Gamer4 in. Welcome to what's likely to turn out to be a very lengthy story. As anyone who reads my stuff could probably tell you, I'm a huge fan of the Xeno video game series. A couple months back, I began The Voyage Home, a RWBY-flavored retelling of Xenosaga, the second story in the Xeno series. That's still ongoing, but I couldn't keep going without paying some service to the game that started it all- planned as Final Fantasy VII, now known as Xenogears. Hopefully, this might attract some people turned off by Voyage Home, as Gears is far more similar to Xenoblade, the game that most people likely to read this probably have more experience with. Tuck in, grab a snack- we're going for a ride! Let's begin.
Disclaimer: I offer one legit disclaimer a story, and this is it- Xenogears belongs to Square Enix (though it should belong to Monolith Software,,,, grumble, grumble...) and RWBY belongs to Monty Oum.
The Last Contact
Prologue
The Eldridge
It seldom dawns on people how infinitely vast the universe truly is. Even several thousand years after humanity gained the technology necessary to leap from their home planet, the cradle of life, they still had yet to fully chart out even a hundredth of their own galaxy, let alone consider leaving it altogether. The ship that came closest to doing so was a massive freighter known as the Eldridge- the pride of the Galactic Federation, with countless successful voyages under its belt.
It was this ship's final mission that took it to the edge of the galaxy, from which it never returned.
XXXX
The Eldridge was a vast ship, piercing its way through the cosmos. The length of several skyscrapers, with a base the size of a city for the numerous crew members. It was a deep red, its name printed across the side in letters almost a mile high.
Deep within the ship was the mess hall, where a specific group was eating, consisting of seven crew members from various stations.
"So, there we were," one of them was saying dramatically- a shorter woman with short red hair and turqoise eyes, "in the middle of the night!"
"It was day," commented the man next to her- the sole man in the group, with longer black hair tied in a ponytail. He had magenta eyes, matching a streak in his bangs.
"Surrounded by humongous black bears!"
"...Adolescent wolves."
"DOZENS OF THEM!"
"Two of them."
The other women surrounding them had various different reactions- at their side was a long-haired red-head with emerald green eyes, giggling lightly at the other woman's antics. Across the table, the only one who was paying close attention was a long, wild-haired blond with lilac eyes, currently wide open in fascination. At her side was the youngest crew member on the ship, with short black-and-red hair and wide silver eyes. Beyond her were two women showing little to no interest at all- a short woman with her white hair in a sidetail was doing her nails, while a black-haired woman in a bow was flipping through the pages of a novel.
"But they were no match, and in the end, Ren and I took 'em all down and made a bundle selling bearskin rugs!"
Ren took a long, deep breath. "Nora's been having this dream for nearly a week now."
"My goodness, Nora, what an enchanted world you live in," the bow-wearing woman rolled her eyes.
"Be nice, Blake," the blond bopped her on the head, much to her annoyance.
"Quit it, Yang!"
"I agree with Blake," the white-haired woman- Weiss- put in. "Have you, perchance, considered writing fiction?"
"Maybe I should- I could probably make a bundle off of that, too!" Nora pondered. "Of course, it probably still wouldn't be nearly as exciting as what Pyrrha could write!"
"Me?" asked the longer-haired redhead, surprised. "Nora, I don't write."
"But you totally could! I mean, you're the one with the top secret mis-"
Nora was silenced when Ren reached out and grabbed her mouth, but the damage was done.
"Oh?" Yang asked, face lighting up like the fourth of July. "P-Money's got a secret job, does she? Do tell..."
"Well, she can't do that!" Nora interjected in a very 'duh' tone of voice. "If she did that, it wouldn't be a secret!"
"The thought occurrs," Ren sighed heavily, "that it would have remained even more secret if you hadn't just told them."
"Oh! Right- sorry!" Nora bopped herself on the head- she routinely acted like she was at least ten years younger than she actually was.
On which subject...
"Ooh, you have a secret mission? Tell us, tell us, tellustellustellus!" the youngest woman, Ruby Rose, squealed.
"Well, it's like Nora said," Pyrrha shook her head sheepishly, "it's not something I can just tell you. Maybe when we're finished out here. I promise, it's not nearly as interesting as it sounds."
Some eyebrows were raised, but they were ultimately distracted by an announcement overhead. "Attention, Eldridge, this is Captain Ozma speaking. As I speak, we are passing into the gravity well of what seems to be a hitherto undiscovered exoplanet. Please be aware that we may experience gravitational fluctuations as we pass by. Repeat, we are passing into the gravity well..."
"An... an... an undiscovered planet?!" Ruby practically exploded from excitement- she rushed to the window, quickly joined by the others- and everyone else in the mess hall. It wasn't every day, after all that one had the opportunity to potentially be the first eyes on an entirely new land.
