Filed Under: Final Fantasy VII: Before Crisis

0003/4/11

Rocket Launch Site

Player

This is amazing! They fly as if they were one airplane. I've never seen anything like this before. You wouldn't think it's a rehearsal.

Rufus

Hmph. It's pointless.

Player

Sir?! What are you saying?! This is the air show for the rocket launch ceremony! This is Shin-Ra’s crowning glory!

Rufus

Crowning glory? Where’s the merit in sending some rocket up into space? All of this pomp with the air show and this ceremony are a waste.

Player

Oh! (Thought) The air show pilot was disembarked.

???

Hey!

Player

A-are you…

???

Impressed? Those are my babies!

Player

Cid!

Rufus

You’re the one in charge of those flying contraptions…

Cid

Don’t call them contraptions. Those are my partners. That baby’s called the Tiny Bronco.

Rufus

I don’t care about the flying contraption’s name. Just what are you thinking? This is a rehearsal, not the real thing. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you know that.

Cid

'Course I do. Just leave the Shin-Ra No. 26 to me!

Rufus

That’s right. That means this rehearsal doesn’t mean a thing.

Cid

Don’t you worry none about that. The sky was calling me and I answered, that’s all. What are you going to do but answer back?

Player

(Thought) That’s a true man of the sky right there. He’s just as legendary as I’ve heard.

Cid

Look, Vice President. Tell the executives this for me. I’m gonna be the first one up there to reach the moon. Wait for it!

Player

I’m cheering you on too, Cid.

Cid

Yeah! So you get it too, huh? What’s yer name?

Player

Rosalind, of the Turks. I’m acting as the President’s escort today.

Rufus

Hmph. Stupid. It’s all stupid.

Cid

Hey!

Rufus

I don’t care about this outer space stuff. My interests lie firmly on the ground. Our company should be there too.

Cid

Keh. Yer so young, but so cynical. Not like yer pop – that man's got dreams, see! He built the company from the ground up. See, the scope's of your respective visions is different, the scope!

Rufus

Hmph. Cid… Let’s drop the talk about my father, hmm?

Cid

Huh? That sounds like an engine. What are those guys doing?!

Player

They’re stealing the Tiny Bronco!

Cid

Like hell you will! That’s my baby! I’m not gonna let !%@#&* like you touch her!

Player

Cid! Wait! You’re the only astronaut in the world. If something happens to you, the launch can’t go on. I’ll go. Rufus, sir, I’ll be back soon.

Rufus

Whatever.

Cid

I’m counting on you!

Cid

The Tiny Bronco’s in your hands!

Player

You! Stop right there!

Pilot

Hey! When did you -?!

Player

Get out of that seat.

Pilot

GWAH.

Player

I’ve got the plane back, but I can’t fly this thing!

Player

!! A signal!

Cid

Did you get it back?

Player

Cid!! Yeah, I did.

Cid

Good job! Now you can land her – I don’t want to see any scratches, you hear?!

Player

But I don’t know how to fly this!

Cid

It’s simple. I’ll explain it to you so listen carefully. Use the left and right directional keys to move back and forth. The up and down keys will take the plane up and down. Hit the command key to speed up. If you want to slow down again, hit the command key again. If you run outta fuel, you're going to drop faster than a bird with a stone 'round it's neck, so watch that fuel tank. If you speed up too much you’ll run out of fuel faster, so be careful with that.

Player

I’ll give it a try.

Cid

You scratch up my baby and there’ll be hell to pay!!

Player

Y-yes sir!

Player

No way. They’re setting off fireworks?! Why, at a time like this?!

Cid

Aw, you can’t help that. It’s for the rehearsal, right? You’ll take damage if you get hit, so watch out. I’ll signal you before they come so you can get out of the way in time.

Player

Okay!

Cid

I'll tell you when it's safe to land. Until then, just hold that girl steady!

Player

(Thought) Well, I guess I've got no choice. I'll give it a shot.

Cid

All right, you're doing great. You're one third of the way through. Now you're two thirds past. Just keep doing what you're doing. All right. Land!

Cid

Here they come.

Cid

Hey, you did all right.

Player

Yeah. I've managed to get through this in one piece somehow.

Cid

Geez, what a freakin' %@#&. Who the hell tried to steal my Tiny Bronco?

Shears

What happened to the Tiny Bronco?

Underling

Sorry, boss. We couldn't get it.

Shears

Forget about it. We'll go to our next plan.

Underling

Yes, sir.

Shears

Get yourself onto the Shin-Ra No. 26 and steal one of the oxygen tanks.

Underling

Yes, sir. If we succeed, we can stop the launch.

Shears

Yeah. Without that oxygen tank the launch will fail. It'll be broadcast on live TV, and then Shin-Ra won't have a leg to stand on.

Underling

The Shin-Ra think they've gotten rid of AVALANCHE so their security probably isn't going to be so tight. This plan's sure to work.

Shears

(Thought) And the coup de grace of this ceremony will be the assassination of President Shinra. We'll have our chance at the ceremony tomorrow.

