TEKKADREAD
Disclaimer: Why ask why?
: Thoughts
Chapter 11
A Place to Belong
Slade sighed as he balanced a couple of cartons in his arms, while following Dita through a food storage room. He didn't know why he agreed to be her pack mule, but when she came at him with those sad, puppy dog eyes, he caved in like a house of playing cards. Just what was it about him that couldn't stand to see a girl cry?
"All I need now are some carrots." The redhead stated as she picked up a carton off a shelf. Loading it atop the two that Slade was already carrying, she turned to make a beeline toward the exit. It was then that she saw Paiway had been hiding behind the shelf.
"What are you doing here?" The little apprentice nurse asked.
Dita became a bit flustered as she tried to explain without giving away the true purpose of her raiding the storeroom. "Uhh, well I'm just here to cook up something for lunch, that's all."
Paiway became a bit disappointed, then perked up and asked, "By the way Dita, do you know what day this is?"
Dita shrugged while smiling. "Sure, it's Thursday."
"Anything else?" The eleven-year-old asked with hope.
"Uh... no, I can't think of anything else." She turned to Slade. "Come on Mr. Alien!"
The Tekkaman winced. Was it too much to ask for her to call him by his name? He could tolerate the D-Boy nickname from Gascogne and Magno, but being called Mr. Alien was getting REALLY old!
The two left the storage area, leaving a saddened girl.
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The hanger...
"Are you sure about this Parfat?" One of the maintenance crew asked as she watched her supervisor begin adding some new components and circuits to the Tekkabot.
"Yep. This should give Pegas some extra firepower." The bespectacled girl replied. "I've been thinking about these upgrades for a while now."
"But ma'am, we're talking about tinkering with something that we know next-to-nothing about. We've already scanned Slade and his crystal several times and we STILL don't have a clue as to how the Tekkaman Power System works."
"Not quite." Parfat interjected as she closed up a panel. "After analyzing the last few battles, I think I may have an idea as to how Slade's Voltekker works. If I'm right, these new modifications should be able to enhance the Voltekker... once I get all the bugs worked out."
"You WANT to make that thing stronger?! Isn't it powerful enough as it is?!"
"Well..." The chief engineer began. "You have to admit that Slade has been our best weapon against the aliens, especially with the Dreads. Then again, there's always the chance that we might come across something that even he can't handle after combining. I wanted to make sure that we have another option."
"Yeah, but these modifications that you're planning will take days to install."
"Well, we're not under attack now, are we?"
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Parfat was correct to begin preparations, for the Nirvana's crew and Slade would soon need them. On the home world of the Harvesters, another project was already well on its way to completion.
"We've imprinted all of Tekkaman Slade's known battle tactics from our drones' recordings, into the subject's cerebral cortex. He'll be able to counter every one of his moves and perform at a much higher rate." The tech declared as he and his colleagues worked to finish their latest project. "We've inputed all of the Tekkaman's known powers and weaponry, as well as the Tekkadreads."
Another tech waved off that last bit of information about the enhanced dreads. In addition to the battle footage from the drones, they had been monitoring the enemy frequencies on their long-range sensors. "We've already completed the countermeasures for those fusion tactics. They're in their final stages of testing. Actually, the simplest way to counter those maneuvers is to prevent the Tekkaman from combining with the Dreads. The main problem is that even without combining, the Tekkaman is extremely formidable on his own, especially with that Voltekker."
The first tech nodded as he pointed to certain areas of the figure in the gestation tube. "Well, let's see just how he fares against... the Anti-Voltekker."
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The Nirvana's sick bay...
"It's not fair!" Bart sulked as he and Duero discussed about their situation on the Nirvana. "We've been on this ship for months now and the others STILL don't give me any respect!" When the good doctor did not answer right away, the navigator continued to whine about his lack of prestige among the women. On Tarak, he had been a figure of some repute, (of course, that was because of his position as the heir to Garsus Foods), but here on the Nirvana, the crew took little to no notice of him. Never mind the fact that he was the only person who could steer the fused craft. Without him, the ship would do nothing but drift endlessly in space. But did those women even show the slightest bit of appreciation? No. The only man those women ever talked about was...
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"Mr. Alien, is that too heavy?"
"Nah, I'll be fine." The Tekkaman replied as he followed the apprentice pilot down a corridor, heading to the kitchen. In his arms were three large boxes, which partially blocked his sight. As he passed by a door, he heard someone breathing heavily and decided to pause for a moment and have a look. The door was slightly opened, so he opted to take a quick peek.
His eyes widened a bit at what he saw. This was the first time he had ever seen Celtic Midori without that silly, full-body bear suit. He had to admit that she was cute. She had a slender form and her skin was pale. Her gree-blue hair was cropped in a short style that framed her heart-shaped face nicely. When his gaze traveled down, his cheeks reddened a bit when he saw her in nothing but her undergarments. Mentally chiding himself for acting like a Peeping Tom, he shook his head and quickly turned to catch up with Dita. Unfortunately, the top box in his arms tilted the wrong way and Slade had to swerve to the other side to right himself. As a result, he bumped into the door, causing it to slide completely open. Just as he stopped the cartons from falling to the floor, he found himself facing a scantily clad girl.
Celtic Midori's reaction was predictable.
"AIIIIIIIIYYYYEEEEEEEE! PERVERT!"
WHABOOM!
As Slade lay face-first on the floor, he wondered just where she had produced that huge hammer.
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The sick bay...
"So what can I do so that the others will give me more respect?" Bart asked.
The physician thought about it for a while then decided to use a story to explain. "Once upon a time, there was a man with very short hair, and he wanted to part of a group. The problem was that they all had very long hair. The decided that the best way to join that group was to have long hair as well. So he bought himself a wig and asked to join. They accepted and he became a part of the group. However, some time later, they discovered that he really had short hair but they accepted him into their group anyway, since they had all become good friends. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
Bart thought for a minute, then nodded as if he comprehended. "I get it!" He then went off to his quarters.
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Meanwhile, on the bridge...
