I revisited Xenoblade X recently and was inspired to write. There's more I wanted to say about the fanfic, but I'll do so at the end to save you scrolling if you just want to read the fanfic. Please enjoy!

BLADE

Elira Faust blinked wearily and shielded her eyes from the light filtering through the giant tree roots she'd spent the night under. With a weary groan, she forced herself to sit up, her muscles protesting from the strain of the past few days. It wasn't the first time Elira had felt the after effects of overwork, and she knew that either way, she had to get up no matter how much she wanted to fall back asleep. The first thing Elira noticed was how bright it was. To wake after the sun was a dangerous thing when one was camping in the middle of Noctilum. The dense forest was home to all manner of indigens, including many that wouldn't pass up a easy target on their morning hunt. Elira turned to wake her partner only to find an empty bed roll. Even more concerning was the neglected photon saber that lay beside the bed roll. No matter what Elira had to say about her partner, she trusted his capability as a BLADE not to carelessly roam around in the thick of Noctilum without being readily equipped. What was more, if Elira knew anything about him, it was that he wouldn't skip on breakfast. Signs of breakfast were sorrily lacking. All sleepiness vanished as Elira scrambled to her feet and carefully poked her head out of the natural shelter. Once she confirmed there were no hostile indigens nearby, Elira cuped her hands around her mouth and called out.

"Doug! Where are you?"

Silence replied. Where on previous mornings, Elira would have stopped to admire the view, this time she quickly dressed and decided to leave the more time consuming armour behind. If Doug really was in danger, time would prove more valuable than a little extra padding. Elira slung her raygun on her back then grabbed her knife and Doug's photon saber. She hastily, though still cautiously, stepped out.

"Doug!" Elira called again.

Still, there was no reply. Elira cursed and carefully searched for tracks. There was no clear signs around. Instead of being dicouraged, Elira turned back to the camp. The Skybound coil tree they'd camped under was a towering feature in the otherwise flat clearing. Luckily, Elira had been studying it the previous day and some of the riging was still up. She used a pulley to hoist herself onto a stable section and climbed to a higher branch. Using the high vantage point, Elira surveyed her surroundings. A flash caught her eye. Focusing on the direction of the blast, Elira spotted a figure that was immistakbly Doug with what looked like a tectinsular. Without hesitating, Elira quickly descended and sprinted in the direction of the blasts. A roar rang through the air, filling her mind with all the worst possible scenarios. When Elira finally arrived at her destination, what greeted her was thankfully not Doug's corpse. However, it was still a sight that sent a spike of anger through Elira's brain. Doug, fully outfitted in his heavy armour, was shooting at a giant tortoise like creature with ferns growing from its shell. The perplexing part was the nonchalant grin he gave when he spotted her. He was completely relaxed despite his situation and made Elira feel like her worry was wasted. She had half the mind to run Doug through with his own photon saber but decided it wouldn't be worth Commander Vandham skinning her alive.

"Hey, look who decided to wake up." Doug called.

"You went off to fight a tectinsular and left me asleep?" Elira yelled.

Even with his muscular build and the extra buff of his heavy armour, Doug looked incomparably small in front of the tectinsular. A single one of its legs was the size of Doug's entire body. The pressured air from the geysers on the sides of the tectinsular's head added to it's intimidating pressence.

"I thought you were in trouble! And you even forgot your photon saber." Elira growled.

"Oh, I thought I dropped it on the way. Pass it here!" Doug held out a hand ready to catch the photon saber while supporting the heavy raygun against his hip.

"Don't think the commander won't be hearing about you running off and leaving your partner asleep!" Elira threatened and threw the photon saber to him.

"To be fair I was actually taking a stroll and spotted a suspicious tectinsular. It just happened to be the tectinsular that's been wrecking data probes around here." Doug informed while catching the photon saber.

