SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S
Hello, everyone! I'm back in business!
Hope not too long went by ever since I last updated this story… and as you can go see in the first chapter, there are quite a few juicy news for this story, which I will certainly try to implement in the best way possible! Hehehee… yeah, blame it on me having watched two epic shows like Gurren Lagann and Demonbane one after the other… and I've played the Demonbane visual novel as well, so…
Anyway, the story is still in its early stages, so I guess I'd better get a move on and try to write as much as I can in order to get to progressively more epic parts! And now, in fact, we were left with Akito, Fiona, Banjou and Megumi stranded in the Martian desert, as both the Jovian Lizards and the Meganoids are converging on the place, ready and willing to throw a big wrench in our heroes' plan to rescue the Martian refugees!
Will Akito, Fiona, Banjou and the others weather the attack, or does their mission have to end here? Well, of course, that's for me to know and for you to discover. And with some luck… our bold heroes might even discover something else!
So… well, I have nothing more to say. Enjoy this chapter… and let me know what you think of it! Happy reading!
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Chapter 21 – Battle for the Red Planet
"The Jovian Lizards are coming!"
"So, this is it for us…"
"It's all the strangers' fault! They brought the Jovians to our doorstep!"
"It would have happened sooner or later, anyway…"
The shelters had been thrown in confusion and panic by the sudden alarm, as the few survivors of the recent Jovian raids either tried to find somewhere to hide, as impossible as that might have seemed, or simply remained sitting in a resigned wait of their impending doom. Standing in the midst of all the chaos, Akito was struggling to keep a cool head, his mnd going back to the terrifying attack that had left him stranded on Earth one year ago, and that had cost him his home colony and everyone he knew…
Luckily, Banjou noticed the young boy's distress and placed a hand on his shoulder in order to calm him down. "Akito, don't lose your head. Remember, we're all here. We won't let the Jovian Lizards have their way with these people." He stated calmly, before raising his voice and speakking to everyone within earshot. "Everyone, we need to keep it together! The Jovian Lizards are still some minute away from here, and we can still do something to save ourselves!"
"That's easy for you to say!" one of the refugees shouted angrily. "What do you think you can do against those damn robots? There must be a whole army of them, heading for our shelter! You'll never be able to face them all!"
"We'll never know until we try!" Fiona countered in determination. "Everyone, please listen to what Mr. Banjou has to say! We aren't completely helpless against the Jovians… I mean, the Jovian Lizards! If we keep our cool, I'm sure the Nadesico will be able to rescue you and get you to safety, on Planet Earth! We just need to hold out for a few minutes, and everything will be alright!"
"And how do you plan to do that, girl?" a woman shouted back. "They'll be upon us too quickly for us to do anything about it!"
"At least we need to try and do something! We haven't travelled all the way here from Earth, and faced whatever those Jovian bastards threw at us… only to get told that we can't do anything to save you guys!" Akito shouted desperately.
Ines nodded simply. "The Nadesico crew does have a point. They can at least buy us some time before the bulk of the Jovian forces converges on us!" she stated. "Everyone, retreat to the deepest parts of the shelter and wait for intructions. Whatever happens, try not to panic and don't get out until you have been told that it's safe to do so!"
Despite the fact that the people were still very undecided about what to do, they eventually decided to trust the blonde scientist's instructions, and began walking to the passages that brought to the underground floors, as Inez took a short sigh and nodded to Akito, Banjou and Fiona. "I guess it falls to you to buy us as much time as possible until the Nadesico gets here, right? I just hope you know what you are doing…"
"We just need to hold off the Jovian Lizards and send a message to the Nadesico as soon as we can." Fiona answered. "I might not be able to do much, with my arm and all… but if I can do something to help, I'll certainly spare no efforts!"
"Very well then…" Inez said. "I wish you the best of luck, everyone."
oooooooooo
In a few minutes, Akito, Megumi, Banjou and Fiona had made a run to the place where they had left their robots, and had quickly mounted in the cockpits, getting ready to face the horde of Jovian Lizards who was already beginning to show upon the horizon, like a cloud of angry locusts. Already at that distance, it was possible to see theominous shadows of the huge Katonbo automated battleship bearing down on the scorched Martian landscape.
Fiona opened her Excellence-S' main screen and gulped at the multitude of Jovian unmanned robots that were converging on their position. It was mostly Battas, the yellow bug-like robot that had been a staple of Jovian forces for so long, and Katonbo, huge cone-shaped purple battleships with a red orb-like core in their center, that were controlled by an onboard computer without the need for any crew. However, much to her worry, she also recognized the gigantic humanoid robot that seemed to be leading the charge... and now that she had seen Gekiganger 3, she couldn't help but see that this unit looked very much like the main robot of that old-school anime! Its oversized hands and feet, and the rhomboidal cannon mounted on its chest, reinforced with blue-grey plates of metal, not to mention its small horned head and its large shoulder pads were a dead giveaway to its identity - it was obviously a Tetsujin, of the same model as the one she had faced along with the crew of the Nadesico-C in the dismal future she had come from.
"Damn, I never thought I would have had to face one of those monsters right off the bat..." she thought to herself as she frantically scrambled to contact the Nadesico and send a distress call. This was not the moment to be thinking about that... she had to speak with Yurika and ask her to come as soon as she could... and then, she had to help Akito and Banjou fend off the assault! Akito's pink Aestivalis, with its designated pilot and Megumi in the cockpit, and Daitarn 3 were already standing in front of the Excellence-S, forming a barrier of sorts in front of the more vulnerable robot from the future, and the solar-powered robot had already unsheathed a large, gleaming triangular sword which looked more like an oversized dagger.
Akito grabbed his cloche as tight as he could, to the point where his knuckles were turning white - now was different than the relatively simple battles the Nadesico had faced up until that point: he was now back on his home planet, and fighting toprotect the few people who had managed to survive the attacks of both the Jovians and the Meganoids. It was personal for him, and he could not afford to let those people down... he was not going to run and hide anymore! He was going to save those people... or to take down as many Jovians as he could before he died himself. Banjou seemed to be aware of what was going on in his friend's head, and opened a comm channel to him in order to try and calm him down.
"Akito, control your anger." Banjou advised him. "I understand that it's a very personal matter to you, but if you allow your rage to control you, you'll end up dead before you even know it… Just stay close to Daitarn 3, and try to conserve your energy as much as possible, until the Nadesico arrives."
"Okay… don't worry, I can manage that!" Akito answered, trying to convince himself as much, if not more, than he was trying to reassure his friend. As an Aestivalis pilot, he was well aware of those machines' weak point – being close to the Nadesico allowed them to quickly recover their energy, but getting too far from it would cause them to deplete their power at a fast rate. He had to try and conserve his energy as much as possible, until help arrived.
The Jovian Lizards' unmanned army was getting closer and closer, and already a few Battas were detaching themselves from the main force and trying to attack. It was just then that Fiona managed to open a link to the Nadesico… and much to her relief, Yurika's face, framed by her long cobalt blue hair, appeared onscreen, her expression showing concern and puzzlement. "Nadesico? Nadesico, do you copy? This is Fiona Grayden, callling from the Excellence!"
"Nadesico here. We hear you loud and clear!" Yurika answered. "What's the matter, Fiona? Are there are news?"
With a sigh of relief, Fiona gave a quick report of the situation. "Phew! Am I glad to find you, captain Misumaru…" she murmured. "We have managed to find a whole shelter filled with survivors from the Jovian raids… but we have also run into the Jovian Lizards while we were there! At the moment, it's just me,Akito and Banjou facing off against a whole army of those robots! And I'm afraid I won't be able to be of much help, with my injured arm and all… we request immediate backup!"
"What?" Yurika exclaimed, her eyes wide in surprise and fear. "O… Okay, we'll mobilize as soon as possible! Can you give me your coordinates?"
"Hold on a second…" Fiona quickly punched in her location and sent it to the Nadesico. "Yes, this is the place we're at! Please, also prepare the Nadesico for taking the survivors on board! We've got a lot of people who need shelter here! Please hurry up! We won't be able to hold out for long!"
