Second Chances

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement, sadly all Robotech characters belong to Harmony Gold, I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use. As a result, please keep the legal attack dogs – also known as lawyers – firmly muzzled and on a leash as I have no money to give to anyone.


Chapter Twenty

Operations Centre

Zor's Factory Station

A Few Minutes Earlier

Captain Henry Gloval would, if asked, admit that he was nervous as he stepped into the operations centre of the factory station that in the weeks since the SDF-1 had brought them here become their home. He knew that he had reason to be nervous as, if everything worked as it was supposed to, they would soon be taking the station and its secrets away from here and beginning a series of space folds that would ultimately see the station move to a system near the core of the flame nebula. In theory everything should work, all the diagnostics that Dr Lang had run in the hour or so since the meeting with his time travelled officers indicated that they would, but he was still nervous about it.

Especially given there last few experiences of space folding had not exactly gone according to plan.

He pushed aside his nerves. "Status report," he ordered as he moved up to the command area in front of the main holographic display which as always was showing an incredibly detailed wire-frame representation of the station.

"Sir engineering reports that all ascent systems are online and ready to be engaged upon your command," Claudia reported from her station, "ion fusion thrusters are fully charged and are ready to engage when we reach the upper atmosphere. Fold system online and standing by."

"The shields are up and weapons systems are standing by," Lisa added knowing that they would certainly need the weapons as there was no way the Zentraedi would just let them leave, especially as it wouldn't take them very long at all to realize this stations nature as a factory station. Breetai would try to stop them, duty and honour would demand that of him, and thus they would have to defend themselves for the short period of time that would be needed to get far enough out of the planetary gravity well to safely execute the first of the planned folds. Though I am still somewhat nervous about seeing what these antiproton cannons can do, she thought knowing just how devastating conventional proton cannons could be, she could only imagine the absolute destruction that a weapon that used the protons antimatter equivalent would be able to unleash. Especially against a ship that, like your average Zentraedi cruiser, didn't employ any form of defensive energy shielding.

Adding to her unease was the fact that, until literally a few days ago, she hadn't known that the Tirolians possessed any form of antiparticle weaponry outside of the positrons and antiprotons that were present in, relatively speaking, small quantities in reflex weaponry as a side effect of the protoculture reaction that fuelled the devastating power of reflex weaponry. The fact that Zor had them here had thrown her and the others a bit, they'd never even gotten a hint of such things in the other timeline, as it had made them all realize that they'd actually not known a whole lot about the plans that Zor had been working on, plans that had been derailed by his death in an Invid attack on an outpost at the edge of Tirolian space. A revelation that had been both surprising and concerning as if they hadn't known about the great genius's development of practical antiparticle weaponry then what else didn't they know? What other surprising secrets about Zor and his plans to dethrone the Robotech Masters who'd so perverted his incredible discoveries did this station – and honestly any others like it that were out there – contain? Pushing her thoughts aside, there would be time to dwell on them and possibly talk to Rick and the others about it later, she turned her attention back to her station as the rest of the control room staff rattled off their own reports.

"Civil authorities report all former Macross residents secure and ready to move out sir," Sammy reported though there was a distinct hint of long-suffering exasperation in her tone as she mentioned the Macross City residents. Lisa couldn't blame the younger woman for feeling that way as some of the civilians had been making something of a pain of themselves over the last couple of days, ever since the stations systems had finished their complete overhaul/rebuild of the SDF-1, wanting to begin moving back into their homes in the reconstructed city instead of continuing to stay on the stations accommodation levels. While most of the former Macross Island residents were understanding of the need to thoroughly check over the ship before they allowed anyone back aboard full time, Mayor Luan was especially helpful in that regard, there was a small but highly vocal minority who were starting to seriously irritate everyone with their constant demands to be allowed to return to their homes now.

"All secondary systems show fully active sir and standing by," Kim added.

"Vanessa any Zentraedi warships near where we're going to come out of the atmosphere," Gloval asked.

"Just one sir," Vanessa replied checking the feeds from the sensor drones hidden in the rings around the planet, sensor drones that would shut down when they folded out. "A single destroyer. All other Zentraedi warships are too far out of range to target or intercept us in time before we fold out."

