This is my first fan fic ever in any way shape or form so please don't flame me unfairly I NEED HELP! But first:
Legal stuff: Nadesico is owned by Xebec and ADV Vision not me! So I don't claim to own any of the characters in this fic apart from those which I have invented (which obviously are not those which appear in the TV series) so please don't sue me or anything similarly painful. Just watch your complimentary copy of the series and reflect on the wonderful job you have done.
This fic is a mixture of boredom and the excesses of imagination and hot chocolate over my Christmas holidays. I've often wondered what would have happened if Yukina had never arrived on the Nadesico or in fact the Jovian council had never considered a peace settlement. So much hinges on this critical period after which the Nadesico goes on its final mission. Also the series was about Akito and his various admirers mainly Yurika I thought that he really should have chosen Ryoko as she was much less neurotic and less likely to kill him … anyway hopefully I can develop her in this fic cos she didn't have a huge amount of depth in the series so I can do whatever I want (within certain limits of course) Although I am introducing a couple of new characters only one is a major one from outside the ship and I am going to scrupulous lengths to make sure he has no Mary – Sue attributes including GBH. Rant ends Also later on the darker side of Ryoko's past history.
Ps. I apologise in advance for the poor attempt at humour… I'm sorry mostly this fic will be serious … mostly
PPs. As this is my first fan fic ANY criticism will be helpful especially if it is actually constructive, hopefully I can learn something from this, so please don't randomly rubbish it, except if it is reeeeeeeeeeeeeealy crap in which case fire away. I'm sorry for spelling errors.
Picture the Nergal Battle ship Nadesico gliding serenely though the inky blackness of space. An awe inspiring site for anybody…. Ok most people, however if it was all you had to look at for a whole day with nothing else to distract you it would get somewhat boring. Now imagine how boring it would get if you had to stare at it for a whole week……..pretty damn boring.
So understandably the crew (using the word loosely) who were used at this time to a fair amount of excitement and in some cases danger, were bored out of their (differing sizes of) minds.
Ship time 2:05 AM
Due to a week of inactivity, and reports that the Jovians might have been pushed back beyond the Lyminthinal orbit (authors note: this is the point where the earth and moon's gravities cancel each other out creating a null point in space which obviously is a good staging point as your ships can stop without orbiting/falling towards the earth or the moon) and possibly even mars! The crew of the Nadesico are all asleep; the sound of their mutterings and snores fills the corridors of the ship
Yurika is dreaming of Akito and their childhood on mars
Hory isn't dreaming anything that I could safely put in this fic
Minato is dreaming about Shiratori
Akito is having a rather strange nightmare about a cake with Yurika's face on it insisting that he eats her
Jun is dreaming about Yurika ditching Akito in favour of him (definitely a dream)
Megumi is dreaming about her life before joining the crew of the Nadesico as a voice actress, although she doesn't recognise the character she is voicing, a rather strange girl, in a giant bio-mechanical mecha who reminds her of… Ruri? All this to the strains of hallelujah
Ryoko is dreaming about her Aesti
Ruri isn't dreaming at all because strictly speaking, not all the crew is asleep:
The reason why Ruri is at her station on the bridge at 2:06 am is the rather ambiguous Nergal directive 127 subsection c) paragraph iv) "While in deep space the bridge must be manned by a qualified member of crew at all times"
Ruri's devotion to her duty is admirable but even so after 47 hours even she is starting to doze.
Just as her head starts to nod….
Omoikane's screen flashes as writing scrolls across it – Ruri, an anomaly has been detected at the edge of our sensor net.
Still half asleep Ruri mumbles "Hmr …… what?" (Because she's Ruri) "Status report"
Omoikane – a ship has been detected on the extreme edge of the asteroid cluster STR 00493. Its power consumption is minimal barely enough to keep on a standard life support system for a ship of that size. It was only initially detectable due to the distress beacon, standard issue UE forces Mark VI….
Ruri absorbed the rest of the available information though her IFV's in a couple more seconds, then she had to choose….
'Proper procedure would be to inform the captain and allow her to decide appropriate action on the available data….' Ruri thought as her finger hovered over the internal intercom system for the ship
However after no sleep and enforced duty, due to the laxity of the other members of the crew …. Ruri was feeling a little, testy.
