Phantasy Star: Fringes of Algo

Part Six: Progress

(Coordinates 25N x 175W, the planet Motavia)

As anybody who took a late-night stroll through Parolit or Paseo would attest to, getting mugged at knifepoint was a distinct possibility, despite the presence of the law-enforcing robots LaShiec had stationed throughout Algo. It was long rumored that the POLEZI series would do nothing to prevent the robberies that persisted, their cruel master evidently deeming these robberies insignificant.

Then again, these robberies were usually perpetrated by Palmans in densely packed urban areas, and not in the middle of the Motavian desert.

Tairon sighed uneasily as one of the pistol-bearing Motavians bound his wrists behind his back, watching as Lutz and Myau were similarly bound.

"Liara vines," Lutz explained. "Grown in oases near the Great Sea, and rather notorious for constricting when they dry."

"Perfect for the rope-making, they are, yes," one of the Motavians covering Lutz interrupted. "Now, it is time to collecting the shiny Meseta and the weapons."

"A moment, Lark," Tairon's guard suddenly called.

"Archon?"

"We collect the Palma people's device of movement, by jove. And thence the weapons and food, and we Mota people shall succeed!" The Archon chuckled, then turned back to Tairon, making sure to keep the pistol pointed at him. "Now remember, Palma person, no be trying to outclever us Mota people."

"It never fails," Myau said as a Motavian plucked the Silver Fang from his mouth. "We leave one planet full of people trying to kill us, and we land on another planet full of people trying to kill us. I never should have left Dezolis."

"I thought some curio dealer grabbed you and took you to Drasgow?" Tairon asked. He was never quite sure of the Musk Cat's rather nebulous past.

"After the little detour to Loar, yeah."

The three heroes heard a dull thud, metal against metal, as the Motavian raiding party tore through the Land Rover. Raising an eyebrow, Tairon asked, "Hey, uh, Archon? What are they doing in there?!"

"Oh, nothing muchly, actually. The simple pillage of the metal movie car, yes yes." Sensing no threat from Tairon, the Archon tucked his pistol into his robes. "Anything not nailed down, we take. Anything nailed down, we take. Nails, we take. Some we trade for food, some we trade for shiny Meseta, and some by jove we eat."

"I, uh, I see." Tairon sweatdropped; whether through confusion or the arid heat of Motavia, he wasn't too sure. "Thanks for clearing that up, I think?"

"Archon! The king momma load, we have struck, yes yes!" A Motavian voice called from within the Land Rover. "A cookery pot! Solid Laconia, by jove!"

"...'Cookery pot?'" Lutz mumbled to himself. "That must mean... oh, no."

"Hey! Don't you dare touch those Laerma nuts!" Myau shouted, trying to worm his way over to the damaged car. "Those are my between-fish midnight snacks!"

"And now they become the Mota peoples' before-and-after-garbage middle of night snackery, so bad luck for Dezo cat."

Myau sighed sadly, mourning the loss of the nuts the group had worked so hard to get from Dezolis's Altiplano Plateau. He remembered the first time he had eaten one- at the top of Baya Mahlay's castle, following the light of the Aeroprism as his companions climbed onto him, and the flight to LaShiec's castle.

Waaaaaait a minute. I got bigger when I ate that nut at Baya Mahlay, he thought. Ideaaaaaaaaaaaa.

A wicked grin crossed the cat's face, Tairon could see- he knew exactly what Myau was thinking.

"Heya, big Archon!" Myau called. "I'm hungry!"

"Bad luck for Dezo cat," the Archon replied. "No food until Mota people bring Dezo cat and Palma people back to hidey-hole seekrit lair."

"Come on, man," Tairon pleaded. "Would you rather have three live hostages, or two live hostages and one dead Musk Cat?"

"If you don't feed him," Lutz added, not noticing that his Psycho Wand had been taken from him, "Myau'll just complain the whole trip back to your hideout."

The Archon shifted uncomfortably, then sighed after a minute. "Iffing we must, then," he said. "Bring the Dezo cat one snacky fist-sized nut. You is making we Mota people very upset, yes."

One of the Motavians grabbed a nut from the Laconia pot, then walked up to Myau. The cat sniffed the nut, then ate it timidly.

"Dezo cat shut the hell up now, yes?"

"Ohh, Dezo cat shut the hell up now, yes, indeed," Myau replied, content. As soon as the Motavian's back was turned, Myau's body started glowing brightly.

"What trickery is this?! Palma people, are you outclevering the Archon?!" the Archon demanded, watching as Myau continued glowing.

"Not really, no," Tairon said.

Just as he had at Baya Mahlay, Myau's body burst into holy flame. Some of the Motavians gasped in horror, dropping their spoils as they made the mental connection of a being turning into living fire.

"Amundsen!"

"The Amundsen will make us Mota people ex-Mota people!"

"Do not be wiping out Mota people, O mighty Amundsen!"

"RUN!"

The glow immediately subsided. Myau had grown much larger, the liara vines unable to contain him. As he proudly flapped his wings, he grinned malevolently and uttered one magical word.

"Terror!"

