Sine Mora - game script (wip)

[matermemoriae]

PROLOGUE

(Narration: Ronotra Koss)

When you’re born with the ability to travel through time, the first thing you must learn is that you cannot be in more than one place at the same point in time. Special though you may be, but you are not immortal. You must give due consideration not only to when and where you do things, but also what you do while there.

The second thing to bear in mind is that your gift, like rage, is meaningless without power. Yet all power on Seol lies in the hands of the Layil Empire.

The Enkies have disregarded both principles. They labeled their rebellion an Eternal War, though their resistance certainly failed to live up to that title. It all ended with the fall of Mirage Mountain.

---

(Alternate Narration: Akyta Dryad)

None of us were there when it happened. The Empire's history books called the bombs a means to quickly end the war. In this way they say the lives of millions of soldiers were spared.

Duplicity. Or perhaps it's the morals that have changed, or the sense of decency. Man has faced man in the name of decency before. True decency does not allow the slaughter of innocent women and children by one man in the name of forcing another man to his knees. But decency is subject to the ideas of the time.

And we live in indecent times.

---

[NOTE: while left ambiguous (and explained later on in-game), it is suggested that dialogue from Cobalt King can be at least partially attributed to Argus Pytel]

ABOVE MIRAGE MOUNTAIN
CIRCLE 1317, QUARTER 2, 22:337:95 IN

-Cobalt King calling headquarters, 1200, 4, 75, 12. Beginning descent, do you copy?
Cobalt King calling headquarters, 1200, 4, 76, 12. Beginning descent, do you copy?

-Copy that, 1200, 4, 76, 12, Cobalt King.

-Navigation says we’re on target above the city. Counter gravity anticipated in …3 …2 …1 …and it’s a go.

[stage 0 gameplay begins]

-Twenty-two, hit ‘em hard!

-Cobalt King to the Pack, two Merensteins at 55. I’d rather not have to face them one-on-one!

-Copy that, Cobalt King. Twenty and twenty-two, there are two Merensteins at 55… no, 54.

[gameplay continues]

-That’ll do it! Pack, close up, let’s scatter this floating fortress around a little!

-Bellwether, twenty-two reporting. Twenty-one and nine have got my back. With this speed we’ll smash against the trench wall. I’ll activate the time capsule.
Aaaaargh! [plane is shot down]

-Domyan! Damn it! Bellwether, twenty’s down!

-Affirmative, twenty-two, time capsule active. Let’s go!

[gameplay]

(if challenging route is chosen:
-You don't need to fly that close, damn it!)

[fortress explodes]

-This is how it’s done, fellas!

[gameplay]

-All present and accounted for?
Pack, close up and report.
Cobalt King, airspace in your zone is spick-and-span!

-Much obliged, Bellwether!
Cobalt King to Headquarters, 600, 4, 112, 12, in position. Half nir to launch.

-Copy that, 600, 4, 112, 12, Cobalt King. Lord Granite has successfully dropped the… (STATIC NOISE)

[as the bomb is dropped, the explosion overtakes the screen, which fades to black]

---

(Narration: Ronotra Koss)

The Fourth Unity… three bombs killed 664,000 Enkies that day, to the elated cries of nearly two billion citizens of the empire. But this is also where I lost my son. He was the pilot of the Cobalt King, the bomber that carried the fourth bomb, the one that never dropped. He did the unthinkable: unprecedented in the history of military aviation. He ignored his orders. According to the news, the co-pilot buried a bullet in my son’s brain that very instant.

An Imperial father would have been shattered to hear of this treason, and struck dumb with shame. Me, I’m just a Collaborationist father, a secondary citizen, who resembles an Imperial father only in grief.

I have not torn my clothes from my body in mourning. I have not apologized for the actions of my progeny. I have sworn revenge.

---

CHAPTER 1

(Narration: Akyta Dryad)

Moneta Point…

We call it the Eternal War, but to be realistic, the bombing of Mirage Mountain all but wiped our nation off the map. Since the war broke out, more than 2 million Enkies have vanished without a trace. Imperial storm-troopers and Collaborationist head-hunters dragged them away: women, men, and children alike. The way we figure it, data in the Moneta research base might point us to their location, and how we may be able to help them.

