Chapter One: The fall of a titan

Italics= character thoughts

Warning: This chapter contains spoilers for chapter 9 of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Got that? Good, on with the story.

Morag glanced out over the crumbling form of Mor Ardain, ether fueled explosions blowing chunks of rock and stone-like flesh off the titan. She turned to a soldier.

"Can't this ship go any faster?!" she yelled.

"Unfortunately, the sky's are still filled with Indol troops and Tornan artificial blades, we're trying to minimise damage special inquisitor." he explained.

Morag sighed and turned away.

"Understood, can you check on Tora and Poppi down in the engine room?"

"Of course inquisitor!" the soldier saluted before running off.

Morag continued to scan the slowly approaching city as something flew out of it and came over to the ship. A grey haired woman in a draconic mech frame flew up to her.

"Herald, how is it?"

"Unfortunately, it isn't good. The military are struggling to evacuate Alba Cavanich's populace. Panic is rampant. I assisted in removing a large metal beam that had trapped a family, but there are many more. Emperor Niall is on the streets attempting to calm the citizens." Herald reported.

Morag's face dropped.

"His Majesty hasn't evacuated!"

"He refuses to leave until his people are safe."

Damn it Niall, what are guards doing Morag thought.

Loud grinding and clanking filled the engine room as Tora fiddled with a cracked pressure equalizer.

"Meh meh! Why titan engine being so stupid. Should be better at being pushed! Ardainian tech usually able to take damage well" he grumbled as a steam pipe ruptured.

"Wah! P-Poppi fix steamy pipe!"

"Roger Masterpon." Poppi nodded launching up to the pipe and forcing the parts together.

She pulled out a metal band and wrapped it around the pipe, sticking it together. Another dial cracked.

"Masterpon it getting too dangerous in here." Poppi warned.

"Tora and Poppi have to keep titan working in besty way we can. Friend Morag need to save people and brother!"

Poppi suddenly changed into her qtπ form and grabbed Tora, dragging him away. Before he could resist, half the engine exploded, vapourising his tools.

"No! Those belonged to Grampypon Soosoo…" Tora lamented as a soldier ran into the room.

"That was that?!"

"Half of engine go boom." Poppi stated "Titan movement capability decreased by 50%."

"That isn't go-gah!" the room suddenly began to go sideways.

"Titan may be going down!" Tora yelled.

Poppi ran passed the guard carrying Tora as the corridor flipped to the other side. She kicked open a door and they saw Morag holding onto a pole.

"Tora, Poppi! What happened!?"

"Engine go boom! Destroyed Tora's tools."

"Engine cannot be fixed. Titan is going down!" Poppi added.

A soldier ran up to them.

"Special inquisitor! Take the Nopon and the Blades and flee!"

"I am not leaving you all here to die." Morag stated righting herself.

"We're going to crash into the cloud sea. We'll try to get the ship running again and get it to Mor Ardain, but you must go help with the evacuation!"

Before she could reply, another door opened and a dark skinned woman with icy blue-white hair stumbled out.

"I forced all but the pilot and this soldier to use their escape pods! The pilot refuses and I couldn't find this guy." she said.

"Thank you Perun." Morag said fixing her hat.

"Come on you, no getting yourself killed over nothing." Perun grabbed the soldier and dragged him away.

"Poppi, bring Tora over to Alba Cavanich and begin helping, I'll wait for Perun." Morag ordered.

Poppi nodded, jumping off the titan and activating two jets that came out of her back. Perun returned gripping her now burnt hand.

"Apart from the pilot and us, everyone's off."

An explosion caught their attention as a fireball engulfed the corridor behind them. Perun grabbed Morag as the blast hit them, throwing them off the ship. Herald flew after them and grabbed them in her mech arms. Perun looked at the detonating ship.

"T-the pilot-" she whispered.

"The captain goes down with his ship, only leaving if everyone else is off. He did his duty bravely." Morag said "Herald, quickly, to the capital!"

