Disclaimer

Macross is owned by or licensed to lots of people - Tatsunoko Studios, Harmony Gold, Studio Nue, Streamline Video...note that none of them are me.

The same can be said of Ranma 1/2 - Rumiko Takahashi, Kitty, Shonen Sunday Comics, Viz Video. Not me.

I didn't create any of them, and I certainly do not own them. Any use of them in this story is meant as nothing more than tribute. Please don't sue me.

Wednesday's Child

Twelve: Crimson and Closure

February 3rd, 2010

Science and Technology Report

Prepared by Cmdr. Nabiki Tendo, Intelligence Division

The GU-11 Gun Pod

While this weapon system may be familar to many of the recipients of this report, there are those in other divisions who lack the training and experience, and those in the divisions who use the weapon system who require training on it. It is for those people that this report is primarily intended.

The GU-11 weapon system was designed with variable fighters in mind. However, it is easily adaptable to use by any humanoid fighting robot with manipulator hands, and is already being used by the MBR-07 Spartan Destroid. It is a variable-configuration weapon. In its storage mode, it has the same profile as any standard gun pod, such as the GA-33. As such, it can be used by any aircraft with the proper hard points and software modification. At this time, only the LVT-8A Adventurer II has the hardware and software required to carry the weapon.

Its secondary configuration is as a hand-held rifle. The case telescopes slightly, allowing the pistol grip to swing into place and expose the trigger mechanism. The trigger is used in this configuration to avoid the need for hard cabling to employ the weapon. If detached from the underside of a variable fighter, it cannot again be fired while reconnected, unless the control cables are also reconnected. This is possible, but somewhat time-consuming, using the Valkyrie's waldo arms.

The cannon itself is a 55mm BOFORS three-barrel minigun with active air cooling. It is capable of sustaining a rate of fire of four thousand rounds per minute for fifteen seconds, or six thousand rounds per minute for five seconds, before overheating. The gun is preconfigured to fire twenty-round bursts in low-speed mode, or fifty-round bursts in high-speed mode. While in rifle mode, the weapon locks to low-speed mode. Standard internal payload is two hundred rounds, in a reloadable clip. The Valkyrie carries two additional clips in its legs. An eight-hundred round clip is available, but the weapon cannot be reconfigured when using it, nor can the Valkyrie carry this clip.

The rounds fired are armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot depleted uranium (APFSDSDU). Muzzle velocity is one thousand three hundred feet per second. Penetration for a single round fired at two hundred yards is sixty centimeters equivelant of steel armour. Maximum effective range for the weapon is five hundred yards, with a ten percent variance; beyond this distance, penetration drops to an unacceptable level.

Against the enemy forces, the weapon has to date proven uniformly effective. The alien robots do not appear to be heavily armoured, and the 55mm shell has little difficulty penetrating their armour.

The knock at the door pulled Roy away from his paperwork. "Come."

The hatch opened, and Squadron Lieutenant Saotome stepped in. "Reporting as ordered, Guppy."

"Ah, Jarhead. Please, take a seat, and feel free to help yourself to a cup of tea."

"Thank you, Sir." Ranma sat down. "How can I help you today, Commander?"

"I've just completed reading your fitness report on Sergeant Ichigyo." Roy pulled it towards himself. "Your conclusions appear contradictory, and I'd like to discuss them with you."

"Well, Sir, I'd just like to ask before we do so how much of your interest in this report stems from your personal history with Corporal Ichigyo."

"Artfully said. For a Jarhead." Roy grinned. "Let's see here...'brash', 'hot-headed', 'attitude problem.' Also, 'talented pilot', 'thinks outside the box.' Sound familiar?"

"It should," said Ranma. "I wrote it."

"Pretty good description of you, as well. Wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, Sir." Ranma shrugged. "Overall, he's got the makings of a good fighter jock, possibly officer material - excuse me, worthy of V-4 rank or higher."

"You also had some harsh things to say about the accelerated training program."

