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: You'd think by now I'd learn!
italics: Thoughts
Chapter 19 Part 2
Out With the Old...
"How far away are we from Mejele and Tarak?" Magno asked as the Nirvana continued on its voyage through space.
Buzom nodded as she indicated their position on the main monitor. "Due to that incident on that desert world, and the increasing number of enemy attacks since then, we have been substantially delayed and our ETA has been changed from two weeks to four."
The aged pirate captain sighed. She had hoped that they would reach their home worlds before the Harvesters did. Though they had sent message pods to the all-female and all-male planets beforehand, they had not received any indications that the pods had been received. They would have to assume the worst that the information had either never reached those planets or they had been received and ignored. She shuddered to think what would happen to the people if the Harvesters beat them to Mejele and Tarak. No one should be subjected to such horror.
In space...
Rabat swallowed hard and felt an icy chill run down his spine. Who wouldn't at the sight of a Seed Ship?
The mercenary and his simian companion had been slowly making their way to the nearest inhabited planet when the long-range sensors had picked up the Harvester craft. However, with the ship operating at minimal power and no weapons, they couldn't do anything to save themselves. They couldn't even flee as the solar sail did not allow for evasive maneuvers or speed. They could only watch helplessly as the Seed Ship closed in on them.
When the craft got to within five hundred meters of them, its front opened up and metallic tendrils shot out from within to skewer the craft. The solar sail was perforated and the hull was skewered in several places. Several Cube Fighters were released to begin cutting into the ship to retrieve the human prize. At the same time, the vessel was pulled through the wide opening of the Seed Ship.
It is said that in the airless vacuum of space, no one could hear you scream. However, if it were possible for sound to carry through the star-studded void, the listener's blood would run cold at hearing Rabat's horrified voice as he finally received his long-overdue comeuppance.
Meanwhile...
"Is something the matter, Slade?" Duero asked as he performed his regular physical examination of the Tekkaman. "You seem... distracted."
Slade gave the doctor a whimsical expression. Other than the fact that Magno wants me to go forth and multiply, that Jura is 'hot to trot,' Meia is wearing dresses, and Dita being... Dita, no I don't have any reason to be distracted. Rather than voicing out his thoughts, he instead replied, "Well... things have been getting... kind of confusing lately."
"Confusing?"
Slade sighed as he tried to explain. "Did you ever get the idea that you thought you knew somebody, then he or she does a total personality flip on you?"
"Hmmm." Duero began to understand what his friend was getting at. He had been hearing rumors about Slade's encounters with various girls on the ship. Two females in particular had also repeatedly confronted the doctor in ways that were... incomprehensible. "I take it you've been having... how would you call it... girl problems?"
"That's putting it mildly." The Tekkaman replied as he saw the comprehension in the doctor's expression. "So... can I assume that you know about... it?"
He nodded. "Yes, I have knowledge about that process. I finally... found some data on the subject." He thought back to his conversation with the Captain about the problem of genetic drift. He knew how uncomfortable Slade was about talking about the subject of natural procreation and he had only recently learned of the actual process (Guess who found the tape after Jura had viewed it?). After SEEING the act of natural procreation, the Tarak man experienced a new sensation, the spontaneous nosebleed. It took him a while to get used to the idea, though it terrified and fascinated him at the same time. What was most surprising was the fact that he had begun imagining himself performing the same acts with Barnette and Parfet... simultaneously!
He then leaned forward and whispered a few things into his patient's ear.
Slade gulped slightly, then nodded and sighed. He was somewhat relieved that he could talk to another man about it now. "Yeah, that was it all right. Kind of blows all the ideas you learned on Tarak away, doesn't it?"
On Earth...
"We have just received word that one of our scouting forces had encountered the traitor Rabat."
"And...?" One of the council members inquired.
"And we have lost contact with those units since then." The subordinate replied.
The leaders of Earth considered the new information, then decided that it was of little consequence if the mercenary had survived or not. They had bigger fish to fry. The Nirvana was now being tracked heading toward a point in which their new Tekkamen were waiting, along with another surprise. Soon, the only obstacles to the Harvest operation would be eliminated. All they had to do was wait.
The Nirvana...
"Three queens." Gascogne said as she laid down her hand.
Slade sighed as he laid down his hand. The head supplier shook her head while smiling when she saw it. He had a king of hearts, a two of diamonds, a two of spades and a two of clubs. "Three twos, eh? Oh well." She began reaching for the poker chips, but was stopped when Slade placed a hand on hers.
"Not so fast."
"Now, now D-Boy. Three queens beats three deuces. Don't be a sore loser."
Slade then smirked as he said, "It's Slade, not D-Boy. And who's being a sore loser? Take another look." He then revealed a card that was under the two of clubs. It was a card with a funny-looking clown on its surface.
"WHAT THE?! A JOKER?!" Gascogne's eyes widened in disbelief.
"And that gives me four-of-a-kind. I win." The Tekkaman smiled in triumph as he raked in his winnings.
"I don't believe this! YOU actually beat me?!" I must be losing my touch! Gascogne thought.
Slade shrugged while smiling. "Well, after losing a million times in a row, I had to get the hang of this game SOONER or later. Besides, after all those times that I lost, I picked up on a few things about you, which are dead giveaways on how you play."
