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: Well, here we go again. Vandread, Tekkaman Blade and Ranma all belong to their respective creators, but I don't think they mind if I use their characters in this story, since I'm not getting paid for this.
italics: Thoughts
Chapter 25 Part 1
Moving In
The Conference Room of the Nirvana...
"And there we have it." Duero declared as he showed BC, Gasco, and a few others the DNA profiles of both Slade and Magno's. "On the left you can see the Captain's base genetic structure. On the right is Slade's. Now if we were to superimpose one on top of the other in the correct sequencing..." The Tarak doctor made the holographic images combine. "... you can clearly see the correlation between parent and child. It's just about what you would expect from a fahma/baby relation, or in Slade's case, from mother to son."
"Amazing." Buzom remarked. "And there is no chance of error in your data?"
"None whatsoever." He assured as he brought up the X-chromosomes of both Magno and Slade. "As you now know, in ancient times, when men and women procreated naturally, the mother would always donate one X-chromosome to her children. Since Slade is male, we can safely assume that his Y-chromosome came from his father. Now if we were to compare the DNA markers of Vivian Magno's X-chromosome with Slade's, we have an exact match. He could have only inherited these characteristics from his mother. This is irrefutable proof that the Captain is Slade's mother."
"But they look so different." Parfet pointed out.
"I'm not at all surprised, considering over five hundred years had passed between them." Duero said as he then made an image of an old photo appear. "Now this is a picture of Slade when he was around four or five years old."
"Ooh! He's soooo cute!" Dita exclaimed. Jura nodded in agreement. Ranma, or rather Slade was really adorable for a little boy. As for Meia, she simply gazed upon the image without saying anything, though she silently concurred with her compatriots.
"Now the woman in this image is his mother, our captain."
"That's our captain?" Gascogne said in surprise.
Duero cleared his throat as he continued. "Just remember that this picture was taken over half a millennia ago and she had undergone quite a few changes. Due to a disaster around the end of the 20th century on Earth, Vivian Magno, or rather Nodoka Saotome as she was called back then, or was it Tensuke? In any case, she had to undergo cryogenic suspension after contracting a fatal disease. She was only intended to be in stasis for a few months until a cure was found, but instead she wound up being frozen for centuries. When she awoke a century ago, she had herself surgically altered and eventually aged into the person we now know. However, from this photo, you can clearly see the resemblance between her and her child."
The doctor then brought up an image of young Ranma's face. "Now then, if we were to gradually age this child through the computer simulation..." He worked the controls on the console until the face matured into someone familiar. "... you can see who this boy grew up to be." The image then showed Slade's face, minus the scar.
As the images then faded away, certain girls in the room were thinking the same thing.
There was another way to get to Slade's heart: through his mother.
The Sick Bay...
"So tell me, is Saber my half-brother?" Slade asked as he sat at his mother's bedside.
Magno took a deep breath as she sat on the medical bed. Then, after a long pause, she nodded. "Yes, that was Kenji, your brother. When I saw his face, there was no mistake. And it seems that he no longer sees me as his mother." The aged woman bowed her head in shame. "Frankly, I don't blame him or you. I haven't been much of a mother to either of my sons, have I? I let your father take you away on that training trip, and I failed in raising Kenji right. Now my sons see me as a stranger, someone whom they don't want anything to do with."
Slade felt a bit of a stab at his heart when he heard these words. He had recently decided to try and reconcile with basically his only family. Magno, or rather Nodoka, was the only real person he could relate to. Aside from his memories of Genma, whom he despised, his early memories of his mother were sometimes the only things that kept him sane in this crazy universe. At that point, he reached out and gently embraced her. This gave her a bit of a surprise, then he gave her another.
"Mom."
Hearing that word from her son immediately got her attention and lifted her from her depression. She became still and silent as it sunk in. He had just called her Mom!
Slade trembled a bit as he gathered his thoughts and put them into words. "I don't blame you for all the time we've lost. I was only five and I didn't know any better. And when I saw Saber about to kill you, I realized that you're still a part of me. I guess this is fate's half-assed way of giving back what it took from both of us all those hundreds of years ago a second chance."
"Oh Ranma!" Magno began sobbing into his chest as Slade continued to hold her.
The long and slow rebuilding of the bond between parent and child had begun.
The next day...
As Slade and Magno had begun reestablishing the connection between them, certain other people were also in the process of building bridges, specifically those between the genders.
The Bridge of the Fire Heart...
Captain Jensen Dar sat in his command chair as each of his crew members went about his normal duties. As he sipped from his cup of coffee (one of the few luxuries that were allowed for the men of Tarak), one of his subordinates, a lieutenant, approached him with a data pad. The officer was a slim youngster with short black hair.
"Captain?"
"Yes, Lieutenant Trane?"
"Here is tomorrow's duty roster for your approval. Plus, there is a listing of the transfers to our ship, effective immediately."
Jensen nodded as he took the data pad and perused the names on the screen. When he came to the listing of transfers, his expression tightened slightly, then relaxed as he signed the pad with his thumbprint before giving it back to his subordinate.
"Very good, Lieutenant. Carry on."
"Sir!" Trane saluted and walked off with the data pad.
It was then that the intercom buzzed him.
"Captain Dar?"
"Yes?"
"Sir, the new transfers have just been cleared through security and have boarded the ship."
Jensen nodded as he got up from his chair and straightened out his uniform. He then replied to the intercom. "Have the new members taken to their assigned quarters so they can settle in. Inform their commanding officer that I will be meeting her in my office in ten minutes. At 0630 hours, I want the new recruits to assemble in the main hangar for general operations briefing. Understood?"
"Understood sir."
"Dar out."
Captain's Office...
The commander of the Fire Heart waited patiently in his chair at his desk as he contemplated the changes that Grand Pa had decided to implement. After that horrific encounter with the Radam and its Tekkamen, the supreme leader of the all-male world had immediately decided to begin integrating the women into Tarak's society. That not only included the civilian populace, but also the military.
Naturally, many of the officers in the High Command protested against the idea of allowing the women to serve alongside the men, but Grand Pa was absolutely adamant about it. Most of the Mejele officers were without vessels to serve on after their homeworld was lost, and the old man had decided to assign them to Tarak ships. In return, the Mejele females would share some of their technology to upgrade several of the battleships and cruisers, in preparation for the inevitable Radam invasion.
