As far as recorded history goes, Japan has been a country of warfare.  Its political structure was dominated by the warlords, daimyos, and shoguns of lore for centuries; its revolutions and social disturbances known for their blood-drenched viciousness.  Modern Japan was born in the fires of a civil war that ousted out the Tokugawa shogunate, and the establishment of a modern government also banned the public display and use of the most visible sign of Japan: the katana.

            Of course, just because the katana was banned, that doesn't mean sword-fighting disappeared.  Long before the Meiji revolution, alternatives to deadly steel swords had been developed for use in training; called bokuto, the heavy wooden swords eventually evolved into the shinai.  The shinai is a bamboo foil made of several bamboo staves tied together with leather straps.  Completely harmless, about the most damage it can do is leave a good-sized welt on the hapless victim's skin.

            Nevertheless, no aspiring samurai in Japan would be complete without his armor.  Even with the relatively pacifist shinai, accidents can happen; a jab to the throat or a direct hit on the temple could kill or seriously injure a person.  Therefore, specialized bogu, or armor, was created to protect the individual, and give them both a regal and intimidating look.  The new way of the sword, kendo, is now practiced all over the world.

            Given that, it would be no surprise to find dedicated kendoka (practitioners of kendo) aboard the mobile battleship Nadesico-C; after all, the phrase "yamato nadesico" means "Japanese woman." Currently, the kendo organization aboard the Nadesico had only two members, but two was all you needed to spar, and to any observer watching them exchange blows in the gymnasium, they would seem to be almost superhuman in their prowess.

            Saburouta and Ryoko eyed each other as they circled warily, each looking for an opening with which to make a strike.  Ryoko was poised in the chudan no kamae; a position in which she held her shinai straight out pointing towards the opponent's neck; from here, she could easily launch a throat jab or a strike to the head with little warning time. On the other hand, Saburouta was in the jodan no kamae pose, with the shinai held threateningly over his head.  It provided a seemingly easy strike to the chest, or do, of his armor, one of the few spots that would provide points if hit in an official match.  On the other hand, his pose protected his head from strikes, and at the same time set him up for an easy counterattack should his opponent make the first move.

            Both kendokas circled around each other once more, before Ryoko made the first move.  Immediately, she used her legs to propel her forward, and brought her shinai in with a sharp jab towards Saburouta's throat.  Immediately, as if anticipating the attack, Saburouta neatly side-stepped the attack, while pouncing forward at the same time, bringing his shinai down to bear on Ryoko's helmet. Lightning-fast reflexes kicked in, and Ryoko managed to turn around and use her shinai to block the attack; both warriors followed through by coming close together and locking gauntlets. This tactic prevented either warrior from using their shinai effectively, and essentially created a stalemate.

            "Not bad, Ryoko, not bad at all," Saburouta hissed through gritted teeth. "You're giving me quite the challenge."

            "Of course, baka," Ryoko shot back. "I'm twice the man you'll ever be!"

            "We'll see about that," the lieutenant grinned as he sprung backward, his shinai raised up over his head, and coming down in an arc aimed straight for Ryoko's chest armor.  Immediately, the pilot inverted her shinai and blocked it; grunting from the stress of impact, she pushed both shinais up and, with her body in the position of jodan no kamae, brought her stave down for a crushing blow to the head.

            However, the split second it took for her to prepare for the blow gave Saburouta all the time he needed.  Immediately, with his shinai already lowered, he swung the sword up in a vicious arc, knocking Ryoko's strike off target. She gasped in surprise as her eyes widened in horrified realization, and Saburouta moved in for the kill; a quick strike down and to the side, and his shinai slapped cleanly against her right side; had this been a real duel, Ryoko would've been cleaved in two.

            Point to Saburouta: score, 2 to 3, Saburouta.  Matches were up to five.

            Haley-kun's kanji fighter raced across the screen, and as Haley's fingers danced across the controller, performed its ultimate attack.  However, Ruri had anticipated this, and jumped her kanji fighter off-screen, evading damage, and pulled off her own special move.  On the vid-screen, the ground erupted into fire, engulfing Haley's kanji and reducing it to nothing but ash.  Lights flashed and the word "KO" graced the screen for the fifty-seventh time.

            "Argh, kanchou, you need to stop that," Haley growled aggressively before flopping into his beanbag.  He tossed the controller nonchalantly unto the floor. "Well, I think I'm done for the day.  No point in embarrassing myself anymore, ne, kanchou?"

            Ruri merely shrugged and turned the vid-screen off. "Haley-kun," she said. "Was there something you wished to talk about, besides playing video games?"

            Haley nodded as he snuggled down into the beanbag. "Yeah," he replied "You were acting kind of funny when our new Aestivalis pilots came onboard. I would've thought you'd be kind of happy to see them, but you barely even talked to them before you left.  I know how much you treasure memories and past experience," he said seriously, "so I thought it was kind of odd that you'd just leave them like that."

            Ruri nodded once, as she contemplated Haley's words.

            Ryoko's shinai came crashing down at near sub-sonic speed, smashing into Saburouta's helmet and wringing a loud grunt from him. Ryoko gave a feral grin before stepping back.  Score was now 3-3, tied.  With luck, Ryoko could pull this off and beat the Jovian to the ground.

            "You want some more?" she taunted as she circled him once again.

            Saburouta got up slowly and approached her calmly, shinai held out in chudan no kamae.  Strangely enough, he did not reply to her taunt, using body language to indicate that he was ready.

            Ryoko immediately jumped at him, shinai raised overhead, to strike him again on the helmet. His weak point seems to be reaction time; his reflexes aren't as honed as mine, she thought confidently. If I can catch him by surprise, then he should be mine. Even as she thought this though, Saburouta's shinai came down, pushing Ryoko's shinai out of the way.  Ryoko hurriedly took a step back, and Saburouta followed with a feint to the head, with his shinai actually aimed at her left wrist.  Ryoko managed to barely avoid the strike, and took several steps back to regain her composure.