"I suppose that is the best that we can hope for," Gloval mused aloud. "Claudia begin the ascent sequence, as soon as we're far enough out of the gravity well initiate the first fold jump. Sammie inform Captain Ramirez to be ready to launch the Artemis as soon as the first fold is complete."

"Aye sir," both Claudia and Sammy replied from their respective stations before carrying out their superior officers bidding. For a few moments nothing more happened then a faint shiver ran through the deck and abruptly everyone felt a momentary sudden vertigo, almost like they were in a lift as it began ascending or descending in its shaft, as the great factory station began to move.

"Sensors confirm we are rising captain," Claudia reported. "At our current speed I estimate that we will begin breaking through the atmosphere in one minute and thirty-seven seconds."

"Captain Ramirez reports that all systems on the Artemis are fully operational, all hatches are closed and secure they will be ready to launch the moment we defold," Sammy added.

"Excellent," Gloval replied keeping his eyes focused on the main holographic display and its wireframe image of the station only it now showed a massive diffuse pillar of blue light – representing a powerful wave of distorted gravity – extending down from the stations southern pole. Small holographic screens floating next to the main display – all thankfully now displaying English characters as opposed to Tirolian which he, like almost everyone on the station couldn't read, so he could understand what they were saying – confirming what his officers had reported. They also told him the state of the stations massive antigravity drives as they worked flat out to repel the gas giants prestigious gravity well and drive them ever higher, how fast they were ascending and the status of the fold system which now only needed them to make the final series of computations, something that could not be done while still so deep into the gravity well, necessary for the jump – a process that would take at most a minute once they were out of the worst of the gravity well – and then they would be on their way.

"Sir we're picking up increased communications chatter amongst the Zentraedi fleet," Vanessa reported.

"They would have had to have been blind and deaf not to notice something was going on with the planet," Gloval replied not the least bit concerned as the time travellers had warned him that this would happen. The Zentraedi sensors, while less advanced than what they now had access to, were after all more than capable of instantly detecting and alerting the giant humanoids to the development. "Any movements?"

"Negative sir just a massive increase in comm traffic," Vanessa answered.

"Sir we're entering the upper atmosphere now ion fusion thrusters firing," Claudia added as another shudder ran through the deck beneath their feet, simultaneously new streams of light appeared on the holographic display as the stations massive main thrusters burst into life giving them the extra boost they needed to completely break free of the gas giants gravity. "All thrusters firing normally and at full power. Orbit in forty seconds."

"Very well as soon as we reach orbit commence final fold computations."

"Aye sir."

For the next few moments nothing more happened, Gloval just continued to watch the main holographic display as the station broke free of the atmosphere of the gas giant that had been its home from the moment it had been built/grown by one of the kernel devices Zor had launched from Tirol so many years ago. Finally, though the cones and lines that showed the active antigravity generators and ion fusion thrusters disappeared as the respective systems shut down leaving the station floating free in an orbit between the atmosphere and the planets ring system.

Abruptly warning alarms went off around the command centre. "Sir the Zentraedi destroyer is powering up weapons, they're targeting us," Lisa reported a second before the Zentraedi destroyer opened fire. The faintest of shivers ran through the deck and Gloval saw the outline of the stations defence barrier flare into existence around the wireframe image. The shield glowing softly where the Zentraedi particle and laser cannon fire sleeted ineffectively against their defences. "Defence barrier holding sir, no damage."

"Target that destroyer and return fire."

"Aye sir."

Gloval watched the hologram again as a new window pixeled into existence showing one of the stations turrets rotate and lock onto the offending Zentraedi destroyer as it fired at them again. A silver-white bubble appeared at the mouth of the cannon barrel a moment before a massive bolt of antiprotons was launched towards the vessel. The result was dramatic and devastating as a massive explosion lit up space, as the antimatter particles in the bolt reacted in the predictable fashion with the normal matter in the destroyer's hull i.e. both annihilating one another. In seconds the blast faded leaving nothing of the alien warship but a spreading cloud of superheated plasma and burning dust.

