Tekkadread
Disclaimer: Ranma Saotome, Tekkaman Blade and Vandread belong to some other people, but I'll use them anyway.
: Thoughts
Chapter 2
Where Are We Now?
Slade was dreaming. At least, he thought he was. That's what it felt like as he saw himself being surrounded by countless images. Some of the images were of the places and beings that he had met during his voyages through space. However, most of those mental pictures were from his earliest memories; memories that had been eroded by the centuries he had spent in the Teknopod. He could only make out blurred forms of people that he had seen during his childhood. One image was that of a kind-looking woman with brown hair. Another was of a fat man in white with a kerchief over his head. He also saw a small child with odd-shaped weapons in its hands. Then a very terrifying scene of himself as a child, standing in the darkness as dozens of red eyes glared at him from the shadows. He felt as if he was being swallowed up in that void as the eyes closed in on him.
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Many light years from Mejele and Tarak...
The pirate ship and the old section of the Ikazuchi violently reappeared in space. Both vessels were severely damaged, but the older one began giving off tendrils of light from its Paksis reactor core. On board the bridge of the pirate ship, the crew began to rouse themselves.
"Uuuuhhhhh... this doesn't feel like the afterlife. Where are we?"
Magno Vivian, age one hundred and eight, and captain of the pirates looked about. Her bridge crew were regaining consciousness and didn't seem any worse for wear. Then the ship shuddered as something took hold of it.
Magno looked at the main viewscreen and gasped as she saw that the old section of the Ikazuchi was moving as if it were alive. It was sending out strange crystal-like arms that were collecting all the debris and incorporating them into itself, including the pirate ship!
"What's it trying to do? Is the crystal trying to swallow the entire ship?!"
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The two vessels became linked by a thick stem of crystal as the Ikazuchi's belly merged with the top of the pirate vessel. Inside the female ship, the sections began undergoing their own metamorphosis as the Paksis began infusing all circuits, cables and mechanisms. The women worked desperately to stop it, but it wasn't long before the craft was completely engulfed.
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A few minutes later...
Inside the reactor room of the Ikazuchi, the three Dread pilots who had been at the center of the explosion came to, and were quite surprised to find themselves lying on the floor.
"Is... everyone all right?" Meia asked.
"I'm... okay." Jura replied as she rose from the floor.
"Where's... Dita?"
"Hi!"
Both girls turned and saw the apprentice pilot lying on her belly and waving to them some distance away.
The overly excitable redhead began mumbling. "Something... went beep... and then.... VROOOM! Alien power is SO amazing!"
Lying nearby and still unconscious was Slade.
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The captain of the pirates, her first officer and the chief engineer stepped into the reactor room. They had been informed by their supplier Gascogne, (or Gasco, which she hates), that the two ships could not be separated from the outside, so they had decided to check on the problem at the source.
Meia and her two subordinates greeted them as the squadron leader apologized to the ancient female. "I'm very sorry that you had to come all the way up here, Captain."
Magno waved her off. "That's quite all right. I just had to see this for myself." She began walking and looked about the room at the Paksis' handiwork. The entire chamber was covered in crystals. "Unbelievable." She then caught sight of some movement and her gaze fell on a certain man who was just starting to regain consciousness.
"This was the man that Dita was chasing after." Meia explained.
"So this is the one, eh?" Magno said, then remarked. "It's been a long time since I've seen a man. Were their faces always this stupid-looking?"
Slade was just starting to open his eyes, when he heard that stinging jab. As soon as he began to get to his feet and saw the captain of the pirates, a small bit of the old Ranma Saotome personality made itself known. His mouth moved a little too fast for his still foggy mind to consider.
"You're not exactly easy on the eyes yourself, old ghoul."
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Later...
Okay... so that wasn't exactly the RIGHT thing to say for a first meeting.
Slade found himself once again behind energy bars, this time on board the women's vessel.
As he looked about, he found that he wasn't alone. Nearby in a corner was a certain doctor who had not fled with his crew in the escape pods before being caught in the explosion.
"Hello, Mr. Third-Class citizen." Duero greeted.
