The Freeman Chronicles

by Basara549

An accident during the recovery of a derelict Zentraedi ship turns a family into the focal point of a shadow war between forces trying to manipulate history to their own ends. But, not even the manipulators can predict the final result of their actions, or the actions of those changed in the process.

3. Book One, Part Three

Interlude: Pawns

"So, my former apprentice, you think you have a chance to win."

"I do. Remember, you may have won the first game, but the match is best two of three. I have simply decided to play the last two games simultaneously."

"I see. But how can you help your position in this way? I can always make most of your players forget their experiences in the last universe."

"Then I succeeded in distracting you. The shifts in the universe traveled to were more important, short term, than any foreknowledge that the other one received, that you can easily make the latter forget. We are closer, now. The Korra'ti is pivotal in my plans for the youngest universe, but the data I gave Lang and Burke by sending it to the other has enabled that REF to return to Earth in time to force the Masters to surrender."

"I may have underestimated you. But be warned; you still cannot directly help your clones. And the Regis will still find Earth, due to Rem's dreams."

"But things will be different, this time. The board has been changed. I have captured Rem and his brother, and have Dana, Musica, Shannon, and Kayra to play as well. You will not win again."

"Soon, though, we will be head-to-head once again. There will be no more distractions. We will see, my son, who is to determine the fate of the multiverse."

"DON'T CALL ME YOUR SON! I was heir to your schemes, but the main line's suffering at your hands turned me away from your goals. I may not have been able to stop the second's fall to you, lacking experience, and only delaying your victory, but the fourth is in my grasp, and the third is protected by she I hope one day to be my apprentice."

"But she must live to do so, boy , and your plans are apparent to me as soon as you make them."

"Who says that I'll be making the moves? Karen, and her aide, Marie, have their own free will, and you cannot read them the way you read me. No longer will I play into your hand."

"We shall see, boy. You aren't the only one with agents there."

Part Three: "Strange Days Indeed"

Chapter One:

"Of course, if our parents had found out the truth back then, it would have destroyed the friendships between the Freemans and Sterlings, if not Skull Squadron itself. It was a double-edged sword, being found out. On one hand, it would be harder to keep our identities secret, not to mention what might have happened if Lazlo Zand had found out(thank God, he never even suspected). On the other hand, our two little sisters gained two additional protectors, we were no longer under constant surveillance and investigation, and I no longer had to use less-than-legal means to get information from Dr. Lang's labs. It helped my situation greatly, but it nearly killed the relationship between Uncle Scott and Marie."

- Karen Freeman, The Plane Truth

When Jean came around, both she and Scott were stretched out on the examination couches, being tended to by Karen and Marie.

"Jean, you had to be one of those backward-falling fainters," Karen said, placing a cold pack on the bump on Jean's head. "You about gave yourself a concussion when you hit the floor. You're supposed to be the doctor, not me."

"Karen? Or is it Noel? I'm confused."

"Call me Karen; Noel is my little sister."

"I knew you were different when I delivered you, but I never thought you'd be THIS different."

"Among other things, I think I have the Garudan atmosphere to thank for that. I think that the organisms of the hin formed some sort of symbiosis with me as an embryo. It would explain some of my powers, as they duplicate those of the Garudan natives. But the really abstract ones, like my teleportation ability and pyrokinesis, I m at a loss to explain, except as a side-effect of where I was conceived."

"Karen, I only have two real questions. How did you know how to do all of those things as a baby, and is Marie the original Dana or a clone?"

"I'll answer the second one first. Marie is the clone; I was getting lonely as an adult, and Dana and Noel were too much for even me to handle by myself. So, I created Marie to be the friend for me as an adult that Dana had been for me as a child. That leaves the first question. I was self-aware long before I was born, and I used my telepathy instinctively when I did become aware. I experienced every thing that Kayra did or felt during the pregnancy; for example, I have vivid memories of the other Dr. Lang examining us aboard the Korra'ti, in orbit above Tyrol. One odd trait I had was that I was absorbing other's memories and knowledge, passively at first."

"At first?"

"Initially, I absorbed most of Kayra's memories and programming, but not long after that started I somehow became aware enough that I wasn't Kayra herself, but in her body, and that led to figuring out I was in the womb. Reaching out for more knowledge, my mind found Shannon's, and later others, such as the people examining me in that other universe, and here. When I had free time, I found myself going through the copied material, and dump most of it. After all, I want to live my own life. Still, I kept a lot of things that I thought would save time later. Piloting techniques from every one from my family to Max, Miriya and Rick Hunter, for example, but such knowledge was useless until I had the ability to develop the reflexes, coordination and muscle memory for them. I could operate on someone right now, using your medical education - I wouldn't be very good it at, but I would know it as well as a med student. All of my fooling around on Dad's computer in February was actually my doing research on how to program a Protoculture Chamber to stop my rapid aging. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to put it to use until after I had aged to this point.

"When I teleported us away from the kidnappers hideout, I could already tell that something strange was happening to me. So, I teleported to a place I knew to be closer than Earth was at the time: the Factory Satellite, in the area where Uncle Scott had overheard Edwards' plot last year. The first thing I did was run to a nearby nutrient dispenser, and gorge myself. If I hadn't, or if the paste hadn't been as nutritionally complete or easy to digest as it is, I would have died, plain and simple. As it was, my body was barely able to process the paste at its boosted speed to allow my growth to continue until it stopped on its own accord, three hours later. When it was over, so was puberty; I was an adult, and not capable of further growth. I wasn't so sure I was through, though, and I was afraid that if I died, I would be leaving Dana to die as well. I made my way as quickly as possible to the Satellite's Protoculture Chamber facility, used my mental powers to bypass the guards and secure my privacy, and made my modifications into the maintenance console from memory; it was as if the machine could read my mind. Once I had cured myself, I realized the need for Noel, and cloned her after making a few more modifications to the program. I then programmed her with all of my non-special childhood memories. Of course, anything that pertained to my more extraordinary side, I edited out."

"You said latent powers. What do you mean by that?"

"If you check Noel's current genetic profile, you'll find it slightly different from my own. Without me to assist them, her powers will only function under stress, when she needs them to survive. They will stay that way until she becomes an adult, and she won't know all of what she has until I actually tell her about them, or someone activates them with a trigger phrase I implanted in her mind, as a subconscious block. I then took Noel and we went back to where I had left Dana. Within a day or two, the two had me to the point of nervous breakdown, and I was beginning to feel the loss of Dana as my friend. So, I created Marie, and implanted Dana's memories into her along with most of my non-personal knowledge as well. The hardest thing for us to do was mature emotionally, but taking care of those two hellions we call our little sisters for two weeks made quite an impact. If anything, we learned that motherhood is as much instinct as experience. After we finally returned the girls to our parents, by way of the Korra'ti, we realized that we couldn't just sit around for the rest of our lives. I teleported us down to Monument, and created false lives for us at the Robotech Academy, using a combination of computer hacking and telepathic implants into our classmates. A little additional work got us assigned to Highlander after graduation."

"But you forgot about the photograph," Scott interjected, sitting up on his table.

"Our only mistake. We never thought anyone would ever find the place, let alone be able to clear up the picture."

"Scott?" Marie said tentatively, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Yes... Marie," Scott replied icily.

"I-I'm not sure how this affects us. I love you, Scott, and I know you feel the same way for me."

"NO! IT'S WRONG!" He shoved her away, and stormed out of the office, trying to hold back his tears.

"SCOTT!" Marie screamed, and started to run after him. But Karen stopped her with a glance, causing her to collapse to the ground, asleep but her face covered with tears.

"Oh, Jean; what are we going to do about those two?"

"They'll have to work it out between themselves. Scott has a lot on his mind, and Marie being the daughter of his best friends and commanding officers is going to take a lot of time for him to accept. It's hard enough for me to accept you two as what all this data says you are. Imagine how hard it is for him to accept that the woman he has come to love used to the be the five-year-old he was babysitting a few months ago."

"That's not completely true; she's a clone," Karen countered.

"But that's not how Scott sees it. You don't have much experience with normal humans, do you? The human mind isn't as cut and dried as you would think. The one thing predictable about man is that he's unpredictable. He may come around tomorrow, but it may take weeks, months or years, if ever. I just hope for their sake that it's sooner rather than later."

"What have I done?"

"Don't blame yourself; he would have found out eventually. Just stay around him, get him to accept you for what you are. Once he does, he'll be more inclined to accept Marie. He seemed willing to trust you, even when he suspected you as being involved with your own kidnapping, and he was no where near as harsh with you as he was with Marie. Besides, in the Freeman family, family is everything; you should know that from your parents. He still cares for you as his niece, and will take care of you if for that reason alone. He'll still trust you, and it will be as much up to you as it is up to him to get him to face his feelings toward Marie."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jean. I need some help that you can't provide, though. My powers have been giving me headaches, both figuratively and literally. I can't control my telepathy sometimes; the thoughts of everyone around me overwhelms me, and it hurts like hell to try to think. And I have no control over my precognition at all. All my visions of the future are when I m asleep, and I can't tell my dreams from my visions until right before the thing happens, by which time it might be too late to do anything about it."

"You're right, there; I wouldn't know where to start to help you. But Dr. Lang might. Emil's going to be spending the summer at his Monument City labs, and he might be able to help you. One of the projects he's working on involves those motorcycle mecha your family brought back from the other universe."

"The Cyclones."

"Yes, that's right. He asked Max & Vince to send up four volunteers to learn how to operate them. I'll have Vince volunteer you, Scott, Marie and Roger. That way, you can be studied by Emil and try to get Scott and Marie back on speaking terms, with Roger serving as a smoke screen. After all, wouldn't the best test pilots be the squad leader and his three newest pilots, who are the most open to new ideas?"

"Jean, you've got a devious streak I never noticed before. When would the transfer happen?"

