Vandread Fan Fiction ❯ Altered Soul: Fading to Reality ❯ Chapter 3: A Visitor ( Chapter 3 )

Altered Soul: Fading to Reality

Chapter 3: A Visitor

Legend:

Word denotes character thought

Word denotes setting, time

-Word- denotes sound effect

2nd Perimeter Defense Orbital Station, CommandCenter; Talark Airspace

            Inside the central section of the orbital station, the station personnel were on their daily routine of work, keeping vigilant for any threats poised to their home planet Talark.  They worked on the highly computerized systems, keeping checks on their constant monitoring on their surrounding area.

            -BEEP-

            The main door opened, with Commander Tyson Muto stepping inside.  The entire personnel stood up and saluted him. 

            "Commander Muto!"

            Tyson shrugged off their salute with a wave of his hand.  He chuckled little, noticing his men's seriousness into their duty. 

            "At ease, everybody.  Resume back to your duties."

            The personnel returned to their respective duties.  Tyson headed for his seat situated in the center of the room. 

            "Anything sighted, Yamazaki?" he asked a nearby radar operator.

            "There's nothing so far, sir.  No unusual activity reported," Yamazaki replied.

            "I see," Tyson rubbed his forehead with his two right main fingers.  He tapped the left armrest of his seat with his left fingers.

            Well, another standard check here.  I suppose there's nothing much going on for the meantime.

            -BLIP-

            "Huh?" Yamazaki jumped a bit inside as he saw an object in the radar.  A second followed, and another object appeared.  This kept on until 13 of them showed up lined in a diamond formation. 

            "Sir, unidentified objects are appearing in the radar, they're approaching our perimeter!"

            "How many of them are there?" Tyson stood up from his seat. 

            "13 I've counted… wait, make that 14!" Yamazaki spotted another object appearing at the front of the diamond formation. 

            "Put them on visual!"

            The main screen flickered in view, showing a large group of colony ships led by a vanguard.   

Gasps bellowed from the personnel as they noticed it.  What surprised them was its design.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Mech. Profile --- Vanguard Knightmare

Model No:       V-Unit MFX001

Pilot:         &nb sp;       Kai Toshiro

Engine Type:    

            A customized engine system designed by the pilot, it sports 6x vernier thrusters (two attached to the back, two attached to the ankle parts, and two attached at the foot) for all-around maneuverability.  The engine runs on condensed energy made from a mineral called Vanadium.

Armor Type:

            Moderately armored plating on the entire chassis of the vanguard.  It's designed to take close combat beatings more than middle and long-range attacks.

Weaponry:

            (2x)      Medium-sized energy boomerang blades

(2x)      Medium-sized energy sabers

            (1x)      5-ft long anti-ship energy sword, "Judgment"

            (1x)      Grapple launcher, "Anchor"

(1x)      3-ft plate shield

            (1x)      Particle laser dispenser

Other Notes:

            The vanguard's design attracts the most attention.  It resembles that to a knight in medieval times; it sports an all-black luster, hence its name.

            Its focus is purely on melee combat.  It lacks conventional ranged weapons, putting it at a disadvantage against middle and long-range attacks.  Despite this, it makes up for its weakness with its speed and maneuverability, using its "Anchor" as a whip to spear foes or drag them toward itself for quick finishes. 

Its particle laser dispenser is another special feature it possesses.  It discharges particles of laser energy to serve as chaff to deflect or evade energy attacks.

Its main feature is its 5-ft long anti-ship energy sword, "Judgment", a melee weapon with the longest length designed.  The sword's blades comprise of two parts, the main blade (composed of Vandredium alloy) and the beam blade (which is charged up of condensed-particle energy).  It's used primarily to take down large battleships.       

Yamazaki widened his eyes at the sight.

            "Sir, that's a… vanguard!  It's leading the fleet!"

            Tyson calmed his men down with a loud yell of "Quiet".

            "That's an odd design for a vanguard.  Hmm… we don't have something like that in our mecha files.  Mori, can you contact them?" he asked to a communications operator seated next to Yamazaki.  He typed in a few commands to his console and tried to get a transmission. 

A minute passed by.  Suddenly, a signal was hailed from the vanguard.  

Mori swiveled his chair, facing his superior and giving him a thumbs-up as a "Yes".

The main screen flickered for an instant, revealing a lean, built figure in the vanguard's controls.  He wore a black combat vest (with an insignia of skull and crossbones stitched on the left chest), black-tight pants, and dark-blue combat boots. He sported a flattop dark-brown hairstyle, with his dark-blue eyes shimmering slightly.  A red bandana was worn around his head.   

            "Is this Talark airspace I'm approaching?  I need to speak with the superior officer in charge," he asked.

            Tyson walked in view. 

            "I'm Commander Tyson Muto of the Talark 2nd Perimeter Defense Force.  I'm in charge of this station.  Address your identity and purpose."

            The vanguard pilot bowed his head in apology.

