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VANDREAD ARMY Second Line

By Norsehound

Disclaimer: Vandread doesn't belong to me. --------------- CHAPTER FOUR Somedays

        Leo Takara wasn't a man of many domestic thoughts. Ever since he was ditched in the middle of nowhere in a military unit one thought and one thought alone has been going through his mind; Survival.
        But unknown to many people, Leo wasn't of their walking generation. Within him was a secret that he had in common with only one other person on the ship, and neither of them knew it.
        But still, Leo walked the ship now and was thinking of things other than fighting. He had relaxed considerably since coming aboard the Nirvana and the ending fight almost a week ago. Life was settling to more or less normal again; and different thoughts were going through his mind.
        One thing he could not figure out was where he saw Dita before. The memory was in his mind and every sign told him he had seen this girl before, and he tried to probe his memory to the point where he had seen her before.
        It was sometime. the face was familiar to him. Every hint in his mind told him he should somehow be associated with this girl in some way.yet if he lived on Tarak all his life how could he have known a Mejere.
        The key hinted at itself with the thought of living on Tarak all his life.yes, before this he was a worker in a deep dungeon under the earth. He worked on parts and machinery, like Hibiki did before jumping ship on that fateful day.
        That fateful day.
        Leo stopped in the hallway and tried to remember that day. Something happened that day, and he dug in his mind to remember it.
        Yes, something about that day.
        He walked forward and decided to talk with Shin.

        "When was I enlisted?" Asked Leo.
        Shin was a little startled by this, as he was suddenly interrupted in his small office by Leo's sudden request.
        "I beg your pardon?"
        "When did I join up, do you know?" Asked Leo.
        Shin replied, "Don't you know?"
        "Sir, trapped in the station's been a whirlwind."
        "So's everything else." Sighed Shin and stood up, "Why do you ask?"
        "I'm trying to figure out where I know Dita from sir." Leo remarked.
        Shin stopped in mid-stretch and asked, "You know Dita? From where?"
        "That's just it sir, I have no idea." Leo said and shook his head, "It's weird. I know I've seen her face before and I was thinking back to when I got recruited. There's something about the day that I was recruited.."
        "I still have your records, let me pull 'em up." Shin replied and turned to some of the information tapes. Leo leaned on the wall as Shin rifled through the information then picked out a disk and inserted it in the drivers and scrolled through the information. He pulled the file up and looked over it, "Well it says here you were recruited sometime in August. Wait a minute."
        Leo looked over his commander's shoulder at his profile.
        Shin leaned back in his chair and Leo gave him room as the commander thought. "What is it sir?" Asked Leo.
        Shin pointed, "This is nearly a week before the Ichazuchi attack."
        "I know sir, I met you during that attack." Leo replied.
        "That's right." Nodded Shin and huffed a laugh, "Got the Ichazuchi star for the last six surviving pilots wasn't it?"
        "I think it was eight."
        "Whatever." Shin remarked and leaned forward and paged through the data, "Most of your information's classified. That's odd..but says here that you were registered as a third class worker for a while."
        Leo tried to remember about the switch. He could remember being a third class worker then.
        "Keg."
        "What was that?" Shin said.
        "Keg.is there a Keg Damson in the database?"
        "I've only got the 42nd records." Replied Shin and leaned in his chair and tilted it away from Leo to look at him, "What's so special about him?"
        Then Leo remembered what Keg said.
        "Nothing sir.just a name. Nothing big." Leo replied and things started to flow back to him.
        "There's something you're not saying." Shin said.
        Leo waved a hand, "Just something sir. I think it was a Keg Damson that got my records changed."

        Shin arched an eyebrow, "Only top officials can do that kind of stuff. If there was a Keg Damson in the brass than I'd know about it. Maybe even shaken his hand at one time or another."
        "Huh," Leo said, distant as memories started to come in.
        "Well should I look into this?"
        "Nah." Leo said and dismissed it, "Probably nothing really sir. Thanks anyway."
        "No problem." Nodded Shin and watched Leo go. Then he turned back to his panel, then decided to talk with Dureo about the medical checks on Leo.

        Leo strode the decks and continued to think.
        Like shoving dirt aside to reveal a painting the memory came back to him. It was blurred and blotched, but he could see Dita in his mind.a memory.
        And the memory of the day long transfer.and what Keg Damson had said to him.
        But was it really Keg?
        No, it wasn't. It was someone else.
        It was another Keg Damson. Someone from another place.another time.
        His steps came to an end in a room, and Leo found himself looking across the room at an angry exchange between Dita and Misty- namely in angered stares.
        Then Hibiki exploded, "ENOUGH ENOUGH!!! I'm playing another hand!"

        Leo blinked and realized he came in on one of Gasconge's poker games. As usual, Hibiki was seriously loosing.
        Leo took another glance at Dita, who was too busy arguing with Misty to see him. Gasconge's eyes, though, saw him, "Leo, do you want to sit down?"

        The four heads turned and Leo hesitated, then decided to walk forward.
        "So," He asked, "Is Hibiki seriously loosing again?"

        "I'm not gonna loose after this hand!" Hibiki replied angrily and rifled through his hand.
        Gasconge eyed the timer then looked at Hibiki over her cards.
        Leo stopped beside the table and spotted the rice balls and sandwiches, but asked, "Where's Jinn?"

        "He had some errands." Replied Gasconge, "Finishing moving things and settling in."
        "I thought you'd be helping him." Leo said.
        Gasconge tilted her head, "I was, until Mr. Impatient forced me into a game."
        "Hey!" Hibiki replied, "This is just to get you back for cheating me out the last time!"
        "Oh, so I'm cheating now?" Gasconge smiled.
        Leo cracked a smirk and stood there to watch Hibiki think, then said, "Dita?"
        "What?" Asked Dita and turned around.
        "Er." Leo asked and paused, "Ah.can we talk?"
        "About what?" She replied.
        ".Something." Leo said and then shook his head, "Quite frankly I think I know you from some place."

        This put Gasconge's attention on Leo, "Know her, from where?"
        "It's hard to explain," Leo replied, "It feels I know you Dita.from somewhere. I can't say exactly."
        Dita pondered it for a moment, then said, "Well I don't remember you from anywhere."
        "Well.yeah.that's just odd about it." Leo replied, "I know your face from some place.I know your hair and your smile."
        Gasconge shifted her weight, "Wait a minute, how could you possibly know Dita? You grew up on two separate planets!"
        Leo looked at the deck, "Not.entirely.."
        "What?"
        "I don't know." Leo replied, "It's just.I don't remember much of my past, and trying to think about this makes me even more confused."
        "Well then don't think about it." Gasconge shrugged and the timer beeped, "It's your turn. What are you doing?"
        "Er." Hibiki muttered, "It's.just.ah!" He traded a pair of cards.
        "Took you long enough." She smirked as she looked at her hand again.
        "Yeah well great thinkers need time!" Hibiki replied.
        Leo scoffed at this and related, "When we played poker Jinn usually needed a moment to ponder how to beat us around."
        "Jinn plays poker?" Gasconge asked.
        "Sure." Shrugged Leo, "Don't know why he isn't here in on this game."
        "Probably because he didn't want to loose anything." Gasconge said and traded cards.
        Leo looked at the table and then back up at Dita. Their gazes locked.Dita's expression was one of confusion and ponder. Leo's face held similar confusion and bewilderment.but also a familiarity in the face he was looking into.

