Disclaimer: This story contains various characters from different anime used for the purpose of both the reader and author's entertainment. Characters of these anime and Robotech/Macross are the property of ADV, Harmony Gold, Shoji Kawamori and/or their respective owners.
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Semper Fi: The UN Marine Corps
By Bud
Chapter 34: Force of Arms
The eye of the beholder was one who can see the truth in what lies within darkness. Eyes that can see light trapped within the shadows, a light that glowed brightly, that gave the impression of life, in whatever form it may choose to portray itself, fighting for survival against the never-ending void. Eyes that cherish beauty where others see nothing but emptiness. These same eyes, from behind the thick glass that protected Macross City from the merciless, frigid vacuum, took in the beauty that was outer space and it's infinite sea of stars.
She never gazed at the stars when she was younger. Only until she lost what she had loved more than any other did she find the beauty within the darkness.
"No matter how long I gaze into the stars, I cannot help finding myself captivated by such beauty. Ironic, though, how much I have missed all this time." She said at the sound of approaching foot-steps. "At times when I was by myself, I would lie back and just gaze into the sky and allow my thoughts to flow freely. When I could not find any alone-time on Earth, I would travel to the Moon where no one can bother me. But, for some reason, even with company, I find the sea of stars to be most beautiful and relaxing here."
"Do you enjoy watching the stars?"
A brief pause.
"Sometimes, when I have the luxury." That answer seemed to make her smile.
"Wonderful. At least we share one thing in common."
"So it seems."
"When you have that luxury... what do you think of?"
"Him." Simple and to the point. She liked that answer.
"You two were made for each other. I feel a little envious of the both of you. Attracting men I have no problem, but finding the right one and keeping them tends to be a problem." She suppressed a giggle with her hand.
Silence.
"What do you think of? When you look at the stars, that is." The question was random, said with a tone that seemed embarrassed and shy in the same package.
"You."
"When father forced me to send you away, I nearly torn out whatever soul that I have just to have you back, even if it meant forever living in the darkness as a fallen angel. But, I realized, the same thing happened to my mother when I chose to stay with my sister in Asgard, choosing the light over the darkness. If not for my own mother, coming to my side, comforting me and being there when I needed her the most... maybe I would of become something other than the person you see before you. But, I knew I could not raise you in Niflhiem nor could I do the same in Asgard. My only choice was to leave you in the care of human adoption on Midgard." She let out a deep sigh, trying to forget those memories despite knowing they would remain within her for eternity. "Since then, I would visit the human realm and watch the night sky, wishing that I would one day find you."
"Why didn't you look for me?"
"Father forbid it. He said, one day, when neither of us expect it, we would find each other." She shook her head. "And those people at the agency just refused to give me any leads. I guess Father was serious when he said that I wouldn't be able to find you."
A long pause.
"My mother told me, at that time long ago, there is no pain worse than letting go of your child. I realized what she meant almost immediately, and I now knew of the pain that she felt when she let go of me."
She continued. "Pained as I was, it was the wisest decision I made for you. Living in Niflhiem is harsh for mortals, even if they are half-breeds like you are. Without divine protection, you would of died within days due to the evil aura that naturally fills the place. Not even Father or Mother could do anything to help."
"I'd rather lose you to life than lose you to death. So, I casted you away, not because I did not want you, or hated you. For you to live, I made that decision because I love you."
Urd briefly looked over her shoulder at Ayame. "My daughter."
Another pause.
"Look," Urd's manicured hand pointed out at the Earth as it came into view. Around the blue planet, millions upon millions of star ships orbited her. Waiting. "They gather. Preparing. Waiting. For what, I do not know. Only - I sense a great loss will occur and the screams of millions will be heard across cosmos. It is my only hope that my fears do not come to fruition this day."
"Shouldn't you be with your soldiers? Preparing for battle, my child?"
Ayame shook her head. "For once, I have more important things to do than getting ready for battle."
An amused laugh escaped the Goddess' lips. She turned to her daughter, pleasantly admiring the mirror image of herself in a Marine's uniform. "You sounded just like your father."
"My father!" The Colonel gasped, forcing herself to calm down. She looked down at the deck in thought. "You never told me about my father. I never really thought of who he was since I met you..."
Urd sighed. "Your father was a great man in a world that should have never existed. He was a commanding leader, a brave fighter, a swordsman that was unmatched and welded a unique sword that only he could use. Unfortunately, his heart was cold to anyone but his fellow soldiers which made him feared throughout the lands." She turned back to watch the Earth. "He lived on world in another galaxy. One that was created in the image of our Earth with a human population that was both superior and inferior with today's technology. Unlike our Earth, this Earth did not lose it's mana, which meant that magic was common place. It was there where he lived life day to day, surviving battles and leading his comrades into combat. It was there where he lost his life after being consumed by madness and destroying himself and the planet along with him."
"I was taking a vacation from my duties as Yggdrasil System Admin and decided to visit someplace other than Earth. I found the location of that alternate Earth buried deep within the Yggdrasil archives and decided on making a visit. I met your father in a resort town on the largest continent. What details you want to know, I cannot give. Only, we had a very long one night stand..." She paused, hiding her blush. "Well, we had several one night stands."
Ayame rolled her eyes. That sounded familiar.
"We stayed together in that resort town until our time to depart came. He admitted he should have left after our first night. He had a war to wage against a neighboring nation, but he said, in your exact words: I have more important things to do than getting ready for a battle." She sighed dreamily. "When you take away the cold facade that he had placed over himself, you see the truth within the darkness. Sephiroth was a man among men." She giggled. "Ironically, I was his first and only lover."
Her daughter looked up in thought. "So... my father was a great leader." She stared into her mother's eyes, who suddenly appeared in front of her to place her hands on her shoulders.
"If your father could see you, he would of been proud to have a daughter that took after him." She smiled. "I know I am."
"Mother, I..." Urd's eyes lit up with joy. Tears appeared in her eyes.
"That... was the first time you ever called be mother." She held her hands close to her heart. "I'm so happy, I--" Her daughter - all of a sudden - dropped down to her hands and knees, bowing her head low until her forehead nearly touched the ground. The platinum haired Goddess could only stare in shock.
"Dear Mother, I have been a horrible child and have shamed myself before you." The Marine clenched her eyes shut to prevent the tears from falling. Nothing could stop the flood from flowing in twin rivers of sadness and sorrow. "I had labeled and judge who you are and your actions without learning the truth and their reasons. I have cursed the ground you walk upon and the air that you breathe believing that it was I who had suffered. No, I was raised by wonderful parents who had adopted me into their family and gave me a roof over my head to live and grow into the woman I am today. It was you, not I, that has suffered since my birth."
"Ayame..."
"A battle will start soon. Yet, my mind can only think of the man that I love," She choked back a sob. "And the woman who brought me into this world - the only true family that I have left. I humbly come before you - Oh My Goddess - to express my sincere apologies and beg your forgiveness."
Ayame's eyes widened when a pair of gentle hands cupped her face, easily lifting her head from the ground with no resistance. She stared at the matching jade eyes, the mirror-like pools of sorrow that can read into the history of any human soul with just a simple glance. She could not move, nor speak any words from her lips. She could only follow the hands the held her, guiding her body until she sat up on the ground. The way her mother looked at her, was similar to how a desert cobra hypnotizes their prey before the killing strike, only, she felt lost in those eyes. Lost in a world where nothing existed but mother and daughter.
She felt safe.
Urd broke her gaze, showing her only child a sad smile.
"When you were born into this life, when you took your first breath of air and when I was heart-broken as I saw you disappear into a better life, I promised to myself that I would love you no matter who or what you become. You are my daughter, my only child. There is no one in existence that I love more than you. From the day I let you go, I accepted any punishment or treatment you would bestow upon me should we one day meet."
"Mama!"
She enveloped the Goddess in a powerful hug, burying her saline-filled eyes into the woman's chest. Like the day her friend Keiichi died, Ayame let go of the barriers that she used to keep herself in check, releasing a flood of sorrow that filled her heart. As the negative emotions drained from her body and soul, she was filled with joy, happiness and a sense of completion that she had never felt before. For the first time in her life, she was a whole person.
