Hello again, sorry if I focus on some of the things the cloaked dude does and forget to focus on the others. And bear with me on some things, this isn't reality by a landslide, or I would be able to type without touching the keyboard. I also might throw in some halo, ratchet and clank, perfect dark, banjo-kazooie, Etc. Stuff in, cause I just like to. And expect music parts.
Disclaimer: I do not own Vandread, halo, or any of the other afore mentioned franchises.
#5: What's the worst that could happen
The engines sputtered and died as the ship approached the large docking bay in the asteroid's face. The 'Nirvana was docked outside of the bay, because it was far too large to fit inside. People in jetpacks were securing hoses and airtight walkways to spots on the great ship's hull. "Looks like they are starting to load supplies onto the 'Nirvana'." B.C. said to herself as she fired the maneuvering thrusters and glided into the opening in the rock's face. The landing gear deployed and the ship touched down with a resonating thud as the bay doors closed. The passengers moved to the back of the ship and two of the men unclipped the harnesses holding the gear in place. The restraints sunk back into the floor as everyone started hefting up their stuff and stood near the door, waiting nervously to glimpse what lay beyond. B.C. and the four other original crewmates and Pyoro got in front of everyone else as a small click came from the other side of the door. A small green light pulsed to life next to the door and it slid open as B.C. punched in the opening code. She was the first to step onto the ramp now attached seamlessly to the ship's hull. Bart and Duero quickly followed, and then Hibiki, Dita and Pyoro.
A thundering roar of "Welcome back!" echoed around the bay as hundreds of voices shouted the greeting at those on the loading ramp. A sole figure was dashing up the ramp now, a stunned looking girl with light blue hair, and on the green, who had been trying to restrain the person, just stood and watched the Long, shiny blond hair whipping about as she descended on the helpless men. "Oh I've missed you all so much! You brought back some good one's right? If you didn't…" Jura said as see grabbed on to Duero and Bart in the same manner as she had before they had left. She was speaking very fast, and with very few coherent words after a while. Barnette and Meia just stood where Jura had broken free of them shaking their heads. Parfait was a few people back throwing a contemptuous glare at Jura for beating her to say hello to the doctor. The nine men still inside of the ship just cast overly nervous glance out the door. B.C. Motioned for them to come out, and said "Don't worry, most of them aren't so exuberant." They slowly started out, The cloaked man and john taking the lead. "What you think we got ourselves into, Jack?" John muttered to his friend. "Don't know," He replied, shaking his head slightly, "but I'm willing to bet that the suppositories are gonna be the least of my worries." John chuckled as he scanned the room. After the final man had stepped out of the ship, the door shut behind them.
"Let me show you to your quarters." B.C. Said when they had broken free of the docking bay. "No need." A voice came from directly in front of them. "Ah, Captain, nice to see you again." "Likewise, but I'm afraid we won't be staying here long." Magno told her second in command as the group marched down the halls. They walked until the came to an open airlock. They stepped into the translucent corridor from the asteroid base to the 'Nirvana', and continued until they reached the bridge. The captain sat in her command chair with a tired sigh. "You know why the male military gave us those new Vangaurd units, right?" She asked B.C. "I think it might have something to do with Earth." She replied without hesitating. "That is correct. The location of earth has been lost over the years since the colonization era, so basically no one knows where it is. We checked the data from those ships we were able to get information from, but there was no navigational info. From what the military has pieced together, the ships probably have a auto erasure program that deletes anything left of their NAV database when they have eminent threat of defeat." Magno explained. "Our job is to go and hunt down whatever information we can get from our old friends." "But why would the militaries chose to send us when they have thousands of soldiers and ships at their disposal?" B.C. queried. "They said it was due to our high success rate and small amount of casualties in our previous engagements. They have given us numerous provisions and we have basically free reign as long as we don't attack Tarrak or Majale military craft. They also seemed it would help along the integration of our new guests, so we will be leaving as soon as possible. We have designated the left arm of the ship as the new men's quarters, and it should be better than the brig we kept them in last time. Show them to it so they may pick their rooms, and settle in. We leave as soon as the supplies are loaded and all the crewmembers are onboard."
