Author: Nadz
Email: vegitto02 at yahoo dot com

Disclaimer:
The title "DragonTek" is owned by the author.
Any characters owned by the producers of Tekkaman, Dragonball Z, Dragonball GT, or Rurouni Kenshin are, of course, the property of those respective individuals or companies. Any original characters are strictly owned by the author of this fan fiction.
The story line of the entire DragonTek series is also owned strictly by me.
This story may not be distributed to anybody without the author's permission. However, the author does encourage you to welcome your friends to read DragonTek on FanFiction dot net. Much thanks...

DragonTek (Part IV: The Justice Saga)

Introduction

The people of Earth had just experienced the most recent horror of the Radam invasion – the waking of the spore plants. Swallowing people whole into their vices, the plants stopped at nothing. Their goal was to provide Omega with a brand new army, one that would accompany him in order to conquer even more planets in the galaxy. The first step towards their success was executed, and all the Radam had to do was wait for the plants to deliver victory to them – in the form of Tekkamen warriors, brainwashed and numbering well into the thousands.

As if matters could not get any worse, the Radam gained possession of all seven Dragonballs. It would not be long until they decided their wish and called upon the powers of Shenron. Nobody would be able to stop them, especially with Kenshin missing and Shinjo out of commission. With Blade up against so many adversaries, the situation appears bleak.

Three days have passed since the initial attack of the spore plants. During those three days, the plants continued to swallow more human fodder. Having saturated their capacities, the reddish vegetation became dormant again, silently beginning to convert its inhabitants into Radam slaves. It was the first time the Space Knights could afford to come out of their base, for revealing themselves any earlier would have been too dangerous. With hardened hearts, they continue their fight against extermination…

Chapter 38 – Aftermath

Scimitar looked down at the floor; his head was bent down in shame at having been defeated so easily. Worst of all, he had been most humiliated when Saki had shut up him at the end. Ever since, he had spent time healing himself in a pod in the Radam Outpost on the Orbital Ring. Of course, he didn't need three days to rest – he just stayed in there in order to avoid facing Omega. Masamune had already made his report to the warlord two days prior, and Omega had ordered Scimitar to give him an explanation in person.

"Scimitar, you are telling me that an injured girl and that weak female Tekkaman defeated you?" Omega's eye narrowed at the man knelt before him. Scimitar chose not to answer the rhetorical question.

"And on top of that, you begged Masamune to go with you so that he could take care of you?" Omega continued to chide his servant. "What kind of Tekkaman are you? Let me guess; you must have been the skinny loudmouth on the Argos. I remember hearing one as your crew explored this vessel."

"Please accept my humble apology, Lord Omega," Scimitar replied. 'What a bag of shit; he doesn't do anything. He just barks the orders. I wonder how he would have done against those girls.'

"I will let this slide this time… But remember that your failure allowed the traitors to escape!"

"I understand, my master," Scimitar hung his head.

"Now remove yourself from my sight immediately. Find something to do in order to keep yourself occupied!" Omega barked before dematerializing from the chamber.

'I don't need to do anything grand, because I don't need to prove myself to that loud windbag,' Scimitar thought as he stood up and smiled. 'In fact, I know the perfect thing that will keep me occupied.'

"I brought you some coffee, Levin. It's black, just like you wanted it," Milly said as she propped down next to her friend and handed him the mug. In her other hand were folders containing classified information about the Space Knights. She put it on the desk and turned to see what he was working on.

"Thanks, Milly; I appreciate it," Levin said, taking the mug and taking in the scent of the coffee.

"Levin, don't you ever take a break?"

"I can't, Milly. I just can't seem to do so ever since… you know."

"We all feel the same way," Milly sighed. "It was horrible. All those people…"

"And we were sitting safely under this mountain," Levin rested his head on his hand. For the entire night, he had been working on designing the Sol Tekkaman unit. He still had several kinks to work out, but other than that, he would be done soon. It was his way of fighting – with his knowledge and brain.

"The civilians could have been protected too… If only Dodge didn't brush off our warning…"

"More like your warning," Levin smiled at his younger friend. "You should take credit for the things you do, Milly. You're the Commander now, and nobody should take that away from you."

"Yesterday, I got the feeling that Aki wanted to take control of things. She's always been more firm and headstrong," Milly said concernedly. "Maybe I should give her the position; it'll be much easier that way. I don't really want to fight her, and plus, she'll probably do a better job anyway."

"Don't say that, Milly. I think you're doing a fantastic job," Levin tried to reassure her.

"Thanks, but who would take a sixteen year old seriously?" Milly posed, sitting back in her chair.