She was complete.
A long moment passed.
"Ayame."
"...hmm?" A gentle kiss was placed on the top of her platinum head.
"It is time for you to go."
Coming back to reality, the Colonel shook her head to clear her mind, taking a few deep breaths to come herself down. Slowly onto her heeled feet, she helped her mother stand, lightly dusting both their closes on reflex. She stood proudly in front of her mother, her eyes suddenly changing into the cold, hardened steel eyes that she normal showed the world. She spoke.
"This maybe the last time we see each other."
"I know." She smiled. "But no matter the result, we will meet again."
"I..." She paused. "We'll see."
And with that, she was gone. The Goddess of the Past watched her Marine daughter run off into the distance, braving the night to face an enemy that have caused the destruction of multiple sentient species throughout their known part of the galaxy. She knew for a fact, not because she had seen the future - she was incapable of such a feat in her current state, plus it was not her department - that humanity would some how survive. Of all the living species in God's creation, the human species was the most resilient and a species that had time and time again proved their right to live among the countless beings throughout the cosmos.
She did not have to turn to watch as brilliant flashes of death began raining down upon the Earth. Each lance of artificial light and radiation raping one of the many creations of God, tearing asunder the surface of the planet. Even as the tears once again began falling from her jade eyes, the screams of billions crying out as their lives were eradicated, erased within the span of mere seconds, she knew that the Earth and what remained of her denizens would prosper. It was in the history of mankind - catastrophe brought forth advancement and prosperity. Today, history would be made.
Humanity will survive.
It was their fate.
-----
SDF-1 Macross - Bridge
"CAPTAIN!"
"The Earth!"
"NOOOOO!"
"Oh, dear God..."
There gone! Their all gone!"
The Zentraedi Main Fleet had arrived in mass, mobile command station and all. The sheer number of vessels of the main fleet dwarfed the numbers found in Breetai's Imperial class fleet, the remainder of the Meltraedi and the miniature fleet of UN Spacy. Over four million vessels of various hull classes and variants surrounding the Earth like a cloud of locust.
Then they fired.
The split second warning from the Macross sub-space sensor arrays was the only warning before the Zentraedi open fired on the Earth. In mere seconds, the surface of the Earth was raised asunder by reflex energy batteries. The main cannons of Rineunadou Lojmeuean Monitors struck the surface with authority, each beam delivering over ten megatons of destructive force - more than enough to annihilate whole cities and small countries in a single strike. Zentraedi frigates, destroyers, cruisers and battleship-class star ships laid waste to the initial strike, bombarding the surface repeatedly with any available weapon in their arsenal. The Zentraedi strike was swift and effective, immediately taking out any orbiting UN Spacy craft - including several ARMD space carriers and Oberth-class destroyer - and hostile ground installations that posed immediate threat to the orbiting fleet.
"FATHER!"
Lisa rushed to the bow of the bridge, pressing herself up against the thick lexan material that separated the bridge from the atmosphere within the remainder of the conning tower. She reached for the Earth, even knowing that such a feat was a futile attempt. She loved the Earth; loved the Macross; yet, she loved her Father more than anything else. She had only reconciled recently with her only living parent, the only family that she had remaining. Her father was down there, on the Earth at Alaska Base. The Zentraedi struck hard against the planet with enough power to completely eradicate the surface. She knew very well of that power, having seen a live demonstration earlier in the war.
The tears didn't come. She refused to allow her sorrow-soaked emotions control her. The First Officer could only press her head against the safety glass, clenching her teeth into a vicious snarl and beating her closed first against the glass.
"Lieutenant Reinhart, try to establish communications with Alaska Base. We-- I need to know of they survived."
Megumi shook herself, holding back the cold chill and shiver that ran up her spine. "A-aye, ma'am."
"This is horrifying..." Execedor muttered, shaking his head. He could not express his thoughts on the matter. The Micronian Earth was not his planet and could not share whatever sorrow the human's felt at seeing their home destroyed. But, he knew, from watching the main fleet destroy their home planet, it was just as Breetai had stated before his departure to the Macross.
No matter the situation, the Earth was doomed.
"Ma'am... no response at all." Megumi shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Lisa.."
"... they'll pay..."
The deep growl emanating from the Captain silenced the bridge. His face was shrouded by the angle of his officer's cover while he approached the bow of the bridge to stand next to his commander. A single hand reached out, touching the safety glass where his amber orbs could see the scorched Earth. Another bestial growl, more audible than the first escaped his lips while he leaned against his hand. Suddenly whirling around to face his bridge crew, his facial features changed before their eyes. His eyes sharpened, turning from white irises and gold pupils to a pair of blood red and gold. A purple moon appeared on his forehead, along with twin pairs of jagged slash marks upon his cheeks. The most horrifying feature, found within his snarling lips, were a pair of sharp fangs that looked as if they could rip the skin off of a bone. Since the Meiji Era of Japan, Sesshoumaru had held control over his inner demon in order to hide his true self from demon hunters and exterminators of his kind. Only when around his wife, in complete privacy could he release his true self and bask in whatever freedom he had in such a state. For the first time in a long time, Sesshoumaru showed his true self to others openly.
He was pissed.
"They will pay in blood!" He snarled, clenching his hand tightly before his face, drawing blood from his own palm with his sharp claws. His face softened at feeling the rush of pain, his eyes fading to their normal color, yet the rest of his facial features remained the same. Ignoring the shocked crew, he, after calming himself, sat down at his chair and station. He spoke in his normal tone, yet there was a hint of anger with every word that he spoke. "Minister Execedor, I consent to your plan of utilizing the girl's song as a form of psychological attack upon the enemy fleet."
Execedor continued to stare at the changed... human? "What... are you? Are you even human?" The bridge crew shared the same questions.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, unable to take his focus off the fleet bombarding his home. "What I am is not important. Only know this, Minister, everyone: I, along with my ancestors, were born on Earth and are just as native to the planet as humans. Humanity is not the only sentient species found on the Earth." He closed his eyes. "For now, that is your only answer. Right now, we must concentrate on the battle ahead."
He addressed the stunned communications officer. "Contact Commander Hunter, immediately. Tell him to bring Miss Lynn Minmei to the bridge."
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SDF-1 Macross - Daedalus
"This is horrible..." Lieutenant Matt Eversmann muttered, watching the vid-screen that replayed the Zentraedi Armada bombarding the Earth.
His observation, while toned down, partially expressed the feelings within all other officers present. He was the most calm of the bunch, others shouting in rage and anger at seeing their homes destroyed; some losing the will to fight altogether. Matt was in the group that kept to themselves, their anger held in check until the optimal time to let it free presented himself. All combat unit officers - aerospace wings and armored battalions - and were ordered to report to the briefing room immediately at the request of Colonel Kusanagi. He knew, as one of many veterans whom have been with the unit since the beginning, that Ayame Kusanagi had something up her sleeve. Matt still could not believe she was showing them that.
Yet, she had to. While in the Daedalus, the Marines of the United Nations had little intelligence information on what happens outside the hulls of their float. They relied on information coming down from the bridge or the Daedalus and Prometheus CCI stations concerning deployment and enemy intel. So when the aliens bombed the planet, no one knew until the Colonel showed the footage. Matt knew -- it was better for her to show the junior officers and allow them to inform their units independently. Giving them that task placed a huge burden on their shoulders, but it would be more reasonable for them to break it to their soldiers as to not cause a big scene with a ship-wide announcement.
It would, even if only just a little, help morale.
The Colonel paused the video.
"What you just witnessed was the Zentraedi Main fleet arriving in force and commencing a planetary bombardment against the Earth." The video screen disappeared and illumination returned to the room. "Damage to all sectors is estimated to be around ninety percent. Attempts at communication on all civilian and military channels are a negative - either from EMP radiation or atmospheric interference from the fleet in orbit. Contact with Moon Base Apollo has not been established, but we can only assume that the enemy has not turned their guns on them."