"The Valk's complex, Sir. You and I should know that better than anyone else."

Roy nodded. "True. And that's why the ATP doesn't accept anyone unless they're already pilots. But that's going to change."

"Great."

"Look, Jarhead. We got two hundred and fifty-odd planes on this tub. We have a hundred or so pilots to drive 'em. A lost plane is a lost pilot, as well." Roy paused, took a sip of his drink. "So we need pilots more than we need planes."

"Sure, but you can't turn a civilian into a fighter jock in only two weeks."

"That's why they're extending it out to three."

Ranma snorted. "Oh, that'll make a difference."

"Watch the sarcasm. Someone might get hurt." Roy grinned. "CAG wants to form up four more squadrons. That'll put another seventy-two planes in the mix. We need drivers for them. And we need experienced officers to command those new squadrons."

Misa was currently wearing the CAG hat, in addition to several others. Ranma frowned. "You know, of course, that Misa's gonna object to Ichigyo gettin' anything more than a spankin' from us."

"Yes, I do know that." Roy paused. "Which is why I want you to ask her to sit his board for promotion to Flight Lieutenant. I can't - conflict of interest - and you can't."

"Why can't I?"

"Because you're going to be outside his chain of command by the time his board comes up."

Ranma paused. "What are you talkin' about?"

"Jackson has been pulled by the Skipper for some administrative detail. That leaves an opening for a flight leader. You're it."

"Oh. All right." Ranma chuckled. "This outfit is startin' ta get top-heavy with command officers as it is."

"Well, it won't be for long. The Skull is losing a total of twelve pilots to new squadrons. Most of 'em will be command officers, V-4 or higher. We'll be getting replacements from ATC. You'll be getting five fresh new faces to teach."

"Joy." Actually, he wasn't as dismayed by the prospect as he made out. It said a lot about Roy's opinion of him that he was being put in command of what was, for all intents and purposes, a cadre Flight.

Mind, with his rank, he should be a Squadron XO, or possibly even a Squadron CO. But Kramer had been with Roy for years, and would remain the Skull's XO for the forseeable future.

"Mars...I can't believe it." Claudia stared down at the planet, its gentle curve sweeping just over the bow of the Macross. "And it only took us four months."

"A very hard four months," added Misa. "What with the enemy attacking us five times between there and here."

"Well, so much for the good news," said Vanessa. "Bad news is that Mars is in opposition with Earth right now. So we've got to cross a distance roughly the same, or hang around here for another six months and wait for Earth to catch up."

"Actually, the news isn't even that good." Claudia shook her head. "When Earth does catch up, its velocity relative to ours will be very high. Hohmann transfer orbit looks most likely, but we're looking at almost a year of travel for that. The other choice is a slingshot around the sun, which will be nine months, plus the chance of falling into the sun."

"I vote for the Hohmann orbit," piped up Shammy.

"Seconded," added Kim.

Global cleared his throat. "Unfortunately for the honourable members of Parliament, a warship is not a democracy. As sole autocrat and dictator, I hereby order you to stifle the voting."

"So noted, O Fearless Leader." Claudia chuckled.

"Sir? I'm picking up communications frequency." Kim frowned. "Looks like a standard data transfer request."

"From where?"

"Mars Base Salla."

Claudia winced.

Misa turned, a look of shock on her face. "That's impossible," she retorted. "There were no survivors of the Mars Base attack, and the area's still radioactive."

"It couldn't be so hot as to threaten a person in a suit," said Shammy. "And if there's any survivors down there--"

"If there were, they'd have tried to make contact before now," pointed out Kim. "Besides, would they have spent the last two years in an e-suit?"

"There was a bomb shelter on Mars Base," said Misa. Her tone turned speculative. "Perhaps, if someone was in there for whatever reason, when the bomb went off...they could have survived."

"And then just waited for the area to cool down enough to travel by e-suit," added Claudia. "It's possible...but whoever it was would be as crazy as a football bat by the time they got out."

