These are the words of Hung Nguyen. I just have permission to post them and make it easier to read. Just want to give his stuff the recognition it deserves.

I am scrunching both works into one story, maybe even adding something extra. Any new updates will be told here. Think of this as the "Remastered version". Welcoming new and old readers alike!

Disclaimer: Vandread, Tekkaman Blade and Ranma 1/2 characters aren't mine and you know the rest.

italics: Thoughts

Chapter 19 Part 3

...And In With The New

Slade sighed as he walked toward the Sick Bay. It had been five hours since the Nirvana had retreated into the gaseous nebula after its disastrous encounter with the Harvesters and their newest weapon. Many of the hallways were dimly lit via the emergency lights as Parfet had been forced to shut down many of the systems for repair and to save power. The darkened environment suited his mood just fine as he thought back to what Duero had revealed about Jura...

Flashback...

Duero: Jura's abdomen was badly cut up and I had to perform some reconstructive surgery. She won't have any scars or disfigurements and will live, but her... ovaries were so badly irradiated and damaged, that they're no longer producing any eggs. I'm sorry to say but... Jura will never be able to bear children.

End of flashback...

Never... have children. That particular thought echoed in Slade's mind as he continued down the corridor. The former Saotome knew that Jura would be devastated when she was told, if Duero hadn't already informed her.

Slade found it all to be totally ironic. If he had given in to Jura's pleading and had gotten her pregnant, then the child wouldn't have survived that last battle. Its death would have shattered him had it occurred. One of the main reasons why he had refused Jura's request for his seed was that making a baby the natural way was very personal, and ties of blood were extremely important. A baby would have represented a part of him, and having no family of his own to speak of, he would have done everything he could to be the best father. Whenever he tried to remember his own father, he would always get feelings of disgust and resentment and he could never figure out why.

And if he were to become the father of Jura's child, then what kind of mother would Jura make? Slade had been noticing her more recent changes in behavior and deep down, he had a feeling that she might make a good parent. She was sometimes flighty and didn't take her responsibilities seriously, but whenever the chips were down, she could always be counted on. Then again, some of the other girls who have approached him on the matter of having his children would also be good candidates for motherhood.

He had no doubt that Dita would be more than eager to be the mother of his offspring, with her fascination about aliens and 'Mr. Alien' in particular. However, she was honest, caring, and was a good cook. At times, she was a bit of an airhead, but her innocence and enthusiasm were refreshing whenever things were gloomy. The Tekkaman chuckled a bit when he thought about producing a child between them. I guess she'd name it Mr. Alien 1/2 or something. He thought.

Then there was Meia. Now he wasn't too certain about her, especially with her changes in behavior as of late. He wasn't even sure of how she really felt about him and seeing her in that dress had thrown him for the proverbial loop. At first, she had been hostile toward him, which gradually evolved into grudging respect, then to tentative friendship and camaraderie. Now... it was difficult to describe their relationship. With her sudden interest about his personal life, he had begun to get the gut feeling that she wanted something from him, or at least some kind of confirmation about something that he couldn't put his finger on. When she had shown up in that dress, she looked as if she were waiting for some kind of approval from him. He had never seen the normally direct and certain Dread Leader to be doubtful about anything. This uncertainty was unnerving both to her and him. But she couldn't have been after the same thing that Jura wanted... could she?

Then there was Ukyo and Xian Pu. He had been avoiding them as of late, and as a result, they had been trying to spend more time with him. Xian Pu had begun insisting that he lead the training exercises WITH her, while Ukyo kept on trying to work on the same shifts at the Register with him.

Slade sighed as he needed to straighten things out. On a whim, he decided to head for the cafeteria before visiting Jura. He needed to think about what to do about the Harvester Fleet first, before dealing with his girl problems.

As he entered the eating area, he was a little surprised to see Ezra sitting at a table, feeding her daughter from a bottle. As the Tekkaman entered the otherwise empty area, the young mother looked up and smiled at him.

"Oh, hello Slade."

The space warrior took a deep breath and returned her smile while turning about to leave. "Hi Ezra. You... look busy so I'll be going..."

"Oh no, please, it's all right." The gentle bridge operator assured as she gestured for him to sit beside her. "I'm never too busy for my friends, especially friends who saved my life and named my daughter."

Slade chuckled a bit as he looked down at the baby girl he had named. She was so beautiful, and Ezra looked so joyful to hold that precious bundle. As he sat down, he reached out to stroke Nodoka's head. He marveled at how soft her skin was and how adorable she was. She had Ezra's eyes and hair.

As he gazed upon the infant, his thoughts began to wander as flashes of his old life came to him. Once again he saw himself as a young child, being held by a kindly woman, which he assumed was his mother. However, he still couldn't focus on her face. Then he saw an image of Jura holding a dark-haired child with his features. He saw her replaced by Meia, then Dita, and then Xian Pu and Ukyo. Finally, he saw an image of a wounded Jura and Duero's words echoed once again in his mind.

She'll never be able to bear children.

"Slade? what's wrong?" Ezra asked as she noticed him becoming despondent.

The space martial artist shook his head to clear it and replied, "It's... nothing. I... just was thinking about a few things."

Ezra gazed upon the saddened fighter for a long while and there was nothing but silence in the cafeteria. Finally, she noticed that her daughter had finished her meal. Gently setting the bottle down, she placed her daughter against her shoulder and began to lightly pat her on the back. However, it seemed that Nodoka was having a bit of trouble as she didn't burp.

Slade noted her difficulty and reached out with a palm. "Here. This should do it." Locating the correct area on the baby's back, he pressed gently with his hand while rubbing slowly.

"UUUUUUUURRRRRRPP!"

Ezra smiled as Nodoka giggled. She then began to gently rock her child to sleep while humming a lullaby. Once the little one was peacefully slumbering away, she nodded her head to the former Saotome.

"Thank you Slade. You seem to know a few things about children."

