Chapter Twelve

All entries taken from the game's datalog.

Start Your Engines

Lightning and her friends return to Cocoon only to be greeted by the sudden appearance of an army of mechanical monsters and gigantic beasts. The fal'Cie have activated the Ark hidden beneath the capital, releasing an army of Pulsian terrors into the city.

With the army in panicked disarray, the Cavalry seizes its chance. Captain Rygdea leads his troops in an assault on the Sanctum offices, and confronts the new Primarch — his former superior and comrade in arms, Cid Raines.

Raines calmly welcomes his own demise. Revived to serve as Barthandelus's pawn, he nevertheless retains a sliver of the will he possessed as a human. And it is humans who must decide Cocoon's future — not fal'Cie slaves.

The Cavalry presses on with its plans to slay Orphan, unaware that this effort to save the world will only lead to total destruction. Barthandelus has twisted the Cavalry's desire for freedom to meet his own design.

The l'Cie must stop the Cavalry from reaching the heart of Eden before it is too late.

Eden Under Siege

The creatures once held in stasis within the Ark are now rampaging through the streets of Eden, but this merely marks the beginning of Cocoon's collapse into chaos. Once news of the 'Pulse invasion' spreads to a populace already in the grip of panic, the people will be whipped into a frenzy of terror — and the ensuing orgy of violence will tear society apart.

Yet Cocoon may not survive long enough for that to happen. Even now, the members of the Cavalry charge into the heart of the capital, unwittingly seeking to extinguish the source of power that keeps Cocoon afloat: Orphan. Their idealism is being used against them.

Their quest for liberation is just another cog in Barthandelus's scheme to call back the Maker. He will see the world shattered, and offer the lives of its inhabitants in sacrifice.

Fearing they may already be too late, the l'Cie rush after the Cavalry, through a city engulfed in the flames of war.

A Common Goal

No human wishes to see the world destroyed. The l'Cie, the Cavalry, and even the solders of the Sanctum army are all fighting to keep Cocoon safe from harm.

But despite their common goal, they have been forced into conflict by the machinations of the fal'Cie. It is the great error of these 'higher beings' to view humans as mere tools — yet humans are guilty of a similar crime.

Indeed, it is men like PSICOM's Colonel Rosch, and their outright refusal to believe l'Cie can be anything but tools, that now prevents an alliance which could save mankind.

The l'Cie know that the only way to foil Barthandelus's plan is to protect Orphan. Yet both the Cavalry and Colonel Rosch threaten to thwart them, firmly believing that they alone represent Cocoon's only hope of salvation. If Lightning and the others cannot convince them of the truth, is bloodshed then the only option?

Suddenly, the NORA crew arrive to lend a hand, and Snow is relieved to find that, in spite of his transformation into a l'Cie, his old friends treat him just as they always had. Their acceptance as much as their assistance gives the l'Cie new hope.

There is still a chance to end this conflict, and save the people from themselves.

Misjudged Benevolence

When the blinding flash of light fades, where there were soldiers now stand mindless Cie'th. With no Focus to complete, their souls are stripped from them at the instant of their transformation. Thus do the fal'Cie dispose of humans whose usefulness has ended.

Rosch, the sole survivor, defends the Sanctum army and their obedience to fal'Cie law. Even though he harbors doubts as to the fal'Cie's true intentions, the peace and harmony of Cocoon cannot be upheld without them.

It is his desire to protect the stability of society that allows him to commit atrocities such as the Purge. The end justifies the means.

Realizing his error in judgment, the PSICOM director still cannot change what is done. The only remaining path is to live his final moments as he has tried to live his life — in the service of Cocoon.

The conflict among the people is coming to an end, but the danger to Cocoon is not over. Not until Barthandelus and his schemes are defeated.

continue reading: chapter thirteen →