The hallway was dimly lit, 6 room on each side, and ended in a dead end. The men all headed of, going in different doors in the left arm of the ship. Hibiki, Duero, and Bart chose rooms right next to each other and the others just filled in the rest, Jack and John taking the last rooms on each end, opposite each other. The then began the process of unpacking their things. Each room was furnished with the same, a dresser, a bed with a set of sheets, and a nightstand, and in the rooms along the right hand side, a window. By the time the ship stated to depart, the rooms were all stocked and decorated to their inhabitants liking. The ship's engines flared and the ship began moving out of the asteroids and away from the plants of Majale and Tarrak, the black void pressing in and seeming to tell the new men on the ship, that there was no going back.
The intercom on the ship blared a shill tone, and then the captain's voice came over loud and clear. "All crew of the 'Nirvana' listen up. I would like to formally welcome all the new crewmates, you are to report to the bridge in fifteen minutes for assignments. I would also like to welcome back all the returning crewmates. It nice to be back in business, now just because we have the governments approval, does not, mean that we are not pirates. And with our new systems and help of new passengers, we are going to be the best damn pirates we can be!" A loud cheer of approval rang out all around the ship at these last words. The men spent another couple minutes settling in, and then began to head up to the bridge; all mostly grouped together, as if they felt there was safety in numbers. Hibiki and Duero ,the other originals, as they would hence be referred to leading the way, Jack and john lagging slightly behind, gazing around happily, unlike the other 7 who threw nervous glances around. After quite a long hike through the ship, they arrived at the bridge. Hibiki said he was going of to see about getting some real food, Bart was already in the navigation sphere, and Duero headed of to say hello to Parfait, and then to go check out thing in the medical room. The remaining 9, the newcomers, stood in front of the captain's station, waiting for her to address them.
"Welcome aboard." She said casually. "First of, I would like to know all of your names, and do forgive me if I have a bit trouble remembering who is who, old memory ain't what it used to be. Second, You have to work to eat around here, It won't be just lounging around all of the time, athough you will get some time off now and then. You are all somewhat trained in piloting the vanguards, so you will be adding our existing fighters in space combat."
John was the first to introduce himself. "I am John Malcolm, Ex military Lead assault pilot." He said proudly, extending his hand and shaking the captain's hand.
"Couldn't tell from the way you flew during that simulation, Names Jack Spencer, Weapons specialist and ground assault personal, but not military, though." He said, following jacks lead and stating his name and what he did.
"Corporal Alexander Vinn, friends just use Vinn, Storage overseer and infantry solider."
"Steven Crow, head engineer for a mechanical support facility."
"Victor Bronswik, Weapons manufacturing plant supervisor."
"Stan Crink, Parts manufacture second class.
"James Johnson, or JJ, Parts mechanic."
"Tony Gilroy, Technician."
"Eddy Graey, Technician."
The captain contemplated them all, their names displayed on the console in front of her. "You two," she pointed at the technicians, "and you, the engineer, are hereby assigned to engineering, you will be working under our own head engineer, Parfait. You five," she pointed to Jack, Victor, Stan and Steven and Vinn, "will be working in the Redge crew, who take orders for outgoing ordnance on the dreads, maintain the munitions and such. Gasconge will be you supervisor. Finally, you, the big guy, you can be the lead Vanguard pilot, because it will be good to have another fully trained leader out there, and you look like you could handle that kid if you needed to, but don't expect much out of him where manners are concerned." She said with a slight chuckle as she referred to Hibiki. "B.C. has told me that you all got little data pads when you got accepted into this, and I've got a map of the ship if you'd like, might help you get from place to place a bit easier." They all downloaded the map from a little access port in the captain's console. "Now go to the mess hall, get some real food, not those pellet things you call food, and enjoy your first night in your new home. If you have any more questions, just ask around, we don't bite." She finished with a smile.
"What do you think? This brown stuff, or that green stuff?" Jack said, scrutinizing the plates full of odd colored stuff on the moving conveyer.
