The newly named Mejere Pirate ship, called the Nirvana, had not seen action for at least two days. That last time they did, the young Tarak mechanic Hibiki and Meia created the newest Vandread, which took the shape of a large, silver bird. The Nirvana was in a series of repairs on the inside, mainly on the dreads and the vanguard. The Gundam, which took heavy damage after defending Meia's dread, was still in repair, but its pilot seemed to have healed most of his internal, and external wounds. The ship was floating towards its destination at Mejere, but it had stopped when it came into contact with a foreign, sand covered planet.
"It looks....dead...." Magno said, as she examined the planet from the bridge of the Nirvana. They had been stationed outside the desert planet for about an hour now, as they reviewed possible ways to explore it.
"We should check it out soon....there might be some useful information that we could gather on that planet to use to our advantage..." Buzam said, the planning on the screen in the meeting room. She had been thinking of this planet for sometime now, and she had a strong desire to take action.
"Well...I have no problem with you going, but I'm not sure about the others..." Magno said, her eyes fixed on the screen.
"I've been thinking about that too...." BC said as her eyes drifted back onto the screen. She was the most capable of checking out this planet because of her combat experience.
"By the way commander...How is that Gundam Pilot doing?" Magno asked, hoping that he and his Gundam were able to travel down towards the planet.
"Last I heard of him, his wounds were mostly healed, but his Gundam is a different story. He had been using a certain alloy not known to the Mejere and Tarak, and so he is currently using normal Mejere titanium alloy. It's tough, but its not as good as the ones on Wing Zero."
"Gundanium Alloy eh?...How close is it to completion?" Magno asked.
"Let's contact him and see." Buzam said, as she pushed a few buttons on a nearby computer panel. The screen came up, and Heero had appeared. His hair was slightly muffled, and he had oil marks on his left cheek, along with a bandaged wrapped around his head.
"Anything you require me for?" Heero asked, straight to the point.
"No...I'm just thinking of your Gundam...how close is it to its full recovery?"
"Around eighty six percent...the damage from the battle before managed to hit some of my thruster power, and its balance is off. It will probably take me half a day to complete it."
"Thanks Heero. You can continue your repairs."
"Roger that." The transmission ended, and Magno and Buzam stood in silence.
"We don't have half a day...we need to get moving...."
"Right...."
Meanwhile, when the transmission had ended, Heero was now outside Zero on a lift. Since his Gundam was larger, and heavier then the vanguard units, it was standing up against the back wall in the hangar, where a bridge ran across the cockpit of Zero for him to gain access. He was currently adding the titanium sheets to the Gundam. He had rewired and repaired the mechanics in the torso, and was adding on the armored shell. Hibiki himself was also working on his Vanguard, and was running extra checks on it. The smaller fighter unit was in a small room on the right side of the hangar with the garage door opened. The Vanguard sat in a metal seat while the Tarak boy was doing maintenance.
For a strange reason, the boy was exhausted. Ever since the battle with that strange sphere, he had been tired. He had guessed it was that hyper, red haired girl Dita that would follow him around non stop. She fed him nice food, but she was very clingy, and those soft things on her chest made him feel very uncomfortable when she would embrace his arm. He heard a loud clanging noise, and looked back to see Heero slam the plate onto his Gundam. The torso looked fine, and the legs were currently being rewired. The shield was beside the Gundam, and was fully repaired. The left shoulder was still untouched by repairs, and the torso was having its final touches.
"Looks like a lot of work...." Hibiki said, loud enough for Heero to here. Heero was currently wearing no shirt, which showed his bandages being wrapped around his entire torso. He had a few on his arms, and was wearing his normal black pants.
"I've had to fix worse. This is a relief compared to that." Heero replied, as he jumped down onto the bridge. "I'm going to turn on zero gravity in the hangar, so hold on to something." Hibiki sighed, as he felt himself become weightless, as Heero drifted to the left shoulder of his Gundam.
"Need any help with that?" Hibiki asked, as he floated out of the small garage.
"I normally wouldn't have anyone touch it, but I could use some assistance." Heero replied.