Slade shrugged. "Yeah well, I picked up some stuff before I ended up on Tarak."

"You'd make a wonderful ohma."

The Tekkaman was taken by surprise by the compliment. "Well... I wouldn't say that, but..."

"No, you would." She insisted. "Your children would be blessed to have you as their ohma... er, I mean father."

Slade blushed a bit, then became saddened again as he thought of Jura. His head bowed down as he tried not to get too depressed about it, but it was impossible to do so. "I don't think I could make a good parent. What kind of parent would put others at risk...?"

Ezra shook her head while holding up a hand. As she realized that he was becoming depressed over the recent battle, she decided to get him to understand that it hadn't been his fault. "Slade, you can't hold yourself responsible for what happened to Jura. Even you couldn't have known that she'd get so hurt that she couldn't have any children."

Slade's head came up as he made eye contact with the young mother. "H-H-How...?"

The kind and gentle girl gave him a knowing expression. "Word travels fast around here, and I can imagine just how devastated Jura must be feeling."

The space gladiator nodded and let off a sad sigh. "She wanted to be a mother so badly, and she wanted ME to be the father of her child."

"I know. Before this happened, she had been coming to me, asking questions on how to care for a child and how I felt about being a mother. I told her that it was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. To actually hold Nodoka in my arms and knowing that a part of me is in her, made all the pain and troubles worth it."

"And now, she'll never experience it." He said sadly. "It makes me feel kind of lousy that I turned her down and it got me to thinking."

"About what?"

"About my own life. I mean, even when you die, you'll still live on... through Nodoka. For me, once I'm gone... that'll be it. There will be no legacy to leave for the future. And now, Jura doesn't have any legacy to leave either, since she can't have any children. I don't mean to sound selfish, but it would be nice to be remembered, at least in spirit. I just... I just wish there was something more that I could do for her..."

Ezra nodded, then added, "Go to her, Slade."

"Huh?"

"Go to Jura, and be there for her. Right now, she needs all the support she can get. I know that this must be hard for her, but as long as she knows that her friends are there for her, then she will overcome this. She's a strong person, Slade. She may act shallow and materialistic, but she's a lot tougher than she lets on and I can't think of anyone better than you to give her the strength she needs."

The Sick Bay...

Jura's eyes and cheeks were reddened from tears as she sat on her bed with her knees drawn up, her arms crossed over them, and her head bowed down. Her long blonde hair draped over her face and shoulders. Wrapped around her forehead were white bandages, and her arms and lower abdomen were also dressed. The doctor had assured her that she would have no scars, but that was the least of her problems at the moment. As far as she was concerned, she wouldn't have cared if her entire body had been disfigured. She had been crying for some time after she regained consciousness and learned of her condition. As a precaution, Duero had all things that were sharp removed from the Intensive Care Ward, should the Dread pilot become unstable in her grief and become a danger to herself and others.

He should have let me die! He should have let me die! That thought repeated in her head over and over, as she knew that her fondest dream would never come true. She had been damaged, beyond all hope. What good was she now?

At that moment, the door to her room hissed open and Slade walked in.

"Meia, have you seen Mr. Alien?" Dita asked as she approached her superior.

Currently, Meia was working on several strategies to combat the Harvesters. She knew that it was only a matter of time before they would come after them and the exercises also helped keep her mind off other events. Like Ezra, she too had heard about Jura's condition, which got her thinking back to her own harsh childhood and how shabbily she had treated her fahma. She remembered back to when her mother had asked if she had wanted to be an ohma, rather than a fahma. The idea of bearing children had never crossed her mind before, as she was always concerned with missions and leading the Dread squadrons. Now the news of Jura never being able to have offspring got her to reconsider exactly what she wanted in life. She had been given a grim reminder of her own mortality and that nothing lasts forever. Once she was gone, that would be it. Would she even be remembered? Then she began thinking of her last meeting with Slade.

What had possessed her to wear that dress? And why was knowing more about him so important to her? Slade was just a friend and a comrade-in-arms, and that was all. It's not as if he was the most crucial thing in her life, right? Right? And yet, she couldn't help but think of him more often. And when Jura went on about having child with a man's seed, particularly Slade's, she had started to consider her own relationship with him.

"Leader?"

When the red-haired girl addressed her, she quickly put those thoughts away and faced Dita.

"I haven't seen Slade since the last battle. I suppose he's still recovering and getting ready for the next time we face off against the enemy."

The thought of facing off against that Earth Mothership and the Nirvana clone sent shivers down Dita's spine. The crew had barely managed to survive the first encounter and Jura had received the worst of the exchange. Dita couldn't imagine living without being able to have any children. On Mejele, it was considered the greatest of joys to create life, and to cherish the act of parenthood. She could barely imagine as to what Jura was going through right now...

Sick Bay...

"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Jura said as she refused to make eye contact with the Tekkaman. After all, what would be the point now?

Slade felt a bit at a loss of what to say as he stood at the door to Jura's room. He had no idea on how to comfort a distraught female, but taking Ezra's advice to heart, he steeled himself and entered the room.

"Didn't you hear me? I said go away!"

Slade continued to walk toward her, seemingly oblivious to her words. When he came to her bedside, he sat down and reached out to her. Since he couldn't think of anything to say...

"W-W-What are you doing? I said..."

Taking her shoulders with a gentle but firm grip, Slade brought the Dread pilot close to his chest in a warm embrace. Patting her back with one hand, he addressed her in a quiet whisper.

"Go ahead, Jura. Let it out. Let it all out."

"What?" Jura said in confusion as she tried to push him away. "Let me go!"

"It's okay. Just let it out, Jura. I know that you're upset about not being able to have a baby."

Those words made Jura stiffen for a moment, then she continued to pound on his chest, trying to push him away. It was a very sore subject and she felt a twinge of anger well up inside her. How dare he bring that up? "What would you know about how I feel?! You don't have the slightest idea as to how I feel! How would a man know what a woman would feel when she can't have any children!?"

