Disclaimer: I don't own either Ranma ½ or Vandread...I wish I did so I can skip this part
Into the Void
By Lord Strife
Warning: Characters may act OOC. You have been warned as such so don't flame me!
Version 1.0
Chapter One: First step to misadventure
--- 150 years into the future, somewhere in space ---
Magno Vivan was sipping her tea at the bridge. So much has already happened to her and her crew. Just a week ago, they barely managed to defeat the Harvest Mother ship. And to think their enemies were sent from the Earth. 'Sigh, wonder what mom was thinking back then.'
Just then alarms broke out.
--- Same time ---
"Come on Uchuujin-san! Why don't you come eat breakfast with me?" The ever lively Dita exclaimed as she tailed after the retreating Talark male.
"Go away you're bothering me!" Hibiki spat, but as usual this was just ignored by the ever enthusiastic Mejere UFO fanatic. 'Just what I need...I already got a headache because of that stupid dream...now this ditz giving me a new headache."
Meia just sighed at the sight, 'Interesting though, I'd never expected males and females to co-exist like those two...well almost anyway.' And then the alarms went off.
---
"BC? What's going on?" Magno asked her vice-captain.
BC was looking over Ezra'a shoulder, "We seem to have some sort Pexis leak in the hangar were we store the men's vanguards, captain."
Magno opened a channel to the engineering, "Parfet?"
"We have the leak under control now captain. We don't know how it began but it just did." Parfet face appeared on the holoscreen. "Pexis just outputted 120% more power than usual and it has frozen in Pexis crystal several of the vanguards in storage. Much like during when our ships first merged."
"Will there be any forthcoming problems with this, Parfet?" Magno asked worriedly, after all she was the captain and all her crew's life depends on how she asses the situation, especially when Earth's harvest fleet is a constant threat.
"None life-threatening captain, the Pexis has returned to normal levels now, and we'll continue to monitor its status for the next few hours though. And we'll try and see what has happened in the hangar in just a moment." Parfet replied.
Magno nodded her head, "Very well, keep me posted then." She then turns to her second in command, "BC, I think you should go down there and asses the situation first hand."
"Understood, captain." With that BC left the room and headed to the vanguard hangar.
---
Meia was already in the hangar, ogling at the sight of several vanguards encased in Pexis crystals, much like the first time the men's and women's ships merged.
BC approached Meia, "So how's status down here Meia?"
"Technically, all dreads are still very much operational. The crystal has only encased eight vanguard units. According to Parfet, the vanguard units have undergone modifications much like what happened to Hibiki's vanguard and to my dread." Meia said while looking at the maintenance crew trying to break the chrysalis encasing.
"I see. So if these vanguards emerge, will they be able to form vandreads?" BC asked.
Meia shook her, "Sorry vice-captain. I'm not sure I can answer that question. I guess we'll find out once we get them out of that crystal."
BC nodded, "I'll inform the captain. Where's Parfet?"
"She's down at the first vanguard to your left vice-captain." Meia pointed towards the said vanguard.
---
Hibiki was inside his vanguard with his monitors pointed at the hangar, watching the crew break the crystal encasing the newly transformed vanguards. 'Well looks like you'll be having some friends pretty soon, partner. I wonder if they combine as well.'
Hibiki's quiet reverie was immediately halted as Dita climbed in the vanguard cockpit. "Uchuujin-san!" Dita sing-song.
Hibiki sighed, 'Man, I can't get away form her can I?' "What is it? And my names Hibiki not Mr. Alien!" he retorted to the red-head ditz.
"I was just wondering...will those vanguards be just like your vanguard, Uchuujin-san?" She looks at him expectedly.
"I don't know. Perhaps..." Hibiki replied. 'If they can combine perhaps the other Mejere pilots can pilot them, then I don't have to combine too much with the ditz...'
Then a second alarm flashed. HIbiki was immediately on standby for launch while Dita reluctantly headed for her dread.
---
"Captain we have detected a pod that's giving out distress signals." Ezra reported. "We're also getting signs of organic life inside."
"Amarone are there any harvest ships nearby?" BC asked the woman in charge of enemy detection.
"I'm detecting several but there a quite a way from us at the moment."
"What do you think captain?" BC asked her captain for her opinion. "Should we retrieve it?"
"Captain the distress signal pattern is that of the old colonial era." Ezra supplied.
Magno nodded, "Alright, we'll retrieve the pod, it might contain something that can aide us against the harvesters and have Meia escort the retrieval crew."
"Understood." BC then step to her station and called Gascogne and Meia.
--- A few minutes later ---
"Hibiki, below you!" Meia called out as she dodges several cube fighters.
A few moments ago, the dread teams received orders to recover the pod that was discharging the distress code, and then suddenly the enemy harvest forces attacked. Unlike before, these new cube fighters were much faster, not to mention their AI increased significantly causing much more problems than before.
"Damn these things! Hey, where did the pod go?" Hibiki looked frantically around him, and spotted his quarry just a short distance from him. "Hey we got to that first!" He said as flew his vanguard towards the cube fighters that took the pod.
