Vandread Stage 2: Crimson Justice

by Myevltwin

The Freedom has been destroyed, taking with it, Alex. Though his death was morned by all, the Harvesters care not for his death, and time must continue to flow forward. The Justice must now take up where its twin left off.

15. Saving the best for last

I don't own Vandread.

Chapter 15 Saving the best for last

The Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice were still attached to the METORE unit and flying away from a large Harvest Flag Ship. Wing Zero, Akatsuki, two squadrons of Double Zeta mobile suits, one squadron of Zeta mobile suits, half a squadron of Murasame's, four squadrons of Dread units, and two squadrons of Vanguards were fleeing the destruction of the Harvest Flag Ship. As soon as they were away, it finished exploding into tiny pieces thanks to a tiny red mech that was piloted by the ever trigger happy Utan that breathed a big sigh of happiness.

"Jezz, biggest waist of money in the whole universe." Rabat moaned.

"Looking for some bullets? I'll sell them to you cheap." Gascgone asked.

Rabat looked at her with sad eyes. "Come on lady, you know I need them." Rabat grumbled. Gascgone smiled as sirens began screaming. The two looked as thousands of little red beams were shot in multiple directions, littering the battlefield with thousands of explosions. The red beams pounded several of its crafts. The Lunar fleet watched as one third of their fleet was destroyed. The Melanos fleet found themselves staring at the remaining fourth of their fleet. The Mejarru fleet commander stared at the remaining two thirds of their fleet. The Smuggler Union was lucky that most of their fleet was behind Gascgone's golden prize which took the most of it, but was thankful for its thick hull. The Taraaku fleet was crippled badly, losing half of their fleet. The Todoroki was lucky to have been behind the Nirvana while the Paraiso was saved by the Akatsuki's protective barriers.

"Son of a bitch." Rain whispered.

"Damn it all!" Zoey shouted as she pulled her Dragoon Packs back. "How in the hell did that thing…"

"It doesn't matter!" Alex shouted as he appeared in front of the pilots to cover them. "We have to take down the last Flag Ship! If we can take that thing out, we can win this!" He shouted.

"What's that red thing over there?!" Varoa asked.

"Pay attention Varoa! We need to head back and defend the Nirvana! Let Meia and the others deal with it!" Barnette shouted.

"Rodger!" She stammered.

"Rain, let's go." Alex ordered as he left the METEOR unit. The Infinite Justice left its own METEOR to follow, Akatsuki, Wing Zero, Strike Freedom, and DeathScythe Hell towards the last Flag Ship.

"Alex, take your team to the take out the last Flag Ship! You have to take it down!" Asaugi ordered.

"Yes ma'am!" Alex replied. "Rain, Zoey, Raider, let's hit that ship! We need to take it down!" Alex told them.

(-)

The Nirvana rocked hard from the surprise attack from the new arrival. They were lucky to have deployed their Pexis Shield just before the attack hit them, taking no damage. As the attack hit, everyone was thrown to the ground, momentarily stunned by the power.

"Hold her steady! All sections report damage control!" BC ordered.

"You want status, she's not responding… at all!" Bart cried. Red images from within his the confines of his chamber, each one screaming at him.

"No doubt about it! What ever you did, you definitely pissed off the folks from Earth in a big way." Rabat's face appeared on screen.

"You don't say." BC mussed.

(-)

The Super Vandread lowered its protective barrier as they continued to glare at the large machine before them. "Jezz, they sure got a nasty way of saying hello." Hibiki grumbled.

"I wonder why the Pexis from Earth are all red." Dita whispered.

"The Pexis is a being that changes." Pyoro's egg carton eyes appeared in front of Dita and Hibiki. "It reflects the hearts of those who touch it. Red is the color of danger; a closed heart that does not accept others."

"A closed heart…" Meia whispered.

"…that doesn't except others." Jura finished.

Hibiki growled at the things, feeling a pair of eyes on his form from inside the ship. The Super Vandread slammed their hands together to pull out its sword. "You may not want to except us, but you're going to have to whether you like it or not!" The combination charged towards the large monster while slicing several clones and Egg Carriers along the way. The enemy ship replied by sending another salvo of energy at the combination, disassembling it as it hit. The three Dread units went flying backwards while Hibiki's golden Vanguard quickly stabilized. "Not yet you don't!" Hibiki sailed towards the red barrier while bringing out his sword. He plunged his weapon into the barrier, fighting to break through. The barrier finally caved in, allowing Hibiki entrance while his machine crashed into the core of the ship.

"Mr. Alien!" Dita cried. The three Dreads began heading for the barrier, hoping to break through it, but a web like barrier snagged them as they bounced off.

"What is this pressure?" Jura gasped.

"Is this also some power of the Pexis?!" Meia yelled.

"Mr. Alien, please answer me!" Dita cried.

(-)

Hibiki lay on the ground, slightly dazed and confused as he slowly came back to his senses. Shaking the thought of sleep from his mind, he looked up to see a small boy with blond hair sitting in a large crystal like thrown.

"Are you… an Earthling?" Hibiki questioned. The boy released a red pulse from his crimson red eyes, slamming him back to the hard ground. "You bastard." Hibiki grunted.