Ezra was at her post. However, her mind was not on her duties, but rather on what she would name her child when she was born. She had been compiling a list of names and wondered which one would suit the baby. The little robot Pyoro had been insisting since the Christmas party to name the baby Pyoro 2, but Ezra didn't like that one. However, she was just too kind-hearted to tell the Nivana's mascot that she was going to choose a name other than Pyoro 2 for her daughter.
As she was still deep in thought, the bridge doors opened to reveal the navigator. When everyone turned around, their eyes opened wide when they saw...
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The kitchen...
Slade grumbled as he nursed a large lump on his head.
Dita hummed to herself as she continued preparing a special meal for a certain somebody. She had already assured Slade that what had happened had just been a misunderstanding and told him that not to worry about it. She was certain that Celtic had already forgotten about it.
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Not really...
"Oh, so you finally took that silly costume off, have you?" Jura remarked as Celtic came into the recreation hall, still in her undergarments and carrying the bear suit. Several of the other girls and Pyoro were in the room as well.
Celtic was frantic as she shook her head. "You don't understand! I only wore this suit because I didn't want any part of my body touching those men! I didn't even want to breathe the same air as they do!"
"What's the big deal? They aren't so bad." Xian Pu said.
"That's what you think!" Celtic shot back. "Just a minute ago, one of them was peeping in my room! It was Slade!"
This immediately got the attention of several females as they began to have second thoughts about having the men aboard their ship.
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Meanwhile, back in the sick bay...
"I can't believe that you did THAT." Duero said as he addressed Bart. The navigator was wearing a yellow sundress, lipstick, blush, high heels and a long, blond wig. He had caused quite a stir when he came to the bridge.
"This is all your fault! You told me that story about having long hair would get the others to respect me more!"
"I merely wanted to imply that it takes time for relationships and that you have to EARN one's respect. I didn't tell you to go out and dress like that."
The navigator facefaulted as he realized that he had made a ridiculous mistake.
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In the kitchen, Slade noticed that Dita's eyes were welling up with moisture.
"Is something the matter? Why are you crying?" Slade asked as he got up and walked toward her.
"No, it's nothing. It's just these onions." Dita insisted as she wiped her eyes. On the counter in front of her were some diced onions. Chopping them up had caused tears to emerge. However, both she and Slade didn't know that they were being monitored.
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A few minutes before...
Paiway had being feeling a bit left out, ever since Dita had been spending more time with Slade and less with her. Before encountering the men, Dita and Paiway had been close and the young apprentice nurse had always been with her. Today was supposed to have been special, since it was the first anniversary since Paiway had joined up with Magno's pirates. Apparently, Dita seemed to have forgotten about it. All she ever did was go on and on about her 'Mr. Alien.'
She decided to go look for Dita, but when she got the galley, she saw something that made her temper boil. There was Dita, crying while she was facing Slade! Before she even had time to think, she whipped out her mini-camcorder and filmed the scene, without even saying her trademarked 'Pai-Check.'
Just as Slade and Dita noticed her, she quickly rushed out of the galley and down the hall.
Slade looked in the direction of Paiway's departure, then addressed Dita. "What was that all about?"
"I don't know." The redhead replied as she rubbed her eyes. "Wow, these onions are really strong!"
"Here, let me help you." Slade gently nudged her to one side, picked up a knife and diced the onions at such high speeds, there was no time for tears.
"Wow! You're amazing Mr. Alien! Where did you learn to cook?"
"Oh, it's just a few things I picked up on my travels."
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The recreation hall...
"I'm telling you that we shouldn't have those men running around freely!" Celtic said.
"Oh, what's the big deal?" Meia commented. She had been listening to the other girls as the debate about the men began to heat up. "So he saw you in your underwear. I'm sure he didn't mean it. That's nothing to get so upset about."
"How would you feel if he saw YOU in your bra and panties!?" Celtic shot back.
Meia's cheeks blushed a bit as she had an image of herself in her underwear in front of Slade. She shook her head and replied. "Still, you're blowing this little incident out of proportion. I'm sure that..."
"Celtic's right!" Paiway exclaimed as she burst into the room. Everyone turned to her as she brought up a monitor and inserted a video disk. "Men are animals! Look at this!" She pushed a button and the monitor started displaying what she had just filmed. "See? That man made Dita cry!"
The elicited a number of gasps among the women as those who were unsure about the men, now began taking sides.
"How horrible!"
"That's absolutely unforgivable!"
"You and Dita were best friends until that MAN showed up!"
"He should be punished!"
Meia shook her head again as she got up from her seat and tried to diffuse the situation. Now was not the time to for this, especially with the aliens constantly attacking. "Hold on! Let's not start jumping to conclusions!"
"Men are scum!"
"We should have kept them locked up!"
"Why did we even take them aboard in the first place?"
The Dread leader held up her hands in an effort to quell the dissent among the crew. "Settle down! This isn't getting us anywhere!"
It was at that time that Barnette saw the perfect opportunity. Her hostility against Slade and men in general had not lessened since the journey began and now, it was payback time for all those times that Slade had showed her up. "You're right Meia. Arguing isn't getting us anywhere."
Meia sighed in relief. "Well, I'm glad that someone's listening..."
"It's time to take action!"
"What?"
Barnette began rallying those who were against the males. "Listen up, everyone! The men aboard this ship have been without control for too long and I say we put a stop to this!"
"YEAH!" Several girls said in unison.
"Are we going to let those men do as they please?"
"NO!"
"Who's more important? Men or women?"
"WOMEN!"
"I say we throw them back into the brig where they belong! This is a female ship and men have no place on it, right?"
"YEAH!"
Meia developed a large sweatdrop. She wondered how this had gone so far out of control. She wasn't the only one. Several members of the Warrior Squadron, including Xian Pu did not agree with Barnette. Ukyo was also there and since the Christmas party, she had been more tolerant of the presence of the males, especially Slade. They all began following the group that sided with Barnette to see what would happen next.
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The galley...
"Perfect! Paiway will be so surprised!" Dita clasped her hands and looked down at her handiwork. With Slade's help, she had prepared a special anniversary meal for the apprentice nurse to celebrate her first year with the pirates.
