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local-void-creature-izzy · 4 months

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ReWrite AU: SA2 Basis; Dark Story

>>> 21:02 Prison Island: Within the Base.

It was deep within Prison Island, when several metal doors began closing shut, alarms loudly blaring throughout the base, it was the protocol procedure for an intruder.

There was an intruder within the base of Prison Island, as the loud speakers came alive with a soldier frantically sending out warnings. "Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Security breach at Gate 3! Intruder has been located in the north quadrant, and is moving in the direction of the underground base. All units prepare to engage: basic emergency battle formations. Standard battle formations initiated. Locate and stop intruder from reaching the security area."

The intruder was reaching deeper and deeper in the base, soldiers and robotic mechanics not standing a chance against the intruder.

"This is not a drill! Repeat; this is not a drill!" Came from the loud speaker again before it was cut off entirely.

More metal doors slammed shut, but the intruder simply fired his weapons at the doors, blasting them wide open, making his way through the base.

It was no other than Dr.Eggman. "Hahahahaha!! That was all too easy. Now, let's take a look at what my grandfather was working on; a top-secret military weapon. The military shut down the research because they feared it!" Eggman boasted, jumping down an elevator shaft, continuing to head deeper and deeper within the base.

From time and time again, he had been bested by Amy Rose and her companions, ruining his plans of a great and glorious empire, and world domination, but not this time. With this secret military weapon left behind by his grandfather, he cannot fail this time.

His plan of world domination will succeed this time, no matter what.

The military base kept its attempts at keeping the doctor at bay, soldiers, robotics, every security measure possible, but it was nothing compared to what Eggman had up his sleeve. It didn't take long until he reached Level 7 of the military base.

Approaching the security panel, he accessed it with ease, the panel lighting up and opening the doors to the final level. Eggman stepped through the doors once they opened up enough, approaching another terminal in the center of the room.

It showed a hologram of sorts, it had to be the secret military project! "Oh-ho! So this is the military's top-secret weapon. It's a lot smaller than I expected. Hmm, "enter user data"... ah, enter password. Password is: "MA-RI-A." Maria! Now all I have to do is to place the Chaos Emerald into this console."

Eggman pulled out the Chaos Emerald from his Egg-mobile, placing it within the console. Once it was inserted, the floor opened up to reveal another hidden level, the doctor jumped down and as he did so, a large mechanical pillar rose up from the hidden room sealed by the console.

Eggman could not help but let out a victorious laugh. "Oh-ho!"

One top of the pillar, stood a hedgehog. His fur was black with dark red highlights, blood orange eyes gazing down at the doctor beneath the pillar. "Who are you?" Questioned Eggman. "Are you a friend of Amy's here to spoil my plans?! But wait, that's impossible why would you be sealed here then-"

The mysterious hedgehog spoke. "My name is Shadow. Since you were so kind to release me, my master... I will grant you one wish in exchange for something I want."

Before Eggman could respond, another alarm began to blare through the base. "Now what?!" Exclaimed Eggman.

Shadow jumped down from the pillar, the shoes he wore were in fact air shoes, judging by how he glided with ease on the ground. "Behold the true power I possess." Shadow spoke, taking matters into his own hands as a soldier powered mechanism appeared in the room.

On its own, it would have proven a challenge for Eggman, but Shadow handled the military enemy with such ease. It took only a few simple attacks from Shadow before it exploded into bits, the doctor was thoroughly impressed.

This bought the two some time to talk. "Destroying that guard robot with such ease was spectacular! So Shadow, YOU are military's top secret weapon, but what did you mean you would grant me a wish in exchange for something you want?" Eggman asked.

The Hedgehog simply told the doctor to bring him more Chaos Emeralds, as he walked away, he told Eggman he would be waiting on the space colony ARK, within the central control room.

This surprised the doctor, judging by how he slammed both his hands down on his machine while Shadow walked away.

>>> 11:08 "Desert Area"

Within the desert, there were two arguing over the Master Emerald; Knuckles "Chaos" Echidna. The last Echidna who had a direct connection to Chaos, like his predecessor Tikal, and guardian of the Master Emerald.

And a bat named Rouge, she was a secret agent for G.U.N. who was currently working undercover. She had an infinity for all jewels and gemstones alike, the Master Emerald was no different. "Just... let it go! You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Rouge exclaimed, determined to get her hands on the Master Emerald.

The Echidna looked at her with confusion and wariness. "What're you talkin' about, that Emerald's mine! You got that? The Master Emerald contains special powers that neutralize the energy of the Chaos Emeralds; that makes it very powerful -- What the?!" Knuckles explanation of the Master Emerald was cut off by a giant mechanical claw coming down and snatching up the Master Emerald. It was Eggman.

"Wha- Thief" Rouge yelled towards the doctor.

"Look who's calling who a thief." Knuckles sarcastically said.

"I came here following the signal from the Emerald. If I'm not mistaken, this is the Master Emerald, is it not?" The doctor muttered to himself.

Now having a closer look at the emerald thief, it came to a nasty surprise for Knuckles. "It's you…Doctor Eggman…" The Echidna was at a loss for words, it had been some time since him and the others had to see or deal with Eggman. Amy even commenting the other day how quiet it had been without Eggman around, clearly she spoke too soon.

"So that's Doctor Eggman." Rouge pondered, watching the scene unfold in front of her.

"Well, I guess I can use it for something. I'll just take it with me. Farewell, Knucklehead." Eggman waved at the two below, fully prepared to take off with the Master Emerald.

"Not if I can help it!" Yelled Knuckles, as he proceeded to jump up and smash the Master Emerald into pieces. Rouge screaming in shock and disbelief at how easily Knuckles shattered the emerald.

When Knuckles touched the ground, Rouge did not hesitate to start strangling the other. "What the hell was that all about?! And look what you did to my emerald!"

Knuckles pushed her off of him before she could fully strangle him unconscious. "I did that to prevent it from being stolen, you idiot! If it's in pieces, I can restore it. And by the way, that's not YOUR Emerald" Knuckles reminded her, annoyed she was still trying to claim the Master Emerald for her own.

Eggman scratched his head, for one baffled how quickly the two forgot he was even there. And two, what was he going to do about the now shattered Master Emerald. "Hmm... doesn't matter. I'll look into it once I get back to the base."

With that said, Eggman flew away, heading back to his base, leaving the other two to continue their bickering and fighting.

"I despise anyone who takes jewels from me. All the world's gems are mine to keep!" Rouge exclaimed.

"Yeah, well we'll see about that, bat girl!" Knuckles responded, as now began a race between the two, of who could gather the pieces of the Master Emerald completely before the other could.

>>> 20:22 "Desert Area"

There were multiple military vehicles and soldiers in the area, as Eggman had to destroy quite a handful of them to proceed to his secret base without worry of being followed.

It was night time now, as the doctor entered his base hidden within the desert pyramid. Boasting to himself how they were idiots and would never think to check the pyramid itself for his secret base.

Once he was inside his base, he made his way to room that contained a warp device to the ARK, along with a huge high tech computer monitor and terminal. Pushing a few buttons on the terminal, the computer screen came alive with the current news broadcasting.

The news reporter on screen was struggling to not show panic as they spoke. "We interrupt this broadcast for an important newsflash. There has been a break-in at the federal-reserve bank today. Mysteriously, the only thing that was stolen was--"

"--The Chaos Emerald?!--" Eggman finished the sentence in shock and awe, that someone actually managed to steal a Chaos Emerald from such a heavily guarded place.

"--the Chaos Emerald." Continued the news reporter. "According to eyewitnesses at the scene, the suspect has yet to be identified beyond the fact it is a hedgehog. With no signs of the world renowned hero, Amy "Rascal" Rose on the scene, fear and worry grasps at the citizens hearts and minds. The suspect was seen fleeing the scene, destroying the reserve's guard robots in his path. Stay tuned for more details."

The rest of the news report cut away to show something else in the news. "Sounds like the work of Shadow!" Eggman exclaimed, as the another news report managed to record the face of Shadow in its report.

>>> Meanwhile in the City

Shadow stood high on top of a suspension bridge, overlooking the swarm of police units below. Did they really think they could stop him? "Hmph, how pathetic." He commented.

Suddenly he got a sharp pain in his head, as he looked at the flashing red lights of the police cars. A memory from fifty years ago was surfacing, as it replayed in Shadow's mind. He clutched his head, in pain.

He remembered running from G.U.N. Soldiers. How they shouted for the others to find them before they could escape.

They? Yes, that's right. Him, Maria, and…Sonic…

He didn't know what happened to the other, where Sonic went. He just grabbed Maria's hand and ran, ran through the halls of ARK as its alarms blared throughout. Both were panting from exhaustion, and panic, but they couldn't stop now, or a worse fate would await them if they were caught.

His mind went white before another memory came up. Maria was dying, she had been shot by a soldier that was chasing them, as she pushed Shadow into a capsule, shutting the glass over the Hedgehog.

She was bleeding out as she leaned against the control panel of the capsule. Shadow desperately trying to break through it, but the glass was made especially for him. "MARIA!!" He had yelled out, panic, fear, despair in his voice as tears were unknowingly falling down his face.

"Shadow…I beg you….please…." Maria spoke, putting all her remaining strength into staying conscious.

"MARIA DON'T!" Shadow begged her to not do this.

"Do it for me…For all the people…on that planet…Goodbye, Shadow the Hedgehog."

Maria pulled the lever, ejecting the capsule from the colony. The memory then faded back into a white void.

Shadow pulled himself out of his mind, looking back down at the people below. His fists clenched tight. "Maria... I still remember what I promised you... For all the people of this planet... I promise you... REVENGE!"

He jumped down from the suspension bridge and laid waste to his enemies below, no matter how many they sent his direction they stood no chance against him. He promised, he swore, he will have revenge against them all, not just for Maria, but for Sonic as well.

He cleared his own pathway through the city, standing on top of a 6ft robot labeled Big-Foot. He was about to demolish it to pieces with the soldier within, when the comms within spoke a familiar name.

Sonic.

Shadow smashed the front glass of the robot, grabbing the soldier by the neck, slowly choking him to death. "Repeat that, Sonic what?"

Scared for his life, the soldier did as he was told, in hopes Shadow would spare his life. "P-Project Sonic! H-He has awakened too-- s-same as you! H-He's in t-the city outskirts! That's all I know I swear!"

Project Sonic.

Shadow remembered, Project Sonic was created by a friend of Gerald Robotnik, the one who created him, as a counter measure to himself. A fail safe that would balance or destroy Shadow if need be.

Sonic was a hedgehog as well, but he was a bright cobalt blue with emerald green eyes in contrast to Shadow. He was given his name due to his sonic-esc capabilities. He could run at sonic speeds, nothing other than Shadow could come close to his levels in speed. He had a sonic frequency scream, it was always a hazard risk getting him to test it because of just how high and powerful the screech could get. And he could harness his energy to create attacks he labeled 'Sonic Boom' and 'Phantom Rush', needless to say the attacks could do some serious damage at his level of speeds.

When they had introduced Sonic to Shadow, they feared they would be enemies, that there would be hostility between the two, yet it was the opposite in fact.

With Maria around, the two became close, very close in fact. The word that was muttered between the scientists was 'lovers' to describe the relationship Shadow had with Sonic.

When G.U.N. had attacked all those years ago, Shadow thought he lost Sonic the same way, but it seems he wasn't the only one sent down to the planet in a capsule, just waiting to be awakened.

Shadow mentally thanked Maria for her last act of kindness. He returned his attention to the soldier, who was trying to claw out of his grasp but failing miserably. "Do not lie to me, when I ask where in the outskirts? North, South, East, or West?"

"S-South! Honest I-I swear!" The soldier answered in a panic.

"Thank you." Shadow responded, the soldier having hope in his eyes as the grip around lessened, genuinely thinking Shadow was about to spare him. The soldier barely had time to process what happened next. "Now die." Shadow crushed the soldiers neck like a twig, throwing the lifeless body aside.

Shadow pulled out the Chaos Emerald. "South…I'm coming Sonic. Chaos Control!" A green light envelopes Shadow; he is pulled across the area at an incredible speed, flying directly through the city, heading south.

Buildings blurred by as he continued heading south, the closer he got to the city's outskirts, the more he saw destroyed G.U.N. and police units. Shadow knew this wasn't his work, and judging just by how half of the destruction was cleanly cut in bits, and the other half was completely smashed flat, he knew it was the work of Sonic and his screech and energy attacks.

He sped up faster through the destruction, reaching a building that was barely standing, he stood on top of its remaining stand, over looking the destruction in it's entirety. He could feel rage, confusion, fear behind them.

Sonic must have woken up alone.

Shadow jumped down to the destroyed streets, surveilling the area for any signs of life, from the looks of it though, it seems Sonic did a number on everything as the southern outskirts were dead silent, activating his air shoes, he ran forward through the streets. If the other was in the southern outskirts, then he just had to keep going south and eventually he would run into him.

Shadow ran through the outskirts for about five minutes when he saw G.U.N. surrounding someone up ahead. He snarled at the surrounding soldiers and their robotics.

When he got closer, his heart skipped a beat.

"We have you surrounded! Don't resist!" Yelled a soldier holding a gun. He had his weapon pointed at the suspect.

The suspect in question was a cobalt blue hedgehog, who had streaks of white around his eyes and a long streak across the center of his eyes going all the way back down his center quill. He had white marks around his mouth, almost mimicking the icon used for volume sound. In contrast to Shadow who wore gold around his wrists and ankles, Sonic wore silver around his wrists, ankles, and neck. His right arm and leg were almost like water yet still completely solid, while his left arm and leg had a white streak wrapping around them in a downward spiral wrap around.

Shadow could tell Sonic had overdid it with his screech, his eyes were hazy and unfocused, a sign of using his screech one too many times in a row.

Something in the other snapped, seeing the soldiers take another step closer to Sonic. How his blood boiled with pure rage, how it consumed him, as his own appearance went from looking like a normal mobian hedgehog, to the center red streak in his quills became scales, the other red streaks hardening and spikes standing on the ends, his pupils became slits, his fangs grew, and his tail grew longer, spikes growing down it as scales became the ending point.

"YOU GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!" Yelled Shadow, as he disappeared into thin air, the soldiers frantically looking around for which direction that yell came from. Shadow then reappeared in front of Sonic, keeping him away from the G.U.N. soldiers.

The soldiers panicked for a second as their leader immediately yelled to open fire, but that couldn't happen, they barely had any reaction time when--"CHAOS CONTROL!!" --a powerful surge of chaos energy shook through the ground, causing an earthquake…no it shattered the ground beneath the soldiers and they all fell into the depths, a painful descent as the Chaos Energy sent pure electrocutions throughout them and their machinery.

A terrifying display of power, as it was all consumed by a cloud of debris. When the debris cloud vanished, Shadow was catching his breath. He had used quite a bit of chaos energy in his fit of rage.

Suddenly, Shadow felt himself being hugged from behind. "This isn't a dream right…? I'm not hallucinating, right…?" Sonic asked, hesitance lacing his voice. Scared that if he let Shadow go, he would vanish into thin air.

Shadow allowed himself this moment of relief, with no soldiers in sight or no indication any more were on the way, he dropped his guard. He turned around and pulled Sonic into his arms, holding him close and tight, as Sonic practically melted into his arms, burying his face into Shadow's chest.

"I thought I lost you…" Shadow muttered into Sonic's quills.

"I thought the same, when I woke up all alone in those green fields…what happened?" Sonic asked, still not fully awake from the fifty year long nap he had been in.

Shadow pulled away from the hug, but held Sonic's hand tight within his own. "I'll explain later on the ARK. Right now we need to leave before more G.U.N. soldiers show up."

>>> 22:18 "In the Pyramid" : Desert Area

Meanwhile, back at Eggman's hidden base, Agent Rouge has snuck inside. Once she saw the coast was clear, she reached up to her ear and turned on her communicator. "This is Agent Rouge, I've located Eggman's base and will proceed to enter it now." She said, receiving a 'Roger that, keep us updated, over' in response from the G.U.N. Agent on the other line.

