Disclaimer: I don't own Vandread or anything that references other anime, manga, movies, video games, and comics; they all belong to their respective owners and creators including Gonzo. I do own the things I created; enough said.
Chapter 1: Nightmare and a new guest
January 9th 3818 AD; 5:30 am (0530 hours)
In a random part of space, a battle was taking place and it was a horrendous sight, every Vanguard and Dread was destroyed and the fight was ending in defeat for the pirates.
Hibiki tried to form with Dita, but as soon as he did, the Vandread was nearly blown to bits leaving only the head, torso, and right arm on.
Inside Hibiki was trying to figure out what to do when he looked down and saw that Dita was dead and looking over his left shoulder, he saw the Nirvana along with the Gundams being destroyed. The Dreads of Meia and Jura were destroyed seconds later by a hail of red laser fire.
Then suddenly, Hibiki found himself back in reality and looking around, he figured out it was a dream, but it felt as real as he rubbed his left shoulder.
"What was that all about?" asked Hibiki.
After getting up wearing only the inner body suit of his Tarak outfit, he wandered towards the Hanger bay and just looked around lost in his thoughts.
"Mr. Alien?" said Dita as she came into the hanger in her PJ's.
She wasn't alone as Meia and Jura were there as well. Seconds later, Brian, Arthur, and Bella came in as well. Jura was wearing a dark pink nightgown; Meia wore her usual outfit minus the chest padding part.
Brian, Bella, and Arthur were all wearing undershirts and their underwear with Bella wearing a sports bra under her undershirt along with their dog tags.
"What was that last night?" asked Brian rubbing his head.
"I don't know, but it could be a warning of something to come later on or a nightmare of what happens if we fail," replied Arthur.
"It must've been the Paksis trying to tell us something at least that's what I think," replied Meia.
Brian then spoke, "Either that or all of us have been tripping on something."
"Then all of us must've saw it as right?" asked Hibiki.
"That's kind of creepy or eerie to me," said Jura.
Arthur then noticed Meia looking away from Brian with a very faint blush which he figured was when he kissed her during the prank he and Brian pulled on Hibiki.
Unknown to Arthur, Jura was looking at Arthur in his sleep outfit while he looked at the Gundams, Hibiki's Vanguard, and their Dreads.
Ever since she was first kissed by the Fujin Gundam pilot, the blonde Dread pilot was having conflicting thoughts. On one side was her long standing devotion to Barnette and now on the other side were her supposed newly forming feelings for the Terrain Prime Air Force Gundam pilot.
"What's wrong with me? Why do I want to get closer to him and know him more? Is what the Terrain Prime pilots call love for the opposite gender? Better yet is this a new crush or attraction forming from the times I've kissed Arthur like five times though the first was an accident. I need to talk to the boss because she might know," thought Jura.
She wasn't the only one as Arthur was having the same thoughts as well and it wasn't long before Meia spoke up for the assembled group.
"The Dreads, the Vanguard, and the Gundams are proof that we all share right now a common experience," said Meia.
"But still, why did it feel almost so real?" asked Jura.
"Who knows, but we got to keep our alertness up because I fear that the coming battles will get harder," said Arthur.
While Jura decided to return to bed, Meia and Dita looked around for a bit before returning to their quarters as well while Arthur, Brian, Bella, and Hibiki decided that since they were up, they minus well get started with their day starting with exercises.
After about an hour, all four decided to hit the showers which all of them went to which were segregated based on their genders while the rest of the ship started to wake up and relieved anyone who worked the night shift.
In another part of the ship, Parfet and her team were starting their day by monitoring the Paksis and today would be anything, but ordinary.
"How's the reactor?" asked Parfet.
"Not good, the output is decreasing and the numbers aren't stabilizing," replied a fellow engineer.
Parfat got curious and spoke, "When did this start to happen?"
"About one hour and ten minutes ago ma'am," replied the same engineer.
"This Paksis on this ship was a prototype; I can't even begin to predict what will happen," replied Parfet.
After taking a deep breath, Parfet in annoyed voice spoke at the Paksis as if it was real by saying one thing, "Sheesh, you're such a trouble maker you know that!?"
Meanwhile, Hibiki after showering and breakfast was walking along the corridors of the ship thinking about the strange vision/dream/nightmare from last night. Hibiki although he was a bit taller and healthier than when he first boarded the Ikazuchi months ago, he still was a bit short and temperamental, but he was improving.
He still wore his Tarak third-class citizen clothing along with his ID around his neck, but he now had a pistol which was a spare Glock 20 pistol which he had been getting practice on along with the other guns taken from Rabat's ship.
"That sure was strange, but why did feel so real? Was it a warning or what?" Hibiki thought mentally.
"Mr. Alien?" said Dita.
Turning around, Hibiki saw Dita still in her PJ's twilling her fingers in a nervous expression. This puzzled Hibiki as to why the red-head was acting like this.
"What is it?" asked Hibiki.
"I, um…was…wondering when you would come over to my room Mr. Alien," replied a blushing Dita.
"Wha, What? Are you serious?" asked Hibiki.
Dita looked at Hibiki nodding before replying, "You promised Dita! Then when are coming Mr. Alien? Later today? Tomorrow? Or when?"
"Ah, um… eventually!" said Hibiki.
Hibiki then turned and left the area leaving a confused Dita in his wake which she then managed to find the courage to speak up again.
Dita then spoke up, "Hey, Mr. Alien let's go have breakfast together!"
"No thanks! Already ate! Thank you very much," replied Hibiki just before he was out of visual sight.
As Hibiki and Dita were arguing about eating together or alone in Hibiki's case, Meia having heard the commotion and decided to check it out just stood nearby watching the whole scene play out. It was then Brian came on the scene along with Paiway seconds later to see the whole thing.
"So, begins another day of dullness between Hibiki and Dita," said Paiway.
"Well, something tells me that today will be different," said Brian.
"I still can't believe that Dita chases that guy. How terrifying! Rib bit!" said Paiway again, but speaking through her frog puppet.
Pyoro then showed up and spoke, "Actually, it's quite normal, Hick."