The Tekkaman winced at his poor choice of words, as social skills were not one of his strong points. But he continued to hold onto her as he didn't know what else to do but give Jura the shoulder (or in this case chest) she needed to cry on. Since she was still recovering from her injuries and the major loss of blood, her fists had little strength in them (not that it would have mattered to Slade if she had been at full strength). Finally, after a long while, Jura gave up trying to beat on him and started to weep again. She also began scolding him as she cried into his chest.

"You... you... jerk! You... (choke)... dummy! Dummy! Stupid! Idiot! How... (sob)... could a man... (sniff)... POSSIBLY know what it means... (sob)... to never have children?! You... you... stupid male!"

That part caused a bit of irritation to Slade, but he realized that it was just her anger and frustration talking. He remained silent as the blonde continued to throw half-hearted insults and soaked the front of his shirt with her tears. When she started to hiccup and her sobs became quieter, he took a deep breath and nodded. In a quiet voice, he agreed.

"You're right, Jura. How could someone like me understand any of it? When it comes to this kind of thing... I don't know squat."

"Damned right." Jura agreed with still some of her anger in her voice. By this time she was almost totally drained, both physically and emotionally. "What would you know... about carrying a child? (sniff). Of... having that life growing inside of you? (sob) To actually... hold a part of you? To see that... part grow up... and know... that..."

Jura's voice trailed off as her tears began to flow again. In response, Slade brought her even closer in his embrace. He didn't know what to say. All he could do was to hold onto her and let her pour out her feelings.

A few minutes later, Jura spoke again.

"I wanted that baby. I wanted it so much! And... (sob), I thought if... I had it... I'd want more! But now... I can't have ANY! I can't even have one by Mejele standards! Do you know how much I wanted to be a fahma? It's not FAIR! It's just not FAIR!"

"Yeah, I know. Believe me, I know how much life bites."

"If you know all that, then why won't you leave me alone?"

Slade sighed. "That... I don't know. I really don't. It's just that I feel that it's the right thing to do. Life usually isn't fair. That's the one thing I've learned since... well, since ever. It kicks you down. It breaks you up. It throws things at you that you can never expect. And it can be really disappointing at times. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with it. But then... I think about what it would be like without it. And you know what? That scares me even more than living through all the pain and the sadness. It's all that we've got, and if it's not there for us to live out, then what's it for?"

"But you've never had to deal with... with what I've got!" Jura said bitterly. "I'm useless now! I'm a broken piece of worthless junk! I'm garbage! No one is going to want me now that I can't have children! It would have been kinder if Duero had let me die!"

At that point, the former Saotome pushed her off his chest and gripped her shoulders tight while looking into her eyes. "Jura... don't you EVER say that again!"

"W-What?"

"You are NOT garbage. Never, EVER think that you are! I don't think of you as garbage. Barnette, Meia, Dita, the Captain, or anyone else on his ship will tell you, that you are not garbage."

"But I can't have children. What use am I now?"

"THAT doesn't label you as garbage!" Slade said resolutely. He took a deep breath and his expression softened. "Look, despite all that's happened, I would never have considered you as anything else but the person that you are. And I most certainly would never have thought of you as garbage, not then, not now, not EVER! And I think I speak for everyone, when I say that you are one of the strongest people here and that the universe would be much lonelier without you. You have the potential to be a great leader of the Dreads. You're one HELL of a pilot. When the chips are down, you're always there when we need you! You're part of the team and we can't last long unless Jura Basil Elden is in our corner. Besides..." Slade's cheeks became tinged with pink as he added. "Things have gotten pretty interesting since I met you. Now, does that sound like I'm describing a piece of garbage?"

Jura was silent for a very long while as she considered Slade's words.

Slade sighed again as he stood up and turned toward the door. He figured that she needed time to think and was certain that she would not do anything rash, at least for now. Before he exited the Sick Bay, he turned back to her and said, "Jura, it's up to you on what you want to do with your life now, but remember that we're all here to help you though this. However, we can't help you, unless you're willing to let us help you. As Ms. Gasco might phrase it, You may have been dealt a bad hand, but that's no reason to quit the game. And if you were to suddenly disappear from our lives, then we'd all be sad... especially me."

Jura felt her own cheeks redden slightly at that last statement. "I'll... think about it."

The Tekkaman nodded as he gave her a reassuring smile and left.

"Slade!"

"Hmmm?" The martial artist and space fighter turned to see Meia approaching him as he was headed back to his quarters.

The Dread Leader stopped before him and nodded to him. "The Dread and Vanguard pilots are having a meeting in the War Room. We just may have a way to defeat the Harvesters."

"Oh? What's the plan?"

"Do you remember that Message Unit that Misty had when we found her?"

The War Room...

"So what you're saying is that we can use the virus in this to infect the Harvesters?" Slade said as he held up the Message Unit.

Meia nodded as she began explaining the strategy to him and the others. "That's the main idea. Remember how this module had nearly shut down all the systems on the Nirvana?"

"Yeah I remember. I spent most of that battle trapped in an elevator." The Tekkaman replied.

Parfet nodded as she brought up some data on the War Room's viewer. "According to the data that we collected from our last encounter with the enemy, we found out that all the smaller units and their new weapon are controlled by the Earth Mothership via special remote control wavelengths."

Duero Mcfile nodded as he was also there for the briefing. "According to our research, the Harvester Fleet on the whole is behaving like a living organism. That is to say, that each separate unit, such as the Cube Fighters, the Tekkadread Clones, and even their new weapon, functions as extensions of the main 'brain' as you would call it. The brain would be the central computer of the Earth ship. It is there that they are able to act in concert. If one component were attacked, the others would defend it. However, if we were to take out the central control system, then in theory, the entire fleet will become inoperative."

"Why can't we just jam the control wavelengths?" Barnette asked.