        Kai was bored.
        Tesh apparently 'disappeared' somewhere on the platform, and to Kai's amazement when he checked in with Shin the commander said that Tesh was probably running from 'the small girl fan club'. When asked, Shin just shrugged on the matter.
        So Tesh had become a Mejere magnet. Weather they wanted his guts or his body, Kai couldn't determine. But Kai was willing to believe that Tesh was a capable teenager, and his hyper personality and wacky attitude could probably get him out of anything- despite being the tactician of the officers in the 42nd.
        Still, he was walking for no particular destination. When he walked out of Shin's office he left on the impulse to chart the interior of the Nirvana and find his way around. Three hallways later he was completely lost, and gave up all hope of accurately finding his way anywhere without outside assistance.
        But noise was also a drawing in factor, so when he heard a noise he turned and found a small group of people assembled outside Jura's room.
        Among the people there was Parfait, Paiway, Pyoro, Ezra, and Dureo. From behind it looks like they were looking at something so he stepped forward and asked, "What's going on?"

        Heads turned, and Kai looked up to see Jura in her room holding Ezra's baby- and Barnette video-taping.
        "Egad.."
        "My thoughts exactly." Muttered Dureo as he witnessed the spectacle- and Barnette's praise.
        "Okay, so what's going on?" asked Kai.
        "Jura want's a baby." Replied Paiway and held her puppet up, "Ribbit, she's even willing to steal Ezra's!"

        "Don't say that!" Called Ezra softly, and Pyoro ventured forward in an attempt to reclaim the baby.
        Kai laughed at the robot's efforts and then turned to Dureo, "Hey doc, where have you been? Shin's been trying to get a hold of you."

        "Really." Dureo put in flatly.
        "Yeah he wants you to check out Leo's bio. It's got a lot of black- out info and he wanted to consult Leo's bios.on the grounds he's commander."
        "I'll have to see Leo's identity card.or dagger. Was he issued one?"
        Kai shrugged, "I think so. But I heard he was in the worker class before his mix-up was discovered and he was transferred to first."
        "I see.I'll have to check into that." Dureo said.
        Then Kai turned and saw Tag walking in.
        "Hey Tag."
        "Hi." Replied the scholar and then saw the others, "Well now I know where the party is."
        "So why are you here?" Asked Kai.
        "Lost."
        "Me too."
        "You're lost?" Parfait asked.
        Both Tarak turned and Kai replied, "We just got here and we don't even know half the ship!"
        "Well I can give you a tour if you want." Replied Parfait.
        Tag nodded once, "I think a map would be more helpful." He stopped as he saw Ezra and strode to the side of the crib next to Ezra. Ezra smiled at him and said a little hi. Tag nodded back and looked at the baby, "She's adorable Ezra."

        "Thanks." Ezra replied and looked down at the baby.
        "What's her name?"
        "Kahlua." Replied Ezra and went on, "The captain named her."
        "Interesting name." Nodded Tag, "Where did she get it?"
        Ezra shrugged and Dureo said, "The Captain has a way with names.apparently she was also responsible for the name of the ship."
        "Well, captain of the ship gets to pick the name." Kai said and then looked up at Jura, "Hey Jura."
        "Well hello," Jura said, suddenly interested in the only man willing to pay her any attention, "What can I do for you Kai?"
        "Well.er." Kai replied and blushed, "Actually I was wondering if I can do anything for you."

        "Really?" Asked Jura in a seductive tone.
        Kai was wondering what Jura was up to and what he just got himself into.
        "Well," Jura said with heavy grease in her voice, "I don't suppose you know how a Tarak seed is given do you?"
        This caused blushes and startlement from those in the area.
        ".Um.."
        "Just say no." Replied Tag, with the knowledge about how to make children.earth style. Standing next to him was another trainee in the way of earth biology, and came to the same answer but didn't say anything.
        "What? You're no fun." Jura replied, "What do you know about men and women anyway?" Asked Jura.
        "Enough to know how things work, and that's all I'm saying about it." Tag answered. He gave a glance to Ezra of forgiveness, and Ezra just gave a small shrug.
        "Well I don't suppose you could give me directions on how to make a baby then," Jura said.
        "No." Answered both Tag and Dureo simultaneously.
        "Well that's a definite answer," Parfait observed.
        "We concur on the same thing." Dureo replied.
        "Trust me Kai, until you get biology 101 I wouldn't even think about it." Tag put in.
        "Why not?" asked Kai.
        "Well.with babies comes responsibility." Said Tag, "And really if Jura had a baby, do you think you or her would be responsible?"
        "Well."
        "How dare you call me irresponsible!" Lashed out Jura.
        "Forgive me," Tag said with a smile, "But what I said was true, a child is a lot of responsibility. Technically families had to do a lot of thinking about it before starting a couple- at least, that's what Ancient Earth people did.or had to do before making babies."
        "Good point." Kai said.
        "But it's just a baby!" Jura exclaimed, "What's so different about a baby we could have then from Ezra'a baby?"
        "Well one," Tag said, "Your baby wouldn't be chased by a broken robot and called pyoro-2."
        "I am not broken! And her name IS Pyoro-2!!" Protested Pyoro.
        "And two," Tag went on, ignoring the robot, "Kahlua has a very caring and very watchful mother to take care of her. And from what I can see she's doing fine compared to some stories from old Earth."
        Ezra blushed to herself at Tag's compliment, but either Tag didn't notice or thought it wouldn't be good to act like he did.
        "You know, he's right." Dureo said.
        Jura huffed, "Well I don't have to have any of your opinions!" She turned to Kai, "So how about it sweetie? Wanna have a baby together?"
        Kai looked very nervous, "Well.er.considering everything-"
        Perhaps at the perfect moment Tesh showed up and almost ran into Kai.
        "Tesh! What?"
        "You gotta hide me man!" Tesh cried, "They're after me!"
        "Who?" Asked Tag.
        "The Mejere! I swear they're all after me!" Tesh cried, then looked down the hall, "They're coming I swear it."
        "What do they want?" Dureo asked.
        Tesh cried out in his panic, "I dunno! They want me! They want my body! I think they want to eat me!"
        Paiway broke out laughing and Parfait gave a nervous laugh with a sweat drop forming over her head. Ezra was clearly startled, and Barnette was confused.
        "Eat you?" Tag asked, "There's hardly enough of you for anybody! Even sharks."
        "Tell that to THEM!" Exclaimed Tesh and then demanded, "Are you going to hide me or not?"
        "Well where can we-"
        Tesh decided to duck into Jura's room and got lost.
        "Hey!" Jura cried as the teenager disappeared into a linen closet, "Get out of there!"
        Barnette decided to go help Jura and everyone else outside Jura's room started to wish Tesh didn't come into the picture.
        For Kai, it was a relief. But when Kai turned around sure enough a small mob of young women were coming down the hall.
        "No kidding." Dureo remarked.
        "Well this new." Tag said, "First time I actually saw a Mejere chasing after a Tarak."
        When the girls got to the door their demands came out in a single, unintelligible voice.
        "What?" Kai asked, "One at a time."