"So who are you?"
"The name's Duero Mcfile. And you?"
"Slade."
"No last name?"
"I don't have one." I can't remember if I ever had one.
"You're not like any third-class citizen I've ever seen." The doctor remarked. "You took down nine guards while unarmed. I thought only the elite were trained in such hand-to-hand methods."
"They're... just some skills that I possess."
"And exactly how did you get past security?"
"I... just got lucky and they were sloppy, that's all."
"I don't believe that for a minute. From what I saw at the ceremony, your movements were too well coordinated and you showed that you've had a lot of extensive, physical training. While you were out, I examined your body. Now before you get all excited, I only did a basic examination and checked your vital signs like heart rate and breathing. Your body is in excellent physical condition, far more than expected from a third-class citizen. If it weren't for that ID Tag, I would have thought you were from the top one-percent of the elite combat divisions."
"You're very observant... doctor." Slade admitted. He had noted the medical insignia on Duero's trenchcoat.
"So do you care to tell me how and when you learned those skills?"
"Nope." I couldn't anyway. I don't even remember how I became like this.
It was then that he noticed that the robot he had been carrying was lying nearby with its screen showing nothing but static. Then it began to quiver and suddenly sprouted metal arms and legs. Its screen activated and displayed a pair of large eyes. The thing stood up and looked about while scratching the top of its head in confusion.
"Where am I? Who am I?"
"You sure have changed since then." Slade commented.
The machine looked up at him in puzzlement.
The Tekkaman sighed as he decided to retrieve something that he had left in the Paksis reactor room. He sat in a cross-legged position with a hand resting on each leg and began concentrating.
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As the two ships continued to reformat themselves, the pirate crew continued to work to stop the changes, but with no such luck. Before long, every circuit, cable relay and mechanism of the pirate vessel and the old Ikazuchi were flooded with crystals. As such, the engines were completely shut down and most systems were offline.
In the engineering section of the ship, Parfait and her crew were trying to figure out the extent of the damage, but didn't know where to start. As Parfait ordered her staff to insert Linestar Particles into the main relays to gain control of the systems, no one noticed a small, emerald-colored crystal lying near the Pakisis core. It glittered slightly as it received the psychic recall command from its owner and disappeared before anyone could see it.
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Back in his cell, Slade became a bit puzzled as he mentally registered the return of his crystal to its subspace pocket. It seemed a bit different than from before. He made an internal check on himself and noted that his inner energy stores seemed somewhat... off. It wasn't anything remotely life-threatening and all his Tekkaman circuits seemed to be working, assuring him that his powers and ability to transform were intact. He decided to let it go for now as he wondered just what he was going to do now.
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In the depths of the former Ikazuchi, a panel opened up at the base of a statue. Out crept the cowardly Bart, who had been in hiding since the explosion. As he looked about while wondering what had happened to the ship, a shiver went down his spine as he realized that he was in BIG trouble. As a piece of crystallized bulkhead fell down and nearly crushed him, he let off a scream and landed hard on his rear.
"Damn it! This isn't funny!"
It was then that he looked up and saw that he had been discovered. A certain Dread Squadron leader was aiming her laser-ring at him and her thumb was just a scant millimeter from the firing stud.
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In the decontamination rooms...
"Paiway! Let us out! It's freezing in here!" Barnette continued to pound on the glass as she and four other girls were being doused with cold water. They were in their undergarments and were in danger of catching pneumonia.
However, the apprentice nurse sat at her desk and shook her head. "Not until all the male germs are gone." She then went back to writing in her diary. "Even in times of crisis, the teen idol Paiway does not lose her cool..."
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A little later, Magno had decided to question the prisoners and had ordered them to be brought to the interrogation chamber, which was now in the old section of the Ikazuchi. Slade had decided not to offer any resistance as he and Deuro were escorted under heavy guard. He wasn't concerned that his wrists were bound. The restraints that the women had put on him were no better than the men's and he could break them apart just as easily. The weapons that were trained on him were also of no consequence. He could tell by the way his captors moved that their combat skills were good, but nowhere near as high a level as his own.
