I don't own Xenoblade Chronicles X
Chapter two
Walking out of the shower, Fenrir wrapped a towel around himself feeling really refreshed. He rubbed the mist off the mirror in the bathroom, and understood why everyone is so weary of him. He really is a little off putting. The spiky hair, the savage green eyes, the strong jaw line. Attractive yes, but in a more wild sort of way. His spiky mane tickled the nape of his neck. And there is this odd glow around his eyes. He opened his mouth to check for fangs luckily finding none. He is starting to feel sorry for all the people he met.
Putting his looks aside, he still felt nothing coming to mind.
He tried to check his pockets for some form of I.D but he only found a one hundred thousand credits. Where'd he get those credits, he has no clue. All it can tell him is that he maybe some rich kid or something.
He can add that to the list of things that don't really help much. Like what a skell is, and that he can speak at least ten different languages including Russian. Now that he thinks about it also Mandarin.
And Japanese. And Creole. And-
Ok so he speak over a hundred languages now. But that was only a guess really. What he truly knows is how to fight. More specifically, he can fight. He doesn't really know how. Hell doesn't even think he has a certain style. He…thinks its tae kwon do, no Karate and a mix of Kong fu. No wait all three and Muay Thai, no actually-
"Argh!" Fenrir growled at the headache coming on. Running his hand threw his hair in frustration.
Nothing is coming to mind! No family, no names, not even his job! Whatever the hell a guy who know a bunch of martial arts, fifty different languages, and is good with money even dose!
He sighed, giving up. To be honest he is even wondering why he was even trying to remember.
The Earth is literally dust in the emptiness of space. Whatever life he had, is gone. He can start anew here. But something left him incomplete. Unwhole. And that was in his memories. That something is inside him and he has to find it.
He took another towel to dry his hair.
Fighting. That's the only thing he can do. This BLADE seems to do that in spades. Joining up with them could help with his memory problem. He looked at the clothes they had set out for him.
A black jacket, white shirt, and white jeans.
"…Well it's either this or wondering around on this planet to get eaten." Fenrir mumbled to himself and got changed.
"Hmm, interesting." Nagi rubbed his chin in thought after listening to Elma's report. "And he's the only one you found?"
"Yes." Her, Lin and Nagi are in the briefing room. Standing in front of a holo table listening on how Elma found Fenrir. Said man joined them, looking a lot cleaner after a nice shower.
"Hey! How do you feel?" Lin greeted him and he nodded back to her. He is glad to be in cleaner clothes.
"I hope the clothes fit." Elma said. "I was only able to guess your size."
They fit fine. Which is kind of scary that she was able to find out he sizes by just looking at him.
"I believe it's time I formally introduce myself." Said the secretary, getting everyone's attention. "My name is Kentaro Nagi. You may remember me as captain of the White Whale, but now I serve as Secretary of Defense here for New LA. Although…"
Kentaro shook his head in disagreement with himself, "Saying you 'remember me' would be wrong. Elma's told me about your memory loss. You don't even remember your own name correct? Form the stasis?"
Fenrir didn't really know whether to say yes or no to that. Never the less he agreed.
"Sometimes when people come out of stasis form a long time, their memories get all jumbled up because they've been sleeping for over a year or so." Lin explained.
"Right." Kentaro nodded to her. "So try not to let worry you too much. It will come back to you."
Fenrir crossed his arms, nearly stopping himself form scoffing in protest. It's rather easy for him to say since he's not missing something in his life.
"Anyway, the provisional movement has taken with keeping the peace, so all military and police matters fall under my jurisdiction."
"He's also my superior officer." Elma added. As if he being a secretary wasn't enough of a bigger status. "And he'd be an excellent person to talk to when you're ready to start looking for work."
"What about a job at BLADE?" He suggested. "From what you've told me he seems more then capable."
Fenrir actually agreed with him. Nodding his head with Kentaro.
"Now hold on." Elma halted them before they could sign any papers. "You barely know anything about us, and being a BLADE is more than just killing indigens and rescuing people."
Elma shook her head, "At least wait until you know more to make a full decision."
"Ture. Although it's only been two months since we've got here so it shouldn't take too long for him to get caught up."
Elma agreed, "I was thinking the same thing."
She turned to Fenrir, "Well then where should we begin?"
"What is BLADE exactly?" Fenrir asked the first question on his mind.
"The name itself is an acronym." Nagi explained. "'Builders of a Legacy after the Destruction of Earth'. Quite fitting, I think." He let small smirk come out at that but swiftly turned it back to his normal serious frown.
