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: All the characters mentioned in this story belong to their respective creators and I'm just writing for fun.

italics: Thoughts

Italic & Bold: Captain's Log

Chapter 25 Part 4

Battle of K-97

On the bridge of the Fire Heart, Captain Jensen Dar sat in his command chair and thought back to the most recent entry he had made in his log. His thoughts also turned back to the time of the Tactical Conference


Captain's Log, Entry 4991; Mission date 877; Acting on the suggestions from my First Officer, Lieutenant Commander Aika Shan, the War Council had implemented the following modifications to Operation 94-96, in preparation for the approaching Radam invasion force heading toward Station K-97;

1) The task force being sent out to meet with the invaders will consist of no more than two heavy carriers, three carrier/cruisers, including the Fire Heart, and a defensive screen of six destroyers and the former Ikazuchi, now known as the Nirvana. The initial plan to have the bulk of the fleet sent out to meet the enemy has been rejected due to the possibility that the Radam forces may be greater than what was originally reported, and leaving Tarak defenseless.

2) An auxiliary force of three heavy battlewagons and two heavy cruisers will remain on standby in the inner regions of the Tarak system and will be contacted if needed for support. The remainder of the fleet will maintain their defensive positions around Tarak's planetary orbit.

3) The main objective will be the reported four Radam carriers and any other threat to Station K-97. My First Officer agrees with my opinion that a concentrated strike at the objectives only, would be more effective than a general head-on confrontation. Lieutenant Commander Shan has also implemented several contingency plans should the enemy employ any surprise tactics or added numbers.

Since we will be essentially outnumbered using these tactics, the Fire Heart, Nirvana, and all other ships in the operation will be governed by the principle of calculated risk, in which all commanders will interpret to mean the avoidance of exposure of their force, to attack by superior enemy forces, without good prospect of inflicting, as a result of such exposure, greater damage to the enemy.

Long live Grand Pa and Grand Ma.

Captain Jensen Dar End Log Entry


The thoughts of the captain of the Fire Heart came back to the present as Aika approached him and saluted. There was a fire in her eyes and a sense of determination emanating from her very being. It was clear that she was feeling the same as all the other women when they learned that Mejele was lost forever. They wanted to avenge their home planet and pay the Radam back a billion-fold.

"Captain. All ships have reported in and are now heading toward the rendezvous point. The Fire Heart is ready to get underway with the Nirvana, and the heavy carriers Sunburst and Talon. The cruiser/carriers Battle Scar and Blood Fang are with the destroyer compliment and support vessels. They will meet with us in five hours."

"The location and the name of the rendezvous point?"

Aika paused for a moment, then replied. "The location is at Gamma Forty-Nine, and the code name was suggested by one of Grand Pa's aides. The rendezvous spot was given the designation of Point Luck." She then took the second-in-command's chair beside the captain's.

Dar gazed at the female officer for a long while, then said, "Sounds like some damned prayer but it's appropriate." He swiveled his chair toward the front of the bridge. "Helmsman, take us out."

"Aye sir!"


Out in space, the Carrier/Cruiser Fire Heart began moving out from its normal standby position at Space Dock 42 in orbit near the Command Satellite. Unlike the boxlike shapes of the heavy and medium cruisers, and the slender arrow-shaped destroyers, Jensen's vessel was like a combination of the two. From the bow of the ship to the midsection, the Fire Heart was tapered with a flat runway on both sides to launch and retrieve fighters. From the midsection toward the stern, the ship took on a cube-like design which had two huge four-barreled particle beam turrets mounted one on top of the other on a staggered slope facing forward. In the rear were the main warp and impulse drives, mounted on four nacelles. Situated behind the turrets, was a short superstructure which housed the main bridge. On the underbelly was another particle beam turret to protect below and behind the ship. Located in strategic areas all over the ship were forty-eight dual-barreled electron-pulse guns, twenty-four ion-burst guns, eighteen hyper-impact cannons, sixteen quad missile launchers, and four quantum torpedo tubes in the front, two in the aft, and two on either side. And of course, the Fire Heart also had the 152nd Vanguard Platoon of the Space Marines, better known as the Brawler Brigade.

A new modification to the Fire Heart was the addition of a launching bay in the underbelly, which now housed a squadron of Dread Fighters. The upper flight decks had also been adapted to launch and retrieve Dreads as well as Vanguards. In addition to the twelve crewmembers that had transferred from the Crimson Twilight (including his First Officer), Jensen Dar had also accepted a contingent of Dread pilots who had volunteered to serve alongside Aika and her compatriots. These women were a mixture of Mejele pirates and military. In all, Dar was in command of 650 personnel on his ship, with overall authority among the 6700 men and women in the strike force.

And he was going to need every one of them as the Fire Heart headed toward the rendezvous point.

As he watched the main viewscreen in deep contemplation, his First Officer's thoughts also drifted back to the time of the Tactical Conference


Flashback...

Aika Shan was more than a little nervous as she stood before the tactical display table while the War Council looked on. To be given the right to speak and the opportunity to prove her tactical ability before the men and her superiors in the Mejele military had not been expected. She glanced toward her Captain, who gave her an encouraging nod. She then took a deep breath and started to explain her plan to push back the Radam invasion force.

"Members of the Allied War Council. It is of my opinion, and that of Captain Jensen Dar, that the Radam's intended assault of Station K-97 has its own ulterior motives. Though the capture of the station would provide the Radam with a strategic position in order to launch direct attacks against Tarak, the invasion force in itself may be an elaborate trap."

"A trap?" One of the Tarak admirals said with a condescending tone.

Aika nodded, ignoring the man's sarcasm. "Though we all know that the Radam forces are not infinite, they still possess the numerical advantage over our combined forces. The enemy has sent out a considerable assault force to take Station K-97 and we must respond in order to prevent it from falling. It is also a good opportunity to reduce their numbers."

"Which is the reason why we should send out all of our forces to crush them!" An impetuous captain from Tarak cried out.

Aika shook her head. "No. That may be what the Radam want us to do!"

That statement quieted the officer as Grand Pa spoke. "Explain yourself, Lieutenant Commander."

Aika took another deep breath, as she addressed the supreme ruler of Tarak. "Grand Pa, I had been informed by my Captain that you had recently issued General Order Seventy-Five Omega."

The elderly man paused for a long while before replying. "You are correct."

"And it is also my understanding that the reason you issued the order was to prevent the capture of any man from Tarak, for fear that he might be turned into a Tekkaman to be used against us."

"Correct. However, each and every Tarak officer is to execute that order as an absolute LAST resort. I do not care to throw away good men's lives."

"Indeed. However, as Captain Jensen also informed me, General Order Seventy-Five Omega works against us as well as the Radam. It will cost us valuable crews and material, not to mention leave our enemies with less to contend with later on. Furthermore, sending out the bulk of our fleet would give the enemy a far greater chance to capture some of their number, or at the very least reduce our fighting forces. It would be a terrible waste."

"A waste, you say?" Grand Pa said with a knowing tone.

"Yes." She bowed her head slightly in embarrassment before continuing. "If there's anything I've learned from serving aboard the Fire Heart, it's that being wasteful is a crime on Tarak. And in this case, we can ill-afford using so much to deal with a relatively small force, when we must SAVE our resources for the larger battles ahead. Therefore, I propose that we only send out a limited number of ships and fighters to turn back the Radam assault on K-97. In other words, we use JUST ENOUGH to do the job."

This statement caught everyone by surprise, especially the men of Tarak. To think that a Mejele woman would actually praise their way of living and take such conservative measures. Then, many of the admirals and commodores became a bit ashamed at their previous plan of sending out the entire fleet, which made them feel wasteful.

Aika then used a beam pointer at the tactical display. "My proposal is to use focused attacks on the Radam carriers. Their main attack potential is in their Spider-Crab hordes, and if we can take the carriers out and their manufacturing facilities, then we can drive the Radam back and give our forces more time to build up for the eventual invasion of Tarak. I suggest that we position a counterstrike force at these coordinates, where the quantum wave interference will mask our presence, and we will be able to attack them once they begin attacking K-97."

"Interesting." A bearded vice-admiral commented. "So what you're proposing is that we bushwhack them. Not bad. I like that."

"Bush... whack?" The silver-haired female repeated in confusion.

Dar then approached her and tapped Aika on her shoulder. When she looked over her shoulder, he explained the term. "It's an old-term ambush tactic. They still use that term when hunting Shelari. They place bait out and when the Shelari attack it, the hunter comes out (normally from a bush) and kill it from behind while it's occupied." He then addressed the War Council. "I believe that my First Officer's plan is more feasible than a head-on confrontation. We can send more supplies to bolster up K-97's defenses and force the Radam to deploy a large number if not all of their Spider-Crabs. This will leave their carriers more vulnerable to our counterstrike forces. We can trap them between two sides and cut them off." He turned back to Aika. "That about sum it up?"