"In the next forty-eight hours. Emil wants to start the training as soon as possible. Vince and Max are supposed to come over to select the foursome tonight. Is that too soon?"

"No, that should be fine; the sooner, the better. How did I ever get into this mess?"

"Maybe it's genetic, on your father's side."

"That's not funny, Jean."

Chapter Two:

"Many people have asked me why we weren't able to duplicate the mecha brought back from the alternate timeline until just prior to the SDF-3's departure for Tyrol. The answers are simple, yet are complicated by another matter. The Legios tandem was a unique set of mecha, and couldn't be risked to dissection, as we may not have been able tore construct them after we were through. However, they were good models for the transformation sequences and aerodynamics. The Cyclones, however, were a different story. We disassembled one, but it was beyond our technology of that time to duplicate, or even to put it back together. It took Cabell, Karen and Rem on Tyrol to enlighten me to why we had failed. Cyclone technology in the hands of the Southern Cross would have unbalanced the Second Robotech War, as a VR-038, the lightest type, was a match for a Bioroid, and the Battlers more than a match. This would have disrupted Lazlo Zand's plans for power, as well as Haydon's plans for the universe. Haydon, through his unwitting tool Zand, wouldn't allow it. Lazlo was my greatest failure, and I was blind to his ambitions until it was too late to do anything about him. But then, being partially under Haydon's sway at the time myself, would I have tried had I known?"

- Dr. Emil Lang, interview. Robotech Today, March 2041 issue.

"What do you mean, I'm being transferred?"

"Calm down, Scott, it's only temporary. Vince and Dr. Lang feel that you should be one of the test pilots for those Cyclone bikes you brought back from elsewhen. You'll only be in Monument for four months. Think about it; good food, civilian entertainment, LOW HUMIDITY." Max let that one sink in a while. "You've been up for a real vacation for a while, anyway. This way, you can unwind a little, and still keep your vacation time collecting."

"Yeah, at least I'll be getting away from these new recruits - Max, don't tell me they're going too!"

"All right, I'll get Mir to tell you. Is there a problem? Fraternization can be awkward, You know."

"Uh... you're right, Max." God, if only he knew. Then again, I hope to God he never finds out who Marie is or how close I came to...

"I knew it; you're having trouble with one of the new recruits. Which one?"

"Uh... both." That's definitely true!

"Both of them? Isn't Maria the least bit jealous, or is that the problem?"

"It's something entirely different, that came up during the investigation."

"Speaking of which, when do I get my copy of the report?"

"I'm sorry, Max; I thought you heard. You haven't been cleared to receive a copy. In fact, it's been classified Admirals Eyes Only. I can tell you that Karen and Marie were cleared" sorta "of any involvement in the kidnapping. That's all I'm allowed to tell anyone. Don't bother asking Rick to tell you, either. It's partially for your own good that it's classified."

"Oh well, if that's true, I'm not so sure I want to know anymore. But, back to your girl problems. I'm your commanding officer, Scott. If you can't turn to me for help, who else can you turn to?"

"If you insist, Max. It's about one of the girls. I found out that her past has been faked, Her parents are alive, but they don't know she is alive." Please, God, let him buy this; it's mostly true!

"Why were her records faked?"

"Because her parents are very important people," You can say that again! "and the revelation of her being alive could cause problems, life-threatening ones." Namely, my life! "The situation is best left alone."

"Why is this worrying you so much? Her faked past isn't your responsibility."

"It's because her family wouldn't approve of our relationship, for various reasons."

"Such as?"

"Such as her age. She's actually younger than 18; a LOT younger."

"How much is a lot?"

"Can you say jailbait, boys and girls? I knew you could." Ain't that the truth!

"That doesn't sound so bad. Rick was seeing Minmei when she was only fifteen. Hell, don't tell Lisa I said this, but I did some research about Mars Base Sara. She had her first fiancee die there, supposedly, but the guy she was so in love with was about your age now, and she was fourteen at the time he left Earth. Besides, things aren't as complicated as they used to be. Used to, you had to have a college education to be a pilot; by the end of the Global War, and ever since, trainees can be as young as fifteen, if they can pass an exam showing their education is on the senior level, and they get their diploma after graduation, if some of these boy wonders didn't already have them. But, as for the person in question, how did she get into the Academy? There's still an age limit of seventeen for women."

"Friends in high places with a lot of power" Or powers, actually

"I see. And revealing her real name would get her benefactor in trouble as well."

"Yes, it would. But what's really hard is that I know her parents personally, and I don't think they'd approve of me fooling around with their daughter." I can't believe I'm actually telling him about this! "It would be too much of a strain on our friendship, if they didn't kill me on the spot!"

"Quit exaggerating!"

"Max, I'm not exaggerating. They aren't known for their patience in personal matters. How would you react if you came back from Tyrol in ten years and found Dana involved with say, Rolf?"Please let him react maturely!

"I'd kill him!"

"I rest my case." I'm DEAD!

"I see your point."

You just think you do! "I have to go now, to fix my funeral arrange- I mean, flight plan."

"Scott, listen to me. If the two of you really love each other, don't fight it. If her parents find out, I'm sure Rick, Mir and I can protect you until the heat dies down."

But who's gonna protect me from you? "Thanks, just remember that at my funeral."

"Oops, gotta run too. I have a lunch date with Mir and Dana. Good luck with Marie!"

"How did you know which one I was talking about?"

"I may wear glasses, but I'm not blind, Scott. Besides, I've overheard Karen and Marie talking about you in the cafeteria before. I'll be up in Monument next month to visit friends, so you can tell me about your problems with Karen then. They probably have to do with Todd hitting on her, or something."

"Actually, you're nowhere near on that one, but those problems are classified."

"I should have known."

"See you then, Max." God, did that nightmare just happen, or what? I just hope that Max never notices the resemblance between Marie and Dana, or I'm done for!

Scott sat in the seat next to Karen on the flight to Monument, directly behind Marie. None of them spoke the entire trip. When they arrived they found that Dr. Lang was waiting for them.

"Greetings, Lieutenant Commander Freeman. It is good to see you again."

"I just wish it was under better circumstances, Doctor. I'm going to send d'Argent and Sessom on ahead. Corporal Ellison and I need to talk to you in private."

Dr. Lang looked at Karen, and smiled. "I see. You two stay here with me, but give your baggage to the others. Privates, follow this man to a grey van outside. He'll take you to your quarters." Lang pointed to a thin, black-haired man in a jumpsuit.

"May I help you, Private?" he asked Marie.

"I've got it, Lieutenant..."

"Isle, Lincoln Isle. My friends call me Linc."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Isle, but I don't think it would be proper for an officer to be carrying a private's bags, even if the private is a woman."

"Forget ranks while you're here. In the labs, everyone's treated as equals."

"Thanks, then. Lead on, Linc." The threesome disappeared into the crowd.

"Dr. Lang; back to our discussion."

"Oh yes, involving Karen Noel here. It's obvious that she's going to need a lot of support from you and d'Argent during her tests here. She also has to take part in the Cyclone testing. Do you both understand?"

"Yes, Doctor," Karen replied, wincing as her telepathy started overloading again.

"Good. The first part of training, actually learning how to ride the Cyclones and operate their weapons in motorcycle mode, is set for tomorrow from 0800 to 1500. Karen, I won't be able to examine you until after the mecha shakedown. Be in my private labs at 1530 tomorrow. I want to test the extent of your abilities, and see if we can work out some kind of regimen to help control your problems."

"I'll be there, Doctor."

"Incredible... Karen, how is it possible that you would have these powers?"

"I'm not sure of that myself. From what I've read of your work and your translations of Zor's, some of them are possible through genetic engineering with Protoculture, while others are possessed to an extent by the Garudans due to the hin. Zor's last work did indicate that they were all possible, but no one here has tried to create them, and the Masters had no success at all in using Zor's works for themselves at the time they had left Tyrol, according to the other universe's Cabell."

"Karen, are you sure you don't want to quit Highlander and become my assistant? A mind like yours is wasted in a fighter squadron."

"Maybe so, but I have a feeling I'll be needed more with my family than with you in the labs. I'll still help you on the Expeditionary Mission, however. I can do one thing your `niece' Janice can't do. She can record things for you, but I can actually read minds."

"Indeed. I just hope that it won't be needed on the trip."

Chapter Three:

"Protoculture - Real Flower Power" - Graffiti aboard SDF-3 flight deck, attributed to Lt. Lincoln Isle

It was two weeks into the training before the had mastered motorcycle riding well enough to attempt moving combat, using smoke missiles. Karen's health improved dramatically during this time, due to her therapy sessions with Dr. Lang. The same could not be said about Scott and Marie's relationship, however. Scott was always cold toward Marie, referring to her by last name or rank, even though he always addressed Karen and Roger by their first names. Marie was taking it hard, always staying in a depressed mood, especially during training.

Despite her powers, Karen wasn't able to get Scott to come around or pull Marie out of her funk. The only headway Karen had made in the area was that Scott accepted her as part of his family, and he treated her the same as he did Janet. However, he still wasn't as open with Karen as he had been with his sister; but, at least he was accepting her, and that was the first step in getting him to accept Marie's past.

Six weeks into training, Karen was finally to accomplish a full, unassisted transformation into Battloid. With a bit of spoken instruction(as well as a whole lot of hints to the subconscious), she was able to teach the others to transform as well. Finally, two months into the training, they had become fair Cyclone riders, ready for their first run outside the labs.

The trip would be to the ruins of New Macross and back. As it was a training exercise, "combat, joyriding or any other goofing off," as Linc put it, was strictly prohibited. The main reason for this was that Lang's techs still couldn't figure out how to repair the mecha, other than replacing damaged armor with somewhat inferior material. As it would be the first time the Cyclones were used outside of the labs, they were to stay in motorcycle mode as long as possible. Besides putting their mecha through simulated combat under life-like conditions, they were to take samples to see how the site was recovering from the radiation contamination of the final battle of the Robotech War. Dr. Lang didn't believe in free rides.

