Disclaimer - I don't own Phantasy Star Online 2 or My Time At Sandrock. This was written for Write to Rank - the red belt round, and the goal was to write a 2.9-3k story involving a spin-off to an existing action-based fandom that's popular, though they didn't specify how popular it needed to be. And we could do a crossover, so I ended up doing this for this.
And the Stars Fall
"It's quiet for once, " Zeno thought to himself, his head turned, so he looked out of the window of the ARKS ship. Bright specks of light of various sizes twinkled as if beckoning him to a new future. " I not only managed to get away from Echo's constant nagging. " Zeno ran a calloused hand through his short, red hair. " But there doesn't seem to be any dire emergency that we higher-ups have to deal with right now. "
As if on cue, the alarms which alerted everyone whenever any of the ships in the ARKS fleet were under attack went a red light cascading around the walls and floors around Zeno.
His mouth pushed into a firm line, expecting a message from Xiera—the ship's administrator regarding what was going on when the ship lurched, the distinct rumble of something smashing into the ship's side echoing through the metalwork. What that was, Zeno didn't know or have the time to think about what that was, as the ship continued to lurch as he and everyone else around him staggered slightly.
And then the lurching stopped.
Zeno glanced around, noting the slight slant of the ship as the red lights continued flashing and the alarm blaring, warning about some unknown threat. Outside the nearby window, the once beckoning stars moved, willing him to vomit at the strange sensation the ship was still lurching, perhaps even falling. The slight tilt to everything as he stood up straight didn't help. He took a deep breath. "Xiera?"
"Ah. Yes," the perky administrator said before a projected screen appeared in front of Zeno. She tilted her head, her blond pigtails bouncing as she did so. "I don't know who attacked us, but I do know our ship's gravitational field's been damaged, thus creating this weird tilt. And our orbit is starting to decay."
"Can you do something about it?" Ulku, the Supreme Commander, asked from another place on the ship.
"I can try," Xiera said, her usual optimism missing as yet another something hitting the ship was felt, making everyone stagger., the tilt not helping as a few ARKS operatives around Zeno managed to land on their bottoms rather than staying on their feet. A hissing sound was heard from nearby, like air escaping from-
Zeno glanced around, his eyes spotting a small place on the ship starting to bend. "Uh. Xiera. We may have a problem."
"I've got like a million and one things to do, Zeno!" Xiera called out, flustered.
"Send me the info for Zeno's area," Ulku said, the screen flickering, allowing her to appear instead of Xiera. She fixated on the screen in front of her, then nervously brushed a strand of long hair behind one of her pointed Newman ears. "Zeno, your area's decompressing. I want you to tell everyone in your area to escape using the nearby stasis pods to escape. We'll pick you up when we can."
"Yes, but," Zeno sucked in his breath, grinding his teeth.
"Zeno, you're useless to us dead," Ulku said. "And right now, that's the best option. The only option. The power to the field preventing a complete collapse of that area because there is a breach; I do not know how long it will hold with what is going on."
The screen flickered off and-
Those nearby were looking at him. " Which makes sense given I was one of the six and the second in command of the Training Bureau. Not that Regius and Maria ever gave me the chance to do anything there. " To catch the attention of those a little farther away, he placed his fingers between his lips and whistled before lifting his arm into the air motioning for the others to follow him. "I've been informed by the supreme commander that we're to evacuate the area. Help everyone you can get to the pods."
Everyone sprung into motion, knocking on the doors of the few residential units in the area, rousting the individuals out, making sure the civilians get out first."
Another loud shudder echoed through, and the hole grew more prominent.
"Come on. Hurry!" Zeno said, pulling up a list Ulku sent him onto a screen, his body growing tense. " I feel useless, " he thought, carefully checking off civilians and injured ARKS operatives as they went into the pods, watching each launch out into space; the stars were starting to move faster outside and-
"Lieutenant Zeno!" someone called out.
Zeno cringed from the sound of panic in the ARKS operative's voice and, "You can just call me Zeno. No need for formalities."
"But, you were one of the Six," they said, motioning for him to come over and see the issue.
"Not that was for very long," Zeno laughed, attempting to lighten the mood. "I mean, like what? All of an hour before the new system was put into place. What's the problem?"
"Some of the pods are damaged," the ARKS operative said. "They have to be manually launched."
Which meant someone would need to stay behind. "I'll do it."
"But," the ARKS operative stated.
"I'll make sure the damaged pods get launched. Just get everyone and yourself in," Zeno said. "You do know this isn't my first rodeo? I mean, don't be surprised if everyone thinks I'm dead, and boom—I show up again thanks to our Guardians."
"You shouldn't joke about some things." And then, "Nobody wants you to die."
"What I'm saying is I'm lucky," Zeno said. " Though I don't feel lucky. Didn't the last time either. "
He started into the non-functioning pods as the ARKS operatives continued evacuating everyone. At the first one, he frowned. "Xiera? Ulku? How do I take care of a damaged pod?"
