These are the words of Hung Nguyen. I just have permission to post them and make it easier to read. Just want to give his stuff the recognition it deserves.
I am scrunching both works into one story, maybe even adding something extra. Any new updates will be told here. Think of this as the "Remastered version". Welcoming new and old readers alike!
Disclaimer: So what are you looking at me for? Oh all right. Vandread, Ranma 1/2 and Tekkaman Blade belong to somebody else, blah, blah, yakety-smakety...
italics: Thoughts
Chapter 17
Enter the Phantom
One year before the events of Tekkadread the First Stage...
"Hey Viperson! What are you doing?" The lead pilot asked, as he was about to lead his group of scout vessels back to their home planet of Vegan.
They had been patrolling the outer perimeter of their system, looking for any signs of the Harvestors that had been recently raiding a few of their most distant outposts. Like Mejele and Tarak, the Vegans were a human race that had been part of the original colony fleet from the planet Earth.
"Corporal Ghaleon Viperson, I order you to resume formation!" The leader demanded as one of his squadron began going off in a new direction.
The pilot in question shook his head as he began relaying the data on his sensors. "Sir, I think you'd better have a look at this. I'm getting some strange energy readings coming from sector G14."
"That's out of our assigned patrol area!" The scout leader said angrily. He had been having insubordination problems with the young and relatively new recruit for some time.
Ghaleon was not someone that obeyed orders well. He was more of a loner and he had a bit of a temper as well as an impatient streak. He was above average height at 6'5" and possessed long, silver hair that was tied back. His eyes were blue-gray and his body was slender, yet muscular. He was an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant, as well as an expert marksman with a proficiency in small arms, making him ideal for the military.
However, his heart was in the right place and he was considered fiercely loyal to his comrades. He despised cruelty and would immediately jump into the fray when the strong picked on the weak. In retrospect, it was because of these admirable traits which also made him reckless. After seeing the horrors of the Harvester attacks, he would volunteer for any mission that would bring him into contact with enemy and give him to opportunity to pay them back. Several times, he had broken ranks and attacked the Harvesters head on. That had landed him in the infirmary more than once.
However, Ghaleon would not give up and had sworn to keep fighting until the enemy was annihilated. As of now, he had become restless with the routine and totally ineffectual scouting missions. They should be taking the fight to the Harvesters and ending their menace, not go wandering about remote and empty areas of space where the enemy was nowhere in sight. He had gotten so bored that when his sensors picked up some strange energy readings, he pounced on the opportunity to relieve the tedium.
His commander became very irritated as Ghaleon once again broke regulations and started heading toward a small nebula. "Corporal! Get back into formation!"
"I just want to check it out. Who knows? This might be something that we can use to defeat the Harvesters."
"Viperson! I'll have you thrown in the brig for LIFE! Return to formation! That's an order!"
"It will only take a few minutes."
"That's about as long as your court marshal will take! Turn back now!"
"I... (squark) ... can't... (bzzt)... you... (crackle)... breaking... (fftt)..."
At that point, the leader of the scouting group lost all communications with his subordinate. He let off an enraged snarl as he pounded a fist on his console.
"What now, sir?" Another subordinate asked. "Viperson's ship just disappeared from my sensors. I'm reading a lot of EM interference and a plasma storm was just starting up when he went into that nebula."
"Damn it! I TOLD him to stay in formation!" The commander let off an irritated sigh and was about to order his group to go in search of Ghaleon when his threat alarms went off. Appearing from behind the shadow of an asteroid were several ominous-looking vessels that looked like... mechanical octopi. Behind it was a gigantic vessel that resembled a giant seedpod.
"LOOK OUT! THE HARVESTERS HAVE FOUND US!"
The men screamed in terror as they were mercilessly harvested and taken aboard the Seed Ship. One can only imagine the horror the scouting group briefly experienced before they were killed, taken apart and their organs preserved for the people of Earth. The process took only a few short minutes and then the automations began analyzing the star charts stored in the computers of the scouting vessels. The information was then relayed back to a nearby mothership. It seemed that the people of Vegan were an excellent source for lungs. So far, the Harvesters had only been collecting them from the Vegan outposts, but now they had the coordinates to their home planet! Along with the spinal cords of Anpathos, the skin of the Melanos, and several other worlds, it seemed that this year's harvest would be very bountiful.
Floating in the erratic and lethal energy fields of the nebula was a gigantic asteroid. Embedded in its surface was the wreckage of a Vegan scout vessel, specifically belonging to Corporal Ghaleon Viperson of the Vegan Galactic Defense Fleet. The brash pilot had dived headlong into the plasma storm, which had damaged his sensors and caused him to crash into the asteroid. By all rights, that would have been the end of him, but he had defied all the odds.
Viperson had managed to survive the crash, though he had been badly injured. He would have soon perished if not for one cosmic twist of fate. Apparently, he landed on the same spot where a certain ship had been buried under the surface for centuries.
It was a derelict vessel that had once belonged to the Radam. It had been lost during the great conflict between the Radam and the unknown enemy that would later attack the Earth. It had been dormant for well over five hundred years and would have remained that way, had Viperson's ship not crashed into it. The impact had jarred the Radam bio-computer in the ancient alien craft, causing it to release its cargo... of Tekkapods! Nearly all of them were inactive, due to faulty shielding and damage from the initial crash. The Radam devices had been exposed to the nebula's electromagnetic storms and their energies had long since been drained away. However, one was still functional and when it landed near the Vegan ship, its sensors immediately picked up the pilot's fading life signs and initiated the pod's prime directive.
The dying Vegan had no chance of escaping as the pod broke into his vessel's cockpit and engulfed him. Drawing on energy from his ship's power core, the Tekkapod then began transforming Ghaleon Viperson into...
The present...
The bridge of the Nirvana...
"So you say you've been here before, D-Boy?" Magno asked as she and the Tekkaman looked at the main monitor at another Mission Station. Unlike the previous one they had visited, several hundred people occupied this one.