The Motavians screamed and fled, scared for their lives amid shouts of "Run!" and "Amundsen!" Once they were out of sight, Myau reverted back to his natural form and started biting through Tairon's bindings.

"Good work, Myau!" Tairon said once he was free. Starting to untie Lutz, he continued, "Better than my escape plan, anyway?"

"What was your plan?" Lutz asked.

"Oh, nothing special. I was gonna see if that Archon guy was gonna let us use the bathroom, and beat the guards up once we're out of sight. Then grab their guns and start shooting our way to freedom!"

"I don't know how to use a firearm, Tairon. And I'm thankful that this was resolved bloodlessly." Standing up, Lutz rubbed his wrists, then the group retrieved their gear. "After all, Alisa told us once- the Motavians wish to coexist with us Palmans."

"They didn't have to rob us, though!"

"Some of the Motavians do that- that's the only way they can see making a living," Tairon said, strapping his axe and his rifle to his back. "But enough of that... who knows how to fix a tire?!"

Myau and Lutz both sweatdropped.

-=-=-

"Craps! Crap crap crap crap!"

In irritation, Doctor Mad watched his recent patient drop dead, blood spewing from beneath his hastily patched-on armor as he breathed his last. Once he made sure the man had died, the doctor approached his intercom, pressing its transmit button hastily. "LaShiec, I screwed up again! Apparently you're not supposed to nail armor into bare Palman!"

"Doctor, where exactly did you get your medical degree?" LaShiec asked, showing unease for the first time in his seventeen-year reign as Lord King of Algo.

"Laser printer, and a couple minutes screwing with fonts in Notebook," the doctor replied. "Every university in Algo kicked me out, so I made my own college, and my own degree!"

"And obviously you're still using this as a learning experience, Doctor. Need I remind you that I asked you for a prototype, and you bring me failures."

"It's not my fault these jerks from Eppi are weaklings!" Doctor Mad protested. "It is entirely my fault that I keep changing the procedure with everyone you send me, though!"

"Well, then, Doctor, we've got a special case coming down for you," Alisa's voice came from the intercom. "She attempted to assassinate me in our throne room not thirty minutes ago. A perfect test subject- nobody will miss a murderess like her if she dies on the table during your little... experiments."

"Carte blanche! I knew there was something about you I liked besides your chest, Queenie!" Rubbing his hands together in glee, Doctor Mad asked, "So, when's this special case coming?"

"The assassin should be down presently. Do what you wish with it, Doctor; we have no use for that thing," Alisa said.

"Give her your best, Doctor," LaShiec added. "And remember- a prototype, soon. Or else-"

"Or else, I will personally behead you, Mad." The intercom hissed silent after Alisa's threat, and silence filled the laboratory. It was soon interrupted by the loud buzzer, then two POLEZIs dragging a red-haired woman behind them as they entered. The machines unstrapped the former patient and threw him into the pile of corpses in the corner, then fastened the woman to the gurney.

"Thanks, guys!" Doctor Mad shouted as the robots left. He turned towards the woman, then laughed. "Well, hel-lo there, gorgeous," he said. "Pleased to make your aquaintance, or something."

"W-w-who are you?" the woman squeaked, terrified- of the dungeon-like laboratory, of the piled bodies starting to fester in the corner, of the doctor, backlit by a cracked lava lamp and a strand of bare-wired Christmas lights.

"I'm the Doctor! My friends call me Doctor Mad, though." Reaching into a grimy pocket, he pulled a small card out and handed it to the woman. "My card."

The business card was written in crayon, scrawled like the madman the doctor was- "Doctor Wilheim von Mad, Ph.D in EEeeeevil Science. Experimentations experimentationed, science abused, genes spliced. Ask about my party show!"

"Oh, God... am I going to wind up on that pile over there?" she asked, her voice cracking. "All for breaking the queen's fingernail?"

"If I don't screw up, and your vital signs stay stable? Sixty percent chance says you live!" Doctor Mad cracked his knuckles, then adjusted his gas mask. "Your name is?"

"...Katya."

"Well, Katya, you're hot, so I'm gonna tell you my secrets! I, Doctor Mad- that's me- am going to turn you, Katya- being you- into a machine of war, through the miracles of science and technology! And a lot of basically screwing around doing things I don't know will work!"

"....Oh, God..." Katya's blue eyes started to swell with tears.

"But, since you're hot, you get a discount! I'm gonna try something different- Plan B of Plan C!" The doctor wheeled a rusted IV pole into Katya's view, several glass bottles dangling from it haphazardly. "Okay, I'm gonna explain this once, so shut up! This blue stuff here contains a bunch of my patent-pending microts! They'll basically lay a bunch of monofilament wire through you, make circuits, etcetera, etc., &c.." He pointed to a different bottle. "Now, this clear stuff has strandware- naaaaasty stuff! Basically, this will be your programming- how the new you will think and act! Of course, the end result is permanent, irreversable loss of your old persona, but that's why God invented science!"

