Notes: This is one of my main Xenogears fics, based on some
my favorite guys, the Gebler Special Forces. I know I make up a lot
about them, since we know basically NOTHING, but that's what fics are
for, right? As always, spoilers, so don't read this chapter unless
you've finished the first disk. The timeline for this fic covers disk 2, so the whole story will have other spoilers throughout.
Gebler Special Forces
Chapter 1
Country in the Clouds
My head is spinning...or is it the room?
No...it's not moving, I'm not moving...it's only the 'Drive'.
My throat is so dry...I'm so thirsty...
I could end all this if I wanted to. Just take more, and I'll be good as new...but...I don't want to.
But...just a few more minutes in this haze and you'll be yourself again with the Drive.
Yourself? Who do you think you're kidding? Which one is you, Vance? The one with Drive, or the one without it? Which one do people know better?
The one with. It was the only way to survive. You know that.
Yeah, but he's a bastard. Which one do you like better?
The one without Drive. The one I was born. The one I was before Solaris took my life away.
Then the only way to find him is not to take the Drive.
I know...I know...just stop the room from spinning...
Why did I take it? Why? I know how it makes me feel. I know how it changes me. I know who I become when I'm on it. I hate him. I hate what it makes me do, makes me think. So why?
Oh, yes. A good night's sleep. That's all I wanted, just a good night's sleep. I was weak. I couldn't say no to myself. Am I addicted? Drive's not supposed to be.
No, not for someone who has nothing to hide from. But... for someone like me who's using it to hide from memories, maybe so. It certainly feels like it. It's certainly a hard habit to break. And I have no support. I have to do this on my own. Gebler wouldn't like the fact I'm not taking the required dosage, anyway. Who knows what they would do to my friends if they found out. I can't let that happen.
Vance rose slowly, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed, staring at the rug for a long time, trying to calm his head. When he felt he could stand without falling over, he did so.
He washed his face with cold water, trying to get the pounding to subside. It helped a little bit, but not as much as he would have liked. Drinking was a little better. The water slid down his throat, past a big lump that had formed in his gullet which made it uncomfortable to swallow. But the liquid helped revitalize him a little bit. At least his mouth wasn't dry anymore.
"Augh...why did I do this to myself again? Why did I take it? Stupid...just stupid...Man, what time is it? Must be early afternoon already..."
He sat before his desk, and pulled out a small notebook from the top drawer. It was his 'thinking' book. He rarely went anywhere without it tucked away in his pack, in case he came up with a revelation or idea. Hiding it from his superiors had been difficult on many occasions. Many of the earlier entries had told him the true effect Drive had on him particularly one entry, which he had read over and over again.
Those kids would have been so easy to kill if only that moron in the black gear hadn't interfered.
Vance shivered at the thought those had been his words. When in his right mind, off the effects of Drive, he would never dream of hurting children willingly. He couldn't help hating himself for it. When he read that, it was added incentive for him to quit using Drive. Whenever he felt like reaching to take more, he tried to get to his desk and read that entry instead.
He read it again, knowing it was already too late to rectify his earlier dose the evening before. But it would help him remember the next time.
"I can do this..." he told himself, dressing in his Gebler uniform. "I have to do this. It's the only way to feel good about myself again. I have to let the nightmares chase me. I have to face them headlong... Huh! Easier said than done."
They had been called to a meeting in the gear hangar that afternoon. He supposed they would be sent to battle against the Lambs. This would be his second mission without Drive. The first, over the skies of Nortune, had ended in disaster for the Gebler Special Forces. After that, they had been removed from the surface base in Bledavik and were sent back to Etrenank, awaiting new orders. This was the first time they had gathered for a meeting since returning home.
His head still pounded, but he had no choice but to ignore it. He was already late. He left the Drive on his dressing table and left to go to this 'urgent meeting'.
"So, you got the command, too?" Renk asked when he arrived at the gear dock in Gebler Headquarters.
"Yeah."
"Think they're preparing for war on the surface?"
Vance shook his head. "I dunno."
"Well, we've gotta do something soon. The people of Etrenank are getting antsy."
"Good. I've been getting really bored with nothing to do," Stratski said.
"I heard we have a new commanding officer," Victor spoke up.
"Yeah, I heard that, too."
"A new commanding officer? Hope it's not another girl," Vance spoke with distaste.
