Heavy Gear League: Showdown in the Desert
Author's note:
It was the middle of summer and the baked ground was blanketed with the scorching heat of the sun. The Badlands was especially known for its unbearable weather and rugged landscape, however some survived its conditions. Visitors to the area would see plants dotting the horizon, some reaching up to five or six metres tall. However the most ideal visitor would not stay long enough for a rebel or smuggler to create trouble.
The Shadow dragons were returning to their command base through a winding canyon. They're overwhelming victory over the Vanguard even with their new member, Saphire brought much joy and plenty of booty to bring home with. A bug mindlessly splattered across Dirx's omnicamera, calling upon a little laughter from the team.
"Well that was a game well done," Sonja enlightened.
"Yeah those dogs were taken down pretty good," Dirx agreed, trying to forget about the bug.
"Except maybe that pretty girl with gun's blazing," Zerve included.
"Indeed she was a difficult adversary," Sebatian added.
"She couldn't take as all on anyway, besides we won the trophy," Marcus pointed out.
"As my grandmother would say.!" Tachi began to say but was caught off by the cackle from above. Several Northern Gears appeared on the cliff edge, peering down on the Dragons.
"Well look what we have here, a bunch of snakes in a pit," Rank sneered.
"Hey, this ain't a pit it's called a canyon. You know C-A-N-Y-" Dirx replied but was cut off.
"Never mind that, but for your sake you had better give us that trophy," Wallis interrupted, aiming his gun at the group below.
"Not a chance you old foggie!" Marcus answered, bracing himself.
"Never disrespect your elders kid," Serge cut in.
"Serge do you mind?" Wallis said, exasperated.
"Sorry sir," Serge replied.
"Anyway are you prepared to meet our ultimatum or will we have to fight it out of you?" Wallis declared.
"You call that a ultimatum?" Dirx sneered.
"We beat you fair and square Wallis, we aren't going to humiliate you more by beating you again," Marcus said.
"You've crossed that line a long time ago kid. Vanguard engage!" Wallis commanded.
At once Wallis, Yoji, Rank and Serge opened fire upon the Dragons who were trying to dodge the incoming bullets and missiles.
"Can't we just leave?" Dirx wondered and was hit in the back by a missile.
A dark green Gear stood from behind the Dragons in the canyon pass. It was armed with two advanced autocannons and two rocket packs. It also held a large metal shield on its arm. It was the most genuine facet of northern investment in prototype technology for the most compatible and skilled pilot.
"Better think twice about going this way!" Saphire scowled in the intercom.
Just as the Dragons were prepared to go the other way, Groonz appeared in the other direction and fired upon Sonja and Tachi.
"This just gets better and better!" Dirx exclaimed sarcastically.
"Dragons form a defensive formation, we've got to get away from the Vanguard above," Marcus suggested.
"Understood Marcus," Sebatian replied and fired several missiles towards the cliff, forcing the Vanguard to pull back for a moment.
"Let's move out!" Marcus said but several rocks came tumbling down from Sebastian's missile fire and the Dragons narrowly avoided the crushing effect of the boulders as they hit the earth.
"That was close," Sonja whispered to herself and turned around to be hit by a salvo of rockets fired upon by Saphire.
With the dragons more or less stranded between two heavily armoured Vanguard members they were forced against the canyon wall. Marcus was hit from the side before he could initiate a fancy move that would trigger a 'save the day' approach but Saphire knew better to shoot first, see the results later. Groonz was marginally learning but was usually fooled by the Dragon's attempts that usually caused his own fortunes to crumple before his eyes.
In any case, the other Vanguard peered down and glared at their capture, feeling slightly pleased they had been cornered, trapped and best of all Maddox wasn't there to annoy everyone. The absence of the cheerleaders was greatly pleasing as well.
"Well done Vanguard. Saphire and Groonz will keep them still while Rank and I come down to return the trophy to us," Wallis stated and turned his Gear around.
A sudden whisk of metal whipped past a corner but neither Serge or the Dragons had seen it. A couple of seconds later something hard, hit the side of Groonz's Kodiak, slamming it into the canyon wall. Moments after the Dragons and Vanguard gave shared expressions of surprise; a strange Gear had stopped nearby. To any pilot it looked defenceless, posing as no absolute threat because it had no rocket packs nor used hand held weaponry.
There wasn't a great deal of time to look at the intruding Gear because as soon as it was seen it began to speak.
"Quickly you must escape now!" it suggested in a young masculine voice and pointing at the clear path in front of them.
Groonz had removed himself from the wall and turned to face the new Gear who had the right moment to catch him off guard. Without warning he fired a missile at the Gear, knocking it to the ground and damaging part of its side.
Sebatian retaliated by firing two missiles at the rock ledge above Groonz and collapsing rocks that tumbled down to the ground crushed him.
Marcus reorganised the Dragons and took the open path that Groonz was once protecting. Just as they were gathering together, Marcus managed to fire a shot at Saphire and another at the Vanguard looming above.
The Dragons moved seldom fast through the exposed canyon path. Marcus stayed to help the helpful Gear and noticed it had gotten up fairly quickly and moved on. Just as the Gear passed Marcus he decided to advance as well. By the time the Vanguard could safely see over the ledge, the dragons had already left.
"Terrific we lost them Major," Rank grumbled.
"We'll get them another time. I'm curious about that Gear however; why would an unarmed Gear come to help the dragons?" Wallis wondered.
Saphire walked up to Groonz's Gear and lifted a boulder off its back enabling him to lift himself up and check his diagnostics. Fortunately for him, nothing had been damaged.
"Hey where's Yoji?" Rank asked, looking around.
"I sent her to track the Dragons. After Groonz was knocked out I knew the Dragons could only go one way to escape," Wallis explained.
The Vanguard decided to group on the same level of ground and follow where Yoji would have traced them.
Breaking from the canyon trap, the Dragons headed east towards a ruined building that would provide a decent rest place. It was also ideal because it was open arid land, meaning that if the Dragons were attacked they could respond easily without obstacles in the way.
"It will do I suppose," Marcus suggested and the team complied, stationing themselves at the side of the building in the middle of nowhere.
The building was at least ten metres tall with a brown iron roof and stone walls. Several containers and boxes could be seen through the massive walls blown out of most of its structure.
"I've done a scan Marcus and it appears to be empty of an materials we can use," Sebatian reported after running a extensive scan of the building.
"Okay we'll just have to stay put until we can get picked up. What's the word Sonja?" Marcus asked.
"Lieutenant Creet is sending a Walfish to pick us up. Should be here by early tomorrow," Sonja replied.
"Well that's settled then. I guess we just stick around and fend ourselves from rebels; how are we going for fuel and food?" Marcus wondered.
"We all have sufficient medical kits Marcus but we are without food except two canteens of water each," Sebatian said.
"Oh I just drank both of mine," Dirx sighed and lifted his head, "What about the Vanguard? What if they attack?"
"They couldn't have known we were here, would they?" Tachi said.
"I dunno sword man, those dogs are quite hungry on hunting on us for that trophy," Dirx pointed out.
"Yeah not to mention the negative vibes Groonz would have by now," Zerve said slyly.
"Hey where'd that mystery Gear go anyway?" Dirx asked, looking behind him.
"He was behind us when we left the canyon," Marcus replied.
