"Xenogers: New Gospel"

Two years since Fei ascended to the upper atmosphere, following the rapidly
retreating Deus as it attempted to escape our planet.  Two years since
Xenogears fell to earth, bringing with it both Fei and Elly.  Two years
since the destruction of the Zohar Modifier.  Two years since the collapse
of our civilization.

My name is Shitan Uzuki, most lately of Nisan, also of Laham, and Solaris.
During the two years since the destruction of the Deus planetary attack
system, we have been struggling to move on with our lives.  Nisan has become
a center, no THE center of the world, in both political and spiritual terms.
It is from the Holy City that most of our technology arises, the technology
of the ancients that allowed them to travel between space...  now the
technology that rejuvenates the soil, allowing crops to be grown at a faster
rate, as well as a million other things that have kept the remnants of the
human race on this planet from perishing during the first few months.

The source of this technology is, most surprisingly, Elyham Van Houten
herself.  Her interface with the Deus unit allowed her access to the
concepts that drive most of the ancient devices, a feat that was
extraordinary as no one understood any of the principles behind most of the
recovered technology that we were attempting to make use of.  This is turn
allowed us to actually use the data recovered from the supercomputer in the
original vessel, creating many devices to assist us.  Before we had
discovered this, we we're nearly without hope...  food was scarce, and many
of the terminal interfaces of Deus, the 'Seraphim', were threatening the
city itself.  Now we are protected by the great barrier, constructed from
the main shield generator of the ancient vessel, as well as several of the
mostly functional defense weapons.

However, the Wels and Seraphim that dwell out in the wilds are still great
threats to any unsuspecting settlements...  those that survived Deus's great
purge.  To that end, Reverend Billy Black has reformed the Etones to help
combat these monsters.  His efforts have saved many lives, but I can not
help but wonder what he has been thinking...  for both the Wels and Seraphim
were both human at one time.  Emeralda and Maria help him the best they can,
but there have been many casualties on both sides.

On that note, I feel I must cover what has been happening with the Gears.
Once the greatest source of military power in the history of our planet, the
Gears are now just useless piles of metal, they primary power source, the
Zohar Modifier, destroyed by Fei and myself during the final battle with
Deus.  However, certain gears such as <Seibzen> and Xenogears are still
active, as are the Suffal Gears.  This has led Elly and I to new information
on the Gears...  that a human mind and will, combined with the Gears fusion
coils, may be enough to allow them to function.  We now have a large enough
core of functional gears that we can hold of the Wel and Seraphim raiders,
as long as they do not function in large groups.

Bartholomew, Sigurd, and Margiurite have been serving as the governing
council of the nation of Nisan, while Rico has been leading survivors from
Nortune, the capital of Kislev, back to Nisan for protection.  We have had
several large groups of rebellious citizen appear within the last few years,
all of them with very real complaints about the government that was
currently in place.  Those four managed to step in and stop the bloodshed
that may have occurred, and have proven to be canny leaders, able to lead
the people in our times of need.

And then there is Fei.

I myself have not seen Fei for over seven months, not since the last major
attack by the Wels.  If this had been the days gone past, I would have been
concerned for him, as there existed a very real possibility that Fei's other
personality had taken over, and Fei may have been taken over.  Now Fei seems
to be in control of himself, and has attained a form of peace that few men
ever find.  But it seems that the peace that he has found has also forced
him into a mission that he deems of the utmost importance...

The last the rest of the group heard from him was a note left to Elly after
the last attack.  He said that he needed to remove the main reason why the
Seraphim were attack, and that we would be back soon.  Most of us were
concerned, but Elly restrained us from following him.  'Trust in Fei.' she
told us.  'If he feels that what he is doing will help the people here, then
let him carry out his mission.'  That was a year and a half ago.

For all we know, Fei could be stalking all over the planet, destroying the
Seraphim and Wels as he finds them.  He has the power...  he also has
Xenogears, the last true gear on the planet.  We have heard no such reports,
and we are left to wait and see what shall occur.  Emeralda insists that Fei
will return soon, and Elly seems to agree with her.  I know that he intends
to one day return...  My sources have been trying to track him, but with
little success.  I saw him for a brief moment in the town seven months ago,
outlined in the flames of one of Nisan's refugee centers that had been
overrun by Wels.  He was helping several people escape the flames, and as I
tried to catch up to him, the flames rose and swallowed his image...  the
only trace of his presence a note.  'I'm sorry Doc...  Tell Elly I love
her.'

This brings us to today, where in a most unprecedented event is occurring.
An event that will reshape the course of history on our planet...  again.
It seems that every event that alters the shape of this planet's history has
come from the sky...

I write this journal is case something goes wrong, so that if anyone should
someday read it, they will know what has transpired.  I do not feel that it
is necessary, but it is always safe to take precautions.

