A/N: Hey people!! I still hope your with me, its been a little longer than my usual updates, but school is starting up again. Plus I have soccer which keeps me pretty busy, but nevertheless, on with the show!! Oh yeah, I want more reviews!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean


Chapter 10: The Other Side of Things

Indalecio casually paced down the hall of the 'Prison Cube'. The building was literally a big cube-shaped building between the Planetary Defense Building and the Federal Tower. It was a high tech prison cell the Federation had built about a year ago. He quickened his pace and casually greeted a guard that was on 'patrol'. The guard stuttered a response at the god-like figure.

Indalecio laughed to himself and resumed his pace down the hall. He passed numerous cells, most of its inhabitants asleep. Those awake casually eyed him, but soon lost interest. He continued down the hall then he turned left. He spotted two familiar people down the hall.

"Jyril, Cyril, did you get the key cards?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did, so these are the two?" Cyril asked. He peered inside the cell. Two females lay asleep within. One brunette and one blue-headed one lay peacefully on their beds.

"Indalecio, why didn't we capture the third one?" Jyril asked.

"Honestly? That one was the most powerful one. I analyzed all of their structures from the Moonbase computer. His power is triggered the most by rage, and I figured the capture of his companion would enrage him. And you saw for yourself the destruction the kid wrecked on us. Although I'm confident I could've taken him…I didn't feel it necessary yet for our enemies to see my…face yet."

"Umm ok, but I mean.." Indalecio noticed his companion's confusion.

"The only way I could get the kid was if I killed him, and we need him alive. So I figured why not gather reinforcements before trying to take him?"

"And reinforcements meaning…the rest of us?" Jyril asked.

"Correct, but unfortunately I need all of them to full resurrect us, so I'll only be able to restore a fraction of us, and they won't be at full strength. But they will still be worthy fighters."

"OK, so shall we?" Cyril asked. He waved the card on front of the scanner on the side. The machine beeped, and the energy barrier hummed as it was dropped. They walked in and Indalecio looked at the two. He rose and pointed his hand toward Maria. A symbol appeared on his palm, it was crimson red as if it was burned into his skin. Energy flowed from the hand and created an energy bubble around her. He turned to Sophia and did the same. The two men lifted the two and they walked out of the cell.

The two were left suspending in the bubbles, as if nothing would arouse them. Their faces were peaceful as they were 2 minutes ago. Indalecio led his men out the building. The guards didn't dare question their Grand General's actions.

"Indalecio, how are we gonna keep them a secret from Nede?"

"We don't need to, I already told him that I'm transferring them, that I need to begin the process. Of course his greedy self agreed. As far as he is concerned the more of us, is better for him. He believes he controls us or something," Indalecio replied arrogantly.

"Oh."

"That fool is playing perfectly into my hands, I can probably restore Berle and 4 more, if we're lucky. I only need 5 of us to stage the coup on him."

"Why is that?" Jyril asked.

"Well, it is simple, the soldiers all know how powerful we are. I am confident that if there are at least 5 of us, we'll have enough."

"Uh-huh," Jyril said unconvinced. "Whatever boss, there isn't a thing conscious on this planet that could kill us."

"Err Jyril what about those brats?"

"You mean the kids? I said unconscious right? They are asleep right now do they don't count, you bonehead!!"

"No need to get angry jeez," Cyril replied.

"Hush up! You two are giving me a headache!" Indalecio yelled. They re-entered the Federal Tower. They didn't need any type of registration to get in and out of the building. They're presence was enough, and they scared every soldier. Not even King Nede commanded that much respect over his men.

They took the executive elevator all the way to the top to Indalecio's room/laboratory. The Federal Tower was a very tall building, It was a thin tower, which almost reached the clouds. At the top there was a circular disk. It was capped with a tall spire, where one could actually climb to. Due to stabilization and climate control, someone could easily spend an afternoon up there.