        "Where is he?"
        "Who?"
        "Where's the cute guy with the blue hair?"
        "Blue." Kai said and thought a moment, "You mean Tesh?"
        "Is that his name?!" Perked up one, "He's so adorable!"

        ".He's thirteen."
        "He's still cute!" Yipped one of the technicians.
        Kai realized by giving them Tesh's name he effectively gave them Tesh's calling card, but spoke anyway, "Why do you want Tesh so badly?"
        "Because we wanna give him a hug!"
        Kai was beginning to wonder if it was his turn to be confused for a day.
        "He went that way." Tag said and pointed in no particular direction- which happened to be the hallway going forward and away from the Tarak quarters.
        "Thanks!" Yipped many voices and the girls ran off in another direction.
        The small group watched them go, then Tag said, "Tesh is going to be in my debt."
        "I'll tell that to him next time I see him." Kai replied and looked back into the room where Jura and Barnette were fishing through the endless linens Jura had in her possession for one rambunctious frightened blue- hared teenager.

        Leo's hands were still folded a minute later.
        He didn't know how to say this to Dita. He knew her, and he felt something for her. Perhaps it was gravitation he didn't know. Once Tag was talking about various things, and love was one of them. 'Love,' he said, 'is the close relationship between a man and a woman. So close, you'd do things you wouldn't believe possible.'
        Leo could sketch these things that Tag was talking about. He knew some aspects of love.or at least in the physical sense. He could see Dita trying to love Hibiki, but the third class Tarak was too bold to see it.or maybe he didn't want it. It seems Misty on the other hand was scoring points left and right.
        Maybe this was his cue to step in.
        A memory. A golden-hared girl with a cute face and pretty smile.
        Who was that?
        And more importantly, if he was Tarak born why were there memories of women?
        "You wanna see a Mejere?"
        "What?" Leo asked.
        Gasconge was standing, "Do you want to get Jinn on this?"
        ".Sorry, thought you said something else." Replied Leo and said, "I don't know where Jinn is."
        "Doesn't matter!" Hibiki challenged, "Let's keep playing! I'm gonna beet you some time!"
        "In your present condition I would wonder where I'd be getting my money from." Gasconge replied and turned around, "But okay, we'll keep playing. I'll donate you some chips."

        "Err." Hibiki growled.
        At first Misty and Dita were laughing, but then they noticed each other and growled again.
        If Leo was hallucinating he saw a lighting bolt explode between them.

        But he wasn't and all he saw was Dita.
        He remembered back to what he thought he heard. Yes, he wanted to see a Mejere-
        And what he saw was Dita.
        Leo decided to talk to her again. He was trying to formulate what to ask in his steps to approaching her. Would he ask her to sit with him? Would he ask her to go someplace? Would he ask her to start feeding him?

        All interrupted by the general alarm.
        "Crap." Leo grunted and turned to head for the door.
        The others had heard him and were in hesitation to watch him leave.
        "What's his problem?" Hibiki asked.
        Dita was beginning to get some idea, but started out for the platform after Hibiki.

        Leo was one of the last people in the hanger, and his Vanguard was all waiting for him.
        As his primary armament the large Gattling cannon on it's normal connecting slide to the backpack was installed, and this time he also added two swards to the combination.
        He checked his weapon to make sure it loaded correctly and then looked across the bay.
        Seated in it's niche was the golden Vanguard belonging to Hibiki.
        Leo didn't forget that special combination that he witnessed in the battle a week ago. Somehow by some means Hibiki combined with Dita's Dread to form something bigger. Obviously any Vanguard to do this needed a change.but Leo needed to find some way to get his craft changed out or there wouldn't be any combining on his part.
        Unless somehow he 'borrowed' Hibiki's Vanguard.
        "Look sharp everyone," Shin was saying in his Vanguard, "We're going up against a flagship and friends. The Nirvana has a plan, but for them to pull it off I need everyone working in a team."
        "Understood." Leo said, joining the chorus. He turned his head to watch the golden Vanguard and larger Dreads power up. In the blue one was Dita Liebly.
        "Okay, 42nd! Move out!" Shin called and the Vanguards started for the door.

        Being on a launch rail was like being shot from a slingshot, and you were the bubble gum wrapper ball. It was considerably easier than the Frigate shotgun launch system- at least you went going out front first instead of feet-first.
        Leo felt the same blast as he got kicked out of the Nirvana's catapult. It was a first, since he never experienced anything like it before.
        He leveled out with his Gattling cannon guide in his left arm and his right arm free. In front of the Nirvana and assembling was the face of the largest warship ever observed by the 42nd and Nirvana alike.

        "Confirmed." Thor was saying from looking at the hologram display, "Target's a battleship. New one in our Warbook."

        "It's a harvester flagship." Explained BC as she stood on the other side of the hologramatic table, "We've fought one before and we just barely managed to kill it."
        "So wait, what does that mean for us?" Asked Horse.
        "We got some plan Horse," Tex dismissed, his leg still in a cast and his crutches by the wall, "Don't worry about it."
        Horse looked back at his display, exchanged a smile with Amarone then continued to track the 42nd and Meia's flight.
        "Let's just hope it works." Magano murmured.

        Kai looked back and forth in his vanguard and tried to locate the most dangerous targets.
        He was armed, of course, with his killer gun. One hit, one kill. Accuracy was nowhere near as capable as some, but it wasn't like he was going to hit himself with his own cannon or fire backwards.
        Still, the large circle on the range display wasn't promising. If he fired now the chances were that he would either hit one of the two dreads in formation ahead of him or miss into empty space. He knew his weapon, and he knew if he fired it would be one of the two.
        Still, he had plentiful ammunition- fifteen shots and there were magazines in the back pack rack for a grand total of forty-five rounds before needing to be reloaded. And if the fables were true about Reg central, he would be serviced by a beetle-like deli ship.
        He actually spotted it in his rear-view cameras when Shin made the announcement, "All squadrons stay on your toes. Kai, have your flight of friends keep guard over the service ship. Leo, I'm tagging you guard to whichever of the super dreads needs help. Tesh, you hang with the Dreads and give them help when they can."
        "Does this mean we get babysitting duty?" Asked one of the officers.
        "No," Shin replied, "It means hang on, because we've never been in a worse whirlwind. You thought a listening post was bad, I would imagine a flagship is far worse."
        This put everyone on their toes- no 42nd had ever seen a flagship. They've mused about them, but seeing it in person gave a new face to their fear- and the willingness and power to dodge whatever it could dish out.

        Leo swung his cannon from side to side in search of targets. The cubes hadn't come yet, and it would be a pain for them if they did. Leo had enough firepower for five minutes of sustained firepower- in that time he could wipe the area clean of cubes.
        But he needed to conserve his ammunition. And for his orders he was putting himself in the formation around the Super Dreads and the other Vanguard. His job would be to guard the heroes.
        "Okay, let's go!" Cried Hibiki as he roared forward and combined with the red Dread to form a large crab-like thing.
        Leo blinked and said, "That's a crab."

