Disclaimer: Vandread belongs to Gonzo.
Vandread: The Unknown Soldier
Chapter Twenty: Error
Location: Nirvana, Main Hangar
Slowly, the small black shuttle glided its way into the hangar. Apparently the pilot was very good. The shuttle slowly settled onto the floor of the hangar, its landing gear supporting it. After the hangar re-pressurized, a small security detail entered the hangar to escort the shuttle’s inhabitants. Little did they know that the shuttle contained twenty specially-trained soldiers that were under orders to take control of the ship. Major Owens went over the plan one more time with his troops.
“Alright,” he said, his visor still up so his men could look him in the eye. “You all know the plan, once we are out of the hangar, we will split off into four teams and make our way separately to the bridge, and quickly subdue any resistance we encounter,” he said as he snapped his visor shut.
“Go! Go! Go!” he shouted as the shuttle’s ramp started to lower. The soldiers quickly bolted out of the lowering ramp and Owens heard several cracks, which he knew was laser fire. He was the last one out, and he noticed that all of the security personnel were on the ground, unconscious. Without another word, the twenty soldiers split into their assigned teams.
He noticed a peculiar thing, but dismissed it a second later. The security team consisted solely of women, and they wore uniforms he did not recognize.
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“Any word on our guests?” Magno asked.
“Not yet, but the security team I dispatched hasn’t reported in yet,” BC replied.
“Captain! There are reports of weapons’ fire in the corridor outside the hangar,” Belvedere’s panicked shout stopped all conversation.
“What!” BC yelled.
“There are several groups of soldiers, I believe they may be headed here,” Amarone reported.
BC began rattling off orders as the crew prepared to repel the boarders.
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Corporal Daniel Harwell lead his team through one of the many corridors of this ship, they were to make their way separately to the bridge, so they couldn’t all be pinned down in one area. They had encountered little resistance so far, as apparently the crew was surprised by their sudden appearance. They were quickly rendered unconscious by shots from their laser rifles. It wasn’t long though, before the alarms sounded throughout the ship and they had started to fight back. His team was pinned down in one of the corridors, and every time one of his men tried to look around the corner, they took shots at him. He took a grenade off his combat harness and pulled the pin. In an awkward cross-body throw, he tossed the grenade down towards the women.
He activated the infrared imaging installed in his helmet as the air began to fill with thick white smoke. He then moved out from the corner and took several shots, disabling the women who were firing on his team. The smoke had no effect on him or his team, as their helmets had built in air filters, effectively rendering the smoke useless against them. After he had finished off the remaining resistance, he signaled his team to move.
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Barnette was waiting for a fight like this ever since the incident with the assassin. It appears she got what she was looking for. She and several other security personnel were in one of the Nirvana’s many corridors, using several overturned tables as a makeshift blockade to prevent the intruders from getting any further. She took her pistol out of its holster and checked it’s ammo. Satisfied, she holstered it and picked up an antique but still effective M16 assault rifle, inserted a fresh magazine.
“This is where we hold the line, we will not let them get any further!” she shouted.
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Corporal Harwell led his team further into the ship, only firing on anyone who offered resistance. This wasn’t so difficult, he thought, although it may have been too soon for that thought. What he saw in front of, about fifteen meters was a blockade. He noticed a dark-haired woman standing behind it in the center. He didn’t know exactly what she was wearing, but it appeared to form-fitting, and it made her look very attractive. The only thing that kept him from staring any further was the fact that raised an assault rifle at him. He raised his rifle, but she was faster, flame leapt from the barrel of her rifle as she let off a three-round burst in his direction. He attempted to dodge them, but you couldn’t outrun a bullet, let alone three.
The slugs slammed high into his left arm, but only one managed to penetrate. Pain lanced through his arm as he was jerked to the left. He felt his arm start to go numb and blood started to run down. He dropped his rifle as he stumbled and fell to the deck. Immediately, one of his teammates leapt to help him, and dragged him back around a corner to avoid more fire. The trooper who helped him, Private Rawlins, fired blindly around the corner, in an attempt to get their heads down. He then looked over at his team leader, although Daniel couldn’t see his face the black visor of the helmet he wore.
“Are you alright, sir?” Rawlins asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied, holding his left arm. “Take the team and link up with the others.”
“But-”
“I said link up with them, I’ll try and stall them.”
After nodding, Private Rawlins and the rest of the team went off in the direction that another team had taken. He sat there, and leaned against the wall, and waited for them to advance.
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Barnette hopped over the barricade and crept over to the corner where the enemy soldiers took cover, her weapon at the ready. She leaned up against the wall, and rapidly turned, her weapon up, ready to fire. There was no one at eye level, but when she glanced down, she saw the trooper she had shot. She pointed her weapon at him as she approached him. He saw her and raised his right arm in a sign of surrender, as his left arm was wounded.
“Take off your helmet,” she barked.
“Alright,” he said as he unhooked something on the collar of his suit and lifted the helmet off of his head. She saw that he was rather young, although not as young as her. He had short, black hair and blue eyes.
“Tell me your name,” she said.
“Corporal Daniel Harwell,” he said flatly. “You don’t appear to be one of them.”
“One of who?” she asked, still pointing her rifle at him.
“I’m with the Solaris Defense Force, and you don’t look like one of our enemy,” he said.
Suddenly, the realization hit her. This man was not her enemy, in fact he was supposed to be fighting the same enemy she had been fighting. But something didn’t add up. “Why’d you attack us?”
“I guess the higher-ups had mistaken your ship for an enemy. That’s why we were deployed, to take control of your ship. We were under orders not to use lethal weapons, so any of your crew shouldn’t be badly injured,” he said as bit back on the pain in his left arm.
“You need medical attention,” she said, and she ordered one of the crewmates to get Duero.
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Maria was suddenly surprised at the sounds of laser fire sounding throughout the corridor. She was in her room when she heard it. Curious, she opened her door and looked out. She saw several soldiers in dark armor bolt down the corridor. She recognized the insignia on the shoulder of the armor one of them was wearing. It was the silver gauntlet clenching a double-edge sword on blue shield of the Solaris Federation. But why were they attacking this ship. She needed to do something about that. She followed them, but kept her distance.
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Major Nigel Owens and the rest of the teams under his command burst through the doors to the bridge, to see a startled crew. The only one’s that appeared to not have been affected by their entrance was a silver-haired woman and the old woman which he assumed to be the captain of this vessel. His team covered everyone on the bridge, including the bald man near the front.
“Don’t move, or we will open fire,” he barked.
“Who do you think you are?” the old woman asked.
“I am Major Nigel Owens, and I claim this ship in the name of the Solaris Federation.”
“Solaris Federation…” the old woman said, as if she’d heard it before.
Before anyone else could speak, the sound of a familiar voice echoed across the bridge.
“You will not,” a young woman with short violet hair said as she walked up to him. “You will stand down.”
It took him a few seconds to recognize her as Maria Shakov, daughter of the late Prime Minister. She had shorter hair than the last time he saw a picture of her. Caught totally off-guard, he composed himself. He removed his helmet and began to speak.
“Miss Shakov, what are you doing here, aren’t you supposed to be on the Artemis?”
“It’s a long story, but apparently we have plenty of time,” she said as she looked him in the eyes.
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Gasps No Aidan or Meia in this chapter. They will show up in the next one.