"I'm sure that she'll like it." Slade commented. However, at that moment, his danger sense went off as the kitchen door opened to reveal several members of the crew in full space suits and aiming blasters at him. At the head of the group was Barnette, who was holding out an old-style handgun.
"DON'T MOVE!" She commanded.
"Uh... excuse me?" Slade asked in complete puzzlement.
"What's going on?" Dita asked. She didn't like the way the others were scowling at Mr. Alien.
"What's going on, Dita, is that we're putting the all the men back into the brig!"
"Huh? What for? I haven't done anything." Slade was completely bamboozled, then said, "Look, if it's about what happened this morning, I can explain..."
"Don't hand us any excuses, you pervert!" Barnette said while gesturing with her gun. "All men are the enemy and they should be treated as the enemy!"
"Now hold on a minute! I don't what the HELL has gotten all of you riled up, but I can tell you right now that I'm NOT the enemy!"
"Save it!" Another girl cried out. "We all saw how evil you are! You made Dita cry!"
"No he didn't!" Dita interjected as she pointed to the dish on the table. "I was cutting up some onions for Paiway's anniversary surprise!"
Behind Barnette, Paiway gasped as she saw the food and began to realize that she may have made a grave error. She suddenly felt like looking for a nice big rock to hid under. However, Barnette wasn't about to change her stance.
"There's no use in defending this scum, Dita! He's a man, and all men are the enemy!" She gestured to Slade. "Now you either come quietly or..." Her voice trailed off, letting Slade to fill in the blank.
Slade was silent for a long time as he gazed upon the angry mob. For a while, he had actually believed that it might work out. This had been the longest he had ever stayed in one place. The Nirvana was a place where he had felt that he belonged. Now it seemed that it had been nothing but an impossible dream.
"I see that there's no use in talking, is there? All right... so be it." He went into a ready stance and motioned for Dita to step back. "However, if you think I'm going to let you put me in the brig, when I haven't committed any crime... then you're sadly mistaken, Barnette. You want me? Come and get me."
Barnette snorted as she motioned for the crowd to take aim with their blasters. However, she noticed that several of them weren't obeying. She saw that the Vanguard pilots and a few of the Register girls were actually frowning at her, not Slade.
"What's the matter with you? Are you afraid of one man? Go get him!"
One of the girls sheepishly replied, "Well... it's not that we're afraid, Barnette. At least... not entirely. It's just that... he's done so much for us. I mean, he did save Meia's life and got us out of that asteroid field. Then he cooked that wonderful Christmas dinner..."
"He's helped out at the Register." Ukyo added. "And he did save my life."
"He... is the leader of the Vanguards." Xian Pu stated. Several members of the Warrior Squadron nodded as well. They had grown to respect their commander. He was a harsh taskmaster when it came to their training sessions, but he was fair, and he never put them through any kind of hardship that he himself wouldn't go through.
Slade smiled at this loyalty, which made it even harder for him as he addressed those that still believed in him. "I appreciate your faith in me. But, it seems that the majority doesn't want me here, so I guess it would be best if I left."
Slade began taking a step forward, but Barnette blocked his path while pointing the muzzle of her weapon at his face.
"HOLD IT! You're not going anywhere but the brig!"
In a flash, Slade blurred forward before she could even THINK to pull the trigger. The gun disappeared momentarily, then reappeared in her hand, still pointing at him. The Tekkaman then held up a narrow, rectangular object in his right hand. "Your gun is not going to work without ammo."
Barnette's eyes widened as she looked down at her weapon and realized that the clip had been removed, plus the round she had in the chamber. In a heartbeat, he had rendered her weapon useless.
Using his thumb, Slade began ejecting the rounds from the clip. Holding out his other hand, he collected all fourteen rounds, then casually crushed them into a mass of metal and gunpowder. He then crushed the clip along with the rounds, creating a small sphere and tossed it over his shoulder. It made a pinging sound as it clattered onto the floor.
That little display unnerved several females and many of them were reconsidering about joining Barnette's side against Slade.
"GET HIM!" Jura's friend shouted.
Those who did follow Barnette rushed at the Tekkaman, hoping to overwhelm him by sheer numbers. However, that was when Slade... retaliated.
Knowing that these girls were simply misguided, he refrained from using anything but his most passive techniques. Since the kitchen did not offer much space for fighting, Slade found himself in very limited, close-quarters combat. However, that also worked in his favor, since the females couldn't fire their weapons without running the risk of shooting each other. Instead they held out their blaster rifles like staves and attempted to pummel him into submission. However, the Tekkaman was nothing if not, adaptable.
Ducking under a swing aimed for his head; Slade pivoted on one foot while using the other in a footsweep. As the girl went down, he hopped up to avoid a stab at his chest, then kicked the rifle out of another attacker's hand. The weapon went flying and knocked out two others who tried to get him from his left flank. Grabbing the outstretched arm of a third female, he used her forward momentum to swing her about and toss her back into the main body of the group, which was still at the front door. Barnette and her followers went down and became a tangled heap.
Slade ran for the exit, pausing only to give the Warrior Squadron's second-in-command his final instructions.
"Take care of the squadron Xian Pu. I leave them to you."
The Amazon nodded respectfully, as she and the other pilots of the Vanguards gave him a clear path to freedom. They made no attempt to get in his way as he dashed out into the hallway. They couldn't stop him in any case. They had improved in their martial arts, but he was still their sensei.
Barnette angrily glared at Xian Pu as she got back to her feet. "Why didn't you stop him!? He's getting away!"
Xian Pu and the other girls under her new command stood firm against the Dread pilot and the others. The warrior girl shook her head and said, "You want him? Get him yourself! We're not going to be a part of this!"
Both women glared at each other and it looked as if things might come to blows. Barnette was a tough fighter, but she knew that she didn't stand a chance against Xian Pu's hand-to-hand combat skills. Added to the fact was that Slade had been training her and the rest of the Warrior Squadron. The gun would have given Barnette an edge, if it were loaded. Behind her, the girls who had sided with her tensed up, readying their weapons. They were prepared to fight against those who stood by the men. On the other side, the Warrior Squadron and several Register girls also prepared for imminent conflict.
