SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S ZERO RELOAD

Chapter 16 - The Refugee From Mars

Life had not been good for the people of Mars, even before the whole mess had started.

The red planet was never made out to be an hospitable place, even after massive terraforming operations took place, injecting Mars' stratosphere with countless microscopic nanomachines that created breathable air and a sustainable soil. And yet, even so, mankind had managed to survive and even begun to thrive in this faraway place, seemingly setting the stage for further advancement...

But it all had come crashing down in a few weeks, when mysterious robotic invaders had launched an all-out attack on the Martian colonies. On one hand, the faceless creatures only known as Jovian Lizards had started a campaign of conquest, using an unknown technology to transport staggering numbers of unmanned mechanical killers and battleships, decimating the Earth Union forces.

On the other, those who had managed to escape the Jovian Lizards found themselves besieged by another threat - the Meganoids, humanoid cyborgs with the ambition of enslaving humanity and adding them to their own numbers through brainwashing and mechanization.

In year 137 Space Century, as tragedies such as the Bloody Valentine and Bunch 30 were taking place, the Martian colonies were overwhelmed by the unknown mwechanical menaces. Only a few of them, namely the Australis colonies, were able to maintain their independence. The Earth Union was cut off from sending aid, and the colonist stranded on Mars had no other choice but to hide in the safest underground bunkers they could find. Looking forward to an eventual rescue or to a slow, despairing death...

oooooooooo

And yet, even among such despair, there was someone who was doing whatever they could to bring some hope.

For 17-year-old Akito Tenkawa, trying to give some relief was his everyday job. And on that particular day, it took the shape of a single tangerine given to a little girl in the shelters under what once was the Utopia colony.

"Would you like one?" he asked, only for the little girl in question to squeal in delight and grab the fruit with both her tiny hands.

"Thank you, onii-chan!" the little girl, a cute child no more than six or seven years old with light brown hair done in a pair of pigtails, exclaimed in her high-pitched voice. "You're a nice man! Are you married?"

Akito and the girl's mom, who was sitting nearby, both shared a moment of embarassment and a light-hearted laugh before the little girl continued. "My name is Ai. What's yours?" she asked.

The brown-haired, somewhat nondescript teenager was about to answer...

...but he couldn't even open his mouth before a tremendous sound reverberated throughout the shelter, and everyone jumped up in surprise and fear as they turned to the source of the sound: one of the main walls had crumbled, and from the hole was coming one of the dreaded Batta, the unmanned killing machines used by the Jovian Lizards to wipe out the human settlements on Mars!

Akito widened his eyes in horror as one of the mechanical monsters crawled into the shelter, its four red eye-cameras staring soullessly at the panicking refugees, who were now breaking into a mad run towards the exits, only to find them jammed! The shelter had dissolved into screaming chaos, the people climbing on each other and pressing towards the exits in their desperate attempt to survive, while the Batta advanced into the shelter on its four insectile legs, its bright yellow color standing out against the dull rusty color of the walls.

"The Jovian Lizards are here!"

"Run for your lives!"

"Somebody save us!"

The elephant-sized drone looked around, as if trying to decide where to begin exterminating the refugees, and both Ai and her mother looked on in helpless terror. But Akito was not about to take this laying down. As the few Earth Union soldiers present emptied their machine guns into the Batta, in a futile attempt to slow it down, the young man ran towards a forklift prked nearby, and placed his right hand upon the commands, revealing a strange silver tattoo-like pattern drawn on the back of his hand. It began glowing, bathing Akito's hand in a gentle silvery glow.

"Get everyone to safety!" Akito exclaimed. "I'll try to hold that thing back!"

"Onii-chan!" Ai screamed in worry. Akito started up the forklift and drove it at maximum speed towards the Batta. The mechanical locust seemed to be still trying to assess the situation, and failed to see the vehicle coming in time. Akito barreled into the Batta from the side and impaled it in the main body, dragging it back to the wall it had come from. There was a tremendous crashing sound as Akito crushed the Batta between the forklift and the wall, and the robotic killer struggled for a few seconds before finally dying down and deactivating.

"That was amazing, onii-chan!" Ai exclaimed in relief, and the refugees briefly cheered even as the exits slowly opened with a keening metallic sound.

"We're out! We're safe!" someone exclaimed.

But hope quickly turned into despair. As soon as the refugees began rushing out of the doomed shelter, they were faced with several more Jovian Batta standing in their way. Panic gripped the survivors once again, and they tried to scatter, but there were too many of them, and the corridors were simply too narrow to allow them to escape. The murderous insect-like machines couldn't miss a single shot... and indeed, they systematically began mowing down the crowd of survivors, trampling and shooting everything in sight!

In a moment of panic, Akito turned to the exit, which had turned from a source of hope to one of despair... and the necklace he wore shook slightly. The blue rhomboidal stone placed on his necklace began glowing, slightly at first, then with more and more intensity as the Batta tore through the refugees and approached him and Ai.