What a careful guy... Hibiki thought as he warily floated towards the working Gundam pilot. He landed softly on the bridge, and looked up at the pilot.
"Are you sure you have everything you need for this thing?" Hibiki asked, scratching his head as he jumped to level with Heero's altitude.
"Yes...and it also seems that Zero is regenerating...the titanium plates I've placed on it seem to strengthen over time..."
"Is this the work of the Paksis?" Hibiki asked, as he examined the damaged hole.
"I'm guessing so...I haven't even tried to make full use of Zero yet..." Hibiki nodded, as he and Heero began to quietly pull out the useless cables. He was somehow in ease, he was normally stiff around this Heero, but now he seemed comfortable around his presence.
"By the way...is this thing like an AI or something? Zero's eyes....look so much alive sometimes..." Hibiki said, gazing at the head of the Gundam.
"He's something like that. I think Zero's a living thing..." Heero said, his full concentration on replacing the cords. Hibiki nodded and stared at the Gundam's eyes, thinking that he saw a certain blinking light. Shrugging, he then floated down towards the bridge to grab more tools. Unexpectedly, his weight returned, and he was sent fly down and crashing painfully onto the metal bridge on his back, knocking the wind from his lungs. Heero landed sturdily on his feet, and gazed up with angry eyes to see the operator. Suddenly, a red haired girl with a worried look in her eyes rushed up.
"I'm so sorry!!! I didn't realize that you guys were up there on the Gundam!!! Are you okay Mr. Alien?" Hibiki sighed and laid on his back, his eyes growing tired.
"Maybe...I'm just not eating right..." Hibiki said out loud, making Dita cock her head in confusion.
"Dita, why don't you take him to the med bay. He's been like this all day. He's probably suffering under fatigue or stress. Also, get him something to eat." Heero said, as he walked quietly into the cockpit of his Gundam.
"Right! I'm on it! Let's go Mr. Alien!" Dita exclaimed as she excitedly grabbed Hibiki's hand as she forced him up. She then took off with a dash, seeming to drag the young Tarak teen on the ground. Heero watched this scene, and chuckled quietly to himself, as he disappeared into the darkness of the cockpit. He pressed a few buttons, and the doors closed, with the monitors turning on all around him. He jabbed a few more keys, and the monitors combined to form an entire 360 view, which was a new feature that his Gundam had. He then pulled out a keyboard, and punched in the code to view the schematics. Suddenly, a transmission of Gasco appeared on his screen, and in the back view were the Reg crew.
"Hey Mr. Gundam Pilot, do you need any ammo or anything? I noticed those machine guns that you have, and was just thinking of asking."
"Thats good. I take 50 caliber machine gun rounds in both of them, but my Vulcan cannons are full." Gasco gave a confused look, and then smiled.
"Roger that. We'll send down a few crates in a few minuets." Heero nodded as she disappeared, leaving his schematics screen on. He had full used of his arms, and his left leg was almost entirely repaired. He then saw the percent of his leg repair go up by one, and this had confirmed that his Gundam was regenerating on its own, much to his wonderment. The shoulder was still ineffective, and the torso was fully repaired. If what he had seen from the planet they were above, he would need the shoulder repaired. If we was to enter the atmosphere in that condition, his shoulder would be blown off, and possible damage to his arm would occur. His boosters were also not at one hundred percent, and he needed those to get through the atmosphere as well. He then leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. He had been working on Zero all night, and didn't get a wink of sleep. But this was no time to sleep, he had to help the crew and fix Zero. He then opened his eyes, and noticed a peculiar button on the left side of his cockpit right next to the joystick. It was a dark red in color, and Heero had never seen such a thing before. His hand then moved, feeling the button, wondering what it could. Just then, much to his annoyance, another transmission came through, this one of the Captain and Commander.
"Hey Gundam Pilot, we're just here to tell you that we plan to descend to the planet using Vanguards, and so regrettably you'll be unable to go through with this mission." Buzam said, her hands on her hips.
"Understood." Heero nodded, a bit unhappy that he was left out.