"I heard it's one of the Elements."
"Commander Ramsus' personal troops?" Stratski questioned.
"They're all women," Helmholz added.
"Aw...man!" Vance spoke.
"Your manhood bein' insulted, Vance? Takin' orders from a chick?" Broyer said.
"Hey, you've all gotta take orders from her, too."
"It's not going to kill us," Renk said, stroking his auburn beard curiously. "Sure, Lt. Elhaym was a woman, but I tell you if she can work a gear as good as that, she's okay in my book. I'm willing to bet that this new officer's gonna be something special, too."
"Lt. Elhaym let us down. I still think we shoulda reported what really happened," Broyer quipped.
"Hey, come on," Renk chimed in. "You want her to be killed? 'Sides, we got no real proof she went off with that guy."
"She must really have it bad," Stratski said.
"Oh, and like you've never had it bad," Helmholz added.
"Hey, that's not fair! Using the past against me. Don't tell these jerks about that."
"Hey, you two. Cut it out. I think she's coming."
The five men lined up neatly in formation as the door slid open and the woman stepped in.
The demi-human stood before them all, allowing the group to sum her up quickly. She was of average build for a woman, but her hair alone added two or three inches to her height. That hair was pink and seemed to very much have a life of it's own. She had a pair of floppy bunny ears which practically fell in her face. She was dressed in a red and pink battle dress.
"Hi, all!" she spoke, her voice chippery. "Are you guys the Gebler Special Forces?"
"We are," Renk spoke.
"Oh, good. I'm your new officer, Seraphita. I don't really have a title, but...I guess I kinda like Lieutenant. So I guess you can call me Lieutenant Seraphita or Lieutenant Owens or whatever you want to. Anyway, what're your names? I'm so excited, because I love meeting new people!"
Stratski shot Helmholz a glance which Helm tried not laugh at. They were supposed to take this ditzy woman seriously?
"You!" she said, pointing right at Helm. "What's so funny?"
"Um...er...nothing."
"Oh! Good, then. I kinda thought you were laughing at me or something. What's your name?"
"Corporal Specialist Helmholz."
"Is that your first name or your last name?" she asked.
"Well...my last name."
"What's your first name?"
"Um...it's 'Victor'..."
"It's nice to meet you, Victor!" She walked over and shook his hand enthusiastically. Victor looked at Stratski with a look that said, "Yup...we're dead meat."
"What about you?" she said, turning to Victor's friend.
"Um...Corporal Specialist Stratski. Knute Stratski."
"Great! Now isn't this fun? What about you?" she asked Renk.
"Specialist Platoon Sergeant Renk Elcide."
"Good, good. What about you?"
"Corporal Specialist Vance Nye," he sighed.
"You're kinda young. How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"Oh, you must be an ace at gear combat to be here so young!"
"Yeah, well...I guess I am."
"I'm kinda young, too. I'm good at gear combat too, even though a lot of people tell me I don't look like the type. I guess you and me have something in common, then."
"Yeah, well..."
Lieutenant Seraphita stepped up to Broyer, a big man who easily dwarfed her (and everyone else around him, by the way). He looked very nervous for some reason.
"What about you?" she asked, then looked up, her green eyes seeming especially interested.
"Um...er...um..." Broyer stammered. "It's uh...F... Fi...Finn...Finn Broyer...um...yeah. Finn Broyer."
"Um..." she spoke.
There was a long pause as the two stared at each other. And stared...and stared...
"Uh, I have a question..." Knute said, breaking the profound silence.
"What?" she asked, tilting her head, almost as if unwilling to take her eyes off of Broyer.
"Um...are you for real? I mean, Commander Ramsus can't be serious putting you in charge of the Special Forces, can he?"
Finn hit Knute on the arm, almost knocking him over. "Shut up, Stratski!"
Seraphita looked genuinely hurt. "You don't think I can do it, do you? You think I'm kinda dumb, right?"
"No! You're not dumb at all!" Finn spoke.
"Oh...Finn..." she sighed.
"Oh, brother..." Vance spoke, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, sometimes I'm not too smart...but I'm kinda good at what I do. When Lieutenant Elhaym was pronounced MIA, I was promoted to the Elements, and since I'm the fire element and Elhaym was the fire element before, I take her place here as commanding officer of the Special Forces. And if you guys don't like it, that's too bad!" she said, looking serious. But then her face became cheery again. "But I'm sure we're gonna end up getting along famously, right? Good!"