"Some people thrive on solitude," countered Misa. "Either way...Aside from the possibility of survivors, there's also the issue of supplies."

Global joined in the discussion for the first time. "Yes, we are getting low on certain items."

"Like pineapple, for instance," said Claudia.

"Actually, there's a severe shortage of several luxury items," added Misa. "Unaccountable gaps in inventory. I'm a bit concerned about that. But we're also showing some shortages in several basic supplies."

Global nodded. "And Mars Base was well stocked, since supply ships could only stop by once a year."

"Sir, I'd like to suggest that we investigate," said Misa. "If there are survivors, we owe them that. If not, we could still use the chow."

Global considered, then shook his head sadly. "No, I'm afraid that it's not tactically advisable. If the enemy attacks while we are grounded, we will be in a very bad position. Plus, we still don't know if the antigravity servos will work, even against Mars' low gravity."

"The Valkyries can screen us against air attacks, and we can deploy Destroids against the possibility of ground attack."

"But we cannot fire the main gun if we're grounded, and Valkyries cannot hold off an enemy cruiser."

"We still have the rail guns and the secondary batteries."

Global rubbed his chin, then turned to Claudia. "How's our damage situation?"

"We're running smoothly at this time, but ChEng has requested some downtime to make repairs to the thrusters." Claudia tapped her screen. "In addition, he wants to try some refinements to the pinpoint barrier system, to improve on Misa's little trick."

It had been an act of desperation; without the ability to fire the main gun, due to a failure in a thirty-cent component, the Macross looked to be on the verge of capture or destruction. Misa had suggested, and hurriedly implemented, a plan to use the pinpoint barrier system to reinforce the Daedalus' prow. Destroids had been rushed to the ship's landing ramp, and the Daedalus had been rammed into the enemy ship.

Given that Daedalus and Prometheus were mounted to the sides of the slightly humanoid form of the Macross, it looked like nothing more than the Macross punching the incoming vessel.

But then the Daedalus' prow had split open, and sixteen Tomahawks, Phalanxes and Spartans had launched all their missiles, directly into the enemy ships' compartments. When starting inside the vessel's primary armour belt, there was very little that they could not tear apart.

"It won't hurt us to hang around for a while...it'll be at least two weeks before we can burn for a transfer orbit...we might as well take on the supplies." Global looked up. "Claudia, plot us a re-entry orbit, to put us down two hundred kilometers minimum from the base. Misa, once Claudia has the orbit plotted, I want you to execute it."

"Aye aye, Sir."

They had transferred flight control from the Macross to the Prometheus, and this meant that carrier operations again involved catapults. Ranma flagged the cat chief, and grabbed the "holy fuck" handles. This was partially to ensure that the catapult chief knew his hands weren't on the stick; the Valkyrie was more than capable of handling the cat shot better than he.

It also helped when the shot happened. The bird went from relative rest to four hundred klicks in the space of three seconds. Ranma shook off the effects of the cat shot, and grabbed his stick and throttle.

"Skull Eight, Gunsight One. Come left to two niner five relative to the initial."

"Roger, Gunsight One." He brought Switchblade over, keeping it in the reference plane created by the Macross' vector and bridge. The massive spaceship was already plowing atmosphere; beneath him, Ranma could see the Isidis Planitium, a massive crater, and ahead, the mountain of Elysium Mons. Beyond that, the long inactive caldera of the forbidding Olympus Mons, tallest mountain in the solar system, was just coming into view.

Beyond that lay Chryse Planitium, a massive crater, and in the center of it, Base Salla. The first human scientific outpost on Mars. The product of a massive endeavour by the United Nations, it had eventually run low on funding, especially in the wake of the Anti-Unification war. The non-United countries had objected to it, stating that if the United Nations wanted to act as a super-government, it had to abide by the rules that other nations respected. Including the rule that no one government could claim a non-terrestrial area.