Slade nodded as he replied. "Yeah. I remember this place. It's called Delta 6. It was one of the stops I made during my travels, before I hooked up with the Nirvana. The people happen to be a really rowdy bunch and..." He paused for a moment as he felt a strange sensation wash over him. For a brief moment, a small flash of emerald light in the shape of his Tekkacrystal appeared on his forehead, then faded away.
"Is something wrong, Slade?" Buzom asked.
Slade said nothing for a moment, then shook his head. "Nah. It's nothing. I just felt strange for a moment. It felt... familiar, but it's gone and I'm okay. So how about we say hello to those people?"
Deep within the Mission Station, another individual had also experienced a somewhat familiar sensation. The tall figure looked about but could see no sign of the source of his momentary discomfort. He shrugged as heard over the communications systems that a strange ship was requesting docking clearance with the station.
A little while later...
"So are you the leader here?" Buzom asked as she and her party stood before what appeared to be a throne at the front of a large room that resembled an arena. Behind her were Slade, Dita, Jura, Gascogne, Xian Pu, Ukyo, and Barnette, who just happened to be toting some pieces from her collection of antique firearms. Sitting on the throne was a slender woman with long purple hair and dressed in a skintight bodysuit. On her left was a large, hulking bald man who looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks, if not months.
"Yeah, I guess you could call me the leader, though it ain't exactly something great." The woman replied. "It's just that nobody around here has the guts to face me." She then addressed to the man on her left. "Isn't that right, Patch?"
The man called Patch nodded. "Yeah. I mean nobody is suicidal to go up against you, Ms. Liz."
"Well, I guess you could've called ME suicidal the last time I was here."
Everyone's attention was drawn to the one who had spoken out and many people, including the leader, gasped when they recognized the person behind Buzom. He had been keeping himself behind the others and avoiding eye contact with everyone. Now he stepped out into the open as he addressed the leader of Delta 6. "How long has it been since I kicked your butt, Liz?"
"Slade?! What are you doing back here?!" Liz was in absolute shock as she stood up and gripped her weapon, which happened to be a beam sword.
Dita became confused and a bit jealous as she asked. "Do you know this person, Mr. Alien?"
Slade shrugged while nodding and smiling. "Oh yeah. Don't let her Tough Girl attitude fool you. Deep down, Liz is just a lovable pussycat and..."
"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
Liz gave off a bloodcurdling shout of rage as she leapt down with her weapon activated. The energy blade came flashing down toward Slade's head. In an instant, the Tekkaman pushed Dita off to one side and leapt back into the arena, just as Liz's blade slashed at the spot he had been a heartbeat before. The rest of the Nirvana's party gave a wide berth as the station's leader charged after her opponent. All around them, people began shouting and cheering as the impromptu battle commenced.
"Don't you think we should help Slade?" Ukyo the XVII asked as she gripped her Battle Spatula. Behind her, Barnette and the others were also tensing up for battle.
Xian Pu shook her head. "No. I don't think the Commander needs any help. Look, he's just toying with her. If he wanted to win, he would have stopped her as soon as she had attacked."
In the arena, Liz was getting frustrated as every one of her attacks was neatly avoided in an almost lazy fashion. Slade was still wearing that irritating smirk as he casually commented on each of her attempts to cut him to pieces.
SLASH!
"Hmmm, you're STILL swinging in too wide an arc. That's easy to evade."
"Hold still!"
WHOOSH!
"Too choppy. That's a sword you're holding, not a club."
"I said hold still!"
SWOOSH!
"Oh come on now! I would have thought you'd have at LEAST compensated for that move!"
"Damn you!"
SLASH!
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. What did I tell you before about losing your temper?"
"SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME!"
SHOOM!
"Oh all right, if you insist."
THOP! WOP! KTANG! WHOMP!
Liz hit the floor of the arena hard on her face as Slade simultaneously knocked the weapon out of her hand and tripped her up. Before she could react, she was immediately put into a half-Nelson with Slade's right knee pressing up against her back. As she started to struggle, the Tekkaman immediately began applying pressure while still smiling.
"Give up, Elizabeth?"
"Don't call me that!" Liz spat back as she tried to free herself, but she found she had no leverage.
"Okay, how about Lizzie, or maybe Lizard?" Slade applied more pressure.
"Grrrrr!"
"Well?"
The long-haired woman growled for a moment, then grudgingly gave Slade a nod.
The Tekkaman instantly released his grip and stood back as the leader of the Mission station quickly got to her feet. Seeing that her weapon had fallen too far away for her to try and grab for it, she settled with glaring at him for a long while. There was absolute silence for the longest of moments, then slowly both combatants began to tremble and finally, burst into peals of laughter.
The crew from the Nirvana were in state of puzzlement over this new development as the two continued to laugh at each other. As they tried to figure out what was going on, another person in the crowds was giving Slade a contemplative look.
He's good... better than anyone I've ever seen... but why do I feel that I'm supposed to know him?
Later, in the Station's bar...
"You always were an unbeatable bastard, Slade." Liz commented as she sipped from her wine glass. She and the Tekkaman were privately discussing a few things while the rest of the Nirvana's party was mingling with the people of the Delta 6 Mission. Since Slade was already acquainted with the leader of the station, Buzom appointed him as negotiator.
"Nah. I wouldn't call myself unbeatable." Slade remarked as he sipped from his glass of club soda. The cosmic warrior had long since learned his lesson in humility with the Harvesters and Saber. "Just hard to kill."
"So what brings you back to this stop to Hell? Are you with those other women?"
"Yeah, well it's a LONG story. Right now, we're just stopping for supplies and stuff. We're heading to the Mejele and Tarak home worlds to warn them about the Harvesters. You know them?"
Liz let off a snort. "Know them? Hell, nearly all of the refugees on this station are here because of them!"
This took Slade by surprise. "Really? I didn't know that and nobody told me when I was here last time. I only met up with the Harvesters six months ago and we just received more information about them over the last two months."
Liz shook her head. "Well, I'm not too surprised that you didn't know the last time you were here. It's not something people want to talk about, especially when they become the last survivors of their own world."