No, this would be an opportunity to gather information, such as where he was and just what had happened to both ships. He too had noted the changes that the Paksis had caused. It would also be a chance to learn just what these women were like. After living on Tarak for several months, he was curious to know how the 'fairer' sex lived. Walking beside him was that strange robot.
As he and Duero entered the interrogation chamber, they saw that another man was already in the so-called hot seat. As soon as he saw him, Slade immediately categorized him as a noncombatant. He definitely had little in the way of battle experience. The way he trembled and shook made him look even more pathetic.
As the two sat down, the doors opened up and in walked the captain of the pirates.
Hmpf! It's the old ghoul again.
Magno gave each man a once over and snorted. "So these are the only men left, eh? They're nothing more than kids." She gave an especially hard stare at Slade. She hadn't forgotten that 'old ghoul' remark.
"Hey it's interrogation time! I'll tell you everything!" The little robot began hopping around the old woman. It was obvious which side it was taking.
The pirate captain looked down and smirked. "Well, how nostalgic! A Navi robot, and this one's still working."
"I'm afraid that I don't follow." Duero said.
"I thought this ship belonged to Tarak." Slade said.
Magno snorted again as she addressed them. "I'll have you know that this ship was actually one of a fleet of ships that was sent from a planet Earth to colonize other worlds. This happened long before your fathers were even born. However, your cowardly grandfathers stole this segment and fled into the night."
The robot nodded as it continued with the explanations. "They overhauled the section and added residential areas."
Magno nodded. "That's right. We're just taking possession of it again. So technically speaking, this ship is ours. Now the big question is, what exactly are we going to do with you?" She began licking her lips as she said, "Perhaps we should roast you over a slow fire. I always did like my men's innards medium rare."
This made Bart almost piss in his pants, but Slade and Duero remained calm. The doctor had been trained to maintain his focus. As for Slade, he became disgusted at Bart's reaction.
"Oh please! You don't actually believe that propaganda crap, do you?"
Bart gave Slade a puzzled look. As for Magno, she became intrigued.
"My, aren't you the brave one."
"You could say that I'm a little more... open-minded. I like to see and experience things personally. Besides, what I've seen so far fits in."
"Oh? Like what?" The pirate captain asked.
Slade paused for a moment, then replied. "From what I've gathered, the people of Tarak and Mejale have been pretty much isolated from each other, right? So with no real contact for over three generations, it would make sense that rumors and myths would develop. It's also reasonable to assume that both governments would invent stories and such, to maintain the fear and hatred of the other gender, right? And I have a feeling that the spacesuits that your crew members wore, were made to look scary to capitalize on that fear. You've probably heard of how men describe women and use those scary suits and helmets to give your crew a psychological edge. Am I correct?"
Magno's eyes narrowed and BC became a little tense. Their expressions were all Slade needed as he said, "It's a common enough tactic in any fight. If you're able to psyche out your opponent and keep him guessing, then you're halfway to winning."
Duero nodded. "Are you sure you're not one of the elite?"
Magno was silent for a moment, then gave Slade a condescending smile. "Very good. What's your name, young man?"
"Slade."
"Well Slade... you are interesting."
The martial artist and Tekkaman chuckled a bit. "Oh, I'm a LOT more interesting than you know."
It was at that moment that the ship shuddered from some kind of impact. The alarms began going off as the bridge crew announced that they were being attacked.
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"CAPTAIN! We're being attacked by some unknown enemy that appeared out of nowhere!" Parfait declared.
"Can you move the ship?" Magno asked through the communications network.
"Engines are still dead! And the auto-defense systems are just barely working!"
Magno then switched to the Dread crews and the launch areas. "Barnette!"
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"Paiway locked us in! We can't get out!"
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"The main Dread platforms are offline! We can't launch any fighters!" Gascogne reported.
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The only good news came from Meia as she, Dita and Jura ran toward their ships, which were still in the Paksis Reactor Room. However, as they arrived, they stopped and gasped.
