TEKKADREAD
Disclaimer: Help! I've started writing and I can't stop!
: Thoughts
Chapter six
The Gauntlet
On board the Nirvana and out in space, the female pirates and their male crewmembers were fighting hard for their survival. Ever since that first Vanguard mission, the men and women had been fending off their alien enemies almost nonstop as they continued on their journey back to Mejele and Tarak.
Today was an especially intense battle as the Nirvana was in the midst of an asteroid belt near a planet that was the size of Jupiter. The enemy had been lying in wait amid the field of ice chunks and space debris. No sooner had the Nirvana crossed into the zone, then the aliens ambushed it with dozens of squadrons of Cube-Types, several cruisers and carriers, plus a kind of new fighter that was extremely fast and maneuverable, putting the sleek Dread fighters to shame.
Meia gritted her teeth as she tried to take out the new ship, but the damned thing moved too fast for her to get a lock on it. The Dreads were having difficulty navigating around the asteroids. She looked off to one side and scowled as she saw the newly formed Vanguard squadron, pass by the large chunks of ice and rock with ease. Being smaller meant that the mecha could go places where the Dreads could not. This enabled them to get into position to attack, despite the confined areas.
At present, Slade's squadron, now known as Warrior Squadron, was using the asteroids for cover and bushwhacking the aliens. They were making an impressive number of kills among the Cube-Types and smaller fighters. However, the machines lacked the overall speed and firepower to make any significant headway with the larger and faster opponents.
At the head of the squadron was their commander, as he directed his forces in a flanking action. After days of cajoling and pestering, the Tekkaman had finally agreed to take command of the Van-Types and help train new pilots. With the help of Gascogne and Buzom, he had selected a number of recruits from the Register and the Dread crews, and put them though the equivalent of boot camp. Since martial arts was the Tekkaman's specialty, he used them extensively in the training sessions, which sharpened reflexes and made piloting the Vanguards much more effective. For weeks, he drilled them in the principals of physical combat and how to apply those rules to the Vanguards. More often than not, the trainees would be bruised, battered and totally exhausted after Slade put them through their paces. As for Slade himself, he had taken a course in basic space warfare tactics. With his background in the fighting arts, he was able to select the best strategies that suited the Bangattas under his command.
Initially, those who had been selected for Vanguard duty resented the idea of following a man's orders, but under the insistence of the captain and her senior staff, the females grudgingly underwent the training. They had to admit that the former Saotome was no easy taskmaster, and he had no compunctions with flooring a trainee who got too far out of line. One particular female named Xian Pu had received a LOT of bruises from her new commander.
Like Ukyo, Xian Pu was a direct descendent of the original girl who would have been the fiancée of Ranma Saotome, centuries ago. Unlike the first Xian Pu, she had scarlet hair. She had always been proud of her Amazon roots, and had been touted as the best hand-to-hand fighter on board the ship. However, that all changed when she had been selected for Vanguard pilot and put under Slade's command.
At first, she scoffed at the idea of taking orders from a mere male. She even went so far in challenging him to a one-on-one battle. She had said that if he could defeat her in combat, then she would follow his orders to the letter. If she won, then she would be the new Vanguard leader. Slade had no problems with accepting her challenge.
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Flashback...
"Well come on. You're the one who challenged." Slade said as he stood with arms crossed, in the Vanguard hanger and training section. The other trainees watched on the sidelines as the Tekkaman and martial artist faced off against one of the best female fighters on the Nirvana.
On the other side, Xian Pu glared at the arrogant male. She one of the proud descendants of the mighty Chinese Amazons and she would not be defeated by a mere man. She had heard of how Slade had tossed the formidable Meia Gisborn, but she was confident that she would win. Meia was a good and respected fighter, but Xian Pu prided herself on being the best hand-to-hand combatant. Furthermore, Slade was not allowed to transform during this match. She would show this male his place!
"Remember, when I beat you, then you will go back to the Register and I will lead the Vanguards!"
Slade nodded. "Agreed. IF you can beat me. When I win, you will follow my orders to the letter."
"Hah! This won't take long! HIYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"
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End of Flashback...