Unlike a good number of his fellow officers, Jensen was more open-minded, as he wasn't afraid to take chances and make drastic changes, if the desired end result was achieved. His crew was a ragtag group that he had hand-picked from over a hundred other vessels. There were a wide range of personalities, from the slackers to the hard-core by-the-book extremists. Overall, they were a curious bunch, especially the Vanguard Squadron that went by the nickname of the Brawler Brigade. The mecha squadron was led by a grizzled veteran named Hikar Fulson, but just about everyone called him the Old Gun. He had a very gruff exterior and didn't care for fancy words or displays. For the most part, he stuck to direct phrases, or even grunts to get his point across. However, when it came to Vanguard combat, he had virtually no equal in all of the Tarak fleet and the Brawler Brigade was perhaps even better than Slade's Warrior Squadron.
However, despite all of their differences, the crew was absolutely loyal to the captain and would follow him into Hell a thousand times over. Jensen was the kind of person who could relate to each and every individual on the ship. He recognized their talents and was able to place each one in a position that suited him perfectly. He took the dropouts, the overlooked, the discarded, the rejected, and even the criminal of all the other men serving in the armed forces, and made them into the most cohesive crew that ever manned a vessel. And now, they would have to adapt to the concept of including females into their ranks.
Like the Nirvana's physician, Jensen didn't take much stock in the propaganda about the women being monsters that sucked out men's innards, and he was very interested to see how they performed under combat situations. If they were anything like the Mejele pirates in the reports that Duero, Bart, and Buzom had given, then an alliance with them would be worth any minor inconveniences. It was one of the reasons why he volunteered his ship to be part of the division that would comprise of both male and female crew members.
He then began thinking of one encounter he had with the women, though it was under much different circumstances...
Flashback...
First Officer Jensen Dar of the Destroyer Fire Heart, gritted his teeth as he and the remaining bridge crew manned the secondary command center. The initial barrage from that Mejele cruiser had caught them off-guard and had killed the captain, along with the rest of the senior staff. Now, their enemy was coming in close to finish them off. The main guns of the smaller destroyer needed time to power up, and the torpedo bays weren't finished reloading.
It was then that Jensen came up with an idea. He turned to a young ensign with black hair.
"Ensign Corby, do we still have any of those plasma mines left?"
The younger man looked down at his console and nodded. "Yes. We have four left. But what good will they do?"
Jensen checked his readouts on the position of the Mejele cruiser. "Launch all mines at coordinates 87-49-12 and manually detonate them on my command. Also fire off the EMP-burst torpedo to the same coordinates!"
"But-"
"Do it!"
The ensign nodded as he punched in commands. At the same time, Jensen ordered the refuse tubes to be emptied.
"Launching mines, launching EMP-burst torpedo..." Ensign Corby announced, then he shouted out. "Commander! They're firing on us!"
"Steady... hold it... NOW! DETONATE MINES AND ACTIVATE EMP-BURST!"
"DETONATING MINES! ACTIVATING EMP-BURST!"
There was a huge flash of light as the mines exploded. The cruiser's particle beams were enveloped before they could reach the destroyer, thereby dispersing their energies. As the same time, the EMP-Burst Torpedo went off and its power was amplified by the resulting blast. As a result, the cruiser suddenly stopped as streaks of crackling energy started crisscrossing over its shields and hull.
The ensign stared in amazement as he turned to his superior. "What happened, sir? They just stopped."
Jensen nodded as he explained. "The explosion caused by those plasma mines acted as our shield and also amplified the effects of the EMP-Burst. Those women may have better technology, but their instruments are really sensitive to electromagnetic disruptions. Right now, I'd say that they just lost all long and medium-range sensors. They're flying blind now."
"But that EMP-Burst took out our sensors, too!"
"Yeah, but we got something they don't. Does Corporal Terin still like to stargaze with those telescopes?"
"You're going to navigate and target the enemy manually?"
Jensen nodded as he began calling for the navigation crews and Corporal Terin.
Soon...
"I can't believe that we got behind them!" Ensign Corby declared as he was informed that the weapons were armed and ready. In the main observation deck, Corporal Terrin was looking through his telescope and giving ranges to the fire control crews.
"Target their main engines first and FIRE!" Jensen barked.
The heavy particle cannons of the destroyer took some time to charge, but were devastating once used. Massive beams lanced toward the Mejele ship and struck near its aft section, causing it to shudder.
"Direct hit!" Corby shouted.
"Fire torpedoes! Full spread!" Jensen shouted.
"Torpedoes away... YES! Ninety-eight percent direct hits!"
"Begin firing all secondary guns and charge the main cannons!"
The destroyer began firing a continuous barrage at its adversary, causing massive damage. A second salvo from the main guns took out the Mejele ship's shields completely, as Corby announced that the enemy was now at their mercy.
"Commander! The Mejele ship is completely unprotected! One more barrage from the main cannons and we can finish it off!"
It was then that Jensen looked down at his readouts and saw the remaining power levels. It they were to fire the main guns again, then they would have nothing left to get back to Tarak with. He had to make a decision whether to go for the glory of defeating the women, or to save his crew from perishing in space before their energy reserves were depleted.
"Break off the attack and head for home."
"What?!"
"You heard me, Ensign. Head back to Tarak."
"But why?!"
"We DON'T have enough power to destroy them and get back home. The crew come first, Ensign. Always!"
"But we're so close to beating them..."
"We've already beaten them. They can't fight back and they KNOW we could destroy them if we could. Having them return to Grand Ma in defeat will be enough for now. I'm not about to sacrifice the crew for personal pride."
Corby was about to protest further, but then saw the look in his superior's eyes, which brooked no argument. He then ordered the navigation crew to plot a course for home.
End of flashback...
Though he had not destroyed the enemy, Jensen was still hailed as a hero and the encounter was seen as a victory for the all-male planet. He was soon promoted to captain and had renamed his new ship as the Fire Heart. Since that time, he had been seen by his peers as a kind of young genius and an enemy to be feared on the battlefield.