"Maybe he's left us alone whoever he is, unless he's working for someone," Sonja speculated.
By coincidence a small bleary figure appeared on the horizon. As it came closer it appeared to be the unarmed Gear encountered at the canyon before. The dragons stood firmly and cautiously looked at it as it came forward.
When it was in range of being seen with detail, they noticed a deep hole in its side, revealing circuits and wires. It jutted towards them and stopped as if looking appalled at being the focus of attention.
"Are you alright?" the pilot inside the Gear asked.
"Uh yes and thanks for saving our hide back there," Marcus exclaimed.
A short brief laugh was heard on the comm. It sounded masculine but one could consider the pilot to be in his early twenties.
"That's quite alright. I know that you're the Southern duelling team called the Shadow Dragons and you were on route through the canyon when you were attacked. You may not have realised but a pink Gear I believe as a Northern Cheetah model was tracking you. I lead the Gear from your position and directed the pilot to a sand dune whom was left confused of your real position. I wouldn't guarantee that you'll be found by them soon," the pilot responded.
"You know you made quite a entrance. Very groovy and cool," Zerve said for no reason.
"Thanks for all your help. We should be picked up by tomorrow morning," Marcus informed him.
Sonja and Tachi parked their Gears and exited the cockpits, lifting out small cases with bare survival equipment in them. They camped out in front of the building and eyed the broken sign in front of it.
The mystery Gear pilot saw their interest and spoke up, "That used to be a old refuelling station. Lasted for a while until it got destroyed by rebels; I come here a lot. There's a underground basement with some dried wood and water containers," the pilot suggested.
The idea pricked Tachi and Sonja's ears and they went inside to look for the basement hatch. Sebatian and Zerve soon followed them after they exited their Gears.
"How does the Grel fare with your team Marcus?" the pilot asked, turning his attention away from the building.
"You mean Sebatian? He does really well in battle-"
"I meant with the fact that he's different that's all," the pilot emphasised.
"Oh well we don't usually take any prejudice if that's what you mean. The old anti-Grel stuff is in the past for us and we've learnt to respect people who are different," Marcus explained.
"Really.that sounds nice," the pilot replied, sounding surprised.
Moments later Sebatian came out holding two barrels of water in both hands and laid them out in front of the doorway and in the shade of a large overhang of roof. Zerve, Tachi and Sonja came out later with packets of food, cooking equipment and blankets.
"Wow now we get to sleep under the stars," Dirx said absentmindedly.
"Sorry Dirxy we forgot to pack your teddybear or bring a nightlight," Zerve chuckled.
"Or a new pair of diapers," Sonja snickered.
"Oh hahaha very funny guys I forgot how absolutely annoying you guys can get," Dirx said sarcastically.
"Did you guys find the equipment easy to find. I've never been down there before," the pilot asked.
What he said was confusing for someone who had used the building for a place to stop on a regular basis while going through the canyons.
".Uh yeah it was all laid out for us in labelled boxes and on shelves," Tachi answered.
"I see," the pilot simply said.
Marcus and Dirx turned to park their Gears and exited the cockpits, revealing themselves. The pilot was surprised to see that Marcus was much younger than he had perceived but he didn't have any doubt that he was a superb duellist. Once the dragons had converged themselves together on foot they looked at the mystery Gear and tried encouraging him to come out.
"I don't think we ever caught your name," Dirx said.
"Oh my apologises. My name is Javus Veckscroft; I used to be a Corporal in the secret training grounds around here," Javus introduced himself and stuttered on his last words, "however I must confess that I am a mutant of sorts. No one knows the cause of it but it is obviously genetically related. See I have a..tail but that's about it really."
The dragons didn't sound at all shocked and Marcus came forward.
"It's okay I'm sure we will consider you a normal person regardless of any physical appearance," Marcus confessed.
"Yeah man, look at the tall blue guy over here. Nobody's going to insult him and judging by his large aroma of overpowering vibes no bad words would come of him," Zerve added.
"Yeah who's going to say what is wrong about someone's appearance. If you were born with a tail then that's a privilege. You should be glad to have such a gift of nature," Tachi included.
Javus was of course extremely taken back by the encouragement. He hadn't heard much good talk of his tail for a long time and it made him feel happy and secure. He opened the cockpit and stepped down his Gear and landed on the ground with his black army boots. He wore green fatigues, a khaki pilot uniform and a belt with several pouches hanging off it including a spare canteen by his side.
He was nearly Dirx's height with slightly muscular arms and legs that looked like he would fair quite well in a brawl fight. Twisting and twining behind him was a brown tail that twitched from the slight breeze in the dusty air. His face was warm and sharp with the blend of his dark cream coloured hair that was short on the sides but with a small ponytail at the back. The forehead was overshadowed by his spiky overhanging hair that reached his eyes. Like any person with experience in the desert he had fairly dark tanned skin. Overall he was a reasonable looking guy.
"See nothing wrong now is there?" Dirx smiled and handed him a green apple. Javus took the piece of fruit with is brown tail, curling and holding it firmly as he took a bite.
"Thanks," Javus smiled.
"No problem, come sit with us and tell us where your from," Dirx asked and encouraged him to join the others who had begun to be acquainted with the usual routine of sitting around talking of past battles.
Javus obliged and went to sit down, listening to the conversations around him. He was a quiet person himself and never talked, as dinner was prepared. The dragons and Javus found dinner delicious with it being a mild chicken curry with plenty of punch to drink.
"So Javus what do you do around in this area?" Marcus wondered, interrupting the bickering around them.
"I used to live in these parts. After my mother died my dad took care of me and brought me to this place. This of course is where a secret testing facility is located and where I got my Gear, the Sparticus," Javus replied, looking into the flame of the bonfire they'd set up.
"How did people tolerate you know.your tail?" Sonja asked.
"Not well as you would imagine. Since my childhood I've been teased and prodded by others of my age. I once was bullied by older kids and beaten up. When I moved here, people tolerated me with kindness, considering that people were now getting used to Grel's living here. A saying derived around here 'If we can accept and like large blue skinned genetically engineered soldiers then we can accept anyone with mutations'. Of course I discovered that some people were born with mishaps like me with an extra arm, or with bent legs that could hop. It's just a genetic thing," Javus answered.
"Man, that's just bad having to live your early life like that," said Dirx softly.
"Could you tell us how you received your Gear?" Sebatian asked.
"Sure. The military testing facility is operated by Northern and Southern engineers. They receive weekly shipments of material from Paxton Arms and several of the north and south industries. They made many prototypes and so they decided to create a young piloting team by enlisting young men from a local town. My father was a manager on the base's command group and thus he chose the site because of me and the other mutated kids. I'll make this brief but we were recruited and trained under military doctrine and exercises. We were allocated to a specially designed Gear, each significantly different to each other. I believe you've already met Draven, one of the rebels among our team. He was slightly mutated like us but it wasn't all that visible and he took his Gear and escaped. The rest of us remained to continue our training until we grew a little older until some of us like myself were allowed to leave. The base of course is well hidden and I've never been able to find it again."
"You were in the same team as Draven? Man that requires a whole lot of positive waves to stick with that guy," Zerve stated.
"A secret base. Sounds intriguing," Tachi commented.
The Dragons continued their conversations and Javus listened as they explained to him about certain battles they fought with the Vanguard of Justice. He found them interesting to hear about and often asked questions relating to particular aspects in the theme of duelling. It was nearing midnight when the talking died down and the group decided to go to sleep.