"Everything is pointless."

Three red bubble like screens appeared above Hibiki, each one containing the image of the three Pexis infected women. "Mr. Alien!" Dita cried as she saw him lying on the ground.

"Oh, it's you!" Hibiki snapped.

"Was that your voice I just heard?" Meia questioned.

"Pexis seems to have an interest in you. You seem to have acquired peculiar powers by synchronizing with Pexis."

"Where are we?" Jura questioned.

"Mr. Alien, are you alright?" Dita repeated.

"Yeah, somehow." He moaned as he fought to get back up.

"You are all… incomplete."

"Incomplete? I'll tear you apart for treating people this way!" Hibiki stated as he finally managed to get on his hands and knees. The boy once again released a small wave of red energy that sent Hibiki crashing to the ground while snapping his left arm. Hibiki yelled in pain as he felt his arm break.

"Zen, leader of Taraaku, Annie, leader of Mejarru; do to your efforts, Earth is eternal. Thank you."

"What's so eternal?! He's making it all up!" Misty shouted.

"It's because of our existence that you were even born. Isn't only proper that you should do everything for our benefit? But you continue to get in our way throughout the universe. At this rate, Earth will fall to ruin. That is why we chose the best method for Earth's prosperity. We are all children of Earth; we must not parish, compared to those unfortunates who are not allowed to die. You should be happy that you are able to die. You shall continue to live… as a part of us. Isn't this… the greatest virtue for a human being? To altruistically die for the sake of another, it's not just anyone who can do that for the sake of another. All of you were born with that destiny, rejoice in your destiny."

(-)

"Aw man he's more of a chatter box than I am, but he's rotten." Bart moaned inside his Chamber.

(-)

"To save the Earth?" Celtic questioned. Misty looked over at her in shock. "Now that you mention it…"

"Hey wait a minute! Don't be so pessimistic." Misty said. She looked at her friend and crew as they started crying. "Come on guys…" She pleaded.

"No. That's not it!" Dita shouted. Misty looked up in surprise. "Call it what you like, but it's nothing more than cold blooded murder! You're not just taking away their freedoms; you're taking away their right to exist!"

"Come now little one, open your heart. This future contains beauty even in its simplicity. Our methods insure the existence of human kind. It is the one and only solution. You must open your hearts to it."

"No! No! You're wrong!" Dita stated.

"What?!"

"Maybe I'm silly… and clumsy, but there's no one who treasures peoples feelings more than I do. I'd happily give my life and my body the ones I care about. But that's only because it's my choice, and only because of how I feel about them. There's a world of difference between having someone like you just take it from them." Dita told him.

"Dita… that was magnificent." Jura began. "You listen hear, it doesn't matter how much power you have or how important you think you are. You'll never have what it takes to truly open up someone's heart."

"Regardless of what happens, our lives are finite." Meia started. "We all know that we will one day grow old, and that someday our lives will end. That's why we try to live each day to the fullest. That's why we keep stumbling on by trial and error. But it isn't just for ourselves, it's to leave some signposts for those that will follow in our footsteps. To cowards, to cling to where they are, and have given up on trying to move forward. There's no way to see how bright the future is, even though it's just around the corner."

(-)

Rabat broke into large fits of laughter. "Oh… oh that's good! These guys are so entertaining!"

(-)

"Believing in the future is one of the ideals of the weak, now you're beginning to bore me."

"What an irritating little brat!" Pyoro exclaimed.

Hibiki started laughing like a mad man. Everyone had their eyes on him as he continued to laugh his strange laugh. "Damn it." Hibiki whispered as he stopped his strange laughing. His hand snapped out, pressing hard on the ground as he fought to stand back up. "I just have to say… how ridicules it is… now that I understand." He slowly began to rise. "Even though I might have sounded real mature, I gotta admit… that I'm still afraid. I'm actually still trembling with the fear of losing. But now I finally see… what I really need to conquer is myself. It's not the enemy in front of me… IT'S ME AND MY FEAR!" Hibiki shouted as he finally sat up with a grin on his face.

The little boy started laughing. "You still have much to learn."

Hibiki slammed his foot down while saying, "Ha, you think you're winning the game here, but the same goes for you right?" with a smile on his face. The boy released another force of energy, hoping to knock him down. Hibiki stood tall as he fought to keep his head held high. "You guys are scared too. That's why you keep digging up all these stupid reason to convince yourselves… am I right? But for all that, there's a big difference between you and me… do you know what it is?" Hibiki asked. The boy just glared at him. "The difference is that I've got myself a bunch of true friends! I've got people who believe in me, even when I get like this, people that treat me like family and scold me when I do something wrong. But you're all alone. And I'm not afraid of some weakling who can't even listen to his own heart. Compared to overcoming my own fears… taking care of you is a joke!"

(-)

The Pexis inside the Nirvana began shinning with renewed hope.

(-)

"I… truly…hate you!" The boy yelled as his eyes shinned brightly. Hibiki was suddenly hit by a wave of red in the form of an X, spilling his blood on the ground. Everyone gasped as Hibiki stood up, covered from head to toe in his blood.

"MR. ALIEN!" Dita gasped.

