VANDREAD: ARMY 2
Norsehound
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(Vandread is property of Gonzo Studios. Why they have not followed up on this success is anyone's guess- but as always it's up to fans to keep the fires burning)
Before:
The past is simple. It is the end of the Harvest era of terror and fear for a large portion of the human race. Hunted by their own creation, the machines of earth sought to take the best from the human colonists among the stars and return it to earth for some unknown reason. Their meticulous slaughter of hundreds of millions of people was going on unchecked until one single dual star system from the outlying colony of Mejere stood up against the Pexis Red and defeated the leader of the automated army.
With the destruction of the red Pexis, the robotic army became rampant and frantic. Without a leader it shut down into dormancy, as one by one the automated fleets shut down or went on survival mode as they awaited instructions. Either way, the harvest wars were over and another era of human history came to an end.
Now, with the remains of humanity scattered among the stars, it was up to a few to build a new and glorious future from the remains of a once-bustling ideal of humankind. Leading the efforts were the victors of the harvest wars- the joint-system of Mejere. Standing with them were the Pexis Kachina monks of Baahar and the Nomad fleets of Melanus. There were other nations emerging from the ruins, but a great many more colonies from earth had been razed generations ago by the harvesters in their enigmatic drive to harvest human organs.
Regardless, it is the rebuilding era. Humankind could go along well without their home planet, but there were many obstacles in the way to perfect peace. Other human nations not part of the alliance were to be contended with, as well as any renegade AI harvester fleets. Then there was the enigma of the unusual Pexis reactor- still unraveled after all these years.
But on top of it all was the location of Earth, and the status of the people there.
CHAPTER ONE:
Recombination
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We last left the Nirvana as a heavy cruiser in orbit of Mejere space.
The majestic starship was the first of several ships now in the year after the events of the harvester battle. The copies of the Nirvana were not as exact as one would hope- but the assimilation of harvester engineering and with the cooperation between Melanus and Mejere shipwrights lead to the completion of four more Nirvana-class starships. They lacked the mysterious aura of the original though, and as they were deprived of the enigmatic Pexis reactor it was doubtful that they would be as miraculous as the original.
It was almost immediately recognized that the Nirvana was the flagship of the Mejere Federation and Tarak Confederacy. Both nations, however, were identified as a single miniature government in themselves with two separate states. The Mejere and Tarak delegates were almost always together, and their leaders Grand-Pa and Grand-Ma were side-by-side in council sessions. Things had not been a smooth transition, but they were stable for now.
The Nirvana was pretty much the same since its voyage out into the unknown long ago, only it had aged a year and undergone a refit. The ship held many improvements, most of them Melanus technology, but in all remained the same legendary ship- right down to the mess hall and the command cabin.
There had been changes in the crew compliment though. In their return from deep space the pirate ship had picked up a group of survivors from another battle in the Mejere system. Like the Nirvana they too were spirited away by the Pexis, but when they were united aboard the Nirvana the 42nd Tarak Special forces squadron was seamlessly integrated into the Nirvana's crew almost to the point of being indispensable. When the fleet was reorganized following the peace treaty, the 42nd was transformed into the 1st Pexis Guard and attached to the Nirvana on permanent assignment. Many felt that Shin Matsenuga, the 42nd's former leader, was responsible for this but it was not a bad thing so not many complained.
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On-station, the refitted Nirvana waited for orders as it hung in the space between Mejere and Tarak. Hovering beside it was the white cruiser Valhalla- an identical copy of the Nirvana and the second ship of the class. It was transporting supplies over to the Nirvana, which had just finished an extended tour with the Melanus fleet to New Melanus for the dedication ceremony. These days, the Nirvana didn't see much combat action despite being the best ship in the fleet.
In one of the new cabin quarters Shin Matsenuga leaned back in his seat. The dark hared Commander had grown a beard in recent months and was a deal wiser than he was when he first came aboard. Nevertheless, with the promotion came more paperwork, and as supervisor of the fighter and mecha contingent on the ship he had to approve this, that, and the other things.
