SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S ZERO
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Chapter 18 - Meganoid Attack!
"What... what's the meaning of this?" Akito stammered, his eyes affixed to the gigantic pirate ship that was floating in the air in front of them, descending to face the Nadesico and its Aestivalis. The young man had some memories of the attacks of the Meganoids on the old Mars colonies, and he remembered all too well the news about entire settlements simply disappearing, only to be substituted by Meganoid advance bases. But he had no idea that the Meganoids had reached Earth too...
"A Meganoid Death Battler... they have decided we make for good test subjects to be converted into Meganoids, I guess!" Ryoko growled. Just then, their communication channels sprung to life, and after showing static for a few seconds, she and the other pilots saw the happily smiling face of an older man with long white hair and a pirate getup staring at them, a childish smile beaming on his wrinkled face.
"Why, hello, crew of the Earth battleship Nadesico!" Benmel exclaimed, looking like he had just won the lottery. "I am Commander Benmel, the greatest mecha collector in Lord Don Zauser's employ! Heheheheee... and I've come to tell you that you and your precious little battleship have just been awarded the honor of being turned into Meganoids and become part of my precious collection! Doesn't that fill you with the greatest joy?"
"Huh? What's this weirdo saying?" Hikaru wondered, blinking her eyes behind the huge lenses of her glasses. "Look, old man, I don't know what you're up to, but we aren't going to just up and let you turn into your mooks!"
"Yeah! What she said!" Gai fired back. "You're not going to brainwash us into minions of evil, old geezer! We are the warriors of justice of the Nadesico, and we don't give up without a fight!"
Benmel chuckled happily and rubbed his hands together. "Hohohoooo... but I wasn't asking you, I was telling you!" the Meganoid commander answered. "But please, do put up a fight! It wouldn't be worth it if the new pieces of my collection didn't prove themselves! Soldiers! Capture those ridiculous little humans and bring them to the Death Battler for convertion! And do not damage the Nadesico too much! It must become part of my collection, and I don't take damaged goods!"
"Oh boy... we just had to find ourselves the biggest weirdo in the Meganoid army..." Akito sighed in a tired way. However, his weariness soon turned into alarm as several hangars opened up on the flanks of the ship-like Death Battler, and several flying units, each of them just a little smaller than an Aestivalis, swarmed out of it and began firing on the Aestivalis and the Nadesico.
"Hey! Watch with those beams! You trying to beam us up?" Izumi exclaimed, her Rapid Rifle turning to the closest Ai-Ai and firing a barrage of bullets. The flying machine swerved at the last moment and managed to only get slighty scratched, then shot a few micro-missiles at the Aestivalis. The humanoid fighting machines scattered, and Ryoko fired her own Rapid Rifle as well. This time, her aim was true, and the bullets tore off one of the Ai-Ai's wing and sent the Meganoid fighter spiralling down to the cliffs below, where it crashed and exploded. But right now, several more Ai-Ais were attacking, and the Aestivalis had to go on the defensive, frantically dodging the enemies' shots!
"Aaaargh! Too many of these guys! We need to retreat back to the Nadesico, before we run out of energy!" Ryoko exclaimed. "You guys! We need to slow these things down as much as we can! The Nadesico's Gravity Blast is our only chance to stop them!"
"It's going to take a while before it's charged up again..." Hikaru commented, taking a worried look at the Nadesico, floating some distance away. The Ai-Ais fired several lasers at the Aestivalis units, forcing them to scatter, but Ryoko and Akito were able to fire their Rapid Rifles at the approaching enemy units, bringing down a few of them. The flying saucers were sent towards the cliffs below, spiralling wisps of smoke trailing behind them. "Kyah! Boy, Ryoko sure isn't holding back, is she?"
"Hah! She's not upstaging the great Gai Daigouji anytime soon!" Gai answered. He pushed his own Aestivalis forward, a shimmering aura appearing around the fists. "LET'S GO PASSION! We aren't leaving our beautiful mother Earth in the hands of those accursed Meganoids!"
The blue Aestivalis soared higher, aiming towards the closest Ai-Ai. The Meganoid battle craft fired a missile, which the hot-blooded pilot nimbly dodged before falling on the enemy with his Aestivalis' extended fist!
"Gekigan Flare!" Gai screamed the attack name at the top of his lungs, as if that could make the blow inflict more damage. It still did its job, as the powered fist smashed through the Ai-Ai's armor and scored a fatal blow on its main engine, reducing it to scrap metal. Gai grinned in pride... but was forced to fall back when more lasers began hammering his Aestivalis' Distortion Field. Luckily, Izumi and Hikaru were ready to pick up the slack, and both of them kept the attacking Ai-Ais at bay with their own Rapid Rifles.
"That was awesome!" Hikaru chirped happily. "A fellow Gekiganger 3 fan, I take it? Whoo-hoo, talk about an happy coincidence!"
"It coincides pretty well with those guys trying to kill us." Izumi quipped, a morbid smile on her pale features. She spun her Aestivalis around and fired at another Ai-Ai, clipping its wing. She glanced at Akito and Ryoko's Aestivalis, both of which were doing a rather good job fending off the Meganoid units. But the sheer numerical superiority of the enemy all but ensured that the Nadesico's units would lose in a battle of attrition. And the Death Battler hanging around certainly didn't make things easier...
"Damn... if only we didn't have to fend off so many enemies at the same time, we would stand a chance!" Ryoko cursed. She unsheathed her combat knife and drew a large gash across another Ai-Ai's underside, gutting the Meganoid battle craft. "Hey, you! How are you holding up?"
"Ugh... I'm trying to do my best! I'm no pilot, dammit!" Akito yelled. The young cook was desperately trying to fend off the attacking Ai-Ais, even as they ganged up on him. A stray laser beam reached the nimble pink robot, but the Distortion Field just flickered for a moment before deflecting the attack without any trouble. Still, this was enough to cause Akito to briefly freak out. "Gaaaah! I've had enough of this already! Dammiiiiit!"
The pink Aestivalis' combat knife struck, severing one Ai-Ai's wing with a chilling sound of torn steel. The Ai-Ai lost altitude and crashed on a nearby cliff, its pilot barely managing to eject in time... but it was just a single enemy, and the Aestivalis were being besieged by an entire swarm of Meganoid units.
