We're getting close to the route convergence! Here's more action!
Chapter 5 (Tara) Vega Attacks! Macross Under Siege!
The crew of the Nadesico wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth: the super-colony Macross, a powerful neutral colony, had given them sanctuary and a chance to recuperate, relax and properly mourn Gai after their harrowing battle to make it into space. Yurika, as captain, had to conduct his funeral, since there were no priests around to give him the proper rites. It was quiet and solemn, yet dignified, as Gai had died a warrior's death.
Once the funeral was finished, everyone did their best to get settled in and move on from their comrade's untimely death, difficult as it was.
"…Akito? If you're there, please answer me!" Yurika asked as she knocked on the door to Akito's room. The answer came in the form of a few sobs.
"May I come in?" she asked politely, hoping to get a little one-on-one time with her love.
"No…leave me alone…" Akito groaned.
"Just let me give you a hug! It'll make you feel better!" the battleship captain replied. She honestly did hate to see Akito so distraught like this, and wanted nothing more than to let him know she was there for him.
"Go away…" Akito sobbed again.
"…Pleeeease?" Yurika said.
"No…"
"Okay, now I'm ordering you to let me in so I can comfort you! I am your captain, so you have to obey my orders!" Yurika said, huffing a bit. Akito was silent, but then the lock on the door opened, and Yurika was able to enter. She gasped when she saw how distraught Akito was.
He was wrapped in bed sheets and lying on his bed, his eyes were puffy and his cheeks streaked with black from the many tears he had shed. The last Gekiganger tape he had played was on a loop…it was the tape depicting the death of Joe, one of the titular mecha's pilots. As soon as Akito saw Yurika, he turned away. Lovingly, she approached him and sat down at his side.
"Akito…I…I'm sorry…"
He only curled up into a fetal position, trying his best to ignore Yurika.
"I know that you and Gai were close, but…"
"No…you don't understand. You could never understand…how much Gai meant to me…"
"Akito…."
The young man suddenly rose up, and Yurika saw even more of how much of a toll Gai's death had taken on him. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair was completely disheveled, which made his response, growled through closed teeth, all the more intimidating.
"…YURIKA. GO. AWAY."
Without another word, Yurika got up and left the room, not wanting to ruin her chances with Akito any more.
The others besides the Nadesico's original crew had not known Gai long enough to truly grieve his death, and had chosen to move on with their lives. Sayaka dragged Koji along to shop at the clothing stores, while Tara, Ryoko and Hikaru decided to check out the open-air market. Here, goods from both Earth and the PLANTs could be obtained. Tara paused at a vendor hawking music discs. Itching for some new tunes, she decided to check it out.
One cover caught her interest: it was an album by Lacus Clyne, whom she had never heard of.
"Hey, is this album any good?" she asked the vendor, a stout man with a thick mustache and striped shirt.
"Are you kidding? Lacus Clyne is only the hottest singing sensation in the PLANTs! The only reason she isn't selling albums on Earth is that no Earthling would touch any music sung by a Coordinator. Shame, she's got the voice of an angel. Why, she's just as good as Basara Nekki..."
Tara and Hikaru's eyes lit up when she heard the rock idol's name.
"Really? Omigod where is he, where is heeeeee?" the two yammered excitedly (and simultaneously).
"Calm down, you two. I doubt this guy knows," Ryoko said with some embarrassment. "Come on." But no sooner did she take one step back the other way did she collide into a young man with thick, almost flowing neck-length brown hair carrying a bag of groceries. He wore a yellow shirt, brown vest, blue jeans and work boots. Both landed on their behinds, and the bag of groceries spilled out onto the street. It was filled with fresh fruits, vegetables and breads.
"Oh, I'm so, so, sorry!" Ryoko apologized as she scrambled to gather the fallen goods. The crowd briefly paused to see the fall, but kept moving afterward.
"Don't worry. Accidents happen," the young man replied as he helped her gather the goods, picking up an orange. "Thankfully, nothing is damaged. I must say that everything the PLANTs produce is amazing. There's not a bruise on this fruit!"
"Hey, buddy…do YOU know where Basara Nekki lives?" Tara asked eagerly, still in rabid fangirl mode. "Tell me, tell me, tell meeeeee!"
"Well, if that's the way you're going to act around him," the young man replied, "I doubt he'd even give you the time of day."
"Do you know him?!" Hikaru asked. "Do ya, do ya?!"
"We were introduced by a mutual acquaintance. If you two are willing to compose yourselves, I might introduce you to him."
"Oh, what's your name, by the way?" Ryoko asked.
"Daisuke Umon."
"Ryoko Subaru. The Amazing Crazed Fangirl Duo here are Hikaru Amano and Tara Zifell."
"Hey, I can't help it if Basara is a complete sex machine!" Tara whined.
The desert air rang out with the sound of an Egyptian sheikh's command.
"Open fire!"
The command issued was heeded by the crews of a number of Bamides - gigantic, tan mecha that resembled crosses between Knightmare Frames and oversized tanks, complete with long barrels. Their shells rained down on a number of Britannian tanks. But luckily for them, help had arrived...a number of larger, caped Knightmares wielding oversized knight's lances.
"Gloucesters?!" the sheikh exclaimed. "They were supposed to be in Serupham!"
The Gloucesters, successors to the Sutherland, were the most powerful sixth-generation Knightmares in Britannia's arsenal, and given only to the most elite members of the Britiannian army.
The soldiers piloting these machines were among the elite of the elite - the two leaders were Gilbert P. Guilford and Andreas Darlton.