---
"Parfet, ma'am! We're getting unusual activities form the Pexis again!"
Parfet went to check on her colleague's terminal, "This appears to be the same reading as when the hangar was covered with Pexis crystal."
"Ma'am, energy reading has reached 132%. Capacitors are getting strained with the power flux!"
"Divert excess power to shields! Samantha, try and inject the capacitors with coolants." Parfet was scrambling to ensure the system doesn't go haywire now, especially when there is fighting outside.
BOOM
"Ma'am we got a blow out in one of the coolant systems!"
"We're detecting heat building-up in one of the diagnostics systems."
"Shields are now getting unstable!"
"Ma'am, Pexis Phlagma has entered critical point. Excess mass is being ejected into the Pexis room!"
Then there was a blinding light that everyone in the engineering room needs to cover their eyes. When the light abated, the ship's systems returned to normal.
"Pexis is returning to normal power output."
"All capacitors are now returning to normal operating levels."
"Shields are stabilizing."
"What the heck happened?" Parfet asked then out in the window in which they could see the Pexis she saw what the Pexis ejected. She immediately called the captain and the doctor.
---
"I won't be defeated by you because dreams are only dreams; I'm the one that makes my own reality!" Hibiki shouted as he and Dita blasted away the enemy harvest ship.
(AN: As to what happened in the battle...go watch vandread 2nd stage 1st episode.)
"Humph, reckless as ever Hibiki." Meia snorted but nonetheless smiled. "Alright, retrieve the pod and return to Nirvana."
And inside Vandread Dita, Hibiki was exhausted. "I could take a nap..."
Vandread Dita continued to hold onto the pod as the squadron returned to the Nirvana.
--- Hangar bay ---
"Hey there's a girl inside the pod!" said on of the Mejere females.
"A girl? Is she an alien too?" no need to guess who asked that.
"Nope, she's definitely human like us." Parfet replied.
Hibiki, who was at the back of the crowd tried to push himself forward to get a better look, unfortunately the moment he managed to get through he tripped and landed right into the pod just as the girl awoke.
A holographic entity, making cute sounds, emerged out of the girl's earrings. "Were...were you the one that save me?" The girl said then with sudden enthusiasm and sudden gush of hormones glomped onto Hibiki. "You are the one that save me, oh thank you my Prince Charming!"
"Prince?" Jura asked.
"Charming?" Barnette added.
"NOOO! Uchuujin-san should only unite with me!" Dita screamed in jealousy as she saw the blue-haired girl clinging tightly to Hibiki. (I wonder if Dita knew the meaning of what she said...hehe).
"Well doctor, looks like you'll have another patient besides those eight we found at the Pexis room." Parfet said as he helped the doctor stand who fell when Hibiki accidentally shoved him aside.
"Yes, seems like it." Duero thanked Parfet for helping him up. 'Though I am interested as to why there was man among them, perhaps...'
Meia was also looking at the scene before her, 'Strange...the girl seems to act differently towards males as we do...could she be from places where male and females still co-exist?' She then shook her head as she saw Dita tried to physically separate the two with a very curious nurse observing them.
"Pai-check!"
---
Magno was standing inside the ship's infirmary, watching nine teenagers sleep. "How are they doctor?"
"The girl that came from the pod, aside from cryogenic fatigue, she will be alright. And the eight who were seemingly ejected by the Pexis, are only physically exhausted. I think they'll wake within an hour or two." The good doctor replied.
"Interestingly, one of them is a man." BC added.
"Yes, and judging by his physical condition and attributes he is about Hibiki's age." Duero said as he read the boy's medical chart. "And the women with him are more or less the same age as he is. Well, except for the brown haired girl in ponytail. She appears to be more of Meia's age."
"Thank you doctor. Please call us when our guest awakens. We all have a lot of questions to ask them." Magno said sagely and the doctor nodded to her.
Magno and BC then exited the infirmary. The latter spoke first, "Do you think that the incident with the vanguards being encased in crystal has anything to do with the appearance of those eight youths captain?"
Magno shrugged, "Probably, we'll find out when they wake-up. It might just be a coincidence. Or perhaps a miracle like when our ships first merged together."
"I'll go see with Parfet and see how the removal process of the crystals from the vanguard is." BC said before she left her captain.
"And ask Parfet the analysis of that red beam that managed to disrupt the vandreads."
BC nodded and continued on.
Mango took her time to walk back to the bridge, 'I know I've seen that boy and those girls before. I can't point out where.' She reaches the elevator shaft and immediately sets it to go to the bridge floor. 'I think I'll look on it at my photo albums later.'
---
"Uchuujin-san!"
"What do you want now?" Hibiki asked from his sitting position beside the pond in the bio-park.
"Did you see the other male that was taken to the infirmary?"
Hibiki shook his head, "No, Duero shoved me out of the room as soon as the captain and vice-captain came before I could even take one glance."
The two heard footsteps from behind them and saw Meia.
"Leader! Would like to join us?" Dita asked with a smile.
Meia just nodded. "I hear we will have another male crew member. Provided of course, he is no enemy and if he cooperates."