"Ugh... hold on, rookie! Looks like I'm bailing you out!" she exclaimed, intervening swiftly and firing her rifle against the closest Ai-Ais...
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"Hohohohohooooo! Go on! Struggle all you like! That just makes you even more worthy of being in my beautiful collection!" Benmel chuckled, feeling giddy at the idea of owning the Nadesico and its Aestivalis soon. In the throes of excitement, the Meganoid commander turned to a group of underlings standing at attention nearby and made an ostentatious flourish with his right hand. "You there! What are you doing, standing right there like idiots? Go out there and capture those robots! I need to have them all!"
The Meganoid soldiers were taken aback by the order, and a particularly brave one atttempted to talk his commander out of that crazy idea. "B-but... Commander Benmel... won't it be a problem if we lose too many of our Ai-Ais to capture the Nadesico? We're... just supposed to capture the crew and have them turned into Meganoids..."
"And I am your commander, and what I say goes!" Benmel cut the argument short with a vicious swipe of his cane, almost hitting the hapless soldier. "Now go out there and return with the Nadesico and its robots! I will not accept failure, am I explained, you bunch of good-for-nothing buckets of bolts?"
"R-Right away, sir, Commander Benmel!" the soldiers stammered, hurrying to their respective units and leaving their commander to fantasize about his collection...
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As the battle was taking place, the Nergal personnel was frantically trying to set up some countermeasures for the attack, even though most of them knew perfectly well how little their weapon would have been useful against the Meganoids. Soldiers were taking defensive position, a few fighters were taking off, and several personnel were trying to evacuate the civilians, hoping to at least spare them the horror of being kidnapped and forcibly turned into Meganoids.
But among the crowd, Reika Sanjou was keeping well hidden, looking around for some safer place where she could lay low. She knew it was only a matter of time before help arrived, but until then, she knew she wouldn't be able to do much on her own. That Death Battler hovering in the spaceport's close proximities was more than enough to convince her that she was out of her depths there.
For several moment, the brunette stood hidden behind a ruined concrete wall, keeping herself out of sight as several Ai-Ais executed strafing runs across the Nergal base. The Nadesico, having to deal with a swarm of enemy crafts assaulting it on all sides, had its hands full defending itself with close-range missile fire. And while that was proving effective enough, it also kept the Nadesico from aiding either its Aestivalis units or the Nergal personnel on the ground.
"Still a few moments..." Reika whispered to herself. A laser blast from an Ai-Ai landed dangerously close to her hiding place, exploding a portion of ground and causing her to wince in pain as the loud noise assaulted her eardrums... then, a Nergal soldier fell near her, grunting in pain and clutching his bleeding side. A rather large piece of shrapnel had struck him, rendering him unable to move under his own power!
"Ah! You there!" Reika exclaimed, deciding to throw caution to the wind for a moment and going to aid the wounded soldier. She quickly grabbed him and carried him to her hideout, where she hoped it would be safer for him. "You stay here and stay with me, okay? Help is coming. Take a deep breath and focus. Don't fall asleep."
"Aaaargh... damn... I got messed up..." the man groaned, looking at the nasty-looking wound and the piece of shrapnel embedded in his side. By some minor miracle, it had missed vital organs, but he was fairly sure that his spleen would have to go. "Ms. Sanjou? What... what are you doing here? You... are supposed to... evacuate..."
"It will be okay." Reika answered gently, a hand on the injured man's shoulder as she attempted to make him as comfortable as she could. "I'll be calling for a medical team as soon as possible. And with some luck... we'll be able to enjoy a nice show from here!"
Despite being concentrated on ignoring the pain and staying calm, the soldier couldn't help but blink. "A... nice show, Ms. Sanjou?" he ventured. "What... what do you mean...? You should... get to a safer place... ugh..."
"Hey, don't try too hard." she tried to convince him. "I'm sure we're going to see that soon. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about."
She concluded with a small nod and a wink, then turned her glance to the skies above the spaceport...
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Near the Nergal base, a lone person was standing, his fantastically-colored greenish-blue hair combed in a weird flame-like shape on his head, and his red jacket slightly flailing in the wind. His sharp eyes were affixed on the barely visible - for that position, at any rate - small fleet of Ai-Ais assaulting the spaceport, the terrible thundering noise of the explosions reverberating all the way to his position. The Nergal personnel were holding their own, but it was clear that they wouldn't have lasted long...
"Nergal is doing all they can. Time for me to step up and make a stand." the young man commented to himself as the wind swept his oddly-colored hair back. With almost nonchalant ease, he produced a circular medallion from his jeans and confidently pointed it towards the heavens before proclaiming what sounded like a warcry.
"DAITARN... COME HERE!"
For a moment, nothing happened... then, something shone in the distance, and in the span of a few seconds, a strange flying object appeared, cutting through the air with unbelievable grace and speed. It was a huge vehicle, almost wedge-shaped in appearence, mostly blue and white in color with bright golden wings and a matching tailfin. Its front part was a short, triangular muzzle, and the steel that composed it seemed to be made of a completely different material from the rest of the strange vehicle. It looked a little goofy, yet at the same time dynamic and powerful as it slowly floated down, to the point where the young mab was able to climb on top of it.
With a whirring sound, an hatch opened up on top of the strange machine, and the young man began to slide inside of it, only stopping midway to talk into a comm device that he had taken out of his jacket. "Okay, I'm going in." he stated. "Garrison, can you and Beauty take care of the rest? I think Nergal will have their hands full dealing with this one... and Reika will definitely appreciate the help."
"Yes, of course, Master Banjou." the refined voice of an elderly gentleman answered from the other side of the communication. "We will go help Miss Reika right away. Please take care."
"As always, Garrison." Banjou answered with an assured smirk. He closed the communication and slid inside the vehicle, quickly changing into a tight orange piloting suit and a bright red helmet with a semitransparent blue visor. With a determined countenance, he sat at the controls and drove the machine upwards, where it began to change, its parts moving by themselves and reconfiguring the mecha in a new, amazing shape...