"Also, the women are probably going to be joining you in the hangar, so be aware that there will be people with you." Magno said, the transmission ending suddenly. Heero sighed once more, opening his cockpit as the light shone in powerfully. As he made his way out, he noticed that the girls were already near their vanguards, carrying weird spray cans. His question was answered as a bright pink fired out, coloring the fighting units. He then saw a familiar blonde women appear with the brunette, carrying another spray can.
"Ugh...such ugly things..." Jura said, her eyes tight on the grey Vanguard before her. She then looked up to see the powerful Gundam, with Heero climbing up to where the damaged shoulder was.
"Now that is a beautiful piece of equipment...Barnette, would you mind taking care of the vanguard for me? I want to have a word with the pilot." Jura tossed the can to a very reluctant Barnette as Jura casually walked up to the Gundam, marveling at the legendary weapon. She wasn't the only one, for the other women have also heard of the Gundams, and were in awe of how cool and strong it looked, and at how it was the most famous one of all.
"Hey there!" Jura waved, hoping to get the attention of the busy pilot. Heero glanced down for a second, and then went back to work with a grunt.
"A bit rude, eh? I just want to thank you for getting me and Barnette out of that broken elevator from before!" Heero nodded, giving her no attention again. Annoyed, Jura clenched her fist. She liked attention, actually she loved it! But this guy was giving her no notice at all! She was hoping that the other women would give her some respect for her knowing the pilot, but her plan was being ruined!
"Well if you're going to ignore my greeting, then fine!" Jura said, as she stormed off towards her vanguard.
"I wonder.....," Heero said to himself, as he looked back to the women, "If I can download the Zero system into the Vanguards..."
00000
"Wait...how do you move this thing?!" Dita exclaimed, as she played along with the simulation. She had lost memory of what the controls did, and the simulator rocked from side to side realistically, as her unit was easily destroyed in the midst of space. Jura sighed as the lid on her simulator opened up out of her annoyance. She, Barnette, Dita, and Hibiki would be the ones chosen to check out the planet, but piloting such a difficult mech was tiring. Dita was in full determination of mastering the unit, because of her will to become a great help to Hibiki.
"Okay...that's enough for right now..." Duero said, examining their pulses from a small terminal out side, viewing the room with the simulators. He then raised an eye, noticing that Meia's pulse ratings were high and fast, and had irregular breathing patterns. After viewing the cockpit camera, he saw her sweating and panting heavily, and signs of heavy stress were being shown easily.
"Whats going on with her?" Pyoro, asked, floating harmlessly around the male doctor. Duero rubbed his chin, thoughts shooting around through his mind.
"It must be claustrophobia...." Duero muttered, his eyes locked onto Meia's life signs.
"Claustrophobia?" Pyoro asked,
"Its the fear of enclosed spaces....no doubt about it....she must have it...." Heero said, surprising the doctor and the small robot.
"It's the only reason why shes reacting this way...I'm thinking that it might have something to do with her past actually...." Heero stated, watching Meia as the simulator cockpit opened, with her gasping in relief. The two men nodded to each other, and proceeded to move into the simulation area with the three tired women in the cockpits.
"Everyone except Meia can go." Duero said, making the other two women share looks of confusion before they obediently left the room. When they heard the blast door close, the trio approached the exhausted looking Meia.
"I'm...just a little fatigued is all...." The dread leader said, leaning back into the chair.
"All the signs that you had pointed directly towards claustrophobia...." Duero said, checking his clipboard that rested in his hands, "You were trembling, had an accelerated heart rate, shortness of breath, feeling chills-
"It's just fatigue!" Meia yelled, as she stumbled from the cockpit. Her leg got caught on the inside, and she fell forward, and found herself falling into a pair of strong arms. She looked up to see the man who caught her, and met the eyes of the Gundam pilot that were only a few inches away. Her face immediately lit up, noticing her current situation.
"Listen, putting yourself at risk like this isn't worth getting killed for. All you'll do is be an obstacle for your own teammates." Coming back to her senses, Meia pushed the pilot away and stood up, brushing herself off.
"My team needs me! Only I can lead them!" Meia said, as she turned towards the doorway, "It's only fatigue! Nothing More!" They quietly watched as Meia exited, leaving a few moments of silence around them.