"Huh?"
Liz let off a tired and sad sigh as she explained. "That's how things are on Delta 6. Nearly every day, we take in a few stragglers who had managed to escape the Harvesters. The problem is, they don't have a planet to return to. The Harvesters usually take their entire populations and leave nothing but barren wastelands. Patch and I... we're all that's left of our own world."
"I'm sorry... I didn't know."
The station leader nodded. "Yeah, well now you know why things are like Hell on Delta 6. We don't have nearly enough food and supplies for HALF the people here, let alone for any new people that come to us. So the basic rule is eat or be eaten. Only the strong survives here, but then... you know about that already."
Slade nodded as he remembered his last visit to Delta 6. It had been pretty rough and he had almost resorted to transforming into his Tekkaman form. "I'm sorry that it's like that, Liz, but it doesn't have to be this way."
"I don't see any way for things to get better. We're barely holding together as it is. The fights and duels in the arena are the only things that keep us going."
"We can help you."
"How?"
"Well... first of all, we can get a lot of this station's systems repaired and running. When I was here last time, I noticed that this place was in a terrible state and I can only assume that it's gotten worse."
"That goes without saying." Liz agreed. "Nearly forty percent of the Mission is either on its last legs or unusable. The generators are barely producing enough power to sustain life support and most of the people here have to live in the dark. Water, food, and other essentials won't last for much longer. Medicinal supplies are basically nonexistent. We're barely hanging on as it is. And I won't even get started with this station's defense systems. If the Harvesters find us, then it would be all over."
"We can help you with some of that. The Nirvana has a very good team of engineers and we can get more of your systems back online. Maybe we can get a water recycling and purifier system installed to solve your water problems."
"How about medical supplies and food?"
"Well... that's a little harder since we're getting low on those things ourselves. I'm pretty sure that our doctor would be willing to treat those who are sick and injured. As for food, well... we're starting to run out of normal food."
"Excuse me? Normal food?"
Slade scratched the back of his head. "Well... we've got enough Tarak nutrient pills to sustain more than a thousand men for five years. The problem is that just about everyone on the Nirvana don't like those things. They like to have their four basic food groups." I guess I'm partially to blame for the food shortage. Damn, my Tekkaman powers sure use up a lot of food energy. It looks like I'm going to have to go back to those pills for the rest of the trip. "We were hoping to restock our supplies, but I guess that's out of the question."
"Maybe not." Liz interjected. "What kind of food are these pills?"
"Uh... well, they're not exactly gourmet. They taste terrible, but they can provide enough energy for three hundred hours of work per serving. The men of Tarak seem to be healthy living on those things."
"I want them."
"Huh? Why would you want those awful things?"
The attractive leader replied. "They may seem terrible to you, but they would be lifesavers to everyone on this station. Think of it. Enough food to feed a thousand people for five years! Regardless of the taste, they would ensure that no one would go hungry until we got back on our feet! Considering that we only have enough food left to feed three hundred people for a few months, those pills would be the best way for everyone to survive!"
"You sure... changed a lot since I last saw you, Liz."
She sighed while giving Slade a whimsical look. "I guess when I became the unofficial leader of this Mission, I kind of began feeling the pain of everyone else. Maybe giving everyone three square meals a day might ease the tension. So is it a deal? We will trade a portion of our rations for... half of your supply of pills."
"I'll have speak to the captain on that, but I think that she might agree to it." Slade looked away to gaze upon the crowds of people milling about.
Liz nodded. "That's good. Now, let's start talking about medical supplies and..." She then noticed that Slade was not paying attention and his expression had turned darker. "Slade? What's wrong?"
Slade let off an ominous growl as he got up and walked toward a table that was in a far corner. He just spotted an old 'friend.'
Rabat had just taken a slug of the whiskey in his mug, when he noticed that someone was approaching his table. His eyes widened as he got a good look at who was approaching and...
"PFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT... ACK!"
Immediately after his spit-take, he got to his feet and went for his sidearm. He had heard that a large vessel had docked with the station, but he had not expected it to be the Nirvana.
However, as fast on the draw as he was, Slade was faster...
"You little punk! I'll... arrrrrrrrggggggghhhh!"
Rabat's right arm and wrist were immediately twisted as Slade shot out his left arm and grabbed hold of his adversary's limb. The pressure caused the trader to lose his grip on his blaster pistol, which fell from his fingers. The Tekkaman deftly caught the pistol in his other hand and casually crushed it like aluminum foil. Tossing the now useless weapon over his shoulder, Slade then struck Rabat's solar plexus with a quick palm strike with his right hand, causing Rabat to double over. Then with a simple Judo throw, he twisted and slammed the larger and heavier man to the floor. Keeping his grip on Rabat's right arm and continuing to twist, Slade then positioned his left foot across Rabat's throat. With one simple twist of his foot, Slade was in position to end the traitor's life by snapping his neck.
By this time, everyone in the bar stopped whatever they were doing and turned their attention toward the source of the commotion.
"ERK! ARRGGGH! GURK!"
Slade glared down at the man who he despised and gave him a smile that was not at all friendly. "Well, well, well. I didn't imagine I'd meet up with you here at Delta 6, Sleaze Bucket. What's the matter? The Harvesters aren't paying as well as they used to?"
This immediately got Liz and a few other people's attention as the leader of the station began running up to them. "Slade? What's going on?"
Slade had made no indication of hearing her, as he continued to address the man, no the slime ball, he had pinned down. "So how is my favorite TRAITOR to the human race?" Rabat tried to struggle, but Slade simply increased the pressure with his foot and twisted the renegade's arm a bit more. "I'd stop if I were you, Rabat. I can either rip out your arm to use to scratch my back, or I can use my foot to snap your neck like a twig. Your choice."
After hearing this, Rabat immediately stopped and settled for glaring at Slade with the utmost hatred. He still couldn't say anything since Slade's foot was only allowing enough air for him to breathe and was pressing up against his vocal cords.
The cosmic warrior paid his expression no heed as he addressed Liz. "What's this worthless piece of garbage doing here?"