And there it was- still distant, but growing larger- a massive sphere floating in space, perfectly catching the light from its own sun. Swirling around it were two interlocking rings of ice and gas, forming the shape of an X from their perspective.
"Well... isn't that a hell of a thing?" Yang smiled.
None of the others spoke- Yang had summed up their thoughts rather succinctly.
XXXX
The Eldridge's bridge was just as massive as the rest of the ship might lead one to believe- a circle the size of a city block overseen by another circle raised above where the captain and elite officers sat.
Even Ozma- a somewhat dark-skinned man who'd practically been raised aboard such craft- was taken aback by the new planet's majesty.
He wasn't able to comment, however, before alarms began flashing throughout the bridge, several computer terminals flashing red.
EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!
"What's going on?" Ozma demanded immediately.
"We're seeing pulses of energy from Sector E-5!" one of the officers called up to him. "They're growing in intensity- its speed is overwhelming!"
Ozma clenched a fist, but maintained a calm outward appearance- it wouldn't do for their captain to panic. "Shut down the sector."
"Commencing- command denied! It's sending signals towards the rest of the ship- containment measures failing!"
"Cut off the cables manually."
The officer typed furiously away at his terminal. Deep within the ship, a section of cables rigged to blow off of the wall did so- but electricity arced through the missing space, flowing as if nothing had happened.
"No good, nothing happened!"
XXXX
Something had happened- the rest of the ship received its first sign of trouble as the power surged momentarily.
"What's that?" Ruby wondered, looking up as the lights flickered.
"A problem in the engine room?" Weiss guessed, glancing at Yang.
"Everything was fine when I was down there earlier..."
XXXX
"It's breaking through all firewalls- it's taking over the damn ship!"
"It's accessing autopilot- it's setting a new course- the main planet!"
Ozma furrowed his brow. "I see." He picked up a nearby transmitter. "Yang Xiao Long, this is Captain Ozma, do you read?"
XXXX
Yang picked up her transmitter. "Yes, hello, this is Yang Xiao Long."
"There's been a problem in the engine room- I'm going to ask you to force it into a shutdown. Repeat, for the safety of the ship, I need you to momentarily shut down the engines by any means necessary."
Yang's eyes widened in surprise, but she nodded anyways. "Yeah, of course I can do that. As soon as possible."
She hung up, looking to her confused friends. "Yup, it's a problem with the engines. I'll be right back, okay?"
She pulled Ruby into a quick hug before turning and dashing out. It was rather fortunate, as the two never saw each other again.
XXXX
Ozma hung up, only to find the computers locking out his officers. Spreading across them all were the same five words, over and over again, filling the screen.
You shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods you shall be as gods-
Ozma bowed his head. "We cannot wait for Ms. Xiao Long. Put me on the tannoy again- I am evacuating this ship. I will send a dispatch once evacuation is complete."
XXXX
Alarms began flashing through the ship, a mechanical voice announcing, "Evacuate immediately. Evacuate immediately."
The group of friends looked at each other, wide-eyed. "What- evacuate?" Nora asked, taken aback.
"It must be something serious," Ren guessed. "Come on, Nora."
"But what about Yang?" Ruby asked. "You're not gonna ask me to leave my sister behind, are you?"
"I'm sure she'll be fine, Ruby," Weiss assured her. "She'll fix whatever's wrong in the engine room, and we'll be right back! My guess is this is just an extra security measure."
Ruby slowly nodded, and allowed them to herd her towards the bay where the escape pods waited.
Ren and Nora made to follow, only to realize that Pyrrha wasn't with them. "Wha- now Pyrrha's running out, too?"
"I wonder if it has something to do with that secret job of hers..." Ren pondered.
XXXX
Pyrrha was sprinting in the opposite direction of the escape pods- she'd been given clear orders on what was to be done in the event of an emergency, and she intended to fulfill them.
She made her way down the ship towards Sector E-4, consisting of a massive chamber, and a smaller one to the side. It was towards this smaller room that she made her way, the door sliding open, revealing to her the object of her secret task.
XXXX
Yang, meanwhile, was having problems of her own- the engine room was overheating to the point she was having trouble breathing, let alone focusing enough to shut it down as she'd been bid. She began pulling on cables, severing everything she could, but nothing seemed to be having any effect. Finally, she pulled out her transmitter again. "Cap, I'm in the engine room- nothing is working!"
"...I was afraid of that," came Ozma's voice. "You've done enough, Yang... evacuate with the others."
Yang nodded, and turned to leave- only to find the door sealed shut. "I... don't think that's gonna happen."
"What?"
