Disclaimer: I do not, and will never own, Vandread.
A/N: Yeah, as it stands, I’ve barely touched on Hibiki and Dita’s relationship, as noticed by the fact that I didn’t really concentrate on them in The Unknown Soldier. I am attempting to rectify that, as I plan on there being several scenes, and maybe a chapter or two concentrating on them at a later date, and now, on with the story…
Vandread: A Renewed War
Chapter Four: Hatred Renewed, Part Two
Location: Solaria Spaceport, Solaria
It was almost time for the flight up to her new assignment, and Mayura felt a little nervous. This was the first unit she’d been assigned to, but it wasn’t that that made her nervous. It was the fact that she’d been directly promoted to the elite SSF, the Solaris Special Forces. Add to that the fact that she’d been hand-picked by the commander of the new unit, based purely on her academy test scores and skills, as well as her performance in the .
Seeing that it was almost time, she picked up her duffel bag and headed for the appropriate boarding area for the shuttlecraft. As soon as she provided the proper credentials, she was allowed to board the craft. Once onboard, she found an empty seat next to a window, after storing her bag in the overhead compartment, she sat down, and looked out the window. All that could be seen on the lower levels around the launch catapult was the movement of various military and maintenance vehicles.
A light snowfall was beginning to leave a thin layer of snow on the tarmac, but it was being quickly turned to slush by the heavy vehicles. In the distance, she saw a vehicle with a snowplow attached to its front, clearing the snow and slush from the tarmac. She hated this time of year. It wasn’t because of the cold, or the corresponding weather, but because this time of year brought up memories she’d rather not remember.
She continued to stare out into the gray sky, barely hearing the announcement that the shuttle was about to launch. Only the jolt of the shuttle took her out of her thoughts, and she watched as the ground rapidly disappeared from her view.
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Location: Pirate Base, Asteroid Belt between Tarak & Mejale.
“This isn’t good,” Rebecca commented as she watched the broadcast by the Tarak Prime Minister.
“As you can clearly see,” he was saying as the screen showed a Mejalean Army Dread tear its way through several Vanguards before finally performing a suicide attack on the Tarak flagship. “This is a clear act of hostility towards our proud nation, and it will not be tolerated!”
“You said it,” Valore, the orange-red haired Dread Team Leader, replied. “What I don’t get though, is why would the Mejalean military carry out a suicide operation like this one, and with only a single Dread?”
“Yes,” Rebecca said. “It doesn’t make sense, doesn’t fit with their standard tactical doctrine.”
The Minister’s speech continued, his fury unabated. “As a result of these actions, countless numbers of our loyal soldiers were murdered, and we lost our fleet’s flagship in this cowardly attack. This proves that men cannot coexist with the vile women. For the preservation of this nation and all that is good, I hereby declare war on Mejale!”
“Did he say what I think he just said?” Rebecca said.
“Yeah,” Valore replied.
“We need to get word out to the Captain,” Rebecca said, getting up from her seat.
“Well, so much for an uneasy peace,” Valore commented as they set about getting a message to Magno.
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Location: Pilot Briefing Room, Nirvana
Meia was tired. It was well past three in the morning, but she had finally finished coming up with possible exercises that would allow Aidan’s unit and her Dread Teams to integrate their tactics, allowing them to fight against the Harvesters. The data Aidan had provided had helped, allowing her to understand the way the soldiers of the SDF fought, in terms of space combat. It was only a few days from now, until they would begin their departure.
Satisfied that she was finished, she leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She really needed to get some sleep, or she wouldn’t be able to perform her duties tomorrow. She got up and stretched, then turned to the terminal she was using. She tapped the power stud to the terminal she’d been using, turning it off. She walked to the door, and then though it, intent on at least getting some rest.
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Location: Military Shuttle, En Route to Avalon Shipyards, in orbit around Avalon, one of Solaris’ two moons.
Avalon Shipyards, a massive expanse of docks and large construction equipment, with one purpose: to construct, repair, and maintain naval vessels, primarily warships for the military. She marveled at just how big it was. As she rarely spent any time in space, she did not see things like this on a regular basis. From her window, she could see at least two ships were still incomplete. Both of them were Essex class frigates, but they hardly looked like they normally would. As both of them were nowhere near completion, it was understandable. What she saw next nearly took her breath away.
Sitting in a large repair gantry was an Invincible class battlecruiser. She knew there was only two of those ships currently in existence. One was the Dauntless, the flagship of the reconstituted Solaris Naval Defense Fleet. The other was the Resolute, the ship that was currently sitting several hundred kilometers outside her window. She knew that ship had a tainted past, as it used to be the EDA flagship, Divine Will.
After being recaptured, the massive cruiser was being currently being repaired and overhauled. After that, it was going to be re-christened Resolute, its original name. But that was not the ship they were currently headed for. All she knew was that the ship she was assigned to was a new class, and it was called the Deimos, after a figure of some ancient myth.
“We are beginning docking procedures,” came the pilot’s announcement.
A few seconds later, she felt the slight vibration throughout the small craft as the docking clamps latched onto it. A few seconds later the announcement to disembark came through the intercom. She unfastened her restraints and got up out of her seat. She still kept a grip on the arm of it to prevent herself from hitting the ceiling. As there was no gravity, she had to be careful of her movements, so as to not cause injury to herself. She pushed herself into the aisle, and grabbed her bag from the overhead compartment. She then proceeded to follow the group of people out of the shuttle and onto the station.