Her eyes went back to Finn Broyer.
"Um...it's Seraphita, right?" he asked.
"Yeah...but...my friend Tolone calls me Sera. You can call me Sera if you want to, Finn."
"Uh...okay...Sera, then."
Once again, a mutual admiration stare ensued and the other four guys got really impatient.
"Um...Lieutenant...do you have any orders for us?" Knute asked.
"Uh...well, no. I just wanted to meet you all so we could start being friends now. If you want to, you can go."
"Good," Knute said, high-tailing it out of there, leaving Sera and Finn to stare.
"Man...that's sickening," Vance said. "Can I throw up now?"
"Don't see love at first sight very often," Renk said. "Those two are made for each other."
"Yeah. Combined their IQs probably add up to about the same as a normal human," Knute added. "Could only get better."
"Hey, you must've never been in love before, Knute," Renk said.
"She'd have to be someone pretty special to catch his interest for more than a week," Victor added.
"Hey, that's not fair, Vic. I'll find her in due time. She's out there, I just haven't met her yet."
"Yeah, me neither," Victor continued. "But...she'd have to be calm and smart. You probably just want a girl who will let you get your rocks off."
"Hey, that's not true! I'm looking for a lot more than that."
"Yeah, I guess she'd have to be a member of the Knute Stratski Fan Club and shower you with compliments 24 hours a day."
"Hmm...that wouldn't be so bad..."
"Well, I've found my special girl. Lucky for me," Renk said.
"Yeah, well, that's because you're an old bag, Renk. We'd worry about you if you hadn't."
"Hey, hey..."
"Alright, guys. Enough about this, okay?" Vance said.
"Why not? Aren't you old enough to start looking at girls? You still think they're icky, don't you?"
"Hey, give me some credit, okay? Of course I look at girls. I just think love is overrated. That's all."
"Yeah, you've never been in love," Renk said.
"I... Never mind," Vance said. "Say, when's Ayra gonna be cooking that special thing with the ariberries and applelily again?"
"I dunno. She's been having a hard time finding the ingredients these days with all that chaos with the gates and stuff. She heard a shipment of supplies from the surface is going to arrive in three days and she hopes she'll be able to get the fruit for it. 'Till then we're all outta luck."
"Anyone going to watch the Emperor on Homevision tonight?" Victor asked.
"Ppfh!" Knute said. "More lip service to the masses. I don't need to watch that garbage to know things are going to be okay."
"Actually, I think there's a real danger," Victor said. "I'm surprised we weren't summoned to go into battle. I'd psyched myself for it and everything."
"Ayra's really worried, too. If the Lambs invade this land, it's gonna be chaos," Renk said. "I just don't want Ayra and Danie to get hurt."
"Yeah, well, you guys can be all paranoid about it, I'm going to bed instead. Tell me if I miss anything interesting."
"I'm going, too. See you guys," Victor said, following Knute in.
Renk saluted and walked on with Vance in silence.
"You're awfully quiet," Renk spoke. "Unusually quiet, kid. Something bugging you?"
"Well...no, I guess..."
Renk looked at his lower-ranked troop and friend.
"Are you on 'Drive'?" he asked.
Vance shook his head.
"Yeah, I thought not. That's what it is, then."
They walked on. Renk spoke again. "It's rare when you're not on it."
"Renk...forget it. It's no big deal."
"Okay, whatever."
They reverted back to silence.
"Say, Renk..." Vance said suddenly.
"Yeah, kid?"
"Um...it's, well..."
"Spit it out."
He wanted to tell him everything about the nightmares, the entry in his diary, how he'd been taking Drive just to survive, but he couldn't find the words. It wasn't the right time. It would never be the right time.
"Um...oh, never mind. I'm going to go now."
"See you later."
Vance crossed the hall to the apartment beside Renk's, where he lived, leaving Renk to wonder whether all was right with the young man.
oooooooooo
Renk watched Vance slowly enter his apartment. Ever since he had met him, Renk had noticed two completely different sides to the young man. The Vance on Drive was a narcisistic jerk, while the one off Drive was much more quiet, a little quirky, less into himself. There was someting sad about that Vance, though, like he had some sort of burden resting on his soul.