There were only a couple of events that slowed them down on the way. The Cyclones still attracted a lot of attention as cycles, especially since the riders were in body armor. Scott even got an "offer" for his bike from a middle-aged Hell's Angel, of all people, as they passed through the sleepy town that still attracted riders every summer. It took Scott's drawing a weapon to get the old man to withdraw the "offer".

Motorcycle freaks had been a major part of the Northland's surviving population, since one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the world had been scheduled to start just days after Dolza's arrival, and those cyclists that made it to Sturgis early ended up helping to feed the refugee camp of Rapid City survivors that grew up between the ruins and Sturgis, a camp that grew into Monument City. Sturgis itself became the waypoints on the road between Monument and New Macross, as it was on the first leg of the I-90/US-85/US-212 route between the two unexpected metropolises of the post-Dolza era - at least until Khyron destroyed New Macross almost 30 months later. Now, only military patrols ventured past the once again sleepy dead end town of Belle Fourche. After all, much of US-212 between Belle Fourche and now-abandoned Alzada, Montana used to be a seasonal road, before it became a planetary asset.

The other delay was outside Belle Fourche, when Karen suddenly took off from the road, toward a nearby cliff face. The others followed, to see her go Battloid, hit her boosters, and grab a young boy as the latter lost his grip on the edge of the overhang. She flew him to the ground, where the others were waiting.

"What's your name, honey?" Karen asked the frightened boy, as she transformed back to Cycle mode.

"Alex; Alex Tyler." He had started to calm down, and didn't seem to be intimidated at all by them.

"Where do you live?"

"About a mile down the road, with my godfather. Don't tell him I was playing on the bluff again."

"I can't do that, but I'll let you ride with me back to you house. Deal?"

"Deal." He climbed onto the back of the Cyclone.

"Now. hold on tight around my waist. I don't want you to fall off."

Two minutes later, they pulled into a small ranch. A man of Japanese descent came out onto the porch, a Malcontent micro-rifle in his hands. He lowered the rifle when he saw the boy on the back of Karen's bike.

"Alex, what have you done this time?"

"Excuse me, sir," Scott said, putting down the stand. I'm Lieutenant Commander Scott Freeman of Skull Squadron. We were out on a test run with these new mecha when one of my colleagues spotted your godson falling off a cliff down the road. He must have gotten too close and slipped over the edge."

"Alex, go into the house. I'll talk to you later."

"Yes, Hikaru."

"I'm Hikaru Ichijo, Alex's godfather, as he must have told you. His parents died three years ago; they got in the way of the last of Khyron's Zentraedi, the day Macross was destroyed. I've been raising him by myself ever since. Cute mecha; they transform into power armor, I assume."

"How did you know?"

"I collect pre-Global War Japanese animation, and evidently so does Dr. Lang. There was an anime series with bikes a lot like these; it aired when I was in my late teens, and it's one of the few series I don't have any of. Let's see... I believe it was called Genesis something-or-another. It's been so long, and that's one of the series that was rare even before the Zentraedi showed up."

"You speak pretty good English for an immigrant."

"Although you might have gotten the impression by what I said, I'm not exactly an immigrant. My father was born and raised in California, and my mother in the city of Kyoto. Dad met Mom while in Japan for a training seminar for his job with Honda in the sixties, and they were married in Tokyo. They split their time between their two countries, so I grew up in both. After college, I got a job with Honda's US operations, and was a plant sectional manager when the Global War broke out and the plant was nationalized by the Western States to help with war production. I stayed on through the war and beyond, until I retired in Oh-Eight. Alex's father was one of my subordinates for the last four years I was there, and he was a good friend. It shocked the hell out of me when he asked me to be Alex's godfather."

"Well, we have to move on, Mr. Ichijo, although we'll wave when we pass by on the way back. We're on our way to up Macross to take radiation readings for Dr. Lang. Take good care of the boy. Karen says he's pretty smart."

"Indeed he is. He's only eight, but he can speak fluent Japanese and I've taught him beginning calculus. I'm going to try to get him enrolled in the Gloval Memorial School in the fall. If he makes it, they say he might start college before he's sixteen."

"I'll tell you what," Karen interrupted. "I'm a good friend of Emil Lang, and I'll get him to write up a recommendation for Alex."

"Thank you. If he makes it, it will make his parents dreams for him reality."

Once back on the open (and unused) road, things got real boring real quick. Things got back exciting real quick, when, as they reached the outskirts of Macross, the bridge they were crossing collapsed under their weight.

"Battloid, quick, and hit your thrusters!" Scott bellowed.

"Two steps ahead of you, Fearless Leader," Karen replied.

"Another one of your visions, Karen?"

"Actually, it was my danger sense," Karen replied on a private channel. "Unfortunately, it doesn't warn me of a specific danger until right before it happens, and I don't always know what the danger is."

"Forget I asked. Where does the good doctor want us to start?"

"Switching back to open channel, now. Roger, take your samples from Khyron's mound; that's the far one. Scott, you're supposed to take samples from the city, where each main avenue from Lake Gloval intersects the outer loop. Marie has the SDF-1, and I have the SDF-2. Rendezvous point is the center of the three mounds."

"All right, what are we waiting for? As soon as we're through with this, the sooner we get to shoot each other with smoke missiles. It'll be quite a change from in the lab."

They flew off in different directions, heading for their assigned stations.

Two hours passed, and Scott and Roger arrived at the rendezvous point to find no sign of Karen or Marie. The only thing that they had heard was from Karen, saying that she had finished early and had gone looking for Marie, who wasn't responding to hails. Scott and Roger became increasingly worried when they found Cyclone footprints leading into a hole at the base of the SDF-1 mound, but not coming out. Evidently, both girls had gone in.

"Roger, I'm going in after them. Wait here, and I don't come out within an hour, radio for help."

"Yes, sir."

The tunnel(?) was dark and damp, but, thanks to the optics in his Cyclone, he was able to follow the tracks. After about fifteen minutes, the trails split. He took the one that went into the lower parts of the ship, the port engine room to be specific. After negotiating some very nasty obstructions in the hallway, with tracks appearing between them, but not going through the gaps in them, he found the first of the two missing persons.

"Karen."

"Oh, hi there, Uncle Scott. How did you know it was me?"

"Marie can't teleport around barriers."

"Touche."

"By the way, where is she?"

"I think I know where she went, but I decided to do some exploring on my own before I went looking for her."

"Well?"

"She said something to me about paying her respects to the dead."

"She's in the morgue?"

"No, silly. When the SDF's were destroyed, they salvaged most of the mecha, but left most of the bodies where they lay. This was to speed up the burial of the remains of the ships, and to make the ships themselves the tombs of the fallen. Ironically, although the decision to bury the ships was made to reduce contamination, the SDF-1's interior is less contaminated than the exterior. Some places on board still have power, due to the modular design of the ship."

"Cut the bull, where is she? Is she in any danger?"

"I thought you didn't care for her anymore, Uncle?"

"I don't, but she's under my command, so it's my job to be worried about her."

"Sure it is. She was going to the bridge, to pay respects to Admiral Gloval and the bridge crew."

"Why?"

"Remember Rico, Bron, and Konda? Those three women who died on the bridge with Gloval and Claudia Grant were the most important things in their lives. When the women died, Dana became, in a way, the child they would never have. Besides, there has really never been a proper service for them. That was one of the things Marie wanted to correct."

"Then you knew she was coming in here."

"Yes, and I knew I couldn't stop her, either."

"Let's go get her, then, and hope she hasn't gotten hurt along the way. The ship seems to be disintegrating in some places."

"I wonder if Roger's called for help yet. I've been in here almost three hours, and there's still no sign of a rescue group."

"He probably thinks we can handle ourselves in here."

"Is this the bridge?"

"Through that door; watch your-" THUD! "head. The doorway's low." Karen started giggling slightly.

"That wasn't funny, Karen. Marie, are you in here?"

"I'm over here, Scott. Is Karen with you?"

"Yes. What are you doing?"

"Resting. Coming up here took a lot out of me. I wasn't prepared for what I found, either."

The bridge was a shambles. Equipment was everywhere, and everything was covered with dust. Strangely incongruous with this were several large cylinders with windows, that weren't part of the original bridge equipment.

"What are those?" Scott asked.

"Medical cryonics chambers, from one of the lower holds near the ship's hospital," Marie replied. "When people died during the trip back, and had recoverable remains, they'd get stuck in one of these tubes, and be frozen. The plan was that, once they got back to Earth, they'd be delivered to their next of kin, or otherwise be buried in 'the cool green hills of Earth'. However, those that died on the flight back from the first fold never got buried, except those that requested burial at sea, or that they be cremated and their ashes scattered somewhere. More bodies got added to the morgue up till the landing here, and even then, a few that died in New Macross chose to have their remains frozen, until such time as their chosen burial spot had recovered sufficiently from the bombardment.

"The SDF-2 crew were lucky - most of them survived and got rescued, and their dead hauled off with them. But, their commanders came here, and the conditions aboard ship at the time meant that the skeleton crew that had died here couldn't be taken from the ship. So, the search parties got a bunch of the chambers, which were meant to be transportable, and brought them to wherever they found bodies. After all, like the old battleship Arizona, the SDF-1 is still technically on the ship rolls - and her crew is still at their stations. It looks like they tried to hook them into the power systems, but the lines up here have since gone dead, and their transport batteries run out."

