Xenogears: The Complete Script

Part 05
Chapter 10: Operation Aveh

Compiled by

[Begin music: "Emotions"]

[Scene opens outside Bart's Lair. The Yggdrasil leaves Bart's lair and pilots north and east around the mountain range, then south to Bledavik. Fei, Bart and Citan disembark and enter the town of Bledavik (the capital of Aveh). Scene change.]

-----

[Begin music: "Aveh, Ancient Dance"- music for Aveh]

[Scene opens on Aveh. The trio have only gone a short distance when the camera pans away suddenly.]

[Begin music: "Knight of Fire" - tempo slower than normal]

[Camera pans slowly from the front of the city to the back where the huge battleship that was seen earlier is landing in an undergdound dock.]

[Scene fade.]

[Scene opens on the underground dock door. Camera underneath the ship as it continues to descend into the dock. Pan back to the side and up to the front as it nears the landing pad. Scene cut to the docking bay. The ship docks in front of two figures. Scene change.]

[Scene opens on the bridge of the battleship. 8 workers are stationed at the side wheels. A white-haired man is at the wheel and is the commander, whose name is Ramsus. Standing behind and beside him is a blue-haired woman known as Miang. The game doesn't introduce them formally, but introduces them with their names already known.]

CREW 1
Docking complete.

CREW 2
Hull, all sections secure.

CREW 3
Gravity distribution normal. Shutting down propulsion system.

CREW 4
Begin docking procedure.

[Camera pans in close to Ramsus and Miang.]

RAMSUS
"Cancel the alert status. Begin repairs and resupply immediately."

[Miang turns to Ramsus.]

MIANG
"The Prime Minister and General Vanderkaum are here to see you, Commander."

RAMSUS
"Hmph, what a dismal welcome."

MIANG
"What do you expect? We're on the 'surface'."

[Ramsus turns to Miang.]

RAMSUS
"Miang, let's disembark."

MIANG
"Yes, sir."

[Ramsus and Miang leave the bridge. Scene change.]

[Scene opens on the gangplank. Ramsus and Miang walk down the docking gangplank. Scene cut to side view as a bald headed man in purple robes walks up to them. This is Shakhan. A man with a weird face, it has a gray cross plastered on it, stands behind him: General Vanderkaum.]

SHAKHAN
"Well, well, Commander.
You've only just taken command and already you are achieving splendid results.
You disposed those irksome Kislev units in a matter of days... I'm very impressed."

[Ramsus ignores Shakhan and walks past him to Vanderkaum.]

RAMSUS
"I can't believe you were beaten by such a small force...
I have only just taken over my post and already you have embarrassed me!"

VANDERKAUM
"I am sorry Commander. They were more persistent than we anticipated.
They had a new model Gear that was very mobile. I couldn't get a lock on it with the main gun...
Otherwise there would have been no way we could have been beaten by such..."

RAMSUS
"Fool! Know when to use that big gun, and on whom!
You failed because you try to solve everything with force.
You have muscles instead of brains."

VANDERKAUM
"Commander!!"

[Scene cut to behind Miang and Shakhan.]

RAMSUS
"Dismissed. Go polish your beloved 1200 sem cannon."

[Ramsus begins walking out of the hangar. Camera follows Ramsus. Shakhan hurries to catch up with him and walks beside him. Miang follows at a distance after stopping at Vanderkaum for a short time.]

SHAKHAN
"Tomorrow is the 500th anniversary of this country.
Please come to the dedication ceremony."

SHAKHAN
"There is a customary Tournament after the dedication ceremony..."

[Miang now hurries to catch up with Ramsus, who's making Shakhan keep a good pace.]

RAMSUS
"What about the incident in that report?"

[The three walk in a door. Pan back to above the door. Scene change.]

[Scene opens. Ramsus, Shakhan and Miang are in a short hallway now, and they keep walking.]

SHAKHAN
"What? Oh, you mean the 500-year-old mobile weapon excavated from the ruins?
Thanks to the help of the 'Ethos', the repairs are complete.
I thought we could announce it on the day of the dedication ceremony..."

