Disclaimer: The original Phantasy Star games, the Phantasy Star Online series, and all related characters are the creation and property of Sega.

This is a story that was completed on 3-21-2007, and I'm now adding to this archive.

"Hmm, looks like a sandstorm's brewing," Myau observed, looking all around him and sniffing the air.

"We'd better hurry. Some of Motavia's sandstorms can turn deadly fast, and can last for days," said Noah.

"Ugh, I don't get how you and Tarzimal can't stand living here, Noah," Alis said, raising an arm to shield her eyes from the sun. She hated to admit it to herself, but living on Palma all her life spoiled her. The unbelievably harsh, alien environments of Motavia and Dezolis had pushed her endurance to the limit.

"Things'll be much worse if we're caught up in one of those sandstorms," said Odin. "Noah and I will prep the landrover so we can head out. You should head into town and but some more provisions and medicine. We're running low."

"All right. Fine," Alis said irritably. It was bad enough for her that their quest to liberate Algo had been put on hold, and having Odin order her about only worsened her mood, stinging her pride. Wasn't it her who had brought them all together with a common cause? Wasn't it her who lead the charge in practically every battle they had fought so far? At this point, she was starting to feel as if she was the only one serious about their mission, as if she had to pick up the slack for everyone....

"I'll go with you," said Myau cheerily, falling in line behind Alis as she walked toward Uzo. Alis paid the musk cat no notice as she entered the town and navigated the streets. Looking about her, she noticed once again that this town had not been hit as hard by economic depression as other towns on Palma and Motavia, but there was still a feeling of foreboding gloom that permeated the entire town, which weighed on Alis heavily. She also remembered the many native Motavians they had encountered while scouring the planet, how desperate and destitute they seemed.

I bet it wasn't like this before Lassic took over, she thought to herself as she and Myau headed for the southwest part of the town, where the shops were located. After stocking up on all the items they needed, they left as quickly as they came. But upon passing the hospital, Alis and Myau passed by a kiosk that they hadn't noticed before. Curious, Alis stopped to look at what was being sold. The kiosk's owner, a short, old woman, was fast asleep in her chair, and strewn about on display were several hand-crafted things: wooden tools, ceramic pottery, and even hand-made plush toys.

But one of the plush toys was without any doubt one of the freakiest things she had ever seen. From the looks of it, it was supposed to be some sort of blue-furred animal, with the fur clumped in long, spiky quills. Its chest and arms were the color of pale flesh though, and was wearing white gloves and some sort of red shoes. And its face...it had big, bulbous eyeballs that actually seemed to be fused together.

Myau noticed that something had caught Alis's attention and called up to her. "What's up, Alis? What are you looking at?"

"This thing," replied Alis as she grabbed the plush toy by the neck and held it out for Myau to see. "Just tell me this isn't the ugliest thing you've ever seen."

Myau tilted his head slightly. "Hmmm, I dunno. I think it's kinda cute."

"Oh please. What would make you say that?" asked Alis.

Myau was silent for a moment, then said, "Maybe because it sort of reminds me of my last date...."

Alis shot a quizzical look down at the musk cat, but before she could think of a comeback, she heard someone behind her softly call out her name. "Alis? Is that you? Here on Motavia?"

That voice.... Here? Alis thought confusedly. She dropped the plush toy and slowly turned around.

A few feet away stood a girl who was roughly Alis's age and height. She wore the typical garb of a Palman woman, with a dark red blouse and a long navy-blue skirt, though they looked worn and tattered, as if they had been forced to endure the harsh conditions of Motavia longer than they were meant to. Her hair was a dazzling, crystalline white, pulled back tightly into a ponytail, and her eyes were blue. But unlike Alis's blue eyes, hers were much lighter, almost like the sky, with an unnatural opaqueness.

Myau looked at the strange girl, then back up at Alis. "Alis, you two know each other?"

For a moment, Alis seemed to be at a loss for words. "Y-Yes, Myau, we do," she said at length, and with uncertainty. "We've known each other for a long, long time, actually."

"The name's Dioa," said the white-haired girl, smiling down at the musk cat. "I used to live in Parolit. Alis and I are really old friends."

