"Bandits at twelve o' clock," said Lieutenant Commander Yusuf Obegwo.

I looked ahead. Reflex Point was clearly visible

"You know the drill," said First Lieutenant Peyton Flagg. "We keep the enemy air forces busy so that they could not take potshots at our ground forces."

I agreed.

Doc was relying on us.

"Lock on for max range," said Orca Leader. "Fire!"

And we did. Our missiles headed towards the Invid bandits.

"We splashed two of them," said Second Lieutenant Sal Molino.

"Orca Squadron, engage!" yelled the commander.

And so we did, doing our dance in the sky against the Invid scouts and fighter scouts and those humanoid-shaped battloids which were about as maneuverable. I kept an eye on the screens and on my scopes. I managed to blast one of them out of the sky.

One of the fighter scouts was one my six.

I had to shake this bandit or my charred body parts would become food for the aquatic life swimming in Lake Superior!

"I can't shake this guy!" I yelled.

That bandit was persistent, almost as persistent as Solzie.

"Come on," I said, weaving every which way.

Suddenly the bandit disappeared.

"Let's continue the fight," said Orca Two.

"Got it," I replied.

"That takes care of this enemy group," said Commander Obegwo. "Let's reinforce the other squadrons."

"Copy," I said.

And so we did, attacking another Invid air group that was in battle with a Japanese fighter squadron.

"Thank for the assist," said the Japanese leader.

"Here comes another group," said Flagg.

"Where are those reinforcements from space," said Molino.

"let's focus on the task at hand, Orca Six."

And we did. We danced with another group of Invid air mecha. Laser pulses and missiles flew about. We kept shifting modes during the battle. The strain on the transformation mechanisms must be great.

After maybe a minute or so, the Invid air group was retreating from the area.

"I wonder if we can reinforce our ground forces," said Orca Two.

"Wait, there's a bogey on sensors," said Orca Six.

"Another Invid air group?" asked Orca Leader.

"How many do they have?" asked Laureline.

I could see it on my screens. It was a vapor cloud.

I was nervous.

Was this another Invid weapon?

"It's communicating," said one of the Orca pilots.

I heard a voice.

That was Itzak!

He was calling out to me.

"It's that boy," said Commander Obegwo.

"She needs to see the Regess," said Itzak. "She has some of her memories. If we can end this battle without any further loss."

We were nervous.

This could be a trap.

And yet…

"I have to go," I said.

"Orca Two, Orca Eleven, cover Orca Twelve," said Orca Leader.

"Yes, sir," replied Lieutenant Flagg.

"Got it," replied Laureline.

And so I followed the light towards the center of Reflex Point. I looked at my radar screen, for any Invid Regency mecha that would come to intercept.

The giant sphere appeared to grow even more gigantic as I got closer and closer.

Then something opened up.

My Beta was swallowed.

I was in this dark place.

I could see Itzak.

And a much brighter light ahead.

"You trust me, right?" asked Itzak.

"Always," I answered.

Then I was consumed by the light.

There was this screeching sound.

I could feel a tingling sensation.

And then I was inside this huge chamber. I got out of my Beta and looked around.

There were these thick webs surrounding the chamber. There were these oval objects strewn around at the perimeter.

The centerpiece was this huge sphere overhead.

Itxak appeared next to me. He looked pretty much the same- tightly-curled black hair, dark skin, a T-shirt and trousers. He was bathed in this light.

"Are you here?" I asked.

"I am here and not here," he replied.

"So you have brought this human," said this voice. "The one you say is your big sister."

"Yes, your Grace," he replied.

Some lights flashed. This beam of light appeared from the sphere.

I saw this giant humanoid figure in a red robe, maybe five meters tall. The head was shaped like a human head, with no hair and pale skin.

That was none other than the Invid Regess herself.

I can feel that.

"Human, you will tell me your business in the core of my very domain!" she bellowed.

"Your Grace," I said. I introduced myself. "I was part of a crew that hunted your people for protoculture. My ship was attacked and ended up destroyed over Earth. I survived, and met Itzak here."

"And you fought against my people."

"Because we were enemies, your Grace. The love of my life was…was killed by one of your people, just as he killed many of yours. But he and I and Laureline and Doc..Alazar Aboudi, we took in a child who lost his family. He became our little brother."

"A child you believed human."

"Yes, he looked human. But surely you have heard of the human who became his father. He knew Itzak was not a human, and yet raised him as his son!" A tear flowed down my cheek. "A human became the father to an Invid."

"Dad was the best," said Itzak. "One of the best humans in history."

"And where is he now, young Itzak?" asked the Regess.

"He…he was killed."

"By the Invid?"

"By other humans."

"Humans who killed him because his blood was ever so slightly different. What would they do to you? What did they try to do to you?"

"There's good and bad among humans," said Itzak. "But even humans could set aside their differences. The Japanese used to be mortal enemies of the Americans, long long ago. And yet, they are allies."

"Because of a common foe. If they defeat us, what will stop them from turning against each other?"