Herald turned and sped off, following Poppi and Tora.

Herald dropped them off in the main square as another explosion ripped a building apart. Morag instantly climbed a pile of boxes.

"Citizens of Mor Ardain! Please try to keep a sense calm about you! We have enough titan ships for the entire population! Please make way for any injury people to be evacuated first! The emergency stairways to the lower levels has been opened, make your way to the entrance!" Morag ordered, yelling into the chaos.

Several people turned to her and sighed in relief seeing the inquisitor, attempting to follow her orders. As she climbed down, a Gormotti woman ran up to her, hysterically.

"I-Inquisitor! M-My son, he had gone to the e-ether mine to visit his father when this started! I-I don't know i-if they're safe! Please! Y-You have to-" Morag raised a hand.

"Be calm, I will go with my Blades and companions to see if anyone is trapped there, please follow the evacuation notice." Morag stated calmly.

"T-Thank you!" she yelled hugging her before running off.
Morag looked around and spotted Tora cutting up a door with his laser saber as Poppi handed someone to a soldier. Then her blood ran cold as she saw it was Niall. She ran over to them, followed by Herald and Perun.

"Majasty!"

Emperor Niall opened his eyes slightly.
"S-Sorry sister, I...was catch by falling debris, I...may need a bit of...help." he chuckled weakly.

"Get His Majesty to his private ship and get him a doctor!" she order.

"Umm, Senator Roderich already...stole it, to escape…" the soldier answered hesitantly.

"Then get him to the lower levels! Just get him out of here!"

The soldier bowed before turning and running towards the city entrance. Morag looked over her four companions.

"We need to get to the ether mine. There may be trapped workers as well as one of their sons."

Perun's eyes narrowed.

"What!? We need to go now!"

"Tora argees! Need to save workers and littlepon."

The group all begin running towards the mine.

As they exited Alba Cavanich, a large crack formed to their left, a jet of steam escaping.

Mor Ardian cannot hold much longer, damn you Amalthus, if you hadn't been so obsessed with your 'divine duty', this wouldn't be happening. Rex, you better find Elysium and stop Malos. The Empire may need it. And you better be using Brighid properly. I never got a chance to show you how to use her weapon correctly, that's something for later. Morag thought.

Soon, the five reached the pit as an earthquake shook the metal walkway. Perun ran over to the edge and saw a Gormotti man cowering on a lower level holding a young boy.

"Hold on! We're coming!" she yelled vaulting over the rail.

Perun grabbed the lower side of the walkway and swung herself off it, grabbing the wall. She began to slide down it as another steam fissure erupted. Several Skeeters flew out from a nearby pipe.

"Herald, assist Perun in rescuing those two, Poppi, search the pipes for anyone else. Myself and Tora will check the thermal plant." Morag ordered.

Poppi glanced over to Tora who nodded. She jumped into the pit as Herald flew after Perun. Morag and Tora ran past the mine.

Perun landed next to the two as the skeeters began to fly at them. Closing her eyes, Perun summoned an ice rimmed lance and slashed at one, cutting it in half. The four remaining one's turned to her and rapidly descended on her. She dodged one of their biting mandibles and stabbed it, pinning it to the ground, an icicle bursting up from its body. Still holding her lance, Perun spun around to the icicle, kicking and shattering it. She swung with her lance, sending a chuck of ice at another, the impact flinging it into the bubbling ether below. Before she could attack another, several red energy blasts hit and disintegrated the remaining two, Herald floating into view.

"Take these two out of here! I'll be fine." Perun said dodging an ether geyser shooting up from beneath her.

Herald nodded, grabbing the father and son and flying up. Poppi landed beside her, now in her alpha form.

"No more people in pipes. Ether mine empty."

Perun nodded as another explosion from made them glance up. Perun and Poppi went wide eyed as Morag and Tora was flung over the edge of the mine.

