Vandread Episode Guide
First Stage
Episode 1: Boy meets Girl
Vandread begins with a Taraak
propaganda video proclaiming the history of the war with Mejerr. This video is
then revealed to be played at the launching ceremony of the Ikazuchi with
Taraak's Prime Minister proclaiming that the end of the war is at an end and the
time for victory is near. As the speech is broadcast throughout Taraak, Hibiki
sits in his room. He recalls what happened earlier when he bragged to his
co-workers that he could steal a part of the Bangata that the engineers had all
worked so hard on. Although he now regrets saying such a thing, Hibiki declares
that he never breaks his word and he vows to see this through to completion.
As
the Prime Minister continues with his speech, Hibiki makes his way, discreetly,
towards the Ikazuchi. Along the way, Hibiki's head is filled with
thoughts about his dissatisfaction with being a third-class citizen of Taraak
and his desire for something more. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister reveals that
the Ikazuchi is the key to Taraak victory in this war and it was the
original colony ship that brought the men here. Suddenly, he announces the
launch of the Ikazuchi ahead of schedule - this, in turn, enables Hibiki access
to the Bangata hanger bay. He then finds a Bangata (which has the component
which Hibiki scratched beforehand) and is about to run off with it, when the
Ikazuchi takes off.
Meanwhile, the crew of the Ikazuchi congregate on board
the Ikazuchi. Among them is Duero McPhile and Bart Garsus. Suddenly, a Bangata
exhibition begins: Opening with a promotional video (but Bart isn't too
impressed), the Bangata are then revealed from their hanger - with Hibiki
hanging off one of them. He is quickly arrested. And now that the exhibition was
ruined, the rime Minister orders the Ikazuchi into battle.
Hibiki is then
thrown into a storeroom where he is to be kept as a prisoner and is monitored by
a droid,
I-Type no. 06. But a sudden attack upon the Ikazuchi causes the ship to rock and
the droid to malfunction.
A group of Majerr
pirates are launching an attack. The Ikauzuchi, and several other Taraak ships,
fight back and the Taraak Prime Minister orders all the Bangata into battle.
Hibiki manages to escape from his prison and decides to take the damaged I-Type
with him.
Meanwhile, the pirates manage to breach the hull of the Ikauzuchi
and enter the cargo bay. Exiting their ships and wearing intimidating
armour, they continue their raid. Bart is hiding in amongst the mayhem and sees
everything. Suddenly, a Dread, piloted by Dita's clumsiness, manages to find
it's way into the Prexis chamber - where Hibiki is as well. Frustrated that the
women have conquered the ship, the Prime Minster orders the separation of the
ship. The old section thus rises up from the Taraak-built new section.
Back
in the Prexis room, Hibiki meets Dita. Although he is shocked, she seems
fascinated. Having not seen anything like him before, Dita is convinced, that
he's an alien. Hibiki is freaked out and runs - thus prompting Dita to run after
him.
Elsewhere, the pirates have won and are now rounding up the men into
escape capsules. Jura is disappointed that there's nothing worth salvaging, Meia
is concerned about Dita's disappearance, Pai tends to Barnette's wounds and BC
manages to get to the bridge with Ezra and Parfet. As Meia and Jura go looking
for Dita, Duero suddenly reveals himself to be a doctor and therefore some use
to the pirates.
Suddenly, the Taraak Prime Minister orders the old section
to be fired upon. This then leads to The Boss ordering an immediate evacuation.
Meia and Jura eventually catch up with Dita and rush back to their Dreads.
Meanwhile, Hibiki finds the Bangata he tried to steal and gets into it. However,
as Meia and Jura prepare to leave, Dita's Dread is stuck in a wall. Suddenly the
Prexis explodes and engulfs both the old section and the pirate ship. The Taraak
missiles explode on nothing and Hibiki is drawn into the Prexis maelstrom along
with Dita, Jura and Meia.
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Episode 2: And... I've Lost my Way
Hibiki is stumbling through a
Pexis-induced delirium. Along he is confronted with images of Dita, Jura, Meia
and the Vandread-Dita.
Onboard the bridge of the Pirate ship, The Boss finds
out that the pirate ship is being consumed by the Prexis and it's connecting the
pirate ship to the Ikazuchi. Back on the Ikazuchi, Dita is reunited with Meia
and Jura. Determined to stop the Prexis corrosion, Magno arrives on board the Ikazuchi where she sees Hibiki.
Hibiki regains consciousness in the same
storeroom that he was previously incarcerated in (much to his annoyance). It is there that he meets Duero - also imprisoned. Just then, the I-Type, with a cry of "Pyoro!" produces
arms, legs and a pair of big eyes. Elsewhere, Gascogne leads the operation to
get rid of the Prexis but she isn't having much success. Meanwhile, Parfet
announces a plan to try and bring the Pexis under the pirate's control.