"You know Rabat?"
"All too well. This miserable excuse for a human being should be dumped out with the rest of the garbage. No, on second thought, that would be insulting to the garbage to call HIM garbage."
"I don't understand. Rabat may be a scoundrel and a cheat but why are you...?"
"Let's just say that he's got a LOT to answer for." Slade interrupted as he glared back down at Rabat. "I don't have time for us to catch up on old times, so have a nice nap!" He instantly moved his foot from the con man's neck, bent down while pulling Rabat up a little and belted him in the face.
WOP!
Rabat dropped like a sack of cement and was immediately unconscious.
"I still don't..."
Slade held up his hand, stopping Liz's inquiry as he took out his communicator and contacted the Nirvana.
The Bridge...
"What? Rabat is on the station?" Magno said in surprise.
Slade nodded as he replied. "Yeah, and if he's here, then that means that the Harvesters can't be far behind."
The pirate captain shuddered as she realized that the situation had just taken a turn for the worst.
A few minutes and one abridged explanation later...
"I... don't believe it." Liz whispered after Rabat was taken away to a holding cell. "He sold us all out to the Harvesters?!"
"Believe it." Slade said quietly as he stood with the Buzom and the others. "I've got more than enough proof from the people of Melanos and from one of Rabat's data modules. If you ask the people of this station, then I'm willing to bet that a lot of them will confirm that Rabat had been on their planets a few days or hours before the Harvesters came. Probably no one had made the connection, so that's why he hasn't been punished for his crimes."
"I... still can't believe it."
"Now's not the time for this. We can deal with Rabat later." Buzom said. "We have to get ready for the Harvesters. The Nirvana will cooperate with your people to fight them. Exactly what do you have in terms of weapons and defense?"
"Not... much. A few firearms and ranged weapons, but they're mostly for personal protection. Our shielding is pretty pathetic and... well, you've all probably seen how much of the station needs to be repaired. The only reason why we've survived for this long was because of Ghaleon."
"Ghaleon?" Slade asked.
"Ghaleon Viperson. He came by a few months ago." Liz explained. "He's the last survivor of the planet Vegan, after the Harvesters massacred the entire population for their lungs. He told us everything that we know of the Harvesters. He's got some kind of secret weapon that has kept the enemy at bay so far."
"Secret weapon? What do you mean?" Slade asked.
"We don't know and he won't tell us. It's just that every time our long-range scanners pick up any Harvester ships approaching, he goes off in one of our scouting ships to find them. Usually after thirty minutes to an hour, he comes back and our sensors no longer detect the enemy. We don't how he destroyed them, but in return for his help, we give him some food and his own place on the station."
Patch then came up to Liz and asked, "Should we call for him now?"
"Not yet. We haven't picked up any sign of the Harvesters and I still want to question Rabat."
"I'd like to speak with this Ghaleon person, if you don't mind. I'd like to see this... secret weapon of his. It might just help us battle the Harvesters, too." Slade said.
The longhaired woman shrugged. "Be my guest, though you won't get much out of him. He's a loner and prefers his privacy. You can usually find him on the fourth level of the station, D-Block, Section Twenty. Just look for silver hair. He's the only person on the station with that hair color."
"Right." Slade turned to leave.
"I want to come with you, Mr. Alien!" Dita called out.
The Tekkaman shook his head. "Stay with the others. I'm sure that Buzom and the captain would need your help, when and if the Harvesters show up. I'll try to get back as soon as possible."
BC nodded as she addressed Dita. "We're going to need you to start prepping your Dread along with Jura and Meia." She then turned to Slade. "Stay in contact with us. We might have to use the Tekkadreads."
"Tekkadreads?" Liz repeated in puzzlement.
Slade shrugged as he prepared to leave for the fourth level. "You've got your secret weapon, and we've got ours." He then ran down a corridor and disappeared around a corner.
A little while later...
Slade looked about as he stood in Section Twenty of the station's D-Block on the fourth level. Aside from the various piles of debris and junked components, there was nothing else in the area. There were signs of a person dwelling in this place, such as a makeshift cot, a table for eating, and several personal effects, but Slade could see no sign of the occupant. His senses were on high alert as he scanned for any sign of the person he was looking for. Then suddenly, his danger sense went off as he spun about and came face to face with... him.
The Tekkaman could have sworn that the stranger wasn't standing there before. So just how did he just appear from out of nowhere?
"Ghaleon Viperson, I presume?" He asked as he took an easy but ready stance.
The tall, silver-haired 16-year-old nodded as he assessed his visitor, then replied. "You know... after seeing you fight Liz today, I had a feeling that you'd come down here looking for me. She probably told you that I had some kind of secret weapon against the Harvesters and you would like to know what it is, right?"
"That's about it." Slade agreed.
"Well, I don't just tell my secrets to anybody." Ghaleon stated.
"So how about telling them to me?" Slade suggested with a smile. "I think we might be able to help each other out against the Harvesters."
The Vegan snorted. "You don't have anything that I'd want and I doubt you could help me against those alien bastards. You have no idea of the kind of power I've got."
"Then why don't you show me what you've got and let me be the judge?" The Nirvana's Tekkaman went into a new stance. "How about a quick little match?"
Ghaleon gazed upon Slade for a long while then smiled a bit as he too went into a stance. "Why not? I could use a light workout."
"I promise you, this ain't going to be a light workout. Whenever you're ready."
The Vegan began the match with a fast high-punch with a roundhouse kick combination. Slade avoid the first strike and blocked the second with an arm. He then retaliated with a short but fast rabbit punch to the throat, then followed through with a reverse snap kick to the chest. Ghaleon blocked both of the moves, then reacted with surprising speed by grabbing hold of the front of Slade's jacket and throwing him over his shoulder. However, Slade reversed the throw in midair and tossed Ghaleon some fifteen feet away. The silver-haired fighter twisted and landed easily on his feet, facing off against his opponent.
"Not bad. Usually the people I fight don't last beyond the first thirty seconds."
"You're not bad yourself." Slade admitted. "You've got some talent."