"Damned overgrown fake Knightmares!" growled Darlton, a Britannian man with combed-back sandy hair and a deep scar running across his face. His Gloucester dodged several of the shells before running his lance through one of the Bamides.
"It would have been best for you to surrender from the beginning!" proclaimed Guilford, a calmer Britannian man with long black hair and wearing glasses. His Gloucester simply outpaced the falling projectiles before springing up and jammin his lance into the cockpit of another.
Suddenly, an explosion rang out in the distance behind the tank-like pseudo-Knightmares. The sheikh gasped in horror as he saw his place in ruins - only flames marked where it had once been.
That, and a purple Gloucester with a pair of wide horns...one that belonged to Britannia's Second Princess and perhaps the Empire's most skilled pilot - Cornelia li Britannia.
"Is that...Cornelia?!" the sheikh cried. "But how could she? It's only one unit!" But that was all he could say before his own Bamides was blown up by a combined attack from Guilford and Darlton.
"And with that, it ends," Cornelia said. "Area 18 has finally been established."
"Lady Cornelia, about our next plan of action…" Guilford said.
"I'm sorry for having to drag you along to clean up my younger brother's mess," the battle-hardened princess said.
"No, My Lady," Darlton replied humbly; "Our place is with you, no matter where it may be."
Zero, she thought as she pictured the hateful visage of the man who killed her younger half-brother, I will expose you and make you pay...Clovis WILL be avenged!
Tara, Ryoko and Hikaru followed Daisuke through City 7, taking in all of the sights they could on the city's speedy trams. They were leaving the central area and heading toward the area where the mayor's office was. Here, more wealthy individuals lived (although poverty was virtually unknown), and, based on rumors, it was where the peaceful aliens who ended the war well over a decade ago had sequestered themselves, taking few guests.
The tram they were on stopped in a surprisingly unusual area: while most of it was towering skyline (though a massive natural park covered a significant section of the city), the area here was more like a meadow than within a high-tech space colony. Tara and Hikaru could smell the dirt, flowers and trees. Even the holographic image of the sky seemed more real here. In the midst of this scenery was a large, intricately carved stone building, like something out of an ancient history book.
"Um…nice house," Tara quipped as they approached.
As they drew closer, someone came out of the doorway: a strong-looking man with light blue skin and dark green hair. Much of the right side of his head was covered by a metallic half-dome with a large green crystal in the place of an eye. Despite his ominous appearance, he was welcoming.
"Oh, Du…I mean, Daisuke," the man said. "I see you brought me the mayor's guests. I do enjoy company." Tara and Hikaru stood stock still as it quickly became clear who this was: one of the Zentradi whose power had saved the world.
"Wait…you've been expecting us?" Hikaru exclaimed.
"Yes. But it was Daisuke here who asked the mayor to grant the Nadesico and her crew sanctuary here on Macross," the Zentradi said. "It seems he knows a few friends of yours."
"As for me, my name is Vrlitwhai Kridanik. I am of the Zentradi."
"My people were warlike and powerful," the Zentradi continued. "We even managed to drive back the seemingly unstoppable Vega Empire, but at grave cost. Our generals insisted that we finish the job, but I and some others were opposed, instead suggesting we work to restore our world. Great arguments arose, which led to fighting amongst ourselves. The negative emotions caused by the war and the infighting afterward lured the accursed Protodevlin out of the dark corners of reality, and those who did not escape became their servants. I, and several others escaped, taking the secret of wielding Spiritia with us."
Tara and Hikaru simply nodded, fascinated by this story. Ryoko only half-listened, looking around at the room they were in.
"They arrived on Mars about fifteen years ago," Daisuke explained; "Just when the planet had finished being terraformed. In spite of a few early skirmishes, the Zentradi and humans came to understand each other, and the Zentradi submitted to the process of micloning - it shrank them to our size. Afterwards, a few of them formed relationships with mankind."
"In fact, it was we who helped unearth the ruins that contained much of Nergal's technology!" the Zentradi laughed. "And then there's the mayor and Captain Jenius…"
"But now both Protodevlin and Vega Empire, in pursuit of the secret of Spiritia, wait like hungry wolves at humanity's doorstep," Daisuke said grimly. "Yet people outside of this fortress have completely forgotten what Vrlitwhai and the other Zentradi taught them about being peaceful."
"Daisuke, don't you have someone to meet up with?" Vrlitwai said.
"Yes, I'll be back in a little. Miss Zifell, Miss Amano, Miss Subaru, it was good meeting you," the young man replied.
Koji felt like his arms were going to drop out of their sockets as he carried twenty heavy bags full of clothing, the fruits of another shopping spree by Sayaka. The scientist's daughter has a credit line a mile long, but even this was pushing it. As they walked down toward the building, Sayaka noticed Daisuke waiting for them.
"Daisuke, what are you doing here?" Sayaka exclaimed.
"I live here, Sayaka," Daisuke replied. "Anyway, is Koji with you?"
"Hi, Daisuke…mind helping me with this?" Koji grunted, his knees buckling. No sooner had he said that than did he finally lose his balance, and the boxes of clothes fell on top of him. His head poked out of the pile after digging himself out a bit.
"Thanks a whoooole bunch, Daisuke," Koji said sarcastically as he pulled himself out. Sayaka giggled a bit, but Daisuke got right to business.
"I understand you and Sayaka here traveled with the Nadesico," the young man said as Sayaka unlocked the door to their room. "Are the plans for Great Mazinger safe?"