Javus stayed up another hour in his Gear, reviewing over some diagnostics tests and scans with the three dimensional system he'd set up in the area with independent terrain mapping equipment. With no threatening warnings, Javus closed up for the day and went to sleep under the stars, as it was.
The golden disc of the sun arose from the canyon walls, springing forth its tangling arms as it enraptured the scorched earth. Marcus was first to wake and pulled away the only blanket he slept under. He wiped away the sweat on his face and turned his gaze from the bleary hot sun to the ground around him.
He prodded Dirx who woke up with a grumpy look on his face as if saying "what?"
"It's morning, we're leaving early remember," Marcus reminded him.
"I still want to sleep," Dirx muttered and pushed himself up and fell down again when a half asleep Zerve accidentally tripped him over.
Sebatian woke next and then the others, who hesitantly got up and started to pack their sleeping material in their Gears. Javus had woken an hour before them and had come back from checking the region with his Gear, including the packing up of the terrain-mapping instrument.
"What time will your transport arrive?" Javus asked.
"It should be coming in the hour," Marcus responded.
Javus nodded and then stopped where he was walking. Most of the dragons reacted the same way. A beeping sound was being emitted from Javus's Gear and when he moved on he raced back to his controls and identified the source of the beeping. It seemed that intruders were approaching the building at a rapid speed, too fast for any response. They would be here in a matter of seconds.
By the time he could turn around, he saw the trail of dust fast approaching the building. Almost ten northern cheetah gears in desert camouflage circled the building, blocking off the Shadow Dragons and their Gears.
"We want your money and all your possessions and we won't hesitate to kill you if you refuse," the leader of the rebel group demanded.
"Do you even know who we are?" Dirx said.
"Ah yes the its those clowns from the duelling rings," another sneered.
"Oh yeah well if I were in my Gear now I'd pound you without breaking a sweat!" Dirx growled.
"Whoa easy Dirxy, we can't lose our vibes on these low-landers," Zerve advised.
"I remind you that you'll be dust after we shoot you with our autocannons," the lead of the rebel group warned.
"What do you want from us?" Tachi asked.
"I think you already know the answer to that, besides you have no chance against us," one of them answered.
"Don't count on it," a familiar voice called from behind. Within seconds the lead Gear was sliced in two, the top torso falling off like a sliced apple. Behind the newly created wreckage stood the Sparticus with two sharp blade devices attached to its wrists.
"Is that Javus?" Dirx said, bewildered by the occurrence that just happened.
"Guys, this is Javus. I need you to get in your Gears, I'll fend them of for the moment," Javus suggested and turned to run as three Cheetah models attacked him immediately.
The Dragons still couldn't approach their Gears because three other Cheetahs were guarding them. They instead could vaguely recollect the fight occurring in the distance. However Dirx had an idea and whispered it to Marcus who agreed.
Javus was being followed by the three rebel Gears, of whom were in a tight formation. He swerved to the left and they followed. At the same time they fired rockets and autocannon fire at him and he was aware of his Gear's damage to the side from earlier. He would not let his guard down again and so he managed to dodge their fire.
Ahead of his view was a cliff wall, the very edge of the canyon. He figured that as he closed in on the wall the rebels would close in on him and so he quickly formulated a counter-attack to be drawn.
Nearing to the rock face, Javus turned a hundred and eighty degrees in a split second seeing two wings coming from the sides. He charged forward, noting that the front middle Gear was turning to a defensive posture and then he turned left into the right wing. He drew out his bladed device on his left arm and sliced through the enemy's Gear's legs, causing it to buckle and fall. The other two rebel Gears quickly advanced and followed him.
To their bad luck they ran out of ammo and stopped to rearm but Javus quickly burnt up the speed from his engine and circled them, racing towards them from behind and pressing through the middle of them. Just as he did this, he activated both his bladed devices on his wrists and some elbow blades. With a direct and lucky attack Javus tore through their legs like butter. Finishing his offensive manoeuvre, he retracted his blades and rushed off to the building where the Dragons were. When he arrived he found all but two Gears still standing. The rest had been defeated with a proportional response of missiles and autocannon fire. Shadow Dragon Gears finished their work with the last two Gears and came directly to Javus. The last two decided to flee as soon as possible.
"How did you guys get to your Gears?" Javus wondered.
"Just the luck of the draw. While you went to play the 'blade against gun' move, most of them were off guard and we took the opportunity to sneak into our Gears. After that was their fault," Dirx answered grimly.
"I see, thankyou for helping me to defeat them, I suppose they had no chance against you duellist types," Javus commented half-heartily.
"I suppose but if you didn't take on those Gears by yourself we wouldn't have gotten away," Marcus pointed out.
"Yeah besides we needed to cool off and they sure were enough to test our positive waves!" Zerve added.
The group was exalted in laughter and then a black object in the sky appeared in view. It was the Southern Walfish coming to pick up the Dragons.
"You should come with us," Marcus suggested.
"Really?" Javus wondered.
"Yeah I'm sure Lieutenant Creet won't mind too much although he is kind of a pain sometimes," Marcus insisted.
"Sure I'd love to come. I didn't really have much business to do here myself so why not," Javus agreed.
The Walfish quickly set down and the Dragons including Javus boarded the craft up its walkway. As swiftly as it came, the aircraft lifted to the sky and flew away, undetected by any focussed scanners in the desert region.
Seeping over the horizon, the Walfish came in for a steady landing on the platform at the Southern Dragons command base. The passengers left one by one, down the ramp and stationed themselves along the wall of a building. Lieutenant Creet, in his white uniform looked bleakly at the Dragons and sighed.
"Why did it take you so long to get here?" the lieutenant demanded.
"We were held of by the Vanguard when Javus here came to our rescue. He gave us a place to stay for the night and then helped us fend of some rebels this morning," Marcus reported.
Creet nodded and dismissed the Dragons, who then piloted their gears inside the base. Javus was left behind, feeling disconcerted to be around the Lieutenant.
"I'm grateful that you saved my squad. What's your name exactly?"
"Javus Veckscroft," he responded.
"Never heard of you. Where exactly did you get a Gear like that?" Creet wondered, eying the complexity of his Gear. Even though it appeared to be absent of weapons, its design was very artistic.
"I was part of the testing group 012 Alpha Zeta at Cambridge base," Javus explained.
Creet showed some enlightenment in the thought of the base, "I've heard of that base, my former CO came from there."
"It's very secret sir, not even I can find it now and we were trained to find the most difficult objects in the desert," Javus included.
"I see, so your part of those elite trained teams that are designed for-"
"We're Special operatives not gung-ho soldiers who think they can pilot a Gear," Javus cut in.
Creet nodded and looked further at his Gear.
"Does your Gear have a designated name?" Creet wondered.
"I named it the Sparticus," Javus replied.
"Impressive name for a operative's Gear.You appear to have succumbed to some damage. I'm no technician or engineer but it looks pretty serious. You can use our repair bay to fix it up," Creet stated.
Javus gave a surprised look, "Uh.thanks that's awfully kind of you."
"Well you better get it fixed before the Dragons decide to hog the area for a football match," Creet added.
Javus gave small grin, "Yes Lieutenant," and piloted his Gear into the abyss of the base.