Alis could only nod, feeling a mingling of surprise and joy. Growing up, there were very few people she could say she was very close to. Her dear brother Nero and her good neighbor Suelo were foremost among them.... But there was someone else in her life she had known ever since she was a little girl. A good friend she could always confide in, was always there for her, someone she could rely on even as the Algo system slowly began to fall into disarray and ruin. But Alis hadn't thought of asking Dioa to join her in her quest for vengeance. She knew Dioa wasn't much of a fighter, and couldn't bear the risk of losing someone else she cared deeply for. That, and because a few weeks prior to Nero's murder, Alis had suddenly lost touch with Dioa, as if she had slipped off the face of Palma....

"Yeah, we are," Alis said eventually. "So this is where you ended up. Some time ago, it seemed you just...disappeared."

"I know. I'm sorry I never got the chance to tell you where I was going," Dioa said apologetically. "But I was offered an internship at one of the laboratories situated in the governor's mansion. As you know, I've always been into microbiology, so I couldn't pass the opportunity up. I'm here in Uzo on some official business."

"Well, I'm glad to see things are going well for you, Dioa," said Alis, smiling. "Oh, but what about your parents? Last I heard, they had gotten sick from that new, weird strain of shelfish flu...."

Dioa closed her eyes and hung her head, as if in shame. "Yeah, they almost died from it. But they miraculously recovered when it seemed all hope was lost. I'm just ashamed that I couldn't really do anything, even with all my knowledge and restorative techniques." Dioa lifted her head and looked deeply into Alis's eyes. "And what about Nero? How is he?"

It was Alis's turn to hang her head. "Dead," she said in a flat tone. "Murdered by Robotcops."

"Oh," was all Dioa seemed to be able to say at first. Then she warmly embraced Alis with a hug. "Alis, I'm so sorry...."

"Alis, are you ready to go?" called out a familiar voice. Alis looked behind Dioa to see Odin and Noah walking up, both with anxious looks on their faces. Another stiff breeze reminded Alis that a sandstorm could be on the way.

Dioa released Alis and looked behind her. "New friends of yours?" she asked.

"Yeah, they're travelling companions. We've been all over the Algo system these last few days," replied Alis.

"Oh really? What for?" Dioa inquired, sounding even more curious.

"Oh nothing much. Just plotting the complete overthrow of Lassic's regime, that's all," Alis said coyly.

Dioa stared at Alis, mouth agape. She was clearly shocked by what they planned to do. "WHAT!? The three of you actually intend to try and...."

"The FOUR of us," spoke up Myau in an indignant voice, making Dioa look down. "And yes, you better believe that's what we're aiming for. No power in the Algo system is going to keep Alis from getting her hands on Lassic, I promise you that."

"Yeah, Myau is 100 percent correct," Alis said proudly, with a renewed sense of vigor. "Dioa, I'm sorry to cut our reunion short, but we four really need to get moving. It was good to see you again, though. Good luck with your research."

And with that, Dioa bid Alis farewell and walked back out to the open field with Myau, Odin, and Noah, their landrover ready to go with the hovercraft perched on top for when they reached water. As they exited Uzo, Odin harshly said, "You know, Alis, it might not have been a good idea to tell that girl about our plans. Lassic has spies everywhere."

"Don't worry about it. I'd trust Dioa with my life," said Alis, a bit more bitterly than she intended to. "Let's just head on out. And by the way, I'm driving."

"OH no, not this time," Noah suddenly said, raising up a hand as if to stop Alis in her tracks. Odin and Myau likewise stared at Alis, looks of refusal etched on their features.

Alis shot him a withering glance, then pulled out a single meseta piece. "All right, flip you for it."

Noah sighed. "Fine. Heads."

Alis flipped the coin into the air, and it landed into the soft sand shortly thereafter. The side that was facing up had the design of a small, dog-like creature in a sitting position, with an eerie, toothy grin and two large, bushy tails. "Sorry. Tails," Alis said smugly.

"Ah, crap," muttered all three of her companions.

But Leli forced herself to remain calm as she grabbed one of the smaller cargo containers, which she had stored her tools in. Time to get to work, she thought wearily as she then opened one of the larger cargo containers. Leli guessed that right about now, the pilot was just beginning to plot the ship's descent vector. I should be able to have this assembled by the time the ship lands at Paseo's spaceport, Leli thought hopefully as she began her task.

"I'm with Odin," said Noah, who was seated in the back. "Facing Lassic now would be infinitely less dangerous than being your passenger!"