"Heero....keep an eye on her...I don't want her doing anything reckless here....." Heero nodded and headed for the blast door.
"You didn't have to tell me twice." Duero watched the door close, and headed into the observation room, where he replayed the three girls simulation results. His eyes narrowed, and noticed that Meia's unit was always staying perfectly still, while the other two were still moving around. Somehow, he had a chill race down his spine, as a bad feeling swept over him.
00000
"I won't let these women mess around with my partners!" Hibiki yelled, as his Vanguard fired from the catapult system in the Nirvana, which was followed by a small ship which held the other four Van types as they raced to the sand planet. Heero was in the bridge beside Magno as the operators kept in touch with the pilots status. Heero watched patiently, as he saw Hibiki used some sort of umbrella tool to keep him from burning up in the atmosphere.
"Five seconds before entering...." Belvedere stated. When they had successfully emerged from the heat, the ship that held the vanguard broke off, and all the other van types were using the same umbrella that Hibiki was utilizing. He watched them land, with Barnette hitting the ground perfectly, while Jura slid down a steep slope. Hibiki landed awhile after, except he crashed directly into the ground clutching onto his umbrella like object. Dita also landed perfectly, as she rushed after Hibiki.
"All four vanguards have safely landed, and are ready to explore the surface." Amarone said, as the pulse meters came online.
Alright....Heero thought, as he exited the bridge. He needed to do one last thing.
00000
"Damn! I was too late!" Meia grumbled as she rushed into the Vanguard hangar. She had been doing a few minor checkups on her dread, and was too involved in her work to notice the call over the intercom.
"You shouldn't push yourself." Pyoro said, making sad eyes at the dread leader, "Won't they be fine without you?"
"I'm responsible for each of them! Even Hibiki!" Meia yelled back, as she looked back up at her vanguard.
"The robots right." Heero said, as he appeared from the side of the vanguard, his eyes tight on Meia's, "They'll be fine without you. The only other thing you could do for them is become a burden on them, and that might get you each killed." Meia cursed, and tightened her fist.
"I won't stop you, Meia." Heero said, appearing to sigh, "But remember that what you're doing might greatly effect your situation down there, and someone might get hurt." Meia was feeling too reckless right now, and dismissed his words with no interest.
"I'm going down there, and if you want, you can follow!" Meia said, as she ran up the stairs to enter her vanguard. Heero and the robot watched in silence as the Vanguard dropped to the level below, as it prepared to fire from the catapult.
"This isn't good..." Heero said, as he glanced up at Zero, whose shoulder was partially complete.
00000
Hibiki wasn't having an easy time staying on his feet. When he had finally stood up, he had immediately lost his footing and collapsed down a slope, giving him great embarrassment and frustration.
"Actually...this is my first time using my partner on land....wow I must look like an idiot...." Hibiki said to himself as he sighed. Suddenly, a red vanguard walked up to him in a cocky fashion. It then collapsed on top of him, keeping him down.
"Hey don't you want to hurry up?" Jura said with a wide grin on her face.
"Are you seriously thinking of that right now?!" Hibiki yelled, trying to move his arms.
"Jura! Quit it!" Dita called, her van type standing a few meters away.
"The only one Mr. Alien is going to combine with is me!" She yelled in anger.
"Who do you think you're talking to? And why should I listen to you?" Jura yelled, back.
"Well you can't do it!!!!" Dita screamed, her and Jura giving each other nasty glares.
"WOULD YOU GUYS LEAVE ME ALONE?!" Hibiki yelled, as he activated his partner's jet system, making him launch up towards the barren sky. He then somehow triggered a small laser detector, making a web of red light form around the ruins. Before anyone could react, there was a laser blast that hit Hibiki directly, shocking him violently within his cockpit, making him scream in great pain. When he fell back to the planet, there were a few explosions in the sand as their pulses increased dramatically.
"What's going on?!" Jura asked, as the sand began to hit their van types, and began to gather on the outside.
"Landing party!" Buzam called from the Nirvana, "What's going on?"
"I don't know!!!" Jura answered.
"It seems that the sand is attacking us!" Barnette said.