She stepped on from the podium, sitting herself at the edge of the stage in front of her junior officers. "Listen up, I don't want to hear a peep out of anyone until I'm done saying what I have to say. Clear?"
Silence. She continued.
"Looking at the odds, this might be the end of mankind as we know it. Now, I know what your probably thinking: How can she say that! Is she giving up that easy? Or some of you are thinking exactly that and know that we, even with the help of the Meltran, are in over our heads. I'm thinking and feeling the same exact way, only I'm not stopping to worry about living to see the next day. I'm letting all of you know - right here and right now - I'm planning to die today. No matter how many of those sons of bitches I kill before I go down, when I do go down, I'm taking just as many of them giant alien freaks to hell right along with me."
Some of the officers paid more attention to her.
"Now that you know where I stand, I want all of you mutt faces to listen and listen good. The Captain has some sort of crazy scheme he's planning to execute when we begin our counter-offensive along with the Meltraedi and a rogue Zentraedi Fleet that recently joined along with us." She stood back up as the lights dimmed and the vid-screen reappeared with the hierarchy tree of the Zentraedi Fleet. "The objective of this operation is to penetrate deep into the enemy ranks and strike against the enemy chain of command. These defensive formations indicated on the chart will be targeted by Zentraedi allies and neutralized to allow the Macross to penetrate under Meltraedi escort."
"These formations, confirmed by our new allies, are the command and control vessels we will be assigned to target and destroy. Mixed classes of Nupetiet Vergnitzs command ships and Queadol Magdomilla battleships. All squadrons will be outfitted for anti-ship warfare and will assigned designated targets. Actual targeting information will be received en route from Growler units. Due to the sheer amount of vessels required to be destroyed, we'll receive assistance from UN Spacy Super Valkyrie squadrons along with naval gun fire provided by Meltraedi monitor gunships. Escorts will be provided by Meltran Quadrano squadrons and UN Spacy CAG Lieutenant Commander Rick Hunter will be in charge of the operation."
The ship began to rumble. A modular transformation was occurring. They ignored it.
"Armored battalions will report to Snowball for defensive assignments." She paused for a long moment, sweeping her eyes across her officers. "When you return to your units, I want you to break the news to them. Tell them what is at stake and what they have to do."
"Operation Minmei begins in two hours. Dismissed."
-----
"Where are you going, Joker?"
Nabiki paused at hearing her commander's voice. For a brief second, she wondered if the woman was here to stop her, but after another second, she continued pulling on the flight suit. "Are you here to stop me?"
"I need you here to take command while--" Nabiki didn't allow her the luxury of finishing.
"That's just it, Ma'am," The sarcasm was heavy in the honorific. "You need me here. I'm needed out there."
"Joker..."
"I don't want to hear it!" she snapped, sealing her suit. "I've been sitting on the sidelines assuming command ever since your pulled that one-man rescue mission over a year ago. Every time I'm getting ready to head out, I have to stay on ship and assume command until you return because you decided to join the fight, leaving me out of it entirely. The only action I've seen was when the Zents boarded - even then I got blasted to kingdom come. You know what? I'm tired of this shit!" She grabbed a 'thinking cap' from her locker and moved to push past her superior. "Now, I'm going to take my happy ass to the hangar and police myself an extra bird from one of the armored operators. You can call the MPs or try to stop me yourself. I'm going to warn you right now, Ma'am -- you may be a great fighter, but you don't have what it takes to stop the sole grandmaster of Anything-Goes, Nabiki Tendo."
Ayame reached for her. "Joker, I--" Before she realized it, she was slammed up against the lockers. The furious look in Nabiki's eyes staring her down with an intensity she never saw in the shorter Japanese woman. If Ayame thought Nabiki was only trying to scare her with her martial arts title, she was believing her now.
"Didn't I say I was tired of hearing your bullshit? I'm tired of hearing all that goddamn drama you always tell us. I'm sick and tired of hearing that shit! You think you lost loved ones? We all lost friends and family in this damn war, not just you! Taking the responsibility for the lives of our fellow Marines that we lost doesn't cut it. Those men and women knew the risk and were willing to take them in defense of their comrades and for the safety of all mankind. You don't know what it really feels like to lose!"
"You have a husband, a mother and aunts that all care for you. All of them living here on the Macross. I have NOTHING! My mother died when I was just a kid and so did my father, two sisters, brother-in-law and all of our friends when the Global War started. And just when I found out that two of our friends are still alive, they're taken away in a blink of an eye!" Tears started streaming down her face. "And you expect me to stay here and do nothing about it?"
"FUCK YOU!"
Ayame caught Nabiki in her arms, pulling the crying woman into a tight hug as the two sank down to the floor. She couldn't speak, nor could any thoughts come to her mind while she comforted the woman as best as she could. When a few of her Marines arrived to see what was all the commotion, she immediately waved them off with a signal to close the door. No one should see her in this condition. With the news of the assault on the planet spreading quickly throughout the ranks, seeing one of the most respected Marines in the unit breaking down was not a good thing.
If only she knew.
-----
SDF-1 Macross - Bridge
"Sir, Commander Breetai has agreed to your plan. The Adocolas Imperial fleet will transmit the MBS signal on all of their military frequencies." Lisa stated, a worried look in her eyes. "Not to be rude, Captain, but would of it been best to speak with the Zentraedi yourself?"
Sesshoumaru gave her a look.
"Right..." She turned away. "Status on warhead armament?"
Kim responded quickly. "All units sending in confirmation on reflex warhead armament... stand by." A brief second passed. "All units reporting armament, complete. Now proceeding to designated assignment. Operation Minmei, stand by."
"Incoming communique from Commander Azonia, sir."
"Put her through to me."
"Aye-aye."
"Greetings Capt---" Azonia paused at seeing the new face in front of her. "Well, now. This is a surprise. I was worried that Seloy was going mad stating that some of you Micronians were not fully human. It seems that you have some explaining to do, Captain Sesshoumaru."
"Explanations come at an appropriate time, Miss Laplamis. Are you in agreement with Commander Breetai and our plan?"
She frowned. "As much as I hate it, yes. My Quadrano Fleet will protect the Macross and your attack wings. Our communications have been set to receive your signal and transmit it on all Zentraedi bandwidths. We shall protect humanity to the best of our abilities, or die doing so. May you win all your battles, Captain."
"Good luck, Commander." He glanced at Sammy after the communique ended. "Is our wings in position?"
"Aye, sir. The last of the Marine squadrons have regrouped with the Prometheus wings and the Quadrano armor squadrons. Commander Hunter is waiting for the word, sir."
Vanessa stared at her screen. She could not believe the readings the sensors were giving her. "Lisa...?"
"What is it?" replied the Commander.
"I'm getting..." Her eyes widened. "Sir, energy reading just went off the charts! It's originating from the Earth and-- Jesus H! Zentraedi squadrons are disappeared off the radar in mass numbers!"
"What!" Sesshoumaru was instantly at her station. "Give me full magnification."
"That's maximum, Sir."
He, along with Lisa and Vanessa stared at the screen for a long moment. "That originated from North America..." His eyes widened. "Impossible... That was the Grand Cannon." He turned to Lisa. "Alaska Base must have survive!"
Lisa gasped. "Does that mean...?"
"Yes. There are other facilities that could have survived the bombardment. Even civilians. We still have survivors down there."
Cheers erupted from everyone.
-----
July 4th, 2012 - Operation Minmei
"This is Lieutenant Commander Rick Hunter to Zentraedi, Meltraedi and Macross Carrier Wings. I'll be assuming command of all operation units that have sortie for this task. There is little that I have to say before this task we must undertake. All I know, what happens this day will be the last or one of many pages written in the history of mankind." Rick let out a deep sigh. He wasn't one for speeches. "This operation will be conducted under strict radio silence while Minmei's voice is broad-casted over all channels. Only Cat's Eye and Growler Seeker units will have communications up-links to all fighters for target designations. If you have something to say, do it now."