Back
in the storeroom, Hibiki offers to fix Pyoro but the droid insists that he isn't
broken. Then, Hibiki and Duero are taken away for interrogation - there they
meet Bart who had been caught by Meia. During interrogation, Magno also informs
Hibiki that the Ikazuchi used to be a colony ship for both Mejerr and Taraak.
Suddenly, the ship is attacked - Jura, Meia and Dita are ordered into battle in
their Dreads but the enemy they encounter isn't one that they've seen before.
As explosions rock the Ikazuchi, Duero uses his medical expertise to attend
to an injured security guard. Bart than manages to convince The Boss that he's
the helmsman of the ship. Magno agrees but says they will still be treated as
prisoners. As Duero heads to the medical bay, Bart is escorted to the bridge and
Hibiki goes with BC to the warehouse. On the way there, Hibiki reveals to BC
that he isn't really a pilot and he was sucked into into stealing a bangata. She
responds by chastising him for his cowardice and that the present situation is
one which requires action.
On the bridge, Bart is directed to the pilot's
position - once there, the Pexis selects him as the pilot and he's pulled into
his own pocket dimension. However, his natural cowardice causes the ship to move
in an erratic manner. Then, Hibiki persuades Magno and BC to let him use his
Banagata by convincing them both that he would rather fight than do nothing.
Once he's in the Bangata, Hibiki launches into space. Although, awkward at
first, he eventually gets the hang of it. And during the course of the battle,
the Bangata come sin contact with Dita's Dread - And this creates the first
Vandread. And to further the astonishment of the crew, the Dita-Vandread then
incinerates all the remaining Reaper ships.
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Episode 3: This is the path I choose to live
The episode opens with
a meeting with Meia, BC and Magno. BC and Meia give their reports on the status
on the Ikazuchi - it is revealed that the pirate ship has been abandoned due to
the Preix corrosion and the pirates have now taken up residence in the Ikazuchi
itself. Also, the Prexis explosion has catapulted them into a different nebula
where it would take 270 days to return to Mejerr. Finally, Gasco and Dita have
volunteered to investigate the nature of the enemy. As the engineers struggle to
overcome the various power failures throughout the ship and the ancient nature
of the technology, Bart, Duero and Hibiki are back in the storeroom. Eventually
BC comes for Bart so he can explain how to pilot the ship. However, Bart's
efforts to control the direction of the ship, leaves them heading in an
unspecified direction and further from the debris which Gasco and Dita are
investigating. During this, Ezra collapses. Meanwhile, Hibiki has a dream about a time spent back on Taraak.
In the dream, Hibiki's Grandfather Jin says that he should go to the city and
make some friends so he can learn more about himself.
Upon waking up from the
dream, Duero tells Hibiki he was mumbling in his sleep and asks who 'Grampa'
was. BC then appears and tells Duero he is needed. It turns out he is needed to
teat Ezra who has been struck down a fever. Meanwhile, Gasco and Dita realise
they've been left behind - suddenly they're both attacked!
Back on the Ikazuchi,
Bart has managed to pilot it into a nebula. Needing power to work on his
patient, Duero insists to Parfet that power towards the medical bay be a
priority. When Parfet answers that she can't read the male language, Duero
offers to help. Arriving to engineering, Duero and Parfet meet. She explains the
situation whilst he offers his own advice. When crystals begin forming with the Ikazuchi,
Parfet declares them to be the ship neutralising itself of all impurities.
As the Ikazuchi faces certain destruction from an approaching iceball, BC suggests to The Boss that Hibiki should be sent out to retrieve Dita and
Gasco. The Boss approves..... just as Gasco is caught up in orange wires! She
sends Dita back to the Ikazuchi to give back the data recorded. Just as Dita
leaves, Gasco finds herself confronted by the sight of the ship
regenerating.
BC goes to Hibiki's cell and asks him for favour: To rescue
Dita and Gasco. At first he refuses until BC suggests a male philosophy that the
strong are meant to help the weak. Thus, Hibiki reluctantly agrees to help. Back
at the engineering section, Duero suggests creating a bypass to
accommodate the influx of power. Parfet, impressed by this suggestion, agrees to
it. Meanwhile, Dita is being pursued by the Reaper Ships - until Hibiki comes to
her rescue. She is delighted to see him but Hibiki however doesn't share similar
sentiments.... Both the Vanguard and the Dread collide with each other and
combine into the Vandread-Dita - wherein Dita says she'd always believed he
would come rescue her. Hibiki replies he was just looking for her to which Dita
thanks him. The Vandread then goes to rescue Gasco from a larger Reaper ship.
Back
at the Ikazuchi, Parfet and Duero have a breakthrough! The ship comes back
online and then the Vandread-Dita returns just in time to destroy the
threatening iceball.