The remains were still recognizable, though. Admiral Gloval's tube lay almost face down, next to the escape pod door through which he had shoved Lisa Hayes. It had been leaned up against the command chair at one time, but the shifting ruined ship had caused it to break free from its straps. Kim, Sammy and Vanessa had been pinned by falling machinery on the crash, and their tubes were not a pretty sight if one looked past the front of their heads and torsos; it had been a rush job, after all. Their faces were reasonably intact, but you could tell someone had wiped blood, dirt and smoke off their faces, as they were laid to rest, and the padding under the bodies were tinged with red. Unlike Gloval, their tubes had been secured to the floor horizontally. Then there was Claudia's tube, mounted at about a fifteen degree angle above horizontal at her old duty station. Her arms had been lad across her chest, one hand holding a half-open locket in her hands. Inside the locket was a faded picture of Roy Fokker in a World Unification Alliance uniform, barely visible through the dust. No one said a word for a while, then Scott broke the silence, trying to remember a quote from a book he had once read.

"It is a far, far better thing I do, than I have ever done before. It is a far better rest I go to, than I have ever known."

"Scott, let's go now," Karen said quietly.

"All right." Neither of the girls had to look under his visor to know that there were tears running down his face. Karen and Scott left the bridge, followed a minute later by Marie, who pulled a wreath from one of her Cyclone's luggage-style containers and placed it on the captain's chair.

Chapter Four:

"You've got to be kidding!" - T.R. Edwards, comment on the time anomaly after leaving the SDF-1 as part of the first investigating team, 1999

"Roger, we're back!"

"Didn't take you too long to find them, huh?"

"Are you trying to be sarcastic, or what? Why didn't you call for a rescue squad?"

"You told me to wait an hour before calling in. It's only been fifteen minutes."

"I was in there over four hours! Your watch must have stopped."

"Sir, I respectfully point out that if you had been in there four hours, the sun would have set by now. As you can plainly see, the sun is still far from setting."

"Son of a bitch. I guess we know now that the old rumor about a time warp aboard the ship when Lang, Gloval, Fokker and Edwards first explored the ship wasn't just a rumor. But why would it happen again for the first time in eighteen years?"

"Maybe the distortion takes time to build up and is released by living beings."

"Save your theories for Emil, Karen. I was being rhetorical."

The trip back was peaceful, if long, and they reached Monument at 0300. They went straight to bed after decontamination, and were allowed to sleep into the afternoon. After a short debriefing session with Lang at 1600, they had dinner and returned to their apartments.

Scott settled back, grabbing one of the old CDs he'd purchased from one of the artifact stores downtown, as stores that specialized in salvaged pre-war items were called. It was by a band from the 1980s he was partial to, who had supposedly taken their name from the dog in the ancient classic, The Wizard of Oz. Of course, the song currently plying was doing nothing to help his spirits.

"...There were the nights, holding you close;

Someday I'll try to forget them.

As soon as my heart stops breaking,

And tears stop raining;

As soon as forever is through, I'll be over you."

Suddenly, his melancholy was interrupted by its source.

"Scott! Come quick!" Marie was shouting at the door. "Something's happening to Karen!"

He jumped to his feet, and ran across the hall to the girls apartment. He found Karen at the desk, face down and mumbling something.

"Karen, this is Scott." He pulled her upright in the chair. "Can you hear me? What's wrong?"

"Edwards...alive...Mommy, Daddy...NO!" She came alert with a snap, then looked at Scott. "Uncle Scott, something terrible's about to happen to Brasilia Base! You've got to warn them!"

"Calm down, Karen; are you sure?"

"Please, warn them. They haven't got much time!" She was starting to get hysterical .

Scott ran to the vidphone, as Marie tried to calm Karen down.

"Operator, this is Lieutenant Commander Scott Freeman. I need to talk with Commander Max Sterling at Brasilia Base IMMEDIATELY. This is a Code Delta call." About five seconds passed, and Max came on the line.

"Scott, this is Max; where's the fire?"

"Max, I don't have any time to explain. Go to alert, NOW! The base is in danger!"

"I can't call a full-scale alert without a reason, Scott."

"Commander!" a voice came from behind Max. "We have a large free-falling object coming into the atmosphere, on a trajectory that will result in a collision with the base! Impact will be in ten minutes!"

"Thanks for the warning, Scott. I don't know how you knew, but thanks. I'll call you back as soon as I can. Sterling out." As Max's image disappeared off the screen, Marie lost her self control.

"Daddy, no! Scott, what's going on?"

"I don't know, Marie. I just don't know."

"Reports are coming in now from the Zentraedi Control Zone in the Southlands," the MBS anchorman said on the television. "Eye-witnesses with the RDF say that a Zentraedi landing ship, classification Quitra Queleual, fell out of orbit and impacted on the main area of Brasilia Base. It is believed that the ship was forced out of the debris belts at the Earth-Moon Trojan Points by Zentraedi Malcontents, but there is no proof. Indeed, the five largest Malcontent groups, the only ones thought to have the resources needed for a move such as this, have claimed through calls to our news stations that they were not responsible for the event, although they stated that they wish to congratulate the ones who were.

"Casualties are not known at this time, but all the squadrons based there were scrambled as soon as the ship was detected. Unofficial sources say that 10% of the Veritech forces and as much as one-half of the Destroid and Battloid units were destroyed, as well as all base personnel on the upper levels who weren't able to get clear of the base by at least a two-kilometer distance before the impact. There has been speculation that the personnel on the lowest levels, that is, the command level and the command residential level located at the bottom of the unfinished Grand Cannon barrel, may have survived, due to their distance from the surface. But so far, there has not been any evidence for or against this theory. The fates of the base command staff, including Max and Miriya Sterling and their daughter Dana, and Vince Grant, brother of the late Claudia Grant, are unknown, as they were believed to be on the command level at the time of impact."

"So much for the good news," Scott said to himself, turning off the TV by remote, and easing down onto the couch between Karen and Marie. He had tried, for a while, to get hold of Roger; but the other member of their foursome was probably out on one of his drinking binges again, and even if he did hear the news, it would probably make him drink even more. It had been a rough forty-eight hours, and despite their worry, they fell asleep on the couch.

"Scott, wake up! Wake UP!" Scott awoke to find Roger shaking him.

"Huh? What is it, Roger?"

"You've got a telephone call."

"Can't you take it?"

"It's Commander Sterling."

"Max? Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Scott jumped up from the couch and ran to the vidphone monitor. "Max, are you all right?"

"I'm fine; we all are. I just got pulled out about ten minutes ago and I decided to call and tell you that your squad made it out okay. The Legios made it too; that idea of yours to carve garage slips into the walls saved all the VTs down here. However, it's pretty bad down here. The base is essentially gone, and over half of our non-mecha personnel died." He was taking it fairly hard, but keeping a stern face. "I guess we'll be joining you up there for a while until the base is rebuilt. Do you have any idea who did this? After all, you tried to warn me."

"I can tell you one thing; it sure as hell wasn't the Zentraedi. If my intelligence is correct, I was the intended victim, but the persons involved didn't know about the training mission here."

"We'll talk later. I have to go; Rick's calling on another line." The screen went blank.

"Marie, Karen, get up!"

"Uhhh... What is it?"

"You'll be glad to hear that our friends and family are alive and on their way here. Now, Karen, I want you to tell me exactly what you meant by `Edwards'."

Chapter Five:

"To this day, I still can't see how Dad missed noticing how much Dana and I resembled each other, especially since I was her babysitter most of the time during the reconstruction of Brasilia Base. I guess he never even considered that HE might be the friend that Scott was afraid of having find out about my parentage." - Marie Sterling Freeman, Skull, Highlander and the Sentinels: Prelude to Light

"Edwards is alive," Karen said, after making sure that Roger had left the room.

"That's impossible! I vaporized that jackass last year!"

"I'm not saying that you didn't. I found out something last week that probably explains his continued existence. Remember the unauthorized uses of the Satellite's Protoculture Chamber earlier this year?"

"Yes, you used it to create little Noel and... Marie." Scott hesitated before saying the last name.

"But there were FIVE unauthorized uses, not just my three. Right before your return from the other timeline, Edwards had taken his yearly physical. Do you know what that means?"

"Cell samples! Those sons of bitches cloned him! But why two uses of the chamber, and how did he regain his memories of the past?"

"Remember, his buddy was in the Special Protoculture Operations division. It's likely they'd done a mind scan of him, as part of a test to see if they could clone him an uninjured body, then use the Zentraedi equipment to program the clone with the scans. What little evidence you brought back concerning the Zentraedi's creators from that other timeline indicate that while most their clones were kept fit with protoculture-based treatments, the rulers actually grew new bodies and transferred their consciousness into them - it was the fact that the highly refined material they needed to continue that was on the SDF-1, and they were stuck just using the maintenance treatments with their commoners, that drove them to leave Tyrol for Earth.

"Also remember that memories somehow appear to transcend cloning to an extent. The other universe's Zentraedi proved it. Despite their minds being totally purged of their memories of being miners on Fantoma, exposure to Fantoma and the remains of their culture there brought those memories back, even for those who were twenty or more generations of clones separated from their forebears that were the actual miners. I brought part of Dana's childhood memories out in Marie using my telepathy to awaken those dormant memories, but it might be something tied to the use of Protoculture in the cloning - there seems to be almost an extra-dimensional sentience behind the stuff, or possibly something on a quantum level that can link two different versions of the same organism across time. After all, look at the role it plays in folding space-time on a macro level.

"As for the two uses of the Protoculture Chamber facility, it could be that they weren't able to clone him as a straight human, and had to micronize him."

"Are you saying that T.R. Edwards, one of the most rabid xenophobes in the Southern Cross, was reincarnated as a Zentraedi?"

"Essentially, yes."

"I bet he's thrilled!"

"Not quite. Now he has a bigger grudge against you than he ever had against the Admirals. He was trying to kill you and our family with that ship, not all those others. As our presence up here was secret, he didn't know that you weren't there."