Taking a look at the inner entrance of the base, she noticed it was heavily locked down, the door that led to where she needed to go needed at least three keys to open. She sighed. "Hah...I hate to say it. I guess I'm going to have to find that key first."

Luckily she wasn't an expert treasure hunter for nothing, she found all three keys with ease, placing them in the doorway once she was back at the inner entrance. Once each key was in place, they automatically turned to unlock. Giving Rouge access to the innermost workings for Eggman's base.

Eventually she reached the room with the terminal that Eggman saw the news report from along with the transporter to the ARK. She approached the computer and began typing away at it, hoping to find some answers within its data base to what was going on.

"This device-- gasp -- it’s a transporter with its destination set to the ARK?! Wasn't that space colony shut down, over fifty years ago? What's he doing up there, anyway? Doesn't matter. It's my mission to find out what he's up to!" She said with determination. She typed in a few commands and then stepped inside the transporter, once she was on it, the transporter activated, sending her to its destination.

>>> 22:41 Inside the Space Colony: ARK

Rouge was not far off Eggman's trail, as the Doctor had only been on board a few minutes. He was making his way through the twists and turns of the colony. "So this is the space colony ARK. I have to locate the central control room that Shadow mentioned before he left." Eggman said to himself, he needed answers on what Shadow meant when he left that military base.

He began to make his way through the ARK, unlike before where almost every security measure at the military base attacked him, it was quite a simple walk through in the ARK. Shadow must have been responsible for that.

Soon the doctor was at the center control room, where Shadow stood in front of a terminal with a weird device hooked up to it, and…he wasn't alone. "Shadow! What's the meaning of this?!" Eggman questioned.

The two hedgehogs turned around. Shadow taking the first initiative. "I've been waiting for you Doctor." He spoke, turning around and offering his hand to the mysterious blue hedgehog, who was clearly on the defensive towards Eggman, but clearly trusted Shadow. The doctor couldn't help but wonder who he was and what he had to do with Shadow. "Allow me to introduce you to my other half, Sonic. I'm not surprised he was not in the database of your research, they corrupted all his files in the system." Shadow explained.

"Your, other half? What does that mean exactly Shadow, that doesn't explain what you meant when you left the military base." Eggman further questioned.

"It means that he's my equal. You don't need to know anymore than that. Now, I will show the glorious achievement of what the world's leading scientist - Professor Gerald has created." Shadow exclaimed.

On cue, the device behind the two hedgehogs came alive. The doctor stared in awe as the device came online. This time, the blue hedgehog known as Sonic spoke, Eggman was surprised, for a second he considered the other couldn't talk. "The ARK was the first space colony created by mankind. Not many people know that the ARK contained a top-secret research facility, where weapons of mass destruction were being created. This is one of them; a weapon capable of destroying an entire planet. Codenamed: "The Eclipse Cannon." Sonic explained.

The doctor couldn't believe his ears or eyes. "Destroying an entire planet...? Was this my grandfather's legacy?"

"But, it's been deactivated for some time now…" Shadow stated.

Shadow pulled out the chaos emerald he had stolen from the federal-reserve bank, tossing it into one of the seven slots on the device. It fit perfectly in and the device loudly hummed as the chaos energy pulsed through it, giving it more power.

"To reactivate it... large amounts of energy are necessary." Shadow explained.

Suddenly it all made sense to the doctor. "Oh, so that's why we needed the Chaos Emerald. But what about that one thing in exchange?"

"Exactly. To reactivate the machine, we need the seven Chaos Emeralds. Once you have that, then you have the ultimate power of destruction, to use as you please. And then... the world could be yours. As for your follow up question, I have no more need for that exchange, what I needed is here with me now." Shadow vaguely explained, but Eggman could tell he was referring to Sonic, with how his body language kept ensuring Sonic stayed behind him, the other seemed fine with that, not wanting to be involved in the whole ordeal, clearly he has seen some things to warrant the trust issues.

Eggman burst into a joyful laughter. "Hahahahahaha!! Sounds like a plan! I like the way you think, Shadow! I will get the Chaos Emeralds, use the machine to dominate the world and build a legacy of my own!" With this cannon, his empire can finally come into being, and no one can stop him, not even that pesky Amy Rose!

"Do you really think it will be that easy?" A new voice from above spoke, having all three look up to the ceiling. It was Rouge, who was gracefully gliding down from where she was hidden.

Once she was within listening distance, she started talking. "I've got a great idea! How about making a deal?" She suggested.

"A…deal?" Eggman questioned.

"When you grabbed that huge Emerald, you said something about a reaction; a reaction that it may have with the Master Emerald. Now, if you could just let me borrow that radar, I may be able to help you. What do you think?" Rouge elaborated, a cunning smile on her face.

But Eggman was still suspicious. "If I do... what's in it for me?"

Success, she had him right where she wanted him. "I have an idea where the other Chaos Emeralds may be. I may not look like it, but do you know that I am a treasure hunter that specializes in all kinds of jewels?"

With that said, Rouge pulled out a chaos emerald from within her coat, leaving Eggman stunned. How in the world did she snatch a chaos emerald, not knowing what to say, Eggman looked towards Shadow.

Shadow simply nodded in agreement to Rouge's terms. So with everyone in agreement, Eggman turned his attention back to Rouge. "Very well."

"Okay then, it's a deal. I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Rouge the Bat. But, you can call me Rouge." She introduced herself as her and Eggman left the central control room to discuss further details and to give Rouge access to the radar, leaving the two hedgehogs alone.

"You sure were vague with the Doctor." Sonic said to the other.

"If at any point he becomes a traitor, I don't want him having an advantage over us." Shadow responded.

Sonic was touched, leaning his head on Shadow's shoulder. "Nothing my screech can't handle -- sigh-- you're really going through with this?" Sonic asked, needing to know for certain if this is what Shadow wanted.

"I promised, that day this is what I promised. Now, I can go through knowing her last act of kindness was not in vain." Shadow said, turning to face the other, with his free hand he rested it against Sonic's cheek, watching how Sonic melted into his touch. He leaned his forehead against Sonic's, just taking in the moment, letting himself forget the outside world, only focusing on Sonic.

"Those chaos emeralds aren't going to collect themselves now, where do we begin?" Sonic asked, no matter what happens, he'll have Shadow's back.

Shadow was grateful that through it all, he still had Sonic. "Prison Island, we'll set off before noon."

>>> 11:13 "Prison Island: Coastline"

The four were now within a forest of Prison Island, Eggman was not exactly pleased about being back here after the last time.

"Having to come back isn't my idea of a vacation! How can you be sure your intelligence reports are correct? Why would the Chaos Emeralds be here on the island? Are you absolutely sure?!" Eggman heavily questioned Rouge, who had been the one to lead them back here for the chaos emeralds.

"Well, believe what you wanna believe." Was all Rouge said, shrugging her shoulders. But her confidence is what made the doctor calm down enough to think.

"Hmm, very well. Let's discuss how we are going to do this. I will go in first and distract the military troupes, allowing you to sneak in the base without being detected." The doctor began to explain, he then pointed at Shadow. "Then, Shadow will... enter the armory, where he will set the timer on these dynamite packs. Once that is in place, we will blow up the whole island before anyone has a chance to know what hit them!" He then pointed to Rouge. "Meanwhile, you will sneak into the cargo area and grab the Chaos Emeralds. That's a challenge for such a worthy treasure hunter as yourself, isn't it bat-girl?"

Rouge simply saluted with a wink towards Eggman.

"Don't think I forgot about you, Sonic." Eggman then pointed his attention to the cobalt blue hedgehog. "I have a sneaky suspicion a thorn in my side will show up and try to stop us. I want you to be on the look out for them." Eggman explained.

Sonic looked at the other with a arched eyebrow. "And this thorn in your side is??" He dragged out, emphasizing for Eggman to further elaborate who he was talking about.

"Her name is Amy "Rascal" Rose, she's a hedgehog like you, a pink one, and you could say she's the hero of this world. She's been nothing but a thorn in my side with her companions, an echidna named Knuckles, and a twin tailed fox named Tails. Your job will be to keep them from disrupting our plans before the island blows up, got it?" Eggman concluded.

Sonic just nodded.

"We only have thirteen minutes to pull this mission off, and we only get one try; so don't fail me!" With that final statement from Eggman, everyone left in separate directions.

The first step of the plan was going accordingly, the military troupes put all their attention on Eggman and his path of destruction, that the other three went completely unnoticed. Eventually Eggman had cleared out the entire port of the base.

This allowed him to regroup with Sonic, who was at the other end of take off zone of a G.U.N. battleship, Shadow and Rouge had already snuck inside, so he was left to stay watch.

>>> On the G.U.N. Battleship

"Okay, everyone ready? Shadow, Rouge, on with the show!" Eggman spoke into the comms. Just as the doctor finished his sentence, a hauntingly familiar hammer came flying towards him from behind, the only reason it didn't hit him was because Sonic reacted much quicker and kicked it away mid air.

"I knew you were behind this, Eggman!" It was her, Eggman couldn't mistake that voice anywhere, as he turned around in his Egg-Mobile. Sure enough, there was Amy, in her iconic red headband and her playing card styled dress.

"What are you doing here on a military base?!" She demanded, clearly he was up to no good as usual, but never to this extent.

"I'm the one who should be asking that question! Never mind that, I have more important matters to attend to, she's all yours Sonic, don't let me down." Eggman said, taking off in the opposite direction of the two.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Amy yelled, as she tried to give chase after Eggman, but was stopped by Sonic cutting in front of her. "What the- he's so fast…" Amy whispered in awe at the blue hedgehog's speed.

"That hammer of yours in no joke, I hope you can put up a good fight." Sonic said, before taking off at his high speeds, attacking Amy from every side.

Amy was quick with her reactions, while she had trouble keeping her eyes on the blue blur, she could sense when he stopped to attack and she could then block him with her hammer. But currently that's all she could do, was block. The other was purposely trying to keep her from being able to properly dodge or attack.

It was sooner than later that he kicked her hammer out of her hands, and had his hand at her throat, prepared to stab through if she tried anything funny. "You're very impressive, only one other can block my speed attacks." He praised.

"Why?" Amy asked, panting from the constant attacks. "Why are you working with Eggman of all people? Don't you know he's the bad guy? And why don't you kill me?"

The question made Sonic hesitate, a barely visible startle came out of him. "My orders were to keep you at bay, not kill you." Sonic answered.

But that didn't answer Amy's other question. "You don't look like a bad guy, so why are you helping one?" She asked again.

"I'm not helping HIM. Don't compare me to the likes of him." Sonic spat, clearly she hit a nerve there. But if he isn't helping Eggman like he claims then who?

In his eyes, Amy could see confusion, hurt, scared even. But most of all, she could see doubt in those emerald green eyes. " --deep breath-- Why don't you help me stop him? You really look like you have a kind heart, so why not team up and defeat Eggman together?" She asked, slowly offering her hand to the other, a gentle smile on her face.

Sonic clearly didn't expect this supposed "thorn" in Eggman's side to offer him kindness and compassion. He dropped his hand from where he had it pointed at her neck, her kindness reminded him of someone familiar…her smile, it was like Maria's.

"I see why you're the hero of this world, your compassion is boundless." He said, Amy taken aback by the statement.

"I just believe everyone deserves a second chance if they are willing to try." She responded.

For a moment, Sonic considered the offer, taking her hand, but he smacked it away. Surprising the other. "Unfortunately, you may not show my equal the same compassion. I will not fall victim to your tricks and deceptions."

Sonic jumped back, and was prepared to attack, when a vehicle suddenly landed between them. It was the twin tailed fox Eggman had mentioned, Tails.

"Boy, am I glad to see you! You're timing couldn't be more perfect Tails!" Amy boistered, relief that Tails showed up in the knick of time.

The fox wore a technical visor on his left eye, along with a dark blue jacket. "You're the one that was impatient and couldn't wait for my map to load in." Tails said sarcastically. Amy letting out a nervous laugh, as she shrugged in response to Tails. "Leave him to me Amy, you go after Eggman!"

"Roger that Tails." Amy took off after that, grabbing her hammer and leaving the mysterious hedgehog to Tails.

>>> In the Security Hall

"I'm in position, doctor. Tell me when." Shadow spoke from his comms, waiting for the signal to set the timer on the explosive.

"There's been an unexpected delay on my end. There's no more time to waste. Set the timer for 15 minutes! Let's go, Rouge!" Eggman yelled from his comms, you could clearly hear him being chased by more military troupes in the background.

"Five minutes should be plenty! Here I go!" Rouge exclaimed, having entered the secured storage room with ease. With a leap, she landed on the walkway of the storage room from where she had hidden, and began her search immediately.

Sure enough, five minutes was more than plenty, as in two minutes she had found all three chaos emeralds that had been hidden and stored away on the base. Honestly it felt too easy, and she would be correct.

As when you was just about to leave the storage room, a large military robot appeared and blocked her escape. Flying dog could be read on its side. "Looks like I'll have to get my hands dirty for this one." She said, hiding away the chaos emeralds, and prepared to fight the robot.

It was big, but it was no match for Rouge and her cunning skills, it didn't stand a chance against her

Air-born attacks and soon collapsed into a pile of rubble.

Unfortunately, sometime during the fight, the room got locked down, it was sealed tight with no way out. She couldn't die here, not when she was so close. "This is Rouge. I've got a small problem... I can't believe that I'm trapped inside this locked safe with the Chaos Emeralds! I guess I won't be able to call myself a treasure hunter anymore…" She spoke into her comm, unwillingly admitting defeat.

>>> In the White Jungle

The one that caught this first, was Shadow who had been walking back through the jungle.One of the dynamite packs that Shadow set is at "00:09:54" until its detonation. Shadow pauses, thinking of Rouge, and then he recalls how Maria was in the same situation; laying helpless against a wall, waiting for her own inevitable death to come.

"Ah... shoot. Troublemaker!" He said, turning around and heading back to the base for Rouge and the chaos emeralds.

He flew through the jungle at record speed, he was nearly back at the base when he got met with an obstacle. That pink hedgehog Eggman warned them about.

She looked up at where Shadow stood on a tree branch. "Are you that guy's friend? The one he called his equal?" She asked, but was on the defensive, prepared to attack. Just like Sonic, this guy looked like no joke but unlike Sonic, this one looked fully ready to kill without hesitation.

"You dare speak of him? Hah! You think you're worthy enough to speak of him?" Shadow spoke.

"Wow you're very egotistical for a fake hedgehog!" Amy retorted.

"Faker? I think you're the fake hedgehog around here." Shadow said, a smirk on his face.

"Well then, why don't you come down here and say it to my face!" Amy yelled.

Shadow jumped down to the ground. "If you insist." With that said, the two began to duke it out.

Shadow had to give it to Amy, she was a very skilled fighter. That hammer of hers was extremely heavy to the average person, but she wielded it like it was nothing, as she swung it with skill and grace at Shadow.

But Shadow was quicker, dodging each swing like nothing. He didn't have time for this, so with a swift kick, he knocked the hammer out of Amy's hands, before spin dashing towards her when she was distracted.

The dynamite now read 00:01:25, as Amy was caught between a rock and hard place, the two hedgehogs panting from their fight. Suddenly, Shadow's radio starts to beep. It was the doctor again. "Shadow?! What are you doing?! Get back here right now before the island blows up with you on it!"

"I'm sorry- Blows up?!" Amy exclaimed in shock. Shadow looked at her, but then jumps back and runs off. With the dynamite at 00:00:56, he makes it into the security vault where Rouge is. She looks surprised that he came, and he runs to her. He reaches his hand out to the Emeralds at he gets closer.

"Chaos Control!" He yelled.They both warp out of the vault, barely making it out before the dynamite packs - which reads 00:00:03 - blow up. The dynamite that Shadow set blow up the island, and a blast obscures all sight of the isle, covering it from end to end.

