03-26-2020, 11:07 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-20-2021, 05:38 PM by Asolsutsesvyl.
Edit Reason: added web archive links since venerable old phantasy-star.net is now down
)
Three old fan-fic stories by "Michael Hahn" may be generally thought-worthy for people interested in the stories of the games. Two are short, one much longer.
(Added: The ancient Web 1.0 site phantasy-star.net is now down, so I added web.archive.org links for the stories, through which they can still be read.)
Madness And The Machine [web archive link], in the form of the last journal entry of the lead designer of Mother Brain, gives a more sympathetic look at the Earthmen. Written in a "rare moment of lucidity", their past is described, including evidence from the new solar system that they are trapped in a diabolical time loop, stretching back to when the Earthmen first gained advanced space travel technology. Fleeting impressions and symbolic clues hint at the unseen demon which has corrupted their hearts and minds and turned them into tools of large-scale destruction. The lead designer prays that they will all die so that they can do no more harm.
Alis In Darkness [web archive link] describes the role of chance and small events, in exploring what would have happened if Alis hadn't heard her brother's dying words, which galvanized her to bring an end to Lassic's tyrannical reign. Her life unfolds very differently, and thousands of years later, the fate of the solar system turns out to be one of ultimate doom rather than one of ultimate hope.
The long story is In The Name Of The Mother [web archive link], which provides an alternative backstory to PS III in an attempt to more logically unify the stories of the four games.
A long time has passed since the fall of Mother Brain. Each of the two remaining planets has its AI head of operations, largely unknown to the people. The smaller systems under their care maintain climate and some other aspects of the planetary environment. But the androids in charge can be fooled by an intelligence of a different order, subject to laws they do not understand.
A mild-mannered man named Bran is swept deep into the developing conflict between the two worlds, after being sought out by the android running his. When a near-death experience breaks the boundaries of his perception, he suddenly wakes up to the task of outsmarting a demon before machinations put in motion literally rip the planet apart. At the same time, the war has escalated to the point where the next measure being prepared would end not the lives of one side, but of all.
As the story nears its end, the demon states a poignant half-truth: "All I did was ask for a wall. The rest you did yourselves." (Hints and clues throughout the story, patterned after descriptions in Madness And The Machine, subtly indicate the demon's influence.)
(Added: The ancient Web 1.0 site phantasy-star.net is now down, so I added web.archive.org links for the stories, through which they can still be read.)
Madness And The Machine [web archive link], in the form of the last journal entry of the lead designer of Mother Brain, gives a more sympathetic look at the Earthmen. Written in a "rare moment of lucidity", their past is described, including evidence from the new solar system that they are trapped in a diabolical time loop, stretching back to when the Earthmen first gained advanced space travel technology. Fleeting impressions and symbolic clues hint at the unseen demon which has corrupted their hearts and minds and turned them into tools of large-scale destruction. The lead designer prays that they will all die so that they can do no more harm.
Alis In Darkness [web archive link] describes the role of chance and small events, in exploring what would have happened if Alis hadn't heard her brother's dying words, which galvanized her to bring an end to Lassic's tyrannical reign. Her life unfolds very differently, and thousands of years later, the fate of the solar system turns out to be one of ultimate doom rather than one of ultimate hope.
The long story is In The Name Of The Mother [web archive link], which provides an alternative backstory to PS III in an attempt to more logically unify the stories of the four games.
A long time has passed since the fall of Mother Brain. Each of the two remaining planets has its AI head of operations, largely unknown to the people. The smaller systems under their care maintain climate and some other aspects of the planetary environment. But the androids in charge can be fooled by an intelligence of a different order, subject to laws they do not understand.
A mild-mannered man named Bran is swept deep into the developing conflict between the two worlds, after being sought out by the android running his. When a near-death experience breaks the boundaries of his perception, he suddenly wakes up to the task of outsmarting a demon before machinations put in motion literally rip the planet apart. At the same time, the war has escalated to the point where the next measure being prepared would end not the lives of one side, but of all.
As the story nears its end, the demon states a poignant half-truth: "All I did was ask for a wall. The rest you did yourselves." (Hints and clues throughout the story, patterned after descriptions in Madness And The Machine, subtly indicate the demon's influence.)