Nothing.
Silence was broken after a few seconds. Rick did not need to confirm the voice. "I have something important to say."
"The comm is yours, Colonel." She began after a brief moment of silence.
"Are we there yet?"
Laughter erupted over the tactical net and Rick had to shake his head. Of all the wonderful speeches she had given throughout the war, the last thing she had to ask had to be something so childish. But, he had to admit that it was a great ice-breaker; something to ease everyone's tension. A blinking light appeared on his HUD before it changed into a timer the cycled downward.
"This is Captain Sesshoumaru Kusanagi to all Spacy, Marine, Meltraedi and allied Zentraedi fighter pilots. Once this operation begins and when we enter enemy aerospace, it is vital that all units observe total radio silence under any circumstance Only Miss Lynn Minmei's voice is broad-casted on all open frequencies. If all goes as planned, the enemy will be thrown into disarray and we will attack in full force. This may be our only chance for mankind's survival."
"Man-kind. That word should bring new meaning to everyone. We cannot be consumed by petty differences anymore. We will be united together for our common interest. Perhaps today it is fate that it's the 4th of July, and you will be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression or persecution, but from annihilation. We're all fighting for our right to live, to exist. And should we win today, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, a human holiday, but a day were two similar yet distant species banded together and said 'We will not go quietly into the night, we will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on, we're going to survive!'"
"Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"
-----
"That was an inspiring speech, Captain." Lisa stated, feeling the adrenaline suddenly flowing through her. His words, along with the knowledge that he father possibly survive the bombardment, invigorated her.
He glanced over toward Execedor, receiving a nod in acknowledgment. "There are still those that feel apprehension and commitment to this operation. I only did was what required of someone such as I; one day you will be required to do the same."
"All fighters on stand by." Sammy reported.
"Weapons and fire-control systems armed and ready. Navigation systems are all green." Claudia added.
"Sensor array, all green." said Vanessa.
"All sections reporting green light, Captain!" Kim said. "Pin-point barrier control reports system ready."
"Commander Misamura reports Jane Eyre Squadron 20 ready for battle. ARMD-11 and ARMD-12 carrier wings have already joined attack wing and are ready."
Lisa placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's your call, sir."
Sesshoumaru nodded.
"Move out."
-----
"My Lord, we are receiving a strange transmission on all open frequencies," reported a Zentraedi officer. "I'll put it up for you on the vid-screen."
Kyun, Kyun! Kyun, Kyun!
My boyfriend is a pilot.
It shines and makes a quick dive.
It fires it's engines and makes a quick ascent.
Pulling a tail of white smoke, it draws to big hearts...
It's a love sign!
The Zentraedi ship master was flabbergasted at the sight. He had heard rumors, but nothing prepared him for the... sound that the disgusting female Micronian let out. He felt sick at seeing her dressed in suck a revealing uniform. And that noise coming out of her mouth, ringing deep in his ears and down his spine; he couldn't stand it! Yet, at the same time he couldn't stop himself from staring and listening to what the female was saying. And he wasn't the only one. If the transmission was being sent on all open Zentraedi frequencies, even the priority channels, then everyone in the whole Zentraedi armada was taking a dose of... whatever this was.
"What the hell is that?"
"It's a Meltran!"
"No! It's a micron of a Meltran."
"What uniform is she wearing? Why leave her legs and mid-drift bare like that?"
I love you, you love me?
But he has a big crush on his plane.
Isn't really passionate to me.
Kyun, Kyun! Kyun, Kyun!
My boyfriend is a pilot!
"This sound... what is it?"
-----
"We're closing in within effective firing range," Lieutenant Porter stated. "No reaction from the enemy what-so-ever."
"It's working!" Execedor exclaimed.
"Primary batteries armed and ready to fire. Targeting lead ships."
"This is for Earth," Sesshoumaru muttered to himself. His eyes hardened.
"FIRE!"
-----
The Zentraedi Armada was thrown into complete chaos. Having nearly one third of their forces wiped out instantly by the Grand Cannon and a crash course in human culture provided by Lynn Minmei that was broad-casted on all of their open and secure channels completely shocked, stupefied and out-right confused the Zentraedi soldiers and threw their chain of command into the wringer. The coalition of human, Meltraedi and former Zentraedi took advantage of this moment of chaos to begin their counter-offensive.
Primary batteries of all vessels within the coalition opened up on the confused Zentraedi fleet, quickly decimating the forward pickets and first line of defense. The Coalition Zentraedi pressed the advantage and quickly advanced to the next line of defense, engaging their former comrades in vicious ship to ship combat. Both sides were pounding the living daylight out of each other, thought it was clear to any observer that the Coalition was winning. The psychological attack of Lynn Minmei's song gave them the advantage they needed to plow the proverbial road for the SDF-1 and the Meltran.
Arashi no nakade kagayaite, sono yume o akiramenai de
Kizutsuita, anata no senaka no
Tenshi no hane, sotto daite
Daite agetai
Aoku hetenai, sora no katasumi de
Umareta yume ga, ima chiisa kutemo
Anata no hitomi ni itsuru ashita o
Dareyori soba de, shinjite itai
Waves of enemy Regult, Gnerl and Nousjaedul-Ger power armor came at the Coalition fighters. Thousands upon thousands of enemy craft that managed to escape destruction of the forward pickets and many more that launched from their carriers further down the ranks. Super Valkyries, Strike Eagles, Quaedluun-Rau and allied battle pods moved in for immediate intercept. The female pilots of the Meltraedi Quadrano battalion took the lead, launching ahead of all the Spacy and Marine squadrons to do their job - protect the human fighters and their precious payload of thermonuclear anti-ship missiles. The Meltraedi fought like the demons that many allied pilots believed them to be; relentless, ruthless and merciless.
While their Zentraedi comrades engaged against their former allies, the Valkyrie and Marine squadrons were each on their own. The only communication they had with each other came from the Seeker and Cat's Eye recon Advanced Electronic Warfare units that designated targets for immediate nuclear strike. Other than that, each fighter was on their own, only relying on their wingmen and fellow pilots, hoping that each naval aviator, each marine, each Amazon followed their orders and did the job they were instructed.
Koori tsuku youna, tsuyoi kaze de sae
Sono mune ni kagayaku, yume o keshita ri
Souyo, keshita ri nante dekinai
Arashi no nakade kagayaite, sono yume o akiramenai de
Kizutsuita, anata no senaka no
Tenshi no hane, sotto daite
Daite agetai
Operation Minmei worked to perfection, but there were those inside the Zentraedi fleet that were not as heavily effected. Long range counter-attacks followed after the second and third bombardments unleashed by the coalition. When the first allied ship fell - one of the large Queadol Magdomilla battleships - the allied Zentraedi pressed their advantage, firing at will at any active enemy vessel with massive bombardments of particle energy from their forward main batteries. One Thuverl Salan took a single volley from it's enemy twins along it's central dorsal, literally cutting the ship in half before it's was engulfed after it's reactor was breached, releasing enough energy that completely engulfed the vessel and any battle pod within close proximity.
Kizutsuku tabini, kodoku o daitemo
Afureru namida, yuuki ni kaete
Tomadou koto o, keshite mayowazu
Mirai no DOA o, sono te de agete
Anato no hanasu, yume o sukidakara
Mada tooi ashitamo, kitto mayowazu
Souyo, mayowazu koete yokeru no
Arashi no nakade kagayaite, sono yume o akiramenai de
Kizutsuita, anata no senaka no
Ashita ga hora, umarete yuku
Kagayaite yuku!
The Zentran may have been the first to strike against their former allies, but the Meltran paved the way for the Macross. Commander Azonia was the mistress of the battlefield. With her leadership, she showed humanity why the Meltraedi were superior to the Zentraedi; why they were the most feared force in this sector of the galaxy. Most importantly, Azonia showed Sesshoumaru and all those that doubted the Meltraedi strength, why they would of lost if they engaged the female warriors on even terms.
