Chapter One: Remembrance

Cloud Strife had washed out. But that had been years ago.

The hum of the heating units on the Norad II was ever-present as always, keeping the temperature at the average. Cloud had only just noticed it now. Opening his eyes, he sat up within his bunk and looked around. The room, normally meant to hold nearly a dozen soldiers, was empty beside him. The attack on the rebel colony had taken a lot, and all he had from it was the yellow gem of materia in one hand.

Their mission had succeeded, of course, at cost.

It all seemed like such a long time ago.

"Good morning Private Strife," said the computer, speaking to him personally. It was nice that it was programmed to use names when everyone else was dead. Albeit a bit worrying. How many times had this happened? "We have entered into a low orbit over Chau Sara and are preparing to descend to the planet. Would you like to review the briefing provided for all companies?"

"Computer, what year is it?" asked Cloud, not really remembering.

Who was he, and what the hell was he doing here? Cloud knew he knew the answer, but they weren't coming to mind. He tried to reach for the answer but couldn't find the will.

"The date is December 8, 2499," said the computer. "It is nearly ten years after the end of the Guild Wars. The Confederacy of Man's rule of the sector is as of yet unchallenged, save for small groups of dissidents. Would you like to review the briefing?"

Cloud leaned back in his seat. "...Go ahead."

A voice came from the speakers, a southern drawl. "Alright men, listen up and listen good. The Sons of Korhal have been working for months to cause a headache for the Confederacy of Man. From the sounds of things, the yokels in the local militia aren't up to the task. That's why we were called in.

"I don't want any slip-ups. We'll show these Sons of Korhal they can't run from the Confederacy of Man."
General Duke...

Hadn't Cloud been serving him for a few years now? What was it, five, six? He'd survived all this time. Cloud wondered why he'd never warranted a promotion.

The door slid open, and a man rushed forward into the room. "Strife, Private Strife!

"Why are you just staring into space out there, we've got to move. Get your shit and let's go."

Cloud stood up from his bed and took up his sword. "...Yes, sir."

He looked at the empty beds, all neat and dusty. No one had slept in them for a long time. Recruitment rates were lower now than they had been, weren't they?
Right, right, Alpha Squadron had massive casualties. Most of the troops were brainpanned. Joining it with a full set of mental facilities guaranteed a promotion, though Cloud hadn't been promoted yet.

He wondered why.

Not that it mattered.

Chau Sara was a world with several biomes.

The only one Cloud was looking at right now was barren, broken wastes. The badlands had become worse since he was last here. That was right, Cloud had been here before, though he hadn't remembered it very well. Last time there had been a terraforming effort, turning the place green.

In the place of a forest, there was now a strip-mined pit—an endless field of broken stone, with the SCV's drilling it larger. Smoke was rising from a Mako reactor, concentrating it into vespene. Between both, these operations was a command center, heavily designed. With it were three square supply depots. There were enough of them to provide enough gray goop for the guards.

It probably raised the overhead for this mining operation a lot. The Sons of Korhal had started blowing up anything belonging to the Old Families. Corporations that were independent of them, meanwhile, were reasonably safe.

And here Cloud was, standing in line with the others. They all stood still and silent in their white armor. Cloud wished he hadn't strapped his helmet onto his face so tightly. It was chafing his face.

Still, this place...

Had he been here before?

"What a dump this place is," muttered the soldier from before. "Hey, Strife, didn't you used to live here? Is it all like this."

Cloud said nothing. He tried to remember as best he could. What was this place to him?

"Strife, I'm talking to you," said the man.

"It didn't used to be," said Cloud.

And then Lieutenant Swallow came before them. She went clad all in white armor, holding a gauss rifle in her hands. Most officers used swords or other equipment. She'd inserted Materia into her gun instead. "Alright, men, our job is guard duty," said Swallow with obvious enthusiasm. "This mine is of critical importance to the Confederacy of Man, and we've been assigned to guard it."

"By critical, I'm guessing they mean 'make the Old Families a lot of money," mused the soldier. What was his name again?

"Cut the chatter and stay alert Theodore," said Emily. "We are stalwart defenders of the Confederacy of Man, and we will not disappoint our superiors. Now, I want you to take your squad and guard the southern entrance."

"Yes, ma'am," said Theodore.

Cloud obeyed his orders without hearing them very well. Looking around, he had a vague idea. A feeling that he'd been here before, with someone. Was it a dark-haired girl?

She'd fallen and hurt herself here, and he hadn't been able to help her.

"...I remember this mine," said Cloud.

"You do," said Theodore.

"Yes, I..." Cloud paused. "I think I watched it open. Or maybe I read about it in the newspaper." The two were pretty difficult to turn through.

"Was it the Old Families that found it?" asked Theodore.

Cloud shook his head as some of the memories came back to him. "No, we were just a small mining colony then. Chau Sara didn't strike it rich until a few years ago. My Dad he...

"Well, he wasn't around much."

"Walked out on you, huh?" asked Theodore.

Something like that, only worse, Cloud wasn't sure how to say it.

"Fine, fine, keep your secrets," said Theodore. Then he looked up. Raising his binoculars, he peered across the desert. There was something coming toward them in the distance, like a dog. "What's that?

"Strife, is that a local critter?" He passed Cloud his binoculars.

Cloud took them and looked through with well-practiced movements. He focused on the things ahead with ease and saw them—many creatures like zerglings, but with massive blades. There was, actually, a whole lot of them. Dozens and more were coming with them. "I...