"Onii-chan!" he heard Ai scream in horror over the infernal chaos that had gripped the underground shelter.

Akito could do nothing but scream in fear and despair as the mechanical bugs formed a wall of moving steel around him and the few survivors still standing... and his necklace burst with blinding light, as his world faded into nothing but white.

He heard Ai screaming one last time before everything went black...

oooooooooo

In the year 138 Space Century...

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Akito woke up from his flashback, finding himself back at the restaurant where he was working as a cook. In his left hand was a pot's handle, and in his right hand he was gripping awooden ladle with which he was stirring a generous amount of rice. As soon as his scream ceased, he blinked and realized he was still in that safe place, surrounded by several coworkers who were staring at him with puzzlement and worry.

Silence fell into the kitchen for just a few moments, only interrupted by the sound of cooking instruments, and then...

"Oh, right. I must turn off the stove." Akito nonchalantly said. The sudden light-hearted mood was such that several of his coworkers had to facefault in awkwardness!

The young boy sighed and went back to his job, expertly stirring the rice and hoping he hadn't spaced out for too long. It was something he had more or less learned to live with, experiencing those flashbacks to that horrible fateful day in what remained of his home colony on Mars... but sometimes, they came about all of a sudden, without giving him the time to prepare.

And trying to seek help would be pointless, he reflected gloomily as he cast a quick glance at the strange rune-like symbol etched on the back of his right hand. The Image Feedback System he had had implanted in his body, back when he was a child, had been vital in getting away from that mess alive... but not one day went by where he didn't wonder why he was allowed to survive, while everyone else had been slaughtered by the Jovians.

It filled him with a burning, impotent rage. If only he could protect all those people, then he wouldn't feel like the nanomachines implanted in him were such a horrible waste of time...

Akito sighed and tried to focus on his cooking. No use thinking about that now. He had his job as a cook, which at least was something he enjoyed and could take his mind off this stupid war. And he was going to make sure he did his best at that, at least.

ooooooooooo

Nergal Heavy Industries. One of the world's most important weapon manufacturers, second only to Anaheim Electronics, and among those who had the biggest stakes in the war against the Jovian Lizards. At that particular moment, several higher-ups were having a reunion, addressing two of their most trusted representatives. Sitting in front of a large table, under the scrutinizing gaze of several people in business suits, Mr. Goto Hori and Mr. Prospector were personally being witness to the birth of their company's newest and most important project, something which would hopefully turn the tide of the war.

"Mr. Prospector... Mr. Hori... we are glad you could join us today to discuss Nergal Heavy Industries' latest project." a slim man with greying hair and small looking glasses ventured into the discussion. "You might already have heard about our latest breakthrough in developing vessels for space travel and military."

"Indeed we have." Prospector answered. A slim, smartly dressed man in his early thirties, with short dark blue hair and moustache and a pair of looking glasses, he was sitting at his place with quiet confidence, listening to every word that was said. "This is about the Nadesico. The newest battleship we will be using to fight back against the Jovian Lizards, am I correct?"

"Exactly. This is the most important part of the Schiaparelli Project." the leading man answered proudly. A panel lit up behind him, showing the schematics for some sort of spaceship - a very sleek, beautiful model that resembled the new Archangel-class battleships developed by the Earth Union, yet it was mostly a white color all over, with some visible red highlights on the sides and the front. It looked refined yet powerful, and both Prospector and Goto couldn't help but be awed at its appearence.

"Impressive. I dare not think how much it must have cost. But I am sure it will be worth it." Prospector commented, his eyes slightly widening in an expression of admiration.

Goto Hori, a large and imposing man with short black hair and an hard expression on his face, frowned a little. "From what I know, the creation of this battleship is a joint effort from both Nergal Heavy Industries and the Haran financial clique. Is that correct?" he asked in a calm baritone voice.

"The involvement of the Haran family... or better say, their sole remaining heir... is not to be known outside of Nergal's innermost circle." another executive stated, evenly yet firmly at the same time. "Anyway... yes, you have the gist of it. The Nadesico has been built with the most recent of technologies and bears some of the most powerful armaments ever available to an Earth Union vessel. The difference being, it is under our authority."

"This might cause friction with the Earth Union military. I believe you are aware of that, no?" Prospector pointed out. "They certainly wouldn't want us as a loose cannon."

"Yes, we are aware of that." another executive stated. "But for the Schiaparelli project to succeed, we cannot afford to get our decision overruled by the Earth Union Spacey. We will cross that bridge when and if we will come to it, anyway. First things first, we will come clear with our intentions from the beginning. This will give us an edge in negotiations. And that brings us to you, Mr. Goto. Considering your previous experience, we believe you are the most qualified person for recruiting a crew."