Aika grudgingly smiled at her superior's summation of her plan. Then she heard another sneering voice.

"Not bad for a woman! So what are you going to do if the Radam deploy their Tekkamen?"

Everyone turned their attention to a greasy-looking Lieutenant Commander who was one of the hardcore woman-haters. He gave Aika an arrogant smirk as he believed he had found the loophole to her plan.

Grand Pa gave the officer a harsh glare which cowed him, then addressed Aika. "He does raise a valid point. Though your plan has merit, you have yet to explain how to deal with the possibility that we might encounter Saber or the other Radam Tekkamen."

Just as Aika was about to respond, Slade stepped forward while holding out his crystal. He raised it aloft and shouted.

"TEKSETTER!"

In a flash, he became a Tekkaman, capturing the attention of all those around him. There was a long silence before he finally spoke.

"I guess that's where the Nirvana comes in, right?"


End of flashback...

After that display, the War Council immediately became anxious to listen to the rest of Aika's plans. In the end, when it was put to a vote, her plans won by a 52 majority. Now it was going to be up to Fate whether or not the right choice was made.


On board the Nirvana, Slade bench-pressed several tons in the gym as he mentally prepared himself for the coming battle. This would be the first major engagement since that incident with Saber. The stakes would be high and this would actually be the first time he and the Mejele pirates would be on the offensive, instead of waiting for the enemy to attack.

Slade and two of the other Tekkamen would be used as backup in case Saber or any of the other henchmen of Darkon's would appear. Though it would have been safer to bring all of the Nirvana's Tekkamen with them, it was decided that some of them had to stay behind in order to defend Tarak should the operation fail. Magno's, or rather Nodoka's, son Slade was the obvious choice, due to his experience with both the Harvesters and the Radam, plus his leadership with the Warrior Squadron (which incidentally would be working with the Brawler Brigade).

As for the rest, they wanted to take part, but some couldn't due to other responsibilities. Ghaleon Viperson aka Tekkaman Phantom had eagerly volunteered. His stealth abilities would prove very useful in the planned ambush against the Radam. Duero had to decline due to his position as a doctor first and a Tekkaman second. He also had to assist his father in training the Tarak Ground Forces for the eventual invasion. Barnette would lead the some of the Dread squadrons, since she couldn't form Tekkadread Blade without the physician. Meia, though she wanted to take part in the attack, had to stay behind and oversee the preparations at Heaven's Haven. Jura would not be going as well, since she had been elected by Grand Ma to act as a kind of liaison for the Mejele civilians, who were trying to adapt to life on Tarak. Her experience with living alongside men would be essential to smooth over any cultural shocks.

That left only Dita. Though she was less experienced than the others in using her Tekkaman abilities, Slade needed someone who was familiar with the battle tactics of the Nirvana and could work alongside the Vanguards. He felt that she needed more combat experience and there was no time like the present to get acclimated. Though he was somewhat uneasy in letting her take part in such an important mission, he knew that he could depend on her when the chips were down. And after all this time, he had really gotten used to her bubbly personality, and Slade had started to notice some other things about her.

Just as he finished with his reps and sat up, the very same person he had been thinking of came into the gym. She was wearing her standard outfit and had a bit of an apprehensive look about her. Slade nodded to her as he wiped his forehead with a towel. He beckoned for her to approach. She nodded to him and walked toward him, then sat down beside him on a nearby bench-press station.

"Mr. Alien?"

Slade let off a tired sigh and shook his head. "You know, it's been a while since you called me that, and it's STILL really annoying."

"Sorry, old habits die hard."

"Why did you call me that? You've got to know by now that men aren't aliens."

"I know. I knew even before I met you."

Slade was taken by surprise by her admission. Normally, she would appear as a flighty airhead, but now she was showing a kind of seriousness that seemed... out of place. "You did? Then why did you keep calling me that?"

Dita twiddled her fingers in her lap while she looked down at them. She then replied. "Well, I had never met a man face-to-face before, so I guess in a way, you were an alien to me. And you were so strong and brave, with real superpowers. No one else had them, so can you really blame me for thinking you were an alien?"

The White Tekkaman considered her words, and nodded. "I guess you've got a point there. Tekkamen aren't exactly commonplace."

"And there was another reason why I called you Mr. Alien."

"What was it?"

Dita's face took on a deep blush. "Well, it was my 'special name' for you."

"Special name?"

"Yes."

"What do you mean?"

The redhead paused for a long time before replying. "Anyone can call you Slade or Ranma. But I was the only one who called you Mr. Alien and that made me feel special and I thought that maybe that made me special to you." She winced at her admission and quickly said, "I'm sorry! That must have sounded really stupid!"

Slade shook his head and patted her shoulder a bit. "No. You don't need to call me Mr. Alien just to feel special, because you ARE special."

"I am?"

He gave her a small smile. "Yes you are. Even if you had never become a Tekkaman, there's doubt in my mind that you are special. You were always looking on the bright side and you're very dependable when I needed you to be. You were always there to pick up everyone else's spirit, even when they didn't want it, but needed it. And I'm glad that you'll be fighting with me on this mission."

This statement picked up her spirits as some of her cheerfulness came back to her. "Really? That's great! I'm really nervous about going up against the enemy without Meia and Jura going with us."

"You'll do fine, Dita. It's natural to be nervous when going into battle. I'll be there to help you and so will Ghaleon."

"Thank you Mr. A- I mean... Slade."

"Atta-girl."

There was another long pause before Dita changed the subject. "Slade?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering… when we beat the bad aliens, what are you going to do? Are you going to leave us?"

"Well... I'm not too sure. I haven't really thought about it much. I don't really have any place to go. I have no home."

"What about your mother, I mean, the captain?"

Slade shrugged his shoulders a bit. "Well, she and I are getting along and all, but I really haven't thought about staying with her after the war is over. I've been mostly alone for as long as I can remember. Even when I was Ranma Saotome and training with my good-for-nothing father, I had to do just about everything by myself, and it was Hell. Then when I awoke as a Tekkaman centuries later, I found that there was no home for me on Earth. By that time, it was the Harvesters' world. So I headed out into space, trying to find my place in the universe, jumping from planet to planet. I never stayed long in one place, but you already know that."

"Yes." Dita nodded as she remembered back to when he had told her about his previous voyages before coming aboard the Nirvana. "So does this mean that you're planning to go back out into space after we beat the bad aliens?"

"I don't see anything else I can do or where I can go. Like I said, I have no home."

There was another long pause between them before Dita finally spoke in a quiet voice. "Maybe you can call my home your home."

This caught Slade by surprise. "Huh?"

Dita's cheeks blushed as she looked into his eyes. She gave him a shy smile. "What I mean is... you don't have anyone or any place to return to, right? So I was thinking that maybe... you could find a home with me?"

"What?"

It was at that time, the red-haired girl decided to be bold and show the object of her affections the scope of her feelings toward him. She leaned forward until her face was just a scant few inches from his. She framed his face with her hands and said, "It is said that home is where the heart is. Well, you can call my heart your home."

It was then that she leaned even further toward him and their lips met.

Taken by surprise, the White Tekkaman made no move and let the kiss happen. His thoughts raced as he started to consider her unspoken offer, and he had to admit, it didn't seem all that bad. Then his mind pictured images of Jura and Meia. He also saw the faces of Ukyo XVII and Xian Pu. When he and Dita finally broke off their osculation, his face held an expression of uncertainty.

The young Tekkaman known as Sapphire nodded in understanding as she stood up. She gave him a comforting smile and said, "I know. You don't have to give me an answer right now. I can wait. I just wanted to let you know how I felt about you and that you'll always have a place to go to when you need it."

She gave the still confused Tekkaman a wink as she stood up and walked out of the gym.


On the Nirvana's Flight Deck, Parfet nodded as her engineering team finished with the final adjustments to the Dread Fighters and the Vanguards. During the last week, she had worked with the Tarak and Mejele forces to implement the technological countermeasures and weapons the pirates had developed against the Harvesters and the Radam. A large number of the Tarak fighters were now armed with quantum-energy rifles, while the Mejele pilots had Tekkasuits for auxiliary firepower. There was also another innovation Parfet had developed recently which would play a big part in Aika Shan's plan. It was still in the experimental stage and there was no time for testing. It would get its baptism of fire in the coming battle.

The Dreads of the Task Force were being outfitted with new augmentation units which were being attached to their undersides. They were armed with extra missile launchers and a special surprise for the Radam. However, in order for it to work, men and women would have to cooperate or perish under Darkon's rule.

The brown-haired girl sighed as she watched her work crews labor about. She then began thinking about Duero and how he would not be going with them this time. Then she looked toward Barnette's Dread where her rival for the doctor's affections was going through her own preparations for the coming battle.

Things were going to get very intense.


Five hours later, on the Fire Heart...