He started to read over the files concerning the one who would become his new First Officer. He had lost his second-in-command, one engineer, and several of his senior staff during that devastating encounter with the Radam Tekkamen. His crewmembers had been on temporary assignment aboard the Double-Edge, and all had perished during the attack. He had lost a dozen good friends that day, including Corby and Terrin, who had followed him since their encounter with the Mejele vessel.
As he scanned over the data pad concerning the leader of the group that transferred to the Fire Heart, he nodded in tentative approval. The woman had a good solid record and had commanded a vessel of her own before her people were forced to abandon Mejele. In fact, she had to sacrifice her ship as a diversion in order for the populace to make their escape. She was no desk officer and had seen her share of combat. Her rise through the ranks was comparable to his own, and she was about a year younger than he was. On paper, she seemed to be the ideal soldier. All of the Mejele transfers to the Fire Heart would be from her former crew.
However, these were just facts and figures. The real person might be very different from what her records made her out to be.
It was at that point that his office door beeped, indicating that someone was waiting on the other side for admittance. Jensen nodded as he pushed aside the file and assumed that he was about to meet the person in question. He stood up straight and called out to the door.
"Come in."
The door hissed open and allowed for Jensen's new First Officer to enter.
She was a striking woman with long, straight, silver-blonde hair that was tied back in a simple braid that ended behind her shoulder blades. Her bangs were cropped in a kind of frizzy style and hung over her forehead. She had an oval face with large green eyes. She wore simple bead earrings and was garbed in the standard dress uniform of the Mejele military. This consisted of a pale blue, long-sleeved jacket that ended in a pointed tail at the back like a tuxedo. She wore matching slacks and low-heeled, pearl-white boots with cuffed tops. On the left breast of the jacket, was the insignia of the Mejele fleet. She was about 5' 9" and had a lithe figure. She had softly flaring hips, a narrow waist, firm rounded breasts, and long legs. She was nothing like the propaganda films that depicted women as inhuman monsters.
However, she exhibited a kind of no-nonsense air about her as she stood at attention, gave her new superior a sharp salute and introduced herself. Her voice had a melodic tone to it, but also gave off a commanding ring.
"Lieutenant Commander Aika Shan reporting for duty."
"At ease, Commander." Jensen replied, as he returned the salute and motioned for her to sit down in a chair adjacent to his desk. As she did so, he also returned to his seat. Lacing his fingers together and holding out his hands before him on the desk, he locked eyes with his new subordinate.
A few minutes before...
Aika Shan, formerly of the Mejele cruiser Crimson Twilight, felt as if she was an inmate on her final journey toward the executioner's chamber. To say that she was not happy about her new assignment would be an understatement. At this moment, she would rather have a lobotomy performed on her, without anesthetic, than having to follow the orders of a man from Tarak.
When it was announced by Grand Pa and Grand Ma that the women of the Mejele military would be reassigned to serve aboard Tarak cruisers and battleships, the higher ranks caused quite an uproar and a series of protests. However, despite numerous outbursts and threats of desertion or worse, the truth of the matter was that there was no other alternative.
The remaining Mejele vessels, including Grand Ma's flagship, were already battered nearly to the point of being scrapped after their numerous encounters with the Radam Spider-Crabs. It was decided, most reluctantly by Grand Ma and her inner circle of councilwomen, that the vessels were to be dismantled to be used as raw material to enhance the Tarak warships and build more weapons against the Radam, such as Vanguards, Dread fighters, and the new devices called Tekkasuits, in which the Nirvana had developed.
Aika considered herself fortunate that she would not have to bear the disgrace of having her own cruiser scrapped and used to make the men stronger. During the final evacuation of Mejele, she had ordered her crew to abandon ship and left the Crimson Twilight to drift into the path of the oncoming hordes of Spider-Crabs as a booby trap. She had set the reactors to overload in thirty seconds, which caused the craft to explode with the force of a 50 megaton thermonuclear bomb, taking out several hundred of the monsters and allowed the rest of the fleet to escape.
When the ship died, a part of her had died with it. The Crimson Twilight had been the symbol of her success and the source of her pride, confidence, and independence. She had fought long and hard for her command. Unlike some of the more privileged officers in the Mejele military, Aika had come from one of the lower classes and had to fight her way up to her present rank. Now, with her ship gone and most of her crew reassigned to other vessels, she was going to have to serve on a ship that belonged to someone else. It was no better than being demoted, and she could only imagine what this Captain Jensen Dar was like.
Like most other women from Mejele, Aika wasn't exactly fond of the men of Tarak and considered them to be brutes and savages. Before the time of the Radam invasion and subjugation of Mejele, her ship had been assigned the task of patrolling the outer sectors of the women's territories. As a result, she and her crew often skirmished with Tarak ships that tried to cross their borders. In just about every encounter, the Crimson Twilight had emerged victorious in beating back or destroying the enemy.
Except for one time. Aika gritted her teeth a bit at that memory. It was the one black mark in her career that she could never forget.
Flashback...
"Commander! All of our long and mid-range sensor arrays are being jammed! We've also lost visual on the Tarak destroyer!"
Aika immediately stood up from her command seat. "What?! How did that happen?"
Her navigator began checking the readouts on her console. "Apparently, we didn't damage that destroyer as much as we believed. What we thought was a direct hit on their port side was actually an explosion caused by a series of plasma mines. They must have released and detonated them, just as we fired. Those exploding mines blocked our attack and absorbed most of its energy. All that debris we saw was only jettisoned material that simulated battle damage. And among that material was some kind of electro-scrambler device. It gave off an EMP pulse that's interfering with our sensor arrays!"
"Where is that destroyer now!?" Aika demanded.
"Impossible to track them with our long and mid-range sensors out of commission. Our short-range sensors are still functioning, but we could only detect them if they were almost on top-"
WHABOOM!
The Crimson Twilight shuddered as something impacted hard against its hull near the stern. Damage reports started flooding the bridge. Several smaller hits followed, causing the craft to shudder even more.
Aika's First Officer, a brown-haired girl with blue eyes, frowned as she read the data to her superior. "That Tarak destroyer is behind and starboard to us. Its particle cannons hit sections 29 to 35! It then followed through with a barrage of proton torpedoes. Main engines are offline! We can only maneuver with the emergency thrusters..."
KABOOM!
"... sections 48 to 56 have been hit! Third-level shields are failing! Primary guns are inoperable! Secondary guns are down by 45! One more hit like that and we are finished!"
