New Author's Note (3/17/18) - After a longer than planned hiatus due to work constraints and my muse pretty much going on strike for the past 6+ months, I am back to resume this one. However, when reading over what I had written in the original, I decided the only true justice I could do here was to bin what I had posted back in July and start fresh. For the most part, some of the chapters are getting major revamps as, when I read things over, I really didn't like the way things were going originally.

As it is, this is the sequel to Darkest Before The Dawn. Pretty much, it goes along the same way as that story did (thoughts and foreign words in italics, points of emphasis in bold).

Of course, it goes without saying that Robotech is the property of Sony, Harmony Gold, Studio Nue, and Tatsunoko. I don't own any of the original characters. Just borrowing them for a bit.

SHROUDS OF DARKNESS
A Robotech/Macross AU

Chapter One – Exit Night, Enter Light

Two weeks after the Last Ride...

As the Earth found itself healing over the past three years since the attack of Dolza and the Zentraedi forces, there were many things that could have gone in a different direction that would have made the already massive task that much harder for the inhabitants of the planet. As the defeated fleet crash landed across the continents, it was by chance that one particular ship would come down in an isolated part of the Rocky Mountains on the North American continent.

On this day, the sun began its inevitable climb up the sky and rose over the eastern edge of the vast mountainous region, activity among the many birds and animals that called the rugged terrain began anew, announced with the sounds of life going on. Prior to the attack, the area had been home to a rather well known UEG Planetary Park.

There was one spot in the forest where the trees and plants appeared to be running in a haphazard pattern. As it was in a very inaccessible area, it was something that went overlooked by the humans striving to reclaim their world. Also, as it was a mountainous area, the undulations in the terrain could have been written off by simple plate tectonic theory. However, if they did get a chance to look closer, they would have been very surprised and very dismayed at what was the cause of this remarkable anomaly in the terrain.

Upon much closer inspection, it was something that would have terrified any of the Earth's population as it was a Zentraedi cruiser. This cruiser had a bit of a history and would have caused outright panic in those that called the planet home much more if they had discovered what particular Zentraedi commander called the ship home.

In the Tirolian language used by the giant aliens, the ship was known as the Dulia Dennay, the "Divine Strength". To the pilots of the RDF, the mighty ship was known as "The Asylum", as it was the personal flagship of their most ardent and unbalanced foe, Khyron the Backstabber. Outside of the ship, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary as the activities of the mountain region's residents continued unabated around the misshapen craft.

Inside, however, was a different matter entirely.

A skeleton crew manned the communications arrays and scanners, keeping an eye out to see if the Micronians would finally discover their secret and attack in full force. For most of the past three years, this vigil had been a rather routine one, with the techs adapting to the heightened level of organic life around them. There had been more on the ship up until a few weeks prior as their commander had planned an audacious raid to catch the Micronians unaware.

That, as they watched, ended in abject failure due to the actions of the RDF, and Skull Squadron in particular. Among the RDF and Micronians, the thought was with the elimination of Khyron and Azonia in that raid, the threat from those Zentraedi that sided with Khyron would lessen without their commander being in the picture.

This thought would have been one that the loyalists on the craft would have scoffed at, especially those that knew of some of the precautions their commander took on a regular basis. And it was the Regeneration Center that most of the focus was on for those precautions.

The Regeneration Center was a collection of tubes where clones of the forces stationed on the ship could be regrown in rapid fashion or repair grave injuries rapidly through the power of Protoculture. Combined with the abilities developed through the years of being able to take, in essence, an image of the memories and knowledge acquired by a warrior and insert into the consciousness of a cloned copy, it gave the Zentraedi a very big edge in the ability to bounce back from casualty rates that would have crippled any other army in the universe. However, it also led to the decline in actual strategic military thought among the warriors as their commanders came to rely on the ability to regrow warriors that could be just thrown back into battle just as quickly as they were destroyed.