Katya remained uneasily silent as Doctor Mad pointed to a third bottle on the pole. "And finally, the red crap. This is the stuff I call 'Physo-Change-O.' It makes your body create artificial blood, it'll add target reticules and stuff to your vision, and hook your brain up to LaShiec's little computer network! Oh, and basically create all sorts of nifty cyberware that you only get to read about in cheesey sci-fi novels! All for the low price of absolutely nothing! So, whaddya say, Katya?! Your planet needs you- will you join LaShiec and Alisa's robot army?!"

"I- eeek!"

Katya never got a chance to finish her sentence, as Doctor Mad stabbed the IV's needle into her neck. As the trio of fluids started to rush through the piping and into her body, she trailed off, losing consciousness soon after.

-=-=-

"Now attach the last tie rod to the wheel hub... good. Good, Tairon. The Land Rover is now fully operational again."

Struggling with the vehicle's repair kit and his communicator, Tairon said, "Thanks, Hapsby. Don't know what we'd do without you."

"No need to thank me, Tairon. Good luck in your travels. Hapsby out."

The communicator bleeped once, then fell silent. Tairon dropped his wrench back into the repair kit, then pocketed the communicator. He cleaned up the kit, then entered the Land Rover. "All right, Lutz," he said. "We've got everything the Motavians tried to take from us?"

"One of the rations is missing, and some of Myau's Meseta were taken," Lutz explained, "But all of our gear is otherwise intact."

"Good thing, too- I was gonna claw them up if they stole my Laerma nuts!"

"Right, Myau." Sitting down next to Lutz, Tairon said, "Okay, Lutz. Hit it."

The Land Rover's engine coughed once, then sputtered to life, bringing the vehicle to a chugging pace across the desert planet. "We should have Hapsby service the Land Rover when we get back to the Luveno," Lutz said.

"I'm sure he'll be busy enough flying the ship," Myau said. "Hurry up, will ya?! Tairon promised me that Tajima had fish!"

-=-=-

"Alisa?"

Sitting in her usual place in LaShiec's lap, Alisa shifted gently and asked, "Yes, my dear?"

"Are you all right?"

"After getting rid of that... thing who attacked me?" Alisa snarled the word "thing" as she spoke, sapphire eyes briefly flickering red in anger. "Now that it's being taken care of, Reipard, I feel much better."

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Alisa, my love," LaShiec replied. "Such a beautiful woman as yourself shouldn't have to face danger from the murderous rabble."

"But I'm glad to have a husband who knows how to take care of me," she said, rewarding LaShiec with a kiss on his lips.

"Mmm... speaking of which, Alisa, I know a nice little spell that can help protect you, in case your sword proves... ineffective."

Alisa raised an eyebrow. "My magic always has lagged behind that damn cat's and that Esper's," she said.

"Well, Alisa, this should help you catch up to their magical power. After all, you should be the most powerful woman in Algo," LaShiec told her. "Now, then, close your eyes."

Alisa's eyes closed. She heard LaShiec's voice continue, "Good. Now, think of all the times you've ever been angry, my dear. All that anger bubbling over."

Memories of her father disappearing- abandoning her and Nero in their youth- suddenly flooded her mind. These memories started overlapping with many others- Nekishe's ignorance of her affection growing up, of Nero's death at the hands of reprogrammed POLEZIs, her former comrades abandoning her. With each thought, she started growing angrier, writhing in her husband's lap.

LaShiec watched as red energy started to form around Alisa's shuddering hands, her blue-shaded eyelids twitching repeatedly. Finally, he said, "Now, imagine the motions you use to cast a spell. Open your eyes, Alisa."

With his words, his wife's eyes opened. The energy disappeard from around her hands as she whispered, "Reipard, my love... I think I've got it."

"Let's know for sure." Pressing a button in the throne's armrest, he said, "Guard, bring in one of the prisoners from Eppi."

The throne room doors opened seconds later, and a green-haired man was marched before the thrones. He looked confused as he asked, "Yes? What did you want?"

Smiling cruelly, Alisa pointed her finger at the man. "Your existence annoys me, worm. Corrosion!"

The red energy suddenly returned, forming a spear that leapt from the queen's finger, piercing the man. His entire body radiated red and black light for a brief second, as a demonic hiss drowned out his death scream. The light subsided, leaving nothing behind but a charred skeleton, which soon crumpled to ashes.

"Mmm... yes, Reipard, my love," Alisa said, bringing her arm back around LaShiec. Her seductive smile returned as she continued, "I think I've got it, indeed."

"I knew you'd love that spell, Alisa. There's a few more you might find useful, not to mention augmenting what you already know."

Chuckling, Alisa whispered, "You're the best, Reipard." She brought her crimson lips to Reipard's, then pulled away, telling him, "I think the magic lessons can wait until tomorrow, though, my love."

-=-=-

Deep in a cave on the west bank of Motavia's Great Sea, there lived a very old man- old enough, some had said, to have lived back in the Age of Legend, predating the After War calendar.

The old man was currently meditating in his cave, when he felt a familiar presence nearby. Noah, he thought, opening his eyes. You have returned. But, why? I can teach you no more, my student. Unless... you know of the Red Star in Motavia's sky...

End of Part Six

Will Tajima be able to help his former student and his allies? What is poor Katya's ultimate fate? How are Suelo and family holding up in Camineet's warehouse? And what is the mysterious Red Star?