A guy transforming into a girl when splashed with cold water? Okay, that was strange. But then again so was mecha spontaneously changing forms in ways they were never designed to do, or ships developing new systems and weapons that were never there before. In short, while Ranma's change was more disturbing because it was on a more personal level, it was just more strangeness among more of the same in the lives aboard the Nirvana.
Except for two of them...
"So what are we going to do?" Meia asked her companion.
"Actually, this explains a lot," Barnett pointed out. "I'm actually sort of relieved."
"How so?" Meia asked. She herself was intrigued more than she wanted to admit.
"Well, it's like I don't feel as bad being attracted to a man that turns into a woman," Barnett explained. "It doesn't go as much against everything we were taught growing up."
"I can understand that," Meia agreed. "His female form is rather gorgeous. So this doesn't change our plans?"
"I don't see why it should," Barnett smirked.
"Then I guess we should go see Ranma and let him know we're there for him," Meia suggested.
Parfait cackled maniacally causing the other members of the engineering crew to sweat nervously. Their CO was in full mad scientist mode as she lowered one of the captured Vanguard units into the Pexsys sphere. Nobody knew what was going to happen but ever since the new man volunteered to help them fight, Parfait had been making plans.
She had determined that the Pexsys was responsible for Hibiki, Dita, Jura, and Meia's spontaneously evolving mecha. The Pexsys was also credited with those units being able to combine into more powerful mecha. These units were also the Nirvana's heavy hitters. Ranma had come out of the Pexsys. Ergo, if Parfait dropped another Vanguard into the Pexsys, the strange power source might transform it for Ranma and give them another powerful weapon to fight the Harvesters.
Barnett also seemed to be chasing the new guy, even though she had backed off the Dita-esque tactics she had shocked the crew with earlier. That explained why Barnett's Dread was hanging from the overhead crane nearby with Barnett herself wrapped up in a cocoon of ropes and gagged inside it.
Parfait cackled again, causing her subordinates to whimper softly. They just hoped that once Barnett got loose she didn't shoot up the ship going after Parfait. They had enough work to do already.
"Ranma?" Meia called out as she entered the hanger bay.
Ranma was in the middle of the bay performing a complex kata. Meia paused to watch the young man as he moved with a cat-like grace, achieving jumps and feats of agility that shouldn't have been humanly possible. Meia knew it was a fighting technique, but it looked more like a beautiful dance, a kind of martial ballet. If he could get a Vanguard to move like that...
Meia shook herself out of her reverie as Ranma settled to a stop at the end of his kata. She walked toward him holding a bundle of cloth.
"Hiya, Meia," Ranma greeted cheerfully. "What's up?"
"I...um...well, that is...I made this for you," Meia said, thrusting the bundle toward Ranma while sporting a slight blush.
Ranma took the bundle and unfolded it, holding it up. It turned out to be a black and red flight suit similar to Meia's. It looked way too small though.
"Um...thanks," Ranma offered. "It looks kinda small though."
"No, it isn't," Meia explained. "It stretches a lot. I know you don't have any clothes besides what you were wearing when you arrived so I made you this. It should stretch to fit both your male and female forms. I hope you like it."
"S-sure, it's great," Ranma blushed, imagining how naked he was going to feel wearing something that was obviously going to be as skin tight as Meia's outfit.
Still, looking a Meia's blush, Ranma decided it wasn't the worst thing he had worn and at least it wasn't overly feminine. In fact it was a lot better than those goofy looking clown pants he had seen the other guys wearing. Anyway, he couldn't disappoint her after she went through all the trouble to make it for him.
"Thanks, Meia," Ranma said, giving her a smile that made the normally stoic woman weak in the knees.
Hibiki watched quietly from where he had been performing maintenance on his partner. He felt a mild pang of...something...at the sight of Meia getting chummy with the new guy, but those feelings where quickly buried. It wasn't manly to be jealous over a woman after all.
The guy could fight too. Maybe he should ask the guy to teach him some moves in exchange for helping him learn to pilot a Vanguard. Then the next time that Labat guy showed up Hibiki could administer the beatdown he truly deserved.
Hibiki was lost in a fantasy of himself standing over the broken, defeated form of Labat in a triumphant pose while grinding his foot on Labat's face like Labat had done to him as Ranma and Meia left the hanger bay.
"Mr. Alien! I brought you lunch!"
"GAH!" Hibiki shrieked as he was ripped out of his fantasy by Dita glomping him.
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(Posted Fri, 25 May 2007 05:53)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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