A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry for being away again for so long...! There's just lots, lots, lots to do in school (it's actually exams week coming up, and here I am posting another chapter...hehehe) Anyways, summer break's also just around the corner, so perhaps I could be more regular in updating for the next two months...provided that circumstances provide for it...ahem...Shout-outs!
Godzilla2 and Fenrir – thanks lots for the kind reviews. :-) well, this is the soonest you're gonna be able to see more of this story...many apologies for making you wait long. Hope you like!
shadowsoul51 – only four stars? Hehehe...just kidding. I'm glad you gave it that. :-) I'll try to make this fic even better! Thanks again for the review:-)
Alright...for now, I'm gonna just concentrate on studying for awhile. Enjoy:-)
CHAPTER 7
Joint Forces
To say that the Dread pilots were surprised at the sudden turn of events would have been an understatement.
"Captain, what the...?" Barnette began, getting cut off by a passing beam projectile.
"It's the aliens! It's the aliens!" Dita happily exclaimed. "They're going to help us!"
"Idiot! How could you think that? They're Tarak! Who knows what they're planning? I bet they're going to stab us in the back with the rest of these jerks!" Jura shouted almost as fast as her Dread was speeding.
Meia at once established contact with their mother ship. "Parfet...!"
"I know what you're going to say..." the technician said, quite exasperatedly, "...and it might look kind of awkward, but given the current situation, I believe that we stand a better chance with them out...besides, I also believe that they are sincerely going to assist you out there..."
"You weren't forced into letting them out, were you?" The Dread leader's voice was calm, almost stoic, even amidst the chaos all around.
"W-ellll...technically, we weren't also too willing...but it's better than having more trouble. The crew's having enough problems trying to pilot the ship effectively as of now..."
"Hasn't that problem been resolved yet?" Meia's tone increased very slightly.
"Combat scenario and tight movements weren't..." was Parfet's meek reply, "Perhaps if there was more time...huh?" the com-link was then abruptly cut off.
Meia tried again and again to re-establish the line, but without success.
'And Parfet was just saying something about not having more trouble. I'm still not really sure that this is a good idea...' she thought, then began to reconsider as she took one long look around the battlefield, and as the space game of cat-and-mouse continued. '..well, maybe this could work to our advantage...hoping that Dita is indeed right...'
Flying nearer the Vanguards, the black one in particular, it became more evident that they were also fighting against the enemy ships. Feeling a renewed sense of hope, however small, Meia then contacted the black one as a squad of enemies was quickly disposed of by it.
"What are you..." she began, then immediately recognized the pilot's face – that of the person who was unconscious in the infirmary, "You! You're the...but how...?"
"Uh...yes?" he replied, perhaps almost as surprised as she was, and adjusted his spectacles. "We're kinda busy at the moment..."
'Things just get more and more complicated...' Meia thought as she maneuvered around another enemy beam. 'But it does look like both of them are helping...'
She then ran a hand through her hair and decided that there were more pressing issues to attend to. "...very well. As soon as this is over, return to the ship. There is a lot to discuss..." And then, almost reluctantly, she closed the com-link.
'Well...this is a first...' she thought, opening another link, this time to her other comrades. "All Dreads...cooperate with the Vanguards! Repeat, cooperate with the Vanguards! Barnette and Dita will head Squad A with the gold Vanguard; Jura and I will head Squad B with the black one!"
A resounding, though slightly hesitant, "Yes, captain!" answered.
Their formations were instantly mobilized, and they timed their charges with those of the Vanguards. Much to their surprise, their attacks were now more effective, and they were actually able to bring down several groups in a short time.
"Captain, I really think this is working!" Dita shouted from her side of the battlefield over the com-link. "Those aliens really are helping us!"
"It looks like it..." Meia replied, a bit of reservation still in her tone. "Just be careful, understand?"
"Roger, captain!" Dita said before signing off.
Meia then noticed for a moment that the pirates' ship was moving around more; she tried to establish communications once again, but still with no success.
'Darn. Why the...? Oh, let's just get this done and over with...'
The Vanguards and Dreads continued their attacks.
In the end, all of the enemies were annihilated.
Though the battle was intense beyond anything they've encountered recently, and they were now rather worn out, Meia only took one minute to relax, just staring into the debris-riddled space.
She then sent out an announcement as she resumed her duties, "All crafts return to the ship at once. I mean ALL crafts, Dreads and Vanguards. No exceptions," before herself returning to their mother ship.
Needless to say, there was a LOT of clearing up to do...
"Alright, buddy...LET'S GO!"
Hibiki was in great spirits even though, as he noticed, he was once again the last to launch from a larger ship. With the Ikazuchi gone, he mused, it didn't matter much anyway...
...what somehow got to him was the fact that he was fighting alongside the hated Mejale.
'Crap...why did it have to turn out this way?' he thought glumly for a second, affording to sigh even with the chaos of battle all around him. He was brought back to reality by a streaking laser beam, which missed him only by inches.
"Whoa! Hey! Watch it!" he yelled in frustration. His rude and violent side usually got the best of him in stressful situations.
Nonetheless, it made him re-realize exactly why it was this course of action being taken.
'Yeah, that's right...there are these guys to deal with. I just hope that those Mejale don't stab us in the back while we're helping them...'