A chime came at his door and he said, "Come in."
The door opened to reveal the green-hared girl of his life smiling. "I thought you'd be working," She said as she came in.
"Hi." Said Shin as he turned away from his work and hugged Barnette about the waist. Barnette's purple eyes scanned his work while Shin's hand rubbed her back.
"So what is it this time?" She asked.
"Requisitions..." Muttered Shin, "The Valhalla wants half our Vanguard squadron since they're going to be leading the patrol unit."
Barnette winced, "I thought the new Vanguards were supposed to be for the Nirvana only?"
"They are." Said Shin and lifted a paper, "I have a document in here somewhere with the commissioner's say-so. But Commander Ezai wants them desperately since the older models need skilled pilots to fly them."
Barnette smirked and replied, "You don't have faith in new pilots?"
"Not really." Replied Shin and leaned back a little more, "Especially from Tezeru. That school doesn't instruct well on Vanguard piloting... you remember when you attacked the Ichazuchi a long time ago?"
Barnette thought for a moment, then answered, "Vaguely, yes."
"Almost everyone there was from Tezeru." Shin said and looked to another paper on the desk, "Tag, Kai, Tesh, and some others came from some of the older schools, but they're expensive now that they've opened up to Mejere cadets."
Barnette took another seat and sat down beside Shin, "I never thought I'd be around to see Mejere flying vanguards."
"They are more versatile," Said Shin and saw the reaction on Barnette's face. "Well, they are!" He reacted, "Sure they're not as fast, but they get the job done quickly."
"You're saying this to a dread flight leader," she replied.
Shin shrugged, "Yes, and I'm the coordinator of craft assets on the ship. I have to know this stuff."
"Sure, sure," She said and rested her arms and head on Shin's shoulder and sighed.
Shin smirked and reached out to the stack of papers, "Hey, I'm not commander for....nothing- what's this?"
He sat up and Barnette came off his shoulder. Shin leaned forward at the packet, then flipped to the front to see the Nirvana Coalition seal on the front. "Wow..."
"What?" she asked.
Shin flipped to another page, "Looks like mustering orders to me...wait a minute."
"What?"
"Here."
Barnette took it and examined it, flipped some pages, and then her eyes widened, "What? Are they serious? Earth?"
"Earth is spelled E-A-R-T-H." Shin replied and winced. He leaned back and scratched his head, "So that's what the Elysian found..."
"Found what?" Barnette asked as she folded the packet and put it back on the desk. Shin shrugged and replied, "about a month ago the Elysian was out on border patrol and reported they found some wreckage from the battle. I'm starting to think it might have been a memory box or something from the mothership."
"If it is," Said Barnette and winced, "Do you think they would send us?"
"I think we both know that answer now." Shin replied.
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While all this was going on, a party of sorts was being held in the mess hall. Of all things, it was Tag and Ezra's party of sorts. It was a combination of Kahlua's first birthday and the celebration of the 42nd's arrival.
Almost everyone was there. Tag and Ezra certainly were, and the couple was located near the center of the room, with Kahlua's crib beside Ezra. Tag had a couple of books and like most of the former 42nd here didn't have the jacket on. He had a pair of reading glasses perched on his head though and listened calmly to Ezra as the woman talked to him. The two were considered a couple by now, and marriage seemed just around the corner. She was still wearing that prized ring.
Approaching Tag at the moment was Tesh. Ashton was still very much the energetic youth of the exile, but had calmed somewhat. He had returned to the academy for a brief time, but had returned per assignment. He was fourteen now. He had his cap off and his bright blue hair with frilling bangs was exposed as he asked, "Hey Tesh, have you heard from Kai?"
"No, I haven't," replied Tag and winced, "Something wrong?"
"Nah, it's just I haven't heard from anyone since I went to the academy except you and Shin." Replied the youth and put his arms on his hips and winced, "Gotta say it's great to be back."
Tag nodded, then looked around the room until Ezra asked, "You know, I haven't heard much from Jura either."
