Chapter 1: Unknown Territory
Disclaimer: I don't own Vandread or the Ace Combat series.
Vandread Ace
The light from the V2s' blast cloud subsided, revealing the Razgriz Squadron's planes that are, for some reason, untouched.
In the lead F-15E Strike Eagle, Nathan groans as he comes to. Lifting the visor of his helmet, he starts becoming aware of his surroundings. They certainly aren't on Earth, that much is evident. He spots his squad mates' planes to his left.
He called out, "Blaze here, all Razgriz aircraft report in." The radio crackles to life.
Nagase said, "This is Edge. I'm a little dazed but I am fine."
Marcus Snow added, "I'm not hurt, Blaze."
Grimm cried, "This is Archer, I am a little shaken up but I'm okay. Where are we, Captain?"
Nathan replied, "Judging by the countless number of stars as far as the eye can see, I'd say we are in space. I think we are orbiting a planet and apparently there are inhabitants on it. One thing I don't understand is how life can survive here, I mean there is no water anywhere on the planet's surface. Water is an essential for life to thrive."
Snow stated, "Also, some unknown force somehow saved us from the explosion of those V2 MIRV missiles."
Nagase said, "Wait a second. I am picking up a transmission, I'll patch it through."
Down on the planet's surface, a propaganda film's being played showing some sort of humanoid monster.
The narrator said, "Women are monsters and men were at one point their playthings, eating our forefathers' innards draining them dry of bodily fluids. They have plagued our civilization for centuries, forcing us into work labor and now that nightmare is about to happen again. It spits in the face of everything we have sacrificed to get to where are. Even if a few men were able to survive, they are scarred for life after their encounter with women. The time has come to erase all those years of humiliation and slavery placed upon us." The film ends.
The Prime Minister stood on a large podium on another ship, his speech was being broadcast to the audience via video monitor.
He said, "My comrades, it is time for the glorious empire of Tarak to reclaim its former glory! Our great forefather Grand Pa guided us here but now we'll leave this planet we have colonized through grit and determination to regain the pride of men. But today, we have a new power for us to wield that will change our future! In other words, we will bring down the hammer of justice to crush our most vile enemy, women!" Deep within the city, in his room, Hibiki was packing his bag.
He sighed, "I shouldn't have said that. Why did I accept that bet? I have such a big mouth sometimes, I allowed myself to get carried away. Stupid! What's done is done. No matter what happens next, I'm still a guy and Hibiki the man never breaks his word!" He finishes packing his bag then heads off to steal one of the planet's new fighting machines. He soon crosses a stairwell.
'Maybe I am hotheaded but the blood inside me is screaming. Telling me that there's something worthwhile out there. They say actions speak louder than words, so be it.' He thought as he climbed a ladder.
The Prime Minister continued, "The power each of you hold will help rebuild our great empire. The ship that led us to this fatherland, the Ikazuchi, has been revived! And our young men are its new officers, you are the future of Tarak. This is no force in this universe that we need to fear with our strength!" Hibiki soon reaches a door leading to the interior of the Ikazuchi, reaching into his bag he uses some improvised hacking tools to open the door then resumes his mission. He hides behind a box that's being loaded onto the Tarak flagship via conveyer belt. Once inside the vessel, he makes his way towards the hanger housing the Vanguards.
Upon reaching his destination, Hibiki stopped to catch his breath, "Oh man, this place is a lot bigger than I imagined. It's really good that I didn't leave anything to chance, I would be in big trouble if I had not done my homework." He pulls out a glove, puts it on then sprays it to use on the palm scanner.
It said, "Palm print does not match. Re-enter within 30 seconds."
Hibiki said incredulously, "No way!"
The Prime Minister said, "Enough time has already been wasted! Why wait for the designated hour to arrive? Wouldn't you agree with me, men?" The crowd roars in agreement.
Taken by surprise that the Prime Minister is launching the Ikazuchi 2 hours ahead of schedule, its crew hops into action.
Hibiki blows on the glove before placing it on the palm scanner again, this time it matches making the young teen sigh in relief.
Seeing the door opening up, Hibiki grinned, "Ha, piece of cake!" Unknown to him, the restraints holding the Ikazuchi detach and the ship starts to slowly ascend.
Hibiki looks at each one of the Vanguards to see the one with the scratch he feels his hopes beginning to drop because maybe the higher-ups may have replaced it with a new one until he spots it. He leaps over to claim it but he falls backwards when he feels the Ikazuchi starting to move. He peeks out of the window to see the booster units disengage and separate from the ship.