"Captain, we have just arrived at Point Luck." Aika said as the ship began converging with the other vessels of the Task Force.

They were several parsecs from Station K-97 where it was reasoned that the Radam invasion fleet would appear, since it had the least amount of quantum energy interference. It would be here that the combined forces of Mejele and Tarak would lie in wait. However, the area they would meet with the enemy was vast and there was still the possibility that Darkon's forces might come out in another location. Therefore, the Task Force was spread out with several squadrons of Dreads flying recon.

Now, all they could do was wait...


In the Engineering Section, Siloma took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she worked at her station near one of the ship's fusion drive reactors. This was the first time since coming aboard the Fire Heart that she was given relatively unsupervised access to the control systems. Ever since that incident with the tear gas in the ventilation ducts, most of the men in Engineering were wary of letting her near any of the vital machinery and circuitry. For the most part, whenever she performed her duties, one of the engineers would keep a close watch on her to make certain that she didn't try anything other than what was required to keep the vessel running.

The Head Engineer, Willard Zona, nodded as he watched the new recruit from afar. He had to admit that she possessed some considerable engineering talent. After that debacle with the tear gas, he had secretly studied her modifications and conceded to himself that they were exceptional, though somewhat haphazard. The ideas were innovative, but she needed guidance. She was energetic, but also required to be cautious when pursuing a new idea or invention, especially when it concerned the safety of the crew.

The Fire Heart's Head Engineer had read her record and was impressed. Before the Crimson Twillight's self-destruction, Siloma had been considered as a kind of engineering genius and had made some remarkable modifications and makeshift repairs that would have made a Tarak maintenance crew proud. With only improvised parts and ingenuity, she had saved her vessel from destruction several times. In a society that was known for wasting resources, her inventiveness was rare and refreshing.

Now that she would be given a chance to show her full potential, Willard was actually looking forward to what she was really capable of.


Some time later...

Jensen sat in his office and contemplated the coming battle as he read over the strategy that Aika had laid out. At that moment, his First Officer entered.

"Captain?"

"Come in, Commander." Dar motioned for her to sit in front of his desk as he brought up the holographic display of the surrounding sector. "Report."

The Mejele woman nodded as she saluted him and sat down. "Our reconnaissance groups haven't spotted the enemy fleet yet."

The Tarak captain nodded. "I didn't expect them to find anything so soon." He gestured to an area on the screen. "There's a lot of area to cover and the Radam can show up anywhere in this sector. It's where the quantum energy interference is the lowest. We can't do anything but wait. Personally, I don't like the idea of waiting for our opponents to attack our people, but in order for this plan to work, we need to lure the Radam in. But I suppose that's war."

"Yes." The silver-haired female agreed.

"By the way, Commander. I'm a little curious. Whatever gave you the idea for an ambush?"

Aika was silent for a very long time before finally responding. "I was once the victim of an ambush. I learned firsthand how a smaller, less powerful foe can defeat a larger and stronger one by deception and catching the enemy off-guard."

"Really?" Jensen thought back to what he had read in her combat record, then made the connection. "This wouldn't happen to be that incident that cost you a promotion two years ago, would it?"

Shan's expression tightened a bit, then relaxed as she let off a sigh. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you. You're right. That incident did cost me a promotion. The Mejele High Command was not happy that I lost to a Tarak destroyer that was all but helpless... or so I thought. I was over-confident, and that robbed me of the victory. They faked being helpless to draw us in closer. They were not as damaged as we had believed. Then they deceived us with plasma mines and an EMP bomb. Before we knew it, they disabled the Crimson Twilight and had the opportunity to destroy us. It was just by pure luck that they decided to spare us and leave."

Jensen Dar hid his expression well as his First Officer related the story. He knew at that moment which Tarak destroyer had defeated her. Talk about one of life's great twists!

Aika continued with her explanations. "I suppose it's ironic that I'm serving aboard a vessel that bears the same name as the one that defeated me. I looked up the records of the previous ship that was called the Fire Heart, but I could not find the name of the officer who defeated me."

"And what will you do if you ever find this person?"

"Well, a part of me is angry at him for costing me my promotion to captain, but another part can't help but admire him for outmaneuvering me. His 'playing dead' tactic was the perfect bait, and when the EMP bomb disabled my ship's sensors, he came in from behind and... what was that phrase again?"

"Bushwhack?"

"Yes, that's it. He came up from behind and bushwhacked me."

"So are you still angry at him? Do you still want revenge?"

"I don't know. Now that my people and yours are working together, harboring a grudge against him seems to be pointless. What I know for certain is that I WANT to meet with him face-to-face. I want to know what kind of person he is. I've learned on this ship not to judge solely on outside appearances and that I should not make any judgments until I know all the facts."

"I see." Jensen considered the woman in front of him and made a decision. "Well, if that's how you feel, then it might be good for you to know that this person you're looking for may be closer than you think."

"What do you mean?"

Before he could answer, the intercom buzzed to life.

"Captain Dar!"

"Yes?"

"The enemy has been located!"

The Tarak nodded and immediately switched on his intercom. "All hands, general quarters! Man your battle stations! Man your battle stations!" He then looked back at his First Officer. "I'm afraid that we'll have to finish this conversation later."

"Understood, Captain."


Sirens went off on the Fire Heart as the crew quickly headed toward their positions to prepare for the coming battle. In the hangar decks, the Vanguard and Dread pilots began readying their fighters. In the main ordinance bays, men worked intensely to load the missile and torpedo launchers. The main guns were prepped to fire, as well as the secondary batteries. In less than a minute, the pride of Grand Pa's knife was prepared for action.


On board the Nirvana and the other ships of the task force, similar actions were taking place as the first of the recon fighters were returning from their search. The Radam were starting their attack on K-97.

It was now time to put Aika's plan in motion.


"Status of the enemy location and movements?" Dar asked as he and Aika took their seats in the bridge.

The communications officer nodded to Jensen and replied. "The Radam have been sighted at coordinates 99-40-22 at Point Delta Nine. The attacking force is consisting of two of their carriers and several dozen support ships. Station K-97's defensive squadrons are currently engaged with the Spider-Crabs which number in excess of five hundred."

"Two carriers?" Aika said in puzzlement. "Intelligence reported that there were four Radam carriers."

Jensen nodded. "I know. Looks like we figured right. These carriers are just the bait to lure us out. We have to respond in order to defend K-97, but that will most likely be the time the other two carriers will come out to trap us. And of course, we haven't heard of any sightings of the Radam Tekkamen. They'll most likely show up to bolster their Spider-Crabs."

"But we do have our own Tekkamen to counter them."

"Yes, but there's the possibility that they may have planned for that. In any case, there are two definite targets that we can attack. It's time to make our move." Jensen turned to his communications officer. "Send word to the carrier Sunburst, the cruiser/carriers Battle Scar and Blood Fang, and all of their support ships. Inform them that they are clear to engage the enemy. The Fire Heart, Nirvana, Talon, and all other ships will remain on standby."

"Aye aye sir!"


Onboard the heavy carrier Sunburst, Commodore Jetz Riken began issuing orders for the Dread fighters and Vanguards to scramble. As the sleek female craft launched off the carrier, they made a banking turn toward the underside of the ship to receive the male mecha.

One of the new modifications to the Dreads was the addition of linking ports which allowed the Vanguards to dock with them. Dreads had the advantage in speed and range, so they would carry the men into battle like troop transports. Each Dread could accommodate two Vanguards. Once engaged with the enemy, the Tarak pilots would be ejected for close-quarters combat and fire support. They would also add additional firepower and defensive measures while attached to the Dreads.

A squadron of Mejele pirates streaked toward the launching bay as Vanguards were being catapulted into the starry void. Immediately, their Dreads began adjusting their speed and trajectories to match that of the male machines. The Vanguards fired off their grappling cables to catch their respective partners. As they made contact, they reeled themselves in to hook up with the Dreads.

In one Dread, a red-haired Mejele pirate nodded as her instruments indicated that her assigned partners had made contact with their grapple cables. As the two mecha pulled themselves onto the attachment ports on top of her fighter just behind the cockpit, the pilots activated the magnetic clamps to secure themselves to her ship. Both Vanguards lay in the prone position as additional communication and power cables merged with the Dread's systems. The Dread pirate smiled as her panel lit up with the extra power reserves and ammunition the Vanguards provided, which offset the increase in weight. Flying beside her, the rest of her squadron flawlessly performed the docking maneuvers and were now heading toward the battle zone.


On Station K-97, the Radam forces were pounding the Hell out of the defenders, but the men of Tarak refused to retreat nor surrender. As the hordes of Spider-Crabs continued to descend toward them in waves, the defensive guns and missile batteries let loose with unending barrages of explosive projectiles, energy bolts, and shells. Though they had their protective barrier up, the mindless monsters of the Radam swarmed all over like ravenous locusts. Some managed to get through and were met by the Vanguard pilots that were part of the garrison stationed there. As the Spider-Crabs slowly began gaining the upper hand and the defenders were forced back, the reinforcements from the Task Force arrived.