"I'm sure he'll be! He came out of our Pexis then he must a good alien!" Dita with expression she usually reserves for her UFO fanaticism.
Hibiki and Meia sighed; Dita can be so obnoxious when it comes to UFO and the like.
"I doubt he's an alien." Hibiki voiced out, "He's just the same as you and me."
Meia nodded, "And he came with seven other women. It may mean that they may have some knowledge regarding male-female relationships, and perhaps that girl in the pod as well."
"True. I always wanted to ask someone who knows how to relate to those old colonial era behaviors." Hibiki thought out loud.
"By the way, Hibiki...Parfet said that the vanguards can be taken out of the crystal encasing later today. She asked that you come and see if those vanguards are still operational and if they function in the same way as your vanguard."
"Okay Meia, tell her I'll drop by later." Hibiki waved her off as Meia left the two alone in the bio-park.
It was quiet for a few minutes then Dita decided to break the silence, "Umm...Uchuujin-san? Why do you want to ask someone how men and women interact?"
Hibiki blushed, for some unknown reason to him, he blushed. "I...don't know really. Just...just curious maybe."
--- One hour later ---
Ranma awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling. He groaned as he moved his hands over his head, 'Man, feels like a hundred wild animals stampeded in my head...what was that thing the old man used...THE OLD MAN!' With that last thought he bolted up in a sitting position. He winced as the pain throbbed in his head because of the sudden motion, "Ouch!"
"I see you're awake. I suggest you avoid moving too much, it appears your body has been exhausted due to events we have yet to determine." said a voice from beside him.
Ranma turned his head to look at the man, sitting beside some computer console. He appears to be doctor, but the sign on his patch was an 'X' instead of a cross. "Sure thanks for the advice doc...umm do you have any water?"
Duero nodded, "Yes we do. Please sit tight and I'll get you some and I do need to call the captain now that you're awake." He stood-up from his chair and went to the next room.
'Captain? I must be on a ship...doesn't look like any ship I see in the maritime industry...it's more like a sci-fi ship...especially with all those gadgets around.' Ranma thought for a moment then look at his surroundings much more clearly. He was relieved to see that the girls were all there and seemed to be sleeping. 'Hmm...there is another girl over there with strange things attached to her...perhaps she is part of the crew or something...'
After a few more minutes the doctor returned with a glass of water at hand, "Here you go. I already called the captain and she'll be down in a moment."
Ranma accepted the glass and gulped it down, "Thanks for the water doc. By the way my name's Ranma...and where am I anyway?"
The doctor took the empty glass and placed it on top of his table. "Hello Ranma, my name is Duero, the physician here onboard the Nirvana, and where currently heading towards Talark and Mejere."
"Talark? Mejere? Sorry doc but I don't know any places named Talark or Mejere. What country are they in anyway?"
The doctor looked slightly puzzled, "They are countries. What planet did you come from anyway?"
'PLANET?' That question echoed in Ranma's mind.
The doctor took note of Ranma's behavior. Just then the door opened and stepped in where Magno, BC and Gascogne.
The other girls began stirring at that moment.
"Oof...I feel like I went a couple of round with Natsume in her cursed form!" Nabiki groaned as she rubbed her temples.
"Same here sugar." Ukyou slowly too got up.
"Is Ranma okay?"
"I'm fine Akane." Ranma replied.
Kasumi slowly sat-up and noticed they were no longer in the Tendo compound. "Ranma-kun, where on Earth are we?"
"Kasumi-chan, I got a feeling we're not on the Earth anymore." Ranma sadly replied, earning a few shock looks from his companions (who couldn't even fathom how they're no longer on the Earth) and those from the Nirvana leadership (hearing they were from the Earth).
"Oh, my!" came the usual response from Kasumi.
"Now that's the underestimation of the year sis." Nabiki intoned.
The other girls were slowly recovering from their shock, as well as the Magno, BC, Gascogne, and Duero.
"Did we get abducted or something?" Kurumi asked.
Magno decided to finally have a talk between their groups as to have a better understanding. "My name is Magno Vivan. And I am the captain of the Nirvana. If you still haven't introduced yourselves to the doctor, his name is Duero McFile our onboard physician. This is BC my second, and the other is Gascogne who handles our ships armaments. And you young ones are?"
Ranma and the girls look at one another then shrugged. 'Might as well go along with it.', Ranma thought and then decided to speak for everyone. "My name is Yukashii Ranma. The girl with long blue hair (hey after all, the event in which Ryouga cut Akane's hair didn't happen and this time instead of Tofu, Akane's hitting on Ranma) is Tendo Akane. The girl next to her is Tendo Kurumi. The girl with pony-tail is Tendo Kasumi, and next to her is Tendo Nabiki. The girl with the huge cooking utensil is Kuonji Ukyou; next to her is Tendo Natsume. And the girl with purple hair is Shampoo." The girls gave them a bow, which surprise Magno a little.
'It's been a while since the last time I saw a person bow when they introduce themselves.' "By chance the five young girls with the Tendo last name are sisters?" Magno asked curiously as she sat down in one of the chairs, with BC and Gascogne flanking either side of her.
