Takeshi Mori and GONZO own all characters mentioned and such. I lay claim to nothing aside from the situations they are placed into. All recent characters are copyrighted by myself. Those people being the new male crew members and anyone else that may come into play in the future.

A/N: Takes place immediately after the 2nd Stage.

And I have no idea what the woman's planet is called. There are numerous and countless spellings and translations…so I'm sticking with Mejeru, which seems to be what the English dubs place it as.

This is a teaser. I have no idea when I may actually get around to this, thus this is the last bit I had before I stopped writing it. If anyone wishes to continue off of it, be my guest. Although, there are a few plot twists and surprises that most wouldn't expect.

Growth of a Nation

Chapter 8: Enemies Advance

Everyone in the sick bay looked at the device in Duero's hand with shock.

"He's…gone?"

"He has escaped…yes."

Immediately, Hibiki bolted up and grabbed the communicator.

"Find it!"

After a few moments of silence, the Commander's voice could be heard again.

"Find what, Hibiki?"

"Find whatever he left behind! Search all the spots he used to work in or hang around! Make sure you find it!"

"What exactly is 'it' Hibiki?"

"I'm not sure myself…but if it's left unchecked it could cause the destruction of the Nirvana. It's most likely a weapon of some kind."

"A bomb?" The shock in the Commander's voice was obvious.

"It's possible."

Duero took the small device back, "Is there anything we can do?"

"Yes, contact the military defense detail. They always have the entire planet under surveillance for any potential threats or debris from space. If Jensen intends to land on Tarak, they'll know."

"Understood."

"Commander out."

The communicator clicked, and nothing more could be heard from the device. As Duero lowered his hand, he looked around the room.

Somber looks were present on every face, aside from Hibiki's. A look of anger was present on his. A few moments of silence passed before Bart looked at Duero, a question in his eyes.

Duero nodded, "We need to report this to the council. They won't be pleased, but they can get a clearer response from the surveillance squad than we can."

Everyone nodded and once again stood. Hibiki took his place by Dita's side once again, still needing her support.

As they all left the room, none of them could've predicted what would happen next.

As the six figures entered the council chambers for the second time that day, the air seemed to hold more of a charge to it.

As they took their positions in front of the Tarak council, distress was revealed on a few faces of the old men.

"Have you brought news?"

Duero, the unofficial spokesperson, shook his head, "We have been informed by our ship's security officers that one; Tyler Jensen, has already fled the ship. The Commander was sure that the surveillance detail could shed some light on the subject of his return planet side."

Jin nodded, "A wise deduction. However, things have become far more complicated."

Duero raised his visible eyebrow, "How so?"

A screen popped up in front of Duero with a message written on it. After the first few lines, Duero's eyebrows furrowed. As he finished the entire message, Duero was frowning with his chin cupped in his right hand.

"This is troublesome…"

"What is?" Hibiki asked as he shuffled over to Duero, still leaning on Dita. As his eyes made contact with the screen, he began to read.

After only the first few lines, Hibiki was livid.

"How can those assholes do that? Do they hold no value for life?" He continued to read on, and as he finished the message he clenched his fist.

"This is beyond stupid! What they ask for is insane!"

"As you see our point of conflict…"

"Why would our own military revolt in such a manner? Surely they know that such a small faction would never be able to overturn the rest of the military."

Gin, sitting floor level, smirked.

"However, they already control numerous key strategy points. Every known weapon storage facility, as well as hangar 34, is under their control. This isn't a brash and uncoordinated attack they've staged…it's something that has been worked out and thought through."

Duero nodded, catching the hidden meaning immediately.

"And if that is true, they could still have additional officers working for them while using a false front of loyalty."

"Exactly. Thus, if the surveillance unit denies any activity, we will know this to be true."

Jin cleared his throat, "The issue at hand is serious enough to pose a threat to both Mereju and Tarak. We will need to have a definite plan of action to counter this problem. Are there any ideas?"

Duero, chin still in hand, lifted his head slightly.

"There is one."

All eyes turned to the tall, dark haired man. Each set also listening intently to anything the medical professional had to say.

After a slight pause, Duero nodded to himself.

"Yes, there is one. I have a feeling that if you refuse their demands, they may start by directly acting against the Nirvana. They seem quite confident in the fact that they are in complete control, so if we take that out of their hands, they will be momentarily dazed."

Several nods followed Duero's small explanation.

"So, I propose that we find whatever this leverage is that they hold over us, and move it into a position that it would be beneficial to us."

A few hushed murmurs immediately began.

After a few moments, Jin looked directly into Duero's eyes.

"Where would you place this…weapon…that would allow us to gain an advantage over these scoundrels?"

Duero nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment before returning his gaze to the council.

In all seriousness, he replied simply with, "Hangar 34."

An elder off to the side immediately stood, "That would completely cripple the entire bangata squadron! That is completely outrageous! It's insane!"

Duero nodded toward the man, "Yes, it is outrageous, but I also guarantee that it will work."

Jin, lifting a hand to his fellow member, nodded, "And how is that, Doctor?"

"You see…with an explosion or distraction that large within such a close proximity of their plans, they are guaranteed to falter. It will distract them just enough for our counter forces to sweep through their ranks and either arrest or eliminate any threat."

Jin nodded, as well as several others of the old men.

"However," Gin spoke, "the current problem is locating this so called leverage. Do any of you have any idea of where it might be?"

The crew began to look amongst themselves for an answer, but could find none.

As Duero was about to shake his head, another voice spoke out from the back.

"Yea. I have a feeling I know where they may have planted this thing."

All eyes turned to the young, brash Vanguard pilot leaning against a slightly embarrassed red head. Dita seemed to be rather flustered at the sudden attention.

"Do tell, Hibiki."

Hibiki looked directly at his supposed father.

"The bowels of the ship."

"What?"

Hibiki sighed, "I said, the bowels of the ship. In my…dream…the reaction started from the core of the ship. That means it's probably close to the Paksis Core, as a means to amplify the explosion."

"So the means of the initial explosion doesn't need to be big at all."

This seemed to disturb a greater deal of the people present. How would they be able to search the entire core of the ship in such a small period of time? Not to mention find an explosive device that could be the size of a shoe to the size of a bowling ball?