Star Ocean: The Second Story
The Wise Man Chronicles:
Fanfic One: "Silence"
By: Melissa McClendon
dei of alefgard@aol.com
melissa_mcclendon@yahoo.com

 

The stagnant aroma of burnt carbon and crisped skin loomed throughout the air, the scene of the devastating battle that had just transpired was shrouded within the many folds of a luminous black smoke. Silence reigned supreme, the only sound was the stirring of the dust as it was battered by the wind.

" Noel..." A single name was muttered, so weak it would have been inaudible had anyone been present. It grew silent again, the person who had whispered that single word was nowhere to be seen, her small frame enveloped by the smoke. She started to speak again, but began coughing due to the suffocation the smoke was causing. She grew concerned when she began to cough up blood, her wounds could be potentially fatal and she was too weak to use her healing magic. **Noel... Where are you?...**

Blood beginning to trickle down from her lips, she attempted to peer through the smoke screen, but found it burned her eyes and she quickly closed them. She felt strangled, gasping for air that was not there. " ...He...lp..." She choked out, beginning to lose consciousness.

Suddenly, as if an angel were smiling down from the heavens and taking pity on her, the wind picked up and the smoke began to clear. It was several moments before a pair of bloodshot cerulean eyes opened, their owner gasping for air.

The woman who laid there in a crimson pool of her own blood looked up to the heavens in silent praise, her intake of the sweet air beginning to slow down to a normal pace. Now that she could breath, she relaxed somewhat, knowing any sudden movements would only make her wounds worse. Her mind raced, but not with thoughts of who had done this and why, she knew those answers like she knew the sky was blue. **Where is he?... Please let him be alright... I don't care if I die here... Just as long as he's alright...**

The loss of blood combined with the lack of oxygen for that duration of time were beginning to take its effect on her, and although she fought it with the last ounces of will power she possessed, she was soon rendered unconscious.

**********

Dr.Noel Chandler had woke up early that morning with three things on his mind: a cup of black coffee, his newest experiment, and going home to his family. Once he had got the fire going again and had brewed a pot of coffee, he quickly began daydreaming about how good it was going to feel to finally return to Giveaway and his wife and child after being stuck in a military research facility with his father-in-law for over a month with no outside contact.

Having downed half a cup of the coffee, he sat it aside and relaxed against a nearby tree, closing his eyes. He smiled, thinking of how excited his daughter would be when she saw him walk through the front door of their moderate Giveaway home. His wife knew he would arrive today, but little Jadaera Chandler had no idea her father would be coming home. Noel's only regret was that he couldn't bring her grandfather home along with him, the damned Nedian military wouldn't allow both of its prized researchers on the wiseman project to leave their "protection". Dr.Lantis and Dr.Chandler both knew they were prisoners until they completed the so-called to defense plan.

Noel had wished since the day he was assigned to the project that he wouldn't have been, but then he would always remember if not for his work, he would never have
met Filia Lantis, never had fallen in love, never fathered such a wonderful daughter like Jadaera. It was a high price, but in the end, he knew it was worth it.

The Nedian suddenly opened his eyes when he heard the bushes near his encampment suddenly disturbed. Dark brown eyes scanned the area, homing in on the source of his interuption. He stood up, fastening his greaves to his hands in preparation. Quickly changing his mind, Noel decided the best way to drive the intruder out was thorugh heraldry. He brought his hands out in front of him, closing his eyes momentarily in order to channel his power. The area around him began to glow a vivid green, growing brighter as it centered on the Nedian. A child sniffling suddenly broke his concentration. Realizing it was coming from the bushes caused him to walk over there in a few strides, concern gracing his brow. " Hello ?"

He was greeted with silence, even the sniffling had stopped. Noel realized he must have frightened the child with his magic. " Its alright to come out. I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Noel--"

There was a gasp in surprise before a little girl came running out towards him, arms wide open. " Daddy !!"