But Alis ignored them both as she recklessly drove the landrover ahead full-speed through Motavia's desert landscape, occassionally only narrowly missing a collision with a large cactus or a rock jutting out of the sand. The landrover was a large, tank-like vehicle used for long-range transportation, and on Motavia it offered nearly complete protection from the antlions that dotted the landscape. And despite the cumbersome, heavy appearance, the landrover was capable of reaching very fast speeds, something which Alis clearly delighted in and her companions thoroughly lamented.

"I swear, I cannot fathom the Palmans' compulsion to operate such vehicles at such unsafe velocities!" Myau shouted from his vantage point atop Odin's head. He then let out a loud cat-like screech as Alis missed colliding with a cactus by a hair.

"Hey, I'm Palman and I don't understand it either!" Noah chimed in as he continued to warily watch the landscape in front of him, seeing the rocks and cacti zoom past at uncomfortably fast speeds.

"Oh, lighten up and don't be such a coward, Noah! No wonder everyone thinks you're a woman," chided Alis as she kept on driving. A twinge of indignation penetrated Noah's panic and he scowled, even though he knew Alis couldn't see. Did she really have to always comment about his looks like that?

As for Alis, she continued to ignore her freinds' protests and bolted forward through the desert at full-speed. But it wasn't her desire to reach Tarzimal and quickly leave Motavia that spurred her on. Rather, it was the sheer joy of having an actual landrover and having such a wide-open area to drive it in. She remembered, long ago, that she and Dioa often talked about how fun it would be if they could actually afford to buy a landrover and drive it to their hearts' content, with no one to spoil their fun. It was a childhood fantasy that Alis had hung onto. And besides, since the experience of piloting a starship was denied her, thanks to Dr. Luveno's insipid design, she might as well enjoy driving the landrover. Even revenge-obsessed girls needed to have a little fun once in a while.

Too bad I couldn't take Dioa along with me, but I can't get her involved in this, Alis thought as she swerved to avoid hitting yet another cactus. I hope she'll be OK at the governor's mansion. It's said that the governor's at odds with Lassic. Could that put her at risk?

There was no answer to Alis's silent query, only the screams and curses of her new friends as she kept driving recklessly eastward toward Motavia's largest body of water.

However, this Palman made no attempt to hide herself. Soon after the Robotcops entered, she boldly walked out from behind the wooden crate she had been standing behind. She then stood firm before the two mechanical soldiers. "Looking for someone?" she asked boldly and in a firm voice.

The Robotcops switched back to their normal mode of vision to get a better look at the stowaway. It was indeed a short Palman female, with red hair, hazel eyes and probably in her late teens. Her face was one of stern resolve, as if she had nothing to fear, despite being completely unarmed and facing two machines incapable of remorse if their programming instructed them to kill.

If they had been human, curiosity might have made them hesitate, made them wonder what would make this Palman seem so carefree. But they were not human, only heartless machines. The Robotcops aimed their laser rifles at the Palman girl. "You are under arrest for trespassing. Come quietly, or we will resort to force," both of them said in flat, unfeeling tones.

The girl just smiled back at them, obviously trying to seem fearless. However, the many sensors at the Robotcops disposal let them know that she was merely covering up her nervousness. They could detect changes in her autonomic nervous system and her cardiovascular excitation, and other signs such as her pupil dilation and skin temperature clued them in. In that way they knew she was still fearful.

However, their sensors could not let them detect the reason that she was able to put aside her fears and face them. Something was hidden from them, something which was even now moving in against them.

"Oh, is that so?" said the Palman girl at length, then she turned her gaze to something directly behind the two Robotcops....

And they didn't even have time to turn around before the two of them effectively ceased to exist.

That was just fine with Noah, since at the moment he was lost in his own brooding thoughts. He had mixed feelings about visiting his former master again so soon after he had passed his 'final test'. That meant he was a full-fledged Esper now. However, he didn't feel confident about that. He was only twenty years old, and Noah knew there was must still be much more for him to learn, for him to do. And the last time he saw Tarzimal, his mind had been flooded with self-doubt. Despite all his rigorous training, he still felt unsure that he could live up to his mentor's expectations. However, he welcomed the chance to see him again and get his sage advice, despite how eccentric and absent-minded he could be at times.

But mostly, his mind was preoccupied with the young woman who was walking in front of him. He fondly remembered the first time he met her, when her party barged into his private hideout with a letter from the governor. He was irritated by the intrusion, but in truth he was also covering up how taken aback he was by Alis's beauty and boldness. And when he read the letter and learned what Alis planned to do, she immediately earned his respect.

