01B: Another Rebellion

01B: Another Rebellion

Intro to NORA

A brief CS in which we meet Snow takes place, and then we are in control of Snow.  In the corner nearby is a treasure ball - go ahead and empty that now and then head for the save point ahead and use that so that you have a save point past the sub chapter change.   Now continue along the track and you will reach a jump point and have a brief if morale-raising CS in which you encounter some more of your rebels.

Fight your way to the next CS in which you encounter some of the refugees from the train, and you start to tell them that you will help them when they insist that they want to help you!  After you arm the volunteers, an older woman steps up - this is Hope's mother - pay attention now, this is an important moment.  As Hope starts to protest, she insists that she, like the others, wants to help.  You ask her if she is sure and she replies: "Yeah - Mom's are tough."

This is also where you meet Vanille for the first time - though you cannot really tell that due to the robes that she is wearing.  She is the young girl that you hand the last weapon to and tell to protect the other non-combatants. 

After the CS ends you are standing before the enemy - to your immediate left is a treasure ball with an Iron Bangle in it - grab that and equip it - it adds 50 points to your HP.  To equip it open the Main Menu ('Y' on the 360), select Equipment, then the character you want to equip an item on, and then Equip to open the menu.  Move down to Accessory and hit the action button, then select the item from the Accessory Inventory that you want to equip and use the action button on it to equip it.  

There is a new entry for PSICOM Security on your journal if you want to take a look at that, otherwise close the journal and head forward, fighting your way to the next checkpoint CS - you encounter a save point early on if you want to save, otherwise just work your way forward until the nice doggie comes out to play!  The nice doggie in this case being a Beta Behemoth - nice bit of work that one.  Still you should have no trouble five-starring him, and you get a potion in the loot, so bonus!

After the battle with the doggie you get a CS of another skirmish in which things go sort of bad - an armored hovering vehicle shows up and starts slicing up your troops!  You spot a weapon that you could use - but it is out in the open - and like an idiot you decide to go for it!

As you dive for the weapon you take a few rounds in the back and that kid's (Hope) mom saves you with a well-placed RPG round only to end up hurt for her trouble.  Pretty much everyone you were trying to save ends up dying by sliding off of the now broken trackway which was destroyed in the last attack.  As you and Hope's Mom begin to slide you end up losing your grip and she falls to her death. 

You see the two kids - and more to the point they see what happened - which is a major bummer - and then you fall too.  Vanille tries to help Hope, encouraging him to move and the CS ends and you are prompted to save the game.