"And what if negotiations break down?" Goto asked, politely but firmly. "It has been a while since I've work a uniform, after all."

The man at the center of the group nodded slightly. "We have planned for that as well. The Nadesico's crew will be selected among the best in each of their fields. And we have secured the cooperation of trusted and skilled pilots for our new Aestivalis machines. This is where you two come in. You will need to recruit the crew of the Nadesico, based upon the lists we are going to make available to you."

"Trust me, Mr. Goto, the actual recruiting will be the easy part. I'm sure we will be able to reach a deal with every single one of our recruits." Prospector answered. He took a pocket calculator out of his trousers and began punching a few buttons. "Besides which, this assignment is going to involve quite a lot of pretty young women! And think of the economical advantages for Nergal as well!"

"Is that so?" Goto asked, still looking serious. But his voice now held more than a spark of interest.

Prospector finished his calculations and took a satisfied look at the result. "Well, not that we have come to an agreement, it is time to assemble the human resources!" he stated enthusiastically. "You'll find that they are the best in each of their field. Enough so that you'll be able to overlook certain... personality quirks!"

oooooooooo

A few days later, in a run-down mechanical workshop in Yokohama...

Seiya Uribatake smirked and chuckled to himself, the light from the welder he held in his hands casting several elusive shadows upon his face and his glasses. It was almost time... the robot he was building was almost ready, and this time, he was sure it would work perfectly!

"Honey, you've been working on that thing for three days straight..." his wife said as she walked into the workshop, looking unconvinced at the sight of her husband working feverishly on his latest project. His son was following suit, a similar expression of doubt on his face. "Don't you think it's time to give it a rest?"

"Ooooh, don't get in the way of my greatest project!" Seiya answered, the smirk never leaving his face. He was busy welding a few stainless steel plates to a humanoid frame lying on a table in front of him, with numerous strange equipments strewn all around. "I'm just about to finish this! And it's going to be perfect!"

Mrs. Uribatake sighed. Whenever her husband got worked up over his mechanical projects, good luck getting him to stop. "Actually, you might want to talk to the people from Nergal here..." she stated almost tiredly. "It seems they've come to ask you about..."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Uribatake!" Prospector's cheerful voice caused Seiya to jump up in shock as his workshop's portcullis were raised with a loud noise! "We did think we'd find you here! I hope we find you in good health!"

"AAAARGH!" Seiya comically freaked out and turned to the Nergal employees, placing himself in front of the table and frantically waving his hands! "It's... It's not what you think, gentlemen! I'm not doing anything suspicious, I swear! Not trying to build robots or anything, really!"

"There is no need to be alarmed, Mr. Uribatake... we haven't come to reprimind you." Prospector cheerfully answered. "We are only here with an interesting job offer, one that will surely interests someone of your talents. You may be unlicensed, but you are very skilled."

Goto wordlessly held up a finely written contract, showing it to the messy-haired glasses-wearing man, who calmed down and dropped what he was doing in order to take a good look at what was written...

oooooooooo

Some time later...

"Are you sure about that, Ms. Haruka?" asked the smartly dressed man at the desk, carefully reading the resignation note he was holding. "I thought you liked being the secretary for our company's CEO."

"Oh, I do like it, in fact." answered a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties, with full body lips and long light brown hair, dressed in the company's elegant uniform which left little to the imagination about her curves. She smiled sweetly as she explained her reasoning. "But it's not only that. This is my chance to experience something new. And besides which... working on the new Nergal cruiser sounds a lot more fun!"

The man sighed in resignation. "Well, I'm not going to dispute that. No one in their right mind would want to contend with Nergal." he stated. He carefully folded the resignation note and placed it beside his workplace. "In that case, all I can say is, good luck, Ms. Haruka."

"Thank you very much. It has been an honor." Minato Haruka bowed respectfully and began walking away with an happy gait to her step, to where Goto and Prospector were waiting for her. "Mr. Hori, Mr. Prospector. I believe we can take our leave now."

"Excellent, Ms. Haruka. You will not regret your choice!" the slim moustachoed man stated, as Goto nodded and crossed another name off his list.

oooooooooo

"Alright, girls! Excellent work as always!"

The voice acting had gone smoothly as usual, and the actresses were now thanking each other and taking a break from their work at the studios. The one who was gathering the most attention was the youngest of the voice actresses, a slight teenage girl with long violet hair held in a long braid, her face sprayed with freckles and three locks of hair cutely falling on her forehead.

"Thank you, Megumi! You did great today, too!"

"Your voice is always the best!"

"Oh, I just try to do my best, that's all!" Megumi Reinald answered, gently waving a hand in front of herself. The young voice actress stood up and went to retrieve her bag, when she was recalled by one of the operators.