"I dunno, just try something." John said, as he picked up a plate labeled 326 CAL. "What is this? Food or ammo?"
"That is fish and chips with a side of tartar sauce. Don't you know anything, Ribbit?" A small girl with purple hair spread into pigtails, separated by a small white visor-like hat.
The last sentence said by a backpack-puppet, shaped vaguely like a frog. "Fraid I don't, little miss." He said as jack grabbed a dish at random and the two of them headed for an empty table toward the back of the big room, the little girl following closely behind. They sat at the table, the little girl sitting next to John.
"I'm Paiway, The head nurse on the 'Nirvana'." She said, then the frog puppet continued with "Who are you?"
"I'm John Malcolm, and that is Jack Spencer." He said not sure whether to talk to the puppet or Paiway, so he just said it toward the both of them. He wanted to ask what was up with the puppet thing, but kept quite about it, because he didn't want to chance driving away their first new friend away.
"Why are you to not afraid of us like the others are? Seems pretty suspicious to me." The frog puppet said quickly.
"Yes, we thought your military taught you that women were horrible monsters." Said another women with light blue hair and a black ornament attached to her face and hair.
"Yes, well the military isn't always truthful about everything." Jack said very coldly.
"You can't believe everything they tell yeah, I spent enough years in with them to know that. We just though we'd form our own opinions." John replied hastily at hearing the coldness in his friend's voice. "Names John, and that's Jack."
"My names Meia, and I'm the leader of the dread squadron." She had really changed since the first journey on the 'Nirvana'. She still tended not to rely much on people, but was more social than she had ever been.
"Ahh, so you're the one I'm going to be working with." He said smiling. After seeing the puzzled look now adorning her face, he added, "I'm in command of the Vangaurd units during space combat. I'm a bit rusty, but I'll try not to slow ya down to much."
Meia wanted to protest at the fact that there was going to be another person out trying to take command of the troops, but held her tongue. Secretly she wanted a piece of the happiness that Dita found with Hibiki, and starting an augment on the first meeting wasn't the right way to go. "You been flying long?" She asked, trying to make it sound conversational, but a little hostility still breaking through.
"Yep, went into the military when I hit 6, and stayed with that for 'bout 12 years, then I quit out a year ago to pursue other things. I flew in the first model of the Van Type, Big clunky things back then." He said, reminising. It was cool, First night on board, and he had already met 2 very nice girls.
"I hate the military mostly. Some of the virtues seem nice, but the whole lot aren't worth the uniforms they're wrapped in." Jack said, his voice colder than before.
"Were you in the military?" Meia asked
"No." He replied firmly, "but lets talk about something else." He said sadly, then "What do you call this stuff?" He asked her, his cheerful disposition returned.
They spent the rest of the time in the mess hall chatting happily and swapping stories. They bid each other good night as they separated and headed of to their sleeping quarters. The 2 men opened the door to the hallway to find Hibiki struggling to get rid of Dita so he could go to bed but finally ended up blowing up at her, and slamming the door. She ambled pass the 2 of the still cheery despite Hibiki's outburst.
"Hey, jack, just try to forget about what the military did, here is your chance to get a new start and make a couple of new friends. Just make the best of it, and have some fun." John said to him.
"Yeah, what's the worst that could happen, another Henderson incident." He said, recalling a blown operation John had been on when his squad leader, Jeff Henderson had lost his head in the middle of a battle and simply curled into a fetal ball and was unreachable till they finished the fight.
"Yeah, well if it is, least here there are comfy bed to do it on." John said as he walked yawning into his room, bed neatly made and waiting for him. "See you in the morning."
There you go chapter 5, and I still haven't received a cease and desist. I wan to say thank you to the reviews, the comments with advice help my writing,(I tried to change the structure a bit), and the friend y comments that (insert your own generic response here).
I just want to keep it loose and entertaining. And to comment on strawberryeggs review, It is a small experiment, to see if integration is possible in friendly conditions. Plus a small number is easy to right for, and you can relate better on the ones I expand on.