            Again, Saburouta advanced slowly and threateningly, his shinai held in jodan no kamae.  As the distance between them closed, Sabrouta launched himself forward, aiming at the head; this strike was easily blocked by Ryoko's own shinai, and she rushed forward, locking gauntlets with the Jovian once more.

            "You're a lot better than I thought," Ryoko hissed at the lieutenant.

            "Not too shabby yourself, pretty lady," Saburouta shot back. At that, the two jumped apart and crashed together again, the collision echoing across the walls of the gymnasium.

            "Kanchou?" Haley asked nervously. "You still there, kanchou?"

            "Hai, Haley-kun," Ruri said quietly. "I was just…thinking."  She looked at the young boy. "How long will it be until we reach Mars?"

            "Well, this ship is pretty fast for our size," Haley mused. "I'd say another four weeks before we reach Mars."

            "I see.  Haley-kun, you know who Tenkawa-san is, right?"

            At this, the young lieutenant scratched his head. "I think so.  He's a former Nadesico crewmember right? Aestivalis pilot?"
            "Cook," Ruri corrected with a small smile.

            "Yeah, cook," Haley muttered with a distracted look. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh!" he exclaimed, "is he the guy you were so fond of back then? Minato-san told me that you had a little crush on him…" he trailed off upon seeing the odd look on her face. "Did I say something wrong, kanchou?" he asked timidly.

            "Minato-san told you this?" Ruri asked. The boy nodded. "Perhaps she exaggerates a little," she reluctantly embellished, "but Tenkawa-san was indeed a nice man.  It would be good to see him on Mars."

            "What makes you think he'd be on Mars?"

            "He was born there.  He loves his planet, and if it were to be threatened, I'm sure he'd come from wherever he is right now to defend it to the death," Ruri stated confidently.  "He protects the things he loves with great energy."

            "Sounds like a nice guy," Haley offered.

            "Yes," Ruri said with a touch of sadness. "He was."

Ryoko lunged at the throat, desperate for a scoring strike.  The score was now 4-3, and she was losing.  One more point, and she would lose the match. The Jovian batted the stroke away easily, and Ryoko cursed in her mind.  Her shinai lifted up again and she brought it crashing down on Saburouta's head, only to hit air as he lithely stepped out of the way.  The young woman continued with her stroke, gliding through the strike before swiftly turning around to face the rapidly approaching lieutenant.

Saburouta bored down on the pilot in jodan no kamae, and swung diagonally and down to her left side of the head.  A quick flick of the wrist sent Saburouta's shinai off course, while Ryoko followed up with her own strike to the head.  Saburouta managed to duck under the shinai, which struck his shoulder; despite the hit, it wasn't in an official spot, and so would not count in a match. Which is stupid, she thought bitterly. If this was real, he'd be missing an arm and a bit more.

Following through with the strike, she flew past him before twirling around, assuming jodan no kamae herself.  Saburouta countered with a chudan no kamae stance, and stood, waiting for her to make the first move.  Ryoko inched closer slowly, watching for any sudden attacks from the Jovian.  About six feet away, Ryoko suddenly sprang forward, her shinai seeking his throat guard.  Almost catching Saburouta by surprise, the man barely managed to swat the attack away, and was forced to retreat under a hail of head strikes from Ryoko as she desperately seeked an opening.

Regaining his composure and the initiative, Saburouta blocked the last head strike, and shifting his shinai, used his body strength to force it down and to the side.  The fight raged onward as each kendoka sought to exploit the chinks in the defensive strategy of the other.

"So, what was special about Tenkawa-san, kanchou?" Haley asked inquisitively.

Ruri thought for a second. "He was a very passionate man, very much different from who I was.  It was…refreshing to be around him, and he became an important person for a while," she admitted.  "Seeing Ryoko-san, Izumi-san, and Hikaru-san reminded me of him and my memories of the Nadesico."

Haley nodded in agreement. "So that's what made you sad?"

Ruri looked up. "Sad?" she echoed.

The young teenager nodded emphatically. "Yup, you looked kinda sad when you left.  I was wondering what that was all about," he said. "What were you sad about?"

Ruri looked away for a second. "Haley-kun, you are being unusually forward today."

At this, the lieutenant blushed slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Ruri shook her head. "No, it's okay. It is better for you if you are more forward, Haley-kun.  I do not mind it."

Haley blinked once or twice in surprise. "Okay," he said slowly. "So…um…about Tenkawa-san…?"

"He disappeared one day, and when we had found him, he left again," she said simply. "I'm worried about what he may have gotten himself into this time. He has a disturbing knack for getting into trouble."

Haley-kun laughed a little. "Sounds a bit like me," he said.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," he replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Saburouta is always teasing me for the things that I do, especially when it comes to you," he said, blushing a little again. "For some reason, he thinks we're a couple." He laughed uneasily. "Yeah, right! I wonder where he got that crazy idea from, right?"

Ruri arched an eyebrow at him. "Yes, one must wonder." As she watched him fidget in his seat, his hair un-gelled and spiky, she noticed that he strongly resembled Tenkawa-san. "Haley-kun," she said softly.

"Hai?"

"You should keep your hair the way it is right now," she suggested softly.  "Don't put gel in it anymore."

"Er, why not, kanchou?"

"It looks better that way," Ruri said simply, standing up.

Haley-kun shrugged, giving her a strange look. "If you say so," he said, oblivious.

The final strike came from Saburouta. Locking gauntlets once more, he had pushed off with enough force to slightly destabilize Ryoko for a moment, and with that split-second, had made his strike.  The distracted Ryoko had no time to block the strike to the head, and the shinai connected cleanly, hitting the helm with a healthy "thwock."

The winner: Saburouta-san. Score: 5-3.