Azonia's flagship the Sword of Vengeance, possibly the only Renupetiet Nnabarrentzs battleship in existence, lead the pack. To the most dedicated sci-fi fan boy, it was a Super Star Destroyer from the legendary Star Wars series. And like it's sci-fi double and it's namesake, the Sword of Vengeance cut down ship after ship, specifically targeting capital ships that were of immediate threat to the SDF-1 and the escort fighters. It's armament of thirty six Makral Diem 773 particle cannons, the original design of the MkI guns originally installed on the Macross before the human refit, and her array of over fifty Makral Mossil 996-2 double gun turrets reeked havoc throughout the Zentraedi fleet. Those that fought against the music of Lynn Minmei and saw the Sword of Vengeance bearing down upon them, they immediately turned tailed and ran. The knowledge of a Meltraedi Renupetiet Nnabarrentzs being fielded in any sector was frightening to the majority of Zentraedi soldiers. Seeing one was even less fortunate; no one under the targeting reticle of such a vessel lived to see the next day.
Arashi no nakade kagayaite, sono yume o akiramenai de
Kizutsuita, anata no senaka no
Tenshi no hane, sotto daite
Daite agetai
Several crews panicked at seeing the Meltraedi dreadnought closing into effective firing range. The squadron of Tou Redir and Thuverl Salan vessels pulled back from combat and began to retreat deep into the ranks of Dolza's battle formation. Some dared to flee altogether.
Fools.
Sword of Vengeance opened up on the retreating vessels. The first salvo from her main battery cut down two ships and several hundred battle pods, a cluster of explosions the only evidence of their previous existence. The second volley connected with two more, disabling their engines and life support. Under any other circumstance, Azonia would of stopped at this point and allowed the enemy to abandon ship. No, she was Meltran and her enemy had taken away her people; then took away a planet she looked forward to calling.. home.
Die.
Secondary batteries released righteous fury, turning the disabled vessels into swiss cheese. A third volley struck down the raggled Zentraedi war machines and her crews, allowing them to meet their comrades in the next life.
And greet billions more that will follow.
A fourth salvo of accelerated particle energy caught others that tried to escape. Allowing the primary weapons to cool and cycle down, secondary weapons peppered the fleeing vessels until they were dead in a sea of vacuum. Azonia turned her attention toward more lively game, allowing Marine Corps fighters to sweep in finish off her previous catch. A miniature star that shined brightly off her port side was the most beautiful scene Azonia had even seen in a long time. Azonia licked her lips, forming a feral smile on her visage that she shared with her command staff when a quote that she heard came to mind.
Vengeance is a dish best served cold.
It was very cold in space.
-----
My chest is pounding so fast
It seems like
My burnt-out heart's going to short out.
"YAHOOOO!"
Don't irritate me with your tired jokes.
I want you to numb me
with poisoned lips.
Several balls of thermonuclear light zipped past the cockpit, shadowing the action thrilled woman. She just credited three more enemy warships to her enormous kill count and she planned to add several more before she bought the farm. Behind her fighter, her wingman had trouble keeping up despite the experience she knew she had.
"This is hit and run warfare, Seloy," Ayame said out loud in the Zentran-Meltran language, despite knowing there was no open channel between the two pilots. Communications black-out was still in effect. "No time for personal vendettas or silly dog fights. Efficiency and quantity over pleasure and quality."
She was really enjoying herself too much.
And Minmei was singing an original song she found enjoyable.
AH, I love you
All around the clock, I'll shine on you!
With a spell of love
I'll keep your gaze all to myself
So, come on...
Hold me.
Even a green banana
Falls head over heels for the crescent moon.
Hurry up! Hey!
I guess I'll just have to steal you away...
Normally the Colonel would go out of her way to select her own targets of opportunity. However, she knew that her actions would only confuse many of the radar-intercept officers working like slaves inside the Growler and Cat's Eye recon birds. Under the no-noise policy, she had to rely on intel and target acquisition from the forward observers. They worked with Sammy and Vanessa, in which they passed down vital target information down to the sweeper group, the squadrons assigned primarily for anti-ship detail - which was every Marine squadron.
Like she stated to herself, efficiency was the key. Marine squadron flights attacked without mercy, ruthlessly sinking warship after warship in rapid succession. When one target was neutralized, they vectored to the next, firing their payload of nuclear-tipped anti-ship missiles. Many of the Strike Eagles carried as much as six RMS-1 Angel of Death reflex warheads, or maxed out their firm-points with 14 of the 100 kiloton miniature sun-makers. The pilots knew they would not run out of ordinance any time soon.
My lips just aren't any good at lying.
An innocent rendezvous
Given to us by an angel.
Suddenly, the Mood's sinking so,
With a wink,
I've God you in my sight!
Ah! The world is shining
into my very dreams
Shine on me!
She rolled her fighter, a signal for her wingmen to follow her lead. Receiving target information from Seeker-seven, she uploaded the target information to her wing and set course for immediate intercept. A pair of Quaedluun-Rau - a pair of Ace pilots according to the triple chevrons adorning their shoulder armor - moved into loose formation forming the mid-section of a flying V-wing, Captain Seloy Deparra and Major Tendo taking positions at the end of each arm. Seloy's fighter bobbed her wings and fired a quick burst from her REB-20 anti-aircraft energy cannon, strange to anyone else, yet it was a signal that the Meltraedi Marine would take the next run.
The only response came when Marine Lead backed off, allowing Seloy to take point.
The fever of love
changes into a wondrous power
So, come on...
Catch me!
Even a green banana
suits the crescent moon well.
I don't want to
go to sleep at all yet!
Anti-aircraft fire came at them from the targeted battleship. Battle pods began to swarm in their direction, including many of the somewhat inferior Nousjaedul-Ger counter-part to the Quadrano power armor. Despite the heavy resistance, Seloy powered forward, drastically increasing her speed as she bobbed and weaved through the thick bombardment of accelerated particles and explosive ordinance. Nabiki was right on her tail, firing off her anti-aircraft nose cannon in rapid succession, showing more skill in a veritech fighter despite her extensive armored background. Most of her free time spent logging in hours in the simulator, re-learning how to fly and successfully pilot a Strike Eagle in combat, was enough to get her up to speed in working with her fellow Marines, yet, it was not enough to prepare her for such a large engagement.
Still, the somewhat inexperienced pilot flew with two of the best and managed to make Ace, claiming five total kills in three attack runs.
With a spell of love
I'll keep your gaze all to myself
so, come on...
hold me.
Even a green banana
falls head over heels for the crescent moon.
Hurry up! Hey!
I'll just have to steal you away...
She took the chance of taking her eyes off the enemy, watching while a huge column of destructive light cut across her vision to spear through a flagship type Zentraedi battle wagon. The beam was followed up by several massive bombardments from surrounding Meltran vessels, adding to the eradication of the Zentran ship. Another massive beam followed up, this time impacting and engulfing a Thuverl Salan, erasing it from existence. Ayame checked her six, then her radar, marveling at the massive amount of enemy blips that disappeared off the scopes. She looked again, smirking as a pair of Meltraedi Rineunadou Lojmeuean gunship monitors moved into position to begin a full assault upon the rear echelon of the enemy fleet.
The fever of love
changes into a wondrous power
So, come on...
Catch me!
Even a green banana
suits the crescent moon well.
I don't want to
go to sleep at all yet!
-----
SDF-1 Macross - Bridge
Tension on the bridge was at an all time high. The danger of the operation was greater than any had ever faced in their entire lives. With the order from a communications black out between allied units, Lieutenant Megumi Reinhart's duties were regulated to internal communications and assisting Lieutenant Young with administration duties. Kim was thankfully for her help. Damage being taken to the ship was taking it's toll. Hull breaches were sprouting up like weeds and maintenance crews were working three times over their normal capacity. She was force to, on many occasion, to direct non-qualified crewmen to assist in hull breach repairs. The work was mickey moused, but many of them were holding, which allowed emergency fire and radioactive clean-up crews to do their jobs.