"What?! The sand? Run a quick analysis on it!" Buzam yelled, as the landing party quickly acted. Duero himself was operating a computer panel in the bridge which displayed the pilot's lifesigns, and noticed that Meia's appeared as well.
"She's going too far...." Duero whispered to himself.
Back on the planet, Hibiki was almost completely covered in the sand as his vanguard fell abruptly onto its back, much to his dismay.
"Mr. Alien! I'll help you!" Dita yelled, as she rushed over to the fallen comrade.
"No need!" Jura exclaimed as she jumped on top of Hibiki again. She then ejected hot air from her ventilation system onto his partner, brushing away all the sand.
"Good work!" Hibiki said with a big smile.
"Now, guess what I want in return..." Jura said, flashy a devilish smirk.
"Have you not realized that I can't combine with you without your dread? Apparently you didn't think this far!" Hibiki yelled as he quickly shoved the blonde off.
Farther away, Meia had just landed onto the desert, and crashed hard onto the surface. She then glanced around her cockpit, recognizing her situation, and realizing that she was in a very enclosed space. Her heart began to race again, and she began to tremble. Her breathing began to quicken, and she couldn't focus.
"Meia, listen to me!" Duero called, "Turn on your monitors and look as far away as you possibly can!" Meia shakily raised her hand as she pushed the switch, cursing at Duero for not minding his own business. As her front monitor flipped on, she saw which seemed to be vanguard, but it seemed to be made up of sand. As Meia zoomed in her sights, it seemed to explode into sand, and quickly rushed at her.
"Meia's mech has disappeared from the radar..." Belvedere said much to her shock.
"The pilots are very much confused right now! They are in great danger right now!" Duero called, watching their pulses increase once again.
"Jura! Barnette! Come in! I want you to look for Meia!" Buzam called in desperation.
"Roger! Wait, what the hell is that?!" Jura said, as the sand began to form into vanguards made from sand as the team began to struggle.
"There's no way! The sand is downloading our systems! Its like its draining our blood!" Dita exclaimed in fear. Just then, there was a bleep in the radar which signaled a large object heading towards them.
"Another enemy? In the sky?" Buzam asked, "What is it?"
"This is Heero Yuy. I have entered the combat zone." The Gundam pilot said, shocking the team and the crew in the bridge.
"Gundam Pilot?! I thought your Gundam was still damaged!"
"Correct. I'm heading down to the surface right now." Heero's pulse rate then appeared on Duero's screen, as the Gundam's status appeared as well.
"Heero!" Duero cried out, "Your Gundam's only at 76% efficiency! You'll get killed!"
"Don't worry. I'm not good at dying." The Gundam pilot replied as he landed near the vanguards..
"Commander! The analysis is complete! The sand seems to be controlled by a nearby machine!"
"They were waiting for us!" Magno said, clenching her hand into a fist.
Zero quickly sliced through three of the sand units with his shield as he swiftly helped out the other vanguards. They seemed to be endless, as he had punched, slashed, and kicked with his Gundam, taking out about seven more. They began to quickly form once again, and Heero brought out his buster rifle.
"Landing party? Do you read? The machine in this area has activated a self destruct sequence, and is going to fire in less then 300 seconds!" Buzam cried out, which began to freak out everyone except Heero.
"Wait! Heero! That's Meia!" Barnette called out, making Heero grunt in surprise. Their time was running out, and he had no plans to help out in this situation. He then quickly scanned his surroundings, and then seeing a large, tall tower in the middle of the field. Without another second wasted, he rushed in, and smashed directly into Meia, knocking her flat onto her back. He then turned his head towards the large tower and fired the Vulcan cannons in his head, tearing through the thin metal and releasing a cool mist. After a few seconds, the mist spread over to the vanguards, and the pilots felt a cold chill. Before long, the sand then froze, and the sand van types quickly broke apart. The sand that had covered Meia's Vanguard also crumbled, and she was able to move again.
"Thirty seconds till detonation!" Buzam called, making the pilots work quickly.
"Everybody out!" Heero ordered, and grabbing Meia's arm.
"Just leave me here..." Meia said, sighing.