"We are." Kasumi said with a pleasant smile that the doctor and the three pirates found rather calming.
"Can I have a glass of water?" Akane asked, and the doctor nodded and grabbed the empty glass on the table.
"Anyone else who would like a glass of water?" He asked and all the other girls raised their hands. "Very well then..." He walked to the next room.
"Forgive me for being blunt but Ranma said that we were no longer on the Earth, by some chance is this...a spaceship? And where we headed?" Nabiki voiced out.
BC answered for her, "Yes this is a spaceship. And we are currently heading towards the planets Mejere and Talark."
"Umm...how did we get here anyway? Are you aliens or something? I'm sure the Earth has no current technology can do space travel." Natsume said as she began to asses the situation before her.
The three pirates looked at each other with puzzled looks. "What do you mean the Earth has no technology for space travel?" Gascogne decided to ask.
"Well all I know is the best that Earth can do is send out probes. And the only alien world that our people have ever stepped on is our planet's moon. And that is a few decades ago." Ranma answered.
Magno was genuinely surprised, 'Strange that they should say that...it is as if they came from the time just before the great migration...I wonder...' "What year is it on your world?"
"The year is 2004, why?" (Well since I did change several things in the timeline might as well make the year the present.) Nabiki got a funny feeling in her gut.
BC and Gascogne was surprised to hear the date while Magno just nodded, as her suspicion proved true.
"The year now is 2154, young ones. I guess that can explain why we have technology that can do space travel." Magno said.
Ranma and the girls were in shock...not only where they not on Earth, they were no longer in their own time. Then in a rare synchronization of thought, 'I'm gonna kill that panda!'
"Is there anyway we can go back to Earth?" Akane asked.
Magno shook her head, "It is not a good idea to go to Earth now. The Earth you once knew is gone. Though I can't explain why, because I don't know the reason myself, but going there would be suicide."
"Why? Is the Earth beyond habitable or something?" Nabiki asked.
BC shook her head, "We can't say exactly uninhabitable ...but it is more on of the case that the Earth is committing mass genocide as they kill other people in different planets and colonies, harvesting the people there for their body parts."
Ranma and girls paled at he thought of their bodies being harvested and the idea of mass genocide.
"Why? It sounds like people were like cattle to be slaughtered." Ranma exclaimed.
Magno sighed sadly, "Sadly, we don't know the exact reasons for that. All we have are evidences that point out that the Earth has indeed 'harvested' several planets already.
Kurumi asked sadly, "So the Earth is no longer the home we can go back to then?"
Natsume stood and sat next to her sister to comfort her.
"Home is where we make it to be. A place to be welcome, perhaps we can make a new home in some other planet. Oh, my I always wanted to live in another world." Kasumi said ever cheerfully, somewhat lifting the spirits of the former Earthlings.
Magno nodded in agreement, "Yes home is where the heart is. Perhaps you would like to live with us in our pirate base?"
"You're pirates?" Akane asked in awe.
BC nodded, "Yes we are. And it is probably for the best that you stay with us on our base. Unless of course, you want to live on a surface world but you would have to live separately from that young man with you."
"What do you mean by that...your saying that as if you're society has separated the men and women?" Natsume voiced out.
Magno sighed, "Yes we have separate societies for men and women. At least in our planets we do. Talark is the planet of the men while Mejere is the planet of the women. And it has been three generations since the last communiqué between the two planets. You see, Mejere and Talark have been at war with one another for the last 75 years."
"If you're saying is true, how the hell do your people reproduce?" Nabiki asked the first question that popped in her head (AN: It was the first question that popped in my head when I first watch the series). The other nodded silently, albeit blushing at the underlying implication.
BC and Gascogne was confused by that question, Magno was again mildly surprised, after all the young ones did come from the past and back then men and women reproduced normally. "We do it through several cloning methods. Women still bare their children in their wombs but I hear that men have babies in factories." Magno answered. "Ask the doctor for specifics on how men have babies and our nurse-in-training, Paiway, for specifics on the women."
"I guess we'll be staying at your base then, but wait a minute...if that's true how come there is a man on your ship?" Ranma asked.
"Well we are pirates and pirates don't follow the rules set out and defined by society you know." Gascogne answered Ranma. 'At least it was in the last few days, if they had showed up before who knows what would have happened.'
"How many men are onboard your ship?" Shampoo for the first time joined the conversation (and yes her speech is normal, she did live in Japan for 4 years).
"Three." Magno replied. "And we have 150 female crew members on board."
'Great! More women after my Ranma!' Several women groan to themselves.
Ranma was oblivious to the thought of the women, "And the doc is one of the men right? Where are the others?"
"Bart is our helmsman. The ship won't move unless he is inside the matrix helm of the Nirvana. And Hibiki is probably down at the hangar, doing maintenance on his vanguard. And they're basically around your age as well." Magno answered.
"Well Ran-chan, you can still live in the female's planet, you're half-girl after all." Ukyou teased. The three pirates found that remark, rather shocking...and unbelievable.
Ranma smirked at her, "Oh yeah? You can also live in the men's planet Ucchan, as you are half-boy."