He dodged the tectinsular's head butt then blasted a beam at its legs. Elira took her own raygun from her back and began to assist Doug. The tectinsular charged wildly at its attackers but couldn't defend against the fire from two fronts. Doug seized an opportunity as the tectinsular's back faced him after its charge. He efficiently switched the setting of his raygun and charged a gravity blast.

"Fire up those melee attacks!" Doug directed.

"Got it!" Elira confirmed.

She swiftly slung her raygun on her back and unsheathed her knife. Doug fired the gravity blast, causing the techtinsular to topple over. Before the tectinsular had a chance to stand, Elira moved in. Her deadly chrome knife flashed in a streak of silver. With Elira helping and Doug in possession of both his weapons, the fight ended without tension. Elira sighed and regarded the tectinsular thoughtfully.

"You know we had to take it out. It was digging up data probes." Doug stated.

"I know. No one ever said surviving on a foreign planet is easy." Elira sighed. "I'll collect some samples from the tectinsular, then we should clear out. We don't want to be hanging around when the smell of fresh meat draws scavengers. Blatta are very common around here."

"The cockroaches of Mira." Doug grimaced.

"Yeah, only cockroaches on earth weren't the size of cats." Elira shuddered.

The pair returned to camp and efficiently packed up. Elira gathered up all the equipment and checked over all her material samples. Once everything was loaded onto the helicopter, Doug scanned the area to make sure there were no hostile airborne idigens around that could tear the them from the sky. He gave Elira the green light for take off and boarded the pilot seat.

"Back to NLA we go. There's enough fuel to get up to the outpost in Rustpool Bank, but it's risky landing with so many indigens. We'll play it safe and stop near the Dragon tail tree instead. Depending of their fuel stock, we might need to make another somewhere in Primordia." Doug said calculated.

"The closest would be Biahno hills. Well, as long as we make it before night, I don't mind. Though, with such a late start, I wonder." Elira said, giving Doug an accusing look.

"Hey at least we got the job done! Think of the extra pay check." Doug reminded.

As they went up, Elira couldn't help but feel newly awed at the beauty of Noctilum. The western continent of Mira never failed to impress with its lush forests, flourishing wildlife and grand waterways. The Celestial Ascent was especially impressive, a massive waterfall who's top had yet to be reached. In fact, Mira in it's entirely still felt surreal to Elira. Even with two months of constantly exploring Mira as a curator in BLADE, she still loved seeing the scenery. Mira had a natural pull that drew people in. It was a planet that was alien, but at the same time felt like home. That was not to say Elira didn't miss earth. It didn't need to be said that everyone missed earth.

"Air transport really is the best." Elira sighed happily.

"Tell me that after I come out intact after the Skell flight test tonight." Doug muttered.

"Skell flight test? Are you sure you're up for it after returning from an expedition?" Elira asked skeptically.

Doug scoffed. "Someone's gotta help further development and I'm the only one signed up."

"Lin sure is determined to see Skells in the air. Maybe I'll drop by? The fireworks from the skell exploding would be quite the display." Elira teased.

"Right, thanks for your faith." Doug said sarcastically.

"A rugged pilot like yourself doesn't need my faith to come out safe. Your skill is enough." Elira smiled.

"Eh right." Doug muttered, embarressed.

He navigated the helicopter to NLA, deliberately taking a detour past sightseeing spots.

The city of New Los Angeles was a gigantic circular structure that stood out prominently in the Primordia plains. Blue crystalline shards protruded out around the city wall, caused by the shock absorber shattering upon impact on Mira. The BLADE tower stood proudly as the tallest building of NLA. It's exterior was covered in a screen that displayed scrolling numbers and text with a large percentage in the middle. As Doug flew into the city, Elira could see how busy it was even in the evening. They'd spent the better part of the morning on final checks, not to mention fighting the tectinsular, causing them to arrive later than planned. However, work didn't stop for BLADE members. Even in the midst of night, the city would be bustling with action. The helicopter was landed on the raised deck of the administrative district, directly outside the entrance to BLADE Tower.