The flying machine soon turned into a massive humanoid robot whose body was mostly a brilliant white and blue, bearing a thick yet elegant red chestplate with a golden four-pointed star placed upon it. Its forearms were covered in dark blue armor, much like its chest and sides, and bore a similar but smaller and more regularly shaped four-point symbol, while the shoulders were protected by thick light grey metallic pads. It seemed to be wearing dark blue boots with golden knee guards and netallic blades placed on the tips, and its head bore an helmet decorated with a large golden diadem, whose center whose occupied by a deep red disk that resembled a miniature sun sending out rays of warm light.
The massive robot swept in the Meganoid fleet, sending the attacking Ai-Ais in disarray, then raised its fists in the air and loudly proclaimed its name, striking an heroic pose!
"DAITARN 3!"
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On the ground, still tending to the wounded soldier in her improvised shelter, Reika looked up at the glorious figure of Daitarn 3 as it began wading into the attackers, easily cutting them to pieces with a sharp wedge-shaped sword it had just unsheathed! "Bang on time, Banjou. Just as predicted." she commented.
Daitarn 3 turned around and cut down a couple of Ai-Ais with a single hit, scattering the rest even as they tried to gather their bearings. The flying saucers attempted a fighting retreat, and some of them quickly went back and fired their lasers at Daitarn 3, without managing to do anything more than a few dents in its armor. From her position, Reika observed as Daitarn 3 produced a pair of golden bladed fans from its shin guards and used them as shields in order to deflect some lasers. Then, the solar-powered robot swung its fans like swords and cut down several Ai-Ais, causing the rest of the assault team to beat a hasty retreat back to the Death Battler.
The soldier Reika was tending to stared in wide-eyed wonder at the mighty robot, not daring believe his own eyes. How could that be? Where did that robot come from, and how was it able to face off against the Meganoids with such nonchalance? He had seen some of the best squadrons the Earth Union could count on being completely shredded by even a moderately sized Meganoid fleet... and now, that single mecha was destroying them with such staggering ease? It was almost too good to be true... and he was positive that Reika knew much more than she let on.
"What... what's going on, Ms. Sanjou? Who... what's that robot? I... I've never seen anyone take down a Meganoid fleet so easily... or even take it down at all!" he stammered, the pain of his injuries almost forgotten in the face of this spectacular display. No, it was no illusion. The scattered parts of the Meganoid assault vehicles were still lying on the ground, under the disbelieving stares of the Nergal personnel that had desperately been trying to get away.
Reika smiled knowingly, her eyes proudly set upon the unexpeced savior. "That, mister, is Daitarn 3. The solar-powered battle robot created by the Haran financial group." she explained, as Daitarn 3 glanced down at the both of them. The soldier shakily stood up, his wonder even more evident on his face. Was it just him, or Daitarn 3 was actually smiling?
"Indeed. Sorry for the lateness, but heroes making a dramatic entrance is a staple of heroic stories, isn't it?" a bright voice answered, belonging to the young man at Daitarn 3's controls. The solar-powered robot struck an elegant pose, placing its index and middle finger upon the solar disk on its forehead. "And I am its pilot, Haran Banjou. But I guess you already heard of me, right?"
"What the... is... is this some kind of joke?" the soldier murmured. "You mean to say... that the main funder of the Schiapparelli Project... is actually that robot's pilot?"
"So it appears." Reika answered evenly. "Sorry for not revealing that before... but we weren't sure the Meganoids were going to attack the Nadesico right here."
"Which reminds me," Banjou continued, and Daitarn 3 turned to the direction where the Ai-Ais were retreating to. "Our Meganoid friends have retreated for now, but they'll be back in full force pretty soon. I have to make sure they don't cause any more trouble, which means taking out their commander before they can reorganize and strike back. The rest of my associates should be here soon anyway... so make sure to cooperate with them, okay?"
"E-even if you say that..." the soldier tried to say, before Daitarn 3 took off again in pursuit of the Meganoids. All he could do was stare in disbelief as the mighty robot went off to join the Nadesico and its Aestivalis in the battle. "I... I can't believe this... and who are these associates anyway?"
"Oh, I think they should be here shortly. In fact, here they are." Reika answered. As if summoned by the sound of her voice, a small car halted with a screech a few feet away from her, and a familiar curly-haired blonde dismounted off of it, carrying some equipment which seemed a little too heavy for her frame. She was a young woman in her late teens, with a somewhat childish and playful expression on her face, bright green eyes and dressed mostly in pink and red, with a daring miniskirt and red high heels. "My, you're remarkably on time, Beauty. Should we mark this day as a celebration?"
"Ha ha, very funny, Reika." the blonde answered as she finally set her equipment down. "You know that Banjou needs our help for this one. We're about to embark on a journey to Mars, and I wouldn't want to get in the way."
"We made sure to get ready for this occasion with ample time to spare." another person answered. Out of the driver's seat, an elderly gentleman in an elegant Western-style butler's dark blue suit over a white shirt and a red papillon came down, his greying hair and matching moustache giving him an even more distinct and smart appearence. "And as Master Banjou's trusted butler, I am to make sure everything goes without a hitch. However, I would say that right now, we have some more urgent matters to attend to."
"Garrison is right, we need to help Nergal recover the injured and repair the damage as much as possible." Beauty answered.
Reika nodded, her playfully mocking demeanor slipping away to once again show the no-nonsense young woman she was. "You're right. And as you can see, I've already had to start with that." she answered. Then, understanding that the soldier she was tending to was bewildered by what was going on, she turned to him and introduced the rest of her team. "As you can see, these are the people I work with to support Mr. Banjou in his endeavors. My fellow assistant, Beautiful Tachibana... and Mr. Banjou's personal butler, Garrison Tokida."
"You can just call me Beauty." the blonde young woman answered, striking a seductive pose and winking at the man, who by now was completely flabbergasted and staring at the unusual team in disbelief as they got to work. "Come on, now! Let's look for the injured! We've got our work cut out for us!"
"Well, this is... something indeed..." the man whispered uncomfortably.
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Commander Benmel felt like he could be dancing with joy at that moment. His Ai-Ais were swarming the Nadesico and its Aestivalis, and though those annoying humans were putting up a good fight, there was simply no way they could hope to resist much longer. Sooner or later, they would tire out and become easy targets... and then, the Nadesico would become part of his beloved collection!
