Chapter 8: Deception

Disclaimer: I don't own Vandread or the Ace Combat series.

Vandread Ace

Nathan sleeps in his and Nagase's bed soundly, dreaming of him and Razgriz Squadron enjoying the sweet taste of peace after narrowly preventing Osea and Yuktobania from completely destroying each other until the dream changed all of a sudden.

Nathan stands in a grass field with a gentle breeze blowing, he feels a sense of deja vu because he realizes that this is the same field Meia found herself in during her battle to live. The leader of Razgriz Squadron slowly takes in the peaceful scenery. He suddenly hears footsteps approaching him from behind so the young man turns around and gasps when he comes face to face with Chopper.

Chopper wore gray khaki shots, a white tank top and black Nike shoes trimmed with blue.

Chopper smiled, "Hey, Kid."

Nathan said, "Hello, Chopper. What are you doing here?"

The former third wingman placed his hands on his hips, "Come now, Nathan. I came to pay you a visit and that's all you ask? I'm hurt."

Nathan chuckled, "Sorry, Chopper. It's just that I never expected this to happen the whole squad misses you, even I miss your radio chatter driving Thunderhead crazy."

Chopper smirked, "I bet. Looks like you and Nagase finally tied the knot, about time. I always wondered if you could muster the courage to propose to her."

The squadron leader crossed his arms, "Why are you here? My gut's telling that you came for more than a visit."

Chopper grew serious, "Nothing goes by you, huh? I came to warn you."

Nathan cocked his head, "Warn me?"

His deceased friend nodded, "Yeah. The Harvesters are planning something evil, I don't know what it is but it's something sinister. You recently encountered Hamilton and Ofnir Squadron, right?"

Nathan answered, "Yes, I have. I am ecstatic that he's back but at the same time it pisses me off knowing that I only get to kill that son of a bitch once."

Chopper warned, "They were just the beginning, the Harvesters will send more at you during this journey. I have feeling that they might have acquired nuclear weapons and stealth aircraft if they plan on using the two then you could be in big trouble. The Nirvana crew has had no experience dealing with stealth aircraft or the destructive power of nuclear weapons. Also, it's not just the Harvesters you need to worry about. They are other dangers lurking out there. It'd be best to be prepared." A blinding light starts to descend.

Nathan cried, "Wait! What do you mean by other dangers?"

Chopper shook his head, "I can't tell you, Kid. You will know when the time comes." The light soon obscures Nathan's vision.

The 24-year old shoots up breathing heavily that he quickly gets under control and wipes the sweat from his forehead. He sees Nagase turning in her sleep until her back rests against the bed cover, her bare 36 C cup breasts bounce from the action, her silky black bra laying somewhere on floor in the dark room. Last night, she did a little show for him. She enjoyed teasing her husband with the sultry dance she performed and removing her bra to play with her breasts before hooking her hands on the rims of the matching silk panties she wore. Nagase knew that her dance was affecting Nathan's self-control, wanting to touch her and make her moan in bliss and when the lust became too much to hold back he tried to reach out and message her breasts, she playfully whacked his hands away telling him to be patient.

Nathan can't help but shake his head with a chuckle. Grabbing a pair of clothes for the day he enters the bathroom and turns on the light, closing the door behind him. He turns the handle in the shower until the water reaches the right temperature and removes his underwear before hopping into the shower. Once he's done, Nathan dries himself off then puts the clothes on and brushes his teeth. After that he exits the bathroom and puts his on shoes before heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. The rest of Razgriz Squadron joins him a few minutes later.

Snow asked, "How's the B-1R coming, Captain?"

Nathan answered, "Just completed it yesterday. All that is left is to train some willing pilots to fly the thing."

Grimm offered, "Perhaps Magno can help us on that part. I'm sure she will hand us a pair of them."

