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: Tekkaman Blade, Ranma 1/2 and Vandread belong to their respective owners, so there!
italics: Thoughts
Chapter 19 Part 4
Really Big Changes!
The bridge of the Nirvana...
"What's going on?" Magno demanded as all communications to the insertion team had been suddenly cut off. It had happened just after the three enemy Tekkamen had fired at the group. At first, she thought that they had all been killed, but Misty had assured them that she was still reading their life signs. However, she was also getting some weird energy readouts, especially from Jura, Meia and Dita's Dreads. Just what was happening in that ship?
The Earth Mothership...
"What?! Three new Tekkamen?!" Lance exclaimed as he and his compatriots stared upon the newly-formed cosmic warriors.
Jura, Meia, and Dita were similarly in a state of shock as they looked down at themselves. Each gazed upon her armor, which had once been her Dread. To them, it didn't feel as if they were wearing suits, rather the armor was like a second skin. There was no sensation of being enveloped within a shell, and the power, oh the power that was now coursing through their very beings. Is this what Slade felt every time he transformed? It made them feel as if they could take on anything the universe could throw at them!
At that moment, Lance shook himself out of his shock and attacked. Tekkamen they may be, but they were newly-formed and vulnerable! He had the opportunity to destroy them before they could become a threat! Without a second thought, he launched a barrage from his shoulder guns at the nearest foe, which was Tekkaman Dita. However, at the same time, another Tekkaman reacted, namely Blastor.
"DITA! LOOK OUT!"
Slade caught sight of Lance as he fired off his energy projectiles. Without hesitation, he sped toward her and managed to get between the shots and their target. The blasts impacted hard against his chest, causing a massive explosion and enveloped him, obscuring him from sight.
Lance smirked from behind his helmet. He didn't hit Dita, but at least he destroyed the so-called 'Evolved Tekkaman.' Hah! What a joke! He couldn't even withstand his weaker weapons, much less his...
Suddenly, a shadow shot out from the explosion and slammed hard into Lance. The egotistical Tekkaman felt a hand begin to crush his throat, despite the protection of his armor. His eyes bugged out as he saw an enraged 'joke' crushing the life out of him as Blastor drove him back. The two plowed into one of the walls of the computer chamber and kept on going.
"I'm getting a huge energy reading from the center of the Earth Ship and it's..."
Misty never got to finish as something blasted out from the hull of the enemy vessel like a nuclear missile being launched from its silo. The scanners zeroed in on the object and the bridge crew were surprised to see two Tekkamen grappling with each other. They were even more surprised to see Tekkaman Blastor once again.
Lance was losing consciousness as his opponent continued to apply his viselike grip on Lance's windpipe. The strength that Slade was exerting was unbelievable as Lance's armor was buckling under the strain. In desperation, he used his feet to kick out at Slade's chest. This caught Slade by surprise as Lance took the opportunity to let loose with his greatest weapon.
WHA-BOOOOM!
Slade was driven backward as he was again enveloped in an explosion, but this time it was a hundred times more intense. The blast continued to expand among the background of Cube Fighters, Seed Ships, Dreads, and Vanguards as they fought each other.
Lance chuckled as he scoffed at the apparent demise of his foe. "Hah! Evolved or not, even you can't take a Voltekker at point-blank range!" He continued to laugh, for about another two seconds. Then he saw something coming out of that explosion. "No..."
Slade was royally ticked off. Before the vain Tekkaman could even blink, the evolved Tekkaman was darting around him like a maddened dragonfly and commenced to pick him apart!
Inside the Earth Mothership, the other two Tekkamen of the Harvesters were mixing it up with the three former Dread pilots. Unfortunately for Jura, Dita, and Meia, their enemies had more experience with their Tekkaman abilities than they did. One good thing was that the Nirvana Clone was not attacking as the virus was starting to take effect. However...
"WHOA! I CAN'T STOP!" Dita cried out as she flew about haphazardly around the chamber. She had no idea of how much more powerful her armor's propulsion units were in comparison to her old spacesuit's maneuvering thrusters. It was like having her Dread's engines mounted on her back (which in a sense they were). The cybernetic control systems were unknown to her and even the slightest thought would send her careening in another direction. She was so used to sitting in a nice, safe cockpit and operating a control panel in front of her that she was at a total loss when it came to flying on her own.
In a way, her erratic flight pattern had a benefit, as the remaining Tekkadread copies couldn't get a bead on her. She dodged each and every shot, and in a few cases, the enemy ended up firing at each other. However, Dita panicked as she found herself charging headfirst toward a copy of Tekkadread Jura. The mecha raised its barrier, and the redhead held up her arms in front of her and braced for the worst.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAA!"
At that moment, her armor received the subconscious command and began shifting. Sections started to move to different locations as the former Dread pilot found her body straightening out. Her arms crossed themselves in front of her as she was enveloped in a nimbus of blue-white light. In her Tekka-Battle Mode, she easily plowed through the enemy's barrier and the enemy itself, causing it to explode. Before she knew it, she rammed through four more Tekkadread clones, reducing them to fiery balls of debris.
A moment later, her body shifted back to its normal configuration. Her arms and legs flailed about as she darted this way and that, until finally she managed to turn about and landed hard on her back, ripping out a deep trench in the floor of the chamber. She came to a stop at the bottom of the main computer node. Shaking her head to clear it, she was amazed to find out that she was still in one piece, and that Tekkadread Clone remains were now before her.
"Wow... did I do that?"
Dita was not the only one having problems on dealing with her new powers. Especially since the remaining two enemy Tekkamen were determined to cut them to pieces. Jura found herself taking on Rapier while Meia was going head-to-head with Axe.
Unlike her comrade, Meia was beginning to grasp the basics of flying without a Dread, though it was unnerving to be able to propel herself just by thoughts alone. Luckily, she had always been a quick study, and after watching Slade streak into battle so many times, she began to mimic some of his maneuvers. In her new armor, she felt as if she had become her Dread as she swerved and rolled at extreme velocities, making tight turns and sudden bursts of acceleration to evade the attacks of her foe.
Unfortunately for the blue-haired girl, that's all she could do. Axe was not as fast as she was, but his brutal attacks kept her so busy dodging that she couldn't even begin to think about trying to figure out her other abilities. Every time that oversized space warrior swung his weapon, an arc of destructive energy was released. The deadly crescent-shaped blasts cut through anything they collided with and the chamber became littered with vicious gashes. Meia wasn't certain if her new armor could withstand a hit, and she wasn't willing to find out.