"Yep," Koji replied confidently as he started carrying the boxes in, one by one this time. "There's no way anyone can get at them!"
"That's reassuring," Daisuke replied as he lent a hand in moving Sayaka's new clothes as well. "If those plans were to fall into the wrong hands, the peace that so many died for would disappear in the blink of an eye."
"Everyone's out for them, though…the Alliance…Britannia...I'll bet that ZAFT and Dr. Hell want them as well," Koji added. "They all crave that power…as if they didn't have enough already." Koji set the boxes down and hopped onto the bed to relax.
Dr. Hell…would he be so desperate as to…? Daisuke thought, realizing what could happen very soon…
Quintilis Two, a city devoted to the study of chemistry, was also used by the various PLANTs as a meeting ground for talks between individual colonies. But today it would be a host to a very different kind of talk: a talk between the ruler of an alien empire, and a mad scientist that desired to be a ruler himself, with Patrick Zala, the leader of ZAFT, playing mediator. Sitting nearby was his son, Athrun.
Emperor Vega was an imposing figure. He was tall, had sunken blood-red eyes, a spiked purple beard, deep wrinkles and long ears. He wore a crown like a serpent's head, but with three short decorative antennae coming out, and his blood-red cloak was clipped together with a skull medallion. Even Dr. Hell could not help but feel respect for this figure.
"Emperor Vega, Dr. Hell," Patrick began. "It is monumental that this meeting is occurring. Never before have humans, Coordinator or otherwise, even engaged in formal negotiations with beings from another world. I want to see to it that an agreement that is fair to both parties is reached by day's end."
"I do not see why we cannot do it sooner, Dr. Hell," Emperor Vega replied. "I am most interested in you, and I am prepared to give you not one, but two gifts in exchange for your complete cooperation and TOTAL obedience."
Dr. Hell frowned. Being subservient was not something he enjoyed doing at all. But he was no fool. He knew that if he did NOT cooperate, even his Mechabeast Army could not survive the onslaught of Vega's UFO Robos, Boazan's Beast Fighters, and Campbell's Slave Monsters all at once. Emperor Vega had control of this negotiation from the start, and everyone in the room knew it.
"Tell me of these gifts you would give me, Emperor Vega," Dr. Hell replied cordially. The alien ruler smirked evilly.
"…Gladly! As we speak, my attack forces are preparing to lay siege to the super-colony Macross. From there they shall capture a machine you most desire…Mazinger Z! I will give it to you as a token of my esteem, and you are free to do whatever you wish with it, so long as it does not go against our goals."
That would have been enough for Dr. Hell, but he simply nodded and let Vega continue. He wasn't about to settle for just one gift. He was going to milk this deal for all it was worth.
"My other gift is that I will make you one of my generals. You shall be held in the same regard as my other immediate subordinates: Blaki and Zuril of Vega, Heinel of Boazan and Garuda of Campbell. You will be able to command and utilize any of their forces, but you must be prepared to sacrifice your Mechabeasts for their campaigns."
"I do not see why I cannot live with that. But what if you cannot obtain Mazinger Z? He has powerful allies, and the Variable Fighters of the Macross are numerous and piloted by skilled individuals."
"You obviously do not fully grasp the might of my forces, Dr. Hell," the emperor said with gruff disappointment. "Perhaps you need to see for yourself just how powerful they are!"
"Councilman Zala," Dr. Hell said to the leader of ZAFT, "Has Emperor Vega any evidence of his might beyond mere hearsay? As a man of science, I cannot accept things entirely on blind faith. I must be able to observe his forces in action."
"Vega, you should have Dr. Hell accompany one of your other generals when they attack the Macross," Patrick suggested calmly.
Athrun watched the negotiation go back and forth, and his stomach turned more and more with each passing minute. His father was gone beyond just turning a blind eye to the machinations of these aliens, but now he was giving them a chance to ally with a Natural, the sworn enemy of Coordinators! In all likelihood, they would just attack the PLANTs once they were finished mopping up the Earth Alliance. Of course, he couldn't bring himself to speak out…not against his father.
The only thing he could do was leave. He silently and calmly rose from his seat and walked out. Emperor Vega noticed this and eyed the boy with suspicion, but said nothing of it.
Athrun would find a way to make his father see how destroying the Naturals would not be worth bowing before an alien ruler. He had his mission to get those new mobile suits, after all…
Mylene Jenius, the youngest daughter of Milia and Max Jenius and bassist for Fire Bomber, was off on her own, looking to do her part to help in the defense of her home, as well as to impress Basara. Wandering the hangar, she happened upon Tara, who was working on finishing adjustments to Lifthrasir alongside several Variable Fighters and their pilots, who were also working on their machines.
Tara looked up to see her. Tara recognized her from Fire Bomber music videos, and immediately frowned.
Great…here comes the one thing standing between me and Basara.
The enmity she had for Mylene was common among the more rabid female Fire Bomber fans, something that was only exceeded by their insane love for Basara himself. Not wanting to even listen to how annoying her voice was, she stepped into the blue portal, and dropped into Lifthrasir's cockpit.
Mylene sighed - she had hoped to at least say hello to this newcomer.
Meanwhile, Xemmey started up in response to Tara's entrance.
"My sensors indicate that you may be experiencing some rather strong negative feelings. Care to share them with me?"
"You're a computer, not a psychologist. You can't help me," Tara said dismissively.
"If you were more psychologically complex, perhaps you would have to see an actual mental health clinician. However, I must sadly admit, you are easier to read than a simple math problem," Xemmey replied. "You harbor a great deal of ill will to Mylene."