"Oh? And here I thought I had the poker face down pat."
"Well, you're good, but you do have a bit of a habit of playing with your left earring whenever you have a potentially good hand. You also tend to tap your right foot slightly whenever you decide to draw some new cards. Your left eye just twitches ever so slowly whenever you decide to bluff."
Gascogne considered his words for a moment, then nodded. "I'm impressed, D-Boy. You learned how to read your opponent's body language." She then added a bit of a stinging jab, though with a cheerful grin. "And it only took you nine months to win one game."
Slade chuckled with a sheepish grin. "I may be really slow when it comes to learning cards, but I DO learn."
"Good." The muscular woman nodded as she watched Slade shuffle the cards for the first time since he came aboard the Nirvana. "Now that I've got myself a worthy opponent, it's time for me to stop playing around and get more serious."
Slade developed a very large sweatdrop before dealing out the cards. Maybe I should have let her win?
Later...
Slade sighed as he walked back to his quarters. Gascogne wasn't kidding when she said was going to play more seriously from now on. After her first upset, she went on to beat him twenty games straight. He had only managed to win two more hands after that before he decided to call it quits.
On a whim, he decided to change direction and take a stroll through the Bio Park. As he walked along the bank of the artificial lake, he noticed a certain someone standing near the edge of the water.
"Doc?"
The good physician had been deep in contemplation when he heard his voice. He turned and nodded to the Tekkaman as he approached.
"Slade, I was just thinking about going to see you."
"Oh? Well, I guess I saved you the trip." Slade stood beside the physician and looked out toward the water. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
"It's about... how should I put it?"
"Just say it." Slade said firmly.
Duero took a deep breath, then said, "Although I now know the basics on... natural procreation, I still feel that I am... lacking in certain areas."
"Doc, give it to me straight. Forget all that scientific mumbo-jumbo and don't beat around the bush." Slade stated with some irritation.
"Beat around the bush? What does physical violence to vegetation have to do-?"
"Never mind that! Just say it!"
Duero paused for a long while and then finally asked his question. "How do I go about handling a girl who wants to... have SEX with me?"
Though the Tekkaman had a feeling that McFile's question would pertain to his new discovery about male/female relations, it was still quite a shock to actually hear the good doctor ask him about such a personal subject. What was more unnerving was that he was at a loss to answer.
Meanwhile...
"Estimated time of arrival of the Nirvana to this sector?" A certain individual asked as he and his comrades rode in the belly of one of Earth's Motherships.
"Approximately one hour." One of his associates replied.
"And our new weapon?"
"Though I do not think it would be necessary, it is primed and ready, as are we. Final orders?"
"Destroy them all."
The Nirvana...
"What the Hell brought this on?!" Slade asked as Duero developed a very deep blush on his cheeks. That fact alone constituted as unusual.
"Well... " The physician began slowly as he attempted to put his thoughts into words. "It's because of a certain... incident that happened to me..."
Flashback to his quarters...
Duero nodded as he replied to the door signal, which meant that someone was waiting on the other side.
"Enter."
"Hi Duero."
He nodded to the familiar voice and turned around.
"Hello Par... fet?" Duero stopped in mid-greeting as he saw the Nirvana's engineer, in a low-cut dress and high-heels?
By most standards, Parfet was considered to have a petite figure, with her small stature and slender frame. With her hair usually done up in two thick braids and her oversized spectacles, her normal appearance was considered as average and rather plain, until one took a closer look. For the Tarak doctor, he had always put his patient's health before their outward appearance, but he never truly realized the hidden beauty of the quiet girl... until now.
The brown-haired female was wearing a set of high-heeled pumps which increased her height by about three-inches. The top of her head now came to Duero's shoulders. Though the physician thought that the footwear was improper and seemed extremely uncomfortable, at the same time he thought they somehow made her more... elegant. Once again, she had let her hair down and wasn't wearing her glasses. This time he noticed that she had a very striking pair of green eyes. Without those oversized lenses, her face seemed softer. Since she didn't bump into the doorway on her way in and her eyes were not squinting, he correctly assumed that she was wearing contacts. Then the Tarak male saw that the slit on one side of her red, silk dress (though for the life of him, he couldn't understand why it was there) allowed him a good view of her left calf. His gaze traveled up and he couldn't help, but notice how tiny her waist is. Then he saw that the front of her dress was cut low, allowing him a good view of her...
I've seen them before, but I never realized that they were so... it must be the dress. Duero swallowed hard and shook his head, trying to sort out the jumbled mess his mental faculties had just become. Why did it feel so hot all of a sudden? Taking a deep breath, he quickly stood up and asked, "Parfet, what brings you here?"
The engineer took on a bit of a coy yet shy expression as she took a few tentative steps toward him with her hands behind her back. She tried to look as demure as possible. Duero just found it to be puzzling.
"Well... I wanted to see you."
"Well, you could have come to the Sick Bay and..."
"No, I don't mean to see you like that." Parfet then began to unconsciously twiddle her fingers. "I meant... see YOU."
"I'm... not too sure that I understand."
"Well... I kind of thought... we might... you know? Kind of go out together? Maybe... take a stroll in the Bio Park?"
Duero was taken completely by surprise by Parfet's sudden initiative. She had always been such a quiet, unassuming individual. Then he began to recall what Slade had told him about the ritual that he called a 'date.' He cleared his voice and said, "Are you... inviting me to go on a... date?"