"That would reduce their abilities, but not stop them." The engineer interjected. "Remember that the Earth Mothership by itself would be able to destroy us. So far, I think they've been playing with us. Besides, we can't jam their control frequencies for long, since they're using a random energy modulation. The best way to do this is to take out the master system itself. Once it's down, the other units will lose their main control protocols. We can cause a big diversion and secretly insert a raiding party into the ship. Once they reach the main system, the virus can be downloaded into it, which will cause all major functions to shut down. Furthermore, once that virus gets started, it will infect all the others as well. We can take them all out in one shot."

"One very risky shot." Slade commented. "We don't know what's in one of those things and fighting our way through their forces is going to be tough, especially at our reduced fighting power. I'm not exactly at my best, and several of the Dread and Vanguard Pilots are out of action." He felt a pang of regret as he remembered Jura.

"Well, according to our data, we have just enough fighters to do the job." Meia said. "Plus, Parfet's got one more trick up her sleeve."

The bespectacled girl nodded. "Even though we can't disrupt their control wavelengths indefinitely, we can release a sizable electromagnetic pulse that will cause them to momentarily lose contact with all of their forces. You'll only have about ten seconds, but that should be enough time for you and Pegas to combine with Meia and punch through the Earth Ship's hull. The rest of the raiding group will follow. We've managed to roughly pinpoint the location of the main computer, so once you get there, all you have to do is implant the virus. The rest should take care of itself."

The rest of the pilots nodded in agreement as they saw it as their best chance to defeat the enemy, but Slade still had doubts. He had a feeling that the new weapon of the Harvesters wasn't the only thing he should be worried about. There was something else that was nagging at him, but he couldn't figure out what. For a brief moment, his Tekkacrystal symbol glowed on his forehead then disappeared.

On the Earth Mothership...

"Did you feel that? Lance? Axe?" Rapier asked as she and her cohorts stood on the observation deck.

The other Tekkmen nodded as they too had sensed it. The signal had come from the gas nebula where the Nirvana had retreated. Since it did not match the wavelength of the Nirvana's Paksis, it could only be one other thing.

"He will come again." Lance said simply as he began punching in certain codes into the ship's main computer. "This time, he will NOT escape us!"

"Yes, I can sense that he is wounded and weakened. He will fall before our might. A pity, though."

"What do you mean?" Axe inquired. "It is our mission to destroy the Nirvana and Slade."

"It is only what those FOOLS on Earth want." Rapier stated. "It would be a waste to destroy a potential asset such as Slade."

"What are you saying?" Lance asked with suspicion.

Rapier snorted as she replied. "Come now. You don't acknowledge those idiots on Earth as our TRUE masters, do you?"

"Of course not! We are by far superior to those organ-hungry weaklings!" Lance growled. "However, their goals do coincide with ours, so we may as well play along and let them THINK that we owe them our existence. Of course, there's also those blasted obedience chips in our heads to worry about. However, the time will soon come for our true master to show himself. Until then, we must bide our time."

"Yes, but consider this possibility. After all, besides the three of us, the only known Tekkamen are Slade, Saber, and that other one, Phantom. Think of how powerful we would become, if we were to add Slade to our ranks. He is a Tekkaman, after all."

"Hmpf! I severely doubt he could be turned to our side." Axe scoffed. "He had already proven to be loyal to the humans' side. It would be better to destroy him before he becomes an even greater threat to our ultimate plans."

"I tend to agree, though what Rapier says does have merit." Lance said. "Slade would make a formidable ally. Perhaps something can be worked out..."

The Nirvana...

As the crew made preparations for their next encounter with the Harvesters, a lone Dread pilot sat quietly on her bed in deep contemplation. Jura had been silent ever since Slade had left the Sick Bay, and his last words to her still rang in her mind.

(Slade's Voice) As Ms. Gasco might phrase it, You may have been dealt a bad hand, but that's no reason to quit the game. And if you were to suddenly disappear from our lives, then we'd all be sad... especially me.

Did he really mean that? Jura thought as she pondered on what to do with the rest of her life. She was still distraught over her inability to have children, and wondered if there was anything else to live for.

On Mejele, she had been raised with the belief that creating life was sacred, and it was every woman's duty to ensure the next generation. Becoming an ohma or a fahma was to be cherished as the children that she would create would carry a part of her into the future. While she had been growing up, she had always looked forward to the day in which she would proudly hold a precious bundle in her arms. Her dream became even grander when she had decided that Slade would be a part of her child. Then... something happened. She couldn't explain it, but according to what the Captain had told her, she had begun to develop certain emotions toward the Tekkaman, which by Mejele standards, would have been considered as blasphemy. She was still shaken when Magno had told her...

Flashback...

"No! That can't be! I can't be... in... l... l... " Jura's voice trailed off as she couldn't say that final word.

"Well, as far as I can tell, you've got all the symptoms. Why else are you so determined to have his child?" Magno stated as she gave the Dread Pilot a motherly smile. "And I must say, I couldn't be more pleased."

"But... but... it's... impossible!"

"Says who?" The aged pirate leader asked.

"It's... impossible to feel THAT for a man!"

"Why?"

"Because..."

"Because what?"

"Because... just... because! It's not done on Mejele!"

Of course, the elderly Captain of the Nirvana was amused to see the normally proud and vain Jura become so flustered over something so simple and natural. She patted Jura's left shoulder to ease her tension, then gave her some advice.

"Well, in case you've forgotten, we're not on Mejele and besides, you haven't been back to our homeworld since you joined up with this crew three years ago. So what does it matter if what you're feeling for D-Boy isn't allowed on Mejele? You joined up because like many of the other girls, you wanted to get away from Mejele and all of its rules, regulations, and stupidity. Remember, that's the main reason why I became a pirate in the first place. I wanted to explore new options and be able to live freely, without having to suffer through the problems, which caused me to lose my home in the beginning. Out here, we decide what we want, how we want it, and when we want it. We don't have to worry about what others think, because everyone is entitled to live the way they intend. We all work together because we all want the same thing, and that's freedom. We want the freedom to choose, the freedom to explore, and the freedom to live our lives to the fullest. We don't know what the future will bring, but we can't face it properly, unless we are willing to take the chance and live with the consequences that our decisions bring. That's what life is all about."