[End of Episode 15.1]

Cid

Guess it's only right to give you all a reward. Hey, I know! How about you come and look at my rocket?

Player

Well, I'm in the middle of guarding the Vice President. I can't really do that just now.

Cid

Then bring him along! (To Rufus) It might change your views on space exploration.

Rufus

(Thought) The operation's probably started by now. With the presence of a Turk inside the rocket, the rocket staff will have their guard down. It'll make things easier. (Out loud) If you're going to insist, I guess we'll take a look.

Underling

All right. Looks like no one's here.

Cid

This is the engine room. These oxygen tanks here are gonna help get this baby off the ground. Without them, the Shin-Ra No. 26 ain't gonna go anywhere off the ground. I guess in a way, you could say this is the heart of the rocket.

Rufus

Cid, it looks there's an intruder here.

Cid

$^@! What the f*ck are they doing? I'm gonna go and take a look. You and the VP wait in the cockpit 'til I get back.

Rufus

Cid, why don't I send out Rosalind? She's a Turk, and finding intrusive elements is their specialty. Just leave it to her.

Cid

Guess so. Well, Rosalind, I'm leaving it up to you.

Player

(To Rufus) Sir, I have orders to escort you…

Rufus

I'm ordering you to go and look. I don't want to hear any argument. Now go.

Player

……

Yes, sir.

(Thought) That person looks suspicious. I should keep an eye on them. Use the left and right keys to keep him in sight.

Cid

All right everyone, good work! We're done for today. You should all rest up for the big day.

Shin-Ra Soldier

Captain! We'll take our leave now.

Cid

Yeah! (Turning to you) Well, how 'bout it, Rosalind? Have you found the intruder?

Player

I've got him in my sights. I'll go apprehend him now.

Cid

All right.

Player

(Thought) I'll follow him. Which exit did he use? This one?

[You must select the exit the intruder went out of:

>>It's this way.

This isn't the right way.]

Player

Hey, what are you doing here?!

Fake Shin-Ra Soldier

(Thought) I've been caught!

Player

You're not getting away!

Underling

Damn, I've been found out. Guess the jig's up.

Cid

Hey! How'd it go?

Player

I got him.

Cid

Thanks. Here, take this.

[Cid will give you an Ether if you got the identity of the intruder right. If you didn't, he'll tell you off.]

Cid

You've been a great help today. Huh. Seems like I've been getting a lot of that lately.

Player

It's part of my job. Don’t worry about it.

Rufus

Tomorrow's the launch. It should be quite the sight. Good luck, Cid.

Player

We'll be going now, Cid.

Cid

I'll be running one last check today. See y'all later.

What the hell is this?! Someone's stolen the ^$@#ing oxygen tank!

Shin-Ra Soldier

There were a lot of people inside the rocket today, sir.

Cid

Dammit! This is a big emergency! Get that @()*% tank replaced!!

Shin-Ra Soldier

We've got to run the final checks. At this rate, we won't make the launch!

Cid

Dammit...

At the rocket launch pad…

Rufus

We should delay the launch, President. Going ahead with the launch without ensuring everybody's safety is reckless.

President Shinra

We can't stop now. The whole world will be watching the launch.

Cid

That's right. We don’t need to delay the launch. We'll get through checking everything on time. We've got one of our best mechanics on the job.

Rufus

We're talking about your life here, Cid. (To President Shinra) Are you saying you don't care what happens to him?

Player

(Thought) I want to see the launch. But if Cid's life is at risk, they'll cancel it, right…?

Cid

I don't care about any of that.

Player

!?

Rufus

What are you thinking?! You're saying you don’t care if you die?

Cid

That's right. Not being able to go into space is the same as dying to me. If we delay launch, we won't be able to try again for another six months, and who knows what'll happen between now and then. I'm willing to take my chances.

Rufus

(To President Shinra) What will you do if the launch fails? The whole world will see that. The damage our company's image will suffer will know no bounds.

President Shinra

If the launch is a failure, we'll just air something else.

Rufus

What do you think that will accomplish?

President Shinra

We'll remind the world of Shin-Ra's power once again. We'll win back the trust in the company that AVALANCHE compromised. And we'll bring stability to the world once more.

Rufus

Hmph. This is stupid. Everything you do reeks of superfluity. If I were in charge, the company would be 10 times what it is now.

President Shinra

You're living in a dream world. You can't run a business based just on theory.

Cid

All right, quiet down! I only wanna know one thing, and that's whether we can go ahead with the launch or not. That's all that matters. Can you save the petty family squabbling 'til later?

President Shinra

We're going ahead with the launch tomorrow as planned!

Cid

Okay. In that case I'd better get going. Gotta see to it that the mechanic isn't slacking off, yeah?

[End of Episode 15.2]

Player

(Thought) The ceremony's ended. (Out loud) The Shin-Ra No. 26 is going to be launched into outer space…

Tseng

Rosalind, Cid's gone missing.

Player

What?! But the launch is starting soon, isn't it?!

Tseng

Find him.

Player

Yes, sir! (Thought) Cid was really looking forward to the launch. There's no way he'd just disappear. Something happened, I know it.