Creet went inside shortly after he checked with the landing crew.
It was too late. Dirx and Zerve were playing practical jokes on each other in the repair bay. Apparently placing glue with feathers all over the controls was out of line for Dirx to handle. They stopped when they noticed Javus standing by the doorway, surprised about the whole performance.
"Hey it's tailblade," Dirx stated.
"You gave me a nickname already?" Javus said and stepped down into the repair bay, following a ramp into the level where a platform was available.
"It's so full of positivity though, besides it suits you," Zerve suggested.
"Perhaps," Javus said with a smirk and climbed out of his cockpit.
He looked around and found a shelf full of tools and a couple of larger machinery suitable for servicing his Gear. He gently picked a toolbox and set off to repairing his Gear while Zerve and Dirx decided to leave him to work.
An hour later he had finished the circuitry but his left arm was hurting since he had been lying on his side as he lay on a platform horizontal to the damaged hole in his Gear. He heard footsteps nearby and decided to rest. Pushing himself from the platform he climbed down a ladder to the ground. He found Sonja working on her Sweet Venom, a charismatic purple Gear known for its speed. She wasn't wearing her usual outfit and wore jeans and a black cotton top. She seemed to be concentrating on the panels inside her cockpit as she ran a couple of diagnostics tests.
"Hey," Javus called meekly.
Sonja looked up and waved towards him, "Oh hi, how's your Gear going?"
"Fine, what about yours?" he called.
"I'm testing its power capacity," Sonja replied in a simple answer.
"I see. Well I better leave you too it then," Javus said dismissively and turned to return to his Gear.
"Hold on a sec," Sonja said and climbed down her Gear and walked up to him.
"Dirx says you might be joining us," she stated.
Javus shook his head, "I'm sorry I couldn't."
"Why not?"
"You guys are professional Gear pilots. Me I'm just a simple soldier. I was lucky to take out three enemies this morning."
"Now that's a pathetic excuse," Sonja said.
".Yeah it probably is but I'm not skilled enough"
"Sure you are, we all saw how brave you can be in a fight. You stood up against the most adapt Gear and took him on with just close combat weaponry," Sonja pointed out.
Javus curled his tail around his waist; "You know, hearing you say that makes me feel better. I don't often get compliments from people."
"That's okay. Just think it through with your decision alright," Sonja smiled and touched him briefly on the shoulder before leaving the repair bay.
Javus was left alone as he thought about his situation, soon returning to repair his Gear's armour.
Marcus, Sebatian and Tachi walked into the repair bay, two hours since Javus had talked to Sonja. They too were getting the idea that he would be ideal as a new recruit for the Shadow Dragons. Much to Marcus's experience, he would take Javus under his wing if he chose to join.
"Hey Guys," Javus said, wiping a spanner with an oilcloth.
"Hello Javus, we are here to ask you a few questions," Sebatian informed him.
"Sure"
"Why won't you consider joining us?" Marcus inquired.
"I never said anything of the sort. Sonja told me rumours were going around," Javus replied.
"Oh ok well the offer's available if you'd like to join us," Marcus suggested.
"Thanks, but I still don't think I'm good enough," Javus said disappointingly.
"As my grandmother would say, those who don't try will be forever blanketed by their own misery," Tachi suggested.
"Now that's a thought that will fester," Javus mumbled and turned his gaze towards his Gear.
Marcus walked up to him and touched his shoulder.
"I know you can do it Javus, trust me we need the extra help and you fit that requirement.besides I think you've already gotten yourself acquainted with everyone."
"I'll think about it," Javus said finally.
"We'll be in the mess hall if you make up your mind," Marcus stated and turned to leave.
"Lieutenant Creet told us to tell you to visit his office," Sebatian cut in before they left.
"Oh ok thanks," Javus answered and then the three Shadow Dragons left the repair bay to his own silent thoughts.
After a couple of minutes he ran over all the things he could do to get out of this situation but none compared to the offer to join a professional duelling squad. A mix of emotion and contentment filed his mind and he came to his senses when he justified a formidable solution.
Briefly cleaning up the mess around his Gear, he ventured out of the repair bay and walked towards Creet's office area where he found the door closed.
He hesitated for second and then knocked twice on the door.
"Come in," a voice answered.
He walked into the office and closed the door behind him and noticed Lieutenant Creet sitting at his main wooden desk.
"Lieutenant you came to see me?" Javus asked as he entered the large furnished office.
"Ah yes, please sit down," the Lieutenant offered and Javus sat down in a chair beside the main desk.
The Lieutenant picked up a document and skimmed through some notes before addressing the visitor.
"Javus Veckscroft. Served in the special military testing force in sector 012 Alpha Zeta at Cambridge base. You were a Corporal before you left."
"Still am Lieutenant," Javus corrected him.
"That's good. We need a person here with some doctrine in his blood"
"Excuse me Lieutenant but what is it that you wanted to tell me?"
"I'm offering a place for you to be a pilot for the Shadow Dragons. With the skill and tyranny the Vanguard enlisted with their new member I've decided it's necessary to keep the game in balance," Lieutenant Creet informed.
"I'm honoured by your offer Lieutenant Creet but I'm not sure if I'm really the person for the job"
"Of course you are! A skilled and experienced test soldier like yourself is invaluable to our efforts. According to the Dragon's reports, your method of attack was profound. You may lack some areas but that can be built in time. We need people like you Corporal but unfortunately they're very rare to get these days. Please join us," Lieutenant Creet pleaded.
Javus thought through the idea in his head. He knew Creet was playing the political game of getting his side to gain the most profit by enlisted a man with his experience and skill. He played the Dragons like pawns on a board but not to the extremity of Colonel Rika. Based on what he had seen and felt, he felt happy to be in the atmosphere of the group. He also considered the support given to him by the Shadow Dragons, which greatly gave him enough self-esteem to respond.
Javus stood up and saluted.
"I accept the offer to join the Shadow Dragons," Javus stated.
"Good I'll get the paperwork done but until then you are dismissed Corporal Veckscroft."
Javus saluted and turned abruptly, walking out of the office and closing the door behind him.
He left lieutenant Creet's office with a sense of hope that he would be doing something right for a change and walked briskly down the hallow corridor.
Javus found the Dragons in the mess hall; seated at a table, dwindling thumbs and speaking softly to each other. When he entered the room they turned their attention towards him.
"What? Is one of my tail furs out of place or something?"
"How did it go?" Marcus asked.
Javus looked at them for a moment, noting how different these people were from each other and also because the reason why they succeed as a team. He deliberately waited until they were practically leaning out of their seats to hear his response.
He smiled and held both thumbs up. "I got the job!"
A howl of joy sprung out between the Dragons, all except Sebatian who didn't understand the notion of jumping up and down. Javus grinned to their satisfaction and then calmly waited until the group quieted down.
Just before he turned to leave he looked over his shoulder and said, "Oh and by the way Zerve, tailblade is a good nickname."
"That's great man, totally positive!" Zerve replied.
Javus left the room full of happy duellists and for another time in his life he felt he was doing the right thing. At least this time he could say he wasn't the only strange person around not after seeing how terrible the Vanguard had performed. He also saw what made the Shadow Dragons a very strong and compatible team. Fighting for the sake of rules would indeed bring a new light to his skills and allow for him to prove them against other worthy opponents in the future.