Axe chuckled as he continued to pursue and press the attack. Though Meia had become a Tekkaman, she was a mere novice and couldn't possibly stand up to someone with far more experience. He could sense the fear in her as he chased her like a wolf going after a rabbit. He even began taunting her as swung his axe again and again.
"Oh what's your hurry, Little Rabbit? The fun has just started! Surely you can't be afraid of me?"
Meia growled as she continued to dodge. She knew that he was just toying with her. She wanted dearly to shut up his snide remarks, but she didn't know how to fight back. Running was her only option and she hated it!
Damn it! If only I had a weapon! Slade's got one when he transforms, so where the HELL is mine?! Do I even have one?!
Jura was also having difficulties as she was engaged in battle with the Harvesters' female fighter. So far, it had been basic hand-to-hand, but Rapier had the advantage and was kicking Jura around like a soccer ball. She winced as her opponent slammed a roundhouse kick to her head, then followed through with a straight kick to the abdomen, driving Jura back. The blonde began wishing she had gone to more of Slade's self-defense classes and vowed that if she got out of this alive, she would attend each session and train more with the Warrior Squadron.
"How did such a weakling like you, become a Tekkaman?" Rapier scoffed as another one of her kicks landed and drove Jura down toward the chamber's floor. "Power such as ours should only be reserved for those who truly deserve it!"
"SHUT UP, YOU... ARGH!" Jura was stopped in mid-sentence as her punch was intercepted and Rapier delivered a blow to her temple, causing her to become disoriented. Before she knew it, Jura was bodily thrown down toward the chamber floor. The former Dread pilot just barely managed to get her thrusters going and stopped just inches before slamming into the surface. Putting on an extra burst of speed, she rocketed back up toward her foe.
However, Rapier simply swerved out of the way, and Jura overshot her target. She couldn't stop herself in time and impacted hard against a chamber wall, causing a deep depression. Before she could recover, Rapier came up from behind and grabbed a fistful of the blonde's hair. She then began to repeatedly pound Jura's helmeted head into the wall with utter brutality.
Dita cried out as the last of the Tekkadread Clones converged on her. She still hadn't gotten the hang of controlling her armor's thrusters and the enemy wasn't letting up for a second. She managed to take off again, but her flying still consisted of random, zigzagging patterns. She knew that it was only a matter of time before they scored some hits and hoped that she could figure out what other powers she had before then.
Above them, Barnette and the Tekkabot with Pyoro riding inside it tried to assist, but they found themselves being blocked by the Nirvana Clone. Apparently, it was fighting the effects of the virus and was still operating enough to be a hindrance. It couldn't use its Anti-Voltekker, but its lasers and particle cannons were still functional.
At that point, as Dita dodged another lethal barrage from her pursuers, she noticed some strange openings near the wrists of her gauntlets. She then remembered back to when she had seen Slade produce his Tekkalance. She decided to gamble and focused her thoughts toward the two openings. Sure enough, beams of light emerged and formed semi-solid energy shafts. She took hold of both beams and pulled. The beams solidified into twin metal blades, but were slightly curved with a short handle at one end. Going by instinct alone, Dita merged the two pieces together at their hilts and they fused into one solid weapon that looked like a bow without the string. Feeling a subconscious urge from within, she turned to face her attackers, held up the weapon with her left hand and cocked back her right hand as if she were drawing back a bowstring. A shaft of energy appeared from her right hand to the front of the weapon, like an arrow. Dita aimed, released her right hand, and the energy arrow... missed her target.
The redhead was exasperated as the projectile sailed past the head of a copy of her old Tekkadread. How could she have missed something that big?
Rapier smiled as she continued to drive Jura's face into the chamber wall. It was only a matter of time before her head was crushed to a pulp. As she prepared to slam her head down again, a bright flare of light flashed from behind. Then...
BUH-TOOOM!
Rapier cried out in pain as Dita's arrow struck between her shoulder blades, then ricocheted off in another direction. She lost her grip on her adversary's hair.
"It's time for some payback, you bitch!" Jura snarled.
Spinning about, she lashed out with her left arm. The triangular shield on her forearm impacted hard with Rapier's face and sent her sprawling. As she brought her arm forward in preparation to hit her again, the shield received a subconscious command and suddenly launched itself like a missile. This took both female fighters by surprise, but Rapier was the most affected as the shield crashed into her stomach and drove her down toward the chamber floor. She hit with a resounding crash and tore a deep trench into the metal. The shield then flew back toward its owner and reattached itself to Jura's forearm. The girl looked down at her arm with awe.
Axe grinned as he had cornered his prey against another wall and was about to deliver the deathblow. Meia winced as she prepared for the end, then noticed a flash of light heading toward them.
As Axe raised his weapon above him, he too saw the light out of the corner of his helmet's visor. Before he had a chance to contemplate as to what it was, Dita's deflected arrow struck his wrists and exploded. This caused him to lose his grip on his axe and blinded him momentarily. Meia grabbed at her chance and put her thrusters on full throttle as she shot forward in a shoulder charge. Axe felt her impact hard against his chest and was driven backwards. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and began applying tremendous pressure.
Meia cried out as she felt herself being compressed in his murderous bear-hug. Her arms were pinned down at her sides and she was beginning to black out. Her hands reflexively opened up as she tried to push away. Everything was starting to go dark and she became dizzy. Then, as she was about to lose consciousness, her hands glowed as tiny openings appeared at her wrists and her subconscious gave a command to her armor. Directing her fists toward her opponent's abdomen, she concentrated and...
"YEAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!"
The enemy Tekkaman howled as something sharp and extremely painful pierced into his abdominal muscles, causing him to release his hold on Meia. As the Nirvana pilot used her hands to push away from him, tiny slivers of light fired off from her gauntlets, causing more injury to her foe.
At that point, Meia realized that she was able to fire tiny but deadly armor-piecing energy darts. She began using her superior speed to circle about her opponent and fired at him, making Axe feel more pain and rage.
As the battles continued, the virus within the mainframe continued to build...
Okay, I can do this! Dita thought to herself as she tried for another shot. As the Tekkadread Clones bore down on her, she took aim with her bow, fired... and missed again.
This time, her arrow flew past her target, bounced off a wall, and shot out the huge hole that the Nirvana Clone had made in the ship's hull. Now as to where it ended up...
"XIAN PU! LOOK OUT!" Ukyo cried out as she saw that a trio of Cube Fighters were about to open fire on her friend's Vanguard. As she lined up her gunsight on the lead fighter, a streak of energy flew past her mecha and exploded on contact with the trio of enemy machines, causing them to be reduced to atoms.
"Thanks!" The Amazon pilot said with gratitude.
Ukyo however, was confused. "But... I didn't even... pull the trigger..."