"She's an annoying little twerp who doesn't deserve to share the stage with Basara Nekki. That's all."
"My point exactly…you are shallower than a puddle on a sunny day," the computer replied. "Your standards for men can only be met by Basara Nekki himself."
"Hey, who's the boss around here?" Tara snapped.
"I am merely stating the facts."
"Shut up! Who do you think you are, my mother?"
"No, but…"
"Another word about this out of you, and I'll upload Boss' favorite video game into your hard drive!" Tara said with a leer and a rather unnerving smirk. Xemmey hesitated.
"…Very well. I'll say no more of this."
"Good. Let's re-calibrate the beam tonfas."
Suzaku couldn't believe it - even after that whole fiasco with Zero, he had still been set free...the would-be "kangaroo court" had let him off scot-free due to a lack of evidence - or rather, the fact that Zero himself had admitted to the crime.
And even in spite of being saved by the masked man, Suzaku vowed to bring Zero in.
As he walked out of the court, Suzaku suddenly heard someone calling.
"Look out beloooooow!"
Suzaku looked up and saw a woman with long pink hair and wearing a white blouse and yellow dress falling from above, as if she had jumped out the window of the nearby building. Without hesitating, the young man got underneath the falling girl and managed to catch her.
"Forgive me! I didn't realized that there was someone under me!" the girl said. Suzaku was struck by her blue-violet eyes, but did also noticed that her hair was partially tied back in buns. But he didn't immediately see that the girl was also struck by him.
"It's okay. I wasn't exactly expecting a girl to come falling out of the sky," Suzaku apologized as he gently put the girl down. "Are you hurt? Why were you jumping out of a window?"
"Would you believe that I'm being chased by bad guys?" the girl asked. Suzaku could see that she was lying, but decided not to say anything. They started to walk together, with Suzaku slipping on a pair of wrap-around shades to hide his identity.
"What's your name?" he asked the girl after walking in silence for a few minutes, having reached a lovely park. She paused as if trying to think of a good answer - this made Suzaku wonder if his new companion had ever tried to deceive anyone before.
"Oh...how rude of me! My name's Euphie!" the girl finally answered.
"I'm…" Suzaku replied as he started to take off his glasses.
"No, there's no need," Euphie said. "You're a celebrity - the son of the former Prime Minister, Genbu Kururugi...Private Suzaku Kururugi!" That immediately got his attention - most Britannians didn't know that he was the late Prime Minister's son, and this girl was clearly a Britannian.
There's definitely more to Euphie than she's letting on, he thought.
Before Suzaku could say anything else, he noticed that Euphie had approached a gray-black cat with a black spot over its right eye. She started meowing at it gently, hoping to gain its trust. It didn't take long - after taking a few sniffs of her hand, the cat started nuzzling her, as if she was an old friend. Gingerly she picked up the cat and took it back to Suzaku. He smiled, lifted his sunglasses and presented his own hand.
The cat didn't even bother to sniff it - it bared its fangs and bit down on his finger.
"Come in, base, this is Kizaki! A massive force of unknowns is approaching! Requesting backup!" Gamlin Kizaki, inside the cockpit of his VF-17 Nightmare, yelled.
It was a massive attack indeed: it was Emperor Vega's attack force, a mix of Vega's UFO Robos, and Saucer Beasts, Boazan's Beast Fighters and Campbell's Slave Monsters, totaling 150 individual units. The mechanical monstrosities were each more than capable of outlasting an entire division of Earth Alliance ground troops or a squad of Britannian Knightmare Frames. As skilled as Gamlin was, he knew he was outmatched.
Help came soon enough: several squadrons of additional VF-17 Nightmares swooped around to provide support, followed by the Aestivalis, still in their Zero-Gravity Frames.
"Man, it's just one attack after another!" Ryoko groaned. "First we get attacked by Britannia…"
"That was Yurika's fault actually," Hikaru replied rather nonchalantly. "I'm not their biggest fan, but…"
"And then the Earth Alliance…"
"I wonder how they'll want to eat us alive," Izumi chimed in. "I'm sure our livers go well with fava beans and a nice chianti…"
"Shut up, you two! Where's Tenkawa?" Ryoko snapped.
"Cut him some slack, he just lost his best friend," Hikaru said. "Besides, once Tara and the others get out here, those goons surrounding us are dead meat!"
"I couldn't have said it better myself!" Koji's voice came over the communicator as Mazinger Z swooped into position. "Huh…they don't look like any enemy I've seen before. Well, if they're anything like Dr. Hell's Mechabeasts, they're no match for Mazinger Z!"
"Koji, I think these are troops from the Vega Empire, just like Daisuke said," Sayaka replied as she flew toward the group with Aphrodite A. "We should be careful."
"You must be the civilian pilots of the Nadesico," Gamlin addressed them. "I hope you have plenty of battle experience, otherwise you'll just be in the way."
"We've fought our share of battles. We do everything BUT get in your way!" Koji said confidently.
"But I wonder where Tara's at, though…she'll miss all the fun!"
"Civilians…" Gamlin grumbled.
"Men…" Sayaka groaned.
Ten UFO Robos began charging, and opened fire with missiles and lasers, causing the defending mechs and planes to scatter. Four Boazanian Beast Fighters, humanoid horned warriors with long blades, rushed forward to join the melee, as did a pair of Campbellian Slave Monsters, giant buzzsaw-carrying monstrosities covered in pink slime.