The circular disk at the top was considered the 'Penthouse' level. There were two large levels, excluding the spire. The ranking officials within the new Nedian government resided there. The President and her advisors use to occupy the top however, things changed. King Nede's Royal Chamber is situated on the top level of the disk, and he spends most his time up there.

Indalecio instructed his men to put them in a holding cell once more. This cell was less pleasant than their previous one. There were no beds, only walls, there was however, a toilet. Jyril turned on the energy barrier to lock them in. Indalecio's room was quite big, shaped like a circle. There were sort of two levels. The first level included a kitchen, TV home theater and two bathrooms on the side. Then there was a small black walkway above them that circled around the room. There was a small staircase that led up there, which allowed access to the bedrooms. 10 in total.

This particular room once belonged to the Financial Advisor of the President. He had 6 kids, and his parents lived with them. Indalecio kicked them out ruthlessly on the street, and weren't faring so well. Rumor has it, that he joined some sort of Rebel Group. But, we know all about rumors.

"Hey boss is this all you want me to do for now?" Jyril asked.

"Yes, I still need to prepare the machine, and have one of Nede's scientists to check my work to make sure it'll work properly," he replied. He didn't even glance over as he rummaged through some things. Jyril shrugged and threw himself on the couch to watch some TV.


Mirage carried a briefcase and wore a crisp suit, it looked brand new to be honest. Lancar walked beside her, he had a rifle slung over his shoulder. He had a grim look on his face, and it didn't falter. They walked in a sandy Spaceport on Expel. They had just landed on the planet with the Valence Ion, a ship with a name that only Mirage would give. They left the Diplo in orbit above Expel, in case Cliff and the others arrived. She had business to attend to.

They kept walking through the bustling Spaceport of Manilo, there was also a very busy Marketplace. Mirage looked very out of place among the scruffy gentlemen that wore heavy garbs to protect their skin from the hot sun. Their dark faces could be seen, with very solemn eyes. The women, had the same look about themselves.

Mirage just kept on walking, without looking at anyone. She quickened her pace darting and dodging between the Marketplace people. Lancar, who bulky and big in size, had some trouble keeping up with her. The scene of clay and cement houses changed to more open desert. There was a modern looking building down past the Marketplace.

It was actually their destination, it was simply a government building. It was a place where offcials met outside their capital city, where the palace was. Few people that didn't live in Expel's capital city, City of Kenni, ever saw it. Kenni, being named after the Hero of Light, who had coincidentally helped defeat the 10 Wise Men a long time ago.

The building was very simple, rectangular and then another rectangle connected to the other. It formed a 'T' shape, and the windows on the outside were black and shiny. Mirage had to shield her eyes because the sun's reflection was so bright. Lancar who was already wearing shades, covered his eyes all the same. They entered the sliding door and went through the security check. Lancar gave up his rifle and received a tag to get it back later.

Mirage spotted a sign that labeled all the rooms in the building. She had agreed to meet with her clients in room 456. She ran her finger down the list and found it, and figured out where it should be. She nodded and gestured for Lancar to follow her.

"We're late," Lancar said as he checked his watch.

"It's fine, I told them we might be a little late," she replied. They exited the main lobby and went down the left hall, to the transporters. She asked the aid, which transporter would lead them to the right place. The aid pointed to the far one at the end of the row on the left. Mirage thanked her and walked in.

She felt the sensation of teleportation and shuddered when she walked out. She hated the feeling of being transported. Her stomach always did a backflip, despite the numerous times she had done it.

Mirage continued down the hall they appeared in and began seeing doors. She began reading the door numbers.

"453…454…455…456, here we are!" she said and turned the knob. She walked in first and held it open for Lancar. They walked into the room, which looked very much like a conference room. There was a long black table, with very comfy looking chairs lined around them.

Three other people occupied the room. There was one Vendeeni officer, judging her badges. She looked female also, her face wasn't as aggressive-looking as a male's. Then there was an Aldian. Most Aldians were blonde and had blue eyes. Their features very graceful and much more finer than human traits. They looked a little like the mythical elves in human fairy tales, in Mirage's opinion.

