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| “ | "Maria... I will always be with you. Now and forever..."
- to Maria |
” |
[1]Nikolai Balthasar, known in Japanese as Nicora Balthasar (ニコラ・バルタザール, nikora barutazāru) is a brilliant scientist from Shevat who was captured and forced to work for Solaris.
Nikolai is the father of Maria and husband of the late Claudia. Isaac Balthasar is his grandfather.
Biography[]
In 9986, half a year after his daughter Maria's birth, Nikolai was kidnapped by Karellen.[1] Due to his expertise in Gear mechanics and cranial nerve mechanisms,[2] Nikolai was tasked with figuring out how to directly connect a human brain with a Gear, in order to advance Solaris' M Plan.[3]
To combat Nikolai's initial resistance, Nikolai's wife Claudia and their daughter Maria were kidnapped by Solaris one year later in 9987. With their lives on the line, Nikolai was forced to work on the M Plan, while Claudia and Maria's lives were held hostage as incentive.[1] It was around this time that he worked alongside Erich Van Houten in some capacity.[4]
Soon enough, Claudia realized what research Nikolai was tasked with, and that he was near the final stage. With Seibzehn still in its trial phase, Claudia proposed she take the Gear and escape with Maria. However, in order to activate Seibzehn, its operator needed to have their brain synchronized with the Gear's nervous system and brain wave pattern.
To ensure this, Claudia convinced a reluctant Nikolai to fuse her brain with Seibzhen, which was done in secret, with her death made to look like an accident to cover up their plan. After work in Seibzehn was completed four years later, Nikolai hid the details of the M Plan inside its base program and had it escape with Maria into the care of Isaac Balthasar, who went on to serve as Maria's guardian.
A second Gear was also worked on, called Achtzehn. Fearing the worst after Maria's escape, Nikolai implanted a conscience circuit in the Gear, which would activate in the presence of Seibzehn. When activated, it would transfer all his data to Seibzehn, as well as deliver a message.[5]
Since then, Nikolai became brainwashed by Solaris, and was fused with Achtzehn.
Xenogears[]
Nikolai comes to attack Shevat, traumatizing Maria. Immobilizing the party's Gears, with Achtzehn's anti-Gear Psycho Jammer, leaving Maria as the only one able to fight Achtzhen. As Maria struggles to summon the will to fight her father, Chu-Chu volunteers herself instead, growing to a giant Gear-sized form to defend Shevat.
After some words from Midori, Maria finally operates Seibzehn and faces her father. The brainwashed Nikolai attempts to persuade Maria to his side, but Seibzehn defends Maria, angering Nikolai and inspiring Maria to continue fighting.
As the two Gears duel, the secret conscience circuit in Achtzehn activates, unsealing Seibzehn's Graviton Cannon and telling Maria to use it to defeat it. Maria protests, knowing that it'd destroy her father. The circuit explains that he, as Nikolai, no longer exists, but despite having no body, his spirit will always be with her.
Seibzehn shoots its sister Gear with the Gravitron Cannon despite Maria's cries, and Achtzehn is destroyed.
Quotes[]
- "Humans are an imperfect, foolish life form... I will show the greatness of a perfect life form! Achtzehn, the combination of human wisdom and the strength of steel." (after being brainwashed by Solaris)
- "Maria... I will always be with you. Now and forever."
Trivia[]
- His Xenosaga parallel could be considered to be Tethlla Magus.
- Nikolai and Tethlla's first names are likely derived from the real life Serbian-American inventor, Nikola Tesla.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Perfect Works, pg 192.
- ↑ DOMINIA: "That's when your father, Nikolai was targeted. He was a genius in the field of cranial nerve mechanisms."
- ↑ DOMINIA: "In other words, they were trying to create a new life, an ultimate living weapon, by connecting a living human brain to a Gear directly. It would've stayed as a mere fantasy without Nikolai."
- ↑ CITAN: "[...] the M plan. [...] Elly, your father, Erich used to be the superintendent of this facility. He was involved in the research with Maria's father."
- ↑ NIKOLAI: "Fire!! It doesn't matter... I, Nikolai, no longer exist... Before I was brain-washed by Solaris, I implanted a conscience circuit in Achtzehn... This would respond and activate in the presence of Seibzehn. My message is coming from there. And, during the battle, I transferred all my data from there to Seibzehn. I may have lost my body, but my spirit is with Seibzehn, no, with you, Maria. Now and forever!"