RED ALERT – ALL CREW TO THEIR STATIONS – THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
Understandably with a screen popping up throughout the ship and blaring this message in their ears the whole ships crew suddenly woke up
For some reason giving in to this childish whim made her feel better…
Ruri finally gives in and goes to sleep, but not before her finger, 'accidentally' presses the fire countermeasures button
___________________________________
All the bridge crew rush in 5 mins later to see Ruri asleep at her station
All the pilots rush to Aestivalis
( Unfortunately in their hast to get to their stations no-one had time to realise that in some corridors the sprinkler system had turned on, so many of the crew were wet and very annoyed at being dragged out of their beds at two in the morning)
Jun running and then sliding to a halt outside the bridge entrance way, panting with exertion "Sorry ……. I'm ……. late …. The sprinkler system turned on in one of the corridors…" (Unfortunately he is still wet and still sliding) "…agh!" (Slams into a console with some force and buckles over as his head slams against the floor)
This wakes up Ruri which is lucky for her…
General shouting at Ruri (except obviously Jun who is still squirming on the floor) "Why the hell did you set off the General Alarm!
Ruri now fully awake and icy calm(which is surprisingly easy if you are the only one dry, even if you are only 14) answers "There is an unidentified ship" ( points at Omoikane's monitor behind her) "It could be hostile."
Yurika (mollified somewhat) "O what shall we do …" exclaims "what do you mean unidentified!"
Gesturing to the screen, Ruri explains "It is not registered as an UE vessel yet it does have a UE distress beacon. However the extent of external damage precludes visual identification."
Understandably somewhat annoyed with being woken up, then drenched, Erina exclaims "If it's so damaged why did you have to call everybody out of bed in the middle of the night! And turn on the fire sprinklers as well!"
Jun re-gains consciousness and looks around, wondering why he is on the floor, before he realises that he has just made a complete fool of himself and quietly sneaks off, before anybody can start laughing at him.(poor Jun, I recon its all down to his haircut personally)
Ruri now the only vaguely calm person in the room tries to explain, unsuccessfully, why she had to make everybody up. "The ship is venting air out into space and the power levels are so low that if we want to have any chance of rescuing anybody left on board we need to act immediately."
Erina, seeing a chance to go back to bed if this is concluded quickly goes for broke "So obviously, we need to send out…."
Ignoring her as she is too busy thinking Yukina announces "I think that we should launch the Aestivalis, now!"
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From the command deck all that can be seen of the launching Aestivalis are their fiery trails.
"Finally, let's go, form on me!" Even at two in the morning Ryoko manages to sound professional.
"Com network, initiated." Under her breath Izumi mutters " I don't know why I need to be here, it's only a recognisance mission for god's sake!"
The internal screens showing the other pilots in the wing flicker on
"O, I see you dressed up especially for Akito, Ryoko" Even the tinny rendition of Izumi's voice coming out of the speakers managed to leer on every syllable
"Shut up, I arrived late at the hanger and didn't have time to get changed"
Akito's face suddenly reddens as he inadvertently stares at Ryoko and notices that she didn't have time to put on her flight suit
Akito's mind swung back to the beauty contest and his treacherous tongue took over
" Ryoko …… you look nice in that outfit…." Akito then thinks, 'that was stupid' however it is too late
Pause as this is digested
" ………….!............YOU SICK PERVERTED FREAK! ………. STOP STARING AT ME LIKE THAT!" After realising what Akito just said Ryoko responds as volcanically as always
Of course Izumi and Hikaru collapse with laughter.
Yurika's screen suddenly thrusts itself into Akito's face.
Of course the bridge is privy to all of this "Akito! Stop staring at Wing Commander Subaru!......STOP IT….that's an order" Yurika is uncharacteristically snappish with Akito.
Akito's left eyelid started to twitch uncontrollably as he looked from one woman to the other, both thrust in his face and both yelling at him.
"You're unlucky Akito…"Izumi leers.
"………..?" Akito knows that he is being set up for something, and he doesn't want to find out.
"Yea ……….Normally Ryoko sleeps naked!" Once again the Hikaru, Izumi double team make it their mission to try and embarrass Ryoko and Akito.
Akito's brain shuts down.
"WHAT ! …….that's not true" "WHAT ! Akito look at me this instant" In unison both Ryoko's and Yurika answer this statement in their own ways.
"Akito, I should inform you that in precisely 1.345 sec you will smash into Ms Subaru if you continue at your present velocity…. now 0.574 sec…" Ruri unfortunately in this case is absolutely correct, as always.