Jura's friend gritted her teeth. That stupid male had turned female against female on the Nirvana. This was his entire fault, and she didn't want to hurt her fellow crewmembers. Barnette growled as she motioned for her subordinates to follow her in pursuit of Slade.
As the others left, Dita stood in absolute shock. How had this happened?
As Warrior Squadron watched them run around a corner, one girl came up to Xian Pu and asked, "Aren't we going to stop them?"
The Amazon was also unsure of what to do at the moment. Like Barnette, she didn't want to fight against her fellow crewmates, but at the same time she held great respect for Slade. In the end, she just stood there as chaos began running rampant throughout the ship.
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The bridge...
"What? There's a mutiny?" Magno exclaimed when she had just received a call from Dita.
Buzom's brows furrowed when she heard the news. Why did this have to happen now? The Nirvana was halfway home and the last thing they needed was a breakdown in the ranks. "What's going on, Dita?"
Dita hurriedly gave the Sub-Commander an abridged version of what had occurred. BC responded with a look of confusion. "They started a mutiny over that?"
However, some of the bridge crew, who was listening in on the communications, began to take sides.
"I always knew that men were nothing but trouble!"
"They should all be thrown into the brig!"
"Who needs men?"
"Oh my! Why are they so angry with Slade?" Ezra exclaimed. "He didn't do anything."
The old captain of the pirates developed a huge sweatdrop. Things were getting out of hand.
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Slade dashed by the sick bay with his pack slung over his shoulder. He had just stopped by his quarters to pick up his belongings, then made a beeline for the nearest airlock, which was near the hanger. As he rushed by, Duero and Bart wondered just what was going on. At that instant, several women came into the medical facility and aimed their weapons at them. In minutes, the confused males of the Nirvana were herded into the brig.
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The hanger...
Parfat was currently working on Pegas when Slade suddenly came barreling into the area. He slammed his fist on the entrance door controls. A huge slab of steel alloy came down, blocking off the hanger bay from the rest of the ship. Since the airlock had been sealed off, he had opted to go out the main hanger.
Pegas looked toward his master and asked a question while gesturing to the pack slung over his shoulder. "What is going on? Where is Slade going?"
Slade shook his head while pausing to answer. "I can't believe they'd turn on me like that." He looked up at his robotic partner with a bit of sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry Pegas, but I'm afraid that this is goodbye."
"What are you talking about Slade?" Parfat asked. "What's happening?"
"You tell me. One minute I'm helping Dita with a surprise for Paiway, and the next minute I became Number One on the Nirvana's Hit List. I have to go..."
"Pegas will go with Slade." The Tekkabot said solemnly as it disengaged from the various devices it was hooked up to.
"Hey wait!" Paiway exclaimed. "I haven't finished with the modifications yet!"
"Pegas, you don't have to..." Slade began.
"Pegas will go with Slade!" The modified Vanguard insisted.
When there was a dull clanging noise at the sealed door, Slade began weighing his options. In a few minutes, Barnette and the others would break through. Having Pegas with him would help him conserve energy, once he got out into space. He looked up to the machine and couldn't help but appreciate the robot's loyalty. "Are you sure Pegas? Once we go out, we may never come back."
"Pegas will go with Slade!"
Slade took a deep breath, then finally nodded. "All right. Pegas power on!"
The Tekkabot nodded as it opened its cockpit. "Affirmative."
Slade gave Parfat a farewell wave before entering the Tekkabot and initiated the launch sequence.
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"Captain, the Tekkabot has just launched!"
Buzom and Magno had a good idea of who was aboard Pegas. They raised the Tekkabot.
"D-Boy, where are you going?" Magno asked.
Slade's face appeared on the main monitor with a sad smile. "I should have known that it wouldn't have lasted. For while... I actually believed that it would work and... maybe, I could call the Nirvana a place where I'd belong. I've searched for so long to find someplace that I could call home... But I know when I'm not wanted, so... I guess this is goodbye, Captain. It was great working with you. Take care."
"Slade! Wait...!"
However, the main monitor turned off as Pegas sped off into the black void of space.
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Some time later...
Slade never truly realized how lonely it was in space until now. In his previous journeys, he had been constantly on the move and never formed any long-term relationships with anyone. That is until he had been accepted on the Nirvana. He had gotten used to being with people and now, he was alone again. Well, not entirely alone, since he did have Pegas. However, as welcomed as its company was, the Tekkaman had grown accustomed to being with humans. Now he found himself without a home, nor any place in particular he could go to.
As he contemplated on what to do next, his long-range sensors began picking up something approaching his coordinates.
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Back on the Nirvana...
Magno knew that the mutiny had done nothing but cripple the ship. Without Bart, the Nirvana could not do anything, but maintain its present course on autopilot. That meant no evasive maneuvers and the ship was a sitting duck to attacks. They didn't even have the option of running away, Bart's specialty.
Without Duero, the crew would have to rely on the mediocre medical skills of Paiway, which many dreaded to return to. The young girl had some potential, but she lacked both the overall knowledge and medical training of her male counterpart. Duero had proven himself an able physician, despite the fact that he knew very little about female anatomy. Most importantly, he gave the kind of caring attitude that was essential to treating patients.
Most importantly, the pirates had lost their greatest tactical advantage against their relentless enemy. No Slade meant no Tekkadreads. It had already been proven that the Dread fighters were not enough by themselves. They didn't have Pegas as a support craft, since it left with D-Boy. Not that it mattered since Slade was the only one who could pilot the Tekkabot. Even with the Vanguards, Magno knew that they were at a serious disadvantage. Xian Pu was an able commander, but the Warrior Squadron functioned at its best with Slade in the lead. Furthermore, the schism that was formed between the Dread and Vanguard pilots would most definitely cause a drop in moral. The Warrior Squadron still retained their loyalty to their former male commander, which caused a lot of friction with the pilots that followed Barnette, who was now having a rally against the men in the recreation room.