Chuckling to himself like an overexcited child, Benmel looked a screen in front of himself, expecting to see his Ai-Ais swarming the Nergal spaceport and capturing scores of humans for conversion. But what he saw caused his smile to fade in confusion: several Ai-Ai signals had disappeared from the radar screen, and those still visible were beating a hasty retreat back to the Death Battler.
"What the... I'll be keelhauled! What's the meaning of this?" the pirate-themed Meganoid commander exclaimed in surprise and annoyance. "Our troops were supposed to destroy the Nergal spaceport and come back with as many captured Nergal personnel as they could! What the Hell happened for them to lose heart like that? This is mutiny!"
"Commander Benmel!" A Meganoid soldier exclaimed from a nearby workstation. "We... have identified a new heat source at the point that our troops were to attack! It seems to be the cause of our men's routing!"
"What? The nerve! Who does that guy think he is, ruining my chances to get a new piece for my collection?" Benmel angrily ranted. He slammed a gloved hand on the console in front of him and looked around, affixing his intimidated underlings with the withering glance of his single unpatched eye. "WHO IS IT THAT IS GETTING IN THE WAY OF MY COLLECTION?"
"Er... Commander Benmel, if I may be so bold... shouldn't we be more worried about the fact that our soldiers were shot down, and that we've lost several Ai-Ais?" a Meganoid soldier meekly attempted to switch Benmel's attention to more urgent matters, to little avail.
"NO, YOU MAY NOT BE SO BOLD, YOU FOOL!" the pirate cyborg ranted and raved. "We can build as many Ai-Ais as we want, and we can make new soldiers from the humans we capture, but my collection is irreplaceable! It's worth more than you lives, so get to it and capture the Nadesico! My collection will only be complete with it!"
"Ugh... right... right away, Commander Benmel!" several Meganoid soldiers reluctantly accepted Benmel's orders and went back to their work, and one of them actually managed to zero in on the signal of the unknown machine that was causing the Ai-Ais to scatter. "Commander, we have confirmation! This is the enemy that appeared at the spaceport... huh... and I can confirm that's indeed Daitarn 3."
"Aaaaarrrr! Accursed Haran Banjou!" Benmel grumbled. "He's always trying to throw some mud into the mighty Don Zauser's plans! But I'll make sure he regret ever trying to..."
It was then that Benmel turned to a wall-mounted screen upon which a scene was playing out - Daitarn 3 was swiftly approaching the site of the battle, holding its shortsword in one hand. It quickly switched to a huge spiked flail that it swung around, smashing an Ai-Ai to smithreens, fighting with an impressive mixture of ferocity and tenacity.
At first, Benmel glared angrily at the solar-powered robot on the large screen... but then, as the image became wider and clearer, the Meganoid officer couldn't help but be impressed at the mecha's construction: the majestic frame, the colors, the armor design and how the golden symbols made it look sleeker and more powerful - it was an incarnation of everything Benmel was looking for in a machine!
For a few moments, the Meganoid commander stood in place, as if mesmerized by Daitarn 3's appearence... and a moment later, his eyes turned into pink hearts, and he began gushing about the opposing mecha!
"Oooooh! What an awesome robot! So powerful! So streamlined! So majestic! This must be in my collection!" Benmel exclaimed in childlike wonder. He quickly turned to his beleaguered soldiers and barked out the new orders. "Everyone! Send all the Ai-Ais we have against Daitarn 3 and capture it! But do not damage it! It must be in perfect conditions! And of course, the Nadesico and its Aestivalis as well!"
"Wh-What?" another Meganoid soldier attempted to argue. "B-but... Commander Benmel, we're already skirting the acceptable limits of our orders! And it would be far too dangerous to take on Daitarn 3 without damaging it! That robot has already made short work of several of our commanders!"
"It won't be the same! We have the power of a Death Battler on our side!" Benmel shouted down the soldier. "Now go and execute my order, or I'll have all of you demoted!"
"Ugh... irresponsible madman..." the Meganoid soldier muttered to himself. "He's going to get us all killed someday..."
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Akito swore angrily when an Ai-Ai's laser grazed his Aestivalis, his Distortion Field too weakened to be able to hold on for much longer. The young man fired his Rapid Rifle, but anger and fear had made his reactions sluggish, and the enemy was able to dodge with a sideways sprint. "Aaaargh! Dammit, this isn't working!" he exclaimed, looking around to see if any of his companions were in range. Unfortunately, all the other Aestivalis were locked in battle with other Meganoid units, and only the Nadesico seemed to be able to intervene. The mighty battleship unleashed a swarm of missiles all around itself, in order to ward itself against the relentless assault of the flying vehicles, who were now in clear numerical superiority. Even Ryoko, who appeared to be the most skilled of the pilots, was having her hands full dealing with the enemies.
"If only we could take down that Death Battler thing, maybe we would stand a chance..." Akito murmured to himself. He gripped his controls, the rune-like symbol on the back of his hand glowing a faint silvery light as he willed his Aestivalis to fly higher, avoiding a few mini-missiles from more assailants. He fired again, this time actually managing to slice off the tip of an Ai-Ai's wing, and then turned his attention tothe Death Battler... but, much to his displeasure, he realized that the massive pirate-themed battleship was sending out more Ai-Ais, adding to the pressure. He gritted his teeth and steeled himself for another assault...
But, surprisingly enough, the newcoming Ai-Ais didn't try to attack the Aestivalis units or to swarm the Nadesico. Instead, they all seemed to fly in the Nadesico's direction, but aiming at some place beyond the Nergal battleship. Even some of the Ai-Ais that weren't currently engaged with the Aestivalis or the Nadesico joined the newcomers, only leaving the ones currently fighting to keep Akito and his friends on their toes.
The reason for this became evident pretty soon, and left Akito absolutely speechless. At first, it looked like another Aestivalis flying in to give support... but Akito soon realized that it was far too large to be an Aestivalis, and indeed, it was so colorful and even somewhat over-the-top (to put it lightly) that there was no possible confusion. It was a majestic humanoid robot, the kind of which Akito had long been a fan of, ever since he used to watch his favorite anime, Gekiganger 3, as a little boy.
Of course, there were some clear differences - this new robot looked quite a bit more polished and technologically complex compared to Gekiganger, and it was now wielding a vicious-looking weapon consisting of a spiked iron ball at the end of a robust chain, which it was rotating at incredible speed, smashing apart all the Ai-Ais that attempted to swarm it.
