OPERATION:  LIGHTSPHERE

A fanfic by Andrew Dynon

Based upon:
Teknoman, AKA Space Knight Tekkaman Blade
and
the Iczer series (Fight! Iczer-One, Adventure! Iczer-3, and Iczer Girl Iczelion)

These series are copyrighted by their respective creators, and those
organizations which they have licensed.  Please don�t sue me.


Any & all C&C NEEDED.  MSTs especially welcome.

PHASE TWO, CHAPTER ONE

	Shara awoke slowly, gradually becoming aware of her surroundings.  She
seemed to be floating in midair, not apparently touching anything.  Opening
her eyes, she saw that she was surrounded what appeared to be a cocoon of
blue energy.  

	The next thing she noticed was that the dreadful chill feeling which she
had felt inside her body ever since she had been rejected by the teknopod
and fled Darkon�s moonbase had gone, which she knew could only mean one
thing.  She had found the only way to end that terrible sensation - death.  

	Shara wished that she was able to see out of the cocoon, and immediately
the blue energy around her dimmed.  She noticed that she was in an
unfamiliar, triangular room, with a holographic mural along the wall she was
facing.  The mural showed a brown-haired girl dressed in a dark green
jumpsuit, relaxing in a forest, with several unfamiliar types of animals
nearby.  Shara noticed that she herself was clothed in a loose-fitting, pale
green top and pair of pants which covered her feet as well as her legs.

	Hearing a door slide open, she turned around, and saw a woman with spiky
blonde hair enter the room, followed by another woman who, despite her grey
hair, appeared quite youthful.  Although she didn�t know why, Shara felt a
sense of deja vu upon seeing the blonde woman, as if they somehow knew each
other from long ago, but she had no idea how.

	�I am pleased to meet you, Shara Carter.� the blonde woman said.  �My name
is Iczer-1, and this is Sister Gray.  Oh, and by the way, you�re not dead.�

	�Then how...� She *must* have died during the battle with Darkon�s
Teknomen, she could see way that it could have been avoided.  Worse, since
she had not died, she had not taken her enemies with her - which meant they
were all going to attack Nick.  Her brother would be killed, and the Rhadam
would dominate the Earth.

	�At the end of your fight against Darkon�s Teknomen, you lost
consciousness.  One of the Iczels, a scout which had been sent to Earth to
assess the strength of the Rhadam forces there, managed to grab you and
teleport you into subspace.  Meanwhile, your crystal exploded, seriously
wounding your attackers.  After you were pulled into Subspace, you were
brought here.�

	�The cold inside me�s gone.  How?� Shara asked softly.

	�We�ve stopped the degenerative process which was caused by your being
rejected as one of the Rhadam�s slaves.�

	�But it can�t be stopped.� 
 
	�No, not with your homeworld�s technology.  Even some of our doctors
thought it unlikely that you would recover.�  Sister Gray said.  �Now that
you�ve awoken, it would be best for you to remove yourself from the support
field and give your body some light exercise.�

	The support field swung so that Shara�s feet were only a few centimetres
off the floor, and she gingerly stepped out of it.  The metallic floor felt
warmer than she had expected, and as she stretched and walked around, she
noticed that she felt somehow lighter - the gravity here must be lower than
Earth�s.

	{Earth...} she thought.  {I have to return to Earth.  I have to let Nick
know that I�m alive.}

	Sensing the girl�s thoughts, Iczer-1 put her hand on Shara�s shoulder.

	�You will be free to go, but only when your recovery is complete.� Iczer-1
said.  �Until then, you may not leave this ship.�

	Shara�s face fell slightly.  It was what she had expected, but she still
desperately wanted her brother to know that she was alive.

*	*	*	*	*

	Nagisa sat on her bed, her face covered by her hands, sobbing gently.