Ryoko quickly noticed that the six monstrous soldiers were going after Koji exclusively for some reason, even as her Aestivalis danced around the UFO Robos' attacks. Did they know that Mazinger Z was their heaviest hitter?
But before she could ponder that much, another kind of Beast Fighter, a crab-like behemoth with green horns and over-sized claws, managed to get behind her, and raised its claw to snip the mech in half. But before it could, a familiar blue portal opened, and a white blur slashed the monster in two.
"Hey guys; how's that for a magic trick?" Tara quipped as Lifthrasir slowed to a stop and rejoined the group. Apparently Tara was picking up on how to utilize their portals more and more effectively.
"You can't afford to be a show-off right now, Tara!" Ryoko chided her. "We need to defend the Macross long enough for them to get the rest of their troops out. The more you goof around, the more likely you'll slip up and screw us all over!"
"Ms. Subaru is right," Gamlin replied as he and the other Variable Fighter pilots started forwards. "Stay focused, keep your eye on the ball…oh, the sports metaphors practically write themselves."
But even as the Variable Fighters prepared to mount a defense, something that they should have expected to happen did happen…every last soldier in the Vega attack force began to charge. They were going to overwhelm the Macross with a mass attack.
"Well, they didn't waste any time," Ryoko sighed. "They must be really smart. Usually they're stupid and send in their troops a few at a time."
"That just makes them easier to get with one blast!" Koji laughed as he charged up a Breast Fire.
But before he could let it fly, several Boazanian Beast Fighters rushed out of the crowd, followed closely by a pair of Vega's Saucer Beasts, reptilian, bipedal robots, and grabbed hold of Mazinger Z. The rest of the alien army commenced to lay a pounding on the others. Even the agile Lifthrasir couldn't avoid the massive attack; such was its overwhelming ferocity and strength.
"…Koji!" Sayaka cried out as the Boazanian soldiers dragged the struggling Mazinger Z back to their fortress. As they withdrew, a sinister laugh sounded over their communicators. It was General Blaki, the head of planet Vega's forces.
"…Foolish Earthlings; we are the Vega Empire, unchallenged throughout the galaxy! Even your mighty machines cannot hope to defeat the combined forces of three planetary armies! We will take Mazinger Z, who is but a mere copy of our greatest UFO Robo, and give him to a certain scientist you may know… "
"Get back here, you alien freaks! I won't let you take my friend to Dr. Hell!" Tara cried as she spurred Lifthrasir forward. "Xemmey, does this thing have any tricks for dealing with multiple big targets?"
"There…are none in my systems." Xemmey said after some hesitation. Tara realized that she had leaped before she had looked again, as another pair of reptilian Saucer Beasts descended upon her. But they didn't hold her long, as Gamlin and the other Variable Fighter pilots were close at hand.
"All units, let's show them what Variable Fighters do best!" he bellowed. The planes suddenly shifted into robot form, and various plates opened up all over their bodies, revealing dozens upon dozens of missiles.
"Firing a crapload of missiles!" boomed the voice of Lt. Kinryu, Gamlin's squad captain. The numerous Variable Fighters each unleashed a volley of several dozen missiles, more than enough to blast the Sauce Beasts to space dust. Tara felt the impact of a few, but she managed to escape and returned to the group.
Koji was not so lucky. Mazinger Z was pummeled by the missiles just as much as his would-be kidnappers were. Even a metal as strong as Super Z Alloy couldn't hold up long against dozens of missiles, and it took significant damage. Koji managed to disconnect Hover Pilder from Mazinger.
"Well, at least I can escape. I'll have to figure out how to get Mazinger back later…" he said to himself. But as he tried to get Pilder to move, he realized something: Hover Pilder couldn't fly in space, since it needed air to move forward.
"Secure the Pilder!" Blaki ordered, and several UFO Robos moved to grab the helpless Pilder. Koji realized that he had to bail out. Pressing a button on his helmet, he changed his outfit into a short-duration space suit, and forced the bubble dome open with an emergency switch. All the air rushed off the tiny cockpit, and Koji took a daring leap towards the Macross. He estimated would have just enough air to make it back before blacking out. Suddenly, not one, but TWO battle cries resonated through space:
"SPACE THUNDER!"
"GETTER BEAM!"
A bolt of cosmic energy and a blast of Getter Rays struck the UFO Robos, annihilating them in one blast.
That sounded like Daisuke and Michiru, Koji thought as he floated through the void toward the super-colony.
Indeed, it was Getter Q that came on the scene, but more importantly, it was the arch-enemy of the Vega Empire and the inspiration for Super Robots everywhere…the UFO Robo Grendizer!
"Ha-ha!" Blaki laughed. "We set a trap for a fox, and get the lion as a bonus! Hurry and bring the Pilder and Mazinger Z to my ship! The rest of you, bring me our UFO Robo! Bring me Grendizer!"
The Boazanian Beast Fighters and Saucer Beasts managed to grab the Pilder and still maintain their grip on the damaged Mazinger Z. But the others were more concerned for Koji's welfare than Mazinger Z, and breathed a sigh of relief as Getter Q gently caught Koji.
"Hello, Tara," Michiru said over the communicator to Tara. "It's good to see you again."
"You can save the small talk for later, you two," Daisuke replied. "They're still coming after us."
Indeed, only part of the Vega attack force was withdrawing, their goal achieved. But Daisuke…or as he was truly named, Duke Fleed, the sole survivor of the royal family of Fleed…knew that this was but a tiny part of the Vega Empire's military might. If they had truly wanted to destroy Macross, they would have deployed the hateful weapons that ruined his beautiful home world...