"You… should go away!" Hibiki glared at the boy as he forced him from his chamber, propelling him into the cockpit of his Vanguard.

(-)

A large explosion once again, rocked the battlefield as the Hibiki's machine was thrown back out into space, burnt, and battered.

"Mr. Alien!" Dita cried as his machine slowly began to regain its bearings.

"Damn you!" Hibiki cursed. Another explosion rocked the foundation of the large ship as its core broke free of the ship, heading towards the Magnetic Storm. "Oh yeah, so you're gonna run?!" Hibiki mocked.

"Everyone must die!"

Red lightning began shooting from the mouth of the ship as a small red spiral appeared in where the core once was.

"What is that?" BC gasped.

"That doesn't look so good." Rabat stated with wide eyes.

"I'm not going to let you guy do whatever you want anymore!" Hibiki yelled as he flew towards the spinning vortex of death. The same red shield engulfed him as soon as he entered into the zone, attempting to protect whatever it was about to do from harm.

"Mr. Alien!" Dita cried as she watched helplessly from the confines of her Dread.

(-)

"Ow that's bad." Parfait trembled as she radioed the bridge. Her face appeared on screen next to an image of their Pexis that was acting rather strange. "Captain… right now the Pexis is reacting the same way it did when we were thrown off into another sector!" She yelled.

"What do you mean?" Magno questioned.

"That time a wormhole was opened up by the Pexis's own self-preservation instincts. It's so suprising that it would react the same way." BC commented.

"But this isn't self-preservation!" Pyoro exclaimed as he appeared on screen in front of a mad Jura. "They're trying to use the energy you make, to create a wormhole that will tangle up time and space!"

"I don't get it." Ryu whispered.

"THEY'RE TRYING TO BLOW UP EVERYTHING IN THIS ENTIRE GALEXY!" Pyoro stated. Everyone fell into the temptation of fear as the thought of death seeped into their minds.

"There's nowhere to run!" Bart cried.

"Well that's just great!" Magno huffed. "They certainly succeeded in trying to make the Pexis a blood thirsty monster!" She grumbled.

(-)

"Hibiki!" Jura cried as the three Dreads fired at the shield that was protecting the strange bomb.

"Damn it! It's that same shield again!" Meia cursed.

(-)

Hibiki struggled to remain in control of his machine as he fought the power of the wormhole that he was trying so desperately to close. His four energy grappling hooks were already starting to break under the pressure of his machine and the pull of the wormhole.

"I won't… I won't let you do it!" Hibiki stated as his single arm fought to pull the whole together. "In the end, I'd have to say there were things I could have done better, but I get it… I finally get it Gramps. Even if I die right here, so long as they're alive, I'll continue to live inside each and everyone of there hearts. Isn't that right, Partner?!"

"It doesn't have to be that way!" Dita yelled as she flew her Dread directly into the barrier. Hibiki turned to see the familiar blue Dread trying desperately to push through the force field.

"Dita, stop it!" Meia, Pyoro, and Jura ordered.

"No you fool, stay away from here!" Hibiki shouted.

"I know... I finally understand too, Mr. Alien." Dita whispered she continued to force her machine to break through the barrier. "I'm stupid and rest of the world is just so complicated. But when it's about you Mr. Alien, I understand perfectly. Right now your fighting to protect all of us. And that's why I'm going to protect you Mr. Alien. Because… I love you Mr. Alien. That's why… I'll do anything to protect you Hibiki!" She yelled.

"Don't do it Dita!" Hibiki shouted as he watched her Dread slowly punch through the barrier. The area was instantly littered with thousands of white glowing stars and one major explosion. Everyone turned their eyes away from the sight, knowing she was gone. Pyoro's gasp had everyone turning back to the sight, to see the familiar Blue Giant, holding itself up, in an attempt to close the barrier. "You idiot, why'd you go an do a thing like that?" Hibiki moaned as Dita tied a handkerchief around their wrist. The green orb began to shin brightly, showing that it was activated. The left arm instantly sprang to life, slamming its golden wrist protecter into the side of the core.

"We're stronger together than we could ever be alone. Don't you realize that?" Dita questioned with a grin.

"Ow you… when did you become so hopeless?" Hibiki mumbled with a half grin. For some reason, if he died, he wouldn't mind spending it with her.

"Hibiki, I just wanna hear you say my name." She whispered. Hibiki sat back as she said, "Come, just this once, please?" while giving him a puppy dog eye treatment.

"Ow come on, now's not the time for something like this." He gasped.

"Come on just once." She pleaded again.

"Hey guys." Jura began. Hibiki and Dita looked back to see Meia and Jura's Dreads floating behind them. "That's heart warming and all, but can we get back to business?" She questioned.

"Let's combine to kill it with one shot from Vandread Pyoro!" Pyoro chimmed.

"Jezz, each and every one of you." Hibiki chuckled.

A large explosion of blue energy had the barrier gone as Super Vandread appeared inside the gate with its shield activated, aiming to plug up the hole that was slowly getting bigger.

(-)

"Supper Vandread has successfully entered the gate… it's holding up a shield now." Belvedere announced. Magno gripped her heart that quickly began screaming in pain.

"There's a huge dormant energy appearing inside the gate!" Celtic added.