            "My apologies, Commander Muto; I'm Kai Toshiro of the Skull Guard, last vanguard pilot from this surviving group of colony ships that escaped an attack from Earth's harvesters.  I speak on the survivors' behalf.  I ask that you grant us passage to Talark; we're in need of repairs and supplies.  Plus, we need medical aid; there're a lot of wounded we've carried on here."

            "I see.  Very well, please lead those ships here inside this station; we've adequate assistance we can help you with.  In the meantime, please board in first and see me.  We can discuss the matter in my quarters."

            "Thanks, commander."

            Kai's face flickered off in the main screen, switched back to the view of his vanguard leading the colony ships towards the station. 

            Tyson's second-in-command, who had followed the commander inside, conferred with him. 

            "Sir, are you sure about this?  This fleet seems a bit fishy to me."

            Tyson shrugged off his worry with a wave of his hand. 

            "Now's not the time to be suspicious of things, James.  I don't think they're part of the enemy.  Gather all available personnel to help the survivors.  But, round up some extra guards just as a precaution."

            The second-in-command named James saluted him.  He turned around and left the command center, heading for the docking bay to comply with his superior's orders.

            Tyson motioned the operators for another set of orders.

            "Docking, open up all docks and let the fleet board in.  Engineering, we'll need your crew for repairs on the fleet.  Also, launch our vanguards to help direct the fleet here.  Have on-by patrols in the perimeter.  Mori, contact the Nirvana and inform Commander Vivian of the situation.  Ask her if she can send in assistance as well."

            With a sigh, he turned around and left the command center, leaving the central personnel performing their duty. 

The Nirvana, Magno's Quarters

            The female pirates' commander changed in fresh clothes as she got ready to monitor the status of the welcoming party.  She propped herself up with her walking cane and was about to exit her room when a beep resonated from her comm-link laid on her worktable.  She switched it on.

            "Yes, what's up?" she asked.

            "Boss, you've got a message from Commander Muto asking for our assistance.  It seems there's a big fleet of colony ships docking here for repairs.  Reports from a lone vanguard pilot, who represented the survivors' behalf, state that there are a number of wounded carried; medical aid is sought most," Gascogne's voice popped up.

            Magno raised her eyebrow with interest. 

            "Hmm… inform Commander Muto we'll gladly lend a hand to his relief aid.  It looks like we'll have to set aside the welcoming party for the meantime until we're done with that task."

            "Roger, Boss."

            Magno switched off her comm-link.  She slowly shook her head as she felt a dreaded promotion conjuring in her mind. 

            I have a bad feeling about this. 

            She shook the thought off her mind and exited her quarters, heading to see Tyson.  As she did, she bumped into BC, who was about to ring her doorbell. 

            "Boss, there's news…"

            "I know, BC, Gascogne informed me about it a while ago.  I was looking for you to accompany me on my way to see Commander Muto about the situation."

            "I understand."

            The two females headed for the entrance hatch of the ship, making their way down back to the command center of the orbital station.

The Nirvana, Biosphere

            The entire crew of the ship was recalled to hear an announcement from Gascogne, the party organizer.  Standing on the podium, she motioned the audience to quiet down. 

            "Everyone, I have a sudden announcement.  We'll have to put the organizing of Hibiki's welcoming party on hold.  There seems to be a large group of colony ships that are on their way in this station right now.  We have reports of wounded from an unidentified lone vanguard pilot.  The station commander needs some helping hand from us; the station personnel aren't enough to aid them.  We'll split into three groups: medic, engineering, and security."

            The chief registry officer paused for a bit to catch breath. 

            "Medic will be led by Duero.  Engineering will be led by Parfet.  And Security will be led by Meia.  The entire registry crew is to remain here with me.  Alright, any questions?  Good, now hop to it!" she clapped her hands.

            The entire crew was split into three groups as directed by Gascogne.  Medic personnel rushed up with Duero as they ferried additional medical supplies back and forth before moving them to the docking bay.

            The same thing went for Parfet, as her engineering crew gathered up the necessary tools and materials in hand for ship repairs.

            Meia handpicked a rag-tag group of her security squad.  She deployed small groups to patrol the ship's docking area.  Meanwhile, she deployed another small batch of dread and vanguard fighters to join the patrolling Talark defense in its airspace. 

2nd Perimeter Defense Orbital Station, CommandCenter; Talark Airspace

Meanwhile operators were on hand to give instructions to the necessary crew.

            "Docks 1A through 10A open your gates.  Please direct each ship in size order so that we can accommodate all the space."

            "Defense patrol 1, you're cleared to launch.  Your patrol route is area A."

            "Defense patrol 2, you're cleared to launch.  Your patrol route is area B."

            "Defense patrol 3, you're cleared to launch.  Your patrol route is area C."

            "Defense patrol 4, you're cleared to launch.  Your patrol route is area D."

            "All other necessary personnel are to immediately head for Docks 1A through 10A.  Await the colony ships' arrival."

            The orbital station spanned a wide number of 10 docks, being one of 4 defense fortresses set-up around Talark's airspace.  It's highly fortified, and boasts its force of artillery weapons and a large vanguard fleet split into 4 groups, each numbering 10 vanguard units.

