Disclaimer: I do not own VanDread, if I did; I would make the series a lot longer for two reasons;
1: They rock, but are too short.
2: If I owned it and made them longer I'd get more money from them, because of reason #1.
Oh by the way, I warn all hardcore VanDread fans... This ain't going to look pretty for the Nirvana crew, and many might die.
I'm sorry, but that's what the story is all about!
Don't flame me for that! I've warned you already!
Now before I start the story, I just want to wish you all a Happy New Year.
I, now that I'm at it, also wish to dedicate my condolences to those of you who have lost relatives, friends or in other ways has been affected by the catastrophe in south-east Asia. I pray 2005 turns into a much more peaceful year than the period 2001-2004 due to this.
Ith Sa
Live Free
Unidentified Starship
Dread-team leader Meia Gisborn walked through the hallways of the Nirvana, searching for her second in command, Jura Basil Alden.
-"Jura! Where are you!?" she yelled angrily.
She got no response, and muttered a silent curse over the blond pilot.
She headed for Jura's room. She'd probably be there. That insolent son-of-a...
Soon Meia arrived by Jura's room, and knocked on the steel door.
It gave up a loud, clanking sound.
-"Jura! Damn it Jura come out! We've got to check the new Dread weaponry! Jura!"
Still she got no response. Then she heard some quiet mumblings.
Meia now got really angry. She slammed the 'open' button on the door controller, and the door zipped open.
-"Oh..." she said with a surprised voice.
Jura were lying on her bed, completely naked, with an as naked Barnette on top of her in a somewhat perverse position.
The two women looked wide-eyed at their visitor, and started to blush heavily.
-"Sorry..." Meia said quickly as she turned tail.
She snickered loudly as she ran off.
Later, Jura and Barnette reported to Meia in the hangar bay in front of the rest of the team. They pretended nothing had happened. Meia knew better, but didn't show anything.
-"Alright team, listen up!" she started, -"The new weapons we've been issued with are extremely powerful and very, I repeat VERY dangerous. Nara will demonstrate the weapons. Take a look outside"
Outside the Nirvana, a single, clear white Dread hovered in the void, awaiting orders.
Nara Ayami was a 24 year old ex-military pilot.
Somewhat older than the other pilots, and there through more experienced than most of them.
She had long, brown hair which she had in a ponytail, warm green-yellow eyes and a slim body structure.
-"Team lead, this is Nara, I'm awaiting orders..."
-"Nara, this is Meia, you may start the demonstration..."
-"Hai..."
Many large objects, compressed trash, were dumped out into the void of space.
-"Start with the new Hunter Killer missile"
-"Hai... Locking on target..."
Meia turned to the team.
-"The Hunter Killer is a high explosive seeker missile, which, due to its expensiveness, is only to be used when really needed, because there is only one per Dread. First lock on to a target, unsafe the missile, and wait for confirmation from the computer that the missile won't hit anything in the way. When fired, the Hunter Killer immediately seeks out its intended target, and hunts after it. This might seem as a usual thing for missiles, but the Hunter Killer is issued with a small suicide AI, which intelligently seeks out the proper target, and strikes where it is either intended to hit, or seeks out the weakest spot, engines, cockpit or such, depending on what you select yourself. The Hunter Killer's AI identifies friend from foe, and evades friends with all concentration, whilst hitting enemies that comes into its way, unless also specified. Note the high explosive rate of the HK, and make sure you stay clear as you fire it... Always... Nara, FIRE!"
The brown haired pilot pulled the trigger activating the HK Missile.
A burst of light, and the HK flew off, evading several of the targets, before striking into the largest one behind the entire mess, almost disintegrating it.
The shockwave caused the Nirvana as well as the Dread to shake violently, whilst the targets scattered all across the void.
-"Ungh... That hurt..." Meia grunted as she stood up.
-"Team lead, requesting permission to go back to bed..." Nara whined.
-"What...? No Nara you stay out there Ok? Its only two more weapons to demonstrate..."
-"Bitch..." Nara mumbled under her breath.
-"What did you say?" Meia said, sounding somewhat annoyed.
-"Nothing"
The Dread pilot grunted and checked the next weapon added to the arsenal.
-"F.R.O.G.? What the hell?"
-"Fuel Reactor Occluding Gun"
-"Phew..."
-"The Fuel Reactor Occluding Gun is, as the name says, used to occlude reactors... I'm not sure how it works, but somehow the projectile guides itself much the same way as a HK Missile, and automatically finds and occludes the engines and reactors of the target, disabling it without destroying it... Or it just causes it to blow up from pressure I don't have a fucking clue.... I don't think we can demonstrate it right now, so just pass on to the next weapon instead"
-"Roger that Meia... The last weapon is... The energy sword? "
-"Oook... I'll check that in the PDA... Ah! Here it is! The energy sword is a high powered energy field... It erupts into a straight line like a sword. It has a range of mere 50 meters, and therefore you are supposed to direct your Dread closely to the enemy. I think you are to use it by pretty much driving it into the enemy like a sword"
The pilot grinned widely.
-"Wee! Must try!" she laughed childishly.
-"Alright Nara... Do your job!"
-"Yeehaaw!" Nara shouted as she activated the weapon.
Suddenly, her entire ship burst into an orb of pure energy, and a massive beam of light erupted in front of her.
-"Holy shit that is just so cool!" Jura proclaimed.
-"Sheiz!" was the only word Dita could come up with.
Nara herself just laughed hysterically as she directed her Dread towards the targets.
The energy sword cut through the steel plumps like a white-hot knife through warm butter.
-"I love it!" Nara yelled gladly. -"Who invented this thing anyway?"
-"Some Tarakian..." Meia answered.
-"I gotta thank him! This thing rocks!"
-"Ok Nara, you can return to the hangar now..." Meia said, sounding somewhat bored.