"But... if what you're saying about how I feel about Slade is true... then..."

"Then you have to ask yourself, is this what you truly want? And don't think about what the people on Mejele might say. They have absolutely no business with your own life. This is your decision alone."

Jura was silent for a very long time as she thought about living with Slade, then considered the possibility without him. Finally, she gave her Captain the barest of nods, which signified her decision.

Magno nodded back to her. "I see you have made a choice and I hope that you will have good fortune with it."

"I guess I'll have to live with that decision, bad or good."

"Yes. I hope that it will be good. However, keep in mind that life doesn't last forever, and it isn't truly appreciated until you're about to lose it. And life loses all meaning when you give up on it."

End of Flashback...

Life loses all meaning if I give up on it, huh? Jura thought as she continued to sit in silence. At that point, the doors to the Sick Bay opened and in walked Barnette. Jura's friend smiled at her as she came up to her bedside and asked how she was doing. As they engaged in conversation, the brunette began informing her of the plan to attack the Harvesters, making Jura feel left out, due to her injuries.

It was at that point that she made her decision...

When preparations were complete, the Nirvana began moving out of the gas nebula and toward the enemy forces. Dreads and Van-Types were launched and as expected, the surrounding Cube Fighters and Seed Ships began moving into formation to meet the opposition. Behind them, the Earth Mothership and its Nirvana Clone waited for their smaller forces to soften up the enemy before going in for the final kill.

The stage was set and nearly all the players were in place.

The Sick Bay...

"You want me to do what?!" Duero exclaimed after Jura had made her request.

"So you'll do it?" Jura asked hopefully.

"I most certainly will not!" The physician replied emphatically. "I will not allow my patient to put herself at such risk! What you are asking is sheer suicide, and it goes against all my principals as a doctor!"

"Please! I have to do this!"

"No! Your job is to recover and that's final!"

Out in space, the forces of the Nirvana and the Harvesters met head-on as the background of space lit up with explosions, energy bolts, and missile trails. Cube Fighters and Seed Ships were destroyed in great quantities, but the leaders of the Earth Fleet paid little concern of the heavy casualties they were sustaining. Cube Fighters and Seed Ships were considered as nothing more than cannon fodder and more can always be manufactured.

"Hmmm, they seem to be following their usual attack pattern." Lance observed as he and his fellow Tekkamen watched the conflict from the main bridge.

"Do you think they might have some kind of strategy?" Axe wondered.

"It's possible. They did defeat a battle cruiser before. They are very resourceful." Rapier remarked, then noticed something on the tactical displays. "They seem to be concentrating their efforts on these two sectors, both of which are direct lines toward our position. I believe that our ship may be the main target."

"That sounds about right. They must have figured out that we control all of our forces from here, including our new weapon." Lance stated.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Axe inquired.

Lance smiled deviously as he shook his head. "No. Let them come. Give them some measure of hope. It will makes things so much more satisfying when we crush it."

The Tekkaman slashed through another Cube Fighter as he and the Warrior Squadron flew in coordinated patterns to support the Dreads. So far, the plan was working as they were inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy and had lost none of their own. However, Slade knew that he couldn't let his guard down for a second. There was just too much at stake as he flew toward the rendezvous point with Meia's Dread. Behind her were Dita's and Barnette's.

"Slade! It's time!"

In the engineering section of the Nirvana, Parfet nodded as the Harvester Forces were now in the proper position. She began inputting in the data she had collected and contacted the bridge.

"Begin the operation!" Magno barked.

Inside his Navigational Well, Bart nodded as he opened up the ship's cannon ports and fired off a scattering pattern of energy beams, causing several hundred of the Cube Fighters to be obliterated. This caused the other Harvester ships to become disoriented as they attempted to evade destruction.

At the same time, the front of the Nirvana's bow opened up to reveal a complex sensor array, which glowed with an eerie light. A second later, a huge electromagnetic pulse was generated and sent through the entire Harvester Fleet. The ships began experiencing massive disruptions and malfunctions as they were subjected to the attack. Even the Earth Mothership and its new weapon were temporarily taken offline, giving the Nirvana's crew their chance.

At that moment, Tekkaman Slade and Meia's Dread combined to form Tekkadread Meia. Two seconds later, Pegas linked up to form Tekkadread Meia X. The Phoenix mecha was engulfed in a fiery corona of flames as it plunged toward the bow of the Earth Mothership. Following behind were Dita and Barnette. Like a hot knife going through butter, Tekkadread Meia X punched through the hull and plowed its way toward the center of the gigantic vessel.

There was no turning back...

Inside the cockpit of Tekkadread Meia X, Slade, Meia, and Pyoro tensed up as they approached their main objective. Since this was the first time anyone had been inside one of these ships, they were a bit unnerved at what they saw. The walls of the vessel seemed like the inside of some massive hive and seemed more organic. It was if they were tiny microorganisms invading a huge host.

The Tekkaman and his pirate allies steeled themselves as their sensors told them that they were nearing their destination. They could only pray that the Warrior Squadron and the remaining Dreads could hold off the enemy until their mission was completed.

"It seems that we have some guests." Lance remarked as he was notified that the hull had been breached and invaders were heading toward the main computer systems.

"Well, as hosts, we can't be rude, can we?" Rapier quipped.

"Indeed. We should send out the welcoming committee before we introduce ourselves."

With that, he pressed a few buttons on his console, then motioned for his comrades to follow him.