"It's putting all five of them under intense pressure!" Amarone added.

"Come on you guys, you can do it." Ryu whispered.

(-)

Inside the Super Vandread, the team of five pushed hard to keep the shield up. They were using all the power the Pexis had to offer for once, as they fought to keep their future alive. The power of the Pexis illuminated the cockpit, showing that it too wanted to help out as best it could. The team continued to push, pouring everything they had into keeping the shield up as the gate continued to open up, increasing its pull. A single shield emitter got sucked into the void, pulling everything that was in rang of the opening, into the shield to swallow it whole in the void.

"Damn you!" Hibiki cursed as he released more shield emitters to replace and reinforce the already damaged ones.

"Be careful, don't overdo it!" BC warned them.

Hibiki chuckled at her words while saying, "Overdo it? That's only a problem for people who don't have enough breathing room," as the room began to shine even brighter.

No matter how big or how strong the barrier was however, more and more ships and machines were pulled through any opening that was allowing the large void to suck them into. Raider and Gascgone were forced to watch as their golden prize was broken into tiny pieces before being sucked into the void. The men of Taraaku watched mobile suits, the people they once thought of as enemies from another world, helped push their ships to safety. The women of Mejarru watched as other mobile suits, including the Akatsuki, Justice, Wing Zero, and Strike Freedom pushed their ships, along with the help of the Taraaku Vanguards help, to safety.

"Captain, we need to turn back!" BC stated as she watched Rebecca's Paraiso leave battlefield for fear of being sucked in.

"NO! We're going to wait right here for those kids!" Magno stated. "So they don't get lost on the way home!" She added with a grin as she continued to clutch her chest.

The Super Vandread began having its own armor stripped clean of its chest, arms, and legs as it fought to keep the barrier up. The pilots all grunted under the strain the gravitational pull had on them.

"Hold on!" Hibiki shouted.

"Just think of our future." Meia suggested.

"…because we have to fight to defend it!" Jura added.

"And that's why… we can never give up!" Dita finished as she leaned back against Hibiki's chest.

"Pyoro-2!" Pyoro wailed.

A bright light began to emit from the confines of Super Vandread, blinding those that were close enough to see it. Its blue core was the bright light that was causing it, showing that it was down to its last bit of strength.

"Damn it." Hibiki whispered as he began to breathe heavily.

"Please, no!" Dita cried. The left orb began to shin brightly, as if hearing their plea.

Friends, things to be cherished; we must protect our friends. Pyoro told the Pexis.

The wings of the Nirvana instantly began shinning brightly before exploding to catch the Super Vandread as it slowly began to lower its shield. The strange light wrapped around them, sending large tendrils out into the core of the ship, destroying it in one shot while the strange tendrils continued racing out, until hitting the escaping core. The little boy inside the core gasped as death took him. The sight of the explosion and the power of the Pexis made the explosion look like a large blooming flower. Everyone began crying out in joy as they saw no more enemies on their scanners.

For the pilots inside the Super Vandread, they awoke to a strange sight of shinning particuls that fell around their machine. "What… is this?" Meia questioned slowly.

"What the…" Jura muttered.

The Super Vandread was trapped inside some kind of a cocoon that was emitted from the wings of the Nirvana. "What's going on?" Dita questioned.

"It's the Pexis." Pyoro informed them.

"Yeah, it is." Hibiki said with a smile.

"That means it truly is one of our friends." Meia told them with a smile.

"Thank you." Dita whispered.

A moment of silence overcame them as they looked at the battlefield. Hibiki laughed slightly as he leaned back. "That means we won. We protected our future." He told them.

"What makes you so somber? That's not like you." Jura asked as she turned to face him.

Hibiki chuckled as he raised his right hand to scratch the back of his head. "I've made enough snotty comments for awhile; you won't get anymore out of me." He informed her. Dita smiled as she raised her hands in joy, momentarily forgetting that she was still tied to Hibiki's broken arm. Hibiki gasped in pain as he snapped, "You idiot, why are we all tied up!" while wincing in pain again as she lowered her arm back down to the glow green orb.

"Because…" Dita began.

"Are you all ready?" Meia interrupted them. "I think it's time to head home." She told them as she caught sight of the Strike Freedom near the Eternal, along side the Infinite Justice, HeavyArms Kai, Sandrock Kai, DeathScythe Hell, Nataku, Akatsuki, and Wing Zero.

"Yeah, let's go." Hibiki agreed.

(-)

Everyone on the bridge of the Nirvana gasped at the sight before them as the Super Vandread turned around, standing victorious inside the glowing cocoon. Misty hugged Ryu, causing him to wince in pain.

Bart began shaking his hands as he stared at them with crying eyes while stating, "Good because I can't take anymore of this," with streams of water flowing from his eyes.

"Ow brother." BC laughed as she shook her head.

Magno tapped her chest with a grin as she said, "I can't go dieing on these kids just yet, they're still to reckless," while looking down at her crew.

"All Lunar ships are to return to the Lunar colonies, except for the Eternal!" Asaugi ordered.

"Now THAT'S, a postcard." Barnette stated.

"Ow please, that's not a postcard." Rain laughed as Barnette's Dread flew beside his.

"What are you two talking about?" Alex questioned.