Up until now, Suzaku had greatly enjoyed his time with Euphie. He took her to all of the nice places in the Britannian side of the Settlement - the stores of Omotesando Mall, the Clovisland Amusement Park, and even past Ashford Academy. And she enjoyed every moment of it - and she seemed to be enjoying his company in particular.
But after all that, she suddenly asked to see the Shinjuku ghetto.
Now he and Euphie stood before a ruined wall that had become a makeshift memorial, covered with notes, flowers, and pictures of missing or deceased people, along with items that had been meaningful to them in life.
They had all been victims of Sachiel's attack or Britannia's ensuing liquidation.
"The Shinjuku ghetto is finished," Suzaku said solemnly as they gazed at the memorial. "And just when people were starting to move back in."
So this is what it's like, Euphie thought.
Suddenly, they heard the sounds of people from a nearby hill - two Britannian teenagers were goofing around, taking pictures at a wrecked statue. Euphie heard the wanton disrespect for the people in their voices.
And then she looked at Suzaku - even without seeing his eyes, she could see that this was causing him emotional pain. But he stood silently, accepting this abuse.
Without a second thought, Euphie stormed up the hill, tapped one of the young men on the shoulder to get his attention...and then smacked him hard across the face just as Suzaku crested the hill himself.
"I won't let you insult this man anymore!" she said in a righteous, commanding tone. "How dare you make light of the lives of his people?!"
Euphie...just who exactly ARE you? He thought, awed at the girl's gesture, so unlike a Britannian. The two teenage Britannians scowled, but left without another word. No sooner did they leave than did a huge brown and black vehicle burst out of the nearby ruins, stopping short of them. Two people poked their heads out of the driver's side - Cecilia and Lloyd.
"Suzaku, get in! It's dangerous out here!" Cecilia said.
"The Purebloods are having a squabble nearby," Lloyd added. "It could get messy."
Suzaku quickly realized that this was a transport vehicle for the Lancelot. He knew that he had to stop this violence - even if they were oppressing his country, he had to protect anyone he could.
"Too bad about your acquittal, though," Lloyd quipped. "Looks like you're stuck working for me again!"
"Guys," Suzaku said, immediately appealing to the scientist in Lloyd; "This would be a chance to acquire more battle data for the Lancelot, right?" The excited smirk on the scientist's face that came in response was all Suzaku needed.
"Euphie, I'm afraid this is where we say goodbye," he said. Without another word, she hopped onto the truck and sped off.
Suzaku, Euphie thought as she hurried after them; I won't let you risk your life needlessly! Not when I have the authority to stop it myself!
Akito sat quietly in the darkness, with the Gekiganger 3 episode featuring Joe's death running on continuous loop to provide light. Of course, Akito was practically in a trance now, having gone for the whole day without food or sleep. But suddenly a tremor from a stray missile that struck Macross jolted him out of his torpor.
"Huh? What's going on?" he thought out loud, rubbing his eyes as he got up for the first time in days. "How long have I been..."
Akito felt his stomach growl and moan, desperate for any sort of sustenance. He stepped out of his quarters and noticed that there was literally no one around. When he looked up at the great dome above the city, he caught a glimpse Ryoko's Aestivalis swooping by.
"Oh no, this place is under attack? I...I...gotta go help!"
His stomach churned again, but Akito knew that he had to fight.
Basara stamped his foot in frustration as he looked out at the battle. It wasn't fair that he was sitting on the sidelines while everyone else, even Mylene's mother, was out fighting. Basara abhorred fighting, but he wasn't one to just sit back and do nothing. Gamlin of all people knew that the Sound Force could be helpful beyond just fighting Protodevlin, yet refused to admit it.
Suddenly, he heard someone running by right towards one of the hangars. Was there someone else who wasn't willing to go to the shelters?
It was Akito, though he was in too much of a hurry to notice the rock idol just twenty feet from him, and Basara certainly didn't recognize him. Seeing this made him decide: he would go out there, Milia's orders be damned.
"Hey, wait up!" Basara yelled to Akito as he rushed after him. The young man skidded to a stop when he recognized Basara's voice. To the rock idol's pleasant surprise, Akito seemed rather unexcited to meet him.
"Oh? Aren't you Basara Nekki?" Akito exclaimed, wiping the black tear streaks off his eyes with his sleeve. "Why aren't you in the shelters with the other citizens? I bet your fellow band members are too."
"I'm not gonna sit around while our guys try to defend themselves from this senseless attack! Where are you going?"
"I...I...I'm going out to fight. I'm...I'm not scared! I might die, but I'm not scared! Listen, we can talk more later."
Basara could tell that this kid was putting on an act, and decided to give this kid some real courage. Nothing a little hot-blooded rock-and-roll couldn't fix…
"Yurika, someone just launched out of City 7," Jun exclaimed as the group was making their preparations for the Nadesico's launch.. "It's...Tenkawa!"
"Akito! I knew he'd come back to us!" Yurika cheered. "Akitooooo!"
"Hi, Yurika; everyone...I'm sorry if I worried you."
"Just as long as you're not sitting around being useless," Megumi quipped.
"Yeah! This kid'll show you just what he can REALLY do!" Basara said over the communicator.
"Akito, you do realize that's rock idol Basara Nekki talking, don't you?" Ruri said in her usual blunt tone. "The citizens of the Macross will never forgive us if he dies out there."
