Gamer4 in. Much to my surprise, this story has achieved in two chapters what it took the entirety of the first part of Voyage Home to accomplish. I guess people really are more familiar with Gears- or there could be other things at play, I don't know, I'm pretty much the opposite of a mind reader. In case you didn't know, the first part of the Voyage Home is finished- if you're strapped for more Xeno between this chapter and the next, that would be a good place to get a little more. Just... just saying. Anyways, let's get back to it.
FAQ (Yeah, we're holding this over from Voyage:)
Q: What do you know about Metal Gear?
A:... Not sure what that has to do with Xenogears, but since you asked, I've played through the original MSX games and Solid 1-4 multiple times- as far as I'm concerned, the series ended with Guns of the Patriots. My love of Platinum encouraged me to get Revengeance, but I have yet to actually play it.
Chapter II
The Storm
Jaune had hardly opened the door before he was tackled by a ballistic pink missile. "JAUNE-JAUNE!"
"OOF! He-hello, Nora..."
Nora was hardly known for being the most reserved person in Ansel- it shouldn't have been too surprising that she'd greet him in such a way.
"Shinji! Jaune's here!"
Not far behind her was a slender young man with short black hair and turquoise eyes matching his mother's. He didn't speak- he rarely did- but offered Jaune a small smile that he reserved only for his parents and close family friends.
"Now, now, Nora, give the poor man some time to breath," Ren chuckled as he walked in behind them. "If you'll excuse me, I'll get to cooking. What would you like tonight, Shinji?"
"...Ramen."
"I swear, that's all he ever wants to eat!" Nora rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"It reminds me of a certain young woman's fixation on pancakes," Ren smirked as he came to his son's defense- Nora flushed a little and became very interested in a bird on the nearby windowsill. "Besides, it's relatively light, and I'm sure there will be food at the reception as well."
"A sunset wedding," Nora smiled. "It's going to be so beautiful!"
"Indeed. Now, if you would allow me some time..." Ren headed into the kitchen, donning his traditional Please do nothing to the cook apron.
XXXX
Jaune's mouth started to water within minutes of Ren commencing his cooking, and he was more than happy to tuck in when Ren brought four large bowls to the table. "Bon appetit," he smiled as he took his own seat across the table from Nora.
"Chow down!" Nora beamed, immediately commencing to digging in. Shinji had clearly picked his table manners up from his father, who was calmly eating one bite at a time.
"So, Jaune, have you been doing any painting lately?" Ren asked casually.
"Oh- yeah, I did one this morning," Jaune recalled. "I had a dream, and I tried painting it to remember what happened,"
"Ooohhh, I love your dreams!" Nora beamed. "Was this one about the Golden City? Or was it the one where we were going to school to learn to hunt grimm?"
"No, this was a... this was a new one," Jaune laughed- Nora usually did take an uncanny interest in his dreams.
"Well, come on, tell us! Renny's a doctor, he can tell you what it means!"
"A doctor of archaeology," Jaune countered. "And medicine- not dreams."
"Oh, don't underestimate the significance of dreams when applied to archaeology," Ren smiled gently over his hands. "After all, dreams are older than brooding Tyre, or the contemplative Sphinx, or garden-girdled Babylon."
"Ohhh, I love it when Ren gets philosophical!" Nora squealed.
Jaune chuckled, and thought back. "I was... on some sort of metal structure. Like a ship, but... it was going through the stars."
"Hmmm... a ship that can travel through the ether above... I believe I've heard there are some kingdoms working on such a thing," Ren pondered. "Of course, with the war going on between Atlas and Vale, there's little hope of true progress in that direction..."
"I... I'd like to go to space..." Shinji whispered.
"Tell you what, Shinji- the second we can, we will!" Nora quickly declared. "Right, Ren?"
"...Indeed," Ren nodded after a moment.
"You wouldn't want to go on this ship," Jaune interjected quickly. "It crashed. That's what the picture was of."
"Hmmm... that does sound like it would put a damper on such a trip," Ren nodded, helping himself to some more soup.
XXXX
Saphron smiled as she oversaw the erection of the pavilion upon which she would soon be declared Terra's wife. A small band had formed from a few of the townsfolk, currently practicing the song they'd be playing- an upbeat tune called Barrowland Ballroom:
"Oh, the lights outside,
They're as bright as a sun,
Much brighter than any-one!