"I wonder what's eating him?"
Renk decided to push away his thoughts, and entered his own apartment.
He was attacked by a young girl with a book in her hand.
"Daddy, daddy! Look what I got!"
He knelt down to meet her at eye level. He took the book from the girl and looked at it.
"Welll...what is this, now?"
"There was this guy giving it out at school. It's all about purging the Lambs and stuff...it's about these evil Lambs who tried to invade Solaris and how the army beat them all up and kicked them out."
"I see...sounds like a good book."
"She's been reading it ever since she got home from school," came a calm, feminine voice. Renk's wife stood in the doorway to the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.
"Hey, Ayra. I'm back."
"I can see that." The woman approached him and pecked him on the cheek. "I'm glad you're back."
"Can you make out all the words?" he asked the young girl.
"Most of 'em! But...I waited for you to come home so we could read the ending together."
He stroked his beard. "Well, then...let me eat some dinner, and I can read you the ending, how about that?"
"Yeah!"
"But you're gonna have to fill me in on exactly what happened before."
"I will! I will!"
"Danie, it's time for your shower."
"Aw, mommy..."
"No arguing. Go..." the woman said, pushing her daughter along.
"Okay...I'll go," Danie said, slumping her shoulders.
"Honestly, what is it with children and showers?" she said, placing her hands on her hips and shaking her head.
"I dunno."
"I thought you had an urgent meeting."
"Well, it turned out it wasn't quite so urgent. We got a new Lieutenant. Some pink-haired ditz from the Elements class. She just wanted to meet us and become friends. How she ever got through Jugend is beyond me. It's supposed to be a really hard school."
"More than likey she's smarter than she appears."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Most of the time the Commander knows what he's doing, and she wouldn't have gotten so far without having some kind of talent. Ain't her brains, though. But Finn and she seemed to hit it off pretty well. Wouldn't be surprised to see them spending quite a lot of time together in the near future."
"Hopefully the distant future, too. I can't wait to meet her."
"Well, Finn's kinda thick sometimes, but to see him find someone who can barely match wits with him is great, I guess. So, what's for dinner?"
"Well, it's not grang steaks if that's what you're hoping for. That shipment still hasn't come in yet, so I had to make meatloaf."
"Hey, meatloaf's fine, you know that. You're the only person I know who can make it edible, Ayra."
"Wish I could like it as much. Whatever this weird meat is, it just doesn't quite cut it, you know? I wonder sometimes what kind of beasts they make it from."
"If they don't tell you, you probably don't wanna know."
"Oooh...that's a rather disgusting thought."
"I know, isn't it? Anyway, bring it on."
She scooped it onto the plate, along with some strange vegetables.
"You know, when you were in Bledavik, Danie was asking about what the surface is like."
"Really?"
"She wants to know how many Lambs you purged when you were down there."
Renk cleared his throat. "Kids sure grow up fast these days, don't they?"
Ayra nodded. "I tried to tell her that you weren't put on the surface to do that, but she wouldn't believe it. Could you explain to her that Gebler does other things besides purging the Lambs? She doesn't listen to me, and you're her hero."
"I'll talk to her, yeah."
"Good. Now eat your meatloaf."
He nodded.
"I'm just glad you didn't come home on Drive. That stuff changes you, Renk. I don't really like it."
"Yeah, I know. But Gebler says it makes us fight better, and if we work hard, we get promoted, right?"
She nodded, seeming only slightly convinced. She changed the subject. "The Dedication starts at seven o'clock. I hope it's good news."
"I hope so, too just so things will calm down a little bit here. Everyone's so tense about this gate thing and Lambs getting in here and stuff. Danie doesn't know about it, does she?"
"Not that I'm aware of. Unless she learned it in school."
"Hmm...well, she didn't seem scared."
"Well, you know her. If there is something wrong, she's more likely to confide in you than me."
"I'm dreading when those women-type problems come up and I can't answer 'em."
"Don't worry. Just forward them to me."
"I don't think I'll have much choice."
"It won't make much difference anyway. She'll always be your little girl, right, Renk?"
"Of course! Even when she's forty, she'll always be a child in my head. But let me just enjoy her childhood while she's got it for now."
Ayra laughed. "Yeah. Sure."
oooooooooo
"And then Mr. Lamb said, 'You stupid Solarians! I'm gonna to kill you all!'
