Hi, folks. Here's the rewrite. The second part will be sent out tomorrow
morn if I'm lucky. ::knocks on wood::
I hope you like the new intro...there are some spoilers for later on in the
story, and this has ended up as a set of stories, with the large intro for the
first part -- the one I use here -- of each story and the quick intro I've got
typed up somewhere for the subsequent parts.
Of course, the intro will be cleaned up as I introduce the people in the
pictures and attach names that can be used in the place of the descriptions.
*** *** ***
Notes: This is set in the far future of a fusion/xover universe I'm working
with. Do not be surprised if any names sound familiar.
[All images here are still images. Think of them as photographs.]
In the late 20th century and early 21st, a series of three wars broke out,
wars that were to change Earth and mankind's destiny forever.
[The first is of two girls fighting a bunch of mimes armed with blasters that
are mindful of the mecha in Macross. The first girl has black hair and sash,
white skin and dress, and her eyes are made of crystal. The other girl is a
negative image of the first. The mimes are, well, dressed like mimes. There
are some otherworldly touches, like the high level of mecha they are handling,
the equally high level of cyborg parts they are displaying, and the large
black circles around their eyes. The background is what NY would look like
after a DBZ-type battle happened.
[The second is pretty much the same as the first. However, the city is a
slightly more modern London, and there is only one girl. She is looks pretty
much the same as the first two girls, but everything about her is golden.
[The third image: A very futuristic Tokyo, same level as destruction as the
last two cities. In the background we notice what looks like Goku - or maybe
Gohan - fighting some mimes. However, please focus on what is in focus.
There are two girls. One is tiger-striped in every detail and engaging some
mimes in hand-to-hand combat. The other isn't too clear -- she's using a
quite bright chi attack on some mimes. However, we can tell that she has
white skin, purple hair, and that her skirt is yellow.]
It the mid 31st century, almost 1,000 years after the last time anyone had
seen the Pantomimes. Most encounters with the Mimes at this time are simple
border skirmishes, taken care of by the elite mecha squadrons known as the
Pantomime Squadrons.
[A series of pictures of men, women, and mecha. Some are formal pictures,
some are pictures taken of them on parade, and some are pictures of them in
combat. Some of these people and mecha are disturbingly familiar.]
This is the tale of the infamous Yoshimasa Asaike, the only anti-mecha leader
of any of these squadrons, and the White Pantomime Squadron!
[Ten people -- five men, and five women -- in white military-style uniforms.
One bears a striking resemblance to Ranma-onna, except her hair is black.
Another looks rather like Goku, but his face is scarred and he has an aura of
hardness about him. In the back stands someone who could be the clone of
Nabiki. In the front stands a man, who, like all but one of the people in the
picture, is clearly of Asiatic decent. His black hair in a crew cut, he is
striking a pose that is mindful of Kuno. Beside him stands a tall girl who is
definitely Caucasian. She has neat black hair and her expression says that if
this wasn't a photo there would be a sweatdrop present.]
Help, Kami-sama!
By Ryo Hoshi
Part 1
There was one certain thing about Yoshimasa Asaike:
His men would follow him anywhere, but only out of morbid curiosity.
Well, one never was able to really call us his men. When we started this
mission, at least half of us were female. Now, I'd say we are about 25%
human, the others being either part of the undead we have been shooting at for
the last few hours or tentacle monsters.
I suppose I should start from the beginning...
As usual, we were sitting -- well, more like lying -- around the barracks.
We were doing our usual daily activities. You know what I mean: reading
books, sleeping, working out, sparring, and trying to keep out of Yoshimasa's
way. The general stuff.
Anyway, we were all relaxed and happy when Yoshimasa burst in with a cry of
"We've got a mission!"
We dutifully gathered around our 'fearless' leader.
"What's this mission, Yoshimasa babe?" asked Nabiki, our info expert. From
what I had heard, when her parents had named her after her ancestor, they
hadn't expected her to take after the first Nabiki as much as she had...the
only reason Nabiki-sama was still with us was because she *liked* the job.
"Our commanders have chosen us, the famous and powerful White Pantomime
Squadron, to eliminate the Mime base that has been attacking the colony at
Nami."
Izumi Saotome, the newest member of our team, looked at Yoshimasa warily.
"Isn't Nami that planet where they discovered that virus that turns men into
tentacle monsters?"
"There is no such thing."
I leaned over and whispered to Izumi, "Yeah, that's the planet."
Izumi-chan paled. "He's crazy."
"Yeah."
Several hours later, we were in orbit around Nami.
My fellow team members were checking in with me and asking for weapons.
Yoshimasa had this thing about arms: he thought that is wasn't honorable to
use them. I think we must be the only mecha squadron that hardly ever uses
its mecha. Well, the only one that didn't use its mecha and survived what few
missions it got.
The men asking Nozomi Kiyoki, the med. officer, if her mother, the famous
Washu, had given her the vaccine for the tentacle beast bug. The women were
asking her if she could give them something -- anything -- that could protect
them from tentacle monsters.
"Okay, here's the plans. Info-gal and Medico, you stay on the ship and
coordinate the teams. Chris, you take Greenhorn, Star, and 'Were and check
out the terrain around the colony. I'll take Madman, Hentai, and Scout and
see what's up in the colony. We will meet in the colony's guardhouse at 1900
hours."
I gave Yoshimasa a cold stare. "I have a perfectly good call sign, sir."
"Subcommander Chris Nemo, take your team and get down on that planet!"