"There are many humans who hate the Invid for the invasion and the pain they caused," I said. "The invasion separated humans from their families off-world. The man who threatened to kill Itzak, he was stranded here for thirteen years, separated from his family. I got between him and Itzak. He backed down.

"And there is something you need to know, your Grace. I was exposed to the Spores of the Flower of Life. I have memories, memories of the destruction of the original Invid home world by the Children of the Shadow."

"You know about that?" asked the Regess, surprise in her voice.

"Because of the Flower," I replied. "I have some of your memories. I remember you meeting Zor. I remember the Zentraedi attack on Optera. And…and I remember..you meeting that Invid Hive Lord, condemned to the Hole for his crimes. I remember you breaking him out of the Hole after the Zentraedi attack. I remember him and you becoming the Regent and Regess, hailed by survivors who wanted to pay back the Robotech Masters with interest.

"He was a charming…man. But by the time you saw through his charm, you felt it was too late, too late to steer from the course you were on. You felt you could not turn back."

"You…you're right. He..he wanted to become the Invid."

I heard the italics.

" He had the Hive Lords eliminated, replaced by Invid brains who were merely an extension of his will," she continued. He…he would have done the same to me, if his human ally Edwards did not turn against him."

"Listen, Mother," said Itzak. "If we leave this planet, the humans might consider peace…"

Then something interrupted us.

I looked and saw this purple, humaniod-looking war machine.

That was an Invid Overlord.

And I knew who was piloting that dreaded veritech.

She stepped out.

Not surprisingly, she looked human, with loosely-curled purple hair and skin the color of creamed coffee. She was dressed in some sort of flight suit.

I supposed guys would find her attractive.

"Princess Solzie!" yelled the Regess.

"Your Grace," she replied. "I see you have decided to treat with these vermin. Prince Corg was right about them."

"We're not vermin!" yelled Itzak.

"A brutish, inferior form of life, only suited for dirty work and cannon fodder," said the princess. "It was a mistake for our kind to be made in the image of…of these worms!"

"I have made my judgment," said the Regess. "This planet is our new home, and we must take the form that will allow us to survive all over."

For a brief moment I wondered if she would have remade the Invid in the image of the scalie had the Flower grown on Glorie.

"You must stop!" I heard this female voice say.

"Ariel!" yelled the Invid Regess.

In looked and saw whom she was talking to. A woman with reddish hair, wearing a yellow jacket.

"I ask you," said Ariel. "We can stop this war if we leave Earth. Let the humans have their world. As long as we try to stay, the humans will never stop attacking."

"Just like the vermin they are," said Solzie.

"Who are you?"

"Princess Solzie, Sword of the Regess," she said.

"Ariel, you side with the humans?" asked the Regess. "These two have been trying to convince me to leave Earth. The Flower only grows here!"

"We need peace talks," said Itzak.

"I have been traveling with a group of humans for over a year," said Ariel. "If I can bring them here to plead their case…"

"Why fight over some insignificant rock?" said Solzie. "We are the Invid, and our goal is just to rule a little piece of some rock? We were a galactic power!

"I must agree with my brother Itzak here. We must leave this planet. I..I have been presented with a new vision."

"A new vision?" asked Ariel.

"A new galactic order, based on protoculture. Our dear departed Lord Regent could not make this vision a reality, but my allies and I can. "

"Allies?" asked the Regess.

"I have had meetings and communications with them." Solzie looked at Itzak and Ariel. "Soon, this rock will be destroyed, reduced to a tiny little black ball. Join me, Prince and Princess. Hail me as your Lady Regess. You can be part of this new galactic order that shall outlast ten thousand years!"

"Galactic domination," I said. "Very impressive. And here I thought your obsession was to just kill me. I'm all for character development."

I turned my back to walk towards my Beta so I can leave.

I then heard a blast.

It went right past me!

I glanced and saw that Ariel had tackled Solzie.

I ran into the cockpit of my beta and started up all the systems.

Maybe I could blast Solzie before she can get into her Overlord.

No such luck. She managed to get free and into the cockpit of her Overlord.

"You die!" she yelled.

She opened up with a few blasts, and I dodged.

I tackled her in battloid mode. We were soon flying up to that space within the core.

And so we danced. We kept going round and around, firing blasts at each other and shifting modes. I fired a bunch of missiles, and saw some of them strike the Overlord.

The Overlord was still in one piece.

"Not good enough," said Solzie.

This was going to be a long battle.

We kept doing the same thing.

It was like snapshots, with the occasional glancing blow.

But neither of us could score the coup de grace that would end this duel.

I had to keep her occupied. If she is obsessed with me, she will not threaten the rest of the squadron, the rest of the attack force.

She was chasing after me. She was on the offense. The laser pulses just passed right by me, probably singing my fighter.

I emerged out of the central Hive, and out into the open blue sky.

Solzie was still gunning for me. I continued my dance with the Overlord.

I could not let her go after Laureline.

Or Doc.

So we continued this dance, shifting between modes as we fired at each other.

"I must be annoying you, your Highness," I said. "Not letting you kill me and all."

"You will be ash when I am done with you!" she yelled in reply.

How long can she keep this up?

How long can I keep this up?

There must be some way to fake her out.