Oh, the girls in the queue,
They are waiting for you,
Yes, they're waiting for the song to be sung!
And when the night turns to day,
And all the people go away,
It's not the same-
Tell me, who's to blame?
And when the stars shine so bright
On this cold December night,
I wish that I
Was on the stage.
Oh, won't you take a ride with me
Through the barrowlands of history
And I'll
Sing you a song or two!
People, they may stop and stare,
But baby, I just don't care-
It's only me and you!
And drinking, dancing, don't you know
It's all part of the show we go to
Maybe I should tell you
That people they may stop and stare,
But baby I just don't care
Tonight
It's just
Me and you!"
She smiled, tapping her foot along with the rhythm, looking to the mountains as the sun set, cradled between the Twin Peaks area of Blue Pine and Baldpate mountains. She frowned as she made something else out- a few small specks rising up over the mountains even as the sun sank. She narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the distant figures' true form- for some reason, it was making her heart sink.
XXXX
As they finished their meal up, Ren turned to Jaune, clapping his hands. "Now, about that paint- let me take you back out to the garage, and you can show me what you need. Then we can go on down."
"C'mon, Shinji, let's go get dressed!" Nora grinned, leading her son upstairs.
Jaune followed Ren back out to the garage, his eyes raking over the music box before Ren opened a closet with a shelf of paint along the bottom. "Alright, let me grab a dipstick, and-"
His voice trailed off as a loud rumbling overtook the small chamber. Jaune and Ren both looked up. Ren looked rather worried. "What is that?" Jaune asked.
"Trouble," Ren speculated slowly, stepping out of the garage to find Nora and Shinji already leaving their house.
"Ren!" Nora called, that same worried look spread across her face.
"I know. Take Shinji down to Emerald Forest- we have to evacuate the town!"
"Ren, what's going-" Jaune started, only for his words to be cut off as a colossal roar met his ears- he looked up to see what seemed like an army of metal men soaring through the sky, bullets the size of Ren's garage flying between them. His jaw dropped, and adrenaline began its course.
"Gears!"
XXXX
The town quickly descended into chaos as the people realized what was happening- people rushed into their homes to gather a few scant belongings before running back out into the square and hurrying towards the trees of the Emerald Forest.
"Terra!" Saphron called, making her way towards Terra's house. She found Terra in her room, fighting her way out of her wedding dress.
"Yeah, I heard- damn, of all the days for something like this to happen!" Terra cursed as she continued to struggle.
"Here- let me help!" Saphron grunted, going in and helping to rip it off. "We can get it fixed later!"
XXXX
Jaune, Ren, Nora and Shinji exited the mountain path into the village to find it transformed into a battleground- gears of two different factions were fighting to kill with no regard to the people and buildings they trampled beneath their feet. Port's house- Jaune's house- had caught fire, as the man himself stood, shouting at the monsters of steel above. "Stop! Cease and desist! I must insist that you-"
"Get moving, you old coot, you wanna die here?" Old Man Sakura grumbled, seizing Port and dragging him towards the forest as fast as he could.
"Why?" Jaune asked, aghast. "Why would they- we shouldn't have anything they want?"
Ren looked at him with those piercing eyes of his, though they seemed more guarded now than piercing. "I... I don't know," he admitted. "For nw, let's focus on the evacuation. Make sure the children get out."
"Right!"
Nora grabbed Shinji and carried him piggyback towards the woods, while Ren and Jaune took off into the village itself.
"Saphron! Terra!" Jaune called.
A second later, they encountered the two in the square. "Jaune! Ren! What are they doing, starting a battle here?!" Saphron asked rhetorically, eyes raking over all the destruction.
"Never mind the whys for now," Ren shook his head. "Are you okay?"
"Once I got myself out of my dress, I was fine," Terra nodded. "Come on, let's focus on the evacuation!"
Ren raised a hand. "Leave that to Jaune and I. Both of you should make your way to the woods."
"Doc-"
"I understand your feelings, but I can't allow the brides-to-be to put themselves in danger. Jaune and I are quite capable of handling the rest of the evacuation ourselves."
