Robotech: Sidesteps

Robotech and all related characters are property of Harmony Gold productions.

Any original characters are either my own creations, or used with permission by the creators. Said chapters with such characters will be noted.

Dedicated to the memory of Dreadnought. You were a good friend, a good man, and taken from us too soon. See you again on the other side.

(Updated, revised, and expanded 06/24/2019)

Chapter 1: Forcible Summons

Jeremy Daniels stalks through his home, irritation clear in the sound his boots made on the old wooden floors. Though Jeremy was now the only inhabitant of his family home, he speaks his frustration aloud while going through the motions of packing for a trip.

"Dadgum, blasted, air-headed buffoons," Jeremy gripes while grabbing the first two pairs of trousers he could reach, roughly shoving them into his rucksack. "First they tell me that I'm not qualified for the position because, 'You don't have the requisite experience in the field.'" He complains, "Then they add insult to injury with, 'You should have done an unpaid internship.' Yeah, like my tuition and bills were just gonna be magically taken care of. Naturally my time in the Marines ain't worth a damn to them." While Daniels rants on, he shoves the other necessary clothing into his ruck before loading up on toiletries, "And if not that then, 'We're sorry, you are overqualified for this position.' Damned if I do, damned if I don't I reckon." The small man shivers as the fine hair on his arms stand on end. Huffing to himself he mutters, "Gonna need to get the HVAC looked at. Just what I need, another bill."

"Well, a few days of some riding up in the mountains ought to make me feel less ornery." Jeremy thinks to himself before mentally adding with a laugh, "And it's gonna be a bit more productive than chasing after jobs with over inflated requirements." His laughter stops abruptly as his hand reaches for a simple oak box, pausing to uncertainly tap the lid with his fingers. After a few moments he lifts it up and places it into his bag with far greater care than he'd shown with the rest of his belongings. He murmurs to himself, "A promise is a promise."

Jeremy slings the rucksack over his shoulder before he reaches up for one last item. Taking a hold of the grip, he pulls down his father's old 1911 pistol. Shaking his head Jeremy corrects himself mentally, It's his now, not his father's. Taking the firearm, Jeremy checks the magazine before seating it back in place. Jeremy racks the slide back and looks to ensure the 1911 was free of any debris. Satisfied, he lets go, the slide slams back into battery with a sharp clack, a fresh cartridge loaded. A quick flick of his thumb engages the safety, and Jeremy slides the sidearm into its resting place at his side in a holster underneath his jacket.

Walking out of his bedroom towards the front of the house, Daniels pauses and squints at a painting on the wall. The image flows and shifts from a simple landscape to a still life. Jeremy rubs at his eyes with the heels of his hands. As he inspects the painting further the same familiar landscape greets him. He heads on to the front door as he grumbles, "Dammit, I have got to see about getting more sleep. I'm losing it." Jeremy checks once more to make sure he had his wallet and keys, before locking the front door. With a deep breath he says out loud, "Well, enough dicking around. Might as well get rolling." before heading out the back.

Pulling the back door closed sharply Jeremy locks it. He tries to relax while he strides off the deck over to a small tree, where his well-loved motorcycle rests, out of reach of the cold sun. Taking a few deep breaths to finally calm himself Jeremy tugs his leather jacket close over his t-shirt against the brisk February morning. Plucking his helmet off the sissy bar Jeremy dons it and fastens it snugly. Checking yet again that his rucksack is secure over his shoulders. Clicking his boot heels together in a silly pre-ride dance, Jeremy throws his leg over the Harley-Davidson sportster, another inheritance from his late father. Settling onto the small seat, Jeremy prepares to start the bike.

Jeremy feels the air charge with static, the hairs on his neck and arms all bristling in response. Jeremy thinks to himself, "What the devil? It's clear as a bell, and I can't remember the last time we had a thunderstorm in the wint-" the thought is cut off as the world turns psychedelic colors. Daniels screams in agony as pain racks his body, as if he was being shredded from the inside. The scream is cut short as he falls unconscious.