We shall take every measure, no matter how few our numbers may be.

---

(Alternate Narration: Argus Pytel (w/ Lynthe Ytoo quote))

In the life of a male, sexuality is paramount. This is undeniable. Some thinkers have even gone so far as to place sex in the center of what makes the world go round.

"Making love is the ultimate form of self expression, I figure. I wish I could share with you the truth of how I feel. There are some things that cannot be put into words. So many words have been used to describe these feelings, and what we call love--but all of that is public domain. These words have no value, because they can't possibly describe the true experience, which is locked away inside the heart of each person who has loved." -- these are the words of the Enkie terrorist Lynthe Ytoo, who maintained a sexual relationship with the rebel leader known as Akyta Dryad, among others.

This intel was gleaned by our informant, who also told us of the plans this "resistance" had for Moneta. We didn't interfere--we hoped that discovering the truth about what happened to their people would make them come to realize the futility of their efforts.

---

STAGE – I.A
NEAR MONETA POINT
CIRCLE 102, QUARTER 3, 15:12:15 ET
Pilot: LYNTHE YTOO, Sub-weapon: ZEBAOTH DRILLER

Akyta Dryad: Ytoo, it’s Dryad. We’re at the rift. Beginning descent.

Lynthe Ytoo: Good luck, Akyta!
Activity in the confinement area is about what we expected.
I’ll make a little noise to draw their attention.

[gameplay]

Lynthe Ytoo: Dryad, hold on, I think I saw something strange. I’ll make a lap around the observation tower.

Akyta Dryad: What is it, Ytoo?

Lynthe Ytoo: Nothing, sorry for the false alarm…
Wait! Damn, it’s a Sentinel! How’d it sneak up on me?

[boss gameplay: SENTINEL HEXAPUS KOLOBOK]

Lynthe Ytoo: Akyta! Akyta, do you copy?

Akyta Dryad: Ytoo, get the hell out of… (STATIC NOISE)

[boss fight end; normal gameplay resumes]

[boss fight gameplay, surprise surprise the hexapus is back]

Lynthe Ytoo: God fucking damn it! Fuck!
Die, you son of an ass!
Akyta! Akyta!

[fight concludes and the hexapus explodes; screen fades to white]

---

STAGE – II.B
BOKUMONO UNDERSEA PRISON FACILITY
CIRCLE 1380, QUARTER 2, 5:255:8 IN
Pilot: RONOTRA KOSS, Sub-weapon: PUNK SPIRIT

Ronotra Koss: Mines.

Myryan Magusa: I hope you die in there, Koss!

Ronotra Koss: (Giggling)

[gameplay]

Ronotra Koss: I’m in the service tunnel.

[gameplay]

Ronotra Koss: Pyre… where are you, Pyre….
Ah… I see your watchdog’s awake.

[boss gameplay: WARDER SUBMARINE ACRIDOIDEA]

[ship sinks; gameplay continues]

Ronotra Koss: Regis Pyre. Eighth barracks, block two. I hope my intel is correct. You’d better be in here, I don’t feel like killing any innocent people today. Not that anyone in Bokumono could even be considered innocent, hidden away so deep in the Devil’s ass.

[Koss comes upon a single floating underwater cell, pauses in front of it, and promptly fires a missile into it]

Ronotra Koss: I’ll pay you double, you piece of shit!

---

(Narration: Ronotra Koss)

Regis Pyre was the gunner of the Cobalt King. Fifth in a staff of seven. He wasn’t my son’s killer, but my revenge caught him up, as it did all other members of that damned crew. It took me circles to find him. The Empire cast him into Bokumono for rape, and for all anyone cared he would have rotted there forever.

The girl he raped was an Enkie named Myryan Magusa, but her racial handicap was a well-kept secret. Should it ever come to light, she’d end up in a dirty, forgotten labor camp like the rest. So far she’s dodged suspicion; Imperialists are too half-witted to look beneath the surface.