In the days that followed, he found it a pleasure to travel with Alis and fight by her side. Noah had always been very shy and never had many friends, even amongst the other Esper trainees. But for some reason, he felt completely at ease with his new allies, and especially desired to get to know Alis better. She was simply a stunning mixture of elegant beauty and deadly ferocity, unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

The four continued on their way through the many twists and turns of the tunnels, all the walls composed of the same flat, brown stone. However, Alis seemed to have a knack for navigating these dungeons and had an uncanny memory; she was retracing the way to Tarzimal's study easily.

However, they soon met up with resistance. After heading down into the first lower level and turning the corner, they were confronted by two giant, green tarantulas. And judging by the way they were snapping their jaws and leering at them, Noah doubted his telepathy techniques would convince them to let them pass.

Fortunately, Alis already had things in hand. "Stay back, everyone. Leave 'em to me," she commanded. She hadn't taken out her sword and shield, but her clenched fists were glowing with a dazzling, orange light. Noah knew was she was about to do. Her hands reached out, and fireballs shot out from both, striking both tarantulas in the face, stunning them and eliciting howls of pain. And while they were dazed, Alis rushed in with her sword drawn. Quickly and effortlessly, she beheaded the giant spiders. Odin and Noah just looked on in awe, feeling useless after not even having to draw their weapons.

Alis sheathed her sword as she turned to face the others. "Come on, let's move before more show up," she said sternly. Myau sighed, then scampered forward, Noah and Odin following close behind.

She's simply incredible, thought Noah as they trudged on. So beautiful, and yet so deadly. He recalled how he had taught her some of what he knew of using magic, and how Odin helped further her training, making her even more lethal. And he couldn't get over how dazzlingly, radiantly, beautiful she was - the flowing auburn hair, the sparkling blue eyes, the shapely legs.... As he followed Alis, he found himself absent-mindedly staring at her butt, how it swayed with each graceful step she took....

A stifled meow from Myau snapped Noah back to attention. Looking down, he saw the musk cat staring up at him, grinning. "What are you looking at?" Noah asked irritably.

"Not the same thing you are, that's for sure," Odin jibed, grinning at him.

Noah felt his face turn hot and hoped the hood of his robes would hide the fact that he was blushing. It was embarrassing to be caught staring at Alis like that....

Like I'd really have a chance, he thought glumly, recalling the changes in Alis as of late. Though he felt he was growing closer with Alis and the others, bonding with them and getting to know them better, it seemed Alis was becoming more distant, more obsessed with killing Lassic. More cold and seemingly filled with animosity. At first she seemd so kind and friendly, but it was as if seeing the desolation all across the Algo system was making her more and more furious, and her desire for revenge seemed to be slowly eating away at her, bit by bit. As a trained Esper, he could sense the anguish in her soul, the bright, righteous light within her slowly fading away. He feared for her as much as he had come to care for her....

"Relax, Alis. He's probably in the back room, meditating," Odin said matter-of-factly. "We'll just have to wait a while, since from what I gather it's hard to rouse an Esper master from a deep meditative state."

Sighing, Alis looked all around the long, narrow passage deep in the Motavian tunnels, in which Tarzimal had carved out his little niche. By any standards, his hidden home was very spartan. A small table with a magic lamp for light here, a desk with some electronics equipment there, a shelf unit housing innumerable magical artifacts and books, and a simple sleeping bag made up of furs on the floor. A few large ceramic jars and a couple wall-mounted murals were the only things that seemed to liven up the place.

Then something caught Alis's eye. On the desk with the communications equipment, there was a metallic instrument, roughly the size of her laconian pot. And from way the metal dully glistened, Alis guessed it was made up of laconia as well. Its shape vaguely resembled a magic lamp, only where the handle was, there seemed to be a trigger. And on either side of it, there was a glistening, red gem, which looked exactly liked the amber eye that her party swapped with that Dezolian to get the Eclipse Torch. Wires were attached to both gems, travelling down to the bottom of the lamp. Curious, Alis picked it up and looked underneath, surprised to see that electronics and circuitry were worked into what looked like a magical artifact.

I wonder what this thing's supposed to do? Alis wondered as she closely examined the laconian lamp, looking at it from every angle. Eventually, she lifted the lid to see what was inside. She was shocked to find that, attached to more wired circuitry and some strange, small tubes, there was....

"A Nut of Laerma!?" exclaimed Alis, catching the attention of everyone else. "There's a Nut of Laerma in here, and it's already in the same state as the one we used the Eclipse Torch on!"