Within the huge room were their vehicles, but each had taken different configurations after being engulfed by the Paksis.
"Are these... ours?" Jura asked.
"Wow!" Dita gasped.
Meia paused but then ran toward her fighter and climbed aboard. The other two Dread pilots followed suit and checked their systems.
Inside her Dread, Meia nodded. "Looks like the systems haven't changed much. How about you two?"
"I think mine will fly." Jura replied via her comlink.
"They must have been powered up!" Dita responded. "This is so exciting!"
"Don't bite off more than you can chew!" Meia warned as her ship lifted off and flew toward the hanger, followed by her wing mates. They were soon in the black void of space, and were immediately set upon by... the enemy.
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The force that was attacking the pirates were unlike anything they had ever seen before. Small fighter craft that resembled odd-shaped octopi let loose with volley after volley of laser and cannon fire at the fused vessels and their three defenders. Some distance away was the alien mothership, which resembled a large seed. Every now and then, the front of it would open out and it would release twin cubes, which would break apart into more fighters. It seemed that for every one fighter the Dreads destroyed, five more would take its place. It wasn't long before the pirates found themselves badly outnumbered.
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"Excuse me please! We're really a peaceful race!" Dita cried out as she made her craft swerve to avoid enemy fire.
"Dita! These are our enemies!" Jura scolded, then wondered just how Dita's flying skills had improved so dramatically. She had managed to execute a complex evasion pattern.
Meia noted that her craft's response time was better. "The controls have been altered somewhat." She then winced as her fighter took a hit off to the stern. "Who or what are these things? Are they really aliens?"
"Well they're definitely not men." Jura assured.
"No kidding! They're really BAD aliens!" Dita screamed.
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Magno winced as the ship took several more direct hits. Since they couldn't move, they were unable to regroup with the Dreads and were a sitting duck. Their shields were just barely holding. Then another section of wall exploded behind them and a scream was heard.
At this point Duero decided to put his skills as a physician to work. He began getting up, just as a crew member was trying to help her fallen friend. She instantly pointed her laser-ring at him, but Duero held up his hands in a non-threatening manner and said, "Don't worry, I'm a doctor. I just want to see what I can do for her."
When the girl lowered her ring, Duero then began instructing her to help him remove the debris and get her to sick bay.
When Bart saw this, he also saw an opportunity. He then turned to Magno and began talking.
"Well now. It seems that we are in a bit of a situation here, but I think there's a way out of this for all of us."
The captain gave the smooth-talker a suspicious look, but bid him to go on. "I'm listening."
Bart nodded. "Even though we are enemies, it seems that we need to make our survival our top priority. So I suggest that we call a cease-fire and devote all of our talents to fighting this threat."
"I see. Not a bad idea. So exactly what did you have in mind?"
"Well, as you can see, our good doctor here would be of use in treated your wounded. As for me, though I may not look it, but I'm actually a helmsman."
"A helmsman?"
"Warning! Danger! This guy is trying to pull something!" Pyoro said in alert.
"Be quiet!" Magno commanded then addressed Bart again. "I think that it would be in our best interests to pool our resources... for now."
Bart smiled as he offered a hand. "So it's a deal?"
The pirate captain slapped away the offered hand. "Now listen. I have no intention of becoming chummy with you. You three are still our prisoners, got that?"
Bart sighed and nodded. "Very well."
"What should I do with the other one?" Buzom asked.
"Take him below to the storage area and keep watch over him."
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Bart gasped as he was led toward the transformed bridge, which consisted of two comm stations and what appeared to be some kind of pool that was extended outward.
"So can you operate it?" Magno asked.
Bart walked forward and looked down at the glowing blue liquid. "You've got to be kidding!"
"Are you saying that you don't know how to operate it?"
"No! It's not that! It's just that this is one of our military's closely guarded secrets!" He began to cautiously extend one leg toward the pool, then let off a scream as the liquid became alive and formed a tentacle to grab the limb and pull him in.
Both Magno and the robot stared wide-eyed.
"That's some secret weapon." The old woman breathed.
"He doesn't know how to use it, does he?" The robot said.