"Daitarn Hammer!" a clear young male voice resonated. Daitarn 3 swung its morningstar at breathtaking speed, turning itself into a destructive whirlwind that shattered several of the Ai-Ais swarming around it. The remaining Meganoids recoiled in fear and surprise, taking evasive maneuvers to avoid the threat and shoot back at it. Several missiles and lasers rained down upon Daitarn 3, but the mighty solar-powered robot was able to deflect most of the attacks, and even those shots who found their mark couldn't get past its armor.
"Whoa! Have you seen THAT?" Hikaru exclaimed in wonder, her eyes getting even bigger behind the lenses of her glasses. "So that is the famed Daitarn 3? It's so cool! He came through for us!"
"What? That... that is Daitarn 3?" Akito exclaimed, the pressure finally eased as most Meganoids turned their attention to the newcomer ad attempted to gang up on it. It was a futile effort - Daitarn 3 threw its morningstar at the enemies, downing two Ai-Ais.
"The one and only, my friend!" Banjou answered affably, before turning his attention once again to the Meganoids.
"For the world's sake, and for the people's sake, Daitarn 3 will crush the ambitions of the Meganoids!" he exclaimed as Daitarn 3 pointed an index finger against Benmel's Death Battler. Then, Daitarn 3 touched its solar disk with its index and middle finger, striking a pose. "If you don't fear the shine of the sun... then COME AND GET ME!"
For a moment, it seemed that the Meganoids were suitably awed by Daitarn 3's entrance and speech... but it didn't last long, and the enemy fleet resumed its assault, raining laser beams and missiles upon Daitarn 3, who raised a leg and revealed a circular cannon mounted on the sole of its boot. "Daitarn Cannon!"
There was a loud noise as the cannon came to life and fired two large orb-shaped projectiles at the approaching Ai-Ais, and one of the flying crafts did a desperate maneuver to avoid the attack, barely managing to get itself out of the line of fire. Another Ai-Ai close to it did not have the same luck, and was struck head-on by the cannon shot, exploding a split second later. By now, the Meganoids had fallen into disarray, and they were forced to retreat towards the Death Battler, giving Daitarn 3 and the Nadesico team all the time they needed for introductions.
"Ugh... that was nothing to sneeze at!" Ryoko commented. She gave a sigh of relief as the enemy beat a fighting retreat, and kept an eye on the Ai-Ais, well aware that they were almost certainly going to come back. "Well, we sure have to hand it to you, pal. We were in trouble there..."
"Yeah, we would have gotten out of it anyway, but we're always glad to welcome a fellow Super Robot pilot!" Gai answered cockily. "Anyway, good to have you onboard, pal! Why did the famous Haran Banjou give us the honor of fighting alongside him?"
"Haran Banjou... as in, the famous billionairie heir of the Haran financial clique?" Akito asked, blinking in utter bewilderment. This day was turning out to be one surprise after the other...
To his surprise, a comm window opened near him, and Akito backed away just a few inches when he saw Yurika's blissfully beaming face appearing upon it. "Yep, that's him in person! Mr. Haran Banjou has contributed, both financially and through his contacts, to the success of the Schiaparelli project!" she exclaimed. "Though don't worry, Akito, you're still number one in my heart!"
"I... I wasn't worried about that!" Akito exclaimed. "Why is no one listening to me when I say that?"
Banjou chuckled good-naturedly. "While I very much enjoy making new acquaintances, I'm afraid I will have to explain everything later. Suffice to say, I have a vested interest in seeing the Schiaparelli project go through... but I'll tell you more later. I think the Meganoids are about to make a comeback!"
"Yeah... that guy told us he wanted to put the Nadesico and our Aestivalis in his collection." Ryoko answered with a sneer. "Everyone, get close to the Nadesico! Get ready to support Daitarn 3!"
"I'll do more than just support!" Gai exclaimed, grinning at the thought of proving his own chops as a hero in front of one of the most well-known and beloved people in the Earth Sphere...
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"Captain, several Meganoid units are turning back. The Death Battler is moving as well." Ruri stated. The young girl was attentively following the movements of all units on the Nadesico's radars, and she could see that the larger unit was moving as well. That probably meant that the Meganoids were going to try one last push. "They're moving in what seems to be a pincer maneuver, trying to catch us on both sides."
"We cannot allow them to do that." Yurika answered, her bubbly persona quickly fading in order to let the determined leader take the reins. "Ruri, have Omoikane lay suppressive fire on both sides. But take care not to accidentally target our Aestivalis or Daitarn 3. Minato, Megumi... steer the Nadesico 30 degrees! We'll try and catch the Death Battler in the Gravity Blast as soon as we're recharged!"
"Right away, Captain!" Minato answered. The Nadesico was already turning in the Death Battler's direction, even as it fired more missiles towards the attacking Ai-Ais.
A short distance behind Yurika's seat, Prospector and Mr. Goto were seeing for themselves how Yurika was taking charge of the entire situation. "Well, you can't say that our captain takes her duty lightly, can you?" Prospector stated, evenly stroking his short moustache. "I think she's proving her skills, even in such an unexpected development. Admittedly, Daitarn 3's arrival did help."
"I'm honestly still not completely sure..." Goto answered with a grunt, rubbing his forehead. Admiral Munetake, standing near them and glaring at the bridge in barely contained outrage, could not believe his own eyes either. How was this motley group of misfits managing to work so well against an enemy that had the Earth Union army on the ropes?
Yurika was too concentrated on her job to think of what was going on in the Nergal personnel's heads. She was giving clear and swift orders, which the crew was carrying out with the utmost dedication...
oooooooooo
"AAAAARGH! I can't believe this! I've got nothing but idiots for underlings!" Benmel raged, hitting an interface with his fist. "I told you to swarm Daitarn 3, you scalawags! It was to be captured intact! And here you are, running away like scared little bats! This is unacceptable! Go back there and capture Daitarn 3 and the Nadesico! THIS IS AN ORDER!"
The Meganoid soldiers cringed at Benmel's outburst, and even those onboard the Ai-Ais couldn't help but grit their teeth in nervousness. Their commander was basically throwing them to their deaths because of his own childish idea of putting Daitarn 3 and the Nadesico in his collection... and yet, they didn't exactly have much of a choice. Except maybe, if any of them came back alive from that, file a report to Lady Koros and denounce Benmel's irresponsible behavior...