"I've got a LOT more than that." Ghaleon assured as he suddenly grabbed a large piece of broken equipment and hurled it at Slade with one hand. Since there were no rules stated in this match, the Vegan felt that anything goes.
This suited the former practitioner of the Anything Goes Martial Arts as he casually caught the projectile with one hand, considered it for a moment, then tossed it over his shoulder. The two hundred-pound computer console made a loud clang as it hit the floor, leaving a considerable depression in the metal.
"You've definitely been taking your vitamins." Slade remarked.
Ghaleon was a bit put off at how easily his adversary caught the projectile and began to rethink his strategy. Slade was a lot stronger than he had anticipated, and Ghaleon came to realize that those first attacks were merely probing maneuvers. It was time to up the ante.
The former space patrolman leapt high into a jump kick, which Slade dodged, and then he swung about with an elbow to Slade's face. This time, he put more force into the blow, which Slade blocked with his own arm. Slade winced a bit as he felt the impact, which was harder than the last time. Apparently, Ghaleon was a lot stronger than a normal person was. Then, the silver-haired fighter shot out with his other fist, followed by another kick. Slade managed to twist to avoid the punch, but was tagged in the abdomen by the kick. The force of the hit actually made the Tekkaman backpedal a bit, but he immediately fought back with a spinning backfist.
THWACK!
The back of Slade's hand made contact with Viperson's face, causing him to retreat several steps, giving the both of them some more fighting room. The Vegan held a hand to his nose and wiped away a small trickle of blood. Looking down at the crimson on his fingertips, he commented to Slade. "Damn! Been a long time since I got hit that hard."
Slade rubbed his slightly sore abdominal muscles. "It's been a while since I got kicked like that. You wouldn't happen to be part-mule would you?"
"No, though I wouldn't exactly call myself completely... human."
"What are you talking about?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out."
Ghaleon decided that it was time to put all of their cards on that table. This was no ordinary person he was facing. Slade wasn't an amateur when it came to fighting. He was strong enough to actually hurt him and Ghaleon suspected that Slade wasn't using his full strength yet. Then again, neither was he. For the first time, Ghaleon was actually being challenged and he wanted to see just what Slade could do. Deep within his very being, he began to feel that same sensation of familiarity that he had felt before.
"Ready for some more?" Slade asked as he resumed his stance. He too also felt a kind of connection with Viperson.
Slade's opponent nodded as they went at it again, exchanging punches and kicks with increasing force and speed. For a solid ten minutes, neither one gave the other a chance to land any hits. They began pushing themselves even harder as they continued to battle. Finally, the two came to a stalemate as both locked hands and began pushing against each other. Both fighters strained to overpower his opponent, exerting nearly full strength.
"Give... up?" Ghaleon strained.
"Just... getting... started!" Slade retorted as he applied more pressure. However, his eyes widened as he saw something appear on Viperson's forehead. It was a dot in the shape of a Tekkacrystal!
Slade's adversary also became surprised to see a Tekkacrystal emblem appear on Slade's forehead. Both fighters immediately released each other's grip and stepped back. For another long period of silence, the two gazed at each other. Finally, Slade broke the ice by making his Tekkacrystal appear and showed it to Ghaleon.
The last survivor of Vegan was speechless as he stared at the emerald object. Then, he nodded to Slade's questioning expression and held out his right hand, making his crystal appear. Unlike Slade's, Ghaleon's was colored silver-white and was shaped like a rounded disc with four arms sticking out like the points of a compass.
"Who are you?" Slade asked in a firm tone.
"I am Ghaleon Viperson, formally of the Vegan Galactic Defense Fleet. I am also... Tekkaman Phantom."
At that moment, the alarms began blaring as the station began to shudder. Immediately, Slade's communicator beeped.
"Slade! The enemy is attacking the station and they've begun sending in some kind of plasma drones that are immune to beam weapons!" Buzom said as she and the others began using the antique projectile weapons that Barnette had brought with her.
"How did they get past the station and the Nirvana's long-range sensors?" Slade asked.
"I'm not certain, but it looks like they've got some kind of jamming field that hid them from detection. I've already sent out Dita and Xian Pu to their fighters to help assist Meia and the others, while we're getting the civilians to safety. Did you find that secret weapon?"
Slade glanced at Ghaleon, then shrugged before replying. "Yeah, I found it... er, him, I mean, I found the weapon."
"Well, we can use all the help we can get. They're going to need you outside now!"
"Roger that."
After signing off, Slade turned back to Ghaleon. "Well, it looks like the Harvesters just got the drop on us and we've got to fight them. Now I'm not going to force you to help us..."
"You don't have to." Ghaleon said, cutting him off. "After what those bastards did to my home planet, you couldn't hold me back with a million ships. I've got the power to make them pay and I'm not going to let them do to this station what they did to Vegan. Just remember that you still owe me a match after this is over."
Slade nodded. For now, they would be fighting on the same side as they both raised their crystals aloft and shouted out simultaneously...
"TEKSETTER!"
"Mr. Alien, where are you?" Dita cried out as her Dread was being chased by several of the new Cube Fighters. Meia had asked Bart if he could use the Nirvana's guns to take out the enemy, but the navigator protested that the enemy was too close to Delta 6. Even if he did manage to miss the Dreads and Vanguards, the station would get caught in the crossfire.
Just then, Dita let off a cry of joy as she sighted a familiar flash of emerald light come forth from the station. However, no one was prepared to see a second flash of light follow Slade's. For the first time, others witnessed the transformation of another Tekkaman.
Both Tekkamen were stripped of their clothes and bathed in blinding light. Unlike Slade's transformation, Ghaleon had both arms spread out with his feet together, forming a cross. Sections of emerald armor with red diamond designs along with black and gray highlights. His head was encased in a helmet with v-shaped protrusions and a large, crimson diamond pattern on the forehead. His long, silver hair flowed behind the helmet. His shoulders were covered with large epaulets that were wider than Slade's. The rest of his armor became angular and pointed with several crystal spheres on his chest, abdominal, and hip armor. When the metamorphosis completed itself, Ghaleon took a fighting stance and shouted out for all to hear.