Fiona ended the communication and nodded grimly to herself, and set her good arm on the controls, ready to unleash all she could muster upon the Jovian horde. Sure, she could not move the Excellence-S very well with her injured arm, but she could still shoot the Prisma Beam no problem... and with Akito and Bajou standing in front of her and keeping the Jovian occupied, she felt confident she could take down the robotic attackers before they could get too close to her!
"Alright then... let's do this!" the redhead told herself, as Akito began shooting at an approaching Batta, blowing the bug-like robot to smithreens!
oooooooooo
Deep in the bowels of the earth, as the refugees were scrambling to get to the deeper parts of the shelter, explosions began to be heard all around, a telltale sign that the battle above the ground had started. Several of the survivors were overtaken by a short moment of panic, before Inez and Megumi tried to call for calm within the group.
"It's started!"
"Yeah... it's right above our heads..." another voice said, its owner looking in worry at the ceiling, from which some small peebles were falling down.
"Don't worry, everyone! I know it's scary..." Megumi answered, trying not to show fear on her freckled face. This was the closest she had ever been to a war zone, and the emotion was threatening to overwhelm her, especially since Akito was up there, fighting tooth and nail to keep her, Inez and the other refugees alive... "Akito, Fiona and Mr. Banjou will protect us all! I know them... they won't give up so easily, and they won't quit until we are all safe!"
"You are optimistic, young one..." Inez answered coolly. "Should I attribute this to the eagerness of youth? Well, in any case, it is true that those three are our only viable hope right now... I hope for all our sakes that they can do it."
"I have faith in Akito, miss Fressange!" Megumi replied, her hands gripped into small fists. "If you knew him, you'd know that he's got the courage of a lion! He's the biggest reason why we managed to get to Mars!"
oooooooooo
"Daitarn Zanba!" Banjou exclaimed as his Daitarn 3 executed a mighty slash with its shortsword, slashing through a pair of Battas who hd targetted the solar-powered robot, mistaking it for an easier target because of its size. The locust-like robots fell apart in a shower of sparks and twisted metal, and exploded a split second later... but more of them came from all directions, forcing Banjou to fall back and defend himself. Gunfire came from a bunch of Battas that was aproaching from the side, and though Daitarn 3's thick armor managed to repel the most of it, it still took some cosmetic damage.
"Ugh... it's one thing to fight against a huge Megaborg, but these slippery bugs are a whole other can of worms..." Banjou muttered to himself, trying to keep an eye on the battlefield and the other on Akito's Aestivalis. More Battas were coming, and a Katonbo had detached itself from the rest of the Jovian army, and was now heading their way - which only meant the battle was going to get harder and harder from then on!
For his part, Akito was trying his best to fend off the numerous attackers, using his Rapid Rifle and his close combat knife to cut down every Batta that gave him even the slightest opening. There was no time to think... it was a matter of surviving as much as possible, and thinning down the number of enemies before he was overwhelmed was vital to surviving. With an enraged yell, the Martian boy plunged his combat knife into a Batta's head, causing the robotic bug to die out and crumble harmlessly to the ground... but Akito did not stop here, and his pink Aestivalis quickly picked up the inert Batta and threw it against a group of its brethren, before shooting at it for all he was worth. The Rapid Rifle bullets struck the falling Batta just as it landed among the others, and it exploded spectacularly, fratriciding a few of the other unmanned weapons! Satisfied, Akito allowed himself a small smile... which lasted for all of one second, before a bunch of missiles unleashed by another Batta landed way too close to him for confort! The pink Aestivalis turned in that direction, in order to retaliate...
"Damn... how many more of them are here?" Akito asked himself, readying his combat knife while the Batta seemed about to ram into him...
"Prisma Beam!"
Fiona's determined voice cut through the noise of the battle, and a trio of azure laser beams pierced the Batta's weak Distortion Field and struck the enemy in a vital point, causing it to explode! As Akito turned in surprise, he saw Fiona's Excellence-S standing proudly upon a small rocky height, its claw-arm raised and pointing at all Battas coming close!
"Don't worry, Akito, I've go your back!" Fiona said with a radiant smile. "I may not bein top form, but I will do my best to help you guys out!"
After a moment of surprise, Akito smiled himself and gave Fiona a thumbs-up, before getting back to his duty of defending the shelters. Now things were beginning to turn grim, as the first Katonbo was coming closer and closer, and the laser cannons mounted on its body seemed to be about to open fire... and personally Akito doubted his Aestivalis' weapons were enough to get through the battleship's Distortion Field...
The Katonbo's cannons flared to life, firing a fusillade of green lasers from what looked like the top and the bottom of its body, and both Akito and Banjou managed to barely dodge the attack just in time, making it so the lasers struck the ground and dug a few small trenches into it! Right behind the Katonbo, more Battas were advancing, their vulcan guns flaring and their backs opening up like a beetle's wings, revealing several micro-missiles hidden beneath them… and as they got closer and closer, the three heroes were finding themselves to be more and more under pressure…
"You're not going anywhere, you damnable machines! Daitarn Hammer!" Banjou exclaimed, unsheathing another of Daitarn 3's many weapons – a large morning star with a spiked ball of iron for a head! With strength and determination, the solar-powered robot swung the deadly weapon, and struck a few more Battas before turning to the Katonbo… and just then, after making Daitarn 3 spin on itself for a couple times, Banjou relinquishes the hold on the Daitarn Hammer and made it sail through the air towards the huge unmanned unit, striking its front and severely damaging the front cannons! An explosion took out the very tip of the Katonbo, causing it to lose altitude and wobble dangerously in mid-air!
"Way to go, Banjou!" Fiona cheered, as she tried her best to pilot the Excellence-S one-armed. The massive clawed arm swung at the closest Batta, shattering it with a mighty blow, but just a second later, the girl was forced to retreat under the relentless attack of the other unmanned machines, which fired a bunch of missiles at her. "Ugh… you can never drop your guard for a moment here! I hope Yurika and the others can get here soon!"
"I hope so, too…" Akito said, his Aestivalis' fist striking a Batta and swatting it away, before he was forced to expand his Distortion Field to stop another Batta's laser vulcans. "Without the Gravity Blast, we don't have any chance against these things… hold on a second, what's that?"
"That? What do you mean?" Banjou asked, his Daitarn Zanba intercepting yet another Batta in midair.
Akito activated his Aestivalis' main camera, focusing on a certain unit that stood out for its sheer size among the multitude of Jovian Battas. It was even larger than the Katonbos, but unlike them, it was humanoid in appearence, and, in fact, it reminded Akito of something very familiar to him…
"That robot, Banjou! Do you see it? That gigantic robot that seems to be leading the Jovians!" Akito exclaimed, with Fiona gritting her teeth and muttering a curse to herself as the gigantic robot took a few steps forward. "Do you see it now? It looks like Gekiganger!"
"What?" the Daitarn 3 pilot managed to take advantage of a short moment in which the enemy was relenting, and took a look at the place Akito was pointing to. Immediately, he saw the strange Gekiganger-like robot advancing on them, lifting its massive arms in a threatening gesture. "Hold on a second… you're right, that robot looks eerily like Gekiganger! What on Earth is that supposed to mean?"
"I… have no clue…" Fiona answered, still unsure if it was safe to reveal anything of what she knew. "But still... we need to be careful! I'm afraid that thing is even more dangerous than the Battas and those huge battleships!"
Fiona was proven right a few moments later, when the Tetsujin stopped in the midst of the rampaging Jovian horde and its chestplate opened up, revealing a rhombus-shaped weapon that looked unmistakably like a scaled-down version of the Nadesico's Gravity Blast cannon! The telltale glimmer of the gravity particles being sucked inside the barrel of the cannon was the confirmation Akito hoped would not come…
"Hey… Hey, hold on a second!" the cook-turned-pilot exclaimed, his eyes wide in fear. "This… this is no joke! That thing has a Gravity Blast! Let's get out of here!"
