Chapter 5
They both hesitated when they saw the jolly older man with a twinkle in his eye looking in their general direction. Jinpei and Ryu looked at them and shrugged their shoulders when Jun cast them an inquiring glance.
"You're Kamo?" Jun asked.
He grinned broadly and he walked over to a dark window and flicked a few switches on the wall.
Jun gasped as she saw the enormous room light up below them and on a conveyer belt the brand new updated vehicles began to be presented to them.
"Hey…mine looks so cool!" Jinpei said his excitement building by the minute. Jun listened carefully to capacity and capabilities of each, making note of the fire power of her new G-3 hovercraft.
"Now let me explain to you how the Gatchasparten works." Kamo continued. "Like before it needs all five vehicles to make it operate at its full capacity. But it comes together like pieces of a jig saw."
"We need Joe then." Jun said catching Ken's concerned frown.
"I know." He replied softly. "We have to do it anyway, we can't…"Ken hesitated. "We can't allow Joe's illness to stop our mission to put Galactor back out of action."
Jun agreed silently- Joe would be pushing them back out into the battlefield. It was just his way.
"I have more to show you…" Kamo walked over to the wall and pushed a button that opened up a large lit panel to reveal an assortment of weapons.
"These are your new hand weapons." Kamo said. Kamo continued to go over the details of how the Gatchasparten formed into the ship by all five vehicles coming together and how they did it so that when it formed the walls would shift to form the bridge and other parts of the interior of the space worthy ship.
Ken picked up his weapon that looked like a sword with a gold decorative handle as Kamo spoke and examined it in his hand. Jun watched his face the whole time. His brows came together slightly in his usual slight grimace and his piercing blue eyes brightened for a split second like he held the ultimate power to destroy Galactor in his hands as Kamo explained him about the Hypershoot's power.
"I has up to 200,000 KW of power…It can cut trough steel at first blow, and it's an extraordinary defensive weapon rather than an offensive weapon. It could prove to be very useful in the heat of battle against a mecha." Kamo became more serious as spoke." But beware, Ken, use it cautiously- it can be dangerous and we're not totally sure if it can bring harm to the user over a long period of use."
"200,000 KW of power." Jun gasped and she recoiled- starring at Ken with wide worried eyes.
That expression diminished when his eyes met hers. From that moment she became silently wary of the new weapon he held in his hands. Kamo said Ken had to be careful with it- the Hypershoot weapon could be dangerous. And Ken didn't even flinch when Kamo mentioned the danger of over use.
"We what are we waiting for!" Ken ordered running towards the door. "There maybe only four of us but we can still take them on!"
"Yeah let's go!" Jinpei cried out full of enthusiasm. Jun followed behind him along with Ryu with the image of Ken's facial expression as he looked at the hypershoot weapon still imprinted in her mind.
Why did this new weapon bother her so much? She thought as she raced towards her new vehicle now in full birdstyle. Jumping in the hovercraft she had to push it to the back of her mind. Later, I'll think about it later. She promised herself as she felt the power of the engine beneath her propel her out of the launch bay of the mountain base into the bright golden sunlight outside to meet the next foe Galactor had in store for them.
* * * *
Jun starred at the monster that had come close to bringing about their deaths the day before. She fired more missiles at the massive metal creature but they just bounced off it like darts and the explosions had no effect.
"Nothings working! Our missiles are having no impact on it." She could Ken frustration through her bracelet.
"Then let's take it down together." She suggested.
Focusing on the task at hand she waited for Ken's order for them all to strike it once- but it didn't come.
"Ken I'm ready to-"Stopping midsentence she watched him flying dangerously close to the mecha.
"What are you doing?" She asked in the calmest voice possible, still he ignored her.
"Ken answer me…" Jun said through clenched teeth as she turned her hovercraft to get a better angle and she renewed her attack on the beast.
Then she heard panic in Ryu and Jinpei's voice, and she watched Ken's small fighter do a remarkable turn around and head directly for the monster.
"Ken what's your plan?" Ryu asked.
"No way…big bro stop!! Sis he's going to crash into the mecha!" Jinpei cried, Jun's heart began to pound in her chest as the truth of his intentions began become clear.
"Ken. Stop…please." She pleaded. She knew once he had his mind set on doing something he kept his focus on the task. Frantically she looked for a way to stop him, and she didn't have much time to come up with a plan.
In horror she watch him close in on his target. "Ken, NO!!! " She cried out in desperation, the words seemed futile and useless as she watched his jet dive in toward the mecha for its final assault.
In a split second before impact a missile came out of no where and made a direct hit that forced Ken to pull up. Jun breathed a deep sigh of relief.