[The three walk out the door at the other end of the hallway. Scene change.]

[Scene opens. Ramus and Co. are now in an elevator going up towards camera.]

RAMSUS
"Toys like that should be given to Vanderkaum.
I'm talking about the 'Fatima Jasper'."

SHAKHAN
"I already have obtained one half of the crest.
But I haven't been able to get her to tell me where the other half is.
She is a rather strong-willed girl..."

RAMSUS
"You're not being rough with her, are you?"

SHAKHAN
"Of course not. I know how you despise vulgar acts like that."

RAMSUS
"You said that girl is the Holy Mother of Nisan... Is she upstairs?"

SHAKHAN
"Yes, in the east tower."

RAMSUS
"Miang, could it possibly be a 'Relic'?"

MIANG
"Yes. But there is still no response. There seems to be a barrier or something.
However, we do know from the 500-year-old records that one certainly exists in this vicinity.
It's probably well preserved too."

RAMSUS
"... Let's meet her.
I want to talk to her directly. Miang, you come with me."

MIANG
"Yes sir."

[The elevator opens and they get out. Scene change.]

[Scene opens on the east tower hallway. Shakhan leads Ramsus and Miang back to the cell at the end where the guard is. Camera pan 180 at end of hallway.]

SHAKHAN
"Open the door. Commander Ramsus is here to see her."

[The guard opens the door.]

SHAKHAN
"Commander, please."

[Ramsus and Miang enter the door. Stop music. Scene change.]

[Scene opens on East Tower Cell. A young girl in fairly elaborate clothing is standing in front of a large bed.]

GIRL
Who are you?

[Ramsus and Miang walk towards the girl as she jumps back onto the bed.]

RAMSUS
"I am Ramsus, she is Miang. We would like to ask you some questions."

[When Margie answers, the fine tuned drill sound is heard again and the camera moves in closer to them, as if it was the POV of something.]

MARGIE
"I'm Margie. Actually it's Marguerite. What do you want to know?
My favorite food? I like cake, Chiffon Nisan is my favorite. I haven't had it in so long..."

RAMSUS
"Marguerite, we want to ask you about the Fatima family treasure...
I'm talking about the 'Fatima Jasper'. You see, I'm keeping the piece you had in a safe place.
But I don't know where the other piece is. Do you?"

MARGIE
"Nope. The one I had you took from me.
You didn't even give me anything for it.
Hey, the next time you come, could you bring some Chiffon Nisan?
I used to eat it everyday in Nisan. I don't think they make it in Aveh.
Aveh used to have such good bakers, but I guess they must have all died in the war."

RAMSUS
"That is too bad.
I don't know much about cake, but I'll see if I can find some for you next time."

MARGIE
"Thank you Ramsus. I'll be waiting."

RAMSUS
"Is there anything else you need?
If there's something you want I'll bring it next time."

MARGIE
"No. I just want to go back to Nisan. They must be so worried about me."

RAMSUS
"I'm sorry but please wait a little longer.
We want you to stay here until we find the other half of the 'Fatima Jasper'."

[Camera pans back slightly to reveal a camera view of the room.]

SHAKHAN
"I'm amazed she talked that much. He can handle women as well as he says."

[Camera pans back to reveal Shakhan at his desk, watching the whole show. He gets out of his chair, and twists a bottle, and a picture comes down over the camera. An attendant is with him. Shakhan walks off a bit and begins to pace slowly.]

ATTENDANT
Is it all right?

SHAKHAN
"I can't prevent them from meeting her. Not when it's him we are talking about...
Besides, Marguerite isn't talking anyway. So there is no need to worry...
But where did the leak about the Jasper come from...?
... The 'Ethos'? Ridiculous...! Hmmm, if this continues my plans will be..."

[Shakhan stops pacing and turns to the attendant.]

SHAKHAN
"We had better find out who is leaking out our information immediately.
In the meantime, we'll have to administer some truth serum to our guest, Miss Marguerite.
We must find the other piece of the 'Fatima Jasper' as quickly as we can."