	�Mizumi-oneesan, why?� she said to herself.  �Why did they do such a thing
to you?�  She thought back to when she was in school, how, the many times
when she had had her lunch money taken away from her, Mizumi had always
given her hers, going without lunch herself so that Nagisa would have some.
And now the Rhadam were controlling her, using her like a puppet, forcing
her to become a killer to further their own ends.

	Nagisa wept.  Why did *Mizumi* have to be their victim?

	Inside her mind, an image formed - that of a woman dressed in a red
bodysuit, with blonde, spiky hair and pointy ears.  As Nagisa looked on, she
spoke to her.

	�Nagisa, although my body may be separated from you by the vast distances
of space, I want you to know that my spirit will always be a part of yours,
as yours is of mine.  Because of this, whenever you feel true despair, this
psychic image will appear.  Although I cannot know what has brought this
emotion upon you, Nagisa, I have faith that if you can trust what you feel
in your heart, and if you have the courage to follow those convictions, then
there is nothing that can stop you from succeeding.  Nagisa, you must have
faith in this as well.�

	The tears dried from Nagisa�s eyes as she looked at the image.  After the
image faded from her mind, she sat, stunned, and said two words out loud.

	�She�s beautiful.�

	{Am I attracted to her?} she thought.  She thought back, remembering how,
in junior high school, she had never been very interested in boys - she had
rationalized this by telling herself that having a boyfriend would distract
her from her studies.  And she had observed that if Ringo had ever walked
past her school, he would have had most of the school chasing after him
before she could have blinked.  She thought, and was forced to admit the fact.

	{Yes, I am attracted to her.}

*	*	*	*	*

	�Hello, Darkon.�  Cross said as she teleported into the Tekno Warlord�s
chamber.  �I see you�re having some trouble carrying out your duties to our
masters.�

	�Cross, get out of my territory!�  Darkon said angrily.  �I neither need
nor desire your presence here!�

	�If you have so little need of our help, then why have you failed to secure
this planet for the Rhadam?�

	�I do not have to answer to you, Cross.  Leave!�  The tone of annoyance in
Darkon�s voice became even more pronounced.

	�I�ll leave, for now.�  Chaos smiled.  �...and prove to the Rhadam that me
and Chaos� voids can do a better job than your Teknomen can.�  Laughing, she
teleported away.

*	*	*	*	*

	�You�re going to have to face it, Nagisa.  Your sister Mizumi is dead.
There�s only Spear now.�  Blade said.  �Just like there�s no Cain Carter,
only Saber.� 

	After Kawai had recovered from her injuries, Nagisa had gone to the Space
Knights� American base to spend time with her cousin, give him support.  So
far, it didn�t seem to be helping - he was just as depressed and negative as
usual.

	�Nick, I know in my heart that�s not true.  They�re still human inside, and
it�s just a matter of finding some way to break the Rhadam�s control.  You
have to believe that!� Nagisa said.

	�You can fool yourself into thinking that, but it will only get you
killed.�  Blade stood up, turned, and walked away.

	�Nick!� Nagisa began to rise to follow him, but Star grabbed her wrist.

	�Nagisa, it�s best to leave him be for now.� 

	Nagisa sat back down, and turned to Star.  �Do you think I�m right?  Is my
sister still human?�

	�I think so, Nagisa.  I doubt that the Rhadam are able to just erase all
the good in a person.�  Star said.  �But, please, promise me you�ll defend
yourself if you�re attacked.  I would hate to see you get hurt.�

	�Okay, Star.  I promise.�

*	*	*	*	* 

	�Kuso!!!!�

	Kiiro Iijima picked up a pile of video-discs and threw them against a wall.
Rather than being cathartic, their shattering only served to increase the
frustration she felt.  She had gone to such lengths to try and give
something to feel happy about -  wearing those ridiculous dresses with
frills and bows all over them, singing dumb, sugary, lovey-dovey songs, and
in all ways acting stupidly cute and genki - and still, she knew, she hadn�t
succeeded in cheering them up.  Oh, they clapped and cheered her and
everything, but she could tell that the presence of the alien threat was
constantly looming in the back of their minds.