There was also some dissent in the Register. Slade had often helped out with Gascogne's staff and his work was top-notch. However, those who admired him were now at odds with those who were jealous of his skills.
Magno wondered just how the absence of one male could affect the lives of so many. As soon as that question was in her mind, she knew the answer. Slade was one of a kind. In just a short period of time, he had touched everyone's hearts, whether good or bad, and now he had been driven away. Emptiness had formed among the Nirvana's crew and the old pirate captain knew that things were going to get worse.
At that point, Meia's face appeared on the monitor. "Captain..."
"Yes, Meia? What is it?"
"Well... Id like to request a search and retrieval operation... for Slade."
"What?" Both Buzom and Magno were a bit surprised by this turn of events.
"Mr. Alien! Come back!" Dita blubbered as her face appeared on another vid-screen.
"Meia, tell us why you'd want to risk encountering our enemies in a search?" BC inquired.
"Well..." The Dread Leader began. "Technically speaking... he is second-in-command of the Nirvana's defense, isn't he? And... well, we can't form the Tekkadreads without him and... they're our most effective weapons against the Harvesters."
"I see. So it's from a tactical standpoint that you want to look for him, eh?" Magno said with a bit of a grin.
"Well... that's part of the reason..."
Just then another vid-sceen pooped up, followed by another, then another. Soon the entire airspace of the bridge was flooded.
"We have to find the commander!"
"We need him!"
"No we don't!"
"Aw shut up! What do you know?"
"I can't believe that he'd just leave us like that!"
"We can still catch him if we launch!"
"This is all your fault, Barnette!"
"I was hoping he'd cook for us again!"
"What are we going to do without the commander?"
"We don't need men!"
"Men are useless!"
"We can't win without him!"
"We can win!"
"He was supposed to teach us that new move!"
The chatter went on and on for several minutes and Magno finally motioned for Buzom to shut off all inter-ship communications. Just before everything was turned off one voice was heard above all the others.
"MR. ALIEN... COME BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"
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Meanwhile, somewhere in space...
"WHOA!" Slade directed the Tekkabot to dodge the sudden barrage of laser and particle beams. He didn't know why that fleet of ships started firing on him, but as soon as he saw those lines of light heading toward him, he immediately put the Paksis-powered Vanguard through evasive maneuvers.
He counted around fifty or so medium battle cruisers, but he didn't recognize the design of the ships. He assumed that they were from a planet that he hadn't visited before. He also glimpsed dots of light emerging from some of the vessels and correctly guessed that they were fighters. Just then, a large beam shot dangerously close to where he was and he winced as it glanced off one of Pegas' arms. The alloy became charred from the intense heat.
"Okay, that does it! I've already been fed enough crap today! I don't need to combine with Dreads! I can kick ass on my own!" The enraged Tekkaman made his crystal appear. "TEKSETT..."
Suddenly, the barrage stopped as suddenly as it had begun and the Tekkabot began receiving a hail from the lead cruiser.
"Attention unidentified fighter."
"Huh?" Slade stopped powering up to transform as he heard a human voice.
"We are of the Melanos Anti-Earth Defense Fleet. From what planet do you hail?"
"Say what?! You ask me where I come from AFTER you shoot at me?!"
"Tell us, do you serve the Harvesters?"
"Like HELL I do! I've been fighting those (censored) damned Harvesters for (censored) months now! As for where I came from, I don't have a (censored) planet to call home. The last place I was staying at gave me the (censored) boot, for something that wasn't my (censored) fault! I'm tired, I'm hungry and now I'm royally pissed off! So are you going to ask any more stupid (censored) questions or are we going to (censored) fight? I'm ready to kick some goddamned ass after the crap I've been put through!"
----------
On the lead ship's bridge, the commander addressed the officer who was operating the communications console.
"So do you think he's from Earth?"
"I doubt it, Captain." The officer replied. "I've never known the Earth forces to SWEAR so much."
----------
Later...
"I would like to apologize for our actions." The ship's captain said as Slade was brought to the bridge. "We thought you were part of the Harvesting fleet."
The Tekkaman noticed that a male and a female operator manned each of the bridge stations. He then nodded to the captain. "I guess that's all right. I've encountered those Harvesters too. They're real tenacious bastards. I guess I can't blame you for being a little trigger-happy."
"We thank you for your understanding." The human captain said. "We've been battling them for a long time now and we've set up this defensive line to protect our homeworld of Melanos. We would rather die in battle, than be gathered up like vegetables!" He then brought up a holographic image of the places in which the Harvesters had already attacked. "So far we've been able to repel all attacks against them, but the neighboring worlds have not been faring as well."
Slade's eyes narrowed as he saw that the locations of the targeted worlds looked familiar somehow then shook his head. "That's all well and good, but being on the defensive all the time isn't going to work."
"What do you mean?"
"It's been my experience that being on the defense without attacking makes one very limited. Eventually your enemy is going to break through your defenses and then where will you be?"
"And what would you suggest?" The captain asked with interest.
"Well... I'm no expert on war tactics, but I do know a thing or two about fighting. A good offense might be your best bet. What I see so far from this image is that the Harvesters have already gotten a foothold in this part of the galaxy and it's only a matter of time before they overrun every human world in this sector. I've already seen a couple of worlds that have been conquered and it wasn't pretty. One planet was reduced to a wasteland and the other had no will to fight back."
"I see."
"Yeah, and the worst part of it was, that the second world Anpathos was so pathetic, that they didn't NEED their backbones. They may as well just let those Harvesters take them. They certainly had no use for their spines."
"We are not like those people. We are fighting to keep our vital organs!"
"Like I said, that's all well and good, but unless you take the battle to them and destroy them first, then you're only delaying the inevitable. You can't assume anything or let down your guard. Those Harvesters will stop at nothing, and you'll have to take them down, before THEY take you down... forever."
----------
A little while later...
In one of the fighter hangers, Pegas was in Standby Mode while it was being recharged and serviced. Milling about the area were several dozen male-female pairs and Slade found the coed atmosphere to be quite a change from the all-female environment he had been living in for months. The cooperation and trust between the genders greatly impressed him; not like the suspicion and hostility on the Nirvana.