Cid

Wait right there, you ^&#@s!

Underling

Damn it, run!!

Player

C-Cid! (Thought) Launch time's getting closer. I've got to get him back to the rocket in time.

Fog?! (Thought) It's going to be hard finding them in this. (Out loud) It's clearing up. I need to find Cid while the fog's thin. 

Cid

Prepare for a world of hurt, you [rocket sabotaging] freaks. Nobody gets in the way of my launch!!

Player

Cid! The launch is about to start. You should get back to the rocket now!

Cid

I'll be done here with these clowns in a second!

Player

Then I'll help!

Cid

1 hour to launch time. I'm heading back to the rocket!

Player

Cid! I'll escort you there.

Cid

Thanks a bunch! Better keep up with me, then!  

Player

Cid! My, he's fast!

Cid

Thanks for the company.

Player

I'm glad we made it.

Cid

Well, I'm off. Watch the skies real closely, missy. I'm gonna burn up that sky!

Player

All right. Good luck!

Cid

Yeah! When I get back, I'll tell you what it's like in outer space.

Player

I'm looking forward to it.

Underling

Heh heh. Nighty night.

[The underling knocks you out.]

Player

(Moaning) Ugh…

[End of Episode 15.3]

In Mission Control…

Cid

(From inside the rocket) Readouts all clear. This is the Shin-Ra No. 26, ready for launch.

Controller

Engine pressure rising. Shin-Ra No. 26 launch in T minus 3 minutes. Starting countdown.

Cid

……

It's finally happening.

Rocket Launch Site

President Shinra

At last, the launch is about to begin.

Rufus

……

President Shinra

There have been a lot of delays along the way, but…

Veld

Something could still go wrong. However, I'll guard you and the Vice President.

Rufus

(Thought) Damn you, Veld… He hasn't left the old man's side this whole time. AVALANCHE can't make their move. I guess we'll have to give up for now. Still… I'm the one that should be in charge of the company. Nobody would get in my way. I'll find another way to get this plan to work.

Player

Ugh… What the…

Cid

What the? What happened?! (1)

Controller

Cid! We have an emergency situation! A mechanic is still in the engine section of the rocket!

Cid

Hey goddamit!! Who the #*$$#&'s still in there?

Mechanic

It's me, Captain. Don't mind me, go ahead with the launch.

Cid

What are you still doin' in there?!

Mechanic

I was still concerned. The results of the oxygen tank test weren't satisfactory.

Cid

You stupid little #$&*#! It's gonna get so hot in there that there ain't gonna be shit left when we blast off! You're gonna be burnt to a crisp! You're gonna die! You know that, doncha!?

Player

Ugh… Huh?!

Tseng

Where are you now?

Player

In front of the entrance to the rocket.

Tseng

What?! You're still there?

Player

I was attacked.

Tseng

We'll talk about that later. The countdown's already begun.

Player

Already?

Controller

Forget about the mechanic! Ignition in 30 seconds.

Cid

H-hey! Wait a second!

Tseng

You'll get caught in the blast! Get as far away from there as you can!

Player

(Thought) I've got to get as far from the rocket as I can before it launches. I shouldn't be picking any unnecessary fights.

Cid

(Thought) Dammit, you wanna make me a murderer?!

Player

Made it!

Cid

What… What should I… What should I do?! Aaagh, the moon…outer space… my dream…

Controller

Liftoff!

Cid

Gaaaaaah---!

President Shinra

Ooh!

Veld

……

Rufus

……

Hmph…

Player

! Something's wrong!

President Shinra

What?!

Veld

It's coming back down?!

Rufus

Hmph.

Veld

(Thought) Cid must've pressed the emergency stop button to save the mechanic's life. He was prepared to risk his own life but he couldn't let that happen to someone else.

Rufus

So this is it…

Cid

My dreams… The Shin-Ra No. 26… This isn't the end. I'm not gonna let it end like this… Someday me and this rocket are gonna make it to outer space. I've gotta look after the old girl so she'll be in flying shape when that day comes…

Rufus

Hmph. So it's unanimous. We'll no longer be pursuing this space exploration nonsense.

President Shinra

……

Rufus

Even with the cancellation of the program, there's still no way to recoup all the money we threw at it.

Reeve

(Thought) He's right. Sustaining the space program is a waste of money.

Heidegger

(Thought) Give that money to the Peace Preservation Department.

Rufus

How are you going to clean this mess up?

President Shinra

I'll think about it… This executive meeting is adjourned.

Reeve

(Thought) The Vice President has grown into a sensible young man.

Heidegger

(Thought) Maybe the day the Vice President takes over the company isn't far off…?

Tseng

What! What… what is this…

Reno

What's wrong, Tseng?

Tseng

Take a look.

Reno

What's wrong with – whoa!

Tseng

That's the inside of the reactor under construction at Corel.

Reno

AVALANCHE's all over the place!

Tseng

It's completely occupied. 

Reno

I thought we destroyed their stronghold.

Tseng

But not the leadership itself, apparently.

Reno

This can't stand. We're going to Corel!

To be continued…