Then there was an Expellian official, no notable features that differentiated them from Earthlings. They all looked in wonder at Mirage and Lancar, as they took their respective seats.

"Captain Mirage, it is good to see you again," the Aldian said as he stretched a hand out to her.

"Captain Gordon, the pleasure is all mine," Mirage said sweetly as she shook his. She offered her hand to the Vendeeni and she apprehensively shook it. "Commander Wifra, it is also good to actually meet you and Gordon in person."

"Yes well, it is also nice to see you in person," Wifra said, a bit sourly.

Mirage shook hands with the Expellian official, who was very gracious. She cleared her throat and put the briefcase on the desk. "So I trust that you all have pondered my proposal," she asked.

The others looked at her and scratched their heads. Wifra cleared her throat, the Espellian looked at her. "I don't know about these two but to be honest your proposal…puts us in a difficult situation. I'm sure you understand why we would have…difficulty accepting your terms," he said slowly.

"I'm not sure I catch your meaning, please elaborate," she replied. However, Mirage knew quite well what he had meant.

"I know that the Nedian influence will eventually reach us, and that fighting back would be our only hope of freedom. But…what chance do we actually have of winning? Living under their corrupt regime might be better than living as traitorous slaves if we fail. Although our king hasn't decided yet and nothing is certain, I cannot say that he would gamble with his people's lives like that," the Expellian explained.

"B-But, you have to understand. The Nedian's will be just as aggressive, regardless if you help us fight or not!" Mirage yelled.

"P-Please, understand! This is hard for us, you can't be sure as to what they would do. But I assure you, at the moment the king is indifferent about the subject and is still considering it," he said strictly.

"I-I understand, pardon my rash behavior. I must respect your decision, whatever it may be. I acknowledge that a government must first consider all factors and its people first," she said and bowed to him.

The Expellian's espression softened, and he smiled. "I, will try to persuade my king to help you in your campaign. Although I am only one of his many advisors, he holds my opinion in high regard," the man said proudly.

"Thank you very much," she said. The Expellian returned her smile and made a note on his datapad.

Captain Gordon turned to her and smiled. "You already know that Wifra and I agreed, if you remember our last video conference."

"Yes, and I gratefully thank you for joining us," Mirage replied and smiled, She ran a hand through her hair. On the inside she felt very discouraged. Her whole plan was based on the support of Expel. Only the combined technology of all their races could hope to stand up to the Nedians.

She was really hoping for the Expellian's advanced shielding using Crystal Gemenite. The Gemenite was a rare type of it's specimen that could only be found on Expel. Then the newly developed Hyperion Cannons, stronger than Creation Energy was another thing she hoped for. The Hyperion Cannons had actually defended them from the Executioners. A weapon that effective, was something worth having.

She thanked the Nedian official for his time and walked out of the room, with Lancar behind her. Wifra and Gordon stayed behind to talk a bit more with the Expellian man. She heard them talking about Lunch. She laughed and hoped that they could somehow sway the man to convince his king.

She shook her head and headed back to the lobby and outside back to the Spaceport. Lancar retrieved his rifle and ran back toward Mirage.

"Bummer huh? We really needed them," Lancar said.

"Yeah, I don't see why they are hesitant. If they fight, they may fail, but at least no one can say they didn't try. If they don't do anything, they will be enslaved all the same. The Nedians' retribution will be painful and quick all the same, no matter their choice of action," Mirage said angrily. They made their way through the busy Marketplace once more, on route to the Spaceport.

"Good news though," Lancar started.

"Why?" Mirage asked. How could not having Expel as an ally be good news?

"Lieber just got back from negotiating with the Central Klausian Government on Klaus IV."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that!! Did he contact Cliff's dad on the head council?"

"Yeah he did."

"So what did he say?" Mirage asked. She began to smile again, confident that the answer would be 'yes'.

"Well naturally they said yes, no Klausian likes to be pushed around. So when the council heard that they would be enslaved, all hell broke lose. The council went crazy, they were ready to send every able ship in the Klausian Navy to attack at that instant," Lancar laughed.