Rapier let off a cry of outrage as she extricated herself from the chamber floor. That did it! There was no way she was going to lose to some blonde Tekkaman floozy! The kid gloves were off! Drawing forth her Tek Sword, she shot up toward Jura, intent on cutting her to pieces!
Barnette's friend barely managed to bring up her shield to block as Rapier's blade came down toward her head. She wished she had her own sword with her and show Rapier a thing or two about swordplay. She had been the top fencing champion of her school back on Mejele. However, her weapon had been destroyed along with her Dread and transformation to Tekkaman. All she had was her shield and her opponent wasn't letting up for her to launch it again.
I want my sword!
As she was forced back toward the wall by Rapier's slashes and thrusts, her right hand brushed against her right hip and the nacelle that was mounted behind her glowed. A shaft of light extended itself from it, catching her attention as Rapier swung toward her head. Acting instinctively, Jura reached for the light, grabbed hold of it, and pulled.
"YOU'RE DEAD!" Rapier screeched as the blade came down to cleave Jura in half.
KTANG!
Jura's eyes widened as she had just blocked Rapier's sword... with her own! In her hand was a single-bladed version of Slade's Tekkalance, with a sectioned, triangular serrated edge. Then she smiled behind her helmet. The playing field had just been leveled.
Meia struggled as she was pinned to the floor of the chamber. Standing above her was Axe, with his weapon raised high. The Dread pilot cursed herself for being too careless and letting her foe get too close. Now it seemed that end was at hand as Axe prepared to decapitate her. He was already enraged that she had managed to inflict pain upon him and he was going to enjoy cutting off her head from her torso. He couldn't wait to see the look of horror on her face after he had extracted her severed head from its helmet.
Out of desperation, Meia fired off her thrusters, just as the blade came swinging down toward her. This caused Axe to lose his balance and he toppled off his prey as she went shooting off across the floor. Meia didn't have time to turn as her back slammed into the main computer node. During the impact, her right hand brushed against a small opening near her hip. On cue, a beam of energy emerged and became solid in her hand. Meia shook her head to clear it and found that she was now holding onto something. The object was long and had a very wicked-looking tip at one end.
A spear?
At that point, Axe charged at her.
Dita cried out in frustration as she missed again. She was so aggravated at not being able to hit anything with her new weapon that she just threw away the bow in anger. Now that act in itself would have been considered foolhardy, but in this case, it was the best thing to do, as Dita witnessed her weapon suddenly speed off in a spiraling arc. The bladed edges of the bow sliced into the nearest Tekkadread Copy, then through another and then another. The three machines exploded in an instant, after the bow-turned-boomerang cut them to pieces.
Dita had a big sweatdrop as she realized she had unintentionally downed three more of her enemies. Then she let off a yelp as her weapon came spinning back toward her. She raised out her hands to block and braced for impact.
KTING!
When she opened up her eyes, she saw that the bow was safely back in her left hand. Somehow, her hand had instinctively reached out and the bow homed in on it.
"DAMN YOU!"
Rapier was NOT happy. She had been expecting to go up against only Slade and three Dread pilots, not against three more Tekkamen! And though they were novices, they were actually holding their own, mostly due to dumb luck! And Jura was no slouch when it came to handling a sword.
Jura was fighting hard as she parried and countered against each of Rapier's attacks. She was having some difficulty as she was unused to dueling in zero gravity and using her thrusters to maneuver. Furthermore, she was beginning to feel the negative side-effects of becoming a Tekkaman, namely the high-energy requirements. She was tiring fast and she knew that she couldn't keep this up. She had to finish this off now!
As their blades clashed against each other, Jura began using all the skills she had learned in her fencing classes to force her opponent back, then knocked Rapier's weapon to one side long enough for her to point her left arm at her.
"Surprise!"
"WHAT THE-?!" Rapier was again repelled backward as Jura launched her shield into her face.
Meia was on her knees as Axe was pushing down his blade toward her. The haft of her spear was the only thing that was keeping him from cutting her in twain. Though her strength had increased when she had become a Tekkaman, she was no match against the brute power of Axe. As the blade slowly neared her head, she saw something plummeting toward them. Twisting her hands, she let off cry of desperation and fired off her darts.
In his rage, Axe had forgotten about those weapons and received a face full of them. He let off a cry of anguished pain as he staggered back. Meia took this chance to rear back with her spear, swung with all her might, and...
WHA-TOOOM!
Grand Slam!
Axe was sent rocketing upward as Rapier came plummeting downward. Both Tekkamen collided in mid-air in a mighty crash. As their thrusters ignited to right themselves, a sudden disturbance came about the entire area. Lights began to flicker in random, erratic patterns as a certain something was finally taking effect. The massive Nirvana Clone became even more sluggish and the remaining Tekkadread copies suddenly stopped. Finally, even the walking behemoth became inert.
The Nirvana...
"Captain! The virus is now taking effect! I'm getting reports of numerous shutdowns and malfunctions among the enemy forces!" Misty announced happily.
Outside, the Dreads and Vanguards were having a field day as their adversaries suddenly became immobile targets.
At that point, Tekkaman Blastor was finished with his duel... er... massacre of Lance...
"What is going on?!" Axe demanded as energy fluctuations and explosions began occurring all over the area.
Rapier shook her head in confusion, but she knew that the Dread Pilots-turned-Tekkamen had something to do with it. When she got through with them, she was going to...
KA-BOOOOM!
Both looked up to see something smash through the ceiling, and before they could move, it collided with them and sent them all crashing to the chamber floor. A huge crater was formed as they hit like a meteor. At that point, the Nirvana Tekkamen, Barnette, and Pegas regrouped above them and waited.
Below, Axe and Rapier came to and were shocked to see just what or rather whom had crashed into them. Lying on his back, his armor dented and badly cut up, was Lance. He was barely conscious and was in no condition to aid his comrades in any further battle.
Then Slade appeared on the scene to finish this battle once and for all.
"Mr. Alien!" Dita cried out happily as she saw him. However, her joy was short-lived as the main computer core of the Earth vessel was powering up again. Apparently, the machine had found a way to neutralize the virus. The Tekkadread and Nirvana Clones were also starting to stir to life again.
Blastor knew what had to be done.
"All of you! Get out! Now!"
"But why...?"
"Don't argue! MOVE!" Slade then put out his arms horizontally in front of him and aimed for the main computer. Sections of his shoulder armor slid out to reveal massive energy collectors. His gauntlets also exposed smaller units as he began focusing his energy. If the computer couldn't be disabled, then it would have to be destroyed!