"Huh? Since when did machines started to get sick of a sudden?" asked Brian.
"Beats me Brian, but it is rude for something to interrupt a lady like me," replied Paiway.
"You're eleven, just a preteen Paiway," replied Brian.
Meia on the other hand just stood and watched the whole scene play out. In the Main Conference room, Magno, Buzam, and Gascogne were looking at how much longer it was to getting back to Mejere and to Terrain Prime.
"So far, it looks like it'll take an estimated 90 days of travel to return to Mejere and an estimated 97 days for Terrain Prime captain," said Buzam.
"Also, information regarding the Harvesters mission by Earth to destroy and harvest the humans who colonized the galaxy should've arrived at Mejere, Tarak, and Terrain Prime by now," said Gascogne.
Magno nodded and spoke, "What about the messages we sent out before hand BC?"
"Mejere and Tarak should've gotten them by now, but so far captain, neither one of them has responded yet. Terrain Prime on the other hand might be our best chance captain because of their current situation," replied Buzam.
Arthur spoke as he came to the Main Conference room, "That's very likely with Terrain Prime Buzam."
"Well, with the exception to Terrain Prime perhaps, but I have a gut instinct that we're being ignored by Tarak and Mejere because one; we are pirates and two; three of our allies are from Terrain Prime which our home is at war with," replied Gascogne.
"Yeah, I guess it could be the case. The recent information we've been able to get would cause uproar on Mejere. Not to mention, the enemy is after our reproductive organs and brains the latter applies to Terrain Prime sadly," replied Magno.
"That's true and the leaders of Terrain Prime both civilian and the Self-Defense forces would keep certain things under wraps because it could have damaging effects on morality level on the people of Terrain Prime," replied Arthur leaning on a wall in the room.
Just then, a call from the Engineering bay came up and Arthur took it, "What's going on?"
"This Parfet from Engineering, we got a problem with the Paksis. It's been going on since this morning. We still haven't found a way to solve it and its energy output has gone down to 80 percent," replied Parfet.
"Keep looking for solutions and inform us when you do okay," replied Arthur.
"Roger," replied Parfet as the line was cut.
It was then that Buzam spoke, "Could it be from the left over issues of the merging between the male and female ships?"
"Or it could be that the ship is like us because aside from the kids from Terrain Prime, the gap between men and women is pretty large," said Gascogne.
Arthur then decided to ask if you could have a private talk with Magno which after Buzam and Gascogne left; Arthur spoke to the elderly pirate leader about what was on his mind which wasn't about warfare.
After hearing him out for several minutes, the elderly pirate leader spoke to the Starfire leader and legendary ace pilot of Terrain Prime.
"It seems to me if you're waking up strange emotions and having those dreams that there is only one conclusion; you're in love or at least are developing feelings for Jura young man," said Magno.
"That can't be right; I'm not supposed to be right?" asked Arthur.
Magno shock her head and replied, "No, not at all young man, it is perfectly okay and besides, you, Brian, and Bella are not within the jurisdiction of your home world am I not mistaken?"
"Yes it's true, but why do I find myself wanting to be near her? She knows what I've done in the past right? What gives?" replied Arthur.
"Maybe it's because you want to know more about her and maybe you two will fall in love that both of you will marry, have family, and grow old together which frankly is a great joy in life Arthur, you have in you the ability to be in a relationship and I know you can be a great dad and grandfather aside from doing what you do best which is war and being well educated and besides, you'll learn that being in love with a person of the opposite sex who isn't a family member can make you stronger, not weaker Arthur. You say you want to live a better life than your others who made mistakes in the past and won't learn, then listen and take care of those who you care about or don't because that design is yours alone to make not mine," said Magno.
After hearing that, he left and proceeded to start the day by doing some practice runs in his Gundam and wondered if Bart and Duero were in the mood to try flying a Gundam so, he went to the area where the men lived to ask after he had breakfast of course.
Meanwhile, down in the Men's quarters, Duero and Bart were hanging out while Duero was reading some books he found. Bart spoke as he ate the food pills his family made because he still didn't trust the food women made along with Duero, but in his case it was a bit different.
"I've heard that Terrain Prime women like other women eat men's organs right?" asked Bart to Duero.
Duero wasn't paying any attention because he was reading which annoyed Bart whom then decided to speak up louder to get his attention.
"Hey what are you reading doc?" asked Bart.
"Oh, some very interesting book I found in one of the storage rooms of the ship," replied Duero as held the book up for Bart to see.
"What the hell is that?" asked Bart.
Duero held up a book which was called "Hello Baby" which although it was almost elementary in terms of design, it provided a basic understanding of procreation between human men and women. Just then, Arthur walked by to ask the guys if they were interested in flying combat simulators.
It was then that Arthur spotted the book Duero had and spoke, "You know, I'm surprised that you're reading that doc because that would be the last thing any man from Tarak would do. Besides I know a few things about what you're reading."
"Really, how may I ask," said Bart.
It was then that Arthur couldn't help, but shake his head a little bit before he gave both Tarak men "The Talk" which he was given himself growing up on Terrain Prime. After about several minutes, he was finished a bit slightly embarrassed.
"Are you joking?" asked Bart.
"Nope and besides, I'm the product between the union of a man and a woman, same goes for Brian and Bella as well. I was given the talk when I was old enough along with a few Sex Ed classes and lectures anyway," replied Arthur.
Duero reaffirmed Arthur's lecture by explaining out loud the contents of the book he was reading, "It's true because in this book a baby comes from the joining of a thing called a "sperm" from a male partner or father and the egg called "ovum" from the female partner or mother in which the egg is fertilized which after the course of 9 months, a baby is born either as a boy or as a girl. In this book, there are even mentions of more than one baby being born including twins, triplets, and quintuplets."
"I take you're interested?" asked Bart.
"I don't need to be a genus to tell me that he is and as far as multiples go, very rarely does it occur naturally because the largest set of babies born to survive okay were a set of eight, but were conceived through artificial means," said Arthur.
Just then, they guys noticed Hibiki walked in exhausted and collapsed on his bed just as Brian came in to grab a quick nap and noticed the guys there.