"What are you waiting for? Daitarn 3 and the Nadesico are right there in front of us! Full speed ahead! We cannot lose them!" Benmel continued to angrily rant at his soldiers, impatient for revenge. "Bring all of the Death Battler's weapons to bear on them!"
"Commander Benmel, that's a surprise. For you to actually show some skills as a commander. I thought you'd be too busy staying holed up in your place and admiring your collection to bother!" a mocking voice came from a screen near him, and the pirate-themed Meganoid leader jumped away in shock as the monitor came alive, showing Banjou's face staring at him with a fierce, provoking glance. "To think Koros and Don Zauser would actually trust you to take care of such a delicate mission! Perhaps youMeganoids aren't quite so superior to humans as you like to think."
"AAAAARRRRR! A curse upon ye, Haran Banjou!" Benmel raged, bearing down upon the screen as if he wanted to step through it and throttle the annoying human snarking at him. "You won't be laughing at us any more afteryou've seen what this Death Battler is capable of! I'll show you what a grave mistake you've made in defying me!"
With that, the Meganoid commander stormed away in rage and ran to what looked like a huge steering wheel, placed in the midst of the Death Battler's control room. He angrily grabbed it with both hands and spun it around, causing the huge flying ship to steer to one side, and throwing a few Meganoid soldiers down on the floor. "Man the weapons! Get ready to sail me hearties! Right now, we're taking down Daitarn 3 at long last and adding it to my collection!"
"Of course he wouldn't stop talking about that." A Meganoid soldier grumbled as he picked himself up. "I did think it was too good to be true..."
oooooooooo
"Here they go again! And this time, they have that huge ship on their side!" Ryoko exclaimed. "Everyone, get in position! This isn't going to be a joke!"
"The joke being, that the joke will be on them!" Izumi answered, giggling to herself as if she had said the most phenomenal joke ever! Ryoko groaned in annoyance, while Akito, Gai and Banjou blinked in confusion. Hikaru, who seemed to be more tolerant of Izumi's weirdness, simply sighed and shook her head.
"Oh, never mind Izumi, she's just weird like that." she explained. "Anyway, stay sharp,everyone! We've got the Meganoids bearing on us!"
"Just a little more." Gai murmured to himself, aiming his Rapid Rifle at the Ai-Ais. The Meganoids' aircrafts were flying in fast, unpredictable patterns in order to keep the enemy pilots on their toes, and shooting a few lasers or missiles from time to time. The Aestivalis kept on the defensive, and the Nadesico carefully moved in order to keep the Death Battler in the Gravity Blast's range. Daitarn 3, for its part, has unsheathed a short sword and was holding it in a guarding position, ready to beat back the Ai-Ais as soon as they got closer.
"Keep your eyes on the Death Battler, everyone." Banjou exclaimed. "If we can take that out, the rest of the Meganoids should fold quickly."
"Here they come! Be careful!" Akito warned. The closest aircrafts aimed their lasers at his pink Aestivalis and fired away, but he was able to dodge just in time, before countering with another burst of Rapid Rifle fire that struck down one Ai-Ai. The other aircrafts scattered and unleashed their laser blasts upon Daitarn 3 and the Aestivalis, but Banjou was quick to shield the more fragile robots with his own, and used his fans as a shield to deflect as many attacks as he could.
The Nadesico acted just then. Several onboard missile launchers came alive and bombarded the swarming Ai-Ais, destroying several of them... and seeing that the Meganoid rank and file were occupied, Gai detached from the rest of the team and launched himself towards the Death Battler, heedless of personal danger!
"Alright! Time for the hero to shine!" the hot-blooded pilot exclaimed. His Aestivalis' right fist shot forward, wreathed in a Distortion Field aura, and struck an Ai-Ai whose unprepared pilot only had time to stare at the incoming danger like a deer in headlights.
"Gekigaaaaan Flaaaaare!" Gai yelled the name of his special attack at the top of his lungs and struck the enemy aircraft, reducing it to smithreens! Then, he continued on his way, pushing his Aestivalis to the maximum possible speed as the Death Battler got closer and closer!
Caught off guard by the otaku pilot's unexpected initiative, Banjou tried to call him back. "Hey, you! What's the big idea? Don't be a reckless fool!"
"What?" Akito exclaimed. "Gai, what are you doing? You'll get yourself killed like that!"
"WHat the Hell is that dumbass trying to do?" Ryoko shouted in disbelief. "Gaaaah, that's it! I'm gonna give him the dressing down of his life! You guys cover me! I'm getting his ass out of the frying pan!"
"And into the fire?" Izumi asked sarcastically. Ryoko ignored that and sped towards Gai's Aestivalis, who was already getting dangerously close to the Death Battler...
oooooooooo
"Enemy unit incoming!" a Meganoid soldier shouted in alarm, seeing Gai's Aestivalis breaking formation and getting dangerously close, followed by Ryoko's immediately after.
Benmel frowned angrily. So much for getting those Aestivalis in his collection. Oh well, there were still the others... and Daitarn 3, of course. "What are you waiting for? Shoot them down! Now!"
oooooooooo
The Death Battler turned slightly... and as he was about to reach it and deliver a punishing Gai Super Upper, several sections of the battleship's hull opened up, revealing an equal number of cannons hidden behind! Several of them turned towards the attacker, and Gai realized too late that he had fallen into a nasty trap - as close to the Death Battler as he was, there was simply no way he could dodge all those shots!
But that was not going to stop him from trying. Heck, a hero goes down fighting, after all!
"Heh... bring it on, Meganoids! The great Gai Daigouji isn't going to run away like a coward!" Gai shouted. He hadn't even finished his sentence when the cannons began firing, but he was able to dodge the first few attacks before one of them struck the blue Aestivalis in the chest, with only the Distortion Field stopping it from being a fatal blow. Gai grit his teeth and snarled as he was thrown around in his cockpit, and the IS symbol on his hand began glowing as he regained control over his machine... but now, he was wide open and completely exposed to another barrage of cannonballs...