Manning one of the control panels inside of the vast room was Khyron's personal Regen Tech, Jeggo. Gazing over the room and rechecking the readings on three, he smiled. Everything is just about all set, he thought as he re-checked some of the data that was pouring in from the file in front. It's just a start, but if some things go our way in the near future, these damned Micronians would find out quickly what we're capable of. Pulling up two of the files, he quickly scrolled through files and moved them to another location. As he looked a bit further, he noticed the third one was reporting an error, causing a scowl to come across his face.

Blast it, he thought. The last upload was corrupted. Probably due to an unexpected termination of the file during the transfer here. That's why I always tell anyone of importance that they do a quick capture before they depart for this exact reason. I'll have to hold off on this one until I get further orders.

Two time bars came up on the screen and began filling in as data appeared to be moving over.

Jeggo sighed as he looked over things a bit closer. We've relied on regenerating ourselves for far too long. Most often, those in command would just throw everything at an attacking force without as much as a thought against that idea. It worked most of the time, but it also made a commander like Breetai that much more effective. He was always cautious with his forces and gave his plans a lot of thought before going forward. Jeggo had once brought this line of thought up to Khyron, who dismissed it with a callous response about the battle experience of Regeneration techs.

A bluish light came over the console, indicating that the data transfer he had started had fully completed. Seeing the results, Jeggo smiled and tapped on another button. This time, it brought up a communications screen. The face of another Zentraedi in full uniform came up.

"Yes, Jeggo?" came the response from the screen.

"Ah, Commander Nadtal. I can report that two of the exports have completed successfully. We should be ready to proceed. However, there was a problem with the third export." Jeggo's reaction told the story well before he reported the news. "It appeared to be corrupted."

A frown came across Nadtal's face. "Please tell me it wasn't for the primary."

A nod came back from Jeggo. "Unfortunately, that seems to be the case. And I even told him that a quick image before going forward was the best course of action. Naturally, it wasn't listened to. It would have saved us a lot of trouble."

Damned luck, Nadtal thought as he processed the news. Hopefully we can reach out before the departure. Otherwise, I'll have to make the decision to proceed without the key part, and I doubt that would go over well. Taking a deep breath, he straightened up and nodded. "I'll be on my way down shortly. At least we have two to work with. As for the other, I guess we will have to make contact to see how to proceed."

"Acknowledged. I'll start the waking up process on the complete ones."

The screen blinked for a second, then went dead. Jeggo then brought up the console to the two files connected with the completed time bars and clicked on another button. Two of the tubes lit up and began to vent steam as a countdown began on the console.

Darkness. Total, complete darkness...

The bleak nothingness started to fade away in the being's consciousness.

What is this? I feel like I'm floating.

Vision returned in the form of hazy images in varying degrees of brightness and dark.

What is this place? Why does it seem so familiar?

The next sense to return was hearing as the being began to make out sounds around the location.

One voice, one the being could not pin down, but recognized almost immediately, spoke. "Nadtal, come quickly. Regen Pod Delta Charlie Eight is ready. One of our subjects has regained consciousness."

That voice. I've heard that particular being before...

It was then that the clone realized where they were and what had happened.

Regeneration Center. This can only mean...

A second voice spoke out quickly. "Welcome back." The clone figured that this voice belonged to the one called Nadtal.

The newly awakened clone coughed as it attempted to clear some of the excess fluid from its mouth and lungs. In a very scratchy voice, the clone finally spoke to the two forms in front of it.

"Where am I?"

"You're on board the Dulia Dennay, deep within the quadrant the Micronians call Wyoming," Jeggo stated evenly.

"How long have I been...?"

"Dead? About six weeks," Jeggo informed his guest. "We would have brought you back sooner, but our Protoculture reserves are starting to become critical. We may not be able to bring you back at all if this happens again, good image or not."

The clone shook his head. "The last thing I remember is one of the Micronians, the Death Bringer, shot me in that mess hall and I tried to explain what happened to Lord Khyron." The clone shook its head and reached for a towel to dry off from the nutrient-rich solution that was in the tube. "I do not think I got too far in my explanation before I expired."