"It's a relatively new organization. Up there in space, we had plenty of provisions, and a crew trained to handle the limited amount of situations we might encounter on our travels…However all that changed after we lost most of our ship crashing down here on Mira."
He brought up a holo image of different BLADEs doing many task. Some fighting the beasts on this planet, others looking over the horizon of what looked like a desert. "We needed food. Water. Search and rescue teams. Surveyors. Police…the list goes on and on. It was too much for the provisional government to manage on its own. So BLADE was born."
"The idea was to have one central organization with different disciplines to fill these various roles." He continued. "Its core was pulled from the Coalition military, so it's mostly former soldiers. However as Elma said fighting isn't our most important duty. Our top priority is to search for-and recover the life hold."
He nodded to Elma who activated another holo image on the table. The light blue 3D image sprang up and formed a tall tower. Unlike the one in the middle of NLA, this one is more spherical. A special design meant to hold something. Stat chats and data feeds popped into the air showing knowledge and Intel about the tower. Some information he understood. Others he didn't.
"Take a look at this." She said. "The White Whale was designed to carry an exceedingly large number of passengers, all of them held in stasis…all housed and stored in the Lifehold. This is a complete schematic of that facility."
"And your main job is to find this?" Fenrir easily summed up.
"Yes." Elma answered, still trying to get used to how his rough his voice could sound. "Only essential personnel were conscious and active during the journey form Earth. But the vast majority were in the Lifehold-ARE in the Lifehold. With any luck there are still in statais-waiting to be rescued. But it's not all in one piece like this."
Elma looked at Fenrir, "It broke apart when we came down like the White Whale and we don't know exactly where all the pieces landed. Not very comforting, I know. BLADE's top objective right now is to find those missing pieces."
The image died down and sunk back into the table. Fenrir crossed his arms summaries the whole thing. If he was to join BLADE he will be looking for this Lifehold most of the time, not really something he could complain about. But it did bring up the question of where could something so big hide?
He shook his head of answering that question since they didn't know it themselves. He went on to the most important one.
"Who were the ones who destroyed Earth?" He wanted any information on them. It would be some comfort to at least know who nearly annihilated the human race.
Nagi shook his head, "They gave us no name. Only demanding earth be destroyed."
For moment, Fenrir saw those strong black eyes become mournful, but only for a moment. "They were two hyper advanced alien species waring over us. Their tech was far advance form our own. We were like infants compared to them. In a single stroke Earth gone. Completely erase form space."
"I…Still wonder if I hadn't been there…" Elma's sudden cracked voice took everyone's attention. "If maybe all of this could have somehow been avoided…"
Fenrir couldn't be more suspicious. What role could Elma have played in all this? What could she have done? These aliens had tech far more advanced than their own, what could have she done that would have changed anything? He stayed quite on the matter.
For now anyway.
Now he knows why he hates the military. Too many secrets.
Her commanding officer, however, disagreed with her. "No one could have known Elma. What we DO know is, without you, there'd have been no Project Exodus, and no escape for any of us." He eyes flashed a look a high appreciation for her. "Did it go perfectly? No. But we are here, and we are alive. We survived."
Elma didn't seem to agree with him, but shook her head not the less. Deep unyielding regret in her eyes. It made Fenrir lessen his suspicious, if only a little. If she can feel glut form something she couldn't prevent, she must have a big heart under that stern exterior. Something he thought she lack. Or maybe it's him who's lacking a heart.
"Ah yes," Kentaro re-sparked the conversation. "Project Exodus. Once we learned the Earth might be threatened, we needed a plan to preserve all her various lifeforms. That plan was the Earthlife Colonization Project. Otherwise known as project Exodus."
Elma took over the explanation. "Those of who escaped on the White Whale spent two years wandering in space."
"It would have been longer if not for…whatever attacked." Fenrir interrupted.
Elma closed her eyes, remembering that day. And the people they lost.
"It wasn't a random attack by just anything. It was the same ones who attacked us on Earth."
"They wanted more than Earth gone." Nagi said. "They want all of humanity wiped out."
Fenrir closed his eyes. Crossing his arms and bow his head slightly. Humming to himself.
He was like that for a few seconds, until Nagi asked Elma, "Is he ok?"
"He's thinking." Lin answered nervously, "I uh think."
Elma shook her head but smiled at the young man's antics. "Fenrir's a bit…out there."