The United Nations had elected, in the face of their political problems, to remove the people from Salla. But before the ship could lift off, someone - believed to be the Chinese, but there was no proof - had detonated a very dirty bomb. The pulse of neutron radiation released by the bomb could not be stopped by a spaceship's hull, not even by the hardier structures of the base itself.

And what that much neutron radiation did to the human body did not bear thinking of.

They were passing over Amazonis Planitia now - Ranma chuckled at the memories the name brought. They had veered southward, to avoid Olympus Mons, and Ranma checked his nav comp. Macross would be passing between Alba Patera and Ascraeus Mons, and would come to rest at Lunae Planum. Assuming all looked well there, the ship would be using her antigravity servos to travel to Salla.

"Someone needs to be on the ground, Sir."

Global nodded. "I agree, Misa. But I do not think that it needs to be you."

"Sir, I know this base better than anyone else aboard save you. And all due respect, Sir, but you're a little too important to this boat to risk on a leg recon."

"The same could be said of you, Misa." She opened her mouth to protest, and Global held up a hand. "You're my acting XO, the CAG, Tactical Operations Officer, helmswoman, and general pain-in-the-neck. I'm not really willing to risk your life on a job that could be done by a Valkyrie pilot, Special Operation officer, G2 staff officer...hell, a simple rifleman."

"Sir--"

"There's something else that makes you want to go in, isn't there?" Her eyes widened, and Global chuckled. "Just because I disapprove of the soap opera happening on my bridge, doesn't mean I ignore it. Tell me the truth, and I might be persuaded to let you go in."

"Sir...there was a man posted to this base who meant...quite a lot to me. If anyone could have survived the attack, it's him." She looked down. "I'd...like to find out for sure."

"You see? That wasn't so hard. Permission denied."

She looked up, her face angry. "You--"

"I said might."

"That's--"

He wagged a finger at her. "No-one ever said I was fair." He turned, walked over to the bridge chair, and sat down. "Status of the perimeter?"

"Fully secure," reported Claudia.

"Misa, launch a Cat's Eye to overfly Salla. Once we get the recon data, we'll decide whether or not to move Macross closer."

She swallowed her anger. "Aye, Sir."

"Gunsight One, Cat's Eye Two One Five. No sign of enemy at the Mars Base."

Global pulled his pipe from between his teeth. "Any sign that the base might still be inhabited?"

Misa relayed the question to the recon aircraft, then waited for the response.

"Gunsight One, that's a negative. All the lights are out. But it looks from here like the airlocks are still sealed. Wait one..." There was a pause. "No pressure in the habitat, Gunsight One. If there's anyone there, they're not breathing."

"Affirmative, Two One Five." Misa looked down.

"What about that transmission?" Global rubbed his chin. "Computers will cheerfully execute delayed programs after external stimuli - we should know that as well as anyone. But why this program?"

"Standard data dump, Captain." Claudia was examining the signal again. "The colony programmers may have set it up as a standard procedure."

"They had visitors maybe once per year," said Misa.

"I agree; it's a damned odd thing to find." Global considered. "All right. I want someone to go over and check out the computers. Any volunteers?"

Misa whirled, to see him staring at her with a twinkle in his eye. She opened her mouth, paused, then snapped off a salute.

"I volunteer, Captain."

"Well...I'd not want to inconvenience you."

"Captain!"

"All right, I'm teasing you." He chuckled. "And you make it so damned easy. Go on. Get out of here."

With the antigravity servos back online, it was a simple matter for the ship to shift its position to within five kilometers of Salla. Ranma watched as it settled into the sandy Martian ground. Soon, a convoy of trucks was on its way to the base, along with a few Destroids.

Behind the convoy was a land rover, its single occupant dressed in an environmental suit. However, it soon veered off from the convoy, and instead of following them to the warehouses, headed towards the main habitat. Ranma frowned, and clicked over to the Macross' command net.

"Gunsight One, Skull Eight. We got someone checkin' out the base?"