Snow rubbed his chin, "That's a good idea. We should ask her after breakfast." Once they have eaten their fill, Nathan is about to ask the pirate leader about recruiting some pilots when the Nirvana comes across a massive space station linked to asteroids through a series of tubes and connecting wires.

BC said, "So that's a Mission station. I didn't know one existed here."

Magno explained, "It flourished during the Colonization Era, serving as a haven and resupply base for travelers but those days have long since passed and now it sits as a deserted hulk waiting to be looted." Meia, Hibiki, Barnette, Jura, Dita, Nathan and Snow head for the station and dock with it. Snow helps Barnette and Jura look for food and supplies leaving Nathan, Dita, Meia and Hibiki with the mission's core unit as Nathan stands guard, his battle senses on alert while Meia and Hibiki salvage useful parts from the core.

Dita gasped in awe, "I can't believe the captain remembers this space station!"

Pyoro corrected, "It's actually called a Mission."

Meia told them, "Cut the chatter, you two. We got a lot of work to be done and flapping your gums won't speed up the process."

The white robot said, "All you're doing is stealing!"

The Dread leader thought otherwise, "Consider it gathering abandoned assets then!" Suddenly, they hear Nathan releasing the safety on his M-4 carbine assault rifle he brought for this salvaging mission and the Razgriz Squad leader cocks the weapon.

Dita asked, "What's wrong, Nathan?"

Nathan replied, "We're not alone. Some kind of creature flew past me overhead." Hibiki volunteers to check it out, he follows the direction the thing went to and upon arriving he looks around. The creature jumps down from a support beam and lands in front of them.

It turned out to be an orangutan with red fur and wore a single-strapped uniform.

The creature flashes a toothy grin at the wide-eyed Hibiki since the Vanguard pilot has never seen one before. The orangutan suddenly leaps forward and tackles Pyoro, licking it with its tongue much to Hibiki's confusion.

A voice called out, "Knock it off, Utan." Hibiki returns his gaze to the front to see who that voice belonged to.

It belonged to a tall man somewhere in his 30s, black hair tied into a ponytail with a few strands extending down past his chin, wore some sort of tribal clothing and a red patch rested over his right eye, probably due to an accident the man suffered at some point.

Hibiki's first reaction is to run toward the stranger since he is of the same gender as him but there's something about the man that makes Hibiki stop in his tracks, the man had an aura around him that indicated that he had a hidden agenda. The Tarak teen becomes wary after realizing this.

Hibiki asked, "Who are you?" The newcomer doesn't reply because he swiftly draws his gun before Hibiki can even react and twists his arm then uses him as a human shield when Meia points her laser ring at the stranger Nathan mirrors her action, pointing his M-4 at him too.

The man said, "You're a woman."

Meia asked coldly, "You got a problem with that?"

The man replied, "It's in my policy not to kill women." Sensing the opportunity, Hibiki jabs the stranger in the ribs to make him let go of the arm and upon being freed the Vanguard pilot returns to his allies' side, rotating his arm to make sure it still functioned properly.

Nathan ordered, "Drop the bloody gun now." The 24-year old spots Jura drawing and pointing her sword at the back of the man's neck.

He sighed, "Okay, you got me outnumbered."

Jura asked, "What's he doing here? He's a man."

"Hmph, sure looks like it." Barnette said as she snatched the gun away then leveled her Desert Eagle pistol at him.

'Despite being outnumbered, this guy isn't intimidated at all.' Nathan thought upon seeing how calm the man was.

He wondered, "I take it that you're some kind of gang?"

Meia answered, "We prefer to be called pirates."

The stranger asked, "Even that lady over there?"

Hibiki fired back, "Hey, I'm a guy dumbass!" Hearing the guy laugh, Hibiki asked, "What is so funny?"

The man said, "Sorry but I can't help it because you look so cute." Suddenly the orangutan licks Dita's leg, something that disgusted the redhead greatly. The man points his thumb towards them, silently saying that he can break it up and Meia gestures with her head telling him that it's fine by her.