Concern quickly changed to fear when Noel saw his daughter running towards him, covered in soot with her dress stained in blood. **Oh my god...** " Jadaera ?!"

Jadaera Chandler flung her arms around her father's neck as he picked her up, tears running down her cheeks as she buried her face in his neck. "...Daddy..."

Noel held her as close as humanly possible, a cold sickness developing in the pit of his stomach. **What happened?... Where's Filia?...** " Jadaera, sweetheart, where's your mother ?"

" She... told me to run... So I did... She said, '...find Daddy...' and I did... I found you..." Jadaera broke down into more tears, soaking Noel's shoulder.

" Shh... Its alright..." He patted her back, thanking a higher power that she was not hurt. " Jadaera, you've got to help me find Mommy. Can you help me do that? We have to make sure Mommy is safe ."

It took Jadaera a couple of minutes, but she finally stopped crying. Raising her head up, she looked into her father's eyes, blinking back tears. " Okay... I'll help..."

Noel couldn't smile, not even to reassure his daughter. Instead, he kissed her cheek and sat her down, taking her hand in his. " That's my girl... Now, lets go find Mommy..." **Hold on, Filia...**

**********

The smoke had completely cleared by the time Noel and Jadaera reached Giveaway, but evidence of the terrorist attack was more than evident from a great distance. Noel was afraid he would vomit at the sight of Giveaway, instantly realizing the only reason for the terrorist attack. **There must have been an information leak... No one was supposed to know I was coming home besides Filia and I specifically told her not to say anything. They must have been from the frontier planets... Dammit!. I shouldn't have brought Jadaera here, its too dangerous.**

" C'mon, Jadaera ," Noel knelt down beside her. " Hop on Daddy's back ."

The little girl managed a smile. " A piggy-back ride ?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Noel stood back up, Jadaera on his back. " Yep, a piggy-back ride ." He began moving again, entering the gates of Giveaway and walking towards his home. He scanned the area, he saw various dead townspeople and perhaps a few of the terrorists, but absolutely no one from the Defence Force. Not a single soul from any of the branches of the Nedian military had come to help, to defend Giveaway. Noel cursed silently. The agreement had been for as long as Dr.Lantis and Dr.Chandler worked on the Ten Wise Men defense plan, their family and all of Giveaway would be safe. He felt betrayed, but he would deal with that later. All he cared about now was Filia.

**********

Filia had no idea how much time had passed when she finally began to stir, all of the smoke had cleared the vicinity and there was a slight chill in the air. She found she could make small, minutes movements, but nothing else. She couldn't sit up, she could barely move her arms and legs and it was growing increasingly difficult to breathe.
Her once warm, vibrant cerulean eyes where now sullen and bloodshot, searching frantically for signs of her husband or daughter, anybody who could tell her they were alright. Her limited movement ended her search in a matter of minutes, she could only look in a small radius from her position flat of her back. Tears of frustration made their way down her cheeks, closing her eyes to try to think clearly. Finally, summing up her last reserves of strength, she took a deep breath and let out a bloodcurdling scream. " NOEL !!!"

The scream was loud enough to echo throughout Giveaway, loud enough for Noel and Jadaera to hear it. " Filia ?" He whispered, looking around in confusion.

" Daddy !" Jadaera shouted, pointing at her mother's inanimate form in the near distance.

Noel set Jadaera down and went running towards his wife. " Filia !!"

Filia managed to move her head enough to see Noel running towards her, his face ashen. Beyond that, she caught the slightest glimpse of Jadaera standing there, afraid to move. She sighed in relief, closing her eyes in a silent prayer. **Thank god my baby is alright...**

" Filia ?" Noel whispered, gently taking her into his arms and cradling her. " Filia...?" There was alarm in his tone.

Filia opened her eyes, looking up at him with a sad smile. " Noel... You're safe..." She took a shaky breath, trying not to cough up more blood. " I'm so glad... you're safe..."

Noel caressed her cheek, wiping away some of the blood and tears. " I'm fine, sweetheart. What happened?... Where do you hurt ?"

