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In the End, There is Omega (continued)
-The huge eye opens. A craft flies out towards us – Omega.
-Omega’s design is more ornate than I expected. Lots of flutings and artistry.
-This MUSIC THOUGH! It’s a driving pop-metal song that brings major energy to the fight.
-His most annoying mechanic by far is Starboard/Larboard (right/left). He blasts left or right, flips direction and does it again. Quick-thinking directional stuff is super disorienting to me.
-Omega also uses a fist mechanic. A row of iron fists move across the platform and we have to disable some of them using Cid’s Omega Jammer.
-WOOHOO VICTORY! Cid and Alpha come to celebrate.
OMEGA: “<blip> Analysis. Subjects displayed erratic levels of combat capability. Failure to exploit opportunities to inflict unavoidable damage. Noted tendency for isolated errors to compound and adversely affect performance.” Everyone’s a critic.
-oh shit oh shit it’s getting back up. I should’ve expected this – the version we fought was just another Omega-generated representation.
“I have determined the optimal form for this experiment.” The tests aren’t over.
-I was confused for a while about whether this Omega space was inside its hardware, but no. This is all within a rift between dimensions, a pocket in space that Omega propped up.
“Once my reassembly is complete, I will send Alpha to lure in new mortals. Testing will continue.”
Omega collapses the rift, leaving just a vast void. Alpha beckons us to follow him. We run ahead blindly, but soon it’s just Alpha. Alone.
-We just see Alpha walking across the vacuum of space. He hears Omega’s voice.
“Target: ‘Midgardsormr.’ Departure from planetary atmosphere confirmed. Presence of seven distinct life-forms detected in close vicinity of target.
“Irrelevant. Master indicates no change to existing directive. Commencing pursuit.”
HOLY SHIT THIS IS OMEGA’S MEMORY! We’re hearing Omega’s old logs from when he was sent after Midgardsormr across the cosmos.
“Signal from **** lost. Local interference suspected. Attempting to reestablish contact. Failure.”
-It lost contact with its home.
All the while, we see Alpha still running. Freezing to death, getting tired, just as the we hear Omega’s logs when it got injured and drained in an asteroid belt.
Was I right? Is Alpha some incarnation of Omega? Omega’s logs mirror Alpha’s journey now.
-The journals show Omega at 33%. Losing power.
“Passing frozen star… Passing barren star… Passing vortex star… Passing dying star…”
I can’t believe this, but I feel a bit bad for Omega? Not just a little bad. Really bad.
This is heartbreaking! It’s like the Mars Rover Spirit, if instead of being a cute research bot it was an ever-evolving killing machine.
https://xkcd.com/695/
Lost contact with home and pressing on anyway. Just like Alpha now, running across the frozen void of space and surviving somehow. Exhausted.
-We now see flashes of Alpha’s memories. His actions. His friend. Cid’s encouragement.
-Alpha finally lands on a disk. An orb floats overhead.
OMEGA: “Alpha. Your homing instinct is functioning as designed. Evidence suggests your fellow Alpha group subjects perished when the rift contracted. Unavoidable.”
Uhhhh whelp that’s the end of ququshu lol, onto FFXIII!
“But there is a multitude of their kind. The next experiment will go forward as planned.”
-Alpha chirps NO! He’s formed bonds, connections. He refuses to help Omega.
-OH MY GOD ALPHA USED HIS CARDS AND THE WATER TO SHRINK US, TURN US INVISIBLE!
CID: “Now… who was saying our feathered companion here was obsolete?” GET REKKKKT OMEGA
-Alpha ran through an endless, freezing void to keep us safe. Bless you, chocobo friend.
-The spirit of Omega is just a starry orb. I get the sense that while the robot we fought was a representation, this orb is the real Omega. Its core.
-It’s short-circuiting. Error, error. It doesn’t understand how or why Alpha went outside its purpose.
OMEGA: “Adjusting experiment protocol. I will engage you in battle now. I must have my answers.”
-The orb pools down below, like liquid metal. It reforms into… a fairly hot dude.
This is his final form. He’s taking on a humanoid form to understand us better. Even now, evolving.
-First off, check out this arena. Y’all.
-This form is called Omega-M. There’s a gender mechanic though where first he transforms into a female form, Omega-F, then later splits into both active at once.
-The forms are tough together, mostly because they throw out a ton of stuff to dodge out of, stack up on, just constant movement and repositioning.
