A/N: I'm so motivated to write these days! Trying out a little bit of a tangent and giving some screen time to other characters in this chapter. Again, many things aren't from the official Vandread canon. Anyway, I'm surprised I got to working on this so soon after posting the previous chapter, but I'm glad (as I suppose you are as well, dear readers) that there's progress! I do hope you're all still able to follow and are enjoying the story; feel free to leave a review and let me know. Speaking of which, I'll maybe go back to my old practice of responding to reviews.
Imaginos1892 – Glad to hear your thoughts! I'm doing my best to at least write a turn of events I can be satisfied with before ending this. I still haven't thought up what the Super Vandread will be like. There'll be another big fight coming soon so we'll see how the Harvesters have improved too. About the errors, I use Word to catch spelling stuff. Grammar-wise, I suppose what I write "sounds right in my head but isn't quite clear when others read it" or so. I apologize, I don't really know how to improve much as I'm no English expert and already quite behind just working on this despite doing other stuff as well. Still, thanks a lot!
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CHAPTER 23
Setting the Stage
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Early morning came, the fourth day since the Nirvana landed on Parthus. The pirates were starting to get a little more anxious, but Jai's reports of "all clear" kept their nerves in check for the meantime. There was little progress on almost all fronts. Jai and Duero, though hard at work at the hospital, kept seeing their workload increase. Magno's talks with Maron were going nowhere. Gascogne had rationed their provisions, but supplies were only getting fewer. Only Parfet was seeing some success, having made a small prototype magnetic field generator; it still needed some work to be useful, though.
It wasn't Amarone's first time away from the Nirvana during a mission, but it has been quite a while since the last. Being the ship's primary navigator, before its transformation into the Nirvana and the arrival of Bart that is, it was rare for her to ever find the opportunity to explore the exotic places the band of pirates found themselves in. She was thankful that Magno decided to allow all three navigators, one by one of course, to spend some time on the planet while the enemies still weren't around.
She was actually the last to visit; Belvedere Coco and Celtic Midori already had their turns – the latter had a pointedly short trip, being intensely afraid of the infection and all. Amarone couldn't blame her costumed crewmate; it was a little depressing to see so many sick and dying, and Midori's nurse costume wasn't exactly protective in the least save for the mask.
Although Amarone considered herself generally serious and cynical, she was optimistic that her companions would find a way to help these inhabitants. Everyone was contributing in their own way, an inspiring consideration. The only member of the pirate crew who hasn't left the Nirvana at all was B.C., which Amarone thought wasn't unreasonable.
For once, she felt like she was doing something truly worthwhile – not that navigating wasn't an essential task; it just felt like you were waiting around while others were up and about all the time.
She found herself at the hospital entrance, and was genially greeted by Ezra. "Deep in thought, Amarone?"
She shook her head and replied, "Just thinking about all that's been going on and how everyone's doing what they can to help."
The other Mejale showed her in. There was still a significant number of confined patients, though Gascogne earlier mentioned they might be able to accommodate everyone on the Nirvana. After seeing what state some of the people were in, Amarone hesitated on actually agreeing to allow anyone to board, even as her heart went out to them.
Ezra warmly greeted a woman who looked about ready to give birth. "How are you feeling today, Nadya? This is my co-navigator and good friend, Amarone."
The woman addressed as Nadya smiled faintly. "Nice to meet you, Amarone. To be honest, Ezra, I don't feel much better than before. Even the supplements prescribed by Doctor Jai don't seem to be doing anything for me."
The three of them chatted about some other things for a while. Ezra noticed that Nadya was indeed feeling rather tired, and ended the conversation before long. Both Mejale wished the pregnant woman a speedy recovery, and she responded with a smile full of gratitude.
"It's fascinating," Ezra said when she and Amarone had gone back to the hospital corridor, "I feel a close bond with her even though I only met her a few days ago."
"She is very pleasant," Amarone replied, "I worry about her child, though."
The other Mejale nodded. "Yes, it is a scary thought that the baby would also become a victim of this planet. But Jai was telling me earlier, they might be able to prevent her from becoming infected. It all depends on if Parfet can produce a suitable enough sterile environment."
