Episode 15: Opteran Skies Above
[Episode Begins with Robotech3: Dark Odyssey theme and scenes from the previous episode.]
Narrator[VO]: In our last episode of Robotech3: Dark Odyssey, the REF have reached the Invid homeworld of Optera. The fighting between the REF and the Invid Collective grows intense as casualties of both sides grows catastrophically. General Rick Hunter and his command staff then create an offensive strategy to counteract the Invid Collective. During a campaign, an Invid Kulagi ace named Ocampa'Shea, also known as the Red Barron, started to attack REF troops and allies and was finally defeated by Skull Squadron pilot Roy Hunter. Then a new conflict rose from within the structure of the Invid Collective's invasion force.
[Scene opens to a room with Ocampa'Shea and two holograms of the Regent and Regis. Ocampa'Shea bows to them.]
Ocampa'Shea: Milord and lady. The enemy is dwindling our forces here on parallel Optera, we need reinforcements from the homeworld.
Regent[angry]: So what you are saying is that the 4th Collective Invasion Armada, the pride and joy of the entire Invid Collective, needs assistance from enemy forces?![Ocampa'Shea quakes and shivers from the angry, thundering voice of his leader.] This is unforgivable, how can this happen?
Regis[Crooned her husband]: Think calmly Regent. [Turns towards the kulagi.] Ocampa'Shea, I do not believe it is logical and wise to continue to fight a losing battle. But, it is also not wise to believe that the enemy thinks of you weak. Prepare for a final battle and destroy this planet. It has been nothing but a waste of time.[The hologram of Regis dissipates. Regent looks towards Ocampa'Shea.]
Ocampa'Shea: Do not fail us.[Regent's hologram dissipates and Ocampa'Shea is alone in the room. On the hangar bay of the Command Hive, Kimana boards a shuttle bound towards the hidden homeworld where the 125th Defense Swarm, and her fate, awaited her. Her ex-comrades, Shuo and Katough, treat her as a low class Invid. As nothing. She looks back one more time before descending into the shuttle.]
Kimana[Thinking]: Why am I what I am, why?[The shuttle jolts and then lifts from the floor of the hangar bay and flies towards a capital ship. Inside the shuttle, Kimana looks out of a view port and she sees the reflection of Ocampa'Shea staring angrily at her.]
Ocampa'Shea[VO]: Sulagi Kimana, you have disobeyed my orders and violated the sacred combat between me and that human. I could have died a warrior's death, but instead you have deprived me of that and left me with this wounded body. How do you explain your actions?
Kimana[Thinking]: I can't, I don't know why I did it. I just don't.
Ocampa'Shea[VO]: Maybe you don't need to Sulagi. Several of your Sulagi comrades have observed strange behavior patters and poor judgment and concluded that some human emotion has contaminated you and is clouding your judgment. They say that your attraction of me is the reasoning of those misjudgments.
Kimana[Thinking]: It is, I don't know why, but I'm emotionally attracted to you. Why won't you return those attractions to me my lord?
Ocampa'Shea[VO]: This attraction of me must cease immediately. By saving me you could have risked the survival of the Invid Collective.
Kimana[Thinking]: I care less about the Collective when they are willing to sacrifice you. I care for you, I want you to survive.
Ocampa'Shea[VO]:The needs of the Collective outweigh the needs of my own survival, or in your case, your need for me to live. You must understand that I am a warrior. My destiny is to fight and die for the Regent and Regis, you cannot change that. So as punishment, I have assigned you to the 125th Defense Swarm in the homesystem. The Betrayers and dishonored, and you fit in both categories.
Kimana[Thinking]: Yes, I did betray your orders and dishonored both you and myself, but I did it out of- I don't know, something. I just don't want you to die.
Ocampa'Shea[VO]: You should be considered fortunate young Sulagi, for I could send you to the mentally infected Sulagi who have been contaminated by human emotions. From where which you will spend the last of your days. And I believe that living in dishonor will be a more fitting punishment than the traditional sentence of death. You will be leaving for the homesystem in the seventh call of the next solar cycle, be prepared to leave before then. Now leave me and my sight for the remaining length of your useless existence.