	�Why can�t I go and kick these things� fucking asses instead of just
singing songs?� she yelled at the top of her voice, not caring if she woke
up everyone else in the hotel she was staying in.  After waiting for a few
seconds, she began to search for more breakable items to vent her
frustrations on.

*	*	*	*	*

	Kawai jumped into the pool and began swimming, enjoying the feel of the
water flowing around her body, over her skin, through her hair.  After being
practically bedridden for the last fortnight, the sensation was especially
welcome.  

	Suddenly, the feeling of peace and happiness produced by her immersion in
the calm water changed to one of terror, as she felt her body grabbed by
some sort of whirlpool and dragged below the surface.  She struggled to
break free, but to no avail, as she continued to be pulled down.

	{Kawai!  Let�s charge up!} came a telepathic message from her Iczel.

	Kawai transformed, letting herself be imbued with power.  As she underwent
her metamorphosis, the strains on her body disappeared - she no longer
needed to breathe, and could survive the pressure from the water.

	{Iczel, can you tell me what�s happening?}

	{We�re in another dimension.  And so�s one of our enemies.}

	{And here it comes.} Kawai replied as she caught sight of a creature which
resembled a giant, robotic squid with blades at the end of its tentacles.
[A. Notes: Don�t worry, this is NOT going to turn into a hentai fic.]  {What
IS it?}

	{A Void.  Apparently Darkon�s not the only one of the Rhadam�s servants
attacking Earth, now. Be careful, it�s different from anything we�ve faced
before.}

	Several blades detached themselves from the Void�s tentacles and came
flying at Kawai, who barely managed to dodge.

 	�Well, that doesn�t change the fact that we have to beat it.�

*	*	*	*	*

	Blade�s face was sullen as usual as he walked down the corridor.  His
cousin had been foolish enough to convince herself that Darkon�s Teknomen
�weren�t *really* evil�, and it was blatantly obvious that it was going to
get her killed.  He cursed her for her stupid innocence and naivet�, and he
cursed himself for his inability to snap her out of that state and introduce
her to reality.

	Blade�s thoughts about the situation disappeared as he felt a hot, dry wind
blasting in his face, and the reality around him faded.  His mind reeled in
confusion as he found himself standing in the midst of a desert, with
nothing around other than sky and sand, and blazing heat.  Then, he heard a
woman�s voice speaking to him, athough he could not see the speaker.

	�Welcome, Teknoman Blade.  I hope you like this dimension.�

	�Where are you?�

	Whoever was speaking ignored him.  �I *do* hope you�ll let my void have
some fun chasing you down.  Take care not to get killed too quickly.�  The
speaker laughed, and a bat-winged, gold-colored humanoid appeared.  A burst
of red energy shot from its eyes, and Blade barely managed to dive out of
the way. 

	�However, since you are unable to transform...�, the  voice continued �...
you may find that a little difficult.� 

*	*	*	*	*

	�Nick!�  

	Nagisa, who had previously been sitting in a chair talking with Star,
suddenly stood bolt upright.

	�Nagisa, what is it?�  Star asked the green-haired girl.

	�I just... Nick�s in trouble, I can sense it.� she replied.  {Iczel, I
don�t understand... it looks like he�s in some kind of weird desert.}

	{I detected a dimensional tunnel opening moments before your vision.}
Iczel replied.  {Your cousin was probably pulled through it.}

	{Is it possible for you to take me there?}

	{Hai.}

	Nagisa transformed, and then the reality around her faded, and she found
herself sucked into a whirling tunnel of orange light.  She flew through the
tunnel until she finally came to its end, wheere it opened up into a
deserted expanse.  Concentrating, she managed to sense Blade, and flew in
the direction he was in.