"Skull Eight, Gunsight Two. Gunsight One is off the bridge deck."

"Oh, really?" It was Claudia who answered. Ranma's frown deepened. "Gunsight Two, request permission to escort said recon."

"Aren't you due to go off shift soon, Ranma?"

"Yeah, but I'm still in good shape."

There was a pause - perhaps Claudia was conferring with someone? Then she came back on the net. "Skull Eight, your request to escort the recon approved."

"Thanks." He shifted to Gerwalk, and turned the Valkyrie towards the jeep. It didn't take him long to catch up. The occupant of the jeep - he couldn't see who it was, thanks to the pressure suit, but could take a good guess - looked up and flashed him a thumbs-up.

Ranma adjusted the fighter's trim, until the nose nearly touched the ground, then sealed his e-suit and popped the canopy. He didn't bother with the ladder, just jumped over the side. It took him some time to reach the dirt, as the gravity was only a third of Earth's. His suit radio lacked the chin-pad that full pressure suits boasted, and he had to adjust the controls on his left forearm.

"Yo, Misa."

She chuckled. "Nice of them to send a bodyguard."

"They seem to think you're important or somethin'." He grinned. "You know the codes to get this door open?"

"At a scientific outpost, populated only by authorized people?" She touched a button, and the airlock slid open. "Yes, I think I can figure it out."

"Right. Locks ain't much use out in the middle of nowhere."

"Captain wants us to check out the data center." She stepped into the lock. "This is a secondary lock, but there's room for both of us if we're friendly."

There was more than enough room, and it took the lock only ten seconds to equalize pressure. They stepped into the base, and Misa checked her suit's readouts.

"Very low pressure, maybe a tenth of a standard atmosphere. Cold too. We'll have to keep the suits on."

"Which way?"

She frowned, and pointed down a corridor. "This way, I think."

"Status of the convoy?"

"Eighty percent loaded, Captain. The lead elements are already formed up and ready to roll."

"Thank you, Claudia." The captain glanced over at Shammy. "What about that data link?"

"I've got Lieutenant Hayase on the radio, Sir."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense."

"Sorry, Sir." She flipped a switch.

"--open link at all." Misa's voice was overlaid with a lot of static. "No sen---- systems ----ing, no date or ev--- triggers...it just --arted up as though at random."

Global cleared his throat. "So it just happened to start up? No apparent reason?"

"That is correct, Cap----. I can't e--- get acc--- to --- com----" Her voice broke up completely. Global frowned.

"That is dammned irregular. I don't like it at all." He turned to Claudia. "Get another Squadron deployed. Gerwalk mode, perimeter watch. And launch a second Cat's Eye. I want the area around us scoured."

"Aye, Sir."

Sergeant Hendricks scowled at his scope, and said, "Contact. Seismic contact off of buoy sixteen."

"Where?" Lieutenant Flores glanced over his shoulder.

"Just south of Chryse Planitium, in Kasei Vallis."

"It's a bloody canyon. Probably just a boulder bouncing down the walls." But the commander of Cat's Eye Two One Five was an experienced recon officer, and didn't believe in coincidences or accidents. He glanced over at the pilot. "Come south to one seven five. We'll overfly on infrared."

The aircraft banked cautiously - Mars' low air pressure made flight tricky at best - and pointed its nose south. Kasei Vallis was two hundred kilometers south - eighteen minutes of flight time at their current velocity - but they'd get a look into the canyon much earlier than that.

"Getting heat sources...repeat, multiple reactor sources." Hendricks' voice rose. "Shit, there's a whole pisspot fulla battlepods down there. Repeat, multiple enemy contacts!"

"Ibanez, get us the hell away from here. Top speed, redline the damn engines." Flores opened a channel to the Macross. "Gunsight Two, Cat's Eye Two One Five. I have multiple enemy battlepods in Kasei Vallis. Well over a thousand."

"Here they come. Estimate ground speed one hundred fifty kilometers per hour."