"Bozhe moi," he breathed stunned, and if he was honest with himself slightly horrified, by the speed and violence of the Zentraedi vessels destruction. From the moment Dr Lang had told him about the antiproton cannons – that they operated by drawing off some of the antimatter particles created in the reflex furnaces as a by-product/secondary reactant of the protoculture reaction – he'd known that the weapons would be powerful. He just hadn't been quite prepared to see just how devastating they were. And that's nothing compared to what reflex cannons and reflex missiles can do, he thought feeling a cold knot of dread in his stomach as not for the first time he realized just how much power the human – or should that just be Terran race since the Tirolians were technically human to, so were the Zentraedi and the Praxians – now held in their hands. Power that made the most powerful nuke ever made, the tzar bomb, look like a glorified firecracker. Power enough to annihilate worlds in minutes.

He just hoped they were smart enough to use it wisely.

"Sir hyperspace fold computations complete," Claudia reported bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Initiate fold operation," he ordered snapping back to the plan. There would be time to once again brood on the power they had, and by extension the power the Zentraedi and numerous other races had, and its implications later. In the privacy of his chambers with only a glass of vodka and his trusty pipe for company.

"Aye sir."

Within moments another thrum of power ran through the station and Gloval braced himself for the turbulence that they'd experienced the last few times that they'd carried out a fold operation. Yet, somewhat to his surprise, there was none of that instead after a moment of minor sensory disorientation – mostly the world seeming to phase out and then in again two or three times as the fold bubble formed around the station and stabilized – there was nothing but a faint vibration in the deck to indicate that they were moving. Is this what space folds are really supposed to feel like, he thought a moment before the sensory disorientation momentarily returned and the vibration in the deck ceased.

"Fold jump complete," Claudia reported. "Commencing fold drive cool down and repower cycle. We'll be ready to fold again within two minutes."

"Vanessa, where are we?" Gloval asked.

Vanessa checked her console readouts. "We're in the Vega system sir right where we expected to be," she reported. "No other vessels detected within sensor range."

"Then we're alone here good," Gloval replied. "Sammy inform Captain Ramirez that he and the Artemis are clear to launch. Wish them good luck and god speed."

"Aye sir."


Bridge

UES Artemis

Captain Anton Ramirez felt like he had rattlesnakes in his stomach as he sat in the command chair on the bridge of his new ship waiting for the order to launch. He believed that he had very good reason to be nervous as this would be the first time that Artemis would really feel space around her hull, the first time ever her enhanced ion fusion engines would propel her forward through space – well once they were clear of the station that was as the stations own internal navigational beams would guide her out – and the first time she would ever fold space. Thus, despite all the checks they'd done since the station finished building her, all the simulations and live power up tests they'd done, there was still a chance – albeit a very remote one – that the ship would not fly.

Personally, he hoped everything went well. The Artemis was a beautiful vessel one that despite being a hell of a lot smaller than his previous command, which alongside the Prometheus had long since been disengaged from the SDF-1 and recycled by the stations automated systems, she was by far the superior vessel. In fact if everything they'd learned about the tech this station was capable of building was true – and he had no reason to believe it was not – then the Artemis was the second most advanced vessel in the Terran fleet next to the SDF-1 herself. Though if everything does work as promised and if the brass back home like this ship then she won't be the only one of her kind for long, he thought knowing that Gloval and Dr Lang had already set aside a dozen small capital ship construction bays ready to build more Artemis-class frigates. And that wasn't the only design they'd thought up and were planning to build when they got enough resources to do so – which was another reason to move the station as between repairing/rebuilding and refitting the SDF-1 and constructing the Artemis the stations ready source of raw materials was getting a little low so they needed to move somewhere with a plentiful supply of raw materials that the automated mining fleet packed into specialised bays could be turned loose upon – they had a number of other designs in the works. Including a larger destroyer version of the Artemis alongside cruisers, a new battleship/carrier hybrid type and of course more battlefortress-type vessels.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a bleep from the communications station. He looked over, not for the first time appreciating the new bridge design that placed him on an elevated platform at the back of the bridge allowing him a full oversight of all the stations as well as putting all the various holographic screens floating in the air at his eye-level, as the officer there listened on his headset to what was certainly a call from the operations centre. A second later the officer looked up at him.

"Sir operations reports that the first space fold is completed, and we have been given clearance to launch," Ensign David Bellwether reported. "Captain Gloval wishes us good luck and god speed."

"Acknowledge that and thank him for me."

"Aye sir."