"Before me and Barnette started dating, I made a joke about…" Rain began before he realized what he said and clasped his hands over his mouth.

"You're dating Barnette?" Alex joked. "Nice choice, she's right up your ally." Alex laughed. "Though, I am a little surprised about what you called…"

"Color!" Raider yelled, completely ruining the moment. It took the entire Gundam team two seconds to realize what he was doing while they took aim at his Gundam. "I like the color ones." Raider said without paying any attention to the weapons that were pointed his way.

Everyone watched as the massive fleet began heading back to their respective homes. The Smugglers were given a five minute head start while the Raider's pirate crew, known as the Shadow Pirates of Hell, began heading back to their respective hide out.

(-)

The Nirvana, Paraiso, and Eternal sat at the pirate hideout. Its pilots began disembarking from their machines, but none were fasted than those of the Nirvana crew as they ran towards the hanger inside the Eternal. Once everyone was gathered, the pilots slowly stepped from their machines. Zoey stepped out first, clad in her flight suit, though she had removed her helmet. Meia smiled at the sight of Zoey along side with Rain who instantly went into her arms, hugging her tightly. Zoey patted his head before playing with his ears, much to his displeasure. The next to exit was Blood along side with Suki. Suki was wearing a completely red suit with a black dragon wrapping around her leg and up to the right side of her helmet. Willow and Raider exited next. Raider was without his coat, showing off a large black flame tattoo that went up his left arm while his right had a red one. Willow was wearing a sand colored suit like the others, and like the other pilots that were wearing theirs, she already had her helmet off, showing that she still wore a mask. Gascgone ran into Raider's arms, which earned a large whistle of surprise from Rain and Barnette. Asaugi was the next to appear, showing her white suit with black angel wings tattooed onto the back of it. Asaugi smiled as she walked over to Rain and Barnette.

"So this is the woman that Zoey told me about." She stated while hugging Rain and Barnette. "I couldn't be any happier to see my two boys alive and with someone they care for." She cried as she released them.

Alex soon appeared out of the cockpit of the Strike Freedom. He walked slowly towards Meia. His eyes seemed to show sadness and confusion at the same time. Meia also walked towards him at the same speed, wondering what was on his mind. She wanted to know just how he survived, but at the same time, wanted to kill him for making her think he was dead. The two stopped in front of each other, separated by only two feet. They just stared at each other, not knowing what to say or do. Everyone watched with worried eyes at their reaction to seeing each other again.

"I found you." Alex whispered with a grin hidden by his mask. Meia ran into his arms while yanking his mask down to kiss him on the lips. Everyone smiled and awed at the sight. Duerro and Paiway began writing down notes in their diaries, earning a laugh from Bart and BC, who were in each others arms at the moment. Such a moment would want to be remembered by Asaugi, so it came as no surprise when she pulled out a camera from nowhere to take a picture of the two pilots in each others arms, kissing.

As they separated, Meia looked him in the eyes with tears in hers. She was surprised to see Alex just smiled back at her. "I though you had left me." She whispered.

"Meia, I told you once before. Whenever I make a promise…"

"…you keep it." She finished as she held onto him tightly. Alex began rubbing her back to assure her that she wasn't dreaming. Meia just cried in his arms as she slowly began to accept that he was real. Meia smiled evilly as she pulled him into a rough kiss. Once she was finished kissing him, Alex got a look of an evil glint in her eyes. "You've been a bad boy, and I need to punish you." She told him as she began dragging off.

Rain started chuckling as he said, "I feel really sorry for those that have to sleep around you two tonight," as his tail wrapped around Barnette's waist, causing her to blush as she laid her head on his shoulders.

"Look whose talking! I feel sorry for the people that have to sleep around you two." Meia shot back. Raider looked up from his book with a perverted grin on his face.

"Ow really!" Asaugi laughed. Rain gulped as she walked back over to him, bent over to look at him on eye level, and smile. "Just don't make too much noise, or Zoey might try to get in with you." She warned.

"Na, I've sworn of threesomes for awhile." Zoey told them with a grin. Ryu started laughing hysterical. "What's so funny?"

"I remember the last time you did that, considering the fact that you did it right next to my house." He told her while shooting her an annoyed glare.

"Were you watching us?" She asked seductively. Ryu smiled as he raised his hands up to show her he was unarmed. "Nice to see you learned something from watching me shoot that idiot you use to hang out with." She mumbled.

As everyone began to laugh at the scene before them, Meia and Alex slipped away to her room. Barnette and Rain slipped away next as everyone continued to laugh at the stories that Asaugi began telling about Rain, Zoey, and Alex. Gascgone and Raider just walked out with BC and Bart.

(-)

The next two days were really fun. Jura insisted that they had a major party, something that everyone agreed to without a second thought. They partied for a whole two days, with the women not caring about their old beliefs. Some of the women found quick friendships with certain men. The women that liked shooting guns were quickly attached to Blood after having a quick gun slinging contest. For those that liked the peaceful type, found Ryu to be rather fun. Despite his first appearance, he was actually really cool in the fact that he was a peace lover that loved making others smile. The other men weren't seen since they had yet to leave their room.