As the forces dived toward the melee, the Mejele fighters began fast passes against the waves of Spider-Crabs. In addition to their own armaments, the Vanguards that were attached to their Dreads began laying down defensive fire like protective gun turrets. As the Dreads pulled away after making their attack runs, they disengaged their male counterparts to drop down on the beleaguered station in order to support the crews against the Radam forces that had gotten through. Soon, there was a vicious close-quarters conflict on the asteroid's surface as the men of Tarak went head-to-head with the alien horrors. Explosions erupted all over as pilots and Spider-Crabs were slaughtered. Above them, Dread fighters continued to provide cover but they too were being hard-pressed to keep the enemy at bay. Casualties began to mount on both sides.

However, with the added reinforcements, the crews of Station K-97 slowly started to force the Radam off the asteroid and back into space. As Darkon's forces fell back, the Mejele and Tarak allied forces pressed the attack. Soon, the Radam Spider-Crabs were in full retreat and headed back toward their carrier, with the Dreads picking off the stragglers.

It seemed that the humans had won the first round...


On one of the carriers of the Radam fleet, Axe and Dagger watched the main view screen as the results of the initial attacks were displayed. As expected, the Spider-Crabs were repulsed, but not without cost. The station's defenses were nearly annihilated and a good number of fighter pilots from the Dread and Vanguard squadrons had been drawn out and destroyed. Now it was time to tighten the noose. Though not a single Tarak man was taken prisoner, it wouldn't be long before Darkon had suitable candidates for the Tekkaman Power Process.


On the Fire Heart's bridge, Jensen looked over the casualty figures and frowned slightly. Technically speaking, the objective of defending Station K-97 and keeping it out of the Radam's control had been achieved, for the moment. However, a considerable number of pilots had been lost and the remaining fighters could not be recalled back to their carriers, since that would leave the station totally vulnerable. Its defensive units were depleted and it needed the fighter cover from the Dreads and Vanguards. As a result, they would have to remain where they were.

The Tarak commander didn't like it. Already the overall Mejele and Tarak forces were being divided and reduced. And even though the enemy could not replenish their numbers as quickly as they could on their home world, they could still replace what they had lost, while the human side only had a limited amount of resources and personnel.

Aika looked over the data beside him and nodded as she began thinking along the same lines. She gestured to a spot on the screen and said, "The Radam forces seem to be heading toward this sector over here after that strike on K-97. That may be where their carriers might be."

"It's possible." Jensen concurred. "But we don't know HOW many of their carriers are at that spot. And there's no guarantee that they're there at all. It could all be a trap to draw our forces into a place where they can ambush us."

Aika nodded again. "Then why don't we send out a recon team to look over that sector? See what's out there."

"All right. But I want them out no more than 20 minutes so we can pull them back if we need them. Signal the Nirvana and the other Cruiser/Carriers to do the same. We have to knock out those carriers before they have a chance to regenerate more of those Spider-Crabs."

"Aye aye sir."


On the Nirvana, Barnette nodded as she received orders from Magno to launch a reconnaissance squadron to search her sector of space. As she began prepping her fighter, she began feeling a sense of loneliness, as this would be the first time in a long while that she would be heading out on her own. Before meeting up with the good doctor, she and Jura had always flown together. Then, when she and Duero had become Tekkadread Blade, the Dread Fighter pilot had felt a sense of closeness and intimacy that she had never experienced before.

The brunette put those thoughts aside and concentrated on the task at hand. The sooner this mission was over, the sooner she could see Duero again.


Fifteen minutes later...

In a small sector of space just a few parsecs from Station K-97, one of the recon teams was just at the edge of its search range when the squadron leader picked up the presence of one of the Radam carriers. She then began relaying her findings to the rest of her group and the strike force. Then she decided to take the initiative.

"Indigo Leader to Indigo Wing. Prepare to attack at coordinates 42-69-27."

This caused an uproar with both the men in the Vanguards and the women in the Dread fighters.

"Commander, we were ordered to perform recon, not engage the enemy!"

"We have a prime opportunity here!" The impetuous female insisted. "That Radam carrier doesn't have any Spider-Crab cover present, which means it's in the process of regenerating. If we turn back now, then we'll have to contend with it and more Spider-Crabs when the fleet engages with them again! We have to take this chance now!"

There was a moment of silence among the squadron as they considered their leader's words. Then, one by one, each signaled their agreement to follow her into the attack, though the men voiced their misgivings about the idea of taking on the carrier.

There was no turning back.


Aboard the Radam carrier, Dagger smiled as the small squadron began making its attack run. Though he and Axe would have preferred an assault from a larger force, this would be their first opportunity to capture some of the Tarak men. There were fifteen Dread Fighters, each with two Vanguards attached. That meant thirty potential subjects. Judging by how they fought during the attack on Station K-97, the female fighters would release the male mecha to provide support cover while they made strafing and bombing runs. It would be a simple matter to separate the two genders, destroy the Mejele fighters, and take the Tarak men prisoner.

As the first few Dreads started closing in on the carrier, Axe gave the order to open fire with the carrier's defensive guns and to send out Spider-Crabs to intercept.


Two hours later...

Jensen sat in his captain's chair while in deep thought. It had been some time since Indigo Wing had reported the location of the Radam carrier. Then all communications were cut off as they had announced that they would attack the enemy. The Tarak man didn't like it. This was just playing into Darkon's hands, and he could only hope that the squadron was either successful in its attack or was able to escape without losing any of its pilots.

Beside him, Aika gazed at her superior with some concern. Just as she was about to say something, the communications officer called out to the captain.

"Captain! We've just received a transmission from Indigo Wing! They've just appeared in sector X-29!"

"On screen." Dar commanded.

The officer nodded as he activated the main view screen. Jensen frowned as he saw only five badly-damaged Dread fighters and no Vanguards. Then the image switched to the cockpit of the leader.

The squadron leader had a sorrowful expression as she gave her report. "Captain Jensen Dar, this is Lieutenant Willa Simes of Indigo Squadron..."

The Tarak commander gave her a stern glare as he said, "Lieutenant, you were under orders to perform reconnaissance, NOT to engage the enemy!"

The Dread pilot nodded as she bowed her head in shame. "I apologize for my error in judgment. We engaged the enemy in the hopes that we could lessen the odds, but the carrier proved to be too much for us and we were forced to withdraw."

"I count only five of you. Does that mean that the rest have been captured?"

"No sir. The other ten Dreads were destroyed and we would have joined them if it weren't for the Vanguard pilots. They stayed behind to cover our retreat and activated their self-detonation charges to prevent being taken prisoner. If it weren't for them, none of us would have made it back..." It was at that time the Dread pilot began breaking down in tears. "They warned me not to attack them and... I didn't listen!"

Jensen nodded and let off a small sigh. "Understood, Lieutenant. You and your fighters are to rendezvous with the Carrier Sunburst and await further orders. Jensen out."

As the view screen went blank, the Tarak man let off another tired sigh as he started to contemplate the repercussions of the failed attack. This would certainly not help the operation and yet, the fact that thirty brave men sacrificed themselves to save the women could aid in boosting the alliance between the genders. Jensen only wished that the price wasn't so high. How many more would be lost before men and women would finally work as one? It was at that moment that the Tarak commander came up with an idea to get the Radam to tip their hands.

"Commander Shan."

The silver-blond female nodded to him. "Yes Captain?"

"So far, this battle has been according to what the Radam want, and we've been purely on the defensive. It's time we take control and get the enemy out into the open. We're going to start using those tactics you came up with. Signal the other carriers and support ships, as well as the Nirvana. We know the location of at least one of the enemy carriers. If it gets attacked with a much larger force, then we should be able to draw out the other three."

"And what about the enemy Tekkamen?"

"That's why we brought Slade, Phantom, and Sapphire with us. The counterattack will commence in one hour."

"Aye aye Captain."


Later...

In her quarters, Willa Simes sat on her bunk with her head bowed down in her hands and was sobbing quietly to herself. In her mind, she replayed the events which had caused her the loss of most of her squadron and sent thirty courageous men to their deaths...


Flashback...

"Lieutenant! We're taking heavy fire and we haven't scored any hits on that carrier!" A blonde Tarak sergeant name Tomiske Rendor cried out as he and his wingman provided coverage for Willa's Dread.

"Keep giving us cover while Indigo 4, 9, and 12 make their attack runs!" The Mejele pilot commanded as she banked her ship towards the Radam vessel. However, as she did so, her communications system became flooded with the terrified screams of her squadron.

"Indigo nine here! I'm hit! I can't- arrgh!"

"Indigo two! For Grand Ma's sake, get them off me!"

"I can't hold it! I'm- aaaaaahhhh!"

"Nooooo!"