"Operations disengage all umbilical's and mooring beams. Helmsman initiate launch sequence. As soon as the station's systems release us engage sublight engines at thirty percent power until we're clear of the stations fold perimeter. Then commence computations for the space fold home, set destination coordinates for the Lagranian Point between the moon and Earth."

"Aye sir," came the replies from the respective officers in their recessed control stations. After a moment there came a few dull thuds and the odd shiver in the deck as the umbilical lines physically connecting the Artemis to the interior of the factory station disengaged and retracted into the wall of the bay where she had been built. Simultaneously beams of focused gravimagnetic force that had kept the frigate immobile in the bay disengaged leaving her floating free.

"Sir all umbilical lines and mooring beams disengaged," Lieutenant Maseko reported from the combined operations/engineering station. "We are now floating free in the bay, final launch sequence commencing."


For a few moments the Artemis continued to float freely in the zero-gravity environment of her construction bay, then an invisible beam of gravimagnetic force locked onto the stern of the frigate and gently began to pull her out of the bay and into the main central core shaft of the station. Lights cast shimmering iridescent arcs over the polished bluish-white hull of the small, but surprisingly powerful, warship making her practically seem to glow as she left her cradle. Within seconds she was completely out of the bay and slowly began to turn as additional beams locked on and began to carefully align her with the closest departure tunnel.

Now aligned, bow facing the tunnel entrance the first series of beams disengaged and for several nanoseconds the Artemis floated free where she was. Then new beams from the sides of the vaguely octagonal tunnel locked onto her and began to gently pull her along the smooth metal lined tunnel towards the outside world. For the next five and half minutes she cruised slowly down the tunnel entirely at the mercy of the stations automated launching/docking systems before the massive doors that blocked her access to the space beyond the station's dense reinforced hull came into view. Silently, and with surprising speed for such massive slabs of metal, the space doors opened allowing the frigate her first ever glimpse of the stars that would in a few more moments become her home.

Seconds after the doors opened the Artemis was gliding past them slipping out into open space. The beams guiding her disengaged but not before giving her a single final push to fully clear the space doors. Immediately the doors began to close as the fledgling space warship glided forward on the inertia imparted by the beams final gentle, if firm, shove away.

But only for a few seconds as abruptly three white-blue stars burst into existence at her stern as both her main ion fusion engine and the two small secondary ion fusion engines came to life for the first-time sending streams of superheated ions into space. The Artemis accelerated smoothly gliding away from where she had been born letting the station fall away behind her.


"We are clearing the stations fold perimeter now captain," Lieutenant Stuart Hawk reported from the helmsman's position on the Artemis bridge. "Hyperspace fold computations are in progress and should be completed momentarily. Engineering reports the fold drive is online and all readouts are in the green."

"Very good. Lieutenant Maseko how are the sublight engines holding up," Ramirez asked.

"Sir the sublight engines are working perfectly. Core temperatures are well in the green and the ion fusion rate is remaining consistent," Maseko replied.

"Outstanding," Ramirez muttered to himself impressed by how the ship seemed to be holding up in her maiden flight.

"Sir initial hyperspace fold computations are complete and are currently undergoing verification," Hawk called out. "We're also picking up increasing power emissions from the space station, their fold drives are coming back online."

"Exactly as planned. As soon as we fold out they'll be commencing a series of fold operations themselves until they arrive at their final set of destination coordinates," Ramirez explained to his bridge crew as he heard clear surprise and confusion in Lieutenant Hawk's voice when the much younger man, who was barely out of his teens, reported that the stations fold systems were powering back up. "Just after the SDF-1 brought us to the station we came across information that indicated that the Zentraedi have a technology that enables them to track a fold sphere through hyperspace to its destination. The same information also revealed that executing multiple folds in succession and over varying distances can confuse the Zentraedi tracking technology making it far more difficult for the giants to track you down."

"I see sir," Hawk replied nodding in understanding, well as much as any of them could understand how space folding technology worked. Like most of the advanced sciences that the SDF-1 had exposed them to when she'd crashed into Macross Island a decade ago, sciences that they referred to by the catch all term of robotechnology, it would take them decades if not a century or so to truly understand the physics involved in bending and folding the space-time continuum to create hyperspatial wormholes allowing FTL travel.