Nadtal spoke to the clone. "Well, Xamdar, let me bring you up to speed on what has transpired since your untimely demise. Lord Khyron attacked the Micronians and lost as well, despite destroying their new flagship. Zor's Flagship still remains in the hands of the Micronians, but it appears to have taken massive damage and will probably never be back in operation again. At least that's what the spies tell us in their reports. For the most part, our operatives have gone underground and are awaiting their next orders."

Xamdar nodded. "I wish to return to the Micronian cities and rally our forces there. The Micronians have quite a few matrices about."

"That, unfortunately, is not up to me, old friend. There is someone we will need to talk to about what our next steps will be. Come."

Xamdar followed the others towards the exit to the Regeneration Center. They were joined by a fourth, who's last memories were of the major fighting that happened during Khyron's attack and of getting blasted out the sky by a lone Veritech. As they exited the room, the only thoughts that the four entertained were that of revenge.

The four assembled in a smaller room with a large viewscreen dominating one of the walls. Punching in a well rehearsed code, Nadtal activated the communications system. A loud whistle came over as the viewscreen came to life. On the screen, the four saw a menacing form in a Zentraedi uniform. The purple complexion and white hair was a dead giveaway as to who was the recipient of the call. The four came to their feet and saluted with their fists over their hearts.

"Jeggo, your work is impressive, as always," Khyron stated with a smile. A nod from the Regeneration tech followed the compliment.

He turned his gaze to one of the newly cloned Zentraedi sitting before him in the room. "Magdar, it is a pleasure to see you back."

"Indeed, my Lord," the pilot responded. He thought for a second and then gave voice to the thoughts. "My Lord, if you are still living, how did you lose to the Micronians? I thought the plan was to either capture Zor's flagship or be destroyed in the process."

Khyron smirked as he thought of how to best answer the question. "Well, my friend, I always plan for these kind of circumstances and events. I activated one of my clones I had in place on Azonia's ship and that clone took command that day. The Micronians think I exist no more, but as you can see, that's plainly not the case."

"An excellent plan, my Lord," Magdar commented.

"Of course it was! I thought of it."

Khyron nodded for a second and then continued. "Magdar, your orders are to get off that primitive mudball and join our forces by the 6th planet of this miserable backwater. Azonia and Grel are there and will brief you on what your next assignment will be. More than likely, our resupply asteroid is in need of a very good and ruthless commander for the pod squadrons that are housed there. There is a quiltra queleual' with a cloaking device down in the landing bays. You can use that to evade the Micronians and that traitor Breetai. Once clear of the rock that these primates call a moon, you should be clear to fold back to the ships. I have beamed the coordinates to the craft."

"As you command, my Lord!"

Magdar then rose from his seat and made his way towards the door and out of the room with a salute to the screen. The salute was returned in kind by Khyron as the pilot left to rejoin the off-planet forces at his disposal.

Khyron then turned his gaze towards the other newly respawned warrior.

"As for you, Xamdar. Why I even brought you back is a mystery even to myself, especially after the way you bungled that whole Sorceress affair."

"My Lord," Xamdar stammered. "I can explain. It was all she would go on about for most of the time I was in her employ. What I didn't catch was that Hunter drifted in another direction. And from I was able to observe, it caught the Sorceress by surprise as well."

A hard look from Khyron cut him off.

"No matter. That was the past. As much as I'd like to punish you for failing, I'm not about to waste a perfectly good clone as Jeggo has told me of the current state of affairs with the supplies on the ship. Besides, Hunter did my dirty work for me after that botched hostage taking at that restaurant."

Xamdar bristled at the mention of the failed operation at the Micronian dining hall. It was something that Khyron picked up and smiled as he noticed.

"Seems, as our opponents would say, I hit a nerve there, Xamdar. You want revenge on Hunter, don't you?"

Xamdar nodded. "I wish to burn him from the sky, my Lord. Him and that foolish woman he decided to make his companion."

"I do as well. Hunter, Hayes, Gloval, that traitor Parino. All of them will suffer greatly for making a fool of me and the Zentraedi. Nadtal told me you wished to return to the Micronians and finish what you started. That request is granted, but with a condition. You will have another with you to keep an eye on things and make sure you do not make a mess of this operation like the last time."