"Maybe Barnette knows," Shrugged Tesh, "I dun see her or the CO here though."
"Shin's busy." Replied Tag.
"Yeah... ah well," Tesh replied and shrugged with his arms wide. "Talk to you later," he said with a wave and walked off.
Tag nodded, then looked at Ezra, who smiled warmly at him. The couple took hands and Kahlua bubbled.
"She's happy." Tag observed.
Ezra smiled, "Remind me to thank Parfait for keeping Pyoro busy- I didn't want to have him here on her first birth day."
"Neither did I." Tag replied.
Meia walked over with a smile. She had taken off her shoulder augment pads and was in her normal flight suit- which was a drastic improvement over her exile days. She was also smiling, and was missing the head ornament as she greeted, "Hello you two."
"Hi Meia." Greeted Ezra.
Tag nodded to her and asked, "You haven't seen Jura have you?"
Meia scowled, "You haven't been paying attention to the Mejere news have you?"
"...No..." said Tag and exchanged looks with Ezra, "To be honest I haven't been to Mejere yet... Ezra and I haven't been in touch with the rest of the system lately."
Meia crossed her arms, "Jura's a big star now on Mejere."
"Good for her." Smiled Ezra.
Meia didn't say anything to that, but displeasure was on her face. She saw the concern in the eyes of her friends and tilted her head to go on, "Jura's been tabloid fodder for the past six months. She's been really busy."
Tag made an uncomfortable sigh, as he knew the term quite well from his studies of Earth culture. "Not good" he voiced.
Meia nodded and went on, "She's had her share of...publicity..."
"How is Kai taking all of this?" Asked Ezra.
Meia shook her head a little and said, "I haven't heard anything about Kai."
Tag nodded and muttered, "I hope he's all right..."
"Where's Hiro?" Ezra asked.
Meia smiled, "He's busy in the platform with the new Vanguards. I think he's in love."
"I don't know if he'll trade out his standard vanguard though." Said Tag, "None of us have."
Meia tilted her head and asked, "Is that true?"
Tag shrugged, "We're veteran pilots. We can keep 'em." After a moment of silence he smiled and shook his head, "Yes we all upgraded."
"That's good." Said Meia, "I don't want you guys going out with outdated equipment and getting hurt."
"You don't have to worry about me," Replied Tag and put an arm behind Ezra, "I was thinking about changing to a ship station actually."
"But the team needs you, don't they?" Asked Ezra.
"Well..." Tag said and looked at her, "I didn't know if you wanted me here or not. It's not safe being out there."
"Yes, but you're part of the team." Replied Ezra.
Tag shrugged and put out, "We'll talk about it later."
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The bridge bunnies were here, with their consorts included.
Horse and Beldevere were sitting together while Amarone sat opposite of them at the chair. Celtic was missing, as was Tex and Thor.
"Are you sure he's not coming back?" Asked Amarone, then leaned back, "I thought Tex and I had problems."
"That's what I heard," Shrugged Horse, "He transferred out to the Valhalla about a week ago."
"That's sad... how's Celtic going to take it?" Asked Amarone.
"She's fine," Replied Beldevere, "Actually she's mad at him I heard."
Horse just shrugged, "Well, I guess it means we'll be getting a new exec."
"Actually," Said Amarone, "I think Rebecca might be stepping in."
Horse winced, "I thought she was in base operations."
"I heard that too," Said the blond Beldevere.
Amarone shrugged, "It's possible she could be reassigned. There's nothing stopping her."
"Except us." Said Horse, "I thought she hated men."
Laughter peeked in the room and the three of them turned around to see Rebecca laughing and patting Bart's bald head.
Horse muttered a phrase in Native American while Amarone pointed, "...Is she supposed to do that? How old is he?"
"Seventeen or so he said." Replied Horse and winced, "And she's..."
Amarone's eyes twitched to Horse, "Twenty three."
"How can he do that?" Asked Horse.
"Well since B.C. turned out to be a-" Amarone started.
"Don't remind me!" Puffed Horse and glugged down his drink.