"They can't catch us. Gunsight Two, you are about to come under attack."

"What's the status of the convoy?"

"Nearly here, Captain."

"Get them aboard as soon as humanly possible. I want this ship buttoned up. Shammy, send to Lieutenants Hayase and Saotome: Evacuate the base. Sound general quarters. Then get Lang on the horn."

"Sir, I lost contact with Misa and Ranma about three minutes ago."

Global ground his teeth. "Get me Lang."

"Yes, Sir."

"Mister Lang, I want the reactors brought up, and start up the antigravity servos."

"At once, Captain."

"Sir!" Claudia turned to face the Captain. "I am registering a very strong magnetic pull on the ship. Force approximating six gees. We can't take off against that pull, even with the thrusters!"

"A trap," growled Global. "And we landed right in the middle of it!"

The deckplates trembled under their feet. Ranma paused. "You feel that?"

"Yes...an earthquake?"

"Technically, it'd be a Marsquake," joked Ranma.

"But Mars is geologically dead," mused Misa. "The odds of it being a quake are very low..." She glanced at her suit radio readouts. "We've got to get in contact with Macross."

Ranma twisted a dial on his own radio controls. "Okay, I've patched into Switchblade's communications...and now I got a channel to--"

His suit radio was immediately flooded with traffic.

"Sixth and Eight Cav are completely wiped out, and Seventeenth is taking heavy fire!"

"Green Squadron is down nine planes."

"Local magnetic pull increasing. If we don't get rid of that--"

Misa broke into the chatter. "Gunsight Two, Lieutenant Hayase here. What's going on?"

"Misa!" Claudia's voice showed obvious relief. "We're under attack by the enemy, forces in regimental strength!"

Misa gasped; the Macross couldn't field half a regiment, even if one took all its Destroids and Variable Fighters together.

Global's voice came on the net. "Lieutenant Hayase, we're being held down by some sort of magnetic device. Its pull is bad enough, but it's also destabilizing our gravity control system. It seems to be buried three kilometers down, more or less under the ship."

"Understood, Sir. I'll report back--"

"Negative. Is Lieutenant Saotome still with you?"

He clicked open his mike. "Here, Sir."

"Good. I want you two to get to the reactor controls for Salla. PO Laird believes that if you overload and detonate the reactor, the radiation will fry whatever's holding us here."

"Yeah, and us too."

"Set the reactors to overload, and then evacuate. Once you remove the control rods, you'll have--Thank you, Mister Lang. Eleven minutes to evacuate to minimum safe distance."

Misa nodded. "Aye aye, Sir. We're on our way."

"Just like that?" exploded Ranma.

She turned to face him. "There are seventy thousand people aboard that ship. And we can get out of here in eleven minutes, if you're half the pilot you boast of being. Are you up to it?"

Ranma bristled. "Lead the way."

Luckily, her helmet concealed her smirk. "Level B4. Elevator's over here. Let's go."

"Getting a thermal spike from Salla's reactor, Captain. It looks like they did it."

Global nodded. "All Destroid combat teams, fall back to the ship. Valkyries are to fight a holding action until the Destroids are aboard."

"Aye, Sir."

"Lang, how are those engines coming?"

"Antigravity servos are responding, Captain, but cannot generate any lift."

"Noted." Global leaned back. "What about Hayase and Saotome?"

"Still no contact, Captain."

Global scowled.

"Attention." The computer's voice was flat and emotionless. "High alpha particle flux detected. Emergency bulkheads closing."

"Aw, no!" Ranma skidded to a halt just as the bulkhead slammed shut in front of him. "I can't get through this, not without wreckin' my suit."

"There's a hatch here." Misa grabbed the handle and undogged it. "We can go through here." She pushed the hatch open, revealing a tiny living compartment.

"Great." Ranma pushed past her, and looked about. "We got a porthole here. If we can bust through..." He turned, to see Misa holding a photo. "What's that?"