"Heh." Gai said, smirking in the face of what he thought would be his death. "Too bad. I was hoping to get to fight those Jovian scoundrels. At least I'm going down fighting." He closed his eyes, quoting one of his favorite Gekiganger episodes. "Sorry. Looks like I won't be able to take you to see the sea..."
"YOU DAMN IDIOOOOT!"
Ryoko's harsh yell shook Gai out of his fantasies. The red Aestivalis dashed in front of Gai's blue one and furiously fired at the nearest cannons, causing them to detonate! She angrily glanced up, only to see that several metallic tentacles were sneaking out of the Death Battler's hull and masts, attempting to grab them.
"Oh no, you ain't getting those damn tentacles on me!" Ryoko exclaimed. "You keep those things off of me!" She unsheathed her close combat knife and swiped at the tentacle that got close first, severing it in a shower of electrical sparks. The other tentacles retreated and the cannons temporarily stopped firing, which gave Ryoko all the time she needed to drag Gai's Aestivalis with her, and at a safer distance. "Okay, you birdbrain! What was the big idea? The Hell were you thinking, charging against a Death Battler? Were you even thinking in the first place?"
"W-What?" Gai exclaimed, completely flabbergasted by Ryoko's outburst. "I was trying to get close and take that thing out! Listen up, girl..."
"NO, YOU LISTEN! Who do you think you're talking to, dumbass? I'm Lieutenant Ryoko Subaru of the Earth Union forces! And until proven otherwise, I outrank you!" she shouted. "And more to the point, I will NOT put up with idiots who think they canplay the big hero and pull off kamikaze charges! Next time you do that, I'm going to kick your ass so hard, your Aestivalis is going to feel it! Do I make myself clear?"
"Woah, Ryoko! I mean, you have a point and all, but hey, you could stand to lighten up a bit..." Hikaru commented in awe.
In front of the green-haired girl's angry tirade, whatever excuse Gai might have been willing to put up lost any meaning, and the hot-blooded pilot found himself blinking in awkwardness, a comical expression of surprise printed on his face! "I... uh... I... well..."
"Well, that was something alright... Daitarn Zanba!" Daitarn 3 intervened, unsheathing a short triangular-shaped sword and slashing at the incoming tentacles. The tentacles were cleaved to pieces in a shower of electrical sparks, and Banjou placed himself near the two Aestivalis, giving them cover. "You guys get back in formation! I'll draw their fire!"
"Phew... at least he didn't get himself killed..." Akito breathed a sigh of relief, before willing himself back to concentrating on the battle. the Death Battler was firing several shots at Daitarn 3, who was trying to cover Gai and Ryoko's Aestivalis as they got back in formation. "Ugh... they just won't let up, will they?"
"And we don't let them down, right? Let them have it!" Izumi intervened, targetting an Ai-Ai and shooting it out of the sky as she chuckled at her own wordplay. "I don't think they can throw much more at us."
"Looks like the Nadesico is in position! They're about to give those Meganoids a taste of Gravity Blast!" Ryoko exclaimed. "Everyone, make a fighting retreat to the Nadesico! We need to get out of range before they fire!"
A cannonball from the Death Battler grazed her Aestivalis, and Ryoko groaned in anger before firing back, not that herattempt was very successful at that range. The remaining Ai-Ais were now encircling their mothership, as if they were just waiting for an order to either launch a last-ditch assault against their enemies, or to beat an hasty retreat.
"Looks like they're planning to gamble it all on this attack." Banjou stated, his own Daitarn 3 charging up, and the sun disk on his helmet glowing faintly. "And right now, I don't exactly have much solar energy to draw on... but I can make do with what I have."
oooooooooo
"Curse it! Curse it all! Just when I was about to capture the Nadesico!" Benmel ranted angrily. "But we're not going to go away without our prize! To all Ai-Ai units! Launch a massive assault against the Nadesico, before they can fire that Gravity Blast thing at us again! We cannot afford to fail here!"
"Commander Benmel!" a Meganoid soldier exclaimed. "Daitarn 3 is standing right in front of the enemy formation! It's trying to do something... and I have no idea what that is!"
"Ugh... well, do something about it! Stop it in its tracks!" Benmel practically roared, truly at his wits' end. "Don't let my collection be damaged, or you'll have to answer to me!"
oooooooooo
Daitarn 3 stood in place for a few moments, taking aim against the DEath Battler even as the latter tried to bombard it with its cannons. Most of the shots bounced off of its armor, but a few managed to put some dents in the solar-powered robot... but this didn't deter Banjou in the least, and the young billionaire narrowed his eyes as he zeroed in on several weak spots on the Death Battler's hull. The solar disk on Daitarn 3's tiara-like headpiece shone even brighter, and a few beams of light began spreading around the mighty robot.
"Just a little more..." Banjou said to himself, gripping his controls tightly and resisting the volley of cannonballs striking his robot. "Okay, this should be it! I'm going to pay you back in full for what you've tried to pull off, Meganoids! Sun Attack... Midare Uchi!"
Daitarn 3 struck a fighting pose and spread its arms wide as its solar disk glowed even brighter... and a split second later, several orb-shaped blasts of solar energy erupted out of it and flew towards the Death Battler, striking it in several places! The massive pirate-themed battleship was violently shaken by the repeated hits, and several of its cannon were destroyed or molten into useless slag! Several fires broke out in the Death Battler's chambers, and several Meganoid soldiers were blown away in the impact, while the massive battleship lost altitude and hovered dangerously close to the ground!
"Meganoid fleet in front of us, Captain. Gravity Blast fully charged again." Ruri stated coolly.
Yurika nodded and pointed at the enemy in front of them. "Thank you, Ruri! Gravity Blast full charge! FIRE!"
The Nadesico waited a moment for the rest of the Aestivalis and Daitarn 3 to clear the area... and that let loose with a tremendous Gravity Blast that tore through the Meganoid fleet, crumpling up the Ai-Ais like paper sheets and turning them into dust a few fractions of second later! The Meganoid aircrafts exploded in rapid succession, filling the skies with fireballs that quickly faded into nothingness, and the remains of the destroyed Ai-Ais fell to the ocean below like ashen rain. The few survivors quickly spread out in panic, trying to get to safety.
oooooooooo
Benmel grit his teeth in anger and grabbed the closest affixed object he could find, which happened to be a table, in order not to get thrown back by the massive shockwave caused by the attack. Daitarn 3's Scattering Sun Attack had greatly damaged his Death Battler, and red alarm lights were going off all over the control room.