"That's amazing!" Amarone exclaimed. "Oh, I hope they're able to do it!"
They entered an isolation room at the far end of one of the wards. "Hello, Shirley, Bart. What have you two been discussing about this morning?" Ezra greeted spiritedly.
Shirley had woken up only an hour ago from a fitful sleep, which seemed to be the usual for her. Bart was with her almost all the time, going back to the Nirvana only to eat and to freshen up. He even slept on the couch beside the little girl's bed instead of at his quarters on the ship. Even then, both were lively talking when Ezra and Amarone entered.
"Ezra! You just missed the tale of the Navigator's Lost Hat!" Shirley said excitedly.
Amarone smiled awkwardly, and so did Bart when he saw her walk in. The truth of the 'tale' was that during the Christmas party, a drunken Belvedere stole Amarone's hat while the latter was passed out, and tossed it into Bart's control pool at the bridge as a prank. A hung-over Amarone had been looking frantically throughout the ship for her hat the next day and it took hours of searching until she saw Bart at the bridge, boredly waving it around with his finger. Despite his insistence that he didn't know it was hers and that he didn't even take it in the first place, the beating that ensued necessitated a trip to the infirmary for the Tarak helmsman.
Shirley recounted a different story, that of Bart finding a magnificent hat in a place where only renowned explorers dared venture, of searching high and low through perilous galaxies to find who had lost it, and finally of fighting a horrible monster to return the article to the owner who happened to be a beautiful navigator-princess. "I added the princess part," she quickly admitted, looking somewhat proud that she did.
What Bart had never told anyone was that on the morning after the party, he had dived into his control area to practice maneuvering the Nirvana and, not recognizing the clothing item, decided to use it as a convenient cover-up for his nakedness. He did take care to wash it well right after, but still, Amarone seemed so happy to get it back on her head that he couldn't muster the resolve to mention what he did do with it. He also wanted to avoid a more serious thrashing if possible.
"Oooh, there was a monster, you say?" Amarone was smiling cheerfully as she approached Shirley, but to Bart, her tone was steely venom.
"A-Amarone! What a-are you doing h-h-here, outside the Nirvana?" The Tarak asked nervously, adding the last part for emphasis.
"Boss allowed us navigators to visit for a while. Didn't you see Belvedere yesterday?"
Bart shook his head. He had probably been so focused on Shirley that he lost track of everything else. That, or he just probably forgot.
Shirley spoke up, "So you're a navigator of the Nirvana, Amarone?"
"Why yes, sweetie. And I have a hat too, see?" the dark-skinned pirate took off her headpiece and placed it on the little girl's crown. "How do you like it?"
After observing her reflection in the glass for a while, Shirley said, "Thank you for letting me try it on, but it suits you a lot better," and handed the object back for Amarone to wear. "It really makes you look like a princess, I think."
"Aww how sweet," both Ezra and Amarone sang, clasping their hands with glee. Amarone was grinning widely at the compliment. "Well, do you know what a princess is, dear?"
The child nodded at once. "Yup, mama used to call me a princess all the time. A princess is a beautiful, strong and kind person. Mama told me so before she died," she said almost ordinarily.
The three Nirvana crewmates fell silent all of a sudden, reminded of the shroud and prevalence of death on the planet. For this little girl, dying was probably as everyday an occurrence as eating.
"I'm sorry about your mama, dear," Amarone said apologetically after a moment.
Shirley looked mature beyond her age. She shook her head. "It's okay. I know that she will always be with me no matter where she is, or where I am."
"Are you not afraid of dying?" Bart ventured before either Mejale could stop him.
"I feel that I want to keep living if I could. Instead of being afraid of dying, I'm afraid that I cannot leave the planet and see a butterfly, or eat peaches, or listen to birds singing."
The atmosphere became really heavy, and Amarone looked towards Bart to glare at him for bringing up such a sorrowful topic. His gaze was on Shirley, but instead of looking remorseful, he seemed...resolute. All of a sudden, he said in a loud voice, "is that so?! Then, my lady Shirley, fear no longer! I, Bart Garsus, give my word that you will one day be able to do all the things you wish!"