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Inside the gel, Bart suddenly found himself naked and floating in some kind of virtual reality environment. All of a sudden, he saw images of the battle that was occurring outside and reacted with his typical outbreak of cowardice.
"NO! GET AWAY!"
As he thrashed about, the entire ship thrashed with his movements, catching everyone aboard off-guard.
"Well what do you know? The ship moved!" Magno remarked.
It was then that the engines came to life as Bart used the oldest tactic in the book, retreat.
However, the enemy was not going to let them get away as the mothership followed while releasing more drone fighters.
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Down in the cargo bays, Slade was left standing in an unused area as Buzom and a subordinate kept watch over him.
"You should be safe down here. This portion of the ship hasn't been used and it would be too much trouble to keep you in the brig at this point.
"Whatever." Slade replied as he simply stood.
BC gazed at him then said, "You seem... unconcerned with what's happening. Don't you know that if we lose this battle, we lose everything, including our lives? Your fellow men are risking their lives to help with battling the enemy. Perhaps you should join in as well?"
"Not my concern. I don't want to get involved. It's worked for me so far."
"Oh? Are you a coward then? I had heard that men always protected the weak and helped those in need. Was it all a lie then?"
"You seem to think you know everything about men, don't you?"
"No, but I do know that everyone, men or women, must make choices in their lives and have to live with the decisions that they make. If you decide to just stand by and do nothing, then you will have to consider just what's at stake here." She then turned and motioned for her subordinate to follow her.
"But what about him?"
BC shrugged. "Leave him. It's not like there's anywhere for him to go. Not that there's anywhere for us either."
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Out in space, the Dreads were slowly being overwhelmed by sheer numbers and the ship was taking a serious beating. In the sick bay, Duero stated that since the medical facilities were offline, he'd have to do things HIS way. This made the female that was assisting him very nervous as she called for Paiway.
In the decontamination rooms, Paiway was screaming to everyone to shut up and stop getting hurt.
The ship was running for its life, but the alien mothership was steadily closing in.
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In the storage bay, Slade considered BC's words and thought about the consequences. If he did go out to fight, then it was more than likely that he'd end up as some lab specimen or something. He'd be taken as a prisoner again as soon as the crisis was over. Besides, these pirates meant nothing to him. He had no loyalty to Majele or Tarak. He was just a wandering Teknoman who owed allegiance to no one and roamed the cosmos. That's how he liked it.
But a certain phrase came back to him. To protect the weak and help those in need. She made it sound like some kind of duty. In the most distant memories was something about a duty. It had something to do with his martial arts skills, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It was... it was... it was a martial artist's.... duty...
It IS a martial artist's duty to protect the weak!
As soon as Slade thought those words, he decided on his course of action.
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"I'm going to fight, Captain." Slade said simply as he contacted the bridge through the communications systems.
"What did you say?" Magno asked.
"Those three Dreads can't hold out much longer, right? I'm going out there to give them a hand."
"Are you... a pilot? Are you able to use those Vanguards?"
"Those hunks of junk? No."
"If you're not a Vanguard pilot, then how do you expect to fight? Can you fly a Dread?"
"Just direct me to the nearest airlock. I'll take care of the rest."
"An airlock? What are you, insane? Do you intend to fight the enemy with just a spacesuit?"
"That would be ridiculous."
"I should think so."
"What I have now will be just fine."
"WHAT?!"
"I said that I'm more interesting that you'd ever imagine, Captain. Now, are you going to direct me to the nearest airlock, or do you want to lose your ship, your crew and your life?"
Magno gazed into Slade's gray-blue eyes and saw the intensity within them. He was serious. Though she didn't understand just what he had in mind, she then nodded to Buzom to release the manacles on Slade's wrists. Just as the first officer was about to press the remote...
"Don't bother." Slade said as he held up a hand and showed both women a pair of crushed restraints. He had long since broken free. Tossing the now useless device over his shoulder, he then asked, "Now, where's that airlock?"
