Cat And Mouse
A Sequel to "Racing the Bullet"
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, nor do I profit in any way, shape, or form from these stories. May Harmony Gold and the rightful owners keep that in mind in case they think they want to assume all of my college loan debts for payment.
As promised, the trivia:
The RDF Governing Council works kind of like how the ship usually operates: Gloval at the top of the food chain and the various departments working under him. However, for the reconstruction of the Earth, or, at least, New Macross, Gloval also has civilian departments under his umbrella. For the purposes of this storyline, Admiral Gloval and the mayor of New Macross share joint authority, and alternate monthly as the chairman of the Joint Ruling Council.
The ranks are somewhat like the actual military, however, I did add some Galactic Empire ranks from Star Wars, namely Wing Captain and Line Captain. These ranks are basically mirror images of each other; a Line Captain in the Navy commands a small squadron of vessels, while a Wing Captain in the Air Force (Or Naval Air Force, in Rick's case) commands an entire wing of aircraft, which is 6 squadrons, or 72 aircraft.
The tech herein will be somewhat of a crossover with Battletech, being as the two worlds are somewhat similar in mech design, and all combat details will be written as determined by the roll of two two-sided dice. (When I play Battletech at gaming conventions, Destroid toys usually symbolize some of the Mechs that are in play, and there is a Destroid on the cover of the 3rd Edition box set of Battletech, so I felt that this would be a natural blending.)
I have to admit, my first foray into fan fiction authorship did not develop along the lines of the smash I had deluded myself into thinking that I'd get. And perhaps some of you out there are dismayed at the changes I've brought into the Robotech universe; however, I've always wanted to do an alternate reality story, and finally settled upon the perfect timeline to do it in. What happened in the two years between "Force of Arms" and "Reconstruction Blues" has never been explored in fiction on this site, and I am unaware of its existence elsewhere, as well. I humbly ask that all Rick/Lisa fans out there, and fans of the SDF-1 crew in general, bear with me for the moment, I think you'll enjoy the ride. And if you don't, well, I'll see that in the reviews as well, then, won't I?
************************************************************************
Brief recap: Admiral Henry J. Gloval lays in intensive care under 24/7 surveillance, as Claudia, Kim, Vanessa, and Sammie are imprisoned in the brig after Maistroff pulls off a coup. Rick, Lisa, Max, and Miriya are all missing, as Periscope Flight was the victim of unexplained mecha failures right before the catastrophic Siege of Macross City; their escorts, Rogue and Wraith squadrons, escaped, along with two divisions of Destroids and one additional squadron of Valkyrie fighters, Hawkeye squadron. The SDF-1 took severe structural damage from Destroid mounted rail guns and acid shots, and martial law reigns in the streets. The Zentraedi have all been expelled from Macross City, on orders from Maistroff, and are extremely upset by that move.
*************
I peered through the gaps in my fingers at the crystal clear blue sky above me. It had been a long time since I could just lay back and enjoy the comforts of nature.
And it would be a longer time, still, until I can afford to do so again.
Beside him, I heard a soft, feminine sigh. I looked sidelong at my companion, Lisa Hayes, my new fiancée, the woman I had waited my whole life for, the woman who I had fought tooth and nail with since I joined the service but now was equal in rank to, the woman to whom my soul belonged. Her long, reddish brown hair billowed out beside and around her head, draped like a scarf around my head, over my own hair. I felt as if this was our own little piece of Heaven, and I never wanted to leave the cloud we were on.
It was now three months after Maistroff conducted a coup against our beloved leader, Admiral Henry J. Gloval, and threw the entire RDF into disarray.
Three months of guerilla raids along supply lines and patching up the damage that the RDF Rebels had wrought upon them.
Our losses had been severe; they originally had three VT squadrons, Rogue, Wraith, and Hawkeye, but as a result of the pounding that harassing teams had delivered; they lost half of the Rogues and a quarter of the Wraiths. That was a severe blow; Rogue Squadron was the most seasoned fighter group in the RDF after Skull Squadron, and the Wraiths were third. The Hawkeyes were the newest of the new recruits, and, thus, were fresh in the saddle, unused to the rigors of combat. But the losses could not be avoided, and they had to make do. They mixed the survivors of Rogue and Wraith Squadrons with recruits from Hawkeye Squadron, making, effectively, two full VT squads.
For the first time, I thanked whoever signed me and my people up for counter-insurgency and commando training. They organized the mechs they had, which were approximately 36 fighters (after losses) and 40 Destroids into four companies of mecha; each captain, me, Lisa, Max, and Miriya, were in command of a company of mecha. Within each company, we had ten Destroids and nine Valkyrie fighters to command. One VT was reserved for the commanding officer of the company, leaving eight to distribute, and each company was further divided into four lances of four; two VT's and two Destroids constituted a lance, with the remaining two Destroid units in each company serving as sentries and scouts. So sixteen under-strength lances of mecha and eight scouts against the combined might of the RDF under the control of a renegade general.
I sighed, feeling the ache of every muscle I had, including a few I had forgotten about.
Lisa looked at me. "What's the matter, Rick?"
"Oh, it's nothing, I guess. It's just that I sometimes feel overwhelmed when I think of the overall picture of our situation. When will this ever stop?"
"Only when humanity loses the will to fight."
"Right, I forgot. And that only happens when the world up and dies en masse, right?"
"More or less."
"Great," I groaned, rubbing my forehead.
She looked like she was going to say something further, when a runner appeared at the edge of the clearing. "Captain Hunter! Captain Hunter, sir!"
I sat up, grumbling. "This had better be important," I whispered. "Yes, what do you want," I shouted.
"Colonel Barton, commander of the 406th Veritech Flight Group sends his regards and compliments, sir. He also sent over this packet for your consideration, sir," Corporal Juan Diaz, pilot of VT-1040, first flight pair in my company, said to me.
"Tell the colonel that I send my regards, as well, and his information is well regarded and received. Dismissed, corporal," I said, offering my salute.
"What does Harry want with us now," Lisa asked.
I looked over the packet's contents and felt a surge of emotion. "Get Max and Miriya together now. We need to hold a command conference immediately."