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I became a Testament to escape the fear of death, and to obtain eternal pleasure. ... The reason I concern myself with you is extremely simple. I just want to enjoy my eternal life along with you.
—Voyager (to Ziggy)

Voyager (ヴォイジャー, Vu~oijā), previously known as Erich Weber (エーリッヒ・ウェーバー, Ērihhi U~ēbā), was a U.M.N. cyber-terrorist who lived 100 years ago on the planet Abraxas (later Michtam). In Pied Piper, Voyager is a notorious serial killer who stalks and kills his victims through the U.M.N. At the same time, under the alias Erich Weber, he poses as a U.M.N. operator and support agent in the 1875th Federation special-operations detachment squad investigating Voyager's crimes. Erich Weber's true identity as Voyager remains unknown to his friends and colleagues, including his superior officer, Jan Sauer (later Ziggy). Erich works closely with Mikhail Ortmann and the combat robot Bugs.

As Erich, he appears to be 28 years old. It is mentioned in Pied Piper and in the database for Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra that he may be well over 150 years old, and that his longevity may be due to the use of a metabolic drug.[1]

Biography[]

Prior to the T.C. 4600s, genetic enhancement and cloning were commonly performed on human subjects. This practice became increasingly widespread with the passage of the Life Recycling Act in 4591. Erich was one of a group of Designer Children born during this period. In order to continue living, all of the members of this group were dependent on a drug that stimulates the thyroid to help control their metabolic rate. Erich received his supply of the drug by working for Dmitri Yuriev.

As a side effect of his genetic manipulation, Erich also had a congenital brain disorder, which he controlled by constructing working memory inside of the U.M.N. He developed an intense affinity with the network and was capable of interacting with the U.M.N. at will, without requiring the use of a dive interface.

Erich became addicted to information and kept diving deeper into the U.M.N. in an attempt to discover what was at its center. Eventually, he succeeded in breaching the U.M.N.'s root structure. There he encountered U-DO, who showed him a vision of the destruction of the universe. As a result of this exchange of information, Erich developed an all-consuming fear of dissipating into the Collective Unconscious. He also wished to prevent the cataclysmic future he saw in U-DO's vision, and he believed that he could accomplish this by offering other people an escape from the fear of death. This drove him to adopt the alias "Voyager," in reference to Dmitri Yuriev, who was the first "voyager" on the sea of information (i.e., the U.M.N.), and who had a similar encounter with U-DO during his experience as a test subject many years before.[2]

Xenosaga: Pied Piper[]

Erich Weber in the uniform of the Galaxy Federation Police, saluting in front of a futuristic cityscape.

Erich as he appears in Pied Piper.

Voyager is the primary antagonist in Pied Piper (along with Dmitri Yuriev, who is revealed to be controlling Voyager's activities behind the scenes). He poses as an ally to Jan Sauer's team as they investigate Voyager's murders on Abraxas. Voyager's mode of operation typically involves brainjacking his victims (i.e., forcibly hacking into their minds) and making them recite verses from Chapter 16 of the Biblical Book of Revelation, which describes a series of apocalyptic events ascribed to the wrath of God.[3]

Voyager's crimes include the Ambassador Lock-Up Incident and the Nursing Plant Incident, among others. Many of his victims are children, hence the allusion (in the title of the game and in Melisse Ortus's final musings during the epilogue) to the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Jan and the others do not realize that the target of their investigation is operating from within their ranks until Voyager brainjacks and kills his own partner, Mikhail Ortmann. Meanwhile, Yuriev cuts off Erich's access to the drug he requires for survival, and the remaining members of Jan's team find Erich unconscious inside a dive bed. They attempt to stop him by diving into his mind, where they discover the consciousnesses of Voyager's victims imprisoned in the form of human embryos. Erich's fading consciousness also appears before the party, and he explains how and why he became Voyager and what his underlying motives are. He reveals that Voyager has made a contract with U-DO, and that he plans to fulfill it using "the blood of the People of Zohar," namely by murdering them en masse during the Pilgrimage Council taking place in the Archon Cathedral.[4]

GIF taken from a playthrough of Pied Piper. Voyager stands in a chamber made of blue crystals with the Zohar behind him. Sharon and Joaquin Rozas stand in front of him. Voyager emits a white light, causing the screen to flash. Jan watches from behind a barrier as Sharon and Joaquin collapse in a pool of blood.

