Xios

Xios
Full Name	Xios International
Years Active	2137-2172
Location	Finland
Livery Colors	Crimson Yellow
Key People	Didier Humeau (Director-General, 2160) Maurice Duprix (Technical Services, 2160) Lucy Scavanger (PR Agent, 2160)
Known Pilots	Natasha Belmondo (F9000) Zala Wollf (F9000)
Motto(s)	"We think so you don't have to." (F9000) "Trust us, we're scientists." (F9000) "Artificial Intelligence" (F9000)
First Appearance	Wipeout Fusion

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. This, coupled with Maurice Duprix leading their craft development, made the Xios team among the most successful in the league, 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 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.

Appearence, Evolution and Stats

• Xios SMF-X (F9000)

  Go to Xios SMF-X

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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

Xios logo from Wipeout Fusion

Xios wallpaper from Wipeout Fusion

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 quite arrogant, likely because of the fact that he was able to acquire Natasha Belmondo as the team's lead pilot.
  • This can be found in the manual of Fusion, where Humeau is quoted as saying: "Yaaaay! Where do you think you're going now suckers? Do you think you can win it? Do you? Do you? If you think that, you're freaking insane! Let's face it, Natasha Belmondo IS anti-grav racing. Descended from the noblest of ancestors, Monsieur Pierre Belmondo himself. Natasha is the queen of it all. When she REJECTS you, it is personal. When she ACCEPTS you, you have arrived. Natasha Belmondo and Xios will now take on the world!"
• 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.