        "Don't rub it in!" Jura called over the net.
        "Shesh, sorry lady." Leo replied and switched channels to hear Dita talking, "-hooking up with everyone else today."
        Leo looked at Meia and saw her disappear in a group of Dreads, so he made a decision.
        Dita felt the bounce in her craft and looked at her sensors to find that a Vanguard had parked itself on her dread.
        "What are you doing?" She asked.
        "Drive!" Called Leo, "I'll watch your back."

        Dita was hesitant, but then swallowed it and gave a strong nod, "Right!"
        Armed with a guardian angel she activated her engines and blasted into formation.

        Horse didn't believe what he was seeing, "Hey Beldevere, you see it?"
        "I do. Commander," Called Beldevere, "There's something odd about the cube patterns."
        Thor looked at the tactical display and zoomed in on where the masses were converging. When it appeared, it appeared as both a model in the display and as an image on the main viewer.
        "It's a Nirvana copy?" Called BC as the thing took shape.
        Thor winced, "They can copy things?"
        "You didn't know that?" Magano asked.
        Thor shook his head, "At least I never heard anything about it."
        Horse barked, "Enemy advancing!"

        Cubes burst and guns fired as the engagement with the enemy began.
        Shin's engines were at full burn as he flew at top speed into the battle. Tesh's battle group left the pod and raced in with their commander and participated in the fight.
        Shin spun the pole arm he carried and hammered a trio of cubes that came for him, spun and flailed the pole out to poke a cube in the eye.
        He moved his torso to aim the shield at a pod and fired one of the flare rockets at it.
        The pod's face blew off and started to list.

        Leo was doing his best to hold on and serve as an independent turret for Dita, which was easier said than done.
        For one thing Dita's movements were erratic, but became a pattern as Leo started predicting them and swinging the autocannon accordingly to pelt Cubes that even thought about coming in from behind.
        "Are you okay back there?" She asked at one point.
        "Never been better!" He answered. He could have been, if his Vanguard could combine.
        The cannon swung again and blasted another row of cubes out of the sky. As he turned to sight in on another group he spotted the Nirvana clone's midsection glowing.

        Tag saw it and gasped, and in a hasty reaction turned off his scope.
        The resulting red energy blast was thick enough to envelope half the Nirvana. To make matters worse, the beam curved.
        It broadsided Meia and then smacked Dita.
        Leo's hands came out and braced in the armor plating- the gattling gun remaining fixed to it's master by the solid-connection binder from the ammo brace to the side of the gun itself.
        "This pain.it feels like-" Meia started,
        "Before." Finished Dita.
        Leo pondered what this meant, but he knew one thing was certain- that big gun was the most dangerous thing to anyone's happiness today.

        Tag knew this also.
        His powerful scope was back on and wasn't burned out thanks to switching it off at the right moment. He was busy re-centering his cannon and hoping the range wasn't too extreme to be out of range.
        He was just about to let off a round when a green hemisphere formed around the harvester fleet with the flagship at the center.
        "Way ta go!" Came some random chatter and Tag relaxed. He couldn't hit anything while that shield was up.

        "Hehe.try that on for size!" Sneered Hibiki, "We got the entire fleet surrounded!"
        Elements of the 42nd were still on guard, and sprung into action when the nirvana copy opened fire.
        Long red lines of energy lashed out and struck the small red discuses of the Vandread Jura. One beam also arced for the Vandread itself and dealt a crippling blow.
        The screams of Jura and Hibiki both rang as the vessel tumbled out of formation.

        Kai was suddenly struck with some form of emotion when he saw Jura's dread get hit. A momentary thought leaked back to when she asked him that question in the hallway.
        "Jura." He said softly and re-gripped his controls, "JURA!"

        His Vanguard exploded into action as he headed for the Dread, and then changed his mind and made a slow arc to aim at the copy and raised the tremendous cannon.
        His target was the Nirvana copy in his sights. He didn't' care if he missed, he just wanted to get his point across.
        "That's enough, both of you." Called a clam voice.
        "What?" Asked two voices- the one of Barnette and the one of Kai.
        "Both of you pull back." Gasconge ordered, "All units retreat to the Nirvana."
        "You heard the lady!" Shin ordered as he bashed another cube, then flew backwards with Tesh's four-Vanguard squadron surrounding him and firing into chasing cubes, "All 42nd units are to pull back to the Nirvana. Leo, keep guard on Dita."
        "Right." Replied the small turret on the back of the blue Vandread and turned to open fire again on pursuing cubes.
        Kai was forced to obey, and turned his Vanguard and blasted for the lights on the back of the Nirvana's platform.

-------

        With it's engines going as fast as it can the Nirvana ran.
        Behind it was the onslaught of red, the small might of the Harvester's 6th fleet with their new Nirvana copy leading the pack.
        Shin had called a meeting, but not many were attending the conference. Kai and Tesh, for that matter, were in the medical ward at Jura's bedside in the dark.
        Dureo's hands tapped the instrumentation by the only light available- the glow from the displays showing Jura's injuries and fate.
        There were others in the room, and standing in the next room was Meia with her arms crossed. Dita was looking over Hibiki with some sorrow and concern on her face, and Misty's face and pet showed her own expressions of worry. Gasconge was leaning on the frame of the doorway between the two spaces with her arms crossed. Hibiki was seated on one of the benches clutching his arm, and Leo was cross-armed and leaning against another wall and glaring into space. Like the other Tarak he lost his jacket and instead of a white or black undershirt, Leo wore a dark red long-sleeved shirt. About his neck, unnoticed to anyone, was a third-class citizen tag that he was never told to relinquish.
        At Jura's bedside Dureo was voicing the bad news, "She's bleeding profusely. She'll pull through just fine, but that wound to her abdomen."
        A quiet hung in that moment, with Barnette interrupting, "Jura."
        Tesh spoke up, "Hey Doc, does this mean Jura can't have a baby?"
        Dureo bowed his head and caused some of the others startled yips. Gasconge remained quiet, and Leo didn't have anything to say. Hibiki shut his eyes and Dita's tears started to well.
        "I don't know." Dureo said, "Mejere technology is assured to heal her, but I do not know if it is capable enough to reverse the damage to this organ.the womb." Dureo indicated the wound were a pulsating orange coloration was located.
        "No." Tesh said.
        Kai's head dipped further.
        "No! This can't be happening!" Tesh cried, "Arg! She so wanted that too!"
        "There's nothing Tarak or Mejere science can do to help her in that aspect." Dureo said calmly, then he turned to Hibiki, "It's your turn Hibiki."
        "It's nothing.just some scratches." Said the other pilot.
        Leo's eyes narrowed, "You're bleeding."
        "I'll live." Hibiki growled.
        "I can't allow you to go untreated." Dureo said, "At least let me look at your personal data."

        Hibiki, annoyed, snapped the tag around his neck, "Do what you want."

        Dureo caught the tag and looked at the Tarak for a moment, then turned to check the data.
        Then Hibiki burst, "Damnit." He stood up and walked some distance, to slam his closed fist against the wall, "It's because I underestimated them."
        "But Mr. Alien. that's not true," Dita spoke up and started to say something else but Hibiki cut her off.
        "That's all I really need to hear right now, just it's not my fault and all.just shut up about it okay!?"
        Dita gave a startled gasp at the attack and Leo spoke up, "Leave her alone."