Alex's breathing was heavy and short. He and Meia had yet to stop on his "Punishment" which was Meia demanding sex from him for the whole two days without rest. Surprisingly, Meia was able to keep going, long after one day. Meia was lying on top of him, smiling as he rubbed her back.

"If this is my punishment for being dead for nearly five months, I like it." Alex finally spoke. He rubbed his old necklace that lay draped around her neck. "I still can't believe that Rain would actually call you his sister."

"I can't believe it either, but I like the thought of having a little brother." Meia replied as she began playing with his chest.

"So, you've had Dale with you for some time…" Meia looked up at him with a smile on her face. "Did you get a chance to play him at Chess?"

"Yes, and I beat him." She told him with a grin as she rolled off his chest. "It took me two weeks to beat him. He got a little pissed when I beat him, but I think he got over it after two days."

"That's good to hear." Meia rolled back over onto his chest with a grin. Alex smiled as she kissed him roughly on the lips. As they parted, she licked her lips while saying, "Ready for round… whatever round we're on?" Alex groaned as she reached under the thin sheets to get ready for the same damn thing they had done for two days straight.

"Can't we go get something to eat?" He whined.

"You're being punished." She told him with closed eyes.

(-)

Barnette smiled as she played with Rain's ears. Rain smiled, for once allowing someone to actually play with his ears. Rain had never allowed anyone to play with his ears, except for Barnette. Both teens were resting from their last long period of fun in bed, and just cuddling at the moment.

"I can't believe how much fun that is, still." Barnette gasped as she stopped playing with his ears to roll onto his chest. Rain smirked as she licked his cheek for no reason. Rain smiled as he kissed her on the lips.

"I prefer kisses, rather than when you lick me for no reason." He stated as he rolled with her to be on top. Barnette gasped at the sudden change, but smiled as he kissed her again while holding himself up above her, making sure to not put all his weight on her.

"I wonder how much longer it's going to be until your mother comes in to see what we're doing." Barnette questioned.

"Okaa-san never bothers me in my room back home. She won't disturb us." He replied while grinning as he forced her legs open. Barnette smiled as she felt a familiar sensation course through her body.

(-)

Raider and Gascgone were giggling like perverts. No one knew how it happened, but Raider had somehow turned Gascgone into a pervert, though not as bad as what others thought, but it was enough to make Raider happy. Both adults were reading their perverted books. Raider was reading his Prison Lesbian Stories, Volume 10 edition while Gascgone was reading the first book. Now it wasn't just the fact that they were reading the books that would have been funny as hell, it was the fact that they were still having sex while reading and talking at the same time.

"So, how many kids do you think Rain and Barnette 'ill have?" Gascgone asked she flipped a page on her book.

Raider flipped a page on his book while saying, "Two kids," while pushing her down flat on her back. Gascgone flipped a page as she moaned in bliss. "How many kids do you think Alex and Meia will have?" Raider flipped a page.

"Four kids. I can hear them over us." She remarked as she dropped her book and grabbed hold of her bed sheets. "Could you be a little gentler?" She moaned while biting her bottom lip.

Raider stopped and placed his book down on the night stand. He smiled as he lied down beside her. "I wonder how things are going with Asaugi, Blood, Suki, and Willow down on Taraaku. Asaugi told me that she took the four AI's to show proof of what we did when we first came. I think she's trying to make a treaty for them so that we can help them in changing their world."

"What about Mejarru?" Gascgone asked while rolling out of bed to get dressed. "What are you going to do about Mejarru?"

"Surprisingly enough, they still accepted us and our help, even after we never came back like we promised." Raider informed her. "The real question is what's going to happen to Rain. Asaugi told them that we took him, and there's a chance they may want him to come back or they'll force us to give him back. Asaugi's playing a dangerous game by trying to talk to them about a treaty right now since they want him back."

"I heard about that. I can't believe that they would almost fight you guys to take him back." Gascgone remarked as she finished getting dressed. "I hope that they don't try to use him as a weapon again, I can't stand to see Barnette not happy like she is now." She whispered.

"If they try to take him by force, they'll find out first hand on just why I'm called the, God of Death." Raider snarled as he finished getting dressed too. Raider smiled as he placed his book in his coat pocket. "Ready to go out and see the world?" He joked. Gascgone just shoved him outside.

(-)

A shuttle landed inside the hideout the next day. The main crew of the Nirvana, the Gundam pilots, and Rebecca all waited for Asaugi, Magno, and BC to exit the shuttle. As the shuttle doors opened, everyone smiled at the sight of the four AI's appearing before the shuttle doors were fully open. The three women were let down a ramp smiling at their welcoming crew.

"Welcome back. How was your meeting with Lord Grandpa and Grandma?" Rebecca asked.

Magno coughed to get everyone's attention. "The two planets have agreed to open communication with each other." Everyone began cheering for joy at the good news.

"As a result, we're going to be right in the middle." BC told them. "This area and the Nirvana will be of great importance to them. They've decided to use this area as a testing facility for men and women, to see if they can live together."

"That's the dumbest thing I've heard all day." Ryu snapped. "You can't force people to live together. Hell, no one can force me to go back and live with my insane family. Things just don't work that way." Misty nodded in agreement while the remaining Gundam pilots just started laughing.

