Hibiki scratched his head as he watched them exit, “Women are so weird, I’ll never understand them.” Shrugging he turned and left himself. Maybe he could go polish his vanguard or something.

Barnette loaded box after box into the small storage room. Though the door leading to the room could be accessed by one of the Nirvana’s main halls only Barnette and Jura knew the code for the door. It was where Jura liked to spirit away her spoils of war. Jewelry, rare cosmetics, things that caught her interest that she thought would boost her social standing with the rest of the crew. The code was quite necessary. Though most of the crew members respected and valued privacy Jura was an exception. She was the source of most fads and gossip aboard the Nirvana and half the ships crew would literally bend over backwards to get a look at her secret stash.

“Watcha doin’?”

Barnette whipped around, startled by the voice. She let a box slip out of her hands and impact with the floor. Pills went flying everywhere.

“Damn it Hibiki, look what you made me do!” Muttering under her breath Barnette quickly began to scoop up the spilled DN-S pills.

Hibiki didn’t move to help her nor did he apologize. In fact he was staring at her, annoyed. The stupid stuck up arrogant females. They were always bossing him around and blaming him for stuff. He’d saved their butts a number of times and few actually respected him for it. Meia and Gascogne were probably the only two people he could really get along with and sympathize with. Gascogne was a great listener and he enjoyed playing cards with her even he got his ass handed to him on a regular basis. After saving Meia’s life back on a sandy planet where they’d met a new type of enemy she’d slowly warmed up to him. Now they were sort of war buddies.

Everyone else though was a pain in the ass. Jura acted nice but she only wanted to exploit him. She just wanted to make a beautiful Vandread with his help. After finding out that combined their two machines made a giant crab….. She was still interested. It wasn’t what she had hoped for but it’s power far exceeded other vanguard/dread pairings and she felt it would still make her the envy of the Nirvana. Dita was too clingy and something of a stalker. He also hated the ‘Mr. Alien’ label she’d give him. If she’d just cut the crap and speak to him like the rest of the crew he probably wouldn’t get so aggravated with her. Barnette hated his guts, Pai didn’t like him either. Parfet, BC, and the rest of the crew…. Well, he just didn’t know them that well. Some probably appreciated his help defending the Nirvana. Some probably hated him for being a Tarak. It didn’t matter. He didn’t know them, he didn’t want to know them. He mostly avoided contact with others but their were two things that always interested him. Tinkering with his Vanguard and

“Is that food?” Hibiki’s annoyance turned to excitement.

“Is that all you ever think about, your stomach?” Barnette snapped, still scanning the ground for pills, “male pig.” She spat.

“You didn’t answer my question.” A note of annoyance in his voice, he was oblivious to the fact he wasn’t wanted.

Barnette was about to tell him off but slowly she started to sneer. Soon she was grinning from ear to ear. Hibiki couldn’t see her face, he was still looking at her from behind, crouched down looking for pills, “Er…. Yes, they are. They’re new from Mjarle. They’re a lot like the pills you have on Tarak-“

“UGH!”

“But they tast infinitely better. Like a steak dinner basted in…. er…… ice cream?” She probably didn’t have to coax him, Hibiki would eat anything.

Hibiki loved steak and he loved ice cream; he never had them together but he knew he was missing out. He’d have to try it next time. If the two tasted great alone they must be twice as good combined! Hibiki licked his lips and looked at the pill in a different light, “Awesome! I want one.”

“I don’t know…..” She had him and she knew it.

“You’ve got like a thousand damn boxes of em! Let me just try one.”

Barnette fake sighed, “All right, but don’t let Jura know. They’re supposed to be just for her.”

Hibiki thanked her, something he rarely did. He swallowed it then stopped to savor and reflect, “Hmmmm….. It didn’t taste like anything.”

“That’s because you practically enhaled it. Next time… Oh who am I kidding? There won’t be a next time.” Barnette laughed.

She slammed the door shut and left to go see Jura. Hibiki just watched her walk away more confused than usual, “Damn, women are weird.”

Meia walked back from the bridge, She’d lost the raffle and left Pai, Gascogne, Parfet, and Dita behind. It didn’t matter too much. She wasn’t THAT interested in eating a male. She sort of doubted the old ‘transfer of power’ wives tale anyway. She could always try eating one later. While moving down a corridor she saw something scurry out of the corner of her. ‘What the hell was that? A mouse?’ She looked down to see a tiny form cautiously approaching her. It was….. Hibiki!

“Hibiki what the hell happened to you?!” She quickly scooped him up.

He cringed but didn’t fight her, “I, I don’t know.” He recounted his whole day to her and it didn’t her long to understand what had happened, “That bitch, she and you are both under my command. How the hell could she do this to one of her own team members?”

Hibiki liked to consider himself a ‘unit’ of his own but really he was part of Meia’s squad. He wasn’t planning on contesting it. He had bigger, or rather, smaller problems, “You can fix me right.”

Meia shook her head. She was extremely pissed. Hibiki was now a 2 inch bite sized snack good for nothing but consumption. She wouldn’t let that happen though, loyalty was the most important attribute a person could have in Meia’s opinion. Even if he was now useless she’d protect him.

“I’m sorry, there’s no cure Hibiki.”

“But…. But why wouldn’t there be an antidote?” The started boy squeeked, Meia sighed. She’d have to explain to him what the DS-N pills were. Hibiki wouldn’t like learning he’d been demoted from fighter pilot to food source…. Or had he? Maybe his van could be modded….. It was something to think about for later.

“I’m going to take you back to my room. I’ll explain everything there.” Hibiki was nervous as hell but he just nodded.

Meia cupped her hands and made her way back to her room. First she’d have to make him a place to sleep in her room. She’d need some way of carrying him around. The skin tight uniforms didn’t allow for pockets and carrying him was too much of a hassle….. There was that necklace her mother had given her before she died. Perhaps she could somehow attach him to it……


Back on the bridge Rabat’s fate had been decided. He didn’t know he was being sent to die but he was suspicious. He’d been completely stripped of clothing. He was hoping for a hose down but what really awaited him was a belly.

The lucky woman who’d won him was