"I AM TEKKAMAN PHANTOM!" (1)
"Wow! It's another Mr. Alien!" Dita cried out.
Rabat groaned as he regained consciousness and found himself in one of the holding cells of the station. He winced as he felt a throbbing pain at the front of his face. Slade certainly didn't pull any punches (Unknown to him, Slade did pull his punch, since at full force, Rabat's head would have been smashed open like a rotten melon). The walls shuddered and echoing noises were heard from every direction.
The station must be under attack. They must not know that I'm still here. Rabat had originally come to the station in search of the 'secret weapon' that had been preventing the Harvesters from approaching Delta 6. He figured that once he got a hold of it, he could either use it for his own purposes or sell it to the highest bidder. At the very least, he could gain some very valuable information that he could sell to his best customers, the Harvesters.
The trader looked at the energized bars of his cell and noted that they were of the same type used on the Nirvana. As luck would have it, the guards were not present and they hadn't bothered to search their prisoner for any hidden weapons or devices. Taking off the heel of his right boot, he used the device hidden within to deactivate the cell bars. He then used another device to signal for his primate companion Utan, who happened to be lurking about nearby.
"Fall back!" Buzom cried out as she fired off several rounds from the automatic shotgun in her hands.
Early on, she and the other girls had discovered that beam weapons were useless against the floating green blobs, which the Cube Fighters had inserted into the station. They had some kind of prismatic effect that caused light to be refracted. However, physical attacks worked against the things, and Barnette's collection of old handguns, rifles, and machine guns became the perfect tools against them. There were only two problems. They could only hold them off as long as they had ammunition and the plasma drones had the advantage in sheer numbers.
Gascogne and Parfet were in charge of leading the station's civilians to a safe area while BC, Jura, and Barnette laid down covering fire. Liz, who was armed with a flame-thrower, soon joined the fray. Meanwhile, Dita, Ukyo, and Xian Pu were fighting the Cube Fighters out in space. Recently, Ukyo had signed on as a member of the Warrior Squadron and was certified as a Vanguard pilot.
After obtaining a gun from one of the guards, Rabat and Utan soon found themselves on a balcony overlooking the spot where BC and the others were fighting it out with the plasma drones. The trader had to give those women credit. Here they were, risking their lives for people they don't even know and would sooner rob them blind. As he continued to watch, that little used part of his character began to make itself known, as in his conscience. Soon, he found himself in a bit of a moral dilemma.
On one hand, he could simply escape to his ship as he did before with the Nirvana. He was pretty certain that the Cube Fighters would not try to stop him from leaving the scene, as Rabat usually did with every planet he had betrayed. He had left the pirates to their fate back at that gas giant and hadn't thought about them again until now. After all, he was an informant for the Earth, and it certainly wouldn't be good for his health if he were to help those who stood against the Harvesters. This was how he survived and so far, it had been very lucrative, except for that time when he met Slade.
Thinking about the Tekkaman made Rabat furious, and he had been longing to pay that little punk back for every injury, insult, and humiliation he had caused to him. The problem was that Slade was definitely no pushover, with or without his armor. Attacking him head-on was akin to suicide. The con man had to think of other ways to get payback for all he had suffered from the cosmic warrior. He had been biding his time and gathering as much information about Slade as he could, so that he could report it to the Harvesters and let them exact his revenge for him.
Then again, what would happen if the Harvesters defeated Slade? That would leave the rest of the human colonies wide open and the Harvesters would have no one else to stand against them. They would be able to harvest at will. And once they were finished, then what? Would that mean that Rabat's services as an informant would be over? And what would become of him then? The con man began to think about the possibility that the Harvesters would turn on him once they had taken all that they could from the other human colony worlds. The way that they were desperate for human organs was obvious and Rabat would be no more than spare parts to them, once his usefulness ended.
It was at that moment that Rabat decided that in this situation, it would be in his best interests to aid the pirates. Since the Cube Fighters had launched mindless plasma drones, it was unlikely that they would be able to determine between ally and foe. Therefore, for his own survival and perhaps score some more points with Liz, he'd fight with the Mejele pirates.
As he leapt down to join the battle, that small part of his being known as his conscience began to grow.
Liz was quite surprised to see Rabat out of his cell. What was even more surprising was that he was actually firing against the enemy. She became confused at this sudden turn of events and wondered if what Slade had told her had been wrong. From her long-time relationship with the scoundrel, she had gotten to the point of actually liking him. He was a free spirit like herself, and didn't obey any rules, save for his own.
Then Slade's words came back to her and she also saw how much hatred and disgust was in his eyes when he had Rabat at his mercy. The Tekkaman had said that he had irrefutable proof to back up his claims. If what he said was true, then Rabat had been responsible for the slaughter of untold millions, including the people of her homeworld. As this was not the time to contemplate her feelings for him and her sense of justice, she decided to reserve judgement until after the immediate threat had been dealt with.
In space...
Slade was impressed. Ghaleon certainly knew how to kick ASS! For well over twenty minutes, they had racked up a considerable kill ratio as the Harvesters had to contend with not one, but two living weapons.
With the appearance of the two Tekkamen, the Cube Fighters began concentrating their attacks on them, thereby taking off the pressure on the Dreads, Vanguards, and the Mission. However, that only meant that Slade and Phantom had more targets to destroy. Harvester fighters fell by the dozens as the two space warriors ripped through their ranks and reduced them to floating debris.
Unlike Slade, Ghaleon was armed with a weapon called a Tek Sword. Unlike Slade's Tekkalance, the Tek Sword was shorter and only had one, double-edged blade. However, Tekkaman Phantom wielded the weapon with lethal precision. His opponents were sliced apart like paper in a high-speed shredder. His armor was also armed with shoulder-mounted guns and laser cannons in the wrists, making him as deadly at long range as well as close-quarters.
However, he was about to show the reason why he was called Tekkaman Phantom.