Out in space, Xian Pu and Ukyo found themselves in the thick of things as the Harvesters began attacking again with more ferocity. Though they still had the support of the Dreads and the Nirvana, they were counting on the success of the infiltration team. They could only hold out for so long before the enemy overwhelmed them by sheer numbers. Also the fact that the Nirvana Clone hadn't engaged them yet was disturbing.

The infiltration team members were surprised when they suddenly flew into a huge chamber. It was big enough to contain the Nirvana and they assumed that this was where the Nirvana Clone had come from. At the center of the area was a large column and Meia's computer console confirmed that it was the central computer node. It was time to go to work.

At that moment, several huge hatches opened up in the walls of the chamber, releasing a dozen or so Tekkadread copies.

The welcoming committee had arrived.

The Nirvana...

"The insertion team has just confirmed entry into the central computer core section." Misty announced. "They're meeting up with some stiff opposition."

Magno nodded as she and Buzom waited for news of their success... or failure.

Deep within the bowels of the Earth Mothership, the battle raged on. Tekkadread Meia X split apart as Pyoro began swimming toward the main computer core of the behemoth to infect it with the virus. Slade rode Pegas toward Dita's fighter. In a flash, they became Tekkadread Dita X and began blasting the Copy Tekkadreads to pieces, protecting the small robot until its job was done.

Pyoro began opening up pseudo-organic panels, exposing the circuits underneath. It then started searching for a relay which would lead straight toward the ship's main processors. Once he located one, inserting Misty's message capsule into it would send the computer virus directly into the ship's processors. In theory, this would cause all functions on the vessel to cease, just as it had done with the Nirvana.

"Step it up, you little junk pile!" Slade growled as he and Dita destroyed two more of the false Tekkadreads. Barnette and Meia's fighters were providing additional cover fire on either flank. Outside the breach in the mothership's hull, several members of Xian Pu's Vanguard Warrior Squadron and a few Dreads were protecting the hole, as it would be the insertion group's only means of escape.

Pyoro gave the Tekkaman an irritated, electronic snarl, and then let off an excited beep as it located the correct relay.

"Give me one more minute." The automaton said as it started making the connections.

At that point, a copy of Jura's Tekkadread got past Meia and Barnette and headed straight for Pyoro. Tekkadread Dita X was busy fending off three other fakes. It seemed that the little machine would be destroyed before it could complete its task. Just as the enemy prepared to fire, another player joined in the act as a scarlet streak suddenly appeared and let loose with a volley of laser bolts. This caused the false Tekkadread Jura to be knocked off balance and gave time for Slade and Dita to act. Grasping two of its opponents, Tekkadread Dita X swung them into the fake Tekkadread Jura, then blew them all to pieces with its Wing-Blade Voltekker. It then dealt with its other adversaries.

"I hope I'm not too late for the party!" Jura said from her Dread.

Her communications screen lit up as Duero warned her. "Don't push yourself too hard, Jura. You're not fully recovered and those stimulants I administered won't last long."

The blonde nodded as she joined the fray with Barnette and Meia. It had taken a LOT of pleading and cajoling to convince the physician to let her join the fight.

The Nirvana...

"Captain! The Nirvana clone is moving!" Misty cried out.

Pyoro nodded as the last of the connections were made and he started up the message capsule. It would take ten minutes for the virus to fully effect the ship's main computer. Until then, the insertion group would have to hold out. However, that was when the area began to tremble. The walls of the ship's mainframe buckled and cracked apart as something began tearing at the hull.

"Commander! We can't stop it!"

Slade just partially caught Xian Pu's message as he and the others looked up and saw... it.

The copy of the Nirvana had transformed into its humanoid form and was ripping open the Mothership like a child that was tearing into a Christmas present. However, the Nirvana's insertion team wasn't feeling at all merry.

Before anyone could react, the giant's chest glowed red, and fired off a massive crimson beam at Tekkadread Dita X. Slade let off a scream of agony as he felt the effects of the Anti-Voltekker. He and Pegas were forced apart from Dita's Dread. The red-haired pilot and her craft went tumbling back and impacted against another wall of the mainframe. Dita desperately tried to get her fighter moving, but she discovered that her Dread was stuck, just as it had been when she and Slade first met.

"Dita!"

Meia's fighter came speeding toward her comrade's, but the false Nirvana let off another blast. Her fighter was hit on the side and one of its main stabilizers was destroyed. The Dread leader fought to control her craft's fall, but she too hit the wall of the inner chamber and was imbedded near where Dita's had crashed.

Slade shook his head to clear it and saw that two of his comrades were down. Not wanting to lose any more, he got onto Pegas' back and sped toward Jura's fighter to fuse with it. Her protective barrier was their only hope.

However, just as he got near her ship, a bladed projectile flashed in and blindsided him, knocking him off Pegas. At the same time, the Nirvana Clone fired off another volley, heavily damaging Jura's Dread and causing it to crash near Meia and Dita's.

"Jura!" Barnette cried out as she witnessed the scarlet fighter go down. Fortunately, her sensors indicated that all three Dread pilots were alive for the moment.

The white Tekkaman groaned as he righted himself with his thrusters and looked about for what had struck him. His eyes widened as he saw a long metal shaft with a triangular, serrated blade embedded in another wall of the mainframe.

A... Tekkalance? But... that would mean...?

An instant later, an energy line appeared and snagged the weapon. The lance then returned to the hand of its master. As Slade looked up, he saw a figure floating beside the head of the transformed false Nirvana. He made out the familiar outlines of Tekkaman armor.

"Saber...?"

The figure let off an evil chuckle as he shook his head and came out of the shadow of the copy Nirvana. He was colored a drab tan and his armor had fewer protrusions than Saber's. "Oh no. I am nothing like that failure Saber. I am... Lance!"

"Lance?"

The Nirvana's bridge...

Everyone was in a state of shock as they beheld the appearance of the Harvesters' newest agent on the main monitor, which was being transmitted via Barnette's Dread.

