VANDREAD ARMY: Second Line

By Norsehound

Disclaimer: Vandread doesn't belong to me.

============== CHAPTER FIVE: The pillar of light

"Ah...Mr. Vanguard!" Shouted Dita.

Hibiki looked up from where he had been standing and leaning against the loading gantry to his mecha and then at the Vanguard dumped on it's side in the center of the Platform.

Technicians and women in overalls ran for the Vanguard, some of them carrying heavy gear. From his place in his own Vanguard Shin was standing on the lower lip of the open doorway with his headset still on.

Dita was running to see Leo, and to see if he was all right.

Hibiki walked some distance with his arms crossed to watch what was going on.

"Leo, are you sure the door can be opened without it injuring you?" Shin called over the net.

Leo's pained voice came back, "Captain I'm pinned beneath the overhead equipment storage rack in the cockpit and an instrument bank. I think the shoulder axle suffered a direct hit..."

"Damnit," Shin cursed softly, then looked at the teams assembling at the Vanguard's torso, "Listen," He said to Leo, "We're going to try to open the door."

"Wait!" Leo called and there was a moment as he looked about the red-lit cockpit, at least that's what Shin was seeing in his mind's eye.

"I think It can open." Leo replied and gave a waving sigh of pain, "There's blood...."

"Hang on, Dureo's coming." Shin said and looked up at the door to see Dureo and a pair of nurses with a stretcher come through. He turned back to Shin, "Hang on!"

Leo's voice replied, "Can you get the door open slowly? I think if it goes on manual the structure in here might pull me out of my seat and tear something."

"How about we pull off the doorway?" Shin suggested.

"Sir, I wanna fly this thing again."

"We'll see with your injuries."

"If you don't think of something there won't be any of me left."

Shin pressed his lips together, then said, "We're going to force the door open."

Leo gave a muted cry of pain over the line, and Shin called to console him, "Hang on Leo! Dita's outside..."

"Dita..." Rasped Leo and a low moan of pain came over the speakers.

"Hang on..." Shin rasped as Parfait's team checked the locks, then one of Jinn's teammates climbed up over the head and into the space between the neck and the main vent, and worked some before calling something to the Mejere technicians.

Dureo waited patiently and grabbed his own headset to talk to Leo.

"Are you still in pain?"

"Some doc," Leo replied, "I'm bleeding around my upper arm...I think my shoulder's been cut or my armpit."

"You need to try to relax." Dureo was saying as he fished into his pockets for a hypo spray and application, "If you're tense then you'll loose more blood."

"Understood..."

"Anything other than that, are there any other injuries?"

Leo's presence was only heard by the low moan from his teeth, and then said, "I've got pressure on my legs from some water bladders, and I can move my left hand. My left shoulder has a rack beam over it and I don't think it will cause any injuries."

"How about the chair?" Asked Shin.

"That's what I'm worried about sir, if the Chair moves without this beam then I could loose my head."

Shin called to the group, "Guys! Kill the power!"

Leo said, "I've done all I can in here, but the ejection system..."

"We're killing the power now Leo, hang in there." Shin said.

Leo breathed over the comm, then said, "I want to talk to Dita."

"Someone hand Dita a headset!" Shin called.

Tesh, who was nearby, raced for his own Vanguard's cockpit. When reached the open door he grabbed the headset from his own Vanguard and unplugged it. He set the frequency and tossed it to Dita.

Liebly put it on and spoke into the microphone, "Leo?"

"Dita..." Leo sighed, "You're there..."



Hibiki winced as he watched it, "So melodramatic. Why don't they just get him out of there?"

Meia who stood beside unnoticed by Hibiki until now said, "It's because they're afraid about the equipment he's trapped under. He might be injured if they just let him out."

The door opened to the platform just then and Misty came out, smiled and called, "There you are!"

She gave Hibiki a great hug and made Hibiki blush, then say, "Hey cut that out!"

Misty released him with some concern, then put her hands together and smiled, "You're alive! I'm so glad!"

"Yeah, well I can't say the same for...." He trailed off.

"Oh...." Misty replied, her tone sinking...

Meia also lowered her head, then looked up at the rescue efforts. Where one life was lost, another was being saved.

"Damn...Damn...." Leo was saying as the doorframe cracked open, then he said from his trapped position, "Commander, stop."

"Stop!" Called Shin, "What is it?"

Leo closed his eyes, "I forgot sir, the door and the chair are connected. If this thing's trapped in under the console then there's no way I can get out of here without loosing something important."

Shin sighed and shook his head, "Leo we're going to have to cut the door off."

"No!" Leo cried and used his hand to try to shove at the girder, "This is my vanguard! I fight in here!"

Dureo spoke up, "Which do you choose Leo, your Vanguard or your life?"

"I want to live...but I want to fight!" Leo replied, "For everyone!"

"We can appropriate another Vanguard for you Leo, Stop whining." Shin said.

"I'm not whining! It's not the same," Leo said, "Sir, I've fought all my battles in this one Vanguard! It's like...It's like saying goodbye to a brother sir, I just can't do it!"

Shin shook his head, "We'll get it patched up afterward. Right now we need to focus on getting you out of there."

"I...I..." Leo said and started to break into tears.

Dita listened to his crying over the headset, then said softly, "Mr. Vanguard...."

Leo, still crying, could hear her, "If you can hear me," She said, "Please...come out...don't stay trapped inside...you have to come out...I want to see you..."

Leo's breathing increased and deepened.

"Leo, stop breathing that hard, you're bleeding will get worse." Cautioned Dureo.

Leo, under the red battery lights looked wild again, "I don't give a damn if I die doc, I want to see her!"

He ended with power behind the air forced out of his lungs as he pushed with his left arm.

"Leo what are you doing?"

"I'm getting out of here!" Leo raged and pushed again with his left hand. Fortunately the underside of the railing didn't have an edge, or else the force Leo was using would cut his hand. Leo pushed again, breathed, and pushed again. Then he forced his left leg from out underneath the water bladder- loosing his boot in the process and hooking his left leg around the girder and pulling at it to get it loose from where it had jammed underneath the console. His left hand pushed again, and the girder groaned.

Shin called to the crews, "Find some back way in there! I don't care if you have to come from the top, just see if there's an emergency exit on that thing! Or some way to release the door separately!"

One of the Tarak hopped off the Vanguard's leg and took off sprinting across the deck.

Leo breathed, "Dita....!!!"

He shoved again, and this time kicked and forced with his legs. His right shoulder was still bleeding, and Leo was feeling the strength being drained from him.

"Dita...Dita answer me!" He screamed.

Dita was torn....she turned around to see Hibiki there.

"Ah....Ah...."