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Slade ran into an airlock that was situated near the Dread launching platform and shut the door behind him. The lights within the small enclosure went dim as Slade prepared to join the fray. He didn't notice that the scanners were active and his actions were being transmitted to the main bridge.
At that point, he made his Tekkacrystal appear and held it aloft.
"TEKSETTER!"
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"Reinforcements? Who is it?" Meia asked as she and her wing mates had been informed that help was on the way.
Just then, a bolt of emerald light burst forth from the bottom of the pirate ship and streaked toward the enemy. Within that light was...
"MR. ALIEN!" Dita cried out happily.
"He's our reinforcements?!"
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To the astonished eyes of all those who were watching, Slade's body underwent its startling metamorphpsis. The clothes were immediately stripped off as he was bathed in a near-blinding luminescence. The energy formed a kind of transparent cage in the shape of Slade's Tekkacrystal. In an instant, his body became endowed with impenetrable armor as alien metal became fused with flesh and bone. His already superhuman powers were boosted even further and were now augmented with quantum energy weapons. When the transformation was completed, he broke free from the crystal structure and went into a combat pose. Tekkaman Slade was ready and the odds of survival had just shifted in favor of the humans.
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"Waaaaahhhhh!" Dita cried out as she was about to collide with three enemy fighters. However, all three fighters suddenly exploded into fragments and when the light faded, she gasped as she saw someone was standing on one of the booms of her Dread.
"Mr. Alien!"
"Will you stop calling me Mr. Alien?" Slade said in an annoyed tone. His armor allowed him to patch in with the Dread's communication systems.
The two thrusters on his back activated, driving the Tekkaman toward a dozen more enemy units.
Inside his armor, Slade initiated his next attack.
TEKKAMAN BATTLE MODE!
His arms stiffened at a downward angle. The shoulder armor units swung down to cover his arms. His feet locked down with his legs as other parts shifted to form a more dynamic form. Then two thrusters located on his ribcage activated and surrounded him in a field of emerald green that looked like the wings of a phoenix. He suddenly sped forward like a comet, and anything he collided with, was reduced to space debris. With each pass, several enemy fighters were annihilated. When fifteen were obliterated, he morphed back into his standard form and faced off against the mother ship.
The main unit of the enemy now deduced that the newcomer was its greatest threat and spewed out two more cubes, which exploded into fighters. However, that only meant more targets for Slade to destroy. Twin beams of light flashed from nacelles on his shoulders, which Slade grasped. The beams solidified into twin, triangular-bladed weapons with serrated edges. That was when Slade dived into the new formations of foes and began slicing them apart. Alien armor was no protection against him as he systematically destroyed them with quick thrusts and slashes. When fifteen more were dealt with, he joined the ends of his two weapons together to form a lance. As a trio of fighters came in from above and fired at him, he simply twirled his weapon like a propeller and deflected each shot. Then he threw his weapon at them, nailing them all. As they exploded, he shot out a kind of energy rope from one of his gauntlets to retrieve his lance.
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The pirate ship...
"Impossible! How can one man have such power?!" Buzom gasped.
Magno was rendered speechless. She had to admit that Slade was right. He WAS more interesting that she had thought.
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"He's so... elegant!" Jura said with a bit of appreciation in her voice. She liked the way that armor looked and began fantasizing herself in such.
"YAY MR. ALIEN!" Dita cheered.
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As Slade polished off the latest opponents, he saw that the main ship about to release more fighters.
NOT THIS TIME!
The shoulder units of his armor flipped up, revealing a set of energy collectors. They began glowing as power began condensing within them. When enough power had been harnessed, Slade directed his attention toward the enemy.
"VOLTEKKER!"
Just as the alien craft let loose with two cubes, Slade's weapons launched a massive beam of quantum energy. The fighters were completely engulfed in the blast just as they had begun to separate. The beam kept on going and hit the mother ship while its front was open. There was some massive damage done and the ship reeled. Slade then dove toward it to finish the job. Behind him, a certain Dread fighter followed him in.
"Dita! Fall back!" Meia ordered.
"This nothing to worry about! Mr. Alien can win! I just know it!"