"By the way, Megumi..." he called, and the young girl stopped and turned in his direction, curious as to what it could be. She was more than a little surprised at the sight of the huge, stoic black-haired man in a business suit standing behind the operator's seat. "Mr. Goto here comes on behalf of Nergal Heavy Industries, and he'd like to have a word with you."

Megumi blinked in confusion. "With me? I don't remember having dealings with Nergal." she answered. "How may I help Mr. Goto, anyway?"

The larger man nodded sternly. "We have a proposal for you, Ms. Reinald." he stated in his deep baritone. "A place in the crew of Nergal's most state-of-the-art cruiser. The Nadesico."

oooooooooo

The monotonous beeping of the machines was the only sound that could be heard in the large computer room, even as the two Nergal employees conducted their dealings with the scientists - dealing that consisted of a suitcase filled with gold ingots being opened in front of the personnel.

Figuring the deal was as good as completed by now, Goto turned to the latest member of the Nadesico crew - certainly, he thought to himself, the most unusual of them all.

Sitting in the midst of what looked like a gigantic terminal, with glowing veins of light converging on her, was a pale-skinned young girl no older than eleven or twelve, wearing a tight-fitting light blue bodysuit that covered everything except her head and her hands, enhancing her rather uncanny appearence. She had long silver-white hair tied in a pair of pigtails at the sides of her head, a pair of red hairpins holding them in place... and as she opened her eyes and looked back at Goro, the large man felt somewhat intimidated. Those golden eyes of hers betrayed an intelligence and a wisdom far beyond her years... and those strange silvery lines that flickered in her pupils made her look more than just human.

"Ruri Hoshino." Goto murmured, feeling the little girl's detached yet intense stare upon him. "The references we were given about her are impressive, admittedly. But I cannot help but have some reservations."

"That's understandable. Our newest employee's young age might raise a few eyebrows indeed." Prospector said, not even turning while he placed the payment in front of the scientists. "But I'm sure you will be convinced as soon as you see Ms. Hoshino at work. There is no one more capable than her with computers and interfaces... and believe me, the Nadesico deserves and needs the best."

Goto accepted the explanation with a nod, and stood in place while the mysterious young girl named Ruri stood up, looking like she hadn't missed one word of the entire discussion...

oooooooooo

But while several people were getting their chance to a new, more exciting and better paid workplace... someone else was not having the same kind of good luck.

"I'm sorry, Akito... all I can do right now is pay your liquidation, and wish you good luck." the restaurant's owner apologized, sliding a paycard back to its owner, now sitting despondently at the other side of the table, in a dimly lit room, the twilight rays dimly filtering through the window.

Akito sighed sadly, and slowly retrieved his paycard. "Why am I getting laid off? It is because of... this?" he asked in a low voice. He weakly raised an arm, showing the silvery IFS etched on the back of his hand.

The owner slowly nodded. "Yeah. You know there's a war with those damn Jovian Lizards going on... and if people came to know that I'm employing a cowardly pilot, it would be bad for business."

"But I've never been a pilot!" Akito protested. "I... I had this IFS implant when I was still very little, but I've never piloted anything in my life!"

"I know, but the customers and the inspectors aren't going to look much into it." the older man stated.

Akito clenched his fist in frustration, feeling too drained to be really angry. Even now, on Earth, this damned war kept bringing him nothing but trouble. "But... this job is all I have here... and it was always my dream to be a cook."

His employer lowered his gaze, clearly pained for having to disappoint the young man like that. For all his resentment, Akito could not miss that the older man was not happy with what he was doing. "I know, Akito, and I'm sorry." he stated. "But you can't keep running away from your problem forever, you know..."

oooooooooo

"DAAAAMMIIIIIT! What's wrong with running away? It's my own damn business anyway!"

Akito waited until he was well away from the restaurant, speeding away on his bicycle, before he started to vent his anger. Pedaling uphills, his belongings kept in a large backpack and clattering with every swaying, the young man could find no other way to express his frustration. "Okay! So maybe I do need to confront my fears! But how can I stand up to my nightmares if my body just freezes up on me...?"

He was so busy ranting and raving that he almost didn't see the car running in the same direction as him until it was dangerously close, and he swerved out of the way just in time. Unfortunately, that didn't help when a suitcase fell off the car - which was already stuffed well above its normal capacity - and barreled downhill towards him! He could only yelp in surprise as the suitcase knocked him off his bicycle in a comical pile of... female garments?

"Uuuuugh... Why me, God... Why always me..." Akito murmured, half-buried in articles of clothing, with comical streams of tears running down his face. He moved the clothes off of himself (cringing in embarassment when one of said garments turned out to be a white bra) and began picking himself up.