"Alright, let's go report to Eleonora and collect our pay." Doug said as he jumped out of the helicopter.

Elira followed suit, stretching her limbs which had become stiff during the endless flight. They'd been lucky and only had to make one stop for refueling which doubled as a lunch break. It did however mean being cramped up in the helicopter the entire flight across Primordia. Still, Elira couldn't complain as Doug had graciously piloted the entire day, allowing her to observe the landscape and relax. If she was feeling tired and stiff, Elira could only imagine how Doug felt.

"Hey Doug, how about I treat you to a drink after your flight test?" Elira offered.

"I'm not about to pass that up, but shouldn't I owe you a drink for this morning?" Doug reminded.

Elira was about to reply when she felt a vibration against her hip. She retrieve a small device from her belt and flicked it on. A semi-transparent screen showed up with a notification from headquarters. Before even opening the message, Elira could already guess its contents would result in her losing the break she'd planned to take. With a heavy sigh, Elira read through the message and found her prediction to be true.

"If you report to Eleonora for me I'll call us even." Elira informed Doug.

"What, did Vandham call or something?" Doug asked.

At Elira's dejected look, Doug patted her on the shoulder with a barely contained laugh. Elira pushed him playfully and promised to be watching when his Skell blew up in the sky. Conveniently, Elira was right outside BLADE Headquarters and could walk straight up to the entrance. Once inside, Elira took the elevator to the meeting room.

"Save the complaint soldier, you'll like this one." A gruff voice greeted.

The commander was a muscular man with an impressive horseshoe mustache. He stood waiting in the centre of the room with arms crossed. The table before him had screen on its surface as was typical of briefing consoles. It was currently showing a digital map of Mira which consisted of five land masses. Primordia acted as the center of their map, housing NLA. To the east and west were the continents of Oblivia and Noctilum respectively. Both were connected to Primordia by land and could therefore be accessed more easily. North of Primordia was Sylvalum and even further north, Cauldros. A large expanse of ocean lay between Primordia and the two northern continents. Both were still barely explored and little was known about either of them. Few BLADE could boast visiting the north of Mira. Elira noticed an enlargement of the continent Sylvalum in the corner of the console and felt excitement wash over her. Commander Vandham noticed the glint in her eyes and laughed heartily.

"Now slow down, I don't want to get your hopes up. Your mission is in good ol' Primordia and it's not a scouting mission. You just got back, I'm not about to send you off for another long mission." Vandham informed.

Elira face fell. "I thought you said I'd like this mission?"

Vandham scratched his head awkwardly. "Eh, you will! Just let me do the briefing will you?"

Begrudgingly, Elira stepped forward to the briefing console and listened as Vandham began to explain the mission.

"We got an issue around west Janpath Plain. North of the area is a mire we don't have too much information of it. We've been calling it the Silent Mire for that reason. The data probe at FN site 122 should be able to scan the Silent Mire, but we can't seem to get the thing to work. I'm you there with a team of pathfinders to see if you can do something about it." Vandham instructed.

"With respect Commander, I'm a Curator, not a Pathfinder." Elira interjected.

"Well your skills can be put to use here! You're good at investigating unfamiliar area's aren't you?" Vandham pointed out.

"Also, is it the best idea to assign me to a team?" Elira asked bluntly.

The two maintained eye contact until Vandham finally lowered his gaze. He sat down and sighed heavily.

"You are a member of the Builders of the Legacy After the Destruction of Earth and it's part of the job to work in teams." Vandham lectured, using the full name of BLADE for emphasis. "Our priority is to secure the Lifehold. You know who we're gonna do that?"

"By installing data probes and expanding frontier nav." Elira replied instantly.

"You're damn right, but also by working together. There is only so many of us, we can't afford lone wolves. When we have the resources, I'll let you go sightseeing in Sylvalum or where ever the hell you want." Vandham pronounced.