            With barely constrained anger, Ryoko turned and faced Saburouta and both closed within the regulation distance.  Both crouched, assuming a position called sankyo, clapped the shinai to their left side as if sheathing the sword, and took five steps back before bowing in respect to each other.  Then, the defeated and disgraced Aestivalis pilot threw her shinai to the ground in disgust and stamped on it.  Saburouta, on the other hand, was rolling around the gymnasium floor laughing uncontrollably.

            "So, who won that one, Ryoko?" he teased, still holding his sides from laughing so hard. "Guess I'm still number one, as I rightfully should be!" he boastfully declared while lying on the floor.  Unfortunately for him, he did not notice Ryoko turn red with anger, and thus, was unprepared when she drop-kicked him across the gymnasium floor.

            "Just you wait until next time, Saburouta-san!" she screamed. "I'll beat you for sure, if it's the last thing I do!"

            Saburouta painfully got up, holding a sore side, and a few broken ribs, he reckoned. "Okay, okay, whatever you say," he mumbled painfully. "I love you, too."

            "Nani?!" Ryoko gasped, her face turning red not from anger but from embarrassment. Immediately, the romantically naïve pilot struck out with her fist, connecting with Saburouta's cheek, and sending him flying again.

            Once more, Saburouta picked himself up again. "Geez, Ryoko," he panted. "You could be a bit nicer, you know." At this, Ryoko rubbed the back of her head and grinned.  With the comradely atmosphere restored once more, the two packed up and headed back to their stations; their shift was close to beginning.

The gymnasium connects directly to the bridge through a central hallway that leads past the hot spring and, coincidentally, the Captain's room.  As Saburouta and Ryoko ambled down the metal corridors, both Haley-kun and Ruri stepped out of her quarters, the former with a video controller dangling from his hand, and the latter with a small paperback book, notebook, and pencil clutched to her chest.

"Yo!" Saburouta called at the two, waving his hand. "Shift's about to begin, Haley.  Did you two have fun in the kanchou's room?"

"Saburouta-san is such a pervert," Haley-kun muttered under his breath, before he replied, "Hai! We were playing video games, for your information, Lieutenant!"

"Oh? What game?" Ryoko asked.

"It is Haley-kun's favorite," Ruri said. "It's a fighting game called Super Kanji Fighters."

"A fighting game, eh?" Ryoko said, her curiosity piqued. "I like those kinds of games; Haley, why don't we go for a few rounds during our shift? Not like anything's going to happen enroute to Mars, the only thing we have to worry about until we reach the Unknowns is just stray space debris."

Haley-kun debated this for a moment as he mentally judged whether he was capable of defeating an Aestivalis pilot at this kind of game. "Sure, why not," he said confidently. After all, he had already lost to Ruri; what difference would it make on his bruised pride if he lost to a hard-core pilot like Ryoko?

As Haley-kun and Ryoko walked down the corridor together, talking animatedly about their favorite different fighting video games, Saburouta quietly joined Ruri.

"Any reports of unidentified individuals on Mars?" he asked Ruri in a whisper. The young captain only shook her head, and the Lieutenant nodded, with one of his rare serious expressions on his face.

"I spoke with Admiral Akiyama right after you left," he said in a low voice. At this, Ruri's head came up, her eyes curious. "He said that a Jovian ship had salvaged an Aestivalis that was painted a shade of pink, between Jupiter and Mars.  We have yet to receive a transmission on whether or not there was a pilot in there, but…the Admiral fought him before, during the Great War.  If he's confidant that it's his Aesti, then it probably is him," he concluded. "There's a strong chance that he's either with the Jovian fleet as they retreat back to UEC lines, or that he's already on Mars and awaiting our arrival." With this, he clapped Ruri on the shoulder and rejoined Haley and Ryoko in their discussion about which kanji was the best at fighting.

The young girl pressed her books closer to herself, as she thought about the possibility of Tenkawa-san being on Mars.  The first thing I will do, she decided with a half-smile, is return his ramen recipe to him.

Command and Control Center, UEC 3rd Space Fleet, orbiting Mars

The UEC 3rd Space Fleet comprised one of the most powerful battle formations known to mankind.  A mind-boggling 800-ship strong force, more than forty percent of its warships were of the battle-ship class, and the flagship was the ND-002, the Cosmos, from the glory days of the Great War.  While an old ship, the Cosmos had undergone enough renovations and upgrades that its distortion field and multi-barreled gravity blast cannon were still one of the strongest weapons around, matched only by the Nadesico-C herself.

The commanding officer was a tough Admiral by the name of Harada Ken'ichi, who was currently planning battle strategy with the other commanding Admirals of the lesser UEC space fleets, and also a representative from the remnants of the Jovian forces, who numbered only a pathetic forty-five as they drew closer to UEC lines.  With Admiral Harada were the commanding officers of the UEC 1st, 5th, 7th, and 21st Fleets, and the combined UEC presence over Mars was equivalent to about 3,000 battle-worthy warships.  It was quite possibly the largest collection of destruction known to man, Harada thought arrogantly.

Besides the massive space fleet orbiting above Mars, Mars itself was now protected by a ring of orbital space platforms that were armed with heavy laser batteries, and a handful were even armed with gravity blast cannons. The red planet had, over the years, flourished once more as colonists returned in droves after the Great War to reap large profits mining for invaluable CC crystals, and the UEC were determined to protect this strategic resource at any cost.

At the 3rd Space Fleet's command center, the Admiral and his associates were also positioned around a circular table with a holographic projector implanted at the center.  A massive display that showed Mars, its defensive platforms and fleet, and the retreating Jovian ships arced above their heads, as they planned their strategy.

"Representative Harujyon, your forces will filter through our lines at sector 45-C, where they will restock, refit, and rearm themselves as need be.  We also have repair facilities aboard the Cosmos and the orbital platforms should your forces need them," Admiral Harada explained.  The stiff-backed Jovian representative nodded in consent.