        "What? What do you have to say about it all?" Hibiki called, "You're one of the 42nd, so why are you here!?"
        "I'm here to make sure a friend of my friends is alive." Leo replied, "I'm just as hot about this as you are Hibiki, and I'm not exploding over it. Just leave Dita alone, she's just trying to help."
        "Well I don't need it!" Exploded Hibiki.
        Dita's eyes started to water, and Gasconge spoke up, "There's too many gloomy faces in here. Why don't you all just go back to your posts."
        "I'm staying." Kai spoke up, "I can't leave Jura."
        Tesh let out a cry and stood sharply and walked into another room and started to yell to nobody about how this happened. Tesh didn't know Jura that well, but after getting him out of the linen closet earlier this morning Tesh joined the minority of Tarak who adored Jura in some way. For Tesh, it was either as a big sister or as what most Tarak saw her as- attractive.
        Kai had other reasons in addition to the ones Tesh was here for. He didn't decide weather to go with Jura's proposal yet.and to have her injured in this way seemed to nullify that decision. What if he had said yes earlier? What if Jura never recovered from this.
        "Well you got an excuse then." Gasconge said and looked at the others, "But we should just get back to our posts. There's no reason in being all gloomy and teary here."

        "Why!?" Barnette popped and stood up, "Why didn't you let us keep fighting Gasconge!? I wanted to fight for Jura.. Why didn't you let me fight!?"
        Gasconge glared at Barnette and Leo lifted off his place, "Barnette, you would be dead."

        "I don't need to hear anything from you!" Barnette cried, "How could you possibly feel for Jura!? You hardly even know her!"
        "That isn't my point." Leo said, "The point is you would have died if you went off on an unorganized rampage, add to the fact that you'd be fighting alone and the odds were against you. Your death would be a waste."
        Barnette turned back to Gasconge, "Why did you pull us out!?"
        "Didn't you hear anything Leo said?" Gasconge replied, "I couldn't just let you throw all of your lives away like that. If the actors don't know how to play their part then the stage hands have to be the ones to take off the ones who don't know their job."
        Barnette glared, "I want to know how you can be so cold."
        Gasconge put her hands to her hips, "Because I don't make rash decisions and let my emotions take control of me, that's why."
        "HA! Easy for you to say," Hibiki huffed, "You're all watching from the safety of the back, making sarcastic remarks about our failures and our mistakes.but what do you know about being on the front lines and loosing somebody, huh? What do you know about loosing people!? How can you possibly understand someone's pain?!"
        Angry glares from both Gasconge and Meia were centered on Hibiki.
        Leo, being indifferent in the acceptation of protecting Dita, turned his head but remained listening to what was transpiring.
        "Pitiful." Gasconge said and closed her eyes, "What's the point in making excuses," She opened her eye's, "I'll be as sarcastic as I want to be if it means we all stay alive."
        Her tone had never been this angry and she made powerful strides towards Hibiki, "If it makes you happy go and take all the chances you want to!" She was now in Hibiki's face, "But you can count me out of any chances that you take, because I'm not going to let you drag me or anyone else I care about down. I'm going to grit my teeth and make sure I survive through this whole thing!"
        Hibiki's eyes were wide now, and Gasconge remained in a fixed stare into Hibiki's eyes. Then she blinked and looked at Barnette, who only watched back.
        "I think it's time we went to stations." Leo said, "We've got enough hotheads as there is. Gasconge, Jinn wanted to see you."
        Gasconge lifted away from Hibiki's face, "At least it's better than hanging around here."
        Leo watched her go, and then looked at Hibiki, "You really did it didn't you?"
        "You stay out of this." Hibiki grumbled.
        Leo leaned forward, "She's my quarter master too, I have to care. And who gave you the right to say your mind, huh? You don't know her story do you?"
        Hibiki scoffed, "I don't need a guy from some stuck-up unit to tell me what to do!"

        "Stuck-up?" Leo repeated and strode forward. His fist balled and hammered into Hibiki's nose.
        "Mr. Alien!" Called Dita and turned to Leo, "What did you do that for?"

        Leo snarled, "I have lost friends I worked hard to make in that unit. I had to see friends I just made die by the harvesters, and you know what? I couldn't do a damn thing about it because I was helpless. Stuck up? It was because our unit had the guts, training and determination to live through that mess. If I wasn't the tough man I am today, if I even blinked when I wasn't supposed to I wouldn't be standing here on this deck. Now you think about pain, and you think about people who have seen so much to get this far. Gasconge's probably been through her share, and so have we. So if I were you I would seriously think about who deserves to be dismissed, and who deserves respect."
        Leo hesitated and looked down at Hibiki as he got up.
        Then he looked at Dita, and then turned to put his back to Hibiki.
        The Tarak got up and rubbed the blood from his nose. Leo could hit, and hit well.
        "Why I aughta-!"
        "Enough!" Called Meia and turned to Hibiki, "You have no idea when to stop do you? Leo's right, Gasconge has her own share of misery. She's been through the pain of loosing someone who's dear to you."
        "What are you talking about?!" Hibiki asked as he wiped the blood from his nose.
        "She lost her sister a long time ago." Meia said, "And her sister died saving somebody else's life. Gasconge was so sad afterwards her hands were bloody beating the door she thought she could knock down to save her sister's life." Meia's gaze drifted, "She lost someone very dear to her that day." She looked at Hibiki again, "And as for the Tarak, did you forget that two of their own died to save all of us? And what about all those people Shin had to leave behind or watch die on the mission station? If it wasn't for him and his perseverance there would be nothing left of the 42nd."
        Leo didn't make any response as his back faced Hibiki. The third- class Tarak blinked, and then barked in frustration, "Gah! All right..Leo, I'm sorry, okay?"
        "Prove it." Leo replied and turned.
        Hibiki hesitated with the look presented on Leo's face. The lighting under the red made him look wild, and the shadows cast on his angular face made him look as sharp as a diamond.
        "Sorry.." Hibiki said and bowed his head, then turned, "And I'll apologize to her later."
        Leo nodded once, "And I'm sorry for hitting you."
        Hibiki touched his nose, "Apology accepted."
        Then Meia's transmitter beeped, "This is Meia...yes, I have all the pilots with me now. Should we launch immediately?"
        "What?" Asked Leo as he looked up and then at Kai, who also looked up.
        "We need a plan." Hibiki said and then smiled, "Heh, and I got one from listening to your story, but we needa launch now."
        "Right." Meia nodded and looked at Leo, who in turn looked to Dita for any sign of misconduct, then after seeing Dita's helpless look he knew he wasn't at fault, then walked into the medical room, "Kai, we're on call."
        "Yes.I know." Replied Kai and released his hand from Jura's grasp. Barnette saw this as he passed, and then looked at Kai as he started for the door with them.
        But Tesh came out, "Kai! I got a plan!"
        "What?" Asked Kai as Tesh stopped him just outside the door. Barnette paused by the door to listen as Tesh said, "I think I got a way to heal up Jura all nice and all, Heh.just in time for her birthday party too."
        "What are you talking about?" Kai asked.
        "C'mon," Tesh replied and tapped the other Tarak on the shoulder, "Tell you on the way. You too missy," Tesh grabbed Barnette's hand and the bewildered Barnette followed Tesh as the young teenager related his plan.
        Leo had been pulled aside and was the last one in the room talking to Dureo.
        The Doctor asked, "Can I see your card?"
        "What for?" Replied Leo as he snapped the card cord from around his neck and handed it to Dureo.
        "Strange, you're a first class aren't you?" Asked Dureo as he put in the card.
        "That's right." Replied Leo.
        "Then why do you have a third-class citizen card?" Replied Dureo.
        Leo shrugged, "It wasn't taken away from me when I did transfers."
        "I see." Dureo said and then turned his head, "You can go, I just need to hold onto your card."

