Mother X: Father

by Tatsurou

Home no Longer

It wasn't long before the others woke up, having rested well in real beds for a change, as opposed to the hyperpod available aboard ship. While those rejuvenated the body, they did not leave one feeling rested. Moondancer fully expected a full inquisition from the group regarding her new weapon, but was pleasantly surprised.

"That's new," Alinivar observed, staring at the Ray strapped to her leg.

"It is," Moondancer confirmed.

"Powerful?" Zarbol coached.

"Exceptionally, but dangerous," Moondancer allowed.

"Can you *click* control it?" Larice inquired.

"I think so," Moondancer agreed. "At least, I can ensure it doesn't hurt us."

"Then everything kay~o!" Col. Saturn proclaimed firmly, getting agreement all around.

Moondancer smiled in relief. She had not wanted to explain where the weapon came from. She wasn't entirely certain she even believed it, or if it had really happened. For now, she wanted to just focus on wherever Alinivar decided to go next.

---

Moondancer and Niiue stared at the next destination Alinivar had chosen. "T-the ship?" Moondancer stammered nervously, staring at the wreck that was all that was left of the place she'd once thought of as home. A massive hole in the side showed where the stellar object had impacted, and all the systems were down leaving the impression of a dark, abandoned husk. It clashed strongly with her happy memories of the bright, shining home she grew up in, and she didn't like the contrast...any more than she'd liked running through the ship as it fell apart.

"Geeg technology is very advanced," Alinivar explained simply. "There's bound to be some useful things in there, and if we're going to confront Giygas, then we need all the help we can get."

"I...won't fault your logic," Niiue allowed. "However, I would recommend being very careful in your explorations. You can expect anything inside to be strong enough to withstand any security systems that are still operational."

"Understood," Alinivar agreed. He then turned to Moondancer. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. You...grew up there. Seeing it like this..."

Moondancer was silent for a time, mulling it over in her mind. On the one hand, seeing her old home in such a state was painful, and would likely be more so - possibly traumatically so - if she actually went inside. On the other hand, if she didn't face up to it, what chance did she have to face up against her father's madness? "I...I need to go," she decided finally.

"Alright," Zarbol allowed softly. "But stay close to one of us at all times, okay?"

Moondancer nodded firmly, putting herself in the middle of the group as the ship landed in the ruined docking bay. The group stepped out into the darkened chamber, their own PSI energy protecting them from the vacuum of space until they passed through the air lock. They moved as silently as they could through the halls as vines crawled over the walls.

Before they'd made it very far, the PA dinged to life. "Oh...oh..." an unfamiliar voice echoed. "I feel a somebody walking around... Hello, somebody."

The group shivered slightly at the voice, but moved on. The path deeper into the ship was in fragments, and only careful maneuvering through jump pads and vine bridges let them make their way in. Before they made it much farther, however, they spotted something that made Larice freeze up and Moondancer stifle a scream.

It was a Starman...and yet not a Starman. A strange, plant like growth had pierced the metal shell straight to the organic components within, blooming into a flower that had full command of the metal body...save the expression of mindless agony somehow shaped onto the faceless metal head, as though the organic being inside the metal shell had forced one last, silent scream into existence upon its shell in a desperate cry for help.

"W...what is that?" Zarbol gasped in fear.

"Not like, boing!" Col. Saturn whimpered, shivering as he clutched his guns.

"Then we get it off him!" Alinivar stated firmly, readying his tendrils.

"Do not *click, whirrr, bzzt* bother," Larice managed to stammer out. "It has...eaten him."

"Then we kill it before it gets any of us," Alinivar insisted.

Shrinking in fear, Moondancer leveled the Borange Ray and fired. Two waves of borange light erupted out of the Ray, slamming into the monstrosity and knocking it back, dazing and confusing it even as it took large amounts of damage. Before it could recover and fight back, the others had finished it off with ranged attacks, none wanting to get close enough for the plant to touch them until it was naught but ash. Zarbol even used his speakers to push the ash away from them all and out into space, just to be on the safe side.

"Do...do you think we helped him?" Moondancer asked Larice softly.

"...I choose *click* to believe so," Larice responded softly.

"Then we'll help all those we can on the way to whatever's caused all this," Alinivar insisted firmly.

The group continued to move deeper into the dark, dreary halls of the ship, leveling their weapons at every shadow as they stalked the halls, and purging every parasite infested Starman they came across. Their only sign of real progress came as the voice from before echoed over the PA.