"Admiral Hong, your 21st Fleet will be the spearhead of the counter-attack assault, if everything goes to plan.  I want you to dispatch your research squadrons to sectors 72-A and –D, and also to sector 13-F; these are the likely approaches to enemy attack, and we need to gather as much analytical data we can to beat these bastards." The Korean admiral saluted smartly upon receiving his orders.

Harada leaned forward in his chair and glanced at each one of the officers around the table. "Men, this battle decides the future of the UEC and mankind.  If we lose, we lose not only the strongest space armada known to man, but we lose a valuable strategic resource, valuable territory, and most important of all, valuable time.  Earth is rearming and mobilizing her forces as we speak, but she needs time.  We're here to buy it.  Follow the battle plan; it is based on what we know of the Unknowns, and so far we have found them to be predictable juggernauts.  Given the right tactics, we can defeat them. That is all. Dismissed."

All across Mars, silence reigned as soldiers checked their weapons, reloaded ammo, adjusted power gauges, and prepared for a day full of desperate fighting, furious defense, and equally furious counterattack.

            "Captain!" communications officer Akira yelled a little too loudly, as he tore his headset off.

            "Hai?" Captain Hoshino Ruri replied.

            "We gots ourselves a transmission from the good 'ole Admiral Misumaru, ma'am," he reported. "He's on a damn fine video feed on line four.  Wanna hook him up to the bridge or should we put the slammer in his face?"

            "I'd prefer if you did the former."

            "But of course, ma'am," Akira said with a small flourish and bow as he queued up a vid-screen.  Admiral Misumaru Kouichiro flashed aboard the bridge as he stroked one of his mustaches absent-mindedly.

            "Ah, Ruri-kun, are you there?" he said.

            "Yes, what is it, Admiral?" she asked, wary for another sly glance.

            "UE Spacey Command and Control just received a FLASH priority dispatch from Mars," the Admiral replied. "How far are you from Mars now?"

            Ruri checked the calendar displayed on Omoikane's screen.  It had been a couple of weeks since she last beat Haley at Super Kanji Fighters…. "Approximately six hours, sir.  The planet should be registering on our scanners within the next forty-five minutes.  May I ask why that information is relevant?"

            The Admiral pulled a sheet of paper in front of him and donned oddly thick reading spectacles. He coughed once to clear his throat as he scanned the page. "According to the dispatch," he said, "The Jovian remnants have filtered through UEC lines. Hmm…the commanding officer of the 3rd Fleet is Harada Ken'ichi.  That's good," he added, "he's a wonderful tactician."

            "Perhaps his skills are adequate enough that they do not require the Nadesico's assistance?" Ruri asked hopefully.  She would much rather reconnoiter than risk her ship's destruction in an unprepared fight against an unknown enemy.

            "I'm sorry Ruri-kun," Admiral Misumaru replied, "but you and I both know that orders are orders, and these came from the UEC council.  The Mars defensive formation will need your assistance soon, I'm sure of it.  Try to get there as fast as you can." With that, his vid-screen disappeared.

            "Kanchou, this is really bad," Haley-kun observed.

            "Damn, he's got a mighty fine mustache, the admiral," Akira thought aloud. "What are those stupid politicians thinking back on Earth?" he asked, on a totally unrelated subject now. "Fighting an unknown enemy is like tipping over an outhouse bolted to the ground. You ain't gonna win, sucker."

            "What the hell are you talking about?" Saburouta demanded.

            Waiting is the toughest apart about war, Admiral Harada decided after a few minutes reflection. You never know when the enemy's going to come. So you wait, always on guard.  The tensest, most nerve-racking part of the whole equation: when will those bastards come? On reflex, he glanced at the vid-screen hovering next to him, which displayed the battle plan he had spent days preparing.  Everything is in place.  No applicable weaknesses anywhere down the line, except where we want them to be.  Every bit of data we have on them has been analyzed and taken into account.  This force is as prepared as it'll ever be.

            Harada swiveled his chair so he faced outward, where he could gaze through his observation deck into the vastness of space.  Formation after formation of warships floated lazily past him, each one at maximum alert and waiting for the imminent enemy attack.  His sharp eyes picked out the insignia on one of the ships: Stardust, a battleship commissioned in the UEC 3rd Space Fleet.  His fleet.  The battleship bristled with row after row of high-energy laser cannons, with a single gravity blast barrel jutting out of its prow.  There were at least 600 more ships just like it, and with a force that powerful, how could they lose?

            Harada found little comfort in that thought.  His ebony black eyes hardened as he glared out into the stars. Everything is perfect, down to how much cherry pie each ensign gets. So why the hell am I so worried?

            Of course, he knew the answer to that question himself.

            "Oi, kanchou, what's that book you've got there?" Saburouta asked. "You've been reading that for a while…it must be a pretty darn interesting computer manual or something."

            Ruri merely nodded absent-mindedly as she read, turning page after page in rapid succession, her pale fingers gripping a pencil that made the occasional note every few pages.

            Saburouta tip-toed quietly to Haley. "Haley, what do you think the kanchou is reading?" he whispered. "Some kind of romance novel, maybe?"

            "Nah," the young lieutenant whispered back. "She's not the romantic type.  I'm thinking it's a science fiction novel.  I bet she likes those a lot."
            "Are you kidding?" the Jovian snorted back. "She's not a dork like you, Haley.  Only dorks read science fiction novels."

            "Well, if it isn't a science fiction novel, what is it then?" Haley countered heatedly. "We both know it isn't a romance novel!"

            "How about shoujo manga?" a female voice piped up between them.  Haley and Saburouta looked down, and to their immense surprise, saw Kotone sitting cross-legged between them, looking at each with wide excited eyes. "I love shoujo manga!" she squealed with delight.  Both men jumped backwards in surprise, before Saburouta regained his composure.

            "Um…Kotone-san, shouldn't you be at your post? You're the helmswoman," he said slowly.

            "I know, but the Nadesico's been on autopilot since we left. I have nothing to do, and I'm so bored," she complained bitterly. "But," she whispered in a conspiratorial voice, leaning closer to the two men, "I think the kanchou there is reading some shoujo manga! She's at the right age, don't you think?"

