Disclaimer: I do not, and will never own, Vandread.
Vandread: A Renewed War
Chapter Eight: In The Name Of War
Location: HSS-67 Shuttlecraft, Landing Pad Seven, Solaria Spaceport
Thunder…
Even from several kilometers away, he could hear the rumbling of a storm. This wasn’t any normal storm, mind you, but a man-made one. The thunder he’d heard he was easily able to tell that it was artillery. And from the sound of it, it was getting closer. Clutching the rifle in his hands, he moved closer to the bombed out building. He knew he had to get out of the open before it reached his position. He was halfway to cover when he heard the howling scream.
“Incoming!” someone yelled, he couldn’t tell who. Seconds later, the howling ended in thundering boom he could even feel through the ground. The concussive force of the explosion threw him off his feet, and he hit the ground hard, several meters away from the impact point. He could feel intense pain shoot through him every time he tried to move. He heard shouting, but it felt distant with the constant ringing in his ears, as well as him being almost deafened by the blast.
A few seconds passed by until he saw that somebody leaned over him. He could tell from the red cross on the man’s sleeve that he was a medic. The medic checked on him, and was trying to say something to him. He couldn’t understand it, as his hearing hadn’t completely returned yet. The sound of gunfire cut short the medic’s talking, and he watched as a bullet penetrated the side of the medic’s head in a spray of blood. The medic slumped over next to him, instantly killed by the shot.
Soon, another figure entered his field of vision, this one masked by the skull faceplate of a standard issue SDF helmet. The figure stood there, staring at him as just lie there, next to the dead medic. The man held his weapon down at his side, and he used his free hand to take off his helmet. Shock gripped him as the man’s helmet hit the ground. This man looked exactly like him, this man looked exactly like Aidan Mercer. Cold fear gripped him as he realized that he was staring at himself, his reflection. He tried to move, but his body refused to obey. The figure raised the weapon in his hand, and a wicked smile creased the mirror image’s lips. Then the figure fired…
Bolting awake, Aidan quickly grabbed hold of the person in front of him by the collar, pulling them closer. Instinctively, he grabbed the gun from his holster and pointed it at the person’s face. As his vision cleared, he realized that the person he’d grabbed and just about shot was none other than Meia. The look on her face was clearly that of surprise, and he let go of the collar of her suit. “Sorry,” he muttered as he lowered the weapon, glancing away from her. The nightmare clearly had him on edge.
She quickly covered up her surprise, apparently ignored the whole scene altogether and changed the subject. “Looks like the weather’s cleared up a bit.”
He silently thanked her for that. Although she was probably wondering what had caused him to do that. He figured he would eventually have to provide an explanation for his actions, but right now, he just decided to ignore it for the time being, and get back to the matter at hand. He turned his seat back around and flipped on the comm system, donning the headset.
“Control, this is Shuttle Two-Four-Two, requesting permission for take-off,” he said into the headset mic.
“This is Control,” the operator’s voice said. “You are now clear for take-off. Proceed to Catapult Two and await further instructions”
“Affirmative, Control,” he responded. “Proceeding to Catapult Two.”
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Location: Border Guard Flagship Athena, Mejalean Defense Line
“What is the status of the fleet?” Admiral Alaria Zuka asked the communications officer.
“All ships report they are in position and awaiting further orders, ma’am,” the comm officer answered.
“Good,” Alaria said, she then ordered the comm officer to open a line to the whole fleet. She then stood up and addressed the entire fleet. “Now, all we do is wait for the men to make the first move. Lady Grand Ma has made it clear that we not fire the first shot. That despite previous incidents, we are not the aggressors in this damn war!”
What followed was a series of confirmatory responses. She returned to her seat after signaling the comm officer to close the connection. They wouldn’t have long to wait, as the sensor operator reported several hostile contacts, a large fleet. She ordered the operator to bring up a visual. She was actually surprised by what she saw. The Tarak fleet was large, possibly larger than the fleet she’d assembled. Another thing was the presence of a ship she’d never seen before. It was larger than any other ship currently in service on either side, and from the way it was positioned, she assumed it was the flagship.
“What the hell is that?” someone on the bridge commented upon seeing the ship.
“Whatever it is,” Alaria replied. “We’re not letting it past this line, and that includes every last one of those conceited bastards. All ships, prepare to repel the enemy as they approach the line. And remember, we are not allowed to fire until fired upon!”
Even though every woman in the fleet was expecting an attack from the approaching enemy, they were still surprised when it did come. Several beams from the leading ships, including the new flagship, lanced straight into the formation of Mejalean vessels, a brilliant display of hell for those on the receiving end of the barrage.
“All ships, return fire!” Alaria commanded. “Deploy all Dreads! We are not to let them past us!”