"Why?" Asked Beldevere and nudged him in the ribs, "Bothers you?"
"On many levels." Said Horse and shrugged, "Ah well. B.C.'s in the council now so I hear... what side?"
"Both, I think." Amarone said with a smile. Horse moaned into his drink before taking a sip.
Dureo looked at the monitor and then at Magano, "Are you sure you'll be all right."
"I'll be fine," Replied Magano as she slowly got up off the bed. Dureo assisted her up, where she stabbed her cane to the ground and took a breath, then let it out with a smile, "Well, for being a hundred and nine I'm still feeling pretty good."
"Yes, but your heart is still making me feel uneasy." Said Dureo and winced his visible eye, "Although I did take a course in Mejere biology I don't trust what my instruments are telling me."
"Relax doctor," Magano said and coughed, "I'll be fine."
Dureo hesitated in his cool prose, then said, "I'm going to accompany you down there. If you have an arrest, I want to be nearby."
"If you insist," rasped Magano and started for the door. Dureo turned to see Paiway standing there and said, "Paiway, you're in charge until I get back."
"Okay..." Said Paiway with a look of concern on her face.
Magano continued down the hall with Dureo walking beside her. "I heard from Mr. Hours that it was rare once for humans to live to a hundred," said the doctor.
"Yes, but that was nearly two hundred years ago." Rasped Magano, "We've come a long way since then."
"Medical technology is advanced... to a fault." Said Dureo, "As it is medical stasis is perhaps the best innovation we have at our disposal."
Magano smirked and said, "Are you suggesting if I have an arrest I should be put in suspension?"
"It is a possibility." Said Dureo.
"Huhr," Smiled the old woman, "I didn't know you were that eager to get rid of me."
"It's not that," said Dureo, "Human beings weren't intended to live this long, you should know that. It's only by a sheer miracle that Grandma and Grandpa have lasted this long."
"And the access to high medical technology." Said Magano and coughed.
Dureo closed his eye, then looked at her sideways, "I've reviewed your medical history. You never went to a doctor for the past twenty years before you came aboard. Why?"
"Doctor, if you must know I was evicted from my home with little funding." Said Magano, "And any funds I had, I put into the base and our operations. I didn't have time to see a formal doctor- the best we had was Paiway until you came along, to be honest."
"I can see why you're having trouble today then." Dureo said.
He was about to say more, but they arrived at the party. Magano donned a smile and Dureo dipped his head as they walked into the festivities.
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Shortly after the truce, a technological upheaval commenced when the Tarak and Mejere tore into the plans and databases they could find on the Nirvana. Among the things they studied were the combination of Vanguards and Dreads- and their subsequent product the Vandread. The results of this research into Vandreads (Specifically Vandread Dita) ushered in a new level of technology- and the Imato type Vanguard.
Designed by Hirohito Imato based on the specifications of the Vandread Dita, the Imato type was taller, faster, and more maneuverable than the previous Vanguards. It also came armed with one of Vandread Dita's arm cannons in its base variant. However, the drawback to this new vanguard was its size. Therefore a smaller analog was built, and after a third prototype the Kilratu type vanguards were being issued to new units. They were about as tall as the previous vanguard series, significantly armored, featured an energy field, and were modular. There was also talk of their combination abilities with the magnificent three Super Dreads on the Nirvana, but these rumors were unfounded.
The only people to know would probably be Jinn Tosei, Gascogne Rheingau, and perhaps Hiro Kamari. All three were present in their respective places and loading operations, and working in concert with the Valhalla in loading operations and supplies.
Jinn was still aboard the Nirvana after all this time. The fact that he was a clone of Grand-Pa didn't change anything, not even his engagement to Gascogne. He had turned down numerous assignments in other spaces, even a seat on the Tarak council, just to remain on the Nirvana. If it was worth mentioning, the drink of choice between Gascogne and himself had upgraded from fizzy soda pop to whatever brandy and liquor Jinn could find.