Everyone, including Shirley, gave a start. Bart was striking a pose, pointing upwards with one hand while the other rested on his hip. It wasn't clear if he was trying to be cool or goofy.
As if on cue, Duero stepped into the room. "I can hear you from down the hall," he intoned, smacking the other Tarak on the head with a sheaf of papers. "Besides, you're supposed to be at the bridge while Amarone is here."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," the Mejale navigator said, snapping her fingers.
Bart didn't miss a beat. He twirled and then bowed to the females, or to Shirley in particular. "I shall return soon!" And he strode out of the room, followed by the doctor.
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"Well that was...interesting," Ezra voiced when Duero and Bart had left the isolation room.
Amarone chuckled. "He's always like that at the bridge, making jokes and being weird. Looks like he's gotten used to the crew and ship, unlike at the start when he'd always be cowering or looking suspicious."
"Is he that weird, then?" Shirley asked Amarone.
Ezra moved and sat down behind the little girl and, meeting the navigator's eyes, shook her head vigorously. 'Don't spoil her image of him,' she seemed to say.
Thankfully, Amarone got the message. "Ah, what I mean to say was he always likes to make grand gestures that look weird, but are actually funny," she quickly replied. "He and Duero, and Jai too, good friends with the whole crew. They've helped us out a lot." It didn't seem like she had that much trouble praising the Tarak now; until recently, she had openly despised them all.
"Really? You're not just messing with me, are you?"
Taking a moment, Amarone then sighed. She felt wrong lying outright to this child. "I admit, I didn't really like Bart at first. Our ship changed a lot recently, and I was struggling as the primary navigator to make everything work well. Then all of a sudden this meddler from Tarak comes in and, despite being a little clumsy and loud, manages to do much better than I ever did. Maybe it was I who got used to him, since he's always at the bridge. It feels a little strange. And don't tell anyone, but he really does make me laugh every now and again; it really cheers me up on gloomy days. Oh! You too Ezra, shush, alright? I mean it."
Ezra nodded. She was beaming a bit too cheerfully, having heard some juicy information, though she wasn't one to tattle about her close friend's secrets.
Shirley also brightened after hearing Amarone's heartfelt admission. "I'm glad you feel that way. I want to show you something I didn't want Bart to see," here she reached into a bedside shelf and procured a half-made doll. Though still evidently a work in progress, the uniform was unmistakably that of Bart. The doll still lacked hair and one eye. "I started making it the other day." Shirley said, sounding proud of herself.
"That is impressive," Ezra said, gently patting Shirley's head. "Very well done!"
"May I?" Amarone asked, and Shirley handed her the doll. "It feels so soft! Haha, it does bear a resemblance, doesn't it?" she remarked, turning it around in her hand. "Even the pockets are all in place."
"But Shirley," Ezra spoke as Amarone returned the figure. "Aren't these dolls made for, you know, people who've passed away?"
The little girl looked slightly self-conscious. "I know that. I...suppose I just felt like I wanted to make one before he, I mean, before you all leave. I wanted to make one while I still can." She showed them two other dolls in the back of the shelf, those of her parents. "I didn't make these because I was too young back then, but they're always with me."
"Well, I'm sure Bart would like that doll you're making," Amarone said, "but not as much as he'd like you to be well and happy. We all would like that. So please be strong for us all, okay? Don't give up, okay?" She made a mental note to later plead both Jai and Duero to never give up on this child, no matter what.
Shirley looked a little unsure about something, but after a while smiled and nodded. "Yes!"
"Aww, c'mere you two!" Ezra exclaimed, and the three shared a big hug. "Princesses stick together. I'm also one now, all right?" They then laughed and continued talking until the sun was high in the sky.
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Duero wasn't walking very fast, but Bart seemed to lag behind as they made their way along the corridor. All the earlier bravado was gone.
"Duero, no, doctor," the helmsman began, but faltered. He was being hesitant.
A few minutes passed. "You are going to ask for the impossible," Duero stated, knowing what his comrade could not put into words so easily. He did overhear what was being discussed in the isolation room.