She was young and tough, but more important for my purposes, she was a pilot who could be politically compromised. I needed her to help me pay that bastard back for the death of my son.

Pyre wormed his way into her body. I did the same with her soul. I threatened her with exposure, so she stuck by me.

[STAGE COMPLETED]


CHAPTER 2

STAGE – II.A
BOKUMONO PERIMETER
CIRCLE 1380, QUARTER 2, 5:254:96 IN
Pilot: MYRYAN MAGUSA, Sub-weapon: GEMINI DRONE

Ronotra Koss: All right Myryan… you may not like it, but you’re the bait.
You’ve got to alert the entire defense net.

Myryan Magusa: …and then? Will you leave me be?
Koss, will you let me go?

Ronotra Koss: We’ll see, my dear.

[boss gameplay: MEGA BATTLESHIP SCYLLA]

[boss gameplay: PERIMETER WATCHTOWER MELKOR]

Myryan Magusa: I see the rig. Lots of aerial defense.
Ronotra Koss: I'm coming now, baby. Ease it in!

[boss fight end; Myryan's plane goes underwater)

Ronotra Koss: Mines.

Myryan Magusa: I hope you die in there, Koss!

Ronotra Koss: (Giggling)

[gameplay]

Ronotra Koss: I’m in the service tunnel.

---

(Alternate Narration: Argus Pytel)

True revenge can be shockingly prosaic. It lacks elegance or grace. I wasted nearly a circle preparing Regis Pyre for the moment when my father's revenge would find him. I taught him to give a signal, what to do and say in order to warn my father.

It was all in vain. In literature, revenge is undertaken only after lengthy monologues, after the accused has a chance to speak up for himself. My father gave him no such chance. He killed the bastard in cold blood without saying a word. He always knew how to point out my imperfections; I couldn't even predict his actions in this one instance.

Just goes to show how little we cared to get to know one another.

---

STAGE - I.B
MONETA POINT RESEARCH BASE
CIRCLE 102, QUARTER 3, 15:12:15 ET
Pilot: AKYTA DRYAD, Sub-weapon: AZIMUTH BATTERY

Akyta Dryad: Durak, hang back, I've got to clear the cave first.

Durak: Copy that, Dryad. Thanks!

[gameplay]

Lynthe Ytoo: Dryad, hold on, I think I saw something strange. I’ll make a lap around the observation tower.

Akyta Dryad: What is it, Ytoo?

Lynthe Ytoo: Nothing, sorry for the false alarm…
Wait! Damn, it’s a Sentinel! How’d it sneak up on me?

[boss gameplay: HYPER GUARDIAN TRAIN MATOUSCHKA]

Akyta Dryad: Ytoo, get the hell out of there as fast as you can! Ytoo!...
Durak, what happened?

Durak: There's a huge storm over there... communications are shot.

Akyta Dryad: Durak, the passage is clear, guide the carrier through! I'll keep the guard train busy. Get that can docked!

[the rest of these conversations take place between lulls in fighting Matouschka]

Durak: Dryad, it's Durak. Carrier is in place, I repeat, carrier is in place. Sergeant says we'll need at least 200 nirs, since we still have no clue what we're even looking for.

Akyta Dryad: Do it!

[fight ends]

Durak: It's Durak, we're packed, I repeat, we're packed. Heading for the surface now.

Akyta Dryad: Nicely done!

---

(Narration: Akyta Dryad)

We didn't lose a single person during the Moneta operation... but we lost an entire civilization. The scientific data and documents we found there were horrific beyond what we could imagine.

The Imperials, hoping to develop technology that could control time, burned out or otherwise destroyed all their Enkie captives' sensory organs, in order to make them more docile and easier to handle. These deaf, blind, nerveless creatures are indistinct from the worms in the Moneta caves. Except for their dreams that is. The only thing that keeps them from simply expiring is their occasional remembrance of life... inspired of course by a fear of death.

The Project could be described as a nation living in fear, serving as slaves to a planet. There is no technology that can fix what's been done to them. There is no way to right this wrong. Even if we free our people, we cannot give them back their lives. It's over for the Enkies.