At that moment his console came to life again. "Sir hyperspace fold computations have been verified as correct. Fold system fully charged and ready," he reported. "Estimated travel time to Sol five minutes."

"Very well take us home lieutenant."

"Aye sir," Hawk replied before he pressed the controls on his console to begin the hyperspace folding process. For a moment nothing happened then a thrum of indescribable power ran through the frigate and as with the people on the station everyone on the bridge saw reality momentarily seemed to fade out then fade in again as the fold sphere formed around the ship before submerging them into hyperspace.

The Artemis, and her handpicked crew, were on their way home.


Operations Centre

Robotech Factory Station

Captain Henry Gloval smiled as he observed the Artemis pulling away from the station, the sensors confirming that everything was well with the newbuilt frigate as she moved clear of the fold perimeter. It was beyond pleasing to find that nothing had gone wrong with the stations automated construction facilities, pleasing and amazing that they had been able to build something as complex as an interstellar warship without any errors whatsoever showing in the ship. Lisa was right this station is a game changer for us, he thought.

"Sir the Artemis' fold drive is powering up," Vanessa reported.

"Let me know when they fold out Vanessa," Gloval ordered.

"Yes sir."

"Claudia what's the status of our own fold system?"

"Sir the hyperspace fold system is fully recharged and ready to engage," Claudia replied, "we're just completing the computations for the sequential fold operations to the Flame Nebula."

"Very good. As soon as the Artemis folds out commence our own fold operations immediately, you need not wait for my order."

"Aye sir."

"Sir the Artemis is initiating her space fold," Vanessa called out.

"Thank you, Vanessa," Gloval acknowledged as he looked back at the window on the main holographic display showing the Artemis. Just in time to see a blue gyroscope of energy flare into existence around the frigate before nearly instantaneously transforming into an energy field that looked for all the world like a whirling ball of frosted glass. Nearly instantly the fold sphere began to contract, taking the ship within with it, before it was scarcely bigger than a standard tennis ball, then it shot away and disappeared into the ether.

Artemis was gone, speeding through hyperspace on her way home to Sol.

"Claudia how long will our sequence of fold operations take to complete," Gloval asked turning his full attention back to the task at hand.

"Factoring in the planned number of jumps as well as drive cool down and repower times approximately two and a half hours sir," Claudia replied.

"Understood. I'll be in the ready room working through some of my paperwork. Lisa you have the deck here, though contact Dr Lang and tell him I would like a meeting with him as soon as possible. Claudia contact me once the fold sequences are complete."

"Aye sir," Claudia and Lisa both acknowledged before turning to their assigned tasks. Gloval for his part turned and departed the operations centre for the nearby office that he had turned into his ready room. He did after all have a ton of paperwork – or rather its modern electronic descendant – to get through, some of which would be interesting as it involved a number of new ideas and designs submitted to him by Dr Lang and his robotechnologists for his consideration, but most of which wouldn't be. Unfortunately, such bureaucracy came part and parcel with his position both as the SDF-1's master but the current default superintendent of this factory station. Thus, it was something to be endured and not enjoyed.

As he walked, he found his thoughts turning the Artemis and what would hopefully happen when she arrived back home in Sol. With the prospect of getting their mitts on this stations incredible technology they shouldn't experience too much trouble from Senator Russo and his military-industrial technocrat friends, the military certainly wouldn't mind getting their hands on this place given its sheer potential to build fleets of warships and veritech fighters faster – potentially at least – than they could recruit and train the people to man them. Of course the appearance of the new frigate would certainly initially set the cat among the pigeons with what was left of their own fleet after the battle with Breetai and Gloval allowed himself a small smile as he imagined the surprise that his fellow seamen turned spacers would experience when the Artemis defolded right in their midst.

He almost wished he could be there to see it.


Authors Note: Well another chapter bites the metaphorical dust. Though Gloval is worried about how the people back home will react when the Artemis shows up in Sol – something that will be shown in the next chapter – he believes he has every reason to as unlike you my readers he doesn't yet know that Senator Russo is dead and that the balance of power among the defence councils has radically changed in the time since the SDF-1 first space folded to escape the Zentraedi attack on Macross Island.

The next chapter is probably going to take me a few weeks to write though especially as I want to get a new chapter for A Left Turn at Albuquerque done first. We will have to see. Until then stay safe.