Jan is forced to watch as Voyager murders Sharon and Joaquin.

Jan's team attempts to stop Voyager, but they arrive at the cathedral too late. Acting independently of Yuriev's orders, Voyager has used his connection with U-DO to activate the Zohar, killing nearly everyone in attendance at the Pilgrimage Council and shifting the cathedral from the physical domain into virtual space. Voyager then murders Jan's wife Sharon Rozas and stepson Joaquin Rozas in front of Jan.

Bugs, who had a close friendship with Erich and considered him a father figure, is distraught over Voyager's actions. He attempts to kill Voyager in a suicide attack. Bugs self-destructs and dies, but Voyager remains unharmed. The surviving party members fight against Voyager. After the battle, Voyager calls upon U-DO to honor the terms of their contract, but he receives no response. Having already abandoned his physical body, Voyager is now at risk of his consciousness dispersing into the Collective Unconscious. At this point Wilhelm intervenes by appearing to Voyager and offering him a partnership. Voyager accepts and is transformed into the Black Testament.

A scene from Pied Piper in which Voyager, wearing a white robe, stands in the foreground looking back at Wilhelm, who appears in a narrow spotlight against a dark blue background.

Wilhelm welcomes Voyager.

With his new powers, Voyager returns to the cathedral and confronts the party again. Another battle ensues. Afterward, Voyager offers Jan an ultimatum: either become a Testament along with Voyager, or be killed and have his consciousness absorbed into Voyager's. Jan refuses both and dies by suicide, shooting himself in the head.

Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht[]

GIF showing Ziggy witnessing Andrew Cherenkov's transformation into a Gnosis, then experiencing a brief flashback to a scene of Voyager standing in silhouette with a glowing weapon.

"It's the same ... just like that day."

In Episode I, Voyager is not mentioned by name but appears briefly in Ziggy's flashback when Andrew Cherenkov transforms into a Gnosis on the Cathedral Ship. Ziggy remarks aloud, "It's the same ... just like that day," but he does not elaborate.

Xenosaga: The Animation[]

Scene from Xenosaga: The Animation showing the Black, Red, and Blue testaments standing together.

Voyager, at left, as the Black Testament.

In the animated retelling of Episode I, Voyager is shown alongside the Red and Blue Testaments in Wilhelm's office during the ending sequence.

Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse[]

A black-cloaked figure stands over a pool of blood against a white background.

In a flashback, Voyager stands over a pool of blood after murdering Sharon and Joaquin.

Voyager remains an enigmatic presence throughout most of Episode II. When MOMO collapses during her analysis, Ziggy experiences a flashback in which Voyager appears as a cloaked figure standing over a pool of blood, having just murdered Ziggy's wife and stepson.

Piloting the E.S. Dan, Voyager attacks Shion Uzuki and Allen Ridgeley en route to Old Miltia. KOS-MOS intervenes to rescue Shion and Allen.

Later, in the Ω System, he appears with the Red and Blue Testaments to kill Patriarch Sergius XVII. Seeing Voyager without his mask on, Ziggy recognizes him as the cloaked figure from his earlier flashback. Ziggy attacks in a rage and fires missiles at Voyager, but Voyager teleports the missiles behind Ziggy, injuring him instead.

Xenosaga I & II[]

In Xenosaga I & II, Voyager's role is significantly expanded. He is shown confronting the U-TIC A.M.W.S. pilots Richard and Hermann after describing them as "good-for-nothings."[5] Voyager also addresses Ziggy and the others in the Ω System, whereas in Xenosaga Episode II, Voyager has no voiced lines. After this encounter, Shion asks Ziggy about his past, and Ziggy discusses his former life and his family on Abraxas.[6]

Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra[]

Voyager_boss

Voyager boss

Boss fight with Voyager.

While KOS-MOS is undergoing repairs on the Elsa, Voyager is sent to capture her. He breaks into the Professor's lab and attempts to carry KOS-MOS' maintenance bed off the ship. Jr., Matthews, and Tony enter the lab and begin shooting at Voyager, but he absorbs their bullets. Meanwhile, chaos and Assistant Scott help the Professor to safety. Ziggy arrives with Jin Uzuki and confronts Voyager, demanding to know Voyager's objective. Voyager does not answer and instead attacks Ziggy, throwing him to the floor.