Elira understood the commander's intent, and couldn't deny his words. She had to play her part in humanity's survival. With a deep and slightly exaggerated sigh, Elira leaned over the briefing console and examined the information they had. Though the intelligence form their network FrontierNav couldn't scan the Silent Mire, it did provide some interesting insight. From the blank spot in the data, Elira could see the actual 'mire' part of the Silent Mire was relatively small compared to the area that couldn't be scanned. A closer look at the images they had of the place showed a rock formation that created a canpoy which stretched over the Mire.

"That there is why I said you'll like this mission. The disturbance might be because of the rock canopy. There are a hoard of Welkin Levitath in the air that would shoot down any aircraft that tries getting close. Those floating whales won't attack a small human climbing up though. You may need to climb up to survey the area." Vandham said.

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all. Which team will I be going with?" Elira asked.

"Team Belisarda, one of the best. You'll get along fine!" Vandham assured.

"I'll take my leave sir." Elira saluted and exited the room.

By the time the briefing finished and Elira stepped out of BLADE tower, the sun had begun to set and make way for the stars. Just as Elira walked out onto the deck, the screen paneling on the exterior of BLADE tower shifted. The image of an man in a suit appeared, his face serious. Elira turned to the broadcast and waited for the man to speak.

"Brave citizens of New Los Angeles: Good day. This is your director general Maurice Chausson. Today I once again come to you with news I am truly delighted to share."

The fact that Maurice had called himself 'director general' made Elira raise a brow. Had he really been promoted in the short four days she'd been away?

"Yesterday we repartiated ten more White Whale crew members." Maurice continued.

Elira blinked in surprise. "No way, they actually found more members. That's crazy!"

Since their ship the White Whale crash landed on Mira, not a single member had been recovered. Now suddenly there were ten. It was an invaluable achievement in rebuilding humanity.

"We work together for a better NLA and a better tomorrow!"

Elira couldn't help but smile at the attempt to raise moral. As the announcement ended, she walked to the edge of the deck and looked out at NLA below. On the upper deck of the administrative district, one could see the rest of NLA neatly laid out. There was the residential district for housing, commercial district for shopping and industrial district for manufacturing. Everything humanity needed, so nicely compact in one small city. A beautiful lie, Elira thought blissfully. A perfect illusion that we somehow brought Earth with us. Only it wasn't earth, and everytime Elira stepped outside the city, or someone spoke of humanity's survival, she was reminded of it. Lights began to flicker on throughout the city, waking Elira from her musing. In the distance, she saw the outline of a mech walking out of the test hangar in the industrial district.

"Doug's skell flight test!" Elira suddenly remembered, immediately looking to the transport airship.

The spot it usually occupied was depressingly empty. Elira wasted no time and sprinted to the elevator. If she couldn't travel by air, she could go to ground level and hitch a ride with a transport vehicle. Several people greeted Elira, some asking why she was in such a rush. Elira could only hastily wave and mutter than she was busy.

"Elira, what's gotten you into such a hurry?"

Elira stopped in her tracks, and looked behind her. Two figures approached; a woman with white hair dressed in combat clothing and a red headed man in casual blade wear.

"Elma! And who is this?" Elira asked, giving the unfamiliar man a friendly smile.

"I'm Cross, nice to meet you." the man introduced.

"Nice to meet you Cross. I'm Elira Faust. I'm part of the Curator division." Elira greeted warmly.

He looked a few years younger than Elira, perhaps twenty three at the most. Elira also noted the way he appeared rather uncertain and overwhelmed. From Elma's reputation as a unique talent in BLADE and the earlier announcement, Elira put two and two together.

"You don't happen to be the one of the new rescues that the minister- I guess now director general- was talking about are you?" Elira asked.

"The only one actually. I found his lifepod in starfall basin. He seems to have a case of extreme amnesia, perhaps as a result of the stasis hangover." Elma explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Don't worry, I'm sure your memory will come back." Elira encouraged.