        "Understood." Leo replied and glanced at Jura before running out of the room.

        The Nirvana had stopped it's running and was now turning to fight the enemy.
        Vanguards and Dreads were launching by the time the Nirvana was pointed at the enemy fleet- and it's red counterpart.
        Leo was ready with his main weapon and blasted out into space again with full ammunition and determination. He glanced at the other Dreads and listened in to Shin's comments about flight orders, and once again heard, "Leo, I'm tagging you on guarding the Vandread Dreads."

        "Understood." Replied Leo and glided in. Only two were in the area, so Hibiki would be combining with one.
        He flew some distance behind Hibiki as he heard the transmission from Hibiki, "Somebody's staying inside, that's what gave me the idea, getting into it's belly and tearing it apart from the inside! That's the only plan I see that's got half a chance!"
        "But Hibiki, that's awfully reckless." Said Misty.
        "Heh, you never know until you try." Hibiki smiled.
        Misty smiled, "But that's what I like about you."

        "Huh? Er." Hibiki muttered, "You're ruining my mood with all that!"
        The two came closer together, Dita and Hibiki and Dita chimed, "Oh there you are Mr. Alien!"
        "I don't have time for you now!" Replied Hibiki and combined with Meia's dread.
        "But.." Dita said and then felt the thump through the hull. She turned around to see the Vanguard with the gattling gun back on her back.
        "Need a hand?" Waved Leo and smiled.
        "Uh." Dita breathed.
        "Listen," Leo replied as he tapped his instruments to lock in his stance on the Dread's back, "If you don't want me around for hitting Hibiki I understand. I guess I just get too protective of whatever family I have left. I'm sorry."
        Dita paused, blinked and then smiled, "That's all right. Thanks."
        Leo nodded once with a smile and then turned his gun skyward to defend Dita.

        Kai on the other hand had his flight of four into a diamond formation and was looking to choose targets.
        Tesh had shuffled squadrons by request, and with Shin's approval Kai, Tesh, and two other Vanguards were assigned for a special operation to infiltrate a harvester craft.
        They just needed to find the right one.
        "Are you sure there's one here!?" Asked Kai as he turned and fired the large gun into a pod.
        The cannon shell blew the pod in two, spilling fragments and cube bits in various directions.
        "It's a harvester fleet right? They should have one here!" Replied Tesh as his Bangata's machine guns opened fire and eliminated a cluster of cubes in their way to create a clear path.

        "Tesh's squadron is still seeking a target," Informed Horse.
        "Any sign of any of the craft we're looking for?" Thor asked, assuming the co-ordination for the 42nd while BC was focusing on keeping an eye on the dreads.
        Beldevere answered Thor, "Not that we can see, but sensors can't detect every ship in the fleet."

        The ship buckled under an impact and Tex called, "Fore shield's taking a hammering command, down one level."

        Thor raised his still-good hand, "Divert any spare power to re- enforcing the front arc. Horse, any chance for ECM?"
        "Not enough power." Tex called.
        BC called, "Dread teams! Re-group and attack the enemy copy!"
        Thor announced, "Commander, advise supporting the Dread attack on the copy."

        "Got it." Shin replied as he waved his sward and the other Vanguards under his command rushed around and fired their weapons into the enemy.
        Then Thor asked, "Jinn, what's the say on torpedoes?"
        "We're getting some ready now," Jinn replied, "Any target in particular?"
        "Yes, the flagship!" Called Magano.
        Thor straightened, "May I remind the Captain that the Torpedoes are vulnerable to enemy fire?"
        "I'm aware of that," Magano said and bowed, "Just in case we get a clear shot."
        "Command, geometry on enemy Nirvana copy is shifting!"

        "What?" Asked BC, Thor, and Magano at once and looked at the main screen.

        The Red and silver Nirvana was changing form and shape, breaking down the middle of the primary hull and the lower hull separated as well. The bridge of the enemy craft raised up to become a tall head with angled eyes and grill-like mouth. When it finished transforming the exposed energy exit glowed for a charge.
        "All units evasion!" Shin ordered and the Vanguards scattered as the large red beam exploded into many and scattered everywhere.
        Vanguards watched the beams and dodged them with ease, the swifter Dreads making it out of the way as the beams whipped past and made some glancing blows.
        Leo felt the hit through the hull and heard Dita cry out.
        "You okay up there?" Leo asked.
        "I'm fine."
        Barnette's voice barked, "What are you doing Dita!? Get a move on, you're needed later!"

        "Sorry." Dita replied and the Dread continued on course and fired it's main cannons again.
        "Just needed and thrown away huh?" Leo replied and took his frustrations out on a group of chasing Cubes, "I'll bet she wouldn't have a use if her Dread wasn't modified!."
        Leo's rotating gattling barrel turned in a wide arc across the sky, blasting apart red Cubes. Then he turned around to fire ahead of the Dread and catch targets out of Dita's firing arc.

        The Vanguards and Dreads continued to swarm around the Nirvana Copy while others ducked out of the battle and fired upon the flagship itself and the surrounding escorts.
        Tag Hours, as normal, had taken a position on the Nirvana. This time he was hiding in a niche connecting the left wing to the main hull and had a clear shot at the Nirvana copy.
        He took aim again, this time centering his gun on the head of the copy.
        The rapport exploded through the barrel and flashed through space at the speed of light. The rippling shield was too thin to stop the fast round from putting a large dent in the left side of the head.
        "Nice shooting!" Commented Horse from his station, "Correct angle three degrees right."
        "Got it." Tag replied and reloaded.

        "Tesh I don't see one," Kai spoke and turned to blast another Pod as the group of four stuck together.
        "I know there's one here some.there!" Tesh called.
        They came underneath a pod and found their target. Usually operating alone, the large craft they were facing was a planetary subjection pod. It's open mouth was ready to grab cities and surrounding it like a halo was a small force of Cubes.
        They didn't see the Vanguards until they were dead, and the infiltration team ran for the planetary harvest pod.
        "Aim for one point and force your way in!" Called Tesh, "Remember to leave the core alone!"
        Kai fired at the hull and the shell glanced and exploded- blowing a sizeable hole in the side of the harvester pod. As it began to list and drift, the Vanguards swarmed for the wound like vultures to the slaughter and entered into the small chasm interior of the pod.