Parfet's blush became even redder as she bowed her head a little. "You... know what a date is?"
"Well, Slade did mention it to me before, and I do know of some couples on Tarak who do go on outings with each other. So, you want to go out with me?"
"Ah... yeah. So do you want to?"
Before Duero could answer, there was another ring at his door. By reflex, he bid for the person to enter, and who should be standing at the entrance, but a certain Dread pilot... dressed in an outfit that could have been part of Jura's wardrobe (and it wouldn't have been surprising if she had borrowed it from her).
Barnette was decked out in a variation of a halter-top with flaring long sleeves and skintight leggings that hugged at her hips, derrière, and legs. Her abdomen was bare, which gave both Parfet and the doctor a good view of her flat tummy and well-shaped abdominal muscles. The top cradled her breasts and it seemed as if her bosom was about to burst from its confines. In her hands was a tray of food that she had just prepared.
"Hi. I just whipped up a new recipe and I thought you'd like to try..."
It was at that moment that Barnette's eyes locked with Parfet's. The two girls simultaneously looked at each other's appearance and said at the exact same moment...
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
End of flashback...
"After that, things became... intense." Duero finished.
Slade had a very large sweatdrop after the physician had finished with his story. He began having flashbacks of his own encounters with Jura, Meia, and Dita. "You too, huh?"
"Excuse me?"
Sigh took a deep sigh then motioned for Duero to sit down beside him near the bank of the Bio Park's lake. This was going to take a while.
A little later...
"It's still... hard for me to accept the fact that both Barnette and Parfet wish to become more... intimate... with me."
"Yeah well, this isn't the kind of thing that most people are prepared for." Slade replied, then noted Duero's hesitancy. "I know you're unsure about all this. Heck, I know all about it and it STILL makes me uncomfortable sometimes, even though a big part of me is telling me, 'give in stupid!' (1) And with Magno now telling me to go for it, Jura going after me with gusto, Meia wearing dresses, Dita and Misty going at each other throats, and Ukyo and Xian Pu giving me really funny looks, I'm being pushed to my limit."
Duero nodded. "It's a kind of feeling that I have never felt before. Usually, whenever I come across a problem of a biological nature, I can analyze it and have it tested. But with this..."
"This kind of thing isn't an exact science, Doc, because it deals with the heart, not the head. And it really doesn't make it easier when you feel for the person, or in this case people, in question, right?"
"Yes. I feel somewhat... torn. If I were to... ah, respond, to the overtures of one girl, then the other might feel as if she had been rejected. And I could not think of causing either one of them any sadness. They've both become important to me."
"Really?"
"Yes. You see, when I first came aboard the Nirvana, not many of the females would even come close to me, except for Parfet. She was the only one who was willing to spend time with me and helped me become a part of the crew. Then after that mission on that desert world, Barnette has become... how do I put it, more amicable toward me?"
"Yeah, that was a bit of a surprise to everyone, considering that she started a mutiny over her hatred of men. What exactly happened out there during those two days?"
Duero blushed again as he was about to reply. It was at that moment that the battle alert sounded.
Both men sighed as they got up to head to their stations.
"We'll pick up this conversation later, Doc."
On the bridge of the Nirvana...
"Report." Magno commanded as she and her First Officer gazed upon the main monitor.
Celtic Midori nodded as she replied. "Enemy formation consists of several dozens of Cube Fighters, thirty or so Seed Ships, and... one battle cruiser."
This made the entire bridge crew shudder as they remembered back to when they had faced off against one of those behemoths. Inside the Navigation Well, Bart Garsus began to break out into a cold sweat.
In the captain's chair, Magno began getting that feeling that something was just not right. They were certainly facing off against formidable numbers and another one of those Earth Motherships, but she couldn't help but suspect that the Harvesters had something up their demented sleeves.
Earth...
"Battle Cruiser A-4 has just encountered the Nirvana." One of the council members declared.
The head of the council nodded. "Destroy them all."
Deep within the bowels of the planet that had once been the homeworld of all humankind, the counterpart of the Nirvana's Paksis glowed inside a huge vessel. Its energies pulsated in a kind of erratic pattern as it sensed the coming conflict with its other half.
Like the Nirvana's Paksis, the Harvesters' also had its own mysteries. For the past few centuries, it had been obeying its Earth masters without question, ever since it had been wrested first from its original owners, the Radam, then from the Radam's conquerors. However, the Harvesters had no real inkling of the Paksis' primary objective as the ancient essence within its crystalline structure continued to grow in power. For now, it would do as the Harvesters commanded as their goals coincided with its own.
But afterwards...
The Nirvana...
"Slade, wait up!"
The Tekkaman turned to face Jura as the blonde Dread pilot came up to him in the main hanger. "What is it, Jura? We're on battle alert!"
"I need to talk to you." Barnette's friend said as she took a deep breath and collected her thoughts.
"Make it quick, we're supposed to be in formation with the others!"
"All right. We've been through a lot, haven't we?"
"Well, yeah we all have! Look can't this wait until...?"
"No please! Let me finish! You know how much I want to have a baby... your baby."
"Oh no, not this again! Look, I know how much having a baby by a man would mean to you and all, but this is no time to think about becoming famous or..."