ATTENDANT
But...

SHAKHAN
"However spineless the last commander, Vanderkaum, was...
... this time Gebler has sent their highest commanding officer.
His country is throwing all their weight into this. And, there is nothing we can do about it!"

[Scene change.]

-----

[Begin music: "Aveh, Ancient Dance"]

[Scene opens on the gates of Aveh. Fei, Bart and Citan are there. Camera pans back and up to reveal a long shot of the town.]

[Fei & Co. stop and talk to a woman by the gate.]

WOMAN
Welcome to Bledavik! We're having a festival celebrating the founding of our country, Aveh.
There's a martial arts tournament too.
It's been a while since we have had so many visitors.
Do you already have a hotel?
[Not yet]
You'd better get a room soon or they'll all be gone.
I know a good hotel.
The hotel I am talking about is...
[Camera pans over to a tall building on the west side of the street on the upper level.]
That one.
Tell them my name at the front desk and they'll give you a deal.

[Fei & Co. take his advice and head for the hotel. They enter it. Scene change.]

[Scene opens on hotel lobby. As they enter, a nun is on the stairs and sees them.]

NUN
!

CITAN
"Let us borrow a room here for our planning session."

[The nun runs up to them.]

NUN
Ah... Excuse me but... aren't you Prince Bartholomew?

BART
"... And you are?"

NUN
I was sent here by the Nisan Sect. I'm here to check up on Mother Marguerite.
Prince Bartholomew, I knew you would come sooner or later...

CITAN
"Well, let us not just stand here chatting. Shall we use a room?"

NUN
You must be tired. I'll be in my room, please come by later.

[Camera pans up to the last room past the stairs.]

NUN
That's my room there.

[She runs off to her room. Fei, Citan and Bart check in.]

INNKEEPER
I'm sorry, we're full today. If you can wait till evening I'll have something then...
How about 50G a person?
[I have a recommendation]
Whose sent you?
[I don't know]
Aw, she never gives her name. But... okay, I'll mark it down to 40G each.
[Thanks]
That's 3 people, it'll be 120G.
Come again!

[Scene fade.]

[Begin music: "Back to Sleep (1)"]

[Resume scene.]

[Begin music: "Aveh, Ancient Dance"]

[The trio go to the nun's room.]

[Scene opens on the nun's room. The trio walk over to her.]

NUN
Excuse me but who are they...

[Bart turns to his friends and back to the nun.]

BART
"Oh, this is Fei and Citan. They're going to help rescue Margie."

NUN
Thank you for coming here in this desert heat. I am a servant of the Nisan Sect.
Ever since Shakhan took Mother Marguerite I've been looking into ways to get her back.
I've been trying to find out where she is being held.
I've been busy listening to workers talk about the comings and goings from the castle...
And giving food to the guards who are preparing for the Tournament to loosen their lips too.
Finally yesterday, I got some information... Margie's in the citadel.
The problem is how to slip into the castle...
I thought about it a lot but it looks pretty bleak. I'm sorry.

BART
"No big deal. At least we know where she is now.
You just relax, we'll find a way to slip into the castle."

NUN
My apologies. If there is anything else I can do to help just ask...
Do you have any good leads?

BART
"Not yet. We're gonna hit the streets for info. now.
Then we'll think about the rest later."

NUN
I see. I'm very relieved that you are all here. Please come see me again if you hear anything new.

[The group heads into a nearby house, and a little girl chimes up in a room inhabited by her and an older woman.]

GIRL
Hey, my sister is getting married to someone named Vanderkaum.

[The woman turns around.]

SISTER
Stupid! Why would I do that? With that old creep?

[The group leaves and wanders the streets for awhile. Among the things they do, they play hide-and-seek and beat a kid five times at the game, making him give up. They find a woman and a man next to a pump and a grate.]