Nagi watched him stand there. Humming with his eyes closed as he thought. "Indeed." He concluded.
"They….maybe still here…" Fenrir said under his breath. "Whoever it is that attacked, both Earth and the White Whale, maybe on this planet with us."
His words hung in the air like a guillotine on a very loss rope.
"W-Wait seriously?" Lin looked a little panicked.
Elma hummed. Thinking of the odds. They aren't in their favor.
She turned at the secretary, "You don't think-"
"It is a possibility…" Nagi rubbed his chin in consideration. "What makes you so sure?"
"Well…" Fenrir struggled to find the words. His grassy eyes gazing at the ground, "They traveled, probably half the galaxy just to kill an entire planet. Then traveled further just to take out one ship."
He looked at everyone, his voice sounding more ominous by the second. It wasn't his words however. It was how he said them. So plainly. So cleaning. As if he has done this a million times before.
"If I wanted to make sure someone was dead, and I am this persistent, I would make sure I could see their blooded corpse before I stopped. And so far, there aren't that enough bodies lying around to satisfy a global genocide."
The room grew hauntingly silent. They've only been on this planet for two months. They've barely gotten out of Primordia. Who's to say that, somewhere on this massive planet that their hunting past is sitting right next door to them.
"…I will talk to cornel Vanham about this." Nagi took the pressure out of the room a little bit. "But in any case this is all to take in. You'll be wanting some time to think. Ms. Koo."
He turned to Lin, "Even I'm tired of hearing myself speak. Why don't you take our guest out for some air?"
"Perhaps a tour of the administrative district." He suggested.
Fenrir looked to the young girl who happy agreed with him. "Yes sir!"
She grinned at him as she started to walk out of the briefing room. "Come on," She said. "Let's keep this briefing brief."
She led him and Elma out of the barracks while Kentaro stayed.
"Those eyes…" He whispered to himself. Fenrir's light green eyes bring back a distant memory. "Where have I seen them before…." However it wasn't a fond thought as a haunting shiver crawled up his spine.
It was late in the afternoon and the administrative district is still a hustle and bustle. BLADE members covered the streets, talking and running form mission to mission. Elma, Lin and Fenrir walked out to these streets after their meeting with Nagi.
"You know," Elma said to Fenrir. "It's not every day we're authorized to let a civilian tour the administrative district."
"Yeah." Lin agreed. "Nagi must really, REALLY want him to join BLADE."
Fenrir crossed his arms and shook his head. Stating that his going to join BLADE regardless if Nagi wanted him to or not.
"Well, you can handle yourself pretty well." Elma answered, Lin still confused on his silent way of talking. "But there's still a lot learn before we take you."
Fenrir just nodded. Ready for anything they could throw at him.
"Well, then let's start this little tour." Elma turned his attention to the whole district. "The AD is a bit different from the other district. It's got everything a BLADE would need, all in one place without any extra fluff."
Fenrir was listening intently at her, however Lin's eyes grew big at the sight of a skell walking through the middle of the district. People getting out its way but not stopping their own business.
"Get….a load…of that Skell…" Lin spoke in awe of the mechanical marvel. "Even the way that they WALK is sooo coooool…."
"Oh, yeah work it baby…" Lin said in an oddly husky voice for a walking tank. "Mmm-mmm-mmm."
Fenrir gave her a deadpanned look. Wondering just how old Lin really was. But he does have to admit, there is a certain wonder about watching such a power piece of tech walking around like that.
He crossed his arms in his usual fashion and stared at the skell too.
"HMKE-2345-buster sowrd. 3434-DFROM-Aussalt rifle. ZDORX-head piece." He suddenly listed off random parts form off the top of his head.
"Now THIS guy gets it!" However before he could even ask where the hell they even came from, Lin was on him like a hunger tiger. And there was no stopping her.
"Aren't they just the coolest?! Just…everything about them!" Lin went off like fire cracker during Chinese New Year. "The lasers, the force fields, the bipedal AND vesicular transformation?! You ever have that dream where you're inside one and it's just transforming over and over? And over?"
"Uh…" Says the poor little mouse as he stared down the gaping jaws of white tiger.
Elma just closed her eyes. Wondering if she scream before or after counting to ten.
"Actually, I uh…I don't show this to people." Lin said, her face turning into an innocent blush. Looking at the ground, dancing on her toes like a young school girl asking someone on a date. "But I've been working on some skell fanfiction."
And that image was tossed out the window then burn with napalm.