Hiro on the other hand had become the weapons specialist of the former 42nd. Where he had been secondary tactician and lone wolf before, he was now mastering knowledge on the weapons and machinery the unit would be using. He was short of knowing his own vanguard down to each screw, but knew almost everything about the new ordinance and the latest devices on the drawing board. At the moment he was supervising the loading of large anti-starship rockets: optimized of course against harvester armor plating.
Gascogne's face appeared in Jinn's new office in the platform, "Hey up there, got a minute?"
"Sure," Said the tall man, "What can I do for you?"
"Just wanted to ask, what's the deal with the new influx of stuff? I thought we were still on station duty... but instead of fireworks we're getting live ordinance down here."
"It's the same up here," said Jinn, "We're loading anti-ship weapons right now... you don't know?"
"No. Do you?"
"No." said Jinn and sighed, then said, "I could talk to Shin later about it. If anybody he'd know."
"Alright." She said and then smiled, "are you free later?"
"Yes," said Jinn, "Why, wanna take some time off?"
She winked at him, "I was thinking about it."
Jinn smirked back and said, "Just as long as you don't bring some of your robot pals with you. Unless they'd be catering."
Gascogne laughed and cut the transmission with Jinn smiling.
The fate of Gascogne's golden flagship was simple: it had been studied from stem to stern, and everything had been done on it short of disassembling the entire thing. It had been dry-docked pending a full conversion to a fleet battleship with a real crew aboard, but study of the warship had opened up a box of surprises for the fledgling coalition to exploit. The Melanus, who profited just as much as the Mejere system had in technological innovations, had done most of the honors in examining the harvester ship.
Gascogne though, managed to smuggle off a few things before handing over her golden flagship. Among the loot she had were some of the servitor robots she appeared with when she returned- as well as a gaggle of golden cubes that were now assisting in ship loading. As for the cubes themselves, well, needless to say automated servants were becoming more frequent in starship operations.
Three of them were assigned to the Nirvana, and were given the names Alf, Bob, and Carl. Gascogne didn't have any better names for them other than A, B, and C, so the names stuck for now.
Hiro looked up from his Red and white vanguard as Carl walked by with a number of cargo boxes balanced on his head. Hiro considered this for a moment, smirked, and then returned to customizing his cockpit.
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At the party Dureo kept a sharp eye on Magano as the older lady showed her face around the crowd. The doctor didn't talk much, and was thinking about sitting down when a door opened with the noise, "But it's Pyoro-2's birthday! I have to be here!"
"Gah! Pyoro!" cried a frustrated Parfait as she held the robot by the legs while it resisted, "You can't be in here!"
Tag looked up and Ezra sighed, "Oh dear..."
"Not again." Said the Tarak as his head lowered into the plam of his hand.
"Pyoro-2!" Cried Pyoro as the robot tried desperately to reach the baby.
Beldevere and Amarone were looking up in amazement that this was still going on. "You'd think..." Amarone started to say until Horse got and walked over.
"Grn-geh!" The engineer struggled.
"Let-me-GO!" Pyoro fumed until Horse stepped up, "huh?"
Horse slammed his fist into the robot, which collapsed on the ground with a big red X on the face.
There was silence for the witnesses, until Parfait said, "Well, that takes care of that I guess..." And dusted off her hands.
"Just make sure you didn't break him." Dureo remarked.
Horse shrugged, "I didn't hit him too hard..." The man said, turned, then rubbed his fist as he walked back to a laughing Amarone and Beldevere.
Magano chuckled also, "Well, who can blame-" Then she couldn't breathe, and collapsed on the ground.
Nearly everyone there who was seated stood, and voices were raised.
Dureo had been waiting for this and turned to command, "Get a stretcher! Contact the hanger and inform them to get a medical team over here!"
He knelt down beside the older woman and fished into his medical kit. He looked over Magano, eyes twitching as he tried to figure out what to do.
"What's going on?" asked Amarone.
Horse's mouths lowly closed, while Ezra's concern deepened. Tag had left to go to a wall-mounted communicator and tapped it, "Shin, it's Tag. Magano's collapsed..."