At this point, Shion and the other party members arrive. Shion charges at Voyager in an attempt to rescue KOS-MOS, but Voyager lifts her into the air and begins to choke her. Responding to the threat against Shion's life, KOS-MOS awakens and bursts out of her maintenance unit to attack Voyager. The rest of the party assembles behind KOS-MOS, and a boss battle ensues.

After the battle, Ziggy angrily attempts to question Voyager again, but Voyager absorbs Ziggy's projectile attacks and gives no answer. KOS-MOS threatens Voyager a final time, and the Red Testament calls on Voyager to retreat. Before departing, Voyager addresses Ziggy by his former name, Jan Sauer, and vows to settle the score later.

Voyager appears again on Michtam in the final chapters of the game. The party notices E.S. Dan shadowing them from above as they make their way through the ruins. After the party defeats Richard and Hermann and Pellegri in battle, Dan absorbs the Anima Relics from their E.S. craft (Gad, Joseph , and Issachar respectively). Jin observes that Dan's mysterious pilot seems to be taunting the party, luring them onward.

The party arrives in the Archon Cathedral, where Voyager finally confronts them. Voyager announces that he has been waiting for Ziggy, again referring to Ziggy by his former name and taunting him for refusing Voyager's offer of eternal life 100 years ago. Voyager also reveals that Canaan was formerly Lactis and that Wilhelm has been using Canaan to monitor the protagonists through Program Canaan, against Canaan's will and until recently without his knowledge. Ziggy again demands to know Voyager's motives, and Voyager explains that he became a Testament to overcome his fear of death and to achieve eternal pleasure, and that his fixation on Ziggy is due to Voyager's desire to share his eternal life with Ziggy. Voyager then engages the party in battle in the E.S. Dan.

Xenosaga_III_HD_Cutscene_302_-_Canaan's_Feelings_(Archon_Cathedral)_-_ENGLISH_-_REGULAR_MODE

Xenosaga III HD Cutscene 302 - Canaan's Feelings (Archon Cathedral) - ENGLISH - REGULAR MODE

Canaan sacrifices himself to defeat Voyager.

After the battle, Voyager's E.S. is destroyed, and Ziggy exits the E.S. Zebulun to attack Voyager with his missile launcher. Voyager evades the attack and easily defeats Ziggy, pinning him to the floor of the cathedral. Canaan and Jr. rush to intervene. Canaan steps in front of Ziggy to protect him, and Voyager mocks Ziggy for depending on his subordinates to save him. Citing his guilt over having been used for surveillance, Canaan deceives Voyager by offering him access to the Compass of Order, which Voyager believes is the source of Wilhelm's power. Voyager accepts the offer and reaches through Canaan's link to the Compass, proclaiming that he will use the power of the Compass to become God. However, Voyager's triumph soon turns to dismay as he is unable to contain the power and begins to disintegrate. Voyager and Canaan both dissolve into phase space and are annihilated together.

Relationships[]

U-DO[]

Erich first encountered U-DO during a dive into the root structure of the U.M.N., where he received a terrifying vision of the end of the world. As a result of this exchange, Erich became obsessed with U-DO even as he was consumed by his own fear of annihilation. In order to mitigate his fears, Erich agreed to a contract with U-DO in which he would serve as an observer for U-DO in the lower domain. However, when Voyager attempts to fulfill this contract by murdering a large group of people at the Pilgrimage Council, U-DO rejects the offer and ceases communicating with him.

Dmitri Yuriev[]

Towards the end of Pied Piper, Erich states that he made contact with Dmitri Yuriev as part of his contract with U-DO. He refers to Yuriev as "my sole companion," a kindred spirit who shared his fear of dissipating into the Collective Unconscious. Yuriev initially supports Voyager's actions on Abraxas, supplying him with the drugs he needs in order to survive while directing and covering up Voyager's crimes from behind the scenes. When Yuriev cuts off Voyager's drug supply, Voyager abandons his physical body and makes a final attempt at fulfilling his contract with U-DO.

Wilhelm[]

Wilhelm appears to Voyager at the end of Pied Piper, after Voyager has been rejected by both Yuriev and U-DO. With no other options available, Voyager accepts Wilhelm's offer to become a Testament. Voyager is evidently the first and oldest of the four Testaments, preceding the other three by nearly a century.