Khyron looked over the room on the screen in front of him and noticed something.

"Jeggo, there's one clone missing. The most important one. Care to explain?"

"My Lord," Jeggo responded. "There was an issue with the memory image. It was corrupted at about 50% This may have been due to a possible unexpected interruption of the transmission. We had to abort."

"What?" The look on Khyron's face became dark and ominous. "Jeggo, when I give an order, I expect it to be completed. This will not do. Use one of the older images on file to complete the download."

"But, my Lord, combining memory images from two different points can cause some potential complications, such as an unpredictable personality among other things. However, as a number of the images have been corrupted one way or another, there may not be an option to ignore this risky practice. Combining that with the depletion of the Protoculture on the ship, we may not be able to utilize the Regeneration Center for much longer."

"This is unexpected, but orders are orders. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Good. Go back to the Regeneration Center and bring the third member of our party back."

Jeggo turned and left the room, dreading what could potentially happen.

Back in the Regeneration Center, Jeggo stood at the console and scanned through the files for Khyron's image scans. Ugh, none of the more recent ones are usable, he thought as he looked through. Going to have to go back further. After a frantic search, Jeggo's disposition lit up as he found a usable file.

It's older, but it should work. Checking the timestamp on the file, he winced. This date is back a lot further than I would have allowed. Anything beyond this point is about the same is just awakening the clone on its own and letting it process. It would also throw things off because it would need full training in the military arts. And time is a luxury we no longer have.

The last time anyone attempted a blending on the scans, we got the most recent version of Khyron, Jeggo thought as he looked over everything one last time. As unpredictable as he is now, I cannot imagine how much worse this could be. But, as he said, orders are orders.

Muttering a long used Zentraedi prayer to the gods of healing, Jeggo tapped the button to begin the download to the clone.

About one hour later, Jeggo returned to the room with another clone. This clone sat in the room with a cloak over its head, silently observing the proceedings going on before it.

Khyron smiled as he saw Jeggo return.

"I assume everything went well?"

"It went about as well as it could have. I had to use an older scan. One that was nearly five standard years old."

Khyron looked puzzled at this news. "That far back? Are there any adverse effects?"

"Anything beyond this one scan and we would have been set back further getting the clone up to speed and would have to re-train it in every aspect of our military arts. Time, as you mentioned, is not exactly one of our key luxuries at the moment. I was able to blend the two scans as requested, as much as my training and some of the documentation from the others stated that this should not be done. However, I am stressing greatly that the risks of blending the scans are very real and should be monitored as we don't want to have anything untoward happen to our new friend."

"So noted, Jeggo," Khyron responded with an air of dismissal. So this one could be a little imbalanced, he thought.Setting him loose on the Micronians would be entertaining to watch. Pity I won't be here to see it. With that he turned to the hooded clone in the room.

"You can take the hood off now, friend."

The clone pulled the hood back, showing his face to the others in the room and Khyron on the viewscreen. A gasp went up from the Nadtal and Xamdar. Khyron broke into a smile. The clone had the same purple skin and white hair as Khyron and virtually the same facial features. Some slight differences were in place per orders to help hide the identity of the source genetic material. Most notably, the eyes were a different color than the current version of Khyron. Instead of a bright blue, the new clone's eyes were a startling shade of purple.

"It's like looking into a mirror! Good job, Jeggo." Turning his attention to the clone. "Clone, you will be known as Quazmin, for there is only one Khyron. Nothing personal, but it will make for less confusion."

"Understood, my Lord," the newly named Quazmin answered. "Your orders?"

"You will go with Xamdar to the Micronian cities and meet with our operatives there. You will be my eyes and ears there. Report back to Azonia and Grel with whatever information Xamdar and our friends can gather. Also, take some time to learn the Micronian ways. You will need to blend in. However, looking like me may make that a challenge. I do have a bit of a...reputation among them."

"As you command," Quazmin responded.