The Tekkaman's expression softened a bit as he remembered back to all the good times he had on the pirate vessel. Not everyone had been hostile toward him. People like Gascogne, Magno, Meia, Jura, the Warrior Squadron, Xian Pu, Ukyo, some of the Register girls, and... Dita. They had accepted him and treated him fairly. It was almost like being in a family. He missed the training sessions with the Vanguard pilots and the work in the Register. There were those card games with Gasconge. Oh sure he lost to her all the time, but he never minded the tough, yet easy-going head supplier. He also missed the head-butting with the strong-willed Meia, Jura's fame-hungry antics and... even though he hated to admit it, he missed being called D-Boy or... Mr. Alien.
Slade shook his head. Those days were over and it would best for him to move on. The Nirvana didn't want him and that was it. Now it seemed that he had found a new home with the people of Melanos. Slade then turned his head as a young, slender girl walked up to him. She looked to be in her late teens and was wearing a purple jumpsuit. She had straight, nut-brown hair and a very pleasant-looking face. She smiled at him as she held out her hand.
"Hello. My name is Seran and I'd like to welcome you to our ship, brave traveler. Whats your name?"
"Hi. The name's Slade and it's nice to meet you." He extended his own hand and shook hers. "So what's your position here?"
"I'm one of the engineers." She gestured up to the Tekkabot. "Don't worry. We'll have your mecha fixed up in no time."
"Thanks." Slade went over to his robotic partner and gazed at it for a long while. When he was silent for several minutes, Seran went up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, is something wrong?"
Slade let off a long, sad sigh before replying. "Oh, I was just thinking about a few things." He then called up to Pegas. "Are you going to be all right, Pegas?"
The Vanguard nodded. "Affirmative. Thank you."
Seran smiled as she looked up at Slade's partner. "That's some partner you have there. It's AI system is very advanced. Its creator must be proud."
An image of Parfat appeared in Slade's mind and he began wondering what she and the others were doing now that he was gone.
----------
The Nirvana...
"I appreciate the food Parfat, but you'll be in trouble if the others find out about this." Duero said as he took the bento from the engineer and started eating. Parfat had promised the guards that she would watch out for the prisoners while they went for lunch. She had stashed a couple of bentos in her toolbox.
"Well, I think it's terrible the way they're treating you! And you all had nothing to do with any of this!" Parfat said. "At the very least they should give you some decent food, instead of making you eat those horrible nutrition pellets again."
Duero smiled as he replied, "Well, I spent all my life eating those pills, so it's really nothing. Although I must admit that this kind of food is most... enjoyable." He chewed a bit before swallowing. "I can understand why Slade ate so much of it."
Bart snorted in disdain as he munched down on a plate of food pills, ignoring the bento that Parfat had intended to give to him. "Better watch it, doctor. It may be poisoned. You can never TRUST women. That meal she's giving you could be your last."
That particular barb cut the brown-haired girl to the quick and she felt as if he had stabbed at her very heart. The doctor felt her pain in his own heart. Contrary to popular belief, Duero Mcfile was not the cold and aloof person he appeared to be. He was human and there were times in which he felt the need to shed tears. Seeing Parfat's saddened expression from Bart's insensitive remark made him feel as if her spark of life was being snuffed out.
"Please, pardon my associate's rudeness." He gave the blonde man a bit of a glare before turning back to her. "However, in all honesty, can you really blame him for being so bitter? I myself feel a bit... perturbed at this situation we're in."
Parfat nodded slowly as she quickly hid her tears. "You have every right to be angry at what happened. I just... can't believe that they did this to you! It's like they've forgotten everything that we've all been through together. And they've also forgotten how important you men are to this ship! We can't move the Nirvana without Bart."
"Hmpf! You should have thought of that before tossing us in here!" Bart scoffed.
Parfat winced but continued. "And you, Duero. I don't think we've ever had a doctor like you. Paiway's trying her best, but she can't handle all those patients. She doesn't have your experience or know-how. Some of the crew who were injured in the last few battles are getting worse, because you're not there to treat them! They were recovering nicely when you were in the sick bay, but now..."
Duero shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Parfat. I'd like to help. I want to help. As a doctor, it is my duty to heal, but I can't do anything from in here. If the captain could somehow get us out, then perhaps..."
The engineer shook her head sadly. "Right now, the Captain and Buzom's hands are tied. The crew has been split into two main groups. Barnette is rallying the ones who are against having you men on board."
"And the other group?"
"The Warrior Squadron and half of the Register girls still believe in you, Bart and... most of all, Slade. If the Captain or the Commander take either side, then it may end up into a bigger mutiny."
"So there's nothing that can be done?"
"Right now, all we can do is hope."
"And what about you Parfat? Whose side are you on?"
The girl's cheeks became tinged with pink as she looked at Duero's face. It seemed as if that one-eyed gaze of his was looking into her very soul. She gulped as she got her mouth to work. "I'm... I mean, the engineering staff is kind of neutral. You see, we don't want to get involved in these politics. Our job is to keep the ship running, not be part of a mutiny."
"I didn't ask you what side the engineering station is on. I asked you which side YOU were on."
Parfat twiddled her index fingers before replying in a quiet voice. "I think... you know which side I'm on." She pointed to the bento box in Duero's hands.
Duero smirked at her nervousness and continued eating. "I can't understand how all of this suddenly happened."
Bart grumbled as he polished off his food-pills, then tossed his tray away in disgust. "This is all Slade's fault! The women got mad at him and he ran off, leaving us to take the blame!"
The physician shook his head without turning toward him. "From what I heard, he didn't have much of a choice. It's ironic though, that the one person who kept us together would be the one that would be driven away."
"What are you talking about?" The navigator asked with some irritation.
"Think about it, Bart. Without Slade, we would have never gotten as far as we have."
"Huh?"
"And I'm not just talking about how close we are to Tarak and Mejele. Just look at what we've accomplished so far. Men and women were actually working TOGETHER. Back on Tarak and Mejele, such a thing would have been considered unthinkable, but here we made it a reality."