"Well, I'm on guard for him now. Next time, his death will be permanent."

While Karen and Scott talked the night away, trying to figure out more about her vision, Marie had returned to her and Karen's apartment, and was thinking about the events of the last 24 hours. "Things are looking up now," she said, trying to convince herself; "At least he's calling me Marie again." She reached over to the remote control by the bed, and turned on the television, since several hours had passed since the phone call, and she was eager for any updates. MBS was carrying live coverage of the first transport of survivors from Brasilia arriving at Fokker Field, the new Southern Cross air base at Canyon Point - the current politically renaming of the ruins of the county & city of Custer, located on the opposite side of the Mt Rushmore & Crazy Horse monuments from Monument City. Her parents and "little sister" were the first ones out of the transport, followed by the Grants. According the schedule, Karen's parents were flying escort for the next flight in, due to arrive in about an hour, but Noel was visible behind Dana, holding on to her best friend's arm.

The thought of their parents being here gave her mixed feelings. Karen had told her about Max and Scott's conversation the day before their trip here, and it had worried Marie more than it had Scott for quite a while. However, she had come to terms with it, and was willing to sacrifice herself to save Scott if her parents ever tried to harm him.

Her pondering was disturbed by the beeping of the vidphone, and the caller caught her by surprise.

"Corporal d'Argent?" Miriya asked.

"Y-yes Mo...er...yes, ma'am?"

"Max and I just arrived from the Brasilia disaster, and I was wondering if you and Corporal Ellison could babysit for me like you did down there. Kayra and Jean were wondering if you could take care of Noel and Bowie as well, because it will take time for us to get moved in to our temporary quarters."

"I would be glad to take care of them. You are all like family to Karen and me."

"Thank you. Max will be by your quarters in about a half-hour to drop them off."

"I'll be waiting. Miriya, I hope we can get together sometime."

"We will, as soon as this mess gets stabilized. Tell Karen I said hello."

"I will. Tell Max that we have heard that the ship-fall was caused by Earth separatists, not Zentraedi. It's important that the Zentraedi are cleared of this."

"Are you sure of your information?"

"Definite; but we can't reveal the source in order to protect it."

"I understand. Good-bye, Marie.

"Good-bye, Commander." Maybe having Mom and Dad in town might not be a bad idea after all, she thought to herself. If and when they do find out about me, it won't hurt to already be their friend, in order to reduce the danger to Scott.

Chapter Six:

"The Flower of Life is a strange life form, that we've only begun to scratch the surface of. Genetically, it seems to possess as many attributes of Earth's animal life as it does plant life. Chemically, its leaves contain an alkaloid that makes cocaine seem like a placebo. Paraphysically, it can induce visions of other times and places in a way we don't understand. Its derivative, Protoculture, enables the engineering of both man and machine in a way that defies science as well, and creates a form of symbiosis between the two. Who knows what else it is capable of, or should we even want to know?"

- Dr. Emil Lang, to technicians chosen to assist him and Lazlo Zand in the study of Protoculture; New Tokyo, 12 March 2015

Canyon Point was crowded, now that the Southern Cross units there had to share their facilities with Skull Squadron as well as Robotech Research's test pilot squadron, which had followed Dr. Lang to Monument three months before. The Southern Knights, the TASC squadron that had been assigned to Brasilia, was still in the Southlands, having to make do with the first production models of the Logan Fighter. The reasoning for their staying while Skull went north was complex, but it was mostly due to the Logans VTOL capability and small size allowing the Knights to work out of smaller encampments. The RDF's Valkyries would have had to take off and land in Guardian mode, and would have stood out like crazy due to their size. However, both groups wished that their positions were reversed, for very different reasons.

The Knights hadn't had any R&R in six months, when their Carnival party in Nueva Janeiro deteriorated into a riot that caused eight blocks of the downtown to go up in flames. After going through hearings that severely chastened them (despite that all the charges were dropped due to lack of concrete evidence against them), they were put to work rebuilding the area with their mecha, as a goodwill gesture, while still having to fly normal mission loads. After the repairs were completed, they spent the rest of the time up to the disaster up to their cockpits in the hazards of the Amazon rain forest. They were to have returned to Brasilia Base the day after it was destroyed. Skull, on the other hand, had to move in with their rivals in the TASC, and the fact that the squadron was the 1st TASC Ghost Riders didn't help matters. Most of Skull believed the Ghosts to be corrupt as their supposedly late commander, T.R. Edwards, and Max was once overheard saying that he would have felt safer moving in with Khyron's Botoru Battalion.

Life in Highlander was starting to approach normal again, due to their moving in with the others in Lang's test pilot barracks. This didn't exactly thrill Scott, as Karen looked very much like her mother now, and he was afraid that Shannon or Kayra would notice. At least Max and Miriya didn't have an adult Dana to compare with Marie, but having Dana was almost as bad. More than once, when Marie was babysitting, people they met thought Marie and Dana were either sisters or mother and daughter, and Scott prayed that it would never got back to the girls parents. Scott and Maria Perez had started seeing each other again, but neither was really serious about it. Maria half-knew that things could never be the way they used to be, but wasn't sure she wanted to let go. At best, they were little more than drinking buddies that ended up in the sack occasionally.

Strangely enough, Scott had developed a familial bond with his niece, Karen, stronger than any he had ever had before in his life, with the possible exception of his parents. Their relationship had drawn closer than most sibling or parent/child relationships, to the point where they could almost anticipate the other's thoughts. Of course, Karen COULD actually read his thoughts, but she wouldn't do so without permission. However, all Scott had to do was concentrate on her, and she would contact him by conventional means or telepathy, whichever was more convenient to both of them. Karen also resumed her studies with Dr. Lang, often working late into the night on her projects. It was one of these night sessions that gave Scott a bad case of deja vu. He had almost forgotten the incident that had led to his discovery of the girls' dual identities, but what they had learned of Earth's forgotten past in that abandoned base came rushing back into his mind and Marie's that night.

"Scott, come quick! Karen acting weird again!"

"Calm down, Marie. What happened?"

"Sh-she stayed up all night, studying that plant she brought back from Dr. Lang's lab. When I woke up this morning, she was unconscious in her mini-lab, muttering something over and over again!"

"Have you called Jean?"

"She's already on her way. I called her first, then I called you.

"Unlock your door; I'll be right over, as soon as I get my pants on."

Karen was slumped over on her desk, just as Marie had described. A dictating pad was sitting to her side, which she had been using to record her observations, and it was still recording her on both digitally and on paper.

"...we are one...one race..."

"Karen! Karen, wake up!" Scott grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her up into a sitting position and shaking her.

"Wha... What happened?"

"Maybe you can tell me. Marie woke up and found you in some sort of trance, muttering things that she read about in the ruins, over and over again." Scott looked at the potted plant on the desk, and thought it looked very strange, almost unearthly."Maybe you had an allergic reaction or something."

"Marie, is Jean here yet?"

"She's at the door; should I let her in?"

"She isn't going to do us any good out in the hall. Karen, I want you to get checked out by Jean, to make sure you're really okay." Scott put his hand on the desk near the Plant, then jerked it back when its leaves smacked him. "What the hell is that thing?"

"Just your garden-variety Invid Flower of Life," Karen replied sleepily.

"Flower of Life? Are you nuts? One of the reasons Khyron was such a basket case was because he was addicted to that thing! Marie, take that THING back to Dr. Lang right now! If I ever see one of those plants again, it'll be too soon! Get rid of it!"

Scott stormed out of the apartment, nearly running over Jean as she came down the hallway from the kitchenette area, and failing to notice the huge pile of printed transcript of Karen's recorder. While Jean was giving Karen the physical, Marie scanned through the printout, and realized that what Karen had said in her delirium would be too much of a shock to humanity if it became public. That the Robotech Masters were descended from the survivors of Atlantis was considered a bargaining chip for the SDF-3 mission. The disclosure that the Masters' primary foe was descended from the other faction that destroyed Earth's first civilization probably would have given Zor a heart attack, had he known! She took the printout and hid it in her personal effects, then erased the recorder's memory. No one was ready for the revelations Karen had made, possibly not even Karen herself.

Interlude: Shapings - A Ballad, by Karen Freeman

(From a Flower-induced vision in 2017, rewritten in its final form, 2034)

This is a story of three races old,

Whose disparate paths did once again fold.

Oblivious to their common birth,

They strived to be each others' dearth.

Their tale begins on a world called Tyr,

Where two Goliaths did each other fear.

In their greed to have it all,

They came to cause their world to fall.

The armies clashed in the disputed land,

Driving out the native bands.

The Indi lost, but in their ire,

They slew the Tirons with a rain of fire.

The Tirons were bloodied, but not all were dead,

And the fire was now launched onto the Indi's head.

Both nations died under glowing clouds,

Leaving only their wizards to mourn aloud.

While the innocent tried to heal their scars,

The wizards left Tyr for the stars.

Those left behind lost the light,

While the wizards sailed through the night.

The wizards settled down, two races apart,

And with their humanity they tried to part.

The Tirons wiped their minds of their disgrace,

While the Indi changed both mind and face.

They would meet again, these wayward races;

Of humanity left, there were no traces.

The Tiron's greed, no small flood,

Caused them to create giants from their own blood.

The Tirons stole the Indi's flower,

Transmuting the seeds into a source of power.

To expand their power by means of war,

The giants stole in the name of Zor.

Their peace now broken, their harmony shattered,

The Indi changed, nothing else mattered.

They turned to hate, the weakest power;

Thev gave their all to save their flower.

Aghast of the greed, hating the war,

The awful truth had dawned on Zor.

His boon had gone from his great pride

To a tool now meant for genocide.

Zor sent his ship out of the fray,

Praying to be forgiven of his part of the play.

Into the hands of the mother race,

as his life left him, it crossed time and space.