Khyron continued. "Yes, Xamdar, Quazmin is the condition I have granted to your request to return. He will need some mentoring in the ways of the Micronians. I expect you to be a very good teacher. Once you are Micronized, I have arranged for a transport to take you to the outskirts of New Macross. From there, you will meet up with your old comrade Pyoto and continue where you left off. For now, you will be gathering information on our enemies and reporting back with any activity that seems fit. You also are ordered not to engage the Micronians as of yet. We shall bide our time and wait for the opportunity."

"As you command, my Lord," came the response from Xamdar.

Khyron's demeanor turned dark and a scowl came across his face as he prepared to continue.

"If you fail or do not heed my orders, Pyoto has orders to kill you on the spot. He may be a friend, but ultimately, his loyalty is to me. Besides, I recall you put aside friendships during the failed attempts a few months ago. Be happy I did not bring Chondo or Thoda back. I doubt they'd be happy to see you after what happened in New Macross."

Xamdar winced as this was brought up. Khyron barely noticed as he continued on.

"You failed me once before. It is very rare that I show mercy towards anyone that fails me, but you are probably our best expert on what those vermin do and act, so you had better make sure Quazmin can blend in without any problems. Fail me again and there won't be a third chance. On that, I can guarantee that will come to pass.. Am I clear?"

"Yes, my Lord," a chastened Xamdar responded. Turning to Quazmin, Xamdar motioned towards the door. The two turned and saluted to Khyron as they left.

"Now, Nadtal, about your mission. I will need you to micronize as well. However, you'll be going a bit farther than the others."

"I'm not to stay nearby?"

"Indeed. We need to rally the troops down in the area where Azonia's ship was as there are a number of Micronized Zentraedi in those quadrants. Enough to potentially cause some serious chaos for the Micronians."

A map came up on the viewscreen showing the South American continent and a few red dots denoting some of the more major settlements. Nadtal nodded in understanding as he began to see what Khyron had in mind.

"Their forces there are much weaker than in New Macross or even Monument. We proved that when you made your way towards Zor's Flagship," Nadtal added. "Plus, there's an issue of some perceived ill treatment our people have received from the Micronians in that part of the world if the rumors are true. It is something we may be able to exploit as time goes along."

"It was something I was counting on. Your orders are the same as I gave the others. Infiltrate the Micronian cities there and begin organizing. Once you are ready, contact the ship. I will instruct Fiago as to what our plan will be and we will go from there."

"As you command, my Lord," Nadtal stated. "What are your plans, my Lord, if I may ask?"

"I will be folding out of the system shortly. I have an important meeting with the Masters. When I return, I highly doubt I will be returning alone."

"The only other sizable fleet we have left is..."

Khyron cut off the other surprised Zentraedi. "That is what I aim to bring back. We can destroy these annoying little bugs and turn that mudball into a floating cinder with as much life as that pebble they call a moon. Once we have won here, we would then refocus on those parasites without losing our advantage. Plus, with the matrices the Micronians have managed to steal, we would have enough Protoculture to exterminate the Invid upon returning."

Nadtal stood and saluted. "I wish you all the success. May the Masters listen to reason."

"Thank you. I shall return, and with more firepower than these insects will be able to deal with."

With that, the screen in the room went black. Nadtal stood up and made his way out of the door, with Jeggo following closely behind.

Orbiting Jupiter, Khyron looked out from the bridge at the ringed planet and its myriad of moons. This is close to where I first ran into these damned Micronians. A shudder came across as he thought back to that first encounter. It was also the first time I ever tasted defeat. That is something I fully intend to right when I get back from meeting the Masters.

Tapping one of the buttons on the console, a communications screen came to life with the image of Azonia and Grel in front.

"I have just talked to our colleagues back on the Micronian planet. Things are coming to fruition. The new clones have been activated."

Azonia was the first to respond. "And remind me why you brought Xamdar back from the void? He was a spectacular failure with his 'insights' into the Micronians."

Khyron looked back at the screen with an equal measure of annoyance and anger towards his counterpart.