BC then makes an announcement to the crew: They have
received an image of the enemy's home planet and they plan to launch a
full-scale attack on both Mejarr and Taraak. The pirates are in the enemy's
territory and are perceived as a threat. The Boss then declares that they must
return to their homeworlds, before the enemy, and warn them all of the
approaching danger. To do so, Bart, Duero and Hibiki must be integrated into the
crew. The episode ends with Ezra's announcement that she's pregnant and will
have a baby.
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Episode 4: I Want to know More About You
The episode begins with
Dita eavesdropping into a conversation between Belvedere and a Security Guard.
Upon hearing that a 'strange tube' exists between the legs of men (no I did not
type that wrong - Spike), she then intrudes on Hibiki in the lavatory. ^__^
Meanwhile, Parfet announces that she's running a competition to rename the Ikazuchi.
All entrants are to be entered into Pyoro whom says that his name was Parfet's
idea. Elsewhere, Ezra explains to Duero all about conception.
While this is
going on, The Boss finds BC in the male section firing two pods - one each for Mejarr and Taraak.
Suddenly, both pods are destroyed by attacking Reaper ships. When Meia, Jura and
Barnette arrive to the Dread hanger, they find Dita who said that Hibiki's
already gone into battle. Hibiki defeats the Reaper ships and when he returns to
brag about it, Meia berates him for acting rashly. Disgruntled at the lack of
respect, Hibiki puts his case to The Boss who suggests that he take up a
position at the Reg Crew.
The Reg Crew turns out to be a the part of the
ship which arms all the Dreads. Hibiki is made to dress in a maid's uniform (lol
- Spike)
and is placed under the care of Gasco. There, she explains to Hibiki what life
is like on Mejarr and how The Boss was inspired to take up the life of pirate.
She also tells him of Rule no.1 on the ship: You have to work to eat.
While
this is going on Dita discovers the type of food that the men eat (pills).
Disgusted, she becomes inspired to make Hibiki a decent meal.
The pirates are attacked by a large Reaper ship: One that resembles a sea
urchin. As the Dreads face off against it, it is revealed that the Reaper ships
are studying the pirates attack formations and plans is learning new tactics to
use against them. As the battle progresses, it's clear that the urchin has the
upper hand. Dita tries to persuade Meia to get Hibiki's help but she refuses.
Gasco
then takes Hibiki on board a supply ship with the intention of going into battle
to supply ammunition for the Dreads. Once out in the thick of it, the Dreads are
all re-armed and Hibiki gets a surprise: it is revealed that his Vandread has
been placed on board the supply ship for him to use. Out in the middle of
battle, Hibiki's Vanguard collides with Meia's Dread to create.... the
Vandread-Meia! With it, Hibiki and Meia destroy the urchin. Impressed, Jura
becomes determined to combine her Dread with Hibiki's Vanguard.
Back on board the
ship, Parfet presents the list of naming suggestions to The Boss. The Boss
selects the name 'Nirvana'. Elsewhere, Dita corners Hibiki and gives him a
home-made bento box. At first he's reluctant to take it so Pyoro forces him to
try some. Hibiki then finds it much to his liking and gulps down the whole
thing! The episode ends with BC sending out two more escape pods - only this
time she encodes them with the enemy's recognition signal.
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Episode 5: Sweet Temptation
The newly-christened Nirvana comes
across a planet that appears to be a uninhabited desert world. BC suggests an investigation of
it.
Meanwhile, Hibiki seems to lack energy to function. When Duero suggests
that he could be working hard to protect the women, Hiibiki seems embarrassed.
It is then that Paiwei tells Duero how the pirates treat medical problems: Going
to the Jacuzzi (!).
BC then announces her plan to investigate the desert
planet - through using the bangatas. This prompts the pirates to paint the
Bangata pastel colours! In a VR simulation, Meia seems to have having great
difficulty in using a Bangata. When Duero offers to help, she refuses.
Meanwhile, Dita gives Hibiki another meal - and watches him eat it the
artificial garden. Paiwei catches him in the act and reports her findings to
Jura. She then cons Barnette into making a meal for Hibiki - Irate, Barnette
decides to sabotage it by including Tabasco suave into! Then Bart chances upon
the meal and, out of curiosity, tries it himself....
Jura sits Hibiki down
and tries to force him to eat the meal but before he can do so, the alarm goes
off!
On the desert planet, Jura, Barnette, Dita and Hibiki, all in bangatas, manage
to trigger a trap hidden beneath the sand: A series of lasers go off thus
creating a web that grounds the pirates to the planet. Suddenly, the sand seems
to develop a mind of it's own and attack the bangatas through covering and
corroding them all. Meia shows up in her own bangata but makes a crash landing
and ends up being cut off from everyone else. Suddenly, she is confronted with
the sight of the sand terraforming itself into the form of a Bangata!
When
Meia disappears from radar, BC orders Dita, Jura and Barnette to find her.