	As she approached, Nagisa caught sight of Blade and the creature (or robot?
Cyborg?  Android?) that was attacking him.  So far, he had managed to dodge
all of its attacks, but she wasn�t sure how long he�d be able to hold out.
One thing she *was* sure of, though, was that her cousin wasn�t going to be
able to defeat the thing in his current form.  She fired a bolt of energy at
it - and was surprised at how easily it was destroyed.  The energy blasted
straight through its torso, and it screamed and fell down onto one of the
sand dunes.

	�Blade, are you all right?�

	�Yeah, I�m fine.  Do you have any idea what that thing...�  Blade broke off
in mid-sentence, and Nagisa turned around to see the body of the void (as
her Iczel had now informed her that was what it was) regenerate.  It was
five feet taller than the form which Nagisa had destroyed, and now posessed
foot-long claws on its �fingers�.

	�Oh, great.� Nagisa said to herself.  �Just great.�

*	*	*	*	*

	�Kiiro!  Kiiro!�

	�Who�s there?� the hot-tempered idol singer yelled, obviously angry at
having her stress-release time interrupted.  �Come out!�  She paused in
surprise as a gold-colored robot appeared out of thin air in front of her.

	�Kiiro, I am Iczel.�  The robot said.  �And you have been chosen.�

	�Whaddaya mean �chosen�?  Chosen for what?�  Kiiro demanded

	�Chosen to become an Iczelion, and defend this planet against the Rhadam�s
forces.� 

	Kiiro smiled.

	�Well, what are we waiting for?�

*	*	*	*	*

	{Iczel, I�m starting to get worried.}  Kawai sent.  She had managed to
sever three of the squid-void�s tentacles, but had been unable to damage its
main body, while her own forcefield was beginning to weaken and a couple of
attacks had penetrated her defences.

	{Hang in there, Kawai.  We can beat this thing.}

	The void swung its bladed tentacles again at Kawai, who once more just
managed to avoid being sliced in two.  Kawai built up an energy charge,
stretched her arm out, and released it.

	�STARBURST ... MISSILE!!!�  Several silver-white globules of energy flew
towards the void, exploding when they hit it.  The void seemed staggered by
the attack, but quickly recovered.

	{Iczel, we�re low on power!  We need to do something!}

	�Need some help?�

	There was a flash of yellow light, and a purple-haired girl dressed in a
black bodysuit and gold-colored armor appeared beside her.  The void fired
an energy blast from its mouth, but it was blocked by her forcefield.

	�Hey, if that�s all, you really should have run away.� The purple-haired
girl quipped.  �Oh, well, it isn�t my problem ... it�s yours.�  One of her
armor plates detatched itself from her right leg, moving onto her forearm
and splitting into two, and a yellow glow appeared to the front of them.

	�DOUBLE TORNADO!!!� The Gold Iczelion�s energy burst hit the void head on,
vaporising it.  She smiled and gave a �V for victory� sign.

	�Yatta!� Kiiro yelled in elation.  �I�m starting to like this already!�

*	*	*	*	*

	{Tina! Tina!}

	The young Space Knight, who had been helping Mac and Maggie to fix some of
the equipment which was still damaged from the evil Teknomen�s attack on the
Command Center, fell over in shock.  Fortunately, a guard rail was present,
which prevented her from falling off the walkway she had been standing on.

	�What... who...?� she stammered in surprise at hearing the voice in her head.

	�I am Iczel.�

	�Like ... like the robot Nagisa transforms with?�

	�Correct.  Tina, you must help Nagisa and Blade!�  The Iczel projected a
mental image of the other-dimensional battle between Nabisa, Blade, and the
Void.  Tina sweated in apprehension - she was being asked to actually fight
against something that was likely to be on the same power level as Saber and
the other evil Teknomen.   She was scared, but ... but she had to.  She
thought back to the time when Blade had become evil, and how she had faced
him and managed to bring him back.  She had exposed herself to an �enemy�
this powerful before - why couldn�t she do it again?