For we have been discovered.  In orbit above our planet hangs a ship from
the United Earth Federation, and they wish to communicate with their
children that were lost so long ago.


Chapter VI

Shitan looked up from his book, glancing at the timepiece on the wall.
Noting the time, he removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Four in the morning.  Yui's probably going to want to know why I didn't
come to bed."  he muttered, placing the thin metal strip in the book to keep
his place.  "But this book that Elly managed to unearth has some fascinating
material.  The fact that we recovered any of the ancients texts intact is a
miracle...  but the fact that there is a language shift makes reading this
very difficult."

Shitan stretched, placing both the translation dictionary that he had been
writing as well as the text, labeled 'History of the Federated American
States', on the table.  He had been working on trying to establish some form
of translation ever since the message from the 'Euphrates', the Federation
cruiser, had been received.  Only Elly seemed to completely understand the
message, and even she admitted that the language was much different from
what she understood.  The excitement of meeting humans from another world
had caused a great celebration in the town, and even now preparation were
being made for the welcome of their visitors.

Shitan smiled, remembering how Bart had complained that carrying all the
forms that were submitted for some act or demonstration in the welcoming
performance were going to break his back before he got to the town hall.
But he, Sigurd, and Margie were handling the pressure very well, and had
actually managed to get a schedule drawn up for the visitors' arrival in
three days.

"You're up late.  Or is it early now?"  A voice whispered in his ear.
Shitan smiled, and looked over his shoulder to his wife.  Yui wrapped her
arms around his waist, and sighed, tossing a few stray strands of her long
brown hair back out of her face.  "Your concerned, aren't you?  You haven't
gotten a full nights sleep ever since the message came in."

"It's not that."  Shitan replied, placing his hands over hers.  "Well, this
just seems a little too convenient.  Less than a week before this message
arrived, Elly was briefing us on the fact that we were running out of the
materials that some of the ancient devices require.  One of those devices is
the generator for the barrier.  I mentioned that we would have to start a
full scale operation to either upgrade our defensive capacity, or discover
more of the element that the barrier runs off of..."

"But this will be an excellent opportunity to acquire more of the materials
that you need to keep the barrier up and running."  Yui replied, resting her
chin of Shitan's shoulder.

"I know...  it's just a bit too convenient.  The material we need to
maintain the barrier and possibly more weapons technology?  It seems a bit
too perfect, and I intend on warning Elly of that fact.  But other than
that, I think that this is a wonderful opportunity.  Even Solaris held
almost no records of the great empire that we are descended from, and
actually meeting members of that empire..."  Shitan trailed off, looking out
into the night towards the city of Nisan.  Off to the right, the great
cathedral soared into the heavens, its lights making it seem to float on top
of the lake in the night sky.  Shitan reached over and kissed Yui, and
gently disengaged her arms.  "But I've gone without sleep before, and I need
to report to the council at eight this morning.  Please go back to bed...
I'll be fine."

Yui sighed and turned to leave.  "Dear, are you going to be out all day?
Your daughter's seeing even less of you now than when we were living on the
mountain top."

Shitan smiled, and waved her off.  "If I can make it home for lunch, I'll
try.  Our Great Lady may have other plans in mind for me though."

Yui shook her head and walked back into the bedroom, leaving the inventor to
stare out into the night sky.

..

The city of Nisan was a bustle of activity during the day, people moving
across the town square on errands and whatnot.  Although Shitan and his wife
lived on the outskirts of town, both he and Yui were prominent enough
figures that they would always draw several glances from strangers, and
greetings from anyone who even thought they were friends.  Shitan tugged on
the neck of his favorite high collared green shirt, practically the only
item left from his old house in Lahan.  Everywhere there was a buzz of
noise, people discussing the upcoming celebration, as well as the events
that had brought it to pass.

"Hey, Shitan!  What brings you down into the town square?"  a male voice
asked, and Shitan turned to see Sho Randa, one of the innkeepers in town,
standing behind him.

"Nothing much, I'm on a trip up to the cathedral to talk to the Great Lady."
Shitan yawned, pushing his glasses back into their proper position.  "And
how have you been Sho?"

The innkeeper gave a quaint shrug, and shook his head.  "I'm full up at the
inn for perhaps the next seven or eight days...  certainly until after the
festival.  You look bushed, old friend.  Have you had breakfast yet?"

Shitan shook his head in a negative.  "I had to rush out of the house early
this morning, but I made significantly better time than I thought I would.
You know that I'd hate to miss Yui's cooking...  of course, Fei always liked
it the best.  But was that an offer for a meal I heard?"

"Indeed it was.  Although I wasn't expecting to run into you down in the
city like this.  I've got a couple items to grab before I head back to the
inn.  Do you want to meet you there?"  Sho gestured back into the town
square, towards a small, two-story building.