But so was Misty, standing close and looking on.

It felt as though Dita's heart burst.

"Dita!" Called Leo's voice back to her, "Help....me..." His voice started to fade.

She spun and closed her eyes, "Leo!"

Leo's own eyes widened in an explosive burst.

He freed his right leg in much the same manner- loosing both shoe and sock as he took it and swung his body. Pain raged in his right shoulder and he grit his teeth to wrap both legs around the girder and force it to come back the way it went. He felt the metal slide around his left shoulder and his left hand pulled the large metal bar.

"Get the door open!" He cried as he thought the metal was good enough to clear the console and the door.

The crack in the seam widened and Tarak and Mejere pulled and pushed manually on the door.

The girder shifted and then screeched as the top part of it flailed clearly in the air.

Tarak and Mejere pounced on Leo to keep him still as people with tools came down to examine him and the injuries.

Dureo handed up the hypospray and someone gave it to him. Leo's vision blurred and he could only hear muffled voices as they worked to free him.

Shin watched on from his vantage point in the Vanguard. Leo's right shoulder was pinned beneath a pair of support beams by the rack. The top of his right shoulder was only scratched by the girder, but his armpit had a damaging gash in it that had indeed been bleeding.

Red coated the seat, and one of the technicians took a huge pair of pliers and snapped the two girders. The redundant survival rack bits joined the water bladders, burst on the floor after falling from the cockpit. A large ladder was provided to the side of the propped-up Vanguard as it faced the right side of the bay. A panel then replaced the ladder and Leo was manhandled gently out of the cockpit seat.

He was barley conscious when he made it to the stretcher waiting for him. Dureo administered another hypospray, then pulled out an aerosol disinfectant to spray on the wounds.

Dita, on the other hand, had tossed the headset away and rushed to the stretcher. Leo's eyes cracked open to look at her, and he could make out her features through the blur.

"Dita..." He said weakly, "You...you saved my life...."

His eyes closed, and Dita cried, "No! Don't die!"

"He won't die," Dureo assured her, "But the longer we take here the more likely the chance I'll have to amputate his arm."

Dita released the stretcher and Dureo called to the nurses, "Let's move!"

The team broke into a run and pushed the stretcher at top speed.

People watched them for a second, Hibiki, Misty and Meia scattering like bowling pins to get out of the way.

Dita cried, a tear sliding down her cheek, and then she exploded into a run.

"Hey!" Tesh called, "After them!"

Shin watched the 42nd pilot teams in the platform break into a run to chase Dita and the stretcher. He hesitated for a moment, and then decided to follow.

Jura was a little amazed when she saw Leo get wheeled in.

"Oh...Oh my..." She gasped as she saw the large amounts of blood across Leo's right side and shirt. The bloody skin was reacting to the anesthetic that Dureo had sprayed.

He had Leo locked down in the examination table and ordered for some more powerful anesthetics. To save the arm it had to be free of infections and bacteria. Tarak science had many bacteria, but not that many cures. He had to rely on Mejere science to cure this man.

Mejere science would also be responsible for cleaning his wounds and making sure Leo would be fit enough to fight again in some days. The loss of blood from the torn parts around his shoulder was enough to make him drowsy, and from what it looked like Leo was almost unconscious.

He was in the process of treating Leo when Dita rushed in. Behind her was almost he entire 42nd's pilots.

"Will he be alright?" Dita asked simply.

Dureo, working replied, "I'm not sure. But it looks like there's hope."

"Dita..." Breathed Leo.

Dita came around the table to Leo's left side and took his hand.

Leo relaxed, and his pulse meter slowed to the steady beeping of someone relaxed.

Dureo looked at it, and then at Dita, "Fascinating...this kind of reaction is out of the ordinary..."

Dureo then looked across Leo's shirt and found the silver tag. He grabbed it and yanked it off Leo and turned to insert the card into a computer.

Leo breathed with his mouth agape. The wounds were sealing and dead bacteria were seen around the wounds where they had been treated. Something similar was going on in his bloodstream.

"C'mon Leo! You gotta live through this!" Tesh called.

Tag stood there watching Leo and blinked. He turned to go find whatever medical archives he could in his storage of data and passed Kai on the way out.

"Shesh..." was all Kai could say.

Some of the other officers in the medical room already looked up and had approached a clear space around the stretcher. Matthew was one of them, who clutched his rosary and started to murmur a prayer.

The card came up in an error.

"What?"

"What's wrong?" Asked Tesh.

"This card," Replied Dureo and looked at it again, "Strange, isn't Leo a first class citizen?"

"Never...told to give it away doc..." Leo said from a far away place.

"Hn." Dureo said and set the card down and turned to the 42nd, "Does he have a dagger with his uniform?"

"I think so...yeah." Tesh nodded.

"Go and get it, and make it fast."

"Sir!" Tesh said and took off running with Kai on his heels.

Dureo turned back to Leo, "Without his blood type I can't synthesize an appropriate substitute for his loss of blood."

Paiway came in and stopped to feel powerless as to what to do.

"O...I'll have to give him some O type..." Dureo said.

"Sir," One of the Tarak operators said with his arms in braces, "Leo might react to O type..."

"Right...I forgot." Dureo said and blinked.

Shin entered just then and walked through a parting crowd to see one of the men under his charge.

"Doctor, what's the say?" Asked Shin.

"I need to know Leo's bio data." Dureo answered and held up the card, "But this card isn't giving me any answers."

Then Tesh returned with Kai and presented the Dagger hilt-first.

Dureo took it, spun it in his hands and inserted it into the slot. Bio data appeared but there was no summary.

"I need this." Dureo said and moved to other machines, "Paiway, I can use some proto-blood now."

"Right." Nodded Paiway and rushed off.

Dureo looked up at the others, "There's nothing more for you to be here for. The less people here, the better."

"All right," Shin said and turned, "Everybody clear out. Back to your stations people, let the doctor do his work."

Concern and worry was on the faces of the 42nd as they walked out of the room. Dita remained there though, holding Leo's hand....and his life, in her grasp.

Leo's mind was elsewhere.

"Where am I?" Leo asked to the echoing blue landscape.

He had been here before...felt this sensation before.

"What is this place?!" He called to nobody in particular, "Who are you?"

A form appeared before him and Leo turned, blinking.

Silhouettes and shadows of people...four of them...and a robot.

"What are you!?" He shouted to them.

Whispers replied, the voices of one man and three women.

But it was a flat tone of Pyoro that spoke to him, "Insecure. You are insecure."

"Damn straight I'm insecure! But what can I do about it?" Leo asked and put his hand to his chest, "I've lived all my life cooped up in the underground, and then shifted off to fight in a war that I thought I could make a difference in! So how could I be secure when all my friends die around me?"

