Drake: Wh-what the Hell was... it still hurts... I k-killed the Commander? But no... wasn't it self-defense? All I did was suggest... suggest... teaming up with First Lieutenant Zelenin to destroy Mem Aleph... Where is she? Where is Zelenin? Where is Jimenez? Why couldn't we all just save the world together! ALL I'M TRYING TO DO IS GET AS FEW PEOPLE KILLED AS POSSIBLE GOD DAMMIT! IS THAT SO WRONG!?
CRASH
Well, it looks like there's going to be at least one more casualty. The Command Room is destroyed in the fight between Drake and Gore, and Arthur experiences a "fatal error in his personality matrix." He is forced to delete the programming that makes him sentient to keep the Red Sprite functional.
Orias: Hm... loyal to the end, that one... how much of a mission is left, I wonder?
Ghoul: Damn... you... Jack... You... caused... all... this...
CRASH
Asherah: WHAT... WHAT'S THAT SOUND...?
Drake: So I'm not the only one hearing that?
It turns out that Zelenin and her forces are attacking the ship. Drake hurries down to the Deck, where the hatch opens on its own and the woman herself steps in! She's apparently fully subsumed into angelhood now and has decided to turn her mesmerizing singing talents on her own crew!
Horkos: Jgg... STRONGER... STRONGER THAN LAST TIME! B-BUONO...
Inti: Oh ho ho ho... the ending will be interesting, but I'm not sure it'll be pleasant...
Victor: Ahhh... how refreshing. My superiors certainly made an excellent selection of leader, though I do wish they'd consulted me.
The resulting transformation is... interesting, to say the least. The Red Sprite crewmen don't have as extreme a reaction to the Song as Jack's Squad did, but their personality change is still striking. I could probably best describe it as a sort of medieval knight personality, always talking about doing their sacred duties and such, but they're not throwing around "thees" and "thous" or anything like that.
Drake: Umm... Williams? Muccino? MacCleary? Hello? I didn't... I didn't plan on this... Was this the only way?
Mithras: No, you could have sided with the hairless human, or better yet, with your comrade Jimenez! He was right, you know - the Angels throw away everyone in the end. History is awash with such stories - whole cities sacked for being in the way of their "chosen ones," human sacrifice, disease, even cannibalism! At least your friend Jimenez is honest about his love for violence!
(DRAKE suddenly rounds on MITHRAS)
Drake: You know, I've had it about up to here with you. I really, and I mean REALLY don't want the guy who scooped out my friends' brains trying to be my damn conscience! Now, shut up and listen to what the nice lady has to say!
Zelenin requests Drake take her to the Command Room, which he does. Then, her new bosses, the Three Wise Men, make their grand entrance. They tell the two Law Heroes that as the Schwartzwelt possesses the energy to take apart a world, so too does it have the energy to make one, but to accomplish this great feat, an equally-great power source is needed. Thus they recommend using the Cosmic Eggs, four... I'm exactly sure what they are... screw it, Plot Coupons you'll probably remember from my Neutral run. If their energy is used at the vanishing point, the new world will begin!
Drake: The Cosmic Eggs... I remember those from last time... last time... do I still need to sort out time? But I remember exactly where they were! This'll work. Will this work? This is the only option I could see that guarantees no more Schwartzwelts with as few people as possible dying. And if I achieve that, I'm the good guy, right?
Erlkonig: More humans vill survive, ja, but vat vill zeir lives be like? I case you haff not noticed, you haff sacrificed zose closest to you. It may be vorth it to some, but even as a creature of Order myself I see ze possibility zat you vill lose all your friends zrough zis course...
Drake: I just... wouldn't taking chances on the planet for the sake of a few people I know be really selfish? As a Marine, they drilled it into my head that I was "the good guy." Would I do that if I was good?
Dantalian: It's interesting to ponder, at least...
Incubus: Y'know, I didn't get a very good look at whatserface as an angel before, but DAYUM, look at how low that neckline goes! And look at all the VA-VOOM it shows! I may not like the gal's politics much, but I can definitely respect what she does. And stare down her dress.
Frost Ace: OH! You mean like the only reason anyone watches Fox News-ho?
The Wise Men, through the power of plot, foresee that Drake will need the Unlock D upgrade for his Cosmic Egg hunt, and fork over the Clement Bell forma, which Gore would give you on Neutral. Zelenin instructs Drake to take it to Irving in the lab.
Drake: I-Irving... maybe I didn't think this through... have I lost Irving to that Song? But no. If this is how to save the world, then I have to do it!
Norn: He's determined, we'll give him that. Even with his mission so changed, he'll see it through to the end. Ever the soldier. Still, Sir Thoth, might we at least ready that spell?
Thoth: ...yes. It'll take a while, and we may not even need it, but I'm the goldurn God a' Wisdom, and I'll be a baboon's uncle 'fore I go into the hornet's nest without a backup plan!
CRASH
To be continued...
Comments
- The title, of course, refers to the Beatles song, and specifically the fact that in the So Bad, It's Good Beatles Jukebox Musical Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the villains use the song as part of their scheme to - wait for it - brainwash the planet!
- Incubus has an unrequited and gross crush on Zelenin. I implied it lightly in the Neutral playthrough, and it traces back to a joke someone made in the SMT thread about how I got my first Incubus, who had invited himself into my party - he did it to get close to Zelenin! I thought it was funny, at least.
- On the confrontation between Drake and Mithras - even though Drake took one of the "bad sides" here I can't be alone in thinking he has a point here, right?
- Yes, this chapter basically covers one cutscene. Like I said in the first update, character stuff, not walkthrough.
- And finally, I could not resist the Fox News joke. A buxom blonde going on and on about "the Lord" - am I describing Zelenin or a right-wing American news reporter?
