Synopsis
In the early summer of 16AW, Fisherman’s Horizon was under attack from a mysterious enemy.
Though Balamb Garden was docked at FH, they had been forbidden from intervening and further disrupting the city-state’s official rule of total-pacifism. Mayor Dobe had decided to let the attackers take what they came for and leave, and Garden – worried about facing yet more political backlash after their run-ins with Galbadia, had no choice but to comply with an order from Headmaster Landum prohibiting all cadets, SeeD, and other residents of Balamb Garden from intervening.
Access to the city was impossible, but Instructor Trepe had a plan. Together with some of her most trusted cadets, she commandeered The Eidolon from its dock and took it to the city to defend its people from the unknown raiders. When they landed, they were met by old Esthari cyborgs belonging to an elite cell called “The Sword of Adel.” They had been fished up from the ocean, where they had been in forced hibernation aboard and old Sorceress Era dropship shot down sometime during the war.
The cyborgs were unlike anything the cadets had faced up to that point. An enemy truly without fear, who would never tire, could process and solve complex problems instantly and which seemed to operate on a short-range hive-mind. They had detected radio emissions that sent them into a violent frenzy. The radio jamming that had plagued Gaia for an entire generation was none other than the whispers and thoughts of their ruler, Sorceress Adel, who was calling to them and they were compelled to obey. They knew where she was, knew how to get to her, and now only needed a vessel capable of leaving Gaia’s atmosphere. Luckily, Garden had brought one right to them.
The Eidolon was hijacked a second time that day and flown into outer space, where (despite a laser bombardment from an Esthari orbital research station) it intercepted and disabled Adel’s Tomb in cis-lunar orbit, causing the Sorceress to awaken from her sleep. The Eidolon, Adel’s Tomb and the cyborg and Garden cadet passengers fell into Luna, which Adel blasted open with her magic before transporting them all within it.
Adel confronted the cadets inside Luna, which turned out to be a hollow world, and attempted to perform an arcane ritual. This ritual was interrupted by the cadets, who fought desperately to stop the tyrannical Sorceress, causing the rite to go awry and rip open a portal to the Penumbra. To her surprise and horror, Sorceress Adel was robbed of her powers by some alien presence within the portal. She was unable to survive the forceful extraction of her aether, her Sorceress powers and her life force, and rapidly diminished to her true physical age, far beyond the natural lifespan of any human, which reduced her to dust and bones.
Many cadets were grievously injured, including cadet Nikki Amnell, and the Sword of Adel cyborgs were all destroyed.
Finally able to use the radio waves to broadcast and utilize their flight software properly, an Esthari observation team from the nearby station rescued the cadets and returned them home, where for the first time in 17 years, radio waves are now free of interference.
Episodes
- The Sword of Adel: Vincula Fractionis
- The Sword of Adel: Ex Sepulchrum
- The Sword of Adel: Oh, Brave New World
Aftermath
Following the events on Luna, there are disciplinary actions taken. Quistis Trepe fired and demoted, citing severe lack of judgement, insubordination, misuse of Garden resources, destruction of Garden property, and illegally entering foreign territory. All accounts of this excursion, the trip to Fisherman’s Horizon, the fight with the Esthari cyborgs, the brief trip out of atmosphere, landing inside the moon, and the confrontation with Sorceress Adel, are redacted and stricken from every record. On the files of the cadets who were involved, the mission is replaced with “Served Balamb Garden with distinction under heavy duress.” All persons involved are sworn to secrecy.
All cadets who took part in the excursion are reprimanded, and then immediately promoted to SeeD, though cadet Nikki Amnell turns the promotion down. Something of great concern is the lore that a Sorceress cannot die without passing on her powers. If Adel was killed, then to whom did she pass on her abilities?
On a more positive note, the destruction of Adel’s cryogenic Tomb (which was a top-secret device built by Esthar during the war to contain a powerful sorceress) and the death of the sorceress within removed the radio interference on Gaia. This meant that all pre-S War devices that used wireless technology began to function again, though the infrastructure needed to truly utilize the technology had largely been disassembled or was in a state of disrepair. Despite that, the Timber Broadcasting Company and Meteor Mobile both stated that by 19AW the world would be enjoying uninterrupted use of wireless broadcasting for computers, mobile phones, air traffic control, television, radio and much more.
This launched the mass construction of cellular towers, broadcasting relays and other infrastructure related to wireless communication, as well as plans for the reconstruction of airports in Caldera City and Deling City.
Trivia
Trivia