"You don't!" Xiera popped up on the screen. "You don't have the capabilities of fixing them, Zeno!"
"I don't think Zeno wants to know how to fix them," Ulku said, appearing split-screen. "I think he wants to know how to launch a damaged pod manually."
"What—oh!" Xiera said before pulling something up.
"And is it safe to launch them?"
"Yes. If someone was allowed into the pod, then it's not been breached. Because if it's been breached, well, that cuts all power to-"
"He doesn't need a lecture, Xiera," Ulku sighed, rolling her eyes. "I know this because I familiarized myself with the system when I became the commander of all ARKS. You need to manually pull all four levers, which will be at the top and sides. You may have to force some. But try not to let anyone else go into damaged pods if possible."
"Because it's dangerous?" Zeno said.
"Well," Xiera said. "There's a reason why we check everyone when they come out of stasis for clearing out the Darkness from their systems for memory issues."
"Got it," Zeno said. "Should I get the ones in out?"
"No! It's…."
Xiera didn't have to finish.
"Thanks for the info," Zeno signed off. He took a deep breath before heading to the first pod, his fingers beginning to pry the latch back. His thick muscles tensed, and his teeth clenched, but after a few minutes, the clutch on the pod came loose. He found the other three easy and watched as the pod started moving forward for launch as the others had.
He moved onto the next pod, prying the latch open when another ARKS operative joined him—a small handful, including the one who had pointed out the pods were damaged in the first place. "Tell us what to do."
"You should all be gone."
"We let others take the non-damaged pods that were left. We might as well help you get each one out, and then you can send us off."
Zeno nodded, prying back the next latch, and soon, it was time to send off the three. The first two took a few minutes to pry the latches up, but the third-
There was a latch that wouldn't budge. Zeno's fingers dug into the point he felt abrasions start to form on the tops of his fingertips, even with the black gloves he wore. He groaned, the muscles in his arm hurting from pulling the latch. "Please! Please let me get this pulled!" He took a deep breath, but-
For some reason, breathing wasn't as easy.
Another something crashed into the side, and the lights flashed off, and Zeno staggered, this time going onto one knee at the sudden movement. Despite the pain in his knee, he pulled himself up and started pulling the latch, only to find he could only get the latch an inch out, but as his face came closer as his head spun from lack of oxygen, he could see the latch was damaged. He let out a curse, wondering-
A robotic hand reached out to the hand of a CAST.
His mind noted the black and white coloring of the CAST yet didn't process who it was even as he felt them reach around him to support themselves against the wall so they might pull and break the latch with a resounding snap. Zeno watched the pod head out with the others. "That's the last one."
"No, it's not," the person said. "And I won't be the one taking the last pod to launch."
Zeno turned his head, looking at the CAST. "Regius?"
"Don't Regius me, troublemaker," the CAST said.
Zeno swallowed, remembering everything Regius had taught him. "I'm not leaving you."
That was when he went black for a few minutes. When he started to come to, he saw himself in one of the pods with Regius looking in. A hand reached up to punch the bridge of his nose near the scar on his face. "My head hurts."
"I can't imagine why troublemaker. Always causing trouble for his teacher," Regius said, a laugh in his electronic voice. "I hope if you remember anything when you come out of there, it's what I taught you to survive."
"Wait. What about you?" Zeno asked, his head spinning from what might be a head injury and lack of oxygen.
"I'm a CAST. This is an artificial body, so if you remember me sending you off, remember that as well—that I will be fine," Regius laughed again.
Zeno opened his mouth, wanting to say there were other things, when Regius turned his head as if something happened, and then-
The door closed, and there was oblivion as stasis kicked in.
Then-
Static.
Mental static.
Name—Zeno.
Mind registered a falling sensation, almost like the feeling of flying in a dream only to wake up the moment one fell. And blackness, unable to see anything at first, mingling with thoughts of his eyes being closed and that perhaps he should open his eyes. Then came the reverberation, both in sound and feeling, followed by a swooshing sound outside his pod as the lights flickered on.
Memories through the mental static as his fingers reached out in search of the release mechanism for the pod—name, Zeno.
And that was it.
The hot sun touched skin, leaving the sensation that the exposed skin might blister. Patrolling the town simply meant walking the beat, but patrolling the border meant riding out there. Unsuur heard the leather strain as he hoisted himself up in the saddle, and with a quick click, he and his mount were off, heading out of town to do the rounds of two men and a cat. The familiar beat of the horse's gait relaxed him as he road out, yet not so much he wasn't alert enough to spot Grace, an employee from the Blue Moon Saloon.
He turned his horse in her direction, clicking his tongue when he did. He said nothing as Grace looked up, frowning. "I know, I know. Justice has lectured me more than once about coming out here searching for relics for my research."
"Abandoned ruins?" Unsuur asked as she turned and continued walking. He slowed the gait of his horse to her pace.
