Author's Note: Before I begin, I'd like to inform all potential readers that this is officially my very first attempt at writing fan-fiction on this website (or any site). I have been holding back ideas for a story like this about 12 years now, and I am not totally confident in my ability as a writer, so I will personally treat this as an "experiment".
I am completely open to constructive criticism in reviews, and any offers from experienced authors to become Beta Readers of this story (I will not actively search for you).
This will be the only story that I shall focus on for quite a while, until the moment I finally complete it. I still have a few other ideas for stories stuck in my head [and recorded elsewhere], but I will not distract myself from this specific story until I feel that I'm finished. With that said...
As an extra note for readers, whether or not you're a fan of the Mega Man X series, I will be using the original Japanese terms for certain places and things, as well as certain character names (but, of course, not every single one of them). For Example: "Gigantis" is the name of the Giga City location in the original Japanese version of Mega Man X: Command Mission (a.k.a. simply "Rockman X Command Mission"). I will make sure to elaborate as needed at the end of Chapters whenever I use the original Japanese terminology for something the first time around.
OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own, or claim to own, the Mega Man X series or the entire Mega Man franchise. It is entirely the property of CAPCOM. This story is the result of a fan's idea that has been bouncing around his brain for a long time, and any character introduced in this story [not found in any official Mega Man-related media whatsoever] belongs to yours truly.
KEY (for future chapters):
Between " " = Spoken dialogue (obvious)
"Dialogue in italics" = Thought
ALL-CAPS = Computer text (certain computers)
"ALL-CAPS" = Yelling or mechaniloid dialogue
Bold = Meant to draw special attention from the reader.
"Bold dialogue" = Words which are enunciated/emphasized by the speaking character.
Without further ado... Onward, to the story's beginning!
MEGA MAN X: RENASCENT DISSONANCE
PART 1: SHADOW OF CONFLICT
-Prelude-
22XX (Mid-23rd Century)
Post-Gigantis Rebellion
Six months have passed since the quelling of the Rebellion Army on the man-made island of Gigantis. For reasons not yet made known to the public, all production of refined "Force Metal" has completely ceased. The production of New-Generation Reploids, equipped with Copy-Chips, continues in-spite of the effort of the Maverick Hunters organization during the earlier Jakob Incident.
Mass-production of these Copy-Chips, under the authority of both Jakob project-lead Luminé and the approval of humans holding government positions, was what led to the return of Sigma; for what is hopefully the final time. His constant reappearances had been the cause of too many conflicts in the past.
Ever since the destruction of both Orbital Elevators, there have been no new attempts at space-transportation projects. All that remains is Jakob Tower, an abandoned building that formerly served as the entrance to one of the defunct bridges intended for space travel.
So far, the only sigh of relief for the Maverick Hunters is the belief that the true Sigma was destroyed once and for all. After defeating the Rebellion Army in Gigantis, their only worry for the first four months was the possibility of another New-Generation Reploid suddenly thinking it's Sigma. When new recruits came to their headquarters in waves, the last two months were spent focusing on indoctrination and training, due in no small part to the formation of a 19th Division (endearingly called "Bulldog Unit" by some because of its Commander). Many of these new arrivals were Reploids that formerly lived and worked in Gigantis, having left it behind due to a loss of purpose. Some of them wanted to put their individual skills to good use in service of what they believed to be a just cause.
Nature slowly continues to recover from the debris of the Eurasia Space Colony that impacted almost two decades ago. While damage to Earth's surface ultimately could not be avoided, and lives were still lost, it was thankfully mitigated due to the Enigma Cannon's successful firing; vaporizing approx. 95% of the enormous man-made colony's frame and infrastructure before impact. The largest of the impact craters is still visible from space without magnifying equipment, and has been closed off to curious researchers for some time. Access is currently restricted to Hunters-only.
X is hailed as a hero across the planet for his continued efforts in maintaining peace for both humans and Reploids. Though he remains reluctant to fight fellow Reploids who are labeled "Maverick", he is continually compelled to try his best to ensure the safety of all innocent lives, and to defeat those who have truly abandoned the idea of coexistence to pursue wicked goals. There are those, however, who would like nothing more than to take advantage of his apparent "naiveté" and idealism.
Two human scientists had recently risen to prominence; coinciding with X's recent popularity. One was already a rising star in the study of Cyberspace, and the other was the director of the Jakob Project before Luminé. The former director became well-known… or infamous… only after he publicly admitted his mistake in giving the reins to Luminé, but chose not to return to the position. Instead, he announced that the revival of Reploids and the development of weapons were fields better suited to his 'genius'. The world would be in shock for weeks, however, after he announced his personal belief on the role of Reploids in history.