Damn it! Aika thought as she couldn't believe that she had been outmaneuvered. At the start of the battle, she had gotten the early advantage by catching the destroyer off-guard. A few salvoes had seemingly crippled the ship and made it a sitting duck. When she had closed in to finish it off, she had not been expecting it to be playing possum. Now she and her crew were paying for her mistake.
BOOOOM!
"Main engineering reports that all defensive shields have failed!" The First Officer shouted out. "We cannot take another hit! All remaining weapon systems are down to 10%!"
Aika took a deep breath and waited for the end.
Then, as quickly as the attack had begun, it ceased. The main view screen finally came back online, and showed that the destroyer that was about to execute the Crimson Twilight was... leaving?
Everyone on the bridge was as surprised as she was. That Tarak ship had them dead to rights. Why was it withdrawing from a battle it had all but won?
As it moved off back toward Tarak space, the view screen showed an image of the ship's registry and name in the men's language. The navigator fed the data through the translator.
ITSF-1574D Fire Heart (1)
End of flashback...
The Fire Heart.
Though she had never encountered that destroyer again, nor found out who had been commanding it, that name always made her angry, as it reminded her of the first loss she had suffered at the hands of the men. Now she was going to serve on a ship with the same name.
She would have laughed at the irony if she wasn't so upset about losing to the men and having to work on one of their ships.
She steeled herself to endure the shame and likely ridicule her new superior would mete out as she stood at the door to the captain's office. She pushed the com button on the side of the wall, then heard a voice.
"Come in."
The door slid open and Aika stepped forward toward her destiny.
As she entered the room, she was confronted by a male who was more than a head-and-a-half taller than she was. However, he didn't fit the image she had of a Tarak male. He appeared to be only a year or two older than she was, and he seemed to be somewhat gentle-looking, not at all like the Tarak Prime Minister and the other officers during the conference.
He was of moderate build and was dressed in the drab brown uniform that all men of the Tarak armed forces wore. On his shoulders were gold epaulets that were rimmed with silver. In their centers were four triangles, which denoted his rank as a starship captain. On his right shoulder was the insignia of the ITSF, also rimmed with four triangles. He had short, russet hair, but what really got her attention was his eyes. They were the most unusual shade of grey.
However, at that moment, Aika remembered herself and snapped off a sharp salute. "Lieutenant Commander Aika Shan, reporting for duty."
"At ease, Commander." Jensen replied as he motioned for her to sit down at a chair, then sat himself down as well.
Aika sat down casually with her hands clasped on her lap. It was at that point that the interview got underway.
Jensen looked down and read the report in front of him. "I'm Captain Jensen Dar of the Cruiser-Carrier Fire Heart, division 487 of Task Force 12, AKA Grand Pa's Knife. It says here that you are Lieutenant Commander Aika Shan, age 22. Formally of the Mejele High-Speed Attack Cruiser Crimson Twilight. Finished fourth in her class at the Grand Ma Military Academy on Mejele. First assigned to the Mejele cruiser Sunrise, and had an exceptional tour of duty before being given secondary command of the Crimson Twilight at age 18. Took over as its primary commander one year later and had led several successful missions. You've been decorated twice with the Nova Star of Bravery, and was being considered for promotion to full Captain's Rank First Class, but due to some incident two years ago (which is not listed on this report), you were turned down."
Aika's eyes narrowed as she remembered back to that one failure which had cost her a chance to be promoted. When she and the Crimson Twilight limped back to Mejele, the upper brass had decided to not upgrade her rank at the time, due to her loss to a lowly Tarak destroyer. She had been considered for promotion again later on, but that was when the Radam appeared.
Jensen continued to read the report. "You were forced to destroy the Crimson Twilight during the Radam invasion and the evacuation of Mejele. Your current assignment under the new Tarak/Mejele Alliance Pact is to take the position of First Officer aboard the Fire Heart and aid in the war against the Radam." He then turned off the data pad. "Which means that you will be serving under my command."
"Yes."
Jensen then gave her a slight smile as he stood up and extended his right hand to her. "Welcome aboard, First Officer."
Aika gazed upon him in surprise. She had been expecting him to begin berating her for her failure to be promoted and as a woman overall, but he showed none of that. He was simply accepting her as his new second-in-command without a thought.
"It's so..."
Aika couldn't find the words to describe what she was seeing as Jensen led her down the halls toward her quarters.
Jensen nodded at her bewilderment as he had been one of the few Tarak officers who had toured a Mejele vessel before it had been claimed by the dismantling and salvage teams. "I'll admit that the Fire Heart's insides aren't as pretty as what you're used to seeing on a Mejele cruiser."
"No." Aika said quickly, as she didn't want to start any conflict so early on. She may dislike the idea of working with men, but this truce was necessary if all humankind were to survive. "I don't find your ship offensive, I mean... it's just that I've never seen hallways so..."
"Plain? Empty? Undecorated? Dreary? Not as bright? Not as cheerful?" Jensen supplied. "Well, what you see here is just about what you'll see on any Tarak vessel. We don't do any of that fancy decor that you're probably used to. Frankly, it's better this way."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, unlike Mejele, our resources aren't as plentiful, so we prefer to keep things straight and uncomplicated. As long as the halls are neat and allow us to get to where we need to go, then how they look is irrelevant. I've been in one of your cruisers and frankly, I don't see the point of why every three feet of wall space has some picture of flowers or something on it. And I really don't get why you illuminate those halls with all those mirrors and lights. The energy used to power those fixtures for an hour could be shared between a dozen crew-quarters for three days."
"It's to make the atmosphere more cheerful and bright." Aika insisted. "We believe that a good outward appearance allows for better interaction between crewmembers. And they do need those mirrors to fix their makeup and make uniform adjustments and-"
"And all that still doesn't make sense to me." Jensen stated, then decided to change the subject. "But you and your crewmates weren't brought on board this ship for your opinions on aesthetics. You're here to work, and I expect for everyone on the Fire Heart to do his or her job to the best of his or her ability."
"I assure you that my crewmates and I are among the best, if not THE BEST of the Mejele Armed Forces." Aika said with a slightly defiant tone. She wasn't about to back down to any man.
Her superior nodded slightly. "Time will tell." He then stopped in front of a door and spoke to the computer lock. "Captain Jensen Dar, security override A789."
