This is an AU of the 'Robotech' universe, as dreamed up by a group of friends' years ago. A 'what if Major Carpenter's fleet had survived and was able to make the jump to hyperspace.' I do not own anything more than the characters and what was created way back then. Enjoy!
The hangar bay on the REF ship Intolerable was silent, mimicking that of the vacuum just on the other side of the bulkhead that cradled and protected those that lived within its confines. To each side of the hangar were Veritech's, with more in storage in a sub-hangar, moved so that this solemn occasion could be conducted. None the less, it was still a bit stifling, full of both Veritech's and support vehicles, along with the latest batch of cadets to come out of the academy that had been set up in the remnants of the small fleet that had been sent to Earth a few years ago.
That mission, as every man, woman and child in the fleet knew, had been an unmitigated disaster. Vital personnel and ships had been lost in the effort to aid the Army of the Southern Cross against what they had come to realize were the 'Robotech Masters' from Tirol. It had been a bitter pill to swallow to know that they'd followed the Masters back to their home planet, even more so to tell the planet that no help would be coming from the Robotech Expeditionary Force. Supreme Commander Leonard had been less than pleased, but they'd a message to deliver and, hopefully, precious cargo to the families that had remained behind on Earth. The first had been achieved and the second had never seen the light of day, to the dismay of those charged with that duty.
Here, lined up in rows, file and rank, stood the latest wave of teenagers that were taking on the mantle of warriors, of the responsibility of protecting the fleet until they somehow made it back to the rest of the REF. It was a dream that they shared, that they would one day meet with their brethren, the last request of a dying Major John Carpenter that had been taken up by the ones who'd survived, rebuilt and, since that time, had tried desperately to find a sign of 'home'.
Captain Jason Laque stood in front of the assembled crowd, looking at the faces that he'd seen grow up, mature into the young men and women that gazed back at him with determination on their faces. A tall man, with blond hair that held strands of silver and blue eyes, broad shoulders still filling out the dress uniform he was wearing, he was the type of officer that ten years ago the recruiters would have wanted on their posters. Now time, age and stress had taken their toll and he wondered how he'd ever been so young, so innocent, as the cadets before him. They were a mingling from each of the ten ships that remained of their fleet, sent by the captains of each once they reached of age and indicated that this was their intended profession and not something else that was of equal importance, for there was no unimportant job and these days the job of being a fighter pilot wasn't exactly the plumb assignment it used to be. Too many had died in these uncharted areas of space, lost on reconnaissance missions, never to be seen again; some were lost in encounters with alien's who'd been less than friendly or helpful as the ones the REF had first encountered. It was hazardous and the life expectancy was low, but these children knew the risk. They had lived with it every day since their parents had signed on with the REF, had lived with it since they had been small children. For some, this life was all that they'd known and wouldn't trade it for anything in the universe. And now it was his turn to give the speech, to conduct these children into the lives they'd chosen. He cleared his throat softly, stepping up to the podium brought out for this occasion, glad that his speech was short, concise, and to the point.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we live in perilous times, as I'm sure you're aware. We take on the tasks that we would not normally do if we were in a different time, a different place. Each of you have excelled in your courses, in your chosen occupations. I'll not say that you're our best class, or our last, but you certainly are exemplary. Congratulations, cadets, you've made it this far. Your new assignments are underneath your seats. Good luck. You're dismissed."
He saluted the latest batch of cadets, pleased with the parade-ground response, then he stepped back from the podium amidst the sound of almost fifty bodies bending down and retrieving the data chips affixed to their chairs. There were no squeals, as the assignments couldn't be read until they were able to return to their rooms and insert the chips into a reader. Laque smiled at the sudden exodus from the hangar bay as bodies ducked and weaved around each other in their haste to see which squadron they'd be with, who they'd be serving under. Turning away, he nodded to the men and women lined up against the far wall, out of sight of the cadets whose lives they now commanded. A salute was given and the line dispersed, going to their ready rooms in anticipation of the newly graduated class showing up in the next half hour.
