to get used to using them now.
Ronixis seemed quite engrossed in his duties ever since Dorn's succumbing to the disease. But in actuality, he was quite worried, not just for the people of Roak, but the Federation as well. Whatever Resonia was planning, it had to be big. It could quite possibly jeopardize everything that the people of Earth had worked for, to make up for their mistakes in the past. Plus, there was… her. Even now, he continued to think of her. This new disease was eerily familiar to that…
Like Ronixis, Iria was quite worried about the same things as he was. She also knew something else was up with him…. Probably something to do with what happened to his late wife. This disease had to remind him of what happened to her back then, she thought.
At this moment, Ratix was once again trying to beat the angel from the holodeck, but once again he failed miserably, as the angel laughed at him before the program shut down. Milly was attempting once again to memorize the home row keys, she was finally making some progress with it. Suddenly, they got a call from Ronixis to come to the bridge, and they immediately obeyed.
In fact, they arrived at the same exact time.
"Wonder if this means we're to that Earth place yet…" Milly said.
"Who knows," Ratix answered "But any news is good news."
"Ah, there you two are." Ronixis said, getting up from his chair "We'll be entering Earth orbit pretty soon, so just sit tight."
"Gotcha."
The two looked at the viewscreen as a big, blue, white and brown planet came into view.
"So, this is Earth?" Milly asked.
"Yes, yes it is." Ronixis replied "It's quite lovely, wouldn't you say?"
"Yeah, it is."
"It used to be a lot more beautiful, though," Ronixis said with a sigh and a frown.
"Hard to believe there were more places like our own in that big ocean of stars," Ratix said "But now that I've seen it for myself, it isn't that hard to believe."
"Hey, what's that!" Milly squeaked, pointing at something on the screen…. Only to the Earthlings, there was nothing there.
"What do you mean?" Ronixis asked "I don't see--"
And, then, that's when a few ships suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Those are Resonian ships!" cried one of the workers.
"How could they have--" Ronixis grumbled.
"No space distortions or anything…. They just suddenly appeared. They weren't on the radar or anything, so how could they have appeared from nowhere?"
"Invisible matter!" Iria said with realization "That's what they were up to with the Roakians…."
"Indeed, it was one of the possibilities the Doctor came up with," Ronixis stated as a beep came "Hmm, they're hailing us. Open a channel to the flagship and get it onscreen!"
"On it," said another one of the workers. The screen changed from that of the view into space to what appeared to be the bridge of another ship. On the screen were a pair of strange men in white. These men were stout and seemed to have no hair to speak of, with childish heads and beady looking eyes.
"State your business."
"We are ambassadors of the planet of Resonia and the Resonian Empire," said the one on the right.
"And we would like to talk with you as soon as we can," said the left one "We come here in peace, not in war like originally intended when we started this project."
"Alright, we'll be waiting for you at Federation headquarters." Ronixis said, as the connection was closed.
"Well, we certainly dodged a bullet there," Iria said "Could you imagine if they didn't change their minds? They could possibly have completely obliterated the Federation…"
"We'll have to see what they have to say first. Full speed ahead to the Federation HQ!"
"Aye aye!" replied the pilot.
Earth Federation Headquarters
Ronixis, Iria, Ratix, and Milly sat on one side of the table, while the Resonian ambassadors and their guards sat at the other. At the top end sat the commander of the Federation and his guards.
"So, you've come to talk peace, have you?" asked the commander.
"Yes, yes we have," said one ambassador "The people who gave us the virus and the formula for the Invisible Matter Cloaking technology are the ones responsible for the incident on Roak."
"You're the ones who dropped the weapons on Roak, though," Iria said "Therefore, you are as responsible as whoever these other people are… if there are any other people."
"Quite right," replied the other ambassador "However, there really is a third party involved. They preyed on our feelings for the Federation from during and after we lost the war. They are highly advanced, maybe even moreso than us or you."
"I see…" Ronixis said quietly, as he continued to listen to what the Resonian ambassadors had to say.
"When we tried not to comply, they threatened us," sighed the first ambassador "Their technology was advanced enough for us to realize that if we resisted, they could have destroyed us. So we went along with the idea, not only because we felt threatened, but because we wanted to even the score from our loss to you. However, after we perfected the technology and handed some of it to them, they stopped contacting us, and this is when we decided to chance contacting you about this grave matter."
"Telling us all this is reassuring," the commander said "But it's not enough. You broke the laws of the Treaty to accomplish your original goal. However, turning over information on this mystery group and the virus would possibly make things much better for you."