The computer lock beeped in acknowledgement as it scanned him and verified his identity. The door hissed open, and the two entered the room. Jensen then gestured to his new First Officer. "Well, these are your new quarters for the next month."
Aika's eyes widened in disbelief as she took in the place where she was going to be sleeping in. There was practically nothing in it. The chamber was approximately 10 foot X 10 foot and had a foldable bunk that was currently pushed up against the far wall. Adjacent to the bunk was a small bathroom, which consisted of a toilet, a shower stall, and a sink. Illumination was provided by small lit panels on the ceiling. Near the bunk was a communications console and screen on the wall. There was a closet opposite to the bunk, but other than that, there was nothing special or fancy about her new quarters. In fact, it was about as simple as one could get for living arrangements.
"This is it?" Aika had heard of stories of the primitive living conditions that the men of Tarak had to endure, both on their vessels and on their homeworld. However, she had been expecting that a person of her high rank to be given a more sophisticated living space. She was the First Officer after all.
"These are the quarters for the First Officer." Jensen confirmed. "You'll find a supply of soap, shampoo, and other necessities in the closet. I suggest that you budget them carefully, since we can only replenish each crewmember's quarters once every two weeks. If you need any extra or special requisitions, then you'll have to discuss that with the Quartermaster. You're free to customize this room to your liking, though the general ship rule is to keep personal effects to a minimum."
"This is it?" Aika repeated, still in disbelief.
The captain of the Fire Heart took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. You get exactly what every crewmember on this ship gets. We provide the essentials only. Whatever else you may want, you'll have to obtain on your own. You can consult the computer interface if you have any questions about normal ship operations. I expect you and the rest of the transfers to report to the main hangar deck for general briefings at 0630 hours. If there's nothing more and if you don't have any further questions..." He then started to turn toward the door.
"THESE are the First Officer's quarters?" Aika repeated yet again.
Jensen stopped before the open door, but didn't turn to face her. He let off a tired sigh and replied, "Yes. These are the First Officer's quarters. I should know, since one of my best friends had been assigned here."
"Who?"
"My First Officer before the Radam Tekkamen slaughtered him and eleven other good friends two days ago." He paused as his right hand clenched into a fist at this side. It had nearly pushed him to tears when the cleanup crews were sent in to clear the vacant quarters and prepare them for the new arrivals. Since his dead crewmembers had no surviving relatives to lay claim on their personal belongings, nearly all of it had been taken away to be broken down into raw materials and used for the buildup against the inevitable Radam invasion. He had just managed to get one or two small mementos from each room and had them sent to his home on Tarak. Aside from the planetary register, those keepsakes were the only reminders that they had existed at all.
Jensen then straightened up and walked out of the room without another word, leaving his new First Officer speechless over what she had just witnessed.
For just about all her life, she had been taught that the men of Tarak were brutish, uncaring savages. It was generally believed by the populace that the males were not prone to being sensitive or to show any kind of tender emotions.
So did she just imagine seeing her new superior officer show sorrow over lost comrades?
Aika wasn't the only female who was getting a shock, as the other women from the Crimson Twilight were also having difficulties settling in.
"Where's the bidet?" Third Lieutenant Shenia Acron asked as she looked at her quarter's bathroom.
"The what?" First Lieutenant Carden Zemer remarked in puzzlement. He gave the short-haired, petite brunette an expression of confusion.
Shenia looked back up, though she had to strain her neck a bit to meet his eyes. She had no idea that men grew so big. Carden was at least 6' 3" with sandy blonde hair. He towered over her, as she was only a mere 5' 7". She became extremely embarrassed when she tried to describe a bidet. "The... you know... the bidet?"
"No, I have no idea what a bidet is."
"It's that thing you sit on, when you...?"
Carden paused for a moment, then nodded in comprehension. "Oh, is that what you call a toilet on Mejele? Well, it's right there." He extended a hand and pointed to it.
Shenia raised her hands and waved them while shaking her head. "No! No! No! We have toilets on Mejele, too! I mean, the thing you sit on after you... well?"
This made Carden more confused. "The thing you sit on after? You mean another toilet? Why would you need two toilets in a bathroom? Just do your business, clean yourself off with the toilet paper, flush it down with everything else, then use the sink to wash your hands. Why complicate things with another toilet?"
The Mejele female became even more uncomfortable. "You use toilet paper to...? You mean you use paper to clean your...? You actually use your hands to...?"
Carden shrugged. "Hey, it's a dirty job, but you got to do it. That's why you wash your hands afterwards. That's what the sanitizer liquid is for. Why? What's this got to do with sitting on a second toilet?"
"The bidet is not a second toilet! It's there to wash your... well, so you don't have to touch your... uhm?"
"Huh? Is that what a bidet is?! Is that what it's for?! You're kidding me! You mean you women use twice as much water whenever you...?"
"That's none of your business!"
"Hey, when you're wasting water like that, then it becomes everyone's business on Tarak. You can't use up water like that, especially now that we're on full-scale war production." He then pointed to the roll of toilet paper near the toilet and then the sink. "There's the toilet paper, and there's the sink. Don't use more than three or four squares every day, since we are only given two rolls per re-supply periods. You got to make it last for two weeks, got that? And by the way, limit your showers to six minutes per day."
"Six minutes?! That's nowhere near long enough to-"
Carden cut her off with a glare. "I told you before that we're on full-scale war production. Every resource has to be rationed, and we can't afford to waste anything. See that timer on the shower stall? It's usually preset for ten minutes. However, with the Radam planning to invade us, it's been changed to six minutes. Clean yourself off quick and get out of the shower, because it will automatically shut off after the timer reaches zero. If you really want to stretch your water ration, then I'd suggest you consider taking sponge baths."
Shenia stood in helpless silence as she began to wonder if it would have been better to stay on Mejele and take her chances with the Spider Crabs.
In the ship's cafeteria...
"Ewwww! How can you EAT this?" Ensign Marika Sterlano remarked as she chewed her first mouthful of Tarak food pills and swallowed. She had been one of the Dread pilots aboard the Crimson Twilight and possessed a slender, lithe form. The long-haired redhead winced as the flavor, or lack of it, made her feel a bit nauseated. She then pushed the remainder of her meal aside.