Jeremy comes to, his head throbbing in time with his heartbeat, he thinks, "What the devil was that?". As he regains his sense every part of his body protests feeling aflame and numb at the same time. He notes in the back of his mind it feels much like the taser he had been shot with during training. After several moments Daniels' brain started to pay attention to what his ears were passing along and he stiffened as several different voices flowed in.

"Ugh, can we not do that again?" Said one woman's voice

"Captain Gloval, there's someone over here." Came another.

"I wonder who he is." came a third, this one sounding more naive and innocent.

Then a rough bass voice intones, "That's what I want to know Lt. Porter. Claudia, Lisa, you have any idea?"

A pair of women, Jeremy assumes the ones the Captain addressed, responded with a negatory.

Jeremy groans again as he tried to push himself into a fully seated position, the slump he was in playing havoc on his neck, "Uh, what's going on? Where am I?" he says. His jacket falling open from his motion.

Jeremy opened his eyes, as he shifts into a more comfortable position one of the women - the one with dark hair, he notes - catches a flash of metal under his jacket. Swiftly recognizing the pistol, she barks out, "He's got a gun!"

Claudia reacts first, snatching a sidearm from her thigh holster and leveling it at Jeremy, who throws his hands up. He says, "Non-hostile, non-hostile. I am not a threat." His eyes are fixed on muzzle of the pistol. Though Jeremy knows logically that it had to be 9mm or smaller, at present it looks like a tank cannon. Placatively, Daniels offers, "Hey, look, I'll gladly disarm if that means not getting shot."

The female officer looks to Gloval, who nods in assent. Jeremy with an exaggerated slowness carefully draws his 1911. Careful to keep the muzzle pointed to the deck, and finger well clear of the trigger, he releases the magazine allowing it to drop to the deck. Racking the slide open the cartridge dances across the floor. Leaning forward Jeremy placed the sidearm on the deck and used the heel of his boot to slide the pistol and magazine over towards the Captain while keeping his hands to the 'surrender' pose he was assuming. "See? Everything's all nice and ducky. Right?"

Kim quickly collected the firearm which allowed Jeremy to let out a quiet sigh as Claudia lowered the pistol she was aiming at his chest. Captain Gloval spoke in his thick Russian accent, "So, mister stowaway. Would you mind showing us your face?"

Jeremy thought for a moment about making a funny comment, but as tense as things were, he opted for modicum of restraint. "Of course, Cap'n... uh, Gloval. Right?" he says slowly pulling the helmet off to reveal his scruffy beard and short crop of black hair. Trying to offer a disarming grin the the small man said "The name's Daniels. Jeremy Samuel Daniels, uh, at yer service I reckon."

"What is your ID code Mister Daniels?"

Jeremy screwed up his face in confusion, "My what now?"

The captain sighed, "Your personal identification code. I would like to confirm that you are who you claim to be."

Jeremy shrugged, "Uh, I don't rightly got one sir."

Sammy scoffed, incredulous, "You don't have one? That's impossible."

Gloval shoots over a quieting glance, "Mister Daniels, I find that hard to believe. Surely you have some means of allowing us to confirm your identity in our systems. Otherwise, I am afraid that we will have to presume that you are a AUL saboteur."

"Whoa, whoa. Captain, I ain't no saboteur, 'specially not one aligned with whomever the AUL is. I promise you that on my honor as a Marine."

Gloval cocks his head to one side, "Marine?" Jeremy nodded in the affirmative which prompted Gloval to continue, "Well, what's your serial number?"

Jeremy made a quiet, "Huh" before rattling off his serial number from memory. Gloval nodded at Lisa who entered the provided number into her terminal and waited for the record search to bear fruit. When the computer finally displays the record associated with Daniels' serial number, Commander Hayes blanches, "Captain, that ID number does belong to a Daniels, Jeremy Samuel."

Gloval harrumphs, "So, this stowaway is who he claims to be."

Lisa takes a sharp breath before continuing, "But sir, according to our records. Jeremy Samuel Daniels is dead. And has been for nearly 3 years."

Silence weighs heavily over the bridge after Lisa's statement. Jeremy's mind races as he tries to make sense of the impossibility of the situation he found himself in.