He picked his pet up and scolded, "Alright, that'll be enough out of you Utan. Your partner is in trouble if you haven't noticed and all you are doing is being useless!" He grabbed Pyoro, "Now!" He throws the white robot at Meia knocking her down and Barnette aims her gun but Utan uses her as a springboard and the man avoids a swing of Jura's sword before disappearing into the darkness of the mission.

Snow growled, "You snake! Get back here!" The station shakes violently and warning alarms blare throughout the structure, prompting the group to retreat to their craft.

Hibiki said, "Man, this sucks! What's going on now?"

Meia answered, "I guess pirates like us aren't exactly welcome around here." Entering their aircraft, they proceed to engage the enemy along with the Nirvana.

The enemy formation is composed of cube-types and MiG-27 Floggers armed with SPPU-22 gun pods.

Blaze chases after the lead MiG-27 weaving through gunfire and soon lines up on the enemy's 6 o'clock for an AIM-120D when the Floggers pulls a sudden hard right turn. The F-15E Strike Eagle turns to follow and tries again to obtain a missile lock when the HUD shows additional MiG-27s coming at him from all sides, the Razgriz Squadron leader dodges the gunfire from the enemy fighters with expert skill and ignites the afterburners to climb before turning them off and change the Strike Eagle's trajectory to downward. While descending on the enemy formation, he gains a lock for 4 AIM-120D AMRAAM.

He called out, "Blaze, Fox Three!" The radar-homing missiles find their targets and turn them into fireballs.

Hibiki battles a pair of cube-types with his Vanguard's axe, cutting them down with precision.

Dita chimed, "Mr. Alien, let's combine!"

Hibiki rejected the offer, "Thanks but no thanks!"

Dita groaned, "Why not?"

Meia told her, "Focus, Dita!" 2 cube-types fire at Swordsman in an attempt to down his MiG-29. Executing a hard left turn, he fires the Fulcrum's GSh-30-1 cannon. Lethal 30mm bullets scream through space and tear the cube-types apart like paper. Spotting a flash of light to his left, Swordsman discovers it to be a MiG-27 closing on his position so he mimics the Flogger's action and the fighters start a head-on approach with each other but then the MiG-27 makes a fatal mistake by turning left leaving it in perfect position for the Fulcrum's R-27AE. Upon acquiring a lock the missile is fired and scores a direct hit. Looking to his right, Swordsman sees Dita's Dread combine with the Vanguard.

Jura said, "How dare you! I won't forget this, Dita!"

Dita made a mocking face and stuck her tongue out, "Too bad! You won't be combining today. Alright, let's go!" Hibiki looks away from them with irritation on his face. While he is trying to be nicer to the women on the Nirvana, it still annoyed him that Dita and Jura would fight over on who combines with his machine first. He buries his face in a hand and shakes his head.

Vandread Dita cocks the shoulder cannons and fires at the mission, destroying it in a blinding flash. The stranger stares at sight with amazement in his eyes from witnessing the sheer firepower of the Vandread.

He gasped, "Did you see what I just saw?" Then a plotting smile formed on his face, "Utan, my friend it looks like we just hit the jackpot." His ship is suddenly rocked by explosions as the cube-types attack without mercy. The Harvesters sure don't care who they target.

The stranger looked at his orangutan, "I suppose it's time now. Go ahead, Utan knock yourself out." Utan hops into a red humanoid machine and goes trigger happy, filling the surrounding area with bullets, missiles and lasers. The man runs a hand through his hair as he watches the ammunition meters rapidly decline. After 2 minutes of non-stop firing Utan's machine runs out of ammo. The prime ape exhales as the Nirvana crew looks on.

Magno said, "What a shame. All that potentially useful material gone to waste."

The man appeared on a monitor, "That's my line. My engine got damaged because I felt like I wanted to help you ladies out. What are you going to do about it?"