"Eh, you get used to it." Sergeant Sosike Tamar said as he took another heaping spoonful and swallowed. He was second-in-command of the Brawler Brigade and was nearly as good as the Old Gun when it came to piloting a Vanguard. He was built like an Olympic gymnast and had short black hair styled in a military buzz cut. "So what did you usually eat on Mejele?"
"Well, basically it could be any kind of food we wanted, as long as it was properly prepared and cooked."
"Prepared? Cooked?"
"Well, yes. I mean, the meat had to be seasoned and heated properly. The vegetables have to be washed and chopped. I mean, if you want it to taste good, the food has to be measured and combined in the right proportions and..."
"That's a lot of trouble to go through for something to eat."
"Excuse me?"
"I said that it's a lot of trouble to make something that'll only take a few seconds to chew and swallow. Now don't get me wrong. I know what cooking is all about."
This statement caught Marika by surprise. "You do?"
The sergeant nodded. "I've roasted a lot of Shelari and Sandstalkers in my day, but in the end, it uses up a lot of energy and time, and in our business, we can't afford to waste either. Then you've got to consider all the energy and resources needed to store food. The pills may not taste as fancy as whatever you women ate, but they don't spoil as easy and you don't need as much to keep you going. Of course, whenever I get leave time, I do get a craving for a barbeque and there are some restaurants on Tarak that serve good Shelari steak."
"Excuse me, but what are Shelari and Sandstalkers?"
"Oh, they're just giant, carnivorous sand-worms and lethal desert spiders. They taste better than the pills after you roast them over an open fire. Of course, hunting those things down are a real chore, and you've got to make sure that you remove the acid and venom sacs or they'll burn right through your stomach, liver, pancreas, and other vital organs."
After hearing that tidbit, the Mejele woman became even more nauseated. Suddenly, the pills didn't seem so bad.
Engineering section...
"What the HELL are you doing?!" Chief Engineer Willard Zona exclaimed as the newest addition to his engineering staff began hooking up some circuit boards to the environmental controls. He was a stocky but solid man with some gray around his temples, which complemented his brown hair.
The person in question was Engineer Class A Siloma Ianesk, who happened to be the youngest of Aika's former crew aboard the Crimson Twilight. She had long, purple-dyed hair that was tied up in twin braids. She looked to be around 16 or 17 and had a very petite figure. She smiled innocently at her new superior and replied, "Well I just did a few modifications to the ventilation and atmospheric systems. Now I've got them working at 110 percent efficiency!"
"You did?" Willard said in surprise. "Well, that's good but you really should have consulted with me first."
The cheerful girl shrugged and replied, "Well, I wanted to make a good impression with you since we're all going to be working on this ship, right? And not only did I improve airflow and quality, but I also added a floral scent dispenser so it'll smell better, too!"
"Huh?"
At that moment, several of the engineering staff began choking and hacking as a strange pink mist began flooding through several of the vents in the engineering section. Many of them cried out in pain as the cloud began making their eyes water.
"ARRRGGGHH! IT BURNS! IT BURNS!"
"GREAT GRAND PA, WHAT IS THAT SMELL?!"
"MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!"
Willard immediately ran toward the control panel and rerouted whatever was being pumped into the section to the waste-disposal incinerator. The mist was quickly sucked up, which allowed the men to breathe normally again.
Siloma also went to the console to check on the data, and eeped in embarrassment. She then turned with a sheepish expression and her head bowed down. "Oops. I must have accidentally connected the floral scent dispenser to the gas emitter that the ship's inner defense system uses in case of enemy boarding. We ended up with a rose-scented form of tear gas."
As some members of the engineering sections went to help their comrades to the Sick Bay, the Chief Engineer looked down at his new subordinate in silence. His hands clenched and unclenched continuously at his sides as he repeated in his mind the same phrase over and over.
Don't strangle her now! Wait until after the war, then strangle her! Don't strangle her now! Wait until after the war, then strangle her! Don't...
The Captain's Office...
Jensen shook his head while pinching the bridge of his nose. He had just read the latest reports and complaints by the crew.
It's not even 0630 hours and half my crew is already threatening to mutiny! This is going to be one LONG month!
He continued to ponder over the list of complaints when he heard the beep at his office door.
"Come in."
The door hissed, Jensen looked up and smiled as he saw the leader of the Vanguard squadron enter his office.
Hikar Fulson, AKA Old Gun, was the oldest member of the Fire Heart's crew at 62 years. He was a big man of 6' 4" and had a scruffy gray beard. He had a jagged scar that ran from the upper left temple to the lower right side of his jaw. He was a hard drinker and wasn't very sociable, but there was no mistaking his genius when it came to piloting a Vanguard. He had the rank of Gunnery Sergeant, and though he had been offered to be promoted to his own command several times in the past, he had always turned it down. He was the kind of person who preferred a hands-on approach. He liked being in the thick of battle and when it came to whipping new recruits into shape and making them into top-notch Van-Type fighters, he was the best there is. His long years and many tours of duty on several other vessels had made him indispensable to Jensen, whenever he needed advice or a sympathetic ear. In fact, Old Gun was the first officer Jensen had served under during his academy days and Vanguard training. Hikar was about the closest thing Jensen had for a father figure. His Prime had died just after he had completed his Spirit Trial and he never knew who his Second was. It had taken a lot string-pulling to get the Old Gun and his squadron to be assigned to the Fire Heart.
"It's good to see you right now, Sergeant Fulson."
The veteran waved a hand while shaking his head. "Aw Captain, you know that you can call me Hikar or Old Gun when we're alone."
"Well, just so long as you can drop the 'captain' part and call me Jensen." He looked back down at the list in his hands and sighed.
The Vanguard squadron leader noted what was in his superior's hands and nodded. "We sure took on a handful of Hell, now didn't we?"
"Tell me about it." He gestured to a few items on the list of complaints. "I've had requests for extra food rations (no pills mind you), more cleaning supplies, longer shower times, installing bidets in the bathrooms whatever those things are." He then took another tired sigh. "And that's only from the 12 women that just came on board today. My own crew is already up in arms about Mejele women being assigned to Tarak ships. Some are crying out that women are TRULY monsters, and that they should suck out our innards and get it over with, instead of torturing us with their strange habits. And then there was that incident in Engineering..."