"Inadequate," Pyoro's voice called back, "Your life has not yet begun."

"Life? What life?" Asked Leo, "I'm here aren't I?"

"He speaks without reason," Said the whispering male voice.

"He sees no logic," Said the form with the flowing hair.

The one with the short hair and glowing blue eyes said as it hung upside-down, "He has no knowledge of what has transpired."

"He must...be here." Said the one closest to him with the wide-eyes, "He must...stay here."

"Why?" Asked Leo and waved a hand, "Do you want to take my life!? I don't want to die, but if I have to leave I'm not afraid!"

"You are needed."

"What?" Leo gasped.

"You are wanted."

"By whom?!" Replied Leo.

"You are essential."

"To what!?" Leo barked, "To you?!"

"You do not understand..." Pyoro's flat voice spoke and the blue started to fade.

"What...what...what's going on!?" Leo called as the blue started to pool up like water. It was coming up his waist, up his chest, "I don't want to die...I don't want to be left alone...DITA!!!"

His arm was the last thing above the water before it was swallowed.

And a hand reached back to him....

The Pexis seemed torn from it's pulsating color and red patches into a full-blown glow.

"Wha!?" Parfait yipped and lost her balance to collapse backwards at the intensity, "It...It's reacting...how!?"



"Good GOD!" Tex shouted and pointed at the power figures, "Ma'am, somebody! We got a situation here!"

"What is it?" Magano asked, coming out of her dreary tone.

"Something's going on in the reactor, I can't explain it...but ma'am, we're runnin at power scale ninety! At this rate we could blast Tarak to kingdom come!"

BC turned, "Maybe we can use this to our advantage."

Magano hesitated for a moment, then bowed her head, "Not now BC. We still have to regroup and....and remember Gasconge."

"Oh...that's right," BC said and her tone dulled.

The bridge crew was breaking down into tears. People all over the ship were breaking down into sadness.

Hibiki entered the door to the darkened Reg central.

Seated at one of the tables already was Jinn Tosei, who turned at his entry.

"Huh? Sorry..." Hibiki was saying but Jinn interrupted him.

"No, you can stay..." Jinn replied and turned in his seat.

Hibiki accepted this and walked forward. Jinn waved a hand at the cards, "Poker huh?"

"Yeah." Hibiki answered quietly.

Jinn nodded his head slowly and looked at the cards on the table, "Never got to play Gasco...not even once. Now, I wish I did."

Hibiki just looked at the cards on the table.

"I wish...I wish I got to say sorry." Hibiki said and closed his eyes, "I've said a lot of stupid things before, but I really wish I could have taken that one back before...."

Jinn shrugged, "How could you have known Hibiki. I guess your entire crew was prepared to come out of it all okay, we were all high into ourselves thinking that we could pull out of it. That changed today, we nearly lost a squadron because the Nirvana panicked. And I know, because I went out there and risked my neck to save them."

Hibiki turned his head to Jinn and asked, "What about you guys, did you ever regret not saying anything?"

Jinn shrugged, "At first. But that's one of the things about duty, every man has an opportunity to come out on top. I've seen death before, and I know it's face. But in some way I guess that's just how it happens. That's how chance goes....sure you're in control of your own destiny and all that, but because of the choices others make in their destinies, it affects yours too. Kinda like a paradox."

Jinn laughed a weak laugh and shook his head, "Sorry, I lost you. Thing is Hibiki, we all know that whatever's said can't be said afterwards. If you wanted to say sorry there's no point in saying anything that was too late to say."

"So...does that mean you had to just bear through it?" Hibiki replied.

"Well..." Jinn said, "You gotta know that back on the station we had this huge wall of names and we'd carve names of the people who died into it when they...well...bought the farm as the expression goes. But in addition to having the wall as a list of people not to forget, we talked to the wall. We talked to the names of the people who passed away and said what we needed to say to them. In a sense, we were talking to the last memories of the person who we couldn't see face-to-face anymore. I guess that's one of the things that kept us going. I know some of my team had to say long good-byes to the wall when we were taking off."

Hibiki looked at the ground, "So you just...talked to the memories of the people?"

Jinn nodded, "We say aloud what was too late to say to them. If Gasconge truly knew you well enough as a person, she would have known you would have wanted to say sorry. I think, in the end she knew that. She knew you and Barnette may have wanted to apologize to her some point in time, so maybe it's just best enough to say it and have it reach her memories inside us...and somewhere out there."

Hibiki nodded and clenched his fist, "I'm sorry Gasco....I'm sorry for everything...."

Hibiki's fist tightened and Jinn said, "Hey kid...."

A can of root beer slid across the table to stop beside Gasconge's cards.

Hibiki looked at the can and then at Jinn.

Jinn smiled, "Should still be good after a hundred years or so. Try it, it'll calm you down."

Hibiki took the mysterious cylinder in his hand and examined the top, "How do you open it?"

"Okay, steps to opening a soda can, put thumb under tap and-" Jinn demonstrated with his own can of root beer.

"Huh." Hibiki said and snapped open the can, then peered into it.

"Are you expecting a snake to come out of that? C'mon, drink up." Jinn said and gulped down some of his.

Hibiki blinked, "What's a snake?"

"An earth creature. Just drink."

Hibiki looked at the can and then drank some of it. His cheeks bulged and he almost spit out the soda, "What the heck is this stuff?"

"Carbonated water," Laughed Jinn, "Gasconge wasn't nearly as freaked out as you were though, and she said you'd that too."

Hibiki laughed, and then Jinn waved a hand, "See? Remembering all those good things about Gasconge. Now," He put down the can on the table and pointed, "Keep those things tight. Because if you ever forget them, you'll loose all that Gasconge ever was. It's by keeping the best memory of people that you can recall them clearly enough, and I think that's what we all need for Gasconge...for her sake."

Hibiki nodded at Jinn's words of wisdom, then asked, "Hey, since when do you come up with words like that?"

"Me?" Asked Jinn and grabbed the can and replied from behind it, "I think too much."

He kicked his feet back and accidentally knocked the timer. It clattered to the ground and started to beep.

"Oh sorry..." Jinn said but was lost as Hibiki stared at it.

"Hey, show your hand..." Gasconge's voice whispered.

"All right," Hibiki said and clenched his fist, "I'll show you my hand...."



In the hospital the lights were off and the only illumination came from the instrument panel lighting.

Leo was asleep, and the blood transfusion seemed to be working fine. The muscle rebuilds were at work around the torn tissue of Leo's shoulders, and bandages were around his arm and chest.

Dita was in a chair at his side, her head resting on the stretcher and her hand clasped around Leo's.