            Haley and Saburouta glanced over at Ruri doubtfully. "Right age perhaps, but is she the right type?" they both asked skeptically.

            "Oh, of course!" Kotone replied, waving her hand as if to ward off their doubts. "She's the classic shoujo manga reader!"

            "Really?" Haley asked, wonder in his voice.

            "Well, if you're not sure, why don't you just ask? Let's just go see what she's reading right now!" Kotone said cheerfully, dragging the two rather unwilling males towards the captain's chair.

            Estimated time of contact: 20 minutes.  Admiral Harada exhaled slowly, somewhat nervous.  Despite his constant reassurances that his battle plan was as good as it'll ever get, one thing still nagged at him in the corner of his mind.

            Frankly, the UEC didn't have a goddamned clue what the Unknowns were, what their tactics were, what their weapons were.  Sure, they had a little information, but nowhere near the amount necessary for Harada to make even educated guesses for his battle plan. I'm making this whole damn circus up just because we have crap intelligence! He raged at himself. If the enemy has a different strategy than what the wizards back on Earth had predicted…he glanced once more at the vid-screen. Then Mars is toast.

            Perhaps he should change the strategy…? Yes, the Admiral decided, it would probably be better if he tweaked it a little just so it'd be more flexible. That way, in case the intelligence pukes on Earth did mess up, he'd have a backup plan to drag his fleet out of whatever mess Intel got them stuck in.  He reached for a pen on his desk.

            Ruri's mind had subconsciously registered about five minutes of silence since she had noticed Saburouta, Haley, and Kotone suspiciously gathered in a small group barely within her field of vision.  Small giggling noises could be heard, and she turned her head slightly to see what was going on.

            The three mischievous crewmembers were behind Ruri's captain's chair, reading her book over her shoulder.  As soon as she turned around, all three grinned widely, with mirth in their eyes.  Ruri's eyes widened in surprise before she regained her composure.

            "What is it?" she asked innocently.

            "Kanchou, what was that book you were reading?" Saburouta asked, sniggering. This time, Ruri turned a little red, and the three fell on the floor, laughing hysterically.

            "I can't believe it, Kotone-san!" Haley-kun managed to wheeze out between gales of laughter. "You were actually right!"

            "What'd I tell you, Haley-kun?" she shrieked delightfully.

            "Kanchou, what are you doing reading shoujo manga?" Saburouta questioned, holding his sides.

            Ruri just blushed even more and pressed the small manga volume against her chest.

            "Kanchou, you haven't answered my—" Suddenly, a large "thwock" interrupted the still-chuckling Saburouta's sentence, and the Jovian fell to the floor, eyes spinning, after being hit across the head by Ryoko's angry shinai.

            "The hell do you think you're doing, Saburouta!" she hissed at him. "Ruri's a young woman you know, and she has feelings! Try to be a little more sensitive!" She whacked him another time with the shinai to make sure the message came through.

            "Hai, hai, whatever you say," the Jovian managed to wheeze out painfully.

            "Just ignore these creeps, Ruri," the gruff pilot said to her captain.

            "It's quite alright, Ryoko-san," Ruri replied. "I can handle their antics. Anyway, Saburouta-san," she spoke to the injured Jovian, who was painfully picking himself up to sit cross-legged next to her, "the reason why I'm reading shoujo manga is because it contains situations in it which I have little practical knowledge about.  So, I am studying these volumes to understand how to act under certain conditions."

            Saburouta took the pro-offered manga volume, and studied it for a few seconds. "Ruri, you're studying shoujo manga in order to learn how to date?" he asked, puzzled.

            The young lady blushed again. "Not just that, Saburouta-san," she qualified, "it contains advice on how to act with many emotions.  I was raised in an emotionless environment, and never learned how to express my feelings," she continued with a touch of sadness. "These volumes help me understand how to express what I feel in ways that would be considered normal for a girl my age."

            "Makes sense to me," Haley-kun said approvingly. "So, Saburouta-san, what's the manga called?"

            The Jovian flipped to the cover. "Hmm, it's called Ururun."

            "Ururun?"

            Harada was almost done with his slight changes to the battle plan when the alarm klaxons went off.  Surprised by the sudden noise, the Admiral fumbled with his pen as a vid-screen popped up, revealing a rather frightened-looking communications ensign.

            "Sir, we've detected massive movement on Admiral Jay's part of the defensive line! Visual confirmation has been received, it's the Unknowns!" he stammered quickly. "Please report to the bridge at once, Admiral!"

            Harada gave a violent curse as he sprang from his desk and sprinted down the hall toward the elevator shafts. Shit, he thought, now the carnage begins.

            "Ururun?" Kotone thought out loud. "Where have I heard that before?"

            Ruri merely shrugged. "I wouldn't know, but it is a popular manga.  Many other girls my age read it."

            "So, Haley, what do you think she'll do next?" Saburouta asked quietly.

            "I don't now, Saburouta-san.  He was pretty harsh to her…I'm hoping she'll break up with him, don't you agree?"

            "Yeah, you're absolutely right.  Tori-san here has been a pretty big loser…"

            Ruri and Kotone turned around to see what they were talking about.

            Both Saburouta and Haley were sitting on the floor next to the captain's chair, Saburouta reclining cross-legged while Haley looked over his shoulder.  Both were completely engrossed with Ruri's copy of "Ururun" and were flipping through its pages.

            "Oh, I didn't think she would do that!" Haley exclaimed, whistling between his teeth.

            "Geez, woman, what were you thinking? Tori-san isn't worth your career!" Saburouta complained bitterly.  "If only women considered me that important…"

            "Whoa!" Haley shouted, pointing at a particular spot on the page. "Saburouta-san, look at that!"
            Saburouta-san stared at the page, awestruck. "Geez! Since when did Tori-san have a magical boy transformation?"