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As Slade was about to let loose with another blast from his Voltekker, he turned around and saw Dita coming in.
"No! Get back!"
The alien mother ship took this opportunity to attack and let loose with metallic tendrils that struck him in the back. At almost the same time, Dita's Dread collided headlong into him.
There was a massive explosion which engulfed both the Tekkaman and Dita's craft.
On the bridge of the pirate vessel, Magno lowered her head and said, "Well, I guess that wasn't enough of a miracle to save us."
Buzom nodded as she suggested that the crew abandon ship.
At that moment, the Navi robot let off a beep and pointed to the main viewscreen. Something was emerging from the center of that explosion.
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It was... big. It stood five stories high. It resembled Slade's armored form, but was colored navy blue with gold trim. It was humanoid in shape and had a long cannon barrel mounted behind each shoulder. On each forearm was a pair of blades that glowed with an emerald light. It looked menacing enough to tear apart a planet with its metalshod hands alone. What everyone was witnessing was the perfect fusion of Tekkaman and Dread Fighter... the Tekkadread!
"What is THAT?! Is it another secret weapon of the men?" Magno asked.
"Is this... a real miracle?" Buzom wondered.
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The huge mecha dove toward the enemy ship. Several smaller attack drones were released to stop it, but they were swatted aside like annoying gnats. The ship tried to seal itself up, but the machine simply pried it wide open with its hands. Then the mammoth cannons swung up and rested on the shoulders, pointing forward. They powered up and cut loose with a blast ten times more powerful than Slade's Voltekker. The energy caused the back of the enemy craft to bulge out before erupting. The mecha then moved back as the alien mothership exploded like a supernova. Pirate crew and males alike were in awe at the spectacle. When it was all over, all that was left of the enemy craft was a hollow, burned-out husk.
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Within the giant mecha, Slade let out a deep breath of relief. It was all over.
Wait a minute! I don't need to breathe when I'm transformed. And why do my legs feel like that something's on them?
Slade realized that he was in some kind of cockpit and was sitting in a chair. He noted that he was wearing not his armor, but his regular clothes. Then he looked down at his hands. They were resting on the control pads of the ship. They were also resting on another pair of hands. That was when he realized what or rather who was sitting in his lap!
"Mmmmm. I just knew that Mr. Alien would protect us." Dita was half-asleep as she leaned back against Slade and snuggled close.
Slade had a really big sweatdrop behind his head.
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The pirate crew and the men all waited in the hanger deck as the gigantic Tekkadread came in for a landing. Just as it was about to touch down, the mecha suddenly shifted back into Dita's Dread fighter. As soon as it had landed, a section near the top of the craft opened up. A light emanated from it for a moment and everyone saw Slade in his Tekkaman form, emerging from the hatch.
He hopped down to the hanger floor, causing a loud clanging sound to be heard. This caused the female guards around Magno to raise their weapons toward him. Who could blame them, especially when they were facing off against a seven-foot tall force of destruction?
The pirate captain however, motioned for her guards to stand down. After seeing what Slade was capable of, she didn't want more hostilities to break out.
Slade nodded as he mentally commanded his armor to be returned to its pocket in subspace. His Tekkaman form faded away and all that was left was a fully-clothed human. The instant the transformation was complete, Slade collapsed in exhaustion. The crystal fell out of his hands and skidded across the floor. When it came to a stop, Buzom immediately picked it up. The guards rushed to Slade and hauled him up.
"Take him back to his cell." The aged pirate woman said. "Gently."
"Wait! Mr. Alien!" Dita cried out as she disembarked from her Dread. However, more guards blocked her path to Slade as he was being taken away. She gave a pleading look to Magno, but the old woman did not seem to acknowledge it as she turned to Buzom. The first officer handed her the crystal, which Magno pocketed in her robes before heading off to the bridge.
To be continued...
Author's notes
With this chapter, we now begin to diverge a bit from the original storyline. I'm still working at making this a more interseting fanfiction, though I haven't seen the entire Vandread series yet. In any case, this has progressed better than the old Teknoman Ranma storyline.