>>> ARK

Shadow stood alone in one of the many rooms of the ARK, staring at the planet below. He was reminiscing, as another memory came back to him after saving Rouge back on the island.

He remembers standing in front of this very window back then, with Maria by his side. How curious she was about the planet below. "Shadow, what do you think it's like on earth?" The conversation he had with her back then still so clear.

"The professor said his life's work was dedicated to all of those who live down there. He once told that the reason for his existence was, making people happy through the power of science." He had responded to her.

"Shadow…"

"Maria... I just don't know anything anymore... I often wonder why I was created; what my purpose if for being here. Maybe if I go down there, I... I will find the answers... maybe... ...Maria…" Was what he had said back then.

The memory faded from his mind, when he heard the metal door way open. It was Rouge and Sonic.

"Why so melancholy?" She asked Shadow. Shadow paused, he didn't say anything as the two got closer, Sonic more closer as he entwined his arms around Shadow's. Shadow returning the gesture and holding the other's hand.

Rouge chuckled. "It's cute what you two have. That was so unexpected. So unlike you, Shadow, to come and rescue me. But your ability to use the Chaos Control, certainly comes in handy." She offered in compliment to the other.

"Hmm, you know... I didn't come to save you. I came back for the Chaos Emeralds." Shadow deflected.

"Yeah, yeah. But then again, that's not the whole story, now, is it?" She questioned, trying to get one of the two to open up. But in that moment, Eggman walked into the room, stretching his arms, entering the room with a sigh.

"Everything is ready to go!" Eggman proclaimed.

Rouge was skeptical. "Are you sure? We only have six of the seven Chaos Emeralds, you know." She tried to reason with the doctor, contemplating the what if's the could occur without its full power source activated and in place.

"That's more than enough for the demonstration. So let's get this show on the road!" Sonic said, with a unreadable smile on his face, leading Shadow out of the room with him. The two walking to Eggman, and he steps out of his way, looking a tad surprised.

The two walked the hallway towards the control center room alone, giving them a moment to speak their minds. "I don't like how impatient he is. How power hungry he is, he's nothing like the Professor." Sonic said with a tch in his tone.

"Just a little more, and then we won't have to worry about it." Shadow reassured his other half, gently kissing Sonic's hand that was entwined with his.

"I really hope you know and understand what you're doing Shadow." Sonic sighed, the two entering the control center room, now they just had to wait.

>>> The Eggman Empire. "Day X 18:00"

It was nighttime in the city, when the giant television above the city came alive. Eggman has projected himself onto every television across the world.

"Bwahahahaha!! Citizens of earth, lend me your ears and listen to me very carefully... My name is Doctor Eggman, the world's greatest scientist and soon to be the world's greatest ruler. Now witness the beginning of the greatest empire of all time! Hahaha!" He proudly exclaimed.

In outer space, an asteroid cracks its lower half off, revealing a design reminiscent of Eggman's face. The 'nose' area splits apart into four stems, at the center of which is the Eclipse Cannon. The four stems begin radiating an energy net, which the Cannon launches straight through the sky at the Moon. Its side is completely torn off, and fire can be seen inside.

It sent fear into the hearts of everyone in the planet, as the last thing they heard from the projection that was being televised- "Bwahahahahaha! Bwahahahaha!!" Was Eggman's maniacal laugh, as a timer counting down from 24:00:00:00 appears on the televisions; when it times out, the Cannon will fire again, this time at earth.

>>> Back on the ARK

For such a grand display and speech,Eggman is currently hitting the terminal for the Cannon in frustration. This baffled Rouge. "Why are you so upset? Well that was really impressive. You managed to create complete havoc on the whole planet! Does this now mean we control the planet and can do as we choose?" She asked.

Shadow walked into the terminal room at that moment. "At this rate, the cannon will take too much time to charge up. If you want to unleash its full potential, you'll need all seven Chaos Emeralds." He explained.

"Where in the world have you been?!" Eggman demanded, getting a silent glare from the other.

Rouge looked around, not seeing Sonic who was normally glued to Shadow's side. She looked at Shadow. "Something happened?" She asked. Shadow caught what she was really asking, but he wasn't letting the doctor in on that conversation. "Our threats fell on deaf ears." He bluntly stated.

Rouge turned her attention back to Eggman, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with Shadow. "Look at you, throwing a tantrum like a little kid. How totally embarrassing."

The doctor was not having this. "Don't forget your end of the bargain, Bat-girl! What about that last Chaos Emerald?! We had a deal, right?! So where is my Emerald?" He egged on, pun not intended.

With her signature smile, she held out a newspaper in front of Eggman. "Here you go. I found this!" She said with a smug grin on her face.

Eggman was in shock. "Why didn't you show me this before?!" He grabbed the newspaper. "What's this...? "Station Square saved from a life-threatening missile attack. The city has awarded its famed prize to the boy who saved Station Square... Miles 'Tails' Prower was given the Chaos Emerald as a testament of his heroic deed at a ceremony held at city Hall." He cleared his throat. "This makes things a whole lot easier. Hurry, go back to earth and find them fast! I want that Chaos Emerald!!" The doctor leaving the room, ranting on about his big empire plans.

Rouge looked towards Shadow. "Did you get that?"

Shadow was muttering to himself though. "Soon enough... Maria…"

Rouge was a little surprised, as Shadow walked away towards the exit. She waited to be sure the other two were gone, once the coast was clear, she pulled out her radio and began talking. "This is Rouge reporting. Currently, I have not been able to confirm if Shadow is the Ultimate Life Form or not. I will continue my research on Project Shadow, and have a follow-up report very shortly. Just a reminder... don't forget about my jewels." She could have mentioned Sonic, but he wasn't on file nor part of the job description. Her mission was Project Shadow.

"A double agent? Can't say I'm surprised." A voice spoke once she shut off her radio. Rouge could have sworn the coast was clear, but then again, Sonic was the textbook definition of speed.

She looked up and saw him sitting on top of the terminal's monitor. "How much did you hear?" She asked, on the defensive if he tried anything funny.

Sonic simply tilted his head at her, those emerald green eyes staring right through her. "Enough, that I could easily tell Shadow. But frankly speaking--" He jumped down from the monitor and was now directly in front of Rouge. "-- I don't care that you're an agent. What you do isn't my business." He said nonchalantly, shrugging at the end of his sentence.

"But?" Rouge prodded on. There was a catch, there had to be a catch. There's no way Sonic was just going to leave it at that.

"But word of advice, report back anything that will have those agents chasing after him or me, you'll be the first one I target." Sonic's tone left no room for disagreement. Those eyes felt so soulless as they looked directly at Rouge's.

"Keep that in mind, and I'll play along. I'm just here for Shadow after all, what the rest of you do is not my problem." Sonic ended, and then proceeded to leave the room.

Rouge couldn't help but wonder just what was Sonic's deal.

>>> Sky Rail's vicinity

Shadow stood on top of a small pillar, walkie talkie in hand as he looked up towards the sky. He raised the comm to his head, it came alive with Rouge reporting from her side. "Shadow! They're in that blue plane, spotted at 11 o'clock!"

"Copy that, I'm in pursuit." Shadow responded, ending the communication and giving chase after the blue plane.

Shadow gave chase, until he saw the blue plane going over Eggman's base, he made a full stop and contacted Eggman on the comms. "Doctor, they're heading directly toward us. What should we do?"

"Just sit tight, I've got them on radar. There's no way they can get away! I don't know what they are planning, but I'll be sure to give them a warm welcome." The doctor was confident in his plan as he ended the communication. He just had to wait his time patiently, let those little pests think they got the upper hand.

>>> 14:58 "In the pyramid"

Eggman was honestly enjoying them find all the keys needed to access the inside of his pyramid base. None of them even questioning why the keys were so easy to find and in such interesting places. He could hear them conversing in the distance.

"Huh… That was pretty rough." That was clearly Knuckles, Eggman watched as he hunted down all three access keys.

"We did it! Let's go Amy!" Tails was cheering.

"Yeah! Let's finish this!" Amy had agreed with just as much enthusiasm.

Oh but Eggman wasn't just about to let them have their perfect victory, their surprise looks on their faces when he appeared before them was proof enough that they thought they were being sneaky. "You little thieves! Did you really think you could get out of here alive?"

He had them right where he wanted them. But of course they wouldn't go down without a fight. As Amy was quick to draw her hammer. "Come and get some, Eggman!"

"Amy wait!" Tails tried to reason with her. But she offered the other one of her reassuring smiles. "Just leave it to me! You and Knuckles get out of here!"

"This time, I'll take your lives as well as the Chaos Emerald. I call on you to destroy these pests. Come out, my servant!" Eggman called out, the ground began to shake, as from the sands in the center of the room ahead, a giant Egg Golem ascended.

"Impressive Eggman, but that's just a giant piece of rock ready for my hammer!" Amy yelled, as it looks down at her. The Egg Golem easily towers over the room.

"Now go… and squash that thorn of a hedgehog, Amy!" Eggman commanded his golem. Watching as the battle commenced. This was it, this is where he gets his final victory against Amy and her pesky friends.

Or so he thought, but Amy was smart, as she jumps at the Egg Golem's Head, and smashes her hammer on top of its head, destroying the device that was on top of it. "Ha! Home run!" She proclaimed victoriously.

It was like slow motion as the device on the Golem's head exploded once Amy had smashed it to pieces, and the Egg Golem swivels its head around several times. Amy taking her leave to catch up with her friends, leaving Eggman to deal with the fallout of his failed attempt.

"When Amy struck his head, she must have broken the restraining mechanism! Arrgh! What a piece of junk!" The doctor loudly complained as the Egg Golem's head stopped spinning in circles.

Once it stopped, the Egg Golem looks down at Eggman, and starts to reach for him. Oh this is not good. "No!" Eggman yelled.

While Eggman was dealing with the now freed Golem. The pyramid's top opens up, revealing a large rocket. An automatic voice could heard once the rocket was in place. "Green light for launch! Primary engine ignition on! Beginning lift-off countdown!" In the distance, Amy could be seen running onto the rocket. " 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Shuttle lift-off!"

And just like that, the rocket took off for its destination. The ARK.

>>> ARK: Central control room / Cannon countdown: 2 hours 7 seconds

Back on the ARK, Rouge was once again in the control room containing the eclipse cannon. She was currently talking to Eggman on the communication lines. "Hi doctor. How's it going? What! What do you mean they escaped? That's OK. I will go after them myself. Can you tell me the password for the space colony control?"

Ever the fool Eggman was, as he easily gave her the password without a thought. She quickly ended the communication once she got the information she needed. Rouge couldn't help but giggle on how predictable Eggman was. "Hmm… tricking that old doctor is just too easy! Alright, it's time to get to work. The password is "MA-RI-A". Maria… hmmm? I've heard that name somewhere before. Oh well…"

She wasn't here to debate on what names were familiar. She was her for her mission, as she began search through large groupings of data on the monitor, but being the keen treasure hunter and agent she was, she quickly found what she was sent here for. "This is it! Research Project Shadow, the Ultimate Life Form. Let's see now… What in the world is this?" She gasped, she couldn't believe here eyes, what she was reading.

"I warned you, bite off more than you can chew and you'll choke." Sonic spoke from behind Rouge, startling her in the process.

"This can't be right! Just what is Shadow, anyway?" She asked the other, needing confirmation on what she was seeing was false. It had to be false, it just didn't make any sense.

Sonic merely shrugged. "That's not any of your business now is it. You got what you came here for, don't push your luck, Agent Rouge." Sonic said, an unreadable expression on his face.

Suddenly, a warning message comes on, showing Amy, Tails, and Knuckles in a hallway in the ARK. Guess her questioning will have to wait for another time. She faced Sonic, giving him a salute with a wink, her cunning smile across her face.

"Hmmm, I guess I'll just have to take the last pieces of the Master Emerald!" She then flew off, leaving Sonic alone with the still open data files.

He approached the monitor, looking up at it and its data contents. "Ultimate Life Form huh?" He said, with an almost sad tone in his voice, as he cleared the data search and tried typing in "Project Sonic" to see if anything would come up.

All Sonic got was an error screen, saying the files he was trying to access were all corrupted, erased long ago by some unknown force. "I don't mind being hidden. This just makes things less complicated for me. The world does not need to know of Project Sonic." He said, clearing the monitor entirely, leaving it blank.

Despite what he thought he feel if he searched it, Sonic was just filled with determination. This way, he could forge his own path once this was all over. All he needed was Shadow by his side, no data books telling him what he is, and what he's supposed to be. Just him and Shadow, that's all he wanted.

>>> ARK: Central Tower- Meteor Herd

"Long time no see treasure hunter. Did you find MY Emeralds?" Rouge said, being face to face with Knuckles once again. She was honestly impressed he got this far.

"That's a good one! YOUR Emerald. Talking to you is a waste of time!" Knuckles retorted. At this point, he was done trying to talk his way with Rouge, now it's time to let their fists do the talking.

They were pretty evenly matched, their fight kept them moving throughout the area, until eventually the two were standing on crosswalks above the lava at the tower's base.

They both breathe heavily from exhaustion, then speak in unison. "Whew-! Stop fooling around, and give me back MY Emeralds!" Both were taken aback at their in sync yelling.

"What are you babbling about? You call yourself a hunter? Attacking a lady… Shame on you!" Rouge lectured, turning her head to her side at the end of it.

"What kind of lady goes around stealing gems, anyway?" Knuckles questioned.

"Those belong to me--" Rouge sentence went unfinished, as when she took a step back mid sentence, she misplaced her footing and tripped, falling off the crosswalk towards the lava. "Aahhh! Aaaaaaahhh!" She screamed.

As Rouge falls down from the platform, Knuckles grabs on to her arm. She was baffled by this. "What in the world?"

Knuckles pulls her back up, and they both look at each other for a second. But then Rouge backs up. "Keep your hands to yourself! Don't touch me!" Rouge exclaimed.

"Is that how you say thanks to someone who just saved your life?" Said Knuckles.

"Saving my life, don't think I owe you one! You just wanted to hold my hand, didn't you? That's why you saved me! You're such a creep!" Rouge retorted.

Knuckles stared at her, completely baffled. "This isn't a joke, you know! Think what you want bat girl. I was saving the Master Emerald."

Again with this, Rouge was getting annoyed with this whole thing. She sighed. "No matter what you say, it sounds crazy!" Yet despite what she said, she tossed the Emerald Shards to Knuckles.

Knuckles looked down at the Emerald Shards before looking back at Rouge. "Wha…?" The Echidna was confused.

"Fine, then just take them. They stink like echidnas do." She said.

"If that's what you thought, you should have given me them in the first place!" Knuckles said, scooping them up off the platform, and puts the Master Emerald back together.

Seeing the Master Emerald filled Knuckles with relief. "Finally!" He said, looking back up at Rouge to see her turned away when he looked at her.

"What?" She confronted.

"I'm sorry… if I hurt you." Knuckles apologized, before running off to help Amy.

Rouge looks up into the air. "We should get going." She said softly. She turned to leave, then looks back where Knuckles was, faintly smiling, before running off.

>>> In the Pyramid/Cannon Countdown: 58 minutes.

In the pyramid base's transporter room, Eggman is looking at a surveillance footage of Amy, and Tails before switching to viewing a diagram of the ARK.

"What is Rouge up to, anyway?" Eggman asked himself.

"Does it matter?" A voice came from above Eggman, it was Sonic sitting on top of the monitor.

"How did you- never mind it doesn't matter. That's not a seat you know." Eggman said.

Sonic didn't offer a response, simply pointed at the screen. Pulling Eggman's attention back to it.

The map shows two Chaos Emeralds; both the fake and the real one. "This is strange. It's showing energy readings from two separate Chaos Emeralds!" Eggman exclaimed.

"Sounds like they planned to trick you with a fake. I heard them say it mimics the actual emerald almost to a T, but it's nearly not as powerful." Sonic said, a smug tone in his voice.

Eggman was not pleased with this. "Did they really think they could trick me with that fake emerald?!"