True to her words, the match had been a short-lived one. However, Xian Pu had found herself kissing the floor of the hanger. Her skills were considered impressive by even Slade's standards, but she had proven to be no match against the Anything Goes and the various other styles that the Tekkaman had mastered during his planet-hopping trips. Xian Pu now knew what a basketball felt like after being slapped, tossed and slam-dunked around the hanger.
Luckily for Slade, the laws of the Amazons were long since faded over time and Xian Pu wasn't aware of the kill the girls and marry the men rule. After being raised on Mejele, she had thought like the majority of the population that men were totally useless and to be hated. In any case, the female was held to her word and underwent the training like everyone else. However, being impressed by her skills, Slade had decided to make her second-in-command of the Vanguards, which lessened the hostility between them.
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Present time, in space...
The past events infuriated Meia every time she thought about them, and when she got angry, she got careless. As she continued to pursue her foe among the asteroids, she neglected to check her aft scanners as three Cube-Types came up from behind. They were in perfect position to destroy her, but they didn't know that someone was watching Meia's back. Before they could open fire, a pair of Vanguards and a Tekkaman sliced them apart.
"Meia!" Slade called out as he watched her Dread continue to pursue the enemy fighter. "That's thing's too fast! I'm coming over to combine!" The serious nature of the battle overrode personal pride, and Slade knew that the enemy fighter wouldn't be able to outrun Tekkadread Meia.
"This is my fight!" The stubborn, strong-willed girl shouted back. "I don't need you!" She brought her fighter about to try and catch up to her nimble adversary. However, just as she banked to avoid being hit by a huge chunk of rock, she gasped as her opponent suddenly reversed its heading and opened fire. Her Dread took a bad hit on its fuselage... near the cockpit.
Slade instantly shot toward the Dread, leaving his two Vanguards to chase off the enemy fighter before it could fire at Meia again. The Dread listed in space while trailing plasma and debris. As the Tekkaman came close to the damaged fighter, his heart stopped for a moment. Inside the cockpit, Meia was slumped over her console and blood pooled from a head wound.
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"Surface wound on the head and ruptured spleen! She also has a visually fractured femur." Duero said as he assessed Meia's injuries.
Slade and Dita were running beside the physician as he guided the gurney toward the sick bay. After towing her damaged Dread back to the Nirvana, Slade had left Xian Pu in charge of the Vanguard squadron while he and the red-haired pilot rushed the Dread leader to the emergency room. Jura was now in command of the Dread teams in Meia's absence.
"CLEAR THE EMERGENCY ROOM!" The doctor shouted as they burst into the sick bay and slid Meia's gurney under an examination scanner. Immediately, the only doctor on board the Nirvana went to work. He stripped off the top of Meia's flight suit without hesitation and did not take notice of her breasts. He had been reading up on female anatomy ever since taking the position of the Nivana's surgeon. What was important now was to stabilize Meia's vital functions. Paiway immediately came to Meia's side with a syringe as Duero instructed her to administer the sedatives.
During the administrations, Meia's headpiece fell off and made a clinking noise on the floor as pieces of crystal went scattering. As the sedatives began to take effect, Meia's consciousness began slipping away. Before darkness overcame her, she uttered one word.
"Mother..."
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Out in space, things were not going well...
"A-Team, switch to alpha formation! And B-Team... uh, let's see..." Jura became indecisive as she tried to direct the Dreads the way she thought Meia would have done. She had very few opportunities to lead as Meia had usually taken command of all Dread formations.
Unfortunately, the Dread teams became more disorganized as the enemy continued to press the attack. Several of the female pilots were put out of commission as the aliens cut through their ranks and started attacking the Nirvana itself. The ship shuddered, as enemy fire rained down on its defensive barrier.
On the bridge, Magno and Buzom knew that the situation was going to get worse, especially after hearing that the leader of the Dreads had become incapacitated. The enemy was now using decoys to further confuse the fighters and more reports and cries for help came pouring though. The communications was near to overloading and there seemed to be no hope of getting out of this trap.
"Three more Dreads have been rendered inoperative!"
"I can't find anyone out here!"
"Who's in charge of the D-Team?"
"I can't receive Miss Gasco's order!"
"Help! I'm hit!"
"Jura! The formation you ordered is a total mess!"
"I know that! I know that!"
Down in the Register, Gascogne's crew was also having difficulties. With the flood of repair and ammunition orders that were being sent, the staff found themselves overwhelmed. Panic began to ensue, but the head supplier kept a cool head and called for their attention.