            "There's so many twists to this story," Haley murmured with appreciation as his eyes scanned the pages.

            "Yeah, this is by far better than any other manga I've read," the Jovian agreed.

            "Saburouta-san, Haley-kun, what are you doing?" Ruri asked.  Immediately, the two jumped in surprise and sprang to their feet, trying mightily to hide something behind their backs as they uneasily smiled.

            "Uh…hai, kanchou?" they both said.

            "I didn't know boys read shoujo manga too," Ruri observed quietly. The two men looked at each other for a second before dropping their heads and sighing in shame.

            "Ano…kanchou?" Haley-kun asked timidly.

            "Hai, Haley-kun?"

            "Is…it okay if…Saburouta and I…borrow your book…when…you're done…with it?" he said in a tinny voice.  Saburouta nodded vigorously, somewhat ashamed.

            Ruri sighed. "Yes, Haley-kun, you may."

            Admiral Harada reached the bridge right when the battle started.  The Unknown fleet had boson jumped within firing range of Admiral Jay's UEC 1st Fleet, and space was torn apart as the battleships under his command unleashed an alpha strike of laser blasts, firing off every single one of their weapons at once.  A massive amount of ordinance was brought to bear upon the Unknowns, and space lit up as bright as the stars as metal and flesh were burned and vaporized.

            "UEC 1st Fleet reports contact with the enemy. Sir, they are engaging," the communications officer reported, much calmer now that his superior was monitoring the fight.

            "Good, have them keep up the pressure.  Don't give a single inch to these monsters," Harada replied. "Give me a situational report."

            "Yes sir." A screen blinked on in front of the admiral, displaying the current positions of the Unknowns and his own UEC forces. "The enemy boson jumped within 120 kilometers of the defensive lines, and well within firing range of the 1st Fleet.  The fleet is approximately the same size as ours, and we estimate about 3,000 to 4,000 ships in their entire armada.  Currently, they are concentrating solely on defensive maneuvers against the 1st Fleet, but they are rapidly advancing upon the 3rd Fleet's position."

            "Good," Harada murmured, as a shark-like grin spread across his face. So far, everything was going to plan.

            While reviewing the data in preparation for his battle strategy, Harada had noticed one defining thing about the Unknowns beside their well-coordinated movements; they always went after the command ship or command center of their enemy.  This usually involved the largest ship or the vessel that emanated the largest amount of electromagnetic radiation. The ND-002 Cosmos was both of these.

            Nestled well behind the front line, the enemy would have to cut through a bristling wall of lasers and gravity blasts to bring their firepower to bear on the UEC flagship. Harada hoped to capitalize on that, and bring punishing firepower on them as they struggled to break through the defensive barrier.

            "Multiple boson reactions across the board! Half the Unknown fleet has disappeared!" The communications officer's panicked shout jolted the Admiral out of his reverie. Shit, I forgot about the boson jumping capabilities they had!

            "Full power to the distortion fields! Unmask and activate the gravity blast cannon, wide-spread!" Harada shouted. "Engines to maximum speed, raise the escort ships on the communications net!"

            The Cosmos sprang to life at the same moment when over 1,000 Unknown vessels materialized within a few kilometers of it.  Immediately, swarms of mecha began pouring out of the organic ships' hulls, and bright plasma blasts began spewing out of their flower-like cannons. Explosions rocked the Cosmos as it desperately tried to bring its multi-barreled gravity blast cannon to bear.  Around the endangered ship, scores of escort craft swarmed to protect their commander, armed with anti-mech weaponry as well as heavy lasers and gravity blast cannons.

            "Admiral Jay reports that the Unknowns have broken through his lines! He's been forced to fall back to defense line Andora!" Harada cursed; how had the enemy broken through his primary defensive formation so soon?  The whole plan was falling apart before his eyes.

            "Get the 7th Fleet to reinforce! Is the gravity blast cannon charged?"

            "Hai!"

            "Wide-spread configuration, I want to take down as many of the capital ships as I can! Gravity blast cannon, hasha!" Several powerful beams of pure energy lanced out from the venerable ship and engulfed a large portion of the fleet in searing heat and a blinding explosion.  As soon as the sensors stabilized, Harada saw that he had destroyed about 10% of the enemy force.  100 ships wasn't that bad, and already UEC ships were reinforcing the rear guard. Harada allowed himself a small smile of relief; things were salvageable.

            "Multiple explosions to the left and right! We've lost the Knight, Avenger, Nautilus, and Jubilate!"

            Harada spun around in surprise. "What? Those are all heavy battleships, how can they just explode like that?"
            "I'm registering strange readings on the electromagnetic scanners, sir," the communications officer replied. "But they're emanating from the Unknown ships."

            "What the hell…," the Admiral murmured. What new weapon was this?

            "Helmsman, set a course on bearing 275, all head full! Charge the gravity blast cannon again!" he ordered.

            "Hai!" The Cosmos shuddered as it slowly changed course.  All around it, several anti-mech UEC frigates spewed storm after storm of pale-blue bolts, rending through the silver mecha, desperately trying to stave off their devastating missile barrages, while the Unknown capital ships continued to give chase, spewing out bolts of plasma.  Several frigates exploded as plasma bolts chewed through their distortion fields and armor, igniting the air and ammunition stored within.

            "Give me an update on the primary defense line," Harada commanded.  Another vid-screen popped open, and from it the Admiral could see that the enemy had indeed completely sundered the 1st Fleet's defensive formations; the fleet had been driven back over 200 kilometers to defensive line Andora; the second of three defensive lines that he had.  The other defensive lines were barely holding up against the Unknowns, but the 1st Fleet protected the most direct route to the vulnerable command and control orbital stations around Mars.  Harada had underestimated the Unknowns, and worst of all, his ruse had failed.

            Luckily, Admiral Hong's 21st Fleet was being held in reserve, and it being an immensely powerful force, should be enough to check the enemy's assault.  Harada motioned at the communications officer.