1st Lieutenant Vanessa Leeds seemed to have one of the harder duties. With the defected Zentraedi now allied with them, it was difficult for her to accurately pin-point targets and provide a targeting solution for Macross gunnery crews and Meltraedi gunship monitors. Navigation courses were the most tedious with the massive collection of vessels surrounding the Macross, which put a bigger strain on Lieutenant Commander La Salle.
The dark-skinned woman reached up, her hand dancing quickly over the key pad on the console above her. Coordinates spilled in from Vanessa, give Claudia the coordinates to direct Macross gun batteries. Since initial contact with the enemy, ship to ship combat slowly egressed into pistol shot; close range. This did not deter the ethnic beauty from firing massive barrages of accelerated particles and high-density plasma bolts at opposing vessel that were well within the effective range.
It would not be nice saying that Sammy had an easy assignment. In war, nothing was easy. Having the command of millions of allied aerospace units in the palm of your hands was not so simple as many would think. The mousy looking Lieutenant required a wide array of information from all stations - status on Prometheus and Daedalus operations deck crews, radar details on enemy coordinates to pass down to forward observers and local aerospace coordinators, fire control targeting solutions to clear our friendly units. In fact, she was completely swamped with such heavy work load that she was drenched in sweat. The short blonde looked as if she would pass out from the amount of stress, the responsibility placed on her shoulders. If not for Lisa, who multi-tasked between all stations from the Captain's chair, she would of fainted long ago.
Standing at the center of all the chaos, Sesshoumaru stared ahead at the looming structure at the rear of the enemy fleet. The Zentraedi mobile command station, identified by Minister Execedor, was a gigantic space station roughly the size of the moon from pole to pole and one-fifth it's total diameter.
Intimidating.
A low growl escaped the former Lord of the Western Land's lips as planning on attempting to penetrate the asteroid turned space station's twelve kilometer thick hull. Destroying the space station was no problem for the ship that he commanded. Information collected over time brought knowledge of a gigantic mobile platform possessed by the Zentraedi, something on the scale similar to what was recently identified by their new allies, and the Captain wanted to be prepared to face such an object if it did exist.
Getting inside was a whole new ball game.
The ship was rocked by a heavy impact along it's starboard side, nearly knocking the effeminate ship master off his feet. He stumbled, nearly bowling into Commander Hayes, but he managed to use his own chair to support himself. The shaking executive officer nearly let out a wail of fear at hearing the deep animistic sound that rumbled from the depths of the Captain's chest.
"Get me engineering. Now." he snapped at Reinhart, his eyes remaining focused on the enemy in the distance.
"A-aye!" she stuttered.
"Lisa, any suggestions on how we should penetrate that behemoth?"
The brunette shook her head. "According to past reports and footage, the main entrance contains several heavily fortified doors or locks that lead into the main staging chamber and docking area of the asteroid. If their Commander-in-Chief anticipates our motive, they'll be waiting for us."
"May I make a suggestion, Captain?"
He glanced at the short statured Zentraedi. "You may, Minister."
Execedor cleared his throat. "After our civil war with our Meltraedi counter-parts, we were attacked by the species called a renegade faction called the Disciples of Zor. They had similar weaponry in comparison to this battle fortress and our Robotech Masters. That Fulbtzs Berrentzs station does not have any external weakness."
"Please inform this one of something that is not obvious, Minister."
"Ah..umm, yes." He moved toward the Captain's chair. "Commander, may I?"
"Of course."
The miniature Zentraedi used his knowledge to gain access to the Macross battle net. Within a few seconds, a remote link was established to Breetai's command vessel and data was soon downloaded and ready for presentation. A diagram of the Fulbtzs Berrentzs Mobile Station displayed itself on the vid-screen before the three of them. Several locations around the station at distant points were highlighted. Only three were blinking near the equator. "These three are emergency exit portals in the event the enemy breaks through the main locks. Large enough for a vessel five times the size of the Macross to pass through. Two of these entry points would bring this ship close to the internal reflex furnace clusters within the command center."
"Excellent," the Captain stated with an excited look in his feral eyes. "Commander La Salle, increase speed for a dynamic entry. Set course for the main gate of that battle station."
"Aye-aye!"
"M-main gate? Captain, are you in the right of mind?" Execedor asked. What is wrong with this Micronian?
"Patients, Minister."
Lisa moved back in to regain control of her station. "Bringing up a tactical display of our current situation."
"Sir! We've been flanked! Commander Breetai's rear escort squadrons have just taken a massive attack from a reflex reaction weapon similar to that used to bombard Earth," Vanessa reported, gasping a few breaths of air in the process. "Enemy IFF indicates that it's Khyron Kravshera."
"Disregard."
"But, sir--!" Execedor looked at him with a shocked expression. Sesshoumaru ignored both of them.
"Lisa, show me the course the Macross will take toward the enemy station."
"Aye."
The tactical display showed a real-time positioning of allied and enemy units using color coded icons and symbols to indicate friend or foe and vessel class - excluding battle pods, fighters, etc. Positioning was determined using three sets of digits for X-Y-Z coordinates relative to the position of Earth. The Macross was surrounding by allied Meltraedi and Zentraedi forces, which spread out across the massive Zentraedi main fleet. An active broken line showed the course the Macross would take in order to reach the Zentraedi Mobile Station.
"Computer estimates, according to our current speed and course, we will make contact with that station in fifteen minutes." Commander Hayes said. Sesshoumaru frowned.
"This battle must be decided quickly before anything else occurs." He studied enemy positions, frowning. "Sammy. Prepare to break radio silence in five minutes and have all escort fighters to break off and fire at will. Megumi, contact Commander Laplamis. Coordinate with Commander Hayes once orders are given."
"Aye-aye!"
"Aye, sir!"
He turned back to the brunette Commander. Picking up a light pen, he began to construct a battle plan. "Listen, Lisa. Our fleet will break it's escort formation and fully engage the enemy. During that time, these four Meltraedi squadrons, including Miss Laplamis flagship, will concentrate on the enemy picket lines at these locations here, here. Here and here. The key would be the amount of destruction caused by the Meltraedi monitors in the vicinity of the front gate to fool the enemy to concentrate on preventing penetration by her fleet." He moved a line from the Macross to follow the Meltraedi fleet, but curve away toward one of the emergency exit locations close by. "This will be our entry point. We'll use a modified version of the Daedalus attack that will encompass the entire vessel. We'll force our way in and end this fight once and for all."
"Kim. Inform Doctor Lang to increase power output for the pin-point barrier and to have the Omni-Directional barrier on stand by. Once we enter the enemy station docking sections, our entire nuclear arsenal will be released. We'll need all the protection we can get."
-----
Red Devil Lead and Red Devil Two were a pair of wing mates that shared a common destiny. Both were superior pilots with no equal - those that could claim to be their superior came less than two others. Both were somehow destined to hold each others hands in holy matrimony. And they were destined to fly together in combat under the same banner. It was no surprise to many that Captain Maximillian Sterling out performed his squadron in solo aerospace fighter kills, nor was it a surprise to have Captain Miriya Parino-Sterling prove she was still the number one Ace of the Quadrano Battalion. But when they pair worked as lead and wingman, coordinated completely on instinct and trust, they were an unstoppable juggernaut.
Gnerl fighters, power armor, battle pods of various configurations, Glaug tactical officers pods and even Cyclops recon types all fell to their whirlwind of death. They acted independently from the rest of the Red Devil's, blazing a path of destruction that allowed their squadron mates to strike hard at the Zentraedi main fleet star ships.
No fear.
Or could it be fear that drove both of them to become the deliverers of death, installing the fear of annihilation upon any enemy that crossed their path. Fear of losing what little family that remained huddled inside the protective shelters in Macross City? A fear of losing a home? Fear of seeing that which you cared for being taken away once again?
Fear of losing each other?