The warning came just one second on time – next thing Akito, Banjou and Fiona knew, a blast of gravitational energy erupted from the Tetsujin's chest-mounted cannon and tore through the ranks of the Jovian unmanned machines that had amssed themselves in front of the three heroes, who quickly swerved to the side and avoided the brunt of the hit! As the Battas that had been hit were blown to dust, Akito's Aestivais, Daitarn 3 and the Excellence-S all took damage from the sheer force of the blast even as they managed to spare themselves a quick and uncerimonious doom… and all the three pilots were thrown around painfully in their cockpits!
"Aaaargh!" Fiona screamed, her injured arm and her still-healing wounds sending jolts of pain through her body. "D-dammit… this is stronger than I remembered…" She immediately bit her tongue, having again almost revealed herself in the heat of the moment, but Banjou still made a mental note of the fact that she had said something suspicious…
"Ugh… That Gravity Blast might be smaller than the Nadesico's but it still packs quite a punch…" Banjou comented, as Daitarn 3 straightened itself and held the Daitarn Zanba firmly into is right hand. With the other hand, the solar-powered robot grabbed what looked like a large golden fan and opened it, its blades gleaming in the man-made atmosphere of Mars. "I'm afraid this is going to be our main opponent now…"
"Dammit… how are we supposed to fight against it?" Akito stammered, his Aestivalis clmbing to its feet. It was not just a matter of the opponent being powerful… to him, there was also the fact that the enemy looked like his childhood hero, and fighting against that just didn't agree with Akito… but if he gave up just like that, he would certainly be killed, and that would be it for the survivors, for Megumi and for Inez as well! And he couldn't break his promise to them… "Ugh… we… we need to find a way to defeat that robot… but the question is, how?"
"As long as we have these Battas swarning us, it's not even going tobe a possibility!" Fiona exclaimed, swerving brutally in order to dodge the Battas' attacks, which were coming from all directions at once. The damaged Katonbo seemed to be rereating, but some of its cannons were still intact, and it seemed to be content with just hangng back and taking potshots at her and her friends… and just to make a bad situation even worse, two more Katonbos were lining themselves up for an asalt as well! The Excellence-S, Daitarn 3 and Akito's Aestivalis were fighting valliantly, but it was clear that it was just a matter of time before the Jovian horde overcame them…
A strange hissing sound was heard in the distance just as Akito was beginning to despair… and a split second later, another Gravity Blast, this one much larger than the one the Tetsujin had fired, struck the Battas and two Katonbos without warning, like a bolt of lightning out of the blue! The Jovian robots seemed to almost flinch in surprise as a huge swathe of them was engulfed in the gravity beam, blowing up like balloons only one heartbeat later, and the rest of the Jovian fleet was forced to scatter! The lone Tetsujin took a couple steps backwards, but soon steeled itself and took a fighting stance again, seemingly glaring at the menace that had appeared overhead…
"Yay! It's the Nadesico, everyone!" Fiona cheered, looking up and clenching her good hand into a fist! "We're saved! We can turn the tide of the battle!"
Akito breathed a sigh of relief as the Aestivalis units belonging to Gai, Ryoko, Hikaru and Izumi flew out of the Nadesico's hangars and attacked the remaining Jovian Lizards… and Banjou smiled coolly, his expression mirrored on Daitarn 3's metallic face.
"Well, it's normally up to me to make a last-second entrance…" the young billionairie commented cheerfully. "But I'm certainly not going to complain!"
oooooooooo
"Captain, we have confirmed contact with our units." Ruri stated calmly from her place on the Nadesico's main bridge. "They do not appear to have taken considerable damage, and the pilots' vital signs are strong as well."
Yurika smiled in relief and opened a communicaton to Akito's Aestivalis, being greeted by the young boy's surprised face. "Excellent job, Ruri! Hiya, Akito, how are you doing? I hope we haven't taken too much time, we came as fast as we could!" she said in her usual bubbly manner, as Akito blinked in puzzlement, but managed to smile back at his childhood friend. "Well… I sure appreciate it, Yurika! Thanks for coming in time!" he said, before his expression turned grim again. "However, we still aren't out of the woods! We are facing a huge Jovian army, and we won't be able to hold out for long! We need immediate backup!"
"Also, please try to land the Nadesico as soon as you can!" Fiona added, her comm screen blinking open beside Akito's. "We have found a whole group of survivors from the Martian colonies, and we need the Nadesico to bring them all back to Earth!"
Yurika nodded, furrowing her brow. "You got it, Akito, Fiona!" she stated. "Minato, please, find a place to land the Nadesico! Everyone, prepare ship for taking the Martian survivors onboard… Aestivalis team, get ready to intervene! The Nadesico will need you to cover her as he takes the survivors on board!
"Lay suppression fire on the Jovian troops!" Jun, as the Nadesico's vice-captain, wanted to add. "Shoot all missile launchers and cover our Aestivalis units and Daitarn 3! Get ready to recover the Excellence-S!"
"Don't worry for me, just think of taking out the Jovian robots!" Fiona answered. "Be careful, there are so many ofthem I can't even count!"
"Got it!" Yurika nodded. "Ruri, can you tell us something more about the enemy host's composition?"
"Right away." The silver-haired young girl answered, her hands deftly moving over the ship's main computer Omoikane's console as Minato began to lower the Nadesico to the ground. "We have a large number of Batta-type unmanned weapons, joined by several Katonbo-type support and assault units. Also, there is an unknown unit among the enemies. Extreme caution is suggested should we take that unit on, as we have no idea what it can do."
"An unidentified unit?" Minato asked. "This is bad… looks like the Jovians are creating new weapons faster than we imagined…"
"We'll worry about that later. For now, we need to save the Martian refugees!" Yurika concluded, keeping a cool head in the face of such danger. "Aestivalis team, launch! Support Akito, Banjou and Fiona, and protect the Nadesico until we have rescued the hostages!"
oooooooooo
"Let's get those guys, everyone! Don't let their numbers impress you!" Ryoko yelled from her customized red Aestivalis' cockpit. The green-haired tomboy had taken the lead of the team, and she seemed to be itching for a fight! "Girls, you kow what to do! And you, Yamada, Daigouji, or whatever the Hell you want to call yourself..."
"How many times will I have to tell you? My name is Gai Daigouji! That's the name that belongs to my soul!" the Gekiganger fanboy exclaimed with more than an hint of annoyance... but he quickly snapped out of it and concentrated on the situation they were about to face! "Whatever! We've got some Jovian scum here that need their asses kicked! Hey, Tenkawa! You sure didn't think you were going to steal the spotlight, did ya? After all, I am the hero of the piece! Heheheee..."
"Yahoo! Let's do this!" Hikaru exclaimed, as if she wasn't really aware of the fact that they facing a much greater group of enemies.
Izumi smirked to herself as she produced her Aestivalis' Rapid Rifle and began firing away at the approaching Battas, downing one of them every time she pulled the trigger. "Hehehee... I'm gonna fry me some lizards, mommy! I heard grasshoppers are quite good, this time of the season!" she chuckled, once again failing to resist the temptation to throw in some of her nonsensical puns.
Inside the cockpit of his pink Aestivalis, Akito smiled to himself as he watched Gai's blue robot extend a fist, covered in a concentrated Distortion Field, towards the Battas and charge right through a small group of them!
"Gekigan Flare!" Gai yelled as he smashed through the bug-like robots, destroying all of them in short order as the girls made their way through the Battas and took on a large Katonbo that was targetting the Nadesico! Invigorated by the presence of their friends, Fiona, Akito and Banjou began fighting back even more fiercely against the unmanned Jovian army, and Daitarn 3 reopened hostilities by lifting itself up in the air, and firing a pair of missiles from two compatments placed in its lower legs!
"Daitarn Missile!" Banjou exclaimed. The two shots sailed through the air with an high-pitched hiss, and struck the looming Katonbo, failing to penetrate its Distortion Field, but weakening it enough that Ryoko, Hikaru and Izumi were able to short it out with a few shots from their Rapid Rifles!