Yang closed her eyes in resignation. "The door's shut... just make sure Rubes gets out alright, okay? If you don't, I'm gonna come back and-"
The engine exploded, taking her with it.
XXXX
Ren, Nora, Blake, Weiss, and Ruby arrived at the escape pods. "Alright, Nora, on we get," Ren stepped into one, holding out a hand for Nora.
"But... what about Pyrrha?" Nora asked nervously. "What if she doesn't catch up?"
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Ren promised in that soothing voice of his. "We'll eject, loop around the ship a couple times while whatever this is gets sorted out, then come back on board with her. We'll be laughing about this next week."
Nora nervously took his hand. Weiss and Blake had already boarded, but Ruby was still standing outside.
"Ruby?" Weiss held out her hand. "Come on."
Ruby bit her lip, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't just leave without Yang!"
She turned and dashed off back into the ship.
"That dolt!" Weiss screeched. "What does she think she's doing?"
Blake took a deep breath. "I suppose we should have known she'd refuse to leave without Yang. Let her go, Weiss... that's the only way she's getting on a pod."
Weiss quietly conceded the point as the pod finally ejected out into space.
However, they exited to find the Eldridge surrounded by a ring of fire- through some sick prank, the ship's weapons were turning on the fleeing pods, blasting them out of the ether well before they could make it anywhere near safety.
"What the hell?" Nora asked, breathless with horror.
Weiss brought up her own transmitter. "Eldridge, this is escape pod 430- what is going on? The ship is firing on the evacuation! Repeat, the ship is firing upon the evac-"
A beam pierced through their own pod, destroying it in its entirety.
XXXX
Ruby dashed through the empty halls of the Eldridge, the alert screaming in her ear to evacuate, but the only thing that brought her to a halt was when she heard its message briefly change.
"Engine room destroyed- repeat, engine room destroyed. Please, evacuate immediately..."
She collapsed to her knees, tears flowing freely from her eyes. She wrapped herself in her own arms. "No... Yang..."
XXXX
Pyrrha finally reached her destination- a secret bay with only one escape pod in it, just large enough for a single child- certainly not for her. She could hear the ship collapsing around her, but did her duty as she had sworm she would, placing the ship's biggest secret- its most precious cargo- into the small pod before sending it out. As it flew out, she, too, saw the ring of fire surrounding the ship. She slowy reached for her transmitter. "Captain Ozma... the package is secure. But... the pods are being destroyed."
She listened intently for any response. "...Yes. I see it. I think you may still have time to get to a pod yourself, if you would-"
"No," Pyrrha shook her head, her eyes wet with tears. "The longer we wait, the more people are going to die. If my sacrifice spares my friends' lives, it's one I'll gladly make."
"...You're a noble woman, Pyrrha Nikos. I'm sorry."
XXXX
Ozma put down his transmitter, and reached into his pocket, producing a small locket. It showed him arm in arm with a tall blond woman with kind blue eyes, their arms around a small, similarly blond girl.
"Salem... Autumn... I'm sorry I couldn't make it back."
He produced a key and opened a secret panel in front of him, turning a dial and pressing several buttons in strict sequence.
"Self-destruct sequence engaged."
XXXX
Pyrrha heard the announcement and lay against the chamber's wall, taking a deep breath- what was likely to be her last. "Nora... Ren... RWBY... I hope you all got out, at least..."
XXXX
Ruby heard the announcement as well, but didn't move from her crouched position. "Without Yang... there's no point..."
XXXX
Ozma folded his hands. "I suppose a captain always goes down with his ship," he muttered. He looked out over the ship he could see from the bridge and saw something attempting to escape- something he knew in his heart was responsible for this abrupt turn of misfortune. "'to the last, I grapple with thee; from Hell's heart, I stab at thee; for hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee,'" he quoted, before the entire ship was engulfed in flames.
XXXX
Far below, dawn was just rising on the portion of the exoplanet that could best see the explosion above- to a casual observer, it would seem like a meteor shower as countless bits of scrap metal hurtled to the ground, catching fire in the atmosphere, landing largely in the planet's largest ocean.
Far away, on a distant shore, a woman appeared, crawling from the sea. Her hair was long and black, the only thing granting her cover as she rose to her feet. She took a long, deep breath as she gazed upon the meteor shower overhead, glimmering in her emerald green eyes.
She gazed around the landscape, taking in this brave new world- it seemed she had it all to herself, yet... she had no idea what to do.
But she would think of something.
XXXX
Starting off with a whammy right out of the gate. Next time, it's time for something completely different! Something I've noticed the early Xeno games liked to do was to have a distant prologue that you don't realize the full significance of until much later, and Gears is no exception. Still, I hope you were able to enjoy, and until next time, don't you dare go hollow- Gamer4 out.