However they are all confronted by Bangata sand clones. Then, Belvedere finds
out that a detonation device has been activated. Meia grows too frightened to
move, thus allowing the sand to take control of the bangata. Hibiki rescues her
by scrapping the and away with his own bangata. Seeing a nearby cooling tower,
he comes up with a plan: Blowing up the cooling tower, he freezes the sand, thus
allowing the Bangata to escape. The planet blows up but the pirates escape just
in time. Intercepting a communications transmission from the planet, it's
revealed that the enemy intend on harvesting planets for body parts.
The
episode ends with Meia utterly disgusted about being rescued by Hibiki.
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Episode 6: What a Wonderful World
(aka, the Meia fan's Bible -
Spike)
Meia is injured in battle. As she
is being rushed to the medical bay she begins having flashbacks of her life on Mejarr.....
In battle the Dreads, without Meia's leadership, are in disarray
and losing the battle. Not even the Vandread-Dita can turn the tables.
Observing it all, BC notes how much they took Meia's leadership for granted. The
Boss replies by saying Meia wouldn't allow a sub-commander to be trained and did
everything herself without any relying on anyone.
Through flashbacks, it is revealed that Meia held her
Fahma in secret
contempt. This inspired Meia to become strong enough to protect everyone she
knew. It's also revealed that Meia's Ohma was working on a project that
was going to increase development in Mejarr. A young Meia was made into the face
of the project and became a celebrity. The following Christmas, Meia was given a
musical jewellery box that plays the song 'What a Wonderful World' (or 'Some Days' for the
English version - Spike).
Suddenly, the project was interrupted by a massive
explosion. It was later revealed that the sponsors were involved in pay-offs by
a group called the Terraforming committee. Meia found herself part of an
evacuation but ended up getting separated from her Fahma. All Meia could do was
watch as the continent blew up, taking her Fahma with it.
Meia then recalls
being told that her Fahma saying that she wanted to create a world of green
where everyone can live peacefully.
Confused and without success, the Dreads have fallen back. Hibiki then gets an idea.
He then puts it to The Boss for the promise for pescatori. He then manages to
use the combined might of the Dreads and the Vandread-Dita to destroy the Seed
ship by reflect their own shots of the Nirvana's shields.
Back in the medical bay Duero notes that a pexis fragment has entered Meia's
wound and is beginning to effect her mind.
Meia then recalls how she then
became despised by the Mejarrans who once adored her. She then fell onto the
wrong side of the tracks and began living like a street punk. She then met
The Boss who offers her a place as a pirate on the basis of finding her own way.
The Boss gave Meia her laser ring and became a quick learner.
Parfet
suggests using a shock enhancer to bring Meia back. But in the midst of it all,
Meia appears to give up on living. It is there on the threshold of life and
death that she's confronted with vision of her Fahma. It's there that she
says that her dream has always wanted to be to create a safe haven. Meia's Fahma
then tells her that she shouldn't blame herself any more, no one can really live
by themselves and he should retun to those who need her. And with that,
Meia wakes up to Paiwei and Parfet looking anxious. Duero hands Meia her head
ornament asking if it's important to her - to which Meia disregards it as a
lesson.
Afterwards,
Meia walks through the Nirvana where nearly everyone is asleep She come across
the box where lies a photo of herself and her parents - although her ohma had
been ripped out it has now been restored. Meia then goes to the Mess Hall where
she finds Hibiki, Dita, Jura, Barnette and the rest of the Dread pilots asleep
in the aftermath of a massive pasta feast. The Boss appears and notes Hibiki
managing to win everyone over and how alike he is to Meia. She then suggests to
Meia that it may be time to forgive herself.
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Episode 7: Easy Life
(aka, the Dita+Hibiki fan's Bible - Spike)
In a rare
case of the Nirvana not being under attack, Dita is making a cushion for Hibiki
(of course!). Paiwei seems jealous. Dita goes to find Hibiki but being unable to
find him (he was hiding in his Vanguard!) she goes to his room. Finding the
place in a mess, she decides to clean it up and place the cushion on the bed.
Hibiki turns up only to find, to his horror that Dita has set up a mobile of
sci-fi ornaments! He is equally horrified to find Dita sleeping in his bed! Dita
wakes up and welcomes him but when she tries to give him the pillow Hibiki
throws her out.
Later, Dita talks to Meia who says that she shouldn't try to
force her way into someone else's life. This makes Dita more upset and after
talking to Paiwei, becomes convinced she'll only get in Hibiki's way.
Meia
then summons the Dread pilots to a meeting to discuss battle formations. Hibiki
shows up late and Dita follows - and ends up sitting on the other side of the
room from Hibiki. She then goes on to refuse any prospect of uniting with Hibiki
to create the Vandread-Dita - much to everyone's surprise. In the training that
follows, Dita's performance rate drops significantly.