"I would," Levin smiled at the girl. Milly, appreciating the comment, lowered her eyes.

"So, Levin," Milly said, changing the subject. "How's the work on the units coming along?"

"Boss!" Levin sat upright and saluted Milly. "It's almost done, boss!"

Both of them began to laugh, hardly noticing the shadow that watched them from the dark area of the ceiling. The man crouched as he sat in a duct of a ventilation shaft. Using his camera and microphone, he recorded everything said. The only thing that truly interested him was the data residing on the computer on which Levin was working – the plans for the Sol-Tekkaman units that General Dodge so desired.

'I'll get those plans very shortly,' Balzac smiled to himself.

'Lord Plague will be very pleased upon seeing the success of the plants,' Omega patted himself on the back as he waited for the arrival of the Radam Emperor. Bezel had told them that he was going to depart for the moon after he had finished his nap. Omega considered it to be one very long nap; Bezel had just sent a transmission only an hour ago stating that he was leaving the main flagship.

"I can't wait to see my master again," Blood said excitedly, almost in a childish voice, as she stood near the pod in which Vegita resided. She looked inside, only to see her brother scowl and squirm. She knew that no matter what she said or did, her brother would be able to do nothing. He was completely immobilized by the special wave-distorting device hanging just above their heads.

"Aren't you excited, Vegita?" she asked cheerfully, noticing him frown. Turning towards Goku, she gently hugged his pod. "I'm so happy, Goku. I just wish I could give you a big kiss right now!"

Inside, Goku's lips curved up in a big smile.

"Tekkaman Blood, please do not make yourself a nuisance around here," Omega said sternly. "Even though Lord Plague made you himself, don't forget that I am still your superior."

"Yes, Lord Omega, how could I forget?" she chuckled. "Stupid me… you are a Radam Warlord!"

"Save your obnoxious tendencies for others, or else I will have those plants digest your two friends over there," Omega warned her, narrowing his menacing eyes. Blood muttered something under her breath and turned towards the Warlord, celebrating his victory in the verbal battle. He knew that Blood had special relationships with each of them and that he could use them as bait against her.

In another hour, a small pod, covered with crystal-purple energy, landed inside a hatch in the moon base. Blood watched intently as the door opened, and out stepped the armored form of Tekkaman Plague. A large cape flowed behind him as he walked calmly towards Blood and Omega. As he reached the center of the main chamber, Alena knelt before his outstretched hand.

"Lord Plague," Blood said in a soft voice, still kneeling. "You mentioned long ago that I was to become the Radam queen standing by your side. You told me that the Radam nation would bow at my feet. My master, if I may ask, what more do I need to do in order to prove myself to you?"

"Young Alena," Plague answered in a deep, razor-sharp voice. "After this war is over, you will earn the privilege of staying at my side. You certainly have done many notable things, but there are other battles to be fought and other races to conquer. The rank of Radam Queen is not one to be taken lightly."

"Lord Plague," she said with a low tone. "I have killed Kenshin."

"Did you see his dead body?" he answered in a deep, caustic voice.

"No, but I am sure he drowned. There's no way…"

"I will not accept his death until somebody has seen his corpse. You failed me, Alena," Plague said in an annoyed tone. "You were supposed to kill all of your family members, save for these two in the pods right here. You still haven't proven to me that your cousin Kenshin is dead."

"Sorry, Bezel-sama," Blood said softly. Pulling out her pouch, she untied it and laid it on the ground. Under his armor, Bezel's eyes grew wide upon seeing the Dragonballs shimmer in the soft pink light of the surrounding pods. Blood continued to kneel, hoping that this would make up for her mistake.

"These are the Dragonballs, Lord Plague," Blood said softly. As Bezel, her master seemed like a benign fellow whom she did not fear. However, his monstrous Tekkaman form sent chills through her.

"You should have these," she said as she wrapped them in a pouch and handed them to him.

"Acceptable work, Blood," Plague responded, taking them before walking by her and stepping towards Omega. Blood tightened her fist in frustration, for Plague hardly praised her for all her efforts.

'Why do you ignore me like this, Bezel-sama?' she thought as she heard her two superiors begin to converse about the success of the Radam spore plants.

"I feel so guilty, Takaya," Noal said as they approached the city. Noal had insisted on seeing the plants, with their captives, up close. Takaya had insisted that it would be too risky, but Noal didn't care.

"Why, because we all stayed protected in the base?" Takaya asked, looking out the window. As they approached, they saw the full stature of the bloomed plants. The plants stood up to fifteen feet in height, and each of their giant spherical bulbs, in which people remained engulfed, possessed a radius of three feet. Soon, Noal brought the car to a halt as they got close to the reddish vegetation.