"Hmpf! A fat lot of good that did us!" Bart scoffed.
"It did everyone good!" The doctor insisted. "And it was because Slade showed the way. When he first combined with a Dread, he showed that it was possible. He knew that in order to survive, we would have to work with the women and he did so, without hesitation. With the power that he had, he could have abandoned us a long time ago, but he didn't. He stayed with the males and the females. He showed that males and females could be allies, not enemies. He didn't care what gender anyone was. He treated everyone the same way."
Duero paused as he saw that comprehension was beginning to dawn on Bart. He nodded then continued. "And look what we've done so far, because of that cooperation. Time and time again, working with the females, we were able to defeat a force that would have destroyed us all if we had been working alone. And think of how efficient this ship had become, with us constantly working side-by-side with the females. Slade helped out not only in combat, but also with the Register. He actually taught the females how to fight with the Van-Types, making them an even more effective combat unit than some of Tarak's elite squadrons. Look at me. I may be a good doctor, but even I couldn't have kept up with the patient load without Paiway. Finally there's you. You may have felt that you weren't getting the respect you deserved, but you held a very important position. The others may have joked about you, but Slade never did. He knew of your importance, because when you get right down to it, we all depended on you, to get us home. All of this was possible... because of Slade. Through thick and thin, he always believed in our strength and kept the bond between the men and the women strong. It was that bond which has now been severed..."
Bart became very introspective as he considered his comrade's words. Finally, after a long period of silence, he spoke three words to no one in particular.
"Slade... come back!"
----------
The Melanos Fleet...
"YUCK! What is this stuff?!" Slade spat out the drink that Seran had handed to him as they were taking a break from servicing Pegas.
The girl's life-mate had joined them. "It's a special Vitamin C and nutrient drink." The girl replied. "It's good for your skin."
"My skin?"
Seran's mate nodded. "Yes. The Harvesters are after us for our skin."
"Figures." Slade snorted as he went to the Tekkabot's cockpit and punched up a navigational map. He began lighting up several areas and gestured to each dot, which represented a planet. "For every world, they take collect one type of human body part for themselves. Were nothing but cattle to them. Right here, we encountered a dead world where the people had been harvested for their blood. The enemy left a nasty surprise for us there. Over here is Anpathos, where the people gave up their spinal columns to their so-called god Munya, which were the Harvesters. Now here is Tarak and Mejele. From the information we were able to get from Rabat, (after I pounded him), the Harvesters wish to take their reproductive organs."
"You said WE encountered them." Seran interrupted. "Were you with someone else?"
"Yeah... for a while." Slade replied sadly then shook his head to clear it. "In any case, here's what your captain showed me." The Tekkaman punched in a few more coordinates and indicated each one. "This is your home planet Melanos, which the Harvesters are after for your skin. On this planet, they took their livers. This one was for their spleens. On this one, the heart and this one, the lungs." Slade suddenly stopped as he took a long look at the interstellar map he had outlined.
"What's wrong?" Seran's significant other asked.
"Something... about this seems familiar." He said not a word as he tried to recall where he had seen this before. Then he snapped his fingers as he remembered back to when Parfat had decoded the information module that Rabat had. "Pegas, do you have those log files and navigational charts from Rabat's info-cube?"
"Affirmative." The Tekkabot replied. It had been hooked up to the Nirvana's main data system before it had left with Slade.
"Bring up the navigational logs of his trade routes for the last 12 months and overlay them with the chart I've just made." The Vanguard did so and Slade growled as he saw that both maps were identical.
"What is it, Slade? Who's this Rabat that you're talking about?" Seran asked.
Slade growled even more as he answered. "I met the scumbag a few months ago. Rabat happens to be an interstellar mercenary, con artist and trader, but I think a more appropriate term would be TRAITOR!"
Both Seran and her mate were confused as Slade exited the Pegas' cockpit and headed back to the bridge.
----------
"I can't believe it." The ship's captain said as he gazed at the evidence being projected in front of him. "I've heard of this Rabat and I knew that he was a scoundrel. He had cheated several of our colonies with his lying tactics, but this... I can't believe that he would betray the entire human race."
"The evidence is all here, sir." The former Saotome said. "I've cross-referenced the dates on that info-cube with the times in which each planet was attacked by the Harvesters. They match to within days, sometimes hours after he left those worlds. Every planet he's visited, the Harvesters came and those worlds died. That's way too many connections to be considered as mere coincidence. I've always wondered how he could have survived traveling alone without being attacked by them, and now I know. He's nothing but a RAT... a RAT BASTARD and a TRAITOR! He's working for them!"
"I still can't believe that someone would sell out the entire human race."
"It makes sense when you think about it. He comes to a planet or colony, sells his junk, cheats good people out of their hard-earned money, then relays information to the Harvesters about a planet's defenses and what kind of organs are usable. I've already encountered a planet in which he sold a defective water purifier to a colony. Ever heard of a planet called Zervin?"
"Zervin? That planet no longer exists." The captain stated.
"What?"
"It's true. Our most distant outposts have been tracking the progress of our enemies and our ally Zervin was obliterated... nine months ago."
"That can't be! I left that planet nine months ago and that colony was fine after I found them a supply of fresh water!"
"How long ago did Rabat leave Zervin when you got there, and when did you leave that planet?"
"I got there a day after he cheated those people with that defective purifier, and I left two days later after finding them a supply of untainted water."
The Melanos captain was silent as he matched dates, then nodded. "That makes it about right. The Harvest Fleet came a few days later and stripped every man, woman and child of their pituitary and adrenal glands. Zervin is now a planetary graveyard."
The shock hit Slade like a meteor and his throat became dry. All those innocent people! All the things he had done for them... had been for naught! All because of Rabat! Slade's eyes took on a murderous look as he saw that con-man in his mind. He was going to pay! The Tekkaman would make certain that Rabat would be sent straight to HELL!
At that moment, alarms went off as the ship's long-range scanners had picked up something large, heading toward the Melanos Defense Fleet. Slade glanced to the main monitor and what he saw made his blood ran cold.
They were here.
----------
Several hours later...