Duero then spoke up, "Why is Hibiki exhausted?"
"One from the rigorous combat training session Bella gave him and two, Hibiki's trying to keep a promise he made to Dita," replied Brian.
In one of the washrooms of the women, a few women were taking some time to put on makeup while Julian and Ophelia came in to use the restrooms from the training session they were in earlier.
"It's hard to believe that we've changed over the last several months," said Julian as she washed her hands.
"I wonder if it has to do with the fact that we've grown use to having men and women working together?" asked Ophelia.
Just then, both Barnette and Bella came into the washroom which Bella was doing to wash her face while Barnette was just passing through.
"Heck, even if we're eating together, we don't have to worry about them as much as we use to anymore right?" asked a security guard putting on her makeup.
"Yeah, we once thought men were diseases and demonic monsters, how ironic," replied her coworker.
Julian laughed a bit before speaking, "Well, those monsters aka the Harvesters told all of us that both men and women came from Earth; it still will take time for us to fully digest it."
"We are living under the same roof as the men and besides, one of the women here comes from a world where men and women live together along with two men who aren't from Tarak," replied Ophelia.
"Prisoners are still Prisoners even that guy Arthur given what he's done in the past," said Barnette coldly as she walked past them.
"If we take-" Barnette didn't finish when Bella cut her off.
"Keep up with that BS ultra, radical feminism ideology Barnette; my foot will be going all the way up your ass. Besides, any further stunts like the one you pulled last time will be considered as treason and you'll be designated dead if you go against Magno's orders. As for Arthur, you have no idea what went through is mind during that Gundam Raid and if you want to know more, ask him yourself," said the female Gundam pilot.
After giving Barnette a harsh glare, Bella left and went to go about with teaching her fellow mobile suit pilots as she saw them more lessons on close-quarters combat. Barnette just stood there before Julian got her attention with a bit of dark humor before she left.
"You know Barnette, you should write a book called Things That Were Threatened To Be Put In My Ass," said Julian.
"Chapter one; Bella's foot," joked Ophelia while Barnette glared at her and Julian.
Meanwhile back with the guys, Hibiki told Bart, Duero, Arthur, and Brian about his problem and Duero spoke first, "A promise? You promised Dita that you would go to her room?"
"Yeah, but I said it impulsively during that battle with that huge Harvester ship," grumbled Hibiki.
"Hibiki, you made a promise, you should keep as my late dad would say once; when a person makes a promise or swears upon the Rivers Styx, they should keep or they're not a good, honorable person," said Brian.
"Why don't you go then huh?" asked Hibiki.
Arthur shook his head slightly before speaking, "Hibiki, you were the one who made that promise, none of us guys did so you should keep your word if you really are honorable and are a man of Tarak."
"No way, I'm a man besides, why should I go into a woman's room anyway?" asked Hibiki.
"Arthur and Brian are correct on what they just said to you Hibiki because I assumed that you would've stuck to those words you said to Dita, after all you are a man of Tarak are you not?" asked Duero.
Hibiki signed before speaking again, "I know that I should keep my promise, but…"
"But what?" asked Duero, Bart, Arthur, and Brian together.
"What I'm supposed to do in a woman's room? What should I talk about anyway?" asked a flustered Hibiki.
Brian looked at Hibiki before speaking, "Oh come on Hibiki I'm sure she just wants to have a normal, civilized conversation to get know you better and besides, what's wrong with that?"
"Or she's asking you out on a date Hibiki," said Arthur seconds later.
"What's a date?" asked all three Tarak men.
Facepalming, Arthur then decided to talk to them about what a date was with Brian helping him out which was one thing that in all of their training they took to be where they were today, this was one thing that they weren't prepared for; talking about courtship.
"Well, a date is an event in which two people go and find common ground; basically a courtship period if you will. What couples do both hetero and gay couples ranges from dinner, to a nice walk, or even seeing a movie. Typically, it ends with one of the two returning their date home and depending how the date went, can lead to more dates and even marriage. A date must go well for there to be a second date and so forth," said Arthur.
"How?" asked Hibiki, Bart, and Duero.
"Wait right here for a minute," said Brian as he left.
Brian then came back with a book called "Undateable" that originally belonged to his dad and showed the Tarak guys the book which Bart was confused while Duero found it interesting.
Seeing that the guys were done looking at it, Arthur decided to continue his lecture, "As you can see, a guy can make even the tiniest mistake which can escalate rather quickly which can end a date, but there are bits of advice to correct certain mistakes."
"And also, since Arthur mostly likely has told you guys only a bit of the facts of life and now that Hibiki is here, let's talk about the finer points of male-female relationships which we don't need talk about same-sex ones because we know Tarak and Mejere have that along with a small percentage of Terrain Prime couples that are in same-sex relationships or are in same-sex marriages," said Brian.
Once Arthur and Brian have told about the more interesting details on heterosexual relationships, the Tarak guys all had different reactions much to the amusement of the two Terrain Prime pilots.
"That's completely gross sirs!" said Hibiki.
"What the hell?" asked Bart.
"Hm, interesting, you say that it is possible that men and women can not only live together, but also have children as well?" asked Duero.
Arthur nodded and spoke, "Yes, both Brian and I are both products between a union between a man and a woman."
"Why would men and women do such things?" asked Bart.
"Well for starters, it shows that they want to express their love and commitment for each other, it's pleasurable, and if you are married and are really going for it, you can end up getting a baby which is born after the gestation period of 9 months. If you ask if having sex will produce a baby every time the answer is no because the conditions have to be just right like both partners being in the right mood for example and besides, a lot of guys would love to be on a ship filled with a few hundred attractive females onboard trust us," said Arthur.
The two Terrain Prime pilots then left leaving the three Tarak men to process what was just said to them before all of them left themselves to do conduct their duties on the ship. On the bridge, one of the bridge operators Amorone picked up a distress signal not far from the ship.
"What's its signal?" asked Buzam.
Amorone replied after analyzing the signal, "Well, it's not part of the Harvester's Earth fleet ma'am. Wait, I got it sub-commander, it's a pattern from the Colonization Era."