"Thanks for the help, pal! Now we can take this big hunk of crap down! Hikaru, Izumi! We'll have to use Buttercup Combination for this one!" Ryoko instructed her teammates, before nimbly dodging the lasers that the Katonbo was firing at her.
Hikaru fired a few shots from her Rapid Rifle at the Katonbo, denting its armor smewhat, but failing to do much damage... then, she halted the attack and flew in formation with Ryoko. "Okie-dokie!"
"Of course..." Izumi answered, flying in tandem with her friends as well. After lining themselves up for the assault, the three girls all unleashed hell on the large Jovian battleship, their Rapid Rifles firing in tandem for several seconds and peppering the enemy with countless bullets... before Hikaru and Izumi, machine guns still blazing, separated themselves from Ryoko. The green-haired leader of the Aestivalis squad ceased fire and expanded her Distortion Field before diving straight at the Katonbo, striking it with a punishing punch right in the front... and blowing a hole right through its massive body! As Ryoko's red Aestivalis exploded out of the Katonbo's other side, the large Jovian unit was wreathed in flames and crashed to the ground, exploding a split second later as more and more Battas were being taken out by Daitarn 3, the Excellence-S and Akito and Gai's Aestivalis units!
"Well done, Ryoko!" Akito exclaimed. A Batta tried to fire its laser vulcans at him, but the young man used his own Distortion Field to repel the attack - with the Nadesico on the scene, he did not have to fear running out of energy -, then slashed the insectile robot with his combat knife, destroying it. Further away, Fiona's Excellence-S, despite its mobility problems, was taking out another pair of Battas...
But the enemy side was still many scores of robots strong, and the Tetsujin, who had stepped back when the reinforcements had come, now seemed to be about to take the initiative once again. Banjou noticed this, and quickly warned the Nadesico about it...
"Nadesico, Haran Banjou here!" the yong billionarie exclaimed. "The unknown unit is rapidly approaching! We'll move in an attempt to surround it and take a measure of it!"
oooooooooo
"Alright! Be careful with that, everyone!" Yurika warned. "Ruri, get a visual on the unknown unit! Minato, Jun… how is the landing and rescue operation doing?"
"We're trying to do as fast as possible, but the enemy is not making our job easy at all." the beautiful helmswoman answered. Several missiles were impacting on the Nadesico's Distortion Field, throwing the large battleship off balance and preventing it from landing safely. "We need to keep our Distortion Field up if we are to land… and this might be dangerous to the underground shelters! If the Distortion Field creates a cave-in, the survivors will be buried!"
"And not just them! Megumi is among them, and we need to save her too!" Jun reminded the rest of the crew.
Yurika grit her teeth, frantically trying to think of a way to get both the Nadesico and the Martian colonists out of trouble… while Ruri finally managed to get a visual on the Tetsujin that had begun attacking, unleashing its Gravity Blast once again! On the Nadesico's screen, the crew could see a huge humanoid robot that, surprisingly enough, looked like Gekiganger 3!
"Captain, I have a visual on the unknown enemy." Ruri stated, as casually as she would do if she was talking about the weather. "We have no recording of a similar unt in the Nadesico's database, however it seems to use the very same Distortion Field technology the Nadesico uses, and a scaleddown version of the Gravity Blast cannon."
"What? Are… are you sure, Ruri?" Yurika asked in disbelief. When the eleven-year-old electronic fairy nodded without a word, the captain winced, understanding that they were now facing a much tougher enemy than the lowly Battas and Katonbos they were used to… but they still had to face and defeat it, if they wanted to save the colonists and the rest of their crew! "Okay then… everyone, try to surround the unknown unit! Nadesico, give long-range support to our units and fire all missiles at the Jovian army! Do not let them interfere with our units' fighting!"
"Right away!" Jun answered. "All cannons, target the Battas and the Katonbos! Fire at will!"
oooooooooo
Several blasting sounds came from the Nadesico, as the battleship unleased fire from all her standard cannons against the Jovian army, and the Aestivalis units, along with Daitarn 3 and the Excellence-S, stood their ground against the advancing Tetsujin, on guard against everything the steel giant might have attempted to do. They could see the gigantic robot looming upon them, its massive arms raised and ready to strike… and soon after, the forearms detached themselves from the rest of the limb, and flew at breakneck speed, fists closed, towards the Nadesico team! Ryoko elled a warning, and the Aestivalis units managed to dodge the attack, but the flying fists doubled back and returned to the sender, which immediately followed up by shooting missiles from its shoulders and blowing them up at a dangerously close distance from his enemies! The smaller Nadesico fighters were thrown around and scattered, but managed to get back on guard, and tried to surround the Tetsujin…
"WHAAAAAT?" Gai exclaimed in disbelief! "Hey, no fair! How are we supposed to fight against Gekiganger 3? Damn Jovians, resorting to psychological warfare to soften our resolve…"
"This ain't Gekiganger 3, you idiot!" Ryoko verbally burned him. "This is an enmy unit that just happens to look like it! So get your head out of your ass and help us fight it!"
"Still… Mr. Gai does have a point, this things really looks like Gekiganger…" Hikaru stated naively, an index on her cheek as she regarde the huge robot with a birdlike tilt of her head. "Do you think the Jovians might be fans as well?"
"Ugh… please, Hikaru! We don't need these absurd theories! Concentrate on taking that big hunk of crap down!" the green-haired squad leader exclaimed. She fired a few shots from her Rapid Rifle at the hulking Tetsujin, which the robot repelled with its shimmering Distortion Field. Ryoko, however, was not aiming to damage the enemy, only to test its defences in order to have a better idea on how to attack. "Hmm… looks like its Distortion Field is on whole other level! We need to find a way to get close, somehow!"
"But how?" Akito asked, futilely shooting at the hulking Tetsujin as well, while at the same time avoiding the powerful swipes of its arms. "This thing is at least five times taller than our Aestivalis are! It would swat us away like we were flies!"
"I'm trying to think of something!" Ryoko protested, trying to somehow figure out a strategy for attacking the much larger enemy. After three terrible seconds during which the Aestivalis units tried to stay as far away as possible from the towering opponent, Ryoko smirked and began speaking. "Okay, I think I got it, listen to me, everyone! We need to…"
"Take this, you phony! Gekigan Flaaaaaare!"
Ryoko's plan was roughly interrupted was Gai's voice tore through her and everyone else's speakers! Ryoko almost bit her tongue when Gai's blue Aestivalis sped past her and, once again, extended its fist towards the opponent, aiming at the much larger Tetsujin's chest area! As the green-haired pilot widened her eyes in disbelief and irritation, the massive Gekiganger-like robot almost seemed to jump up for the surprise, and barely managed to dodge sideways before being struck in the shoulder by the blue Aestivalis' Distortion Field-powered fist, which negated the Tetsujin's own Distortion Field and hit its opponent! The massive robot went stumbling backwards, barely managing to remain standing while part of its shoulder exploded and released a thick black smoke, accompanied by several electric sparkles... and Gai's Aestivalis flew back some, fists still up in a fighting pose!
"What?" Fiona exclaimed, almost not wanting to believe Gai had done something so reckless. "He... he charged right at that huge robot? What the heck is that guy thinking?"
"Gai!" Akito exclaimed, concerned for his friend. "Are... are you alright?"
"Hehehee... don't worry about me, Tenkawa! The great Gai Daigouji won't go down that easily!" the Gekiganger otaku smirked, rubbing his index finger under his nose. "And I gave that Gekiganger impostor a good scare!"
Ryoko sighed in annoyance. No sense getting angry at that guy, it wouyld not change much anyway... "Well, next time try at least hearing me out, before charging head-on like a freaking bull! I am the leader of the Aestivalis team for a reason, you know!" she ordered. "Anyway... well, it seems your reckless attack did some damage, but it's hardly enough to take this thing down! And we even have to worry about all those Battas..."