"Yeah, I went down there a while ago. Though I got to admit, I don't remember Willard or the others smelling THAT nice."
"Well, to be honest, it was a nice change from their usual body odors. I can't recall when the Engineering Staff didn't smell like lubricants, grease, fuel, and solvents. Still, that new recruit did overstep her bounds. She should have consulted with the Chief Engineer before attempting that modification. In fact, so far both sides are nowhere close to any kind of agreement or compromise, much less the kind of cooperation we need to defeat the Radam. I'm beginning to wonder if volunteering the Fire Heart for this co-gender fleet was a good idea. Heck, I'm starting to wonder if men and women can even work together."
"It's possible, Jensen. Look at the Nirvana. Besides, building trust and understanding takes time. You can't expect people to change attitudes overnight. Look at me, yourself, and the crew."
"Huh?"
"Whenever I get new blood, there's ALWAYS going to be head-butting. Can't avoid it. But once I get myself and them to the same level, then we start building a base to work with. You're no different. You've looked all over the fleet for the right crew for the Fire Heart. And let me tell you something. I have never seen a more mismatched group of dropouts, rejects, criminals, and misfits than what's on the ship today. There were some that I thought you were crazy to bring aboard, but somehow, you found a way to make them all work like a real crew. And because of that, the crew trusts your judgment. They may gripe and growl at times, but they know deep down that you always have their well-being in mind."
Jensen smiled as he considered the words of the old warhorse, then stood up. "Thanks, Old Gun. I needed that."
"Aw shoot. You would've figured it all out yourself."
"Yes, well we've still got a lot of work ahead of us."
"Since when has it ever been easy for us?"
Later...
Siloma Ianesk stood uneasily in front of the captain's desk as she was unable to fully meet the penetrating gazes of her new superior and his First Officer. Jensen's stern expression made her want to find the nearest rock and crawl under it. Standing beside him, Aika had her arms crossed while giving the young engineer her own look of disapproval.
Though Aika didn't like the idea of punishing her own crewmember, she had to agree that what her subordinate did had violated certain protocols and that she would have to be reprimanded.
"Judging by your expression, I will assume you know why you were called here before the general crew briefings, Engineer Class A Ianesk." Jensen said in a firm tone.
"Yes sir." Siloma replied in a near-whisper. "I goofed."
"Saying that you goofed is a mild way to admitting that you almost committed involuntary manslaughter. That's not exactly an ideal way to begin relations with your fellow crewmates."
Jensen's words cut the young engineer to the quick, making her flinch. Aika immediately came to her defense.
"Now I wouldn't go THAT far. True, she caused some discomfort and disrupted the operations down in Engineering..."
"I WOULD GO THAT FAR AND EVEN FURTHER!" The captain said, cutting his First Officer off. "She could have caused the vents to release something far more lethal than tear gas. We were fortunate that they didn't emit any mustard, cyanide, or nerve agents! Take my word, that self-defense system can be quite deadly if it thinks that the ship had been taken over by a hostile boarding party." He then turned his attention back to the young girl. "I can understand your desire to want to make a good first impression, but tampering with something that you had no business with is not the way to go. My crew is already on edge and I DON'T need anyone else adding fuel to the fire. Therefore, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to make an example out of you." He took a deep breath. "Engineer Class A, Siloma Ianesk, you are hereby confined to quarters following the general crew briefing. You are to serve directly under our Chief Engineer and will only be allowed out of your quarters to perform your duties. All privileges are to be denied, and you will be regulated to mess and latrine work detail indefinitely, until I see fit to end your punishment. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
The young girl bowed her head and nodded. "Yes sir."
"Dismissed."
She then turned about and walked out his office in a dejected manner.
Aika gazed upon her new superior with a look of disapproval, but Jensen gave her a look that brooked no argument.
Much later...
Jensen sighed in his quarters as he laid down on his bunk. It had been a tiring first day, and he needed to get some sleep. The general briefing had been rocky, but eventually, the all-male crew had calmed down and accepted the fact that the women were aboard for the duration. He could only imagine how things were going on the other Tarak vessels that had women assigned to them. So far, he hadn't heard of any incidences of violence and such, so for now, things were tentatively going all right.
At first, several of the Fire Heart's crew were surprised that Jensen had not expelled the women after the air-vent fiasco. Then the captain reminded them of several incidences in which new recruits had caused havoc among the crew, only to show their true skills and abilities when the crew needed them the most. He had given those misfits and dropouts a second chance, and so he would do the same for the women.
He could only hope that he would be correct in this case as well.
As he began to fall asleep, his last thoughts were, How in Grand Pa's name did they do it on the Nirvana? How could they get used to all those women and those strange ideas of theirs?
In the Captain's Quarters on the Nirvana...
Jura smiled as she admired herself in the mirror. The garb she was presently wearing was a far cry from the revealing clothes she normally dressed in, but she still felt beautiful and elegant.
The blonde was dressed in a light green, robe-like garment that was made of the finest silk and the waist had a wide red band tied at the back in a bow. The outfit had flaring sleeves and on her feet were simple sandals. Her long hair was fashioned in a geisha-style and held in place by decorative pins. However, since her hair was so long, much of it that couldn't be tied up flowed down her back. This only enhanced her elegant appearance as she did a small pirouette and smiled at her reflection. She then turned to the aged woman who had helped her into the outfit and done her hair.
"So you call this a kimono?"
Vivian Magno, formally Nodoka Saotome/Tensuke, nodded and replied. "Yes. It's a copy of the one I wore in my younger days, almost a lifetime ago. I must say, you look very stunning in it."
"Yes! I love it!" Jura said with glee. "Do you think Slade will like it?"
"Well I can't really say if he'll like it." Magno admitted. "I haven't seen my son in well over five hundred and sixty-three years, but I think you look lovely in it. I believe he would approve, especially since it's a nice change from the clothes you usually wear."
"I can't wait to show him!"
The pirate captain smiled. How manly her son had become to be the apple of so many girls' eyes. Dita, Meia, and now Jura had been approaching her with questions about her son and other more intimate details. And though the men and women were now on full combat production and military integration, she still hoped that her son would get together with at least one of those girls, or even better, all of them. Then she considered the fact that it had been well over half a millennium. It was high time he finally gave her some grandchildren.