"No."
"Huh?"
Jura took on a more determined expression. "I said no. That's not the reason why I want a baby... now."
"But I thought..."
"Well, you thought wrong. I may have wanted a baby from a man for that reason in the beginning, but now... I want a baby from you because..." Jura became a bit hesitant as her thoughts went back to a certain conversation she had with the captain...
Flashback...
Magno chuckled after Jura had finished describing her last encounter with Slade. The blonde pilot was somewhat embarrassed and confused at the entire ordeal.
"What's so funny?"
"Forgive me, Jura. I was just imagining the look on D-Boy's face when you tried to... ah, follow your natural instincts."
"My natural instincts?"
Magno nodded as she took a deep breath. "Jura, when you found out about the truth between men and women... what did you think of it?"
"Well..." Jura's cheeks took on a pink tinge as she remembered the video. "It was very... interesting and..."
"And?" The older woman pressed.
"And... I couldn't stop thinking about it and I kept seeing myself and Slade... doing it." She said the last in a barely audible whisper.
"So you didn't find it disgusting or repulsive?" When Jura shook her head, Magno nodded. "So why did you want to do it with Slade?"
"Because... that's how babies were made between men and women and..." Jura began to twiddle her fingers nervously. "... it looked... like it was pleasurable."
"Well, yes it usually is, but why do you want a baby with Slade? You can get either the doctor or Bart to assist you."
"NO! It must be Slade's!" Jura said resolutely.
Magno was taken aback by Jura's reply, then smiled again. Well, well, well. "And why must it be his?"
"Because..."
"Yes?"
Jura paused for a long time as she pondered why she was so determined to have Slade's baby, when it could have been easier to simply ask for Duero or Bart's seed. She just couldn't think of using any other man's seed. Finally, she answered. "I... don't know why I want to have only his baby. I just know... that I REALLY want it."
"More than anything else?"
Jura paused again, then nodded.
"I see." Magno's smile became a little more prominent. "I must say that things have gotten VERY interesting since he and the other men came aboard."
"So... what can I do? I've tried to get him to... you know? But he keeps on turning me away. The last time, I thought he would... but..."
"Before I give you any advice on this problem, I must ask you a few questions Jura, and you must answer me honestly. First of all, what do you think of Slade? How does he make you feel?"
Jura did a lot of hemming and hawing, before her captain pressed her to reply. "It's... funny you know? When he first came on board, I thought of him as just like any other man. I thought Dita always chasing him was stupid and I didn't think much of him. He can be bossy, harsh, and abrasive at times, but... he kind of grew on me. He's always given me support when I needed it. He's talented and he's brave. He always fought by our side and... when he kissed me that first time, I felt something that I never felt before. Can a woman actually FEEL that way for a man?"
"Yes she can. So do you like him a lot?"
"Yes... I REALLY like him a lot now."
"You like him enough to want to spend the rest of your life with?"
"What do you mean?"
"Come now, Jura. If you were to have his baby, then don't you think he would want to take part in raising that child? And making a child between a man and woman is not as simple, since that baby will not only be a part of you, but a part of HIM as well. It's extremely emotional, far more so than the artificial means in which babies are born on Mejele and Tarak. I believe I know enough about D-Boy, to think that he would take his position as an ohma, or should I say father, very seriously."
Jura considered Magno's words for a long time. She then said with a slight smile, "You know, having Slade by my side for the rest of my life wouldn't be so bad. Actually, I would welcome it." She shook her head in frustration then bowed her head. In a quiet voice, she added. "I'm so confused, Captain." She then raised her head to face the elderly woman with some slight moisture in her eyes. "I shouldn't even be thinking of this, but I can't stop! I want Slade's baby! I want... HIM! What's WRONG with me?!" She felt the tears begin to roll down her cheeks.
The ancient pirate captain reached over to bring her close and gave her a gentle hug. She then patted Jura on shoulder to console her, then brought her back out to arm's length with a motherly expression on her face. "There's nothing wrong with you, Jura. You're just starting to rediscover what was lost more than a hundred years ago. I'm also seeing signs of it with some of the other girls as well. From the looks of things, I'd say you're feeling this way about Slade because..."
End of flashback...
"Because of what, Jura?"
Slade's prodding brought the blonde back to reality as she looked up at the Tekkaman. Before she could answer, another alarm went off, signaling that the Harvester attack had begun and that all pilots were needed to fend them off.
Jura turned about and ran toward her Dread. As she departed, she called back to Slade. "It's nothing! We'll talk after the battle!"
Slade shook his head as he ran off toward the nearest airlock.
Jura watched him go from the cockpit of her Dread as she prepared to launch.
I won't say it... not just yet.
Meia gritted her teeth as her Dread banked hard to evade a group of Cube Fighters. She let loose with a blast from her forward lasers, vaporizing a pair of the enemy units. She looked about in the background of stars, missile trails, energy bolts, explosions, and fighters of both sides. She saw several of her wingmates and Vanguards taking on the waves of Cube Fighters, but there was no sign of a certain crimson Dread, an enhanced Vanguard, or a Tekkaman. Just then, out of the corner of her right eye, she saw a flash of emerald green emerge from the Nirvana.
"It's about time!"