Bart couldn't help a sudden outburst. "There must be, MUST BE, a way to cure her!" He looked back quickly to see if anyone had heard, but it seemed they were too far away already from the room, and he relaxed a little.
They walked in silence for a while, before Duero spoke, "you shouldn't promise the impossible."
Bart was indignant. "You don't know that for sure! Do you mean to tell me you're giving up? That you're just going to let her die?"
"She said she wasn't afraid of death."
"I know that, darn it!" The helmsman almost tore his hair off. "It's what upsets me the most! I'm incredibly afraid of even getting hurt when there's a battle, but she can say stuff like that without giving it a second thought. And yet when I share to her my absurd tales of heroism, she listens like they're the greatest stories ever told!"
After a short pause, he added with teary eyes, "I don't deserve her admiration. Not like this. I want to do something that matters, something she can be truly proud of. I want to help her, Duero."
Duero approached his crewmate, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Shirley also said she was afraid of not being able to live. For me, that is enough. I will not make any promises, but I will do everything in my power to make sure she can live. Jai is currently sleeping on the ship and will go on patrol afterwards, but I'm sure he feels the same." He then strode back to the hallway leading to the nurse's station, leaving Bart standing inside the hospital front entrance.
Bart felt tired all of a sudden, like he needed a nap. He also felt strangely satisfied.
"I, too, will not give up," he muttered, then started walking towards the Nirvana.
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The atmosphere aboard the Nirvana was quiet, but the tension was still palpable even though all the activity took place on the planet surface.
Gascogne was currently in the middle of a sparring match with Barnette at the combat room. Their moves were routine, mechanical. The clash of training batons striking one another echoed in the otherwise empty arena.
"You're sure taking your time today," Barnette said, executing a low thrust.
"To be honest, I'm not really up to it," the larger pirate commented, blocking the move. "I just feel so restless, but don't want to tire myself out. Figured some mindless physical exertion might do the trick."
"How about organizing the storage?" Recoil and thrust again.
"Did that already. Twice. Without Paiway's help." Sidestep, riposte.
The pseudo-battle went on when Jura stepped in. "Feeling a bit antsy?" She had just returned from Vandread Crab on 'terraforming duty'. Thankfully Parfet wasn't as rigorous as before.
Barnette didn't even look away from her opponent. "Just a bit. How was the experiment?"
The other Dread pilot was somewhat excited. "We've developed a new move that creates a static field in the atmosphere, but unfortunately it's not safe to get within ten meters. I mean, what's the point of a safe-zone if nobody can even enter it?"
Gascogne did look towards Jura, but parried all of Barnette's attacks all the same. "Parfet still tryin'a get rid of the little buggers that are making everyone sick?" Personally, she thought it was a waste of time, since the harvesters were on the way to annihilate everyone. "Best to try getting people to leave the planet instead, I say."
The blond Mejale shrugged. "I think so too, but then what would happen if the infection spreads here because of their presence? I don't want to end up like them, that's for sure. But now here we are, at a bit of an impasse from the looks of it."
"A damned if we do, damned if we don't kind of thing, huh?"
The fight came to an end with both combatants jumping backwards. Gascogne was the first to lower her weapon, and Barnette followed suit.
"It's become a waiting game," the green-haired pilot said, wiping a bit of sweat off her brow, "where we're basically waiting for those harvesters to arrive, and doing all these little things in the meantime. I don't think they're pointless, but it'll be all for naught if the enemy gets their way."
Gascogne shrugged. "They put a bit of a drain on supplies."
"Well, you know what they say, it's when things get tough and our backs are to the wall that we show our true strength as Mejale pirates!" Jura declared enthusiastically, earning smiles of approval from both Barnette and Gascogne. Those smiles turned sour when she added, "Now who's up for a triple-scoop ice cream apple pie a la mode with crème fraiche? I'm starving!"
Jura went ahead towards the cafeteria, as the other two stood dumbfounded. "How extravagant! What was all that about when things get tough?" Gascogne commented.
"Don't even try to understand," Barnette replied, rubbing her temple in irritation.