"Easy girls. Panicking isn't going to help us win this one. Well, let's hear it."
The staff gave a simultaneous wave and replied, "Smile! Smile!"
"Carry on."
Ironically, the only group that was still organized was the Vanguard squadron. Slade had trained the pilots with the discipline of martial arts, which enabled them to keep calm and collected during this frenzy of laser fire and cannon blasts. The hardships they had endured under the Tekkaman's training regimen now bore fruit. They were doing a good job of keeping the Cube-Types away from the Nirvana. However, they were still outnumbered and couldn't be everywhere at once. Despite their most valiant efforts to support the Dreads, more fighters fell to the alien onslaught.
A flash of green was seen as Slade rejoined the battle, this time riding the Tekkabot. The Tekkaman had considered using his Voltekker, but with too many allies in close proximity, he couldn't risk it. As a result, he was forced to take out his enemies one by one.
As he flashed by and took out three more Cube-Types, he looked overhead and saw the same enemy fighter that had taken out Meia before. The thing was fast, even faster than he was. It seemed to function as the head of the assault force. Destroying it may be the key to winning the battle. Since combining with Meia's Dread was out of the question, he decided on the next option. Spotting Dita's Dread, he headed toward it while leaving instructions for his Vanguards to give him some covering fire.
"It's time to combine!"
Dita perked up in surprise. This was the first time Mr. Alien was willing to combine with anyone, especially her. "Uh... sure."
In just a few seconds, the Tekkaman jumped off Pegas and was swallowed up inside Dita's fighter. A bright flash of light later, and Tekkadread Dita was now joining the battle. It easily swatted aside a few Cube-Types as it homed in on its target. Though it wasn't fast as Tekkadread Meia, it had the advantage of long-range firepower.
Inside the cockpit of the merged machine, Slade nodded as he and Dita closed in on the alien machine. Once they were in range, he engaged the shoulder cannons, took aim and... ducked.
That is to say, the entire Tekkadread ducked, narrowly avoiding a collision with a huge asteroid. The enemy fighter zipped around the asteroid and was instantly out of range.
"Damn! We can't keep up with that thing!"
At that moment, Jura's Dread came alongside them. "Nice going. Is that all a smart-aleck male can do?"
Slade's temper was already at a high point and he instantly shot back with his own barb. "Give me orders when you know what YOU'RE doing!"
"Shut up! I don't need a MAN to tell me what to do!"
Slade was about let off another insult, but then calmed down. Fighting among his allies was not helping the situation. He wondered just why it seemed so instinctive for him to give insults. "Ahhhh... forget it. It's not worth it." With that, he directed the Tekkadread to bank away and support his Vanguard troops.
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While listening in on the communications on the confusion and arguments between the pilots and crew, Buzom shook her head in frustration. "It seems that we've depended on Meia too much. We've neglected to train a sub-commander in the event that she is incapacitated."
Magno sighed. "That's because she wouldn't let us. She's always been like that, from the day she first joined up."
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In the sick bay, Duero and Paiway were desperately trying to stabilize Meia's condition.
"Paiway! Adjust the oxygen saturation levels. We've got to keep Meia from going into shock!"
As the apprentice nurse followed the doctor's orders, she noticed a glint near Mei's left eye. She gasped as she saw a trickle of moisture run down the Dread leader's cheek.
"This is the first time I've seen Meia cry."
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Inside her mind, Meia's memories of her childhood came bubbling up to the surface. She saw her ohma and fahma fuss over a little, blue-haired girl as she came home from school. Meia's parents had been scientists that were involved in a research facility that had promised biological advancements which would improve living conditions to Mejele's populace.
The scenes then flashed forward to a Christmas eve in which she had received the Paksis crystal headpiece that she now wore. Her mother (fahma), smiled as she commented that it was wonderful gift that Meia's ohma had given to her. More images flashed by as happier times were brought up. Then one scene in particular appeared. It was a memory that would haunt Meia for the rest of her days, and it was the main reason why the normally tough Dread leader was fearful of closed places. She saw herself being packed into a space capsule with dozens of other children as explosions and chaos ran amok. She reached out toward the hatch at her ohma, but the gentle-looking woman smiled sadly and shook her head, saying that this was for the best. Then the door slammed shut and Meia saw only darkness.