Let it be known that Max was a simple man with simple needs. As long as he had some sort of danger or thrill in his life, he was a happy man. Being friends with Ben and living near the battle fortress was one example. As unfulfilling as it was, being in UN Spacy was another. Joining the Corps just completed his life but, all that was eclipsed when he was struck by cupids arrow and caught sight of a beautiful Meltraedi Amazon. Miriya was danger and excitement all rolled into one package. His ideal woman.
Losing her was his greatest fear.
Without warning, the radio in Max's fighter opened up. It came from the Macross. "Delta One to attack squadrons. Cancel radio silence. Priority One change of orders. All squadron leaders -- select targets of opportunity; break off and fire at will. Repeat, break off and fired at will."
Max acted quickly. He purposely slowed down his reactions a fraction of a second to take a quick glance at his radar. Dodging a salvo of missiles from a Glaug, he accessed detailed information from one of the nearby Growlers and Cat's Eye recon planes and began to formulate a method to strike against multiple targets at once. Finding several Zentraedi vessels not being targeted by allied squadrons, he immediately uploaded the information to Miriya and other flight leaders. "Flight Commanders, Devil Lead. Uploading targeting data. Hit the jets and strike down with a gift courtesy of the big red man downstairs!"
"Roger!"
"Oo-RAH!"
"Roger that!"
"As you wish, my love."
-----
"Tendo, cover my rear. I'm going in!"
"Roger that, boss."
The pair of Strike Eagles plowed forward through the thick anti-aircraft fire, bobbing and weaving through the fiery passage of death. Flying at a distance behind them, Seloy protected the pair keeping enough distance to intercept almost any attack yet far enough as to not slow them down. To the Colonel, she felt safe with having the former Meltraedi Quadrano Leader covering the large blanket behind them. She was mostly impressed with how her XO was handling a bird, showing improvement as time progressed. Truly, Nabiki was one hell of a genius, if not a complete jack of all trades.
"Marine Lead, lining up target." Her firing control system blared once the reticle turned an angry red from green. "Fox Niner!"
Her last three RMS-1 anti-ship missiles jettisoned, rocketing forward straight and true. As they pair pulled out and away, neither one hand to confirm that the attack struck home. With Minmei singing in the background distorting the Zentraedi battle net and their minds, turning Zentraedi battle wagons into flying scrap heaps seemed to be nearly automatic.
"Seeker Seven, Marine Lead is winchester. Repeat, I am winchester." Shit. "Knight-Seven, take lead."
Seloy replied with a smirk adorning her visage. "With pleasure, my lady."
"Marine Lead, Marine Two. What the fuck is that husband of yours doing?" Nabiki suddenly asked, for once her attention taken away from battle.
Ayame turned her eyes to the side. For a brief moment she caught glimpse of the Macross closing in on the gigantic space station she escaped from over a year ago. For that brief moment, the Macross looked like a tiny flea in the shadow of that behemoth. Once that moment came and went, the Macross disappeared as it forced itself into the hull of the mobile station.
"What in the--"
Darkness shrouded her vision.
"Ugh..."
Her head was pounding like crazy, her vision slightly blurred. She had been knocked out by whatever it was that hit her. Could she have been dead? She really doubted that would be possible. Normally when you die, according to what she had heard from Belldandy at one point, depending on which path you have taken through life, you would be in a world of light or pain. Frankly, she felt like shit at the moment meaning she classified as neither. Death would have to wait a while longer before she crossed over.
More importantly, she was shot down. Whether it was karma or blind luck on the enemies side, nothing could hide the fact that she nearly bought the farm. She had been close to death more than any other and survived on a near consistent basis. However, after nearly losing your life to your own stupid mistake, she realized that she was either losing her edge or becoming burned out. Hell, actively fighting four wars in the span of twenty years would do that to anyone.
Any further thoughts along the path were put side. She didn't want to burn up in atmosphere.
Better jettison the armor.
FAST-pack boosters, any extra armor and weapon pods broke off from Marine-Lead. Taking the controls, she angled the attack fighter into position just as it's under-belly made contact with the Earth's atmosphere. A heat shield armor shell slid over the cockpit, cooling the temperature in the pilot seat and protecting her from the intense heat generated from atmospheric friction. Communications was distorted, then soon cut off.
Silence.
The fighter shook hard and she grasped firmly on the HOTAS. The noise pitch of the engines changed drastically as they began to guzzle on the thin oxygen content found in the upper stratosphere, The heat shield pulled back revealing the semi-blue skies of the Earth. It was hard to believe that she was the first from the Macross to return to their home.
Home.
All thoughts of the Earth were dashed away by the fact that the Zentraedi fleet bombed the surface to kingdom come. Tears formed in her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but they refused to relent.
The fighter shook again. Smoke was spewing from the rear of her fighter. Many of her electrical system were going down. She lost control of the fighter as it began to slowly pitch down toward the deck.
This is just great.
-----
Somewhere over the Atlantic
Somehow they survived the terrible onslaught brought down by the alien fleet in orbit. Communication around the world was nearly blacked out due to electromagnetic interference caused by the protoculture powered energy beams. Bases around the world were destroyed in a blink of an eye. Capital and major cities were erased off the face of the Earth; gigantic craters being the only sign of their past existence. The impact of energy weapons of mass destruction that produced over ten megatons of thermonuclear energy threw several thousand tons of dust into the air, turning the southern part of Africa into a land of darkness. The extreme heat was enough to evaporate several million metric tons of sea water and melt the polar ice caps, changing the face and conditions of the Earth almost instantly.
As said before, they managed to survive the whole ordeal. The SLV-113 Ajax, a Daedalus-class submersible amphibious carrier, was in the middle of the Atlantic when the call to arms was issued by the Prime Minister and United Nations Supreme Council. The Marine Aircraft Group Twenty-nine (MAG-29) assigned to the Ajax Amphibious Task Force 03, consisting of two attack fighter squadrons, one VTOL logistics unit squadron, two light VTOL squadrons, two medium VTOL transport squadrons and one light attack squadron. Unfortunately for their fellow Marines and UN Spacy brothers that were on a hop doing combat air patrol in the case of alien invasion, they were one of the first of billions of people, both military and civilian, to lose their lives in vain.
A waste of good lives.
The HC-33 Mom's Kitchen, a search and rescue variant of the standard cargo/troop transport, flew several thousand feet off the surface of the ocean. The Marine drivers and a couple of Spacy Corpsmen hand a hard time determining true altitude considering that the ocean level had dropped more than one hundred feet from it's original level. Despite that, they continued on their designated course. If their computer systems read correctly, they were heading toward New York.
"Eagle Four, Ajax. Distress signal detected two degrees off present course. Orders are to investigate."
"Ajax, Eagle Four. Roger that. Changing course to zero-zero-two-rio." What the hell is so important about a distress signal? After what happened, I don't expect anyone else to be alive.
"Think it might be one of our shipmates?" asked the Corpsman.
"Doubt it," the pilot replied. "Our wing was assigned CAP in the mid-Atlantic sector along the twentieth parallel. No one could have drifted that far in such a short amount of time." He shook his head. "Wouldn't matter anyway. Whoever we find might be dead. You know that we're suppose to be scouting the New England area to asses damages caused by the aliens. I don't know why they have us checking out this SOS."
"Shit, who isn't sending out a SOS?" the co-pilot rhetorically asked.
"How far are we out?" Asked the other Corpsman. A woman Spacy NCO.
"We're ten minutes out from New York, USA. I can see the statue coming up on the horizon."
The woman shook her head. "I can't believe that bloody thing is still standing after that attack. Talk about shear Yankee luck." She paused. "Is there smoke billowing from the island?"
The co-pilot snapped into action. "Distress signal is coming from the base of the statue." He dropped down his helmet visor and use the plane's sensor suite. "Confirmed. IFF confirms it's one of ours. SVFMA-314 Black Knights... Isn't that the 1st ATAD?"
"Looks like we got ourselves a genuine Space Marine. I can't believe the asshole survived all that shit up there."
"Deserter?"
Co-pilot shook his head. "Most likely not."