        "Ashton team reports they have breached a pod," Announced Thor.
        "Wait to go Tesh!" Called Horse.
        Magano wanted to ask, but was concentrating on the screen when she saw it.
        The Nirvana copy reached out and snagged Barnette's dread. Slowly the Dread started to come under pressure from the claws, and Barnette called, "No.No not now!"
        Shin was there.
        "Formation! Attack the arm and head!" He called.
        The Vanguards opened fire on the larger Nirvana copy, then blew thrusters to avoid the other slow-moving claw from snagging one of them. Their thrusters winked and dashes of machine gun fire or the rocket streaks came back into converge on the head.
        The energy shield rippled with dots in response to the projectiles slamming the hull, which just made the thing even angrier.
        Shin on the other hand powered for the claw grabbing Barnette and pulled the long sward out of the protection sheath, then swung it around in his palm before delivering the blow on the claw segment holding Barnette down.
        "Thanks." Barnette said and then realized who she was thanking, "Hey!" "This is no time for it!" Shin replied and shoved the Dread to get it into gear. When Barnette's engines were back on he blasted out of the way to get out of swinging distance of the copy's gigantic left arm.

        Jinn was handling orders in Reg central. He wasn't a man for the job, but he knew about some things about the place in his stay.
        It was rather odd to have an order come in from the Deli ship.
        "Reg central how can we help you?" Jinn asked with the calmness of a telephone operator.
        It was Gasconge's voice who spoke up, "Jinn I'm going to be going someplace, I want you to take care of the shop while I'm gone."
        "What?" Asked Jinn, "Say again Gasconge?"
        "I need to be here for those actors on stage, and It looks like I'm going to be going out with a bang."
        It was then Jinn noticed the status report of the Deli ship, and the damage from the Dread Jura copy impact on the nose.
        "Hang on, I can get a team out there." Jinn was saying.
        "Don't bother," Gasconge's face replied and smiled at him.
        There was another damage warning- this time through the main hull.
        "Gasco!" Screamed Jinn as he stood up and shouted to the screen as the reality came over him, "Get out of there!"
        Gasconge could only give a weak smile with an accompanying download warning, "You know, those root beer floats we had were a blast. I'm gonna miss them."

        Then the static bust on the screen.
        "GASCO!" Screamed Jinn at the panel and hit it, "GASCO DAMNIT!!!"
        The download warning toned it's completion.

        "What the-!" Called Leo as he saw it on the back of the blue Dread.
        "Miss Gasco!" Dita screamed.
        The Deli pod, impaled by the Nirvana copy, was forcing the copy to unwillingly ram itself into the side of the Flagship.
        In the ensuing explosion the arm and the Deli pod on it disappeared in the burning fires.
        "Miss Gasco no!!!" Screamed Dita.
        There was a moment of quiet and silence from the battlefield as they watched the harvester ship explode against the side.
        Then Hibiki screamed, "That's it! You're gonna pay!"
        Vandread Meia decombined and Hibiki's anger was shown in the eyes of his Vanguard. Hibiki yanked one of his swards into his hand and screamed, "You're all gonna die!"
        Hibiki's engines blasted for the flag ship, but Barnette's dread flew in the way to stop him, "Cool it! We can't win while we're hot headed like this!"
        "But-"
        Barnette disengaged her blaster pods and called, "Everyone fall back!"
        Shin looked around and asked, "Where's Kai?"

        Thor looked at the tactical display, "Command Ashton squadron is still in the process of extracting the data!"
        Red triangles were converging on the damaged assault pod.

        "Almost." Tesh replied, the large tack-like data infiltration plug sucking out the memory of the damaged pod, "Come on!"

        "Tesh we need to go!" Called Kai as he fired his large gun at an advancing pod. Land, one of the wingmen opened fire with his machine guns and managed to hammer away several of the incoming Cubes.
        The pod itself was starting to react and Tesh had to move a hand to block one of the interior defense tentacles from hitting the Vanguard. Tesh grabbed it by the neck and twirled it around his arm to give it a firm tug.
        The tentacle popped free of it's seams and floated in the small space as the download continued.
        "Got it!" Called Tesh as he grabbed the pod and ignited his engines to rocket out of the hole. His squadron followed with defensive fire scattering everywhere.

        "Hurry up!" Cried Magano, "We can't stay here forever!"
        Bart, in the helm, felt his hand explode in pain, "OW!"
        The Nirvana turned in fear and started up it's own engines.
        "Hey wait!" Dita cried out.
        Leo turned backwards to look out. Explosions were still blossoming in the group.
        "Nirvana, halt engines I still have a team in there." Shin said.
        "Helm's not responding commander!" Thor called.
        Shin looked back into the group, then at his officers, "Everyone else make for the Nirvana. I'm going in there."

        "Sir! I'm going." Leo cried and blasted off Dita's armor.
        "Wha?" Dita called and looked up at him.
        "Take care Dita." Leo said to her as he looked back down at the dread fading from view, then looked into the battle.
        "Leo, Get back to the Nirvana!" Shin ordered.
        "I'm not leaving what friends I have left!" Shin cried out and blasted his own engines to head back into the fray.
        Thor's voice was starting to break with static, "Command distance is getting too-"
        Then the display broke into static.
        "Damnit!" Shin barked and then blasted his own engines.
        Dita watched them go, looking at Leo's vapor trail.
        Her hands clasped the control spheres, "I can't do this!"
        Her dread turned around and it's engines ignited, "I'm going to help them!"
        "Dita!" Meia protested and Hibiki shouted the same.
        Barnette watched them go in shock. They could loose everyone.loose Dita.loose Shin.
        But she had other priorities, "Dita! Get back here!"
        "I won't leave my friends!" She cried and then softer, "Mr. Alien, can't you help us at all?"

        Hibiki hesitated, but Misty's voice broke through the static, "Hibiki! Hibiki come in!"
        "There's no time!" Meia said, "We have to get back to the Nirvana Now. Shin will catch up!"
        "He needs support!" Called Someone.
        "I don't want to loose more lives! We have to get back to the Nirvana now or there won't be a chance to save them at all!" Meia ordered and her Dread lead the flight at their highest speed to catch up with the fleeing Nirvana.

        Behind them and alone, Shin, Leo, and Dita raced through the flood of cubes and pods to rescue the party.
        Shin's Vanguard was a shining example of the terror from Tarak to come. Five cubes died when they collided with the large blade, and then two pods exploded by the dart rockets from the shield.
        A formation of cubes fired with their wink cannons and Shin crunched his Vanguard into a ball to take the fire on his large shield.
        Leo popped up from behind him and his gun showed no mercy in eliminating the cubes.
        The sphere of enemy formations was breaking as both Tesh's party and Leo's resistance were coming together in the sea of red hostile triangle icons.
        "Tesh, you copy?" Leo asked.

        Kai heard it, "I hear you Kai!"