Slade decided to take out more of his foes by shifting to his Tekka-Battle Mode. In an instant, his armor became more dynamic as D-Boy became a human comet. More Cube Fighters were annihilated as he sped through their formations. After making several passes, he shifted back into his normal configuration and hovered near where Phantom had just polished off a trio of fighters.
Ghaleon nodded to his comrade. "Not bad, Slade. Now check this out!"
The gem-like blisters on his armor began pulsating with light, which enveloped the Tekkaman in a nimbus of brightness. Then suddenly, he vanished from sight, leaving no trace for Slade to see.
Huh? Where did he go?
As if in answer to his unspoken question, several Cube Fighters that began approaching him suddenly split into halves and quarters, as if some invisible knife had cut through them. Slade began tracking the path of destruction as some unseen enemy sliced more of the enemy apart.
I don't get it. I don't see what's destroying the Cubes and... wait a second! I get it now! Tekkaman Phantom! Viperson's armor must have some kind of stealth ability! No wonder the Harvesters were never able to determine the secret weapon of Delta 6! He uses that power to ambush them!
After obliterating a large number of the enemy and creating more fighting room, Phantom reappeared beside Slade.
"So how was that... Sl-ERK!"
Ghaleon began to stiffen up as his body started convulsing.
"Phantom? What's wrong?"
Tekkaman Phantom didn't answer as his body and brain felt as if they were on fire. He held his head between his hands as the pain continued.
Oh no! Ghaleon thought. My... time limit is almost up!
"Phantom! What is it?"
Ghaleon shuddered as he began heading back to the station. "I... I... I'm sorry Slade! I have to go! You're... on your own! Forgive me!"
Without another word, he jetted back to the station and Slade found himself all alone against the Harvester onslaught.
Well, he was not completely alone as a certain Dread managed to get past the enemy.
"Mr. Alien! Let's combine!"
When Tekkadread Dita came onto the scene, it was no contest as it smashed through the enemy ranks and headed toward the station to aid its comrades inside. As for the remaining Cube Fighters, Meia's Dread groups managed to get them far enough away for the Nirvana's self-guiding plasma cannons to take them out. In seconds, the Harvester threat was put down.
After dealing with the plasma drones and rescuing the inhabitants of the Mission, Slade immediately disengaged from Dita's fighter and went to go look for the other Tekkaman. After reentering the station and transforming back into his human form, D-Boy went back to where Ghaleon's quarters were. It was there that he found Ghaleon, leaning up against the wall and trembling.
"Ghaleon! It's over! We've won!"
The Tekkaman known as Phantom gave a small nod as he continued to shiver a bit. "I'm... glad to hear it. I'm... sorry about leaving you like that... but I couldn't risk going over my time limit."
Slade considered his counterpart with a puzzled expression, then asked, "So... do you mind telling me why you suddenly turned tail and ran?"
Viperson glared up at Slade and it looked as if he was about to start another fight. However, his expression softened as he nodded and stood up straight. "Yeah... I guess you deserve at least that much. The reason I cut the fight short was because... if I had stayed transformed any longer, then the next person you would have been fighting would have been me."
"Excuse me?"
Ghaleon took a deep breath and began his explanations. "It all began over a year ago..."
"Now wait a minute. What's all this about?"
Rabat was quite surprised to see his old flame now pointing a gun at his chest with the laser target sight activated. All around him, several other people began brandishing a wide assortment of projectile and melee weapons as they all glared at him with hateful eyes. The trader had decided to come in for a drink after the battle and perhaps get reacquainted with Liz. However, as soon as he walked in, he was immediately surrounded and with the leader of the station the first to draw her weapon at him.
It seemed that Rabat's many crimes had finally come back to haunt him. (2)
Meanwhile...
As Viperson continued to tell the story of how he became a Tekkaman, Slade began to think back to the time in which he had awakened. Ghaleon's story about being enveloped into some strange alien pod made the Nirvana's Tekkaman consider his own long-lost past.
Was I in a pod too? Was that what I came out of? Is that what made me into a Tekkaman? There were just too many questions racing through his head at the moment, so Slade tuned back to Ghaleon's story.
"I lost all track of time when that thing engulfed me." Ghaleon said. "The thing... I don't know... healed me. All of my wounds were gone and I felt stronger than I had ever felt before. But there was something... evil about it. I could feel its presence entering my mind, trying to blot out my memories, my life experiences... everything! But I fought it. I fought it with everything that I had... and I won!"
"You were able to escape this... pod?" Slade asked.
Ghaleon nodded. "I managed to break out of it, and according to my ship's chronometer, I was in that thing for seventeen days. Even though that pod managed to imprint some new information into my head, I was able to retain all of my memories... and my humanity. Afterwards... that's when I discovered that the pod had given me great power." He showed his crystal to Slade briefly before continuing. "However, the same thing that had given me the powers of a Tekkaman, also came with a price."
"The time limit?"
"Yeah. For up to thirty minutes, I'm able to use my abilities as Tekkaman Phantom. I'm in complete control. However... after that, I begin to feel the evil that gave me my powers begin to take over. I've managed to extend that limit by a few minutes, but if I don't transform back, I lose control completely and... I become one of THEM."
"The Harvesters?"
"No. I become like the aliens who had created that pod. I was imprinted with information about the creators of the Tekkaman Power Process. They were called the Radam."
Slade nodded as he remembered back to the message in Misty's information capsule. Slowly, he was finding more and more pieces to the puzzle. However, there still remained many more questions. For instance, why was he not burdened with a time limit? He had stayed a Tekkaman for extended periods of time. At one point during his travels, he had been a Tekkaman for three days without any instability. (3)
The two Tekkamen continued to talk to each other. Slade learned that when Ghaleon had finally gotten back to his home planet, the Harvesters had already taken every last man, woman, and child and he was the last of the Vegans. Tekkaman Phantom had been waging a one-man war against the Harvesters ever since then.
"Get out!"
"Hold on a minute Liz. Let's sit down and talk about-"
"There's nothing to talk about... you filthy traitor!" Liz hissed as she thumbed the safety off her gun. Several others with firearms were already cocking back their weapons and were just an instant away from pulling the triggers.