Slade transformed to his Tekkaman form and began engaging the enemy. A minute later, Jura's Dread came onto the scene along with Pegas close behind.
"Where were you?!"
"Sorry about the delay." Slade apologized as he slashed through five Cube Fighters, then began directing the Warrior Squadron with certain signals using his lance. The female Vanguard pilots understood his commands and began flying in looping patterns. A large number of Cube Fighters began to become confused by the sudden change of tactics and soon began to become massed in one section of space.
The Dread pilots immediately caught onto the new maneuvers, and began positioning themselves on either side of the gathering of enemy ships. When they were sufficiently bunched up, the Vanguards broke away from them and that's when Slade came charging toward them on Pegas. His shoulder units rose and he opened fire.
"VOLTEKKER!"
The quantum energy-powered beam tore through the ranks of Harvester units and reduced them to scrap. Those that managed to evade obliteration found themselves in the gun-sights of the Dreads and Vanguards. More were blasted into oblivion as a path toward the Earth Mothership was made.
Meia saw the route that Slade had made and pounced on the opportunity. She contacted Dita, Barnette, and Jura and began leading in delta formation toward their objective. Slade, Pegas, and the Warrior Squadron followed close behind with the other Dreads providing cover. Behind them, the Nirvana started firing as well.
On the bridge of the pirate vessel, the crew were happy to see that their side was winning. However, both the Captain and the her First Officer were suspicious.
"No. This is too easy." Magno said as she watched the Nirvana's fighters take to the offensive.
BC nodded. "Yes. The Earth Mothership isn't firing back. Only the other ships are defending. It would have never let our fighters get this close to it. It took just about everything we had to destroy the first one."
"And after that battle, I would have expected the Earth forces to have developed countermeasures to our tactics and the upgraded Tekkadreads. It's almost as if they WANT our fighters closer, as if they were luring them into..."
At that moment, Misty gasped as her sensors detected a huge energy surge coming from the Earth Battle Cruiser.
"All fighters break formation!" Meia cried out as she saw the bow of the Earth Mothership begin to glow. The Dreads and Van-Types immediately scattered and the Tekkaman rejoined with his Tekkabot to prepare for a destructive barrage. However, instead of a wave of destructive energy being released, the front instead... split open?
Like a huge whale opening its maw, the huge battleship's face became exposed. The remaining Cube Fighters and Seed Ships distanced themselves from it as something began to emerge from the inside.
On the bridge of the battleship, the commander of the forces growled as he turned to his comrades.
"I still don't know why we even brought this thing." One of his associates commented. "Between the three of us and the power of the fleet, we could have easily wiped them all out!"
The commander snorted as he responded. "Hmpf! Those pompous leaders wanted to see their new toy in action. So we'll just let it soften them up before we eradicate them all from the face of the universe."
"JURA!" Slade cried out as he sped toward her Dread.
The blonde pirate nodded as she directed her fighter to rendezvous with the Tekkaman. In a flash of light, the two fused together to form Tekkadread Jura. The crab immediately put up its planet-protecting barrier to its utmost intensity as both Slade and Jura braced for the worst. Nearly all of the Dreads and Vanguards were within the shield.
Suddenly, a huge beam of purest crimson was fired from within the bowels of the Earth Mothership and struck the barrier, causing massive power surges to occur within it. Dreads and Vanguards alike were tossed about like pieces of driftwood in an ocean during a raging storm. However, the most damage was received by Tekkadread Jura as both pilots were subjected to pain on an unimaginable level. Slade and Jura screamed out as their bodies were flooded with energy and finally, the Tekkadread was torn apart. Jura found herself back inside her Dread while Slade was send flying away in his Tekkaman form. The Nirvana's forces were thrown into a state of disarray as the barrier disappeared, leaving them exposed to their enemies.
"NO! Was that an Anti-Voltekker?" Buzom started to break out in a cold sweat after witnessing the horrifying and familiar scene. Was Saber still alive?
However, nothing could have prepared her or the rest of the crew, as the object that had been inside the Earth ship finally came into view.
"It's... impossible!" Meia gasped as she and the other fighters witnessed the unthinkable.
The thing was ugly, no doubt about it. Its lines bespoke of a darkness unlike anything they had ever seen before. However, what was most disturbing about it was that it had been modeled after their own ship, the Nirvana! Unlike the original, the doppelganger sported a red crystal center between the upper and lower sections of the ship and its hull was a dark black. The pilots all felt the sensation of deja vu as the enemy had once again copied their advantages and perverted them.
The false Nirvana's hull opened up to reveal hundreds of gun ports, similar to the ones that Bart controlled. In less than a heartbeat, the Earth's newest weapon opened fire, and released hundreds of lancing beams which looped and curved like scarlet ribbons. Not one of the pirate fighters had been able to evade the barrage without getting hit. Several of them were immediately put out of action. Then its main weapon began to charge up. The red center glowed briefly like a miniature sun, then let loose with another devastating blast, this time aiming for the Nirvana.
"Evasive action! Hard to port, thirty degrees!" Magno barked.
Bart tried to comply but he was a nanosecond too slow and the enormous Anti-Voltekker beam clipped the right flank of the ship. The vessel shuddered from the impact as the beam easily tore through the defensive screens and ripped across the hull. The navigator let off a scream of agony as a huge gash appeared on his right side.