Odin and Noah looked over Alis's shoulder, looking into the lamp. "Hmm, that's a Laerma Nut all right," said Odin.

Noah shook his head. "I had no idea Tarzimal had managed to get hold of one," he said, his voice betraying he fact that he was impressed.

"You mean to tell me we went through all that trouble in the Corona Tower when Tarzimal had a nut all along!?" Alis cried in disbelief. "Why didn't he let us know he had one!?"

Noah shrugged his shoulders. "Well, he's always been a bit scatterbrained. Must've never occured to him."

Alis shot him a piercing glare, but Myau quickly changed the subject. "Any idea what all that circuitry attached to it is for, or what that lamp is supposed to do?" the musk cat asked.

"Never mind that. What are all of you doing back here?" rang a sharp, commanding voice. The four of them quickly turned around to see that Tarzimal had finally emerged from his meditation chamber in the back. He was just as Alis had remembered him: short and squat, with a bushy, white beard and a face partially shrouded by the hood of the blue robes he wore. He limped forward on his staff, slowly approaching the party, his body language betraying a deep sense of agitation.

"What do you mean...'what are all of you doing back here?'" Alis repeated.

"Surely you could not have bested Lassic already," squeaked Tarzimal. "What purpose do you have for coming back here? I have given Noah his final test. He is as prepared as he will ever be to help you face Lassic."

"What are you talking about!?" snapped Alis acidly. "You're the one who summoned us back here! You sent us a transmission, saying you had some information for us, that you needed our help!"

Tarzimal carefully regarded Alis for a moment. "Alis, my dear lady, I sent no such message!" he said forcefully.

"You...it wasn't you who sent us that transmission? It really wasn't you?" asked Odin in a wary voice. "But-but you're one of the few who knows how to reach the Luveno via subspace transmissions...."

"And I assure you, I didn't send any message," said Tarzimal. "I've already done all I can for all of you."

"Then-then who sent us that message? And why?" asked Myau uneasily.

A profound sense of panic began to well up within Alis's heart, momemtarily paralyzing her, rooting her to the spot. "Isn't-isn't it obvious?" she said at length, her voice trembling. "Someone's tricked us! It was a ruse to lead our enemies to Tarzimal, and then trap us!!"

An eerie silence descended upon the private study, with everyone uncertain of what to do next, unsure of what to make of Alis's assessment. But it only lasted for a few seconds, for an explosive, deafening blast blew the double doors of Tarzimal's study clean off of its hinges. Alis, for some reason, deigned to hold on to Tarzimal's lamp in one hand while drawing her sword with the other, and the others quickly turned around, ready to face whatever new, unexpected threat was being hurled their way.

At first, there was a thick plume of dust and debris kicked up by the blast, and none of them could clearly see what was beyond the doorway. But then, something slowly approached through the doorway, coming into view. Something that vaguely resembled a humanoid shape. As the dust and debris settled, Alis could see their attacker more clearly, and almost dropped her sword out of shock....

Lassic, she thought fearfully after seeing what seemed to be their enemy's head. Whoever it was was wearing a helmet that only left the eyes exposed, one with dark, purple metal with large horns protruding out of the sides and a thin spike on the top, and Alis knew from seeing photographs that Lassic had a helmet similar to that.

But as more of the debris cloud settled, Alis saw that it couldn't be Lassic. Lassic was supposed to be large and imposing, but she realized whoever this was was rather short. Alis could make out a tight-fitting body suit made up of some thick, purple fiber. She then realized that the shape of the body...it was clearly that of a girl's. Thick armored boots, spiked shoulder pads and mailed fists clutching a long, double-edged glaive completed the look of the new enemy that had apparently tailed them all the way to Tarzimal's hideout.

"Who are you!?" demanded Alis, pointing her laconian sword at their attacker, refusing to let her surprise and anxiety show in either her voice of her features.

"I am merely...an Assassin, in the service of Lassic," said the mysterious woman in a cold, calculating voice as she stepped closer and closer. There was only about thirty feet between her and the group now, and the narrowness of Tarzimal's study would make for a difficult close-quarters fight, Alis belatedly realized. The dust and debris had cleared completely now, and Alis could see that Robotcops had taken position just outside the doorway. Alis gripped her sword even more tightly as their pursuer spoke again. "An Assassin who's been sent to bring in Tarzimal, and then slay you all."