Story Reader / Event Story / Lightning and Thunder / Story
A familiar dizziness sets in.
You have experienced this feeling of waking up from a dream countless times.
You're awake?
You feel the cold touch of skin on your face.
Hey.
Right. You were with Cerberus earlier.
You are about to set out to Constellia from a conservation area when you find out that Cerberus is conducting an investigation near Constellia after what must be a recent mission.
They cannot disclose the remaining details, so you do not ask.
I want to drive.
Isn't it my turn?
I just changed the turn order.
Why do you wanna drive so badly? What are you up to?
You have worked with these three enough times to know what will happen if you agree to let No. 21 take the driver's seat.
From both personal experience and the rumor mill, you know nothing good ever happens when you put "Cerberus" and "vehicles" together.
Alright. Since the Gray Raven Commandant is so eager to drive, you two just sit back and relax.
I've updated the "driving roster." The new order is Commandant, No. 21, Captain, and Noctis.
Why did I get pushed back again?!
Because Noctis never drives properly and always messes up.
You're not much better, 21.
Theoretically, there should not be any problems along the way, and the navigation also indicates the weather is good today.
But you absolutely cannot leave the fate of the vehicle to them before you depart.
Start the car, Commandant.
The argument between No. 21 and Noctis still echoes in your memory. Given the state you find yourself in, it can only mean one thing.
Realizing this, your instincts kick in, quickly sorting out your thoughts.
The commandant's eyes are open!
Lucky you. I was going to slap you.
This is a "crash site."
No. 21's tone is calm, her gaze directed somewhere out of your sight.
The dizziness slowly subsides, but it will still be a while before you can control your body. But this also is not unusual for you.
Let's do a routine check. How many fingers am I holding up?
Vera holds up one finger.
Vera slaps you hard.
Want to try again?
Open your mouth.
Vera slaps you real hard.
Give it another shot.
Hand.
Good dog. Do you remember your name?
Enough. You're fine.
Vera pulls you up and absentmindedly dusts you off.
We crashed.
No. 21 points at an old vehicle on the ground. Based on its size, it must have been easily destroyed by the jeep that crashed into the tree on the other side.
Finally having the chance to examine the crash, you also find several mechanoids stuck in the mud.
This means it was not a Construct or a human driving the old vehicle just now. Regardless, you did not expect a normal car could navigate such terrain.
Tracing the tire marks left by the drifting jeep, you finally remember what caused the accident.
You tried to avoid the old vehicle and ended up skidding into a tree.
That's right. You owe me 10k Black Cards, Commandant.
You couldn't dodge it and crashed the jeep. There's no escape now, Commandant.
Right, we should put it in writing. You can make the transfer as soon as we get a signal.
Can you share some with me?
I don't owe you anything.
Seeing that you are trying to make a call with your terminal, Vera walks over.
Don't bother. We already confirmed there's no signal. Luckily, No. 21 downloaded the map, so we're not lost.
We found them on these guys.
Noctis points at the mechanoids on the ground. You have no idea if they have merely passed out or if they are...
They just shut down to protect their data. A manual reboot will wake them up... except for this one.
A pretty damaged humanoid mechanoid lies on the ground. Its injuries are indeed more severe.
No. 21 accessed its data to find out where it came from.
I only managed to access its model number and this document.
Noctis briefly summarizes the content recorded by the "ST-100" mechanoid, and you obtain a copy of the story through your terminal.
Unfortunately, the WGAA never developed such a model, and it wasn't from Constellia either.
And there's no signal here, the area we were tasked to investigate. Guess who got the development rights of this place back then?
Vera makes a "hush" gesture, and the answer is obvious.
Who knows? There's nothing they're not capable of. Anyway, we're too close to Constellia to investigate in the open. Let's put on some disguises.
You wouldn't want us to "accidentally" take out a few of these mechanoids during the mission, right? That's going to snowball into something interesting.
We ran a test with the broken mechanoid earlier. They mainly identify each other through their monitors.
It matches some of the requirements of antique mechanoids. Something to do with their consciousness, maybe?
Any damage Cerberus does to awakened machines will be blamed on you, since you're the active commandant with us, and your "misdeeds" will reflect on Babylonia. Regardless, I don't care.
Why else?
We need to get into characters.
Vera's smile is somewhat mischievous.
What do you think?
We really just needed to alter a few recognition points. Putting on the costumes was a whim. There's no car to take you back anyway.
The smoking jeep does not look like it can be saved, after all.
Get familiar with your "script." You're the only one who hasn't read it yet.
I can run lines with you if you want.
By the way, would you be thrilled if I call you "my liege" one day, [player name]?
Why don't you save the Black Cards you owe No. 21 for your stay at the Star of Life?
I was hoping to see a more interesting reaction.
Vera picks up the straw hat next to the box and puts it on you, and the four of you follow the tracks of the old vehicle into the mountains.
Bring the box, Noctis.
Hell no!