Kimana[Thinking]: Without you, my existance already ended. Please care for me. [Tears start to build in her eyes. A foreign trait for an Invid.]
Ocampa'Shea[VO]: Oh, and one last thing. Please remove those tears from your eyes, they sicken me. The Invid do not shed tears, is that understood!
Kimana[Thinking and crying.]: How can I when I assume this form. I don't want to leave you, I love-[Her train of though was interrupted when a strike team of REF Veritechs attacked the capitol ship she was to ride to the hidden homeworld. She didn't know how, but she strapped on a zero-g suit and hostile environment tank and entered an airlock. She went to her knees and prayed, another foreign trait.] Wise Haydon, wanderer of the stars and teacher of the Invid, give me the wish to end my existence. I do not wish to live out this miserable live of survival. I want to die, I want to end it all. [Just then, the airlock flew open and Kimana was sucked out and accelerated away from the doomed shuttle craft. After several seconds of enemy fire, the shuttle exploded and sending Kimana further away from the Invid. She closed her eyes and whispered before she blacked out.] I thank you, wise Haydon.
[A veritech spots the sulagi and approaches her and takes Kimana into the mecha's hands.]
Pilot1[VO]: Hey guys, look what I found! [Int. shot of Skull Squadron Hangar, Max and Miriya await for the arrival of a new pilot. Dana Sterling strolls towards her parents.]
Dana Sterling: So what are you two doing?
Miriya Sterling: We're waiting for the new pilot. [Dana's face starts to glow.]
Dana Sterling: A new pilot? This should be great. [Then a long shadow makes them notice the new pilot. The seven-foot tall Zandrini warrior Nujokolo of the Wukin clan. The Zandrini salutes.]
Nujokolo: Sir, Second Lieutenant Nujokolo of the Wukin clan reporting as ordered sir! [Max Sterling makes a weak salute from awe and surprise.] Sir, where am I stationed at sir?
Max Sterling: Um....Area 20, your custom Beta is waiting for you. [Nujokolo salutes and pivots towards the direction of the Beta.]
Dana Sterling: Hell, that guy's cute.
Max Sterling[surprised]: Dana?!
Dana Sterling: What?
Max Sterling: I'm not sure that that would work. For one thing, I hear that he's betrothed to that princess Kikia.
Dana Sterling: But left her right?
Max Sterling[changes the subject]: And two, I'm not sure that you two are....well.....compatible.
Miriya Sterling: Compatible?
Dana Sterling: What? You think that I'm going to lay him on our first date?
Max Sterling: No, that's not what I mean. [Dana lightly waves her hand in the air.]
Dana Sterling: Whatever, I don't do that until my third date, bye. [Dana turns towards the direction of Nujokolo and walks very quickly.]
Max Sterling: Alright, as long as- Hey, wait a minute! [Max Sterling chases after his daughter and Miriya could do nothing but shake her head. Shot of Macross street at an outside cafe, Lisa3 slowly drinks her cafe latté and thinks drearily thoughts. Flashback to some months ago, Parallel Karl Riber was being carried away from the soul transplant room. Lisa walks up to him.]
Lisa3: Karl, are you alright?
Parallel Karl Riber: What- Who are you?
Lisa3: It's me Karl, don't you remember me?[Parallel Karl Riber pushes her aside angrily.]
Parallel Karl Riber: Get away from me![Flashback ends, but Parallel Karl Riber's last sentence still echoes throughout her mind before someone distracted her train of thought.]
Karl Riber: Yo Liz, whatcha doing? [Lisa3 looks up to see Karl Riber standing next to her.]
Lisa3: Hello Karl, how have you been doing?