I then went low, to the ground. I switched to battloid. I fired at her Overlord.

She was moving at me fast.

If I could gert a direct hit, the duel would be over.

It was not.

Solzie tackled me.

We were in melee, like on that bridge in New York. We wrestled around for a bit.

As long as her attention is on me, and not on Laureline or Doc or Obegwo and the others.

I blasted my thrusters to the max.

We were rising.

I could tell Solzie was at full throttle in her Overlord. We were rising really fast even as we were trading punches.

I noticed the altimeter climbing.

Five thousand meters.

Six thousand meters.

Seven thousand meters.

Even as my Beta traded blows with Solzie's Overlord, I noticed something.

The blue sky seemed to get darker.

Soon it went black.

Our combined thrust put us in low Earth orbit. I glanced and noticed the Expeditionary Fleet was in battle with the Invid Regency fleet. There were plenty of fireballs.

For a countless time we traded blows, even high up above Earth.

She then pushed me away, creating some distance.

I had to dodge again.

I flew around, this time three hundred klicks above the surface. I could see the curvature, the bklue oceans, and Reflex Point.

And this dance in space continued for so long.

I would run out of protoculture soon.

It was then I saw something.

The shops launched something.

From a distance, they had the rough shape of a mushroom.

Oh no!

Those were the planet busters from my dream!

I could see the caps separating from the stalk.

"Orca Twelve to whoever is out there!" I yelled. "Those missiles! Abort the launch! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Who's this?" a voice asked.

I then felt a blast. I took a glancing blow.

There was damage.

If I could not maneuver, I would die out here in the vacuum of space.

I could not shake her!

I then heard this communication.

"Here me, my children," said the voice.

That was the Regess.

"When we sensed the first faint indications of the protoculture resources on this world," she continued, "we thought at last we had found the home for which we searched. We called together all of our people scattered throughout the galaxy to begin life anew on this planet. We began rebuilding a world that had been nearly destroyed by evil. And we constructed the Genesis Pits to pursue the path of Enlightened Evolution. But it was not enough."

This light suddenly emerged from where Reflex Point was. It destroyed those missiles and some of the ships of the attacking Expeditionary Fleet!

"The Earth is gradually reviving and eventually will regain its proper balance in accordance with the laws of , the humans hacve been influenced too strongly by the shadow of the Robotech Masters and are intent only in the destruction of their entire race. It shall not be. We will continue our evolutionary development elsewhere! Come with me! Discard this world and follow the spirit of light as it beckons us onward!"

"Where are you going!" yelled Solzie.

I had her in my sights.

I went in and opened fire, striking the Overlord.

I grabbed on to her.

We were plunging into Earth's atmosphere, even as the lights from below went up.

"Let me go!" she yelled.

I can still remember the name of that girl she killed.

Catarina Estevez.

Her death inspired the people of Earth to go on the offense.

The black was replaced by blue as we descended. We were surrounded by this reddish halo, as the friction heated up our hulls.

The external temperature was getting dangerously high.

I could die.

Taking down Solzie would be worth it.

I looked at the altimeter.

We were going down.

The hull was very hot.

Some of it might be boiling off.

I looked and could see the landscape from up high.

Then the screens went black.

The camera was damaged.

I only had my instruments.

I was descending.

I was falling.

I pushed the throttle and slowed my descent.

"This is Orca Twelve!" I yelled. "I'm coming in hot!"

I braced for impact.

I then hit the ground with a thud.

I hurt all over.

I wiggled my fingers and toes.

I stepped out, got out of the cockpit.

And stepped on the grass.

I was on Earth again.

I looked up and saw a flock of birds flying. There were no fireballs from exploding aircraft.

I removed my helmet.

I looked to my left, and saw the smoking ruin of the Invid Overlord.

I heard the noise of motorcycles. Some Cyclones arrived. They transformed into armor mode.

One of the men lifted his visor, and revealed himself as Commander Greenhair!

The same Bullfrog commander who tried to kill Itzak.

"This is good," I heard.

I looked and saw the glowing form of Itzak.

I then saw something else.

I saw a woman dragging herself by her arms along the ground.

That was Solzie.

Some of Greenhair's men approached the injured Invid princess.

"I am a princess!" she yelled, coughing up green blood. "How can I be defeated by some….by some filthy worm!"

"Who is she?" asked Greenhair.

"She is my sister," said Itzak.

"Are you here?" I asked.

"I am with the Invid," he replied. "There are answers which I can only get from them. But you, you are also my sister. I will never forget. And someday, we will be together."

Itzak then faded.

And he was gone.

Commander Greenhair seemed saddened about Itzak leaving Earth, the only home he had ever known.

I was sad too.

But maybe, just maybe, Itzak and me and Laureline and Doc will be together again.

"What about her?" asked one of Greenhair's men, pointing his thumb at Solzie.

"She is wanted for war crimes in connection with the Invid attack on New York," I said.

"I'll summon a medivac myself," said the commander. "Our superiors will decide what to do with her. Master Chief, take some men and secure that Invid war machine."

"Yes, sir," replied the master chief.

It was over.

But at what price?