"OhmygoshImsorry!" a chirpy female voice exclaimed. It was only then that Akito noticed that the car driver had at least had the decency to stop and try to help him; and that said driver happened to be a pretty young woman with long cobalt blue hair and large matching eyes, wearing what seemed to be a rather elaborate white uniform with large shoulder pads, a black skirt and grey leggings along with black shoes. A circular blue emblem was drawn upon her left shoulder pad, but Akito did not pay much attention to it, at least at first. Right behind her stood a rather anonymous-looking young man about her same age and wearing a male version of the same uniform, his hair cut short and a slightly duller color. "I don't know how I can apologize! You aren't hurt, are you? Nothing is broken, right?"

"Er... no, no, I'm fine... I just took a knock, that's all." Akito answered, too surprised by the young woman's rapid-fire apologies to stay angry. The blue-haired woman quickly walked up to him and helped him up, before starting to pick up her own stuff and put it back in her suitcase. "Please, let me help with that."

"Thank you so much for that, you don't have to..." she said in an embarassed tone, while the young man behind her tried to stuff several suitcases and bags in the trunk of the car.

"Say, Yurika... do we really have to take all of this?" he asked dejectedly.

"I've spent three days picking up all the stuff I needed, Jun." the blue-haired woman. "I'm going to need all of that, so try to make some room for them, okay?"

The young man put the rest of the clothes in the suitcase, then stopped for one moment to take a look at the young woman in front of him. There was something about her that caused him to stop for one moment... perhaps it was the way she looked at him, as though she was thinking something about him...

"Hm? Is anything the matter, miss?" he asked.

"Actually..." she ventured, still staring at him with her large blue eyes. "I apologize if this is a bit of a rude question, but... have we met before, perhaps?"

Akito stood in silence for a moment, processing the question before giving his honest answer. "Er... no, actually... I don't think we've met before, actually... why this question, all of a sudden."

"Oh, my apologies, it's just that... I kinda felt a strange connection there..." the blue-haired young woman answered. "But... I guess it was just me."

"Yurika! We need to go!" the young man named Jun called from near the car's trunk. "We're already late for the meeting with the Nergal higher-ups!"

"I'm coming!" the blue-haired woman named Yurika answered, closing her suitcase and standing up. She bowed to Akito and smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you for your help! That was very nice of you!"

"Oh... don't mention it..." a slightly embarassed Akito answered. However, in his mind, he was starting to think about what he had just heard. It was jogging something within his memory, making him think that Yurika girl wasn't just having an impression...

"So, her name is Yurika? And they're going to meet some important people from Nergal? Why does this sound so... familiar? Maybe she wasn't wrong when she said... nah, that can't be, can it?" he thought to himself, distractly waving as the two people got back in the car and sped away. With a sigh, Akito picked himself up and went to his bicycle to resume his journey back home...

But just then, his eyes fell on something that had been left on the concrete - no doubt, having fallen from Yurika's suitcase when it had opened. In a mixture of alarm and curiosity, Akito went to retrieve the item, which turned out to be a rather small picture in an old-style wooden frame, and turned it in order to see what it was depicting...

"Wh-WHAT?" he exclaimed as soon as he saw the picture framed in it. It was a rather old digital photo, still in excellent condition, which showed him as a child, probably around 5 or 6, sitting in a flower field with a dejected expression on his face... while a little girl slighty older than he was happily placed a flower wreath around his neck!

What really got his attention was the fact that the little girl had long cobalt blue hair, just like the young woman he had just helped. In fact, were it not for the pink sundress she was wearing in the photo, that little girl looked like a carbon copy of that Yurika woman...

...

Whataminute.

"What... what's going on? How does that woman have a picture of me as a kid? And this little girl here..." he murmured to himself. A few seconds later, everything fell into place, and Akito widened his eyes in an expression of dawning comprehension!

"OF COURSE! That's why she felt she had met me before!" the young man practically screamed, quickly getting on his bike and pedaling after the car with all the speed he could muster! "That woman is Yurika! Yurika Misumaru! Maybe she does know something about what happened to Mars... and to my parents too!"

Doubling his efforts, Akito picked up speed at a downward slope, towards what looked like a large spaceport in the distance, standing on top of the hill.

"I'm going to get some answers out of you! YURIKAAAAAAAA!"

oooooooooo

At the Nergal spaceport, the preparatives were almost completed for the great event that was to take place. Activity was thick but ordered, with soldiers and workers doing the last activities required. Even from outside, as she approached the main entrance and the two Earth Union soldiers standing guard at its sides, the brunette young woman could see vehicles and cargos going back and forth, and could overhear some unintelligible voices.

"Well, what can I say. Looks like Nergal is really pulling out all the stop on this one." she said, smiling cunningly to herself. "Not that I can blame them, of course. This is their big chance, and they wouldn't want to mess it up. Well, time for me to do my part."

Reika Sanjou, former member of the peacekeeping organization known as Preventers, straightened her jacket and ran a hand through her light brown, slight curly long hair, trying to look as formal as possible. As soon as she was within sight, the soldiers at the entrance walked up to her, and she took a card out of an inner pocket in her jacket, showing it to them.