As Banjou slashed apart more Battas, Daitarn 3 briefly turned to the Aestivalis units and the Excellence-S. The solar-powered robot and the Nadesico were trying to keep the minor enemies at bay, at least for long enough that the Aestivalis could defeat the Tetsujin. "Guys, we'll take care of these insects!" Banjou exclaimed, as another barrage of missiles from the Nadesico struck down a wave of Batta and badly damaged a Katonbo. "You take care of that thing!"
"Okay! Though I'm afraid I won't be much help... Oh, well, at least I'll try! Prisma Beam!" Fiona exclaimed, before firing her main long-range weapon for yet another time. Sadly, this time it was not enough to pierce through the Tetsujin's Distortion Field, and the azure beams dissipated upon the invisible space-time shield. "Guh... that's just as I feared, my Prisma Beam doesn't have enough oomph to it..."
"Surround this thing!" Ryoko yelled, firing her Rapid Rifle in order to try and keep the unknown Jovian robot at bay. "He won't be able to follow us all if we quickly move around him! Keep the pressure up!"
"No pressure, huh, Ryoko?" Izumi said with a smirk. Her green Aestivalis dashed to the side, joined by Hikaru's orange one, while Ryoko and Gai peppered the Tetsujin's Distortion Field with attacks from the other side, and Akito tried to shoot at it from the ground. He was having it the worst of the five Aestivalis pilots - from the ground, he could see pretty well just how huge the Tetsujin was, and above all, he could see that, if only it wanted, it could crush his Aestivalis underfoot in one second flat!
"I just wanted to be a cook, dammit… but I need to do this, or all those people will die!" Akito muttered to himself. The towering Jovian robot decided it had had enough of those annoying insects buzzing all around it, and hanged back a little, its Distortion Field absorbing all hits as the Tetsujin fired a blast of yellow energy from a cannon mounted in its head! Izumi found herself on the beam's path, and instinctively powered up her Distortion Field in order to stop the blow… which she did manage to do, but the laser was still powerful enough to throw her Aestivalis unit off balance and almost send it hurtling to the rocky ground! She still managed to get into an upright position just in time and shook the dizziness out of herself…
"Izumi!" Ryoko exclaimed in worry.
"Izumi, can you hear us?" Hikaru called out to her. "Please, be okay!"
The pale-skinned, pun-spewing female pilot chuckled a little as she regained altitude. "Hehehee… don't rejoice, girls, for my time has not come yet!" she said with exaggerated melodrama… though, if one had seen her inside her cockpit, he would have seen some bitterness to her smile…
"Sorry, guys… looks like it's not my time to rejoin you yet…" she mused to herself, taking care not to voice her inner thoughts.
Gai fired another round at the Tetsujin, having no better luck with it than the rest of his team, who was still firing away at the massive Jovian robot… until Ryoko managed to maneuver her Aestivalis behind the Tetsujin, placing herself out of the humanoid robot's reach and in the ideal position for an attack!
"I got you, punk!" she exclaimed. With a warlike yell, the green-haired lieutenant dove straight at the massive robot, this time taking care to aim at a vital point: if she had managed to strike the Tetsujin in the space between its shoulders, she thought, it would have been easy to fatally damage the mighty robot, and there was nothing the enemy could do to prevent it! Grinning in anticipation, Ryoko powered up her Aestivalis' Distortion field and sped up, covering the rest of the distance in the blink of an eye…
And before she could make contact, the massive Tetsujin faded and disappeared into nothing right from under her eyes, only leaving behind a few black sparks that disappeared into thin air a split second later! The Aestivalis squad leader's expression immediately changed to a look of shock and disbelief, and she quickly pulled back on her cloche in order to stp her breakneck advance!
"Kuuuuuuh! Dammit, what did that thing do?" Ryoko cursed.
Fiona looked around and widened her eyes in alarm… as the Tetsujin reappeared some distance away from the team, aiming to get the Nadesico just as the Nergal battleship had found the ideal conditions for landing!
oooooooooo
Deep inside the shelters, Megumi, who had been watching the battle with an increasingly hopeful demeanor, jumped up in surpise and horror when she saw on the main screen just what the Tetsujin had done! "What? How… how can this be? That huge robot just disappeared when Ryoko was about to get it… and now it's attacking the Nadesico! How can it do that?"
Inez sighed, smiling a bitter smile. "This is why I was advising you against getting your hopes up too much before you ventured into this battle." She answered, keeping her tone almost completely neutral in stark contrast to the fearful looks of the people standing around. "The Jovians are armed with some of the most advanced technology I've ever seen, and now that you're fighting on their own home turf, you have lost whatever advantage in numbers or resources you might have had on Earth."
"Miss… miss Fressange, what was that… teleportation… that robot just did?" Megumi asked, almost stammering her words out. "I… I don't think I have ever seen anything like that…"
"I was just getting to it." Inez answered, closing her eyes as if trying to recall everything. "What you have just seen is called Boson Jump, and it consists, in a few word, of a nigh-instantaneous warping of space and time. I suppose you could call it a teleport of sorts. The Jovians have mastered this particular kind of transportation in order to launch their attacks upon the Martian colonies. I suppose you are familiar with the Tulips that landed on Earth ever since the war with the Jovians started, right?"
There was nothing Megumi could do but nod. Yes, she knew about Tulips… strange containers, looking like enormous flowers of steel, that had landed on Earth… and whenever they opened up, they vomited out several unmanned Jovian robots, mostly Battas and Spider Tanks. But what did that have to do with this Boson Jump thing?
"Yes, miss Fressange, of course we know about Tulips… the Nadesico even destroyed some of them at the start of its journey…" Megumi timidly stated. "They're pretty much the hangar in which the Jovian Lizards keep their unmanned machines. But what does this have to do with… "
"There is a slight misconception in this, my young friend." Inez corrected Megumi. "The Tulips do not contain the Jovian robots… they merely let them get out. Tulips are not hangars, but rather, they're Boson Jump terminals that allow for instantaneous teleportation of their troops in places where they can do the most damage."
"What?" Megumi exclaimed in disbelief. "So… hold on a second! That means that, all along, the Jovians were teleporting Battas and other robots to Earth, and we never really knew what was going on?"
"That's how it is, unfortunately." Inez answered, all too calmly for Megumi's tastes. "However, I had no idea that they had perfected their Boson Jump technology to the point where they could do without a Tulip. This is worrying news, as it means that the enemy is advancing far more rapidly than I myself could have predicted."
"Oh, no…" Megumi murmured, clenching a hand to her heart as the battle continued. "Please, Akito… everyone… be careful!"
oooooooooo
Everyone on board the Nadesico watched in horror and disbelief as the seemingly-slow Tetsujin once again vanished and reappeared one split second later, easily dodging the volley of missiles that the Nergal battleship was shooting at it. It was unbelievable that sucha huge machine could move with such speed and adroitness… and now, the distance between it and the Nadesico was shortening more and more with each passing second…
"Damn…" Jun muttered. "We… we can't land a hit on that monster! What can we do, captain?"
Yurika herself, despite the gravity of the situation, could not think through her fear long enough to attempt to think up a strategy against the towering Tetsujin, who was now occupying almost all of her view! All she could do was stare helplessly as the enemy came closer, teleporting in short bursts that made it impossible to keep up with! It was now only a matter of time before it tore through the Nadesico's Distortion Field and inflicted a lethal hit upon the main bridge. Faced with what looked like imminent doom, Yurika tried to at least put up as much resistance as she could…
"Everyone, get ready! Direct al power to the Distortion Field and retreat slightly!" the blue-haired captain exclaimed. "We need to hold out as long as we can! What's our units' status, Ruri?"
"Right away, Captain!" the silver-haired girl answered. "The Aestivalis units are trying to follow the unknown Jovian robots, while Daitarn 3 and the Excellence-S are trying to hold off the Jovian horde.
"We can still hold out a few minutes if our Distortion Field is up." Beauty exclaimed from a nearby cosole. "But if that thing is serious, we won't be able to escape… and it looks pretty darn serious to me!"