Ukyou blushed as her teasing was returned to her but got an impish idea. She has the opportunity to have Ranma alone, albeit she has to be a man and they can both live in Talark.
Akane saw Ukyou's grin and immediately deducted her thought. 'Damn! I forgot Ukyou could change into a man...better make sure Ranma either stays with the pirates or we get him to live in Mejere.'
Magno was getting a headache, 'Half-girl? Half-boy?' Similarly the two other female pirates were getting the same thoughts. "What do you mean being half-man and half-female?"
It was about that time Duero re-entered the room carrying several glasses of water. He was about to hand Akane her glass of water when he trip on the blanket that fell from one of the beds, causing him to loose his footing and dump water on several of his patients. "Pardon me, I seem to have tripped on...what's wrong captain seems like you seen a ghost?" Duero noticing the bulging eyes of his captain and the two women with her and noticed BC was pointing to some of his patients. He turned around to take a look on what the vice-captain was pointing and found himself joining the three in shock.
To where Ranma once sat, was now sitting a buxom red-haired girl. A naked Akane was hiding behind...Akane? Then there is that tiger sitting on the bed with the clothes of that girl Natsume. And Ukyou seemed to have lost her chest and grew a few inches taller and her hair was silver color (think Sephiroth!).
"I take it you haven't heard of Jusenkyou right?" Nabiki asked. She was thankful that she didn't get splashed. 'Well hopefully Natsume won't get mad for using her as a shield though.' She saw the four shocked people shook their heads. "This will take some time to explain..."
"We have time..." BC said. 'I could have used that ...' (If you don't know what she's thinking about, go watch Vandread 2nd Stage).
Magno nodded her head, "Do tell. I got the feeling it will be an interesting story."
Gascogne was still making an excellent goldfish imitation as she continued to stare at the modified people.
"Umm...can anyone give some clothes to wear?" asked the naked Akane.
Kasumi took the hospital gown that was lying beside her bed and gave it to Akane who put it on immediately.
Duero shook his head to clear and began, "Are you really the same people?" He asked while moving closer and gazing at the tiger.
Ranma, Akanes, Ukyou and Natsume-tora (AN: tora is Japanese for tiger, while mouko is fierce tiger) nodded.
Natsume-tora gave a low growl and instinctively Duero pulled back rather hastily.
"I think Natsume-neechan wants some hot water." Kurumi pointed, while the indicated tiger nodded and glared at the doctor.
Ranma and Ukyou provided the necessary demo to explain how their curses were triggered. Duero was still trying to find some form of logic that could explain what he just saw, magic couldn't exist...could it? Magno was much more receptive, she had heard from her great, great grandmother something regarding magic, she just didn't believe then. BC was mumbling something, while Gascogne was still doing her goldfish imitation. Natsume resumed her uncursed form as did Akane.
--- Insert prologue here ---
"And then there was a blinding light...the next we knew we ended up here." Ranma explained the events that have brought them to the Nirvana.
"I see. A few hours ago our Pexis Phlagma, the power source of our ship, ejected you youngsters inside the Pexis Room. Perhaps the Pexis has some connection with that artifact that old man you mentioned." Magno explained. "Perhaps, the Pexis were expecting you to arrive...because there was another event that occurred prior to your arrival though it may have just been coincidental." 'But the number of vanguards affected is too much of a coincidence to ignore.'
A holosreen appeared inside the infirmary showing Parfet's face, "Captain we have successfully recovered the vanguards from the crystal encasing. Hibiki is currently checking out the vanguard systems as we speak."
"Very well Parfet. I'll get the details from you later."
The chief engineer nodded and screen disappeared.
"Wow! That was cool! Is the way you people communicate?" Ranma asked curiously.
Duero nodded after finally giving-up of finding some logical explanation to the curse. Something he will just file under 'unsolved mysteries of science.'
It was about that time Akane noticed the other young girl in the room. "Is she alright? What happened to her?"
Duero answered her, "We rescued her from an escape pod. Apparently she had been in cryogenic sleep for the past 63 years. Thankfully we got to her before the Earth's harvest fleet did. We still have to ask her though of what she was doing out here in deep space. She may wake-up probably in a few hours."
Magno stood and began walking towards the exit of the infirmary but turned to her guests before leaving, "Can they move around now doctor?"
Duero nodded, "It was just fatigue. Their body functions are quite normal, so I see no reason to keep them here."
"Good. I'll be introducing them to the crew to make them more welcome. Come with me to bridge children." Magno began to leave. BC and Gascogne followed suite.
The girls all look at Ranma who just shrugged, "Well we ain't got a choice in the matter. Unless we find a way back to our time...and planet...I guess we might as well try and fit in."
The girls nodded and followed Ranma outside.
Duero was in deep thought as soon as Ranma and the gang left, 'Hmm...those women seemed to have an interest in Ranma...the same way Dita has for Hibiki. I always wanted to know why...I guess I can ask them about it later.' He then tuned his attention to his only sleeping patient to check for her vital signs.