Author's note:
It was the middle of summer and the baked ground was blanketed with the scorching heat of the sun. The Badlands was especially known for its unbearable weather and rugged landscape, however some survived its conditions. Visitors to the area would see plants dotting the horizon, some reaching up to five or six metres tall. However the most ideal visitor would not stay long enough for a rebel or smuggler to create trouble.
The Shadow dragons were returning to their command base through a winding canyon. They're overwhelming victory over the Vanguard even with their new member, Saphire brought much joy and plenty of booty to bring home with. A bug mindlessly splattered across Dirx's omnicamera, calling upon a little laughter from the team.
"Well that was a game well done," Sonja enlightened.
"Yeah those dogs were taken down pretty good," Dirx agreed, trying to forget about the bug.
"Except maybe that pretty girl with gun's blazing," Zerve included.
"Indeed she was a difficult adversary," Sebatian added.
"She couldn't take as all on anyway, besides we won the trophy," Marcus pointed out.
"As my grandmother would say.!" Tachi began to say but was caught off by the cackle from above. Several Northern Gears appeared on the cliff edge, peering down on the Dragons.
"Well look what we have here, a bunch of snakes in a pit," Rank sneered.
"Hey, this ain't a pit it's called a canyon. You know C-A-N-Y-" Dirx replied but was cut off.
"Never mind that, but for your sake you had better give us that trophy," Wallis interrupted, aiming his gun at the group below.
"Not a chance you old foggie!" Marcus answered, bracing himself.
"Never disrespect your elders kid," Serge cut in.
"Serge do you mind?" Wallis said, exasperated.
"Sorry sir," Serge replied.
"Anyway are you prepared to meet our ultimatum or will we have to fight it out of you?" Wallis declared.
"You call that a ultimatum?" Dirx sneered.
"We beat you fair and square Wallis, we aren't going to humiliate you more by beating you again," Marcus said.
"You've crossed that line a long time ago kid. Vanguard engage!" Wallis commanded.
At once Wallis, Yoji, Rank and Serge opened fire upon the Dragons who were trying to dodge the incoming bullets and missiles.
"Can't we just leave?" Dirx wondered and was hit in the back by a missile.
A dark green Gear stood from behind the Dragons in the canyon pass. It was armed with two advanced autocannons and two rocket packs. It also held a large metal shield on its arm. It was the most genuine facet of northern investment in prototype technology for the most compatible and skilled pilot.
"Better think twice about going this way!" Saphire scowled in the intercom.
Just as the Dragons were prepared to go the other way, Groonz appeared in the other direction and fired upon Sonja and Tachi.
"This just gets better and better!" Dirx exclaimed sarcastically.
"Dragons form a defensive formation, we've got to get away from the Vanguard above," Marcus suggested.
"Understood Marcus," Sebatian replied and fired several missiles towards the cliff, forcing the Vanguard to pull back for a moment.
"Let's move out!" Marcus said but several rocks came tumbling down from Sebastian's missile fire and the Dragons narrowly avoided the crushing effect of the boulders as they hit the earth.
"That was close," Sonja whispered to herself and turned around to be hit by a salvo of rockets fired upon by Saphire.
With the dragons more or less stranded between two heavily armoured Vanguard members they were forced against the canyon wall. Marcus was hit from the side before he could initiate a fancy move that would trigger a 'save the day' approach but Saphire knew better to shoot first, see the results later. Groonz was marginally learning but was usually fooled by the Dragon's attempts that usually caused his own fortunes to crumple before his eyes.
In any case, the other Vanguard peered down and glared at their capture, feeling slightly pleased they had been cornered, trapped and best of all Maddox wasn't there to annoy everyone. The absence of the cheerleaders was greatly pleasing as well.
"Well done Vanguard. Saphire and Groonz will keep them still while Rank and I come down to return the trophy to us," Wallis stated and turned his Gear around.
A sudden whisk of metal whipped past a corner but neither Serge or the Dragons had seen it. A couple of seconds later something hard, hit the side of Groonz's Kodiak, slamming it into the canyon wall. Moments after the Dragons and Vanguard gave shared expressions of surprise; a strange Gear had stopped nearby. To any pilot it looked defenceless, posing as no absolute threat because it had no rocket packs nor used hand held weaponry.
There wasn't a great deal of time to look at the intruding Gear because as soon as it was seen it began to speak.
"Quickly you must escape now!" it suggested in a young masculine voice and pointing at the clear path in front of them.
Groonz had removed himself from the wall and turned to face the new Gear who had the right moment to catch him off guard. Without warning he fired a missile at the Gear, knocking it to the ground and damaging part of its side.
Sebatian retaliated by firing two missiles at the rock ledge above Groonz and collapsing rocks that tumbled down to the ground crushed him.
Marcus reorganised the Dragons and took the open path that Groonz was once protecting. Just as they were gathering together, Marcus managed to fire a shot at Saphire and another at the Vanguard looming above.
The Dragons moved seldom fast through the exposed canyon path. Marcus stayed to help the helpful Gear and noticed it had gotten up fairly quickly and moved on. Just as the Gear passed Marcus he decided to advance as well. By the time the Vanguard could safely see over the ledge, the dragons had already left.
"Terrific we lost them Major," Rank grumbled.
"We'll get them another time. I'm curious about that Gear however; why would an unarmed Gear come to help the dragons?" Wallis wondered.
Saphire walked up to Groonz's Gear and lifted a boulder off its back enabling him to lift himself up and check his diagnostics. Fortunately for him, nothing had been damaged.
"Hey where's Yoji?" Rank asked, looking around.
"I sent her to track the Dragons. After Groonz was knocked out I knew the Dragons could only go one way to escape," Wallis explained.
The Vanguard decided to group on the same level of ground and follow where Yoji would have traced them.
Breaking from the canyon trap, the Dragons headed east towards a ruined building that would provide a decent rest place. It was also ideal because it was open arid land, meaning that if the Dragons were attacked they could respond easily without obstacles in the way.
"It will do I suppose," Marcus suggested and the team complied, stationing themselves at the side of the building in the middle of nowhere.
The building was at least ten metres tall with a brown iron roof and stone walls. Several containers and boxes could be seen through the massive walls blown out of most of its structure.
"I've done a scan Marcus and it appears to be empty of an materials we can use," Sebatian reported after running a extensive scan of the building.
"Okay we'll just have to stay put until we can get picked up. What's the word Sonja?" Marcus asked.
"Lieutenant Creet is sending a Walfish to pick us up. Should be here by early tomorrow," Sonja replied.
"Well that's settled then. I guess we just stick around and fend ourselves from rebels; how are we going for fuel and food?" Marcus wondered.
"We all have sufficient medical kits Marcus but we are without food except two canteens of water each," Sebatian said.
"Oh I just drank both of mine," Dirx sighed and lifted his head, "What about the Vanguard? What if they attack?"
"They couldn't have known we were here, would they?" Tachi said.
"I dunno sword man, those dogs are quite hungry on hunting on us for that trophy," Dirx pointed out.
"Yeah not to mention the negative vibes Groonz would have by now," Zerve said slyly.
"Hey where'd that mystery Gear go anyway?" Dirx asked, looking behind him.
"He was behind us when we left the canyon," Marcus replied.
"Maybe he's left us alone whoever he is, unless he's working for someone," Sonja speculated.