Back with Razgriz Squadron, the pilots finish up listening to the speech.
Nathan asked, "Hold up, men and women are at war with each other?"
His wife nodded, "Yeah, that is strange. Why is that?"
Snow looked at his Fulcrum's radar, "Hey, guys I'm picking up a group of unknown aircraft from our 6 o'clock." A little bit later, they see one of the Ikazuchi's escort ships burst into flames. Some futuristic looking ships called Dreads come into view, making the Ghosts of Razgriz look at them in awe of their design.
The Prime Minister barked, "I ordered the exhibition match to be canceled!"
An officer told him, "This isn't part of the exhibition! It's the women, they're attacking! Formation has been breached!" The space pirates' mothership emerges from behind a piece of space debris.
The Prime Minister ordered, "All ships, guard the Ikazuchi!"
Inside it, two women stand at the bridge.
The first woman had long platinum hair that went past her waist with the end in a curl, green eyes and deeply tanned skin. She wore a decorated green top that exposed her toned stomach, baggy pants, had bands on her arms, jewelery on her wrists and some sort green gem-tipped choker around her neck.
She said with a grin, "Well Captain, it looks like we got ourselves a big catch this time."
Her superior was clearly much older but her gray eyes held years of leadership. She wore a robe with half of her face concealed by the hood.
The space pirate leader chuckled, "Heh, today must be our lucky day." The situation deteriorates as the space pirates down additional 2 escort ships then the Prime Minister orders the Vanguards to be launched, stating that if they don't use their latest weapon they will bring shame to their forefather.
Blaze and wingmen watch the space pirates fly through the AA fire with flawless skills.
Swordsman commented, "Those are some impressive pilots." The Vanguards come out of the Ikazuchi and mount on the red colored Dread pounding on the canopy.
The pilot asked, "Hey! What are these things? They're getting in my way!"
The leader spoke with a cold tone, "Don't worry about the Vanguards. Our objective is the enemy flagship, concentrate on getting inside."
The pilot replied, "Roger."
Archer asked Blaze, "Should we intervene?"
Blaze told him, "No. We'll attack if need be. Until then, you're not to fire until I give you permission. Is that clear?"
Archer answered, "Roger that."
The Prime Minister said, "Attention Vanguards, radar has picked up 4 new aircraft of unknown origin. Shoot them down!"
Blaze growled, "Great! Squad, forget about what I said earlier. Attack!" The engines of their fighters roar back to life and they dive into the battlefield.
Swordsman fires his MiG-29 Fulcrum's 30mm GSh-30-1 cannon at the Vanguard approaching him, the bullets tear through the machine's armor and explodes. He performs a vector roll that takes him behind the next pair of enemies and takes them down with R-27AE missiles.
'I have seen rookies fly better than these guys.' He thought over the Vanguard pilot's skill at handling the thing.
A pair of Vanguards appear on the silver Dread's tail but little did they know that they too are being targeted.
Edge arms her Sidewinders and gained a lock, "Edge, Fox Two!" The missiles score home, obliterating the robots upon impact. The pilot of the silver Dread briefly looks to her right as the F-15E Strike Eagle pulls away and another Strike Eagle closing in on the Ikazuchi's AA guns.
Selecting the unguided bombs, Blaze barrel rolls through the anti-air fire and drops a bomb onto a group of AA guns. A Vanguard lands on top of his aircraft and Blaze can't help but smirk.
'This fool wants to play Rodeo, huh? Let's see how long he will be able to hang on.' He thought.
He starts pulling all kinds of aerial maneuvers until the enemy machine loses its grip and Blaze makes a high g turn before destroying it with the M61 Vulcan Gatling cannon.
After being thrown into the brig, Hibiki hot wires the control panel to deactivate the laser bars.
He said, "Never underestimate a mechanic's knowledge." He is about to leave when he hears the white egg-shaped robot that was stationed there making beeping noises he decides to take the robot with him.
Back in space, the Vanguards prove to be more persistent than first thought.
The pilot of the red Dread said, "Good grief, these things won't quit! We can't get through!"
Blaze contacted her, "This is Blaze of Razgriz Squadron to unknown aircraft, I can help you get through this blockade if you agree not to fire on me. Do we have a deal?"
The red Dread pilot gasped, "Is that a man?"