"No, no, it isn't. I've never seen anything like it."

How long had Cloud been doing this? And why had he only just woken up?

"It's coming toward us, though," said Theodore, before raising a communication. "Ma'am, we've got incoming. And I'll be damned if I can identify them."

"You have permission to engage, Sergeant," said Swallow.

"You heard her, boys," said Theodore, lowering his gun. "Wax em."

They lowered their guns and opened fire en masse. As they did, many of the creatures fell dead in moments. Yet more of them were coming, and even though they died by the dozens, there were always more behind. Slowly but surely, they were gaining ground, and now Cloud could see the things black eyes.

"Cloud, get in front of them, now!" said Theodore.

That was his cue.

Leaping forward, Cloud raised his armband. On it, his fire materia flared to life. A wave of fire surged toward the things and burned many of them alive. But another one came at him, only for him to bisect it. Hacking and slashing, he tried to keep them back as best he could as the gauss fire melted the creatures.

At last, the last of them were dead.

No, there were more, they were fleeing back into the rocks. Theodore smiled. "That takes care of that, I'd say. Keep an eye out though; we'll have to write a report about these soon enough."

Then the sound of gauss fire sounded from behind. Cloud looked back and saw many red-clad soldiers marching forward. They were firing en masse at the guards. Alpha Squadron marines were behind cover, shooting to kill. Several on both sides had already fallen. An enemy goliath was moving toward them, metal arms firing machine guns.

"Sons of Korhal sighted from the northmost position!" said Emily over the radio. "We're being hit hard! All troops converge on me!"

Theodore nodded. "You heard her.

"Cloud, stay here, and keep a lookout. Tell us if those things come back."

"What if they attack?" asked Cloud.

"Shoot your gun and hope they impale themselves on your stupid hair," said Theodore. Then he moved off.

His hair...

Cloud realized his helmet must have come off at some point, and his spiky blonde hair was visible. It was an odd realization, he'd always known it was blonde, but it was like he'd forgotten. As if he'd forgotten himself.

"Thanks," said Cloud, voice sarcastic.

Cloud looked to his gun and realized he'd been firing it automatically with the rest of them. He'd hardly even noticed. Checking his wrist, he saw the yellow materia from before, lightning materia. He'd picked it up off the dead body of a Son of Korhal, hadn't he? Cloud didn't remember being given any materia after failing. His fire materia was a standard issue, of course. That was part of being a firebat.

Cloud remembered watching men mowed down en masse before him as he approached the cliffs. He'd ducked for cover, firing as he tried to hold out long enough for the distraction to work, and he had done it at the cost of everyone else in the company.

And then the things returned.

Cloud saw them coming toward the mine. Looking back, Cloud saw the battle continuing to the north. Raising his gun, he began to fire into their ranks. One fell, then another, but more took their place. Opening a channel, Cloud spoke. "Sergeant Theodore, we've got a lot of these things massing over here. I could really use some backup."

"Hang on; we're pinned down. We'll try to get to you-" began Theodore.

And then out of the ground came a massive, snake-like thing. A scythe came down, and Cloud ducked. His communicator fell away as he raised his sword to parry strikes. Swinging the massive, cleaver-like sword, he caught the creature across the face. The creature reeled back but fired a series of spines at Cloud, who rolled away.

"Strife! Strife, can you hear me!" said Theodore.

Raising his gauntlet, Strife summoned a bolt of lightning into one hand. Drawing it back, he hurled it at the thing. The bolt connected and blasted the beast backward, charring it. Even as it fell, however, half a dozen other creatures rose up around them. The smaller ones came forward, and Cloud had a very bad feeling about this...

And then dozens of bolts of lightning descended from a cliffside. It plunged down into the ranks, burning and charring hundreds of the creatures in moments. Looking up, Cloud saw a silver-haired figure, clad in a black trenchcoat. In one of his hands was a katana as long as he was tall. The figure leaped down and surged into the amassed creatures. He drove his blade into the ground.

A wave of fire surged from them and consumed the beasts.

A name came to Cloud, a very important one. Sephiroth.

Sephiroth sheathed his sword and strode past Cloud without a word. "Recon Squad Cerberus reporting.

"I am here to oversee the extermination of these xenomorphs."

Xenomorphs? That's what he called it. "I..." Cloud shifted, not sure what to say. He was standing in front of his idol. "I didn't hear anything about this in the briefing."

"That is to be expected," said Sephiroth, nearing the battle lines. By now, the Sons of Korhal had fled. "Cerberus has its own chain of command and does not answer to the Squadrons. I suggest we continue with this mission."

As they came forward, Theodore moved forward. "Strife, I'm glad to see you still in one piece."

"Barely," said Cloud. "Sir, what were those creatures that attacked us."

"They are the subject of high-level research," replied Sephiroth before approaching Emily. "That will have to be enough. Are you in command?"

"Yes, sir," said Emily, sending an officer.

"Good," said Sephiroth. "Your men are to be commended. Tend to your wounded and secure the area. Once they are healed, you are to assist me in hunting the xenomorphs down. There are several nesting grounds that need purging in this area."

"Our present assignment-" began Emily.

"Is finished," said Sephiroth. "This operations takes precedence."

And then he moved off.

And so began the Chau Sara campaign.

Author's Note:

I've meant to do a Final Fantasy 7 story for some time. Several people requested I do this, and I had the idea of combining Final Fantasy 7 with the Koprolu Sector.
This, in essence, is an effort to merge both settings into a single storyline.

Tell me what you think.