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Location: S.D.S Deimos, Avalon Shipyards
Stepping through the airlock, Aidan was greeted by a small contingent of the Deimos’ crew. Foremost among them was the captain of the vessel, Conrad Vincent. A man of about average height with an athletic build. He had short, dark brown hair and a goatee, so dark, that he appeared to have black hair under all but the brightest of lights. Aidan had read the man’s dossier, but that hardly told him anything he couldn’t have already figured out. His file stated that he was competent captain, and he did command the destroyer Fenrir during the previous war, which had been retired from service for damage sustained in the war. He didn’t know what the man was really like. He would find out in a few seconds.
“Commander Aidan Mercer,” he said formally, raising his hand in salute. “Permission to come aboard, sir?”
“Permission granted,” Vincent replied with equal formality. “I am Captain Conrad Vincent, welcome aboard the Deimos, Commander.”
What followed next was a series of introductions, with Captain Vincent introducing the officers that were with him. He then followed them to the bridge. Along the way he noticed that the interior was only slightly different from that of other ships. What made this ship unique was the fact that the bridge descended whenever the ship entered combat, thus keeping the captain and the bridge crew safe during battle. This vessel was also surprisingly armed for its size, having almost twice the firepower of an Intrepid class destroyer, the closest equivalent in terms of operation and size.
That was made possible partly because of the fact that it didn’t carry fighters, which needed ample hangar space for storage of the craft. It was designed to carry Strikers, which were smaller than fighter craft and needed less storage space. It is the first dedicated Striker carrier platform, intended to eventually replace some of the older destroyers in service. He just hoped it would prove to be a capable vessel, especially against the Harvesters, whom had the advantage of numbers and automation.
“Captain on deck. Commander on deck.” a petty officer announced upon their arrival onto the bridge.
“As you were,” Captain Vincent responded, meaning the crew could return to their duties.
Aidan realized that the bridge was different from the other vessels he’d seen. While still decently sized, it was more compact than the others he’d previously been on. He believed it was like that because of the new design layout, which offered better protection for the captain and bridge crew while in combat. He just hoped this ship, as well as the soldiers under his command, would be enough for what they were about to do…
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Location: Garden Park, Nirvana
A long silence seemed to stretch on as Hibiki approached the bench where Dita sat. He’d been feeling miserable ever since he’d vented his frustration out on Dita yesterday. He’d finally made up his mind he was going to apologize to her. She looked up when she saw him approach.
“I… I’m sorry,” he apologized. “For earlier, I was out of line. I just had a lot on my mind, that was all.”
“That’s okay,” she replied, getting up off the bench. “I was just concerned, you weren’t acting like yourself.”
“Well,” he said after a few seconds. “If there’s nothing else, I guess I’ll get going.”
“Wait!” she said grabbing a hold of his arm. “Why don’t we get something to eat?”
“Sure,” he replied, a faint smile creasing his lips. “Why not?”
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Location: Tarak/Mejale Border
“Command to all vessels, you are now clear to commence with the operation,” the transmission came through loud and clear throughout the task force that had received it.
As a result, several of the blocky Tarak warships lit their engines, launching their humanoid war machines known as Vanguards. To the Mejaleans that were manning the base that was their target, it looked as though a swarm of angry wasps had just emerged from their nests. They rapidly approached, forcing the women to activate the base defenses, as well as the Dread squadron that was assigned to defend it.
As the nimble Vanguards entered firing range, several of the outlying turrets came to deadly life, filling the space with a hail of deadly fire. Several Vanguards were hit causing them to explode, but the rest scattered, not allowing them to concentrate their fire. A few turrets were taken out by a few of the quicker mecha, until the Dreads entered the fray, forcing the Vanguards to deal with this more, potent threat.
The battle went on for several minutes, with the Mejaleans giving as a good as they got, but it was only a matter of time before they lost. Along with being outnumbered by the smaller Vanguards, the more powerful ships of the Tarak fleet had yet to enter the battle. That was until now. The Vanguards scattered, moving out of the way of the coming barrage. In an instant, half of the remaining Dreads were destroyed by the storm of lasers, as well as most of the defense systems. The single Mejalean cruiser posted to the base was cored by a second volley. It drifted, dead in space, exploding a few seconds later.
The few escape pods that managed to eject from the ship were just as quickly destroyed, given the fact the men were showing no mercy to their enemy. In the time of just a few minutes, the last of the Dreads were finished off, leaving the base vulnerable against an assault. Instead of destroying the base entirely, squads of Tarak soldiers were dispatched, forcing their way into the now defenseless base. With grim determination, the assault teams managed to make it into the interior of the base, where they were met with stiff resistance.
In the ensuing firefight, several of the Tarakian soldiers died, but they managed to completely cut down all of the Mejaleans that put up a fight. It wasn’t but a few seconds later that had managed to make to the control center. Several of the women in the control room surrendered to the soldiers as they leveled their weapons at them. But instead of accepting their surrender, the soldiers fired their weapons, gunning down the last of the women in the base. As soon as the last Mejalean was dispatched, the commander of the assault team approached the main console.
Roughly pushing aside the corpse slumped at the controls, he activated the communications system and set it at the frequency used by the task force. “All clear. Base secure.”
And with that, a war based on nothing but sheer hatred had begun…
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Sorry for the wait, but I finally managed to get it up.