-"Oh c'mon Meia! Let me play with this thing for a while!"
Meia smiled lightly.
-"Sure Nara..."
-"Thanks ma'm!" she said and started slashing up the last remains of the targets like a child fascinated with it's new toy.
Meia turned to the other pilots.
-"Alright, now go to the simulators and try 'em out! Afterwards I'll let you test them in real!"
The team seemed quite enthusiastic as they moved on.
---
Hibiki was sitting in his room gazing at the roof.
"I wonder where Dita is..." he thought to himself.
He sighed and stood up. He had something bothering him greatly. It was something about Dita. He just didn't know what it was. Perhaps if he talked to Dita he'd understand. He felt there was something he had to talk to her about, but he simply couldn't get what.
-"Damn it!" he grunted before moving on.
---
-"Hiyaaa!" Dita shouted as she directed the simulator Dread towards Jura's, her energy sword blazing up in front of her fighter.
Jura wasted no time and succeeded in activating her own.
The blades clashed, like steel meeting steel.
Many other pilots laughed at the show the two created, using the blades in an impressing fencing competition.
-"Would you two stop playing around!?" Meia said angrily.
-"Oh c'mon!" the two whined as one.
-"Were going to test these in real now anyway so everybody out!"
This was followed by a cascade of cheers.
---
On the bridge, BC stood looking out into the empty void of space, scanning for anything out of place.
Bart sat on the floor in a meditative position.
BC guessed he was trying to find anything through his mind, as he had claimed himself to harness some sort of psychical power, or that was what he believed himself. Not one else had given a damn.
Although he did foresee Amarone slipping and breaking her nose, but that was two seconds before it happened, and it was because of him spilling coffee, so...
-"Commander, we have something on the radar..." mentioned bridge operator said, her voice sounding somewhat dull because of the bandage covering her nose due to mentioned accident.
-"I've got a bad feeling about that..." Bart said and stood up.
-"You always got a bad feeling about something!" Celtic grunted.
-"No seriously, I'm really concerned... Something is wrong... I feel something is out of place inside my psyche..."
-"Well we all knew that!"
-"Now that didn't really come out right..." Bart laughed lightly.
-"Amarone, give me a reading of whatever is on the radar"
-"Hai!"
Amarone looked intensely on the screen in front of her and tapped a few buttons on the panel.
-"It's big!" she concluded.
-"Oh really? What an incredible discovery!" Bart said ironically.
-"Shut up I'm just trying to do my job here ok?"
-"Yeah yeah, I'll be quiet..."
Amarone tried to get the shape out from the unidentified ship.
-"Ok, it is triangular... Rough shape... Looks like a military craft... Perhaps Tarakian..."
-"We've got visual contact!" Belvedere yelled and pointed out into space.
BC saw a large, lightly grey spacecraft. A cruiser of some sort.
It was as said, triangular, and it looked to have three large levels consisting of at least ten decks, each higher level smaller than the other, on top of the main hull. Behind these were a massive tower holding up a twenty store rectangular control tower. On top of this were two large orb-like constructs. It approached with great speed.
-"Oh my dear Goddess! Look at all the size of the hangar! It's big enough to house the entire Nirvana and more on that!" Celtic shouted when her screen displayed the square-shaped hole underneath the ship being the hangar bay for fighters and transports.
-"That thing got at least fifty 360° double heavy laser cannon turrets mounted all across the hull!" Belvedere said and stumbled back from her own screen.
-"Pray they have peaceful intents... Those shields are almost impenetrable... We'd have no chance in combat against that..." Ezra calmly said, but tightened her hold around her baby, Kalua, whom whined quietly.
---
The Dread teams were just arriving by the hangar when the comm link chattered.
-"All crew; this is the commander. Stop whatever you are doing and report to bridge immediately! We have an unidentified starship heading our way! Repeat: All crew report to bridge immediately!"
Meia turned to the somewhat disappointed pilots.
-"You heard the commander! Get to the bridge ASAP! All of you!"
The pilots half ran to the bridge.
On the way Dita suddenly crashed into Hibiki whom came running out from another corridor. Hibiki swore loudly.
-"Who the-- Dita?"
-"Uchuji-san!"
-"I-- Eh-- Watch where you're going alright?"
-"Uchuji-san mad at Dita?"
-"No, not at all... Just watch your way ok?"
-"Ok"
As Dita stands up Hibiki realizes the rest of the Dread team had already run past them.
-"Uh... Dita..?"
-"Yes Uchuji-san?"
-"There is something I have to tell you... I just don't know what..."
Dita looked at Hibiki with a confused glimmer on her deep blue eyes, and then smiled sheepishly.
-"It doesn't matter Uchuji-san... We must go to the bridge! Come with Dita!"
With that she pulled him up by his sleeve and dragged him after herself towards the bridge.
---
In the bridge, BC had assembled most of the crew, only half of the engineering team remaining at their posts.
-"The ship is now approximately 50000 kilometers from us mam!" Belvedere yelled.
-"Preparing to flee or fire on your command" Bart said through the link from his place in the control orb.
-"They aren't responding to our hails commander" Celtic said calmly.
Amarone simply lowered her head in a silent curse as her screen displayed the maximum shield level of the ship.
-"Let us all hope that they are coming in peace..." BC said quietly to the crew.
The crew started whispering amongst themselves.
-"We're being hailed!" Celtic suddenly burst out.
-"On screen..." BC grunted.
(Yes, that is somewhat inspired by Star Trek, but who's gonna stop me? OAHAHAHAHA!!!)
On the big screen in front of the bridge section a pale faced man in a light grey uniform appeared.
-"Identify yourselves..." he grunted.
-"We are the Mejerr/Tarak cruiser Nirvana, and we demand to know what you are doing in our territory!" BC said angrily.