Magno retorted, "Who do you think you're talking to? We're pirates and we don't accept help from anybody!" Snow feels a chill run down his spine, he never heard that tone of voice from the pirate leader. It's almost as if her crew was being mocked.

The man teased, "Oh really? Then I suppose you don't care about this little guy, do you?" He shows them Pyoro.

Dita gasped, "We forgot about him!"

Magno agreed reluctantly, "I suppose we have choice. Come on board."

The man said, "Right and maybe we can do a little trading while at it." The monitor closes.

BC asked, "Are you sure this is wise, captain?"

The old woman told her, "Pyoro is a part of our crew now, BC and besides..." She looked at her subordinate with a big smirk, "If he tries any funny business, we'll simply have to relieve him of all his wealthy possessions." The man's ship docks with the Nirvana and a ramp extends down to the hanger floor, he takes a moment to observe the crew who are pointing their laser rifles at him.

He rubbed his chin, "This place is crawling with beautiful women." He walked down the ramp, "The name's Rabat. Here, have a souvenir." He hands them bead bracelets in a display of showing no harm but Nathan looks at Rabat with questioning eyes. His squad mates are in the same boat as him.

'This man has a hidden motive if he's doing this.' Snow thought with suspicion.

Nathan said to Rabat, "You certainly know how to suck up to women. It's a total disgrace to mankind in general."

'Hey, that's my line!' Hibiki mentally whined.

Rabat turned his gaze toward the Razgriz Squadron leader, "You think you're some kind of hotshot, huh?"

Hibiki spoke, "Real men are supposed to show their teeth."

The man showed his, "Like this?"

Nathan smirked, "Careful, Rabat otherwise you will find yourself missing some."

Meia called out, "That's enough! I will take you to see the captain, come with me." He follows Meia towards the bridge.

Nathan decides to dig up some more info on Rabat. If he can find out what the trader really deals with then he can be thrown off the ship. He orders his wingmen to keep a close eye on Rabat.

On the bridge, Magno informs the man that she along with her crew come from Mejale, the men from Tarak and Razgriz Squadron hale from Osea.

He said, "So the Ghosts of Razgriz have ended up here of all places."

Magno asked, "What do you want exactly?"

Rabat replied casually, "Nothing really. My engine got hit so I was wondering if I could stick around for a while until repairs are finished and perhaps do a little trading."

Magno narrowed her eyes, "That's fine with me."

In the men's quarters, Hibiki kicks a crate in anger and disgust at how the women are sucking up to this act of fake casualness Rabat is doing. Duero shares his own suspicions about the man like how much he knows about men and women.

Back in the hanger, Rabat opens a suitcase full of jewelry that any woman could want.

Jura asked, "Do you actually wear all of this?"

Rabat said, "Me wear them? Don't be silly, the universe is made up of both men and women."

Dita cocked her head, "Made up of both men and women? Where do you come from, Mr. Trader?"

The man answered, "I come from the same place as you." Parfet spots a machine that Rabat says will enhance engine performance by 120% and is even compatible with the Paksis. He also says that he'll give it to her for free. This causes the other females to dive in, making Rabat back away in astonishment.

Hibiki mops the floor in Reg Central, which surprises a relaxing Gascogne since Dita usually sticks to him like glue.

One stagehand said, "Of course she isn't, Gascogne. The new guy has gotten her attention along with the others."

Gascogne stated, "Young girls have short intention spans these days." They heard crates fall and turned to see them lying on Hibiki's back, "Well, he's sure taking it hard." BC enters the hanger that Rabat's ship is stationed and overlooks the condition of the ship when the door slides open.

Rabat asked, "Looking for something?"

BC turned around to face him, "Your ship shows no signs of battle damage anywhere."

Rabat shrugged, "I was able to finish the repairs a lot sooner than first thought."

The commander asked, "What are your real intentions?