"Reika Sanjou, from the Preventers. I was assigned to inspect Nergal's latest project." she said, keeping a power face.

The soldiers took a good look at the card and, seeing nothing wrong with it, motioned for Reika to get in. The young woman smiled and gave the closer soldier a flirtatious wink - though she wasn't quite as vain and shallow as someone she knew, Reika was quie proud of her capacity to turn gazes her way. Then, as she walked into the compound, the brunette took a look around and activated a tiny communication device hidden in her jacket.

"Reika here. I'm in, Banjou." she whispered into the device. "Yes... yes, it's just as we thought. Nergal is readying for the launch of their new battleship. It's the project we gave our contribution to... Yes, Project Schiaparelli... I wouldn't be surprised if some of our enemies took advantage of this... Yes, I understand. I will try to get as close as possible to the main docks and..."

"LET ME THROUGH! I need to speak to Yurika! Yurika Misumaru!"

Reika jumped up in surprise when she heard someone call out angrily, and when she turned in that direction, she saw that the same two soldiers she had just left behind were stopping a brown-haired boy in his late teens, who was recklessly trying to ride his bicycle through the gates and inside the spaceport! He was trying to wriggle his way out of thesoldiers' grasp, still calling out that name...

"Oh? What's going...?" Reika exclaimed in surprise. "Er... hold on a moment, Banjou, there seems to be an unexpected development already... No, nothing major, but there's this young man who is looking for Captain Misumaru..."

She listened to the answer coming from the other side of the conversation, and nodded in assent. "Yes. Yes of course. I can handle this." she answered. "This boy doesn't look like he's a Meganoid or anything like that. Okay. I'll update you as soon as I can. Over and out."

Reika interrupted the call and turned to the soldiers and the boy, still engaged in their struggle. "Let me go! This is important! I have to speak to her!" Akito screamed in a futile attempt to break free of the soldiers' hold, and one of them looked about to hit the boy in order to subdue him, only for Reika to step up and call for attention.

"Excuse me. May I speak to this boy for a moment?" she calmly asked. Both soldiers immediately turned to her, still keeping their hold on Akito. "Besides which, isn't it a bit much to beat up this young man? He doesn't look like he's about to cause any real trouble, anyway."

"Miss, I would like to remind you that you are within Nergal's premises." the soldier holding Akito answered, his grip kept tight even as the young man grunted in anger and attempted to pull away. "This boy is an intruder, and we have authority to decide what to do with him, within reasonable limits."

"Is that so?" Reika challenged, calmly but firmly. "Need I remind you that, as a member of the Preventers, I have authority over you? And right now, I think you're stepping out of line with this boy. If you don't mind, I can take care of this."

Both soldiers flinched a little at Reika's tone, which seemed to imply a threat, and loosened their grip on Akito, who quickly got away from them and straightened himself.

"Thank you, miss... I guess I owe you one..." he said, turning to Reika.

The brunette walked up to Akito and took a careful look at him, which caused Akito to back now a little in confusion and doubt. What was that woman up to? Why did she seem so interested in him?

"As for what concerns you, young man... there are a few questions I'd like you to answer." she said, her tone making it clear that she wasn't going to let him weasel his way out of this. "What are you doing here? This isn't exactly a place where people hang to make friends or have a party, you should know that. You said you needed to speak with Yurika Misumaru, right?"

"How... how do you know Yurika?" Akito asked, before furrowing his brow and trying to sound firm. "Anyway... yes, I do! I have several questions for her! And it's really important for me to get some answers! I've been waiting twelve years of my life for that!"

Reika sighed. "Aren't you putting this is overly simple terms, young man?" she asked. "Yurika Misumaru is not exactly the kind of person you can just walk up to, at this very moment. Still... if you've made up your mind about this, I guess I can try to help with that. Not that I can make promises, let's make that clear."

"You can help me with getting to talk to Yurika? Well, that's something at least." Akito answered, relieved and puzzled at the same time. "But... how exactly are you going to do that?"

Reika smiled cunningly. "Oh, I have my ways... But first, I'd like you to follow me. I think we can speak to... an old friend of mine, so to speak." she answered, and began leading Akito towards a larger building just inside of the delimited area...

oooooooooo

At the same time, in a secluded place away from the eyes of humans, someone was keeping an eye on the spaceport, waiting for the right time to strike. Inside a darkened control room, an odd-looking man with long white hair and a matching goatee, dressed in what looked like a pirate get-up, was keeping an eye on several screens, all of them showing a different area of the place from where the new Earth Union battleship, the one who could become an hindrance to his faction's plans, was supposed to take flight.

"Our intel was correct, then..." he said, barely hiding a childish enthusiasm in his voice. "These miserable Earthlings think they can get the better of us, huh? Well, they're going to be proven spectacularly wrong soon!"