"Of all the compartments..." She turned, held the photo out. "This was his quarters."

"Huh?"

He took the photo, looked down at it. It showed a younger Misa, with a tall, rather handsome man. Unruly brown hair framed a confident face, and the look on his face as he gazed down at the girl beside him put any reservations Ranma had had to rest.

"Riber." He looked up in shock. "What are the odds?"

"When he told me he was going to Mars...I promised him I'd come too. I joined the UN Spacy, worked to get on the Macross, just so I could come to Mars. To be with him." Her voice broke. "I finally made it."

They stood in silence, until the voice of the computer broke over them.

"You now have eight minutes to reach minimum safe distance."

"Come on," she said. "We need to go."

He looked up at her. "You wanna bring this?"

She shook her head. "No. He's..." She swallowed visibly. "He's dead."

Ranma lowered his voice. "Don't you want somethin' to remember him by?"

"He was like you, Ranma," she said softly. "He only signed up with the UN Spacy to protect others. He hated violence, but was willing to wear the uniform for the right cause. And it killed him." She shook her head again. "But if we don't get going, we're going to be joining him."

She took the photo, set it back on the desk.

"I don't need this to remember him. I can remember him quite well on my own. And maybe...it's time to let him go." She looked up at him, and he was struck by what he could see in her eyes.

"We don't have much time," she said.

Ranma nodded, and turned to face the porthole. "Cover your visor."

She raised her hands, and he reached inward, found his wa.

Misa's put her life in my hands...She trusts me enough ta look after her...'Cause she knows I'm the best!

He brought his hands together, and the blast of confidence ki blew out the porthole.

Misa gaped. "What did you just do?"

"It'd take too long to explain. Come on, and don't cut your suit on the glass!"

"Lieutenants Hayase and Saotome report successful recovery, Captain."

"Three minutes to detonation."

"Sound recall for the Valkyries," ordered Global. "Stand by for liftoff."

"Full power to reactors in five seconds."

"Liftoff T minus one hundred fifty seconds."

"Captain, the enemy is attempting to force a boarding action at Daedalus. Tomahawk platoons are counterattacking."

"How long until we can seal the Daedalus?"

"Another minute, maybe two. Skull is attacking the enemy forces from the rear."

Global's scowl deepened. "This is the last time I'll think with my stomach, I promise you that."

"Amen, Skipper," chuckled Claudia.

"Green Squadron has finished recovering, and Gold Squadron is now beginning recovery."

"Enemy repulsed at Daedalus, and we have sealed the landing hatch."

"Prometheus reports all hatches sealed."

There was a brilliant glare ahead of them.

"Shit, it went early."

"Just as good," muttered Global. "Launch now!"

Macross surged upwards, shaking the dust of Mars from its hull and angling upwards.

The observation deck was empty, save for two people. The massive portholes looked out over the back of the ship, allowing Misa and Ranma to look back at the glowing crater that had been Salla.

"I waited four years for him to come back, Ranma. Only to learn of his death." A tear slid down her cheek. "You were there for me then. And I don't know...if I'd been on my own, I don't know if I'd have been strong enough to leave that compartment."

"You woulda been," he assured her. "You're tough, Misa. Ya don't often show it, but it's there."

"Am I?" She turned to face him. "I've been too much of a coward to tell you...these last few years--"

He raised a hand. "Misa--"

"Don't stop me!" Her breath caught. "I don't know if I can do this again...Ranma. We've been friends a long time, and...I think I want us to be more."

He stared at the receding planet. "Misa, you just had...well, an unnervin' experience." He looked over at her. "I promised myself, four months or so back, that if ever you asked me this, I'd say yes."

Hope shone in her eyes.

"All I'm askin' is...gimme a day before I answer, okay. If tomorrow, you still wanna start datin' for real, then I'll say yes." He looked back at the planet. "But today...you're still hurtin'. I don't wanna take advantage of that."

"I understand." She smiled softly. "And thank you."