Disclaimer: I do not own Vandread.
The Perfect Weapon
Chapter Two: The Man With No Past
Location: Main Cargo Bay, Mejalean Pirate Base
He could hear noises, and as his hearing came into focus, the noises he'd heard were people talking. He slowly sat up and looked around. He noticed a rather large number of people, mostly women from the looks of it, although there were a few men. One thing he noticed was that they were all staring at him.
Somebody obviously noticed him, a woman, and said. "Look! He's awake!"
He had no clue where he was, nor did he know who these people were, so he asked. "Just where am I?"
This time it was an old woman that spoke. "You were drifting in space until one of our pilots found you. You are currently in the dual system of Tarak and Mejale."
"Tarak… Mejale…?" he echoed, not knowing exactly what those places were.
"If I may ask, who are you?" the old woman said.
"Who am I?" he repeated, seemingly unable to bring up anything, memories or otherwise, to identify who he was. "I don't know…"
A few seconds after he said that, a sharp pain surged through his head, and he lost consciousness as a result.
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Location: Infirmary, Nirvana
"So, how's our guest doing, Doctor?" Magno asked as she walked into the infirmary.
"After his collapse, he has yet to wake back up," Duero, the ship's doctor, replied. "His vital signs are stable, and he is surprisingly in excellent physical condition."
"But he claims to have no memory as to he is or where he's from," Magno finished.
"Parfet checked the pod, and so far she can't locate any information as to his identity," Duero stated. "There is also something rather unusual about him as well."
"And that would be?" Magno asked.
"After running preliminary scans on him, I found out that his right arm, as well as his right eye, are both artificial," Duero answered.
"You mean they're fake?" she said in disbelief.
Duero nodded in response to her comment. "They appear to be fairly advanced prosthetics. How he lost an arm and an eye I do not know, although if I had to make a guess, I'd say they were combat related."
"I see what you mean," Magno replied. "The young man's scars. He sure gave one heck of a mystery to solve."
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Location: Rear Hangar, Nirvana
The several meter tall humanoid machine slowed its gait as it neared its docking cradle. The Vanguard stopped in front of it, and faced away from the cradle. It slowly backed into the cradle, instructed by a female tech from the deck. Securely locked into its cradle, the cockpit hatch opened, allowing its pilot to exit. Once out of the cockpit, the pilot stepped onto one of the hover-lifts, allowing him to get to the deck.
Nikolai looked at his machine once he was down on the deck. The Kusanagi Model Vanguard was different from the ones that fought against the Harvesters in that final, climactic battle, and far superior to the old Tsukumo Model. It was also different from the new Murasame Model used by the pilots in his squad, and to a further extent, the entire Spec Ops Division. Unlike the Murasame, which was for standard Spec Ops pilots, his machine was geared specifically for use by a commander.
Instead of the single 'cyclops-eye' of all current and previous Vanguards, a visor was installed. The reason for this was to provide the squad commander with a better overall view. It was also fitted with better tactical equipment, such as communications and sensor systems. The armor was also improved via applying laser reflective surfaces and advanced composite materials, giving it better overall protection. Thruster output had also been increased to compensate for the heavier mass of the unit. But where it really shined was in its weapon systems.
As the Vanguards were originally intended to be rapid-response close-combat machines, they were equipped with a variety of hand-to-hand weapons. In other words, they weren't equipped with guns or missiles. Due to the need for tactical flexibility, the two new models incorporated guns into their arsenals, even though close-combat weapons were still used. Part of the reason was to help bridge the firepower gap with the Dreads, which were typically far better armed. The other part was to help deliver effective power against the Harvesters weapons.
Unlike the four other machines they brought with them, this one was equipped with several integral weapon systems. Each forearm housed a rapid-fire machinegun, and over its shoulder, was an electromagnetic rail gun. It was a relatively new weapon which used a series of electromagnetic coils lining the length of the barrel. It is capable of firing a solid slug at well over twice the muzzle velocity of any conventional shell-firing weapon. Its right arm could also be fitted with rapid-fire, multi-barrel autocannon for heavy suppressive firepower. It could use a variety of hand weapons, from rifles to swords and other melee weapons. Overall, it was a very well armed machine with good maneuverability.
"Looks impressive, doesn't it?" Nikolai asked the person who was approaching from behind him.
"It sure does," Hibiki replied.
He had first met Hibiki when he and several others were on Tarak to help search for men for the so-called 'cohabitation' experiment. With sightings of the Harvesters on the extreme edge of the system, the leaders of Tarak and Mejale were forced to modify the experiment somewhat. Instead of sending men selected by the envoys, they to send a crack Tarak military unit instead. They would still perform this experiment, but their primary assignment was military reinforcement. He believed it was also due to some political maneuvering by the Prime Minister, whom he believed wanted to include Tarak military personnel, so as not to let women take all the credit for any possible victories.
He turned to face Hibiki. "This machine is currently one of only two of its kind in existence."
"Why is that?" Hibiki asked as he looked up at the machine.
"Let's just say R & D wanted no expense spared," he replied. "They incorporated several new technologies into this bad boy. This one is the second prototype."
"So, that is why it is different from the other four," Hibiki commented.
"Yeah," he replied. "This one is specifically tailored for a commander's use. It was also intended for heavy combat, as you can see."
"Yep," Hibiki answered. "I can't wait to see how this guy performs in battle."
"I think I can arrange something," he said, a faint smile creasing his lips.