She really didn’t need to give those orders, as most of the Dreads were out only seconds after the barrage, and the Mejalean ships fired back, intent on repaying the attack in earnest. After that exchange, the largest battle ever between the two nations commenced, but little did they know it would be their last…
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Location: HSS-67 Shuttlecraft, Currently nearing the edge of the Solaris System
It had been quiet for the last two hours, with neither of the shuttle’s two occupants saying much of anything as the craft cleared the edge of the system. Meia was currently sitting in the co-pilot’s seat as they proceeded along the course the Nirvana and Deimos were supposed to take. They were currently behind schedule to reach the two ships, as that snowstorm pushed them back about half a day. She tried to keep from glancing over at him, trying to hide her concern from him.
He hadn’t said any more than was necessary during their departure from the planet, and later the system. She could tell that something was on his mind, but she didn’t ask what, as she wasn’t the nosy type. She was still kinda surprised by what he did earlier in the morning. When she went to the cockpit to check on him, she could tell that his breathing was heavy and was moaning in his sleep. She easily figured out that he was having a nightmare, and decided to wake him.
Without warning, he grabbed her by the collar and yanked her forward, drawing his gun and aiming at her in the process. Before he realized what he was doing, she saw the look on his face. It was of pure fear. Whatever it was, it sure scared him enough that he drew his gun out of instinct. She had no idea what he was dreaming about, nor did she want to know. He spoke up, startling her slightly.
“About earlier…” he said, trailing off.
“It was nothing,” she quickly replied.
“No,” he countered. “There was no excuse for me to pull a gun on you. You deserve an apology and an explanation, at least.”
“You were having a nightmare,” she said. “I just chose the wrong time to wake you.”
“Yes,” he admitted, at least to the first part. “It’s just… it’s just this whole situation has me a little on edge, that’s all. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she replied, giving him a faint smile. “It’s not like you’re the only one. Why don’t you go ahead and get some rest, I’ll take over for you in the meantime.”
“You sure?” he asked.
“I should have no problem flying this thing,” she said, slightly amused. “I am a Dread pilot after all.”
“Alright,” he conceded, getting up out of his seat. As he started walking to the back, he paused for a second. “Thanks,” he said quietly, then continued walking to the back of the shuttle.
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Location: Bridge, Nirvana
“Do you think we’ll make it in time?” BC asked the Captain, whom she was standing next to.
“We have to,” Magno replied. “Otherwise, all will we be lost.”
“I agree,” BC answered.
“And what of our friends from Solaris?” she asked Amarone.
“They are currently matching our speed and course,” Amarone replied.
“It looks like that new ship of theirs is pretty fast, huh?” Magno asked BC.
“It would appear so, Captain,” BC replied. “What has me concerned is Meia and Commander Mercer.”
“You don’t think they’ll be able to catch up to us? Magno said. “Don’t worry, that young man assured me they had the fastest craft available to them, they’ll make it in time.”
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Location: Warship Thanatos, Hidden In Tarak/Mejale Asteroid Field
Lying out in the safety of the asteroid field, the one-of-a-kind warship was well away from the petty conflict between the men and women. The warship was simply named Thanatos, an ancient mythological figure that was the personification of Death. It was a fitting name, as the ship was designed to deal out death. In fact, it was responsible for the destruction of the Mejalean cruiser that was sent into the asteroid field to investigate.
The commander, a man simply known as Becker, stood next to the captain of the vessel. He was a fairly well-built man, wearing what appeared to be a black military uniform with the sleeves ripped off. He turned and addressed one of the bridge crew. “Are all of our machines and supplies loaded yet?”
“Yessir,” replied the man.
“Good,” he said, glancing at his chronometer. Finally, we’re back on schedule. “What is the status of the battle?”
“Both sides are heavily engaged, sir,” the sensor operator responded. “They seem to be evenly matched.”
“Perfect,” he said. That‘ll leave‘em distracted long enough. “Captain, have our men rig the hidden asteroid base with the explosives we ‘borrowed’ from our good friends from Tarak. Set them to explode on my signal.”
“Understood,” the captain replied. “Where are you going?”
“To carry out my new orders,” Becker said as he left the bridge.
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Location: HSS-76 Shuttlecraft, on course to Nirvana
What’s wrong with me? Aidan asked himself as he lay there on the bunk. What in the hell was that nightmare supposed to mean?
Even though he tried to get some sleep, he couldn’t seem to attain it. The lingering effects of the nightmare still haunted him. Am I nothing more than a murderer? Dammit! I’m just a soldier! Nothing more!
“Maybe all the stress from my new rank and command in getting to me,” he said ironically.
Whatever it was, he knew he’d have to get over it before he made it back to the Deimos.
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“The controls are different from that of a Mejalean shuttle,” Meia commented to herself as she piloted the high-speed Solaris-made craft along the course they were provided. Something in the cockpit beeped, and she saw a blinking red light on the console.
“A contact?” she wondered. “All the way out here?”
She checked the sensors, and noticed that they had located something the size of a ship. She brought up a visual of the contact. She was surprised at what she saw. “What the…”
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