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Magano was unconscious by the time the medical team got there. They could not help her in the end.
Hibiki had come back from Tarak almost immediately. BC couldn't come in person, but sent his condolences. Jura could not be reached.
The Nirvana, which had been festive only hours before, had become somber and quiet. The party balloons were still in the mess hall, but everyone had left. Nearly everyone on the ship knew now...
The mess room was almost dead quiet, but some people still lingered. Dita was here, so was Hibiki. Meia had come, and Tag was cleaning up while Ezra took Kahlua back to their room.
"I never thought..." Meia said silently and then closed her lips in the middle of collecting the plates from the dinner.
Tag didn't say anything.
"But she was so....so happy," Said Dita and looked up, "She seemed fine..."
"Dureo told me that he told her to take it easy," Said Meia, "But...she couldn't have missed this... not for anything."
Tag finished taking down the balloons and tying them to weights. He moved on to clean off a table and half-closed his eyes as he did so.
Meia looked over her shoulder, then turned around to ask, "You're pretty quiet Tag, what are you thinking?"
Tag answered without facing her, "I was just thinking of the wedding present Magano gave us."
"What?" Asked the women almost simultaneously.
Tag nodded as he finished scooping up some spent plates, "I guess she must have known. She gave us a sum of her fortunes, plus some family heirlooms... and a blanket for Kahlua."
"Oh..." sighed Dita, "How sweet...."
"Yeah..." Replied Meia.
The door opened softly to admit Ezra. She was stable for about five seconds, then ran into Tag's arms and started to cry. Tag closed his eyes and hugged her close, and from this Dita started to cry also. Meia looked sullen, and with her sad eyes she crossed the room to get something to drink. With a bottle in hand she tapped the wall comm and asked, "Hiro? Could you come to the mess hall please? And tell Hibiki to come, too. We should talk."
"Okay." Said Hiro's voice. He knew too.
Dita shook her head and stood, "I'm gonna go find Mr. Alien!" She ran from the room crying tears and wailing sorrow.
They let her go. Nothing could be done.
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Shin sighed as he stood with the others in the conference room. Rebecca was here also, along with Gascogne, Meia, Barnette, Jinn, Hiro, and Tesh.
At first there was only silence. Nobody had anything to say until Tesh broke the silence, "It had to happen...."
"Yeah," Hiro said.
Jinn blew air in a sigh and then said, "The best we can do is live in her memory."
Shin pressed his mouth closed and nodded a little. come." Said Meia, "She was busy. Jura couldn't be found."
"That doesn't surprise me." Murmured Gascogne as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.
Hiro sighed.
Barnette looked sullen, and then up at Shin. It had to be said.
Shin took in a breath, then said, "I've been....forwarded orders. It looks like the council...reviewed something salvaged from deep space." He looked at the table, and then said, "A probe was found at the edge of our space. It's earth-built in origin, and command suspects that it was launched within the past year."
"What?" Asked Meia while her head rose with the others, "The harvesters? Again?"
Shin didn't nod, but went on, "It was an active probe with telemetry data to some unknown destination closer to the core. The council thought about dispatching an expedition to find it... they chose us."
"The Nirvana? Now?" Asked Gascogne and raised a hand, "Magano dies, now they want us to go on a wild goose chase to find Earth?"
Rebecca spoke up, "Was it on authority of the council?"
"On my end, yes." Replied Shin, "We're supposed to be taking on supplies for the journey."
"That explains it," Said Jinn, "I was wondering about the influx of supplies."
"But... our leader...is dead," Said Barnette.
Rebecca looked away.
Tesh sighed as he leaned against the wall and turned his head away, then looked back at the table and up at Shin.
Shin shook his head slowly and then said, "The second reason I called this...is to decide what we should do. Cremation? Burial? How did grandma...want to be taken care of?"
"We should get Hibiki in here." Said Meia, "They are...kin."
"As strange as that is," Said Gascogne and sighed, "Yeah, let's call him in."
It was done.