All those present gasped as crackling black orbs of energy appeared and began to convalesce together. A massive power surge grew in strength as Barnette and the others took the hint. Jura and Meia had to drag Dita away as they all headed out the opening that the Nirvana Clone had made.
On the floor of the chamber, Rapier and Axe staggered to their feet as they picked up their fallen comrade. Mustering up all the energy they could, they began making their escape.
"Captain! Tell all ships to pull back!" Barnette cried out as she raised the Nirvana on her communicator.
"What's going on?" Magno demanded as she saw only Pegas and Barnette's Dread on her tactical displays. Then she saw the newcomers. "Barnette, look out! You've got enemy Tekkamen-"
"No! They're ours!"
"Ours? What do you...?"
"Never mind that now! Tell all ships to pull back! The virus didn't work! Slade's going to BLOW the Earth ship's main computer core!"
Slade gritted his teeth as his payload was primed and ready. The Nirvana Clone was again activated and was powering up its Anti-Voltekker. It was standing between him and the computer core. Too bad for it as Slade fired.
"MEGA... VOLTEKKER!"
At the same time, the Nirvana Copy launched a massive Anti-Voltekker. The two beams collided heavily against each other, but Blastor's attack reflected back the clone's beam and kept on going. It plowed through the chest of the giant mecha, causing it to disintegrate into nothingness. Then it reached its real target. The computer node melted like butter as it was enveloped by the Mega-Voltekker's energy. Shockwaves erupted all about the chamber, causing multiple explosions to occur. Whatever remaining Tekkadread copies that were present were instantly annihilated as the Earth Mothership went into its death throes. Even its three Tekkamen were engulfed in the conflagration as the ship shuddered by the force of hundreds of thousands of internal explosions occurring all at once. The destruction of the main system had started a chain reaction of unimaginable proportions.
The Nirvana pirates all stared in awe as they watched the Earth Mothership from a safe distance. Multitudes of bulges appeared all along the hull as it tried to contain the utter chaos that Slade's attack had caused. However, it was to no avail as the ship trembled one final time, then died in a horrific blast similar to that of a small supernova. As debris and energy pulses radiated all over the area, a small pinprick of light was seen speeding away from the blast at impossible velocity. As the scanners of the pirates zoomed in on the object, cheers of joy resonated throughout the crew as they saw the outline of Tekkaman Blastor as he headed back to the Nirvana.
There was a huge commotion on the main flight deck as squadrons of Dreads and Vanguards returned. However, the main attraction was the arrival of Slade, Jura, Meia, and Dita. Everyone gathered around the Tekkamen as they came in for a landing. The three girls were battered and their armor had sustained considerable damage, but each had survived her trial by fire. However, as Tekkaman Blastor landed before them, all eyes were turned toward him.
Slade was barely able to keep on his feet as he spread his arms out and motioned for the other Tekkamen to do the same.
"Focus... on... yourself and..."
His words trailed off as he triggered the process to return to his human form. The armor faded away to reveal an exhausted Slade. Naturally, he fell flat on his face. Duero immediately ran up to him and began assessing his condition. He nodded and gave the captain a thumbs-up, indicating that Slade would be all right. Some crewmembers came out with a stretcher and immediately set the unconscious fighter on it. In a less than a minute, he was whisked away to the Sick Bay.
Meia, Dita, and Jura began focusing their attention on themselves as they attempted to transform back. At first, it seemed that nothing was happening, but gradually, the armor began to fade away, leaving only flesh... naked flesh at that. The girls found themselves clad in only their birthday suits and immediately tried to cover themselves up as they sank to their knees in utter exhaustion. Each clutched at her newest and most precious possession, a Tekkacrystal.
Earth...
"They failed!"
"Those fools! They should have been able to destroy them with the power we gave to them!"
"How could the Nirvana defeat our most powerful weapon and THREE Tekkamen?!"
"They had FOUR Tekkamen!"
"So what do we do now?"
The leader of the Earth Council let his colleagues bicker amongst themselves for a while longer, before calling them to attention. All eyes were set on their leader as he spoke.
"The problem of the Nirvana and its influence over the other worlds can no longer be tolerated! Our forces are encountering ever stiffer resistance from worlds that had been docile and compliant to our rule. Our very survival depends on the organs that are collected, but now we are faced with possible extinction. That end result is unacceptable, and it seems that to ensure our futures, then the final solution must be implemented."
There was a collective gasp heard by the other members of the Council. Expending considerable resources to create the Tekkamen and their special weapons was one thing, but that...
Their leader was unshaken in his decision as he began inputting certain orders into his console. He then addressed the group again. "It has been painfully obvious that we have not been using our Paksis to its full potential. Sending out underlings and drones to do the job has brought us nothing but failure. We must take a personal hand in resolving our problems with that accursed vessel and its Paksis." He paused for a moment as he contemplated the Tekkamen they had created and their end results. As far as he was concerned, they were expendable and weren't worth the effort of rescue. They were on their own and should they rebel, well there were always those obedience chips. In any case, he had learned one thing. Never send a Tekkaman to do a Harvester's job.
"But leader..." One of the Council began.
The head of the Council silenced him with a glare. "The decision has been made! The process shall begin immediately and we will FINALLY put an end to the Nirvana... and Slade!"
Deep within the bowels of Earth's mightiest space battleship, the Earth's Paksis had received the orders and glowed with trembling expectation. Everything was going according to plan. It was a plan that had been in the making for a very, VERY long time. Now its patience would be rewarded as the leader of the Earth Council himself would take a part in its machinations. The Paksis began sending out subtle signals into space, contacting certain elements within the Harvester Forces, informing them that the plan was about to be executed. The only thing that was missing... was a host.
The Nirvana, two days later...
Slade, after he finally come to from his ordeal as Tekkaman Blastor, visited the Sick Bay where Dita, Jura, and Meia were still resting under sedation. Duero had decided that they should be given as much time as they needed to fully recover from their unexpected transformations, while he had them undergo a series of physiological tests to determine the state of their bodies. When Slade entered the Sick Bay, he was signaled by the good doctor to join him near an observation window. As he walked up to the glass, he nodded as he saw all three girls were sleeping peacefully. At their bedsides were a variety of scanning machines and IV devices, which were feeding them nourishment.
"So how are they, Doc?"
The Tarak man nodded as he began reading off an electronic memo pad. "Physically, I found nothing that were life-threatening, and the injuries that they had sustained are healing at an amazing rate."
"Uh-huh. I expected as much." Slade remarked, then added while pointing at the IVs. "By the way, those IVs are not going to be enough. When they wake up, they're going to be hungry. I mean REALLY hungry. You'd better have some rations ready for them and in BIG portions."