Before Willa's horrified eyes, her systems began registering the deaths of her comrades at an alarming rate as the Dreads were cut down. One fighter careened out of control and crashed headlong into the carrier. However, the thick hull easily withstood the impact with only the slightest of damage. More and more Spider-Crabs came at them in unending swarms.

The Tarak pilots were releasing huge amounts of cannon fire, beams, and missiles, but the Radam horrors kept on coming. More than half of the men were forced into close-quarters combat and were able to hold their own, but even they could not stop the enemy. Each Vanguard pair was assigned to cover a Dread fighter, and when it was destroyed, then they would assist in protecting the remaining members of the squadron. But as the battle continued, it soon became apparent that the humans could not win this encounter. As the Dreads were whittled down to a paltry five, the lead Vanguard pilot decided that it was time to cut their losses.

"All remaining units, fall back! Fall Back!"

Willa shook her head and screamed out. "Belay that order! Stay on target!"

The same Vanguard pilot shouted back. "Negative Lieutenant! We can't hold them! We have to get back and report the carrier's location!"

"I told you to stay on target!"

Then her remaining Dread pilots called in.

"He's right, Lieutenant!"

"I'm out of ordinance and my power packs are low!"

"I've sustained too much damage! We have to get out now!"

"Please Lieutenant! For the love of Grand Ma!"

Willa held back an anguished cry as she nodded and said, "All units, fall back to the Sunburst!"

As the surviving Dreads broke off and started to make their escape, a large horde of Spider-Crabs sped out to intercept them. As Willa and her fellow wingmen saw the oncoming monsters, they prepared for a head-on confrontation. At that moment, the remaining Vanguards linked up with their fighters via grappling cables. However, instead of hooking up to their attachment ports, they instead moved up the fuselages and stood near the front with blasters ready.

"Sergeant, what are you doing?! You and your men get linked up now!"

The blonde man shook his head as he replied. "No can do, Lieutenant. The only way to get past that blockade is to shoot our way out! You and the others are out of ammo, so we'll have to blast a path in order for your Dreads to get through!"

"But what about you and your men?!"

"We'll only slow you down if we link up. Besides, the Dreads are faster and have greater range. You'll be able to tell the commanders about the carrier's location. Good luck!"

"NO! YOU CAN'T!"

Willa's plea went unanswered as Tomiske gave his men his final orders. "ALL VANGUARDS! TARGET COORDINATES 00-49-87! FULL BARRAGE! OPEN FIRE!"

The mecha let loose with a murderous and concentrated storm of firepower directly in front of them. The Spider-Crabs fired back with acidic blobs of goo as they charged in recklessly. Despite taking heavy hits, the Vanguards stood their ground and continued to fire forward. The escape pathway was made but not without cost. One by one, the male machines were cut down as the Dreads continued forward. However, as each Vanguard was taken out, the pilot activated his self-detonation device to avoid capture and to provide a distraction for the escaping fighters. Once activated, the cockpit of the mecha ignited in a contained explosion which destroyed much of the upper torso. As they neared the end of the blockade, only Sergeant Rendor's Vanguard was left standing.

At that moment, his machine began taking heavy hits. Willa watched in terror as the right arm of his mecha was blown off, then several more blobs heavily struck the chest armor and right leg. Then the head was shot off. Still, the brave Tarak man kept firing. Then it happened.

A very large Spider-Crab dived down at them and would have crashed right through Willa's cockpit if Tomiske's Vanguard hadn't moved to block it. The monster and machine collided heavily with each other and the momentum knocked them both off the bow of the Dread.

As the Dreads were about to make their getaway, Willa switched to her rearview scanner and saw the final moments of the brave Tarak officer. Over the communications line, she heard his last words

"Damn you Radam bastard! I'm taking you with me!"

CLICK!

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she heard the unmistakable sound of the self-detonation switch being activated. Then both the Spider-Crab and the Vanguard were engulfed in a large, orange-red globe of light. Unlike his men's, Tomiske had his self-detonation device set with a more powerful charge in order to take out any nearby enemies along with himself.

That final act was enough to distract the enemy long enough for the Dreads to make their final escape back to the fleet.


End of flashback...

Willa cried even harder as she remembered the selfless actions of the sergeant and his men. It was her fault that they were gone, along with her squadron mates. Until that time, she had been like the rest of the Mejele populace who considered the men as barbarians and monsters. To think that they would willingly give up their lives to save them. It practically destroyed every belief she had been taught since birth.

Then she realized that as their commanding officer, it would be her duty to inform the families that they had died in the line of duty by her own actions.


On the Nirvana...

Slade nodded as he received the orders to prepare for combat. As he quickly made his way to the launching bay where Pegas was waiting for him, he was joined by Dita and Ghaleon. Both had their Tekkacrystals in hand and determined looks on their faces. As they entered the launching bay, Slade called out to Parfet, who was directing the final preparations for the Dread Fighters.

"Parfet! Are they ready?"

The bespectacled girl nodded as the last of the modifications were being installed.

In addition to the new linkup ports for the Vanguards, the Dread's underbellies were being fitted with large augmentation pods that carried a huge supply of armor-piercing plasma bombs. This gave the fighters a greater assault capability. Unlike the other Dread fighters in the fleet, the Nirvana's ships would have female Vanguard pilots, namely Xian Pu, Ukyo, and the other members of the Warrior Squadron.

Dita immediately boarded her Mini-Dread and inserted her crystal into the activation port. Ghaleon was given a Dread of his own as he was one of the few dozen men in the fleet that had qualified as a fighter pilot. Slade greeted his robotic partner as Pegas finished its recharge and rearming cycle.

"Pegas! Power on!"

"Affirmative!"

Warning lights and klaxons continued to sound off as everyone prepared for battle.

Things started to get intense...


In minutes, the Dreads and Vanguards were well on their way toward their targets. In the lead, the Tekkabot, Dita's Mini-Dread, and Phantom's Dread flew in a tri-formation. As they neared the combat zone, Slade contacted his comrades from inside Pegas.

"Alright, Dita, Ghaleon. We're about ten minutes from the initial contact point. Are you all set to carry out the plan Commander Shan laid out?"

"Roger." Ghaleon replied.

"Ready to kick some bad alien butt!" Dita said cheerfully.

Slade then switched to the Dread formations and their Vanguard support squadrons. "Barnette, we'll be initiating the first attacks. Once it commences, you and the other Dread squadrons will come in and make your attack runs. How are the Vanguards?"

Jura's friend nodded. "The Warrior Squadron is ready to deploy along with the Grim Reapers, the Hell Raisers, the Bloody Bastards, and the Head Hunters." These men certainly have some colorful squadron names. Barnette mused.

"What about the Brawler Brigade?"

At that point, Old Gun appeared on the communications feed. "Don't worry about us, Tekkaman Slade. My boys are ready to go. And I've got to hand it to our new First Officer. She really came up with one HELL of a plan. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that Captain Dar would have come up with a crazy scheme like this."

Slade smiled as proof of the cooperation between the genders was evident. With a common enemy to fight against, the males and females had cast aside their differences. However, it was very unfortunate that such a breakthrough was under very dire circumstances.

The combined Dread and Vanguard forces neared their objective as Slade and the other Tekkamen prepared to engage the enemy. The plan was to take on any of Darkon's warriors and provide cover for the Dreads as they make their attack runs on the carriers. The Spider-Crabs were to be dealt with by the Vanguards. As they neared the combat zone, Slade's attention turned toward his threat monitors as they lit up with incoming bogeys as huge swarms of the Radam horrors charged to meet with their human attackers. In the distance, two of the reported four carriers continued to spew out more Spider-Crabs.

Slade nodded as he made his Tekkacrystal appear.

"TEKSETTER!"

In a flash, Tekkaman Slade exploded forth from Pegas as Dita and Ghaleon began letting loose with a wide stream of laser and particle beams. Slade immediately switched to his Tekka-Battle Mode and started darting in and out of the formations of the monsters, obliterating dozens of them in seconds.


Less than twenty seconds after the White Tekkaman started the assault, the Dread Fighters split off into their assigned attack groups while releasing their Vanguard allies from their connection ports. The mecha warriors started engaging the defending Spider-Crabs with pulsar rifles, auto cannons, missile pods, and various close-combat melee weapons.

The Grim Reapers were armed with battle-scythes equipped with plasma energy-charged edges. The Hell Raisers skewered their targets with powerful techno-tridents. The Bloody Bastards preferred to smash into their opponents with massive war-hammers. As for the Head Hunters, each member could butcher his enemies with a pair of double-bladed axes. Many of the female Dread pilots could only gape in amazement as the male fighters tore into the Spider-Crab hordes with an awesome ferocity. In almost no time at all, holes in the enemy defense lines began to appear, which the Dreads intended to take advantage of as they speeded toward their objectives.