"Hey, cool it, kiddo, so I can show you the power of my song!"
"Okay, Basara, you are cleared for launch," Megumi said. "Akito, keep him out of trouble, okay?"
"Sure, I guess. Let's go, Basara!"
The battle was not going very well. While the Aestivalis, Lifthrasir, Grendizer and Aphrodite A were avoiding the worst of it, the Macross had already lost some good men to Vega's powerful horde, and they were struggling just to maintain their position.
"…Sayaka!" Tara cried when she saw Aphrodite A take a nasty hit from one of the Beast Fighters. She wheeled Lifthrasir around and rushed at the monster, beam tonfas primed to kill. She opened up a portal in front of her, set its exit point to behind the monster, and zoomed inside, popping out right on target, and beheaded it with one shot.
"Tara, I'll be okay…" Sayaka grunted. "Thank you for saving me, though."
But suddenly, Tara's ears perked up, as a familiar sound filled her ears. Even for all the crazy stuff that she had just been through, she couldn't believe it.
A red Variable Fighter was zooming in, along with Akito's maroon Aestivalis, but the more amazing sight was Basara Nekki; his Variable Fighter, a customized VF-19 Valkyrie, was being controlled via a guitar. The rock idol, furthermore, was belting out one of Fire Bomber's many hits…
"…POWER TO THE DREAM!"
Omigod it's him! It's Basara Nekki! Tara thought as her heart raced with excitement. He's singing live…he's even better than in music videos…
Even those who were not huge fans of his immediately felt invigorated by his music, their energy renewed and their souls aflame with passion. In reality, Basara was infusing all of them with the power of Spiritia.
"So this is Spiritia," Daisuke said to himself before turning his attention to the Saucer Beasts. "Minions of Vega, prepare yourself! SPACE THUNDER!"
The attacks, sweeping through the horde, managed to off quite a few Beast Fighters and UFOs. Meanwhile, the Variable Fighters, their morale regained, moved in and began unleashing a veritable blizzard of missiles at the enemy, taking out thirty more.
Tara, meanwhile, decided to try something new: she created a portal near her, then set its exit point right in the middle of the swarm of monsters. She then pulled both rifles and charged them.
"LIFTHRA DIVIDER!" she yelled out.
The lasers landed in the portal as two straight beams, but came out as numerous beams, shooting down another five. Her attention turned elsewhere as she fired another pair of shots at an incoming Saucer Beasts, blasting its head off. The two portals began to close automatically as the fabric of space-time started to right itself.
The tide was beginning to turn in favor of the Macross' defenders.
Jeremiah Gottwald was in a pickle - he had received information about Zero being spotted in the Shinjuku ghetto, and immediately sped off in his Sutherland to capture him. But he didn't realize that had been a trap...set up by his own subordinates, who were now assaulting him with lances. As one of the Purebloods - a faction who would not accept non-Britannians into the military - he couldn't believe this.
"Four against one?! You're that serious about killing me?!" he grunted as he threw off one of the Sutherlands.
"Silence, Orange!" one of his subordinates said, using the moniker that Zero had given him. "As servants of the imperial family, we will not brook traitors!" The four Sutherlands suddenly broke away, but then readied their lances for a full-on charge.
"We will grant you this mercy, though," the same subordinate said; "We'll say you died in battle, so your family name remains untarnished!" With that, all four of Jeremiah's attackers charged.
"ALL HAIL BRITANNIAAAAAA!"
Suddenly, a slash harken whizzed in, deflecting one of the lances, allowing Jeremiah to dodge. They all looked up and saw another Knightmare perched above.
"Stop this! Stop this right now! It's meaningless!" came the voice of its pilot...Suzaku Kururugi.
"The Special Corps...the advanced prototype Lancelot!" another of the subordinates exclaimed. But they all turned their weapons on the Lancelot and prepared to open fire. In response, Suzaku pulled out a pair of swords, which began to glow with red energy.
"Maser vibration swords?!" the leader of Jeremiah's attackers exclaimed; "They've perfected them?! Even so...we'll not back down!"
The four Sutherlands fired their own slash harkens at Suzaku, but he leaped into the air, and started slicing the cables...he even managed to slash one open down the middle.
"Can't you see we're all on the same side?!" he cried as the Lancelot began to descend.
"That's...that's Suzaku Kururugi," Jeremiah gasped. "The Honorary Britannian I let escape..."
The Lancelot landed as the other Sutherlands charged in. But the white Knightmare deflected one of the lances and tripped its wielder.
"Why is HE saving ME?!" Jeremiah cried. One of the Sutherlands had avoided Suzaku's attention and lunged at Jeremiah's own Knightmare...but just then, another Sutherland, one with the same commander markings as his own, jumped in, deflecting its attack - it was Viletta!
"Lord Jeremiah!" she called to him.
"Viletta! Thanks!" Jeremiah replied, grateful that someone was still loyal to him.
"Will you drop your weapons now?" Suzaku said, now that the odds were tipped more in their favor. The other subordinates fell back, leaving their leader alone.
"Why should I listen to you?" the leader spat as his Knightmare popped a small capsule out of its shoulder. "You're just an Honorary Britannian!"
The subordinate threw the object, which suddenly opened up and began to fire a hail of bullets and small bits of sharpnel at Jeremiah and his defenders.
"Stop this!" a voice called out - Euphie's. Without a second thought, Suzaku activated the energy shields on the Lancelot's arms and protected Viletta, Jeremiah and Euphie all at once with them.
Once the barrage had ended, Euphie stepped forward.