"Well that is good news, Klausian ships might not be powerful but they can take a hell of a beating. And they are big too."

"Built like a Klausian right? Big and Strong?" Lancar asked.

"Definitely, now come on we gotta head back to the Diplo. For now we're going to have to wait for our audience with the king in a week. Let us hope that he will see things as we do," Mirage said hopefully. Lancar nodded and they headed to the platform where they had landed the Valence Ion. The deck officer checked them out and allowed them to take off in 30 minutes. There were three other ships leaving before them.

"Alright Lancar run your pre-flight check and we'll be outta here in no time," Mirage said. Lancar exited the ship to check the outside and refuel the thing. Mirage began doing the on-board prep. She turned on the main screen, the data flashed and a bunch of complicated numbers flashed across the screen

The screen blanked then re-booted. It displayed the outside. Mirage switched to the cameras in the back to make sure everything was working properly. The dashboard began to blink and beep.

"Message from Diplo," the computer voice rang.

"Put it on screen," Mirage said. The screen blinked and showed Cliff and Fayt on the bridge of the Diplo.

"Howdy," Cliff said simply.

"How are you?" Fayt asked.

"Cliff, Fayt!! You guys are here already! I wasn't expecting you so soon with Fayt's injury and all."

"Nah, Fayt was stubborn so we had to go," Cliff said smiling.

"Wait, where are you right now Mirage?" Fayt asked.

"I'm on Expel, Lancar and I are actually headed up right now, I'll tell you all the details of my trip when we arrive."

"Alright, we'll be waiting," Cliff said cheerfully.

"Ok, Mirage out," she said as she cut the connection. Lancar walked back in and sat in the pilot's chair.

"Alright we're clear to go boss, ready?" Mirage nodded and Lancar hit the engine button. The engines roared to life and Mirage felt the speed of the ship picking up as it accelerated. She was thrust back into her seat a little. "Activating safety belts," Lancar said as he pressed a button. The safety bars above their heads lowered and secured them for the rest of the trip.


Maria woke up and her vision was hazed for a second. She looked around and was confused. This wasn't the cell they were in earlier, for one thing there wasn't a toilet and there weren't any beds. Also there was a bad smell of rotten eggs. The people on the outside didn't have to deal with the smell, lucky, she thought.

The energy barrier didn't allow the captives to see the outside, but allow the captors to see what was happening. It also restricted sound. Maria kicked the wall in frustration and the sound awoke Sophia.

"M-Maria? Where are we?" Sophia asked timidly as she slowly stirred.

"I dunno, we were moved during the night I guess, no idea how we weren't awoken."

"Yeah, that is weird, AHH!!" Sophia jumped when the energy barrier dropped. A man with red hair walked in, his eyes just as red. It wasn't an orange-red ,tinge either, it was a deep red, almost like blood. His eyes were a brighter red. He wore golden robes similar to the King.

"Well hello ladies," Indalecio said and smirked. His voice was deep and meancing, it seemed very grim and evil. They remained silent, and didn't look him in the eye. "I said HELLO!!" he yelled. He stormed in and picked up Sophia, he punched her hard in the stomach. She whimpered in pain.

"You bastard!" Maria yelled. But before she knew it she felt a hard kick to her stomach that sent her flying into the wall. Indalecio looked at her.

"How dare you try to even touch me you bitch!!" he roared. Maria just looked at him fiercely and spat on him. "Why you little!!" he yelled he rose his hand to strike her again, but she created the familiar ice barriers with her powers. Indalecio was surprised but only smiled. She changed the structure of her feet once more to attain the un-human speed she needed.

She agily dodged his next blow at her head. She dashed out of the cell and looked back at her opponent. She tapped into her powers again to pull something off that she had never tried before. She focused on the air around her hand and was changing the molecules.

In a bright flash of light a katana appeared in her hand. She tapped into her powers once more and attained an even greater speed. She struck with great speed and deft skill at Indalecio. He merely yawned as he dodged the enraged Maria. She began to pant really hard.