-"Your territory? Well... We are just here to conquer, raid, pillage, burn, rape, destroy, slaughter and enslave until we vomit our black guts out. Nothing too serious"
-"Oh really...?"
-"Yup..."
-"That is not going to happen!"
-"It sure is!"
-"We will destroy you like everything else that has threatened our peoples!"
-"Well... I really don't optimize that attempt, as you would inevitably be wiped out, but we'll give you a chance to change your mind and surrender to us peaceably..."
BC turned to the rest of the crew.
-"Are we the type who surrenders?"
-"No!" the entire room rugged as one, except for Bart who yelled;
-"Indeed we are if we wish to live!"
BC smiled and turned back to the screen.
-"No, we will not surrender..."
-"So be it... Prepare for your swift end..."
Then the link closed into static.
-"All hands to battle stations! Dread teams assemble in front of the Nirvana!"
-"We're screwed..." Bart mumbled.
-"Stop being such a whine-ass" Celtic grunted angrily, with a glare that would kill an ox.
-"You look really cute when you're angry, you know that?" he smiled sheepishly at her.
-"Shut up" she replied, but blushed slightly.
---
Hibiki launched the Bangata out from the hangar and straight out into the middle of the Dread formation.
-"Alright, we got to get a battle plan ready!" Meia's voice sounded in the comm link, and her face appeared on the screen.
-"It's all yours Meia!" Jura replied.
-"Ok, the Dreads will go for a tactical diversion run on the left side, Dita and Hibiki unite and go for a blast into the hangar bay underneath"
-"Those shields will make even that cannon as weak as a pistol shot!" Barnette protested.
-"Those orbs on top of the tower are the shield generators, if the Dreads start out with shredding 'em, Dita and I should easily be able to blast that thing out of the air!" Hibiki said.
-"Good idea Hibiki... You surprise me sometimes by actually thinking like an intelligent person from time to time!" Meia laughed lightly.
-"I'll get you for that!"
-"Bah! I know you wouldn't ever harm me! You love me too much you little cutie! "she laughed again, this time louder, teasingly forming her lips for a kiss.
-"What!?"
-"Ey Meia, what about we use them energy swords against the ship?" Nara said with a begging voice.
-"Yeah sure but don't disturb me when I'm bullying Hibiki! "she responded with a laugh.
Hibiki shut down the comm link to spare himself from the menacing girl.
Though a smile forced itself up on his lips when he thought of her.
---
On board the other ship's bridge, a tall man in a pitch-black armor with a black cloak stepped up to the window. His helmet's life-supporting systems caused his breaths to become loud and dark, sounding menacingly evil and twisted.
-"My lord... What are we to do with this, 'Nirvana' ship?"
-"Have you identified the class yet?"
-"No my lord, it is not in our records"
-"What does it resemble mostly then?"
-"Well, it is somewhat similar to a Uyarr Howler class frigate"
-"But the crew is human?"
-"Yes"
-"Then they are pirates or rebels!"
-"My lord, the rebels would never use ships not from their allies, and the Uyarrians are one of our more important cloners"
-"Pirates then... Destroy them!"
-"My lord... Are we to take prisoners?"
-"If you deem that necessary..."
-"Indeed I do my lord... A captured pirate is worth more than a dead one... Mostly..."
-"Very well then... Take prisoners, but not too many... We have quite limited space for prisoners..."
-"Yes my lord" the Admiral said and ran off.
The dark lord looked at the puny ship glowing in the dark void.
It had sent out fighters, approximately 50-60. Nothing their own fighters couldn't fix.
---
-"All combat pilots and troopers from company 1 to 5 report to hangar bay ASAP!" a voice echoed in the speakers.
Trooper OL-742 and pilot IK-914 stumbled up from the bench, dropping their food units to the cold metal floor.
IK-914 quickly regretted this and bowed down and picked it up, consuming the entire unit in a single gulp.
-"Can I have yours OL?"
-"Sure whatever, but you better get going to your Interceptor soon"
-"Aright! But yo, if you go for boarding actions, say hi the rebels from me with your E-11!"
-"Sure... See ya around if we survive"
-"We usually do!"
The two soldiers quickly skipped off to the hangar.
---
-"Pilots listen up! The enemy has a small force of fighters readied as a shield in front of their ship, and we got no information of their effectiveness... But we'll go basic... The Fighters go in for an assault run head on, and the Interceptors dive in and well intercept between the frigate and the fighters, striking them from the rear. Bombers await orders before you launch a bomber run on the frigate. Is that clear?" the Pilot in Chief shouted.
-"SIR YES SIR" the pilots replied as one.
-"Good, now get going!"
---
In the other end of the hangar, an officer in a black uniform barked his orders to the black dressed troopers.
-"You are to take prisoners only when they give up themselves, it easiest that way! Go the basic tactic; blast everything and make your way to the bridge and the engine room"
The troopers shouted their "Sir Yes Sir!" before marching into the boarding ship where they received their clear white armors and E-11 blaster rifles.
-"Good guys wear white!" OL-742 said with a light laugh before he looked at the rifle and checked the scope and sitting down on the seat, locking the safety lock over is torso. This ride might get bumpy.
---
-"I'm detecting movement inside the hangar bay! They're launching their fighters!" Celtic shouted.
-"Oh dear god!" Bart screamed as the two hundred fighters launched out from the hangar towards the Nirvana.
-"They are far too many!" Celtic continued.
The screen came to a short static before Meia's face appeared.
-"Commander! We can't possible fight those! We need support!" she yelled through the comm. channel.
-"Bart! Prepare to fire!" BC ordered.
Bart braced himself and prepared to fire the Nirvana's heavy lasers.
The hull of the Nirvana opened, ejecting the many systems being the Nirvana's mighty weaponry.
