DISCLAIMER: This is a novelization-in-progress of the masterpiece Xenogears from SquareSoft. I do not own the content of this, save for maybe the way I described "how" something happened. All characters, speech, and storyline are exclusive property and copyrighted by SquareSoft.
Dazil
The sun beat down unforgivingly on Fei as he walked with Citan through the sandy desert. The place seemed so familiar as he looked out onto the horizon. In the distance, he could see the town of Dazil, just a shimmering blot on the edge of the world. At this pace, he should make it within a few hours, or at least by nightfall. He took a sip from his canteen, and placed it back into the pouch as his waist. Citan had been thoughtful enough to bring such supplies, seeing as how he's traveled before.
Fei thought back to Elly. Was she alright? She had left only the night before, but he hadn't seen any sign of her passage through the woods, save for a few dead monsters lying here and there. They had lacerations in their flesh from a razor tipped weapon - a rod, but that was all he saw. He hoped that she was alright.
Fei and Citan continued toward the town tirelessly in mostly silence. It wasn't wise to waste words in the desert. It was better to just drive towards your destination. Eventually, they stopped at an old, gnarled shade tree and had dinner. It was getting late, but their progress had been much rewarded. They would be in Dazil by noon tomorrow.
Fei looked up into the sky, watching as the stars made their debut for the evening. There were so many. At one time, Fei had wondered what it would be like to move amongst them, but that was just a childhood fantasy. Without a word he finished his supper, dusted off his pants, and helped Citan roll out the sleeping bags.
Morning came swiftly. The two travelers had a quick bite to eat before they packed up the sleepware for the last time. Dazil was calling to them. Together, they plodded off towards the town shimmering in the distance.
When they finally arrived, Fei was somewhat taken aback at the bustling activity of the town. People were everywhere! Merchants, mechanics, children. He walked a few steps inside the gate, taking all the activity in.
"This is...Dazil..."
"Yes, that is right. The desert town of Dazil." said Citan, nodding to confirm Fei.
"This town's lively."
"This is the center for all excavations in Aveh. People come from all over Ignas to try and find the resources buried in the ruins around here." Citan pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "We should be able to find out what both Aveh and Kislev are up to, here. And we also have to gather the things we need to repair Weltall."
"Repair Weltall..." trailed Fei.
He looked somewhat in a trance as he looked over the bustling activity. Lately everything that was strange to him seemed famliar at the same time. It was an eerie feeling that Fei was having to adjust to.
"Yes. We must exchange the broken parts to fix Weltall... Otherwise it will not be able to function at all! There is an 'Ethos' workshop in the southern part of this town. Let us go there, Fei." coaxed the doctor.
"Yeah, okay doc, let's check this place out then."
The two of them walked through the town, taking in the sights and activity. Fei stopped abruptly in his tracks for a moment as a gear walked right past him. He looked towards the outskirsts of the town where a massive hole was being dug into the desert earth.
"Huh?" he breathed. "That's amazing. They're digging right next to this town too?"
A robot digger walked by just then, it's pneumatic joints whooshing.
"This is an Aveh-run excavation site. The machines and Gears found here are valuable resources that could turn the tide of the war. They are indispensible to the war effort," said Citan. He paused for a moment, watching some workers strain to pull a knee regulator out of a hole.
"Anyway Fei... Let us move on. We have more pressing matters to do than taking in the 'sites'!"
Fei held back for a few moments. He didn't really see much use in repairing Weltall, but Citan was a mechanical genius/freak. He had to fix any machine he came across, and Weltall fit into that category quite nicely.
They walked down the street watching the excavations on the edge of town, when they passed by a couple of men sitting at a table outside the local pub. Fei caught a snatch of the conversation between the two.
"Since those Gebler forces came, Aveh's hardly ever lost to Kislev. I wish the 'Ethos' would give out some of those new powerful Gears."
Fei looked at Citan, curiosity gleeming behind his eyes.
"The 'Ethos'? What do Gears have to do with the 'Ethos'?" he asked.
"Only the 'Ethos' has the technology to maintain generator driven Gear. The 'Ethos' decides which Gear gets which generator in which country..." said Citan. He motioned for Fei to follow him into the nearby rental shop.
Inside was a man sitting behind a desk. He looked rather bored as he stared aimlessly into the wall opposite him. He snapped to the present when the travelers walked through his door.
"Hm? Haven't met you before. So you want to rent out a sand buggy too?" he asked.
"Sand buggy?" said Fei.
"A sand buggy is a special type of vehicle designed for the desert terrain," said Citan. "Its tires will not get stuck in the sand... You really need them for long desert trips."
The owner of the store pulled out a tablet and scanned down the list. He glanced up at them when he reached the bottom of the list, making a tsk-tsk sound.
"Sorry but all our buggies are lent out now. Do you want to wait for one?" He asked. "Some of those guys hunting for parts should be back soon." He set the tab back down on the desk.
"I see... Well then, we will come again later." Citan said.
The two of them stepped back outside into the unforgiving sun. Fei was thoroughly absorbed in the activities of the town. Being as hot as it was, he would've expected people to be inactive and indoors, but the case was completely the opposite here. It wasn't long before they reached the local inn, which doubled as a pub.