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It was almost nighttime for the people on Parthus. The Dita-Base was once again stationed towards where the Earth fleet was expected to approach from. Their reconnaissance duties were getting more frequent with each passing day.
Dita was now thoroughly comfortable with the ship, and ventured to learn more about the information systems. "Jai, when we do see bad aliens on the radar, how long will it take for them to get to us?"
"Normally, we'd only be able to give a maximum advance warning of fifteen minutes if it's the small aliens coming at us at full speed; for the motherships, perhaps thirty to forty-five minutes. Fortunately, Parfet and her team were able to craft a few simple relay markers while we were doing all that planning before. The markers basically transmit an alarm when aliens reach a certain distance from them, or if they pick up certain frequencies. Anyway, these were scattered throughout the space surrounding the planet, and they extend the reach of our radar somewhat. Now we'll know of any enemies from further away and give a one-hour warning to the crew if the fast aliens are coming."
Jai only realized afterwards that he had been saying 'aliens' sometimes when referring to the 'enemies'. He recalled asking Parfet during their planning if a means to slow down the harvesters was possible, but nobody was able to come up with a workable method. Using the markers was the most feasible idea.
Dita pouted. "That doesn't sound like a long time..."
He shrugged. "I would've wanted more too, but that's what we've got to work with."
An hour passed without incident. Dita had been yawning for a while, which caused Jai to yawn as well, so he suggested she take a nap in the meantime. It was a convenient discovery that their chairs were able to recline, and soon she was fast asleep.
Another two quiet hours went by, during which Jai was doing plenty to occupy himself with. He had first checked up on Nadya from the onboard system, and found that the fetus inside her was indeed protected from the infection. He had also scanned a few other patients, and found some interesting data he'd need to discuss with Duero when they got the chance. He then went through some of his "old" textbooks in hopes of maybe finding something – anything – that could help. Maybe a hint, a pattern, to solve this tricky problem. He had a few ideas, but no definite answers just yet.
Jai was excited that the scientists and engineers working in the hospital underground had managed to create a 'clean space', and were putting the finishing touches on a device that patients might be able to use. He also found another curious underground structure that looked like a beacon located almost at the other side of the planet, but again its function wasn't clear. It wasn't a current threat, however, so he decided to leave it for now.
Checking the map again showed no enemies.
He was going to contact Duero, but it was the other physician who initiated a communication link. "Jai, it's Shirley!" Jai fleetingly thought of cracking a joke at that, but the other person's distressed tone roused him to action instead.
"Hang on," he quickly focused the Dita-Base view on Shirley's isolation room. Duero was there, as was Bart. Shirley looked like she was in intense pain, and had difficulty breathing. Jai was about to call up more information on her, when he noticed someone sprinting towards the room from the hallway.
It was Ezra, who had come from...Nadya's room. The patient had started having contractions. Thankfully, the bag of waters was still intact, for now. 'Might be false labor,' he thought.
Jai wanted so much to be there right now, to help out. He started to steer the craft towards the Nirvana. 'Of all the...'
He wasn't even able to finish his thought when a peculiar alarm suddenly started blaring, one that filled him with pure dread.
'You've got to be bleeping kidding me...'
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Parfet and her small team of engineers were holding their collective breath in the underground laboratory.
"Gently...gently," she intoned, as the final piece of their latest prototype was being fitted into place. A towering emitter 'head' would project what Parfet called a dome-shaped 'gentle' magnetic field onto the hospital bed the machine was attached to, just about covering its boundaries. There was barely enough room for two people, but the entire setup was mobile: the bed could be easily moved along with the dome, as long as the person pushing watched their hands and feet.
Cheers resounded as the piece of metal locked into its container.
"Hold up, hold up," Parfet admonished them playfully, "it still hasn't been tested yet. Where the heck did I put that scanner?" It was a tool used to measure the concentration of the pollutant in the air. Parfet fished it out of one of her pockets, and looked hopefully at their device.
If all worked well, the interior of the field would be completely decontaminated, and perfectly safe for even living beings. The only drawback was that nobody could pass through the 'barrier' once it was up, as the thin line of electromagnetic energy was still powerfully ionizing. A workaround for that hadn't been engineered yet, and it was doubtful to be completed anytime soon.