---
-"Sir! The 'Nirvana' had detached parts of the outer hull! Heavy weaponry detected!" a nameless crewman yelled at the admiral.
The grey uniformed officer nodded.
-"Prepare to launch fighter group 2 and 3!" he yelled in the comm. link.
-"Affirmative sir! Preparing fighter groups 4 and 5 for support! "a voice chattered in the speakers.
---
-"Dear god!" Hibiki yelled.
-"How the hell can they be so many of them!?" Jura's voice chattered.
-"Form up! Hibiki! Dita! Unite and shoot 'em to shreds! "Meia yelled.
-"Hai!" the two replied as one.
The heavily armed dark blue Dread and the goldish Bangata flew together and merged into the humanoid shaped VanDread, and laid aim with the two crystal-like cannons at the approaching swarm of over 600 oddly shaped fighters.
Hibiki grasped over Dita's hands and confidently said;
-"Let's blow these bastards out of the sky!"
Dita nodded.
The cannons charged up, and started to glow light green.
---
-"All Fighters and Interceptors begin assault!" the voice of the squadron commander echoed in the speakers inside IK-914's cockpit.
"Attack run... Attack run... Go behind... Kill... Learn their strategy... That's how it works..." IL-914's brainwashed pilot mind repeated.
He steered his Interceptor towards the enemy, to make the round going move and rear them.
---
-"Bart! Fire!" BC yelled.
-"Burn in hell you sons-of-bitches!" Bart shouted as the Nirvana's cannons blazed to life.
---
At the same time both the Nirvana and VanDread Dita fired onto the attackers.
-"Evade enemy fire! Evade enemy fire! I repeat; evade ene-(static)-"
-"The commander's fighter has been destroyed! All fighters set to attack velocity and engage the enemy! Wipe them out! "the second commander said through the channel.
IK-914 readied himself for combat inside his dark cockpit.
Now the rebel scum would meet their destiny.
---
-"They're coming! All Dreads counter attack! "Meia shouted.
The Dread formation split into two and flew off towards the oncoming enemy fighters.
Jura was the first one to open fire, directly destroying a fighter, shaped like a capitol H, with an orb-like cockpit in the middle.
The other pilots followed suit, and a massive cascade of blue light swooped across the void, shattering several of the H shaped ships.
The attackers responded by opening fire with two small but very powerful and extremely precise laser cannons mounted beneath the circular window on the cockpit on each fighter.
The swarm of green bolts that came trashed several Dreads into burning scrap, the blood of the unfortunate pilots slowly flowing out into the lifeless void.
Within seconds, the Dread and the enemy fighter formations clashed into a mess of very tense combat.
-"They're coming in from behind! They're cutting us off from the Nirvana!"
a pilot Hibiki knew he never would have the honor to meet shouted, before she shrieked in pain as a ringing explosion could be heard, followed by a loud static.
A swarm of Interceptors, ships with a more slender look than the fighters, and with a lot more speed and agility, not to mention firepower, attacked from the rear of the Dread formations.
Their many laser cannons quickly dealt a serious blow to the Nirvana fighters.
Dita squealed and drew herself closer to Hibiki, mumbling something he couldn't hear.
He knew this really wasn't the time, but he bent his head down and lightly nuzzled against her hair.
She didn't seem to notice.
He felt a strange urge, to do something else. To do something with Dita. To say whatever it was he wanted to say earlier.
But the moment was not right!
He quickly tilted his head back up and looked out into the chaos.
Dita looked at him sheepishly, before saying;
-"Uchuji-san... Will we win this battle? Dita thinks there are a lot of enemies"
Hibiki's eyes widened.
-"Dita...? Did you just doubt our survival? That's not like you..."
-"Mmm..."
-"Dita... Let's just do this... And we can go home..."
Dita smiled lightly.
-"Hai!"
VanDread Dita charged its cannons and blasted another five fighters and two Interceptors in one shot.
---
OL-742 braced himself in his seat.
The pilot reported that they were 120 seconds from boarding.
He looked at the trooper in the seat beside him.
KT-560 was his ID, and his real name was Toray Starslinger.
OL, real name Ben Grimsun, twisted anxiously.
He didn't really fit in the troopers. He had quite a soft side, so prisoners were his specialty.
He had very hard killing innocents, but he knew his duty at least.
If need should arise and his comrades be threatened he could easily blast down women and child to protect his fellow soldiers if he had to.
A good ability for a trooper.
Perhaps he wasn't unfitting for the Troopers...
-"90 seconds!"
The rectangular boarding ship approached the Nirvana with an amazing speed.
Through the window he could see the battle raging between the pirate fighters and their own. It was clear that the enemies were a lot better pilots and with a lot better ships, but the sheer number of Fighters, Interceptors and Bombers would soon overrun them.
---
-"Commander! Boarding craft detected!" Celtic shouted, pointing at the darkly brown ship approaching.
-"Attack planes armed to be bombers on the way!" Amarone whined, tears of fear running across her face.
-"Raise the pexis shield" BC ordered stubbornly.
-"But the Dreads need the fire support!" Amarone protested.
-"Do you want to die in here by bombers, causing no possibilities of support at all for them!?"
-"I understand, commander... Raising shield"
As the green orb erupted around the Nirvana, Dread leader Meia's face appeared on the screen.
-"What the hell are you doing? We need fire support! We're getting crushed!"
-"Meia, you need to take out the bombers and the boarding ship, we can't risk them to board us! Even less bomb us out!"
-"Hai... "Meia nodded, but looked doubting as she shut the link down.
---
-"Dreads! Focus fire on the bombers! That's the ones with two tube-shaped pieces between the wings! Hibiki! Dita! Blast away the brown boarding ship! We need to allow the Nirvana to open fire again! "Meia yelled.