---
Magno was leading the way towards the bridge, BC and Gascogne following behind her. Her guests were following but were busy admiring the interior of the Nirvana. She also noticed that most of her crew was looking at their guests with curious expressions...especially towards Ranma. She chuckles quietly, at the sight of their blushing yet confused faces. 'Hormones will be hormones regardless on how you're brought up. But it's quite strange that they were not reacting that way to Hibiki...that Ranma must be a natural lady killer. Turns out things get better and better everyday with men around.'
Ranma was, as always, oblivious to the stares of the female crew. Fortunately, the girls were too much distracted from looking around to notice the expression on the people they are passing by.
They took an elevator and proceeded to the bridge.
Magno took her captain's seat and motioned for Ezra to open a communiqué to the Nirvana crew. She immediately noticed that Celtic was staring at the boy rather intensely. Celtic blushed when she noticed her captain was smiling at her, catching her red-handed for staring at a man and immediately turned her gaze back at her panel, but kept stealing glances at the boy.
'What is wrong with me? Why was I staring at that man? I'm a woman for crying out loud!' Celtic felt herself having a start of a headache. 'But...looking won't hurt...'
Ezra nodded to Magno that the channel was up, and several holoscreens were now up across the Nirvana.
--- Half an hour later ---
"Wow did you see that! That's a neat alien power!" Dita exclaimed quite happily. Half an hour ago, their captain introduced the newest member of the Nirvana crew, along with a small demonstration of the said members' curse, much to the dismay of Ranma.
Meia shook her head at her overtly enthusiastic fellow crew member. "It was strange if you asked me. Imagine a man changing into a woman due to differences in water temperature." But somehow she found a nagging feeling when she looked at that man called Ranma. 'I must be tired...'
Hibiki nodded his head in agreement to Meia, "Well he did say he was born a man. Only curse to change into a different gender. I heard there was another who can instead change from a girl into a boy?" 'But that was indeed weird...I felt my heart beat faster when I saw his girl half...I wonder why?' What ever it was he felt, Hibiki decided to keep that to himself.
"Her name was Ukyou. At least they were more normal...the captain did mention the others change into animals." Meia continued, 'And what's an Ashura anyway?'
"But that other girl was neat! She gets to have a twin! I wish I could have a twin." Dita sighed.
Hibiki slightly shivered when he heard Dita's wish. 'Man can I barely handle one craze ditz...I'll probably go bonkers if there were two Ditas.'
Meia noticed Hibiki's plight and gave a silent chuckle. "I heard they'll be staying at same level as your sleeping quarters."
Hibiki nodded, "Yeah I heard. I also hear that some engineering staff will come by and renovate the place a little."
"Leader, were they really from the Earth so long ago?" Dita asked.
Meia nodded, "Well that's what the captain said anyway. If you want to find out more you will have to ask them personally."
Dita nodded enthusiastically, "Perhaps they can show me more of their alien powers! Or perhaps I can show them some of my UFO stuff! I'm sure they'll love it!"
Hibiki and Meia sighed.
---
"So what do you think of our new crew members Jura?" Barnette asked her best friend, who was sitting off to side of the firing range.
"They seem okay. That man with them is interesting though."
Barnette reloaded her gun, and started the next set of targets. She fired her gun continuously, making perfect hits. "Yeah seems like it. At the very least, he can change into a girl. That somehow relieves me."
"Are you planning another coup Barnette?"
Barnette missed her target completely at Jura's blunt question, "Of course not, Jura! I may hate men, but I do know the fact that they do have their uses." She recomposed herself before resuming her target practice.
"I guess."
---
BC leads the group into the lower levels of the Nirvana, showing them were their quarters were located. After showing the way, she returned to the bridge.
Ranma looked around the room, "Well a little personal touches and it can be as good back home."
"It's a little dark; at least we all get separate rooms." Nabiki said before going inside. "And also we get a good view of space." She nodded towards the window.
"I wish we had some change of clothes." Akane sighed.
"Well I'm sure the nice people on this ship can provide us some." Kasumi reassured her sister. "But I don't think they have many men clothes for Ranma and Ukyou though."
"The captain said they have a lot of the Talark uniforms, perhaps we can sew them into more fashionable clothes?" Natsume suggested. "Anything Goes Sewing!"
Ranma beamed, "That's a great idea Natsume-chan! I'm sure the captain won't mind."
"Well I can call the captain now and negotiate the matter." Nabiki said with a business tone.
The others merely nodded, just then several members of the engineering staff came by and ask them how they want their rooms renovated.
---
"Are you certain on that matter Parfet?"
"Yes captain. Hibiki verified it as well. The newly transformed vanguards are way different from his. And we both agree that it is unlikely it can combine with the modified dreads." Parfet replied while glancing at her notes. "Also, the means to operate the new vanguards seem different to that used in either dread or the old vanguard system."
"What do you mean?" inquired the captain.
"Well, the control system seemed to resemble that of what Bart operates in the matrix helm. And just like the matrix helm, the cockpit refuses to startup with neither I nor Hibiki nor any other member of the engineering staff. I already asked some of the dread pilots to try and operate it but they all end the way we did, perhaps..."
"By chance are you saying our new guests can operate them?"