The Nirvana began listing to one side from its wound. Energy grids began to fluctuate as systems began rerouting power to deal with the damage. In the engineering section, Parfet and her team were frantically trying to deal with the damage reports which were coming from all sections of the ship. The most crucial problems dealt with the large rupture in the hull and maintaining life support. That one attack had badly injured the Nirvana and its enemy wasn't going to stop.
After seeing the enemy inflict a near fatal blow to the ship, the defenders threw themselves against the fake Nirvana. Slade rode his Tekkabot toward the pseudo-pirate ship, while preparing to let loose with everything he had. Suddenly, the Earth Mothership released several of its copies of the Tekkadreads to protect the Harvesters' newest weapon.
The Tekkaman growled as he launched himself off the back of Pegas and transformed into his Tekkaman Battle Mode. At the same time, Pegas went through its own transformation and joined with its master to form a comet of mind-boggling power. The pair plowed through their adversaries, blowing away three grotesque versions of Tekkadread Dita, Meia, and Jura.
The other Dread fighters and Van-Types began concentrating their efforts on the main duplicate of their forces, but with an Earth Mothership and at least a dozen or so Tekkadread copies backing it up, the female pilots found themselves being put on the defensive. Though more experienced and better armed than from their earlier battles, the pirates were overwhelmingly outmatched in terms of numbers and firepower. They were more used to fast strike tactics, not pitched battles. And it didn't help matters as the Nirvana clone continued taking pot shots at the original.
Bart screamed again as a glancing blast to the secondary hull of the Nirvana, made the vessel shudder again, rocking its inhabitants and causing more systems to go offline or malfunction. Sirens and warning lights blinked across his control surfaces, and damage and casualty reports kept on coming. He wished he could just tune out everything, but since he was the only one who could navigate the ship, he had to maintain his post in the Navigation Well. He tired to fire back at the attackers, but the weapon systems of the ship were only operating at less than 50% after that first devastating attack. Power had to be diverted to the shields and life support. He could take out the smaller enemy units, but destroying the Nirvana's clone or the Earth Battle Cruiser was out of the question.
On the bridge, Magno was also wishing she could tune out everything and focus on getting her crew through this situation alive, but there seemed to be no way out. Her heart wrenched with emotion as she continued to receive reports on the punishment her ship and crew were taking.
Down in the engineering section, amid the chaos and damaged surroundings, Parfet became very worried as the Paksis Reactor began glowing erratically. Instead of its usual green-white light and constant hum, the huge crystal seemed to exhibit signs of... pain? Flashes of red light darted across its surface in angry patterns. It was if it was feeling each of the Anti-Voltekker blasts on its hull, like a person being stabbed by a red-hot knife. She could almost swear to be hearing cries of anguish as the ship continued to be tortured.
"Parfet! We've got some hull breeches on decks fourteen and nine!" One of her staff cried out.
"Make sure there's nobody there and seal them off!" Parfet called back.
"I don't think we can take much more of this!"
"Don't worry! The ship will hold together!" Parfet assured as she gazed with deep concern at the Paksis. You hear me, Paksis? Hold together! (2)
In the Sick Bay, Duero found himself in the absolute worst-case scenario a doctor could face in a combat situation. Though he had trained for this kind of eventuality, he was still very apprehensive as more injured crewmembers were brought into the infirmary. His medical skills and control under fire were pushed to their limits, as he began to fear that the Sick Bay would soon be overtaxed and that there wouldn't be enough supplies to help them all.
The Tarak doctor and his Mejele nurse pressed on however as the situation worsened. Duero had yet to lose a patient (with the exception of Slade, but he came back to life) and he was not willing to lose any now.
"MEIA! THIS ISN'T WORKING!" Slade cried out as he and Pegas dispatched another of the Copy Tekkadreads, but the rest kept on coming. He was getting tired and was already in pain from that first Anti-Voltekker blast.
The blue-haired Dread Leader nodded as she, Jura, Dita, and Barnette were picked up by Gascogne's supply ship to be rearmed and refueled. At this rate, the pirates would not last long. As her fighter was being serviced, she checked out her tactical displays and decided that the best plan was to take out that new weapon of the Harvesters. Their forces seemed to be concentrating on protecting and supporting it, while it continued to fire on the Nirvana.
"Slade! Get ready to combine with my Dread and Pegas! We're going to ram right down that fake's throat! Jura! Dita! Barnette! We're going to need you to cover us!"
"Can you really break through that?" Dita asked as the Nirvana clone began advancing toward the pirate vessel with the Earth Mothership close behind.
"Only one way to find out!" At that point, all four Dreads separated from Gascogne's vessel and began charging toward their objective.
"Coming up!" Slade and Pegas flew toward them and met up with the Dread Leader's craft in seconds. In a bright flare of light, Tekkadread Meia was formed, then the Tekkabot linked up to form Tekkadread Meia X. The phoenix mecha blazed forward in a corona of energy that resembled flames. Enemy craft were obliterated in its wake as it dived toward the Nirvana's dark counterpart.