WOMAN
I've been doing laundry here for 60 years... The water is the only thing that hasn't changed.
There's a spring flowing beneath the castle.
I was worried that when the king died, the water would stop too, but it didn't.
That old guy down there in charge of the water won't budge an inch even for Shakhan.

MAN
Yeah! He's a great guy! My childhood friend.

[They examine the grate.]

MAN
No good, no good. You won't open it without the key!
Many years ago a kid got lost down there. I think it was the kid from the armor store...

[The three of them return to the nun's hotel room in Bledavik.]

NUN
Any new information? Good ideas?

BART
"I just remembered where Bledavik's water supply comes from...
Spring water rises up from under the castle and flows to the town via a series of underground waterways.
We can sneak into the castle by going through these underground waterways.
We can get into them from the town's well. The waterways should lead right up to the castle's reservoir.
If we are able to get that far, we should be able to sneak into the other rooms of the castle from there."

[Citan gets everyone's attention.]

CITAN
"A good idea, except I have one more suggestion.
There is a festival going on now. There must be a way we can use it to our advantage."

NUN
North of town is a plaza. The castle is beyond that.
I'm sure we'll find something there.

[They head for the festival area and enter Shakhan Square. After partying a bit, they start to exit to the north when Bart stops them.]

BART
"Fei!"

[Fei turns back.]

BART
"The castle's up ahead. If I go, it'll cause problems.
If you're going to go, the two of you should go by yourselves. I'll wait here."

CITAN
"Fei, what shall we do?"
[Let the two of us go.]

BART
"Okay, be careful."

[Fei and Citan leave Bart at the north gate and head to Fatima Castle. They have just entered when an eager man stops them.]

MAN
Yo, dude! Try and pick the champion?

CITAN
"The champion of what?"

MAN
Huh? The champion of the 'Tournament'!

CITAN
"Do they bet on this 'Tournament'?"

MAN
What? What are you talking about? Tournaments ARE gambling!
Why do you think people even come here? To bet on who will be champion! Duh!

CITAN
"Excuse us, we have only just arrived and know nothing of the Tournament."

MAN
Oh, tourists, huh? Well let me tell you about the Tournament.
Every year they hold a big martial arts tournament here in Aveh.
Fighters from all over the world gather to see who's strongest. It's like a big brawl.
Everyone goes wild over guessing who'll win. So, wanna give it a try?

CITAN
"Betting on the Tournament... Is that allowed at such a grand event?"

MAN
You bet. The soldiers are crazy about it. If Kislev attacked tomorrow Aveh would be dust.

CITAN
!

MAN
What are you gonna do? Registration's not over yet, but all the strong ones have signed up.
The rest are only after the consolation prizes anyway...

CITAN
"Let us wait and see. Some strong ones might still register."

MAN
Ha! What a buncha cowards.

[The man walks away.]

CITAN
"Fei, we can use this to our advantage!
If you create a stir at the Tournament, the guards will be watching you rather than their posts.
It will make it easy for us to sneak into the castle and rescue Margie.
What do you think, Fei? Will you enter the Tournament?"

[Fei turns around.]

FEI
"Who... me?"

CITAN
"While you draw the guards' attention the young one can sneak into the castle.
Surely you see that it is the only way we will get in? Right... Let us go sign you up."

[Citan pauses a second.]

CITAN
"And Fei, do not use your real name, make another suitable one."

[The two head for the registration booth and talk to the clerk.]

CLERK
This is the Tournament Registration Booth.
[Enter the Tournament]
Please sign in here.
[Dragon Slaying Slacker]
You're the Dragon Slaying Slacker, right?
You are signed up. The Tournament begins tomorrow. Please make sure you are here.

[Fei and Citan return to Shakhan Square and meet Bart.]

BART
"Well, let's go."

[They return to the nun's room.]

NUN
Did you find a way to use the festival?

CITAN
Tomorrow is the Tournament. There will be betting at the arena.
Surely, the soldiers' minds will be more on the Tournament than their job.
We must use this to our advantage."

NUN
What do you mean?

CITAN
"Fei will participate. We will have him put on a big show there."