"Aaaaaargh! D-Damn you, Haran Banjou! Damage report! What's the status?" he demanded.
Those Meganoid soldiers still sitting at their stations were quick to make an assessment. "Ugh... r-right away, sir! We're losing altitude quickly, and several of our cannons are disabled or destroyed! We need to divert all the power to our still-operating engines, while we still can!"
Benmel felt bile rising to the back of his throat, but he knew he couldn't afford to take a risk there. The only thing he could do right now was to order a retreat and prepare better for next time. "Ugh... Fine then! We'll retreat for today! Recall all the Ai-Ais and set our course back to Mars!" he angrily ordered.
"But don't think you've seen the last of me, Banjou!" the commander thought to himself. "I will be back, and I will add your Daitarn 3 and the Nadesico to my beautiful collection!"
oooooooooo
As the Death Battler and the few remaining Ai-Ais floated away and disappeared among the clouds, Akito heaved a sigh of relief and slumped into his pilot seat, grateful to be still alive. "That was way too close for comfort." Akito murmured. "I hope I never have to do that again."
"Enemy retreating. No casualties among the crew. Property damage kept to a minimum." Ruri stated after Omoikane had given her a brief survey of the results of the battle. "The Nadesico has sustained minor damage and is still completely functional."
"Truly a great performance, captain Misumaru!" Prospector congratulated Yurika, adjusting his glasses. "To be perfectly honest, I was not expecting such a massive attack from the Meganoids, but you handled yourself well under pressure. And both our pilots and our backer have performed admirably."
Banjou smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Not a problem. After all, I have a vested interest in seeing the Schiaparelli Project come through. And I cannot allow the Meganoids to turn more innocent people into cyborgs." he answered. "With that said... my crew and I will be glad to be of service to the Nadesico crew. I trust that will not be a problem?"
"It most certainly won't." Prospector answered. "Why, it would only give our project even more legitimacy! Having the personal backing of one of the richest and most beloved philantropists in the Earth Sphere would go a long way towards reassuring several factions of our goodwill!"
"In that case..." Banjou continued. "I'll contact my assistants and inform them of your assent. I'm sure they will be of great help during the Nadesico's journey to Mars."
"Well, that's all fine and dandy..." Ryoko answered. She had to admit that she wasn't completely convinced about Banjou and Daitarn 3, but his skills and his robot's power were hard to argue against. "But what about Captain Misumaru? She is still the Nadesico's captain after all."
"Of course. I acknowledge her authority and will put myself under her command for as long as necessary." Banjou answered calmly. "That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Gai chuckled in satisfaction. "Well, as long as you don't go around overshadowing me, I think that's all well and good!"
"Excellent job, all of you!" Yurika exclaimed happily. "Especially you, my dear Akito! You were just splendid! It's all thanks to you if the Nadesico is safe!"
"Geez, what are we, chopped liver?" Ryoko snarked.
Akito himself was quite taken aback by Yurika's praise. "N-now wait a second! I didn't come here to save you, the Nadesico or anything like that!" he tried to explain to the still-beaming captain, who was now surrounded by an optimistic Prospector, a still-unconvinced Goto, an annoyed Munetake and a rather awkward-looking Jun. "The truth is, I came here to see you..."
That, of course, only served to send Yurika even further in cloud nine. "You came to SEE ME?" she practically screeched. The rest of the crew didn't think a human voice could realistically get that high-pitched.
"Well... yes, I mean... you had dropped this and I wanted to give it back to you!" Akito held up the picture of himself and Yurika as kids that she had dropped before.
"Awwww, you're so sweet, Akito! Just like I remember you!" That actually caused Akito to facefault in his Aestivalis' cockpit, while Izumi began to snicker in hers.
"WILL YOU STOP GUSHING?" Akito screamed, his face occupying the entire screen on the Nadesico's bridge. "I JUST CAME HERE TO ASK YOU A QUESTION!"
"A question?" Yurika answered, her eyes widening even more. "You... you mean, THAT question?"
Akito facefaulted again, then picked himself up and yelled even louder! "STOP MISUNDERSTANDING!"
"You're right, we're still too young! We need to spend time together and deepen our bond before we think of marrying, right?" she went on with a dreamy expression, leaving Akito to sputter in disbelief.
"Well, what can I say." Banjou commented, clearly amused at the weirdness of it all. "This is turning out to be more entertaining that I thought."
Ryoko groaned and rubbed her forehead to stave off a massive migraine. "Oy. Am I the only sane person in this bunch of weirdoes?"
"At least we won't have time to get bored, will we?" Hikaru asked teasingly.
"We'll just have to bore with that." That was obviously Izumi.
"And don't you even think of upstaging me, fryboy!" Gai continued.
"WILL ANYBODY LISTEN TO ME?" Akito yelled.
oooooooooo
"You know, Minato... I'm kinda worried about the future of the Nadesico." Megumi told her companion, tuning out the bickering going on in the background.
The pretty ex-secretary giggled. "Aw, don't be so negative, Megumi. I think it's going to be pretty amusing!" she answered.
Ruri turned her glance towards the captain and the comm screens, and whispered the most apt comment for the current situation.
"Idiots."
oooooooooo
"So, there has been an anomaly?"
"Yes, sir. Something went awry in the events that should have occurred."
"I understand. Should we be worried about it?"
"Not really, not for now. There are still many chances for this deviation to be rectified. Still, we must not let it go unchecked."
"Indeed. See to it that the proper course of events is maintained. And make sure to deal with the one responsible for this."
"We will, sir. We have determined the identity of the perpetrator... A human female named Ryoko Subaru."
ooooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Notes: Well, this more or less ends the introduction to both Nadesico and Daitarn 3! I hope it was a satisfying entrance.
The Jovian Lizards are defeated, and Commander Benmel is sent packing, but this might only be the beginning of the troubles for our friends. Who could be the mysterious ones talking in the end of the chapter, and why do they seem to have something against Ryoko? We'll see about that...
I plan to complete the introduction to both Daitarn 3 and Nadesico next chapter... and after that, it's off to another world with Aura Battler Dunbine and Masoukishin: Lord of Elementals!
See you soon!