She glanced up, a smile twisting across her face. "Okay. So maybe what he doesn't want me looking for is a newly abandoned ruin. Sandrock could certainly use the economic bolstering."
Unsuur frowned, unsure of whether that was a good thing.
She laughed as if catching in. "Yeah, yeah. I know what happened last time. They didn't care about the environment; the oasis almost dried up completely. Burgess lectures quite a lot about how it will never return to its former glory and that we can't waste water out here. But, we still need to survive. And," she said, her mouth twisting. "The price of living isn't bad for someone like me."
Unsure nodded his head, although he didn't have any memories in that rock for a brain of his of anything outside of the desert. And he knew he wasn't making good conversation. His mouth opened when-
They heard a roaring sound coming towards them, drawing their eyes to what looked like a fireball coming from the sky as Unsure proceeded to calm his horse. Their heads turned, following the fireball as it-
A loud boom was heard, and Unsure barely registered the booming sound or how sand sprung up around whatever came from the sky when it crashed into the desert. He'd dismounted his horse and touched the side of its head to calm her, shushing the beast so that she wouldn't bolt. He did, though, notice Grace heading straight for whatever just landed. He let out a sigh, patted the cheek of his horse again, and started after her, calming his horse as they moved along.
He wanted to say something about her not having any sense of danger. Yet, Unsuur wasn't the conversationalist type, preferring conversations about rocks and Captain, the cat member of the Civil Corps over other forms of talk.
"What do you think it is?"
Unsuur shook his head, not that she was paying attention.
"You think it's from some kind of weapon?" Grace asked, approaching the black object.
"That's bad, right?" He said, thinking black might mean Duvos empire.
"Of course, that's bad, Unsuur. You're with the Civil Corps, so you should know that," Grace said, turning to give him a look he couldn't read. "Do you think it's a bomb?"
She then reached out to touch the rather large black object. Unsuur sucked in his breath. "If so, don't touch it."
Grace frowned, then said. "I think there's someone inside."
Unsuur stared, then tapped her shoulder. When she turned to look at him, he held out the reins of his horse to her before stepping over. On closer inspection, a hatch was big enough for a person to go through, yet the hatch might just lead to the external components. "You aren't trying to make me diffuse a bomb, are you? I don't know how."
"Wow. That's a mouthful. No. It wasn't a ticking sound, but someone was moving inside. And I think I could easily open it up by pulling that latch at the side of the hatch."
Unsuur let out a sigh, his fingers reaching out to pull the latch that would open the pod up and then-
The hatch opened with a whooshing sound, and a person was inside. And the person moved, coming out, staggering as they did.
Grace whistled. "Wow. You look like my boss."
Unsuur frowned, not seeing the comparison other than the fact—yes, this man like Owen was more prominent than him.
"Except there's way too much red," Grace continued.
"Oh," Unsuur said, now thinking he could see the comparison she was making.
"Um, hello," she said. "My name is Grace, and this is Unsuur. What is your name?"
"Zeno," the man muttered, still getting a bearing of his situation.
"Are you from Duvos?" She asked. "Because if so…."
"Duvos?" Zeno looked up at her. "I've never heard of it."
"Then where are you from?"
Zeno stared, then said. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" Grace asked.
"I just…." Zeno frowned.
That was when-
Unsuur recognized the laughing sound of the Rockyenaroll that always set his nerves on end even though he knew he could handle them. And he heard the laughter of the Alpha. His hand went to his side, ready to pull his gun when Zeno pulled out of nowhere as if he'd simply materialized it from thin air a sword.
The sword was giant, white with black edging and design.
"Hold on," Grace said. "Unsuur has a gun, so…."
And then a shot rang out, one that Unsuur didn't shoot.
If his imagination wasn't playing tricks on him, Zeno fired a warning shot off at the pack of Rockyenaroll, which caused them to scatter and run. Yet Zeno very clearly carried a sword. Unsuur said nothing, as usual.
"What the!" Grace said. "What just happened?"
"I shot a warning shot," Zeno said.
"Figured," Unsuur said.
"Wait. What?" Grace said, looking back at Zeno, pointing a the redhead's weapon. "But that's a sword."
"Actually, it's a Gunblade," Zeno said.
"You mean it's a weapon from the Corrupted Age?" Grace said, biting down on her lip.
"The Corrupted Age?" Zeno asked. "What is the Corrupted Age?"
"Everyone knows what the Corrupted Age is," Grace sighed. "Or are you some relic from the Corrupted Age?"
Unsuur stared, his eyes going to the pod Zeno came from. He reached out and tugged Grace's sleeve.
"What?"
He pointed at the pod.
Silence, then, "Wait. Are you from the Corrupted Age?"
"I am still not following."
"I mean, were you in some kind of stasis?" Grace asked.
"Yes. It's a stasis pod. I remember that much."
Grace sucked in her breath. "Oh boy." She turned to Unsuur. "We need to tell Justice and Owen."
"Both?" Unsuur asked.
"Both."
