Xios International were an Anti-Gravity racing team based in Finland. They were one of the three teams that made an appearance exclusively in Wipeout Fusion. The team later merged with EG-R after the collapse of the F9000 League to form EG-X.
History[]
Xios International was founded in 2137 as a weapons development firm. Unsurprisingly, Xios boasted one of the most powerful weaponries in the F9000 League. Despite this, Xios had possibly been a lower team for their first few years until Natasha Belmondo, the great-great-granddaughter of AG pioneer Pierre Belmondo, moved to the team after being bought from Auricom. Since then, everyone mocked Auricom, with Xios saying that when one of Belmondo's descendants had abandoned them, they were clutching at straws. This obviously angered the American team.
The contract with Belmondo turned Xios into a powerhouse of the F9000 League. Coupled with Maurice Duprix leading their craft development, the Xios team emerged as one of the most successful teams of the time, with a race win record easily rivaling those of FEISAR and Piranha. At the same time, Belmondo herself had been able to secure a few Pilots' Championship titles for Xios, including her debut season with the team in 2159.
On the other hand, Xios would also find themselves in a constant rivalry with the Auricom team throughout the league, as evident with the feud between both teams' respective directors Didier Humeau and Gideon Oldfield prior to the 2160 season, regarding Natasha Belmondo. For unknown reasons, however, Oldfield pretended to never have listened to Humeau.
Despite all of this drama, not to mention the many protests by Natasha Belmondo over league policies, Xios remained one of the strongest teams in the F9000. Even after Auricom withdrew from the league following their victory in the 2168 season, Xios continued their strong performance until they suddenly announced their withdrawal from the F9000 League in early 2170. That same year, the corruption and illegal operations committed by the F9000 Commission was exposed, leading to the eventual downfall of the F9000 League.
Despite having survived the fate of that doomed league, Xios was in great financial trouble as a result of the fallout that followed the collapse of the F9000 League. In order to better weather the condition, Xios merged with the controversy-riddled EG-R team to form EG-X Technologies, who would compete in AG racing for the first time in the FX350 and FX400 Leagues.
F9000 Background[]
Personality implants from Xios
Since signing current World Champion Natasha Belmondo from Auricom, Xios has earned its place among the F9000 elite, winning last season's Constructors' Championship for the first time. However, Belmondo is not the only ace held by the team. We also benefit from the expertise of Maurice Duprix, previously Head of Gravitational Physics at the Pacific University, who has helped develop one of the finest ever anti-gravity race craft.
'From what I have seen on the test circuit,' says Duprix, 'our newly calibrated ForceFull™ vapour moleculiser is giving us a substantial improvement in performance - our speed this year may leave many teams struggling. I was studying the aerodynamics of a rare seed pod while we were in Haiti last season, and I think the results will speak for themselves.'
So while Duprix works behind the scenes, the great Natasha Belmondo supplies the racing know-how; her arrival from Auricom signalled her total dissatisfaction with that bloated, arrogant team. In a statement personally addressed to the Auricom board, Xios International's Director General Didier Humeau said recently, 'Yaaay! What you gonna do now suckers? Do you think you can win it? Let's face it, Natasha Belmondo IS anti-grav racing. When she ACCEPTS you, you have arrived. Natasha Belmondo and Xios will now take on the world! Are you listening, you freaks?'
Appearence, Evolution and Stats[]
As the only craft used by Xios in the AG racing history, the craft appears to have an unusual yet sleek design. The craft also has a small wing attached on the upper rear. This wing works as the steering rudder of the craft. The front end of the hull is pointed, made likely for better aerodynamics.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The name "Xios" is derived from the rough translation of the Greek Aegean island of Chios.
- Although the team may sound quite conservative, the director-general Didier Humeau appears to be pretty arrogant, likely due to the fact that he was able to acquire Natasha Belmondo from Auricom via headhunting.
- Headhunting is an informal term for executive search, and refers to the practice of recruiting a person for a senior position, which involves convincing the person in question to leave their current job.
- In the manual of Fusion, there is a quote from the Xios International press release, implied to have been said or written by Humeau.
- There is a possible rivalry between Zala Wollf and Van-Über second pilot Nami Mishima, caused by what happened back when Zala was part of Van-Über.
- It is also mentioned that G-Tech second pilot Naomi Turner strongly dislikes Natasha Belmondo.
- Xios are one of the few teams to have used triple-hulled ships.
| Anti-Gravity Racing Teams in Wipeout |
|---|
| AG Systems • Assegai • Auricom • EG-X • FEISAR • Goteki 45 • Harimau • Icaras • Mirage • Piranha • Qirex • Triakis • Van-Über |
| Defunct/Former Teams: EG-R • G-Tech • Tigron • Xios |