-"Hai Meia..." Hibiki nodded. -"Dita, find that boarding ship for me would you?" he continued as he shut the link down.
The young red-head nodded at him.
After just a matter of seconds, Dita yelled;
-"There it is Uchuji-san!"
-"Alright! We wanna win right? Killing that is the most important thing to do if we are to do that, understood?"
-"Hai" she smiled.
Hibiki tightened his grip around her hands again, and the crystals charged up.
---
OL-742 saw the beam of green light blast towards them.
The boarding craft rugged heavily, but its powerful shields protected it mostly, causing the immense power of the twin cannons to decimate to not much more than a simple concussion rifle shot, and even though the concussion rifles are extremely powerful compared to the fact that they are not much more than two foot long, the armor of the ship withstood the blast without even getting burnt.
He laughed lightly, before the pilot shouted;
-"Shields are down at almost 10! We cannot take another hit or we'll be obliterated!"
His laugh was cut off and he felt like screaming.
---
-"We need a Bomber to take out that humanoid shaped fighter! We cannot afford to lose the boarding teams!" the Admiral yelled.
-"Yes sir! Bomber team Ara! Bomb the humanoid shaped artillery ship!"
---
Two Bombers dived down behind Dita and Hibiki, unleashing two blue orbs of energy on their VanDread.
A blast, and their ships separated.
-"Dita!" Hibiki yelled, and drew his Bangata sword.
-"I'm here Uchuji-san!" she replied.
-"Be careful!"
-"Hai..."
---
-"Alright men! 60 seconds!" the pilot yelled, -"Gunners! Fire! Put their shield out!"
The turbo-laser cannons mounted on the hull started to hail their bolts towards the frigate in an attempt to decimate the shields.
OL-742 prayed silently, and grasped around his rifle.
---
The Bombers launched a massive run on the Nirvana, the blue energy bombs falling down like rain on the ship's shield.
-"Shield down on 60 percent already!" Amarone shouted.
-"Damn it!" BC grunted, -"Bart, prepare for a counter maneuver when the shield drops, and then fire!"
-"Yes ma'm!"
-"30 percent"
-"Ready!"
-"20 percent"
-"Set!"
-"15 percent"
-"Any second!"
-"Its out!"
-"NOW!!!"
---
The ship rugged heavily to the side, evading a massive hail of bombs, and crashing into a few fighters. The cannons opened fire again, the blue bolts slashing through the attackers like nothing.
---
-"Increased to 40 seconds!" the pilot yelled.
The frigate had increased the distance to the boarding ship.
Several of the pirate fighters dived towards them, firing their blazing laser cannons.
The shields went black, and the ship rugged with a small explosion from a missile.
But the armor held tight.
---
Jura passed the boarding ship again, firing another hail of missiles.
They didn't do much damage, though.
Suddenly her ship rugged as a fighter fired at her from behind.
She made a swift maneuver and came up behind it. She fired a quick burst, and the H shaped ship became incinerated.
-"Jura! You got an Interceptor on your tail!" Barnette yelled.
Jura turned around inside her cockpit, and looked, but she couldn't see any follower.
-"I can't see him!"
-"I'll get him! Eat Hunter Killer!" Barnette shouted and fired her Hunter Killer Missile.
-"Barnette no!" Meia shouted, but it was too late.
The Interceptor dodged to the side the second before the Hunter Killer would hit its engine.
The Hunter Killer seeked febrile after a target, and the only thing within range was Jura's Dread.
---
IK-914 watched as the missile fired by the pirate fighter behind him struck one of their own. He laughed coldly at their foolishness.
---
Barnette was stunned.
Jura cried in pain a short second, before her voice disapeared into static.
She couldn't understand. Jura was gone. She had killed her. She had killed her own love. That Interceptor had made her kill Jura!
She roared with blind fury as she steered her Dread towards the Interceptor.
It spun around, facing her.
All ten cannons fired at once, sending a rain of green bolts towards her.
She didn't have time to feel the pain.
Within a matter of seven seconds IK-914 had killed two of the best pilots onboard the Nirvana.
---
-"20 seconds!"
Here it comes.
-"15 seconds!"
This is it.
-"10 seconds!"
Now or never.
-"5 seconds!"
No going back.
-"Impact!"
There it came!
The entire ship rugged, and it attached to the frigate.
Their safety locks detached, and all troopers stood up, unsafing their weapons.
The door opened, to reveal a door on the hull of the frigate.
Two troopers attached demolition charges.
-"Thar she blows!" one yelled.
---
Manara Shinobu, a 18 year old, blond, blue eyed girl, stood in front of the door, awaiting the boarders.
She liked the smell spring brought on Mejerr, and the sound of the sea in strong wind. She disliked the smell of gunpowder, and the sound of blasters.
She was one of the few on board the ship that had a Tarakian boyfriend.
The two met a few moths ago, and they both fell directly for each other.
Some considered her a bit odd for this, but she didn't care.
She always sent mails to him, trying to keep the contact. She didn't want to lose him.
Now she stood there, praying for his welfare, prepared to fight to the end against the invaders. She might die, but she'd bring at least ten of them with her.
The door exploded, and flew inwards, crushing a young, brown haired soldier which only had time to let out a tortured scream of pain.
She watched in horror as five soldiers in full-covering white armors with small black details stormed in with rifles raised.
Their helmets looked like grim faces, with mouths and eyes shaped to scare their enemies, like war-masks.
Everyone looked identical. That was the most frightening part.
She became terrified at their sudden attack, and whimpered down into cover, firing a laser shot at random, hitting nothing.
She became even more afraid when the team leader, Rei Hideki, fired her Beretta. The bullets bounced off the attackers armors like bugs on a car-window.
In her despair, Rei placed the gun inside her mouth and fired the last shot, spreading her blood on the wall behind her.
Manara squealed in terror as a soldier in a clumsy, dark grey armor stepped up by her.