	�All right, I�ll do it.� She said, trying to gain extra self-confidence.
�Blade�s there ... can we take Pegas with us into the other dimension?�

	�Yes, we should be able to.�

	�All right, let�s go!�  Tina yelled.  �CHARGING!!!�  She felt an energy
wave enter her body, and then her clothes disappeared, being replaced by a
dark blue bodysuit and bronze armor plates.  Tina flew through
interdimensional space, with Pegas being telekinetically dragged behind her,
appearing in the dimension in which Nagisa and Blade were fighting against
the void - Nagisa mainly trying to ensure Blade didn�t get hit by its attacks. 

	�Hey, Blade, Over here!�

	�Tina?�

	�Come on, you cant afford to just stand there gawking!  Help us kick this
thing�s butt!� the Bronze Iczelion yelled.

	�Pegas... POWER ON!!!�

	�Affirmative.�

	�Open the Interlock chamber!�

	The chamber opened, and Blade leaped in, feeling energy penetrate his body
once more.

	�TEKNO POWER!!!!!�

	Teknoman Blade emerged from Pegas� interlock chamber, joining the two
Iczelions.  The void flew at Tina, slashing at her with its claws, but a
beam-glaive appeared in Tina�s hands and he counterattacked, severing the
thing�s forearm.

	�Guys, do you wanna just blast this thing and get it over with?� Asked
Tina, and responses came in the affirmative.  Nagisa, Tina and Blade moved
into a triangular formation around the void, each powering up energy as they
did so.

	�GENESIS ... FIRE!!!�

	�AENEAN ... BOMBER!!!�

	�TEKNO POWER BLASTERS!!!�

	The void was blasted to dust from the explosion, the force of which created
a mile-wide crater in the sand.

	�Tina, now can I ask?  How come...� Blade began to say, but Tina
interrupted him.

	�Well, the Iczel chose me as her partner, but I�m not really sure why.�

	Nagisa put her hand on Tina�s shoulder.

	�I�m not sure why I was chosen, either.  I hope we�ll find out ... eventually.�

END PHASE TWO, CHAPTER ONE

Whoa, that was draining!  Well, I promised myself I�d get the chapter done
in January, and I did, with a little over one hour to go (in Australian
Eastern Daylight Saving Time, anyway).  Unfortunately, White Wolf tripped
over the power cord again so it didn't get released by the end of January.

        Okay, about some of the things in this fic:  We never saw Shara
actually blow up on Teknoman (maybe in the original Japanese, but it didn�t
get past the censors in Australia or the USA), so I think it�s concievable
that she could have been rescued in the nick of time.  Iczer-One�s
telepathic message to 
Nagisa was inspired by Kanon�s message to Ririka in the magical girl show 
�Nurse Angel Ririka SOS�.  I think that the Iczelions (at the very least, 
Nagisa and Kawai) would probably have more attacks than we actually saw them 
use in the OVAs, so I took the liberty of making up extra ones.  BTW, 
"Genesis Fire" was Nagisa's attack and "Aenean Bomber" was Tina's.  Finally, 
the idea of Tina becoming an Iczelion was partly inspired by her becoming a
Teknoman in Warhammer�s �Shara�s Last Gift�.

NEXT CHAPTER:  Shara begins to try and adjust to her new life, and Tina
visits some friends of hers - only to have uninvited guests drop in.

See ya soon!
_______________________________________________________________________________
"You are born with the yearning arrow, my Glynna.  It is not a happy thing
to possess... It points to the stars, and when it cannot reach them, it falls 
back to pierce your heart."
	- Wind (Isobelle Carmody, "Darkfall")

Andrew Dynon
- Eternal champion of the Iczer series
- Fan of Sailor Moon, Devil Hunter Yohko, 
     Teknoman, and many other anime series 
- RPG Player of Mekton-Z, Fuzion, AD&D and more
- Writer of fanfiction and original Sci-Fi/Fantasy
- Loyal supporter of the mighty Essendon Bombers (Australian Football League)

"Too many bakas."
- Hoshino Ruri, Nadesico (many times)