            "Get me Admiral Hong, and queue up a data list of the Unknown ship sizes!"

            "Hai!" A vid-screen of the commanding officer of UEC 21st Fleet immediately sprang up.

            "Yes, Admiral?" Hong asked.

            "I need you to plug up the hole the Unknowns have ripped up in 1st Fleet's defensive formation.  I want you to try to destroy this ship particularly, at all costs." He pointed his finger at the largest ship in the enemy formation.

            "I understand sir, but why that particular ship?"

            Harada smiled. "Haven't you read old sci-fi novels or seen crappy science fiction movies before?  The largest ship is always the mother ship.  And the mother ship is the one that controls the aliens. Destroy the mother ship, and all you've got left is a disorganized mob.  Besides, this ship is emitting huge quantities of boson particles. That's got to mean something." A flick of his hand, and the vid-screen shifted into electromagnetic spectrum mode, with the "mother ship" glowing a searing-hot white.

            "Hai," Admiral Hong nodded, and his vid-screen vanished.  Both men left unsaid the fact that a disorganized mob might be just as dangerous as a trained army.

            Harada turned and looked out the observation deck.  Running away gave the Cosmos time to radio and rally other ships for her defense, but the 1,000 ship Unknown fleet was still pursuing and gaining on them.  It was time to make a stand.

            "Turn the ship around, I want us facing the enemy. Organize the battleships around us, I want an alpha strike with everything we've got once they're in range!" He addressed his vid-screen again. "I want to pour everything we've got onto this single ship right here.  Erase it from space!"

            Several hundred kilometers away, the battleships of Admiral Hong's 21st Fleet roared to life.  A gigantic armored fist, the leading phalanx drove straight into the heart of the Unknown formation, splintering the fleet in an enormous flanking attack.  A hail of gravity blasts from the heavy battleships incinerated the first layer of Unknowns, and as the 21st drove deeper into the enemy formation, squadrons peeled off to keep the gap open and to apply constant pressure to the confused enemy.

            "Full speed to that ship! I want an alpha strike the second we're in range!" Admiral Hong commanded.  The distance between his command ship, the Orchid, and the designated "mother ship" dissipated quickly, and the 21st's surprise assault brought it into range in a matter of minutes.

            "Gravity blast cannon, ready to fire! All battleships are systems green, awaiting alpha strike now!"

            "Hasha!" A veritable wall of energy arced through space, obliterating the Unknown fleet and engulfing the "mother ship" in a raging firestorm of debris and explosive energy.

            Admiral Hong smiled grimly as he watched the destruction unfold.

"Sensors indicate 60% of the enemy force has been vaporized."

"Good," he replied, "send the squadrons out for search-and-destroy, mop up the leftovers." Suddenly, alarm klaxons rang as the distortion field shuddered, and heavy battleships began exploding all around the Admiral.

"What the hell is going on?" he shouted.

"I'm registering massive energy fluctuations from the center of the enemy fleet!" the sensors officer reported. "It appears to be coming…from our kill target!"
            "What? You mean it's still there?!"

"Not only that sir, but its distortion fields are stronger than ever!  I'm reading huge boson readings from it; it's like its using boson particles to destroy ships!"

"Launch the Aestivalis squadron, I want them to pump as many missiles into that thing as we can!" Admiral Hong ordered. Boson particles to destroy ships…? But that's impossible!

As Admiral Hong and Harada struggled to survive above the skies of Mars, the elite Panthers Aestivalis unit stationed aboard the 21st Fleet rocketed off towards the "mother ship."  Assembled in alpha formation, the squadron was grouped into sections that flew in a "v" formation.  To a casual observer, the Panthers unit would resemble a flock of heavily armed and very deadly geese.

The captain of the Panthers unit was a former Anglo-Saxon fighter jock named Lee Gardner. Strapped into his zero-g, late-production model Aestivalis, the young man had at his disposal thirty-six missiles packed with high explosives, an assault rifle with a 2,000 shot magazine, a single retractable knife for melee engagements, and 23 highly skilled pilots, some of whom were armed with portable heavy lasers and other artillery weaponry with which to break fortresses and sunder capital ships.

As the Panthers unit streaked towards the "mother ship," a cloud of silver mecha spewed out from the Unknowns' organic hangar bays, and sections of the Panthers peeled off to engage.  Small explosions blossomed over the canvas of space as the ace pilots shot down silver mech after silver mech.  However, the Unknowns had the advantage in numbers, and two Aestivalis pilots were overwhelmed by the massive number of missile salvoes; two larger explosions denoted their deaths.

By that time, however, the majority of the Panthers had reached firing range, and the pilots split off to perform their respected roles.

Artillery fire poured into the side of the ship, tearing chunks of silvery metal off the hull as 36-missile salvoes slammed into the "mother ship," easily bypassing the distortion field. Other Aestivalis pilots had huge artillery cannons that hurled heavy slugs with devastating effect; more explosions rippled across the hull surface as the shells ripped through and exploded, exposing compressed air to the vacuum of space.  The results were horrific; huge sections of the hull were ripped apart as decompression took place, and the laws of physics did almost as much damage as the Aestivalis' themselves.

Meanwhile, Lee Gardner and his own section of Panthers circled around, searching for a spot on the "mother ship" that emanated unusually large amounts of boson particles, per orders from Admiral Hong.  As the section flew over a particularly large oval protrusion, the boson detector spiked, and Gardner knew he had his target.

"Pathers on me; target acquired," he spoke calmly into his mike.  Double-taps on the comm net responded to his voice.  Pushing the controls down and to the side, the Aestivalis pilot accelerated his mecha into a lazy parabolic curve downward into the "mother ship."  Drawing out his retractable knife, Gardner hit the estimated point of contact with the distortion field, and after a few agonizing moments, broke through with his knife-point.  Immediately, targeting reticules positioned themselves over the bulb, and Gardner got the affirmative locking tone.  Thumbs firmly pressed the triggers, and thirty-six missiles crammed with high-explosive arced out into the bulb, connecting and tearing it apart in a massive explosion.  Similar salvoes slammed into the "mother ship" from the other pilots of his squadron, and Gardner sprayed the area with assault rifle fire before pulling up and away.