"What the hell." Ken said in confusion.
"Impossible!" She stated looking around for the hero that saved Ken from suicidal kamikaze.
"Well whata ya know!" Ryu cheerful said into his bracelet.
"Joe…" Jun breathed softly. It couldn't be he could barely sit in a chair just hours before they decided to take on the mecha once more.
She smile broadly as his race car joined them.
"Assemble the Gatchasparten!" Ken ordered.
And without hesitation the five of them began to sequence of joining the individual vehicle to become one ship.
"All done." Ryu declared taking his seat at the helm of the ship.
"Delta energy on." Ken said from his position on top of the ship.
Jun saw a flash of light in the view screen as the sword came to life and the deadly length of pure energy began slicing through the mecha like it was made of butter rather than thick steel that could resist missiles. The mecha fell apart before their eyes.
It didn't take long for them to defeat the latest weapon of the newly reformed Galactor. Ken returned to the bridge once they were clear of the wreckage. His blue eyes shone brightly and he smiled as he stood by her side. She frowned slightly at his apparent enthusiasm- she decided she would deal with Ken's rash actions later.
Jun cast a glance at the Condor. Slumped in his seat she began to worry that he pushed himself too far this time.
"Joe," Jun didn't even try to hide her concern as she crouched down beside him.
"Welcome back buddy." Ken rested a hand on his shoulder. "Let's get him back to base."
Ryu didn't need the queue from his commander- he had already begun to turn the ship in the direction of their new mountain home.
Joe looked weak- sitting by his side she waited for to respond to their call. Ken stood by the wall on the far side of the room watching them along with Ryu and Jinpei.
"What I missed is the real purpose of the black box I found close to his heart." started to explain.
"Then what's it used for?" Jun quizzed.
"Renewable energy, I can bring him back straight away. So I need you get back as soon as you can." answered.
"You bet! We're on our way doc." Ken assured him.
Jun put her hand on Joe's arm. "We'll have you back to normal soon Joe."
She felt the thrusters of the ship ignite as Ryu sped up their flight back home to get Joe the medical help he needed.
* * * *
Jun took a different tactic than normal. The image of Ken's jet coming close to hitting the mecha burned in her mind and so did his behaviour on the mission.
"What are you doing here?" Ken's eyes held surprise in them as he walked into the room.
Good. She thought smugly. You not the only one who's taking a different approach to things these days.
"I decided we needed to have a chat." Jun sat down on his bed and lay back so she half leaned against the wall and put her hands behind her head.
She saw his confused facial expression and she worked hard to suppress a grin.
"What are you doing?" He said in a guarded manner.
"Guess?" She asked and raised a brow and then proceeded to make herself comfortable.
"We're not going there…" Ken's serious voice made her pick up a magazine off his side table and she began to flick through it.
"Going where?" Jun through the question back at him and continued to stare at the magazine, and then she started reading about some new wiz bang plane that would be coming out soon and it will be every fighter pilots dream to fly it through the blue skies.
Ken walked around the room pretending to clean up a none existent mess keeping an eye on her the whole time.
"Okay what gives?" He threw up his hands and Jun ignored him, this seemed to annoy him a little. Jun furrowed her brows like she was concentrating in the article.
She heard him let out a long breath. "Is this about me again?"
Still she ignored him- two can play this game she thought.
"I want some privacy-"He began, she cut him off with a glare.
"You want to kill yourself, go down in glory like your father did? My hero." She said sarcastically and flashed her angry eyes in his direction and gently put the magazine down. Gracefully she moved off the bed.
"I will do what is required for the mission." He hissed.
"Damn straight you will, and since we need you doing a kamikaze into a mecha won't defeat Galactor." Jun moved in close to him her eyes locked with his. "Dyami doesn't need to know his biological father and grandfather committed suicide-"
"It all comes down to that does it?" Ken's tense face dropped and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "You don't understand me and you never did…what makes you think it matters if I live or die to Dyami."
"How can you say that? After all we have been through together…" Jun didn't hide her disbelief and hurt as her jaw dropped at the insult.
"You think its all about you!" She rebuked him harsher than she wanted to.
"We-will-win-this-war!" He whispered- callously turning away from her so she couldn't see his face. "Even if I have to do it alone."
"We work as a team remember…We can't defeat them on our own." Jun reminded him. Ken didn't respond.
"I need a shower, see yourself out." Ken briskly walked towards the bathroom.
"This isn't the last time we're going to have this discussion is it?" She asked watching his back as it stiffened up.
He relaxed a little and the continued to stride into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
Time to talk to Joe she concluded, walking out of Ken's personal quarters. He would be recharged by now she figured as she made her way to the medical bay.