Gloval scowls at the man, "Enough with the funny business, who are you really?"

Jeremy holds his hand out to the side, concern etched on his face, "Whoa, Captain, hold on a minute. I ain't doing no sorta funny business here. I am Jeremy S. Daniels, son of Lucas and Valarie Daniels, brother of Michael Daniels and Caroline Avery. Born, raised, and living in South Carolina. And I am not any happier to hear that I am listed as deceased, than you are to have found me as an unwitting stowaway on your vessel."

Gloval narrows his eyes at Jeremy, who, to his credit, was holding up under the withering glare. After a long pause, Gloval looks over to Lisa. Commander Hayes answers to the implied question, "That all matches what we have on file sir. There are several photos as well."

Gloval nods before ordering, "Stand up." Jeremy offers a short nod before pulling his arms free from his rucksack. Grasping the edge of a console, the small man levers himself up so he can get his feet under him. Taking a moment to be sure he is steady, Jeremy turns to face Commander Hayes for her appraisal.

"Hmm, right height, hair color matches, as does the eyes. Looks a bit heavier than the listed weight." Jeremy bites back a snide retort at the comment. Lisa continues, "And the pictures looks to be close enough, even if the alleged Mr. Daniels looks far scruffier than what we have on file."

Jeremy grumbles quietly, "'Scruffy looking' she says, oi. Can't catch a break." Eliciting a snicker from Kim and Vanessa, and another stern look from Gloval. Jeremy's brain finally catches up to reality and he grapes at the view from the conning tower, "Dear heavens... We're in space."

Gloval softens his glare slightly, "Yes, we are. Vanessa, get some security personnel sent up here to escort out guest to the brig while we sort things out."

Vanessa nods and offers a curt "Aye aye." before she makes the call. Sammy speaks up, "But Captain, the brig hasn't been built yet."

Jeremy chuckles and remarks, "Heh, all you need for a brig is a door that locks from the outside, and a guard to post beside it."

Gloval's glare hardens again, "Very astute Mr. Daniels, that is exactly what is going to happen. I'd appreciate it if you cooperated with us." Jeremy nods and reflexively says "Aye aye Cap'n."

The ship rocks with an explosion. Lisa calls out, "Sir, there are still aliens in the city." Jeremy's eyes bug out as the bridge crew moves to action, guiding the ship's forces in defense of the vessel. Edging back into the corner where he awoke, Jeremy roughly drops onto his haunches and sits down tucking his hands under his thighs. Gloval nods appreciatively before focusing on the crisis at hand.

Jeremy stands when a pair of Marines arrive to take him into custody. Grabbing his rucksack, he offers it to the nearest Marine. Jeremy, noting the man's name tag and rank, attempts a cheery smile, and says, "Here ya go Corporal Gruber." Once the man takes the ruck Jeremy scoops up his helmet "Well, lead on gents."

The Marine that took the rucksack ducks through the door as the other man holds his rifle at low-ready, Jeremy catches the Sgt stripes and nametape of the senior Marine, thinking to himself, "Corinth? Oddball name that."

The Sergeant motions for Daniels to move. Jeremy complies with smooth deliberate motions. Not wanting to startle the armed men. He exits the bridge as directed. Out in the hall, he backs against the wall, and holds his arms out and wrists together towards his captors. The Marines look at Daniels in confusion and Corinth asks, "What are you doing?"

Jeremy says, "You're not going to cuff me?" drawing out the first word.

Gruber says, "Be kinda hard since all the cuffs are in storage at the MP posts, out there in the ice."

"Even the cable cuffs?"

"The what?" Corinth asks.

"You know, cable cuffs. Like zip ties, but made to be used as disposable cuffs you only have to cut off?"

Gruber shakes his head "I've never seen those before."

Corinth narrows his eyes at Jeremy "Why would you even know about something like that?"

Daniels shrugs "Eh, prior service. We used them on any detainees, kinda infrequently to be honest. You know, you've secured a group of actual or suspected hostiles and you want to minimize the time that you have them held at gunpoint. So, you just zip-tie 'em with the cuffs. Right?"