By coincidence a small bleary figure appeared on the horizon. As it came closer it appeared to be the unarmed Gear encountered at the canyon before. The dragons stood firmly and cautiously looked at it as it came forward.
When it was in range of being seen with detail, they noticed a deep hole in its side, revealing circuits and wires. It jutted towards them and stopped as if looking appalled at being the focus of attention.
"Are you alright?" the pilot inside the Gear asked.
"Uh yes and thanks for saving our hide back there," Marcus exclaimed.
A short brief laugh was heard on the comm. It sounded masculine but one could consider the pilot to be in his early twenties.
"That's quite alright. I know that you're the Southern duelling team called the Shadow Dragons and you were on route through the canyon when you were attacked. You may not have realised but a pink Gear I believe as a Northern Cheetah model was tracking you. I lead the Gear from your position and directed the pilot to a sand dune whom was left confused of your real position. I wouldn't guarantee that you'll be found by them soon," the pilot responded.
"You know you made quite a entrance. Very groovy and cool," Zerve said for no reason.
"Thanks for all your help. We should be picked up by tomorrow morning," Marcus informed him.
Sonja and Tachi parked their Gears and exited the cockpits, lifting out small cases with bare survival equipment in them. They camped out in front of the building and eyed the broken sign in front of it.
The mystery Gear pilot saw their interest and spoke up, "That used to be a old refuelling station. Lasted for a while until it got destroyed by rebels; I come here a lot. There's a underground basement with some dried wood and water containers," the pilot suggested.
The idea pricked Tachi and Sonja's ears and they went inside to look for the basement hatch. Sebatian and Zerve soon followed them after they exited their Gears.
"How does the Grel fare with your team Marcus?" the pilot asked, turning his attention away from the building.
"You mean Sebatian? He does really well in battle-"
"I meant with the fact that he's different that's all," the pilot emphasised.
"Oh well we don't usually take any prejudice if that's what you mean. The old anti-Grel stuff is in the past for us and we've learnt to respect people who are different," Marcus explained.
"Really.that sounds nice," the pilot replied, sounding surprised.
Moments later Sebatian came out holding two barrels of water in both hands and laid them out in front of the doorway and in the shade of a large overhang of roof. Zerve, Tachi and Sonja came out later with packets of food, cooking equipment and blankets.
"Wow now we get to sleep under the stars," Dirx said absentmindedly.
"Sorry Dirxy we forgot to pack your teddybear or bring a nightlight," Zerve chuckled.
"Or a new pair of diapers," Sonja snickered.
"Oh hahaha very funny guys I forgot how absolutely annoying you guys can get," Dirx said sarcastically.
"Did you guys find the equipment easy to find. I've never been down there before," the pilot asked.
What he said was confusing for someone who had used the building for a place to stop on a regular basis while going through the canyons.
".Uh yeah it was all laid out for us in labelled boxes and on shelves," Tachi answered.
"I see," the pilot simply said.
Marcus and Dirx turned to park their Gears and exited the cockpits, revealing themselves. The pilot was surprised to see that Marcus was much younger than he had perceived but he didn't have any doubt that he was a superb duellist. Once the dragons had converged themselves together on foot they looked at the mystery Gear and tried encouraging him to come out.
"I don't think we ever caught your name," Dirx said.
"Oh my apologises. My name is Javus Veckscroft; I used to be a Corporal in the secret training grounds around here," Javus introduced himself and stuttered on his last words, "however I must confess that I am a mutant of sorts. No one knows the cause of it but it is obviously genetically related. See I have a..tail but that's about it really."
The dragons didn't sound at all shocked and Marcus came forward.
"It's okay I'm sure we will consider you a normal person regardless of any physical appearance," Marcus confessed.
"Yeah man, look at the tall blue guy over here. Nobody's going to insult him and judging by his large aroma of overpowering vibes no bad words would come of him," Zerve added.
"Yeah who's going to say what is wrong about someone's appearance. If you were born with a tail then that's a privilege. You should be glad to have such a gift of nature," Tachi included.
Javus was of course extremely taken back by the encouragement. He hadn't heard much good talk of his tail for a long time and it made him feel happy and secure. He opened the cockpit and stepped down his Gear and landed on the ground with his black army boots. He wore green fatigues, a khaki pilot uniform and a belt with several pouches hanging off it including a spare canteen by his side.
He was nearly Dirx's height with slightly muscular arms and legs that looked like he would fair quite well in a brawl fight. Twisting and twining behind him was a brown tail that twitched from the slight breeze in the dusty air. His face was warm and sharp with the blend of his dark cream coloured hair that was short on the sides but with a small ponytail at the back. The forehead was overshadowed by his spiky overhanging hair that reached his eyes. Like any person with experience in the desert he had fairly dark tanned skin. Overall he was a reasonable looking guy.
"See nothing wrong now is there?" Dirx smiled and handed him a green apple. Javus took the piece of fruit with is brown tail, curling and holding it firmly as he took a bite.
"Thanks," Javus smiled.
"No problem, come sit with us and tell us where your from," Dirx asked and encouraged him to join the others who had begun to be acquainted with the usual routine of sitting around talking of past battles.
Javus obliged and went to sit down, listening to the conversations around him. He was a quiet person himself and never talked, as dinner was prepared. The dragons and Javus found dinner delicious with it being a mild chicken curry with plenty of punch to drink.
"So Javus what do you do around in this area?" Marcus wondered, interrupting the bickering around them.
"I used to live in these parts. After my mother died my dad took care of me and brought me to this place. This of course is where a secret testing facility is located and where I got my Gear, the Sparticus," Javus replied, looking into the flame of the bonfire they'd set up.
"How did people tolerate you know.your tail?" Sonja asked.
"Not well as you would imagine. Since my childhood I've been teased and prodded by others of my age. I once was bullied by older kids and beaten up. When I moved here, people tolerated me with kindness, considering that people were now getting used to Grel's living here. A saying derived around here 'If we can accept and like large blue skinned genetically engineered soldiers then we can accept anyone with mutations'. Of course I discovered that some people were born with mishaps like me with an extra arm, or with bent legs that could hop. It's just a genetic thing," Javus answered.
"Man, that's just bad having to live your early life like that," said Dirx softly.
"Could you tell us how you received your Gear?" Sebatian asked.
"Sure. The military testing facility is operated by Northern and Southern engineers. They receive weekly shipments of material from Paxton Arms and several of the north and south industries. They made many prototypes and so they decided to create a young piloting team by enlisting young men from a local town. My father was a manager on the base's command group and thus he chose the site because of me and the other mutated kids. I'll make this brief but we were recruited and trained under military doctrine and exercises. We were allocated to a specially designed Gear, each significantly different to each other. I believe you've already met Draven, one of the rebels among our team. He was slightly mutated like us but it wasn't all that visible and he took his Gear and escaped. The rest of us remained to continue our training until we grew a little older until some of us like myself were allowed to leave. The base of course is well hidden and I've never been able to find it again."
"You were in the same team as Draven? Man that requires a whole lot of positive waves to stick with that guy," Zerve stated.
"A secret base. Sounds intriguing," Tachi commented.
The Dragons continued their conversations and Javus listened as they explained to him about certain battles they fought with the Vanguard of Justice. He found them interesting to hear about and often asked questions relating to particular aspects in the theme of duelling. It was nearing midnight when the talking died down and the group decided to go to sleep.