The close-in attack proved brutally effective; the Panthers retreated on orders, leaving behind a badly damaged and crippled ship, but also four dead of their own.

"Remaining battleships report systems green! Alpha strike ready!" the communications officer shouted.

"Fire!" Another lance of explosive energy reached out with hungry hands towards the stricken "mother ship," smothering it in man-made fire.  At last, the ovoid Unknown vessel broke in space and disintegrated into its molecular components.  To Admiral Hong's great surprise, the silver mecha and other capital ships within the vicinity also deactivated, and began floating as ordinary space junk through space.

"What the hell is this?" he asked out loud.

Harada watched in satisfaction as sixty heavy battleships formed up next to the Cosmos.  Smaller frigates danced around the lumbering Unknown formation, picking off silver mecha and weakening the distortion fields on the larger capital ships.  As the enemy fleet approached, targeting reticules from the Cosmos' computer placed themselves over individual ships, coordinating the combined gravity blasts of 61 warships.

"Admiral Hong reports he has destroyed the kill target, sir.  He says that all enemy activity in his sector has ceased, and he is currently destroying everything so it can't reactivate."

Harada nodded approvingly. Hong was a brilliant commander. Now it was time for Harada to earn his dues.

"Target in range! Alpha strike ready to go!"

"Hasha! Give it everything you've got!" Harada watched eagerly as the gravity blasts raced towards the Unknowns…and then suddenly disappeared.

A gaping black maw of dark void had appeared in front of the enemy fleet, and every gravity blast was sucked off course into the void, where it mysteriously vanished.  The Unknown fleet started glowing a bright white.

"What the hell just happened?" Harada demanded.

"I don't know, sir!" the sensors technician exclaimed, panicked. "All I'm detecting are transmission waves that are equivalent to that of a Chulip taking in an object!"

"A Chulip? What the hell does a Chulip have to do with absorbing energy waves?" Harada demanded, before the realization hit him. If the Chulip provides instantaneous movement from one place to another…those energy blasts can be absorbed into a capacitor of sufficient size…and released via another Chulip…! As if to confirm his suspicions, another black maw appeared in front of the Unknown fleet.

"I'm detecting large amounts of boson particles from the void!"

Harada turned white. "Shunt all power to the forward distortion fields!"

The technician barely made the change in time.

A single wave of energy pulsated through the UEC fleet a moment after the Cosmos' distortion fields went to maximum power.  To all but the most careful observer, it would seem as if nothing had happened, but those with a sharp eye would've been able to see space itself bend a little, as a ripple went searing through the Earth warships.

Seconds later, massive explosions began taking place.

"Massive damage to the fleets!" the communications officer yelled. "I'm estimating at least 20% casualties!"

"Distortion fields are down to 10% only! One more blast, and we're finished!"

Harada clenched his fists in rage.  Energy blasts won't work.  Range is too far for the Aestivalis, and that's assuming they'll be able to come up close.  That leaves one thing only…

"All hands prepare to abandon ship!" he yelled. "We're going to ram the Cosmos into that fucker!"

Fifteen minutes later, Harada watched on the bridge of the Orchid as the ND-002 Cosmos flew straight through the designated "mother ship" of the second half of the fleet.  A massive ship in itself, the Cosmos cleaved through the enemy ship like a hot knife through butter, tearing it in half.  The badly damaged battleship careened wildly into another nearby Unknown vessel and the two exploded, taking a goodly sized portion of the enemy fleet with it.  As expected, with the destruction of the "mother ship," the remainder of the Unknown fleet went inactive and drifted through space, completely useless.

Harada angrily wiped tears away at the loss of his flagship.  The Cosmos had been very dear to him.  He stomped up to the observation deck, and looked with horror at the chaos surrounding him. Debris floated everywhere; the remnants of UEC vessels and Unknown spaceships alike.  Flashes of laser light lit space as the UEC fleets continued to vaporize every intact Unknown ship left, to ensure it could not be reactivated.

"Casualty reports?" he asked with a heavy heart.  The response made his heart even heavier, and he punched a steel girder in rage and grief.

The UEC Space Fleets had fulfilled their duty; Mars had been protected, the Unknown advance had been stopped. But it had been done at a terrible price; over 40% of the defensive formations had been destroyed.  The 3rd and 1st Fleets were all but annihilated, and the 21st and 7th had sustained heavy losses.

The opening shots for the War of the Unknowns had ended in an inglorious, bloody, and thoroughly devastating tie.

Author's Notes: I don't know about you, but for me, this was a really fun chapter to write!  One of the things I wish Nadesico had were more battle scenes…the humor was great, the philosophy was wonderful, but I think it would've been awesome if the series had the same kind of battle scenes that the Movie had…the Movie was incredibly awesome in terms of mecha action!  I hoped to reproduce that action here, and I hope I did a good job.

I experimented with a different writing style today; instead of finishing entire scenes between people, I skipped between one scene and the next, tying them together at the end.  I think it makes it more interesting, but again, I'm not sure how well I did.  To every aspiring writer, whatever they write seems to them worthy of a Nobel Prize in literature, or maybe a Newberry Gold Medal or something like that.

I'm happy with all the reviews I'm getting! I'm sorry about the late update, but as you can see, this chapter was also extremely long (they seem to get longer every year), and so naturally it took me a long time to write.

I'm hoping to get the next chapter done before I leave for a cruise in the Caribbean on the 20th…I'll try very hard to make this next deadline, I really will!

So, please read and review, thank you for all your reviews, I'm going to try and read your own works as well as a sort of "thank you," as soon as I have the time, which I should have plenty of when I get back from my cruise during the relaxing Christmas break!

Until then, happy holidays everyone!