"Will he pull through?" Asked Shin.

Dureo nodded, "He'll make it. His injuries were not as bad as Jura's...but they weren't as clean. I suggest removing any hazardous objects from your cockpits Commander."

Shin nodded, "Working on it now. When we installed those we were planning on sustained Zero-G combat environments. If that happened in Zero-G then it wouldn't have jammed the way it did."

"Well acceleration did have it's own factor in this, but you should consider safety hazards in the cockpits." Dureo spoke, "I was also trained in observing proper medical conditions aboard ships. With the Nirvana being higher in safety than most Tarak vessels there's no excuse."

"We'll think of something." Shin nodded as he looked at one of his best pilots on the team, and Dita beside him. He spoke again, "It's fantastic, isn't it?"

"Hm?"

"Look at that." Shin said and nodded at Leo and Dita, "She's there for him. Just as she kept him going and convinced him to come out."

"Yes, it seems odd that Dita managed to stabilize his pulse and calm him down with her presence." Dureo looked at the card, "But it's also strange, about his card."

Shin looked at the ID tag and asked, "You got the data though."

"Oh yes, the first-class Identification Dagger had all I needed on the biological specifications for treatment...but had no background history to speak of. It only had what I needed to medically work on him, but not much else."

"And the third-class citizen tag doesn't let you access it." Shin pointed out.

"Yes. And strange that Hibiki's won't give any results either." Dureo said as he held up Hibiki's card, then placed both down, "And yet when I examined Bart, his coding worked fine and had complete data and background profiles."

"So there's something odd about those two." Shin remarked, "Leo has two cards and one that won't say anything, and Hibiki's won't say anything either."

"It may be something to do with the incompatibility of the Medical systems and the cards...but I would think the Pexis would correct any such errors during the modification of the ship. So, it's either something that happened to these cards in the span of time between contact with your group, these cards are in error, or there's something unique about these two that has been specifically locked away."

"Well I didn't hear anything about it." Shin said, "When Leo was assigned I was given basic information since he was recruited about the time the Ichazuchi launched. And the specifics about how he turned from third to first class Citizen don't add up either."

"What do you mean?" Dureo asked.

"I think somebody got a transfer for him...but wasn't one of the brass." Shin answered, "I wasn't even provided with stuff like where he worked prior to joining up or who was responsible for it."

"Strange..." Said Dureo, then said, "You did ask me to look up his bio files earlier."

"Yes, he came to my office and asked about something."

"Did he say anything particularly of interest?"

"Well," Shin said and leaned against a wall, "He did say something about being enlisted a week before the Ichazuchi launch..." Shin snapped his fingers, "He mentioned a name. Keg Damson."

"Keg Damson..." Repeated Dureo and shook his head, "Never heard of him. Anything else?"

"Not really." Shin said after shaking his head, "Just mentioned that Keg Damson may have been responsible for his class change...but I don't remember anyone in the brass by that name at the time."

Dureo responded, "And all the access files from the Tarak database are either wiped out of the memory or need access you nor I have. It seems we've reached a dead-end."

"Not necessarily," Shin said, "We have one thing going, both of them were third-class citizens. Somehow Leo got transferred into the army....."

"What?" Dureo asked at Shin's pause.

"Nothing, but it's just an odd coincidence, don't you think?" Shin looked at Dureo, "That Leo was transferred within a week of the attack, and survived to get the Ichazuchi star....and then became one of the core members of the 42nd."

"Are you saying that Leo was set-up to become one of the 42nd from the start?" Dureo inquired.

"Probably. Probably not." Shin shrugged and looked at the data cards, "All the information we can find on this is on there somewhere. And until we can-"

There was a chime and Shin answered it, "Matsenuga."

"Sir, there's a tactical meeting being assembled in the auxiliary pilot briefing room. I think that Hibiki kid's got a plan."

"I'll be right down." Shin said and looked at Dureo, "Well Doc, keep me posted. And if you can get him walking by the time that meeting's over, I'll call you a Miracle worker."

"I'll see what I can do." Dureo replied and Shin left. Dureo waited a while after he was gone, then pulled out his book again. All good doctors know that the only way patients can truly heal faster was if they themselves willed it to be.

And from Leo's standpoint, he was healing as fast as he could just to open his eyes again and see Dita.

People had assembled in the auxiliary briefing room to hear what Hibiki had to say.

Aside from Hibiki himself, Misty was present with Barnette and Meia standing. Parfait was behind the main desk and at the computer terminal, and seated in various spots on the benches were the pilots in black and white uniform. Ezra was also seated among them, and floating beside her with Kahlua strapped to his back was Pyoro.

The 42nd's main elements were in the room as well. Kai was there, as was Tesh (Who was standing and glancing at the pilots nervously- some were giving him glares and smiles in response) and Tag of all places was seated next to Ezra and making small conversation. But like Ezra, Tag was waiting for the moment to snatch Kahlua back.

Now entering the room was BC and Thor was behind her. The ex-captain of the Mamba had come a long way since being brought aboard the Nirvana injured. He was walking again, though his hand was in a sling. His jacket covered his shoulders though and served to hide the upper part of his injury.

"So, I hear you have a plan." BC remarked as Shin entered the room.

"You got it!" Hibiki replied, "Remember that gaping hole in the ship? I think that's our way in."

"To attack it from the inside?" Shin applied.

"Exactly!" Hibiki called and snapped his fingers, "Once we get inside, we'll show them something that'll teach them a lesson!"

"What can we possibly show them that will make them want to surrender and leave?" Tesh asked, "Our early-morning photographs?"

Muttered laughter escaped from those assembled, and Jinn spoke up, "No Tesh, you're barking up the wrong tree. We need to show them the damage expenses that we've totaled up for on their ships."

"And who's figured all that!?" Tesh replied among some laughter.

"I have an officer with a lot of time on his hands," Jinn smirked, "Did you know that those cubes cost around sixty thousand yen apiece? The Harvesters will probably be broke by the time we get to Mejere."

"Assuming they use money." Kai said in the following laughter.

"Enough," Shin said laughing as he quieted the assembled, "Now Hibiki, what do you have that can possibly make the Harvesters just die? Unless you want to use our nuke..."

"No," Misty said and held up a capsule, "We'll use this."

"The Pexis virus," Gasped BC.

"What's that?" Thor asked for the 42nd.

Misty explained, "It's a virus that slows down all Pexis functions- basically a computer virus that freezes up systems. It almost worked on us."

"But the password was Pyoro-2's baby cry!" Yipped Pyoro.

Ezra snatched Kahlua back at this time and held her close, "Her name is Kahlua!" Cried Ezra.