Javus stayed up another hour in his Gear, reviewing over some diagnostics tests and scans with the three dimensional system he'd set up in the area with independent terrain mapping equipment. With no threatening warnings, Javus closed up for the day and went to sleep under the stars, as it was.
The golden disc of the sun arose from the canyon walls, springing forth its tangling arms as it enraptured the scorched earth. Marcus was first to wake and pulled away the only blanket he slept under. He wiped away the sweat on his face and turned his gaze from the bleary hot sun to the ground around him.
He prodded Dirx who woke up with a grumpy look on his face as if saying "what?"
"It's morning, we're leaving early remember," Marcus reminded him.
"I still want to sleep," Dirx muttered and pushed himself up and fell down again when a half asleep Zerve accidentally tripped him over.
Sebatian woke next and then the others, who hesitantly got up and started to pack their sleeping material in their Gears. Javus had woken an hour before them and had come back from checking the region with his Gear, including the packing up of the terrain-mapping instrument.
"What time will your transport arrive?" Javus asked.
"It should be coming in the hour," Marcus responded.
Javus nodded and then stopped where he was walking. Most of the dragons reacted the same way. A beeping sound was being emitted from Javus's Gear and when he moved on he raced back to his controls and identified the source of the beeping. It seemed that intruders were approaching the building at a rapid speed, too fast for any response. They would be here in a matter of seconds.
By the time he could turn around, he saw the trail of dust fast approaching the building. Almost ten northern cheetah gears in desert camouflage circled the building, blocking off the Shadow Dragons and their Gears.
"We want your money and all your possessions and we won't hesitate to kill you if you refuse," the leader of the rebel group demanded.
"Do you even know who we are?" Dirx said.
"Ah yes the its those clowns from the duelling rings," another sneered.
"Oh yeah well if I were in my Gear now I'd pound you without breaking a sweat!" Dirx growled.
"Whoa easy Dirxy, we can't lose our vibes on these low-landers," Zerve advised.
"I remind you that you'll be dust after we shoot you with our autocannons," the lead of the rebel group warned.
"What do you want from us?" Tachi asked.
"I think you already know the answer to that, besides you have no chance against us," one of them answered.
"Don't count on it," a familiar voice called from behind. Within seconds the lead Gear was sliced in two, the top torso falling off like a sliced apple. Behind the newly created wreckage stood the Sparticus with two sharp blade devices attached to its wrists.
"Is that Javus?" Dirx said, bewildered by the occurrence that just happened.
"Guys, this is Javus. I need you to get in your Gears, I'll fend them of for the moment," Javus suggested and turned to run as three Cheetah models attacked him immediately.
The Dragons still couldn't approach their Gears because three other Cheetahs were guarding them. They instead could vaguely recollect the fight occurring in the distance. However Dirx had an idea and whispered it to Marcus who agreed.
Javus was being followed by the three rebel Gears, of whom were in a tight formation. He swerved to the left and they followed. At the same time they fired rockets and autocannon fire at him and he was aware of his Gear's damage to the side from earlier. He would not let his guard down again and so he managed to dodge their fire.
Ahead of his view was a cliff wall, the very edge of the canyon. He figured that as he closed in on the wall the rebels would close in on him and so he quickly formulated a counter-attack to be drawn.
Nearing to the rock face, Javus turned a hundred and eighty degrees in a split second seeing two wings coming from the sides. He charged forward, noting that the front middle Gear was turning to a defensive posture and then he turned left into the right wing. He drew out his bladed device on his left arm and sliced through the enemy's Gear's legs, causing it to buckle and fall. The other two rebel Gears quickly advanced and followed him.
To their bad luck they ran out of ammo and stopped to rearm but Javus quickly burnt up the speed from his engine and circled them, racing towards them from behind and pressing through the middle of them. Just as he did this, he activated both his bladed devices on his wrists and some elbow blades. With a direct and lucky attack Javus tore through their legs like butter. Finishing his offensive manoeuvre, he retracted his blades and rushed off to the building where the Dragons were. When he arrived he found all but two Gears still standing. The rest had been defeated with a proportional response of missiles and autocannon fire. Shadow Dragon Gears finished their work with the last two Gears and came directly to Javus. The last two decided to flee as soon as possible.
"How did you guys get to your Gears?" Javus wondered.
"Just the luck of the draw. While you went to play the 'blade against gun' move, most of them were off guard and we took the opportunity to sneak into our Gears. After that was their fault," Dirx answered grimly.
"I see, thankyou for helping me to defeat them, I suppose they had no chance against you duellist types," Javus commented half-heartily.
"I suppose but if you didn't take on those Gears by yourself we wouldn't have gotten away," Marcus pointed out.
"Yeah besides we needed to cool off and they sure were enough to test our positive waves!" Zerve added.
The group was exalted in laughter and then a black object in the sky appeared in view. It was the Southern Walfish coming to pick up the Dragons.
"You should come with us," Marcus suggested.
"Really?" Javus wondered.
"Yeah I'm sure Lieutenant Creet won't mind too much although he is kind of a pain sometimes," Marcus insisted.
"Sure I'd love to come. I didn't really have much business to do here myself so why not," Javus agreed.
The Walfish quickly set down and the Dragons including Javus boarded the craft up its walkway. As swiftly as it came, the aircraft lifted to the sky and flew away, undetected by any focussed scanners in the desert region.
Seeping over the horizon, the Walfish came in for a steady landing on the platform at the Southern Dragons command base. The passengers left one by one, down the ramp and stationed themselves along the wall of a building. Lieutenant Creet, in his white uniform looked bleakly at the Dragons and sighed.
"Why did it take you so long to get here?" the lieutenant demanded.
"We were held of by the Vanguard when Javus here came to our rescue. He gave us a place to stay for the night and then helped us fend of some rebels this morning," Marcus reported.
Creet nodded and dismissed the Dragons, who then piloted their gears inside the base. Javus was left behind, feeling disconcerted to be around the Lieutenant.
"I'm grateful that you saved my squad. What's your name exactly?"
"Javus Veckscroft," he responded.
"Never heard of you. Where exactly did you get a Gear like that?" Creet wondered, eying the complexity of his Gear. Even though it appeared to be absent of weapons, its design was very artistic.
"I was part of the testing group 012 Alpha Zeta at Cambridge base," Javus explained.
Creet showed some enlightenment in the thought of the base, "I've heard of that base, my former CO came from there."
"It's very secret sir, not even I can find it now and we were trained to find the most difficult objects in the desert," Javus included.
"I see, so your part of those elite trained teams that are designed for-"
"We're Special operatives not gung-ho soldiers who think they can pilot a Gear," Javus cut in.
Creet nodded and looked further at his Gear.
"Does your Gear have a designated name?" Creet wondered.
"I named it the Sparticus," Javus replied.
"Impressive name for a operative's Gear.You appear to have succumbed to some damage. I'm no technician or engineer but it looks pretty serious. You can use our repair bay to fix it up," Creet stated.
Javus gave a surprised look, "Uh.thanks that's awfully kind of you."
"Well you better get it fixed before the Dragons decide to hog the area for a football match," Creet added.
Javus gave small grin, "Yes Lieutenant," and piloted his Gear into the abyss of the base.