"Another Tekkaman?" Buzom gasped.

"Looks like this one's on Earth's side." Amarone stated.

"He's not the only one!" Celtic declared as she detected two more signals.

Slade's blood ran cold as he saw two more figures appear from the shadows. One was in bulky emerald armor and sported a long polearm that had an axe blade on one end. The second looked feminine in appearance with twin yellow tails behind her helmet. Her armor was a mixture of drab green and red. In one hand, she carried a kind of sword.

Lance chuckled again as he gestured to his compatriots. "Oh yes. I'd like to introduce you to my fellow executioners. Meet Tekkaman Axe... and Rapier. And now... it's time to finish the job that Saber could never do!"

In a flash, all three Tekkamen converged on Slade. The Nirvana's fighter was already weakened from the massive Anti-Voltekker as he began defending himself against three fresh adversaries.

"Mr. Alien!" Dita cried out as she watched him being viciously attacked on three sides. She raised Jura and Meia on her communicator. "Isn't there anything we can do to help him?"

Meia shook her head as she replied. "No good! Thrusters are totaled and weapons are inoperative! My Dread is nothing more than junk now!"

Jura also shook her head. "Same here. My beautiful Dread is useless! It looks like Slade is on his own."

Dita frantically worked the controls of her fighter, trying to get it to lift off, but the engines whined and sputtered for a few moments before permanently burning themselves out. All three Paksis-powered Dreads were now worthless.

Floating near where Pegas was flying was a damaged Pyoro. Its main screen crackled as it said, "Hopefully, Slade can hold out until the virus kicks in!"

Slade was not totally alone as Barnette and the Tekkabot tried to get involved in the battle. However, the giant Nirvana clone kept them from interfering by laying down a barrage of laser beams. Under the control of its Tekkamen masters, the massive machine withheld from just destroying Slade and the others outright. Lance, Axe, and Rapier wanted the pleasure of personally tearing the former Saotome to pieces.

The White Tekkaman gritted his teeth after narrowly avoiding a deadly chop from Axe's weapon, then parrying a kick to the head from Rapier. However, he was unable to completely avoid Lance's attack as his chest guns launched a barrage of energy slivers at him. Several pierced his right shoulder guard, causing him to wobble a bit in flight. This gave Axe the opportunity to deliver his specialized Heavy Punch to Slade's midsection, followed up with an energy slash from his weapon. The crescent-shaped blast cut though Slade's other shoulder guard, causing more pain.

Slade fought back by launching his Tekkarangs at Lance, then swinging about in a spin kick to knock Rapier back as she tried to blindside him. As Axe charged in for a slice at his head, Slade ducked, then thrust out with half of his Tekkalance. The point skidded across Axe's chest, causing him to back off. Slade followed through by throwing the other half of his weapon at Lance. The enemy Tekkaman deflected the projectile as the Nirvana's Tekkaman jetted upwards to get more fighting room. Launching an energy cable, he retrieved his thrown weapon and rejoined it with other half, forming his lance again.

Just eight minutes to go!

However, that was when all three Earth Tekkamen charged at him en masse. Slade could not stop them all as they slammed into him. Rapier managed to clip him in the head with a kick as Lance and Axe grazed his torso with their weapons. As Slade tried to dodge, both Tekkamen landed several hard blows on his head and Rapier came up from behind and slashed at his back.

"Arrgggghhhh!"

"Mr. Alien!"

"Slade!"

"Oh no!"

Slade went plummeting toward the place where the three defunct Dreads lay. Turning about in his fall, the Tekkaman used his lance as a kind of brake. The point dug deep into the surface, leaving a gash several meters long. He skidded to a stop near Dita's dread as the three Tekkamen prepared to deliver the coup de grace.

Slade staggered to his feet and used his lance to prop himself up as he looked up.

Damn it! Just five more minutes! I need more... POWER! If... only I could change... into that time... His thoughts traveled back to when he had evolved into Tekkaman Blastor. He had been trying to achieve that state since then, but had been unsuccessful. Eventually, he had decided that the transformation had been a one-time occurrence. At this point in time, he needed it the most! He tried to raise his Voltekker Units, but they were too damaged to respond quickly enough. It looked like the end for everyone.

Lance and the other Tekkamen were a bit disappointed. They had been informed that Slade has some new kind of power that they should be wary of, but it had been too easy to bring down the much vaunted enemy of the Harvesters. Now it was time, to finish Slade and the accursed Dreads once and for all! But first...

"Even though it was too easy, I must admit that you are formidable, Slade." Lance said as he and his compatriots formed a delta pattern high above them.

"Yes. You are truly a Tekkaman to be reckoned with." Rapier added. "No one has ever given the Harvesters this much trouble."

Axe then said, "Indeed, though such potential could be used in much more... lucrative ways."

Though he was in serious pain, Slade still found the strength to get to his feet and ask, "W-W-What are you saying?"

"What we're saying is that we're giving you this one chance to join the winning side, Slade." Lance said. "You are wasting your time allying with these pitiful fighters. You are a Tekkaman! Like us, you are far beyond these weaklings! It is only logical that you should be with your own kind!"

"Yes! Join us and conquer!" Rapier added. "Entire galaxies shall bow before the might of the Tekkamen! It is only fitting that we should rule over all!"

"So what's it going to be, Slade?" Axe inquired as he clutched his weapon before him. "Will you join us in victory, or will you join these pathetic wretches in destruction?"

The White Tekkaman didn't even hesitate as he said, "Go (BIG CENSORED HERE) yourselves."

"Very well, Slade, if that is your choice. It was fun, but now it is time for you to die." Lance stated as he powered up the Voltekker Units in his chest near the neck.

"For our masters, you will be destroyed!" Axe lowered some chest panels, exposing his own Voltekker Units.

"Your pitiful comrades will also share your fate!" Rapier added as she too prepared to fire.