"Attention, crewmen. There's a somebody... I'd like it if you apprehended them. But it's not that important..."

The group moved on, trying their best to push past the tense atmosphere and the fear in their own minds. However, another PA message drove that fear home forcefully.

"Hi again. It's just me. Maybe we don't have to apprehend them. We can probably just convert them. That'd be okay with everyone, right?"

"C-c-c-convert?" Moondancer stammered out in terror. "They...they want to put those blooms on us?" The images assaulted her mind far too easily. A flower planted in her flesh, slowly blooming as its roots invaded her body and took control of her muscles and bones, the agony of it as it slowly infested her and turned her into little more than a puppet of flesh, with only a soundless scream of agony on her face beneath the bloom as it sprouted from her eye to wrap around her horn to show she'd once been something more...

"We won't let that happen," all four of the others stated firmly as Larice gently pulled her into an embrace, offering her what comfort he could.

Author's Note:

...well, so much for sleeping tonight. Definitely should have written this chapter by daylight...

Comments

[Hiirome]

Yeah, the horrors of the Mothership were nightmare inducing... ugh... Welp, and if they got all the reboot orbs... Welp, Magnolia will be for the team the biggest challenge on this ship, but for Niiue, that will be only the beginning of the horror... (holy crap surviving the Niue passage after the 5th Reboot orb is HARD AS FUCK, getting Chapter 8 enemies when you are alone with a weakened Niiue is in the ranges of "you want your golden ending ? EARN IT!")

[NightWallopingNuggets]

Oh dear.

[F14m3rz]

Before they'd made it very far, the PA dinged to life. "Oh...oh..." an unfamiliar voice echoed. "I feel somebody walking around... Hello, somebody."

*Feel a somebody[sic]

Two waves of borang light erupted out of the Ray, slamming into the monstrosity and knocking it back, dazing and confusing it even as it took large amounts of damage.

borange

"C-c-c-convert?" Moondancer stammered out in terror. "They...they want to put those blooms on us?" The images assaulted her mind far too easily. A flower planted in her flesh, slowly blooming as its roots invaded her body and took control of her muscles and bones, the agony of it as it slowly infested her and turned her into little more than a puppet of flesh, with only a soundless scream of agony on her face beneath the bloom as it sprouted from her eye to wrap around her horn to show she'd once been something more...

Huh, a tangible and realistic conflict. Neat.

Author's Note:

...well, so much for sleeping tonight. Definitely should have written this chapter by daylight...

Not really sure what you mean. Describing something that happens in a game isn't exactly the same as experiencing it wholesale. For example, this is a description of Japhet from OFF.

The Batter confronted the cat that called itself Japhet at the top of the library, when it revealed that he'd been telling the truth all along. While the cat was named Valerie, it had been controlled from the inside by a bird that had failed to be fully masticated by said cat. But this wasn't just any bird, it was Japhet, the millennial fire bird and the Guardian of Zone 2. Of course, it could be pieced together from earlier conversations and the previous puzzle, and it was a rather horrifying revelation, but The Batter didn't much care for revelations. Purification was in progress. He did battle with Japhet, the bird growing progressively stronger as The Batter landed blow after blow, showcasing just how much control he had over Valerie. However, Japhet had one last trick up his metaphorical sleeve; he transformed a final time, revealing himself to be much larger than his previous physique would imply. He had grown to be several times taller than the Batter, towering over him like the ruler he thought himself to be. As for Valerie, he served as an unconventional hood of sorts, his lifeless body dangling from the Guardian's head. Undeterred, The Batter did as he did best, and felled the beast. And so, Zone 2 was saved from the specters Japhet had dominion over. The land had been purified.

And this is what Japhet actually looks like (if you don't want to look, I don't blame you in the slightest).
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/offgame/images/c/cd/Japhet_06.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130423220212
Or maybe I'm just weird, I dunno.

[Dirty Bit]

No worries, Tatsu. It's perfectly normal to finish chapters in the dead of night.

Take it from me

[Emtu]

until it was not but ash.

naught

[eighter]

Oh crap the flood with shys personality

[Warrior Kitten]

I'm willing to bet one of them gets a flower on them and comes close to dying or being infested.

[Azure5555]

So glad I read this during the day.

[Voldine]

Yellow Musk Creepers and their Zombies have always been a fun way to induce paranoia in D&D players...