"Hold on, I'll just pull up here, one sec-"
"Lin." Elma said sternly. Dragging Lin out her fantasies.
"Oh…" She looked at Elma, then looked at the shocked expression on Fenrir's face. It would be funny, if not for massive amounts of embarrassment. "Oh, right….Sorry."
Fenrir scratched the back of his head. Feeling a little bad for reacting so harshly he thought of something to try and cheer her up.
"Wha-he-hey!?"
Fenrir patted her head silently. Messing up her hair a little.
"W-what's that for!?" Lin turned utterly red form the sudden contact. Swatting his hand away and fixing her hair. "Geez! I am not a dog!"
Fenrir scratched his cheek, his eyes apologizing to her.
Lin, however just sighed. Giving up on trying to understand him. "Man. You're so wired you know that?"
The weirdo just shrugged.
Elma sighed too, continuing her explanation. "Anyway. Originally, Skells were developed as a defensive measure-to counter potential alien threats. It wasn't enough to save Earth, though-we were outnumber and outgunned."
"Still," She smiled, gesturing to the people around NLA. "Just look around you. New LA has gone form basically nothing to this in just a few short months. We could never have come so far so fast without Skell tech."
"Sounds like a powerful piece of hardware…" He mumbled.
"They are." Elma agreed. "But it's not that simple that not just everyone can use them."
"Well yeah, duh." Lin interjected. "For one thing, only BLADEs are allowed to pilot Skells, and even then you need a license."
"These aren't toys we're talking about-they're complex machines with powerful weapons." Elma added, stressing the use of the mech. "And they're a precious resource-we only have so many of them to go around. It's not easy getting a certification."
"Do you have one?" He asked them.
"Elma dose." Lin said. "She's a great pilot after all."
"A pilot is only as good as the Skell." She added. "But there is some criteria. The details are largely hidden, but basically- HQ only allows the cream of the crop to take the test. BLADEs who go above and beyond in their duties and for the people of New LA in general."
Well that explains why Elma has one but-
"And you don't have one?" Fenrir said to Lin, a little shocked. When Lin's knowledge, skill, and…enthusiasm. She should have gotten a license a long time ago.
"I wish!" She groaned. "But it's not like going to the DMV. They chose you, not the other way around."
"Hmmm…." He went into his thinking pose. With a Skell getting around Mira is going to be breeze.
"Don't worry." Lin shook him out his thoughts with words of encouragement. "If you work hard enough I am sure they'll tap you on the shoulder one day."
"Same to you." He nodded throwing her words right back at her.
"Hee hee! Thanks!"
"Alright, let's head to our next stop on this little tour bus." Elma said walking deeper into the district.
The tour through the district was a long one. They took to the BLADE Concourse where BLADE members took missions and where they met a woman called Eleanora. She greeted Fenrir kindly. Something he found nice. Until she said he looked just like puppy and she wanted to pet his 'ears'. He doesn't know what was odder. The fact that she said that, the fact he let her, or that fact that Elma looked like she wanted to pet them too.
They showed him the Scout Console, armory alley and the tower, all the while explaining what each thing did for BLADE and NLA as whole. Lin and Elma treated him like an old friend oddly. Like they were already comrades for a long time. It was all really odd for him. Not only is not used to people but he's not used to kindness either. Nevertheless, he found himself enjoying the company they brought. And Lin's energy is just very infectious, especially when she's talking about her beloved skells.
However it's seemed Elma was hesitant on letting him join. Or more actuality worried about him getting in over his head. Which he understood. While he dose hate the military, Lin did have a point. You'd have be an idiot or crazy not to join their organization. The benefits out weighted the downside. Which was dying, a pretty big downside, but he was oddly comfortable about facing death.
A tad too comfortable.
But he shook off her concerns. He's going to join them if they like it or not. Fighting is the only thing he can do until he gets back his memories so he might as well make the most of it.
"So," Lin said as they walked back to the barracks. "Did any of that help you remember anything?"
"Hmm…" Fenrir stood in front of the doorway thinking. If he armory, the mission control, anything could help him remember. All he knows know is that he's a fighter, probably rich, and knows a thing or two about gaint robots. He sounds like some rich playboy genius that's fight's crime in a mech or something.
"Dose the name…Iron man ring any bells?" He asked. The just popped into his head, not that it meant anything.
"You mean that really old comic series back in like what, 2016?" Lin giggled. "How old are you?"
He actually doesn't know that answer.