"Anyway, from the looks of things, you just got back from a mission too. I'm sorry to have stopped you in your hurry. Is something wrong?" Elma asked.

Elira selfconciously adjusted her light armour and ran a hand through her auburn hair. She wasn't sure what Elma meant by 'from the looks of things', but she had a feeling it had to do with her less than orderly appearance.

"I was just going to watch a skell test flight. Why don't you two come along? We'll have to hurry though." Elira invited.

She lead the way, catching a ride from a fellow BLADE. As the group was walking up to the test site, they were immediately met with a crashing skell and a speeding car following close behind.

"Another bust." Elira sighed.

She hastily made her way to the crashed skell as Doug emerged. He threw his helmet in frustration and stood impatiently. Elira caught the helmet before the equipment could become damaged. A young girl circled the skell with her comm device running a scan.

"Look, I know what exhaust smells like, and it was exhaust in the cockpit." Doug was saying as Elira approached.

"Doug, are you ok?" Elira asked with genuine concern.

"Alive at least. Sorry to disappoint on the lack of fireworks. I suppose Lin didn't quite screw up enough" Doug joked as he accepted the helmet Elira was holding out.

He examined the still smoking skell and sighed in annoyance while Lin continued the scan. Doug jumped down from the skell and crossed his arms.

"Just check the duct work would ya?" he muttered.

"Oh I'm checking, I just seriously doubt- oh hey look at that! The intake/exhaust bypass is reversed. Oh man, lucky I caught that!" Lin exclaimed.

"You caught that? You're the one who cleared me to fly!" Doug accused.

Ignoring Doug's accusation, Lin turned to Elma and Cross who had just arrived. Doug sighed and rubbed his head in annoyance. He looked to Elira and indicated at Cross.

"Who's the new guy?" he asked.

"His name is Cross, a new rescue thanks to Elma. She really is the top Reclaimer out there." Elira admired.

"She doesn't slack off, unlike someone who nearly got my ass killed." Doug joked. "Did she find any new info on the Lifehold location?"

Elira shook her head regretfully. "Nothing. Still, finding Cross means one more person to look. I just hope we find it before time is up."

Lin was enthusiastically acquainting herself with Cross and offering to give him a tour, something that didn't bode well for Doug. Sure enough, she left him to tidy up, Doug shouting his protest as she walked off.

"I swear, that girl can be so annoying. Can't deny her skill either though." Doug said. "Hey, how about we hit the comercial district and get some drinks after I clear up here?"

"Sorry, I have a mission early tomorrow. I'm heading out to Primordia with a team of Pathfinders." Elira grumbled.

"The commander assigned you a mission? With a team?" Doug asked incredulously.

"Yeah, maybe he was going to ask Gus or Mathias but they were busy." Elira joked.

"Hey, you are one of the best Curator we have. Get rid of the lack of coordination and you'd be the best." Doug reasoned.

"Say's the guy who left his partner asleep and ran off to fight tectinsular solo." Elira drawled.

Doug dodged the comment with a question. "Anyway, what team are you assigned to?"

Elira pulled out her comm device and read out the team that was listed on the mission summary "Team Belisarda."

"Belisarda huh? The leader is an old buddy of mine." Doug stated thoughtfully. "Say hi for me won't ya?"

"I'll keep an eye out for him." Elira promised.

So this was super random. If you're coming from my other fanfic WSOC and wondering what the hell is going on, worry not. WSOC is definitely still my focus. This new fanfic is actually just something I wrote because I felt like writing a new story. It's not really a developed idea and I wasn't even going to post it. I wrote it for the sake of writing and it was fun to do. However, the Xenoblade X pool of fan fictions in pretty small, so for the my love of the game, I thought why not just post it anyway? Who know's if chapter two is gonna come out. Perhaps next week, perhaps never. Unlike WSOC (my other story), I'm not dedicated to this one. If you're reading, then thanks! And hopefully, the story wasn't just a brain fart.