The fear she felt ended quickly.
Her dead body dropped down to the floor, bathing in her own blood.
The dark clad leader ordered an advance, and the white armored troopers followed his orders blindly.
---
Hibiki roared as he cut through another Bomber, splitting it in two perfect halves.
He spun his Bangata around and threw the power knife, slashing through two fighters and one Interceptor.
He skillfully dodged an Interceptor, and slashed after it, but hit nothing.
-"Damn these guys are fast!"
---
-"Admiral! We got a major problem in the center of the combat-zone! There is still another humanoid fighter, and it's slashing through all our attacking ships!"
-"And what do you suggest we do?"
-"Permission to risk Terrorwing, sir?"
-"Do you think he can take it out?"
-"Its a 40/60 chance sir, that's why I ask for permission to risk him"
-"Granted. He is a great pilot, and great pilots die great deaths..."
-"Yes sir"
---
IK-914's radio link let out a loud static.
Then he heard the voice of Captain Armstar.
-"Terrorwing, do you copy?"
He twitched lightly at his nickname the other pilots had given him for his perfect combat flights.
-"Yes Captain. Awaiting orders"
-"The humanoid shaped fighter in the middle of the combat-zone! You have to take it out!"
-"Affirmative sir!"
The link shut down and he steered his Interceptor towards the gold-white fighter.
---
Hibiki looked at the Interceptor flying towards him at full speed with all its cannons blazing.
He dodged to the side, but it followed, no, it went before him, all shots hitting home.
The Mecha became burnt and shredded heavily, but he survived.
The Interceptor flew past him, after placing a few more shots.
He tried to locate it, but it came up behind him, shooting him in the back several times.
He felt how he was losing his strength, and his will to fight. He became drowsy, and his body felt dull.
He tapped the 'full-comm.' button on the control panel, and he heard everything any of the Dread pilots said, or screamed, more of.
-"Dita..." he said.
Amongst all the screams, which thinned out as he spoke, he heard Dita reply;
-"Uchuji-san?"
-"Dita... I don't think I'll--"
He grunted and swore as the Interceptor made a third run.
-"I don't think I'll get out of this alive, Dita..."
Dita was silent.
-"But I just realized what I wanted to say to you, Dita..."
-"Yes..?"
-"Dita... I... I lo... I love y--"
The link went into static.
Hibiki's Bangata with him inside exploded into a fireball, and the Interceptor flew straight through it, its ten cannons still blazing.
---
Dita felt how she was overcome by terror, sorrow, and fury.
In her eyes, a flame arose. The flame of a chaos-ridden soul. The flame of the lost love. The flame of vengeance.
She roared something hard to comprehend, and set to full speed towards the enemy cruiser.
She fired everything she had in her fury, the mighty ships shields flickering every time a missile or laser shot hit.
She fired the HK Missile, and it struck straight on, and pulverized, the intended target.
The left shield generator.
The shields flickered, and became a lot weaker.
-"DIE!!!" she roared as she activated the last weapon she had. The energy sword.
As the blade blazed to life, she dived down towards the ship.
She died instantly in a sea of flames as her Dread exploded from a turbo-laser blast fired perfect at the cockpit.
---
OL-742 fired another shot towards the defenders, a young girl being hit in the head by the red energy shot, dropping dead instantly.
The leader of the Troopers, the dark clad cyber-soldier, raised his blaster cannon, and fired a barrage of laser shots, killing two others.
OL was slightly confused with the fact that all soldiers, actually everyone at all, onboard the ship were women.
He remembered the tales about the 'Amazon' cultures on several planets.
In most cases the women were the warriors and hunters, whilst males had the higher positions, politicians, traders, rulers and such.
He laughed slightly at UZ-928, when he called this battle a true 'war between the sexes', as all the Troopers were males.
UZ had always been a fun guy. He remembered the battle at Sanataau, where UZ had thrown a rebel soldier out from a roof whilst singing; "Its raining men! Hallelujah its raining men!"
UZ was currently entertaining himself by taking his helmet off and sniffing the fumes from his blaster rifle.
OL-742 and the surviving team — only seven had died, including KT — now followed the dark-grey Trooper towards the bridge.
---
Duero charged the laser rifle he had been issued with, but remained where he stood.
The infirmary was one big mess, with far too many wounded to fit everyone inside properly. A field hospital is always a grim sight. The entire floor was wet with blood and tears, and the screams of the injured filled the air. Someone was crying for her mother, another one screamed for someone to kill her. A third one shouted after morphine and a fourth for her leg.
He laid a calming hand on the forehead of a girl who was just mere seconds from dying from loss of blood. She drew a last sigh and closed her eyes.
The ringing of laser-shots echoed from outside the door.
The battle had moved here.
The injured had no chance.
He didn't have any chance.
They were all doomed.
The door went wide open, and everyone screamed in panic.
Two dead girls dropped in, one with her face burnt off, the other with several smoldering holes through her chest.
Those who lay on stretchers rolled down on the floor to get into cover, or at least tried.
Duero heard a mechanical voice yell;
-"Thermal! Now!"
-"Yes sir!" another replied.
Suddenly, a small, white object bounced in, and landed just by Duero's feet.
Realizing what it was, he decided to save as many of the girls as possible, and jumped out the door, with the grenade in his hand.
The white clad soldiers shot him into smithereens before jumping backwards.
The Thermal explosion killed two of the white clad troopers, but the dark clad elite, even though caught in the near-center of the blast, survived without even flinching, his armor and his natural toughness withstanding the explosion, and protecting his lesser armored and durable men.
Three of the girls was incinerated directly and a fourth caught fire, and started to shriek loudly whilst rushing out into the corridor.
OL shot her in the back of the head, to spare her the agony.
