Ragnarok (Final Fantasy VIII)



One of three models of similar design, the Ragnarok, like her brothers, was Esthar created and first seen utilized during the Sorceress War. 17 years prior to the start of Final Fantasy VIII she was commissioned to move Adel's Tomb to deep space where Adel could be watched over in stasis.

It is unknown what happened between then and her rediscovery in space, nor is it known what happened to her two counterparts but, upon discovery, it is found that the ship had been infested by various monsters known as Propagators. It can be assumed that the crew, if there were any at the time, were killed by these monsters. There is, however, notes left behind regarding these beasts, hinting at a history of 'Propagator Infection'.

Story
As the Lunar Cry approaches Lunar Base the party evacuates along with Piet and Ellone on one of the last escape pods, barely making it out before the mass of monsters collides into the space station, obliterating it. As the group rocket back to the planet however Squall, having requested Ellone to relive fragments of the past through Rinoa's point of view, opts to find Rinoa who, after being possessed by Ultimecia, finds herself floating freely and alone in space. Squall manages to find Rinoa, having left the escape pod to enter space with her, and, with no fuel and low on oxygen, the Ragnarok appears.

Floating motionless in space the vehicle's trajectory just happened upon the stranded couple who immediately scrambled toward the craft and boarded it through the top airlock. Upon exploration they discovered the ship overrun with the Propagators. They had to defeat the Propagators of matching colors (yellow, blue, purple, green and red) to kill them, if they killed the wrong colored Propagator, the Propagators would respawn.

Eventually Squall and Rinoa cleared the ship of the monsters and entered the control cabin, established communications with Esthar Airbase and, with their help, piloted the ship back to the planet.

In later events the ship was instrumental in Rinoa's rescue from the Sorceress Memorial and in penetrating the defenses of the Lunatic Pandora. During the Time Compression the Ragnarok had managed to survive the experience, appearing ready to fly in the Kashkabald Desert.

Layout
Top Deck: Accessed from the top deck directly below the Control Cabin the Passenger Room can seat eight people and features a transparant canopy.
 * Passenger Room:

An access portal through the 'roof' of the vehicle for space travel. Obviously it is accessed through a decompression chamber and it is advised one wears a spacesuit before attempting to decompress and open the portal, particularly when up in space.
 * Airlock Chamber:

The Aisle spans the top deck leading between the lift to the Control Cabin, over the Hangar, and into the Airlock chamber
 * Aisle:

Lower Deck: The Hangar is the largest room shown in the Ragnarok. It houses a platform fixed into the floor that may be lowered for the cargo to be boarded. The Top Deck Aisle travels over the Hangar deck to the Airlock Chamber near the rear of the ship.
 * Hangar:

The main accessway for the ship's crew.
 * Boarding Ramp:

Cockpit: The cockpit is the control center of the vehicle and is located directly above the Passenger Room. It contains four crew positions; the pilot, co-pilot, the comms station and the navigation systems and is accessed via a lift from the

Music Themes
When the Ragnarok is first boarded and the player must clear out the ships 'current tenants' the musical score, titled "Residents", is played. As is common with most airships in the Final Fantasy series the Ragnarok has its own theme when flying across the map. It is called "Ride On".

"Ride On" has been used in Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales at the end credits.

Merchandise

 * In the Guardian Force series of Final Fantasy VIII Action Figures a piece of the Ragnarok is included with each figure of the series. When all eight are collected a full model figure of the ship can be created.