"Captain, what should we do about it?" asked Buzam to Magno.
"Well, it isn't our business, but we can't leave it alone can we?" replied Magno.
Magno then called up Parfet to ask how the Paksis was now and Parfet responded, "Well Captain, it's doing fine for now by some odd reason though. Also, tell Brian, Arthur, and Bella that I've been able to repair their Orion Weapons platforms and not destroy them again. Hibiki's is okay and operational."
"Okay then, keep up the good work Parfet," replied Magno.
"Roger that," replied Parfet.
Magno then called up Bart who had just finished talking to Brian and was just hanging out in the Hanger Bay when the elderly pirate leader got his attention, "Hey young man, break's over."
"Yeah, yeah I'm coming," grumbled Bart.
"What else is going to happen today that isn't normal?" Magno asked herself quietly.
In the Medical bay, Duero was examining Ezra with an ultra sound machine to check on the baby she was carrying while Paiway watched ready to help if she was needed.
"Wow! It's gotten big and it's moving," said Paiway looking at the ultra sound images.
"Based on the current data, it's already the 9th and final month of the pregnancy which means based on my calculations, it should detach any time this month," said Duero as he worked.
"Um doctor, it's actually called giving birth, not detach," replied Ezra.
Paiway then spoke, "Hey uh Ezra, where are you going to give birth? Here on the Nirvana and if so, how will we be able to ensure the birth goes smoothly because we didn't bring the necessary equipment from the base and I'm sure that a man can't do it successfully."
Duero spoke to Paiway despite getting a glare from the young nurse while holding the book he read earlier before he then spoke to the two females.
"Don't worry, I'm a doctor. I've already completed my studies on pregnancy," said Duero.
This caused Ezra, Paiway, and Pyoro who happened to wander in to all to have suddenly sweat-drops at the remark while Pyoro hiccupped again for bizarre reasons.
Paiway on the other hand muttered at how worried Duero would handle delivering a baby. Just then, Jura came in rubbing her right hand on her forehead.
"Doctor, please give me some medication to relive this headache that I have," moaned Jura.
"What's seems to be the problem Jura?" asked Duero.
"Doctor, I've had this bizarre headache ever since I woke up this morning from that bizarre and strange dream," replied Jura.
This puzzled Duero and he asked, "That dream? Hm, that does seem likely because Hibiki also mentioned the same dream as did Brian, Bella, Meia, Dita, and Arthur as well. Also add to that, the Paksis reactor condition seems to be bad as well which makes me wonder if both the dream and the Paksis are related."
"I don't care if it's related or not, just give me the medication okay!?" shouted Jura.
Seconds later Jura spoke again, "Sorry…for shouting."
"It's okay; I'll prepare your medication right now. Sit down on the stool near the counter," replied Duero.
Jura sat down on a nearby stool to wait for Duero to give her the medication she asked for. As she waited, she glanced over at the screen displaying the ultra sound images which Jura remarked quietly to herself that Ezra's baby had gotten big during the voyage. She looked around a bit and saw the book that Duero had been reading earlier.
Upon reading it, an idea formed in Jura's mind and before putting the book down, Jura noticed medical records near Duero and was about to ask when Duero came back with a glass of water and a few pills for her headache. After consuming the pills and glass of water, Jura left the Medical bay to talk with Barnette.
On the bridge meanwhile, Magno and Buzam were looking at how far the ship was from where the mysterious object in space was located.
"Well captain, the object appears to be sending out a distress signal. I'm betting that it won't be a surprise if we have to enter battle at the drop of a hat, but to be on the safe side, I want a more thorough systems check than usual to be sure," said Buzam.
While Buzam was directing the remaining bridge crew on the analysis of the mysterious space object along with ordering Arthur and the Starfire Squad to be on standby at the same time noticing Celtic's change in being not all covered up in her bear costume, Jura was hanging out in the Gun Range of the ship while Barnette practice her sharpshooting skills.
Despite the advancements in weaponry, Barnette still used projectile weapons in contrast to the rest of the crew who used laser or energy-based weaponry.
This made her a bit of an odd ball among the Mejere pirates, but she didn't care because her guns were given to her by her Ohma before things changed for her.
Just as Barnette was about to shoot her next target, Jura dropped a bomb shell at the same time Brian came in to remind the two females to be ready for battle. Although it was nearly lunch time which was around 12:35 pm, things were about to get interesting.
"Barnette, I want to have a baby," spoke the blonde Dread pilot.
The end result of the remark made Barnette miss her target completely and Brian to have his jaw drop to the floor mentally at what Jura just said.
"What the hell?" said Barnette.
"You hear me Barnette, I want to have a baby," replied Jura.
Turning around, Barnette faced Jura and spoke, "You…you…you want me to be the Ohma?"
"Oh no Barnette, I mean a baby with a man," replied Jura with a slight blush.
This caused Barnette to blush slightly and to be just stunned out of her mind while out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brian facepalm while sporting a WTF expression. Nodding to Brian, Barnette silently told the Marine Gundam pilot to run like hell and Brian left before Jura noticed.
"Think about it Barnette, the first Mejere woman to make a baby! Picture it Barnette, me going back to Mejere with that baby. I'll be a heroine for sure for having a baby using a man's seed!" said Jura excited.
Barnette just signed and spoke to her friend, "That's you for sure in a nut shell and why I'm not surprised by this in all my times knowing you. Also, how are you planning on acquiring this seed? And who do have in mind because there are five men on this ship; two from Terrain Prime and three from Tarak."
"Could you find out for me please?" asked Jura.
"Well, there is Bart for starters," said Barnette.
Jura nodded then spoke, "Yeah well, he's out because he's just not the type I would want and besides, he's still a wimp and a sissy a little bit."
"What about the doctor Duero?" Barnette asked Jura again.
"Well, he's tempting, but I can see he's taken by Parfet based on their interactions I've been seeing of them together," answering Barnette.
Barnette just shook her head slightly and asked once again, "What about Hibiki then? If you try to ask him, wouldn't Dita get mad?"