"Commandel Benmel." A humanoid in a light blue suit reported, walking close to the strange man and doing a salute. It had pupilless red eyes, and wore a dark blue chestplate with matching boots, gloves, shoulder pads and helmet. "We have confirmed that the Earthlings' newest battleship is being held there. We will wait for your permission to commence attack."

"Huhuhuhuuuu... we can take our time!" Benmel chuckled, adjusting his odd-looking pirate hat, complete with a Jolly Rogers symbol drawn in front of it. "I want to see this Nadesico with my own eyes and decide what its place will be in my collection! And if they send out some of their little toys to try and stop us... well, that's all the better for me! This mission is looking to be even more entertaining than I first thought!"

The Meganoid soldier blinked in doubt. "Uh... With all due respect, Commander Benmel... I... should remind you that our lord and master Don Zauser also demanded that the crew of the Nadesico be taken alive for transformation into Meganoids." he ventured. "You know, since they're supposed to be the best in their respective fields..."

"I know, I know! Having them on our side would be a great advantage to our cause! I know the drill by now, so STOP reminding me of THAT! AM I CLEAR?" Benmel retorted in irritation, and the Meganoid soldier cringed in worry, hoping that the commander wouldn't vent his anger on him. Luckily, Benmel calmed down immediately and cleared his voice. "Aaaanyway! We were saying about getting ready to ambush the Nadesico as it takes flight, right? Then get to it! This is my... I mean, our greatest chance to get the Earth Union's latest battleship!"

"Okay..." the Meganoid soldier sighed, hoping that his commander knew what he was doing. He saluted and returned to the rest of his squadron, while Benmel sat in front of the screen rubbing his hands.

"Huhuhuhuuuu... and soon, my collection will be even more beautiful than it already is!" he chuckled, taking a look at a glass showcase in which stood several miniaturized trains, ships, airplanes and even a few Mobile suits, Metal Armors or Machine Beasts...

oooooooooo

The Nadesico's main bridge was just what one could have expected from a last-generation battleship, built using the peak of Earth's technology and the skills of the best in Nergal's personnel. The wide room housed several seats and modern-looking terminals, with a high-placed captain seat and sleek, almost shining pavements. The walls were a pristine white with some light blue highlights, and the whole place gave an air of precision and neatness...

Which made the scene taking place near the captain seat all the more awkward.

"Say what? What do you mean, you don't need us?" shouted Admiral Sadaki Munetake, a thin middle-aged wearing a standard Earth Union uniform and an outraged expression on his wrinkled face. He looked quite a bit older than he actually was, with his light brown hair and his small, beady eyes... and at that moment, he was ranting and raving at a mostly unimpressed Goto Hori about the fact that Earth Union military was not going to play a part in the Nadesico's maiden journey.

"This is simply an outrage! You can't just palm us off with the excuse that this is a civilian battleship!" Munetake screeched, waving an arm about and looking like an idiot...

"He's an idiot." Ruri Hoshino, quietly reading a book while in her seat, quickly summed up the situation, tuning out the Admiral's protests. At her sides stood Megumi and Minato, all of them already wearing the new uniforms they had been given as member of the new battleship's crew - orange long-sleeved shirts with the Nergal symbol drawn on the upper left arm, black highlights on their shoulders, polished shoes and dark blue, almost black, trousers or skirts. At that moment, Megumi was watching the exchange between Goto and Munetake with just a little bit of worry...

"Should the Earth Union really complain?" she asked. "I mean, I remember they were the ones who dropped an enemy ship on the Mars colonies?"

Minato stopped filing her nails and smiled back at Megumi. "Still, I suppose you can't really blame him for being upset..."

"Your concern is understandable, Admiral Munetake, but I can assure you that our crew has been handpicked among the best in their respective fields." Goto answered the raging military man, giving him an intense, almost intimidating, stare. "The captain herself has scored optimally on all simulations and has graduated as one of the best in her military academy."

Munetake was not convinced. "Oh, really? And where IS exactly this miracle worker, huh?" he shouted, pointing an index finger at Goto.

The larger man remained undaunted. "At the moment she's..."

"Hello, everyone! Sorry I'm late!" a chirpy female voice interrupted his answer as a beaming Yurika Misumaru happily hopped onto the Nadesico's main bridge from a side door and took her place near the captain's seat, with a very embarassed Jun lagging right behind. Everyone turned to her, a little surprised about her flamboyant entrance, and Yurika raised a hand to greet everyone, smiling from ear to ear! "Have no fear! I am Yurika Misumaru, the captain of the Nadesico!"

With that, she placed a hand on her hip... and, much to Jun's horror, flashed a victory sign with the other, her long blue hair waving majestically behind her! "V!"