The surface of the Radam carriers began to shift as more openings appeared. However, these did not expel more Spider-Crabs but large volleys of acidic goo and solid projectiles that were as hard as the monsters' claws. It was their version of anti-fighter batteries. Several Dreads were torn apart as the females made their attack runs.

Three squadrons of Dreads started to strafe the surface of the carriers as they drew the anti-fighter batteries away from the Dreads who were charged with the task of bombing the enemy ships. The new augmentation pods Parfet's teams had installed began to open up and release their payloads. Small but powerful plasma bombs were dropped. One Radam carrier shuddered as over a dozen of the weapons scored direct hits on its aft sections. The Dreads swung about to make another pass. The pods then began firing off volleys of anti-proton torpedoes. The carrier took another series of hits and started to drift off-course. After expending their payloads, the attacking Dreads jettisoned their augmentation pods, allowing them to drift away. The pods, rectangular in shape and several times larger than a Vanguard, floated harmlessly past the enemy carriers.


On the Fire Heart...

"Captain, we've just received word that one of the Radam carriers has been incapacitated." Aika announced. "The fighters are now concentrating on the second carrier."

"Any sightings on the two remaining carriers?" Dar asked.

"None so far." His First Officer checked her console. "Wait... we're starting to get some new anomalous readings..."

"What kind of readings?"

"Long-range scanners are starting to pick up some faint signals through the interference. Visual sightings from our scouts are coming in. The signals have been confirmed! Visual confirmation as well! It's the two other carriers!"

The Fire Heart's captain nodded as he studied the tactical display on the main view screen. "They're coming in to outflank us. It's a classic pincer maneuver. While our forces are dealing with the first two ships, the other two are going to try encircle them and divide our numbers."

"The carrier Talon is launching its fighters for a counterstrike."

"Have all cruisers and destroyers provide support. Begin readying our reserves for deployment."

Aika nodded as she began relaying his commands. Then she let off shocked gasp as her tactical view screen began reporting massive casualty numbers among the fighter groups.

"Captain! The entire Emerald wing has been totally wiped out!"

"Wiped out? How?"

"I'm getting reports that something just appeared and obliterated dozens of squadrons in seconds! Correction! Now I'm getting reports of three enemy fighters that are causing havoc among the Dreads and Vanguards! Judging by the rate in which our forces are being destroyed, that can only mean..."

"... that the Radam Tekkamen have arrived." Jensen finished as he witnessed more casualty numbers come in.

The battle was becoming bloodier by the minute, and Jensen Dar knew that there would be many more funeral pyres and empty bunks in the barracks before this day was done. Then his First Officer gave him even more bad news.

"Captain! We have three new contacts approaching!"

"Three?!"

"Yes sir! We have confirmation! The total number of enemy carriers, not counting the first one we crippled, is six! I repeat, we are up against SIX RADAM CARRIERS!"

"It's a trap!"


The battle zone...

Slade gritted his teeth as he mixed it up with Axe. The bloodthirsty Tekkaman had shredded through one of the fighter's wings as soon as he appeared. The Nirvana's Tekkaman tried to stop him from slaughtering more of the human forces, but the brute was tenacious. The problem was further compounded when his allies Dagger and Rapier joined the scene. Dita immediately transformed into her Tekkaman form to engage the female agent of Darkon, while Ghaleon became Tekkaman Phantom to stop Dagger from tearing up the Vanguard squadrons.

However, as the three Tekkamen managed to hold back their opponents, more Spider-Crabs came onto the scene. It seemed that the intelligence concerning only four Radam carriers had been a ruse. The enemy numbers were far greater than was originally believed, and now the Mejele/Tarak combined forces were in danger of being overwhelmed.

"DIE!" Axe cried out as he made a swipe with his weapon and sent a wicked crescent wave of energy toward Slade.

Nodoka's son managed to avoid the attack and sent several Tekkarangs at his opponent in retaliation. The projectiles were deflected away as Axe came in to cleave Slade in half. The two space warriors made several passes at each other, trying to bring his foe down.


In another part of the battle zone, Tekkaman Sapphire released a volley of energy arrows at her adversary, in which Rapier parried effortlessly with her sword.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" Rapier screeched as she tried to skewer Dita.

The red-haired Tekkaman barely managed to twist her body enough to avoid the thrust, then swung her bow like a quarterstaff. "Who?"

"That blonde bitch! I'll make her pay for what she did to me!" The Radam Tekkaman then made a series of vicious slashes, which Dita managed to deflect.

As she took a closer look at her enemy, she noticed a jagged mark on the front of Rapier's faceplate, then realized who she was talking about.

"Whoa! Do you mean Jura? She did that?"

"I'll make her suffer for marring my face! I'll rip out her hair by the roots! I'll cut up her face into bloody chunks! NOW WHERE IS SHE?!"

Dita shook her head as she jetted away from the enraged Tekkaman to get some distance, then launched another volley of arrows. "She's not on this mission! You're just going to have to settle with me!"

"You?! Don't make me laugh! I only came today to settle my score with that blonde floozy! You're not even worth my time!" Dita's opponent easily dodged the arrows, then swiped with her blade at speeds that would have shredded a Vanguard into scrap metal in seconds.

Though her close-combat skills had improved over the last few weeks, Dita was still considered a rookie in terms of being a Tekkaman. She was forced backwards, then received a savage kick to the midsection. She was sent careening into a horde of Spider-Crabs, who immediately crowded around her and tried to crush her en masse.

As her opponent disappeared within the swarm of Radam horrors, Rapier let off a snort of disgust then turned around to take out her frustrations on a nearby squadron of Dread fighters. However, as her attention was focused on destroying the Mejele pilots, a sudden explosion erupted behind her.

The group of Spider-Crabs that had trapped Dita was enveloped in a blinding globe of destruction as multiple streams of light shot out from its center. Just as the monstrous creations were obliterated, a lone figure then fired off an insanely huge barrage of arrows at her target. Rapier only had a heartbeat to turn around and began evading the shots. To her shock, each energy arrow suddenly exploded into a dozen smaller bolts and scattered like cluster bombs.

Try as she might, she couldn't avoid or deflect them all with her sword. Several of them scored direct hits on her upper body and legs. As she was momentarily distracted, Dita seized the opportunity to charge in. Just as she came up to her, the redhead powered up her bow and released one massive arrow at near-point blank range. Rapier had no hope of dodging the shot as it slammed into her like a huge battering ram and exploded with the equivalent force of ten tons of TNT.

The Radam Tekkaman was sent crashing into the side of one of Darkon's carriers and skidded across the surface like a flaming meteor. Dita dived after her while continuing to shoot off her arrows like a machine gun.

"So am I worth your time now?" She taunted.

Rapier let off a roar of outrage as she picked herself out of the trench she had carved in the hull of the carrier and rocketed up toward her attacker.


In another section of space...

Dagger was having a bit of difficulty with his opponent Phantom, as Ghaleon's stealth ability gave him a decided advantage. So far, the invisible Tekkaman was making quick strikes with his sword in order to wear down his foe. Dagger already had several gashes in his armor. As he continued to fire off his own energy bow at seemingly empty space, he started to consider his adversary.

Hmmm, we don't have much intelligence on this Tekkaman. His stealth power evades even my sensors. However...

As Dita had done with Rapier, Dagger decided to fire off a volley of arrows which exploded into several swarms of smaller shots. The projectiles exploded in all directions. No matter where Phantom was, he couldn't avoid them all.

A section of the star-studded void exploded as a faint outline was sighted by Dagger. He let off a shot, which tagged Phantom in the shoulder, causing him to become visible. Then Dagger pressed the advantage as he fired another volley at him. As Ghaleon found himself being surrounded by energy bolts, Dagger slammed into him.

The two continued to tangle with each other as the battle raged on.


Back on the Fire Heart, Dar frowned. The engagement was not going well as the Radam forces were on the verge of overwhelming the human positions. He had to credit the Radam for their surprise attack and for bringing in extra reinforcements. However, the Tarak and Mejele fighters had their own trump card to play.

As he watched the readouts on the main display, he drummed his fingers on his console. Then as the Radam forces crossed into the critical zone between themselves and the main attack groups, he nodded toward his First Officer.

"Commander, it's time."

Aika Shan nodded as she gave the signal to begin the surprise counterattack.


In the empty vacuum of space, several dozen rectangular containers floated by three of the Radam carriers. They were the spent augmentation pods that Parfet's teams had created for the initial attacks. The sensors of the Radam vessels registered them as nothing more than useless debris and no action was taken against them. However, that was to be their first and final error.

As the Radam carriers passed them by, the pods suddenly exploded apart as a subspace signal was received from the Fire Heart. From within each pod, a pair of Vanguards streaked out and headed toward the unsuspecting enemy ships. Each mecha had the identification numbers of the 152nd Vanguard Platoon of the Space Marines. Each fighting machine also sported the insignia of the Brawler Brigade, which had an image of an armored fist.