Later still, Dita and
Hibiki sit at opposite ends in the mess hall. Dita is forlorn whilst Hibiki is
busy stuffing his face. Everyone notices that something is up. Dita mentions to
Meia that she wants to change herself. After this, Pyoro finds Hibiki looking
very grumpy. Taunting him by saying that he was mad that Dita isn't seeing him,
Hibiki snaps back that he can't stand her and is happy that she's not bothering
him. Unfortunately when he says this he doesn't realise Dita is standing
directly behind him....
Elsewhere, Jura makes a plan to get Hibiki to combine with her. She makes
Bart an offer into being Dita's friend so she can snare Hibiki. In return she
tells Bart that with Dita his credibility on the ship will rise. Needless to
say, Bart needs little convincing.
While this is going on, Dita,
understandably upset about Hibiki saying that he hates her becomes even more
determined to change her ways. Parfet tries to help out by presenting her with a
compatibility test - by typing in Hibiki's name Dita will see the rate of
compatibility. Unfortunately, doing so causes the computer to short circuit,
sending Dita into a state of shock.
Meanwhile,
Gasco challenges Hibiki to a game of Poker. Unfortunately for him, Gasco is in
possession of the greatest luck in card games. As such she ends up on a massive
winning streak whilst Hibiki grows increasingly frustrated. She later tells him
that he's bothered by something on his mind and his consistent losing is due to him expressing
far too much emotion.
Dita wakes up in the medical bay. She sees Duero and
Parfet working happily together and leaves. In the artificial garden she
describes her long-standing belief in aliens and how much it means to her.
Suddenly she sees the Reaper ships attack!
And as the Dreads leave to go
into battle, Hibiki sends a message to Dita saying, after much hesitation, that
he doesn't really like to see her doing things she doesn't normally do.
Relieved, Dita combines with him to make the Vandread-Dita as Meia looks on.
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Episode 8: Impossible
The Nirvana comes across an abandoned mission
colony. Meia leads Dita, Hibiki, Jura and Barnette into it to go salvaging
(read: looting). Whilst there Hibiki senses movement, he goes into pursuit
accompanied by Pyoro. There, they run into Butan - who immediately jumps into
Pyoro! Rabat shows up and immediately collars Hibiki. Meia shows up with her
laser ring at the ready. Jura also appears behind Rabat with her sabre.
Astonished Rabat asks as to whether they are a gang of females. When Hibiki says
he's really a guy, Rabat laughs saying he looked so cute. Suddenly, both Rabat
and Butan escape by throwing Pyoro at Meia. Then, the mission activates a self
defence system sending many small ships to deal with the pirates. Hibiki
immediately heads out to deal with them on his own. Dita goes after him and they
combine to form the Vandread-Dita. Rabat watches this from his ship is quite
impressed. The Vandread goes on to annihilate the mission but several ships
remain. Rabat then allows Chewbac...sorry, Butan to board her own mecha and
finish off the rest.
Rabat then speaks to The Boss and manages to obtain
permission to come aboard the Nirvana simply by saying he has a business proposition - and revealing that
he actually has Pyoro on board. Once on board the Nirvana, Rabat charms his way
through the crew much to Hibiki's disgust. The Boss then allows Rabat to stay
for a while so his ship may be repaired.
Rabat opens up shop with the intention to sell of his wares to the pirates.
He appears to know a lot about the universe. When Dita asks where he comes from
he replies "The same place as you". Parfet shows an interest in buying a device
- Rabat describes the device of being capable of improving the Nirvana's engine.
As Rabat's stall is swamped, he asks Paiwei for information about the Vandread.
Later, BC goes to the bay to examine Rabat's ship. When he shows up, BC notes
that the ship itself isn't in anyway damaged. Rabat tries to hit on BC but,
smelling gunpowder, then decides to back off. Rabat then heads for the
engineering section. He explains to Parfet that the device does exactly what he
says to do. He then sees the Pexis. Dita then appears, wanting to know about the
universe. Rabat then decides to use her to get to the Vandread. When Paiwei
tells Hibiki about this, he runs.
At the hanger, Dita stands in the way of
the Vanguard. Rabat sneers saying Hibiki thinks nothing of her. Hibiki shows up
and challenges Rabat - who knocks him flat. As blows are exchanged Rabat yells
at him for not using words that aren't his own and basing all his actions on
what he had heard before. Meia intervenes and Rabat, faced with a lot of dirty
looks from pirates, decides to leave. As he leave she tells Meia that he wants
Hibiki to challenge him with his own words. When his ship leaves, the Nirvana
takes up pursuit - until Rabat detonates the device, thus sending the Nirvana to
a standstill.
In the the artificial garden Meia tells Hibiki not to worry.
He answers by saying he wondered that if he got on the stage of life will his
life be a comedy. Meia responds by saying she won't laugh.
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Episode 9: More Barbaric Than Human
The Nirvana comes across a water planet: It is completely covered with water
save for a small island. The island is inhabited and has a colony ship residing
underneath it. A new type of Reaper ship shows up. Hibiki charges for the hanger
- and is immediately confronted by Jura who insist that this will be the time
that her Dread combines with his Vanguard.