Jura just looked at her friend like if she was answering a stupid question and replied, "Well, Captain Obvious it would, but that doesn't mean it would hurt to ask. Also, that man Brian is obviously out because I've seen Meia take secret, almost crush-like glances at that pilot anyway even before."
Barnette had a quick train of thought before her eyes widened and spoke, "You want to have a baby with the Wolf Angel!? Arthur Hanson himself!?"
"Now that Barnette is a very tempting offer, but I wait and besides, I want to try Hibiki first before trying Arthur himself," said Jura.
Before the two could further debate, the alarms sounded and both left the gun range towards their Dreads for battle though for some reason, both chose not to wear the pilot suits given to them because of the hubris belief that they wouldn't need them. Little did both know that in the near future, both would need to wear pilot suits if they wanted to survive more often.
On the bridge, Amorone reported where the mysterious distress signal was coming from and spoke it to Buzam and Magno, clearly.
"We've traced the origin of the distress signal commander," said Amarone.
"All right then, Meia and Arthur, we're going to start the retrieval process using the Deriki but, we don't know when or if the enemy will attack so, keep alert and provide cover," said Buzam to the two leaders.
"Roger," said Meia.
Arthur nodded and replied, "Copy that Buzam and I understand. Over and out."
About a few minutes later, the Deriki launched along with a squad of Dreads, Vanguards, and the Gundams along with Hibiki's Vanguard. It didn't take long for the search party to find the pod which was a silver-gray colored arrowhead capsule drifting in space by itself.
"All right here he's the plan; Brian, you and a squad will stay behind to cover the Nirvana in case of attacks, Bella will be nearby in case things get hairy, the rest of us will follow the Deriki, Meia, Jura, Dita, Barnette, and the rest of the dreads okay," said Arthur to his comrades.
After everyone acknowledged the order, the party lead by Arthur headed towards where the pod was located. As they approached, Brian spoke up to his team.
"Sir, we better keep a closer eye on the environment around us because something tells me that we're not alone out here," said Brian.
"Acknowledged Brian over and out," replied Arthur.
As the group got closer to the pod, Gascogne took noticed of the pod and spoke about its condition to the pilots around her within hearing distance.
"Looks like the pod took quite a beating out here," said Gascogne.
"Sure looks that way due to its condition and it must have been out here for a long time. I'm surprised it's still functioning," said Bella nearby.
On the Nirvana's bridge, Ezra reported to Buzam that an organic signature was detected in the pod which meant one thing; it had a creature inside it which could be from an animal or a human being.
"Did it escape from the Harvesters?" asked Buzam which no one answered.
Out in deep space, Gascogne using a pair of the Dreki's arms gently grabbed the pod and started to pull it towards the delivery ship.
"Okay steady as she goes Gascogne," said Arthur.
"Good job, grab it and let's get out of here," said Hibiki.
"Don't worry, I intend do what you're asking young boy," replied Gascogne.
Just as the Register head began to pull the pod further and the squad could leave, the radar sounded to indicate hostile enemies approaching. Arthur and Meia gave the order to their subordinates to go to battle mode.
On the bridge of the Nirvana, Amarone confirmed what the team had detected, "Enemy forces detected, closing in fast, and distance is 20,000!"
"Great, they're here as well. I guess we're now definitely on their wanted list which I guess is very pirate-like," grumbled Magno.
"Captain, it's a signal pattern we haven't seen or heard of before. We're unable to determine the enemy's battle strength," said Belvedere.
Buzam turned around quickly and spoke to Magno, "It appears very likely that they came from a different mothership which means that the enemy seems to have advanced quite well."
"All five ships are coming right for us BC. It's no surprise to run into one like this somewhere," replied Magno.
"If all five enemy ships are coming at once, let's not hesitate and run away," said Bart seconds later.
"Dread and Vanguard teams, provide cover for Miss Gasco while doing a fighting retreat," Buzam said to the pilots.
Buzam then called up Parfet to ask her something, "Parfet is it possible to raise the shields?"
"Negative BC, we still don't have complete and full control yet because it hasn't stabilized," said Parfet.
"Very well then, Meia and Arthur avoid any unnecessary fights to conserve munitions. As soon as we have the pod, we'll get out of here," said Buzam to the two squad leaders.
Both of them replied with a sharp "Roger" before they went back to business of getting the pod away from the Harvesters and finding a way to win the battle.
"Sounds good and a great decision Sub-Commander," said Bart.
"Okay…then," replied Buzam.
Back out in deep space, the Deriki was getting closer to the Nirvana with both the Dreads and the mobile suits including the Vanguards guarding it closely. Then out of the blue, a pair of Cube Fighters came out of the darkness of space and fired on the Dreki blowing the arms off and the pod as well.
"Gascogne, are you okay?" asked Bella.
"Ya, I'm okay and you should get the pod Bella before its too late," replied Gascogne.
Jura and Meia noticed something different about these Cube Fighters was that they appeared to be a bit more smarter than what they faced which the three Gundam pilots knew for certain; the enemy was getting smarter not to mention they looked different.
Unlike their old form, these new ones were red and sliver in color unlike the dark purple and golden orange color of the original.
"These guys are a lot faster than the last batches of fighters than before!" shouted Barnette as she fought.
"All units, attack at once and don't the enemy get that pod!" said Arthur giving the order to attack.
"Sir, a pack has taken the pod and is leaving the battlefield, permission to go after them," said Brian.
"Permission granted and be extremely careful because I got a bad feeling that these new Cube Fighters aren't the only new thing that we could be seeing today," replied Arthur.
Back in the Nirvana, Amarone reported to Magno and Buzam what the others were seeing out in space, "The enemy has taken the pod and is heading back to their mothership."
"So, they were not after us?" asked Buzam.
"Well then, let us make them focus on us because whatever is in that pod is very valuable to the point that the enemy doesn't want us to have and find out," replied Magno.
Back out in space, Arthur along with Hibiki, Julian, and the rest of the squad under Arthur's command were chasing after the pod while the rest protected the Nirvana and Gascogne.