"All of you, lower your weapons!" she called out, putting as much authority as she could into her tone; "In the name of Euphemia li Britannia, Third Princess of the Empire, you are to lower your weapons!"
Princess?! Suzaku thought, his eyes wide with shock; Euphie's actually a PRINCESS?!
General Blaki was beside himself with rage and confusion. Just moments ago, he was on the verge of victory. But the arrival of that single red Variable Fighter had somehow reversed the tide of battle completely. And that song…even he could hear it, and it drove him crazy.
Then it hit him.
A human…a low-life human…had become the Anima Spiritia. Not a Vegan, nor a Boazanian, a Fleedian, not even a Zentradi, who had kept the secret of Spiritia in the first place…but a miserable human; Blaki couldn't stand it.
His intense rage made him ignore something increasingly obvious: two battleships, one of them transformed into a super-massive robot, were coming from around the colony, both charging weapons.
The Vega general couldn't scream the order to retreat any louder when he finally saw them.
His ship just barely managed to evade the Nadesico's Gravity Blast and the Battle 7's main cannon, though 90% of his force was wiped out in the process…which was far more than anticipated by the planners of this strategy.
When the two blasts met, they interacted with something, creating a full-blown rip in spacetime, pulling in the nearby forces (and some clouds from Earth's atmosphere) like a black hole. When Tara realized what was happening (and somehow, she knew), she furiously hammered the blue button to keep anyone else from getting devoured by the portal, even as she was being drawn to it. By the time it was over, only Blaki's ship and a few Saucer Beasts remained, while all of the Macross' defenders that remained avoided the unusual vortex.
"These Earthlings…what incredible weapons they have!" Blaki exclaimed. "I must report this to Emperor Vega!"
Blaki's ship and the remaining troops turned tail and ran, leaving the Macross' defenders stunned but victorious.
Then out of nowhere, the portal that had swallowed the Vega forces began to shake, and the fabric of spacetime distorted, as if something else was coming through…
After a sleep that seemed to last forever, but only lasted for a few days, something awoke Shinji - something that seemed like an alarm that only his soul could hear. He looked around, and saw that he was in white hospital clothes. Unsteadily, he got to his feet and walked out the door to his room, into the hallway.
What in the world is going on, he wondered. How long have I been asleep? Me...and the Eva...was that a dream?
He heard the sound of something being wheeled down the hall. He turned, saw it was a gurney, and watched it come closer.
As it passed him, Shinji recognized the person lying on it:
The girl from the other day...Rei, they had called her.
So, it wasn't a dream.
Suddenly, the same sensation that had roused him from his slumber coursed through him again. He looked up, and saw a patch of otherwise empty sky that looked distorted, and that some clouds high up seemed like they were being pulled in...
…A dark chamber, seemingly limitless in size. In the middle of it sat fifteen black marble monoliths, surrounding a central white one. Carved into them are the words "SEELE Member" their number, running from "01" to "15", and then the words "Sound Only"; the white monolith only had "00" inscribed upon it.
Such was the secrecy of this organization; even their own members did not know the exact identities of more than four or five fellow members. They would address each other in these official meetings by their member numbers. What is known is this: every last one of these men was one of the ultimate power players in the Earth Sphere. They were esteemed businessmen, heads of state, Earth Alliance officials, and even members of ZAFT. They each sat safely in their places of residence or work, usually in a secret chamber.
"Members of Seele," 01 began. "It has been quite some time since we met."
"Indeed, 01," 05 said. "Things have certainly gotten interesting as of late. While the plan is progressing, there appear to be a few unforeseen stumbling blocks."
"Unforeseen?" 13 replied with surprise. "Did not the texts speak of the metallic giants and the four flying ships that could thwart our efforts? The giants are the many robots that can thwart their efforts."
"But the Nadesico is but one of the ships," 04 replied. "As long as it does not meet the others, our plan is still guaranteed to succeed, no matter what they do! I can assure of it. Indeed, with my plan, we won't even need the Angels or the EVAs! If you would only..."
"Your hubris is astounding, 04," an unearthly booming voice suddenly echoed from the central white pillar.
"00!" 04 exclaimed. "You...we did not expect that you speak to us again, especially with the plan only this far along."
"Do not underestimate the power of individual wills, especially those on the four ships," 00 said sternly.
"Yes, 04, you obviously lack an understanding of human will, as we do," 07 said.
"All the same, 04's pursuit of an alternate path to our goal is prudent. Who knows...the four ships might even win over the pilots of Ikari's Evangelion Units. If that occurs, failure is all but guaranteed."
"We understand and shall take your wisdom to heart, 00," 01 replied. "Members of Seele, we have heard 00, who is one with God. His words have yet to fail us."
Suddenly, the sensation that Shinji had felt came over all of the men who were represented in this meeting.
"What is happening?" 08 exclaimed.
"The heavens tremble! The land stirs! The waters froth!" 02 cried out.
"The path to our goal...it is no longer clear!" 09 moaned. "Fate has become tangled!"
"Another world," 03 exclaimed. "Another world is interfering!"
"How could this have happened?" 12 wailed.
"The vessel! The vessel has done this!" 04 boomed. "She was allowed to escape, and now the Project may go awry!"
"Gentlemen, please!" 00 said. "We servants of God had prepared for this possibility. Trust in our guidance."
"Member 00, who is one with God, has spoken!" 01 said, calming his associates. "His words have yet to fail us..."
All that remains is Janus' 5th chapter, and then we can join the routes! Until next time, folks!