Although her powers allowed her to attain speed and strength, her body wasn't necessarily trained to function at that level. If she tried to tap into her powers again a fatal case of oxygen debt might occur. Or her lungs could cave in. Or the nerves running down her back, connected to her thighs could get damaged. Plus she hadn't gotten decent rest in days, and she hasn't had much to eat either.

Her strikes only got quicker, though, she was pushing it. She was on the brink of breaking her anaerobic threshold. 'Lub-Lub, Lub-Lub' her heart was beating uncontrollably quick. Her breath was very heavy. She managed to connect with Indalecio's thigh.

"Arghhh!! Wench!!" he yelled. He looked down at the blade and rose his hand he smashed his fist through it and broke it. Maria gasped jumped backward, still panting very hard. Her throat was just as dry and parched, she felt lightheaded. Bottom line, was that she was ready to drop at any given moment.

Indalecio hadn't broken a sweat and the 4 foot blade in his thigh didn't hinder him either. He laughed as he pulled it out. He threw it to the side, it landed in the cell by Sophia. Sophia was still knocked out. Indalecio paced slowly towards Maria his pace quickened. He began swaying drunkenly then in one swift, and deft motion he punched Maria in the face. Her body fell to the floor, and a there was a big red mark on her left cheek.

Indalecio laughed. "Pathetic weakling," he muttered as he kicked her in the side. Cyril and Jyril walked in and stared at Indalecio's bloody leg. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"Err, cooking accident boss?" Jyril asked.

"No, our captives got rowdy, the girl has a little fight in her."

"Oh, well we got the machine ready, we're ready for them now if you want," Cyril added.

"Yes, very well, I have beaten them unconscious, so things will be a lot more easier. Their current state won't allow them to resist." He grinned maliciously, and his men picked up the two girls effortlessly. They exited the room to only god (or the author) knows where.


"Alright bring her in nice and easy," Mirage said. Lancar was piloting the Valence Ion carefully into the hangar of the Diplo. Mirage saw the Eagle II parked on the far side of the hangar. She also spotted a unknown cruiser, which was the Dragoon. They had also encountered two Federation Combat Explorers as they flew in. Mirage was puzzled at who it could possibly be but figured that she'd find out later.

Mirage smiled and yawned tiredly as the ship's engines whined, as they powered down. Lancar exhaled as the ship delicately touched the hangar's sufacee.

"Alright boss, you can go ahead and greet Cliff and the others. I still have to finish the post-flight check on this thing," he said. He began to punch buttons on the main console. Lancar waved good-bye to her as she walked away.

She walked out on the ship's side ramp, and her feet clanked on the walkway as she walked down. She felt the humidity of the hangar caused by the heat of the ships' engines. Mirage sweated a little, but brushed away the beads of sweat. She exited the hangar and the cool air produced by the ship's climate control immediately touched her skin.

She shivered a little at the sudden temperature change but shrugged it off. She went to the transporter that transported her to the bridge level. On the way she ran in to Steeg who was polishing his gun. He looked up as he heard her footsteps.

"Mirage! How was Expel?" Lancar asked cheerfully.

"Disappointing actually, the Expellian official said that his king was still undecided," Mirage said tiredly.

"Oh bummer, oh yeah I just got back from Tetragenesis."

"Right!! I forgot, so what did Senator Ophelia Fuller say?"

"She agreed to lend her planet's military aid, they actually fought back those Nedians that tried to take over. After all Tetragenesis was part of the Federation."

"Good, good, it won't be long until the Nedians return, so they need their allies huh?"

"Yeah, she figured they got a better chance siding with us anyways, it is just going to be a matter of organizing everyone."

"Alright, good job Steeg. So did Miss Fuller say she planned on joining Captains Gordon and Wifra and I when we meet the king?"

"Err, she said that she would try," Steeg grinned.

"Alright, say Steeg, do you know who's cruiser that is in the hangar, and the Combat Explorers outside?" Mirage asked.