Shadow who had silently walked into the room, was about to turn around and deal with their intruders, but was stopped by Eggman. "Wait, Shadow! I'm the one who should be telling them the end is near, not you!" With that said, Eggman left the room, leaving the two hedgehogs alone.

"When did you notice the emerald was a fake?" Shadow asked Sonic, the other jumping down from the monitor and making his way towards Shadow.

"The walls have ears, by which I mean I eavesdropped on their conversations. Didn't think they were serious about the fake emerald though." Sonic said, a nonchalant smile on his face, shrugging at the end of his sentence.

Shadow grabbed Sonic by the waist, pulling the other in and kissing him. Sonic was taken aback for a few seconds, before happily returning the kiss. "You're incredible you know that?" Shadow said first, a smirk on his face when the two separated.

"I know, but I wouldn't mind you telling me again." Sonic replied, a smile on his face. With the alone time the two had, it was enough to give each other affection without being caught by the others, so they quickly took advantage of it.

>>> Meanwhile

"Now is the time to end this long drawn-out battle, and mark myself a place in history as the ultimate genius!" Eggman exclaimed, knowing if something happened to him, he could leave it to Shadow and Sonic. He started up his Egg mobile, and began making his way to the transporter. "Hurry! The moment for attack has come! It's now, or never!" With that said, Eggman steps onto the transporter, and is sent to the ARK.

>>> ARK

At some point during their exploration, Amy and Tails got separated. "Darn it, I told him to not split up from me!" Amy said frustrated, trying to navigate the confusing layout of the ARK.

She didn't notice Eggman walking up behind her, and pointing a gun at her. "Well, well, young lady? Is there something I can help you with?" He asked.

"EGGMAN-?!" Amy exclaimed, jumping back and away from Eggman, summoning her hammer and was prepared to fight with the doctor.

"If you value your life, you will tell me where Tails and the chaos emerald are!" Eggman threatened. At that moment,Tails enters the room in the Cyclone, Eggman still having the gun pointed at Amy.

"Let's take care of business first, shall we, Tails? Hand over the Chaos Emerald, slowly, and then we'll talk about your friend go. That is to say, if you really care about her." Eggman said smugly.

"Don't listen to him Tails, it's just another one of his schemes!" Amy said, trying to plan out a strategy.

Tails didn't say anything, as he took out the emerald, Eggman gesturing to Amy with the gun to walk forward. A small circle appeared on the floor, Eggman pointed to it. "Put the Emerald down right there and back off!" He said.

"You've turned into a big-time villain, doctor!" Amy said, and when she walked over the small circle, Eggman laughs and a capsule forms and traps her inside.

"What the-?!" She gasped.

"You thought you could trick me with that fake Emerald, didn't you?" Eggman called them out of their plan.

This confused Tails, how did Eggman find out? "So… how did you know it wasn't the real one?"

"Tails!" Amy yelled, sometimes forgetting that despite Tails being a genius, he's still naive at times.

"Heh, because you just told me, fox boy!" Eggman smugly laughed, he wasn't going to be a fool and them that Sonic caught them in the act. Tails gasped.

"Now, for a little space ride! Once the capsule clears the colony, BAM!" Eggman boasted.

"I'm counting on you Tails!" Amy yelled, as the capsule began to slowly descend.

"Farewell! Amy Rose!" Eggman said, and with a push of a remote control, the capsule ejects into space.

"Amy!" Tails yelled.

The capsule then exploded in space once it was far enough away from the ARK.

"Farewell Amy… My admirable adversary!" Eggman said.

"Amy!!!" Tails yelled, tears of anger falling down his cheeks, as Eggman turned around and pointed the gun at Tails.

"Now we have some unfinished business to take care of! If you give me the real Emerald, I will release you. You have my promise!" Eggman explained.

"Amy.." Tails whispered.

"Huh?" Eggman was confused.

With a new fire of determination, Tails was prepared to fight. "Amy has asked me for the first time to do something for her, I won't let her down. I won't give up!" Tails exclaimed.

>>> ARK: Central area/Cannon countdown: 21 minutes 7 seconds

A few minutes ago. From a room on the ARK, Shadow and Sonic see the capsule that Amy was launched out in explode.

"Guess she was a regular hedgehog after all." Shadow said, running his hand through Sonic's quills, as Sonic was looking out the window.

Sonic was silent, he had a bad feeling about all this. Something wasn't exactly right. "Shadow." Sonic spoke.

"Yes?" Shadow asked.

"The emeralds are unattended. Rouge is M.I.A." Was all Sonic said, but it was enough for Shadow to understand and go check the cannon, but before leaving Sonic alone in the room. "Shadow, she's a government agent." Sonic admitted, noticing the way Shadow froze for a second before walking to the control room.

Sonic simply returned to staring out the window. "I wonder, what running through out that planet would feel like..?"

>>> Central Control Room

True to Sonic's gut instinct, Rouge was walking up to the Emeralds.

"Legend has it, whenever the seven Chaos Emeralds are collected, the power creates a miracle. I have six of them. They're mine, all mine!" She proudly exclaimed.

"I don't think so." Shadow said, walking in the control room. Rouge turns to Shadow.

"Shadow?" Rouge questioned, caught off guard by Shadow's sudden appearance.

"So that was your plan from the very beginning, huh? Or was it a direct order from the President?Now I know who you are. You're that government spy, Rouge the Bat, aren't you?" Shadow caught her hook, line, and sinker.

"So you did your homework, is that it? Or did your little boyfriend rat me out? I would say that's an invasion of privacy." Rouge retorted.

"I could say the same thing about you." Shadow was quick with his replies.

But Rouge kept her cunning and calm exterior. "Hmmm! It looks like things aren't quite going your way, but since my job was done… I thought it was time to take what's mine and get out of this place." She said.

Shadow couldn't believe his ears. "You are one pathetic creature!"

"Hmmm, look who's talking? What about you?" Rouge asked, jumping down from the emeralds with a paper in hand. "Here are the results from the research project called the "Ultimate Life Form"." But on the paper in question, was not a picture of Shadow, but a different creature entirely.

"But, if this picture is of the real Ultimate Life Form named, Shadow… then exactly who or what is standing in front of me?" She begged the question.

At that moment, Eggman contacted Shadow from the walkie talkie. "This is Doctor Eggman! I have found all seven Chaos Emeralds! Shadow! Someone is trying to get to the Eclipse Cannon. There's not much time left before the cannon fires again. Can you get over there?" The doctor yelled from his end of the walkie talkie.

Shadow cut the communication, returning his attention to Rouge. "If you want to live, leave the Chaos Emeralds where they are. The fake Emerald is good enough for you!"

"Do you actually believe that you're the real Shadow?" Rouge asked, in awe shock at Shadow.

"No doubt!" Shadow knew who he was.

"Even your memories might not be real, you know?" She further questioned.

"Even if my memories are not real, it's still me, Shadow. And I will fulfill my promise to Maria, to Sonic, that's the only thing that matters to me now." Shadow then left to go deal with the intruder.

>>> Outside Space Colony ARK / Cannon countdown: 5 minutes 44 seconds

Amy was currently standing in a corridor that leads out of the ARK; Shadow walks up to her. "You never cease to surprise me pink hedgehog. I thought that the capsule you were in exploded in space." He said.

Amy chuckled. "What can I say, I'm a stubborn one." Picking up her running speed, and Shadow did the same.

"So, there's more to you than meets the eye. What are you anyway?" He asked her.

"Just a girl that loves adventuring with her friends, Amy Rose! And don't you forget it!" She happily proclaimed.

"I see. But you know, I can't let you live. Your adventuring days are coming to an end." And with that, the two began to fight once more.

>>> ARK: Central control room / Cannon countdown: 40 seconds

At the terminal for the Eclipse Cannon, Eggman walks in with the seventh Chaos Emerald. "Hahahahahaha! This completes my plan to take over the world! Now begins the glorious era of the Empire of Eggman!"

-End Dark Chapter-

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niqhtlord01 · 11 months

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Humans are weird: A ship without a name ( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

(A continuation from "Humans are weird: Purple to the rescue")

It had been three weeks since Captain Muk’tal and his ship had safely returned to the Coalition fleet. His ships daring escape from the heart of Arganian armada had been the talk of the fleet, though he and much of his crew had been admitted to the nearest hospital ship to enjoy the praise. Muk’tal himself had been placed into a medical coma to help accelerate the healing process and it was only yesterday he had been awoken and deemed ready to rejoin his ship.

The shuttle he was now on had been waiting for him as he left the medical quarters and entered the flight hangar. He had woven his way through chaotic traffic of landings and taking off of dozens of medical transports to reach the shuttle and was thankful for the sound cancelation when the door closed behind him. As the craft left the bay Muk’tal got his first good look at what remained of the fleet and understood why the medical ship had been so eager to get him out to make room for other patients.

Of the combined force to go to battle against the Arganian’s barley two thirds had survived to return to the rally point. It had been a harrowing maelstrom of warfare not seen since the War of Seven Spheres, and the complacency since then showed amongst the bulks of ships arrayed before him.

On his right he could see several mobile repair yards slowly drifting towards the Kataack battleships arrayed at the center of the fleet. They had taken the worst of the mauling and Muk’tal watched as giant carving lasers began bisecting one of the more damaged ships to use for parts to repair the others.

Next to those were scores of heavy and light cruisers, behind them a line of destroyers at least thirty ships long, and then at the end a few frigates too small to make out clearly from this distance. These were all the ships that had survived from his people’s contribution to the coalition fleet. Looking out the left window he could see the rest of the coalition handling their maintenance.

So vastly different was each species designs that aside from the most basic materials the sharing of materials would be all but useless. Some ships, like the Waybilen, were comprised of a metal only found on their world that they would melt down and mold into ships.

“We’re coming up on your ship now.” The pilot said over the loud speaker, and Muk’tal broke his gaze with the rest of the coalition fleet to see his ship come into view along the right side.

The purple paint coating had been removed. As thankful as he was for it having saved their lives he still dreaded the tacky color for a military vessel.

It was still worse for wear, but he would be damned to say he wasn’t happy to see it in one piece. Several of the armor plates had been removed, but more still had the superficial signs of damage along them with various scorch marks and energy grooves cut into them. He imagined that even if he had been the hero of the day there were not enough supplies to fully refit his ship.

Just as the shuttle made a pass across the bridge Muk’tal noticed something strange that had not been there before.

Beneath the command bridge a line of text had been crudely painted. It was too far away for him to clearly make out. At first he thought it was some repair crew marking a future job that needed to be done; but when he looked around the rest of the ship there were no other lines of text scrawled across his vessel.

He did not have long to think about it as the shuttle made another turn and Muk’tal heard the loud clicking sound of an airlock attaching and pressurizing.

The door slowly swung open and waiting on the other side were several of his bridge crew and senior staff waiting at attention.

“Welcome back, Captain.”

Muk’tal returned the salute to his new Head Engineer Teli. She had recently been promoted to the position as a reward for her actions during the previous engagement, and though he still missed his dear friend Morgas he was no doubt sure he would have approved his replacement.

“It’s good to be back.” He replied with a crisp salute. “What’s our status?”

“We’ve repaired all primary systems including engines, weapons, communications and life support.” She answered. “Hull repairs are sitting at 87% completed; we’re jump capable but I would not recommend more than twenty before we reexamine the hull for stress tears.”

“Make it every five jumps just to be on the safe side until we are fully repaired.”

Teli nodded and stepped aside so that the captain may speak with the rest of the senior staff. Many were like Teli, having just been promoted to the position, but a few faces were still the same and Muk’tal was glad to see that the last battle had not claimed all his friends.

“I’ll be heading to the bridge to run status checks on the systems there.” he told Teli over his shoulder as he already began making his way there before stopping and turning around.

“While I was flying over I saw someone had scribble something in paint on the side of my ship.” He told Teli. “Was that the repair crew’s work?”

Teli shook her head. He saw her cast a sidelong glance at the rest of the senior crew and some of them nodded silently before she continued.

“While you were recovering we all, that is to say the senior staff, had time to reflect on our good fortune for returning.” She began hesitantly. “The odds of us escaping the Arganian’s were nearly impossible, and yet we still made it.”

“A testament to our skill and determination,” Muk’tal said, “but that still does not explain the text on my ship.”

“We heard stories of how other species would honor their ship and in return it would help guide them home safely.” She continued. “One of the ways to honor the ship was to give it a name to be recognized by.”

Muk’tal said nothing as he glanced around the rest of the senior crew. While none of them met his eye contact none of them looked particularly embarrassed by this superstition. He ran a clawed hand over his face and let out a low sigh.

“It is not in our culture to name our ships,” he began, “so I will wager it was one of our allies who mentioned this to you.” He fixed Teli with an authoritative stare. “And I have a hunch on who gave you all these silly notions of superstition.”

He walked past the group and touched the com badge on the cuff of his uniform.

“Mr. Biggs report to the bridge; double time.” --------------------------------------

“Please explain why you have defaced my ship?”

Engineer Marvin Biggs stood attention on the bridge while the rest of the bridge crew pretended not to be listening in.

“I don’t know what you mean, sir.”

Muk’tal stood up from his command throne and walked over to one of the windows overlooking his ship.

“About seven meters down from here,” he said as he pointed down, “you scrawled something on to the side of my ship without my permission or consent of the senior staff.”

“That’s not true sir.” Mr. Biggs countered. “I was the one who shared certain human customs, true; but it was officially put to a vote by both the crew and senior staff and they approved of it.”

Muk’tal turned in an instant and strode over to the human. He stood over him by easily two feet and fixed him with the coldest stare he had.

“This,’ he began softly, “is my ship, Mr. Biggs.”

“I am the commanding officer and as far as you are concerned my word is law onboard this vessel.”

Mr. Biggs opened his mouth as if to say something by Muk’tal silenced him with a gesture. “The only thing saving you from being locked in the brig until the exchange program is over is how you conducted yourself during our escape from the Arganian’s.”

“You will remove it, at once.”

With that he walked away from Marvin and returned to his command throne to go over several data feeds scrolling by. Mr. Biggs stood silent for a moment before making his way off the bridge. He stopped at the threshold and asked “Do you even know what it says?”

“No.” was all Muk’tal replied.

With that Mr. Briggs stepped off the bridge and the emergency sirens activated.

“Status report!?” Muk’tal demanded as he turned to the nearest bridge officer.

“Fleet wide communication coming in from Admiral Dun.” They replied.

“On speakers, now!”

The officer nodded, setting down their headset and flicking open the communication switch broadcasting the message.

“All ships all ships, this is the admiral; jump points have been detected on the edge of the system, prepare for combat.”

“All hands, man your battle stations this is not a drill!” Muk’tal shouted into the ships onboard speakers.

The previous matter with Mr. Biggs now swept away as the prospect of imminent combat pushed itself to the forefront of Muk’tal’s mind.

“Give me tactical now!”

A hologram projected itself to the center of the bridge showcasing the current position of the coalition fleet. The blue icons were scattered about desperately moving to form up, but it would take time. Muk’tal cursed whoever thought separating the fleet would somehow make repairs go faster as a host of red icons began appearing at the edge of the scanners.

Their fleet in its current state was broken into two parts that could easily be surrounded and cut to pieces. Even as he watched several of the coalition vessels begin moving together he saw it would be too late. The red icons had already made it a third of the way towards them in the time since the alert went out.

“Give me analysis on those ships now.” Muk’tal ordered. The scans now showing what appeared to be a red wave of hostiles half way towards them; their speed continuing to increase and shrink the distance.

“Count is seventy five enemy ships, frigate and raider class only.” The scanning officer called out. “No contacts for heavier warships.”

“Even now the bastards insult us.” Muk’tal stated; yet inwardly he couldn’t deny the tactic was sound. The lighter class ships now set against them would have been able to make the jump in a fraction of the time compared to their larger class vessels. These were no doubt meant to tie us down while the rest of the Arganian fleet was close behind.

“New orders from the admiral.” The communication officer called out. “We are to break orbit and retreat out of system immediately.”