"V?" Most of the present exclaimed, bafflement and confusion written all over their faces. Even the normally unflappable Goto was noticeably bristling.

Except Ruri, who only had one thing to say anyway. "More idiots."

Meanwhile, a completely oblivious Yurika kept striking her victory pose, smiling all the way, even as Jun wished the ground could simply open up and swallow him from the shame! "There is nothing like making a strong first impression!"

oooooooooo

Prospector couldn't hide a bit of surprise as he entered the darkened room, adjusting his small reading glasses. The brunette woman standing near the entrance was no stranger to him - he had seen her, though fleetingly, in a few occasions, and he remembered even exchanging a few words with her. Reika Sanjou, an agent of the organization known as Preventers...

Or was she? Last time he had heard, Reika had had a disagreement with some of the higher-ups...

But the young man sitting in the chair near her was a completely new face. And judging by the plain clothes he was wearing, and the forlorn, almost lost, expression on his face, it was clear that he was not part of a government organization, nor was he an expert in moving in the cutthroat environment of industrial espionage. Sure, spies had to be good actors, but Prospector liked to think he was good at reading the sign, and that boy... no, he was wearing his heart on his sleeve far too clearly.

"Glad you could come, Mr. Prospector." Reika greeted with a polite bow. "I apologize for the unexpected call, but this young man and I needed your help here."

"Pleased to see you as well, Ms. Sanjou. I trust I find you in good health." the Nergal accountant stated. "Is this about this young man here? What seems to be the problem?"

Akito slowly raised his gance, still looking utterly lost as Reika began to explain what he had understood. "I'm... honestly not sure myself. He arrived at the spaceport and tried to pass through the gate, asking to speak to Yurika Misumaru. Apparently, he was a friend of hers when she was living in the Utopia Colony, on Mars."

"Is that so?" the bespectacled man stated, walking near Akito and eyeing him up with an appraising glance. His keen eyes soon fell on the rune-like IFS implant etched on the back of Akito's right hand. "Hmm... that's an IFS mark. So, you must be a pilot, right?"

"No, I'm not!" Akito quickly answered, reflexively covering his implant with the other hand. "I'm just a cook!"

"And yet, you don't usually see those marks on anyone who's not an Aestivalis pilot." Reika commented.

Prospector rubbed his chin. This was an unusual situation indeed... "Hmm... alright, young man, I might be able to help you, but I need you to be cooperative. Now, can you tell me your full name and your birthplace?" he asked.

Seeing as these was no other way out of this, and eager to get a chance to finally speak to Yurika, Akito decided he might as well cooperate. "Yes... Yes, I can. My name is Akito Tenkawa... I'm 18 years old, and I was born in the Utopia Colony, on Mars." he answered.

Prospector frowned thoughtfully as he entered Akito's data in a small pocket computer, and soon, a photo of the brown-haired young man appeared on the screen, joined by a listing of his data. With a quick read, Prospector checked that Akito's answer matched what was onscreen.

"Hmm... Yes, what you say is true. Your identity matches perfectly with the data we have." he stated. "So, Akito Tenkawa from the Utopia Colony, huh? I am rather curious as to how you managed to escape from there. I heard it was destroyed one year ago, in an attack from the Jovian Lizards. So, how did you get to Earth?"

Reika sighed in sympathy. Akito's situation reminded her all too well of Banjou's, after all.

Akito, for his part, hesitated a bit before giving his answer, the pain and anguish from that fateful day still fresh in his soul. After thinking about it for a moment, Akito decided that the best thing he could do was to answer honestly. "I... I'm not sure, really... All I know is, that one moment I was on Mars... and then, after I blacked out during the assault of the Jovian Lizards... I found myself here, on Earth."

"Hmm, I understand." Prospector stated. "And what about Yurika? Why must you see her?"

"She and I were neighbours back on Mars." Akito answered. "Our respective families were friends... and I thought she might know something about why my parents were killed..."

The older man stood in silence for a moment. As calculating and materialistic as he might be, Prospector was not heartless. "I'm sorry about that, young man..." he murmured.

Reika sighed herself. Yes, this was eerily similar to what she knw about Banjou's past...

The heavy silence lasted a few seconds, before Prospector went on. "So, you're a cook, you said." he stated, in what sounded like an attempt to male small talk. Akito simply nodded in assent, which prompted the older man to cheer up a bit and continue. "Well then. I have a proposal for you. I can offer you a position as a cook onboard Nergal's new battleship... the Nadesico!"

Reika didn't show any outward reaction, but she inwardly perked her ears. Time to see what the rumors were all about...

At that name, Akito's curiosity perked up. "The... Nadesico?" he asked.

Prospector joined his hands behind his back and smiled confidently. "Exactly! The Nadesico! The newest battleship built by Nergal Heavy Industries! Would you like to take a look at it?"

ooooooooooo

TO BE CONTINUED...