"He's right," Jaune agreed. "You two are about to be married- isn't it your responsibility to protect each other?"
The two women blinked and exchanged a bemused glance. "Alright... but you two had better get back safe, too, alright?" Saphron finally conceded.
They turned and hurried away. Ren turned to Jaune. "Alright, we should go through the houses to ensure-"
He was interrupted as the ground quaked beneath them, a crash louder than anything Jaune had ever heard rending the air. Jaune turned to see that one of the gears had fallen, hitting the ground in a crouching position. He knew only the bare basics of gears and how they worked- he couldn't tell if the pilot had been killed, or if, perhaps, there had been no pilot to begin with.
It had the shape of an enormous human wearing black armor, with crimson eyes. Upon its back was a structure as if that human were carrying two cylindrical packs. And the chest- there was a cavity in the chest that Jaune realized must be the cockpit.
Within the cockpit, he thought he could see a boy, of all things- a small boy with long, wild red hair- the vision made the scars on the back of his arm tingle.
Slowly, he approached the gear- the vision of the boy disappeared in an instant. It was replaced by an image in his mind's eye- a silver cross swinging like a pendulum. He could almost hear strains of music, and a nonsense verse- Rabbit or habit? Habit or rabbit?
Ren was calling something out to him, but he didn't hear- his feet were carrying him towards the beast, his arms raising over his head to pull him into the cockpit. His limbs weren't under his control- he was acting by some unspoken directive that had overridden conscious thought.
XXXX
"No, Jaune, you mustn't pilot that here!" Ren cried to no avail- the cockpit had already closed, sealing Jaune inside. Almost immediately, the gear rose to its feet, and rushed towards another of the gears. In one fluid motion, it had seized a gun the size of several of Ansel's houses, and bludgeoned the gear into the ground with the butt before turning and emptying the remaining ammunition into another.
Ren watched, his chest filled with a mix of awe and horror as another gear snuck up behind Jaune's and made to grab it- before it could, Jaune's had spun around, seizing its hand and twisting it off before kicking the opponent to the ground.
"Wow- Jaune's looking pretty awesome!"
Ren started, looking to his side to spy Dove Bronzewing, a mass of cloth in his arms. "Dove, what are you doing here?!"
"I came back to get Terra's dress!" Dove exclaimed. "I... I couldn't leave it... but it looks like Jaune's got everything under control anyways, doesn't he?"
Ren bit his lip. "My concern isn't that he can't handle himself... rather..."
Before he could find words to explain himself, there was another shout from behind. "Dove! What are you doing here? We're supposed to have left by now!"
Dove turned to see Saphron sprinting across the field towards him. "Terra may not have agreed to marry you, but she at least cares enough to want to make sure you get out alive!" Saphron yelled. "Now come on-"
It happened in an instant. Another gear was rising up from the edge of the village, taking aim at Jaune in his gear. Like the others, it had no regard for any collateral damage- it didn't care for the bullets that riddled Saphron's form in its effort to attack Jaune.
Blood spurted from Saphron in too many places to count- her eyes grew wide as she registered what had happened. It was difficult to say if she even felt any pain as her form slowly tumbled down behind the hill she'd just ascended.
Ren and Dove saw, their mouths opening in futile screams.
Terra saw, as she hadn't been far behind- had she been much further up the hill, her life would likely have been extinguished at the exact same time as her fiancee.
Worst of all, as he turned to face the gear that had opened fire on him, Jaune saw.
*Chime!*
His mouth extended in a scream of pain, fury, grief- all expressed in an inhuman screech.
*Chime!*
He could see the cross in his mind's eye again, each swing of its arc punctuated by that piercing chime.
*Chime!*
His skull felt as though it were being split open- he screamed as the world around him seemed to be absorbed into a blinding white light.
And then, he knew no more.
XXXX
The next time Jaune awoke, the first thing he was conscious of was lying on the ground.
Slowly, other details came to his mind. Light was leaking through his lids- the sun had risen. All around him was quiet and still- the attack had ended.
Slowly, his eyes creaked open- he was laying beneath a tree. A steely grey sky loomed overhead, perfectly explaining the surrounding chill.
Moving gently, he turned over and pushed himself to his feet. "What... what happened?"