“Come about and bring all batteries to the ready.” Muk’tal ordered.

“But sir-“ the communication officer began, but Muk’tal stopped him.

“If we turn now we will be shot in the back!” To emphasize the point he highlighted the enemy icons now mere minutes away from reaching firing range. “Make for the edge of the system but keep our guns trained on the enemy!”

“Aye, aye!” came the response as the ship slowly turned. The bridge windows blurring for a moment as the vessel’s engines pushed it around. Muk’tal could see the deck gun turrets emerging from their coves and training on the approaching enemies.

“Arganian’s have entered firing range, permission to fire?” the Weapons Master asked. Muk’tal’s hands dug deep into the arms of his chair as he gave the order and the deck guns discharged concentrated plasma lances.

Two frigates took the brunt of the lances head on, crumpling like empty metal cans as their hulls imploded. Several more made hasty course corrections to avoid them and clashed headlong into each other adding another three kills, but it was mere droplets in an ocean. Before the batteries could fire a second volley they were upon them.

Shields flashed bright green as a barrage of ballistic and laser weaponry hammered it with each enemy ship speeding by. The Arganian ships were not even slowing down to adjust their aim but continued speeding passed as they fired randomly.

Muk’tal looked out the window to see a mobile repair yard take the full brunt of a barrage and explode violently; showering the battleship it had been working on with debris. Several other coalition ships had turned to make a fight of it while many more ignited their engines and sped off as quickly as they could for the edge of the system. These fleeing ships drew the attention of the Arganian’s who broke off from making a second run on the fighting ships to instead chase down the retreating ships.

“Full power to the engines!” Muk’tal ordered. “Get us out of here!”

He felt a shift in the gravity as the vessel surged forward. Unlike his previous attempt to reach a jump point that took three days, at full power the ship could reach the system’s edge in twenty minutes. A fact that loomed over everyone as a bright red timer appeared on the hologram showing the countdown timer to reaching the jump point.

“Enemy ships bearing down on us.” The scanning officer called out. “Five frigates closing fast.”

“All deck guns retarget approaching frigates!”

The deck guns slowly began turning towards the frigates approaching from the opposite direction but it wouldn’t be fast enough.

“Enemy ships firing.” They called out before alarm bells sounded. “They’ve fired shield crackers!”

“Anti-missile batteries full spread now!” Muk’tal shouted. “Shoot them down!”

His fear was all too real as shield crackers could punch a hole through even a battleships layered shielding and crack them in two. To have five coming at him at once was like facing death itself.

Without hesitation gun ports opened and razor cannons fired. The space between the missiles and the ship soon was filled with millions of sharpened metal fragments more than capable of shredding anything. One after another the shield crackers exploded and it looked as if they were going to-

“Brace for impact!”

One missile had survived the razor cannons fired and struck the shields head on. The green light of them overwhelmed the bridge before the shields broke and the missile shot forward to complete its task. Muk’tal closed his eyes and waited for the end.

But the end never came.

Muk’tal opened his eyes to see that he was still very much alive and that his ship was still intact.

“What happened?” Muk’tal asked. His bridge crew was looking just as confused and relieved as their captain was at their sudden good fortune.

“I’m not sure,” The scanning officer called, “but the frigates are coming around for another pass.”

The red timer above the bridge finally reached zero signifying that they had reached safe jump distance. “Engage the jump drive!” Muk’tal ordered. “Get us out of here!”

------------------------------- Several dozen systems away Muk’tal’s ship emerged from their jump. The system appeared to be devoid of any ship activity or signs of life, the glow from a pale white star washing over everything only adding to its eerie silence.

“All stations give me damage reports.” Muk’tal commanded. He only now realized that he had been clutching his command throne so tightly that his fingers had dug deep into the upholstery. He removed his fingers delicately as the command stations sounded off. Aside from some minor damage his ship had survived yet another impossible battle.

“Sir,” one of the command staff called out as they stood by the window, “I think you should see this.”

They were pointing to something outside the ship but Muk’tal couldn’t see it from his position. He stood from his command throne and went over to the staffer who was pointing just below the bridge. When he arrived he could almost feel his soul leave his body.

There, embedded into the hull of his ship, was the fifth shield cracker missile.

The tip of the missile had punctured the hull yet beyond all sense of reason had failed to detonate. Muk’tal could feel his body shaking like it had never done before. It was one thing to face down death, but it was entirely another to be standing alongside it wondering if each second would be your last.

“Bring the ship to a full stop.” Muk’tal said quietly. The staffer nodded and went back to his terminal to relay the order to engineering. “Mr. Dogra, come here.” Muk’tal called out to his Weapons Master. They promptly stood up and joined him at the window and likewise shared a moment of overwhelming fear.

“I want you to use whatever resources you need, and get that thing off my ship.”

Dogra nodded without saying a word and turned around heading towards the bridge’s exit while Muk’tal looked down at the missile.

“Mr. Biggs,” Muk’tal spoke into his communicator, “are you there?”

There was a pause before the humans reply came back. “Here sir, what can I do for you?”

“The text you wrote on my ship, what did you write?”

Another moment of silence before Mr. Biggs answered. “I wrote “Vitalis o Wisp”, which translates to-“

“Wisp of life.” Muk’tal finished.

“I changed my mind,” Muk’tal continued, “I think I shall keep that name after all; although I will need you to do something for me when next we reach port.”

“Which is?” Mr. Biggs asked understandably confused.

“Add a fresh coat of paint.”

With that Muk’tal closed the link and looked down at the missile once more; the tip of it having gone straight through Mr. Biggs paint job from earlier.

#HUMANS ARE WEIRD #humans are insane #humans are space orcs #humans are space oddities #scifi #story #writing #original writing #niqhtlord01 #ai generated art #stable diffusion #story continuation

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hypnotizedpuppyabby · 8 months

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After the Battle

Content warning that this story goes a little dark, and does involve death

When you're inside a mech, military rank doesn't matter anymore. Every pilot knows this. Between the hormone cocktails given to every pilot and the chemically fueled rushes of battle produced by the neural sync, the only thing that matters is the will of the machine, dominants and the submissives.

The call came in from command, "All targets cleared, recon squad disengage and return to base". You and your partner stoped your forward march and took a moment to assess the surroundings.

Your handler acknowledges the command as well, calling in "Good work recon-1, begin post op procedure and return to your bay at base." A grin breaks out across your face, this is always your favorite part.

Command always turns a blind eye to this ritual the pilots have adopted. The neural link relies heavily on conditioning pleasure with violence and pilots, especially on low combat missions, often need to unwind and release the pent up frustration they may have accumulate. They often take it out on each other, causing more damage than their deployment ever would have in the process. Post battle spars were common on the front, with each pilot fighting until they get off

You look over at your partner with a devilish look. A total newbie, one of their first few rides in the chair. An excellent target to get what you need out of. You make your approach, hearing the confusion in their voice, as you pick up the scythe dropped from the last deployment.

Without warning you strike, pinning the mech and its pilot to the wall. You hear a meek whimper, cementing their position as your prey. You feel a heat growing in your cockpit, machine reciprocating your excitement and egging you on. The newbie obviously unaware of the ritual, caught by surprise and unable to defend themself.

You start to tear at their armor panels, slowly and surely, leaving the helpless rookie exposed. The coursing hydraulic lines, wiring, and inner frame all exposed for you to toy with. Desperate pleas come over the comm line but you don't intent to stop. not while you haven't gotten your fill.

You start to turn your attention to the various subsystems, prying off guns and fingers from the hands. each tear sending pleasure coursing through your crotch. Hydraulic fluid spraying wildly over your mech, sparks flying through the air.

With a swift slice you pry off the arms, leaving he poor thing defenseless as your work on the legs. removing the dense mobility systems, the auxiliary batteries, as you finally do the same to the legs. immobilizing your prey as you inch ever closer.

With a core and a cockpit left, the primal urge takes over, needing to get your final release before returning from base. The desperate pleas of your partner end as your handler closes the comm channel, as you push the blade right through the cockpit and you explode in pleasure. You feel the machine praise you through the neural link, encouraging and reinforcing your behavior.

You pick up the core from the now destroyed unit and begin to make your way back to the bay, as you hear your handler say "Good work puppy. Ill be sure to reward you myself after your debrief"

---------

This was inspired by a lil scene i did with @foxgirlwitch on discord today!

#my writing!#mechposting

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its-short-for-jackalope · 7 months

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WOW! THAT WAS SOME LORE, HUH? :D

reposting this meme bc it's true and bc I really like it, lol

I have quite literally been scribbling notes on a scrap of paper like a madman while rewatching TGOA part 3 as many times as possible, just jotting down all the mindboggling information we've been given, and some less direct stuff that I could be reading too much into but is fun and neat even if it doesn't amount to anything crazy and galaxy-brained, lol.

So click/tap below the cut for rambles about the final part of Pulp Musicals episode 3

The Ghosts of Antikythera ⚓️

Names, Names, Names!!!

Hey, might as well start with all the new names we've gotten!

The captain of the Antikythera — the ghost ship from 'someplace else' — is Addison Arvad.

Kal (my beloved/beloathed ❤ ) is Kalfu

The Traveler we met in TBS is Sia 💖💖

Ahlaam is another Traveler. I adore her already, and not just because she saved Rose.

Dakkar is... somebody. As expected, I've been going crazy in my dms with @man-down-in-hatchet-town, and she believes Dakkar is probably inspired by/based on Captain Nemo? 👀

King(?!) Itzal is... probably bad news! Kal's the one who calls him a King and he is obviously pretty loyal and devoted to him, and wants to impress him (aww), so methinks Itzal is maybe not so good???? (I am also a proud supporter of Brooke's Dylan Saunders as Itzal campaign, lol)

The Blazing World is home. It's where the Travelers and the Antikythera's Searchers (rip) are from, it was destroyed once—but is being rebuilt?—and Kalfu and Itzal seem to want it gone for good.

Lincoln Island is the mysterious island our heroes on the Ellen Austin are approaching at the end of the episode, the place Ahlaam sent Rose and the Antikythera to via orrery.

Quick *Approximate* Timeline

Eh, what can I say? We got numbers and I decided to do a tiny bit of math about it.

1874 — the Antikythera & the Ellen Austin

🔴 YOU ARE HERE

🎶 When are we? 🎶 Well, Morgan Reese informs our time-traveling heroes that, uh yeah lol, last he checked the year was 1874. What a funny question from a bunch of rapscallions!

Captain Arvad's logs from the Antikythera start in January 1874, so we know the Searchers were out and about in this same year. Their disappearances were recent and the ship hasn't been empty for all that long, I don't think.

1865 — may this monument stand forever

On this site in 1835, Sir John Herschel and Anna Hanover launched the first brick satellite, the Sagitta, in what was known as Township Number Nine. Erected to commemorate their bravery, to thank them for their gift to all mankind, may this monument stand forever.

Dedicated August, 1865.

1864 — the dark angel appears

A desperate AJ makes his ill-fated deal with Kal in exchange for his crew's safety during the Battle of Mobile Bay.

Damn the torpedoes.

1835 — the beginning of our adventure

🎶 IT IS EIGHTEEN THIRTY-FIVE 🎶 and the Great Moon Hoax and The Brick Satellite both happen in this year. Things were so simple back then!

1829 — the Blazing World is destroyed

In 1874, we are told (first by Arvad's journal, and then by Sia) that their home, that the Blazing World was destroyed 45 years ago. If my math is right and they're not hippity-hopping too much in time (they have time travel capabilities so idk for sure) that would put the destruction of the Blazing World in 1829.

If the world being destroyed is also the Event that Kal alludes to in Gunpowder and Rum, pt. 3 ("Your powers are returning and you still don't remember what happened? 😒") AND it's the one that left Margaret without her memories and powers, then... could Margaret have been feeling lost, alone, and disconnected with her phantom pain in New York for 6 whole years before the Stratfords wrote the hoax that would bring the quartet together??? 🥺

And while we're on the subject of time passing!

If Sia and Kalfu and everyone besides the quartet has gotten to 1874 the long way 'round... (which I think is the case if Kal snarked at Sia for hiding Margaret in the future—if he has a sense of the future in relation to the world and time, I'd say this also implies he & the others have a pretty consistent present?) ...have they aged? Or does their magic also lengthen their lives? I imagine it would be mentioned if Sia was visibly older, and since Samuel described Kal as looking ~40 years old, then how could he be younger than the war he's been in? lol. But idk, this is just food for thought!

Kal Loves His Lore Dumps, Doesn't he? This one's mostly about Margaret <3

"You've proven quite elusive over the years... We've searched across the seven seas... I suppose it's only fitting that I find you here by chance, looking for an orrery! I'd have settled for the ship, what's its name? An-ti-ky-ther-a. But you will be quite the prize. It's you that will seal our victory! A ship from the Blazing World would have been quite the quarry. But you? That could end things once and for all!"

"The ship, the orrery, they don't matter now. Not when I can dispatch the two biggest traitors in history with just one blow!"

Seems like our girl is pretty special~ 🥰

I mean, of course she is, she's our Margaret, but if Kal is willing to let the Antikythera go to get her instead, and he's so convinced that taking her out will win the war... our girl is Pretty Special™ right? Maybe she's a princess or something, or maybe her Radiance is just that heckin' strong. idk, but I'm excited to find out either way.

I'm also wondering if there's a connection between Margaret and the orrery/orreries... If Kal thought it was fitting to find her when he was after the orrery, does that mean something more? Could Margaret have created the orreries and/or the magic behind them? 👀

...actually maybe this isn't such a good and fun thing. 😅😟 Things don't usually go very well for special and important characters—what is the saying, tragedies love heroes? I mean, Margaret has lost her powers and memories once already, as well as her home and whatever family she may have had before. I know all our pulp blorbos have been in dire straights a few times now, but I don't want them to get MORE DIRE than this!

Kalfu, Sia, & Margaret's history

Kal: High marks for cloaking the fleet, but seriously—

...

Kal: Come on, it's a Traveler reunion.

...

Kal: Just a drink between three friends.

...

Sia: Oh, you were once a man that I trusted. Tell me, where has he been?

...

Sia: Itzal poisoned your mind!

Kal: Itzal opened my mind!

...

Sia and Margaret: *powering up*

Sia: Hey, Kalfu!

Kal: Huh? Ugh, not again.

Kal: *team rocket fog's blasting off again*

I think it's pretty safe to say that, once upon a time, these three were once close. Maybe they were friends and peers, or maybe Kalfu was once Sia and/or Margaret's mentor with that "high marks" comment. Whatever the case, they used to be allies who trusted each other.

I think it's also safe to say all three of them are/were Travelers. Obviously Sia is, and Margaret probably is/was one as well, since she and Sia have a badass combined attack (that I'm betting they used against Kalfu ~45 years prior). As for Kal... I don't know how the radiance and the fog fit together exactly, whether they've always been separate or the fog is a dark bastardization of the radiance, but it seems like he is on equal footing with Sia as far as magic powers go, and he can teleport like they do—AJ witnessed this at the Battle of Mobile Bay, and Samuel did (kinda) on the deck of the Ellen Austin. I don't know if that's the only qualification for being a Traveler, but it's worth mentioning.

It seems like Itzal was a pretty big factor in this trio splitting up—for whatever reason, Kal turned his back on Sia and Margaret to follow him, or perhaps Sia and Margaret left Kal behind when he wouldn't leave with them. I don't know, but I want to—I have questions!!!

Sia and Itzal — Future sight?

Kal (to Sia): You know, for someone with precognitive abilities, you sure like to cut things close. 😒

...

Kal: How I wish King Itzal was here to witness this. Or did he already know? Eh.

There's not much to say about this, really, I just think it's interesting.

But it does make me wonder if Sia *knew* that sending Margaret and the others to Hanover in 1874 would lead Margaret to the Antikythera and help her regain her memories, even if Sia couldn't see much more than that. Like, if she knew that Kal would be there, I don't think she would have put Margaret at risk like that when she was still vulnerable. Unless she was betting on Margaret figuring things out before Kal could make his move... gah, who knows! (Matt. Matt knows.) We do know that Sia can't see everything, though—she knows that the crew of the Antikythera are gone but has to ask Kal what he did with them.