The pair of Marines glance at one another before Corinth turns back to Jeremy "What are you talking about? You some sort of SpecFor asshole?"

Jeremy shakes his head "No. Ran into a few of 'em and picked up a couple of tricks here and there. Just the AO I was in, ya know? Good God, I'm giving y'all pointers on how to hogtie me. Uh, just lead on and I promise I'll behave."

Sgt. Corinth furrows his brow before nodding at Gruber who turns and leads the way. Jeremy falls in behind him, noting the familiar 'click' of a safety being flipped off as he turns his back.

The group make their way along the corridors, their trek only disturbed by the occasional tremor as the conn tower is fired upon. Daniels making it a point to not track what turns they make nor counting his steps. Even so habit triumphs with Daniels zeroing in on the compartment codes, and emergency phones.

The trio stumble as the deck bucks under their feet, the dull sound of an impact to the hull is followed by a low rumble from an explosion. Before they can steady themselves a secondary explosion cooks off, the wall bulges outward before throwing a chunk of plating free. The metal slams Corinth to the deck pinning him as a burst pipe gushes steam across the passageway. A high voltage line also thrashes out of the rent, whipping around furiously as if it were searching for a victim. Sparks light the corridor in a strobe when the exposed wire comes into contact with the deck or walls, as the light in that section of the passage die. The effect amplified by the steam clouding the area in a fine fog. Sergeant Corinth screams in pain as the electrical bleed off washes over him, the shocks strengthen as the wire creeps nearer.

Gruber staggers against the wall, reeling from the concussive force. Daniels ignores the ringing in his head from the blast to sprint towards the crash phone, barking as he passes, "Corporal, help the sergeant." Throwing himself shoulder first into the wall Daniels yanks the receiver off its cradle, "Alert DAMCON, we have a venting steam pipe and live wire in C-L9-185-8-Q. Potential casualty. Say again, live wire and steam venting at C-L9-185-8-Q with potential casualty."

Turning back after slamming the receiver back home, Daniels is appalled to see Gruber rooted in the same spot. Corinth's screaming ceases as the live wire moves closer feeding more electricity through him, as every muscle is forced taut by the current.

Moving back, Jeremy shakes the frozen Gruber "Corporal! Corporal! Oh goddammit. Outta my way Marine." Snatching the rucksack from his erstwhile captor, Jeremy tears the zipper open and grabs his leather gloves.

Tugging the gloves on, Jeremy pushes himself forward as the electricity in the air is already placing his hair on end. Grabbing the plating that has Corinth pinned, Daniels lifts the metal, hoping to lever it off the man. Only succeeding in lifting the plating a few inches. Enough for Corinth to pull himself free, if he wasn't incapacitated from being shocked. The wire whips closer as if it was angry to be denied its victim, sending another jolt through Corinth. The fresh wave of power also washes over Jeremy. He grunts as he defiantly holds on, refusing to abandon the sergeant just yet.

Jeremy heaves again, trying to shove the metal clear of Corinth, only succeeding in shifting the plating an inch or two back. Water falls from the ceiling as the steam condenses, wetting both Jeremy and Corinth. Daniels knows if he can't get the sergeant free soon, the water will soon rob him of the marginal protection his thick-soled combat boots and gloves afford.

Straining to keep the metal lifted Daniels yells, "Goddammit Corporal, you will get your ass over here or I swear, you'll be scrubbing shit stains out of every damned head on this God forsaken ship for the rest of your tour."

The angry tirade jolts Gruber out of his fugue, shaking him into action. Jeremy says, "Don't grab him, use his blouse. Use his blouse!" Causing Gruber to pull up short of latching onto the sergeant's hand and arm. The corporal nods as he grabs fistfuls of the blouse and tugs once, twice, to no avail. "It's no use sir, he's still stuck."

Daniels nods "OK corporal, on three. Three!" redoubling his effort, Jeremy steps into his lift, gritting his teeth at a wave of pain as electricity surges across his leg. His forearms already half numb from the static discharge. Gruber strains, pulling on the sergeants blouse for what feels like an eternity as the wire continues its slow approach. With a final heave, Gruber frees Corinth, pulling him clear of danger.