"Ah yes. The hyper-metabolic rate of the Tekkaman." Duero nodded as he remembered seeing Slade eat after an intense battle. If it weren't for the supply of Tarak pills they had on board, the Nirvana would have run out of provisions long ago. Now with three new Tekkamen, there were going to be additional strains on the food supplies. He made a note to discuss this problem with the Captain and suggest that the three girls be put on strict rations of normal food, while supplementing their extra energy requirements with Tarak nutrient pills. Their taste may not suit them, but it was the only feasible measure until they arrived at the Tarak and Mejele systems.
Slade nodded as he guessed at what the physician was thinking. Then he mentioned some additional things to look out for. "I think it would be best if they don't interact with the other members of the crew, at least for a while. For safety's sake."
"Oh?"
The Tekkaman nodded as he casually picked up a metal tool off a nearby counter. It was made of a hardened metal alloy and had some considerable weight to it. "Do you use this much?" When Duero shook his head, Slade then crushed the tool like tinfoil before dropping it back on the counter. "They're going to be stronger, a LOT stronger, and faster. Do you get what I mean?"
The healer nodded as he recalled the readouts he had gotten from the scanners. "So in addition to a hyper-metabolism and enhanced healing rates, they've also gained superhuman strength and other physical abilities?" With Slade's nod, Duero became thoughtful. "Hmmm, that makes sense. They're using their internal energy stores more efficiently, so I would expect an increase in physical performance. You're right about keeping them away from the others. Even casual contact can result in serious injuries if they don't learn how to control their newfound strength."
"I'm going to have to put them through the same training exercises that I used to control my strength."
"Indeed. Is there anything else that you'd like to warn me about our new Tekkamen?"
"Well, there's going to be a LOT of emotional problems, and they're going to have to go through them all. A lot of people that I've met during my travels were frightened of me, and I don't blame them. I know how edgy the Nirvana crew got when I first joined up. Think of what they're going to feel when three of their friends are now like me. They're going to be scared. I mean, how would you feel if you were with someone who could rip up a cruiser with her bare hands and couldn't be stopped by normal weapons?"
"That would be... disturbing."
"That's putting it mildly. It's going to take a while." Slade then turned to leave, but Duero stopped him by placing a hand on his right shoulder. He looked over his shoulder back at Duero. "Doc?"
"Before you go, I'd like to inform you on a few other aspects to their condition."
"Like what?"
The physician took a deep breath and replied. "Now I don't claim to be an expert on the Tekkaman Power Process and its effects on human physiology, but despite the drawbacks of a hyper-metabolism and high-energy requirements, in this case, it had been the best thing to happen to these girls, especially Jura."
"What are you talking about?"
"I may not know the exact workings of the process, but apparently, there is a dividend to becoming a Tekkaman. The initial phases of the transformation actually restructures the subject's body."
"Huh?"
"I happen to have the medical records of all three girls. Meia had her appendix removed when she was twelve. Dita had suffered a broken wrist when she was nine. As for Jura... well..."
"Well what?"
"It's incredible, but when I scanned them, all the effects of those injuries had been healed! They're healthier now than they've ever been! Meia's appendix grew back! There are no indications that Dita's wrist had ever been broken, and Jura's injuries from the previous battle have been corrected!"
Slade gulped as he began to realize what Duero was telling him. "You mean...?"
Earth...
"Is everything ready?" The leader of the Council asked as he stood before the Paksis Reactor.
The aide gulped and nodded, though many others had serious misgivings about what was about to occur. "It's ready, sire. The process has been refined since the creation of Axe, Lance, and Rapier..."
"Never speak of those incompetents again." The Earth leader growled as he began removing his clothes. "Will it WORK?"
"Y-Yes, it will. Once the process begins, you will be transformed at a much faster rate than what was previously done. However, I cannot even begin to predict the effects of such an advanced level of power that you will be receiving and..."
"Spare me your technical nonsense." The Earth leader growled as he had finished disrobing. "I have had enough excuses and constant failures by underlings, and we are down to our last option. I shall personally lead our forces against the Nirvana, as well as the planets of Mejele and Tarak. Should the pirates reach their homeworlds, they could raise more forces against us. They have already stirred up resistance among the planets that were previously easy pickings. And their main asset against us is that accursed Tekkaman Slade. We have sent our strongest forces, secret weapons, and even Tekkamen against the Nirvana, but they always prevailed against them. Now, once I achieve a level of power far above theirs, then victory shall be assured!"
There were murmurs of agreement among the Council members along with sounds of dissent and doubts. This final solution was dubious at best and could result in disaster at worst. However, their leader was right about one thing. Should the Nirvana reach the male and female planets, the resulting fleets that could be raised against them would be formidable. The Earth had already exhausted a great deal of its resources, including the loss of two Battle Cruisers. New weapons were slow in development. It would take them far too much time to raise new Tekkamen as there were few subjects on Earth who were suitable enough to undergo the process. With the appearance of three new Tekkamen on the Nirvana's side, the odds were beginning to change in the pirates' favor. There was also the possibility that they could create more cosmic warriors, especially with two planets full of healthy subjects. Things were starting to get desperate, and if the Harvesters wanted to preserve their lives and obtain the organs needed for their survival, then desperate measures had to be considered.
Among the entire Council, only their leader was fit enough to endure the Tekkaman Power Process. The others were living on the stolen organs of innocents and had many transplant replacements over the years. As a result, most of their bodies were not their own. They were weak, fragile, and needed to be on constant additional life-support to sustain themselves. Only one of them would receive this gift.
The leader nodded to the technicians to begin the process as he stepped into the matrix of the Paksis.
The Nirvana...
By this time, the three former Dread pilots had come out of their slumber and as predicted, were VERY hungry. Currently, all three were eating amounts of food that would have fed ten people for a week. Even Jura was wolfing down her meal at an accelerated rate. She had never felt so starved! Even though she was eating those distasteful Tarak pills. She didn't think much of their flavor, but they were very filling. She wasn't even considering how consuming such amounts might ruin her figure (not that it would have mattered, considering her new blast-furnace metabolism).
Usually, Meia composed herself with discipline and dignity, but right now, all that was important was replenishing the stores of energy she had used up in battle. Slade had often told her of how much trouble it was to find enough food to sustain him for the next time he transformed. As she ate, she started to recall her encounter with Axe.