Zor aimed well, it did not veer,

His ship found the world of Tyr.

The ship united a warring world,

To which Zor's torch had now been hurled.

The Giants came, by their Masters told,

To ravage their ancestors' world of old.

Though most the world was laid to waste,

Earth was the toughest foe they'd ever faced.

Giants they were, full of pride,

But for all their might, they were empty inside.

The Giants' ranks were torn apart

By the powerful forces of the human heart.

In their efforts to end their woes,

The Children of Tyr return home as foes.

They molest this world, this planet Earth,

The world that did their ancestors birth.

All is not lost, though we must still fight;

We must strive to bring our brethren back to the light.

We must end now, what our ancestors began,

And reunite here the races of Man.

Chapter Seven:

"TO: Operation Time-Off conspirators.

FROM: Commander, Southlands Air wing, Skull Squadron.

Mir told me of your discussions on the subject of lighting a fire, so to speak, under Rick to get him to propose to Lisa. I've got an idea how to do it, and where. But there's only one condition - I want the place wired. There's no telling how he'll pop the question, and I want to hear it myself when he does, not to mention Lisa's reaction. Besides, without some way to force him to do it, he won't do it; we have to let him know that we'll know it if he tries to fake it. One last thing: you won't believe who volunteered to hold the engagement party in February, if the lovebirds wait that long..."

- Memo sent by Max Sterling to Marie d'Argent and Karen Ellison, 10/21/17

Scott was both pleased and upset about Karen and Marie's plans to get the two Admirals married, especially after he found out that they had dragged the Sterlings in on it. But then, if Max wanted to most of the planning(and shoulder the responsibility), it was fine by him. Surely, Rick and Lisa wouldn't do anything to their best friends when the shit hit the fan.

It was now Veteran's Day, a pre-Zentraedi holiday marking the end of the first World War, 99 years before, and honoring those who had served and died in it or the other two global wars of the previous century. It was one of the few holidays that survived the arrival of the Zentraedi and world unification. Veteran's Day now took on the traditions of the old U.S. Memorial Day, as November 11th was a more hospitable date for vacations in the Southern Hemisphere than late May. Besides, Veteran's Day was already honored worldwide as Remembrance Day. Among these traditions was that of a picnic with friends, to reflect on the past and forget today's worries. Rick and Lisa jumped at the chance to come Earthside for an afternoon in the Bahamas, even if it meant they would have plenty of company. They didn't think it odd when Karen took Dana on a nature hike on the far side of the small island, nor when Scott and Marie, then Max and Miriya wandered off.

However, they began to worry when none of the others had returned by sunset. A quick search of the island resulted in their discovery that they were alone, and the boat they had arrived in was on the bottom of the cove, in twenty feet of water. Finally, they gave up the search and went into the bungalow that was the only structure on the island. On another island, three miles away, the conspirators were gathered around the receiver that was recording the sounds coming from the hidden mikes in the beach house.

"Rick, where could they have gone?"

"I don't know, and I don't like it one bit. For all we know, they could have been captured or killed by Zentraedi, pirates, or worse."

"Pirates? You've got to be kidding."

"You know what I mean, Lisa. They may not carry cutlasses and fly the Jolly Roger anymore, but they're just as deadly."

"Why don't I fix us dinner and see if they left us a note or something in the kitchen. You can search in here."

"I hope they did. Why didn't we look for one before?"

"We were looking for them, not a note, assuming that they wouldn't just abandon us."

"I guess you're right." A ruffling noise came over the living room mike as Rick flipped through the magazine on the table, then picked up the envelope that dropped out of it. "Hmm... An envelope with my name on it. I wonder..." Rick read the letter out loud to himself.

"`Dear Rick; Miriya, Scott and I thought that you two have been working too hard, and needed a week off. The rest of the general staff agreed, so don't worry about the RDF going under in your absence; we've had this planned for weeks. We'll be back to pick you up on Sunday the 19th, so you can get back to Little Luna in time to go to work on the 20th. However, there is one condition -PROPOSE. If you don't propose, we'll leave you two on the island until you do. Don't try to lie your way around it; the whole island is wired for sound, but we'll turn it off as soon as you get an answer from Lisa. You two have been putting it off too long as it is. Have a nice vacation! - Max..' Max, you little-"

"Rick, did you say something?"

"Uhm...no, I was just reading out loud."

"Could you come into the kitchen and help me? I can't leave the food I've already got cooking."

"Be right there."

"Thanks. Could you get the can of tomato sauce from the cabinet, and open it for me?"

"Here you go."

"That was quick. While you've got the cabinet open, could you inventory our food supply? Who knows how long we'll have to stay here."

"Let's see. We have three cans of tomato soup, one bottle of rum, two cans of banana daiquiri mix, two cans of Spam, Lisawillyoumarryme, a box of dehydrated milk..."

"WERT! What did you say?"

"Uhhhh... I said, will you marry me? .

"IT'S ABOUT TIME!"

"Is that a yes?" Rick asked meekly.

"Rick Hunter, you...you... of course it-s a yes!"

"Good, now we can enjoy the rest of this vacation our friends arranged for us.

"Vacation?"

"Yeah, read this." After a short pause, Lisa looked under the table and found the kitchen bug, and spoke into it.

"Max, if you're still listening, I hope you like the jungle. You and the rest of Skull are going back to the Southlands as soon as I get back in uniform!"

"Well, I guess we've heard enough," Max said as he reached over and turned off the receiver. "I just hope she calms down a bit before we pick them up next Sunday. Scott, chill out. If I know them, they've probably forgotten about the food and gone past the talking stage by now. Get some sleep; we'll check on them in the morning."

Scott woke up the next morning with high tide coming up around his ankles. Evidently, he had been carried from where he had been sleeping and placed on the beach at this position for this very reason.

"Can't a guy get a normal night's sleep around here?"

"Nope," Karen said, walking up and giving him a peck on the forehead.

"What is it now, Karen?" he asked, climbing to his feet, brushing off the sand off of himself, and pulling his uniform on over his swimming trunks.

"I thought you might like to take care of these." She tossed him a net beach bag filled with clothes.

"What? These are Rick and Lisa's clothes from last night. What are they gonna wear?"

"I left them a loincloth, a grass skirt and a bikini. They'll make do."

"Karen, you'll be the death of me, if you don't get me busted down to Private-1 first."

"Just as long as you stick around long enough to give me away."

"I don't know who'd be crazy enough to marry you, but I'll try to hang around that long."

"Speaking of love and marriage, what's with you and Marie? I don't have to be telepathic to know that you two care for each other, but you seem to go out of your way to drive her away from you when she tries to express her feelings toward you."

"Karen, I can't handle the responsibility. One of these days, one of you is going to get shot down or blown up, and Max is gonna want to inform the next of kin. What am I gonna say, I'm sorry, Max, but Marie was killed in combat today, and, incidentally, she was your daughter? I just couldn't handle it, and I don't know how Max would take it, or Miriya, for that matter. I keep having this recurring nightmare that Marie dies, her parents find out who she was, then Miriya gets Macronized and proceeds to crush me like a cockroach. I wake up screaming, with a memory of a size 600 sneaker smashing into my face."

"Uncle, whatever will be, will be. Enjoy life now, while you can. Don't let your fears stop you from loving her. If Shannon had let his fear of how he would be treated for loving Kayra affect their relationship, I would have never been born. And what about Max and Miriya? If Max hadn't convinced Miriya of his love, all of humanity this side of Tyrol would be dead right now. Don't let others rule your life. I don't; even physical laws bend to my will. You may not have my powers, but you CAN change things. By hiding your feelings, you only cause the hurt to grow."

"I know, but I can't help it. For the first time since I watched Mom and Dad die, I feel helpless, at everyone's mercy." Scott's eyes began to water, as he hugged his niece."I appreciate what you're trying to do for Marie and me, but I've got to work this out on my own. I got word last night; I have to take Skull down to guard the Brasilia reconstruction. I'll see you when your vacation's over." He kissed her on the forehead, then turned and walked to his VT.

As his plane rose into the early morning sky, Marie came out of the weeds, from where she had watched and listened to Scott and Karen's conversation. Karen sensed her approach, and turned to meet her friend.

"I've done what I can. It's all up to him now."

"Thank you for trying, Karen. At least he admits to you that he loves me."

"His problem is more than his fear of your parents, Marie. He's also afraid of losing you in the same way he lost his parents, in a situation that he could do nothing but watch you die. We all face this, but he's actually had it happen to him. More than likely, something will have to shock him into coming around, but until then, all we can do is hope that he does come around someday."

"I'm going back to Monument to work on my wedding present for the Admirals. Tell Max for me that I left, OK?"

"I will. I just wish you'd tell me what this present is. You've been spending almost as much time in Emil's labs as I have."

"It's a secret; you'll find out when they do."

"Marie, remember; Scott does love you; he just doesn't want to lose anyone else."

"And I wouldn't want to lose him. But someone once said some must die, for others to live , and death in war is a risk we all face. The sooner he accepts it, the better for all of us." They embraced, as Marie began crying.

Chapter Eight:

"...Till I make you take me

On your Mighty Wings;

Make you take me

On your mighty wings across the sky."

- "Mighty Wings", by Cheap Trick(1986). From the soundtrack of the movie TOP GUN.

Brasilia Base was rebuilt by Thanksgiving, mainly due to the work of several full-size Zentraedi construction crews, and it was officially reoccupied on 1 December. It was now the day before Christmas, and Marie had persuaded Scott to help with a surprise birthday party for Karen. This would be helped along by a big celebration planned for later in the day for the Brasilia personnel, highlighted by a Minmei concert, with an amateur night for the personnel as the opening act. As Karen was going to be in the show, it meant that Scott and Marie would be alone until the concert ended.

"Are you sure she doesn't suspect what you're planning?"