Ziggy[]

During Pied Piper, Voyager poses as Jan's subordinate in the Federation Police. Erich Weber manages to secure the trust of Jan and the rest of his team while carrying out the very crimes they were tasked with investigating. Voyager is directly responsible for the deaths of many of Jan's friends and colleagues, culminating in the murders of Jan's wife and stepson. After forcing Jan to witness their deaths, Voyager presents Jan with a choice, either to be killed and absorbed into Voyager's mind or to become a Testament with him. Jan refuses and dies by suicide, an act which Voyager states he found unacceptable.

Voyager's obsession with Jan--now revived as Ziggurat 8--persists through the following century. Voyager derives pleasure from witnessing Ziggy's suffering, and he seems to enjoy tormenting Ziggy by invoking his past. He insists on referring to Ziggy by his former name, Jan Sauer. Near the end of Episode III, Voyager reveals that his motives for becoming a Testament had nothing to do with Ziggy, but that he wants to share his eternal life with Ziggy nevertheless.

Mikhail Ortmann[]

In Pied Piper, Mikhail and Erich work closely together. As network operators, they seldom engage in combat, instead providing support to the party during U.M.N. dives. They have a friendly working relationship, but their camaraderie is ultimately undermined by Erich's deception. During the Nursing Plant Incident, Voyager hacks into the system to attack the party, and Erich insinuates that Mikhail may have sabotaged the trace data on purpose. Near the end of the game, in an attempt to conceal his own identity, Voyager brainjacks Mikhail and forces him to attack Jan's team. Mikhail is killed in the ensuing battle.

Bugs[]

In addition to his duties as a U.M.N. operator, Erich works with Bugs, a combat robot employed by the Federation Police. Bugs has a childlike personality, and he cares deeply for Erich, whom he sees as a father figure.[7] Even after Voyager's identity is revealed, Bugs remains devoted to the Erich he knew, and he vows to "protect" Erich.

In the Archon Cathedral, after Voyager kills Joaquin and Sharon, Bugs confronts Voyager, invoking their past friendship and condemning Voyager's actions as morally wrong. Voyager appears to hesitate, and he disdainfully urges Bugs to leave "while you still can" or risk being "scrapped." [8] Bugs counters that seeing Erich's transformation into Voyager has made him so despondent that he wants to be scrapped, and that he wishes to die together with Erich. Bugs attempts a suicide attack and self-destructs, but Voyager survives.

Etymology[]

Erich is a Germanic name meaning "one ruler" or "eternal ruler." Weber is a German surname meaning "weaver." The word voyage most often denotes a long journey by water, although it can refer more broadly to any kind of travel. In Pied Piper, Erich explains that he chose the name Voyager to signify his quest for knowledge in a sea of information (i.e. the U.M.N.), and in reference to Dmitri Yuriev, who was the first such "voyager."

Quotes[]

  • "No, you're still suffering, even now. Aren't you? Time stopped for you on that day. You can never escape from it. If you'd heeded my warning and become a Testament together with me, you wouldn't have had to suffer like that."
  • "I became a Testament to escape the fear of death, and to obtain eternal pleasure. It had nothing to do with you, Jan Sauer. The reason I concern myself with you is extremely simple. I just want to enjoy my eternal life along with you."
  • "One hundred years ago, you ignored my words, and ended your own life. That ... is something I cannot accept."
  • "Exactly. This is the place where the curtain was closed. Now, let's move on to the encore. Except this time, I will have the pleasure of finishing you off, myself. Just like I did your own son."
  • "I see! So this is his power? With this, I will become God!"

Trivia[]

  • Voyager is the oldest of the four Testaments, having been recruited by Wilhelm 100 years before the events of Episode I, and about 98 years before the Red Testament, who is second in seniority after Voyager.
  • Voyager has no spoken lines during his brief appearances in Episode I and II. With the exception of his dialogue in Pied Piper and Xenosaga I & II, he only speaks in Episode III.
  • In the Official Design Materials for Episode I, Voyager is not mentioned by name, but Ziggy's character profile notes that "the man who killed Ziggy's wife and child has passed through 100 years just like Ziggy and continues to exist today," and that Ziggy is not yet aware of this.[9]


Gallery[]

Xenosaga: Pied Piper[]

Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht[]

Xenosaga I & II[]

Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse[]

Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra[]

References[]

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