"Hey you freaks! That was ours first! Give it back!" shouted Hibiki.
It was then that a pair broke off while the other pair flew away with the pod to fight Arthur's team and upon seeing this; Arthur gave the command for Hibiki and Julian to engage the two fighters while he went after the pod, but allowed Hibiki to help him if he needed help.
"Damm, these a-holes are faster, how very cheeky of them," said Julian.
The group was able to defeat the Cube Fighters that surrounded them while Arthur and Meia were able to defeat the rest of the fighters which Arthur then was able to grab the pod.
"Hibiki, let's unite and escort Arthur and his squad back to the Nirvana," said Meia coming near Hibiki.
"Roger that Meia," replied Hibiki.
Before Hibiki and Meia could form up, a pair of red lights shot out and somehow temporarily paralyzed the two machines before another shot hit Arthur's Gundam knocking the pod out of the Gundam's arms.
"That red light?" asked Meia in her Dread.
"Arthur, Meia are you two okay?" asked Hibiki.
"We're alright, go and get that pod also, I got the feeling that these guys are doing more than playing keep-away with us," replied Arthur.
Nodding, Hibiki went after the pod only for it to be taken by another pair of Cube Fighters which annoyed Hibiki which just then, Jura came on the scene and blasted the enemy fighters away.
"Hey boy, let's unite!" shouted Jura.
As quick as whip, Vandread Jura was formed and after knocking away the enemy fighters, the pod now belonged to the Nirvana again.
"Well now, how was that boy?" asked Jura with a wink.
"Why are you saying that after coming so late?" grumbled Hibiki.
Jura then moved her seat next to Hibiki and using a seductive look asked him, "Hey, are you going to give Jura your seed so I can have a baby?"
"Comrades, no time to waste to talk and-" Arthur didn't finish when he was hit.
Turning around quickly, he saw the enemy now had copies of the Gundread at least the A mode types, all of them looking grotesque and evil like the copies of the Gundams.
After regaining his composure, Hibiki quickly talked to Jura after seeing a mentor of his hit, "Hey blonde lady, now's not the time to talk about what you're asking!"
"Hibiki's right Jura, head back to the Nirvana while we deal with the enemy," said Meia.
"Okay roger that," said both Hibiki and Jura as they flew away.
It wasn't long before Brian and Bella noticed the Harvester copies of the first set of Gundreads and each one engaged the three Terrain Prime Gundam pilots which left Julian, Ophelia, and Amy in charge of the squads that were out in battle.
Meia muttered to herself as she fought the improved Cube Fighters that tried to gang up on the three Terrain Prime pilots, "They enemy seems to have switched to a fight and observe hybrid mode. We should-"
Meia didn't finish as the main enemy mothership appeared which looked like a stingray ocean creature, but was dark gray, sliver, and dark purple in color along with having maroon accents and looking more evil.
The enemy ship then fired a pair of beams at Vandread Jura just as Arthur noticed it; he did another near-suicidal stunt which involved him pushing the copy of Gundread Jura A mode in the line of fire then barely getting out of the way allowing the Harvester copy of Gundread Jura A mode to be destroyed.
Although this lessened the damage to the Vandread and destroyed the copy he fought, it still was able to separate Hibiki and Jura's machines.
"What the hell? That light, it appeared again?" asked Hibiki as he tumbled in space.
"What's going on here?" asked Jura as she too tumbled in space.
Back in the Nirvana, Amorone reported that Vandread Jura separated and that the Harvester copy of Gundread Jura A mode, but Arthur nearly killed himself to do so.
"Separated? What do you mean by that?" asked Buzam.
"Well, it appears to be some sort of energy-based weapon that forces separation because of the contrast with that light, but we don't know the full extent of it," said Belvedere.
Back outside, Dita flew over to where Jura and Hibiki were at and asked if they were okay in a concerned matter, "Mr. Alien! Are you and Jura okay?"
Hibiki, didn't answer as he looked around to find where the pod was and after seeing where it was, he flew after it which got him a bunch of Cube Fighters latching onto him which Brian was able to get them off while Bella was determined to save her friend even though she was an odd ball to her.
"I've just had about….enough you copycat!" shouted the female Gundam pilot.
Using her Gundam's backpack, she was able to activate the hidden beam/plasma claws in the arm units of her backpack and sliced off the arms before using the backpack cannon to decapitate the Harvester copy of Gundread Meia A mode for good.
She then went to go help Jura and after getting near her by accident, another flash of light formed and thus another Gundread combo was created.
"What the heck is that?" asked Hibiki.
"Oh boy, what will the fates of this universe think of next?" asked Brian sarcastically.
The new Gundread looked like a cross between a lobster and a scorpion, but was a bit more bulky and was decked out in a hot rod red and pink flame paintjob. Inside the machine, Jura and Bella found themselves in a cockpit similar to Vandread Jura, but both were facing the opposite of each other.
"What's this?" asked Jura.
"Quite fooling around and let's get back to work," replied Bella.
The Gundread then came to life and after moving through space, it started to pick up any damaged Dread or Vanguard and place the gathered machines inside it. The enemy of course fired on it, but no damage was taken.
"Must be a carrier like the Dreki, but more mobile and armored," said Meia looking at it.
Dita then nearby flew over to Hibiki and formed Vandread Dita once more which destroyed any enemy fighter near the duo which allowed the Vandread to take the pod.
Inside the cockpit, Dita looked at Hibiki which made the Tarak youth blush a bit before they got their minds back to the battle as there were more important things to worry about.
"Hey you dumb, evil aliens! How do you like that huh? We're not going to let you guys win that easily! Right Mr. Alien?" said Dita.
'Uh, yeah that's right," replied Hibiki.
Meia contacted them, "Don't celebrate just yet, the enemy is closing in, withdraw at once you two with the pod."
"Roger leader!" replied Dita.
No sooner did she say that did the enemy mothership fired its twin red beams again this time not only hitting the Vandread, but also the new Gundread just after it ferried its passengers back to the Nirvana and was about to head out again.
The Gundread was split apart and after regaining her bearings quickly Bella contacted Jura right away without missing a beat in the battle.