During the course of the battle,
Hibiki gets knocked down to the surface. Jura follows him down and they combine
to create the Vandread-Jura! She is disgusted by the appearance of it but
somehow both Jura and Hibiki manage to beat off the Cube-Types.
The pirates
are sent a message form the inhabitants of the planet: A woman named Fanieta
welcomes them to Anthopos. She says they have been waiting for the Munya and
they are preparing a ceremony for this day. The Boss and BC go down to the
planet leaving Bart in charge. Meanwhile, Hibiki leaves the Vandread to
investigate but Jura, still irate about the Vandread's appearance, refuses to
move.
A new Reaper ship shows up. It fires a cannon which ignites a tall rod
situated in the middle of the island. The inhabitants of Anthopos take this as a
sign. Meanwhile, Hibiki meets up with The Boss and BC and they are all taken to
a shrine. The shrine is built around the rod and is what Fanieta describes as a
'Holy Path'. Fanieta then explains that the Munya guided the people to this
planet and will return whenever they need the people of Anthopos - and that need
would be something called the 'Spiral Code'. BC then makes the connection that
the Spiral Code is really the Spinal Cord. Meanwhile, Bart is under pressure
from so many requests at once.
A Harvester vessel arrives as the people are
drawn towards the shrine. The Boss then concludes what the people regard as
prophecy and tradition is merely a trap. She then challenges these beliefs but
to no avail. The people of Anthopos are on they way up the Holy Path. The Boss
then turns to Hibiki instructing him to take action. Hibiki the runs back to the
Vandread and confronts Jura: He tells her that not everyone gets the opportunity
to save an entire planet. This convinces Jura to step back into the action.
Meanwhile The Boss confronts Fanieta saying she had always cursed herself for
being helpless when she saw people die before her - But then she realised that
they died without showing any signs of giving up. Which is why she has nothing
but contempt for people who need someone else to determine their destiny for
them.
Using the power of the Vandread-Jura, Hibiki and Jura manage to shield
the entire planet. Then, they draw gallons of water from the planet and send it
flying into the mouth of the Harvester. The ship blows up, thus leaving a lot
more land for the people of Anthopos.
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Episode 10: White Love
Yes, it's the obligatory Christmas special! Everyone is busy decorating the
ship - BC is exasperated by this but then she notices a comet approach. Having
been raised on Tarrak Bart, Duero and Hibiki have no idea about Christmas and
are baffled by the festivities going on around them. Dita is surprised by this
and manages to persuade Hibiki to help through the prospect of food.
Whilst
searching throughout the Nirvana for Christmas decorations, Hibiki stumbles upon
a box of items dating back to the colonist era. In the box Dita finds an old
video which she then broadcasts throughout the ship. The video shows a family at
Christmas time. All of the pirates are shocked to see a man and a woman together
in harmony - although Pyoro is more fascinated by the family's baby child.
As
Parfet struggles to make a snow machine work, Paiwei informs Hibiki on the
importance of giving presents. Bart overhears this. Wghen Hibiki sees the snow
machine fail, he then sees the nearby comet and gets an idea.
Uninterested with the festivities, Meia takes her Dread and goes out on
patrol. There, she finds out that a reaper ship is hiding in the comet. The ship
then attacks. Back in the Nirvana, Pyoro goes to Ezra and suggests a name for
the baby: Pyoro-2
Parfet manages to make some headway with her machine as
Duero ponders on what he's learnt about Christmas. Parfet then asks if he's
managed to find a present. Back outside, Meia is rescued by Hibiki in his
Vanguard.
As the hour of the annual Christmas parade draws near, Bart and Duero
are at a loss as to what to give for presents. Duero then sees an easel and gets
an idea. Back outside, Hibiki and Meia manage to defeat the Reaper ship. Hibiki
then gets a chunk of ice from the comet and then they both return to the Nirvana
in the Vandread-Meia. By defeating the Reaper ship, the comet is crushed thus
creating snow!
The parade then goes off and Parfet's snow machine finally
manages to work! Duero then gives Parfet her present: it's a painting of a
snowscape. Bart also gives a present - to BC. It's a premium item from his
company. And Barnette gives Jura a ring - which Jura returns with a kiss on the
cheek. Elsewhere, Dita finds Hibiki in the hanger where he gives her his
present: It's a blossoming flower which he found in the ice! Dita loves it but
Hibiki doesn't hear her for falling asleep!
Later, Hibiki opens up Dita's
present: It's an ornament with his likeness in a Santa Alien! Hibiki seems
amused.
----------------------
Episode 11: Together
Dita has managed to get Hibiki into gathering food for a meal. As they're
rummaging through the supplies, they are interrupted by Paiwei who seems very
suspicious about them both. It then comes clear that Paiwei is upset with the
notion of Dita wanting to be together with Hibiki - yes, she's jealous!