"As clumsy as he is, he still is our best resource for their disgusting culture. However, I have two measures of insurance in place. First, I have let his comrade Pyoto know he is to kill him immediately if he so much as blunders again. The second is something I thought of. Namely, I activated Operation Quazmin."

Azonia shook her head. "You do realize you are pretty recognizable, Khyron. A Micronized version of you is not going to sit well with the Micronians."

"It's also the last thing they'll expect. I have them heading back to Macross to keep an eye on our friends. Xamdar did express some disdain for the Micronian that earned him a trip to the tubes. Given that incentive, he may not bungle things."

Grel stepped forward. "And our orders?"

"Go to the resupply asteroid and get our forces in order, as I feel Yuzgo has been a bit lax with the men. I also sent an old friend up to you as well. Magdar will be there to get the pod forces in shape.

Azonia shook her head. "Why the asteroid? With the damage we dealt them in that last battle, we've got a good chance of defeating the Micronians."

A sharp look came back in response. "I suspect Breetai and Exedore may mention this to the Micronians sooner rather than later. It would be a benefit for them if they want to rebuild Zor's Flagship or try to copy it again."

Azonia and Grel nodded at this point. Khyron, not even bothering to acknowledge his counterparts, continued on.

"Also, keep in mind they have the bulk of Breetai's fleet with them as well. And you've seen our numbers here. We would be annihilated as soon as we came out of fold. However, we wouldn't want to just hand over a resource as valuable as the asteroid to the traitor and the little insects he decided to throw in with without making them earn it."

Khyron smiled as he continued.

"Still, the odds would be in our favor if I bring the rest of the fleet back with me after seeing the Masters. I shall be departing within the hour. Await my signal before we proceed."

Both saluted as the screen went dark.

My revenge is coming, he thought.And no being will be able to stop me.

The calm of the grasslands was broken by the high whining of engines as three non-descript craft took off from one of the exposed landing bays on the crashed ship. One of the transports climbed skyward rapidly, as if it was trying to break out of the grasp of Earth's gravity. A second craft angled to the north and west and climbed rapidly, but not at the rate of the first. One final craft went at the same rate as the second, but in a direction due south of where the ship was.

This was all taken in by Jeggo on one of the forward observation decks. Standing along side the Regeneration tech was one of his assistants from the center. The second tech, who went by the name Bereo, watched as the ships disappeared into the horizon.

"Does Lord Khyron know they've departed?"

"He gave the order himself before leaving to meet with the Masters."

Bereo's eyes widened. "He will probably be gone for at least one Micronian year. Do the others know when they're to start?"

"About a few standard months."

"That should give us some time to get the tubes repaired. Hopefully the forces out there can get us another Matrix." Bereo shook his head as he put his next thought into words.

"I doubt we're going to have enough Protoculture to keep the clones or the Regeneration Center going."

"That concerns me. I did let Lord Khyron about this, but he kind of dismissed it. Still, we might as well prepare. Go ahead. I won't be much longer."

Bereo saluted quickly and left.

I will need all the time I can to get things ready if another attack is to happen. I may see if we can create a smaller version of the clone tubes for Micronian sized clones. The only need about one tenth of the Protoculture as our full sized ones, which would help in regards to our resources, but renders our equipment useless. However, I do not see that being an idea Lord Khyron or Lady Azonia agreeing to.

Knowing what this meant, Jeggo sighed.

It means if Lord Khyron fails again, we are doomed to end up like these "dinosaurs" the Micronians go on about. That Micronian I read of in the archives was right. It is survival of the fittest. And we may not be the fittest this time around.

Original A/N - Have to give two major hat tips here. The first goes to Dimensional Phaser's Zentraedi (Tirolian) to English fic. Not a bad resource and one I took advantage of, especially when naming Khyron's old ship. The second hat tip is a large one regarding a plot device. I saw that theGhostflyer used the idea of instant cloning with the "consciousness image export" for the Zents in his epic, Mars Alight. It was too good of an idea to not use and also explains why the Zents had oodles of pilots and ground pounders out there.