One by one, the colony ships docked inside, filling up 5 docks.  The unknown vanguard, with its pilot Kai Toshiro, boarded inside as well.  The repair crew began its work, fixing heavy damage sustained in all the ships. 

Parfet was marveled by the heavy damage seen on the ships' exterior. 

"Wow… it's amazing they continued in those conditions.  They must have encountered heavy fire from the enemy, whoever they are."

A fellow mechanic from her engineering squad walked up to her, catching her attention.

"Parfet, where do we begin?"

"Hmm… we'll start with the smallest ships first, and work our way up to the biggest."

Kai's vanguard was directed to the vanguard hangar and set down there to receive repairs.  He deactivated his controls and jumped off from the cockpit, landing on the ground with ease. 

A nearby security officer approached him. 

"Kai Toshiro?"

"Yes, I'm him."

"I'll lead you to the commander's quarters.  This way please."

            Kai followed the officer to the commander's quarters.

            The ships opened their doors, allowing the medical personnel inside and gathering the wounded to the medical area before treating them.

            Duero paced back and forth as he helped treat each wounded. 

            "I'm running out of bandages!  Get some more please!"

            "Hmm… just apply this ice pack on your head to cool down your temperature.  You're burning up little.  Before you do so, take 1 spoon of this medicine first."

            "Drink plenty of fluids to remove your dehydration.  Rest is recommended afterwards."

            "You'll need rest immediately.  You're suffering from exhaustion due to your job."

            His nurse, Paiway, followed him, carrying necessary medical essentials.  She was breathing fast due to attending to so many patients.

The 4 defense vanguard patrols launched took their assigned patrol routes, monitoring for threats.  Along them, the Nirvana's dread and vanguard squad (assembled by Meia) joined in to assist.  Barnette, made as squad leader by Meia, checked up on the units.

"Dread squad, your status?" she radioed in.

            "Ok here."

            "Nothing unusual reported."

            "It's a bit boring here," Dita's voice chimed.  She was part of the dread squad.

            "Dita, relax, it won't take long," Barnette assured her, snickering to herself.

An analysis of the arriving colony ships was displayed on the main screen.  Ship diagrams were shown one by one.  One of the analysis operators, named Ken, drew up a summarized list of the colony ships on his terminal.

            "Let's see here… 4 light cruisers, 8 heavy battle cruisers, and 1 mother-cruiser; a big fleet indeed.  Judging from the schematics, the ships' conditions are in worse shape.  It's amazing they were able to make it this far.  Their weaponry seems a little superior than us Talarks and Mejerrans combined."

            After noting the summary down, he made a print-out of it and placed it inside a folder to be handed to Commander Muto.  Taking the folder with him, he stood up from his seat and headed for the commander's quarters. 

2nd Perimeter Defense Orbital Station, Commander's Quarters; Talark Airspace

            -BEEP-

            Tyson's doorbell rang.  He was seated in his chair, waiting for Kai. 

            "Enter."

            His door opened, with Kai and his escort stepping inside.  The security officer saluted to Tyson.

            "Sir, this is Kai Toshiro, pilot of the unknown vanguard."

            "Thank you.  You may leave now."

            The officer left the quarters.  Tyson motioned Kai to take a seat, which he obliged.

            "Greetings, Kai Toshiro.  As you know before, I'm Commander Tyson Muto of the Talark 2nd Perimeter Defense, in charge of this station."

            Kai dusted himself off and removed his gloves before accepting Tyson's handshake. 

            "Thank you for taking us in.  I couldn't imagine how much we could fare had this not happened."

            "There's no need.  Now, if you can tell me about yourself and your group."

            Before Kai could begin his explanation, Tyson' doorbell rang.

            -BEEP-

            "Enter," Tyson acknowledged the visitor(s).

            The female pirates' leader and second-in-command of the Nirvana walked in.  Followed shortly after was Ken, who saluted Tyson.

            "Commander, here is a summarized report on the colony ships and their schematics," he handed Tyson the folder containing the report.

            "Thank you, Ken.  You're dismissed."

            "Yes sir!"

            Ken saluted once more and exited the commander's quarters.  Tyson turned his attention to the arriving females.

            "Ah, you came at the right time, Commander Vivian and Sub-Commander Calessa.  This is Kai Toshiro, pilot of the unknown vanguard that led the colony ships here."

            Kai stood up from his seat and extended his hand out to the two females, who accepted it.  He motioned them to take their seats, and sat down on his seat.

            "Commander Muto, I got word of this matter from one of your communications personnel.  I have my entire crew lending a hand.  I take it that Mr. Toshiro here was about to explain his side of the story regarding this matter?  Oh, I'm sorry to have interrupt," Magno asked, resting her chin on her hands holding her walking cane.

            "Kai, meet the female pirates' leader of the ship Nirvana, Magno Vivian, and her sub-commander, Buzam Calessa.  Their ship is parked on Dock10A, so you can see visit them at a later time," Tyson gave the introductions.

            Kai nodded in earnest. 

            "It's nice to meet you, ma'am.  I'll consider visiting your ship at another time.  Anyway, I shall begin my narrative."