She was pretty certain of her invention that Parfet herself climbed onto the bed, scanner in hand. "Let 'er rip!"
One of the assistants pressed a button at the side that powered the generator, and a low humming began. Parfet looked up at the head, which looked like a laser emitter that seemed to be staring back at her. She turned her gaze back down to the hospital bed.
A moment passed, two, and then the static field cut through the air, leaving a slightly singed smell.
The Mejale mechanic was far from fried, however; aside from a sudden curious spell of dry throat, she felt perfectly fine. After tentatively opening her eyes, she moved different parts of her body and found that nothing was amiss. Finally, she looked at her scanner.
"Zero percent!" Parfet exclaimed. Again, a louder round of cheers echoed, and the machine was quickly switched off. Though a lot of power was stored up, they wanted to save as much as possible for Nadya's eventual use of the device. It was a good thing Parfet found that lump of sublimated dry ice in the Nirvana that was necessary to cool the superconductor they were currently utilizing. Without it, the whole device wouldn't have been workable.
All of a sudden, her communicator sounded loudly, and Ezra appeared. She looked almost hysterical. "Parfet, come quick! It's Nadya!"
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All was quiet at the hospital, same as any of the previous nights.
Duero was staying at the isolation room, observing Shirley's sleeping behaviors. There were a few instances over the past few days that he saw some manifestations in her, most notably dyspnea, stabbing chest pain, and transient lymphadenitis in the neck.
Bart was also there, reading a book on the couch. He returned during the mid-afternoon, much to Shirley's delight, since Amarone had left before lunch. Each time Shirley twitched or made a noise, he looked up at her from his book until all was still again.
He was almost drifting off as well, when all of a sudden the little girl made a gurgling noise and began writhing violently on the bed. She was clawing at her throat and chest; it looked like she couldn't breathe.
Both men stood at once. As Bart quickly called for a nurse on the intercom, Duero immediately opened a communication line to the Dita-Base. "Jai, it's Shirley!" While waiting for a response, he gave Shirley a shot of epinephrine, readied the other emergency meds, and carefully tried to hold the little girl down.
He heard hurried footsteps approaching, but also Bart's exclamation. "Ezra? What's..."
She was very upset, a far cry from her usual calm demeanor. "Nadya! I think she's starting to give birth!" her worry only increased when she saw Shirley in a thrashing fit.
Jai was still on communications. He was yelling, but in a careful, controlled voice. "Guys! Listen! Listen to me carefully all right? Follow, and don't panic. We're looking to the heavens. Ezra, contact Parfet immediately and tell her to bring their machine to the delivery room! Ask help from a nurse to transport Nadya there as well!"
"Yes! On it!" The Mejale wasted no time in complying with the order and then left; the delivery room was conveniently situated in between the laboratory and the patients' ward.
Jai continued. "Bart, haul your ass back to the Nirvana at once! I know it's difficult right now, but don't argue! Duero, I'll be keeping in touch while monitoring everything from the Dita-Base, so just focus on Shirley, okay? We're looking to the heavens. I'll be broadcasting to the Nirvana right after this, but I promise I've got my eye on everything! Godspeed!" The link then abruptly closed.
Bart was still standing in shock. Duero had to throw a shoe while holding Shirley in place to get his attention. "Didn't you hear him, you fool? Run! To the Nirvana!"
Bart came to his senses, and understanding dawned on them both at what had been left unsaid; 'looking to the heavens' was the code. He pointed at the doctor. "You keep her alive, hear me, Duero?" After receiving a nod in reply, the helmsman then bolted as fast as he could towards the exit, almost bumping into a nurse who was moving into the isolation room.
"So that the whole hospital doesn't erupt into a panic, huh?" Bart muttered, "I really wish the advance warning was more than an hour long."
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A/N: "And so the stars aligned to F everyone up" I thought as I was making the latter part of this chapter. This is the longest one I've churned out in a while. It's quite talky, but at least that end should portend some major action coming up. Also fixed up/replaced the prologue a bit; editing and stuff since the look changed after a decade. I probably won't be replacing the other chapters though.