Yurika nodded and grit her teeth, hoping that Akito could pull through and save the Nadesico once again…
oooooooooo
"Damn… I won't let you have your way!" Fiona grit her teeth as she slammed her good hand upon her console. "Chest Smasher!"
A small laser cannon on the Excellence-S' chest opened up and fired a golden laser at a couple of approaching Battas, destroying them on impact! Then, the redhead opened up a communication to the Aestivalis squad as she tried to drive the Excellence-S to follow the attacking Tetsujin. "Girls, Akito, Gai! Please cover me! I'm trying to stop that huge robot from blowing up the Nadesico!"
"Hold on a second now!" Akito exclaimed, fending off yet another Batta. "Don't joke around, now! You can't take that thing on in your conditions! Stay back, I'll do it!"
"What?" Fiona exclaimed. "Akito, don't be ridiculous! You can't seriously think you can reach that huge machine up in the sky and battle it! Need I remind you that you're piloting a ground-bound module? And even if you could do that… need I remind you that our opponent can teleport and use a Distortion Field that's much stronger than that of your average Jovian grunt?"
"And what am I supposed to do, then?" Akito yelled over the comm device. "Am I supposed to just hang back and let that damn thing destroy the Nadesico?"
Fiona grit her teeth and looked at the floor of her cockpit… but just then, right after the Daitarn Zanba had cut the wings off of a Katonbo, sending it to crash to the ground and burn, Daitarn 3 approached the pink Aestivalis and the Excellence-S, and Banjou's young, determined face blinked into existence in front of both pilots.
"Everyone, keep your hair on!" Banjou warned them. "You're both right… Akito cannot take on that Jovian robot by himself… but at the same time we need to save the Nadesico! And for that… we need to keep the other Jovians away from Akito's Aestivalis!"
"M-mr. Banjou?" Fiona asked, unsure of what the Daitarn 3 pilot wanted to say. As an answer, the massive solar-powered robot held its hand out to Akito's land-bound Aestivalis, as if offering to shake on it. Daitarn's hand alone was almost as big as the Aestivalis itself… and that was when it dawned upon both Fiona and Akito!
"It's reckless, I know… but we don't have much of a choice!" Banjou stated. "Akito, just try to stand on Daitarn's hand! I'll make sure you reach that Jovian robot… but after this, it's up to you to make sure it doesn't cause any more damage!"
"What? Are you saying…that you're gonna throw Akito's Aestivalis all the way up there?" Fiona said, taking a frightened look at the height at which the Tetsujin was flying. It was a truly insane gamble… "If… if this fails, we're pretty much done for!"
"I know… but it's pretty much the only way we can attack that Tetsujin as of now." Banjou answered. "My Daitarn-3 could match it in close combat, but its teletransportation wold certainly make things dicey for me. The only way we can reliably take it down… is to catch it off guard and strike true before it can teleport! So, Akito… what will it be?"
Akito grabbed his commands so hard his knuckles turned white, but mentally steeled himself and raised his gaze, before answering with a nod. "You don't even have to ask me that, Banjou. I'll do it! I must save the Nadesico!"
"Alright then…" Banjou nodded with a small smile. "On board the Nadesico are also my faithful Garrison and my assistants, Reika and Beauty… therefore, I entrust you with their safety, Akito Tenkawa! I know you will not let me down!" Then, the young billionaire turned to the rest ofthe Aestivalis team and to Fiona, who was staring dumbfoud at the whole debacle. "Everyone, please cover us! We'll try to strike down the enemy leader before it can reach the Nadesico! Try to keep the Jovians off our backs!"
"Will do!" Ryoko answered. "Girls, we have to redouble our efforts! We'll trust Tenkawa and Mr. Banjou with this one!"
"Alright…" Hikaru affirmed as she sot down what was probably her thirtieth Batta that day. Weariness was setting in, and the redheaded four-eyes' movements were getting sluggish and awkward, but she still perservered.
Fiona opened her mouth to object… but quickly understood that there would be no point to it and accepted the whole situation with a sigh. "Alright, then… guess I'll trust you with this one after all. Okay… but I hope for all our sakes that this goes without a hitch!"
"We'll make sure it succeeds!" Banjou stated, as Akito's pink unit secured itself to Daitarn-3's massive hand. "Alright, Akito… tell me when you're ready! Remember, you have to jump good… so put your boosters to the limit!"
Akito nodded once… and Daitarn-3 swung its arm back and threw the Aestivalis at the Tetsujin with all of its might, like a pitcher trying to score an home run! The pink Aestivalis sailed through the air as Akito, with an enraged yell, gave power to his robot's back thrusters. The Tetsujin was approaching at frightening speed, and yet it seemed to be none the wiser about the small enemy closing in – it was too preoccupied with bombarding the Nadesico's Distortion Field with all the Gekiganger-like weapons it had onboard. The mighty battleship was resisting quite well, and had managed to keep its altitude… but it was obvious that it couldn't do much more against a dedicated assault! He had to reach it before it was too late…
And just then, another unit came from behind and grabbed his Aestivalis' shoulders, helping Akito in his mad dash towards the enemy! Akito felt his cockpit shake a little and held back a small cry of surprise before taking a look at his comm screen… and seeing, much to his relief, Gai's face smiling cockily and waving a finger at him, as if scolding him in a fatherly way!
"Tch, tch, tch… you were looking to hog all the glory to yourself, Tenkawa?" the Gekiganger otaku chided. Just then, it was possible to see that Gai's Aestivalis had disengaged from the main Jovian fleet, and had come to Akito's aid, helping him get to the opponent even faster and more reliably! "How many times do you have to hear that you can't just waltz onscreen and steal the spotlight! Now, let's get this guy… together, shall we?"
Both Aestivalis, their hands held together, flew towards the enemy Tetsujin, despite Gai's onboard consoles showing warning signs because of the added weight that made it difficult to fly adroitly. With a cocky grin, Gai gave even more power to his thrusters and lifted both himself and Akito higher in the air as they approached the massive Jovian unit at dizzying speed. The enemy still seemed hell-bent on taking down the Nadesico, and did not seem to pay the two friends any heed...
"Come on, guys! You can do it!" Fiona cheered from the sidelines, covering them by shopoting down any Batta that tried to chase after them. Daitarn-3 and the rest of the Aestivalis team were doing a great job themselves, and Akito and Gai were having no problems getting closer to their target. The Gekiganger otaku went just a little bit higher... and by then, the two friends were right above the Tetsujin, whose head laser beams were hammering the Nadesico's Distortion field mercilessly.
"Gai! It is now or never!" Akito exclaimed.
"Alright, Tenkawa! Let's show these Jovian scumbags what we're all about!" Gai answered. With a rapid flick of his Aestivalis' arm, he tossed Akito's unit a little higher in the air, and the brown-haired boy managed an impressive midair maneuver, straightening his unit and pointing its clenched fist right at the Tetsujin's massive back! Gai grinned again and did the same... and one split second later, both Aestivalis units swooped down, their thrusters brought to their limits and their extended fists powered with Distortion Fields! An onlooker wouldn't probably have seen much more than two streaks of blue and pink darting towards the Jovian unit!
"DOUBLE... GEKIGAN FLARE!" Akito and Gai exclaimed in unison as they covered the rest of the short distance that separated them from the Tetsujin! The two Aestivalis units, transformed into a single, Distortion Field-powered projectile, found their mark and struck the Tetsujin close to its neck, with a terrifying crunch of twisted metal and fried circuits... and the Gekiganger-like robot stiffened as if in an expression of pain and surprise as its laser misfired and missed the Nadesico entirely, before being dragged to the ground by the sheer power of Akito and Gai's combined attack! There was a deafening blast as the Tetsujin was slammed to the ground, and a huge cloud of dust and debris was kicked up by the Jovian unit's massive body being pushed inside the bedrock, and a few moments later, both Aestivalis units rose again, amidst the cheering of all those who had seen the scene! The Tetsujin was now lying motionless and helpless on the scorched Jovian landscape, its armor cracked and dented in several places, and its Distortion Field completely failing... while the Aestivalis units, despite having taken some damage, were standing proudly over their fallen opponent!