"The only thing we know about the mystery group," the second ambassador said "Is that they are highly advanced, and that they said that they came from a planet called Fargett."
"Never heard of that planet," Iria said "I guess it's one we have not discovered yet. Probably out of our current reach."
"Yes, that would make sense," Ronixis said "Their technology is probably advanced enough for them to create wormholes and the like to faraway places. Wormhole technology, as you know, is still being studied and tested within the Federation and its allies to no success at this point in time."
"And what about the original owner of the virus?" the commander asked "Where can they be found?"
"They, well, they can't." the first ambassador replied with a sigh and frown "The Fargett people acquired the virus from the original host three centuries ago, from what they said. The original owner has long since died. According to them, however, the original host was from Roak. But only they know the identity of the host. We were never told anything else…"
"Then it appears there is nothing we can do about what has happened. With the source of the virus long dead, it appears… we will have to abandon our concerns with Roak. It is a sad turn of events, but…"
When Ratix heard this, he was angry. Infuriated, even.
"What do you MEAN, abandon Roak!" he howled, rushing at the commander, but was held back by his guards AND Ronixis and Iria. "You're just going to ABANDON us after you promised to help!"
"There's nothing we can do, Ratix." Iria sighed "We're terribly sorry."
"No… DAMN IT!" Ratix hissed as he fell to the floor "Damn it…"
Milly was very close to tears at this point, but she managed to keep from crying and sighed, looking at Ratix sadly. Dorn was gone, and they couldn't go back. It was useless to cry or protest.
A little while later, the group was left by themselves again. Both Milly and Ratix said nothing, and just sat there, looking glum. Ronixis sighed, and stood up.
"Well." he began "Guess you two will have to assimilate into being on Earth now. According to our laws and systems, the both of you are still of schooling age. You will have to be enrolled in school, and… well, you might have to be taken into custody by guardians of some sort."
Both just looked at him with tired and empty eyes.
He sighed. "And, well, it may not be together, and maybe not even close to each other. From what you've said, you lived in a small town, right? Well, this is a gigantic city. You may wind up on opposite sides, and might not even get into the same school. And, well, I don't think time that far apart would be best as of right now."
"So… we might not see each other for weeks, if not months?" Ratix finally spoke up.
"Afraid so, Ratix."
"Is there any way… you can keep that from happening?" Milly asked "I mean, you are pretty important, or so I've seen. Is there a chance you can keep that from happening?"
"Really, Captain, she does have a point," Iria said, walking in "You do have the authority to do so, you know."
Ronixis nodded. "That's true. We might go up before a court, though. You know how things can be with the bureaucrats."
Iria giggled "For someone who's authoritative, you sure can be quite the opposite sometimes."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a regular James T. Kirk."
Iria laughed out loud, pounding her hand on the desk, and the Fellpools just blinked in confusion, before adding fake laughter. Even Ronixis laughed.
But then he want serious.
"Seriously, though, that might just happen. But… I'll see what I can do in any case. I can't promise anything, though, but we may be able to at least get you in the same school."
"Couldn't you be our guardians?" Milly asked suddenly "You've looked after us pretty well so far, and, well, I really wouldn't feel comfortable with strangers."
"Yeah," Ratix said with a nod "We really couldn't be with anyone else. Could get used to it, I suppose, but… I'd rather be with you guys."
Iria looked at them incredulously.
"Uhh, well, I dunno about that. That would be a tough thing to get. Being in the same school's a lot easier than that. Besides, I and the Captain don't live together when we're off duty. And, well, I don't have the room for two teenagers…"
"In any case, we should try and ask for that, anyway," Ronixis replied "No promises, but… We'll try. I'll send a request to see the court right away."
And with that, he sauntered out the door, the other three following.
It didn't take long, however, and thy were able to see the court immediately. After much arguments and points from both sides of the case, a conclusion was reached. Ratix and Milly would go to the same school, and it would be tried for them to get most of their classes with each other. As for living arrangements, the court ruled that they would be wards of the state, and therefore they could be taken care of by authority figures. Which meant Ronixis and Iria would be their guardians. Ratix would go with Ronixis, and Milly with Iria, much to Ronixis' amusement and Iria's bemusement. Well, at least she'd only have to take care of one, and another female to be precise, so it evened out alright.
Soon after that, Iria and Ronixis now settled for their places of residence, taking their corresponding Fellpool wards with them. Interestingly enough, the two didn't live very far from each other at all, just a couple blocks. Iria found this amusing, Ronixis just found it coincidental.