Parfet nodded at the other side of the screen. "Probably, after all it is coincidental that there are eight new vanguards matching the number of our new guests." Parfet adjusted her glasses, "But it is all hypothetical unless we of course ask them to try and operate it."
Magno nodded, "I'll ask our guests later at dinner. By the way...what of the analysis on that red beam our enemy used against the vandreads earlier?"
"Nothing conclusive yet captain. With little data to go around, I can't tell what it was or how it affected the vandreads. Probably another demonstration might help but it might be suicidal."
"I see. Thanks for the effort anyway Parfet."
--- Next day ---
Ranma slowly opened his eyes, 'I wonder how you can tell what time of day it is when there is no sun?' He shrugged it off and got-up. And put on a shirt he managed to make from the Talark Uniforms yesterday night. It was same shade of color as the Talark uniform but a lot less rigid and much more space in the front should he accidentally change.
Upon exiting his room, he saw Duero stepping out of his own quarters. "Good morning Doc! If it is morning anyway." Ranma greeted.
"Yes it is morning Ranma, and good morning to you too. It seems like you're an early riser as well." Duero replied.
"Well I guess it's in my body clock since I always get up at the crack of dawn. By the way doc, is there any place I can practice here?"
"Practice what?"
"Martial arts. Well any roomy place would be okay." Ranma said as he scratched the back of his head.
Duero nodded in understanding, "Well the bio-park has a lot of open space. Come I'll show you the way."
Ranma nodded in thanks and followed the doctor. "By the way, has that young girl yesterday woke-up yet doc?"
"No she hasn't. But her vital signs seem to be getting more stable. Perhaps later today she might finally wake-up."
"You practice any martial arts doc?"
"I did when I was still at the academy. It is primarily for self-defense in unarmed combat. Quite frankly, I haven't practice any of Talark's martial arts form since becoming a physician here on the Nirvana."
"I see, but you can also use it as a form of exercise to keep yourself fit as well doc. Martial arts are the best form of cardiovascular exercise around."
Duero nodded while considering Ranma's opinion on Martial arts as an exercise.
After a short walk, and a couple of elevator hops, the two reached the bio- park.
"Thanks for showing the way doc. I'll be able to get around here on my own next time." He said as he took off to one side of the bio-park and took off his shirt.
Duero step back a little to see exactly what Ranma was going to practice. He noticed Ranma took a few calming breaths before he began his kata.
--- 10 minutes into Ranma's kata ---
To say the least in the past 10 minutes since Ranma began his kata, Duero was very impressed in the motion Ranma was doing. It was fluid yet stoic at the same time. Every part of his body was moving in synch and hinted a show of power. He was even more so impressed when Ranma launches himself in the air and performed several complex maneuvers that he thought was impossible when someone was aloft, then landing in such grace it was indeed an amazing feat of balance. 'I got to get him to teach me that.' Duero thought to himself, considering that this form of martial arts can indeed be beneficial.
Duero was not the only person to witness Ranma's performance. Meia, who happened to passed by the bio-park, was stunned at Ranma's martial ability. 'He's good.' Meia was indeed mesmerized by the way that Ranma flowed like water. Then she noticed the gleam of sweat that covered his muscular yet lean body. 'I wonder what that taste like.' Meia's eyes bulged at what she just thought. She shook her head rather hard, getting the thought of that sweaty and sticky yet gorgeous and tasty body of his out of her head. 'ARGH! WHAT AM I THINKING?' Meia started breathing in and out to calm herself, and then noticed Ranma has finished his kata.
Ranma was sweating moderately but he was satisfied. A little work out was all he needed to start the day. He noticed the doctor was still there, who apparently stayed to watch him perform his kata.
"That exercise you did was simply breathtaking. I was wondering if you could teach me that as well." Duero asked as he approached Ranma.
Ranma picked-up his shirt and put it on. "Sure! No problem doc. How about I teach you the same time tomorrow morning? But I must warn you doc...it will take time before you can come anywhere near what I just showed you."
Duero nodded his head in appreciation, "Tomorrow it is then. Shall I wait for you outside your room or here in the bio-park?"
"Wait for me here in the bio-park. I might get the other girls to work with us as well."
Ranma and Duero then headed back, with the latter showing Ranma where the ship's mess hall is.
Meia, unseen by the two males, sighed. 'Why was I so worked-up over that man?' She decided to head to the mess hall as well for some breakfast. 'Maybe I'm just hungry.'
---
Ranma met the girls at the mess hall and after a hearty breakfast proceeded to the hangar bay as per requested by Magno.
"So you think we are the ones that can pilot this mecha?" Nabiki asked as she scrutinized the modified vanguard in front of her.
"Looks like one of those mechas in Gundam!" Kurumi squealed in delight. The others nodded.
'What's a Gundam?' Parfet thought to herself then shrugged it off and proceeded to explain the situation to Ranma and his companions. "Actually I'm working more on the hypothesis of the coincidence on the matter. None of the crew I asked so far has successfully operated these modified vanguards and I'm only guessing that you people might prove otherwise."
"To be honest...we have no idea on how to operate that...mecha. So how do you plan on us doing it?" Natsume questioned.