In his Vanguard, Old Gun let off a war cry as he led his team toward their objectives.

"Alright you bastards! LET'S RUMBLE!"

Each of the pilots signaled to their leader as they converged on their targets. The Radam carriers were caught totally off-guard by the sudden ambush. By the time they started to defend themselves, several of Old Gun's subordinates had already boarded via exit ports and breaches in the hulls.

The Brawler Brigade members were famous for their close-range savagery. Their skill at mecha combat was prominently displayed as they started tearing out the insides of the carriers. The Radam ships began to suffer like giant behemoths with intense indigestion as the Vanguards smashed through power relays, regeneration systems, and incubating Spider-Crabs.

One such Vanguard, piloted by Zet Finnar AKA Boomer, was laughing like crazy as he entered a large area filled with developing Spider-Crabs and what appeared to be the main power reactor. His machine opened up various panels on its body, revealing an unbelievable array of missile launchers. Technically speaking, he could have just aimed for the main reactor to take out the carrier. Two or three missiles would have done the job. However, he activated his targeting computer and aimed for just about every available spot in the area. He then made a grand show of thumbing the firing stud.

Beside him, the Brawler's medic Gin looked at his comrade with concern and a somewhat edgy expression.

"Uh, Boomer? Overkill?"

Boomer smiled evilly and replied, "DAMN RIGHT!"

He then pushed the firing stud.


In open space, the Old Gun was leading three of his men on an attack run at the main launcher of another carrier, when he noticed that the adjacent ship suddenly split in half, due to a massive detonation near its center. He then noticed two streaks of light as they headed out of the center of the explosion and into space. He recognized the two mecha and hailed them.

"Boomer? That was you, wasn't it?"

"Yes sir!" Zet replied happily as he made his way toward the next carrier to blow up.

"Good job, Boomer! But easy on the ordinance! Our missile and bomb stocks are already strained without you going overboard!" Old Gun shook his head while smiling, then hailed the medic. "Gin, make sure he comes back in one piece. I don't want him blowing himself up along with the enemy!"

"Sir!"


On another carrier, an intense bloodbath was taking place within the bowels of the ship. However, it wasn't the Spider-Crabs causing the chaos. It was mostly due to one Vanguard pilot. And as far as his comrades were concerned, he was free to rampage as much as he wanted, as long it was against the enemy.

Kir Lesat's Vanguard was armed with various weapons, both edged and projectile-based. And he used them to great effect, especially in close-quarters. Spider-Crabs fell in droves as their limbs were quartered, their exoskeletons imploded, and their guts spilled in rivers of gore. The schizophrenic pilot didn't even register the hits his machine was taking as he continued the wholesale slaughter. He had a maniacal gleam in his eyes as he cut down his foes like a lawnmower cutting down crabgrass.

Several of his fellow pilots could only watch in morbid fascination and with a bit of unease as Kir's Vanguard waded through the throngs of Radam creatures, leaving slimy and bloodied chunks in its wake.

"Do you think we should support him?" One of the pilots asked.

"I don't think he needs it." The second one replied, then gulped as Kir's Vanguard produced a wicked-looking chainsaw blade from its right gauntlet. The Vanguard then plunged its weapon deep into the skull of a Spider-Crab, shredding its primitive brain, and causing its body fluids to spray all over his mecha. He then proceeded to use the severed claw of a Spider-Crab as a bloody and grotesque club, smashing the brains of several more of the monsters.

"Yeah, let's just leave him alone. You know how he is when he's like this." A third pilot said as he gestured to his comrades to follow him. "Let's go and set the charges."

The trio made their way toward the ship's center and set the timers on delayed detonation packs at the base of the primary reactor. Fifteen seconds later, they made their way back to the main hangar where Kir was just finishing off the last of his opponents.

"Sergeant Kir! The charges are set! We've got fifteen seconds to get out of here!"

Lesat looked with his Vanguard's scanners at the carnage he had caused and shrugged his shoulders while sighing.

"Might as well go. I just ran out of playmates."

After the Vanguards made their way out, the carrier shuddered as the bombs went off. Though not as spectacular a demise as the one blown up by Boomer, the carrier became a useless hulk as its main power source was destroyed, along with its regeneration matrices. By a sheer stroke of luck, the carrier listed to one side and collided with another, taking it out of action as well. In less than two minutes, the Radam numbers had been significantly reduced.


With the surprise attacks of the Brawler Brigade, the human forces started to push the enemy back. Several of the Dreads made a series of attack runs at another carrier, in what could be seen as a futuristic version of the ancient practice of dive-bombing. The Mejele pilots still had some ordinance left in their augmentation pods and used them all up as they streaked toward their target in an arc. Then as their pods ran dry, they jettisoned them at the carriers like bombs.

The pods exploded apart, revealing their hidden Vanguard pilots and their mecha. The machines landed on the surface of the carrier and let loose with their electron-pulse rifles. Four of the men managed to send some missiles down a launching port, just as a horde of Spider-Crabs were being sent out. The explosions plugged up the opening, then backfired down the shaft, causing more explosions to occur within the huge craft.


On the Nirvana, Magno and BC listened with interest at the various exchanges between the fighter groups.

"Conmmander! It's going in! It's going in!"

"Bulls-eye! Bulls-Eye! Yahoo!"

"Reaper 9! I got a hit! Right down its throat! Plasma river! Look at that bastard light up!"

"Good Grand Ma, those men can fight!"

"I got it! I got it!"

"That was for Mejele!"

"Cover me! I'm going in!"

"A hit! A hit! I got those bastards!"

"Damn! That was one hell of a shot!"

As the battle continued to be waged, the ancient pirate captain nodded with satisfaction. With a common enemy to fight, the men and women were actually cooperating. Hopefully, they would continue to do so after the Radam were defeated.


Dagger, Axe, and Rapier became even more infuriated as they saw their forces being whittled down. However, they couldn't aid their Spider-Crab hordes as Slade and his comrades were engaging them. As two more carriers fell, Darkon's forces were now inferior in numbers to the humans, they decided to cut their losses. Disengaging from the White Tekkaman and his allies, they immediately began signaling to the remaining Radam vessels to retreat. However, knowing that the Mejele and Tarak fighters would pursue them, Dagger sent a message to one of the two carriers that was still operational.

This particular vessel was more massive than its siblings, as it had previously been a Harvester Mother Ship. It began to slowly make its way across the battle zone, picking up speed as it headed toward its final destination. The smaller Dreads and Vanguards started firing at it, attempting to slow its progress, but it was like pitting fleas against a leviathan. As they were preoccupied in stopping it, the last carrier and its support ships withdrew.

As the Radam retreated, even more human warships engaged the carrier to stop its kamikaze run. The Fire Heart and Nirvana joined with the others, and opened up with all the firepower at their disposal. However, the mammoth carrier plowed through the defensive lines, and its target came into view.

Station K-97.

It seemed that if the Radam could not take the strategic asteroid, then they would destroy it.

"VOLTEKKER!"

"PHANTOM VOLTEKKER!"

"VOLTEKKER BLASTER!"

The three remaining Tekkamen let loose with huge quantum-energy blasts that took out large chunks of the Radam ship's bow, but it wasn't enough to slow it down, let alone stop it. Slade had no choice but to transform to his evolved form and prime his Mega-Voltekker. However, he was still doubtful that he could stop the thing with even his most powerful weapon.

All ships began clearing the sector as the Radam carrier continued on its path toward self-destruction. The crews on the station could only wait for the impact as there was no time to evacuate everyone. Despite their best efforts, the cooperation between the males and females had failed to save the station.

Or had it?

One final merging of man and woman occurred to save them all.

As Slade prepared to fire off his Mega-Voltekker, Dita jetted toward him and cried out...

"SLADE!"

A corona of light surrounded the evolved Tekkaman, making him seem transparent. At the same time, Tekkaman Sapphire made contact with him. In one blinding flare of light, the two became one. Both disappeared from sight, as a new figure appeared. He/She was about eight feet in height and was colored in royal blue armor with white highlights. On his/her shoulders were massive energy collectors. Smaller energy units were mounted on the sides of the legs and midsection. On the center of his/her chest was a large, triangular, crystalline gem that was colored a brilliant green.

Enter Tekkaman Burst.

Immediately, the gem started to pulsate with energy. The collectors began exchanging streams of power as a globe of luminescence surround him/her. The sphere expanded slowly outward as the power within it increased exponentially. All ships in the vicinity sped away from the area as they knew that staying would mean total annihilation. As the Radam carrier was nearing the station, the newly combined Tekkaman cried out.

"NOVA VOLTEKKER!"

The sphere of energy blasted outward with a force equivalent to that of an exploding small star. The carrier was enveloped by the blast and was instantly vaporized. Energy shockwaves radiated out in all directions, straining the defensive shields of all vessels and the station to their limits. Various scanners and communication systems were irrevocably disrupted as the brilliance of the attack threatened to blind all those present.