-"Get those who can be saved to the ship! ASAP!" the dark clad leader, Omega 171, ordered, pointing into the infirmary.
OL-742 smirked to himself. His heart rejoiced by sparing, and saving, lives.
He walked straight into the blood soaked room, and rose his voice above the whimpering screams of the injured women;
-"Be calm! You will survive if you co-operate and put your trust in us and our medics!"
After saying this he kneeled down by a girl whom had received a shot in the abdomen. He remembered her face. He shot her earlier, thoughts about spending a day off on a beach on Uyarr causing him to aim poorly. Looking at her now caused him not to regret his unfocused mind.
He kindly placed his hand under her jaw and quietly said;
-"You'll be alright..."
Then he stood up, and walked out to follow the attack team, making way for the medic/capture teams.
---
Meia grunted as her head hit the controls.
She rose up, and yelled a curse over the Interceptor.
Whoever piloted it was the best she'd ever seen.
He could see every movement she did.
He saw if anything was behind him, to his side, attacking from beneath... Anything!
But she would kill him.
She would avenge Jura, Barnette, Hibiki, Dita... Everyone!
He would die by her hand. That was what fate had for her. To kill him. No more, no less.
She approached him again from behind, locking her aim on him.
She knew his movements now. He would turn either direction, and avoid any missile or laser-shot. But she had a plan.
She fired two missiles, one going in an arc to the right, the other to the left.
When they were half way towards him, she fired her laser cannons.
How he did it she didn't understand, but he blasted downwards, causing the lasers to disappear into the void, and the missiles to detonate on each other.
He flew up towards her and fired a burst, but she succeeded in evading them, only a single, weak shot hitting on the wing.
Suddenly her radio chattered, and a face appeared on the screen.
It was inside a dark cockpit, and the man wore a black helmet covering his face, like a mask. On his forehead two silver symbols glew with a ghostly light.
-"Are you the leader of the 'Dread' fighters?" he said with a dark, mechanical tone.
-"Yes" she grunted, realizing she was looking the Interceptor pilot in the eyes.
-"Then I request that you order your fellow pilots to surrender and hand themselves over to our forces"
-"Go to hell!"
-"I ask you, do you care for your pilots?"
-"...Yes..."
-"Then I request once again, that you surrender yourselves to us. You will be treated well if you co-operate"
-"This is about honor! You killed the best of my pilots! I will never surrender myself!"
-"Deal"
-"What?"
-"Your as well as our fighters can take distance from the combat zone, so you and I can fight a one-on-one dogfight. If you win, you have your honor, and will be left alone, if you leave us alone, but if you lose your fighters will surrender to us!"
Meia barely considered the challenge before accepting.
-"Very well..."
The two forces separated on orders by their Supremes.
---
Gascogne readied a SPAS-12 in her hand, and yelled to her registration crew something Aora ignored.
Aora Ikazu, a 19 year old girl working with in register, secured a laser rifle in her hand. She'd been in combat before, but didn't really favor it. So instead for becoming a guard she tried the register instead. But now, a mere week after joining the Nirvana crew, this happens.
She drew her hand through her light-brown, shoulder long hair, and prayed.
She got down into cover behind a bench, and laid her rifle ready to fire.
The leader attackers yelled orders outside the door.
-"Blow it up!" she heard him yell.
The seven register girls in the room got down into cover, and awaited the explosion.
Gascogne stood behind a corner.
The door exploded and a rain of red energy rounds swarmed into the room, killing almost everyone.
Aora fired a shot into the smoke, and a soldier in clear-white armor dropped down.
He grunted a curse and rose up, firing a shot, missing Aora with an inch.
The girl to Aora's side shot him in the head and he died instantly.
Two more jumped in, and shot the three remaining girls down. Aora hid behind the bench.
She grabbed the dead girl beside her 's rifle and rose up, firing both weapons at once. She hit one in the solarplexus, but he just grunted as the shot ricocheted off.
A soldier in a large, bulky armor walked in. He rose his weapon and fired a single shot, that spread into six-seven smaller shots.
Two of these struck into her chest, and she fell down. She felt her wounds burning like white-hot iron, indicating that she still was alive.
Gascogne jumped forward and fired a blast from the shotgun, shredding the dark-clad soldier's right arm, and breaking his blaster cannon.
She smirked and pulled the pump backwards. Or, she tried to, but it stuck.
Her eyes widened as she realized her weapon had jammed.
The dark soldier made a sign for his Troopers to hold their fire.
He rose his left hand, and stretched out his fingers.
-"Die, vermin" he said with a dark, menacing voice.
A cascade of lightning rushed out from his fingertips, and struck Gascogne, pushing her up on the wall.
He kept pumping her with the purple colored lightning.
She dropped down on the floor again when he stopped, head first.
He stepped up to the muscular woman, and drew his pistol.
He pulled the trigger once. More would be a waste of ammunition.
He turned around towards his soldiers.
-"DA-877! You take the lead! OL-742 and TK-421 take that girl prisoner and bring her to the ship! OM-835 help me on my way back to the ship"
The soldiers directly took to their assigned tasks.
OL liked Omega. He was one of those few officers that actually cared for his men. He felt much more like a person, unlike others. He even remembered their ID numbers without thinking, and knew most of their names, if they had one.
He helped the injured Aora up, and laid her right arm over his shoulders.
TK-421 escorted him and the prisoner.
-"Its alright girl... You'll survive... Its not that bad... Just fight on..." he said to her.
Aora felt confused. It didn't seem right when these soldiers were so relentless in their slaughter, but so caring now afterwards.
The other soldier said something;
-"Sir, why are you telling her that she will survive? Her chance for survival is one in ten, sir"
OL, who was a Corporal, was not used to people calling him sir, and twitched lightly.
-"Uh... Well Private, its called comforting, you know?" he laughed slightly.