The silver Dread pilot said, "We agree with your proposal for the time being."
Blaze nodded, "Very well. I'm going to pull up right beside you in seconds. Once the blockade is taken care of, I'll use one of my bombs to destroy the door leading to the ship's cargo bay area." The Dread's pilot watches the F-15E Strike Eagle pull up right beside her and signals with his hand to follow his lead.
'I have never seen an aircraft of that design. Did it come from a different planet?' She thought.
Blaze patiently waits for his missiles to gain a lock-on. Then the tone becomes loud.
He said, "I got tone. Blaze, Fox Two!" The Sidewinders are released from their latches and went through the cockpit of the enemy like a bullet. He next selects the UGBL and closes in on the cargo bay door. Once he's close enough, the bombs rip open a massive hole.
The red Dread pilot cried, "That pilot's got skills, for a man."
Blaze told them, "That's it. You're clear to enter." He breaks off to return to his wingmen.
The Dreads fly through the newly made hole. The crew member inside turns a switch to restore gravity.
He exclaimed, "Cargo bay gravity restored! Prepare to engage the enemy directly!" The raiding party get out of their aircraft wearing spacesuits with a creepy helmet/mask that one would see in a horror movie. They engage the cargo bay personnel with laser rings on their fingers. One of the female space pirates gets hit in the shoulder.
The pilot of the blue Dread has trouble controlling her craft and shoots at the wall in front of her.
Hibiki runs on a skywalk in the Ikazuchi's engine room when the ceiling above him bulges, brightens in color and then explodes.
On the other Tarak ship's bridge, a lever cover opens and the lever comes up. The Prime Minister places his hand on it.
The commander said, "Minister, you can't do this!"
The Prime Minister stated, "We can't allow the entire ship be captured by our enemy. I must at least save the new section of the Ikazuchi. Before everything falls into the hands of females, I'll separate the old from the new!" He throws the switch forward and explosive bolts engage, freeing the old section of the Tarak flagship.
Archer utilizes his MiG-29's powerful thrust, soaring above the enemy. Swordsman and him do the rolling scissors maneuver where they criss-cross one another to confuse the enemy if they are trying to lock onto one of them and get a clear shot. Seeing a pair of hostiles approaching both of them, the Osean pilots fly past each other then unleash a missile on their targets.
In the engine room, Hibiki comes to after surviving the explosion. His hand comes into contact with something soft yet pliable.
He wondered, "What is this?" He looked up to see a female on top of him, "Ah! A monster!" He shoves the creature off him.
The female said, "Wait!" Judging by the sound of the voice, it belonged to a 16-year old.
The young girl removes her helmet/mask and spacesuit down to her waist. Her deep red hair extended close to her ankles with a pair of bangs framing the sides of her face that had hair pins in them, blue eyes, a golden object resembling a tiara rested on top of her head, wore a black tank top that showed off her stomach, a decorative jacket, a skirt that exposed her curves and wore ankle-high boots.
Dita said with excitement, "Wow! It's a real alien!"
Hibiki blinked in confusion, "Alien?" Dita waved hello and this made Hibiki more confused but he waved back nonetheless.
The redhead cried, "I did, it worked! I made first contact!" Hibiki laughs nervously before taking off, Dita quickly removes her spacesuit completely so she can run after him.
A laser strikes inches away from a Tarak cadet's face.
An armed guard warned, "Don't move, we'll shoot if you try anything stupid." She oversees them being boarded onto escape pods. Nearby them, the pilots of the 2 Dreads start removing their spacesuits.
The first one had long blonde hair that stopped above her feet, green eyes, donned an exotic not to mention revealing black dress that showed some of her large and full breasts, stood around 5'7 and appeared to be about 20 years old. This beautiful woman was none other than Jura Basil Eden.
She said, "I know it's disinfected and all but I don't think I will ever get used to the smell."
The woman next to her removed her spacesuit. She wore a form fitting white and black flight suit that showed off her athletic body, light blue hair that went past her ears and spiked at the front and straightened out into a fan-like style at the back, aqua colored eyes that one would lose themselves in, pale skin, stood around 5'6, some kind of circlet covered her left eye but it didn't hamper her beauty and was about a year younger than her blonde-haired companion, placing her at 19. Her face displayed leadership. Her name was Meia Gisborn, leader of the Dreads.
She asked, "Where'd Dita go?"