Also, obligatory "yikes 😬" at the idea of having an enemy (King Itzal) who could possibly see your attacks/plans before you make them. That can't make this war any easier!

Fogging the vortices, you say?

Kal: We've been fogging the vortices for decades. There was bound to be an Antikythera sooner or later.

Vortices.... plural for vortex, yeah?

"A mass of whirling fluid or air, especially a whirlpool or whirlwind."

Is one of these vortices located here in the Sargasso Sea? Is that why Rose already knows plenty of ghost stories about these waters, why this is a strange place that'll one day be dubbed the Bermuda Triangle? Where are the other vortices??? How many are there??? What are they, exactly???

Okay, but what about the gates?

Kal: A war for a world of power and might

Sia: A war for a world of courage and light

Kal: Fought over decades

Sia: Over ascension

Kal/Sia: No chance of surrender, no chance of redemption

I'm just throwing darts here, but I feel like 'ascension' has to do with the gates that have been alluded to a few times now?

First, in TBS, Sia told Margaret that she couldn't take her to the gate until her memories were back. Then in part 2 of TGOA, Kal said something about the Antikythera's orrery leading him to the first gate.

I don't think these gates are the same thing as the vortices—if the bad guys have already been 'fogging' them, then Kal wouldn't need an orrery to find them.

The gates probably lead to the Blazing World, right? Kal and Itzal want to destroy the Blazing World for good, which is why Kal was trying to get the orrery, to get to the gate, to ascend to the Blazing World and turn it to dust once and for all.

Travelers and Symbols/Elements/Associations

To finish up, here's one of the things I've noticed more recently. We have four magical characters now who seem to be at similar levels of power and might all be/have been Travelers, and maybe it's just a fun bit of flavor rather than anything Extremely Vital to the plot, but they each seem to have their own kind of... niche?

Lemme run through 'em real quick.

Kalfu—

● Want a drink?

● Gunpowder and rum, too strong for some! 🎶

● And poison... is kinda my thing.

● Non-lethal fog, my latest brew

Kal's easy to figure out—he's been pretty clear with his gunpowder and rum (delicious!) and once he revealed it he's been very cheeky and upfront about his use of/preference for poison too. He also stands out as the only person wielding fog, but I'm sure that'll change as we delve further into the dark and into this war we're learning about.

Sia—

● "Was that sunlight shining in the sphere?"

● We're here to light the fuse

● Lay another hand on her and you'll go down in flames

● I will always be that feeling burning under your skin

hehe okay, Sia is the reason this whole section of my post exists lol. I noticed the references to fire in enough of her lines/lyrics in part 3 that I thought it couldn't be a coincidence, and then I looked at the others. I just think it's neat!

Maybe these lines are just nods to the fact that light can burn as well as illuminate—Kalfu would probably know, hah—but it is fun to think that maybe we could see our first and dearest Traveler friend whip out some cool fire magic later on—when she's not duking it out with somebody on a wooden boat, lol.

I'd love that for her, tbh.

...especially because alcohol is flammable. :)

Ahlaam—

Narrator: In a blinding flash, a woman materialized, and with a single motion, she pushed the water of the room with her mind

Okay, I fully admit this is mostly just a reason for me to make another waterbending joke. Ahlaam's appearance in this episode wasn't really long enough to give us much information about her, but I mean we also haven't seen anyone else do anything with water until she came along, so... if we see her do more stuff like this and she has more associations with water in episode 4 onwards, I will feel pretty smart. 😌

Margaret—

● the moon

● the sea

● astronomy

we might not know much about Margaret's magic beyond how brightly it glows—which isn't unique to her—and what she's been able to do with it, be we do know that she has a connection with the moon, of course.

I think we could also argue that she has a pull to the sea—mostly because of the view from her window and the rooftop, overlooking the water. Learning about the Searchers and the fact that Kal was looking for Margaret on the sea supports this connection, but again, that doesn't really single her out from the others.

Margaret does have an appreciation for astronomy, but even that might not be super unique, if her people have orreries on every ship and they all look up to the sky. However... my brain is still chewing on a possible connection between Margaret and the orrery, because of what Kal said. It would be pretty rad if she was the one who designed and crafted them, figured out that magic. So idk, that could be something.

If her memories are returning, maybe we'll see her really start to shine amongst her fellow Travelers as she recalls more about herself and brings together the person that resides in her memories and the person that losing her memories made her into.

phew, okay! this is a long post and I am now very sleepy, lol. I'm sure I missed a few things—I didn't take any *literal* notes during parts 1 & 2 and it'll be a few days before I get the album and lose my mind again—but maybe there's a few things I managed to catch that y'all will enjoy.

As always, feel free to reply/reblog with your own thoughts!!!

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agbpaints · 8 months

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I've had some ideas kicking around for a homebrew variant of the shadowhawk for a while now that I finally decided to put to paper (or I guess in this case Solaris Skunk Werks). My goal was to maintain the SHawk's character within the 55 ton trio (low heat, mid range harrasser with a flexible and balanced mixture of ballistic, energy, and missile weapons) while making it less aggressively mediocre than its succession war era designs thru the use of some lostech.

As the ashes began to settle following the Blakist Jihad, the Magistracy of Canopus determined they needed a cheaper and more flexible alternative to their fleet of advanced SHD-7Ms. Utilizing light fusion engine and multi-missile launch system technology from the allied Dutchy of Andurian, surplus production spares from the Canopan defense industry's work on the Taurian Brahma heavy mech, and the output of their own 7M line, Majesty Metals & Manufacturing produced three functioning prototypes for a design they called the Shadowhawk XA1. Despite costing 20% less than the model it was intended to compete with, internal politicking between MMM and the Magistracy government eventually sank the project. One of the prototypes was donated to the Magistracy Armed Forces Museum on Canopus IV while another was converted back into a standard 7M. The final prototype was sent to Capellan space for further testing but it vanishes from MMM's and the CCAF's records shortly before it was slated to arrive at the testing range.

Designed to fill the role of a medium-range skirmishing unit with a degree of inter-mission flexibility, the SHD-XA1 is built on the same endo steel chassis as the 7M. The bulky and fragile Core Tek 275 XL power plant has been downgraded to a more resilient experimental 275 light fusion engine while the 5 jump jets have been retained. 9 tons of armor leaves the pilot moderately well protected, relying on the XA1's speed and cover to protect the mech.

As opposed to the 7M, which saw fit to upgrade the size of the venerable 2H's weapons, the XA1 attempts to beat it in quantity amd accuracy. In the place of the guass rifle, a pair of light class 5 autocannons have been mounted in the left shoulder weapons pod, while an extended range medium laser has been installed in both the center torso and head. A five-tube multi-missile launcher is located in the right torso. All of the mech's direct fire weapons are networked to a targetting computer in the left torso, while all of its ballistic and missile systems draw from a shared 4-ton cellular ammunition stowage bay in the right torso. 10 double heat sinks allow a mechwarrior total freedom to use her weapons as she chooses, and while the torso-mounted weapons load leaves the mech vulnerable to flanking attacks and narrows its effective firing arcs, it does leave the arms free to engage in melee attacks once the mech closes.

The SHD-XA1's lends itself towards acting as a skirmisher or fast response unit that can tailor its exact role thru the use of specialty ammunition. Smoke and inferno missiles allow the mech to provide cover to advance under and anti-infantry/anti-vee capabilities with its MML, while the TC-linked autocannons can be configured to combat heavily armed units, aircraft, or fast moving targets through the use of armor piercing, flak, or precision ammo. The design's thin armor, fair mobility, and moderate range mean that the mechwarrior is advised to maintain distance and speed slightly behind the lime of battle until the enemy is weakened enough for her to close on and dispatch isolated unit.

This was fun to put together! Let me know what you think- should I do more homebrew mech variants?

#battletech #battlemech #mech talk #solaris skunk werks #medium mech #custom mech #magistracy of canopus #shadow hawk

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gatheredfates · 10 months

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LOOKING FOR CONTACT: AZUMA YUMISHI.

The sole daughter of renowned Doman samurai Kaito, Azuma grew up in occupied Yanxia during the Garlean occupation alongside her childhood best friend, Siyoh. Though trained in the samurai art, Azuma deviated from her family's craft by honing her abilities as a shinobi through partaking in Doman art, dancing and tea-making. She was critically injured escaping her homeland in the years preceding the emperor's death, losing much of the mobility in her legs, and spent many years in Mor Dhona helping to reunite refugees. When the Warrior of Light helped liberate her home, Azuma travelled back with Siyoh and they opened two establishments together - the Doman Dragon and the Umbral Udon. They provide hospitality to new and returning travellers to Doma, as well as assist in the relocation of their people.

I said I was going to do it and now I am! While all my characters are available for roleplay, I'd like to focus on forging a few connection on my Doman baby, Azuma. With her story pivoting back to Eorzea through @riftdancing's development with Siyoh, it allows me more flexibility to play her in Western settings and meet new people (Plus, lets be honest, we're kind of a package deal. You get me, you get Pepper. It's a two-for-one special!)

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: If you are looking for a roleplayer to go to events with or engage in heavy in-game roleplay, I may not be the best player for you. I work full time and exist in the GMT+8 timezone; a fact that heavily restricts the kinds of roleplay I can attend. While I try to be active in posting regularly over discord, for example, I can't go to prime-time events during the week unless I'm on holidays.

PRE-ESTABLISHED CONNECTIONS?

While all of these will require some element of ooc discussion beforehand, I am more than happy to work with pre-established connections and tid-bits of Azuma's personal history that players can use to connect with her quickly.

DOMA. Azuma grew up during the Garlean occupation of Doma, thus it is extremely plausible that other Doman's during this time would either recognise or know her. Her father played the role of a senile old man in order to not be drafted for the various Garlean corps as he trained young samurai in secret, and Azuma was pivotal in assisting his efforts as well as honing her own skills as a shinobi. If your character was a Garlean posted out to the east, they might have come into contact with her. If your character was a yakuza or any other blend of criminality, Azuma would not have hesitated to trade what little goods she and her people had in order to gain supplies and weaponry. Basically, I am entirely flexible with people knowing her in Doma during the occupation.

MOR DHONA. Azuma was one of the first refugees into Mor Dhona in the raids preceding The Warrior of Light's foray into the East. With Garlean forces onto her father ruse, and fearing for his daughter's safety, Kaito attempted to ferry Azuma onto a boat to Eorzea that was attacked by the occupying forces. He died, Azuma was critically injured, and she nearly died three times over on her trip to Vesper Bay. Separated from Siyoh for a time, she was moved to Mor Dhona with the other refugees and began to try to reconnect displaced families in the wake of her disability limiting the direct impact she could make to the resistance. Much like Doma, I am down for your character to have known Azuma in this period - whether you were one of the people that healed/rehabilitated her, she helped reunite your family, or anything in between.

RETURN TO THE EAST. Having managed to find Siyoh in Eorzea after some time apart, the two would look eastward in order to try and return home. With much of her battle prowess limited in her injuries, Azuma took a more commanding/advisory role in assisting her people snatching back their freedom and driving the Garlean's out of her homeland. She had no qualms dealing with the various metaphorical 'chess pieces' on the board, and this would have given her many connections in both Kugane, Doma, Eorzea and beyond. Basically, if you were willing to help her cause, she would negotiate whatever terms were put on the table no matter your personal alliance.

Azuma and Siyoh were one of the first to return back to Doma. Canonically, they established the Doman Dragon and Umbral Udon in the heart of the Doman Enclave, and much of the time towards the end of Stormblood / Shadowbringers was them rebuilding their homeland and tooling their establishments for locals and tourists alike. Taking a loan from Rexonus Fira'lux, patron of Firelight Trading Company, kept them tied to Eorzea as they worked to pay off his debt whilst also tying their businesses to the company at large.

LOOKING BACK. Though Azuma was contented to stay in Doma, Siyoh's affiliation to Firelight Trading Company manifested in the unintended consequence of falling head over heels for it's patriarch (oopsie!), and she appealed to Azuma to come with her and spend some more time in Eorzea. Reluctant at first, she relented only due to the close bond she shared with her best friend and the opportunity of extending their business deals with other people across the star.

WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR?

Friends — Azuma is a sweetheart but struggles with the idea that people don't 'see' her anymore because of her injuries. Having people who support and look past that, whilst still offering her the autonomy to thrive, would be amazing. Come and hang with her and Siyoh! They're fun, they'll share a little gossip and welcome you into their circle.

Ships — Gonna be perfectly honestly, I play loosely with ships. My time zone isn't friendly to that kind of commitment, so I have to really trust and connect with the person I'm writing with if we're planning on pinning down something other than an au. It's not out of the realm of possibility, especially considering Azuma leans into poly, but I'd like us to be writing semi-regularly if this were the case. Crushes and the like are totally fine, though!

Enemies — I'm down! This would require a lot of planning and negotiation, but I don't mind playing around with someone who has a vendetta against her for some reason. Maybe she crossed the wrong group in Kugane trying to ferry supplies to Doma? Maybe they're a Garlean whose friend she murdered in the resistance?

Other — If anything here has sparked you, but you're worried you don't 'fit' into the categories above, please reach out! I'm so flexible with rp it isn't funny, and I actively bend lore for fun. Let's see what we can do!

CONTACT?

Feel free to IM me here if you're interested! My discord is open to interested parties, though I don't like to give it out in public. You can also message me on Azuma or, if you see me on my main, Ashley Hawke on Balmung!

#｡･ﾟﾟ･ — 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 : azuma #｡･ﾟﾟ･ — sea speaks #lfc #balmung #crystal rp #IDK WHAT TO TAG THIS ASSSSSSS #anyway hi i hope my rambling makes sense thanks

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araiz-zaria · 1 year

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🌊🔥¡VIVA PAPI DAVID!🔥🌊

In commemoration of the recent announcement of the name change of the Superintendent's House at the US Naval Academy 😌😏🌊✨

#drawing #original art #manga #illustration #pen and ink #traditional art #brush pen #fan art #david farragut #david glasgow farragut #franklin buchanan #battle of mobile bay #american civil war #fuck the confederacy #union navy #yea trying to evoke a fighter game feel here 🤣🙈#good riddance buck nobody gonna miss ya! 😈🔥#at any rate better late than never 🙃#farragut friday

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fancyshooting · 1 year

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Interview with Hideo Kojima [From MGS3: The Countdown]

A Tale of Fighting the Illusion of "The Times"

I wanted to create a world full of contradictions, where lives are exchanged in the great outdoors.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (MGS3) has the theme of survival in the wilderness. Why did you choose this theme?

Kojima: When we started working on this film, we trained in the mountains near Sagami Lake with a team led by Mr. Mōri (Motosada, military advisor for this work) 【*1】 We trained in the mountains near Sagami Lake, carrying the same equipment as the army, for two days and one night. We incorporated the tension of that time into the game. You are in the middle of nature and people are on top of each other, but if you look to the side, there are all kinds of creatures right there. If you hold a gun and keep your breath down, you can see frogs hopping around in the grass. In the midst of battle, if you listen carefully, you can hear birds singing and the buzzing of insect wings... The contradictory feeling of trying to take the life of an enemy in the midst of a forest, in the midst of nature, where life springs forth. The feeling of giving and taking life and death. I wanted to somehow incorporate that feeling into the game. Survival in the mountains is a strange story to begin with. In the midst of nature, where life is being created, it is impossible for living things to cease. Only modern people with guns die. In essence, we have to eat other lives to survive.

【*1】 Mr. Mōri (former military advisor to Sadamoto)

He was born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1964. He has been traveling around the world since he was 19 years old, and after having experienced combat in conflict zones, he has trained and guided the SWAT, a special police anti-terrorist unit, and assisted the 14th Dalai Lama, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, in his personal security measures. He was a military advisor for the "Metal Gear Solid" series. He supervised the CQC in this work.