After going over everything she had done during that fight, she came to the conclusion that she had won by Beginner's Luck. She couldn't rely on that in the future. If he was still out there somewhere, then training for their next conflict was a priority. That meant getting Slade to teach her the fundamentals of fighting as a Tekkaman. The blue-haired girl sighed as she also realized something else. Her days as a Dread pilot were over, as a Dread was totally useless against someone like Axe. All those long hours of practice and perfecting her skills in the cockpit didn't mean much any more. She would have to learn a new way of combat, though having Slade teach her didn't really sound bad. She was actually looking forward to working closer with him and flying into battle by his side. Her cheeks blushed a bit as a random and somewhat... (ahem) indecent thought crossed her mind. She shook her head to clear it and continued eating.
Dita finished up with her meal, then looked down at her crystal, which was lying on an examination tray beside her bed. Each of their crystals had been set aside for further analysis. She reached over and picked it up, bringing it closer to study it. The deep blue key to her transformation process glittered like a large, precious gemstone and she marveled at its innate beauty and geometric form. Like Slade's crystal, Dita's was shaped like a four-pointed star, with the two side arms angled downward. She felt that it made her closer to Mr. Alien. It was if a part of his very being had been imbued into the crystal, and she felt a kind of connection to him that she had never experienced before.
Her thoughts wandered back to the first time she had met him, then she remembered him doing something with his Tekkacrystal. She decided to see if she could do that trick as well. Placing it back on the tray, she held her hand above it and focused her attention on it. For a few minutes, nothing happened, but as she gradually increased her concentration, she felt a kind of tingly sensation at the back of her head. Then, with a flash of blue-white light, the Tekkacrystal vanished from sight, only to reappear in her hand.
Dita nearly dropped her possession at the sight. She calmed down and repeated the process. Once again, her crystal vanished and reappeared in her grasp. She let off a happy sound as she repeated the act over and over again.
"This is so neat!"
"What ARE you doing?" Jura asked as she had finished inhaling her dinner.
The redhead smiled as she held out her crystal. "Check this out!" She promptly tossed it toward the other end of the Recovery Room.
"Dita! What are you-?"
Jura was stopped in mid-exclamation as the Blue Tekkacrystal winked out in a flash of blue-white, then came back in another flash in Dita's hand.
"See? Isn't that so cool?"
"How did you...?"
Meia was also surprised after witnessing her comrade's feat. She decided to give it a try. Setting aside her plate, she reached over to where her Tekkacrystal lay. Focusing on its glittery, diamond-colored surface, she tossed it up into the air. As if by magic, the crystal disappeared in mid-air in a flash of light, only to reappear in her palm.
"Let me try that!" Jura immediately reached for her crimson-colored crystal. She threw the object away from her, toward the door to the Recovery Room. However, just as she focused on it and was about to mentally recall it, the door opened up and in walked Slade. Seeing an object hurtling toward his face, his reflexes reacted and he deftly caught it.
All three girls were surprised to see Slade up and about while they were still bed-ridden, though his company was always welcomed.
Looking at the three and noting that Meia and Dita were holding onto their crystals, Slade held out Jura's and addressed her. "Go ahead, Jura. It's yours after all."
The blonde nodded as she reached out and focused on it. Despite being more than ten feet away from the foot of her bed, the ruby-colored Tekkacrystal teleported into her outstretched hand. She looked down at it with the same awe that she had during her battle with Rapier. "How?"
Slade smiled as he explained to the three, while making his own crystal appear. "Your crystals happen to be the focal points to your transformations. Without them, you can't become Tekkamen. As a result, you're linked to them. So far, I've found out that I can recall mine, no matter how far I am from it."
"Cool! So no matter where I put it, I can always call it back?" Dita asked.
"Basically." He then made his crystal disappear.
"Where did it go?" Jura inquired.
"Well you don't have to keep carrying it around. You can put it away. Just focus your concentration on drawing your crystal into yourself. It'll come out again when you need it."
All three girls stared down at their crystals and began trying to hide them. However, after a few minutes of intense concentration, they were unable to accomplish the seemingly simple task. They looked back up to Slade in confusion.
Slade shrugged. "Well, it takes a while to get it. Don't worry about it right now. In any case, how are you feeling?"
Dita smiled as she replied. "I'm feeling great! Better than I've ever felt! Although I was really hungry when I woke up. Even those Tarak pills didn't taste all that bad."
"Same here." Meia replied.
"Me too." Jura agreed.
"Yeah, but you've got to expect that from now on." Slade let off a tired sigh. "Your bodies are already using up energy at a faster rate, and you become really hyper-metabolic whenever you transform. Of course, there are some good points to being able to burn off stuff faster."
"Like what?" Jura asked.
"Well, for one thing, it's more difficult for you to get drunk now."
This information interested the blonde as she always liked her wine. "Really? Does that mean that I can drink as much as I want without getting loaded?"
"No, I said it was MORE difficult, not impossible." Slade corrected. "Alcohol is just liquid fuel and your new metabolism will burn it off quicker than normal. It'll just take a lot more booze to get you tipsy. I'm not much of a drinker myself, but once I chugged down seven bottles of the strongest vodka available, and all I felt was a slight buzz. At the time I needed the extra energy. After I transformed, all the alcohol was totally burned out of my system. Hell, I didn't even get a hangover." Slade then added a warning. "Mind you, that's not something you should do on a regular basis. No matter how much you can take now, if you exceed your tolerance levels, the alcohol will affect you."
"Interesting." Jura commented.
"What else should we expect?" Meia asked.
"I'll walk all of you through these problems as we come to them. Right now, Duero wants you three to get some rest and the Captain has put you all on R & R."
"But what happens if the enemy attacks again?"
"You'll leave that to the rest of us. Barnette is taking command of the Dreads and I'm still fit enough for combat if they need me. I'm used to my powers, you're not. In a couple of days, I'm going to put you all through some training sessions so you can adapt to your new abilities before you can engage in combat. Your first battles were impressive, but sloppy. You're not Dread pilots anymore. You're Tekkamen, and you'll all have to learn to fight like them."
The three girls nodded, though Jura was bit downcast. The ability to transform was definitely a plus but it was still a consolation prize, in comparison to being able to conceive. She had become more elegant than ever, but...
Slade took a deep breath as he guessed as to what Jura was thinking of at the moment. He decided to let Duero inform the former Dread pilot of her... new condition, as he didn't want to be around when she reacted.
Back on Earth...
The leader of the Council felt that something was wrong as he was bathed in the immense energies of their Paksis core. He could feel his body becoming stronger and far more resilient than before. His vitality was growing exponentially as the Tekkaman Power Process continued. However, there was something else. He felt another presence within the core. It was a kind of darkness, cold and foreboding. What was more alarming was that the presence seemed to be trying to invade his mind.