"Hey! Be careful with her!"

"Enough!" Tag barked and grabbed the NAVI robot and ground his fist into it's head, "You don't know when to stop do you?"

"Hey! Let me go!" Protested Pyoro and after a moment Tag released him.

"Anyway," Hibiki carried on, "If we can get this thing into the mothership's systems then we got a chance to knock this fleet out of commission!"

"Well that sounds fine and all," Tesh said, "But do you remember the cloud of ships we had to fight through? It was hard enough just getting back from the far side of the fleet, and if they have some idea of what we're doing don't you think that it's impossible to breach their defenses now?"

"I thought about that," Parfait finally spoke, "And I came up with a device! It's what I call Mr. Panic! It's a cannon that's made to interrupt the link between the Cubes and Pods to the mothership that I discovered! It kinda works like your stun missiles commander, but on a much larger scale and on a much more powerful blast."

Shin nodded slowly and asked, "Who's going to have it?"

"Barnette's unit is equipped with Mr. Panic right now, and if I had more I'd give it to you guys, but it's only a prototype...sorry." Parfait apologized.

Tesh held up a hand, "One question."

"Yeah?"

"Why is it called Mr. Panic?" Tesh asked, "Does it stand for Pulverizing activated near instant collapse?"

Jinn waved a hand, "Maybe it's supposed to be activated when you're in a panic."

"Or how about it makes the enemy panic so much they stop working!" Suggested Kai.

"Um...actually it's the first thing that came to my mind." Parfait replied.

The audience broke into laughter, and BC smiled at this. This crew had gone through so much, and now here they were forgetting their troubles.

"Okay, so we have how to get there and how to get to the heart, but how do we install that thing?" Shin asked and pointed at the capsule, "Do we have somebody go out and jam it in?"

"No," Misty replied and pointed at Pyoro, "We make him eat it. Then he'll infect the core on his own."

"What!? Nobody told me about this!" cried Pyoro, "I'm too young to die! Pyoro-2!!!"

Tag grabbed Pyoro and scolded him again, "Can it Pyoro her name's Kahlua!"

Ezra blushed and giggled behind her hand and Kahlua reached out for Tag again.

"Well, looks like we have a plan." Shin said and turned, "Jinn, do you have anything to add other than humorous remarks?"

Jinn scowled, and then said and then replied, "Actually my team came up with a goody bag some lucky Tarak pilot would enjoy. It's a combination of missiles, extra boosters, and ECM pods we've tagged as Fuel and Sensor Tactical pods...otherwise known as FAST packs."

"We used those in the asteroids," Said Shin.

"Ah, but not on this scale," Jinn replied and crossed his arms, "And I've also cobbled together 1.4 tons of extra armor to put on the thing. So technically it's the first successful Full-armor type Vanguard set to be ever completed."

"Well then," Shin smirked, "Looks like we have another opportunity. Any volunteers?"

A screen lit up, "Me sir."

People turned to look at the screen and Shin blinked, "Leo..."

Leo was sitting upright in the bed with his bandages still on, "Let me take that sir."

"May I remind you that you're still hospitalized." BC said.

"I don't care." Leo replied and turned to Shin's image, "Please sir. My arm will be all fixed up in no time, you'll see."

Shin looked at the man's determined face and expression, then closed his mouth, "All right, Jinn, outfit Leo's Vanguard with the full armor kit."

"Are you sure sir?" Replied Jinn.

Shin looked at Jinn and indicated the screen, "Hey, if he's going out there he'll need all the help he can get. And besides, if he's going out there with Hibiki's team, I wouldn't send any other pilot who was special for the job."

On Leo's end Dita cheered, "You hear that!? He said yes!"

Leo smiled at her and then turned back to Shin, "Sir, I'll be ready in a few hours."

"Relax, we're not pulling off this plan today. We're waiting until tomorrow." Shin said and looked at Jinn, "I want to catch them off guard."

Jinn realized that hope of Gasconge surviving was fading. But they had no choice. When they struck, they had to strike like the sudden and often violent thunderstorms of Tarak.

Clangs and clatter rang in the platform as Vanguards were once again being re-armed and repaired for the fight to come.

Debris and scrap metal had to be hauled out of the platform and recycling bins to be taken to storage bay number sixteen, where Jinn had wisely moved all the machining parts that he had taken with him both on the ill-fated Mamba and from the station itself. They had to borrow an engine from a damaged dread and re-fitted it to serve as part of a miniature metals refinery in the Nirvana. Jinn, having nearly mastered the ways of using resources effectively had almost every aspect of this covered and new parts were being churned out for use on the vanguards; which had limited spare parts to speak of. This goes without saying the possibility of cannibalizing the vanguards already customized by the Mejere pilots or Hibiki's vanguard itself.

Earlier Jinn had tossed the wreckage of some of the cube-types that he was done examining with and the result of filtering out some unusual metals and armor was the end product now standing in thick armor form that was being applied to the Vanguard belonging to Leo. The Metal's natural color was found to be a reflective gloss black, but turned red when it was made in smaller amounts. This raised questions as to what the armor was on the Cubes, but for the moment that wasn't Jinn's concern.

Propellant was scooped up from the interstellar gasses and filtered through the Nirvana's lower section and channeled from the fuel production systems and piped into the small and otherwise efficient ammunition production storage. From this, new types of ammunition were being put into production with the forced mixture of Mejere and Tarak sciences.

Nobody said it would be easy.

But just as that had been said, it hadn't been said that the 42nd and the Nirvana were desperate. And as they were desperate, they were creative and brave.



Leo's bandaged arm seemed to be fine. It was still numb after nearly a day of being healed, but the Doctor was amazed at Leo's recovery and had apparently underestimated the technological prowess of Mejere medicine...under the harvester's instructions.

"Strange," Leo said as he flexed his arm and rubbed his shoulder, "I go out to save the technology that would save Jura, injure myself, and then have that science come in handy to save my own skin."

"In so many words." Dureo said in the medical bay as the two of them were finishing up a conversation.

Leo turned to glance over his shoulder where Kai was standing at Jura's bedside, "Will she be fine?"

"Because of the efforts of Mr. Uling and Tesh she'll pull through completely healed. Although I must say the instructions in the harvester techniques are somewhat forward in their processes...I had to adapt much of their thinking to perform the surgeries correctly."

"Why is that doc?" Leo asked.

"Because they have based their assumptions that the organs are outside the body." Dureo replied darkly.

"...I see, but I guess that was to be expected." Leo said.

Dita came in and Leo softened and slowed on his way to the door, "Hello..." He greeted.

"How are you feeling Mr. Vanguard?" Dita asked.