Inside the smell of spirits was strong, and the men laughed rauciously.
"Yeah, we did it!" exclaimed one soldier.
His partner answered with, "Ha-ha! We did it!"
"Who'd have thought it?"
"I didn't think it would go so well..."
"Sneaking in the night..."
"Follow after the army excavation teams..."
"Just like that... Poof!"
"...and steal their treasure!"
"Gyahahahahaha."
"Wahahahahahha."
The two were obviously drunk, and didn't notice that everyone in the pub could hear of their escapades.
"... This sure is a noisy place!" commented Fei.
"Well, in a place like this you have to expect this kind of atmosphere," answered Citan.
Fei was still unsure. "Yeah, but even so..." he trailed off.
Suddenly a man in a purple suit shoved the two rowdy soldiers away from the bar. Surprised, they both gasped.
"Yikes!"
"Shaddap!" scolded the strange man. He just stared the two of them down, not looking like he really cared at all. A hiccup escaped his lips and it was obvious he was even more drunk than the two on the floor. He took a few menacing steps towards them.
"Why're you all yappin' when Big Joe is here trying to drink in peace? Can't ya'all shuddup...? ...Hic!"
"Who'dya think ya are?" challenged one of the soldiers. "I don't care if you're Big Joe or Big Shmoe! You don't mess with me!"
The man called Big Joe started laughing from his belly.
"Gahahahahaha!" Just as quickly as he started laughing, he stopped and addressed the soldiers. "Yeah, you sure talk big. Can you dig for treasure as good as you talk?"
"What's that ya' say?" the soldier screamed.
"You're so tough..." started Big Joe. "Always lookin' for junk laying around... Why don't you do somethin' more productive for once?"
"If you ask me, You're a big pus--!" the soldier started. His buddy sprang up and grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Hey, stop it... This guy's trouble. He's lookin' wild..." he said.
"Ah, shawdup! Just shut your trap!" the first soldier threatened.
"Gahahahaha! That's right... Run home to momma, little boys! Hicc!" laughed Big Joe.
"Uwup... Da-damn you! You'll keep!" The two soldiers bolted out the door, followed by Big Joe's laughing.
"Ha! Cowardly little punks!" said Big Joe. He turned around and walked back to the bar, where a fresh drink awaited him.
"Why, this man sure likes to make his presence felt!" commented Citan.
Fei walked up to the bar next to Big Joe and ordered a drink for himself. For no apparent reason, Joe just started talking to him.
"...hic... You drinkin' too? Booze is my life companion! Especially in a sucky world like this.
Everyone's searching for dough and dynamite... Ha, how unromantic," He laughed bitterly while he took another sip of his drink.
Fei looked at him long and hard. There was something familiar about this man. There was a quality to him that seemed ancient, but he couldn't quite place it. Big Joe didn't even notice, and just kept on talking.
"Me? What am I doing here? ... Whatever I please, I guess," he said. He took another sip. "You think you know about yourself? I could introduce myself right now, and by tomorrow be a different person. If you didn't understand that, I'll repeat... ... Hic! Don't count your chickens before they hatch."
Fei finished his drink and decided that he had had enough. He left a small tip on the bar and joined Citan outside. Again, the hot air hit him like a brick. Together, the two of them headed towards the large building on the edge of town. The symbol above the door indicated the place that they had been looking for. The Ethos workshop.
Inside there were several men hard at work on a gear that wasn't nearly as sophisiticated as Weltall, but working hard just the same. To the right, the hydraulic pistons pumped as the hand of the gear flexed.
"Wow... So this is the 'Ethos' workshop, heh, doc?" said Fei.
"Yes. The 'Ethos' workshops are the only places that officially repair Gears. Let us see if we can get the parts we need to fix Weltall here. As they say, time is money! ... So we should do whatever we can do as soon as we are able to," confirmed Citan with a small nod.
The two men walked over to another man who appeared to be overseeing the repairs of the unsophisicated gear. He looked up out of the corner of his eye and noticed the two of them waiting.
"Huh? How can we help you?" he asked as he pushed his cap back on his head.
"Sorry to bother you. Our Gear has broken down, so I would like to buy some parts to fix it," said Citan.
"Tough luck, huh?" The man clicked his tongue. "Can you tell me what make of parts you are after?"
"Yes, we are hoping to replace an X-29 model injection bypass circuit."
"X-29 model injection circuit?" The man's face cracked in slight disbelief and humor. "That's only used on the latest military models. We don't keep those kind of parts in stock here.
You can only get such special parts by placing an order at the 'Ethos' headquarters. This workshop is only for the repair of civilian Gears..." He trailed off and looked towards one of the workers who appeared to be having a problem.
"I see. Sorry to have bothered you."
"Sorry that we can't help you."
Both Fei and Citan turned around and walked out the door just as large bang erupted and a few loud curses. Outside the two of them headed over towards the bridge that overlooked the street.
"... Doc, do you have a moment? I need to talk to you." said Fei.
"Yes, of course, Fei..."
Together, the two of them leaned on the railing of the bridge as they watched the children play in the sand.