The Great Gebler said, 'No way, you barbarian! We have superior weapons and superior intelligence. There's no way you could even come close to defeating us!'
Great Gebler and his men charged Mr. Lamb and his men. They fought for a long time, but soon Great Gebler got the upper hand because he had superior intelligence and superior weapons. The Lambs were all lying down in terrible pain. The Great Gebler's men rounded up the Lambs and sent them to jail in the Soylent forever. Great Gebler, having reigned victorious against the savage Lambs, lived happily ever after. THE END."
"Wow! That was a good story. Great Gebler really beat those bad Lambs up, didn't he?"
"Yeah. He got 'em good."
"Just like you, daddy, right?"
"Yeah, just like me."
"When you were on the surface, were you scared of the Lambs?"
"No. They weren't that scary."
"That's because you had good weapons and were smarter, right?"
"Well...I guess so."
"How many Lambs did you purge on the surface?"
"Purge...do you even know what that means?"
"Well...I guess it sort of means something like killing, right?"
"That's exactly what it means when it's used like that."
"And Solaris people purge Lambs, right?"
"Well, sometimes we do."
"Especially people in Gebler, like you, right?"
"Well, sometimes, yes."
"So how many did you purge in Bledavik?"
"I wasn't sent to the surface to purge the Lambs, Danie. I was sent down to support the Aveh army in their war with Kislev."
"So you...were working with Lambs?"
"Well, sort of. We were a separate force from the surface's troops, but we did provide support in battles they couldn't handle on their own."
"So instead of purging all Lambs, you only purged ones from Kislev, right?"
Renk thought about it. "I suppose so. If you put it that way. But we weren't put down there to purge Lambs. Not directly. If they wanted us to, there were specific orders to do so, but that wasn't our primary purpose of being there."
"Oh."
"So, you see Gebler does more than just purge Lambs. We keep balance in the war on the surface, too. And other things."
"Oh."
The girl was deep in thought.
"I once asked a question in school, and I got in a lot of trouble for it. But...I really wanna know something. If it makes me bad, I don't mean to be, but...can I ask you?"
"Well, sure. If it's leaving a buzz in your head, why not?"
"Why do we purge Lambs?"
Renk sat there. Such an insightful question for such a young girl. He had thought about it briefly himself, but then it was overcome with the 'work hard, get promoted' slogan Solaris had drilled into him long ago.
"Well...that's sort of a hard question to answer."
"Am I bad, daddy?"
"Well...no, I don't think so. It's just something we really shouldn't think about."
"But why not?"
"Well...I suppose you know it already. Asking that question can get you in a lot of trouble. So don't ask anyone else, okay?"
"Well...okay, daddy. If you say so."
Renk tucked her in carefully, just the way she liked it. He couldn't help noticing she was ready to ask another question.
"What is it, princess?" he asked.
"Could the story in my book come true, daddy? Could Lambs really come to Solaris?"
Renk paused carefully. "Well...I don't know for sure. We're all sort of hoping they won't."
"I heard about the gates breaking from a kid at school, and that the Emperor was going to go on television tonight to talk about it."
"Are you scared?"
"No. Because I know if they come that you'll get them, won't you, daddy?"
"Well, I..."
"Promise me. You've gotta promise me you'll kill the Lambs if they try to hurt me."
"Well...Okay. I promise I'll always protect you."
She smiled brightly. "I love you, daddy."
"I love you too, princess." He kissed her on the forehead. "Now go to bed."
She nodded, closing her eyes. "Good night, daddy."
"Good night."
Back in the living area, where he and Ayra slept, his wife sat before the Homevision.
"What's going on?"
"The Emperor is entering the plaza. He hasn't said anything yet."
Renk sat next to his wife on the couch, and turned towards the television.
From his opalescent throne, Solaris' Emperor Cain spoke, "My beloved children, you can be at ease. The Gazel Ministry and I planned the destruction of the gate long ago. The people chosen by god...we, the Gazel, will return to God's paradise. To the sleeping mother god...The time for our immortality has come. We have opened the door to 'Mahanon'...the place where god rests, the source of wisdom and power. The surface dwellers will no doubt use this opportunity to seize its power. However, there is no need to be concerned...As long as Solaris has this power. Let's show stupid beasts, the Lambs, our real power."