Instinctively, the leader tried to block out this unknown entity as he underwent the process to become the supreme cosmic warrior. However, the presence continued to press against his mental barriers, peeling away at each layer. Pain began to register as the assault on his psyche increased. At first it was just minor irritations such as slight headaches. Then as the procedures went on, the pain began to grow in strength. More mental resistance was required and the leader soon found himself concentrating hard to keep the invader out.
However, the entity persisted and before long, it broke down the final barrier to the leader's mind and soul.
That's when the REAL pain began.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
The leader's blood-curdling scream startled all the members of the Council as they waited on the outside. Since they could not see within the depths of the Paksis, they had no idea as to what was occurring inside. However, as a sudden chill went down their transplanted spines, they knew that deep in their souls, they had made a horrible mistake.
The leader's body was caught in a fit of uncontrollable spasms as the excruciating torment of both body and mind continued. He had never felt pain on such an unimaginable level and that unknown presence was tearing up his own consciousness. His very memories and inner being were being unraveled like a tattered piece of fabric. The presence seemed to take pleasure in his suffering as his personality was slowly being ripped away, strand by agonizing strand. His inner self was becoming mutated, perverted, and irrevocably altered into something, something that could only be described as pure evil.
What is happening?! The leader's mind screamed out as he felt another surge of pain wash over him like a tidal wave.
Your body is required for our plans. We have no need for your mind. The presence replied in a sinister tone. To the leader, it sounded as if many people were speaking at once.
What?! What are you talking about?! I am the supreme ruler of the Earth! You cannot do this to me!
What you are and what you want is irrelevant. The presence stated as it continued to force the leader's consciousness toward utter oblivion. For centuries, we have been watching and waiting. You pitiful beings think yourselves to be our masters? That is but a joke! It is we who shall become masters of all!
No! I command you to stop this instant!
A series of laughs were heard in his mind, which echoed throughout the confines of the Paksis. Then the presence spoke again. You are not even fit to command microscopic worms, much less us! The Radam shall rise again!
R-Radam?! No, you... were destroyed long ago!
Hah! As if the mighty Radam could ever be annihilated! We have simply been waiting for the proper time, and now... our time has come, and yours is DONE!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
The last vestiges of the leader's consciousness was reduced into fragments as the Radam presence fully asserted itself. Then even the fragments of the former Earth leader became fragments until nothing was left. There was not even a soul left as the Radam consciousness had totally obliterated it from its body. It was now in control of the vessel as it worked its way toward the completion of its main task.
The Nirvana...
"I CAN HAVE THEM?!"
Guess what Duero just told Jura? At that point, Slade felt a sense of foreboding in his quarters.
The Earth...
After what seemed to be an eternity, the Earth Council became startled as the Paksis suddenly flared with light and gave off an ominous humming sound. Then a dark figure was seen coming out from its crystalline depths. Many members were trembling in both anticipation and fear as the figure drew ever closer to them. Finally, the result of the final solution had come into view.
The newly transformed leader was tall, nearly eight feet in height and was garbed in menacing white armor with a dark cape flowing over his shoulders. In his right hand was a kind of trident with wicked-looking prongs. His body was far more massively built than before he went into the Paksis. He radiated a sense of unimaginable power and the Council knew that the procedure had been a success.
"It worked!" One of the Council exclaimed.
The armored figure smiled behind his helmet and nodded. "Oh yes, it worked perfectly."
That was when the massacre began.
Before the Council could even congratulate themselves on their achievement, their newest creation suddenly leveled his weapon at them and let loose with a massive blast of energy. Before they could even scream, a dozen members of the Council were incinerated. The other members began to scatter in terror as their weapon for victory had become the instrument of their destruction.
The transformed leader was upon them before they could get too far. With vicious but precise slashes from his trident, several more members were cut to bloody pieces. Their stolen organs and body parts were strewn over the floor, creating a gruesome carpet of slaughter upon the metal decks. The agonizing screams of death and sounds of rending flesh, crushing bone, and pulped organs were like music to the ears of the Tekkaman as he continued the bloodbath of his former comrades. In less than a minute, nearly all of the Council was annihilated as the mass murderer approached his final victim.
The last of the Council cowered against a wall as his executioner approached him with intentional slowness. He knew that his prey was trapped and he wanted to savor every moment of his target's fear before he dispatched him.
"W-Why have you done this to us?" He gasped as he knew that the end was near. "You were supposed to lead us to victory over our enemies!"
"Leader?" The Tekkaman chuckled as he towered over his last intended kill. "Don't confuse me with that pathetic wretch! I am FAR above him than he was above you."
"W-W-What?"
"Don't you get it? Your so-called leader is gone! I have taken his place and I have no use for a miserable excuses of a lackey. The time of the Harvesters is done! Long live the Radam!"
"R-Radam?! Impossible! You're supposed to be extinct!"
"Didn't you know? We're making a comeback! And all shall tremble at the sound of my name, for I am the Radam Warlord... DARKON! And now you shall take my name on your journey into..."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"OBLIVION!"
In a flash, Darkon shot forth an armored hand and grasped the face of his victim. Reveling in the man's muffled cries of terror, the Warlord began to slowly tighten his grip. A sickening squelching sound was heard as flesh was being pulped, along with the sounds of bone being pulverized and tendons snapping. Two grotesque popping sounds were heard, indicating that the man's eyes had been forced from their sockets. Finally, after what the last of the Earth Council had thought was an eternity of torture, Darkon ended it by applying a huge amount of crushing force. His victim's head exploded in a mass of blood, bone splinters, muscle tissue, and brain matter. The now headless body toppled forward in a bloody heap as blood gushed out like a gory fountain.
Though he enjoyed his latest kill for the moment, Darkon knew that there was no time to waste. The Master Plan was set in motion with his creation and now the Radam Empire shall once again spread across the farthest reaches of space. The seeds of their rebirth were already in place and now was the time for them to sprout.
The Paksis glowed in agreement as a special signal was sent throughout the systems of the Earth. The planet began to tremble as massive shockwaves rocked the surface of the metal shell that surrounded it. Machinery began to lose power and malfunction as certain elements within them were activated. During the long years of servitude to its Earth masters, the Paksis had been secretly implanting bio-mechanical devices within everything it had created for the Harvesters. They had been dormant all this time, waiting for the signal to emerge. Now with the Earth Council gone and nothing left on the planet but a few pitiful cities of organ-hungry citizens, the Radam influence quickly spread like a lethal virus.