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The battle raged on outside of the Nirvana, as the main Dread fighter groups had been pulled back for repairs and rearmament. The secondary groups were flying to maintain the defensive lines and were being supported by the Vanguards, until Jura and the more seasoned pilots were ready to go out again.
However, the blonde pilot was in no condition, physically or mentally, to go out and lead the fighters. After that disaster with the formations, she had retreated into her own shell and was presently sitting and sobbing in a corner of the Register. Her face was against her knees as her long hair hid her expression.
"I... can't do this! I'll can't... replace Meia!"
"No one expects you to."
Jura looked up to see the head supplier standing over her.
Gascogne nodded as she explained. "No one here is blaming you for what's been happening. We're all feeling the pressure, but crying about it isn't going to help. No one here expects you to be like Meia."
"She's right."
The two women turned to see Slade's image appear on a nearby monitor. Currently, Tekkadread Dita was underneath the Nirvana and was being recharged.
"I wanted to apologize for that last outburst." Slade explained. "I guess we were all feeling the strain and I'd rather be fighting the enemy than my own side."
Gascogne nodded as she looked back down at Jura. "We're all in this together Jura, and you should learn not to take all the workload on your own. Being a leader means that you have to depend on your team, as well as yourself. And when you lead, then lead the way you would do it, not the way that you think that someone else would."
Slade nodded in agreement. "And when you're in command, then just command. Look at me. I never wanted to be Vanguard leader, but since I have to take the job, then I don't gripe about it. I just do it. I do what I believe needs to be done and the rest will fall into place. That's all you need to ask for." With those words, the monitor went dark.
The head supplier smiled a bit. "You know, for a man, he does give some good advice."
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The doctor had become worried. Even though the surface wounds had been taken care of and the vital signs had been stabilized, there was still a problem. A fragment of Paksis crystal had become lodged in Meia's cerebral cortex and Deuro was concerned that it may cause psychological trauma to his patient.
Inside Meia's head, the Dread pilot was now visualizing her life after being packed into that escape capsule. The scandal that had caused the ruin of her parent's company also made her an outcast, She saw herself growing up on the streets, fighting for survival and acceptance. She could hear the whispers of people passing by, stating that she was no better than scum now. They mocked and teased at her. She had been a famous person once, the daughter of two very well-respected scientists. It wasn't long before she had fallen into a bout of depression and despair. Soon, her only goal in life, was to end it.
That was when she had encountered the pirate captain.
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"Damn! This is really pissing me off!" Slade growled as he and Dita sat inside of the Tekkadread.
"I wonder if Meia is going to die?" Dita found herself holding back her tears.
However, her partner was not in the mood to see her cry. "Don't worry about it. "She'll be fine."
"You think so?"
Slade cocked his head in thought as he remembered back to his travels between planets. "I've learned a few things during my travels. You can complain and whine about anything, but when it's all said and done, you've got ask yourself this. Are you the person that you were and have you become the person that you wanted to be?"
"Huh?"
"I know it's hard, but let the Doc handle the job of taking care of your leader. Our job is to protect the ship and the sick bay that she's in, right?"
Dita sniffled a bit, then smiled. "You're right. Thank you, Mr. Alien."
"Will you stop calling me that?" Slade asked in annoyance.
It was then that they both received a message from Jura.
"Attention all pilots. Begin changing the frequencies of your barriers and beams. We should be able to avoid being damaged by friendly fire."
It was then that Slade became inspired.
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On the bridge, Magno received more bad news. The port arm of the ship had been hit, causing the Nirvana to begin tilting. The defensive barrier was now down to its third level. Once that was gone, then the pirate vessel would be totally defenseless. The enemy was now regrouping for one final assault.
At that point, she received a communiqué from Slade.
"Captain, there's no need to worry about all this. I've got a plan that I'd like to try."
Magno perked up at this announcement. "Are you thinking of a suicide mission?"
"No, but this plan is almost as crazy as a kamikaze. In any case, dying isn't on my agenda today. I still haven't tried everything in the galley's menu yet."
"If this plan turns out well, you can eat yourself to death."
"Works for me. However, there is one catch."
"Which is?"
"I'm... going to have to take command of the Dreads as well as the Vanguards. Just this once."