Fireworks erupted in the sky above the Emperor as another platform beside Emperor Cain rose. A golden-haired man stood on it.
"Wow! Krelian! Haven't seen his face in years," Renk said.
"Not since the Great Plague in the Worker Bee camps," Ayra spoke. "Must be pretty dire if he's showing his face in public."
"Children of the Emperor, please open your heart," Krelian spoke. "The gate we control was removed by will of the Emperor. However, there are foolish beasts here defiling our holy land with their feet. These beasts destroyed the gate and want to remove the Emperor from the throne in the confusion. This is a grave matter. The Emperor's throne has been polluted. We cannot rest yet. Those imbeciles have been caught and shackled like the dogs they are!"
Ayra looked at Renk with fear. "What what do they mean? The Lambs are already here!"
More platforms rose and from each one, a hologram was projected those of five Lambs, all sentient but not all human, chained down and helpless.
"Oh...my god!" Ayra spoke. "Is that them? Is that what they look like?"
Renk nodded and placed his arm around her, knowing she had never seen them before and was probably nervous.
"They're scary! What is that big one there? He's immense!"
"A demi-human, no doubt. He is kinda scary-looking, yeah," Renk said.
Ayra looked at them all quizzically.
"Still, though, I never imagined they'd look so much like us..."
"That kid there...look at his colouring...could he have been born here?" Renk questioned. "He's in an Ethos uniform, too."
"Well, if Krelian says he's a Lamb, he's a Lamb..."
Krelian went on. "To revive our progenitors, the Gazel of old, the day after tomorrow, these land dwellers will be disposed of in the Soylent System. So Etrenank and Solaris are safe for the time being. But it will require your constant effort. Please report all suspicious activity directly to your superiors. We must all work together to save ourselves from destruction."
Cain spoke again. "That is all. Stay well and work hard, everyone."
The Dedication ended in another shower of fireworks.
Ayra squeezed his hand nervously. "I can't believe they broke through... under our noses and we didn't even know... maybe... maybe there's more of them...?"
"Don't worry. If there are, they'll be flushed out. Krelian and the Emperor said things are under control. So they're under control."
"I suppose..."
"Hmmm..." Renk said, standing up.
Ayra also rose. "I wonder what the Emperor meant about returning to immortality... to the sleeping mother god? I don't get what they mean."
"I think it's good, anyway."
"I wonder what that means for us?"
"Probably just that things are going to get better instead of worse around here."
"Yeah, probably. But...I hope they're right."
"We have to believe they're right."
"Mmm..." Ayra spoke, pushing a button. The couch they had been sitting on turned into a bed.
She eyed Renk with a hopeful gaze. "Do you think we can ever be promoted to first class?"
"Well...if we both work hard and do our duty, then I don't see why not."
She smiled warmly. "Good. I'd love to have a garden some day. I'd grow all my favourite flowers, just like the ones in Arbot Plaza. I'd love to fill my house with flowers some day."
"You'll get that. I promise you. I'll work hard to give you all those things."
"I'll work hard, too."
"We both will. Now don't worry about the Lambs. You heard the Emperor. They planned for it to happen this way. Those Lambs are going to the Soylent facility. They have it under control."
"I know...but I'm still concerned."
Renk held her. "That's just you bein' you. Never let your guard down for anything. Listen, let me promise you something."
"What?"
"If the Lambs overcome this land, I'll protect you and Danie with my life. You two are the most important things in the world to me, and I'd never let anything bad happen to you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Okay. I'll accept that."
"Great. Now I should get some sleep."
Ayra nodded. "Me too, I guess."
Renk pecked her on the cheek. "Good night, dove."
She turned out the light, and Renk sat sitting in the darkness. Strange thoughts went through his mind mainly Danie's question, "Why do we purge Lambs?"
Lieutenant Elhaym had asked them before their last mission on the surface, regarding the Lambs, "They're human...the same as us, right?" He had thought those kinds of feelings were unusual, especially since she was a Gazel. But he admitted to feeling the same way about their mission in Nortune, he just didn't have the background or rank to say so aloud.
He had no recollection of his life before coming to Solaris, so there was a good chance he had been born on the surface. Whatever his old life had been, he certainly couldn't recall it to miss it. Ayra had been born to two generations of third class worker bees, so didn't know the surface, and only had Solaris' visions of the surface and surface-dwellers, and Danie would probably be the same way. But he had just spent three months on the surface and had seen how things were there.