Creet went inside shortly after he checked with the landing crew.
It was too late. Dirx and Zerve were playing practical jokes on each other in the repair bay. Apparently placing glue with feathers all over the controls was out of line for Dirx to handle. They stopped when they noticed Javus standing by the doorway, surprised about the whole performance.
"Hey it's tailblade," Dirx stated.
"You gave me a nickname already?" Javus said and stepped down into the repair bay, following a ramp into the level where a platform was available.
"It's so full of positivity though, besides it suits you," Zerve suggested.
"Perhaps," Javus said with a smirk and climbed out of his cockpit.
He looked around and found a shelf full of tools and a couple of larger machinery suitable for servicing his Gear. He gently picked a toolbox and set off to repairing his Gear while Zerve and Dirx decided to leave him to work.
An hour later he had finished the circuitry but his left arm was hurting since he had been lying on his side as he lay on a platform horizontal to the damaged hole in his Gear. He heard footsteps nearby and decided to rest. Pushing himself from the platform he climbed down a ladder to the ground. He found Sonja working on her Sweet Venom, a charismatic purple Gear known for its speed. She wasn't wearing her usual outfit and wore jeans and a black cotton top. She seemed to be concentrating on the panels inside her cockpit as she ran a couple of diagnostics tests.
"Hey," Javus called meekly.
Sonja looked up and waved towards him, "Oh hi, how's your Gear going?"
"Fine, what about yours?" he called.
"I'm testing its power capacity," Sonja replied in a simple answer.
"I see. Well I better leave you too it then," Javus said dismissively and turned to return to his Gear.
"Hold on a sec," Sonja said and climbed down her Gear and walked up to him.
"Dirx says you might be joining us," she stated.
Javus shook his head, "I'm sorry I couldn't."
"Why not?"
"You guys are professional Gear pilots. Me I'm just a simple soldier. I was lucky to take out three enemies this morning."
"Now that's a pathetic excuse," Sonja said.
".Yeah it probably is but I'm not skilled enough"
"Sure you are, we all saw how brave you can be in a fight. You stood up against the most adapt Gear and took him on with just close combat weaponry," Sonja pointed out.
Javus curled his tail around his waist; "You know, hearing you say that makes me feel better. I don't often get compliments from people."
"That's okay. Just think it through with your decision alright," Sonja smiled and touched him briefly on the shoulder before leaving the repair bay.
Javus was left alone as he thought about his situation, soon returning to repair his Gear's armour.
Marcus, Sebatian and Tachi walked into the repair bay, two hours since Javus had talked to Sonja. They too were getting the idea that he would be ideal as a new recruit for the Shadow Dragons. Much to Marcus's experience, he would take Javus under his wing if he chose to join.
"Hey Guys," Javus said, wiping a spanner with an oilcloth.
"Hello Javus, we are here to ask you a few questions," Sebatian informed him.
"Sure"
"Why won't you consider joining us?" Marcus inquired.
"I never said anything of the sort. Sonja told me rumours were going around," Javus replied.
"Oh ok well the offer's available if you'd like to join us," Marcus suggested.
"Thanks, but I still don't think I'm good enough," Javus said disappointingly.
"As my grandmother would say, those who don't try will be forever blanketed by their own misery," Tachi suggested.
"Now that's a thought that will fester," Javus mumbled and turned his gaze towards his Gear.
Marcus walked up to him and touched his shoulder.
"I know you can do it Javus, trust me we need the extra help and you fit that requirement.besides I think you've already gotten yourself acquainted with everyone."
"I'll think about it," Javus said finally.
"We'll be in the mess hall if you make up your mind," Marcus stated and turned to leave.
"Lieutenant Creet told us to tell you to visit his office," Sebatian cut in before they left.
"Oh ok thanks," Javus answered and then the three Shadow Dragons left the repair bay to his own silent thoughts.
After a couple of minutes he ran over all the things he could do to get out of this situation but none compared to the offer to join a professional duelling squad. A mix of emotion and contentment filed his mind and he came to his senses when he justified a formidable solution.
Briefly cleaning up the mess around his Gear, he ventured out of the repair bay and walked towards Creet's office area where he found the door closed.
He hesitated for second and then knocked twice on the door.
"Come in," a voice answered.
He walked into the office and closed the door behind him and noticed Lieutenant Creet sitting at his main wooden desk.
"Lieutenant you came to see me?" Javus asked as he entered the large furnished office.
"Ah yes, please sit down," the Lieutenant offered and Javus sat down in a chair beside the main desk.
The Lieutenant picked up a document and skimmed through some notes before addressing the visitor.
"Javus Veckscroft. Served in the special military testing force in sector 012 Alpha Zeta at Cambridge base. You were a Corporal before you left."
"Still am Lieutenant," Javus corrected him.
"That's good. We need a person here with some doctrine in his blood"
"Excuse me Lieutenant but what is it that you wanted to tell me?"
"I'm offering a place for you to be a pilot for the Shadow Dragons. With the skill and tyranny the Vanguard enlisted with their new member I've decided it's necessary to keep the game in balance," Lieutenant Creet informed.
"I'm honoured by your offer Lieutenant Creet but I'm not sure if I'm really the person for the job"
"Of course you are! A skilled and experienced test soldier like yourself is invaluable to our efforts. According to the Dragon's reports, your method of attack was profound. You may lack some areas but that can be built in time. We need people like you Corporal but unfortunately they're very rare to get these days. Please join us," Lieutenant Creet pleaded.
Javus thought through the idea in his head. He knew Creet was playing the political game of getting his side to gain the most profit by enlisted a man with his experience and skill. He played the Dragons like pawns on a board but not to the extremity of Colonel Rika. Based on what he had seen and felt, he felt happy to be in the atmosphere of the group. He also considered the support given to him by the Shadow Dragons, which greatly gave him enough self-esteem to respond.
Javus stood up and saluted.
"I accept the offer to join the Shadow Dragons," Javus stated.
"Good I'll get the paperwork done but until then you are dismissed Corporal Veckscroft."
Javus saluted and turned abruptly, walking out of the office and closing the door behind him.
He left lieutenant Creet's office with a sense of hope that he would be doing something right for a change and walked briskly down the hallow corridor.
Javus found the Dragons in the mess hall; seated at a table, dwindling thumbs and speaking softly to each other. When he entered the room they turned their attention towards him.
"What? Is one of my tail furs out of place or something?"
"How did it go?" Marcus asked.
Javus looked at them for a moment, noting how different these people were from each other and also because the reason why they succeed as a team. He deliberately waited until they were practically leaning out of their seats to hear his response.
He smiled and held both thumbs up. "I got the job!"
A howl of joy sprung out between the Dragons, all except Sebatian who didn't understand the notion of jumping up and down. Javus grinned to their satisfaction and then calmly waited until the group quieted down.
Just before he turned to leave he looked over his shoulder and said, "Oh and by the way Zerve, tailblade is a good nickname."
"That's great man, totally positive!" Zerve replied.
Javus left the room full of happy duellists and for another time in his life he felt he was doing the right thing. At least this time he could say he wasn't the only strange person around not after seeing how terrible the Vanguard had performed. He also saw what made the Shadow Dragons a very strong and compatible team. Fighting for the sake of rules would indeed bring a new light to his skills and allow for him to prove them against other worthy opponents in the future.