---

(Alternate Narration: Argus Pytel)

I've sought God for two times ten circles, and still cannot say with confidence that I've found him, or that he has found me. If anyone asks, I just say that I'm a believer, but not religious. I do believe there is some truth at the heart of the ancient books of divinity. Without exception, they preach the same mantra.

Live in decency. Live so as to never harm another.

I've searched for two times ten circles, only to find that I already knew the answer. It's very simple: I'm nothing more than a tiny speck of dust, and what can dust know of God? It was upon this discovery that I ended the lengthy and foolish dispute that had rage within me: What would I tell Him, and what cleverly-phrased questions would I pose to Him upon meeting Him face to face? I'll never meet him, of course. For our kind, this wasn ever destined to happen, just as a blade of grass shall never talk about the mysteries of existence with the insect that crawls upon it.

Live in decency. This is an enormous challenge for most, but it's a noble and worthy life pursuit. Living so as not to harm another... Well... after Moneta Point, this was asking the impossible.

---

(Narration: Durak)

Past and future.

These concepts don't have much meaning for people who can easily visit both. Still, one can live an entire lifetime without ever looking back, or forward. Ultimately it is only the present and ourselves -- our own happiness and comfort -- that we take into account.

Where can this pride of self go, and what shall we become without descendants, or without being able to pay respect to the trials and beliefs of our ancestors? We may be citizens of the world, and advocate interplanetary peace and community, yet our ancestors shed their blood for flags and totems, and their families made up a close-knit tribe. A nation. Language and land kept them together. But this too may fade.

The entire universe is composed of units and sub-units. Tissue is made of cells, and cells of atoms. This is the essence of nature... the same nature that made a mockery of me. It was my fate to be childless. The flame that burns brightest burns quickest, and with a future denied me, this is how I chose to live my life.

I had hoped raid of the AiBorg factory in the Cardinal Canyon would let me burn as bright as the stars.

---

(Alternate Narration: Durak)

I don't believe in an ultimate truth. A child rolls in the dirt with gleeful abandon, while an adult will try to wipe their dirty faces clean. To what end? Both actions are meaningless. The fine mist of Time falls upon the heads of the dirty and the clean alike. Before Time, all is made equal. From dust to dust. Perhaps there is an ultimate truth after all; that being the irrelevance of our truths.

Still, I believe there is a higher function for value and aesthetics -- the preservation and cultivation of which is the privilege of aristocracy. When I say aristocracy, I don't necessarily mean blue-blooded royalty. Rather, I refer to men of learning and reading. What I am concerned with is an aristocracy of the mind. It is our obligation to select -- through our experiences, knowledge, and heart -- what is eternal and what is worthless.

I see doubt and disdain in the eyes of others. They find conceit and arrogance in my mannerisms. But if I don't represent this ideology, then others will. Others who would prefer to distinguish between people and concepts based on vanity, rather than thought and humility.

Should my compatriots grab hold of this idea, they shall at long last come to understand my intentions.

---

STAGE - III.A
LOSEI IMPERIAL AIBORG FACTORY
CIRCLE 22, QUARTER 2, 41:6:70 ET
Pilot: DURAK, Sub-weapon: OA-62-SONIC SWORD

Durak: It's Durak. Aerial defense is minimal. I'll begin infiltration momentarily.

Lynthe Ytoo: Copy that, Durak. You should be able to open the gate by eliminating the sentry guns.

Durak: Thanks, Lynthe! First charge out.
I passed security, and I'm inside the plant.

Akyta Dryad: Perfect. You'll be coming to a junction soon. You'll have to follow the path of the raw material transporter... you've got to hide in the supplies

Durak: You want me to fly inside the raw materials? Of all things!

Akyta Dryad: Yes, and do it fast! Be careful.

Durak: Dryad, I made it through! Third, fourth, and fifth charges out!

[boss gameplay: ALLOY SELECTOR SPIDER TSUCHIGUMO]

Durak: ...son of a....!