"I thought you didn't like being in command."
"I don't, but I have to."
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Duero found himself out of alternatives. He couldn't risk brain surgery on Meia at present, so he had called on Parfat to rig an ultrasonic psycho-stimulator. In theory, the machine would cause the Paksis fragment to disintegrate, thereby bring Meia back from her near-comatose state. However, if it did not work, then she would never be the same again.
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In space, in front of the Nirvana...
"All right everyone, get into formation. I'm getting hungry and there's an all-you-can-eat buffet with my name on it. Let's get this over with in one shot!"
All of the Dread teams became lined up behind Tekkadread Dita as the enemy began forming up for the final confrontation. The Vanguards also moved into strategic positions. Each mecha carried a kind of reflective panel.
"All teams report in." Slade called out.
There was a long silence as no one answered the Tekkaman. Then, in very restrained voices, the squadron leaders replied.
"A-Team ready."
"B-Team ready."
"C-Team ready."
"D-team ready."
"Warrior squadron ready."
Slade nodded. It was obvious that the Dread pilots liked taking his orders even less than the Vanguards, but now was not the time to argue. As the enemy ships closed in on the Nirvana's position, he began counting down.
"Ten..."
A barrage of beams and cannon fire pounded on the barrier of the Nirvana, causing it to flicker and buckle under the strain.
"... nine... eight... seven..."
The barrier gave way, leaving the ship open to attack. Inside of his navigation well, Bart cried out in pain as the Nirvana took several direct hits.
"... six... five... four..."
The enemy vessels closed in and were now committed to the attack.
"... three... two... one... LET'S GO!"
The Dreads and Vanguards charged forward as Tekkadread Dita let the counterattack.
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In the sick bay, Meia screamed out as the stimulator was activated, Her body thrash about in violent convulsions, making everyone present very tense. After a minute of the treatment, her form stiffened up, then collapsed back onto the table. The monitors that were displaying her vital signs flat-lined.
"MEIA!" Parfat screamed.
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"I CAN'T TAKE THIS!" Dita cried out as the Tekkadread was ruthlessly pounded on all sides by enemy fire.
Slade however, kept calm and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He smiled as he continued to watch the monitors. The Dreads and Vanguards were reaching their designated coordinates right about... now!
"HERE WE GO!"
The Tekkaman suddenly flared with light as he fed his aura and power into the Tekkadread's systems. The shoulder cannons detached from the mountings and fused to the arm blades, forming a sword on each arm. The blades glowed with power as Slade prepared to fire.
"BLADE... VOLTEKKER!"
The Tekkadread thrust out its arms and let loose with multiple blasts of quantum energy which shot out toward the Dreads and Vanguards. Each shot reflected off the shields of his allies and lanced toward the enemy in all directions. The results were devastating for the opposing side. Cruisers and Cube-Types were blown away, along with asteroids and any other obstacles. Even the new, ultra-fast enemy fighter was blown to pieces as it couldn't dodge shots being fired in all directions. There was one massive explosion as the main body of the enemy force was annihilated.
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"That's totally insane!" Buzom declared. "He used our shields to reflect his shots!"
Magno shrugged. "It may have been insane, but it worked anyway. Tell the galley to get ready for an extra-hungry customer."
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Meia felt as if she could now let go. It was so peaceful, so quiet. She felt no pain, no worries, nothing at all. She found herself standing on a grass field under a clear blue sky. She could finally rest in peace.
However, just before she let herself fall into oblivion, she head a voice. It was a gentle voice which she instantly recognized.
"My little one. Do not give up. You are far stronger than I, and you have your whole life ahead of you."
"Mother? MOTHER?!"
"Though you may not know it, you have many friends who care about you. It would make them very sad if you were to leave them now."
Meia then began seeing images of her comrades on the Nirvana. People such as Magno, Gascogne, Parfat and Paiway flashed by. Then they were followed by the males of the crew. She saw Duero as he tried to give her advice about operating a Vanguard; advice which she had ignored and almost nearly cost her life. Then she saw Bart with his idiotic expressions and whining attitude. Finally, she saw Slade.
She saw him when he was cocky and arrogant, though he had the skills and power to back up that attitude. However, she also saw him when he was introspective and moody. Finally she saw him as a Tekkaman.