It didn't take long to settle in to their new places of residence, Iria had a small apartment, but there was enough room to harbor Milly, as for Ratix, Ronixis' house was fairly large, it appeared that someone else had lived with him some time ago, but Ronixis didn't seem to like discussing it.
After about a week or so, the two Roakians were finally enrolled in school. It was a strange place to be, and getting used to it would probably take a while… But as luck would have it, something else would soon come up…
Outside the School
"I never thought it would come to this," Milly said with a sigh, her tail frizzing a little "Getting an education in some building instead of at home like we would on Roak… Guess parents don't teach their kids here, they have others do it for them."
"Yeah, I guess so," Ratix said, his head hung over his books "Normal, boring life once again. Different place, different way, same old thing."
"Well, at least we can be ourselves when we get home. And with Iria and Ronixis, too."
"Yeah, I guess. I still think about our families and Dorn…"
"Yeah, me, too. But there's nothing we can do about it now…"
Ratix frowned. "I wish there was. I really wish there was."
And that's when they got to the set of apartments that Iria, and now Milly called home. However, before they could go inside the complex, out came Iria in a green blouse and black jeans
"There you two are!" she said with a smile "How was your second day of school?"
"It was fine," Ratix said unevenly "But what are you doing out here, Iria?"
"Oh! The Capt-- err, Ronixis, wants to meet us all at the café down the street. He says he may have found something to help."
Café Federate, the aforementioned café, was pretty much their meeting ground and place for general chitchat, though serious things did get discussed every once in a while. It sure looked as if this was going to be one of those serious days.
"Then, let's go," Milly said.
Both Ratix and Iria nodded as they left for the café.
Café Federate
The three were greeted by Ronixis and they sat down quickly and ordered their drinks.
"So, what did you want to talk to us about?" Iria asked.
"It's about Roak and the virus," Ronixis said "Do you want to hear it?"
"Yes, but, it's rather impossible to do anything about it now. Without the original host, there's nothing we can do."
"Not impossible. Just rather improbable. There IS a way for us to search for the host."
At that moment, the drinks came. Coffee for the earthlings, a glass of iced tea for Ratix, and a strawberry smoothie for Milly.
"I don't know what you mean, Captain," Iria said, taking a sip of her coffee "How are we supposed to go back in t… Captain, you better not be thinking of what I think you are! You know going THERE is forbidden by the Federation!"
"Maybe so," Ronixis replied "But it might be our only chance of finding the host, obtaining their blood, creating the serum and saving Roak."
"Captain, you don't know what you're saying…"
"I say we do it, whatever it is," Ratix said suddenly "If it gives us a chance to save mine and Milly's planet, then we should try, at least."
"Yeah!" Milly replied "If it will end all of this suffering, we should do it. Well, whatever 'it' is."
"There was a planet that was discovered through an attempt at deep space exploration…" Ronixis began "There we found some ruins that were definitely not made by anyone we had even known of. It turned out that there was a device there that could create gates through time, but only for the right reasons. Going there was made forbidden so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Only the Earth Federation's military even knows about it."
"Planet Styx," Iria said "Ironically named as the gate supposedly goes to the 'other side'. The Captain has a point. It could be our only hope. But you do realize that the officials probably wouldn't let us go there."
"Then we'll just have to go there without their permission."
Iria's eyes bulged. "And face a court marshal for doing it? Captain…"
"You do know that if we succeed, the Federation would overlook our actions."
"Alright, alright, let's go then," Iria groaned in defeat "Let's finish up here, get dressed in our regular clothes, and to the Calnus. It's worth a shot."
Milly and Ratix looked at each other and smiled. So there was a way after all.
Federation HQ
Back in their old clothes, Ratix and Milly followed behind the once again uniformed Ronixis and Iria as they went on through the halls to the port and the waiting Calnus. As soon as they got to the entrance to the port, two guards were waiting.
"Captain Kenni and Vice Captain Silvestoli, what brings you here?" asked one.
"Oh, we're just here to check up on the Calnus," Ronixis answered "Nothing major."
"Well, according to our reports, the inspection teams say everything is a-OK."
"Still, I'd like to check myself."
"Okay, sir, you can pass."
"Thank you," Ronixis responded with a nod, as the two guards let the four through.
"Wonder what that was all about?" the second guard answered.
"Ah, probably just what he said. There's no other reason they'd go there, is there?"
"That's true. It's probably nothing."
After more traveling and views of other ships, the group arrived at the entry point of the Calnus, where one of the technicians was pacing around.