By setting the battlefield in the jungle, which is full of life, you have expanded the possibilities for the game.

Kojima: It has been a dream of mine to set the game in a jungle since "Metal Gear" 【*2】 on the MSX2. A real undercover mission doesn't start right next to the target building, but hundreds of kilometers away from it. You have to cross the jungle on foot to reach your destination. The first thing I wanted to do was to depict the survival part of the game. This time, instead of Alaska in "MGS" or New York in "MGS2" 【*3】, we started by illegally entering a country with which we had no diplomatic relations. We must go in under false identities and return without leaving a trace. No helicopter or plane is provided for the return trip. Even if we complete the mission, we must return safely from the Soviet Union's territory.

【*2】"Metal Gear" for MSX2

Game for MSX2 released in 1987. Director Kojima's debut work. The main character is Solid Snake. The game has now been completely reissued for mobile phones.

【*3】 Alaska in "MGS" and New York in "MGS2"

"MGS" takes place at a training base on the isolated Shadow Mosses island in Alaska. The setting of "MGS2" is an offshore decontamination facility in Hudson Bay, New York.

In many games, the last enemy to be defeated blows up the stage, or the enemies disappear. This time, you have to survive your way back home!

Kojima: Yes. The return journey is the greatest survival. That's the real thrill of adventure novels. The mission is to return to everyday reality. If the mission is all about infiltration, it is like a suicide bombing, but the real mission is to come back alive. Just as game players return to reality after being immersed in a virtual space, Snake will also come back to everyday life.

So, the hard-boiled world of adventure fiction is the motif.

Kojima: I like hard-boiled adventure novels. The hard-boiled characters move forward with only their willpower, even if their bodies are injured or they have a fever. After a good night's sleep, a hot shower, and a cup of coffee, he would be back on his feet in no time. I wanted to express that kind of hard-boiled, bottomless spirit through the game. In "MGS3," the main character, Snake, gets injured when he is attacked. Bullet holes are left in his body, and bones are broken. He can heal after eating and passing time, but he can also sew up gunshot wounds, remove bullets from his body, and heal himself. The whole body is left with wounds and if they are not treated, it will be covered with scars. If you treat them properly, they heal quickly and regain their strength. This is the "CURE" system.

In the jungle, you cut your own body and endure the pain of healing. In a world where there is no anesthesia or anything else, you have to cut yourself to save your life. It is a game of enduring pain.

Kojima: There is a sense of unity with the player. You can see the Survival Viewer screen, where you perform CURE, and it's a mirror of yourself. Seeing Snake covered in blood, you can be masochistically intoxicated by the harshness of your situation and say, "Cool!"

Previous MGS games have never used a so-called menu screen, such as the survival viewer, have they?

Kojima: Yes, in the past, we didn't dare to use this feature because it would cause a time lag in the gameplay. But this time, the theme was "the player and Snake become one," so we took on the challenge. This time Snake is hit, tortured, and beaten up quite a bit. Seeing Snake in the Survival Viewer is pretty painful 【*4】, but he never changes his convictions. He never ignores what he really believes. That's hard boiled.

【*4】 Seeing Snake in the survival viewer is quite painful

When he is poisoned, Snake bends his body in pain. You can also check the history of the food he has eaten and the history of what you have done to the body.

So the Survival Viewer is a system that allows you to see Snake, who you are controlling, and get emotionally involved.

Kojima: Also, when you save and exit the game, your energy is restored the next time you play. The time between when you quit and when you resume play is measured. So, if you saved the game the day before, when you come home from work the next day and restart the game, Snake will be fine. This system allows you to think "I wonder if Snake is doing well" when you are working at the office. It is truly as if you and Snake are one.

When not playing the game, Snake also takes a break.

Kojima: So, if you give him medicine and food before saving, he will recover a lot.

Wow! Truly one with Snake.

Kojima: When Snake gets hungry, his stomach growls. Then, strangely enough, I, the player, get hungry too (laughs). Just as a person's "yawn" is transmitted to the player, the game character's hunger seems to be transmitted to me. That's the kind of game it is.

Speaking of survival, what is the meaning behind the subtitle this time, "Snake Eater"?

Kojima: The name "Snake Eater" has many meanings. After the release of Metal Gear Solid, there were a lot of stealth games that came out. To defeat them, in "MGS2" we symbolically released the Metal Gear RAY (a mass-produced Metal Gear weapon), and now in "MGS3" we want to eat Snake himself! It means that. Also, in the slang of the Special Forces Green Berets, the army and people who look barbaric are called "snake eaters".

As a game, it is unusual for it to be set in the jungle.

Kojima: Both "MGS" and "MGS2" were set inside man-made structures, but by changing the game console from PlayStation to the high-performance PlayStation 2, we were able to depict a different world. However, "MGS3" is set on the same PlayStation 2 as "MGS2". I wanted to change the graphics fundamentally. So, I dared to use natural environment

Isn't depicting nature the most difficult aspect of computer graphics?

Kojima: It's hard to draw, and it's difficult 【*5】 because you need hit detection for all the undulating terrain and vegetation. In addition, you have to move not only the background, but also the plants and animals.

【*5】 It's hard because you need hit detection for all the undulating terrain and vegetation

The key to creating images for games is hit detection. How do CG objects react when they collide with each other? Will they bounce, turn or stop? By determining all of these reactions, a sense of reality is created.

You are daring to take on a difficult challenge. It's a challenge that is typical of the Kojima group. The place called Tselinoyarsk, where the Virtuous Mission 【*8】 takes place, is that name fictitious?

Infiltrate the fictional world where reality and lies are mixed.

Kojima: The name of the place Tselinoyarsk is fictitious. I made it up after researching the meaning of Russian words 【*6】. In a game, the first stage is ice, the second stage is magma and so on, but in a real forest there is not much difference. Once you enter a forest, it is a forest until the end. There is no such thing as a land rich in flora and fauna, with limestone caves and lakes along the way. That's why we dared to create a fictional land for the game.

【*6】 I looked up the meaning of the Russian word and made it up

Tselina = virgin land, uncultivated land. Yar = precipice. Sk = suffix.

【*8】 Virtuous Mission

Operation Virtuous. The name given to the debut mission of the covert unit, FOX. Also known as the VR mission.

In "MGS3," the mixing of reality and fiction is very well done. For example, there is the line "the first HALO drop in history", but didn't that happen much later in real history? Wasn't the incident in "MGS3" recorded in history? Or is it all fictitious...?

Kojima: There are both lies and true stories too. The CQC, for example, is still cutting edge today. I don't think the average person would understand it, but there are a lot of things in it that even military enthusiasts wouldn't understand, and that only real professionals would understand. I would love to have an audio commentary of the demo scenes 【*7】. Otherwise, there are things that would never be understood.

【*7】 I'd love to have an audio commentary on it

The booklet that will come with the limited edition of "MGS3" will include a full polygon demo commentary by director Hideo Kojima and other key staff members.

Are the fighter aircraft and armaments built like in real life?

Kojima: In our team (Kojima-gumi), there are some particular members. The members are very knowledgeable about military affairs and weapons. And since Mr. Mōri is supervising the project, so the work should be very faithful to reality.

You have a fact-checking group for military knowledge.

Kojima: The "Metal Gear Solid" series seems to have a lot of fans among real military personnel. I have personal correspondence with people who were in Afghanistan and former parachutists. I have heard from them that they played "MGS" on the front line. Well, when they come to me, they salute me and say, "I'm looking forward to Metal Gear", which is a bit of a problem (laughs).

However, even in a fictional setting, it is better to know about historical topics such as the Cuban Missile Crisis in order to enjoy "MGS3".

Kojima: Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy Assassination... The most important keyword is the Cuban Missile Crisis 【*9】. The Virtuous Mission is the prologue and will play a major role in the main story that follows. At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President JFK (Kennedy) and First Secretary Khrushchev made a secret agreement 【*10】. The content of this agreement is relevant. There are many movies depicting the secret Cuban agreement, such as "13 Days" 【*11】, and it has been speculated that the agreement was based on the closing of a missile base in Turkey, but this is not true. Of course, it's fiction. That is the core of the story of "MGS3". What is the weapon that Dr. Sokolov is said to have been working on? And why did he defect from the Soviet Union to the United States? This is the story of the events that led to the assassination of Kennedy and the hardliners' pursuit of Khrushchev.

【*9】 Cuban Missile Crisis

On October 16, 1962, a US Air Force spy reconnaissance plane discovered a Soviet medium-range missile base in Cuba. The world was plunged into a state of tension, fearing the outbreak of war.

【*10】 President JFK (Kennedy) and First Secretary Khrushchev

First Secretary Khrushchev, who advocated a policy of peaceful coexistence with the West, held a dialogue with American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK). JFK was famous for being America's most beloved president, but he was shot dead in 1963.

【*11】 The movie "13 Days"

Released in 2000. Directed by Roger Donaldson. Starring Kevin Costner. The film depicts the 13 days from October 16 to October 28, 1962, when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred.

Indeed, the point of contact between reality and fiction. This is where Snake's sneaking mission comes in. A history that no one has ever heard is pieced together.

Kojima: Actually, there used to be an adventure game called "Snatcher", set in a world where the Soviet Union is gone 【*12】. The story is about a weapon left behind by the Soviet Union, which plunges the world into crisis. But at the time I didn't think the Soviet Union would disappear, and I thought the Cold War would go on forever. Without a hypothetical enemy, adventure stories don't really get off the ground. That's why adventure fiction changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. With "MGS3", we created a thrilling world by bringing real conflict back to life.

【*12】It's set in a world where the Soviet Union is gone

"Snatcher" is a science fiction adventure game directed by Kojima that was released in 1988 on the PC8801. Unfortunately, the PC8801 version of the game was incomplete, with only "ACT 2" completed. The PC Engine version of "Snatcher" was the first to complete "ACT 3". In the near future, 80% of the Eurasian continent has been wiped out by a biohazard in Moscow. The negative legacy of the Soviet Union threatens the world. At the time, of course, the collapse of the Soviet Union was unthinkable in real life.

What is the identity of the most powerful enemy in history, the Cobra Unit, full of monsters?

Kojima's games are always based on the "father-killer" motif. In "MGS," he fought a man who inherited his father's genes, and in "MGS2," he defeated his foster father 【*13】. What will Snake overcome this time?

【*13】 Solid Snake fights a man who inherited his father's genes in "MGS" and defeats his foster father in "MGS2

Solid Snake, the hero of "MGS", and his nemesis, Liquid Snake, are clones descended from the legendary hero Big Boss. Raiden, the protagonist of "MGS2", is an artificially created warrior who fights against the entity that raised him.

Kojima: Yes, that's right. My games have always depicted paternity and never motherhood. This time, however, I am going to depict "motherhood". This time, there will be many strong women. The Boss is one of them. The Boss is a legendary soldier that all men fear. When you get close to her, she will disassemble your weapons and blow you away with her CQC. She is an invincible soldier.

This time around, a number of special forces units appear. The Boss, who supports Snake, belongs to the Cobra Unit.

Kojima: The Cobra Unit is the original Special Forces unit, a covert unit that was very active during the Second World War. The members of the Cobra Unit are inspired by the emotions that arise on the battlefield. The Fear, The Sorrow, The Pain... When Colonel Kurtz dies in "Apocalypse Now" he says: "The horror... The horror..." 【*14】. That emotion! So, in my mind, the Cobra Unit is the image of a Kamen Rider monster 【*15】.

【*14】 When Colonel Kurtz dies in "Apocalypse Now", he says, "The horror... the horror..."

This film, directed by Francis F. Coppola, was released in 1979 and depicts the madness of the Vietnam War. Colonel Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando, establishes his own kingdom deep in the heart of Vietnam. The story is about Captain Willard, played by Martin Sheen, who is trying to eliminate Colonel Kurtz.

【*15】 Image of the Kamen Rider monster

A transformable hero aired on TV in 1971. The enemy was an evil modified human created by the evil secret society, Shocker. Many of them, such as the Spider Man, were converted humans who had been given the power of plants and animals.

The "Metal Gear" series has seen the appearance of monster armies such as the FOXHOUND and Dead Cell in the past.

Kojima: This time it's even more impressive. The End especially is the most intense one!

"The End" is a song by "The Doors" 【*16】!

【*16】 The End is a song by The Doors

The Doors, a band led by Jim Morrison, released the song "The End" in 1967. The song features a snake as a metaphor for the apocalypse.

Kojima: Haha! I can sing that song all the way through. Do you have karaoke? No, no, no, The End is amazing. He is a sniper who is over 100 years old.

What's that!?

Kojima: Normally, he sleeps all the time and does photosynthesis.

Awesome! I don't get it! (Laughs)

Kojima: Only when he fights does he gain the power of the forest and come back to life. It will be a sniper battle that will go down in gaming history.

A sniper in a state of hibernation! It's a formidable opponent...

Kojima: The camouflage is perfect, and even with thermal goggles on, he is undetectable. Even if you think it is an enemy and aim at it, it could still be mushrooms (laughs). That's why he's The End. If you meet him on the battlefield, you'll be killed. "It's the end!"

A true Snake vs. Cobra fight to the death!

Kojima: In "Tiger Mask" 【*17】, the last opponent the hero fights is a tiger. So, Snake's enemy is a cobra (snake). It is the strongest enemy in the series so far.

【*17】"Tiger Mask"

Animated wrestling series based on the original story by Kajiwara Ikki and Tsuji Naoki, broadcast for two years from 1969. A masterpiece that exploded with Kajiwara-ism, with a dark development and appearances by real wrestlers such as Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki. The final enemy is Tiger the Great (anime version).

I see. Then what about Snake's organization, FOX?

Kojima: "Force Operation X". Special forces. The parent organisation of the later Foxhound. After the Second World War, an Englishman, Major Zero, wanted to form an organisation that would bring together the best people regardless of race. But it was difficult to form because there was still racial discrimination at the time. So he asked The Boss, who was his colleague in the SAS 【*18】, to help him form an organisation that would combine military and intelligence activities. A small number of elites would infiltrate deep into enemy bases to conduct subversive and intelligence activities. That's why it belongs to the CIA 【*19】. The Virtuous Mission (VR mission) on which Snake was assigned was its debut.

【*18】SAS

Special Air Service of the British Army.

【*19】 CIA

Central Intelligence Agency of the United States

Wow. Snake was the first elite of FOX.

Kojima: Speaking of special forces, Ocelot 【*20】, of the Soviet Union's special forces, makes an appearance. He is a really funny guy. He chases Snake around.

【*20】 Ocelot

Ocelot is a master marksman and torturer who appears in "MGS" and "MGS2". His true identity is hidden, as he is active in various organizations as a multiple spy. In this work, his youth is depicted.

Ah, young Ocelot.

【*21】 Snake's advice was to switch pistols, and he did so

Kojima: Ocelot is a very elite man, a major at the age of 19. There is a reason for that, he has a very good pedigree. He has his own unit. But when he meets Snake, Ocelot has his first setback. So he goes after Snake and is charmed by him. He follows the advice of his enemy, Snake, and switches pistols, 【*21】 and he has a cute personality.

In his first appearance in this film, he uses an automatic pistol, but it jammed and he was defeated by Snake. However, in his second appearance, he follows the advice of his enemy Snake and appears with a revolver.

What kind of character is The Boss? Snake seems to have a fondness for her.

Kojima: She's about 50 years old.

An older woman. And she is more than a year older.

Kojima: Snake's mentor, mother figure and lover. But you see, Snake can never win against The Boss. She's so strong that she's known as the mother of special forces. She can throw you off in an instant.

The most powerful enemy ever! The Boss!

Kojima: I liked Charlotte Rampling 【*22】. That image.

【*22】Charlotte Rampling

Actress born in 1946. Her father was a soldier and an Olympic medalist. As a child, she used to play at the NATO military base where her father worked. She became popular for her decadent performance in the films "The Brave and the Damned" [Released in English as "The Damned"] (1969) and "The Storm of Love" ["The Night Porter"] (1973). She was married to musician Jean-Michelle Jarre, but they are now divorced.