Cadet Lieutenant Kimberly Riva hurried to her quarters as fast as she could, barring the fact that others were doing the same all around her, and some of them were a bit bigger and more aggressive than she, though she could hold her own if need be. A tall young woman with raven-black hair bound back in a braid, a pale complexion and dark blue eyes, she tugged at her collar as she was finally able to duck into the room that she shared with three other female cadets who, it seemed, had beat her to the computer. She sat down at her bunk and watched as Beth Thornton inserted her chip into the computer, watching the screen anxiously. As soon as the information appeared, there was a moment of silence then a yelp of happiness.
"I got in! I got in!" Bethany seemed almost to do a victory dance in the chair, but the second girl, Honor Jackson, wasn't having any of that and all but bumped Beth out of the chair so that she could take out the first chip and insert her own. Then a reaction much like the first resounded in the small confines of the quarters. Sophia Arnaud was the third to see her new orders and while her outburst wasn't nearly as exuberant as the first two had been, it was still full of realized pride. Then all three turned to where Kimberly was sitting, eyes bright with anticipation.
She shrank back slightly under their scrutiny before she allowed herself to be pulled and tugged to the reader. Taking out Sophia's chip and handing it to her, she inserted her own, waiting during the long few seconds before her orders appeared. Air left her lungs in a sudden exhalation and she stared at the screen, almost oblivious to the shrieks of joy behind her. Her shoulder was jostled and she looked up, meeting eyes with Honor.
"You did it! The Raven's! You got your dream assignment!"
Kimberly stared at her friend and roommate for a moment, and then she nodded, a smile blooming across her face. "I guess I did. The Raven's…wow. I mean, I didn't think I'd get them!" She sat back for a moment, basking in the realization, and then a look of horror crossed her face, soon to be followed by similar expressions on the other three faces as she shot to her feet. "I've got to go! I mean, we've got to get going! We've got to report!" There was a sudden flurry of movement as three bodies headed towards the door. Kimberly watched and shook her head at their antics, listening to their laughingly argumentative voices, waiting until they were clear before heading out down the corridor with other cadets, now graduates and officers, going towards their new assignments.
***
In the ready room of the Red Raven squadron, VF-103, three men and one alien waited on their newest member. Lt Commander Thomas Connors sat in one chair, his legs stretched out in front of him, one hand smoothing his dark mustache. Like Laque, silver now streaked his dark brown hair, but age didn't slow him down and he had no intention on giving it a chance. Opposite him sat Lieutenant Paul Hale, idly perusing a small book in his hands, the overhead light shining on close-cropped light brown hair and dark brown eyes. The third man sat between the first two, Lieutenant (junior grade) Mark Ryder, long blond bangs shadowing his face as he wrote in what appeared to be a journal. The alien, Lyonisus, was a Leonid, and the name he went by was what his human compatriots called him, as his actual name was intelligible to them. He stood to one side of the others, inspecting his claws as they waited.
The sound of running footsteps came through the open door before they slowed to a more decorous pace as someone approached. Thomas straightened in his chair and the others put away their items as a figure appeared in the doorway. Connors stood, motioning her inward, and then addressed his men. "Gentlemen, this is our new member, Lieutenant Kimberly Riva." There was the sound as the two remaining men shoved back their chairs, all regarding the newest member. She met their gazes silently, and then stepped further into the room, coming to attention and saluting. Connors returned the salute, hiding a grin in his mustache as the young woman entered what was obviously a male-only room.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I hope that we can work well together." Her gaze flickered between each man, eyes narrowing slightly as she memorized their faces. A moment passed before Connors gestured her forward and she sat down gingerly in the remaining seat at the table, watching as the other two men sat down as well, glancing at the alien who remained standing.