"Dude, your family is a nut case just waiting to happen." Zoey laughed. Ryu shot her the finger and Zoey whipped out her firearm. Ryu instantly hid behind Misty, hoping that she wouldn't shoot him. Rain grabbed hold of her gun before she could pull the trigger, but unfortunately pulled it himself. What came out was nothing more than a stick with a flag on the end that had the word "Bang" written in black on it. "You actually thought I'd really shoot him?"

"Hibiki and the others are going back to Taraaku to get things started. They'll be selecting some suitable men for this study." BC finished.

"You can count me in!" Bart chimed.

"So when do we go?" Duerro asked.

"Right now actually. This shuttle is the one we'll be using." BC told them. Everyone sighed as they looked back at the four Taraaku boys.

"Screw you, I'm not going." Rain stated flatly.

"About that, Taraaku has agreed to let me keep you. They don't want Alex to shoot down another colony anytime soon. They've also told me to tell you that your father passed away just two years ago. They said he died of old age." Asaugi told him.

"So we have to leave now?" Hibiki asked.

"Yes. All your belongings are already on the ship. You're good to go." BC told them.

"You're kidding!" Dita protested.

"Hey, it's not like he's leaving forever you know. He'll be right back." Gascgone told her.

"But Mr. Alien hasn't had a chance to keep his promise to me yet." She told her.

Raider bent over to look her at eye level while saying, "What promise?" as he looked over at Hibiki, who had just turned about three shades of red in two seconds.

"He promised to go play in Dita's room." Parfait answered.

Raider fell on the floor laughing, which earned him, a good kick to the back, from a slightly annoyed Blood. "Ow jezz the back of my leg." Blood kicked him again. "The back of my back!" Suki and Asaugi both kicked him hard in the gut. "The front of stomach!" He yelled as he doubled over.

"Oh shit, I've got such ideas in my head." Misty whispered to Ryu who nodded instantly.

Hibiki picked up his bags with his good arm since his other was in a sling at the moment. Duerro and Zoey had both told him that it would take a few weeks to heal. Duerro had found it odd that a woman of her stature, and strange personality would actually be a doctor, but she was. Hibiki stopped short as Jura appeared in front of them with a serious expression on her face.

"Doctor," Parfait sang, causing said person, along with the other two men from Taraaku to turn and watch as she walked up to Duerro with a smile. "Make sure you come back real soon. One of your patients is a real hand full."

"Yes, I'll do that." Duerro replied with a grin. Paiway appeared between the two adults with a grin on her face as she held up Kit and Kero.

"Well, see you real soon." She told them while making the assorted noises for each animal.

"Paiway, what are you doing?" Parfait asked.

"Ow, it's been bugging me this whole time!" She yelled as she swatted away the hair covering the right side of his face. Gascgone ripped off someone's hat and started collecting all the money she just won.

"Happy now?" He muttered. His reply was two girls sighing one hell of a big sigh. Duerro just shook his head before heading down the ramp to see Jura, standing tall and serious for once.

"These men, that you'll be choosing, I'll be interviewing them before we make any decisions." Hibiki hung his head as she started listing off all the things they had to do. His head was jerked back up to the sound of her crying, something he had really ever heard unless he caused it. "Don't forget to call everyday…okay?" She cried. She instantly ran straight towards them. Hibiki and Bart both jumped out of the way to watch her embrace Duerro in a hug. "If you forget… even once… I'll never forgive you!" She cried. Duerro could feel the wrath of Parfait behind him as she breathed fire down his neck while swearing bloody murder. She had to be held back by several members of the crew and a few Gundam pilots.

"Ow don't worry about it." Barnette told them.

"Yeah, she just wants to get knocked up so she can have a kid. No big deal." Rain added with a grin.

"It figures." Hibiki mumbled. Rain and Barnette just laughed.

"Hibiki…" Meia walked up to him with a smile on her face, and her hand outstretched. "I'm glad to have met you. Thanks a lot." She told him. Hibiki smiled and took her hand, shaking her firmly.

Hibiki turned to see Alex beside her, smiling while shaking his head. "Demon, I'm glad I got to know what you went through for peace. It actually means a lot to me, to know that there are people out there like you that only want peace." Hibiki raised his hand for him to shake it.

"Sure thing, but are you ever going to stop calling me that stupid name?" Alex asked as she shook his hand. Hibiki smiled as he released it. "I could just break your other arm to make you start calling me by real name, you know?" He stated.

"Sure thing, Alex." He replied with grin.

"Come on. Now is not the time for you to be shy!" Misty stated as she dragged Dita up front towards Hibiki. "Hibiki, Dita has a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?" Hibiki asked.

"Stop beating around the bush Dita." Misty ordered.

"I… I wanted… wanted to hear you… say my name… just one time… before you left." She stammered.

All eyes fell on Hibiki's red face. Everyone was waiting for this. Everyone prayed for another miracle. "You must be the biggest fool in the entire universe!" Hibiki shouted, totally red from embarrassment. Blood grabbed hold of Asaugi's arm, knowing full well that she was about to kill him for his words. Asaugi glared at Hibiki, then Blood, and then back at Hibiki. "I can't do something like that without a reason. Besides, once I get back home, things are going to be really busy." He stated as he started walking towards the shuttle.