"Ermm...I think their Fayt's mom's ships," he said cluelessly.

"F-Fayt's mom?" she replied.

"Erm, I don't know, you can ask them the details later," Steeg shrugged.

"Well, regardless, good job Steeg,"she walked away and Steeg went back to polishing his gun. Mirage walked down the hall and approached the door that led to the bridge. When the door slid open she saw Cliff and Fayt locked in a vicious battle…for the Captain's chair. She walked in quietly to view their 'fight'.

"Kid, what the hell do you know about being a captain!!" Cliff roared.

"I don't wanna be Captain!! I just want to sit in the chair and feel the POWUH!!" Fayt yelled back. As the two glared at each other furiously, Mirage stepped up and sat in the chair. She placed her hands behind her head and relaxed in it.

"Sorry boys, but I'm teh Grand Poobah of this ship," she said funnily.

The two began to stutter incoherent words at Mirage. Mirage laughed and just made herself even more comfortable.

"Don't get too comfy Mirage, I named you interim captain and I can relinquish that title, like that," he said as he pointed his finger at her.

"Really?" she asked, as if challenging him to do it. "It's not nice to point Cliff," she added. But, at that moment warning klaxons' buzzing filled the bridge with noise.

"What is it?" Cliff asked seriously. Lieber was in one of the chairs and spoke up.

"Long-range scanners detect, numerous gravitic space anomalies," he said quickly.

"Bring them on screen," Mirage said.

"On screen," Lieber said. The screen showed the pitch blackness of space and three ships approaching them. There was 1 golden one and 2 Federation Battleships.

"The Nedians!!" Fayt exclaimed. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

"Fayt calm down," Cliff said. Mirage opened the comm. line that the Nedian ship had requested. A bald man garbed in a Grey jumpsuit and colorful badges appeared on the screen. Behind him his crew on the deck.

"This is Captain Fox of the Maelstrom Whirlwind, we are here to seize control of former Federation Planet Expel for King Nede. If you resist we will have to use force. We are prepared to bring in the rest of our fleet, but resistance is futile," he said tartly.

Mirage wasn't even paying attention to the man. "Lieber patch this message through to the Expellian Navy's Command center," she said.

"Well what is your answer?" the man asked again. Once again Mirage didn't heed them. Lieber seemed to be conversing with someone as Mirage looked over.

"What did they say Lieber?" she asked.

"They have half their fleet on approach as we speak," he said.

"Good, fire a Quantum Torpedo at the golden ship," Mirage said. The System Operator hesitantly nodded.

"F-Firing 1," he stuttered. The torpedo sped toward the Nedian ship. As the torpedo sped through space the man returned on the screen.

"I regret to tell you that you are as good as dead," he said. The screen blanked and returned to display conventional space. What was open space around the three ships 5 minutes ago, changed. Ships began to appear out of Gravitic Warp. 30 battleships, too many. The torpedo they shot to the Nedian ship was shot out of space by a bright blast of clear light, resembling electricity.

"Shiiit, I hope you know what you are getting yourself into…Captain," Cliff said sarcastically.

Mirage began to feel a sinking feeling in her stomach as she eyes the huge fleet in front of her. Suddenly another man came on to the screen.

"Captain Mirage, this is Expellian Navy Flagship Tomahawk en-route," the man said.

"Good to have you, seriously, now let's kick some ass!!" she yelled back.

"Agreed, but we're going to have one hell of a fight on our hands," the man replied. Mirage nodded and he disappeared from the screen.

"Alright crew, power up the main weapon's system, power up the engines to 16 AUs. I want this thing to be able to dodge, swivel and turn on a dime," Mirage ordered. The crew quickly got to work. Fayt and Cliff looked at each other apprehensively. "Guys, strap in, we're in for a good one," she smiled grimly. Fayt and Cliff strapped into the two seats beside the Captain's chair.


A/N: Alright this chapter was a bit more of a boring chapter, I had a little bit of Writer's Block, umm remember review!!