All three began concentrating their energies and then released three huge power blasts at once.

"VOLTEKKER!"

"NO!" Barnette screamed out as she and Pegas were unable to stop the execution.

At that point, Slade just managed to release a counter-blast of his own.

"VOLTEKKER!"

The energies hit each other head on, causing a massive flare of light. However, the three beams that the other Tekkamen had launched overwhelmed Slade's power beam. The feedback, along with the energy of the enemy's, engulfed Slade and the three Dreads in one tremendous explosion. Debris from each craft went flying everywhere as it seemed that the Dread pilots and Slade had finally perished.

Within their fighters, each pilot screamed in agony as their ships and bodies were flooded with energy. They felt as if the fires of Hell itself were consuming their very souls. However, on their foreheads, dots of light appeared and took the shape of Slade's Tekkacrystal. Once again, each female began to feel an eerie sensation wash over her. However, this time it was different from before. They began to feel stronger. The process which had begun since the creation of the Tekkadreads, had finally reached fruition.

"And that's the end of... what?" Lance stopped in mid-gloat as he noticed that a figure was emerging from the conflagration. He and his compatriots couldn't believe that someone had actually survived their combined attacks. They were even more shocked as they recognized him.

"SLADE!"

The White Tekkaman smiled behind his helmet as new power surged through his very being. He had finally tapped into the power he had been searching for. In a flare of emerald-white light, he triggered his transformation. His armor became more robust as twin wing-like appendages appeared at his midsection. His helmet became bulkier and his shoulder units became sharper. When the transformation completed itself, Slade had once again become Tekkaman Blastor!

"What is this?!" Axe demanded as Slade now looked even more menacing than all three put together.

"How can this be possible?!" Rapier said in disbelief.

"This can't be! We are the supreme Tekkamen!" Lance declared.

Slade growled as he took a stance. "You? You three are nothing more than bullies. And now..."

At that moment, three comets of light exploded forth from where the three Dreads had been. One comet was colored crimson, the second was white, and the third was a brilliant blue.

Barnette gasped as she saw that her comrades were surrounded by coronas of light. Their space suits had been stripped off, leaving only their naked bodies.

"Jura? Meia? Dita?"

The three former Dread pilots came to a stop behind Slade, with each still surrounded by an aura of power. Each girl was in a kind of dreamlike state as they floated upright and faced their enemies. Then, as the girls opened their eyes, three objects appeared before them.

The ruby-colored crystal fascinated Jura. It resembled Slade's as she reached out and grasped it in her right hand. Dita felt her heart pounding as she held a blue-tinted crystal. As for Meia, she felt a shiver travel down her back as the white crystal glittered in her hand.

Slade was flabbergasted at the sight as he looked upon his comrades. Then seeing the crystals in their hands, he could scarcely believe that the impossible had happened...

"Girls?"

Simultaneously, all three raised their new possessions aloft and shouted out.

"TEKSETTER!"

Below them, the wreckage of each girl's Dread fighters became surrounded by intense energies. Then each ruined ship broke apart into dozens of beams of light, which arced toward their pilots. Each pilot began seeing lines of light tracing themselves over her body. Suddenly, pieces of armor began to appear.

Jura gasped as gauntlets of scarlet fused to her forearms, followed by stylish pointed armored boots, breastplate, and a visored helmet. The girl's long flowing hair was left hanging outside of the helmet, which had winged protrusions near the temples. A kind of triangular shield, the size of an automobile hubcap, appeared on top of her left forearm. Small circular blisters appeared on her shoulders and thighs. A small nacelle appeared horizontally behind the small of her back, like a kind of scabbard. On her back were two small but sleek thruster units. The end result was a 6'5" cosmic warrior in red armor with black trim.

Dita let off a squeal of delight as she too became encased in armor that was formally her Dread. Her armor was similar to Jura's except that it was colored a crystal blue with some emerald lines. Her arms sported pointed gauntlets with a kind of opening near the front. Her shoulder guards were rectangular and tapered off toward the sides. Like Jura, her long red hair was left flowing outside of her helmet, which was angled forward. Thrusters arranged in three separate pods were mounted on her back and she became an overall height gain and muscle mass of thirty percent.

Meia was in a state of total disbelief as she was encased in gray and white armor. However, unlike being in a Vanguard, the Dread leader felt none of her claustrophobia as she was transformed. Triangular protrusions like blades appeared behind her shoulders, making her appear to have wings. Her entire head was encased in a smooth aerodynamically designed helmet with fins. The rest of her armor was also shaped in graceful sleek lines from top to bottom. Even her thruster units, mounted on her back, were shaped with curved surfaces. It looked as if speed was emphasized, just as her Tekkadread had been.

"What is this?!" Lance demanded. "Three new Tekkamen?!"

Slade shook his head while still smiling behind his helmet. It had just become a whole new ball game.

Definitely to be continued...

Preview...

Dita: "Wow! I never would've dreamed that I'd be just like Mr. Alien! Now I can kick butt just like him!"

Jura: "I don't believe it… have I become… a Tekkaman?"

Meia: "This is certainly unexpected, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. We've got Tekkaman powers now, but we've got to learn how to use them fast!"

Dita: "WAAAHHH! Mr. Alien! How do you fly this thing!?"

Meia: "Dita! Watch out! You're going to crash!"

Jura: "So this is how Slade feels while transformed… it feels so…"

Slade: "The playing field is leveled now, now we've got to get rid of those guys! Next time, on TekkaDread Remastered: 'Really BIG Changes!'. Looks like I'll have to teach them a few things…"

Author's Notes

Whoa! This has got to be the longest part to ch.6 I've written and I suppose I threw a lot of readers for a loop with this sudden change. Most readers were probably expecting the appearance of the Super Tekkadread, but I felt that would have been too easy. In any case, part four will be the conclusion to this battle as well as a few new surprises. See you there!

Please read and review!