I suppose not all of the Lambs deserve to be purged...there were some good people in Bledavik. Hmm...not to say some of 'em shouldn't be. That idiot in the black gear that Elhaym ran off with...yeah, I'd really love to get him...
He looked over at his wife, her face peaceful as she slept, her slow, even breathing filling his ears with its familiar song.
Ayra...you're not the only one who's worried. I wonder... does Emperor Cain have this as under control as he says? What's he hiding from us? Something big's gonna happen. I can't help getting this feeling in my gut...
oooooooooo
Two days passed uneventfully in Etrenank, with the people happier in the news that they were safe from the Lambs. The Gebler Special Forces even began to believe it would be awhile before they would be called back into active duty. Gebler had been pretty much calm, with no activity within Solaris, or on the surface. Since pulling out of Bledavik, life had been more than dull.
Except for Finn Broyer. He had something other than Gebler or Solaris' well-being on his mind. Instead he had Seraphita on it.
It was their third date in as many days. Starry-eyed and light-footed, their relationship only grew stronger as they spent time together, talking and getting to know one another.
After spending a day together Etranstrolling hand-in-hand, Sera invited Finn back to her apartment to watch a movie and eat some popcorn. He anxiously accepted her request, because he had never been to the first class levels of Etrenank before, and was anxious to see them. He also wanted to see Sera's apartment. He had heard the apartments in that block of the city were much larger than anything he would have imagined.
"This is it!" she spoke excitedly, pushing in the code to open the door.
"This hallway alone is huge!" Finn spoke. He had also been impressed by the outside of the low-rise apartment. This was the form of housing for the 1st class non-Gazel, the highest rank any former worker bee could ever hope to achieve, and the one they all aspired to. Just seeing the size of the place gave Finn added incentive to work hard and get himself promoted.
"Wait until you see the inside! I've got five rooms!"
"Five rooms? Wow, that's big!"
"Yeah! I've got a living room and a dining room and a kitchen and a bedroom and a bathroom. And my bedroom's big! The shower's even got a little wall around it!"
"That's amazing. I can't wait to see it."
"It's so much bigger than the worker bee camps! They've only got one room there."
"I know. It stinks, too."
"Yeah. Well, here it is."
Sera showed it off with a flourish of her hands.
Yes, it was definitely bigger. Very much bigger, but...
It was a pigsty! The very sight of it made Finn's hair stand on end.
The one thing he couldn't stand was a messy living space. His own apartment was immaculate and squeaky clean. The guys often teased him about it, but it was just his way. The slightest bit of disarray would set off his balance.
"What do you think? Isn't it great?"
"Oh...yeah, it's wonderful!" he said, stepping in.
She kicked off her shoes and said, "Want me to give you a tour?"
"Well...I guess so, but..."
"Great! Follow me!"
Finn felt that closed-in feeling he always felt where there was too much clutter around him.
"Uh...just give me a second to take off my boots."
"Oh! Okay!"
He took his own boots off and neatly put them by the door. Then he picked up hers and placed them neatly on the mat. He also straightened the other pairs of shoes.
"Well, that's that. Let's start the tour! This is the living room," she announced.
He saw a stack of comics had fallen over in her bookcase. He neatened them quickly, and began to rearrange them in alphabetical order when she skirted him off to the next room.
"This is my dining room, only I don't really do a lot of eating here unless I get take-out because I really can't cook very good."
A chair in her dining room was piled high with papers and a sweater hung over the back. He picked up the pile of papers and put them in the recycler for pick-up. He took the sweater from the back of the chair and looked for a coat rack or something.
She pushed him into another room.
"This is my kitchen. I don't use it much, either. But I did try to make Tolone a birthday cake in here once. It was a disaster. It was as hard as a rock. Tolone ate it, though. Dominia refused to, though. I guess it didn't taste too bad, but..."
Finn tuned out her story, quickly observing the dirty dishes in the sink. For someone who claimed not to use this room much, it certainly looked otherwise. He took a pot which sat on the stove and put it in the sink. He then began to pile dishes on the counter to wash them.
"Finny, are you listening to me?" she asked.
"Oh! Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Of course I am."