"Yaaaay!" Fiona exclaimed, the Excellence-S throwing a fist in the air. "That was fantastic!"
"Have you seen them, girls? They were just amazing!" the bubbly Hikaru commented. "A Double Gekigan Flare attack! I never thought I'd see the day where I would see one!"
"Not bad at all..." Izumi limited herself to commenting.
Ryoko smiled at the two triumphant Aestivalis units. "Heh, what can I say... just what one should expect from those two! They always find a way to surprise us!" Banjou simply nodded, a proud smile visible on Daitarn-3's steel-plated face.
On board the Nadesico, most crewmembers were cheering for Akito and Gai's victory, and even those who weren't still looked proudly at their saviours floating above the defeated Tetsujin, who still gave a few slight signs of function from time to time... but it was already too damaged to be a threat anymore. Yurika clapped loudly, and Ruri allowed herself a small smile and a nod, while Reika and Beauty embraced themselves in elation!
"An excellent job, everyone!" Yurika exclaimed. "Now, we just need to take out the rest of the Jovian fleet..."
"There will be no need for that, Captain!" Minato exclaimed happily. "It seems that the unknown unit's defeat has caused the rest of the unmanned units to retreat! The Battas and the Katonbos are fleeing from the battlefield!"
"Confirmed." Reika said, looking at her screen. "Jovian units are retreating! We have won this battle!"
Surprised, but still pleased, all crewmembers watched as the Jovians robots disengaged and ran away, with the Nadesico's Aestivalis units and Daitarn-3 still firing a few shots at them. In a minute, the menacing cloud of mechanical insects and unmanned cruisers had retreated over the horizon, leaving the Nadesico and its pilots to stand on a battlefield filled with debris, tired but victorious!
"Well..." Fiona murmured to herself as she relaxed in her pilot's seat. "This was hard... but we managed to pull through! Still, I'm afraid another problem will present itself soon..."
oooooooooo
Megumi was smiling from ear to ear as she watched the screens upon which Akito and Gai's victory over the Tetsujin had been displayed... and even the listless Martian refugees, who seemed to have given up hope only an hour earlier, were now acting relieved and hopeful. A few smiles had begun appearing on their faces, and several of them were murmuring words of gratitude for the Nadesico and Daitarn-3.
"Have you seen that, miss Fressange?" Megumi asked the blonde scientist. "One must never give up hope! I told you Akito could turn things around... and he just did! No matter what enemies the Jovian Lizards throw at us, he'll always find a way to prevail!"
"Well... I have to say, they did put up an impressive show." Inez admitted. Ever though, privately, she knew the Nadesico had only won a battle, and not the war, it was still a victory... Who knows, maybe they were even ready to handle the truth about the whole war...
oooooooooo
Only a few minutes later, the Nadesico had managed to land without further trouble, and the refugees had been able to finally walk out of the underground tunnels that had been their home for so long and see the light of the su at long, long last! A feeling of cautious hope had spread throughout them… and that's not speaking about Megumi, who was pretty much leaping out of the hideout to give Akito a big hug!
"Akito! Akito!" the freckle-faced voice actress exclaimed as she ran towards the pilots, who were now dismounting from their respective robots and were helping the rest of the Nadesico crew get the survivors onboard and ready for their return travel to Earth. Even little Topp was doing all he could to help with the embarking operations… and Akito was about to join the rest of the crew, when he was glomped from the side by the Nadesico's pretty comm officer! "Hahahaaa! I knew you could do it, Akito! You are the greatest guy I ever met! You did such a brave thing! You saved us all!"
"Argh!" Akito exclaimed, gently trying to disentangle himself from Megumi's hug. "Ugh… thank you, Megumi… but really, there is no need to be so blatant about it!"
"Aww, c'mon, Akito, what's wrong with it?" Megumi playfully pouted. Getting more an more embarassed by the minute, Akito began waling back towards the rest of the pilots… only to find hmself face to face with Yurika, who had dismounted the ship to help with the refugee problem as well… and had just happened in the wrong place at the wrong time!
"Gah!" Akito shouted, feeling like he was caught between a rock and a hard place. The expressionon Yurika's face was not exactly what one would call pleased – sure, she was smiling, but it was a smile filled with nervousness and contained anger at seeing her childhood friend and her love rival so close to each other… "Er… Yurika, it's not what it seems, really… let me just explain…"
"Aaaaand… exactly, what is the reason why Pilot Tenkawa and Comm Officer Reinard are displaying such… intimate demonstrations of affection?" the blue-haired captain asked, keeping a falsely formal tone and screaming on the inside while she forced a smile. "May I… remind you that we're still on a rescue mission?"
"Captain!" the more assertive Megumi protested. "We were just celebrating Akito's victory over those Jovians! Nothing wrong with showing a little appreciation for his efforts!"
On the sidelines, Fiona chuckled nervously as she tried to direct some survivors to the Nadesico's quarters. "Heh… geez, Megumi sure has a short-term memory…" she murmured sarcastically. "I mean, I was in that battle too, and I was trying to smash as many of those robot locusts as my arm would allow… and Mr. Banjou and the other Aestivalis pilots were sure doing their best too!"
As she said that, Fiona aught a glimpse of Gai approaching Akito, Megumi and Yurika, and energetically patting him on the shoulder in congratulations, exclaiming something about Akito having finally become man enough to stand to Gai Daigouji's side in battle! Ryoko was trying not to look at the whole debacle, and occasionally shooting an angry glance at Hikaru and Izumi, who were gossiping between themselves about Akito's love life! Further away, Banjou was surveying the damage dealt to Daitarn-3 by the Jovian robots, with Reika and Beauty at his sides… and Fiona couldn't help but draw a similarity with how Banjou, as well, was being fought over by two beautiful ladies, who at least were (a little) less vocal than Yurika and Megumi about it…
"Well, the damage to Daitarn-3 doesn't look too bad." Beauty was saying, taking a quick glance at the solar-powered robot, who did sport some cosmetic damage, but little more. "I'm no mechanic, but I think it will be back in perfect shape after just a little maintenance."
"Then again, aside from that unknown unit, the enemies were mostly rank-and-file AIs…" Banjou commented, casting a quick glance at the still-dwned Tetsujin, as if he wanted to make sure the huge Jovian robot could not stand u again to threaten them all. Luckily, ever since Akito and Gai had laid it low, the Tetsujin had not made a move, and had simply laid inert several yars away from the Nadesico…
Suddenly, a movement caught the Daitarn-3 pilot's attention! A small hatch opened up on the downed Tetsujin's back, and something came out of it, quickly scurrying out in the opposite direction of the Nadesico! At that distance, Banjou couldn't exactly make out what it was, but there was something he was sure of… and the realization and surprise froze him for a few seconds before he, Reika and Beauty were able to call out in alarm!
"A… a human! There was a human inside that thing!" Banjou exclaimed, pointing at the fleeing figure. Everyone immediately stopped whatever it was they were doing and turned their heads tothe Tetsujin… just in time to see a humanoid figure, clad in a piloting suit that greatly resembled those worn by the pilots of Gekiganger 3, jumping off the inert Tetsujin and making a run for it!
"Wh… what?" Akito murmured, his eyes affixed to the man who was running away, far enough from he crew that they couldn't do much about him… "What… What's the meaning of this? How can there be… a person piloting that Jovian robot?"
Fiona's only reaction was a worried frown, in contrast with the shocked and disbelieving faces all round her…
As soon as she was able to shake off her amazement at seeing a human being coming out of the Jovian unit, Yurika shook her head and called out for someone to apprehend the fleeing person! "Er… s… Someone stop that man, please! We need to catch him and understand what he was doing there!" the blue-haired captain exclaimed, shaking her crew out of their amazement. Ryoko, the most battle-hardened of the Aestivalis team, was about to make a run for her Aestivalis and chase after the fleeing man… but she stopped in her tracks as she saw that someone unexpected had already beaten her to the punch: Garrison, Banjou's butler, had just come out of the Nadesico, riding an old-style bicycle which still seemed to be well-cared for and functioning!