Without any more ado, except for his spirits rising once more, he set forward in full battle mode. His twin blades were quickly unsheathed and utilized, downing two enemy drones in one pass.
"Hah! This is even easier that I thought! Those Mejale need help with these pipsqu...?"
His last question was cut off by a beam connecting with the back of his Vanguard. Immediately, he veered left and was hit once more. A several more blasts, a few of which he was able to dodge, homed in on him before the enemy squad that was firing sped past him.
"Darn! Why you..."
A com-link flashed in front of him. It was one of those Mejale, this one with short hair, a violet outfit, and a harsh voice...the very same one who was talking with them...mocking them...at the ship's holding cell.
"Are you really helping, Tarak? I don't know how you managed to get out, but I'll have to second thoughts of shooting you down if you try anything stupid!"
The transmission was gone as instantly as it appeared, and before Hibiki could answer as well.
"Idiot! She should be thankful we're risking our butts out here!" he shouted to nobody in particular, though mentally adding, 'I should be more careful, though...almost got beat up badly there...yeah, I'm gonna show them who the cowards are...'
Filled with new vigor and optimism, Hibiki charged again. This time his blades felled two...three...five...six enemies in one go. The Dreads assisted, providing backup fire, destroying more of their foes. Hibiki found it only the least bit strange that he wasn't hit by their volleys. He was thankful, though, albeit also in the least bit.
He could see the other Dreads, and the other Vanguard, battling the common adversaries not too far from their own position. 'That other Vanguard pilot's good! Wonder who he is, though...'
The combined efforts of both Vanguards and Dreads proved to be effective. In what seemed like a short time, all their opponents were reduced to rubble and debris. They had won.
"Yeah! Take that, you scum!" Hibiki shouted once again to nobody in particular, since there were no more of the hostile vessels. "Oh, yeah...gotta thank that other Vanguard pilot as well...I would've had a harder time convincing those Mejale creeps if not for him..."
He turned on the com-link, and flashed a joking sneer. "Hey, idiot! You hogged up all my action! Huh...? Who are you?"
The screen then went black; the other pilot had disconnected the communications.
"That's strange...who is that guy?"
Another screen popped up, this time one of the Mejale, one with blue hair and a weird-looking eyepiece...or whatever that was. "All crafts return to the ship at once. I mean ALL crafts, Dreads and Vanguards. No exceptions." Then black once more.
Hibiki thought for awhile, whether to follow or try to make a crude escape. Noticing the other ships, as well as the Vanguard, heading back, he decided to go along, but not without a lot of grumbling and sulking.
He could feel them...the controls were definitely at his hands. But what was it exactly that he was controlling? How could he possibly know how...?
A laser blast roused him from his slight distraction, and he swerved the machine to avoid getting hit.
'Damn...there isn't any time to think...just do what's needed to be done now...' Jai concluded.
Pushing the rest of his thoughts to the back of his head, he concentrated instead on piloting. Several more beams veered his way, and were easily dodged.
"Alright...come on..."
He then dove headfirst into an enemy phalanx and weaved among the other vessels, flailing the one steel blade of his craft all the while. Speeding out of the enemy formation, he simply watched back as the entire squad blew up in flames.
"Cool! Even if I do say so myself!" He marveled.
Just then, the communications link turned on, and a female face appeared onscreen.
"What are you...you! You're the...but how...?" Her voice was smart, stern...then suddenly full of astonishment.
"Uh...yes?" Jai blurted, taking a second to clean and then adjust his glasses, a habit he had developed a long time past. "We're kinda...busy at the moment..." he replied as he dodged another beam.
The other just ran a gloved hand through her blue hair. "...very well. As soon as this is over, return to the ship. There is a lot to discuss..." and then the screen went blank.
"She was...cute..." Jai found himself wondering; he then shook his head. "Arg! What am I saying! No time for those things...just concentrate...!"
Once again, he focused solely on guiding the machine around deadly lasers while attacking and destroying the sources of said shots. The ally ships, those that looked like ordinary ships, and that gold one that looked like his, also joined in, assailing from different directions.
Their combined attacks became more and more effective, and a greater number of foes began falling one after the other.
Finally, there were no more of the enemy left.
"Hey, these guys are good! Maybe they didn't need any help after all..." Jai thought out loud, falling back on his seat...
...when a lot of small com-link screens popped out in front of him all at once, making him almost jump right up in surprise. Most of them were girls...only one, in fact, was a male. He could scarcely make out what each was saying, but the general ideas were...
...several "Thanks for the help...huh? You're that guy!"...
...a number of "Why'd you bother? We could've done it without you!"...
...and one "Hey, idiot! You hogged up all my action! Huh...? Who are you?"
Overwhelmed, Jai did the first thing that came into mind – he shut off all communications.
"What the heck was THAT?" He wondered to himself as he plopped down once more on the backrest of his seat.
He sprang back up when another communication screen appeared. It was that blue-haired girl again...
"All crafts return to the ship at once. I mean ALL crafts, Dreads and Vanguards. No exceptions."
And then, blank.
There was a moment of rather tense silence; Jai half-expected somebody else to pop up on communications, but, fortunately, none did so.
"Oh well..." he sighed finally, maneuvering his vessel back to the ship, silently hoping that he didn't just jump out of the frying pan and into the fire.