The trader replied coolly, "Just finishing up some trading business, that's all." He grabbed her chin, "In the mean time, how about we go somewhere a little more private so we can get to know each other better? Wait a minute, that smell. It smells like gunpowder. Uh, maybe we'll have to take a rain check on that." Rabat starts backing up nervously and decides to head somewhere else.

Inside the engine room, Parfet installs the engine component she received from Rabat and tests it. Pyoro runs away as soon as he spots Utan coming towards him.

'What's that? Is that the Paksis?' He thought as he laid his eyes upon the Nirvana's power source.

Magno lays out a deck of cards on her desk as she along with BC share their suspicions about Rabat.

BC said, "Something is not right about that man."

Magno nodded, "He knows what planets we're from and what we are up against. Perhaps he's conspiring with the enemy?" She looked at the card she picked up, "The 'Hermit,' eh? An outsider, one who searches. An enemy or perhaps something more?" Meanwhile, Nathan continues his investigation on what sort business Rabat does.

He's currently having difficulty getting past a security system, whatever is inside it must be really important for Rabat not wanting others to know. Nathan finally gets through the firewall and looks into the data logs the man has. What he finds makes Nathan's eyes widen in shock and horror, apparently Rabat sells defective items and exchange the planet's location to the Harvesters. He reads the most recent data log, it stores information about an Earth-like planet teeming with life including humans that he came across. He offered the inhabitants items that he said would help propel them into the future but little did they know that Rabat secretly recorded the planet's coordinates to his client. A few days later, the Harvesters razed the entire planet after stealing the inhabitants' chosen organs.

'So that's what he does. That slimy, backstabbing son of a bitch!' Nathan thought, his arm shaking in burning anger.

BC sips her tea when Nathan enters the room.

Magno asked, "Oh, Nathan. What brings you here?" From the serious look in his eyes, the pirate leader can tell that he means business.

He walked over to her desk, "I have been doing my own little investigation about what kind of job our guest does and what I discovered was deeply disturbing. Here, take a look." He shows them the data log and BC visibly gags.

Magno scoffed, "So he sells a planet items seemingly out of good faith but in reality, he sells them out to our enemy. Thank you for showing us this, Nathan. Now that we have proof, I believe it's time to kick our guest off my ship." Upon receiving word from Paiway that Rabat is doing something to Dita, Hibiki dashes toward the hanger though Paiway, Duero and Bart wonder which one he's more concerned about, Dita or his Vanguard.

Hibiki arrives in time to see Rabat about to kiss Dita.

He yelled, "Get away from her!"

Rabat said, "And just when things were getting good. You're really annoying, you know that?"

Hibiki seethed, "A person like you has no right to call himself a man! Is that eye of yours working right?"

The trader pointed to his left eye, "Sure is." He lifted the patch to reveal a completely healthy right eye, "So's this one!"

Hibiki growled, "You little! You have outlived your stay here so why don't you leave now?"

Rabat challenged him, "And if I don't?"

The Vanguard pilot answered immediately, "Then I'll throw you out by force!" Rabat glares at him before walking down to his level.

Hibiki's first impulse is to run forward foolishly but then he remembers the advise given to him from Nathan and Nagase.

He pretends to run forward hoping for Rabat to make the first move and like he predicted, the trader's eye patch flashes blinding Hibiki. He didn't expect to feel Rabat's knee being driven into his chest knocking the air out of him. He quickly recovers to block a follow up attack and gives Rabat an uppercut that knocks the bigger man back. The trader rubs his chin he is actually caught off guard by Hibiki's attack but he swiftly puts that aside and throws a punch that gets blocked by his opponent and Hibiki launches a kick right into Rabat's sternum with enough force to send him onto his back. The Vanguard pilot straddles him and starts punching the con artist's face until Rabat repels Hibiki via head butt and restores his vertical base. He picks Hibiki up and starts choking him then Hibiki drives his boot into Rabat's face, making the man let go and him landing on all fours inhaling fresh oxygen.