NUN
I'm sure today's the last day to sign up for the Tournament. You'd better register soon.

CITAN
"No need to worry. Fei already registered."

[Citan continues.]

CITAN
"Sounds good.
Fei is in the Tournament. He will draw the guards' attention.
Then Bart will enter the castle through the waterways via the well.
After that he will rescue Marguerite from the citadel.
I will accompany Fei to the Tournament. I will also help work the crowd and secure our escape."

[Citan pauses.]

CITAN
"... There is one problem. The well is locked. First we must find the key."

BART
"Let's go find the key, and fast!"

[They leave and eventually find the armor store kid who was playing Hide and seek earlier until Fei beat him at it.]

KID
I don't play hide-and-seek anymore and you shouldn't at your age either!
Huh? You wanna hear about when I went down the well?
It's been a while since anyone asked me about that. Everyone wanted to know about it back then...
Well... cough... I was still a kid when I hid in there. Actually I got lost... pretty embarrassing!
At first, I thought I could follow the current out, but the grill stopped me.
So I swam against the current.
The speed of the current is always changing so if your timing's off it's really tough.
I hear it's the opening and closing of the flood gate that changes the speed of the current.
But if you keep going against the current you'll end up right under the castle.
I was scared stiff by the manager guy there... The lid to the well's been locked since then.
It was a great place to hide but it's no place for amateurs.
Huh? The key?
The old guy who is always sitting on the bench by the east well has it.

[They return to the grate and talk to the man.]

MAN
The well key?
I've got it. I'm in charge of the waterworks association.
What are you gonna do with the key?
[Rescue Margie]
What!? You wanna clash with Shakhan?
Hah! This is great! This is great!
I like you guys. I'll lend you the key. You get that Shakhan for me!

[Item sound]

Received Well Key!

[They return to the nun's room.]

NUN
Any luck finding the well key?

BART
"Yeah, the old guy next to the well had it."

CITAN
"Preparations for our plan our complete.
Tonight we will stay in the hotel and start out tomorrow.
We are free to do what we like for now. Let us have a look around the town."

[Fei leaves and wanders around the city and enters the fun tent.]

[Begin music: "Big Top" - not on OST but this is where it is, so we'll call it that!]

[After playing some games at Shakhan Square, a man stops him coming out of the fun tent.]

[Begin music: "Aveh, Ancient Dance"]

MAN
Hey! Well if it isn't Fei!

[Heartbeat. Fade music fast.]

FEI
!!

MAN
It's me.
Moulten from the Laughing Pig Pub. You'd never know it from the way I look now though... Ha ha ha ha.
So how's my wife and daughter doing back in the village?

[Fei stutters and looks down.]

FEI
Ahh... Well...

MAN
Of course, they're fine. That's the only thing they do well. Ha ha ha ha.
I want to return soon but I still don't have the money to bring them to Aveh.
I'm done getting the festival ready, and now I've got another job. I'm really busy.
It'd be nice to have a little lodge in a small village like Lahan.
To get the money together, I started a business and now I'm really busy.
I want to send my girl to school and buy nice things for my wife...
I guess I'm talking too much. Ha ha ha.

[Fei looks up.]

MAN
... If I don't go soon the boss'll get mad. Well, see you Fei.
Say 'hi' to my wife and daughter for me.

FEI
...

[Resume music.]

[Fei returns to the room.]

BART
Well, I'm all ready so I'm gonna get some sleep. Man, I'm beat."
More sightseeing in Aveh?
[Rest]

BART
"Yeah, tomorrow will be tough for both of us."

[Scene fade.]

[Begin music: "Back to Sleep (1)"]

 Chapter 09: Pirate's Lair

Chapter 11: The Tournament

(c) 2002 by StarcraftSquall. XenoGears: The Script is a compilation of a previously released video game and all original material contained within XenoGears: The Script is (c) 1998 by Squaresoft. XenoGears: The Script is licensed exclusively to Xenogears: God and Mind and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of and/or Xenogears: God and Mind.