Connors saw the newest member of the team eyes shift and interpreted it correctly. "Don't worry about Lyonisus; he prefers to stand, especially during briefings. Let me introduce you to everyone now that they all know who you are." Introductions were quickly made and she nodded to each man, matching names to faces. Then Connors stepped to one side and brought up one of the monitors, showing a star chart. "Okay, boys and girl, we've got a mission, handed down from Commodore Bryant himself. Well, him and his council of course, but that's beside the point. Turns out we get to be ambassadors to a nearby planet and try to broker a treaty with its ruling family." He turned to the Leonid, one brow raised in query. "Lyon, do you have anything to add? Not sure how far out here your people got."
The giant shook his head, his tawny mane brushing over shoulders, deep voice rumbling from his chest. "We never came this way so, no, I have nothing to add. Any idea what this race looks like or what they prefer?"
Tom clicked the remote in his hand, bringing up another image, that of four beings with a greenish cast to their skin, humanoid, with large amber eyes and dark hair. "They look friendly enough." Paul Hale spoke up, eyes on the screen, his expression slightly sardonic. Mark shook his head, holding back a smirk, glancing at the newest member. She stared straight ahead, her eyes also on the screen, the mission. Mark glanced back at Paul and saw the same realization on his face – they'd have to break this one in. He looked back at Tom, who was gazing at them both with a bit of impatience. Both Paul and Mark straightened in their chairs, slightly chagrined.
"As I was saying…." and so it was that the Red Raven squadron listened and learned of their newest mission.
***
Five red Veritech Alpha's cut a path through space, leaving the Intolerable in the background, heading towards the distant planet that held promise. In the lead, Lt. Commander Connors was having a conversation with his second-in-command. "A girl, Tom? Really? You didn't even tell me we were going coed." Paul Hale's face stared at his commanding officer from one monitor as his voice filtered through the communications system into the helmet. Tom smiled, though it was hidden by the chin guard of his helmet.
"It's simple, Paul – throw something new into the mix and I needed a person to keep Ryder in check. Her profile suggests that she's very by the book, so far. Besides, we need fresh blood and no one ever said that we had to remain a boys-only club." Paul made a face at that, but Tom was old enough to remember Mirya Parino-Sterling and how she had shaken up the VT squadrons of the old SDF-1 when she started being a pilot. While most females opted for the relatively safer positions in support or bridge crew, there was the occasional one that signed up for the more dangerous jobs and it was now their turn to take on one of them. "Besides, her test scores and simulator runs are almost up to par with the rest of us." He smiled as he heard Paul scoff but his face was grinning. Paul signed off, leaving Tom to his thoughts, which were less than calm. He knew that bringing the new lieutenant into the squad was the right decision – there had been too many mutterings of how the other VT squadrons took on female pilots and the Red Raven squad took on the likes of Lyonisus and Mark Ryder. Yes, he admitted to himself, it was a political move, but he found that he didn't mind. What he'd told Paul was true – they needed someone to keep Mark in line. He was young, perhaps a year or so older than Kimberly, and he seemed to somehow know the Commodore, the older man taking the younger under his wing. Tom knew some of the secrets of the fleet, but that wasn't one of them. But the young man was also somewhat of a hotshot, cocky as any VT pilot Tom had met, but there was somewhat of an air of melancholy at times, and the last thing he needed was a suicidal pilot. Competition was a wonderful motivator and the fact that it was a pretty girl helped matters. Tom glanced at his left hand, covered by a glove, knowing that on his ring finger was a gold band that no longer had a match. He knew full well the dangers of wanting to die when you were in the seat of an expensive fighter. He just didn't know the cause.
He glanced out the canopy, checking on Flight Two, noting how in position they were in relation to the rest of the squadron, smiling slightly. Yes, this was the smartest move he'd made lately and he only hoped that it wouldn't turn and bite him on the ass.
The engines of the five Alpha's flared against the crystal clear darkness of space as they neared the planet.