Jeremy's knee threatens to buckle for a moment from the electrical shock. Bounceing the metal up with a sharp push, Jeremy snatches his leg out and stumbles back, falling on his tailbone. He hurriedly scrabbles away in an awkward crab walk, only allowing himself to flop onto his back once he passes the DamCon phone he'd used earlier. The wire strikes at the metal flooring as the plating clatters to the deck trapping the high voltage line beneath it. Sparks fly across the walls as Jeremy and Gruber pant from exertion a safe distance away.

The pair remained collapsed on the deck, their breathing slowly evening out as they lay in the passageway, their hearts pounding in their ears while the ringing of tinnitus fades away.

Rolling over Daniels loosens Corinth's blouse, "Corporal, check for a pulse." Gruber tries to but as the adrenalin bleeds away his hands begin to shake uncontrollably.

"I- I'm s-sorry sir. My hands-"

Daniels offers a knowing smile, "Today your first time in combat?" Gruber nods as his whole body takes to trembling. Jeremy takes a moment to gently clap a hand on Gruber's shoulder and say in a paternal tone, "Lean up against the wall, deep even breaths. You'll feel like you could rack out, but I need you to stay awake for a little while yet ok? Take slow even breaths, it'll pass."

Turning his attention back to Corinth, Daniels is relieved to see the man's chest rise and fall. Though the breathing comes in ragged and uneven gasps. As Jeremy presses his fingers under the back of Corinth's jawline Gruber asks, "He, uh, is he alive?"

Jeremy nods, "He's breathing, so you know he has a heartbeat. Just checking the rate."

"Oh. Right. Will he be ok?"

Jeremy shrugs, "I ain't a corpsman. Don't know. We'll let the docs figure that one out."

As the pair sit and watch, Jeremy grimaces as the pain from his mild electrocution and the prior concussive blast asserts itself. His heart no longer pounding in his ears, Daniels shakes his head in a futile attempt to get rid of the tinnitus. He tugs his gloves off, looking forlornly towards his rucksack. It had been dropped far too close to the live wire to retrieve with any safety.

Letting his head fall back against the bulkhead with a bony thunk. Breaking the silence, Jeremy says, "Hey corporal,"

"Yessir?"

Jeremy chuckles before continuing, "what's with saying sir to me so much?"

Gruber open his mouth to reply before coming up short. "I uh, don't know."

"I said I was prior service, right? Well I was a combat officer, so don't feel to bad. Ok?"

A short while later, a repair team comes barreling up the passageway. The officer in charge directing the personnel in repairs. A pair of medics tend to Corinth, grilling Gruber for information on the sergeant's condition. Daniels fades back against the bulkhead, keeping clear of the chaos.

After securing the wire and steam pipe, the ranking officer walks over. "Corporal, good job on securing things here. And getting your sergeant out of harm."

Gruber stumbles over his words, "But- I, didn't-"

Daniels catches the corporal's attention, quickly sweeping his thumb across his throat. Mouthing 'Roll with it.'

Gruber drops his gaze to the deck, "Uh, thanks sir. Just did what I had to…"

The officer nods curtly, then bellows for the repair party to follow him. Rushing off to trend to the next crisis. The medics, satisfied that Corinth can be moved, load the stricken man onto a stretcher, and haul him off to the nearest medbay.

Jeremy shrugs at Gruber "So, how much further do we gotta go?"

The corporal blinks as he processes everything, before breaking out into a laugh. "Just around the corner. We'll be there in a moment, sir."

Jeremy holds up a finger and trots back to retrieve his rucksack. Returning he follows Gruber dutifully. On arriving at the supply closet, soon to be holding cell Daniels looks around "Not too bad, little bare and spartan, but a few drapes, some curtains, a throw pillow or two..."

Gruber stares and shakes his head "Why'd you do it?"

"Hmm? Do what?"

"Let me take the credit. You could've made yourself look better, and possibly gotten some points in with the old man. So, why?"