By
this stage., the Nirvana is halfway through it's long journey back to Mejerr and
Taraak. Bart seems annoyed at not being taken seriously. He expresses this
annoyance to Duero who tells him a story: There was a man with short hair who
worked in a factory of long-haired men. At first, the short-haired man was
ignored but within time his hair grew long and he was welcomed as one of them.
Inspired by this, Bart decides to dress in drag (and boy is it a scary sight
- Spike).
The bridge crew all laugh at him - Bart then goes to trip and falls on Celtic
Midori (in her bear suit). She then runs off.
On the way to the kitchen,
Hibiki accidentally stumbles into Midori's room. In the kitchen, Dita starts
crying whilst chopping onions. Confused, Hibiki tries to get her to stop in his
usual brash style. Paiwei sees this and mistakes it for Hibiki making Dita cry.
Later, the pirates hold a meeting: Midori complains about the presence of the
men (saying she was using her bear suit as a means of protection) and Paiwei
shows her video. It is also revealed that today was the anniversary of Paiwei
joining the crew. Resentment grows between Barnette and Paiwei, even to the
point of agreeing to open mutiny, but Meia
disproves of this.
Dita gives Hibiki a burger when they are interrupted by
Paiwei, Barnette and Midori all fully armed: They are taking control and don't
want the assistance of the men - who are to be incarcerated for the rest of the
journey. Dita protests saying she wanted to give Paiwei a surprise dinner.
Hibiki meanwhile bolts - he flees the Nirvana in his Vanguard as Duero and Bart
are captured.
In space, Hibiki meets a blockade of ships. When they learn he's from Taraak,
they take him on board. There, Hibiki meets a crew of pale-skinned humans who
are introduce themselves as people from the planet Melanus. They also tell
Hibiki that they are making a line of defence against the Harvesters. It is here that Hibiki
meets a mechanic named Seran. She tends his wounds, with a blue piece of cloth,
and is remarkably friendly. Hibiki is offered a drink and informed that his
Vanguard has been repaired. He however is baffled at seeing both men and women
co-exist together. Hibiki also learns that the Melanians are being pursued by the
Harvesters for their skin - as such, they rely on a special drink that drains
all colour from their skin. Suddenly a Harvester ship approaches - it's
one of their Flagships. In the
conflict that follows, Seran is killed. Her final words to Hibiki are if
everyone's all right..... Hibiki is quite shocked to see, for the first time,
someone die in front of him.
In the battle that follows, all of the
Melanian ships are destroyed. Hibiki goes after the Harvester himself in his Vanguard but
fails. Knocked out and drifting in space he's then picked up by Rabat.
----------------------
Episode 12: They Don't Care About Us
Rabat returns to the Nirvana to bring back Hibiki. Dita is delighted to see
him. Hibiki then regains consciousness and bolts to the bridge. Rabat is then
captured and put in prison with Duero and Bart. On the bridge, Parfet tries to
get access to Bart's piloting dimension. As she works Hibiki confronts The Boss
and warns her of the Flagship. She replies by asking him whether this was the
first time he had seen someone die and brute force may not be the ideal
solution.
Elsewhere, Barnette rabbles everyone to rise up and that they make the Nirvana
run without any help whatsoever from the men. Paiwei thinks she's scary and Gasco then berates
Barnette saying her
line of thinking is exactly like that of the men. Meanwhile, Meia is at her
Dread. She strikes up a conversation with Pyoro saying she's envious of machines
and their inability to be hindered by self-doubt. Pyoro responds by saying he's
envious of humans being in possession of a heart. Meia answers that it's ironic
that Pyoro has developed emotions when he is broken. She notes that he seems to have developed
emotions. She then takes off declaring that she must do what she can.
Hibiki
is escorted into prison where he meets Rabat. When Hibiki demands why he didn't
save the people of Melanus, Rabat replies that he couldn't make any money of
them. When Duero asks him why he bothered saving Hibiki, Rabat replies that
simply because he's connected to something big....
Elsewhere the Pexis is
growing increasingly unstable. Outside, Meia has caught sight of the
flagship....
As the flagship nears the Nirvana, Dita tries her hand at fixing Hibiki's
Vanguard. Paiwei asks why she's so concerned. Dita replies that she just can't
stop thinking of him - even when he seems very angry at her. Paiwei then notes
that she must be very strong.
Meanwhile, the Dreads scramble to face the
approaching flagship. Once outside, they are joined by Meia - Jura however seems
doubtful of success. Back on the bridge, Parfet seems to have little success.