-"No, sir, I don't"
-"What?"
-"I don't know what comforting is sir"
-"Its when you try to make someone who is sad or afraid happy again, TK"
-"Ah... I'm sorry for seeming stupid, but emotions and psychology is not within my knowledge"
-"Are you a clone, TK?"
-"Yes sir"
-"Ok, then I understand"
-"Are my chances only that small..?" Aora sighed, sounding slightly scared.
-"Not if you try keep a good mood and fight on..." OL said, and removed his helmet, attaching it to the magnet holders in his belt.
She looked at his with a slight amusement in her eyes.
He had darkly brown hair down to just by his ears, and kind, dark blue eyes. He also sported a short beard, and his face was smoothly shaped with a roughly shaped chin.
Basically, she thought he was hot.
-"You'll be alright" he said and smiled.
-"What... What is your name, sir?" she said, before groaning with pain.
-"Easy, easy... I'm OL-742... Oh, my real name? Ben Grimsun"
-"Aora Ikazu"
-"Pleased to meet you, and glad I can help you, Aora" OL said.
-"Thanks... I owe you a lot, don't I?"
-"Probably" he replied, and gently stroke her cheek with his free hand.
She started to blush slightly, and giggled silently, trying to suppress the pain she felt in her chest as she merely breathed.
-"I'll never understand the emotional bonds that has a tendency to grow between males and females" TK said sheepishly.
The two young ones ignored him.
---
Meia focused on the small fighter between her and the cruiser.
She doubted that she'd actually win, and felt that even if she did, they would probably kill them anyway.
But she would not go down without a fight.
-"Bring it on!" she yelled as she activated her Dread again.
She blasted off into the void, towards the Interceptor.
IK-914 set to full speed.
Both opened fire at the time, and dodged.
Meia passed IK with a lone meter.
Meia was the first one to turn around, and fired a cluster of missiles towards him.
He speeded away, towards the Nirvana, which had agreed not to fire.
He skimmered just above the surface of the weak shields, before dashing upwards, luring Meia's missiles to strike the shields, causing the shields to flicker and die once again.
Meia swore loudly and fired another barrage, but the Interceptor once again avoided them.
She had used her HK missile a long time ago, so that couldn't help her. She fired a few shots from the F.R.O.G, but the radioactive ion-engine didn't attract the projectiles, as they searched for fuel based reactors, and thus they turned back on Meia.
Meia fired her lasers to avoid getting hit by her own weapons.
IK lay up behind her, and fired a quick burst.
She shook around inside the cockpit, hitting her head into the controls once again.
Swearing loudly, Meia grabbed hold around the controls again, and made a spin, and slowing down.
She found herself close behind him, with her aims straight on him.
-"I have you now!" she shouted, and pulled the trigger.
But the slim shapes and high speed of the Interceptor did its work well, and Meia missed.
She found herself in the middle of his crosshair, and let out a single word before her Dread exploded;
-"Shit"
Thus, Dread leader Meia Gisborn died, 19 years old.
The few surviving Dreads were rounded up and stuffed into the hangar of the great cruiser.
The dark lord, onboard the cruiser, issued a final order before retiring back into his shadowy chamber.
-"Destroy the Nirvana's engines, or they will run!"
---
UZ-928 and AU-241 were sent to take out the bridge, whilst the rest of the team headed to the engine room.
UZ covered AU as he walked up to the door leading into the bridge, and placed a charge.
As the charge detonated, AU fired a shot, killing a young, blue haired girl.
---
As Misty dropped dead, BC drew a laser-pistol, and fired several times towards the white invader.
The soldier fell down, with several scorching holes through his torso.
Another leapt forward, and fired his blaster, hitting BC between the eyes.
Bart shouted and picked up BC's pistol, and fired numerous shots.
The soldier took cover behind his fallen comrade, but one shot struck on his shoulder plate, and another broke his blaster.
Before Bart could react, he drew his pistol, as well as his comrade's.
Three... Four... Five shots...
Bart dropped dead, his entire face burnt off.
UZ looked on the women assembled at the bridge.
Three young bridge technicians, one older with an infant baby in her arms.
Four in pilot uniforms, two in engineer uniforms, two others in those strange, pink uniforms with aprons, medics or something, one guard and six in base uniforms.
None of them were armed.
-"Surrender to the might of the Empire!" he yelled.
All of them raised their hands in the air.
---
Now on board the Star Destroyer 'Apocalypse', OL, UZ and IK went to receive medals and promotions from Sith Lord Darth Vader.
It was a big ceremony, with hundreds of the disciplined Stormtroopers and Imperial Pilots, accompanied by the shadowy Dark Troopers, the black clad crew, artillerists and soldiers, as well as Officers in both black (junior) and grey (senior) uniforms.
The three brave soldiers, accompanied by two others, walked across the steel floor, towards the black clad Lord.
As they walked, they noticed that also the captured pirates, guarded by the Elite Dark Troopers, were watching.
OL seeked out Aora with his gaze, and found her looking at him with a warm smile.
He smiled back, before once again turning his gaze towards the Dark Lord.
Darth Vader gave out the medals and promotions with not much word, but raised his hand towards the assembled soldiers, and they, on command, started applauding the new Heroes of the Empire.
-------------------
The Apocalypse now crept towards the outer rim of the Mejerr/Taraak space.
The invasion had begun, and soon another group of systems would either fall under Imperial control, or fall under the crushing feet of the Imperial AT-AT walkers.
You didn't really expect that end, did you?
This was written entirely on evil impulse, so if you hate it, that can as well be the point!
But I honor you for managing to read through the entire story!
Please review and tell me if this was worth anything, or if it was pure crap born out of a twisted mind!
C'mon! Give me the worst flames you've got if you feel like it!
I'm indestroyable!
The End! (Thank God for that!)