"Trust me. She thinks I'm trying to get alone with you for a while."

"Are you?"

"Well, as they used to say in America, I plead the Fifth."

"I thought so. But having a birthday party for her is a good idea. This is her first birthday, and Christmas, for that matter."

"I never said that I wasn't going to throw her a party, Scott. I just thought that I could kill two birds with one stone. A double misdirection, so to speak."

"We'd better hurry, if we're going to get some good seats upstairs. I can't believe that Karen actually got Kayra and Dani to sing backup for her in the prelims."

"Kayra's a professional singer, so she isn't eligible for the recording contract; otherwise, she'd be performing herself. I hear they call themselves the Flyin Sirens, but I've already heard them referred to as `The Good, the Bad, and the Zentraedi .'"

"Let me guess; the middle one is the one with sandy blonde hair."

"Yup. Danielle can sing, but she's no Minmei. Kayra studied with Minmei's old voice coach two years ago, when she made that album before she joined the RDF. And, as you know, everything that Kayra knew back then, Karen knows."

Someone knocked on the door of Karen and Marie's apartment. The person who was knocking caught them off-guard.

"Miriya! I thought you'd be upstairs by now. Is something wrong?"

"I hate to ruin your plans, but Kayra and I have a problem. Our two little hellions just about killed Bowie with one of their practical jokes. They watched an oldThree Stooges movie with Max and Shannon last night, and today they tried to rig a bucket above a door to dump water on Bowie. Instead, the bucket fell and almost hit him. You know how serious his heart problem is; Jean almost hit the girls when she found out what they had done. She kept muttering something about always being able to make new ones if she killed them. If she wasn't a human, I'd swear she was one of my old squadmates from the Quadronos. But, back to my problem; the girls are grounded, and we need someone to watch them, and you two are drafted. Believe it or not, Bowie wants to stay down here with them as well, despite what happened."

"It's okay, Commander," Marie replied. "We'll just stay down here and watch the show on TV. Besides, it will give YOU and the other two proud mothers time to do what parents do this time of year."

"Yeah, Miriya. We're at the bottom of the world's biggest chimney, so you Santas are gonna need all the help you can get!"

"Good. When you're ready for them, call Max and he'll bring them over. He had to come back down here just to calm everyone down. I'll pick them up tonight, unless you don't mind them stay-" Miriya was interrupted by alert klaxons, and she quickly ran over to the apartment's vidphone to check in.

"Lieutenant Commander Sterling here. What's the situation?"

"There's a large force of hostiles attacking the base. Somehow they made it past the outer perimeter without triggering the alarms, and their infantry started laying covering fire. We can't get any of the mecha out of the hangar without them being fragged. The second a mech goes through the hangar doors, they're wasted."

"Try getting Skull out in Guardian mode. Have them collect in the back of the back of the hangar in Battloid, then have individuals go Guardian and try to get up the speed and go Jet as soon as they clear the doorway. The Knight's Logans are VTOL, aren't they?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Have them do the same, only they can do the whole run in Jet mode. Keep all the Destroids and Battloids in until we can cover their exit. Skulls One, Two, Three and Twenty will be taking off from the pipe in five minutes."

"Roger, Commander. This week's alert call signs are Delta Lima." After Scott's report that the attack that decimated the base was tied to possible internal enemies, Max ordered that the usual squadron call signs not be used during base defense, instead random lists of names be assigned. They set it up using various prolific fantasy and science fiction series, and having the order of the lists determined by the order of a bunch of dog-eared paperbacks and series guides stuck on a shelf in the office of the command center's chief communications officer. Last week, for example, the name list was Starfleet ship names, and the week before, characters from Anne McCaffrey's fiction. This week, apparently, it was Dungeons & Dragons characters from the world of Krynn.

"Sterling out. Come on, you two; we'll worry about babysitting later."

"Can we use the Legios?"

"If you think she can handle it, Scott."

"No problem, Commander."

"You set back there?" Scott called back to the Beta.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. These controls are a bit different than a Valkyrie's. I'm not so sure I'll be able to fly this thing very well."

"Don't worry about flying it; I'll be doing all the flying, unless we separate. You just concentrate on using your missile pods back there. How are the engines?"

"Full power."

"Hang on, then; this thing has more power than three of our VTs combined. Lift-off in three, two, one... Yeeee-Haaaa!"

The Legios had been elevated for a vertical takeoff, and once loosened, it screamed up the cannon barrel, passing Max and Miriya half-way up and leaving them far behind.

"Omigod, Scott, you weren't kidding about this thing! We'll have to pick up my stomach on the way down. I'll go for the Artillery Pods backing up the infantry, and you take care of defending us."

"Yes, Admiral Sterling."

"Scott! What if Max or Miriya heard that?"

"They couldn't; they're still in the tube. Besides, we're still on the intercom. I'm switching us to the net now. Handle communications for us as well, okay, Marie?"

"Just shut up and fly. Alhana to Shalost, Alhana to Shalost. The inner southern perimeter has been overrun by Artillery Pods. We are firing on them now." She launched a spread of missiles at the offending mecha, then began to give an accounting of the enemy forces. "The opposition seems to be mainly full-sized. There are infantry groups in the north and west perimeters, and the pods I fired on are the only visible ground mecha. There are incoming aerial mecha, range ten kilometers. I read three FPAs and seven Stingers. They are moving in to engage us."

"Roger, Alhana. Try to target the ground troops to the west, to free up the rest of Skull. Sturm, do you copy?"

"Roger, Shalost, we're on our way. Sturm to Laurana, would you and Tanis hurry up? Your former squadmates are giving me hell up here!" Scott pulled the Legios into a wingover, riddling the lead Quadrono with his GUs, only to have the others launch on him.

"Right behind you, Sturm." Miriya took out the two remaining Power Armors, sending them to the ground as smoking heaps.

"Thanks, Laurana. Cover us; I'm taking this hog in for a bombing run."

"Roger, Sturm; we'll hold off the Stingers."

Scott flew over the hundred or so Zentraedi who were firing at the hangar doors, allowing Marie to drop the bombs almost on top of the troops heads, as well as letting her dump a few missiles in the ones the bomb blasts couldn't reach. When the smoke cleared, the way was open for both Skull and one of the Destroid squads to enter the battle.

"Hey, watch it!" A Stinger had been damaged by Miriya, and it tried to take the Legios with it. Marie blew it up at a range of less than twenty meters, and its flaming wreckage slammed into the Beta. "Marie, are you okay back there? Marie?" No reply came from the Beta.

Scott flew into the center of the fighting, and mass-launched his missiles at the remaining Stingers, emptying both VTs' missile pods. After this, he calmed down a bit, and headed in to Skull's hangar, requesting medical assistance for Marie; he could move the Legios downstairs later, after it had been fixed up and reloaded. As it turned out, Marie had a headache and some bruises, mostly due to the fact she had forgotten to strap her helmet on, and she'd blacked out when the impact knocked her around the cabin so hard that the helmet came off.

After she was treated and released into Scott's care, they took the elevator back down to the residential level, and got the kids from Vince, who had been watching them while everyone else was either flying VTs or working in the med center. The show started three hours behind schedule, but was done in its entirety. One act had all three of its members die in one of the hangars, trying to cover the VTs as they launched, so its time slot was filled instead by a period of silence for them and the others who would not live to see Christmas 2017. By the time Karen's turn in the prelims came, the three children were already asleep in Marie's room, and Scott and Marie had finished a late dinner.

"Scott?" Marie said, leaving the kitchenette where she had just taken the dishes.

"Yeah, Marie?"

"You look like you could use a massage. Want me to give you one?"

"Thanks, Marie. I haven't felt this tired since basic training."

Marie started massaging his shoulders and neck, moving down and working on his sides and back. Suddenly, she slid around him and sat on his lap, face to face, and they held each other. As Karen sang in the background, their lips touched.

Chapter Nine:

"If she would have been faithful,

If she would have been true;

Then I would have been cheated,

I would never know real love,

I would have missed out on you."

- Chicago, "If She Would Have Been Faithful"(1986)

The apartment door opened suddenly, making them jump back from each other in surprise. There, in the doorway, was a very shocked-looking Maria Perez.

"Scott, you... you two-timing son of a bitch!" She turned, and ran down the hall.

"Maria, wait!" Scott took off after her, reaching the doorway it time to see her heading toward two GMP in body armor on patrol. "YOU TWO! Stop her!"

The two GMP tried to comply, but Maria got by them by kneeing one of them in the groin so hard that it doubled him up, despite his body armor. Finally, Scott caught up with her.

"Maria, I can explain-"

"Explain? You don't have to explain anything. Do you want to hear something funny? I came there looking for you to tell you I was calling it quits. I guess I kinda lost it when I caught you fooling around, even though I've been doing the same thing myself."

"Logan?"

"Yeah. Scott, aren't we a pair? Trying to keep our relationship going, even though neither of us want it? Be happy with Marie; I've seen how you two look at each other, there's no denying it. Now get back to her place and tell her how you feel before I do to you what I did to that poor Gimp."

"Can I still call you if I need someone to talk to?"

"Of course; I can always use a good laugh."

"Thanks again, Maria. I think I understand it all now. See you tomorrow at dinner."

"Good idea; we'll both probably be too tired for breakfast, so it's a date. You've got to see my engagement ring; he didn't even wait for me to talk with you to propose."

"And you and Alex are invited to my wedding, followed shortly thereafter by my funeral. when the father of the bride finds out."

"Finds out what?"

"That he's the father of the bride as well as being my best man."

"I couldn't wait to hear this one, under normal circumstances, but I'll have to take a rain check. Alex is waiting for me to come back to his place."

"You don't have the security clearance for the story, anyway, believe it or not. Sayonara, Conchita."

"You better tell me when I have clearance. Have fun, but don't wake the kids."