Nathan watches from the sidelines, quietly observing the fight going on.

'Hibiki's doing well so far but something tells me that it is about to change.' He thought.

Hibiki has a swollen cheek, black eye and a few bruises on his face but despite the pain hitting his nerves, he keeps going. Rabat runs at him and Hibiki counterattacks with a back flip kick but the trader shakes off the effect and punches really hard that sends Hibiki into the wall and slumping down. Dita comes to his aid but she gets kicked away and Rabat plants his boot on the Vanguard pilot's face.

He seethed, "You damn brat! I'm going to finish you right now!" A roundhouse kick sends Rabat away, the others turn to see Nagase standing in front of the two protectively.

She said, "You certainly are a slimy piece of work, Rabat. You sell planets out for the Harvesters to raid on, snuffing all life out. This is a total disregard for life! I will give you a beating that you won't ever forget." She enters her combat stance. Rabat charges at her but Nagase jumps over him and rams her shoulder with all of her might against the trader's back, causing Rabat to crash into a nearby steel crate. Picking the poor excuse for a human being up, Nagase slams her knees into his ribcage. She next catches his fist and trips him then places Rabat into a leg lock submission hold, ripping at his knee. Wrenching and tearing at the ligaments and refuses to let go despite Rabat's scream of agony. Rabat uses his free leg to kick at Nagase until she releases the hold and he gets up. He attempts to launch another attack but Nagase delivers a hay maker that makes Rabat land on his butt panting with blood dripping from his mouth.

'I knew the Ghosts of Razgriz were fearsome pilots but I never imagined them to be well skilled in close-range combat. I now see why they are so feared by their enemies.' He thought.

He barely blocks a roundhouse kick and stumbles back, he glares at the only female member of Razgriz Squadron while struggling just to stay on his feet.

Nagase said, "I must admit you tried to fool everyone with your disguise as a mere trader but a few of us were suspicious about you. Now that Nathan discovered that you sell thriving planets to the Harvesters, your true nature is now exposed. So perhaps it's best that you leave while you still can under your own power." Rabat pulls out a knife that he hid in his sleeve and throws it at the young woman but Nagase is somehow able to catch it in her mouth and spits it out.

Rabat wondered, "You caught that with just your teeth? What in the world are you?"

Nagase wiped the blood away, "I gave you one chance to walk off this ship under your own power but you threw it away. It's too late to reconsider, you fool!" The death glare she is giving makes Rabat gasp and then Nagase runs forward with blinding speed and unleashes a barrages of punches and kicks then ends it with a savage roundhouse kick.

Dita said fearfully, "She's...she's scary!"

Nagase stated, "Now to finish you!" She closes in for the final blow but is suddenly stopped by a shot from Meia's laser ring.

She ordered, "That's enough, Nagase! You taught this man a lesson so please calm down." She turned to Rabat, "As for you, I recommend you leave now before I order some guards to throw you out." Rabat looks at the glares everyone is giving him.

He stood and said calmly, "I get the hint when I am not wanted. Come, Utan we're leaving."

Dita stared at Hibiki in concern, "Mr. Alien..." Grimm helps her bring Hibiki to the infirmary so that Duero can treat his injuries.

The bridge bunnies watch Rabat's ship disembark from the Nirvana.

Magno ordered with a grin, "Parfet, put the engines to full power. Let's do what pirates are meant to do!" The engine lights up to begin the chase.

Bart said, "You better watch out because we're coming for you, 'buddy'."

Magno stated sternly, "You are not getting away. I'm gonna strip you of every valuable item you got!" Inside his ship, the injured and bruised Rabat is deep in thought.

He tapped his arm, "The Paksis Pragma, there's something about it." Suddenly, Utan alerts him that the Nirvana is chasing him, a smirk appears on his face as the part that he gave them sabotages the Nirvana's engine and allowing them to escape. The personnel on the bridge grit their teeth in anger.