"My god," the blonde Noal said as he stepped out, carrying his blaster pistol at his side. He walked cautiously towards one of the plants and looked up. This particular plant hosted five bulbs, and in each bulb was a human curled in a fetal position. He could see the pink electrical-like pulses that flowed through each bulb and the red lines that faded in and out off of each captive's body.

'Had I been out here that night, this is what would have happened to me,' he thought as he began to sweat and feel sick in his stomach. In one of the pods lay a small girl; she couldn't have been older than seven years old. She looked so peaceful sitting in there; her eyes were closed and she was sucking on her thumb. Noal turned his eyes downwards and looked at the ground below her pod. His face contorted as he saw a doll lying on the ground. Picking it up, he realized that the girl must have dropped it as the tongue of the plants chased and grabbed her. Noal placed it back on the ground, silently hoping that, if the girl successfully became a Tekkaman, the doll would be her first reminder of her humanity.

"What?" Noal gasped as he heard a sound from a plant nearby. Grabbing his gun, he froze upon seeing one its bulbs balloon and violently spit out its prisoner. Out fell a man covered in ooze; he lay on the ground, gasping for air. Noal began to run to him but was stopped when Takaya grabbed his shoulder.

"I have to help him," Noal said, trying to shake his friend's grip. Takaya stayed firm.

"No, you can't, Noal," Takaya replied. "He's been rejected by the pod, and he's going to die."

"And you can just stand there while he dies? I'm not going to; get off of me!"

"Face it, Noal. There's nothing you can do for him. If you get any closer, that plant will get you too," Takaya said as he looked sharply into his eyes. Noal turned his head to face the man, who struggled to raise his arm. The arm collapsed to the ground, and the poor fellow breathed his last. Noal scowled.

"He's fortunate, Noal," Takaya said softly. "Now he won't be a slave to the enemy.

"We have to save them," Noal whispered. "You have to save them."

"No… I can't do it," Takaya said as he lowered his arm. "I won't be able to bear it."

"I've had enough of seeing this," Noal sighed, turning around. "Let's go back."

"How do you feel, Miyuki?" Aki asked her gently. She had assured Takaya that she would take care of his sister while he accompanied Noal. Miyuki had been sleeping since her last attack, and she seemed to be in better condition now. Takaya had tried to explain to the doctors the probable cause of her illness, but they didn't know how to proceed with such information. Yet, they tried their best to help her.

"Better," Miyuki said softly as she tried to smile. She focused her eyes on Aki, knowing that this woman had feelings for her brother. She hoped that Takaya felt the same way about Aki as well. Aki continued to look at the girl with both warmth and concern.

"I'm glad, and that would make your brother feel good," Aki nodded.

"Aki, I am not going to be here much longer," she replied nervously.

"Of course, you'll recover soon and we'll get you…"

"That's not what I mean," Miyuki said, closing her eyes for several seconds and opening them again. "I have an illness that nobody can cure. In order to come here, I had to break out of the transformation system early. But… by doing that, I will have to pay a high price."

"What do you mean?" Aki's expression changed to one of concern as she held Miyuki's hand.

"The Radam had built in a fail-safe mechanism in the transformation system in order to prevent anyone from escaping. If one were to escape willingly before completing the process, then the fail-safe mechanism would take effect. In my case, my own powers are slowly and silently destroying my organs. Because I broke out early, my body will deteriorate rapidly."

"Miyuki…" she said, her throat feeling a small lump.

"Don't worry, Aki. It's better this way," Miyuki smiled. "I am so happy that I had gotten a chance to see my brother once again. I would much rather die this way, fighting for the side of the Earth. If I didn't break out, I would have lived, but I would have existed only as a Radam slave."

"Miyuki, you cannot leave us," Aki said as she squeezed the girl's hand.

"Be strong, Aki. I know you are," she said sadly. "After I am gone, Takaya will need you to be there for him. I know you have feelings for each other; please don't shy away from them. I know my brother is hurting and alone on the inside now, and only you can ease his pain."

"You will survive, Miyuki," Aki whispered. "You will survive for Takaya… and Kenshin."

Miyuki just smiled in response before closing her eyes.

"I know my brother is out there," Saki said as she watched Honda continue his repairs on the Blue Earth. During the last mission, Noal had brushed up against a tree and had knocked a light off of the wing.

"Yes he is, and I'm sure he's okay," Honda smiled, trying to comfort her. She'd been so worried; there had been no sort of transmission from Shinjo as to his whereabouts. Saki rubbed her hands anxiously.