She began feeling herself being pulled in two directions. On one side was the specter of death, who promised eternal rest and freedom from pain, yet she would spend it in darkness. On the other side was the angel of life, who promised a life of trials and more pain, yet it would be spent in blinding light. Meia would have to spend her remaining energy on a choice. Life and more conflict, or death and endless shadow.
With a deep mental breath, she chose.
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"It's so bright..." Meia mumbled as she opened her eyes and looked at the overhead operating light. Standing above her and sobbing were Paiway and Parfat.
"You came back to us!" The engineer exclaimed happily.
"We brought you back!" Paiway said.
"Stop it okay." Meia reached up to feel her face, and instantly realized that her headpiece was gone.
"Don't worry. It's right here." The doctor said as he held up Meia's most prized possession. "This is very important to you, isn't it?"
Meia shook her head. "No. In reality... it's a lesson."
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Meia couldn't sleep. After spending a few hours, sitting in her room and staring out the large picture window at the stars outside, she decided that she needed some air.
After putting on her usual attire, she decided to visit the ship's mess hall. The other pilots had been celebrating their latest victory over the aliens and were now sleeping off the effects of overindulgence. Plates were piles high on all the tables. Empty bottles were strewn all over the place. Crewmembers were either slumbering on the floor or in their chairs. Though the Dread leader didn't approve of this lack of discipline, she didn't fault them for it. They had earned this. They had defeated the enemy... without her.
She then walked over to a table where the plates were piled the highest and saw Dita sleeping. Meia assumed that was the table in which Slade had eaten. However, she did not find the Tekkaman slumbering after pigging out. She looked down at the empty chair and became lost in thought for a while, until she heard footsteps behind her.
"They all did their best today."
"Captain." The Dread leader turned to face the Nirvana's commander.
The old woman gestured with her walking stick at the empty chair. "He ate enough to feed the entire crew for a week. However, he earned it."
"I see." Meia had been told that the counterattack against the enemy had been Slade's idea.
"It's certainly ironic isn't it?"
"What is?"
"Slade is a lot like you, don't you think? The only real difference between you two is that he doesn't keep all of his feelings bottled up. I didn't think he would win everyone's hearts, or at least their respect so quickly, and right under our noses at that."'
When Meia did not respond to that remark, the ancient woman added, "Meia... I know that these past weeks have been hard on you, but don't you think that you should open up a little more? Perhaps it may be time to find forgiveness... for yourself."
Meia gazed out at the stars through another observation port and considered her leader's words.
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Meia found Slade working out in the ship's recreation and exercise room. He was bare-chested and going through the motions of a very complex kata. The girl did not recognize the style he was using, and it made even Xian Pu's movements seem clumsy and energy wasteful. For a long while, she simply watched him as he moved with all the grace of a predatory cat, yet his form hinted at awesome power that was just waiting to be released.
After a few more minutes, Slade stopped in a neutral stance and took several deep breaths before turning to her. He gave her a small smile as he greeted her.
"So did you enjoy the show?"
"It was... interesting." Meia allowed.
"So how are you?"
"I'm... fine."
"Good." Slade said as he went into another ready stance in preparation for another series of katas. "Taking command of the Dreads is not something that I want to do on a regular basis. I have enough problems with the Vanguards."
It was then that Meia released her bombshell.
"You were right."
Slade suddenly stopped and turned to her in puzzlement. "Excuse me?"
Meia swallowed a bit. "You were right. I should have combined with you. That fighter was just too fast for my Dread. I was just too stubborn to admit it."
"Am I hearing things? Is the tough Dread leader actually admitting that she was wrong?" Meia gave Slade a bit of scowl, in which Slade responded by holding up a hand. "No insult intended. I'm just surprised that you are actually saying that you needed help. I kind of pegged you as the totally independent type, who doesn't accept help from anyone. It's just surprising, that's all. It's shows that there's really a human being underneath that shell."
Slade went back to his training, leaving Meia to watch and consider his words.
To be continued...
Author's notes
Well, that takes care of chapter 6. There's not much difference between this chapter and the episode in Vandread, but I felt that it didn't need to be changed much. As for the next chapter, I will now be focusing on the relationship between Slade and Dita. I like Dita, Meia and Jura and I intend to give them all a chance at Slade as well some other girls.