Shitan shook his head, and fell in step beside Sho.  "I rarely ever get a
chance to just talk to my friends now...  Usually I'm very busy.  So tell
me, is it really that bad finding lodgings now?"

Sho chuckled, and turned into a decoration shop.  "The news spreads quickly.
We've had people from as far away as the Aquavy Islands showing up in Nisan,
which is rather suprising.  The announcement only when out two weeks ago."

Shitan glanced around the shop, smiling softly.  "I suspect that someone
immediately used a wide band radio transmitter to broadcast the new as soon
as we announced it.  But still, those people must have been moving with some
haste in order to get here this quickly."

"Haste or no haste, their here now.  And I'm getting hard pressed to provide
food for all of these people.  I've heard rumors that Mayor Fatima has
ordered several of the fields to be harvested early this year, in order to
facilitate all of the people who are arriving.  Is this true?"  Sho rubbed
his hands, glancing over several of the festive decorations that were laying
on the counter.  He gestured for the shopkeeper, and leaned against one of
the shelves, watching as Shitan considered his words.

Shitan finally looked at him and smiled.  "Well old friend, it seems that
you're as good as ever.   Yes, Bart has ordered several of the fields to be
harvested, and yes, people will be able to get discounted prices if they
contribute workers to speed up the harvesting.  And I know you keep those
three big oxen you call bellboys in your employ in case something like this
comes up...  you don't need THAT many large pieces of baggage moved around.

"I see no evil, I hear no evil..."  Sho said with a smile, giving several
coins to the shopkeeper in exchange for the decorations.  "Therefore, I must
not be doing evil.  And it helps to keep prices down."

Shitan shook his head in exasperation, and the innkeeper let out a short
chuckle.  "Well, I've got pretty much everything I need.  So how about that
meal?"

..

Despite the number of times that Shitan had been in the great cathedral of
Nisan, it still never failed to impress him, in terms of the wondrous
design, or the deep spiritual significance, or even the sheer scale of the
place.  The great cathedral also housed the headquarters of the new Ethos
organization, with both he and Elly as its leaders.  Very few people
actually knew of the faults that the original Ethos had committed, nor did
they know of its connection to the Sacred Empire of Solaris.  Therefor, it
had seemed prudent to reform the organization under the same name, but with
the intent that most people had believed it to have...  not to observe the
Lambs, as was its purpose under Solaris, but to help preserve and operation
ancient technology.

Shitan walked down the main aisle, towards the main alter.  He stopped in
the shaft of sunlight that had been cast by the great stained glass window
set in the front of the cathedral, and completed his morning ritual of just
stopping and gazing at the alter, letting the tension flow out of him.  He
must have looked a sight, for several moments later he heard a giggling
sound from the altar.

After a moment's examination, he was able to make out the form of a slender
young man, dressed in the uniform of an Ethos initiate.  The new Ethos
uniforms looked much different from the holy robes that had been worn by the
last organization, closely resembling Solarian military uniforms, except for
their white colors with green highlights around the arms and waist.  The
young man wearing this uniform raked his mop of brown hair out of his eyes
and dropped to the ground with the grace that would usually be expected of a
cat.

Shitan stepped out of the beam of light, and walked towards the altar.  "Why
hello Remus.  How are you doing today."

The young man smiled, and upon standing immediately gave Shitan a curt bow.
"Very well, thank you Master Uzuki.  My Mistress awaits you arrival, an has
asked that I inquire if you have readied your report for the city council
today."

Shitan sighed, and rummaged around in his bag.  A moment later he drew out a
packet of papers, slightly rumpled around the edges.  Remus smiled, and
turned towards a door in the side of the cathedral.  "Very well then.  My
Mistress asked that you be brought to her if you had the report ready."

Shitan nodded, and fell in step behind Remus.  The boy insisted that he
escort everyone who wished to visit Elly to her office, despite the number
of times they may have gone their before.  Shitan could not tell if that was
because of a protectiveness towards the occupant of that office, or if the
boy was concerned that someone would get lost and wander into the restricted
areas of the Ethos base...  not that there was anything to hide, but some of
the tests being done on the ancient technology could be dangerous to an
unprotected human.

They walked down several long hallways, in a twisting pattern that would
have confused anyone who hadn't walked these halls for months.  Elly had
told him that these corridors and facilities had once been the base of
operations for the Nisan resistance forces five hundred years ago, and they
were still in working condition.  The room that they arrived at several
minutes later was set near the surface, and had only been recently
constructed as an addition to the complex.  The area was bright, with much
of the walls painted white with the occasional picture hung about.  A table
in the center of the room depicted the continent of Ignas, with other small
markers to represent dig sights, and others to represent any located
settlements.  Nisan was depicted as a small blue cross on the map, while
Nortune was depicted by a similar grey cross.