As they waited Gascogne put in, "I'd like to see her buried somewhere.... Peaceful."
"Yeah," said Tesh.
Rebecca added, "But where would we bury her? Mejere?"
Shin's eyes widened a little.
"I think we should do a cremation..." Said Meia and leaned her head back, "A pyre somewhere..."
"What about burying her in the garden?" Asked Jinn and added, "She was the heart of this ship..."
"Earth."
Heads turned to Shin at the word.
"What?"
"Why don't we take her to Earth?"
Rebecca's reaction was hostile, "What? Are you proposing we drop her on the doorstep of our enemies? Why don't we just find the nearest harvester ship and just hand her body over then? Some great leader you are!"
Silence followed her frustration, but as some mouths opened to add stuff Shin said with his eyes staring into the table, "I thought since it was where she was born... it should be where she's buried."
Those mouths closed and people relaxed at Shin's reason.
Hibiki arrived.
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The Nirvana was not alone that afternoon.
Out of respect, the guard fleets of both nations had marshaled to the Nirvana's side. The other four cruisers were here also, and just coming into view was the Tarak Command ship Ichazuchi. Distant lights on the approach heralded the arrival of the Melanus fleet, here to pay their respects. Rabat's cruiser was also reported to be in the area.
Yet Shin didn't feel well with this decision.
Hibiki didn't know what to do, and felt a cremation would be the best way to do it... on the ship somewhere. There was no place to bury Magano, and Tag didn't have any suggestions that would be appropriate for this kind of thing. Her only home was this ship, and it was difficult enough to think of where she would lay to rest.
Shin was still thinking of Earth.
He was hugging his knees in his quarters as he thought about it, and looked at some of the pictures that had finally returned from their first venture into space. Someone had with them a camera in those days, and pictures of the 42nd's first days aboard the Nirvana brought back memories. There was one in particular of him standing beside Magano just before they entered the barrier... It reminded him of just how much of a grandmother they had lost.
The door was knocked on this time, instead of the normal chime. It had to be Barnette, "Come in," He said.
The door opened and Barnette stepped in. She looked up at shin and asked, "You have a minute?"
"Yeah," Sighed Shin and rubbed his eyes as she approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm all right," He reassured her. She reached down and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.
The door knocked again.
Barnette looked up at the door, then at Shin and said, "I'll get it."
She walked to the door and tapped on the intercom, "Who is it?"
"...It's Hibiki..."
Barnette looked over at a nodding Shin, and she opened the door to admit the Tarak. Hibiki half stumbled in with an unusual look on his face. It wasn't normal for Hibiki to be depressed, or sad. But then, loosing a sister you finally got to know wasn't easy to get over.
He looked up at Shin and murmured, "Hey uh...Shin?"
"Yes?" Asked Shin.
"Uhm... I was just thinking...about what you said," Replied Hibiki and looked away, "And uhm... I... I guess... I want to take her to earth with us."
Shin looked up and stared at Hibiki for a while and then asked, "Are you sure?"
Hibiki was silent for a moment, then went on, "I...I talked with Rebecca... she doesn't really have anywhere else. We could put here in the pirate base, but Rebecca said...she hated it all the time. So... I want to take her to Earth with us and bury her there..."
"Bury her body?" Asked Barnette.
"her ashes," Replied Hibiki, "I...I don't want the harvesters..."
Shin stood up and approached Hibiki to put a hand on his shoulder. Hibiki looked up at Shin as the older man said, "The harvesters are dead Hibiki- we have you and your sister to thank for that. We will put her where you want us to- you're her last relative alive after all."
Hibiki looked away and Shin removed his hand, "It's your choice- none of us can make it for you. We can offer opinions, but like I said in the briefing room it is ultimately your decision."
"I-I understand." Replied Hibiki.
"Good." Nodded the officer of the 42nd, "Now, do you still want to take Magano with us to earth?"
"Yeah.... Yeah." Nodded Hibiki.
Shin nodded, then looked up and locked eyes with Barnette.
So be it.