"There is no need that you inconvenience yourselves chasing after that fugitive, miss Ryoko." the elderly gentleman said calmly. "I will take care of this endeavor for you."
The green-haired leader of the Aestivalis team looked at Garrison's bicycle in disbelief, asking herself whether Garrison actually wanted to chase after the runaway Tetsujin pilot with that... and, above all, whether he would be able to detain him if he managed to catch up with him. "Er... Garrison, it's not that I am doubting you or anything ,but... are you sure you're going to catch that guy with... that?"
"Hohohoo! Do not concern yourself over that, miss Ryoko. I have been a bicycle racer in my youth, and I can assure you, I have lost none of my touch." Garrison answered with a good-natured chuckle.
Banjou nodded at his butler. "I'm counting on you, Garrison. Don't let that guy get away."
oooooooooo
The young man who had come out of the Tetsujin was frantically running away, trying to reach a bunch of rocky formations where he would be able to hiode himself and not be detected so easily. If he managed to get there, he would then be able to contact HQ on the Jupiter satellite, so that they would soon send a rescue party to recover him... And at any rate, what really mattered was not to getcaught by the crew of the Nadesico! He had quite an head start, but he knew he could not outrun the Aestivalis once they had been activated. It was wise to have waited until the Nadesico and all of its units had landed... and as a reward for his wariness, he had almost managed to reach the rocky maze...
But the sound of a bicycle running at high speed stopped him in his tracks, and the Tetsujin pilot halted his run just in time: Garrison, riding his trusty bicycle, managed to get in front of him and cut him off of his escape route. As Garrison dismounted, he took a good look at the escaping pilot, noticing much to his surprise that he looked like a slightly older version of Gai Daigouji, probably around 20 years of age or a little more: with his black, unruly hair and a determined expression on his face, the Tetsujin pilot could really be mistakes for the Nadesico's resident hotblooded pilot at first glance, but there were a few subtle differences that Garrison could not possibly miss: the unknown pilot's expression was slightly calmer, and instead of the standard bodysuit, he was wearing a blue piloting uniform that really looked like it had come straight out of Gekiganger 3, clinging to his body like a second skin.
"I apologize for the uncouth manner of getting your attention," the butler said, never once losing any bit of his affability. "But I would ask you to come quietly on the Nadesico. Captain Misumaru has a few questions she would ask of you."
"Really? Over my dead body!" was the young man's answer, as he dashed forward to punch out Garrison. With an agility one would not have expected from a person his age, the elderly gentleman easily sidestepped the hit, and at the same time, he brought his own fist forward, hitting the Tetsujin pilot in the stomach! The wind knocked off of him, the younger man gasped and doubled over in pain... and all that was left for Garrison to do was hit him once in the back of his neck with a karate chop, knocking him unconscious. After that, with unflappable calm, Garrison took a comm device out of his British-style suit and contacted the Nadesico.
"Master Banjou? I have apprehended the fugitive." Garrison stated. "He appears to be a human being, just like ourselves. Also, he does not appear to haveexplosives or other potentially dangerous devices with himself. Shall I bring him onboard?"
"By all means, Garrison." came Banjou's voice from the other side of the communication. "There are quite a few things that leave us all unconvinced... and if my hunch is correct, there are a few things Nergal has not told us about Project Schiaparelli..."
"Yes, I understand..." Garrison answered, not bothering to hide an hint of worry in his voice as well. He took a glance at the unconscious young man lying close to him, before hauling him over his shoulder and carefully placing him on the back of his bicycle. With a small sigh, the Haran family's butler began pedaling back to the Nadesico.
"Well, young man... you may not be aware of that, but your retrieval seems to have kicked up quite a hornet's nest. Things definitely will not remain quiet for long, back on Earth." he said...
oooooooooo
"What on Earth does that mean? That robot was piloted... by a human being?"
"You got me. I have no explanation for that, either."
"In other words, the ones attacking us... were humans all along?"
"I have no idea what to answer to that... that guy looked human alright!"
News had quickly spread throughout the Nadesico's crew and the refugees... and needless to say, they had brought quite a bit of unrest! The only ones who did not seem as perturbed were Ruri (and she had shown some noticeable hints of surprise as well), Inez and Fiona... all the others' reactions ranged from disbelief to actual fear, and the rescue operations were getting messier because of that!
"Argh! Please, people, respect the order!" Prospector was trying to call for order. "You are kindly asked to get inside the Nadesico in order and without further unrest... or the operations will get messier! Not to mention, they might end up costing more than we thought..."
"What do you have to say about this?" a refugee asked angrily. "Did you guys at Nergal knew about human beings piloting Jovian machines? And if so, why didn't anyone tell us?"
"We request answers, and now!" another exclaimed. Prospected winced and stepped backwards, only for his imposing colleague Goat Hory to clap his hands as he stepped in.
"Please, gentlemen! This situation has caught us by surprise as well!" Goat thundered. "It is understandable that you are upset, but believe us when we say that we are just as surprised as you are..."
"Oh, boy... this sure made quite a mess..." Fiona stated as she hauled her Excellence-S back to the Nadesico. Her injured arm stung a little, but overall she seemed to be okay... and in any case, what was going on at that moment needed to take priority over her physical conditions. Yurika, Minato and Megumi wereall doing their best to quell the unrest, with all the help they could get from the Aestivalis pilots, Reika and Beauty... while Banjou, Seiya, Jun and some members of the Nadesico's maintenance were trying to get a look at the abandoned Tetsujin, in the hope of finding out something that might add a few more pieces to the puzzle. She was about to halt her Excellence-S and dismount to help out as well... when a scramble message came from the Nadesico's main bridge, and when the surprised Fiona opened up her connection, a screen showing Ruri's neutral face opened up, immediately followed by the pre-teen operator annonucing somedisturbing news.
"R-Ruri!" Fiona exclaimed, as a similar comm screen opened up close to every other crewmember, bearing the same visual and message.
"I know the moment is not ideal, but Omoikane has picked up some new energy sources coming from south-west of us." the young girl announced, keeping her tone neutral. "Several enemies are approaching the Nadesico. Identified as units belonging to the Meganoids."
The message immediately caused Banjou to grit his teeth in anger, and he raised his eyes to the skies from which the newcoming enemy was sure to arrive soon...
"Meganoids... they sure have not wasted time..."
As if summoned by the young billionairie's words, several comm screens coming from an unidentified source popped up in front of several members of the crew, all sporting the same image: a coldly beautiful red-haired woman with deathly white skin and piercing blue eyes, staring straight at them, and addressing them with a pointed, unsubtle ultimatum!
"To all pilots and crewmembers of the High Mobile Battleship Nadesico." She said, with cold detachment. "The loyal soldiers of the Meganoids Empire are closing in on you. We are too numerous for you to resist and your battleship has just barely scaped through a battle with the Jovian Lizards. Surrender and lay down your weapons, and I can give you my word that your lives will be saved. You will be turned into Meganoids, and your skills will be put to better use by serving our glorious empire. Eternal life at our side, or swift annihilation. You decide."
Banjou's eyes narrowed dangerously as he murmured the woman's name.
"Koros…"
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's note: Oh boy, there's just no rest for our heroes, is there? Not only have they discovered the secret of he Jovian Lizards… but they now have to contend with the Meganoids closing in on them while they're trying to regroup! Another battle wil soon ensue… and this time, the Nadesico and Daitarn-3 crews might not get so lucky! Wil they manage to escape this danger as well and return to Earth?
The answers will come in the next chapter!
As I said, I added two more series to the mix… which brings my crossover to a rather hefty total, if I do say so myself! But don't worry, this is going to be the final list of shows appearing in this crossover… and I'll make sure they fit in nicely!
With that said, I bid you farewell for now and… hope you enjoyed this chapter!
See you soon!
Lily