"No kung fu" "no wire" "no high-speed" of adventure novels.

What books and movies did you look at when you were thinking about "MGS3"?

Kojima: I read mystery novels in elementary school, and in junior high school I read a lot of science fiction novels as an escape from reality. Then, when I was in high school, I started reading a little more realistic adventure novels. "MGS3" is filled with that trend. Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley... 【*23】 All of them were translations. At the time, people who had no experience with the special forces were imagining and writing, so now there are more and more novels featuring soldiers and military personnel as the main characters, but also intelligence agents (spies) and complete amateurs were being given a mission and fighting. It was a world where you didn't know if it was real or not. It was a mess at the time. There were agents escaping from enemy bases with pistols in their hands, and with their girlfriends (laughs). But that kind of "007" 【*24】 world is the base of Metal Gear.

【*23】 Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley

Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley are British adventure novelists, respectively. McLean's best-known work is "The Guns of Navarone," and Bagley's best-known work is "The Golden Keel".

【*24】"007"

The most popular spy action movie series in the world is the 007 series, More than 20 have been made since 1962's "007 Is The Number of a Killer" ("Dr. No"). This is the root of the "Metal Gear" series.

What kind of novels do you like best?

Kojima: If you are looking for an adventure novel, I would say Bagley's "The High Citadel" 【*25】. I bought a reprint of it from Hayakawa recently, but I haven't reread it yet. I wonder how it would be if I read it now. I don't remember much of the story... I think it was about a plane crash and fighting on a high winter mountain.

【*25】 Bagley's "The High Citadel"

A masterpiece of adventure fiction published by Desmond Bagley in 1965. A plane crash-lands in the Andes Mountains and is attacked by a mysterious armed group. The surviving passengers create weapons out of scrap wood and fight back.

What about recent adventure or military fiction?

Kojima: I love J.C. Pollock's "The Frontier of Trees" 【*26】. However, most of the recent novels are realistic military stories, often written by ex-special forces personnel, you know. Tom Clancy 【*27】 and the image of a spy plus a soldier. No, "MGS3" is a much older image. The "Man of the Sea" series by Ken Follett and MacLean 【*28】, Hayakawa novels with Noriyoshi Orai 【*29】 as the cover character. A.J. Quinnell's "Man On Fire" and the "Creasy" series. "The Guns of Navarone" and "Operation Blitz Flint GO! GO" 【*30】.

【*26】 J.C. Pollock's "The Frontier of Trees" [Japanese title. Released in English as "Centrifuge".]

A military novel by Pollock, a former Green Beret, published in 2000. Two Green Berets, pursued by 12 KGB members, flee into the woods to fight back.

【*27】Tom Clancy

Military novelist born in 1947. His best-known work is "The Hunt for Red October".

【*28】Ken Follett and

MacLean's "Man of the Sea" [Japanese title. Released in English as "The Lonely Sea"] series

Both are British adventure novelists. Follett's best-known work is "The Eye of the Needle". MacLean's "Man of the Sea" is a series of maritime stories set in the Arctic Ocean and other places.

【*29】 Noriyoshi Orai

Born in 1935, Noriyoshi Orai is one of Japan's leading illustrators. His international poster for "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" brought him international recognition. He has also contributed wonderful illustrations to the limited edition books of the "Metal Gear Solid" series.

【*30】 A.J Quinnell's "Man on Fire" and the Creasy series. "The Guns of Navarone" and "Operation Blitz FlintGO!GO" ["Our Man Flint"]

A.J Quinnell is a anonymous author. His debut novel, "Man on Fire", brought him international recognition. The movie "The Guns of Navarone" was released in 1961. Operation Dengeki Blitz GO!GO is a spy movie released in 1966.

A time when special forces were the heroes.

Kojima: There was a time when the words "special forces" and "espionage" had a pleasant sound. It was not called "Mission Impossible" but "Operation Spy" 【*31】. In those days, a spy had a lot of secret weapons and would sneak into the enemy's headquarters by himself. I had read such novels for knowledge, so I was able to write the scenario in no time at all.

【*31】 When it was called "Operation Spy" instead of "Mission: Impossible"

A spy drama broadcast in the US in 1966. In Japan, it was broadcast as "Operation Spy". The 1996 film version was released under the title "Mission: Impossible". The movie version was not well received by fans of the TV version, as Jim Phelps, who was supposed to be a major character in the movie, was turned into the enemy.

Director Kojima, do you listen to music when you write your scripts?

Kojima: I listen to a lot of music. Especially when I write dialogue, I often listen to movie soundtracks. I write while crying. I cry easily in my fantasies. I don't need entertainment. Just thinking about it makes me cry. Whenever I come up with a sad theme, the drama spreads in my mind and I end up crying. It would be nice to have a soundtrack playing at such times.

What did you listen to during the production of "MGS3"?

Kojima: I listened to a variety of music this time. Especially Hans Zimmer and the usual Tangerine Dream 【*32】. During the original "MGS", I was listening to John Wetton 【*33】 only. I also listen to songs with vocals, but I can't write scenarios with songs in Japanese. The soundtrack is perfect. I can't get enough of it when the music happens to match the scene I'm writing about. Also... Harry (Gregson-Williams)'s 【*34】 music is good, too. For "MGS3", I listened to the songs that Harry had written.

【*32】 Especially Hans Zimmer and his usual Tangerine Dream type of music

Hans Zimmer is one of Hollywood's greatest musicians. He has composed music for blockbusters such as "The Crimson Tide," "Gladiator," and "The Last Samurai. Tangerine Dream is a German synthesizer rock band active in the 1970s. They have also composed music for films such as "Fear's Reward" ["Sorcerer"].

【*33】John Wetton

Famous bassist who has worked with bands from King Crimson to Roxy Music to Uriah Heep to Wishbone Ash to Asia. A living witness to British rock.

【*34】 Harry (Gregson-Williams)

Born in 1961, he made his film music debut as an arranger for composer Stanley Myers and has been in charge of scores for various films, including "The Rock" and "Armageddon". He is also a well-known staff member of the "Metal Gear Solid" series.

What kind of work is done after Director Kojima writes the scenario?

Kojima: We write the script into a scriptment, which is a script for the game. Then we make a dialogue script for the polygonal demo recording, and ask the staff to make storyboards for the capture design. Well, the storyboards are only for the demos. For "Snatcher" and "Policenauts", I also wrote the storyboards.

From there, you move on to video recording and audio recording.

Kojima: They would draw the storyboards and I would check them. Once we had a rough idea of what scenes to shoot and what was needed, we would record the motion capture. But you see, when I actually capture the motion capture, I almost completely disregard the storyboards. The storyboards are just for cost calculation (workload and budget calculation) and can be changed considerably when the final CG is created. With CG, depending on the model, you can turn it around and change the angle.

The video is also a pleasure.

Kojima: Director Ryuhei Kitamura created amazing visuals in the previous title, "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes" 【*35】. This time, I'm trying to create something that exceeds those visuals. I've been told that I can no longer win in the same direction, so I'm going for a low-key approach with "no wires", "no kung fu"' and "no high speed".

【*35】 Director Ryuhei Kitamura created amazing visuals for the previous title, "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes"

The polygon demos for the GameCube version of "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes," released in 2003, were directed by film director Ryuhei Kitamura. The ultimate in passionate production, it featured wire action and slow motion to show off the superheroic nature of the characters to an excessive degree.

It's like the movie "Mach!!!!!!!!" 【*36】 It's just like that (laughs).

【*36】 The movie, "Mach!!!!!!!!!" [Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior]

A Thai movie released in 2004. This is a crazy movie that pursues pure physical super-action with the advertising claims of "no CG," "no wires," "no stunts," and "no rapid-fire.

Kojima: Well, I did kung fu kicks once. I used it where necessary, but it was not kung fu; it was boxing and wrestling in the 1960s 【*37】. That became CQC. The rest of the action is pretty simple. We don't do any fancy actions like somersaults with wires.

【*37】 Boxing and wrestling in the 1960s

The 1960s was a physical era. Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) became a hero as the heavyweight boxing world champion, and wrestling attracted much attention at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

What is the true enemy, as depicted by the illusion of the times?

"MGS" is full of tricks that betray the player's imagination, such as reading the package and performing unbelievable operations with the controller 【*38】, and this time... are there things like that?

【*38】 "MGS" was a game where the player had to read the package and use the controller perform unbelievable operations

In "MGS", there was a radio number on the package and a scene in which the controller massaged the player's shoulders. It was shocking to see that the tricks were not limited to the game screen

Kojima: I can't say that. Hmmm... Well, at least from the very first opening demo, I have a trick up my sleeve. At least from the very first opening demo, we have at least three out of ten people who will knock the controller to the ground.

What is it!? That!

Kojima: The first trap. Well, this trap is amazing. It's the best trap ever, even better than the psychic Psycho Mantis 【*39】 in "MGS". Only open-minded players will be able to enjoy it (laughs).

【*39】Psycho Mantis, the psychic of "MGS"

The most shocking enemy in "MGS". He reads the data on the PlayStation's memory card, guesses the player's preferences, blacks out the screen to display "Hideo," and torments the player with his unlimited attack patterns. A simple strategy was to play the game with the controller on the 2P side, which was also a shocking method.

The mystery of "it's written on the back of the package" was also amazing...

Kojima: It's even more amazing. The phone lines at the customer service center were jammed. Is that an exaggeration? If I had not made "MGS," there would be no mysteries at all. There are quite a lot of them. I don't know if everything I have in mind at the moment will fit into the game, but we're working at the last minute, so it's a grand joke. The player can't help but laugh. "Ha ha ha, you did it." It's like that. But the initial shock must have been quite great. I think European players will be delighted. People overseas are more tolerant of jokes, and they think that Kojima's games must have some kind of joke in them. For Japanese players, at least, I think it's safe to say that it doesn't have the last big 【*40】 plot point of "MGS2". For those who love "MGS", there are many points to enjoy.

【*40】 The big plot point at the end of "MGS2"

At the end of "MGS2", it is revealed that all the stories (adventures) that the protagonist, Raiden, has been through have all been artificially created. This horrifying twist, which plunges the player into an emotional abyss, was met with mixed reviews

I saw in the trailer movie that Colonel Volgin grabs a young man's crotch while saying, "Kuwabara, kuwabara." The man's face... Raiden? 【*41】

【*41】Raiden?

In the trailer shown at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in the US, a character that looked exactly like Raiden appeared. Apparently, he plays an important role in the game...

Kojima: That hasn't been talked about much, has it? Ha ha ha.

Also, this time Snake vomits 【*42】.

【*42】 Snake vomits

If you rotate Snake on the Survival Viewer screen, when you return to the game, he will get nauseous and vomit.

Kojima: Kyle Cooper 【*43】 is a big fan of vomit. "I thought Hideo was going to make a vomit game!" He said. "Of course!" He said.

【*43】 Kyle Cooper

Born in 1963. Formed the group Imaginary Forces. He is in charge of producing movie titles. He has produced many internationally acclaimed masterpieces, including "Seven" and "Mission: Impossible". He is also an important staple in the "Metal Gear Solid" series.

What a conversation!

Kojima: Kyle Cooper is an old man like that. Ryuhei Kitamura went home very angry. He was like, "Damn! I've been beaten!"

It's a joke war.

Kojima: Defecation was not an option.

...The infiltration of the Virtuous Mission in "MGS3" began on August 24, 1964. This date is... by any chance?

Kojima: Haha. It's my birthday. I was born in 1963, so it is my first birthday. I was busy, so I wrote it down as I went along and it was accepted. I really wanted to set it in 1963, but after President Kennedy was shot, it was more important for the story.

The assassination of President Kennedy. It was one of the most memorable events in the history of the world. "MGS3" begins with that incident.

Kojima: The US will go astray after that incident. "Metal Gear" is a story about nuclear weapons. When the Enola Gay atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Americans thought the war was over. But that was the start of the Cold War, which divided East and West. What happened then was a state of tension, and what took place was espionage. Spies were born, and they worked in the dark between East and West. This is the main theme of "MGS3".

A story that was covered up during the Cold War.

Kojima: It is set in 1964, but I hope young people can play it without worrying about that. However, when I was living in the 1960s, there was a great deal of espionage activity. Just the mention of the term "KGB" made me stand up straight.

The KGB was also said to be monitoring Japan at the time.

Kojima: At that time, the Soviet Union and the United States were accumulating nuclear weapons and were in conflict as two superpowers. But now there is no Soviet Union and war is going on in Iraq. Five years ago, I had no idea that the world would be like this. And it is hard to predict what will happen five years from now. There was a time when Japan boycotted the Moscow Olympics and hated the Soviet Union, but was that really hatred? It was just the times that made it so. In truth, I don't really hate anyone. It was "the times". That is the theme of "MGS3".

Values that transcend good and evil.

Kojima: With the first "MGS", I wanted to talk about the theme of "what is the information that is engraved in our genes?" The theme of "MGS2" was "What is the information that is not engraved in our genes, such as ideas and culture? And what do we pass on and leave behind for future generations?" That should have been the end of the story, but when I thought about it, I realised something strange. Even genetic characteristics, ideology, and culture are valued differently in different periods of time. For example, women in the Heian period were considered beautiful if they had a round face. In modern times, however, a woman with a face like a flatfish is considered beautiful. The evaluation changes with the times. What is this all about? If even genetic values are influenced by the times, and their evaluation changes, then what are the times? In "MGS3", there are people fighting for the state and politics, but they are only fighting according to the values of the times, not because they really hate the other side. In different times, they can be allies or enemies. They are neither good nor evil.

So it takes place after World War II.

Kojima: During World War II, Japan hated the US. But when I watch WWII movies now, I wonder why they are fighting. The "Americans are the enemy" mentality of those days was an illusion created by the times. Even the US was influenced by the times, and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, just mentioning the term "anti-war" was met with bashing. When Richard Gere spoke out against the war, he was stoned 【*44】. But now, there is a strong mood of pessimism, and movies like "Fahrenheit 911," made by Michael Moore, have become a hit 【*45】. Values are changing with the times. What is it that is creating this illusion? Isn't it "The Patriots" 【*46】 that "MGS2" talked about?

【*44】 When Richard Gere spoke out against the war

In February 2003, as the US was about to deploy troops to Iraq, Richard Gere said: "The animosity between Bush and Hussein is like that between Captain Ahab and the whale in "White Whale" [Moby Dick]. Bush's words on behalf of the Iraqi people are out of line."

【*45】 Films like "Fahrenheit 911" by Michael Moore have been made and are a hit

Filmmaker Michael Moore has released a film, "Fahrenheit 911", which criticises and thoroughly criticises President George W. Bush's Iraq campaign. He aims to unseat Bush in the presidential election.

【*46】 "The Patriots"

The greatest mystery of the Metal Gear Solid series. It is said that wars and conflicts are being waged in various parts of the world at their will.

"The Patriots". The huge, dark entity that appears at the end of "MGS2", controls all information, and shapes the state. Will it appear in "MGS3"?

Kojima: "The Patriots" is a metaphor for "the times". It is a skeleton, without any substance. And in "MGS3", the organisation that was the predecessor of "The Patriots" appears.

So "MGS3" is also the story of the creation of "The Patriots".

Kojima: Yes, that's right. We have built a bridge from "MGS3" to "MGS". Please enjoy it as much as you can.

#metal gear solid #mgs #hideo kojima #references 6 7 and 8 seem mixed up but that's how they're written in the book #major ocelot has been described by kojima as handsome cool likeable pure and now cute #true tbh :|#ENJOY THE INTERVIEW!!#I like the part where they talk about snake like he's a tamagochi #feeds him heals him thinks about him <3 #I forgot a tag #etc.#<- that one #think I need a tag for translated stuff #I'm going to have a look at the other jp books I have at some point ^_^ mgs3 collector's edition materials etcetera #long post

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