But what’s so cool about Omegas M&F is Omega’s reasoning. It wants to emulate us more, including our party dynamic. It even has a point where Omega-M puts up a shield on Omega-F, essentially tanking for her, while she prepares a long cast.
-WOOOHOOOOO VICTORY!
-Omega-F remains. “I wanted to understand you… to assimilate your strength.
ALPHA WALKS UP AND NUZZLES HER FOR COMFORT AND I’M FUCKING DONE.
“…Alphas, your gesture serves no logical purpose. You are as incomprehensible as these mortals. <bleep> But you did not fight them… How have you become like them?”
-I love the parallels here between Cid and Omega. Cid found the answer Omega’s searching for.
CID: “It is our heart. Our spirit. The intangible strength of one’s soul. It is not a quality that can be measured or acquired through any amount of analytical combat.
“Instead of fighting against us, you might have learned more by standing with us. Just as Alpha did.”
I imagine he wishes he could say this to the Empire. Or could have said it to them after the Incident.
-She takes in Cid’s words, agrees. “<blip> Projection. Had I integrated this quality, how powerful would I have become…? Strong enough to return…?”
FHDJKLSFHDSJKLFDSKL IT JUST WANTED TO GO HOME. Bless Square Enix for using the raid not just for fights, but for heart-destroying moments like this.
We’re getting a character study on the fucking Omega Weapon.
CID: “Nay, Omega. It doesn’t work like that. ‘Twas a long, lonely path you traveled to arrive here. To return across that vast distance alone… Anyone with a spirit to break would find the journey more difficult, not less so.”
*CRIES FOREVER IN GARLEAN* I know Cid doesn’t regret leaving, but lord know he wishes he didn’t have to leave.
OMEGA: “I think… I understand.” She dissipates and fades. For good, this time.
-A quake rocks this area. The Rift is destabilizing with Omega gone.
-LOLOL BIGGS AND WEDGE ARRIVE ON HRAESVELGR’S BACK FOR THE SAVE! Midgardsormr sent them.
-Midgardsormr is now in hibernation. A short time for him, but likely longer than any of our lifetimes.
HRAESVELGR: “His love is as boundless as the sea of stars, across which he carried his unhatched brood.” Just as Alpha carried us.
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To Kweh Under Distant Skies
-We return to Rhalgr’s Reach to celebrate. The music is an appropriately grand version of the chocobo theme.
JESSIE, to CID: “Isn’t there someone you should be sharing this victory with?”
CID: “…Aye. I should probably head over to the infirmary right away.” I think my Cidro feelings are clear.
-Nero left the infirmary, leaving behind a note for Cid.
Wait, not a note. A receipt. A huge amount of money spent on resources and “gratuity for exceptional services rendered,” all paid to Nero by Cid LOLOL
-Alpha has a newfound thirst for adventure. He wants to wander the world!
CID: “Despite Omega’s power, its potential to learn was hobbled by hostile directives. Alpha, on the other hand, is free to grow as he pleases.”
If Omega was a metaphor for Cid’s darker side. Alpha is the opposite. He mirrors Cid’s freer and peaceful spirit in Eorzea.
WEDGE RUNS UP TO HUG ALPHA GOODBYE
-Suddenly, a mini-Omega replica – not much more than a toy, really toy really – runs up to us. Biggs and Wedge used it as a model to prepare for the fight.
And Alpha wants it. The Mini-Omega and the chocobo are immediate friends!
They kind of sniff each other out, and Alpha wants to take Mini-Omega along on his adventures.
Lord this is so GOOD! Alpha doesn’t hate his maker. He pities Omega. Sure, this isn’t really Omega, but I’m not sure that matters a whole lot.
ALPHA: Thank you Ququshu, I’m off to see the world.”
-I can understand his words for the first time. The game suggests it’s because Alpha is growing a soul, so maybe Ququshu’s Echo now works on her. Idk.
Off they run, The Alpha and the Omega.
-We see Nero on a cliff, looking over them.
NERO: “And so, your journey begins. I almost envy you, Alpha – so many new things for you to discover. Speaking of which… what terrible marvels can I trouble my old friend with next?” His mind always on Cid.
We’re gifted a glorious montage of Alpha and Omega having adventures.
Running through deserts, bathing, exploring caves, everything. New friends in a new world.
The end. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE WAY TO END THE STORY
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Next time: the Crystal Tower raid from “A Realm Reborn.”