"Jura! Are you okay?" asked Bella.
"Other than being thrown around like a rag doll and being affected by this red light, I'm doing just dandy," replied Jura.
Dita and Hibiki on the other hand were still together, but know had just found out the right arm for some reason wasn't working.
Nearby Brian tired to get to them, but the annoying Harvester copy of Gundread Dita A mode was keeping him occupied which finally Brian had enough and put all his effort into destroying it to save his friend while saying a creed he was taught.
Normally he would not say it in the middle of a battle, but he needed a better, clear mind to help him win against the Harvester machine.
"This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will…My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, or even the smoke it makes. We know that it is the hits that count matter. My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weakness, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights, and its barrel. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage as I will ever guard my legs, my arms, my eyes, my soul, and my heart against damage. I will keep my rifle clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will…before the Lord Almighty, I swear this creed. My rifle and I are defenders of my country which is my home. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life. So be, until victory belongs to Terrain Prime and there is no enemy, but peace and happiness!" said Brian quietly as it cleared his mind.
After saying the Creed of the Terrain Prime Self-Defense Marine Corps, Brian was able to slice off the legs using his Gundam's foot-mounted beam/plasmas sabers before using the claws to slice off the arms and using all beams together, drilled through the torso which destroyed the CPU core and hitting the reactor destroying it for good. Just then, he felt the same red light as did, Meia, Hibiki, Dita, Jura, Bella, and Arthur did.
"Is that dream coming true?" asked Hibiki mentally.
While Hibiki was wondering if the dream was coming true or not, the Nirvana was continuing to get assaulted by the Harvesters and it hurt Bart as he made it clear out loud, "Ow! This hurts a hell of a lot more than before!"
"Hey Engineering! What the hell is going on here?" Bart asked Parfet angrily.
"Hey! Quit complaining here! We would like to ask the same question you dumbass!" shouted Parfet back.
After cutting the line from Bart, Parfet looked at the Paksis with concern as she saw the Paksis develop red spots on it and spoke, "It appears to be affected by that red light. Almost like its afraid or something."
Parfet's attention was diverted to Pyoro who kept hiccupping for some reason even though it was a machine which prompted her to ask, "Pyoro-kun, what is the matter with you?"
"They're very close, but a very distant entity Parfet. It's dangerous to get close regardless of distance, but we call upon each other. I'm scared…but…hick!" replied Pyoro.
"What's with it? It looks like its drunk after a long night of partying and drinking," spoke one of Parfet's fellow engineers.
Parfet then looked at the Paksis while her mind was on the battle and spoke, "Is it possible? Almost like it's alive."
Back outside, the enemy mothership was closing in on the helpless Vandread while everyone else was preoccupied with other enemy forces. Jura was able to shake off the shock of being shot along with Bella and both worked together to rally the forces to help Hibiki and Dita.
If things couldn't get worse, the Harvester copies of the Vandreads and the Gundams showed up, but numbed in the half-dozen each which made Brian just say one thing, "Sheesh, they really must be out for blood."
Just then, a squad of copy Fujin Gundams fired their guns at Brian causing him to be blown backwards which prompted Jura who was nearby to save him upon Bella's request.
As soon as the two machines got close, another flash of light resulted in the creation of another Gundread; this time Gundread Jura B mode. What made it usual was that it looked like a cross between a Chinese dragon and a butterfly.
"Two for one, hope it works because we're starting to get our asses kicked here," said Julian from her Vanguard.
Inside the cockpit, Brian and Jura found themselves in a cockpit configuration like Gundread Jura A mode, but the seating was reversed with Jura in front and Brian in back.
"Whoa, two for one, that's hot," said Jura.
"Less taking, more fighting comrade," said Brian.
For some reason, the Gundread wouldn't move much to the frustration of the duo while Hibiki on the other hand tried to move the other arm to fire the gun, but it powered down for some reason and he made it clear to Dita about his frustration, "What the hell happened…Damn it!"
"We can't move Mr. Alien!" said Dita.
Back in the Nirvana, things weren't looking good for the pirates and their allies as Amarone reported the battle situation, "The enemy's main force is closing in on Vandread Dita! It's going to get the pod! The new Gundread hasn't powered up yet!"
"Most likely it's because of that red light, it seems to be the cause for both machines as both can only maintain their current forms at best!" said Belvedere seconds later.
"So that manta ray-like machine thing along with those copy Gundread first forms and mass produced copy Harvester Gundams are the newest toys of the Harvesters?" asked Buzam.
Back outside, things were starting to turn around, but unless the main mother ship was destroyed, things wouldn't turn in favor of the heroes in peril. As Vandread Dita was being pulled closer to the enemy ship, another set of tentacles lashed forward and grabbed the newest Gundread pulling Brian and Jura towards the ship as well.
"I will not…let my comrades die!" shouted Arthur as he typed in a sequence.
The computer screens around him turned a vibrant blue as the words "Triad Drive Mode System" flashed in front of him. With that done, he launched forward commanding his reserve team to follow to destroy the forces standing in the way of their captured comrades. Inside Vandread Dita, Hibiki now knew how to win along with Brian as the duo spoke together even though neither one of them were in the same cockpit together.
"Dreams happen when you're asleep, but I'm awake and I will not be defeated by a dream! Because none of us have time to deal with a dream or a nightmare!" shouted both Brian and Hibiki together at once.
The effect was that both the Vandread and the Gundread were back online and were ready to fight as Arthur swopped in and cut the tentacles off both machines with his teammates pushed them away a little from the ship.
"We did it Mr. Alien!" said Dita.
"Yeah, let's kick ass everyone," said Brian.
Hibiki then drove the left arm into the open maw of the enemy Harvester mothership while at the same time, Jura and Brian pressed a few buttons and at once, the Gundread flew and weaved in and out of different enemy formations and slashed them up badly including the copy of the Vulcan Gundam.
The results were that the enemy Harvester ship blew up and the various squadrons blew up as well after being passed by the new Gundread. When the explosions died down, Vandread Dita flew back to the Nirvana with the pod which was passed to the Fujin Gundam as the battle had ended in victory for the Nirvana though barely.