" Don't worry..." She closed her eyes, resting against him. " It doesn't hurt anymore..."

Noel tore his gaze away from her, looking over to Jadaera in an attempt to control his emotions. His chest was constricted and he felt as if his heart would burst into a thousand pieces.

A small, blood stained hand, trembling in its movement, reached up to touch Noel's cheek. " Dearest... Do not blame yourself... There was nothing you could do... Its not your fault..."

" They were after me! They wanted me dead because the Ten Wise Men will destroy them once they are completed. Those damn Nedians aren't fooling me anymore than they're fooling the Frontier Alliance! Once the Ten Wise Men are completed, they will be used by the Nedians to oppress the frontier planets and bring them back under their control." Noel exploded, months of pent up anger towards his own people finally surfacing. **It is my fault... They want me and Lantis dead and who could blame them? Somehow, the Frontier Alliance found out that I was returning to Giveaway and decided to strike before it was too late.** His dark eyes downcast, he tried to hold back his tears. No matter what, he wasn't going to win. No! He couldn't just give up. He had to save her. They weren't going to take Filia from him.

" Noel..." It was now Filia who was beginning to panic, her breaths short and shallow.

He looked down at her, caressing her face to comfort her. " I'm not going to lose you..." Gently, he lay her down on the ground, being careful to avoid agitating her injuries. " Jadaera, come here, sweetheart ."

Jadaera Chandler had stood there quietly, watching the interaction between her parents with a child's eyes. She was terrified. Her father was angry, screaming and cursing about something called the Alliance and her mother lay there in a pool of her own blood, taking her last few breaths of life. All this before her very eyes. Her father called to her, his tone steadily neutral for her sake. Without much conscious thought, her small legs moved her to his side, and to her mother's. " Daddy..." She was choking up, trying to be strong and not cry.

" Everything will be fine, Jadaera. Give me your hand. Remember what I showed you about your magic ?" Noel waited for her to nod. " Well... We're both going to use our magic to try and save Mommy ." **Jadaera's magical aptitude is incredible. If I can combine her power with mine... We might save her....**

Jadaera put her tiny hand out, Noel taking it in his. " I'm scared..."

" Don't be. I won't let anything bad happen. Close your eyes and focus, Jadaera. Can you feel our power? Imagine it going to Mommy. Tell it to make Mommy better ." Noel closed his eyes, following his own advice. The father and daughter began to channel their power, almost as one entity, focusing all their might into one desperate act.

Filia closed her eyes, feeling herself begin to relax somewhat. It was becoming easy to breathe again and her cerulean eyes were able to focus on her husband and daughter. Somehow, she knew their efforts were in vain. They had bought her a little time, but she knew she was too far gone. She would be dead within an hour. Jadaera opened her eyes and looked at her mother, tears staining her cheeks. Filia smiled at her, letting her know everything would be fine. " Thank you, baby..."

" Filia..." Noel whispered, letting go of Jadaera's of hand and taking his wife's. He knew she wouldn't make it, he knew that this would be their last moments together.

" Never forget you're Nedian... I'm Nedian. Don't hate your own people for their mistakes. Even we cannot be perfect..." She smiled weakly, fearing what Noel was planning to do. She almost feared his actions as much as her father's.

The look on his face was frightening, as if the warm, kind man she had fallen in love with was gone and only a phantom remained. " Those who cannot evolve do not deserve to live ."

Jadaera first looked at Filia, then Noel. **Those who cannot evolve do not deserve to live...**

" Noel... You are forsaking your own people..." She sighed, her breathing becoming labored again.

" My people die with you..." His coldness had dissipated slightly, unshed tears giving his brown eyes a glass-like look.

" I will always be with you, Noel... You must be strong, for Jadaera and my father. They will both need you and you will need them..."

" I will make them pay... The Nedians forced us to create the Ten Wise Men... They promised me they'd protect you... They didn't protect you and the Frontier Alliance attacked my home and family because your father and I created the Ten Wise Men... And now you're going to die..." He was quiet for a moment, trying to gain control of his emotions. " They shall be destroyed..."