Morag grabbed the metal walkway and winced as the burning metal scorched her gloved hand. She reached out the grabbed Tora's right wing.

"Meh meh! T-This not good!"

Morag looked down to see her visored hat fall into the ether, the hat fading away below the surface. She inhaled sharply before throwing Tora with all her might towards the side of the pit. Before he flew too far, Poppi jetted by and grabbed him, landing on the side. The walkway began to bend, warping from the heat as a sudden jerk made Morag loss her grip. Perun gasped.

"Morag! Hold on!"

With a flick of her spear, she created an icy path that she ran up, jumping off at the tip. She formed an ice step and jumped again, grabbing Morag out of the air and landing on the lowest platform. Unfortunately, the impact of the landing dislodged the metal rods holding up the platform, causing them to fall into the ether. Herald sped after them, diving deep into the pool. Tora looked at Poppi.

"Poppi, humans and Blades react very bad when splooshed with pure ether. Swimming probably worse! As artificial Blade, it not effect you as bad. Please help friends for Tora!" he explained.

Poppi looked at Tora before hugging him.

"Masterpon should run to port. Poppi will save friends and follow. Poppi won't know what to do if her Masterpon got hurt." Poppi gave a sad smile.

Tora handed her her qtπ forms saber.

"In case you need it."

Poppi transformed into her qtπ form and dove into the ether mine. Tora glanced over the side one more time before another steam vent forming made him back off, running back to the city to see if he could help.

Morag's whole body stung, the purple liquid chemically burning her skin. She struggled to open her eyes and saw a haze of purple. She looked and saw Purun grabbing onto her, the Blade gritting her teeth as her core crystal and blue marking on her skin glew blinding before dimming to barely the level of candle light. Morag could see another form fast approaching. She saw it was Herald, but she looked like she was struggling and gripping her chest.

The ether! If we don't get out of this, it could overload their crystals!

Morag frantically looked around, spotting a swirling vortex deeper.

Probably a hole in Mor Ardian's side, but being thrown into the cloud sea is better than drowning and burning. Morag thought.

Before she could start to try and swim, Poppi swam into view, her orange artificial core fluctuating at a lower pace. Morag pointed to the vortex and Poppi swam up to Herald, grabbing the mech's arm and jetting down, a trail of fire behind her. She grabbing Morag and sped into the whirlpool. The spinning and shifting mixed with lack of oxygen making her loss consciousness.

Atlus dust research center.

General Ironwood looked over the large vat of dust, massive stirrers slowing mixing its contents. He looked to the side, a short man grinning at the vat.

"Are you sure this is how to make this…" he looked a piece of paper "warp dust Professor Nightingale? This seems very...unscientific." he asked.

"And dangerous. You're not meant to mix more then three types of dust at once, there are eight in there. This mix is very volatile" Specialist Winter Schnee warned.

"Of course General, this is how I made it in my laboratory. It should allow those trained in dust use to warp small to large distances depending on the amount. I've just scaled up the amounts used." Professor Nightingale reassured.

"You do know dust's volatility scales with volume, right?" Winter asked.

"It will be fine."

As the vat's contents continued to mix, the dust slowly began to change to a ghostly purple colour, before suddenly darkening.

"I don't like the look of that…" Ironwood glanced over the paper he was holding "What dust is in this again? It's not on my memo."

"Gravity, lightning, air, burn, time-" Winter grabbed his shoulder.

"You're mixing gravity and time dust?!"

"Yes, together they can distort space itself and the other six us their stored energy to blast you to the point you wish to teleport to." Nightingale explained.

"Or they could literally tear a hole in reality and cause an explosion that would vaporise this facility!" Winter yelled.

"What?!"