Jeremy browses the shelves for a few moments before answering, "Dunno, I'm probably a dumbass. Same reason I ran towards the gorram high-voltage line, not away from it. And you." Jeremy grins as he picks up a bag from the shelf, "Here we are, zip ties. Time for you to learn how to MacGyver some cable cuffs."

Jeremy leans back, the cool metal bulkhead sucking the heat through the thin insulation of his t-shirt. Looking around the room for the umpteenth time, he idly counts items on the shelves of the supply closet appropriated to act as his interim holding cell. Sighing, Jeremy attempts to adjust his zip-cuffed hands behind him into a more comfortable position. "Oh well, can't complain too much. Better than takin' a space walk I reckon. And still bigger than my berth on that LCS."

"Good to hear that you're finding out accommodations to your liking." Jeremy jumps at the unexpected address while Gloval walks in. Offering a wry grin Jeremy says, "What can I say Cap'n, I was infantry. Some o' the places I had to rack out in were little more'n a rat hole. So, since you're here, I'm guessing that the little green men have been run off, and either you wanna ask me some questions. Or you're about to toss me overboard. If it helps any, I am quite partial to having a nice chat, sir."

Gloval allows himself a brief throaty laugh, "Mister Daniels, I see that you have the traditional Marine bravado act mastered. If I didn't know better, I'd say you weren't even worried."

Jeremy shrugs, "Well sir, to be honest, if our positions were reversed I dunno that I'd have been near as gracious as you're being. You've not done anything unreasonable given the circumstances. And bitching at you isn't liable to help my case."

Gloval shakes his head, "Bozhe moi. Mister Daniels, we seem to be in a conundrum regarding you. All the documentation you had on you, and the material you were carrying all points to you being who you claim to be."

Daniels offers, "Who is listed as being dead."

Gloval nods, "Exactly. And given our present location out near Pluto's orbit verifying who you are with your family is not an option. We don't' even have contact with the UEG."

Jeremy snorts, "You'll find that checking anything with my family is gonna be an exercise in futility. Only one alive is my sister, and if I was dead, I bet she'd not even have noticed."

Gloval picks up Jeremy's wallet from a table that had all of the smaller man's carried possessions laid out on it. Opening the wallet Gloval pulls out a card,"You said that your parents were Lucas and Valarie Daniels, da? They're listed as alive, living at the address on this permit of yours. Your siblings are also alive, and living in the same general area as your parents."

Leaning forward intently, eyes wide, Jeremy asks, "You're not messing with me here? They're really alive?"

"As far as we know, your family is alive, Mr. Daniels. You really thought them dead?"

Jeremy forces his way up awkwardly, shimmying his back along the wall until he could stand, "First off, you can call me Jeremy, or JD. Never liked going by mister anyway. Second, yeah I thought them dead. At least my brother and parents. Seeing as I not only attended their funerals, but I had to ID my brother or what was left of him." Daniels begins to tear up, "Look Cap'n, please, you gotta let me talk with my family. I'm begging you here."

Gloval sighs and shakes his head, "I can't do that I'm afraid."

"What?! Look I ain't asking you to trust me, or to buy my story. But, I've not talked with my brother in over 5 years. My parents in nearly a decade. Surely you..."

Gloval cuts off Jeremy, snapping, "It is not a case of my choosing not to allow it. This ship is cut off from Earth. Even if we were to send a transmission, there is no guarantee that it would be received. And worse yet, we have cause to believe that the aliens who attacked us are still out there, and likely to be trying to find us."

Jeremy, feeling thoroughly chastised, slumps back against the wall, "And thus any broadcast would also light us up if they are looking for us. My apologies sir. It'll not happen again."

Gloval, for his part, offered Jeremy a small smile, "It's understandable. Still I need you to come with me, I've explained your claims and situation to my chief engineer, Dr. Lang. He is keen on talking with you."

Jeremy pushes himself off the wall again, "Sure thing Cap'n, a nice bit of conversation will be a great way to cap off this day of mine, don't ya think?" falling in step behind the Russian man, as the Marine guards take up flanking positions to Jeremy.