Nathan said, "Hey, don't get too upset. I ordered some of your crew to steal half of the stuff stored away on Rabat's ship, now the B-1R has the essential weapons needed for combat."

BC asked, "How come you didn't inform us?"

Nathan replied, "I didn't want Rabat to become suspicious of what we were doing while he was busy handing the crew jewelry."

Magno smirked, "You certainly can be a sneaky guy."

The 24-year old smiled, "I can be sneaky when the need arises." Later that day, Hibiki sits in the garden Indian-style Dita is about to comfort him but Duero stops her.

He stated, "Sometimes it's best to leave him alone, Dita." They both leave the area then Meia and Nathan lean against the railing.

Meia assured, "Don't worry about it. Everything that man said was a bunch of none-sense he was nothing more than a con artist."

Hibiki said, "Despite my training, I still got my butt kicked. I hate to admit this but I don't have words to call my own, only repeat those I heard. But when I do get up on my own stage, I wonder what kind of lines will come out my mouth. Heh, I am looking forward to that day but at the same time I guess I'm a bit scared. I keep thinking that my act will be a comedy."

Meia informed, "It doesn't matter how silly the lines may be if they are truly coming from the heart and soul without lies, nobody will laugh at you. Or at the very least, I won't." She starts walking away.

Nathan added, "It also doesn't matter if you got your ass kicked, Hibiki. You win some and you lose some, that's how it is." He follows her out of the garden, leaving Hibiki to think about what they said to him.

Nagase enters the bedroom she and Nathan share and collapses onto the bed in a sigh. Nathan leans against the wall with his arms crossed.

He said, "Don't you think you went a little overboard with Rabat? After all, you could have killed him if Meia didn't stop you."

Nagase sat up, "I guess I did go a little crazy but what that man did to all the poor people on those planets was wrong."

Nathan looked out the window, "If he attempts to sell us out again, he will end up in a grave. I cannot say the same thing for Hamilton at our next encounter I will make sure that there isn't a trace of him left. I will show him no mercy!" Nagase looks into her husband's eyes to see the desire for vengeance burning brightly in them.

A/N: Chapter 8 done.

Here the Razgriz meet Rabat and what he does.

I also wanted Hibiki to fight him and last to somewhat a fitting duration of time until Nagase took over because in the anime, Hibiki just gets creamed.

Also Chopper appeared in Nathan's dream to warn him that the crew need to be aware of dangers besides the Harvesters lurking in the universe.

The B-1R sees its first dogfight in the next chapter.

Read and review.

Stay tuned for chapter 9.

P.S., I know the majority of you authors are aware of this but for those of you who aren't, Fanfiction had enforced its TOS (Terms of Service) and are erasing stories involving sexual content or explicit violence, based on a song, etc without warning. This to me is a violation of freedom of speech and expression. Fanfiction has been a haven for us to write whatever we wanted, the tag line is "unleash your imagination" but now it seems we're being stripped of that privilege and creative freedom. Sometimes lemons or violence is part of plot development and adds drama to the story in a safe way. A song does the same thing. There are movies, TV shows and video games that have this sort of content as part of plot development. These kind of stories are what inspired me to become an author here and be free to write whatever story I felt like on doing, rather rated K or not. Seeing this TOS being taken to an extreme extent is upsetting. There's a rating system for a reason. For 10 years there have been thousands of lemons and song-based stories but they are being taken away, never to be seen again. There is a petition on Change . org that, if 35,000 signatures are met, will convince Fanfiction to come up with a different, more suitable solution such as adding an age filter like other sites do or add an MA rating to their system. I encourage other loyal authors who spend time putting their dedication, heart and passion into their stories to sign this petition. Don't allow our creative freedom be taken away and allow us to add songs to our stories or based on one. Make them reconsider about letting lemons or violence be part of plot development.

Vader 23A