Akito screams and rips all the screens away just in time to see the Ryoko's stationary Aesti looming in his view screen.
They collide just as Izumi finishes scanning the ship for heat sources.
"Nothing going on there, although the same couldn't be said for Ryoko and …" Izumi once again never missing a chance.
" What the hell do you think you're playing at Tenkawa!" Justifiably Ryoko's voice is shriller than normal as she spirals lazily but uncontrollably as she slices into the already damaged ship with a sickening crunch "Dammit my frame is caught on this stupid ship, …. Akito! Help me!"
Akito is too shell shocked to notice and Izumi and Hikaru….
"Whoa boy, calm down!" "It's not his fault he couldn't control himself!" Well Izumi and Hikaru couldn't give up an opportunity like this without some barbed comments.
They're laughing too much to help anybody least of all themselves.
"Shut up and get me out of here you mal adjusted ….." Being stuck in such an awkward position especially if you are very proud does not improve ones temper.
Akito is still reviewing what has happened so far and shuddering occasionally 'she's going to kill me' (who, we will never know).
Izumi and Hikaru haven't stopped laughing.
Ryoko manages to rip her way out of the ship.
Miraculously the ship stays intact, which is lucky because:
Izumi serious for once stops laughing "O *@!%* (random Japanese swearing) there is someone in there, I've just detected a heat source. Must have been shielded by something which was knocked away by bowling ball here…"
"Right, let's go in!" pause as Ryoko listens to the rest of the sentence "... and shut up!"
"Shouldn't we tow it back to the Nadesico?" Hikaru the voice of reason in a word of chaos, some of the time at least.
"Moving the ship would not be advisable, the ship was already damaged before the …." Coughs reproachfully "collision …." Ruri quietly mocking everybody as always, in fact it almost sounded as if she said 'Bakka!' as she coughed.
Everybody looks at Akito.
Akito buckles under the pressure and screams " I'M SORRY, OK!"
Ruri continues as though nothing had interrupted her " ….. also as hull is now breached in even more points now, most of the ship is de-pressurised. However the area which contains the heat source seems to be air tight for now. Nevertheless soon the seal will break, so it must be rescued as quickly as possible. It is in an outlying part of the ship so you should be able to break it off and bring it back."
"Hey, I'm the captain"
"Sorry, captain"
"Right, so bring it back now as Ruri suggested" then on Akito's private channel ignoring the gravity of the situation, as usual "O and Akito I have a surprise for you!"
Akito blushes again "Err … right…great…"
Because of course she could see Yurika talking in her viewscreen of Akito, and considering that Izumi and Hikaru have started laughing again. "As I'm the only one here who can do anything …"
"Err …. Yrika what exactly is this surprise" dreading the answer Akito still has to ask
"I can't tell you silly, otherwise it's not a surprise!" Still ignoring the fact that someone is rapidly freezing/asphyxiating to death Yurika twitters on.
Ryoko starts to rip out section of ship, realises that it is twice the size of her Aesti and pauses
"Hey, get over here!" Venting her frustration at her flight mates inability to do anything she slams her fist on the dashboard " Aghhhh! Dammit that hurt" realises that this is being broadcast loses it completely "TENKAWA, IZUMI, HIKARU, stop Gossiping! And get over here! NOW!
"Err ….. right …..great…..got to go" Remembering what just happened Akito turns off the screens and relaxes, apart from occasional twitches, then glides over to Royoko's Aesti which is starting to sink as it supports the massive weight of the section.
Between the four of them they manage to drag the section back to the Nadesico without it cracking open like a newly born bird making a break for freedom.
Akito calm now that he has turned off all visual communications exclaims "Hey where's Akatsuki?"
" How stupid are you, he's just…." Still pissed Ryoko rebukes him "Where is he?"
"Haven't seen him at all"
"Nope me neither" Izumi and Hikaru add their ever valuable input
"Then where is he?"
"Probably asleep."
"How could he sleep though this?!" Ryoko exclaimed with the assurance of someone who was woken up violently and had to dodge though the corridors to keep dry but still arrive late.
" I'm sure that you could sleep though this Ryoko, if ….." the rest of Izumi's sentence was lost when Ryoko's fist connected with Izumi's Aesti's head.
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In the bowls of the ship a shadowy shape put down the receiver of the long range transmitter.
"How interesting, how can this be turned to our advantage."
Silence returned as they quietly padded round the corner thinking to themselves
End of Episode one