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Location: Infirmary, Nirvana
Where am I? was the thought racing through his mind when he woke up. He slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted the harsh glare of the lights in the sickbay. Squinting, he brought his right arm to shield his eyes from the blinding light. It was then he noticed something awkward. He sat up, looking at his left arm, flexing it to make sure. He then repeated the action with his right. Something didn't feel right. His right arm looked exactly like his left, moved like his left, but it didn't feel the same as his left. It didn't feel real.
"I see you've finally woken up, ribbit," the voice of a young girl said.
Startled by the voice, he snapped his head over to where it originated. His sudden reaction caused her to jump back slightly. "Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Paiway," the girl replied. "And just who are you?"
"I don't know…" he said, trailing off.
"You don't know? How come? Ribbit," the girl named Paiway asked, holding up a puppet of sort.
"I already told you, I don't know. I can't even remember my own name," he replied. "Why are you asking me these questions?"
"Just curious," she said.
"Right," he replied, then noticed someone else enter the room. He recognized her as the old woman he'd seen earlier.
"I see you're finally awake, young man," the old woman said upon noticing him sitting up.
"You're the woman from before," he replied to her comment. "What is this place? Where am I?"
"My name is Magno Vivan," the old woman said. "I am the leader of a group of pirates, and you are on our ship, the Nirvana. Even though we are pirates, you'll be safe here. We have no intention of harming you, young man."
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Location: Training Area Outside Pirate Base
"You may begin anytime you're ready," Meia said over the comm.
"Understood," Nikolai replied, reflexively tightening his grip on the controls. "Starting the test."
Several targets suddenly appeared on his sensors, and he noticed them begin to move. He centered his targeting reticule on the nearest target, calculating just how best to deal with it. He raised the machine's right arm, and squeezed the firing stud on his controls. The first target disappeared in a spray of several armor-piercing rounds from the multi-barreled autocannon. He controlled his ammo usage, firing only when he a lock on a target. I less than a minute, there were no more basic targets to speak of.
"Ready for Phase Two," he said into his comm.
"Understood," Meia replied. "Activating combat drones."
The second phase of the exercise was a live combat exercise. The objective of this phase was to destroy or disable all of the ten drones, which bore a huge resemblance to the basic cube-type robots used by the Harvesters. That was accomplished, thanks mostly in part of the pirates' capture of one of their flagships. Even though that ship was destroyed near the end of the battle with the Harvesters, they had more than enough technology to replicate them. It made for an excellent target in combat training to prepare pilots to face this threat.
Two of the drones had managed to rapidly close the distance with him, which proved to be stupid, even for machines. The two were chewed up as his autocannon spewed out another burst of high-velocity metal. While he was preoccupied with two approaching him from the front, another had managed to flank him from the left. He trained his left arm machinegun on it and tore it apart with a sustained burst. He dodged one that attempted to attack him from below by presenting his back to his target for only a split second, jetting back, allowing it to pass by. As it entered his field of vision, he blasted it apart.
With the press of a button, the rail gun slid out of its stored position on the Vanguard's back to its firing position over the shoulder. He evaded the fifth one's fire and attempted ram attack, waiting for the weapon to charge. He took aim at the drone and fired the rail gun. The only telltale sign of the weapon's discharge was a silver-blue flash. A split second later the drone literally exploded, cored through by the hypersonic slug. He dispatched the next two drones in the same manner. He intentionally let his guard down for a second, allowing a drone to slam into his machine, attempting to grapple it. The other two followed a few seconds later, effectively pinning him between them, or so they thought…
Knowing that he could break free by moving, he brought the right arm up just enough to fire the autocannon. The barrels of the weapon were pointed just above the mid-section of the front drone. The blast sheared the entire lower section of the drone off, effectively rendering it helpless. Kicking it away, he used the right arm cannon as a club, swinging at the one holding him from the side, knocking it away. He immediately ejected the cumbersome weapon from its mount.
With the Vanguard's right arm free, he drew the sword that was stored on the hip. He used the sword to stab the one that still had a hold of him. The one that he knocked away came at him again, and with the blade still lodged in the drone he'd stabbed as a shield. He rammed into the final drone, pushing it back. Using the left arm machinegun, he finished both off with two continuous blasts.
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Location: Pilot Briefing Room, Nirvana
In the briefing room, most of the pilots on the Nirvana were there, observing the exercise being performed by Lieutenant Nikolai Rayder. The four male pilots under the command of the Lieutenant were also present, watching his performance on the screen. After seeing the way he finished of the last few drones, most of the pilots, both male and female, were impressed by his obvious skill. Others observed stoically, and others felt differently.
"Impressive," Erik Schwartz said under his breath as he watched his commander finish off the final drone.
"This the first time you saw the Lieutenant fight?" Arden Krueger asked.
"Yes sir," he replied to the well-built Sergeant's question.
"Just like our commander to show off," commented Neo, somewhat disdainfully.
Arden gave Neo a stern glance, but the blue-haired man seemed not to notice. Arden didn't like the man, but his inclusion in this group was only because of his piloting skills. If it weren't for that, Nikolai would already have booted him out of the squad and replaced him with someone more competent. Ian Frost, the last in the group, remained quiet through the whole exercise. Arden swore that Ian hardly ever talked outside of combat, and even then, he kept his words to the absolute minimum.
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Leaning against the wall in the back, Rena watched the exercise with a rather cold expression on her face. From the way he fought, she could tell that he'd dispatched those drones with hardly any effort. From the time she'd met him in the base hangar, she had a strange feeling about him, one she did not like. There wasn't something right about that man. All she wanted to do was chalk it up to bad memories, but something told her it was more than that. She wasn't sure. Having seen enough of the exercise, she got up off of the wall and walked out of the room.
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Alright, let me know what you think of the rewrite.