"Heh, reckless behavior as usual for Hibiki and new tools for our forces," said Meia with a small smile.
"Yeah! We did it! We did it! We did it! Everyone because it's our victory! As long as we combine our powers together, there is nothing we should be scared of! Right Mr. Alien?" said Dita.
"That girl," muttered Hibiki.
Dita looked puzzled before replying, "What was that?"
Hibiki just looked at Dita before replying, "Nothing, let's just return home and I don't know what to talk about."
"What was that Mr. Alien? Could you say that again please?" asked Dita.
"Forget it and don't worry about it because I was just talking to myself," grumbled Hibiki.
Dita asked more sincerely, "But I'm curious Mr. Alien."
"I said don't worry okay geez," replied Hibiki.
Everyone one by one returned to the ship which Arthur was the last one for some reason other than being the one with the pod.
After setting the pod down which Parfet's team retrieved, Arthur felt his vision going blurry and in and out of focus which just before he could reach the Fujin Gundam's docking berth, the Gundam collapsed on its knees before it fell fully forward and landing on its left side.
"Parfet here, get a medical team down here at once!" shouted Parfet after seeing the Gundam collapse.
Brian rather than dock his Gundam, flipped the Gundam on its back carefully and before he could do anything else, the cockpit opened, but Arthur didn't come out which meant Arthur was too exhausted to get out which prompted Brian to get out of his Gundam and head to the Fujin Gundam.
Brian then got into the cockpit and pulled Arthur out of his seat which Bella came seconds later to help Brian pull the nearly unconscious Arthur out of the Gundam and onto the floor next to the two Gundams just as Duero along with a medical team arrived. Arthur was then placed on a gurney and rushed to the Medical bay.
A few hours later at around 3:09 pm, Arthur woke up feeling gorgy and he looked around and found that no one was around which did worry him a bit so he got out of bed to walk around to see who was in the pod that the Harvesters were hell-bent on ensuring that the Nirvana didn't get it.
He soon found a good majority of the crew were in a part of the ship watching as Parfet was working on opening the pod that no one noticed him coming it still wobbling like a top until Gascogne noticed him and caught him.
"Easy there, you should be sleeping boy," said Gascogne.
"I just want to see who or what was so important that the Harvesters were trying to prevent us from getting," replied Arthur sleepily.
"Hey everyone, the pod's opening up!" said Parfet.
When the pod opened, to everyone's surprise it was a young human female roughly in her early to mid-teens wearing a yellow and white outfit with a pair of bracelets and was holding something in her hands.
"Its girl in there," said Zoe.
"Is she an alien?" asked Dita.
"No Dita, she looks human like the rest of us here," said Parfet.
Hibiki at the back of the crowd shouted as he made his way forward, "Hey! I want to see okay! Let me through!"
Duero then ran a medical device near the mysterious female to check on the unknown, sleeping female which he then spoke up after Paiway asked if she was alive, "She's alive alright; the life support systems are functioning normally."
"Come on, let me through!" said Hibiki as he got closer to the pod.
Then the mysterious unknown female woke up and showed that her eyes were red that went along with her blue hair. Just then Hibiki pushed his way past Jura and Dita which caused him to lose his balance, wobble, and fall face first in the pod along with Arthur who walked over slowly to get a closer look, but like Hibiki he too lost his balance and collapsed in the pod head first much to the shock of the crew present.
Hibiki was able to pull himself up and seconds later was able to get his mentor out of the pod as well which caused him to fall on his back while Hibiki spoke, "I thought I was going to suffocate and die."
The unknown female looked at Hibiki for a second before she turned her head to see Arthur propping himself against the pod so he could see himself before she looked back at Hibiki which at the same time, a mysterious holographic blob-like being came from her earrings.
"Did…you…you save me?" asked the unknown female.
Before Hibiki could respond, the mysterious female sat up and hugged Hibiki much to the shock of most of the crew with the exception of the Terrain Prime pilots.
It was then that the unknown female spoke happily, "Thank you my lord prince!"
"What? A Prince!?" asked Barnette.
"A Lord?" asked Jura baffled.
The biggest reaction came from Dita as she spoke at the top of her lungs, "NOOOOO! Mr. Alien will unite with Dita!"
"Oooh, I'll need to keep my eyes on this possible new affair that appears to starting!" said Paiway nearby.
For the crew of the Nirvana, things were about to get very interesting this year especially for Brian who had turned only 20 just recently couldn't help, but shake his head slightly at this situation.
Nearly ten minutes later, both Arthur and the unknown female were both being brought to the Medical bay for rest which both humans were secured to their respective beds for Duero to monitor.
As both humans rested, Bella couldn't help but, think to herself one thing: things were going to happen both good and bad for everyone which she hoped they would all live to see the end of the wars Terrain Prime was fighting which the most important one was not the one with Mejere or Tarak, but rather one that was the most dangerous; the Harvesters.
"We will all face the real monsters that are getting closer to our home including Tarak and Mejere and I firmly believe that we will cancel Humanity's end!" Bella thought mentally.
Just then, her subordinates Amy and Athena came to her and stood with her in watching Arthur and the unknown female sleep as one fact came clear to all: the war with the Harvesters is about to get more intense.
A/N: Surprise and sorry about no new chapters in May of 2013, stuff came up you know. Megas WBM won't be forgotten as I finally have the remaining episodes of Megas XLR which will help me complete that Fanfiction.
The new copies that the Harvesters made of the first set of Gundreads resemble their original counterparts, but more demonic and inhumane by a thousand fold which will be reflected on the other Harvester copies of the other Gundreads. The Gundreads were just random ideas floating around.
The Triad Drive Mode system is the prototype for another feature that'll appear in good time.
The creed of the Terrain Prime Self-Defense Marine Corps is based on the USA Marine Corps Creed though modified a bit which the said original creed belongs rightfully to the USA Marines.
Bye everyone! R and R to tell me how the start of the Second Stage went and one more thing, no flames! Only constructive feedback okay!