"Lin." Elma chested, crossing her arms like an angry mother. "Try to be a little more sensitive. Being able to remember even something as trivial as that can help. Maybe it was his favorite story as a child."
"R-Right sorry…" Lin apologized swiftly, but he waved it off. Even if he did remember, he has a feeling it wasn't anything too important.
Walking back into the barracks, Secretary Nagi was setting in the couch with a cup of coffee in his hands.
"Honey were home!" Lin greeted him cheerfully.
However Nagi merely deadpanned, "Yes. Very amusing."
Giggling Lin wander into the kitchen asking, "Who wants a fresh cup of tea?"
Elma walked up to Nagi and sat across form him. While Fenrir leaned against the wall near the kitchen taking Lin's offer.
"Thank you, Ms. koo but I can't stay for long." He said. "I am just pass along a request form your commanding officer."
"Commander Vanham? Hmm." Elma sounded very skeptical. "Does it have something to do with our new arrival?"
"Correct." Nagi took slow sip form his mug. "He stopped by while you out on your tour, but he said he'll come back, but that I shouldn't wait to ask you."
"Heh. Here we go." Elma laughed, but there was no joy in it as she crossed her arms. "I bet I can guess…"
"You probably can." Nagi set down his cup. "He wants to fast-track our new friend for BLADE duty with a training assignment."
Ngai's voice suddenly dropped a few octaves, mocking someone's voice, "what the hell are we wait'in for?' as he put it."
Elma rolled her eyes, "The dose have commander has a way with words."
"Makes even my pitch sound smooth." Lin added as she handed Fenrir a cup of tea. Which he took with a friendly nod.
"I explained about the memory issues, but he didn't see it as a problem." Nagi shook his head, as if he couldn't believe he was agreeing with this Vanham. "And to be honest, after what you told me and, given our need for BLADE recruits, I can't say I entirely disagree."
Elma shook her head, "Hey it's not me you need to convince." She looked a Fenrir who accepted the cup of tea firm Lin. "BLADE service is voluntary, remember?"
Nagi nodded and looked to the young man against the wall. A cup of tea in his hands. "What say you? Can we count on you to do your part?"
Fenrir let the smell a Lin's home brewed tea gently wafted through his nose. The scent of jasmine and honey. These sweet smells should calm him. Make him remember a more simpler days. Days before aliens blew up his home, before he fights gaint bugs, before he lost his memory.
But it doesn't. And it frustrated him to no end.
"I was going to join you all regardless. I have no memory, and the only thing I know how to do is fight, and even I'm questioning that." He took a small sip of the tea, glad to at least enjoy the taste. "Even if I didn't, where could I go? I don't even remember my own name, and I highly doubt I have family here."
Fenrir shrugged, almost nonchalantly. "To quote Lin, 'I would have to be an idiot not to join.'"
"Alright!" Lin chirped. "Welcome to the cool kids club!"
"Good to have you abroad." Nagi bowed politely while Elma smiled at him.
"Now then, let's discuss that training assignment."
The group had moved to the mission briefing room with Nagi taking the lead.
"We've decided to start you out on a probe installation, just to get your feet wet." Nagi explained.
Fenrir agreed, he heard about probes back on their tour of the Admin district when they ran into a woman named Kristy. It sounded like quite the effective system, however with a planet as big as Mira, task sounds nearly endless.
"You'll be heading here." Nagi brought up an image of the whole Primordia continent. Hexagonal segments covered the entire map of the grassy plains. NLA look utterly out of place with its modern city and silver blow surrounding it. The image zoomed in on a spot a few miles east for New Los Angeles.
"To that white segment. Go there install the data probe and then come back here."
"Got it." Elma acknowledged, her voice sounding more serious, more experienced. It sounded like a true soldier. "East of the city."
"In that case, we can take the east gate out of the administrative district, right" Lin suggested and Fenrir nodded to it. "We should be there in no time."
"I'll leave the details on the data probe installation to you Elma."
"Of course Mr. Secretary." The turned to the other two, a nearly braked at them in the tone of general.
"All right, you two, shall we?" Fenrir almost had the eager to salute her.
"Yeah!" Lin, eager as always, pumped up the rest of the air in the room. "Training or no. Let's go install the HELL outta that probe!"
I actually have the most of the game's first 3 chapters done. I just need the tyrant fight and finding Tatsu. Here's hoping I finish this quickly so I bring in his past. I really want to get working on it.
Anyway, thanks for the read!