"Oh, good! I'll show you my bedroom now!"
She dragged him across the living area to an adjacent hallway.
"This is the bedroom, and this is the shower! Check it out! I've got a neat wall here to cover me up when I'm having a shower!"
"Yeah! That's really neat!" he said, looking around desperately for a cleaner that would help clear the mildew from her shower glass. Before he could find anything even vaguely resembling that, she dragged him to the bathroom.
"This is the bathroom," she giggled. "Of course, you know what I do here."
"Uh...yeah..." he said, picking up a soggy towel from the rack and running it over her sink. When the pink hairs halfway down the drain would not untangle from some unseen force, he looked in the cabinet for drain cleaner.
"Well, that's enough of the tour! Let's just watch the movie! I'll make some popcorn and be right back!"
"Yeah! Great!" Finn said, looking around at what he should do first. He just couldn't leave the place looking like this. He picked up some of the clothes on the couch, observed them to see whether they were clean or dirty, and chose the latter option.
"Do you have a hamper?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah! It's in the bathroom!" she said. "Why?"
"Um...no reason."
She came out of the kitchen a couple minutes later with a bowl of popcorn.
"Finny...?" she asked, watching him as he straightened up her apartment.
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing? Are we going to watch the movie?"
"Well...uh, yeah. I'll be right over."
"Why are you cleaning my apartment?"
"Well...um...I just thought I...I was just trying to help. I guess you've been too busy to clean, right?"
"Clean? Oh, I do that sometimes, but I'm not very good at it. It's kinda obvious, huh?"
"Well...er..."
"Yeah. My friend Tolone says I'm a real slob 'cause I never clean my apartment. It looks like you're good at it, though. You must do it a lot, then. I guess it's kinda rare when the guy's all neat and the woman's a bit messy, right? Usually it's the other way around, right?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"You really don't have to do that."
"Oh...well, yeah. I really do."
She laughed. "Finn, you're so funny!"
He looked at her again. She was just so cute. At first he doubted his feelings for her when he saw the condition of her apartment, but how could he turn down that sweet laugh, and those sparkling eyes?
She sat on the couch, putting the bowl on the table. A little bit of the popcorn fell out of it and all over the floor. He reached for a broom and swept it up.
"Finn? Aren't you gonna come over and have some popcorn?"
He looked around the apartment. It looked presentable, he supposed. He could live with it. And even knowing she was a slob didn't turn him off, which surprised him.
He also plopped down on the couch next to her and she put on the movie. He had seen it before and had not been immensely impressed by it. That made it all the easier for him to be distracted by the occasional bits of disorganization around her apartment, but he tried to ignore them and enjoy himself. As the movie went on, it became easier. Sera's presence took away the feelings of insecurity he had when in messy surroundings.
"That was a good movie! I liked it a lot, what did you think, Finn?"
"It was okay. I liked the company more, though."
"Company? Oh! Oh, Finn, that's so sweet..."
He glanced at his watch.
"Well, it's late. I had a great time."
"Yeah, I had a great time, too. And thanks for cleaning my apartment. It was really sweet of you. You're so nice, Finn."
She kissed him suddenly, and it took him completely by surprise. That sealed it for him. She was the one. The one he had dreamed for all his life. Who cared if she was a slob? He could get over it. Perhaps the guys were right when they said he was a neat freak. Maybe he had to learn to live with things not being one hundred percent straight or clean.
"Let's go out again tomorrow," he said.
"Yeah. I'd love that. What should we do?"
"Maybe we can check out the races."
"The races? That sounds fun!"
"Okay, we'll do that, then. Same time. In front of the import store. Maybe that shipment of ariberries will be in and we can have some for breakfast."
"Mmm! I love them!"
"Well...I'll see you tomorrow, then..."
"Yeah..."
He leaned in and kissed her this time.
She was blushing as he walked away. He couldn't see that he also was.
End of Chapter 1
This is one of what will probably be about five or six chapters. I currently have three finished. Really, it gets more interesting in later chapters. Please review and let me know what you think. I don't mind hearing criticism, honest. I've been around awhile and have a fairly thick skin. This chapter was written several years ago, and you can really see how my writing has improved from chapter 1 to chapter 5. If you're interested, please stick around. And enjoy.
Xenogears, its situations, world and the Gebler Special Forces are (c) 2000 by Square.