"Well for starters, why don't you just step inside the cockpit?" Parfet pointed to the nearby vanguard unit.
The others turned to Ranma, who felt he was the one to go first. "Fine I'll go first." He proceeded to climb-up the ladder. The said vanguard was in the shade of red and black, which the girls found similar to Ranma's usual red Chinese shirt and black pants. It was too much of a coincidence. And unlike Hibiki's vanguard, the shape of the new modified vanguards was sleeker and much more humanoid (Think of Aestevalis from Nadesico).
As Ranma reached the top he asked, "So I just go in the cockpit?" He saw Parfet nod then shrugged, 'Oh well might as well get it over with.' He entered the cockpit, which was located at the thorax of the vanguard, and found it to have just enough room for small movement, he also noticed the controls or more precisely, lack of control systems. "Umm...what am I supposed to d-WAHHH!!!" He yelped as he found himself being sucked upward at the ceiling of the cockpit which was now glowing green. When he opened his eyes he found himself inside some sort of bubble matrix and also noticed he was naked (imagine Bart inside the helm of the Nirvana).
"Ranma! Are you alright? We thought we heard you yelp! Ranma?" Akane called out as she peered inside the 'cockpit' and found no trace of Ranma. "Hey! Ranma's gone!"
Then a holoscreen appeared in front of Parfet. "Hey, where am I?" Ranma asked rather confused, and rather self-conscious.
"Ranma, are you inside the vanguard?" Nabiki asked a little worriedly.
"I think he is." said Parfet. "It proves my theory that the new vanguard system is much like the Nirvana's helm matrix and only a selected individual can operate. More over, what we though were the cockpit was merely an entry point towards the real cockpit." Parfet opened-up a diagnostic hologram of the modified vanguard. "As you can see here, we're detecting a life-form reading at the center of this modified vanguard. Apparently Ranma is currently at the heart of the vanguard."
"Wow. By the way, the way you said that only selected individuals...does that mean only Ranma can ride this vanguard?" Natsume pointed out.
Parfet was thoughtful for a moment, "If it is indeed like the matrix helm...I guess so. Why don't the rest of you get on the other vanguards?"
"How do we know which mecha to board?" Shampoo asked.
Kasumi walked towards a vanguard that resembled the color of her casual attire. "I guess it's too much of a coincidence, but why don't we pick the mecha that looks like our favorite clothes?"
"Good point oneechan." Akane ran towards a vanguard that was colored yellow in some parts and had a red marking on the thorax.
"Oh well, might as well try." Nabiki shrugged as she headed towards a vanguard.
The other girls followed suite. And just as what happened with Ranma, the others were all sucked into the true cockpit of the vanguard.
"EEK! No one said we would be naked inside this thing!" Akane yelped in surprise as she found herself naked as the day she was born.
"Okay...now what do we do?" Ranma asked. "I don't see anything inside here that can make this thing moved."
"Why don't you try and imagine moving your right foot. For emphasis why don't you move your right foot inside the cockpit?" Parfet suggested. And sure enough, the black and red vanguard moved its right foot forward. Not to be outdone, Nabiki did the same and moved her foot forward. And as expected the vanguard moved in synch with hers.
"Cool! Think we can do some of our moves inside this mecha?" Ranma asked as he made his vanguard move around a little in the hangar.
"I guess. But we better take it outside. This hangar is too small for complex movements not mention we might damage the ship in the process." Nabiki said as she moved next to Ranma's vanguard.
Parfet nodded, "I guess that should be okay. I'll ask the captain for permission and we'll have to do it with some assistance from the register. And I do need to determine as well the weapon systems of those vanguards...if any exist anyway."
Ranma and the girls nodded and proceeded to park their vanguards and exited the cockpit.
Parfet approached the group, "Thanks for helping out. Perhaps we can see you people in action soon. Oh and by the way, the doc just called. He said that the girl Misty is finally showing signs of waking-up, and asked you guys to be present."
"Oh, my! The poor girl is alone isn't she? I'm sure we'll be able to help welcome and comfort her." Kasumi said with her usual cheerful smile.
Parfet nodded in thanks again, "You people go ahead in the infirmary. I'll follow you there as soon as I report the results of our test to the captain."
Ranma and girls left Parfet in the hangar and headed for the infirmary.
To be continued...
Up next: Chapter 2: Trial by Fire. Hibiki is appointed as head of the new vanguard squadron. Meia finds herself, as well as most of the women crew, ogling more on Ranma. Dita asks for more demonstration of their 'alien' powers. And Jura ask one of the girls, how to acquire a man's seed.
AN: Hmm...I always wanted to put Ranma in a place where there were a lot of young girls, and have them chase after him.
And yeah, I made Ukyou look like Sephiroth. And instead of the Masamune, it will be a Big Ass Spatula.
The vanguards look identical to that of the Aestevalis of Martian Successor Nadesico. And their system will be a combination of that of what Bart uses, and that of the Aestevalis pilot-to-unit interface, where what you think is what the unit will do.
Oh and belated disclaimer to Final Fantasy 7 for using Sephiroth and to Nadesico for using the Aestevalis.