"Fine, ready to go." Leo replied and moved his right arm to prove it.

"That's great!" Dita cheered, "Now you can go and fight again!"

"Yeah..." Answered Leo and looked at her, "Fight with you..."

"Ehe..." She hesitated.

Leo bowed his head to explain, "Listen...Dita, I know it's a little startling for you but...I guess what I mean to say,"

"Yes?" Dita replied.

Leo straightened his posture and turned his head to her, "Dita, you saved my life. That's one of the reasons why I feel close to you now...but it's not just that," Leo turned his head to gaze at the wall, "For some reason I'm just...attracted to you. I want to protect you Dita, and do everything in my power to keep you from harm. But...it's just more than that too..."

"Mr. Vanguard..." She murmured.

"Please," He said, "Call me Leo."

"I'm sorry," She smiled, "I'm so used to that...I used to say it to Mr. Alien too...."

Leo looked defeated in that moment, but continued to smile, "He's human just like you, ya know."

A flash back happened before Leo's eyes, and the revelation that he had seen something like this corridor before.

"He's just... like me...you know."

Dita turned to him and Leo extended his left hand to lean against the wall, "We're both outcasts from our homes...both of our pasts are obscure- or so I've heard. And we can't even remember how we came to be in this world. The only difference between Hibiki and I is that....well... he has you. He has somebody who wants to be with him...and I don't mean friends... It's just..."

He looked away from her, and Dita turned her head down.

"He has you, and that gives him all the advantages." Leo looked in another direction, "And to add to that he has the attentions of so many others here too...like Misty, I've seen."

Dita didn't' say anything, but Leo looked at her again, "I feel I should do something for you too...it seems that you're being thrown away in favor of Misty."

"That's not true!" Dita cried.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry..." Leo said and closed his mouth, defeated. He stayed there for a moment, then started walking, "I shouldn't have opened my fat mouth."

"Wait," Dita said after he had walked down the hallway some distance. Leo turned around to look at her, and Dita's saddened face looked at the ground before his feet, "I'm really sorry...I didn't mean to upset you..."

"No....It's my fault." Leo replied, "I was just thanking you for saving my life, I guess that's your special thing for me isn't it? Now you can go back to trying to see your 'Mr. Alien' again....I guess I can't try anymore."

Dita turned crestfallen as Leo walked away a defeated man. She understood him in some way...it was like a mirror reflection of herself wanting attention...only here Dita's own attentions were for a man that was shunning her away.

"Leo!" She cried out and hurried down the hallway after him. Leo turned around and caught her in his arms and she started to cry, "I'm sorry I'm sorry...."

"Shh...shhh..." Leo shushed like a voice from the past once did for him, "Calm down okay? It's okay...I'm not going anywhere...."

His hands came to the small of her back and held her closer to him. The mutual feeling of warmth hung there between them-

"This is the Captain. All pilots report to your stations, we are commencing operations in fifteen minutes." Chimed Magano's voice over the intercom.

Leo could do nothing more than just hold onto Dita. For some reason, he didn't want to let go. In that moment, he asked himself; was he from Tarak, or was he something else?

"We have to go..." She pulled away.

"Please stay," He beckoned as he held on to her sleeve, "Please..."

"I have to..." Dita replied, confused and frightened.

She pulled away and as she did Leo apologized, "I'm sorry..."

Dita heard him just as she was running down the hallway.

--------

All operations were being prepared.

Vanguards and Dreads were deployed in their formations. Hanging just in front of the center of the Nirvana's hull was the attack team- three Dreads, two vanguards; Barnette, Meia, and Dita; with Leo and Hibiki.

Leo was quiet through the operations. The overhanging survival rack had been completely torn out, and there was plenty of evidence to show that repairs had been done. He was still in the bloody long-sleeved shirt that he had been in when they launched the last time- and this time in this same shirt he would get a victory.

He glanced over at Dita's Vanguard, not sure of what he would say to Dita the next time they were face-to-face.

"Okay, this is it." Shin announced, "Dread teams, prepare to form a flying wedge of firepower. We'll be right behind you."

"Roger!" Chimed the pilots and all was in readiness.

Leo grit his teeth and then activated the thrusters as everyone else blasted into motion and surged out of the cloud.

Gunfire and missiles was the calling card of the storm as the Nirvana burst out of the dust cloud with lots of friends.

The red Nirvana had it's own slew of friends, but Barnette's own friend on the top of her dread decided to speak first.

A pair of energy spheres discharged from the top of her dread and spiraled around each other to detonate in the area and stopped the motion of all the cubes and pods.

"Let's do this!" cried Hibiki.

Dita perked up, "Ah...Mr. Alien..."

"We'll combine later!" Hibiki called and once again blasted for Meia.

"Mr. Alien..." Dita spoke in a sad tone, then she gasped and her eyes widened as a Vanguard exploded past her.

This vanguard had mirrored black armor on it's surfaces, and red triangles at small points of armor. The head was a barrel with a single opening for the eye.

Even so, two large external pods with blue engine glow stuck out of the back, and in the grip of the left arm was the gattling cannon characteristic to only one Vanguard.

Dita gasped as she saw this thing tear into the enemy formation and open fire.

Cubes mercilessly tried to fire back, but the heavy armor of the Vanguard only either accepted the blows casually or bounced them in random directions.

The Vanguard piloted by Leo responded to their challenge by dealing death to robots in the manor of the bright light at the edge of his gattling cannon barrel.

"Yeah!" Cheered Tesh, "You go Leo!"

Leo accepted the praise with no sound as he turned and spent more ammunition ending the lives of the cybernetic life forms bent on taking humanity.

"Heads up!" Called Kai and raised his cannon to fire at the advancing Nirvana copy.

Wearing the scars of Jinn's revenge and just as angry as before the Nirvana copy in robot mode flew up to take a swing at Vandread Meia.

"We don't have time for you!" Shouted Hibiki and flew over it's torso. The small red dots around the cannon nozzle chattered with flak in a vain attempt to hit the Vanguard.

Tag's distant rapport silently flashed and another round slammed into the wounded arm.

Leo approached now and fired into the robot as he and Dita swung around it with Barnette in tow.

Their main objective was the gaping hole at the side of the flagship, repaired some to decrease it's size and ugly appearance, but a hole nonetheless where three pods should have been.

"We're going in!" Hibiki called and his Vandread plunged into the hole, followed by Barnette, then Dita, and Leo following.



"Strike force has entered the enemy main hull!" Informed Horse.

"What's the status of the main strike force?" Asked Thor.

"Still holding!" Celtic chimed.

Thor glanced at the cosplaying wonder, smirked, then turned his attention back to the situation at hand.