Then Butan manages to chase Pyoro onto the bridge. When Parfet finds Pyoro she decides to link him to the
pocket dimension. The Boss and BC
try to communicate with the flagship to no response. Then Pyoro, linked to the
system, is taken over some sort of force. He then floats up in the air and
starts speaking in an unusual manner. Ezra declares this to be the flagship
trying to make contact. Through Pyoro, the Harvester declare themselves to be
from Earth and the pirates are to used as provisions. And fighting their will is
pointless. As this message is broadcast throughout the ship, Rabat breaks out -
it turns out that he knew this all along. He then tells Bart and Duero that each
planet is being cultivated for certain body parts for the use of the Earth and
Taraak and Mejarr are being harvested for their reproductive organs. Rabat is
also concerned solely with his own survival and he's travelling through
the galaxy acquiring information to sell to the Harvesters just so he can
survive. Rabat then leaves the Nirvana.
Now free, Bart and Duero return to
their posts as Hibiki goes into battle
motivated by a need a survive and a determination to prove his existence. He
runs to the hanger but when he gets there he is engulfed by a sea of Pexis. As the battle progresses, the Nirvana is caught in
the magnetic pull from a nearby planet. Suddenly, the Harvesters produce
their latest weapon: clones of the Vandreads! It seems they are able to study
and duplicate whatever weapon used against them in quick succession.
Meanwhile,
the pods have both arrived at Taraak and Mejarr - but the Mejarr responds to the
pod by deleting the information stored in it.
----------------------
Episode 13: To Feel the Fire
The episode begins with Hibiki engulfed in a Prexis field. He senses it being
frightened and becomes even more determined to fight.
Back in the battle, the
Dreads are having little luck against the fake Vandreads. Meia then orders the
Dreads to retreat but is then shot down. Fortunately she is rescued by Gasco in
her supply ship - who then activates a shield and drags Meia and several of the Dreads towards the planet. The
fake Vandread-Meia follows and is destroyed. On the Nirvana, Parfet notes the
Pexis increasing with pressure. On the Nirvana, all is in disarray: Meia is injured,
Jura is disillusioned, morale is low and the ship looks set to be crushed with
the increase of pressure in the Pexis. Hibiki however is not going to give up
and is busy pursuing Pyoro for information on the probability of a successful
plan.
In
the medical bay, Barnette refuses Duero's help. Dita then asks if Duero has a
medicine of some kind to make everyone happy. Paiwei then says in exasperation
that there is little point in fighting for Mejarr when they haven't sent any
indication that they care for them - even when everything looks hopeless. Meanwhile, Hibiki has formulated his plan: By increasing the
internal pressure of the planet, the pressure will be then directed at the
flagship destroying it, and the planet. The only problem is how to escape. BC
then shows up and makes the suggestion of using booster rockets made from spare
parts. She also
notices a change in him. Dita then gets hold of the intercom and sends a message
throughout the ship berating everyone for giving up and saying she'll fight to
the very end.
In the register, Barnette orders a kamikaze mission - but it's
refused. Gasco then shows up and explains that only the higher command can issue
such a kamikaze mission just to stop any Dread pilots into doing something
reckless - and the only one Barnette is blaming is herself.
Hibiki takes his plan to the Boss who approves. As Hibiki works out a method of
escaping the end of the planet Meia shows up volunteering her Dread.
Jura then appears keen to help and before too long Dita comes to help. And just before they all go into battle, Dita makes Hibiki promise that he'll visit her room when this is all over (and then it
starts...... - Spike).
All the Dreads and the Vandread-Jura move into position. Hibiki and Jura
project a shield large enough to cover the entire planet. With the planet set to
become a star, the pressure is to contained whilst the Dreads ignite the
planet's surface. This causes internal
pressure within the planet to increase. On the Nirvana, Parfet and the engineers
release the pressure in the Pexis. The pressure is released back towards the
planet and as
it does so, the Prexis returns to normal. The Harvesters attack. As the planet
shrinks, the Nirvana proceeds to move as far away as possible from it. Hibiki
and Jura separate and flee. Meia and Hibiki combine to form the Vandread-Meia
and pick Dita's Dread up along the way. As the Nirvana flees, it ends up on
collision course with a nearby asteroid - but it manages to dodge it through the
intervention of Midori who returns to her position on the bridge.
The planet
then evolves into a star. Hibiki and Meia
separate - with Meia making him promise that he'll come back alive - and Hibiki
combines with Dita. The burst of pressure from the planet is caught by the
Vandread-Dita and channelled to the Flagship. It is seemingly destroyed - but
then it comes back - severely damaged but practically unstoppable! Suddenly, a
flare emerges form the newly-brown star. It engulfs the Vandread-Dita which disappears...... but then, it emerges
from the explosion and it charges into the Flagship destroying it entirely.
When
Hibiki returns to the Nirvana, he finds all of the pirates waiting to
congratulate him. Dita reminds him of his promise but then Pyoro warns that he's
received a transmission from the Harvesters: The destruction of the Flagship has
prompted them all the divert all active fleets to the Nirvana. Hibiki responds
to this by declaring that "we all have to take the path we have to take".