VanDread

Hibiki Tokai is a third-class citizen who is a parts mechanic. When he boasts to his co-workers that he can and would steal a Vanguard, which is one of the Empire's elite combat vehicles used for defending themselves against the Mejale, he finds himself boxed in by his own words. In order to silence his doubting co-workers, he has to sneak abord the battleship Ikazuchi and find the Vanguard with the marked part on it that makes it his. However, everything doesn't go as planned, as the Ikazuchi takes off for orbit 2 hours ahead of time with Hibiki stranded on board. As if things couldn't get any worse, the Ikazuchi also comes under attack by a group of fearsome women from Mejale - and not just any Mejale women, but pirates! Found out by the Tarak crew and facing execution for being a stowaway, Hibiki comes face to face with a real live woman in the midst of all the fighting, who he immediately runs away from, despite her overly friendly attitude. But the real threat may not come from th

Hibiki finds himself captured by a ship full of women after being abandoned by his fellow citizens, with the exception of two other unlucky men - Bart Garsus, a cowardly, self-proclaimed ""helmsman"" and Duero, a highly educated student who had become a doctor on a whim to stay alive. Things look pretty dire for the men - but while the pirates are deciding about the fate of their new male prisoners, a mysterious enemy begins an attack on them. Now, in a life or death battle, everyone, even the men, must work to escape this new threat. Bart manages to weasel his way into piloting the ship (even though he has no idea how to), and Duero makes use of his medical skills. A despondent Hibiki, left without anything to contribute, feels that he can do nothing to change his pathetic existence - that is, until the vice-commander gives him some words that he will soon not forget...

The threat is past, but the new ship is unstable, leaving the crew baffled at how to operate it. One by one, the men are taken from their cells in order to try to help out with the repairs of the ship. However, there may be no time for lounging around, as Dita and Gascogne go missing on a supply and information-gathering mission, and the ship plunges into a nebula and asteroid field that threatens to tear the ship apart. It's left to the crew to once again work together to overcome their difficulties. In the aftermath, the crew discovers that it will take 270 days to get home, as they have been thrown to a remote part of space. With this new knowledge, the men and women realize that working together is a necessity to get themselves home.

Parfait begins holding a contest to rename the ship, because she feels that the Ikazuchi is a ridiculous and unfashionable name. Meanwhile, Hibiki proves to be a skilled fighter, however he can't seem to ""play well with others"" or be a team player. In order to give him a lesson, Magno tricks him into being reassigned to the supply depot, which is managed by the tough-as-nails, yet highly logical Gascogne. By placing Hibiki in the role of a supply-providing ""stagehand"", Gascogne plans to teach Hibiki the meaning of teamwork, although it may take more than just himself and the Dreads alone to destroy the latest threat from the enemy.

The ship has a new name thanks to Parfet… Nirvana, a name that symbolizes Harmony, Stability, and Joy. Dita still has an interest in the ""alien"" Hibiki, who finds the highly energetic girl annoying and would rather spend time trying to find out more about his Vanguard. Meanwhile, Jura schemes to find a way to unite with Hibiki's Vanguard. The Nirvana then comes across a barren desert planet, where they find a artificial structure that is partially buried in the sand. Hibiki isn't happy when the female pilots start to train on the other Vanguards that are left to go down to the planet's surface - especially when they decide to paint them all sorts of ridiculous colors. Despite Hibiki's unhappiness, the Vanguards go down to the surface and find themselves in trouble - but getting out of the situation may be the only way to find out what exactly the mysterious enemy's motivation is.

Meia is in trouble! Seriously injured in a battle, and having some 'personal issues' as a result, she is facing quite a struggle for her life. The other pilots do not handle the idea that they may have to replace Meia well, and Jura is unable to command the Dreads in her place. Duero, Parfait, and Paiway struggle to save Meia's life as Meia has flashbacks to her turbulent and troubled past. The latest enemy attack may hinder their ability to bring her back from the brink of death, however, and it is left to Hibiki, of all people, to come up with a plan that just might save them all.