"Barnette is going to be real steamed when we get back, Xian. Im not too sure if the Captain or Buzom would like our disobeying orders."
The Amazon snorted in disdain as she and her Vangaurd group sped through space. "You think I care what Barnette thinks? And as I recall, the Captain and the Number One DIDN'T order me not to go, so I'm not really breaking orders, am I? I didn't ask for all of you to come with me. Get back to the Nirvana. That's MY order."
The girls of the Warrior Squadron all shook their heads and responded.
"No can do."
"We all know why you're out here."
"Yeah, and we figure that it would be much easier to search if we all help."
"We'll have a better chance of finding him this way, and well be able to cover each others backs if the enemy shows up."
"We all think that it was a mistake to have driven him off."
"That's right! The Warrior Squadron looks after its own!"
"So let's go find the Commander!"
Xian Pu found herself overwhelmed by her subordinates' determination to find their leader. She sighed while shaking her head and smiled. "All right. We'll probably get thrown into the brig when we get back to the Nirvana, but it'll be worth it, if we can bring Slade home... where he belongs!"
"RIGHT" The others chorused.
However, just as they were about to peel off into a search pattern, three more individuals suddenly joined the squadron. The three Paksis-enhanced Dreads came alongside of the Vanguards. Meia's Dread came on Xian's right as the pilot hailed her.
"Just what do you think you're doing, Xian Pu?" Meia asked. "Your squadron wasn't given any authorization to launch!"
"Oh really?" Slade's second retorted. "And exactly WHAT are you doing out here? I don't recall the Captain giving any orders for you to be deployed either."
Meia became a bit flustered as she tried to explain herself. "Uh... well, I thought it would be best to patrol the area... in case the enemy shows up."
Xian Pu didn't believe it for a second. "Yeah, right. Come on, just admit it. You're out here for the same reason we are. We all want Slade back."
"YAAAYYYYY! Let's go find Mr. Alien!" Dita said happily.
"Dita!" Meia scolded.
"Well, I guess there's no point in denying it, Meia. They found us out." Jura said nonchalantly.
"I thought as much." Xian Pu then addressed Meia and Jura. "I don't need to ask Dita as to why she's out here. So what's your reasons for wanting him back?"
"Simple." Jura replied. "I can't look elegant in battle without Slade, now can I?"
"What about Barnette?"
"I love Barnette to pieces, but I can't agree with her on this one. When I get back, we're going to have a little chat. Slade is too... interesting to let go" Jura replied. She was also thinking about that kiss that he had given to her on Anpathos.
"How about you Meia?" Another Vanguard pilot asked. "Why do you want him back?"
The aqua-haired girl sighed. Why bother denying it? "Slade is our best chance of beating our enemies. He was our tactical advantage and... he was a friend." Maybe even more.
Xian and her group considered the three Dread pilots, then all agreed to allow them to help search for their missing comrade. The Dreads and Vanguards sped off into the endless void. A few minutes later, one of the Vanguard operators let off a whoop of joy as she picked up a faint distress signal, which belonged to Pegas. The females immediately began converging on its coordinates.
----------
Rabat whistled as he saw the wreckage of more than three dozen starships littering the sector of space he was in. He began scanning through the various debris, hoping that there was something worth salvaging. However, he didn't expect much, since the Harvesting Fleet usually left very little in their attacks. Then his ship began picking up a faint distress signal. His simian partner Utan made a few chirps and grunts as she pointed to a large mass that was floating nearby.
The trader's eyes widened as the object came into view. It was battered and charred in several places, but he still recognized it. It was Pegas the Tekkabot. It was missing an arm and its armor was pitted and dented so severely, that it looked as if it had been subjected to a dozen meteor showers.
Rabat wondered just how the machine had ended up so far from its mothership the Nirvana, then he glanced down at the sensor readings. They were picking up faint life readings. Someone was still inside of it! Judging by the readings, he was barely alive. Utan's partner smiled as he had a hunch as to who was in the cockpit. If he were right, then it would be payback time! He had just recovered from all the injuries he had gained from his last visit on the pirate vessel, and during his convalescence, he had been thinking about getting revenge against one snot-nosed punk!
Since the Tekkabot was too damaged for him to salvage, Rabat decided that it wasn't worth his time and aimed his ship's main guns at it. Though Utan was giving off some distraught noises, as if telling him not to do this, Rabat paid her no mind. This was what he had been waiting for! However, just as he was drawing a bead on his target, his sensors then picked up some new signatures heading toward him.
----------
The Warrior Squadron and the three Dreads appeared on the scene after following the Pegas' distress signal. They immediately converged on Rabat's ship and the stricken Tekkabot. With their weapons trained on him, Meia hailed the trader.
"Back off Rabat! If you even try opening fire on him, then we'll shoot you down!"
Rabat however, put on a smile as he replied in his most sincere voice. "What are you talking about? I was just about to go look for you guys after I found Slade in trouble. I was just in the process of rescuing him when you showed up and..."
"Can it!" Xian Pu said as she motioned for two of her subordinates to attach towlines to Pegas. "You're coming with us! If you try anything funny, then we'll blow you into space dust!"
Rabat saw that he had no choice and growled a bit at the lost opportunity. He then nodded as he directed his ship to head toward the waiting Nirvana.
----------
Inside Pegas, all was silent as a broken figure lay in his seat. Slade had been severely injured from his latest encounter with the Harvesters, and was dropping in and out of consciousness. Currently, he was in a kind of healing trance that he had learned during his travels, to speed up his recovery. The cockpit was sparking, and the life-support was just barely keeping him alive, as he was being returned to the place in which he would once again call home... the Nirvana.
To be continued...
Author's Notes
Whew! Long chapter, but I wanted to have more character interaction than what was done in the original Vandread. Slade certainly has affected a lot of people, hasn't he?
Slade's encounter with the Harvesters will be described in the next chapter. We will also have another confrontation with him and Rabat and despite being injured, Slade is going to have it out with the trader or rather TRAITOR. The Tekkadread series will really be heating up with several surprises in the last two chapters as I wrap this up. See you there!