"Captain Kenni, what are you doing here?" he asked, a bit befuddled "I don't remember the Calnus being ready for any departures or anything…."
"Routine check," Iria said "We won't be long."
"Uh, right. Go on in."
Quickly, the group got themselves to the bridge.
"Alright, let's get going," Ronixis said, sitting in his personal chair while Iria took to one of the side consoles "It will take us a few more weeks to get to Styx, but it will be worth it."
"Will everything be alright?" Ratix asked with concern.
"The computers will handle everything."
"Right. Well, I'm going to the holodeck.."
"I'll stay here and try to learn more about these computers," Milly said with a grin "I've discovered so little already, and learning more is a must."
Ratix chuckled to himself and made an exit. There was hope for everything to work out after all. He felt good for the first real time in forever. Now if only he could beat that program.
Soon enough, the Calnus took off, leaving the guards and crew bewildered. And soon, it was on its way to the world known simply as Styx.
Planet Styx
It took shorter than expected to get to Styx, about the same time as between Earth and Roak. Styx was quite small, only about the size of the Earth moon. It was barren, save the wisps of clouds and loud, whipping winds there, and the large device at the north pole.
"This is it," Ronixis said, pointing to the large device. It had steps going up to it, a large black circular thing, surrounded by walls on half of it, and a strange roof. The thing was engraved with many strange runes and symbols as well "This is the secret of Planet Styx… The time gate.."
"So if we go through here, we'll be able to get to Roak as it was three centuries ago?" Ratix asked, looking the device over.
"Pretty much," Iria replied "But will it let us do what we want to do?"
"Only one way to find out," Ronixis said, before raising his voice "Guardian of the gate! Hear our plea!"
"What is it that you desire?" an eerie, disembodied voice replied "What do you desire of me, the Guardian of the Gate of Time?"
"We want to go to planet Roak, as it existed three hundred years ago. It's the only way to save its people at this point in time."
"Hmm. Your mind and spirit says you speak the truth. Your intentions are noble enough. I will let you through, but only on the condition that all devices of advancement and aggression, save your translation devices will not be going with you. Do you accept my terms?"
Quickly, they shed their weapons and technological advancements. After his was done, the platform clicked, and the outer walls began to turn themselves, and soon a loud whistle sounded as a round, but octagon-shaped portal flew open, swirling a mixture of blues, blacks, and purples. The group looked on in awe for a few minutes before continuing on. Ronixis and Milly went in first, and then Ratix and Iria followed. However, as Iria walked up the steps, she tripped, and Ratix pulled her back up.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine." she replied, brushing herself off.
And then, they went into the portal after their partners. They fell through what seemed like an eternity of blue, black, and purple waves, and then it ended with a loud whistle and thud, as they slipped out of consciousness.
After what seemed like forever, Ratix finally came to and pulled himself up. It appeared he was on a very familiar beach. It was, indeed, the beach south of Clatos that he used to go to as a kid. It looked a bit more rocky and messy, but otherwise it was fine. Also, it appeared that it was nighttime. Quickly, he looked around a bit, and found Iria, who woke up after a poke with his foot.
"Did… did we make it?" she muttered, getting up.
"As far as I can tell," Ratix said "Yes. We made it. But where are Ronixis and Milly?"
"They went in first," Iria groaned "When I tripped, it must have changed something for us. Who knows where they wound up? They could be anywhere on Roak, you know."
"Well, the only thing we can do is go and look for them before we find the host of that virus. That should be our top priority."
"Too true. I suppose we should get going."
"If I'm right, Clatos should be about thirty minutes north from here. Back 300 years ago, it was just a small village, surrounded by trees, I think. Used to grow lots of apples and stuff."
"Well, then, let's get moving."
Ratix nodded, and they began to walk north. After about thirty minutes, they reached the gate to Clatos Village just as the dawn broke. Little did they know that this was but the start of an enormous adventure full of revelations, new friends, new enemies, and old ones as well. So out of the frying pan, and into the fire they went.
To Be Continued
Author's Notes
Well, that took me a while! Writer's block, edits, illegal ops of Microsoft Works, not being able to fit writing in my schedule, and forgetting to save constantly all factored in to this terribly long wait. Hopefully, this won't happen again, at least for a while. Next up is going to be a rather short and silly chapter. If you've played the game, you'll know why. Also, if you've played the game all the way through, you probably noticed the reference to something much later in the game in the title of this chapter. As to what that is, I'm not saying. You'll have to figure it for yourselves, cadets. ;)