Sitting at the head of this table, with her chin pillowed upon her hands,
was Elyham Van Houten.  She was dressed in her favorite outfit, one that was
cut similarly to an old Solaris officer's uniform.  Shitan remembered when
Fei had given her that dress shortly after they had arrived back in Nisan...

She had not changed in the two years since the beginning of this new age,
since the Deus incident.  Her hair was still the same shade of auburn
highlighted brown that it had been when Fei had met her in the forest
outside of Lahan three years ago, and her face still carried the sense of
responsibility that she had worn during the war against Solaris.  Shitan
shook his head.  No, if anything in this world was changing, it was
certainly not Elly.

"Mistress Elyham, Shitan Uzuki to see you."  Remus intoned, gesturing for
Shitan to walk in.  Shitan nodded, and gave Elly a slight bow before he took
a seat at the map table.

"Shitan, old friend.  Do you have that report on the language shift that you
were writing up?"  she asked, still staring at the map on the table.  "I
need to know just how much our language has shifted away from this 'Basic'
they speak of...  It just wouldn't do to have them land and be insulted by
some word that is a horrible insult in their language, but a common greeting
in ours."

Shitan rummaged through his bag again, pulling out the wrinkled report.
"I'm sorry Elly, but this is the best I can do with the limited amount of
texts from that time period."

She turned her head to him, and gave him one of her patented smiles, one of
the ones that reassures anyone who is in doubt.  "That's alright, Shitan.  I
suppose that I'll have to go with what we have."  She picked up the report
and opened it, scanning the first few pages.  When she finished, she placed
the report on her desk.  "This is excellent.  You have managed to perform a
miracle.  I don't think that a legion of our best scholars could have done
this better."

"Ah, well, thank you."  Shitan replied, pushing his glasses further back
onto his nose.  "I think that we should not have as much trouble as you
fear, considering that their scientists are also doing research on our
language."

Elly sighed and ran her fingers though her hair.  "Damn." she swore, staring
at the map.  "I just don't seem to have enough time in the day to get
everything prepared.  I still have to talk to Bart, and the town council
needs to be briefed on what is going to happen, I probably will need to
actually go up there in person and greet our new visitors..."

Shitan carefully took hold of her chin and turned her head, first to the
right, and then again to the left.  "Elly, you're driving yourself into the
ground again.  You don't need to take the responsibility of the entire
operation on yourself.  Let Remus and I handle some of these things that
need to be done.  Its not going to kill us, is it Remus?"

The young man nodded an empathic agreement, before walking to the other side
of Elly.  "Mistress Elyham," he said in a soft, soothing tone.  "Please,
you've been awake all night...  you need to get some rest."

"No, wait."  she said, waving him off.  "I appreciate you offer Shitan, you
have no idea how much.  Could you please go to the town council and tell
they about what we expect to happen?  And Remus, there's some money in my
personal account.  I'm going to need something appropriately elegant if I'm
going to be the head of state for the Kingdom of Nisan."

Shitan shook his head.  "Great Lady of Nisan...  I don't know why you let
them pin you with that title.  It just gives them an excuse to pile
everything on you.  And you can't perform as the head of Ethos AND a
governor at the same time.  Don't worry, I'll make sure everything gets
taken care of.  Just get some rest."

..

Shitan shut the door to Elly home, and leaned against the frame of the door.
"I swear, she thought of about every reason she could as to why she had to
go back to work."  he breathed, and looked over at Remus.  "How often is she
doing this now?"

The young man tapped his chin as he thought.  "I can think of at least four
or five times that she hasn't even gone home in the last month.  The
Mistress is very dedicated to her people."

Shitan shook his head.  "Even dedication has its limits.  This work schedule
she has is bordering on obsessive.  Elly was a hard worker before, but never
to the point that she forgot to eat or sleep."

"I can't comment on that...  I didn't have the honor of serving the Mistress
before the Great Sundering."  Remus replied, turning back down the path.
"If you'll pardon me, I have several purchases that I must make for the
Mistress before she awakens."

Shitan shook his head, watching the young man march resolutely down the
path.  "I swear."  he muttered, looking at the printout that Elly had handed
him before they had left her office.  "She took all of these assignment?  A
quarter of this is Ethos business that can be handled by the appropriate
department heads, and another quarter is supposed to be handled by the city
administration office."

As Shitan walked back into Nisan, a thought crossed his mind.  "I better
tell Yui that I won't make it back for lunch today."

..

"Have we confirmed the presence of the unit upon this planet?"

"Yes."

"Are the humans aware of its presence?"

"No, we believe that the unit has been lying dormant for at least ten
thousand years.  It has shown some signs of activity lately, but they are
inconsequential."

"Is it possible that they could activate the unit, should they discover it?"

"The unit itself is the only thing that could determine that."

"What are our orders?"

"Wait."

..