Another conflict seems inevitable. A number of officials in the world government continually make careless decisions in light of increased New-Generation Reploid production, almost as if they're purposely giving reasons for Reploids to rebel against humankind, as an excuse to grasp at more power…
"Bombing" Incidents in Cainégisil
In the fourth month of relative peace since Gigantis, however, a new city was built around the main Jakob Tower in the Galápagos Islands. Noah's Park ("Point Galapagos") was also decommissioned, as a Maverick Hunter presence was deemed no longer necessary. This was in complete violation of centuries-old environmental protection legislation, one of few things publicly remembered from an era before major advances in robotics. Human and Reploid alike were outraged, as the Jakob Tower was originally meant to be non-intrusive to the island's ecosystem.
The development of this city had been overseen by a few powerful human members of the Federation, now a worldwide government, established in the early days of 21XX just before the Third Maverick War. They named the city "Cainégisil", an arrogant mockery of the former Abel City; untouched since its ruination at the hands of Sigma long ago.
Chief R, a high-ranking Reploid member of the Federation, had unfortunately been destroyed near the end of the Gigantis Rebellion after being called to there by Colonel Redips; revealed to be a traitor. His position of continued focus on the Earth's restoration, instead of space travel and copy-chip production, was already opposed by several of his greedier human colleagues.
Barely one week after the city's founding, a mysterious series of explosions went off, killing a number of innocent workers and damaging many energy facilities. The Maverick Hunters, under the authority of other key figures in the Federation government, offered to help repair the damage. Unfortunately, this offer was swiftly declined, and the governor of Cainégisil declared that he would deal with the "rebel threat" on his own. The Hunters were alerted to possible Maverick activity, but could do nothing [legally] about it.
The Far-East's Most Wanted
Ever since the Maverick Hunters finished their mission in Gigantis, and especially since training of new recruits began, occasional reports came in of a rogue figure resembling "an animal from Far Eastern human folklore". No submitted reports ever seemed certain of whether it was a Reploid or Mechaniloid, but that it was at-least humanoid in stature. This rogue has attacked specific locations on two continents so far, and harmed people once every week since its initial appearance. Oddly enough, no-one who has bravely (or unfortunately) encountered it had been killed. Because no has died as of yet, the Hunters have not seen fit to send the most skilled among them to deal with the issue. Whatever it really is, it remains loose in the world.
Blue Comet hurtles toward Earth
A mysterious heavenly object began appearing in the night sky since the conclusion of the Jakob Incident, though few really paid it any mind. Astronomers have since confirmed their initial belief that it is a comet, but very small in size compared to all other comets observed in the past two centuries; almost human-sized.
There were three instances of brilliant flares from this so-called comet in the past two months, briefly shining in bluish-white light and casting blue "flames" which lasted for several minutes each time. They occurred specifically when X was called "hero" worldwide, when a certain revival-specialist proclaimed his belief, and when explosions rocked Galápagos; almost as if in direct response to those events.
What alarmed observers is the current trajectory of the comet, now simply called the "Blue Comet". In the past week, it has begun heading straight for Earth. Scans indicate that, as of now, it's already on its way passing Mars.
The Hunters are currently preparing the Enigma Cannon for this Blue Comet's possible entry into Earth's atmosphere, in-case its course remains unchanged in the coming months...
(Advance to Prologue 1)
A/N: Just a short Prelude to set up the beginning parts of this story for now.
As some potential readers may notice, this story is already heading in a "non-canon" direction in regards to the Introduction of Mega Man X6. I will say that I'm not currently planning for this story to bridge the "Elf Wars" gap between the X and Zero series, to avoid blatantly giving away what exactly is non-canon to X6.
- However, for those of you more familiar with the Zero series, you just might realize who the vaguely-described "two human scientists" are. (Even if you didn't see the featured Characters in this fic's description)
- If you've played X8 [all the way to the end on Normal or Hard], you may wonder why Copy-Chips are still being produced.
- "Jakob Tower" is not an actual visitable location in X8. The Orbital Elevator itself is; I'll bring up this Tower again in later chapters, as it is [obviously] meant to be connected.
- For those of you who've actually played Command Mission all the way through, I do plan for a certain optional enemy from that game to basically serve a "Dynamo"-esque role in this story.
In any case, as I've already stated, I welcome constructive criticism in your reviews. If you believe there is an issue of any kind with my writing/typing, be honest.
See you all next week (Hopefully no delays)!