"I've told you before, Meia." Heero said, his Gundam's eyes directly on Meia's vanguard, "Your death would only cause grief and sadness on the crew, and you would be missed. Unlike me." Heero said, as he lifted her up. Before she could talk back, she was tossed up into the air as her thrusters activated automatically.
"Heero! What are you doing?!" Hibiki yelled as he look back onto the Gundam, which stood unmoving on the surface."
"Eight seconds!"
"You'll see."
"Five Seconds."
"Stop playing around!"
"0 seconds....." Belvedere said as the crew in the bridge watched the planet. Large sand explosions were seen from the Nirvana as the status readings on the six pilots were reduced to static.
After a few moments of silence, five of the pulse readings returned, and signs of the vanguard units were detected on the radar.
"The five vanguards have successfully emerged from the planet unharmed...but the Gundam pilot...." The crew watched in silence as the vanguards approached slowly to the Nirvana.
"This is Heero Yuy....I have successfully downloaded the information....heading back now....." Heero said, pain seeming to reflect in his voice. His lifesigns then appeared on Duero's screen as his Gundam was also detected.
"Wow....is this the true power of the Gundams?..." Magno asked, her eyes on Zero. Her eyes then widened when she noticed that it was severely damaged. Its left shoulder was almost completely destroyed, and its buster rifle was dented and chipped. The shield was scratched and was missing a significant chunk on the pointed end, and its wings were charred and had noticeable cracks. It's torso had sprung a few holes near the cockpit, and the legs were black from burns and its boosters were very slow.
"Captain..." Duero said, getting Buzam's and Magno's attention, "I have seen many things in my life, but to see that the Gundam Pilots breathing and pulse rates to go on unchanged by these events, I'd say that it's pretty unbelievable. It's like he was born a soldier..."
"Captain! The Gundam has successfully transferred the information" Belvedere said.
"Alright...read it...." Buzam commanded, wanting to see what Heero had gathered.
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The five pilots were resting silently in the hangar, except for Hibiki's sneezing. They had just received word of Heero's slow Gundam and were waiting for his arrival, with Meia staring off into space.
He save me....again.....am I really that hopeless? Meia thought, as she raised her hand before her, clenching and releasing it, making the other pilots a bit uneasy. There was a loud noise that occurred where the Gundam usually took its spot, and the pilots looked up to see the floor drop in that area.
"Looks like Mr. Gundam pilots here!" Dita exclaimed. When it came up, they stared at it in horror, noticing the severe damage that had taken place onto the Gundam. When it had finally reached the peak height, the bridge that ran across the torso of the Gundam quickly shot from the ledges as the cockpit opened. They were in an even greater shock when Heero came stumbling out, with a large cut through his black space combat suit, and blood once again coming from his head. He collapsed onto the lift, when a team of women appeared holding a stretcher. When he was placed carefully on it, they disappeared, leaving the nearly destroyed Gundam standing alone, with the five fighter pilots staring at its damages.
"I'm surprised that no limbs came off....." Hibiki said, with the others nodding in agreement.
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"You seem to like this place." Duero said, as he began to quickly patch up the cut on Heero's chest. He was surprised that the pilot insisted on no pain medication, and sat through the pain when Duero had to remove small specks of metal from each of his wounds. Heero was sitting on a patients bed, making a few twitches when Duero had inflicted some pain as he quickly patched up the Gundam Pilot.
"I just have a hard time trying not to be reckless..."
"You just think about other more then yourself....its a proud feeling that everyone should have...." Duero finally finished the bandaging and walked over to his counter where some medicine was placed.
"Are you sure you don't want anything for your wounds?" Duero asked once again. Heero shook his head, and laid his head back onto the pillow and closed his eyes.
"I just need some sleep..." Heero stated, as Duero shrugged as he walked towards the exit.
"One more thing...I noticed that your lifesigns never changed in combat...were you Gundam Pilots bred to be fighters?" Duero asked, turning back to Heero.
"We weren't born to be fighters. We became them....to survive...." Duero nodded and exited the room in silence.
This chapter was really boring for me....its probably just as boring to the rest of you....oh well...PLEASE REVIEW!!!