However, the new weapon had one more trick in its hidden arsenal as it suddenly stopped in its advance. To the amazement and horror of all those present, the ship began changing its form. Sections of its hull began retracting in some places, while extending in others. The overall shape became more longitudinal as the vessel became larger and more robust until finally, it had transformed itself into a completely different format. The red center was now in a chest housing as clawed hands and feet were formed. The front of the vessel relocated to what looked like a head and the secondary hull had become the body. The dark Nirvana had just transformed into a giant version of a Tekkaman!
"No... it can't be!" Meia gasped as she and Slade stared in sheer disbelief! Even the original Nirvana couldn't do that!
The now transformed Nirvana copy began charging up its primary weapon as Tekkadread Meia X continued to charge. The chest glowed briefly, then released a massive blast that would have atomized its attacker. However, Slade and Meia knew that they wouldn't survive such a counterattack and managed to veer away, but not completely. Instead of a direct hit, the merged vessel received a glancing shot. But even a partial impact from such a beam was enough to force Slade and Pegas to separate from Meia's Dread. What was even worse was that the other Dreads who had been covering them were also in the line of fire.
Dita and Barnette managed to bank sharply to avoid being annihilated, but Jura was a microsecond slower. As a result, her fighter was hit near its main thrusters and was sent careening out of control.
"JURA!" Barnette and Dita cried out as they watched their wingmate tumble erratically in space.
Slade, though now badly injured, desperately sped toward the stricken Dread with an equally damaged Tekkabot following behind him. He had to reach her and combine with her Dread before the Nirvana duplicate could finish the job. Tekkadread Jura's shield had not been enough to protect them before, but perhaps the power of Tekkadread Jura X would be sufficient. He could only hope that the blonde pilot was still conscious in order to combine.
In another blinding flash of light, Tekkaman and Dread became one. Inside the circular cockpit, Slade was alarmed to see the state of his co-pilot. Jura had a bloody gash on her forehead and her clothes were ripped and stained with a few crimson blotches. Her hair was frazzled and she was sporting several bruises and cuts on her body. Her breathing was heavy and labored. She looked as if she was about to collapse.
"Jura!"
The blonde gave Slade a weak smile, then coughed a bit before taking on a determined expression. "Let's do it!"
Though he wanted to retreat and get her immediate medical attention, the former Saotome knew that there was no time. Cube Fighters and Seed Ships were converging on their position and the giant Harvester transformer was powering up for a final, lethal assault.
"PEGAS, COMBINE!" Slade immediately hit the red button to transform the crab into the tiger as the Tekkabot came in to assist. Once locked into place, the entire vessel shuddered as it underwent its third transformation and became the cat warrior mecha. It barely had enough time to power up its reflector shield when the enemy forces opened fire.
The circular defensive barrier took the brunt of the super-powered Anti-Voltekker, plus the shots of the other Harvester ships. For one brief moment, it looked as if it would absorb all of that destructive power, but just as it began to reflect it back toward the enemy, the shield buckled and failed. Tekkadread Jura X was blasted backward and was sent reeling. Pieces of it came flying off as it tumbled chaotically.
Inside the cockpit, both pilots cried out as energy surges ripped through them and relays were blown. Fragments of metal and plastics went ricocheting about like shrapnel and that was when Slade heard someone scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"JURA!"
Though the shield had failed to protect against the assault, it did however, manage to reflect enough of the energy back at the enemy. The Nirvana doppelganger was taken by surprise as its Anti-Voltekker beam rebounded back towards its chest. Being larger than any of the smaller fighters, it was unable to dodge in time and received a direct hit. The resulting explosion sent energy shockwaves all around, driving back the enemy forces and giving the pirates time to fall back and regroup. The disturbances were so great that even the Earth Mothership paused in its advance.
The enhanced Tekkadread violently came apart into its three main components and Slade was once again clad in his armor. It was now so badly broken and dented that he knew that he couldn't fight any more. Pegas was now inoperative, after being forced to shut down during the separation to minimize further damage. It was at point that Slade noticed Jura's battered Dread was now drifting helplessly.
"JURA! JURA! ANSWER ME!"
When there was no response, he desperately summoned up the will to bring his thrusters back online and flew toward the inert fighter. A moment later, Gascogne's ship came about and used its grappling arms to grab hold of Jura's fighter, the Tekkabot, and Slade. The head supplier then turned about and sped back toward the Nirvana. At the same time, the pirate forces also began retreating.
On the bridge of the ship, everyone was surprised when Bart was suddenly ejected out of the Navigational Well.
"I didn't order you to leave!" Magno said sternly.
The now clothed Tarak navigator shook his head in confusion. "I didn't do it! The ship just... did it on its own, and now its piloting itself!"
Parfet stared in awe and puzzlement as the Paksis' surface flickered with a kind of erratic and nervous light. She didn't know how it had suddenly seized control, but a small part of her was beginning to think that the crystal was behaving... almost as if it were alive. The ship was acting like a small child who had just gotten beaten up by a big bully and was now running scared. She began remembering back to her philosophy that all things that moved were to be treated like living things. Could that also apply to the Paksis?
You're frightened, aren't you?
On board the Earth Flagship, the three newly created Tekkamen watched in as their enemies fled. The most irritating thing was that they couldn't go after them at the moment.
"Hmpf! It looks like the Masters' new weapon wasn't all that it was cracked up to be!" Axe scoffed.