"An incident a few years back involving the White Fang showed my father the uncontrollable danger of the mixture. A stockpile of gravity and time dust got mixed together after a failed robbery. Gravity dust, in dust or crystal state while not in use increases the gravity of its immediate area. Time dust effects an object or person's place in time, speeding or slowing it. The time dust reacted with the gravity dust, causing an unusually case of time gaining a mass! It began to locally break physics! The 'heavy time' tore a hole in reality for a second, before snapping shut and causing a massive explosion! And you are supplying it with a large about of energy in the form of several other dust types!" Winter explained rapidly, the dust vat beginning to distort.

"Oh...well crap, that didn't happen to me."

"Stop arguing and get down!" Ironwood ordered.

Winter, Ironwood and Professor Nightingale all jumped to the floor as an ear piercing explosion happened, a shockwave sending them flying into the wall behind them. What sounded like a vacuum filling with air filled the room before everything went quiet. Ironwood staggered to his feet as the two other struggled to get up, a glowing barrier around them flickering before fading away. He looked at the professor.

"You are in deep trouble Lyon."

Ironwood looked over to where the vat was and a group of four people laying where the vat had been. He ran out of the control room and down the now heat warped stairs.

Morag slowly opened her eyes, and lifted herself up. She glanced around. She appeared to be in some factory, judging by the large vats to her sides. She looked at her uniform. Apart from a few patches of purple ether stains, they were fine.

How odd, I expected to be soaked.

She looked over and saw Puren, Herald and Poppi lying around her. Before she could check on them, she spotted someone running over to her, climbing up to her. As he reached her she saw they looked like a middle aged Ardainian in a white military suit, not unlike Grand Marshal Robalt's outfit. He had black hair that looked like it was greying. He offered her his hand.

"Are you four alright?" he asked as she took it.

Morag noticed the gloved hand felt harder then skin, with a slight chill to it, akin to Poppi's alpha and QT form.

"I appear to be in good health thank you." Morag said as she spotted her visored hat and quickly donned it.

The man's face shifted slightly to one of confusion.

"That's an, um, unusually accent."

"Hmm, I could say the same to you, you sound like a Blade." Morag looked around again "Where are we? Why hasn't this place been evacuated?" she asked.

"Well, the expl-...wait, why would you think this base should have been cleared?" he asked.

"Because Mor Ardian is collapsing, unless this is on another titan, and if so, which?"

"What? Titan? Are you sure you're okay? The four of you appeared where an experiment dust mixture was. Perhaps you the dust teleported you from another continent."

"Dust, teleport? What are you on about. I don't have time for this. Where am I!" Morag order, growing frustrated with the man's confusing answers.

"Who are you to give me orders! You're the one's who appeared in this secure base out of nowhere." he yelled back.

"I am special inquisitor Morag of the Ardainian Empire, servant of his majesty Emperor Niall. Our home titan of Mor Ardian is collapsing and I need to return to ensure my people's safety!" Morag yelled.

"Well, I am General Ironwood of the Atlus military. I can tell you something for certain 'special inquisitor', there isn't no Ardainian Empire I know of on Remnant, so I have no idea of what you're talking about.

"Friend Morag, Poppi does not detect lie from Ironman." Poppi said lifting herself into a sitting position.

"Ironwood, not Ironman." he corrected.

"Poppi detects that body is made of 60% steel and titanium. Ironman more logical name."

"What?! H-How did you know that?" Ironwood asked frantically.

"Morag, I believe we should ask more questions before continuing." Herald said floating into the air as Perun jumped to her feet.

Ironwood took a step back seeing Herald, surprised.

"Indeed, it appears there is something we're missing." Morag sighed.

"What the..., who the hell did that dust bring here?" Ironwood whispered.

AN: Hi there, this is unexpected. I know I'm in currently writing a fire emblem story, but I've been playing a lot of Xenoblade 2 and couldn't resist making this. The story will be updated infrequently, as in when I have spare time, so sorry in advance. If you have any questions, leave a review! Or PM...or whatever, this a bit of an odd one. Another reason it may take a bit to get these out is I want long chapters like this, around 2500 to 3000 compared to my usually 1600 to 2200 words...maybe even more.
Anyway, enjoy.