"Hibiki, come on! What are you waiting for? The departure is already behind schedule!" BC told him.

Hibiki looked back at Dita sadly, seeing the hurt in her eyes. "I guess that's it. I have to go." He told her sadly as he started walking towards the door. Blood and Raider were now having to hold a pissed off Suki, Willow, and Asaugi so that Hibiki could live to see tomorrow and possible have children. Dita just turned away, not wanting to watch him leave. She scolded herself for thinking of such a childish thing. Believing that he would actually… "Dita!" Dita's head snapped up. "Dita!" There it was again. Dita spun around to see Hibiki smiling at her with one arm out, waiting for her. "Let's go!" He yelled.

"Sure!" Dita began running down the ramp as fast as she could. Blood and Raider were quite pleased with the sight, knowing it was safe to release the three women. Alex and Meia snuggled close together while watching Dita jump into the air. Barnette placed her head on Rain's shoulder as Hibiki caught Dita in his arms to pull her into the shuttle. Everyone else just smiled at the sight.

Alex chuckled as he walked over to Magno. "So, are you ever going to tell me how you survived a nuclear explosion?" She asked.

Alex smiled as he pointed to Raider. "He saved me just seconds after the first explosion. The large blast you saw was me taking my hands off the N Jammer Canceller that shut down the nuclear core. However, the bastard fired again, but Raider made sure to stay behind the remains of the Freedom, which is why the whole thing exploded into tiny parts."

"I see." Magno said while glancing over towards Raider. "So what now? You obviously have to return to your colony."

"Yeah, that's why I'm going with him." Meia stated. "Alex, is it okay if I…"

"Sure, go ahead." Alex replied while glancing over at his confused mother.

Meia held up a small item, showing it to Magno. "Alex asked me to marry him after we ran back to my room when he got back." She explained. "He asked me to come live with him, on the colony. So I agreed."

"Well then, I guess I'll have to make more room at the house since when you two get hitched, I'll be wanting you to live with me." Asaugi informed them.

"What about Rain? What's going to happen to him?" Amarone questioned.

"I'm heading back with them. I don't really have a choice since Okaa-san's pretty pissed that I didn't keep up with my homework." Rain admitted. Barnette looked at him in shock. Rain's tail slowly wrapped around her waist. "Barnette, I was wondering if you wanted to return with me? If you don't want to, that's fine. I just wanted to know if you'd like to come stay with us." Rain opened his mouth to speak again, but Barnette shut him by kissing him. "I take it that means yes?"

"If you think I'm letting you leave without taking me, you're wrong." She whispered while wrapping her arms around his neck. A bright flash of light had the two glaring at Asaugi as she raised her famous camera, showing the picture to Magno.

"You want me to send you copies?" Asaugi inquired. Magno just chuckled while watching the couple's interact.

"What about Raider and Ryu?" Misty questioned. "Are they going to have to leave?"

"Actually no." Suki stated. Raider smiled. "Raider doesn't belong to our military anymore, so we have no say in what he does. The only reason he helped us in the fight was because Earth was crowding his business. He also saved Alex and Gascgone, and Gascgone ordered him to come help us."

"But what about Ryu?" She snapped.

"Ryu is his own person. I don't control him like I do my kids, though it would be nice to bring him back with us. He is a very strong child, and a very special one to a lot of people back home." Asaugi stated. Misty turned to Ryu with hope filled eyes. He was the only other kid on the ship that was her age, and he was the nicest of all the other pilots his age.

"I could use a vacation since I haven't had one in nearly two years. So I guess I'll stay for a month or two. I'll come back after the wedding, how's that sound?" Ryu announced. Misty smiled as she hugged him tightly.

"Sounds good, but that won't be for another three months since I have to be brought back to life. Mother went on ahead and classified me as KIA, and it's rather hard to bring back a dead man." Alex told them.

"So, when do you all leave?" Rebecca asked.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow. We need to get the four AI's back to the colony. They're needed for the birthing and reawakening for a new and old friend." Blood told them.

"Wait, which one are you waking up, and are you making a new one?" Rain asked.

"Yes we are." Suki stated while jumping up and down for joy. "I can't wait to see her again! I've missed her so much." She added.

The next day, everyone was gathered to watch the Eternal head out. Magno smiled as she watched the ship vanish into the Magnetic Storm. Raider, Ryu, and surprisingly enough, Zoey, walked up beside her while smiling. "To think the war started with that ship, and was silenced with the help of that ship again."

"I think the Nirvana did its fare share." Raider pointed out. "It showed your crew that men and women can get along."

"It helped a few of them find love." Ryu added.

"And now it will help push its crew and people, forward into a new world that they could only have dreamed of." Zoey finished.

A/N

I've decided to make one more stage. I would also like to say thanks to all the people that gave me ideas for the mass production suits, thank you. You were a lot of help for the ideas on mobile suits. Next in line is the fact that Alex was alive the whole time. I would like to give credit to anyone who actually figured out that he was still alive. Good job. Now, I'm fixing to start on the final stage, which is going to be called, Vandread Stage 3: Destiny's Impulse.