        An explosion blew off Kai's free hand and Tesh cried, "You're late!"
        "There may be no early," Shin replied, "The Nirvana took off without us!"
        "What!?" Asked the pilots.
        Leo's Vanguard flew in and let loose more fury with the Gattling gun- blowing away a wave of cubes swooping in on Tesh's flank.
        Kai turned his remaining hand and gun a pod and fired to blow it to smithereens. In his cockpit the indicator toned, "I'm out."
        "I'm out too!" Replied a Vanguard and drew a sward.
        Tesh cursed quietly and clicked the tri-claw into place on his hand and stabbed a cube in the eye when it made contact.
        Shin approached and assisted Kai's formation by firing into another pod and challenging a group of Cubes by giving them the universal sign of dislike.
        The offended Cubes came at them with more vigor and more numbers. Pods behind them churned out more in the seemingly loosing war of attrition.
        "Dita!" Called Shin, "We need a lift!"
        "Sure!" Dita called and served as a platform for the six Vanguards as they landed on the Dread's armor and turned the small craft into a gunboat.
        Four on top, four on the bottom, and one on each wing, the Vanguards opened fire with whatever long range weaponry they had left as Dita put her power to the engines.
        Lines of speed formed in the sky as interstellar dust whipped by. Cubes and pods watched in amazement as the little ship sped by.
        "If only I can combine." Leo muttered unheard. He aimed his gun skyward and fired into the formation to take out another group of fresh cubes.
        Dita looked back and forth on her instrumentation panel, "Ah.ah.where's the Nirvana!?"

        "We have to go back!" Called Horse, "They're left behind!"
        "I'm detecting faint IFF broadcasts from the squadron commander!" Beldevere reported.
        Bart, who had been tossed out of the helm was still holding his bruised hand. BC ordered, "Bart, get to the medical room if you're not doing anything here. What's the status on the dreads?"
        "All Dreads are onboard, and the remaining Vanguards are accounted for." Horse said weakly.
        Magano murmured from under her hood, "First we loose our precious quartermaster.then we loose our officers."
        "Not today." Popped up a face.
        "Ah.Lt. Commander Tosei!" Thor called.
        "Jinn, what do you want?" Magano asked.
        Jinn only replied, "I have a cunning plan.."

        The lone Dread was still being chased despite it's amazing speed and the fact that Dita was burdened by Shin, Tesh, Kai, Leo, and two other Vanguards.
        The Cubes were still following, and behind them the Nirvana's red copy was in cruiser mode and waiting to get another chance to fire at them.
        "Left!" Called Tesh and Dita banked to get out of the way of the firepower.
        Leo's gun rattled again and managed to nock more cubes out of the sky- explosions falling behind them.
        "The Nirvana's signal!" Called Dita and nosed her craft for it. She was off by some degrees, and a distance they would have to endure as they made the curve and gave the Nirvana copy time to close some distance.
        The large red beam of energy missed wide and blasted into the deep space, but the cubes managed to get several blasts off into the Vanguards.
        "AH!" Cried one of them as the explosion blew up between two vanguards. Dita was tossed in her seat, and when it was over Leo's vanguard was missing it's right arm. Tesh, next to him, had his entire left side blackened.
        "Mr. Vanguard!" Dita called.
        "I'm fine." Leo replied and raised his gun and the targeter narrowed on the closing enemy ship, "You bastard."
        He held down the trigger and was determined not to let go of it until he saw the thing dead.
        The gattling cannon lit up the top part of Dita's dread and was a cue for the other Vanguards to open fire.
        Cubes burst left and right and the shields flickered on the front of the Nirvana copy's ray shielding. The Copy of Vanguard Dita and the Meia copy weaved in and out of the offensive fire.
        But just then something amazing happened.
        A pair of spherical energy bursts weaved around each other and exploded right behind the Dread and in front of the Nirvana copy.
        The lights on the copy flickered and any cubes came to a dead stop and either crashed into the Nirvana copy's front shielding or disappeared as the speed overcame them.
        The copies drifted in their speed and pulled away.
        Shin turned around and ordered, "DUCK!"

        The Vanguards on the top did so and passing over them was a pink dread armed with some of the 42nd's stun missiles.
        "Barnette!" Yipped Dita in happiness.
        But riding atop that Dread was a bulky yellow-orange Vanguard which disengaged off the top as soon as they were past Dread Dita. The tub-like body was the most distinguishing feature, and the hump-like head off-set on the front was another oddity. It had six arms on it, two in the front, two on either side, and two in the back. The heavy feet also had two thrusters apiece, and in all looked more like an industrial machine than a combat Vanguard.
        Except this one had modifications.
        Strapped on the top beside the head and over the right shoulder was a large two-door container, and in each of the six hands was a vanguard sward.
        A golden star identified the pilot.
        "My God, that's Jinn!" Tesh squealed.
        The worker Vanguard confused what cubes arrived on the scene at first, which gave Jinn enough time to aim the container's front at the recovering Nirvana copy.
        Then one of the square doors burst open and from it rocketed an anti- starship torpedo.
        Everyone was agape and Jinn let the second one fly and streak for the Nirvana copy.
        The copy was powerless to do anything and the first torpedo exploded next to the energy cannon nozzle and blew open a sizeable hole in the body's side. The next torpedo flew into the copy's upper hull- the same location where the Deli pod had been only minutes before.
        The reeling Copy burned as it turned, and Cubes coming to it's defense rushed for Jinn.
        Jinn, in addition to being a quartermaster, was also very dangerous at combat. And to make matters worse, he was upset from loosing Gasco.
        The Cubes thought they had it easy as they rushed in on the yellow work vehicle. Obviously, since when could a human control six hands?
        Six Cubes approached with their claws outstretched, and the hands moved in unison.
        Blocking three and cutting into another three, Jinn moved the complex hand and feet controls in his machine to turn and destroy the other three. A second wave approached and Jinn put his mecha into a spin- slapping two cubes with the crate end and killing another four with the swards swinging wide.
        Tesh, even though the Dread he was riding was still at top speed, watched all this in video.
        "Dang." Kai said.
        Barnette had swung around and Jinn landed back on the top of the Dread at high speed and Barnette ran with a purpose for the retreating Dread Dita.
        She caught up and both Dreads accelerated to follow Barnette's lead for the Nirvana.
        "Thanks," Shin called to Barnette.
        "We're even." Barnette simply replied.
        "Hey Jinn," Tesh asked, "Where did you learn moves like that?"

        "Ever wonder what I do in my spare time?" Jinn replied as he twirled three of the blades in three opposite arms.
        Kai could only reply, "I will never upset you again."
        Leo gave a cry from his Vanguard and attention came back to him, "Leo, status." Ordered Shin.
        "No right arm." Leo remarked, "And I'm bleeding from cuts on my right shoulder and under my right arm."
        "Can you administer your own first aid?"
        "Commander, I'm pinned beneath survival gear." Leo replied, "I need help fast."

        The two Dreads caught sight of the Nirvana just as it was entering a dust cloud and vice-versa.
        Magano breathed, "They're alive."
        "That was some crazy stunt that their quartermaster pulled off." BC remarked.
        "Yes.but let us hope it was enough to avenge the death of our own." Magano replied.
        Shin's voice filled the cockpit, "This is Matsenuga, we have wounded here. Preparation teams, prepare for cutting tools and extraction gear. Would Dr. McFile please report to the platform on our landing?"
        "Oh my." Amarone gasped.
        The Nirvana disappeared into the dust cloud just as the two Dreads and their load reached it.
        Behind them, the red fleet also spotted the Nirvana power into the cloud and slowed to a stop. At the head of them was the Red Nirvana..which was willing to wait for eternity to fight it's sister.

-------- End CH4