"What's this all this?" Rabat demanded. Sure he had made quite a few people mad the last time he was on this Mission, but not enough to warrant this kind of reception, or so he thought.
Liz continued to glare as she replied. "I had a little talk with the people from the Nirvana and they showed me a few things about you. You're the reason why MOST of us are here! We lost our homes, our friends, OUR FAMILIES, BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU SOLD US OUT!"
"Now hold on a minute, I-"
"SHUT UP!" Liz snapped as she fired a shot that hit the floor just millimeters away from Rabat's right foot. "I SAW SLADE'S PROOF! WE ALL DID! Every planet you visited, the Harvesters came afterward and gutted it! You are nothing but a parasite! A sleaze ball! Give us one good reason WHY we shouldn't shoot you!"
"Hey, I helped you! With great risk to myself I should add!"
"And that's probably the only reason why you're still alive now!" Liz shot back. "I don't know why you decided to turn against the Harvesters, and frankly, I don't give a damn! Probably just to save your own neck. But one good turn doesn't excuse you for all the Hell you put us through! Now you've got exactly two minutes to haul your sorry ass out of here!"
"Now can't we talk...?"
"Two minutes." Liz said with a very deadly serious tone. "If you're not off this station in two minutes, then we'll toss your carcass out of the nearest airlock! And if you EVER come back... then we'll kill you on sight!"
Rabat was to protest more, but when everyone took aim at him, he knew that there was no room for negotiation. With a scowl, he turned and ran out of the bar toward the space dock. Along the way, he contacted Utan to follow him. Within two minutes, his ship came out of the docking bay and headed out into the star-studded void.
A few days later...
The Nirvana pulled away from Delta 6, after taking on some new supplies and making several repairs to the station, which included many of the defense and communication arrays to better protect it from future Harvester attacks. As the pirate vessel got underway, standing on one of the observation decks and looking back at the station was Slade. Meia and BC both came up to him and joined him.
"So do you think they'll be all right?" The Dread leader asked.
"Yeah, they'll be fine." Slade replied. "After all, they've got a Tekkaman to protect them."
"Are you sure he wants to stay on that Mission?" BC asked. "He could have come along with us. We could use another Tekkaman."
"No." Slade shook his head. "Ghaleon told me that he's found a new place to belong on Delta 6 after losing his home world to the Harvesters. He feels a sense of purpose in defending those people and he assured me that they'll be fine. Besides, the Nirvana barely has enough to feed one Tekkaman, let alone two. However, he told me that if we ever need help, then just call him. The new tachyon transmitter/receiver Parfet installed should allow them to receive and transmit signals across the entire galaxy."
"I suppose they'll be all right." Meia said, then frowned as she realized something. "I'm only sorry that louse Rabat got off so easily after all of this."
"And who said he did?" Slade pointed out with a bit of a smirk.
"What do you mean?" Buzom asked.
Slade shrugged. "I told Rabat that the next time we met, I would send him to Hell, and I meant it. However, after hearing about how he helped fight against the Harvesters, I decided that underneath all that trash, there MIGHT be something worth salvaging. So I decided that LIVING in Hell would be just as good as sending him to Hell."
"What do you mean?"
"Rabat is going to get a heaping dose of his own medicine. He's going to feel what it's like to be hunted and denied the right to even exist. With the new tachyon transmitter, Delta 6 is going to broadcast all of Rabat's crimes to every human world in the galaxy. He won't be able to trade nor land on any planet. And if he can't land on a planet, he can't get any information about it to send back to his Harvester masters. Furthermore, he won't be able to resupply his ship. Let's see how long it will be before the Harvesters decide that he's no longer useful for anything but body parts."
Both women became a bit disturbed at how harsh Slade was, though they had to admit that Rabat had it coming.
The former Saotome's expression softened as he continued. "It's not about revenge, if that's what you're thinking. Revenge usually leaves you with a feeling of emptiness. Trust me, I know. This is about justice. All those people that Rabat sold out deserve that much. I'll make certain of that."
Meia and Buzom were about to say something else, but they decided that nothing more needed to be said as they watched Delta 6 become a distant dot.
To be continued...
Preview...
Slade: "The Nirvana receives a distress call from a desert planet requesting pick-up. Not wanting to abandon victims of the Harvesters, the Captain approves a mission to go down and rescue them. Looks like another VanGuard mission. I take along Dita, Jura, Duero, and Barnette as my squad to extract the subjects."
Barnette: "Why should I come along!?"
Slade: "Because you've been on a planetary VanGuard mission before, now suck it up! However, it turned out to be a trap set by the Harvesters. Or was it?"
Saber: "Those fool Harvesters have nothing to do with this, Slade! This is between you and me!"
Slade: "Saber!? I thought I've gotten rid of you!"
Saber: "You thought wrong! Now you will tell me what I want to know, or I will pry it from your corpse! There's no escape for you now!"
Slade: "Saber! Next time, on TekkaDread Remastered: 'Survival of the Fittest, part 1'. No! I can't transform!?"
Author's notes
Wow! That was a LONG chapter, but I'm finally done. In the next chapter, I'll be focusing on two of the side cast, namely Barnette and Duero in a bit of a filler episode. As for Tekkaman Phantom, he'll reappear eventually, plus a few more new characters as well. See you then!
(1)Many thanks to Shadowhawk for the use of one of his characters.
(2)I always said that Rabat got off WAY too easy in the original Vandread series, (first and second) so this time, he's going to be eating a LOT of crow.
(3)Just remember that Slade's process had been mostly completed, but it had been dragged out over a period of five centuries, plus the fact that it had been interfered with the waters of Jusenkyo. You can consider Slade at around 90% complete minus the Radam mind-parasite. For Ghaleon, since he emerged early from the process, he's around 70% complete, just like the original Tekkaman Blade series. He's got no mind-parasite, but he can go insane if he goes too far beyond the 30-minute time limit. As for Saber, Axe, Lance and Rapier, well we'll get more into that later.
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