"So Fei, what did you want to talk to me about?" asked Citan.
"... Well doc, it's about Weltall... We can't find the parts we need, so is it alright if we just don't fix it?"
"Do not repair it? What is the problem, Fei?"
"Well, we've been able to come as far as Dazil on our own... So doesn't that show that we don't need Weltall as much as we thought. Actually, I've been thinking that once things cool down I want to go back to Lahan and help rebuild. That's all I feel I can do now..."
Fei shuddered slightly from a cold chill as visions of Alice vaporizing flashed through his mind.
You killed everyone with that monster...! Murderer! My sister... Give me back my sister!
"... I see. If that is what you want, Fei, then fine. But I think we should try and move Weltall as far away from there as possible."
"Move it away? But why do we need to do that, doc?"
"It is only my speculation, but... I suspect the incident that evening occured because the Gebler Special Force stole a Kislev Military Gear."
"Special Force... You mean Elly's group?"
"Exactly," said Citan with a nod. "When I examined the broken Gear in the village, I realized the Gebler pilot was riding a Kislev Gear. It must have had some new technology involved in it for the Kislev army to send pursuit forces after it."
"New technology?"
"I suspect that the Gebler Force was out to steal a new experimental Gear," replied Citan. He stopped briefly to clean his glasses before continuing. "I am sure news of the Special Force's failure has reached the capital. They will be investigating the Lahan area to reclaim whatever parts of the new Gear that they can find."
"Hold on, doc! Won't the Kislev army still be in Lahan too!" exclaimed Fei. He rocked back onto his heels for a moment as if struck by a blow.
"Most probably. And in that case, there will be a conflict between Aveh's inspection team and Kislev's pursuit troops. If they find where we have hidden Weltall..."
Fei didn't need to imagine it. He already knew that if the two were to come into conflict, it would spell more horror for the survivors of Lahan.
"The armies will fight over who gets Weltall... And right near Lahan too."
"So, to avoid any problems, we should move Weltall somewhere else right away!"
"But, we can't fix it in order to move it..." speculated Fei.
"Right. But staying here will solve nothing," said Citan. "Fortunately, this is the center of all excavation work in this country. There is bound to be some information on where we can find parts... Anyway, the fear is often worse than the danger itself... We should not let such fears hold us back!" He flashed a brief grin.
The two of them descended the bridge and walked back down onto the dusty road. Up ahead a sand buggy had appeared outside the rental shop they had visited previously. Citan looked at it with close scrutiny.
"This is a sand buggy. ... That is it, Fei! I have thought of a good way to get the parts we need for Weltall. Let us go back to the rental shop and rent out this buggy."
"What do you intend on doing, doc?" asked Fei.
"Well, leave it to me. Just you wait and see," replied Citan.
They walked inside to see the clerk still behind his desk. He recognized the two of them and nodded to them.
"The sand buggy you were waiting for is back. Do you want to rent it?" he asked.
"Yes, that is right. Do you have any we can rent right now?" asked Citan.
"Of course... the keys are in the ignition, you can take it now."
"Well then, if I may," Citan glanced at Fei. "Fei, I am going into the desert to search for parts for Weltall."
"Going to the desert? Doc, are you going to excavate some ruins or something?"
Citan shook his head. "The Kislev and Aveh armies are confronting each other in the desert all the time. There is talk that their forces often break into battle over the ruins."
"What does that have to do with that Gear?" asked Fei, genuinely puzzled.
"If I search the battlefields for the wrecks of such army Gear...I should be able to find the parts we need," Citan leaned in closer and whispered into Fei's ear. "Besides Weltall is a Kislev Gear, so we need parts from Kislev Gears."
"But..."
"Fei, you are such a worrier. Things have a way of working out," said Citan with a reassuring look. "You do not need to worry so much. Why not go kill some time at the bar until I get back."
"Doc..." said Fei, but Citan had already turned and walked out. A few seconds later, an ignition turned, an engine started, and he was gone. The clerk waved to get Fei's attention.
"Hey, are you letting him go out there alone? Lots of fights break out in the desert... it's a real dangerous place. I've heard about a group of pirates riding around attacking people on a sand cruiser. You really shouldn't let him go out there by himself."
Fei decided that Citan could take care of himself, so he left the shop and headed off towards the inn. Inside, he found that Big Joe was still there downing drinks as if he were drinking water. He took a seat next to him and ordered a drink, but Big Joe noticed him.
"...Hic... Where's your friend? There's a war on in the desert and he just goes wandering off there? If your friends are important to you, then don't let them get away. Especially if it's a lady friend... Gahahaha!"
Fei looked at the clock and decided that if Citan wasn't back in a few hours, he was going to go look for him. Citan never came back. Fei took a deep breath before he walked through the archways of Dazil, and into the desert.
WHEW! It's been forever since I last added a chapter. Sorry about that! I had been busy with school and lack of interest/inspiration to finish this chapter. I'm not sure if I'll have another chapter finished by the end of the summer though because in about a month from today, I'll be deploying down to Georgia for training. I know this chapter lacks a lot of luster compared to the chapter prior! Sorry!