A lone, tall, figure stood in contemplation in front of the big bay window. His standing and ranking clear to anyone who came upon him, with his long, black, tailed coat with gold epaulets and gold closures on the front, partially covering the deep red of his shirt. His hair, still dark, even through all the years of fighting and survival, gave him a rakish air that most women found attractive, but his serious demeanor and semi permanent scowl, kept them from lingering in his presence. Picking up a crystal tumbler on the small table beside him, he slowly took a sip, savoring the rich flavor of the warm amber liquid as it slid down his throat, it's smell comforting him, reminding him of home.
The fine brandy was a parting gift from the Admiral, presented to him the night before the SDF-3 also known as the Megaroad departed Earth two years earlier. The brandy, especially rare, as it was distilled before Dolza's crippling attack on the Earth was only discovered shortly before the Megaroad's departure. He didn't know how the Admiral was able to get his hands on a bottle, and at the time he received it, he did not feel as if he deserved it, but standing here in his ready room, contemplating their next steps forward, he appreciated the fine gift.
The ship, her forward movements almost imperceptible, hurdled through the dark, black inkiness of space. The mission, to find the home of the Robotech Masters, was a daunting challenge, using knowledge gleaned from their now Zentraedi allies and the echoing footprints of the Zentraedi fold particles to trace the way back to the Zentraedi planet of origin.
Each time sensors were able to pick up fold particles, the navigation team plotted the next course to jump to. There was always a risk of running into the unknown, whether it be a Zentraedi fleet that had no knowledge of Dolza's defeat or making contact with another unknown species that Breetai and Exedore had briefed them on. It would be another two days before the Megaroad made the next leap forward, taking him, the 20,000 military personnel and almost 80,000 civilians on board further into the depths of the universe.
While the mission was to find the home of the Robotech Masters, the secondary mission, almost more critical, was to find hospitable and habitable planets that human and Zentraedi could colonize. Never knowing when or whom may attack the Earth in the future, in order to guarantee the future of the human race, new colonies needed to be formed.
The Megaroad was in fact a colony ship, heavily armed, but also flanked by 12 Zentraedi battle cruisers, refactored to not resemble the original Zentraedi battle cruisers. It's drive signatures remained the same but the Earth leaders had hoped that changing the original form factor of the ships would give them a chance when meeting new species and not being immediately labeled as a Zentraedi threat. A low beep was heard and without turning from his view of the vastness of space, he granted entrance, knowing that there was decisions that needed to be made.
"Hey, Captain," a jovial voice called out to him from the sliding doors that had opened at his verbal command. The footsteps came closer and stopped next to him, his guest not saying anything more, waiting for his Captain to speak.
Looking at the reflection of his guest in the big bay window, a small smile graced his lips, before turning to his blue haired friend and giving him a nod, "Captain Sterling, to what do I owe this honor?"
Max Sterling, noted the drink in his friend's hand and looked at him contemplatively before responding. "Y'know Rick, if you need to talk..."
Rick gave a slight negative shake to his head, "It's nothing more than it ever is Max. Why or how the UEG thought that I should be the one to lead this expedition, it's madness! What was I thinking at the time, agreeing to it?!"
Trying to put back a sense of calm and reason into his head, Max protested, "Rick, you go through this every time we are about to make a fold. This isn't just on you, everyone who agreed to go on this mission, knew the risks and we were all willing to go for the sake of humanity. I'll admit that they do have strong faith in you as a leader to make the best decision you can, but you need to remember, we've already found one or two planets outside our solar system that are being further evaluated for colonization. If it all goes down from here, there is a good chance the human race will have a chance for survival."
Max's voice calmed, "Rick you need to relax a little bit, take a night off, we can go into the city and hit up one of the arcades like we used to. They have this new flight simulator game that really feels like you are flying the Veritech's in space. It is really amazing, you have to try it! I can ask Miriya, I don't think she would mind if I missed..."
Rick put his hand on his friend's shoulder to stop him from continuing, "Thanks Max, maybe after this next fold is over. You're right, I am overly stressed about it, but I'm sure I will be fine after we make the jump and start working on coordinates for the next. Tell Miriya, I said "hi". "
Max sensing that his friend just wanted to be alone, backed off. "Sure thing Rick, and oh, I just wanted to tell you that the squads are all ready for the fold. They are on lockdown til after the fold, we wouldn't want anyone to get caught up or left behind. "
Rick nodded his thanks and felt relieved when Max exited his ready room. Returning to his previous stance by the window, Rick picked up his tumbler and took another swallow and wondered what it would take to ease his mind.
Ten years had passed, since that fateful day on Macross Island and Rick's life began. Previously satisfied to be a world ariel champion, Rick had no other aspirations other than to be the best at flying. That day changed everything for him and while he didn't realize it at first, it eventually gave him a purpose, a goal, to protect those he loved, and to protect those that can't protect themselves. He had never seen himself as a leader, but surprised himself in the years after the attack and return from their initial space voyage, to no longer willing to just follow, but to have a voice in the decisions that were being made.
The destruction of the SDF-2 by Khyron's attack, made it all the more important for the Megaroad to succeed, and Rick became caught up in the fray of military politics. In the end, his combat experience and leadership made him a natural choice for the selection of Captain for the Megaroad. At 28 years old, Rick found himself in the Captain's chair, ordering the Megaroad's release from his moorings in space and ordering its first official fold operation.
All of this did not lend itself well to Rick's personal life. Although he had thought he had found love early on with Minmei, her own drive to be the brightest star in the universe and her relationship with her cousin/manager Kyle during some of the lowest points in Earth's history caused tension between them. They did try to make one last ditch effort to fix their failing relationship a few years after the SDF-1 reached Earth but Rick's burgeoning career and Minmei's superficial concerns of stardom, officially killed it and the two parted ways.
It had surprised Rick to find Minmei's name on the passenger manifest for the Megaroad a few years later and had gone to see her before the departure to ask why she would want to leave Earth again for the unknown.
Minmei, thrilled that Rick had come to see her, made a big show of greeting him in her suite at the newly renovated Plaza Hotel. Requesting a private interview with her was useless and she made it appear to other visitors to her suite that she and Rick were possibly looking to reconcile. Finally threatening to give an unflattering exclusive interview to one of the tabloid magazines, Minmei finally relented and had her tag-a-longs and followers removed from her suite.
Although he couldn't barr her from the civilian portion of the ship, he had been sorely tempted to try after hearing her reasons for leaving. Minmei, unhappy with her stalling career, wanted to leave on a high note while she still could and hopefully achieve another monumental success if the colonization went well. Her and Kyle had finally ended their relationship both privately and publicly stating that it was time to move on to other goals. Minmei also implied quite heavily that she wouldn't be opposed to rekindling a relationship with him. Rick had left in disgust and over the last two years aboard the Megaroad, he avoided Minmei as much as possible and tried to limit his interaction with her to those times at either military or city functions where she attended as a guest or as a performer.
It didn't mean that Rick lived like a monk, but the few relationships he did have with other women, were short lived. They didn't understand his commitment to his mission, or his commitment to the people on the ship and he found that they women were many times more entranced with the romanticism of dating the Captain of a starship, than they were of him.
With a final glance at the stars beyond, Rick swallowed the remaining liquid in his glass and placed it carefully next to its pair. With a heavy sigh, he returned to his desk and pulled up the latest reports detailing the last minute items that needed to be taken care of before the fold.
AN: hope you enjoy my story. Updates may be slow, but as usual i will try to complete this story. Thanks for reading!