He turned to see Ren hurrying over to him- he had previously been attending to various villagers' injuries. "Ah, Jaune... you're awake. Good... that's good."
There was an uncertainty in his voice that Jaune didn't like at all.
"Ren... where's Port? Terra? Dove? Saph-"
Before he could finish Saphron's name, an image flashed in his mind- an image of his sister's final moments.
Ren's downcast gaze seemed to confirm that it hadn't been a hallucination. "She... she's dead... isn't she?"
"Yes... and I'm afraid that isn't all-"
"Murderer!"
Jaune jumped as Dove came sprinting out of the crowd, a look of pure fury across his face.
"Dove!" Ren interjected reproachfully.
"Dove... what do you mean?" Jaune asked. A pit was forming in his stomach- looking to the crowd, it seemed that Dove was acting as the mouthpiece for a significant portion of the townsfolk, who were gazing at him with distrust ranging to open hostility. Very few seemed at all sympathetic- chief among these was Nora, holding Shinji close to her, looking heartbroken as she watched Dove's fury run its course.
"You... you joined up with that monster... that light... you destroyed the whole village! You killed Terra, Port, and... and... you killed everyone with that monster!"
Dove was trembling, memories of a monstrous explosion running rampant through his mind- Terra's eyes widening as those flames approached her...
Jaune was barely able to keep standing. "I... I..."
He looked around, spying the gear he'd boarded standing amonst the trees- silent, inert. The words of the villagers who shared Dove's sentiments rang in his ears.
"Why did they have to fight in the village?"
"How do you even know to operate that thing?!"
"We never knew where he came from- they were probably here for him in the first place!"
"Mommy- where's Mommy?!"
"You're probably right- and I said so, didn't I? I said it was a bad idea to let in someone we knew nothing about!"
"It hurts... it hurts!"
"I..." Jaune turned back to them, raising his hands as if in surrender. "I didn't..."
"Yikes!"
"Keep away!"
Only Dove didn't back away. "Bring Terra back, you murderer!"
"That's enough!"
The sudden shout was all the more effective because Lie Ren so seldomly raised his voice. "Cease this foolishness at once- there is no sense in putting all the blame on Jaune!"
"That's right!" Nora nodded her agreement. "He didn't bring those gears here- he was up at our house eating dinner! Even the explosion- that thing went out of control- it could have happened to anyone!"
"Even so... I... I...!"
Jaune turned to Nora, but whatever he was going to say got lost on the way to his lips when Shinji visibly flinched beneath his gaze. It seemed reflexive- Jaune guessed the boy didn't even know he'd done it himself, and he met Jaune's gaze steadily afterwards- but that flinch above all else steeled his resolve. There was only one thing for him to do.
"It's okay. You guys don't have to defend me... I'll leave."
"Jaune..." Ren said warningly.
"No, really, it's for the best," Jaune insisted. "People won't... won't be able to focus on rebuilding while I'm here. The only way they'll sleep alright tonight is if..." he forced a lump down his throat. "Is if I'm out of the picture."
"Jaune, no..." Nora whispered sadly.
Ren, however, seemed to see the logic in his words. "Very well... if you feel that's the best course of action, I won't stop you. However, I can't let you wander off on your own. Listen... go through the Emerald Forest- grimm activity should be at its lowest this time of year, I'm sure you'll get through alright, as long as you stay on the path. On the other end, you'll find a small town, San Miguel- go to the inn, the Prancing Pony. I'll meet you there- we can decide what to do next together."
When Jaune didn't immediately answer, Ren laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Jaune, did you hear me?"
"San Miguel, the Prancing Pony... wait for you. Yeah... I got it."
He directed one last look at the towering behemoth- he wanted to scream and rage at it. You... if it wasn't for you!
But he knew it would do no good. He slowly turned on his heels and headed deeper into the Emerald Forest, sticking strictly to the path as Ren had instructed. Only Nora held out a hand as if to stop him as he turned away from the only life he'd known for the past three years... and into the unknown.
XXXX
Early Xeno pulled no punches. If you have any questions you feel I can answer without spoiling anything, feel free to ask in the reviews. Next time on The Last Contact, The Woman in the Woods. Until then, don't you dare go hollow- Gamer4 out.