When Scott got back to Marie's room, she had cleaned the place up, and was surprised to see him return.

"Scott, what happened?"

"I finally came to my senses, that's what."

"Are you going to stay up with me and watch the rest of the show, or do you and Maria have something else planned?"

"Actually, I had something else planned for us." He grabbed her, slung her over his shoulder, and proceeded to carry her into Karen's unoccupied bedroom. He tossed her down on the bed and locked the door. "Marie, I'm never gonna let you go again. Will you marry me?"

"Marry? Anytime you're ready."

"How about tomorrow afternoon?"

"If we're awake by then..."

In the background, Karen sung on...

"Knew it so easy, don't have to think it thriough

Love is for giving

I know I'm just livin' for you

Love is for giving

I know I'm just livin' for you."

When Karen finally made it back to the apartment around 0300, she found her bedroom door locked. A quick mental peek told her who was in there, so she went into Marie's room, and climbed into bed with Noel, Dana and Bowie. She curled up around her little sister, and drifted off to sleep, thinking of the future.

Chapter Ten:

"Will it grow cold, the secret that I hide;

Will I grow old?

How would they hear,

When will they learn,

How would they know?"

- "Live to Tell", Madonna(1986), covered by Karen on her album "Heart and Soul"(2018)

It was around 1100 when Karen finally got up the nerve to wake Scott and Marie. When they finally did get up, Karen sent the kids home to open their presents, and they began to discuss the night before.

"I think Rick should perform the ceremony," Karen said. "After all, he is one of the only four people beside you that knows our secret, and he and Lisa are the only two with the power to marry people. You have to give your real name in the ceremony and on the paperwork, Marie, or else it isn't legal. They have to be the ones."

"But what about a second witness?" Marie asked. "Lisa would be the first, but we can't expect Jean or Emil to drop everything on short notice to be a witness."

"What about me?"

"I've already thought of that, Karen," Scott said. "The only reason that Marie and I can be married at all is that she's a clone, and that makes her fall under the laws concerning Zentraedi. However, technically, you might still be considered a one-year-old in the eyes of the law, and wouldn't qualify; sorry."

"Then what about Max and Miriya?"

"You've got to be kidding! What do you want me to do, walk up to them and say `Hi Mommy and Daddy, I want you to give me away'?"

"Karen, I have to agree with Marie. You know about my nightmares about Max and Miriya. How would they react with the proof of Marie's claim staring them literally in their faces?"

"You've got to tell them sometime, you know. It might as well be now."

Well..."

"Jean will agree with me on this. It will be easier for Max and Miriya to accept you two if you tell them now. The longer you wait, the more of a shock it will be, not to mention the more angry they'll be for you not telling them earlier."

"I'm beginning to think you're right, Karen. I will tell them. Scott?"

"I'm not exactly thrilled with the possibilities, but if you want to tell them now, I'll go along."

"You won't regret it, Scott."

"Max, this is Scott. I have something I need to tell you and Miriya, in private. Is it possible for us to come over and speak with you after you come down from Ops?"

"So, you two finally got it together. I'm happy for you."

"You might want to save the congratulations until we're through with our talk."

"Okay; I should be through up here at 1600. How does that sound?"

"Fine."

"I'll see you when I get there. Mir will probably be there with Dana when you come over, so I'll call her and tell her to expect you. I'll get there as soon as I can. Congratulations." Max signed off.

"That's what you think, Max," Scott muttered to the empty screen.

"Hello Scott, Marie. Max said you'd be coming over. I hope that Dana wasn't too much of a problem last night."

"I think that bawling out Jean gave her calmed her down for once."

"Then it must have wore off this morning. So, Max tells me that you two finally decided to get married. What took you so long?"

"Well, that's what we need to talk to you two about."

"Can you tell me now, or do you want to wait until Max gets here?"

"I think it would be best to wait."

"I see. Dana!" Miriya yelled down the hallway after hearing an inhuman whine come from the girl's room. "Are you pestering the cat again? Excuse me while I go to the poor thing's rescue." Miriya stood and went down the hall to Dana's room. While she was there, Max got home.

"Scott, where's Miriya?"

"Dana's room. Dana was doing something to that kitten you gave her for Christmas."

"I should have known. Scott, can I get you something to drink?"

"No, but I advise you to get something for yourself, preferably something strong."

Miriya came back into the room, and sat down next to Max.

"Now that we're all together, Scott, what is it that we need to talk about?"

"Max, do you remember our conversation about Marie a few months ago?"

"Yes. You said that she was underage and the daughter of some VIPs you knew. You also said that they weren't aware she was alive."

"Well, uh... we thought it might be proper for her parents to find out about her. It wouldn't seem right for her parents to not be invited to the wedding. Here are copies for each of you of the report that Jean and I did on Marie and Karen. Maybe it will help explain our problem."

He handed the reports to Max and Miriya, then sat down, trying to put Marie between himself and his commanders. Miriya finished first, and to Scott's surprise, she responded by hugging Marie like the long-lost daughter she was. Max, however, was another story entirely.

"FREEMAN, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" Max vaulted the coffee table, grabbing Scott by the throat. The couch that Scott was setting on collapsed under the impact, but Max's grip didn't falter. Miriya and Marie seemed to be in shock for a second, then came around.

"Max, stop it, STOP IT!" Miriya screamed, trying her best to pull her husband back, but not having any luck.

"Daddy, please!"

Visions of his obituary filled Scott's head; "Ace Pilot Killed by Commander Sterling". As he started to black out, he heard Marie's voice.

"Daddy, you don't leave me any other choice. I'm sorry." Max jerked from the shock of Marie's flight boot impacting his groin. He then slumped to the floor, allowing Scott to breathe again.

"Mom, call Jean. They may need some help, and make sure she brings some sedatives for Dad. I don't want to be a widow before I'm married."

Things calmed down a bit after that. Jean drugged Max up enough so that he couldn't have another fit for the next three hours, even if he wanted to. As soon as the drugs wore off enough to allow him to understand the discussion without losing his cool (about 1730), the talking continued.

"Max, I had no idea who Marie was when I fell in love with her. After I found out, I tried my best to break off the relationship; Cod knows, I tried. But each time I tried, I wouldn't get far before I found that I was right back with her again."

"And what about your niece? Did you do anything with her?" Max snapped back.

"No. However, she was the main reason that Marie and I finally acknowledged what we felt for each other. Karen wouldn't let either of us quit. She kept putting us together, breaking down the barriers faster than I could build them. If it hadn't been for Karen always sticking her nose into our relationship, Marie and I probably would have lived separate lives, and been miserable every minute of them. Karen is like a daughter to me, or a sister: all that she asks of me is that I accept her for what she is."

"Daddy, Karen was the one responsible for my creation; the only one. My relationship with Scott was totally unforeseen. Do you really think he would do anything that would hurt you? All we want from you is your approval of our marriage."

"Dan- Marie, maybe you're right. Heck, I even encouraged him at one point to go after you. After seeing what Rick and Lisa went through in Macross by denying their feelings, I have no right to deny anyone else. I give my blessings. Who knows? I might even become a grandfather before I'm 30."

"That's it?" Scott couldn't believe that Max had changed his mind that much so quickly.

"Marie's not a little girl; she has her own life to live. I don't have any right to deny her that."

"When do you think we can get married?"

"What about tonight?" Miriya suggested.

"You must be joking."

"Why not, Scott?"

"Who would perform the ceremony, and what about the license, the blood tests and all that other stuff?"

"Jean said that she can waive the blood tests, and Rick's already volunteered to conduct the ceremony."

"Who asked him?" both Scott and Max asked.

"Jean and Karen," Miriya replied. "They were talking to him when we called in about your injuries. As for the license, they're working on it on Little Luna. By the time we get there, all it will require is the signatures."

"But tonight?" Scott asked. He never thought he would actually get married today.

"There's a shuttle flight leaving at 1945. You'll get to honeymoon up there. Go pack what you'll need, Scott, and be at the shuttle hangar at 1900 in your dress uniform. Karen's already packing for Marie."

"What will I wear for the ceremony?"

"You don't think I'd let my daughter get married in her uniform, do you?" Miriya went into the master bedroom, then came out with a large box.

"Your wedding dress? But it won't fit me!"

"It will by the time we take off. Now scram, Scott; we can't have you seeing her in this dress before the ceremony, can we?"

"See you in a while, Marie. I hope you have fun wearing that dress; you won't be in it long."

"Why, Scott; is that a promise?"

"No, it's a guarantee."

"Do you, Scott Carpenter Freeman, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"Do you, Marie Sterling d'Argent, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Then, by the power invested in me by the Robotech Defense Force of the planet Earth, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss- You could have at least waited for me to tell you to kiss."

"Sorry about that, Rick," Scott said after about a thirty-second kiss. "We got in a hurry."

"Attention, everyone! And I do mean that in the military sense." Rick pulled something out of his pocket. "As you all know, marriages between officers and enlisted personnel are usually frowned upon. However, there are ways around this. Corporal Marie Sterling Freeman, step forward. As a result of your gallant efforts in combat above Brasilia Base on 24 December 2017, I am pleased to announce both you and your husband will be awarded the Titanium Medal. However, that will take time to clear through channels. In the meantime, you'll have to get used to wearing this piece of metal." He opened up the case to reveal 0-2 insignia. "I have the added pleasure to announce your promotion to Lieutenant, Junior Grade. Congratulations; think of it as your wedding present from your Uncle Rick and Aunt Lisa."

"Thank you, Uncle Rick," She saluted him, then gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Watch it, Lieutenant; you may make your Aunt Lisa jealous."

"She doesn't have anything to worry about; I've already found my man."

"Yeah, and he's getting tired," Scott added. "Shall we retire to the Honeymoon Suite?"

"I thought you'd never ask."