" No, Noel... It must end... It must stop here..." Filia was struggling for life now, coughing up more blood and shaking uncontrolably.

Noel picked her up and held her against his chest, as if that could stop her from passing. Jadaera fell against him, clutching to his shirt in broken sobs. " It will end, but not here... Your death shall not be silenced... It is only a catalyst for a fate none of us can escape..."

Filia closed her eyes, for the last time. Growing weaker by the second, she relaxed in his embrace, her hand resting on Jadaera's head. " I love you... Please... Take care of Jadaera..." She took her last breath then, her body soon going limp and lifeless in his arms.

 

**********

Project Planning Documents

 

File One: Rebellions against the planet Nede have now broken out in 24 different frontier planets. It appears that several of the technologies of the planet Nede have been leaked to the forces of undeveloped planets, so we suspect Nedian conspirators are cooperating with rebel forces. We must quickly develop new weapons in order to suppress these rebel forces.

File Two: Based on the research of Dr.Lantis and Dr.Chandler, it was discovered that by applying technologies derived from Heraldry science to make modifications to the DNA of people, it is possible to create bioweapons that have Heraldry powers much powerful than normal.

File Three: A military supreme council decided that the aforementioned bioweapons should be urgently put into practical use and used for the defense and control of the frontier planets. The code name for the project was decided to be the "Ten Wise Men Defense Plan, Phase I". Under the direction of Dr.Lantis and Dr.Chandler, the construction of ten bioweapons began. Depending on the results of the plan, they planned to continue on to Phase II, Phase III, and the construction phase.

 

Research Reports

 

File One: The close-in combat weapon "Marsilio". The remote projectile-weapon "Shigeo". The base-defense special weapon "Berle". These three weapons were completed. In addition, development was started on the strategic weapon "Decus" to be used to control these three weapons.

File Two: The two information gathering agents "Ruprecht" and "Nicolus" were completed. Together with the information analysis agent "Jibril" cpmpleted earlier, these agents were assembled under the command of the civilian control agent "Vesper". In addition, the agent named "Cyril" used to monitor the Ten Wise Men was also completed at the same time.

File Three: Dr.Lantis' last surviving family members, his daughter Filia and granddaughter Jadaera, were the victims of a terrorist attack by rebel forces opposed to the Ten Wise Men Defense Plan. However, the military decided to impose an information blackout and decided upon a policy of concealing the truth from Dr.Lantis. Dr.Chandler, the husband of Filia and father of Jadaera, is still missing. It was reported that he was returning to their home in Giveaway at the time of the attack. The likelihood that the attack was aimed towards him is feasible. He and Dr.Lantis were the two in charge of the Ten Wise Men Defense Plan and if evidence can be obtained that he was killed in the terrorist attack as well, the final phases of the plan may be postponed if Dr.Lantis is unable to complete them.

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Author's Notes: I know this must not make a whole lot of sense and I'm sure most of you are thinking "this is not the Noel fic Dei promised me!" Well, you're right, this is not the Noel fic I promised. This is more of a taste of it, a bad, after dinner palmolive taste. ^_~ I'm sure another thing you're wondering is "what the hell was Dei smoking when she wrote this?!" Well... If I knew, I'd tell you. :P Well, way up at the title of this fanfic, you'll note I put something a little different. What is the Wise Man Chronicles, you ask? Well, its a series of Star Ocean fanfics I'm currently working on that will all tie together in one, final fanfic, which will make this one have a lot more meaning. In other words, once I finish writing the series, this one will make sense. I purposely remained cryptic in this one because I don't want to give away anymore until the end of the series. The fanfic I wrote about Bowman and Nineh last year, "Desperate Measures", is also a part of the series, although not officially. The real Noel fic I promised everyone is also a part of the series, I'm not sure when I will release that one though. I'm really not too confident about this fanfic and I will more than likely make revisions.