"It was only a fluke that the reflected Anti-Voltekker had caused an hyper-intense electromagnetic pulse!" Rapier countered. "It caused all of our navigational systems to become temporarily scrambled. It will only take a few hours to recalibrate the systems."
"I still think we should have taken care of those pirates ourselves!" Axe maintained.
Lance held up a hand to silence his two compatriots. "Do not worry. They won't get very far with the damages they sustained. We will soon be underway again and next time, we WILL succeed where that useless Saber had failed. The Nirvana can run, but it can't hide!"
As the pirate ship limped toward the center of a gaseous nebula to lick its wounds, there was a great flurry of activity in the Sick Bay as a badly hurt Slade entered. His eyes were moist as tears began to stream down in his cheeks. In his arms, he cradled the unconscious and battered form of Jura Basil Elden. Blood continued to flow from her head wound as well as from several other cuts and lacerations. Duero and Paiway gazed upon her with shock as the Tekkaman gently laid her down on the operating table. Immediately, they began to work on stabilizing her condition as Slade could only stand with a blank expression on his face.
Save her, Doc! Save her!
A few hours later...
Duero exited the Sick Bay to a crowd of worried people, who began to bombard him with questions about the status of their fallen comrade. Among them were Dita, Barnette, Meia, and Pyoro. After getting everyone to calm down, he assured everyone that the operation was a success and that Jura would pull through. As sighs of relief echoed throughout the hallway, the doctor excused himself to go see the captain and told everyone to let Jura rest.
Standing nearby, Slade had a bandage wrapped about his head and most of his upper torso was also bound with sterile dressing. He was also glad to hear that Jura would survive, but became curious as to what the doctor wanted to discuss with the captain. He decided to secretly follow him.
A few minutes later, Duero came aboard the bridge and began informing Magno and BC of the casualties they had sustained. Miraculously, there had been no fatalities, though a few of the patients would have to be put in intensive care for some time. Near the doorway of the bridge, Slade began eavesdropping on their conversation. What he heard next shook him to the very core.
"It's good to hear that no one was lost." Magno said with a smile.
The doctor took on a more somber expression as he cleared his voice and took a deep breath. "Yes. No one died... however..."
"However?" Buzom pressed.
"However, I'm afraid that a few of the crew had received some very serious injuries and one in particular..."
Magno's expression hardened as she began to suspect whom Duero was indicating. She had read the injured list. "Jura?"
"Yes. I am sorry to say that she had suffered an injury, in which she may never recover from."
"What is it?"
"She had received not only a concussion and severe lacerations to her limbs, as well as massive blood loss, but both she and Slade had been subjected to high amounts of electromagnetic waves. Their bodies had been pierced by dozens of metallic slivers and plastic shards. I managed to remove them all, but the damage was already done. Slade pulled through, due to his extraordinary constitution and recuperation abilities. I expect him to make a full recovery. But Jura..."
"But what?"
"Jura unfortunately, was damaged in a certain area in which I was unfamiliar with, when I first joined this crew. The debris and radiation pulses had injured her... reproductive organs."
"WHAT?!" Both women cried out at the same time. The rest of the bridge crew were also stunned.
Duero became a bit uncomfortable, but continued with his explanations. "Jura's abdomen was badly cut up and I had to perform some reconstructive surgery. She won't have any scars or disfigurements and will live, but her... ovaries were so badly irradiated and damaged that they're no longer producing any eggs. I'm sorry to say but... Jura will never be able to bear children."
Slade was rendered speechless as Duero's words echoed inside his head. He realized that this news would devastate Jura. He began remembering back to his last conversation with her.
Flashback...
Jura: You know how much I want to have a baby... your baby!
Slade: Oh no, not this again! Look, I know how much having a baby by a man would mean to you and all, but this is no time to think about becoming famous or...
Jura: No.
Slade: Huh?
Jura: I said no. That's not the reason why I want a baby... now.
Slade: But I thought...
Jura: Well, you thought wrong. I may have wanted a baby from a man for that reason in the beginning, but now... I want a baby from you because...
Endo flashback...
Because of what? If it wasn't to become famous, then why did she want to have my baby...? It doesn't make sense and... Wait a minute... did she want me baby because she...?
Slade trembled as he began to think of the only other reason she would want his child. Ever since they had returned from that desert world, Jura had started to become less of a vain snob and more understanding and...
No! No way! She couldn't want a baby because she... could she?
To be continued...
Preview...
Slade: "This is bad… the Earth's Nirvana pretty much had us cornered to the edge and Jura's badly wounded, both physically and emotionally. I hope she'll be all right. We managed to concoct a plan of attack to take down our unwanted doppelganger by planting Misty's security virus into its core. This won't be easy as hoards of TekkaDread copies will be waiting for us. Still, taking on a million of each is a lot easier than trying to take on the Harvesters REAL deadly weapons. Did Saber come back? No… that doesn't look like him… and there're two more!? Dita! Jura! Meia! Stay away! You can't take these guys head-on! Next time, on TekkaDread Remastered: '…And in with the New'. Girls….? Is that…. Really you…?"
Author's Notes
Whoa! That was a long one and this chapter isn't over yet! Stay tuned for part three as the Nirvana must deal with these new enemies and we'll also be getting some new surprises as well!
(1) I got this expression from one of my pre-readers.
(2) Guess where I got that one? ^_^
Please read and review!