Barnette said, "Last time I saw her, she was having problems with her Dread and after that I-ow! Be careful, Paiway! My skin's delicate I'll have you know!"
Barnette had dark green hair, violet eyes, wore an outfit that resembled a one-piece bathing suit covering between her legs, sides, stomach and stopped at her chest and had shoulder pads secured by clasps on her shoulder blades, thigh-high boots and gloves that went past her elbows. While her breasts were not as big as Jura's, Barnette was well formed in her own right and her curves only intensified that.
Paiway was the space pirate's nurse around 11 years old or so, black hair tied into twin pigtails, red eyes, wore something close to a French maiden outfit, elbow-length black gloves and knee-high boots.
She replied, "Just try to tolerate it."
Barnette fired back, "Nurses should be more sensitive!"
Paiway cried, "I am being sensitive." Another one of the cadets looks over his shoulder then grunts before moving on.
On the other Tarak ship, the bridge operator said, "The mysterious fighter jets have wiped out half of our Vanguards and the pirates are heading toward the old section of the Ikazuchi!"
The Prime Minister cried, "Those females move fast, don't they? Prepare to fire a torpedo, the Muramasa!"
The commander asked, "Minister, are you actually going to destroy the old section?"
The bald-headed man stated angrily, "I'd rather destroy with my own hands than let it fall into the hands of women!" Dita snaps a picture as she continues to chase Hibiki through the engine room.
The Razgriz Squadron regroup after destroying the last of the Vanguards then they see escape pods being launched from the old section.
The Prime Minister wondered, "Isn't this their way of showing us pity?"
The commander said, "Perhaps there is a peaceful way to end this battle."
The Prime Minister looked at the missile operator, "Is the Muramasa ready yet?"
The operator said, "Determining distance to the target!"
Back in the cargo bay area, Jura said in disappointment, "I was looking forward to this because they said it was gonna be big but this is all junk."
Meia said, "Jura, we're going to look for Dita."
Jura sighed, "That's why I didn't want to bring along a trainee."
The Dread leader told her with restrained impatience, "Look Jura, we are short handed as it is. If you didn't want to join in this operation you should've said something earlier."
The blonde-haired woman replied, "Okay, you don't have to yell. I'll go with you." From his canopy window, Blaze sees a missile being lowered.
In the sub-bridge, Ezra gasped, "A missile has locked on to us!"
BC said, "What? Parfet, is it possible to move the ship?"
The engineer shook her head, "I'm afraid not because the engine's dead."
BC gritted her teeth, "Grr, what do we do?"
The captain said, "I see it. Losing the ship would be a shame but escaping with our lives is more important right now. Let's get out of here!" Meia and Jura reach where Dita's Dread crashed and upon hearing a scream, they both look down to see the redhead running after Hibiki.
Jura smiled slyly, "Do you see that, Meia? She's chasing a man." The Razgriz Squadron help the pirate ship delay the launch of the Muramasa however, their efforts are futile because it's launched despite being fueled to 80%. The bullets from their aircraft's cannon bounce off the rapidly approaching projectile.
Dita continues to chase Hibiki until she is tackled by Meia.
Meia scolded, "What are you doing, Dita? You know better than to separate from the rest of the team!"
Dita apologized, "I'm sorry." The three women hurry back to their Dreads while Hibiki continues to search for his Vanguard. He soon spots the machine and enters then he tries to figure out how it moved.
With Razgriz Squadron, Edge stated, "15 seconds till impact."
Swordsman cursed, "Damn it! I'm out of missiles!" Grimm closes his eyes, accepting their fate.
Blaze cried, "We could really use some help here!" The Muramasa strikes, taking them, the pirate ship and the old section of the Ikazuchi in one giant explosion. Suddenly, a wormhole sucks them in.
The Tarak personnel on the new section look at the blast.
The Prime Minister sighed, "I hope you women enjoyed the taste of defeat." Inside some sort of aqua green sea, Hibiki sees a humanoid robot in front of him. Then, as if he'd fallen from a high cliff, he screams as he, the three Dread pilots and Razgriz fall into the endless sea.
A/N: Chapter 1 done. Sorry if it didn't take out good, that cursed writer's block was plaguing me the whole time plus it's been 3 years since I last did a Vandread crossover so I am trying to shake off that rust.
We pretty much get introduced to the characters here.
I will try my best to make the next chapter better.
Read and review.
Stay tuned for chapter 2.
Vader 23A