One of the Corpsman opened the side door of the Mom's Kitchen as the pilot went into VTOL mode, slowly hovering in the air to get a bird's eye view of the Lady Liberty and the crash site. "I see someone movement on the northern section of the island. Take us down nice and easy."
"Sure it's not a tango?" the woman asked, referring to an enemy soldier. He snorted.
"I don't see any fifty foot tall aliens..." Sarcasm.
"..." She glared. "Kiss my ass, numb nuts!"
"Why don't both of you just shut your chili holes!" Out of all the people they had to be paired with, it had to be a couple of squids. Sure, being Corpsman were a major difference than actual sailors, but they were so annoying! "Hold on, we're going down."
The HC-33 circled around the statue, spiraling down toward the deck. The vectoring nozzles for the twin BMW Rolls-Royce turbo-fan engines angled down while the nose pitched up, bringing the plane to a sudden halt several feet off the deck. The plane came down, gears three-out and locked, touching down on the deck next to the only remaining site in which the American flag still flew. Dust and ash flew everywhere, yet there seemed no signs that the Statue of Liberty, or Liberty Island as a whole was touched by... that rain of death. Only the high and sheer sloping wall that lead down to the ocean surface showed any indication that death had come for humanity. From the view across the shallow bay, New York and it's modern burrows seem to have survived, also. Despite the damage taken by the towering skyscrapers, the city was intact. In the distance they could spot areas were enemy orbital fire had taken it's toll.
Could other cities have faired just as well?
"Man, look at that." The driver looked over at his partner. "Report this to the Ajax."
"Roger that."
"The Captain sure would be happy to hear this shit. Need to spread the word out to whatever remains of the fleet."
"Ahoy there, soldier!" shouted out the Corpsman, her search and rescue assistant standing behind her with a shouldered sub-machine gun.
The downed pilot calmly strolled up to the powered up Marine transport, feeling the rumble of the engines rumble across the deck. Her flight suit was bunched around her waist, revealing her ample bosom and toned upper body. The silver-platinum hair that hung low from under her thinking cap whipped in the artificial wind created by the heated engines. Slung over her shoulder were think strips of what remained of her chute tied to a small briefcase-like box.
"Need a ride, ma'am?" asked the Corpsman. She raised up visor, pulling down her helmet just to spit out a wad of blood and spittle.
"Something like that." She took the hand offered by the Corpsman, wincing at the stretch given to her right side. "Ugh...Where is this bird coming out of?"
The transport lifted off as soon as she was sat down and attended by the Corpsman. Again she winced at bring poked by prodded along her right side. "You have a couple bruised ones and maybe a minor fracture. We're going to have to take you back to mother to have the Doc look after you." She looked up at her. "Trouble breathing?"
"...a little.."
"Probably inhaled a bunch of the dust around here. Ribs of just jacking you up even more." She handed her a mask connected to a few thin hoses. "Breathe with this."
"We're with the VMM-162 Golden Eagles, Marine Aircraft Group-29 operating with ATF 03 off the Ajax. Mother detected your distress signal several minutes ago. We were on route to assess damages caused by the alien bombardment in this sector, so we were ordered in to pick you up." The male Corpsman frowned. "Welcome home, Space Marine. Whatever is left of it.." He flicked his head toward her. "You?"
She gasped in some much needed fresh air. "1st Armored Tactical, Macross. Colonel Ayame Kusanagi, commanding." She looked toward the drivers seat, locking eyes with the gawking co-pilot. "Marine?"
"Y-yes, ma'am?"
"By the sound of your voice you know who I am. Good." She took in another breath. "Scrub this hop, RTB. If the CAG or Captain have a problem with that, just mention my name."
"Roger that, m-ma'am!"
Ayame took in another deep breath before letting out a drawn out sigh of defeat. Her Strike Eagle was more damaged than she originally believed. While the VF-1 and VF/A-3 required a special oxygen enriched reactant to operate in space, that was not required in atmosphere. However, the damage her fighter had sustained from the battle and atmospheric re-entry had in fact crippled the air intake portion of her propulsion system. Re-entry had in fact turned her oxygen enriched fuel rapidly into gas and emergency systems were forced to automatically release the expanding fuel before her fighter blew up. A few minutes later, she was diving nose first toward the deck at terminal velocity right at Liberty Island. She was lucky that her ejection system actually worked.
-----
SLV-113 Ajax - Sick Bay
One Hundred miles off the New York Coast
Hours later she found herself sitting up on a medical bed, her lower torso wrapped up with padding a gauss to support her injured ribs above her bunched flight suit. A look of worry shrouded her normally amused or upset visage as her thoughts turned to the situation outside Earth's atmosphere. Here she was, sitting in a nice air conditioned medical bay on an semi-submersible amphibious assault carrier, basically being treated like a queen, while her men and women were fighting it out with the enemy. She had heard of survivors guilt from many of her former superior officers and retired veterans, but guilt of not being able to participate?
Maybe this is how Tendo felt...
"Ayame?" Her eyes flickered toward the door to where a middle-aged Naval officer stood. She immediately spied a look at the eagle insignia on his collar. "James Hamilton Jr, Captain of this float. Pleasure to meet you."
She took his offered hand. "Last I remember, you were the Enterprise XO with my husband, right?"
"Aye to that, ma'am. I wish I could have been assigned to the Macross along with him." He shrugged. "But that's the way things go."
She sighed. "What's the Sit-Rep?"
"Where do you want me to begin?" He sat down on a physicians stool. "We got our asses kicked, basically. Half of our oceanic fleet was wiped out within the first few minutes and whatever space fleet we had are all but gone. We lost contact with UEF HQ and Supreme Command, NORAD and the UN Council were destroyed along with several of our major military bases around the world. Last reports from UEF HQ stated that damage to all sectors totaled at ninety percent."
"shit..."
"Right now, whatever we have left of the fleet have been sending out birds to conduct reconnaissance surveys and assess the damage caused by the enemy." He shook his head. "Total devastation."
"Survivors?"
"From what reports that have came back, several cities in the central region and a large portion of South American quadrant survived. We've been getting distress calls from all over Europe, the Middle East, West and Eastern Asia sectors. The Hawaiian Islands, Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Tokyo, Denver and many other major cities somehow managed to barely escape destruction. As you saw, New York barely was touched. Everywhere else however..."
"The whole southern section of the east coast of the Northern America, the whole Mid-west and great lakes region, Canada, Alaska and anything north of San Fran... wasteland."
She slammed her fist against the padded bed. "And all of this shit wouldn't of happened of those damn assholes in Supreme Command would of just listened!" James grabbed her shoulder, shaking her a little.
"Forget about all that. It's too late." He stood, turning toward the hatch. "When the Doc clears you, Lance Corporal Smith will escort you to the bridge." He paused. "During your transport, we detected a large object entering Earth's atmosphere and settling down near the Wisconsin area. We're sending out a Cat's Eye and a few transports to go check it out. If you want, I'll hold it off if you want to tag along."
Go, my daughter!
She smiled at the Captain. "I think I will."
End of Chapter 34
Author's Notes:
I bet some of you are wondering if this chapter is complete or not. Well, for one, I didn't want to do a dramatic ending scene with Ayame seeing the Macross and Sesshoumaru, nor did I want to have the SDF-1 in the sunset. That has been done already and this isn't about the ship. Why didn't I write about the destruction of the Zentraedi base? Nothing really has changed from the original version of the series.
Just to let you know, this will be one of the ending chapters.
The first song sung by Minmei was "My Boyfriend is a pilot", followed by "Shining in a Storm" which was originally written by Chihiro Yonekura, a song from Gundam 08th MS Team. The final song was "Banana Moon Love" in english from Macross II. I love that song.
Why didn't I use "We Will Win"? I'm trying to abstain from that version of Minmei. I actually prefer Yellow Dancer's version sang by Michael Bradley.
Sephiroth is Ayame Kusanagi's father! Hell, someone had to be. And no, Ayame does not have Jenova cells within her.
If you have any question about this chapter, please log in and leave a review. I will get back to you on them.
Next is Chapter 35: Recovery and Reconstruction