"All forces converging their firepower on the Nirvana copy and it's escorts." Informed Horse.

Meanwhile inside the enemy flagship things had turned from understandable to weird.

Leo had never imagined the interior of a flagship- let alone seen one until this encounter. But the insides looked more like a living being than a robot.

"Are you sure this is a space ship?" Leo asked aloud.

"What does it look like?" Meia replied from her seat and Hibiki's seat on her lap.

Leo shut up and continued to power with the others.

Before long they came into a rectangular corridor lined with lights. Red lights. Lights that fired annoying red laser beams.

"There had to be a catch," Muttered Leo and decided now was a good time to unleash the first flight of missiles.

Rockets exploded from their positions on parts of the armor and mini-missiles guided themselves into the walls ahead to combust and destroy enemy gun formations.

"Whoa!" Hibiki called, "Was that Leo?"

"Wanna see me do that again?" Leo asked with a smirk on his face, but just then they broke into the main section of the enemy mothership.

"This is it?" Meia asked and looked around the huge, spherical room dominated by a central pillar and tens of strands connecting it to the walls. Then she addressed Hibiki, "I'll leave you to take care of Pyoro."

"Right." Nodded Hibiki and Pyoro muttered behind Tag's parting gift of duck-tape across the mouth. Hibiki looked up at Dita's dread, "You're up!"

Dita didn't say anything, but flew for Hibiki as he decombined with Meia and recombined to form Vandread Dita.

Dita was very quiet in Hibiki's lap, and with Pyoro now swimming for the central core things were eerily silent, "Hey, what's wrong?" Asked Hibiki.

Dita opened her mouth to say something but couldn't find words to say to him. "Nothing...Mr. Alien..."

"Come on cheer up!" Hibiki called, "We're gonna do this-"

"Heads up! We have some cubes who wanna play!" Leo warned and turned his main gun to fire at the newcomers.

The cubes scattered, with four becoming a buckler and spinning to deflect Leo's gunfire.

"Real smart, but I've got presents," Leo smiled with anger, "FOR ALL OF YOU!"

The second batch of mini-missiles exploded into space- this time from the packs themselves. These missiles spun around in the air and in an instant cleared the air of cubes.

Barnette blinked, "Where can I get one of those?"

Her sentence was interrupted by a large crashing and the sudden appearance of the Nirvana copy.

Leo turned with his mouth agape, and after a moment said, "You just HAD to show up."

Hibiki and Dita gasped at the thing and Barnette called, "He's really desperate isn't he?"

"Given the situation in what we're doing here, would you?" Meia replied.

The copy's angry eyes flared and turned it's sights to another blue form under it's radar.

"Ah!" Leo called and clutched his forehead.

"Leo!" Called Dita.

"Leo?" Repeated 'Mr. Alien'. Since when did Dita call Tarak by their first names?

"It's the Pexis...who are you!?" Screamed Leo in response to the red glow in his vision.

Anger. Fear. Suffering.

You must die.

Leo grabbed the controls and yanked them as hard as he could to avoid getting toasted by the eye lasers.

You will die.

"What?"

The cannons on the copy's chest chattered and red dashes aimed for Leo.

Leo fired back and let whatever missiles he had left spray for the copy. Impacts dotted the chest shields, but otherwise there was no response.

"Damnit," Leo cursed and dodged another attack, "Why is he shooting at me?!"

Meia called, "We'll try to distract it somehow!"

Her dread fired into the copy's back, but it didn't react and continued to hound Leo.

"It's signaled him out!" Cried Barnette, "why?"

Meia only grit her teeth and then noticed the robot was standing on something, "Hibiki!" Called Meia, "Aim for that thing's feet!"

"Huh? Okay," Hibiki replied and locked the cannons into the shoulders and took aim. The twin pulse beams exploded the strand the thing was standing on and forced it to buckle and collapse into the core.

"Yes!" Hibiki called, "Got it!"

Dita was quiet, thinking only about how the robot signaled out Leo...

"Hey Pyoro! Are you done yet?!" Asked Hibiki.

"Pyoro! Package delivered!" Called Pyoro.

The core started to react and writhe, "It's in pain!" Called Barnette, "We did it!"

Someone wanted to disagree.

Fire flew out of the core and aimed for Leo.

"What?"

Leo dodged the fire, but not without getting his armor singed, "That thing's operational!"

The red glow was now over the other advanced dreads, and permeating in Vandread Dita.

"Ah...this feeling!" Dita cried, "It's the other!"

Die. He must die.

"Who!?" Cried Hibiki.

The robot turned and fired at Leo again.

Before another one is found.

Leo spun to dodge the fire and returned with his own, insignificant bullets.

Coming through the gap made by the robot now was Jura, with help.

Shin was commanding the troops and saw what was going on, "What...."

Jura called out, "All right! Let's get this show over with fast!"

"Be careful," Said a voice and Dureo materialized on the main screen in Jura's dread, "Your painkillers will wear off soon."

"That's why I told them to get this over with fast..." Jura replied.

Leo wasn't concerned about getting it over with fast, he was concerned about living.

The robot was tracking his every move and firing at him with anything it had.

And it was charging it's main cannon.

"What? NO!" Shouted Dita as she grabbed control from Hibiki.

"Wha? Hey!"

Vandread Dita moved up to block fire from Leo, "Don't hurt him!"

"Dita what are you doing!" Cried Meia.

Jura saw it too late, and the huge photon torpedo was coming at Vandread Dita...and aimed at Leo.

Meia was very close by when the thing detonated.

"Ah!" Gasped the voices of the 42nd, the dreads, and the watchers on the Nirvana.

"What happened!?" BC asked.

"I've lost contact with Dreads Jura, Meia, and Dita!" Horse called, "No response from Vanguards Hibiki nor Leo!"

"Come in anyone!" Ezra called over the channel, "Please respond!"

Static came over the net from the drifting debris, "Command....get out of here!"

"Leo?" Shin asked.

From his battered and fractured-armored Vanguard Leo called out, "Commander...get out of here! Get out of here now!"

"Leo, we're not going to abandon you!" Shin ordered and waved his hand, "42nd-!"

Another photon torpedo was flashing for the group to finish them off, the sparkling red ball closed....

"Leo..." Dita said in her cockpit, "I'm sorry...sorry for everything..."

Leo blinked, and opened his mouth-

The torpedo reached them.

"NO!" Screamed a great many voices and the detonation...stopped.

Tex gave a yip at his panel, "Command somethin's screwy with the Pexis..."

It was, transmitting a signal by a thin beam...

And it passed directly through everything to first touch Leo's vanguard, then scattered into a wide field to diffuse the torpedo's detonation and spread into the debris of the Vandread team.