Finally, the light and energy waves died down as Tekkaman Burst suddenly split apart into Tekkaman Blastor and Tekkaman Sapphire. Then all those present began to realize one undeniable truth.

They had won.


Back at the Radam Mother Ship.

Darkon was not pleased as he received the news from Dagger that the attack against the men and women had failed. It had been hoped to crush the defenders at K-97 as well as deal the humans a crushing blow while capturing more test subjects among the survivors. However, with the loss of six carriers and a substantial number of Spider-Crabs, the Warlord had to rethink his strategy.

As he waited for Dagger and the others to return, he made up his mind. There would be no more fancy strategies and sneak attacks. The Radam would just attack the planet of Tarak head on once the interference fields were low enough for them to use their full power. In less than two weeks, there would be a reckoning.


On the Fire Heart's Main Vanguard hangar...

"LOOK OUT! IT'S GONNA BLOW!"

The hangar crews scrambled for cover as a certain Vanguard was on the verge of exploding. It was badly damaged and was smoking from various joints and panels.

Inside the cockpit, Boomer sadly smiled as he prepared for the end. Warning lights and alarms lit up his control panel, indicating imminent destruction. During the battle, his mecha had taken several hits which had unknowingly activated the timer on his self-detonation device. The main control and thruster relays had burned themselves out when he came aboard the Fire Heart, which prevented him from moving his machine out of the hangar. He couldn't even escape as the hatch-release was also damaged, sealing him inside a metal, human-shaped coffin. Furthermore, his Vanguard still had a considerable amount of ordinance inside. As a result, once it detonated, he would take out everything and everyone within a 200-meter radius. He shook his head and sighed. He always knew that he would go out with a bang. He only regretted that he was going to take innocent lives with him and damage the only place he knew as home, the Fire Heart.

As the timer counted down toward zero, he held his breath, and waited...

And waited and waited and waited...

Then a click was heard as the hatch suddenly opened and the warning lights turned themselves off. Boomer could only look in stunned silence as a female face smiled down at him.

"Are you okay?" Siloma Ianesk asked.

Boomer nodded, still dumbstruck that his Vanguard hadn't exploded yet.

The young engineer continued to smile as she said, "Great! So how about getting out of this thing before it blows? I only managed the stop the detonation sequence for another minute!"

That was all he needed to hear as he unbuckled his harness and scrambled out of the cockpit. As soon as they both jumped down to the hangar deck and began running, a pair of Vanguards came over and picked up their doomed counterpart. Within moments, they placed it on a nearby catapult launcher and shot it out into deep space. Half a minute later, a sizable explosion was seen in the distance as Boomer's machine perished in a blaze of glory. Fortunately, its pilot would live to see another day.

A loud cheer echoed throughout the hangar as dozens of men from the work crews and engineering stations surrounded the perky and feisty new recruit. Siloma let off a cry of delight as she was lifted up by numerous hands and tossed repeatedly into the air.

After a very rocky start, the young engineer began feel that she was fitting in.


An hour later...

"So Engineer Class A Ianesk. What possessed you to disregard orders to evacuate the hangar and risk everyone's lives with that stunt?"

Siloma felt a familiar feeling as she stood before the Captain and his First Officer in his office. She took a deep breath and replied to his question. "I realized that evacuating was pointless since the blast would have killed everyone in the hangar before they could get far enough away. I had previously studied the schematics to the Vanguards and their self-detonation devices. I knew I didn't have the time to disarm it, so I bypassed the timer circuit and added an extra minute to the countdown. Then I disabled the cockpit locking mechanism and got the pilot out. Then we shot the Vanguard out into space before it exploded. I mean, I know that it was risky and all, but we had everything to gain and.. well..." Her voice trailed off as looked down at her feet.

There was a long silence as Captain Jensen Dar considered her explanation. As of now, he had her fate in his hands. Then finally, he spoke. "Engineer Ianesk, you do realize that you broke the rules again." She flinched at his words, then perked her head up as he continued. "However, unlike the first incident, you broke protocol for the RIGHT reason."

"Captain?"

Jensen let off a sigh as he stood up from his seat, then gave her a small, slightly whimsical smile. "It's no secret that the crew of the Fire Heart has been known to break standard procedures (though no one has been able to prove it in court). Rules are excellent guidelines, but a person must be allowed to interpret them and decide WHEN is the right time to change them. You showed remarkable bravery under fire, ingenuity, and initiative, even though you had to break protocol to do it. Sounds like a perfect fit for the crew of Fire Heart, Engineer Class S Siloma Ianesk."

"Class S?"

"That's right, Engineer Class S." Jensen then reached into a drawer of his desk and took out a small metallic case. He then handed the shocked girl the container and told her to open it. When she did so, she gasped as she gazed upon the Tarak Medal of Engineering Merit, First Class, which was triangular in shape and sparkled with a blue light. He nodded to her and continued. "All punishments are hereby revoked and all privileges are restored. You are to be given Class S access to the Engineering Section and you will be part of the Primary Engineering Corps. That's Engineer Chief's Zona's top team and you have earned your place among them. Congratulations."

If she wasn't still in a state of shock, Siloma would have fainted on the spot.


On the Tarak homeworld, Grand Pa and Grand Ma smiled as they read the reports of the operation to repel the Radam attack. Though the casualties were considerable, the end result was six Radam carriers and several dozen support ships were destroyed, along with most of their compliment of Spider-Crabs and Station K-97 had not fallen into enemy hands.

The unity between the sexes had gotten more secure with the victory. Furthermore, the Nirvana's Tekkamen were seen as heroes and role models for the alliance of men and women. It seemed that once the Radam main invasion arrived, the human race would be more than ready to defend itself.


On the Fire Heart, Captain Dar walked his First Officer to her quarters. As they strolled down the hallway, they discussed the day's events.

"I'd like to thank you." Aika said.

"Thank me? For what?" Jensen asked.

The silver-haired woman took a small breath and replied, "For believing in my plan, and for supporting my opinions. I wouldn't have been able to convince the War Council if you and Tekkaman Slade hadn't..."

Jensen held up a hand, cutting her off. "There's no need to thank me for anything. You came up with the right idea at the right time. You showed all the qualities of a good officer and I see no reason to disregard your opinions when they're completely valid. I do expect you to continue performing as you had today."

"Yes, Captain."

As they came to her quarters, they paused for a moment to gaze at each other, then Aika turned to enter.

Jensen then placed a hand on her shoulder and gently turned her to face him again. For a fleeting moment, Aika studied the blue depths of his eyes and found them to be quite pleasant-looking. Then she felt something being pressed into her right-hand. She looked down and saw a small, silver, metallic case. She held it up with a puzzled expression.

He nodded to her and said, "It's something that Grand Pa and Grand Ma wanted me to give to you." He then turned around to walk back to his own quarters. As he was about turn a corner, he called back to her without looking back.

"I'll see you in the morning, First Officer… COMMANDER Aika Shan."

As he disappeared from sight, Aika looked down at the case, then slowly opened it with trembling hands. She nearly dropped the box as she saw its contents. It was a small, golden, triangular pin with a star in the middle, which signified her rise in rank. She gazed down at the collar of her uniform and saw the two identical pins which symbolized the rank of Lt. Commander. Now, as she added the third pin, she was a FULL Commander.

She continued to stand at her doorway, staring at her new rank, in the same state of shock as the young engineer was. Finally, she gazed in the direction in which her superior had left and began to ponder her future under his command.


The Nirvana...

As the crew of the pirate vessel settled down to rest from the day's battle, a small group of people converged in the Conference Room. Slade was absent as he was very tired from merging with Dita and was currently sleeping in his quarters. Those who were at the meeting included the captain, BC, and Gascogne.

"You do realize, that this operation must be carried out with the utmost secrecy." Magno said.

The other two women nodded in agreement as they continued to plan...

To be continued...


Preview...

Slade: "With the rough battle behind us, we're given a much needed reprieve to recover and prepare for the coming full invasion by the Radam. How can we take all of their full force? Just have to hope for the best, I suppose."

Magno: "Now remember, everyone. This is a very delicate and high-priority mission. You all know what to do."

Dita, Jura, and Meia: "Yes, Captain!"

Ukyou XVII: "Mother, there's something you should know..."

Xian Pu: "Great Grandmother! There's something you should know!"

Magno: "Son, there's something I'd like to show you."

Slade: "Huh? What is it, Mom? Next time, on Tekkadread Remastered: 'Secret Operation'. Why's everyone being so secretive lately? What the-?"


Author's Notes: Whew! That one LONG chapter and now that it's finished, I can finally confirm that this story is nearing its end with two chapters, (and multiple parts), to go. It's been a while since I worked on this story and I'm proud of what I've accomplished. As for the next chapter, we're going see some more intimate interactions between Slade, the girls, and some other people. See you there!

Please read and review!