"Do you really think he's fine, Honda-san?"

"Yes, young lady," he said as he wiped the sweat off of his brow. "Your brother wouldn't just leave you here like that. After all, he did say he would come back for you."

"I hope so…"

"You're finally awake," the gentle voice said. It's owner put a wet cloth on his head.

"W… What?" Kenshin whispered as he opened his eyes. Everything around him was blurry, but he made out the shape of a person's face looking down at him. As his vision cleared, he saw the kindly smile of an elderly man. He had a white beard and graying hair, and he nodded at the boy. Kenshin felt the hard floor underneath him; where in the world was he?

"You've been asleep for while now," the kind man said, blinking his eyes. "My name is Imagawa Bokkai, and I'm a fisherman here. You've been through a lot of trouble, I think."

"Yes, yes," Kenshin said as he tried to sit up. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to remember how he had gotten in this man's house. The last thing he recalled was his combat with Alena; she had blasted him hard into the water. Other than that, he couldn't remember anything else.

"How did I get here? And where is here?" Kenshin asked dizzily.

"You're in my humble house in Owashi right now," Bokkai answered. "You washed up ashore, and my friends and I managed to remove the water from your lungs. You've been asleep ever since then."

"Th… Thank you," Kenshin said, feeling ashamed at having been beaten so easily by Alena. She had not even transformed into a Tekkaman, but it remained a fact that he had fought injured. Both were Super Saiya-jin, but she had gotten the upper hand with her image splitting technique. The fury began to return to the boy's mind, but he remembered to keep himself under control in this kind man's house.

"If it weren't for your efforts, I would have been killed," the boy whispered.

"Killed? You sound as if somebody was after you," the man narrowed his eyes.

"How did you know?" the boy asked, surprised.

"You said the word 'killed.' If you had escaped just drowning, you would have said 'died.'"

"Well… yes," Kenshin nodded, looking down at the floor. "Somebody was after me."

"Why don't you tell me about it?" the man asked, handing the boy a glass of milk.

"You probably won't believe it," Kenshin said before explaining everything.

Note: My apologies for taking so long to update. Since it is the half-way point of the story, here is a recap of the important characters:

Radam:

Bezel (Tekkaman Plague) -- the ancient Radam Emperor

Omega -- the Radam Warlord

Briefs Alena (Tekkaman Blood) -- Saiya-jin-turned-Radam. Murdered the remaining Saiya-jin in her family, except for Goku, Vegita, Shinjo, Kenshin, and Nio.

Aiba Shinya (Tekkaman Saber) -- younger twin of Aiba Takaya (Tekkaman Blade). Was injured in a battle with Shinjo and Blade in Part 3 and is being upgraded to an evolved level of Tekkaman (like a "Super Tekkaman")

Aiba Kengo (Tekkaman Spear) -- elder brother of Blade and Saber. In the original Tekkaman Blade series (Spoiler Warning), Kengo is actually Omega. (Yes, I created my original "Omega" character for DragonTek)

Tekkamen Scimitar, Masamune, Shuriken -- the last of the Tekkamen Omega could produce from the crew of the Argos (the ship that was swallowed up during Takaya's story of his past).

Tekkaman Stake -- a Namek warrior who serves as Admiral of Omega's flagship, which is lingering near the edge of the solar system.

Military:

General Galt -- first military General. He was killed by Alena in Part 2.

General Dodge -- replacement for General Galt.

Balzac Asimov -- served as a military spy within the Space Knights using the guise of a photographer and journalist.

Space Knights:

Freeman -- first Commander of the Space Knights. He was killed by Alena in Part 2.

Levin -- a scientist and technology designer.

Honda -- chief mechanic and engineer

Milly -- sixteen year old communication officer, now turned leader of the Space Knights.

Noal -- pilot of the Blue Earth

Aki -- navigator of the Blue Earth and scientist. Takaya is her romantic interest.

Aiba Takaya (Tekkaman Blade) -- luckily escaped before he could be brainwashed by Radam and is now fighting for Earth. Hero of the Tekkaman Blade series. Aki is his romantic interest.

Aiba Miyuki (Tekkaman Rapier) -- also escaped before she could be brainwashed by Radam, but it cost her. Her body is slowly breaking down, leading her step by step towards death.

Saiya-jin:

Goku, Vegita -- being held captive within pods aboard the Radam moon base. Though they are not being converted, their energies are constantly being drained for Radam use.

Shinjo -- severely injured due to his battle with Alena.

Kenshin -- his whereabouts are unknown after his battle with Alena.

Nio -- Kenshin's younger sister. She's in the care of Dende on the Sky Palace.