But also, it surrounded the Vanguard belonging to Leo.

The debris surrounding the Vandread started to converge, turning into a liquid state as it re-formed into a newer, taller, and definitely more imposing figure. The finished product was lit by a halo of the remaining Pexis energy, looking as if it was some sort of magnificent trophy.

Only this one was armed.

And not alone.

"Did you get all that!?" Tesh asked to Kai.

"I did," Shin said, "What's going on?"

"Pexis reaction!" Barnette called out, "Wow...Jura do you copy?"

"We're still here!" Replied Hibiki in a cheer.

But beside the new Vandread was another smaller vanguard.

"That must be Leo..." Shin muttered under his breath.

The vanguard that finished materializing was at a glance similar to Hibiki's vanguard, only this one had a light blue color for the lower torso, forearms and legs, but the body and details were of a dark blue with green highlights.

The eyes were glowing blue.

This Vanguard type didn't have the back shield and blade holster's as Hibiki had...instead what flipped out and arrayed itself into the vanguard's left arm was a tri-barreled energy cannon. On the right hip was a pair of hilts in scabbards- supposedly long swards.

The Vanguard wasted no time in igniting it's engines and became a blue comet.

"Gha! That's fast!" Called Tesh and looked at his sensors, "Only Spindles, Cube ones, and Vandread Meia go that fast!"

The Vanguard formed a blue streak as it rushed for the head of the copy with both hands on the barrel of the gun and opened fire.

Blue explosions raced up the front of the thing to the head, where it stayed to blind the robot.

"I need some help here!" Leo called and released the gun. It flipped back into the back compartment and Leo pulled both swards out of the side sheath and took another direction.

The Robot, concerned with the destruction of the new and potentially dangerous Vanguard turned it's complete attention to the newest member of the super squadron and fired with it's chest laser.

Leo simply wasn't there- his vanguard darted out of the way and the hazard beam blew out more sections of the wall.

"Hibiki!" Warned Meia.

"Right, let's do this!" Hibiki challenged.

Dita had no answer, but moved anyway and the largest sward ever made by mecha was formed in it's hands and it rushed forward with the incredible speed of Vandread Meia and hacked at the robot.

The torso, right arm and head all separated from the main body and crumbled into debris.

"Yes!" Cheered Tesh, "Man, I wanna have one of those!"

"Too bad!" Hibiki laughed at Tesh, "I'm the one with the Vanguard, so there!"

"Not anymore." Leo said as he blasted by the Super Vandread's head, then banked and announced, "Command enemy core and enemy main robot neutralized. Requesting orders."

Shin smiled in his cockpit, "Stand down Leo, you did it."

Leo replied a stiff, "Thank you sir." And cut the radio, and then relaxed completely in the new seat he was in. Everything was new and streamlined...half the systems he was confused about were now crystal clear. Even the Heads up display glowed in pretty colors and told him everything he needed to know.

He looked at the control pad and saw some noticeable differences, but this was only day one. Testing would have to be done on the vanguard, among a whole other new things. But one of them shone crystal clear in his mind:

He could now combine with the Super Dreads, and possibly...form the super Vandread before him now.

He couldn't wait.

The Nirvana hung beside the motionless flag ship for a half-hour as teams searched the wreckage of the flagship and combed the area for any sign of the Deli pod.

"No good sir," Taru reported in his Try type, "We've scanned the entire hole and then some. Unless the thing swallowed up Gasconge to another part of the ship, I can't be certain to where she is."

"Understood..." Jinn sighed heavily and dimly in his own cockpit. He was on the outside of the hole and looking in.

Gasconge... Jinn was remembering the precious few memories he had with the Nirvana Quartermaster. In some ways Jinn had something he never had before...an equal. And now she was gone...just at the bloom of something amazing...

He was afraid of this...but somehow he knew it. Someway he knew that Gasconge wasn't to be found here. Yet...some part of him couldn't accept she was dead...

He couldn't convince himself. There was no trace of the pod, but they looked everywhere. So...what could it mean? What would happen to them all...what would happen to Jinn?

The Tarak quartermaster didn't know. He just looked into the hazy crater where that monstrosity rammed into it's own creator...and then his love disappeared.

"Gasconge..." Jinn said and lowered his head, "Why did you have to leave?"

The oldest Tarak of the group started to cry...his head resting against the control pad. He had to do this...

The Try type stopped beside the massive hole as the last of the team left it.

Jinn's hands moved. They didn't have much time here...anything could happen and re-activate the massive horde around them. But before he left, Jinn had to say one goodbye to Gasconge at the site of her death...

Jinn didn't know what to do when he found the gardens on the Mission station- untamed and unkempt. In addition to practicing the arts of Vanguard combat, he decided on a little hobby of garden upkeep- in a strange irony he tamed the garden as his face became untamed.

One of the legacies of that garden were roses...and he had some with him still. Two roses and a can of root beer packed in a pod left one of the Try type's hands and floated into the dark chasm of the hole.

Jinn closed his hands around his head and tapped one button- the auto-pilot to return home. He wept in his hands instead....

Leo didn't know what to think of his new Vanguard. One thing for sure was that he wouldn't be trapped in it again.

He was still looking at it when the other Dreads had landed and their pilots had come out. "Ahah....Leo!" Cried Dita.

Leo turned and Dita gave a big smile and a wave at him. He softened at this...glad to see Dita happy.

Hibiki wanted to challenge this, but like magic Misty came out of nowhere to distract him with a hug and a bag lunch. Typical perhaps, and the easiest way to get to Hibiki.

Dita saw this and hesitated halfway between Leo and Hibiki and watched as Hibiki smiled and replied to Misty's kindness.

Her feet staggered some, taking her in an unknown direction, then she turned to run for Leo- the new alien.

Leo caught her and she giggled in his arms, "All right Mr. Alien!"

"Wha?" Leo blinked in amazement.

Hibiki, used to this name, looked up and saw Dita in Leo's hands. He too hesitated, unsure of the times...

"Hibiki! Why don't you come to my room?!" Misty chimed.

"Can't you see I'm busy right now?" Asked Hibiki and started walking.

Misty blinked with Q-chan and looked down the hallway as he walked and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere!" Called Hibiki and the door closed.

-----------------

End CH.

I know many of you might protest against the slowly pairing L-D couple...but then again I have to remind you all that this was set-up by people from the past...and in some ways, I think Dita's too good for Hibiki. But then again I'm not the one who made the series...this is only a re-telling and a re-formation after the offspring from the 'cannon' universe of Vandread decided to change it.

Now, the next section dealt with Hibiki's feelings for Dita. With Leo in the mix, things should get interesting. Especially with some unexpected turns...