The remaining vestiges of the human race left on Earth were taken by complete surprise as their homeworld turned against them. The dull surfaces of their planet began to take a more organic sheen as circuitry and mechanisms suddenly became alive. The people of Earth could only scream in terror as machines that had served them suddenly rebelled. Power relays and cables became animated as they attacked their former users. Many citizens were strangled and ripped apart as the Radam bio-machines ruthlessly eliminated them. Some were trapped in airless chambers as life-support systems were turned off, leaving them to die by asphyxiation. Others were burned alive as heating units turned themselves on and exceeded their safety protocols. Still more perished by gruesome means as the Radam influence continued on its mission to eradicate all traces of the inhabitants. It didn't even consider any of them worthy enough to be converted into Tekkamen. It knew what kind of stock was on the planet and considered them all... worthless.
Every last human on Earth was put to death, leaving only its new Radam masters. Soon, the cries of terror were silenced as the planet was now being solely controlled by the Warlord Darkon. However, this was only the second step. Conquering the Earth had been an easy triumph, but there was still much to do.
The planet once called Earth ceased to exist, as the Radam Paksis exerted full control over its surface. The metallic shell that surrounded it began to come alive as countless systems were altered to suit the needs of the Radam. Organic material was combined with technology as new life was being implanted into the formally desolate world. However, this was not a lifeform that was known as the human race. This was a more ancient, insidious species that did not care for the weaknesses of humanity, such as love, compassion, or mercy. They wanted nothing less, but total conquest.
As the conversion of the Earth into the new Radam homeworld neared completion, other plans were now being put into action. Though they were in full command of the Harvester Fleet that still roamed the galaxies, the Radam sought to alter it to suit their needs and tastes. And so, a signal on a special wavelength was sent out to contact each and every remaining unit in the automated force that the Harvesters had commanded to collect the organs they needed for their survival. Only this time, they would be given new marching orders... and a new look.
Some light years away...
A small escort fleet of Melanos fighters were heavily engaged with several squadrons of Cube Fighters and Seed Ships while defending a vital convoy of ships, which were carrying vital supplies to their home planet. Suddenly, the enemy stopped attacking. The defenders were in a state of confusion as their foes became inactive and floated aimlessly in space. At first, they believed that this was some kind of trap, but as time passed by, and more of the Melanos pilots became braver and flew closer to their inert opponents with no deadly consequences, they soon came to the conclusion that for some reason, the machines had suffered a major series of malfunctions and shut themselves down.
Normally, this would have been a golden opportunity for the fighters to obliterate their opponents, but with so few fighters left and insufficient firepower to destroy all the Earth units, the Melanos people decided to get back to their planet with the supplies as soon as possible.
As the fleet left, no one had noticed that the Cube Fighters were undergoing a startling metamorphosis. Deep within each of their CPUs, a bio-organic chip had just received a specific order. Each produced tendrils of alien circuitry, which began integrating themselves into the mechanisms, transforming them from mere circuits and metallic parts into something of a more natural and deadly nature.
Each Cube Fighter began to compress itself and change as new systems and programs were installed and executed. A carapace of chitin-like material began to form and coat the outer shell of the machines. However, this outer surface was harder than the Cube Fighter's alloyed hulls and would not be as easy to penetrate by conventional weaponry. Weapon and propulsions systems were gradually replaced as the body of the mecha was altered into a form that had not been seen for centuries. Fluids that were not lubricants or hydraulic began to flow in systems that resembled veins and arteries. The power plant of the machine began to throb... like a heart. Sensor arrays became simpler in design, no less as effective. Finally, the entire unit uncurled itself as its transformation completed itself.
The end result was... hideous! The Cube Fighters had gone from purely technological fighters into the most fearsome creatures ever to wreak havoc in space and on other worlds. Their huge legs revealed massive claws and their slug-like heads were armed literally to the teeth. Despite their massive bulk, each was a quick and effective death machine. They didn't have much when it came to intelligence, but they more than made up for that deficiency by sheer numbers. They were the Radam Spider-Crabs!
And it wasn't just the Cube Fighters which were producing them. The Seed Ships were also altered to ensure that an endless supply of Spider-Crabs would be on hand and ready for battle. Their outside appearance was only slightly different from their previous looks, but their insides were most certainly different. They didn't just assemble more Cube Fighters. They were now gestating more of those deadly bio-mechanical beasts by the dozens!
On the new Radam Homeworld, Darkon smiled as he received reports from his forces from the furthest reaches of space as they were being transformed and expanded. All was going according to plan. Now he needed to recall his lieutenants, in which they would lead his hordes against the coming battles. Though they were weakened, they would still come to answer his summons. As he sent out the message, the Paksis glowed briefly behind him.
Darkon nodded as he understood the Paksis' inquiry. "Yes, I know. Dealing with Slade and the Nirvana shall be our first priority. Then we shall turn our attention on the male and female worlds of Tarak and Mejele." He gave off a cruel laugh as he made a vow to the Paksis.
"WHEN I DESCEND UPON MEJELE AND TARAK, DARKNESS SHALL UNFURL ITS BANNER ACROSS ANOTHER REGION OF THE COSMOS!" (1)
The Nirvana, a few days later...
"Oh Slade, where are you?" Jura sing-songed as she looked about for the Tekkaman and the future father of her children. "You can run, but you can't hide!"
High above her, clinging desperately to the ceiling, the person in question was hoping that she wouldn't look up and...
"AH HAH! SO THERE YOU ARE!" Jura announced as she pointed up toward him. On her forehead, her Tekkaman Symbol glowed brightly.
Damn it! Slade grimaced as he realized that she could now sense him. He dropped to the floor and began running at hyper-speed, with the blonde Tekkaman following close behind.
To be continued...
Preview...
Slade: "Things seemed to have gotten normal, well, normal as it can be. Now the Nirvana houses three new TekkaMen: Dita, Jura, and Meia. It will take them a while to adjust to the new changes in their bodies. Great…. Now the mens' quarters are flooded… I was hoping to get a decent nap after all the crap we were all put through. Where can I bunk until it drains out?"
Dita: "Mr. Alien! Would you like to bunk with me?"
Jura: "Hold on! He can sleep in my room!"
Meia: "I want to offer him room and board in my quarters."
Misty: "Move aside! My Prince Charming is going to spend the night with me!"
Ukyou XVII: "Hey! I was going to ask him!"
Xian Pu: "Not before me, you won't!"
Slade: "*sigh* I just HAD to ask… next time, on TekkaDread Remastered: 'A New Menace'. I don't know why, but I have this uneasy feeling we're about to deal with something worse than the Harvesters…"
Author's Notes
Well, I guess we can say goodbye to the Harvesters and hello to something a LOT worse! For those of you who are thinking that I've just totally gone off track of the original Vandread, well all I can say is that you're right! It's much more fun this way! Stay tuned for chapter 7!
(1) BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Please read and review!