Speaking of the other girls...
Dita smiled as she followed the recipe that Magno had written out for her. It had been very difficult to get the ingredients needed for this ancient Japanese dish, but she was certain that Mr. Alien, no, Slade would like it. The Captain had told her that the way to a man's heart was often through his stomach, and she knew for a fact that the White Tekkaman loved good cooking. Since Meia and Jura's culinary skills were nowhere near hers, she was certain that she would be able to get him first. After all, Jura didn't cook that often (mostly leaving it to Barnette), while Meia's ability didn't go much further than heating up a rations pack.
Dita sampled the food she was preparing in the wok and nodded at the taste. She then started adding a dash of soy sauce.
And in the former Dread Leader's quarters...
"How to build interpersonal relationships with members of the opposite sex." Meia read out loud as she perused the battered old book in her hands while sitting on her bed. The volume had been lent to her by the captain after the headstrong girl had come into her quarters with a very personal request...
Flashback...
"Captain, are you busy?" Meia asked as she entered the captain's quarters.
Magno shook her head as she was sitting at her desk. She gestured for her visitor to sit down at a chair opposite to her. "Not at all, Meia. What can I do for you?"
The short-haired girl swallowed a bit as she took a seat, then became somewhat edgy. "Uhm… well, I sort of have a question to ask of you. About your son. About Slade."
The hundred-plus-year-old nodded as she had been half-expecting something like this would happen eventually. "And what would you like to know about him?"
"Ah… well, it's just that... I mean, I've worked... I mean, the CREW has worked with him for over a year now and I... I mean, WE all respect him for what he's done for me... I mean, for all of US and well... I... I mean..."
Magno held up a palm, causing her to stop in her rambling. She then gave the distraught girl a look of understanding. "Meia, please. Speak for YOURSELF. If you have something to say about my son and how it relates to YOU, then do so. Don't beat around the bush."
"What?"
"Sorry. That's an old Earth expression. What I mean is, please tell me what's on YOUR mind. Quit all of this hemming and hawing. Out with it already!"
"Well... I want to ask you..."
"Ask me what?"
"I want to ask you how to talk to a man."
"How to talk to a man? I would think by now you'd have had enough practice with talking to men."
Meia shook her head while waving her hands frantically in front of her. "No! Not talking to them like that! I mean, speaking to Bart and Duero like fellow crewmembers is not what I meant! What I mean is, how women acted with men when they... uhm... ah..."
Slade's mother smiled at the girl's flustering. It was obvious that she didn't have any experience when it came to close personal relationships with others. "I see. Well, I am a bit out of practice when it comes to dealing with men on THAT level. However, I haven't forgotten totally and I suppose I can give you some pointers. However, I must admit that I am surprised that you would even ask for such a thing. No offense Meia, but your interactions with even the female members of our crew has been regarded by many as a bit on the stiff side."
"Really?"
"Yes, well as I said before, no offense intended, but I have noticed that you are not exactly what one would call sociable. You tend to keep your emotions bottled up and you don't take into consideration the emotions of others. That's one of the key elements when trying to establish a more personal and, if I may be so bold, INTIMATE connection toward another. That becomes especially important when dealing with the opposite sex." Nodoka's smiled became even more pronounced when Meia's cheek blushed furiously. "However, I find this change in you to be most welcome and refreshing. It's good to see you actually opening up, and I have a feeling that my son had a lot to do with that."
"Yes." Meia admitted quietly. "That's why I made a decision."
"And what decision is that?"
Meia swallowed especially hard, then took a deep breath. She promptly stood up, walked around the desk and kneeled in front of her captain while bowing her head. She then said in a quiet whisper, "Captain, I would like your permission to start a family with your son, Slade!"
Magno swelled up with pride at the admission, then bid the girl to rise. She took her hands in hers and gave her a warm expression. "Ah Meia, as much as I'd like to give you that permission, it is not mine to give. Slade has not been my son for over half a millennium and you are not the first girl to ask me for his heart. All that I can give you is my approval and blessing to your desire to have him. However, there are others who are after the same goal, so you will have to work in order to win him. I bid you good luck in your venture and offer some advice: a smile can work WONDERS."
She then handed the girl an old battered book from a drawer in her desk.
End of Flashback...
Meia then read out loud the next passage in the book.
"First impressions can often be the most important factor when developing a relationship. A smile can be the strongest message without using words, provided that it is done with sincerity and from the heart."
Meia then looked at herself in her bathroom mirror and tried a smile. She then realized that it was forced and didn't seem sincere. She then took on a determined expression and vowed to get the perfect smile. (2)
As for Slade, who happened to be working out in the Nirvana's gym, he suddenly got a cold shiver down his spine.
He didn't know why, but he suddenly got the willies and an overwhelming desire to hide...
To be continued...
Preview...
Slade: "The inhabitants of Tarak and Mejele continue to integrate and learn to work together for the impending attack by the Radam. So far, it's going good, all things considered."
Duero: "Wait... you want me to find... him?"
Parfet: "Duero? Who are you talking about?"
Barnette: "Whoa... this guy is good..."
Slade: "Jura...? What're you wearing...?"
Jura: "Hm hm hm... do you like it, Slade?"
Slade: "Ooooh... uh... yes... Next time, on Tekkadread Remastered: 'Learning Curve'. Only days away from the battle..."
Author's Notes
Well, it's been some time since I updated, so for the next two to three chapters, I'm going to delve even deeper into the male/female relationships with some humor thrown in as Mejele and Tarak begin to find their roots on living together while preparing for the Radam onslaught. As for what's happening on the Fire Heart, I decided to reverse roles than what happened on the Nirvana with a nearly all-male crew and a few females. As for the development between Slade and the girls, well wait and see.
Tekkadread the Second Stage will end on Chapter 27, but with several parts per chapter, so we've still got a ways to go.
(1) ITSF stands for Imperial Tarak Space Force. The number indicates the series, while D stands for destroyer. Jensen's current ship has the registry of ITSF-978CC Fire Heart, with CC meaning Cruiser-Carrier.
(2) I got inspired at this idea after watching an episode of Maburaho when the tough sword girl Rin tried to make herself smile in order to impress Kazuki's parents. I thought this would fit Meia as well.
Please read and review!