Karl Riber: Oh nothing much. Just being chased by angry invid soldiers, saw life flash before my eyes after every encounter, almost got killed by the enemy, same old same old. [Karl Riber then sees Lisa3's sadden eyes.] Your thinking of him aren't you?[She nods.] Well, I can't blame yah. You can't exactly forget your first love.[Just then, Karl Riber's badge/communicator beeped. He tapped it and a hologram of Rick Hunter appeared.] Karl Riber here, over.
Rick Hunter: I have a mission for you. Go to my office on the SDF-3A ASAP. [Hologram dissipates. Karl then turns towards Lisa3.]
Karl Riber: Gota go, business. [Lisa nods and waves at him as he leaves and putting on a fake smile. She wanted her Parallel Karl Riber again. Int. shot of Rick Hunter's office with Karl Riber standing at attention and saluting.] Sir, first Lieutenant Karl Riber reporting as ordered Sir. [Rick salutes back.] So what is it that you wanted me to do?
Rick Hunter: You got a covert operation to do in a parallel universe. This mission come straight from Pentagon. [Karl Riber was flabbergasted.]
Karl Riber: P-P-P-P-P-P-Pentagon?! It's that important?!
Rick Hunter: Judging from your reaction, I'd just have to assume so.
Karl Riber: Well then I'd better not screw this up or my ass is cooked. [Rick Hunter opens a holographic file.]
Rick Hunter: There have been rumors of the Crongus staging an attack upon a parallel universe.
Karl Riber: And as I stated in that report that we're reviewing "Rumors are not to be trusted."
Rick Hunter: This report's yours?
Karl Riber: Yah, got my name on it too. [Rick Hunter then looks at the report and was amused.]
Rick Hunter: So, your a part of UCE Intel?
Karl Riber: Combat Data Division, or Intel CDD for short.
Rick Hunter: So you know of the parallel universe that the Crongus are planning to attack?
Karl Riber: All I know is that it's an Earth Sphere universe.
Rick Hunter: Well, Pentagon has given you a mission to go to that universe and defend it against Crongus attacks without the natives knowledge to the best of your abilities. You are to be the head of a covert group that is to land upon the Earth. This will be your assigned mecha. [The hologram switches to a mecha that has a set of wing looking nacelles, a radar antenna that looks like a samurai's helmet crest, a huge shield and energy rifle, wide shoulder armor, and a green orb at the center of its chest.]

Karl Riber: Is that a Gundam?
Rick Hunter: You know what it is? [Karl nods.]
Karl Riber: I had some experience with the Mobile Suit design a while back.
Rick Hunter: Good, you'll need it in this mission. The Gundam's number is UCEG-01G W and its call sign is Gundam Wing, it's made of Neo Gundanuim, a stronger alloy than that universe's Gundanium and extremely light. It has bioneural circuitry for an extremely accurate reaction time and a crystalline computer core and has several strategically placed Energy Shield Devises implanted onto the Gundam and is armed with an Ion Vulcan Cannon on the head unit, Plasma Pulse Cannons in the shoulders, a Buster Beam Rifle that has a total of three fully charged shots that can take out an entire Super Dimensional Fortress with one shot, a Buster shield that has a jabbing head for attacks and stores and charges your Energy Blade, plus the Turbo Thrust system for limited speed and agility. This is a dimensional twin of your Second-in-command's Gundam, the XXXG-01G W, though very different. We will have to look for four more pilots for the other Gundams being constructed on the SDF-3A.
Karl Riber: Second-in-Command?
Rick Hunter: Yes, we've contacted a colonial rebel scientist named Dr. J in that universe and he's sent us his "Perfect Soldier" for your mission. [Rick then press a button on his intercom.] You may come in now. [Karl Riber turns around to see the door reveal a fifteen-year-old Japanese boy with brown hair, deep cobalt blue eyes, and is wearing a green tank top, black spandex pants, and yellow sneakers. He marches towards Rick Hunter's desk and salutes.]
Boy: Colony Rebel, code named Heero Yuy, reporting as ordered General Richard Hunter. [Rick Hunter salutes back and Karl Riber is surprised.]
Karl Riber: What the- He's barely old enough to join the military, how the fuck did he become my second-in-command?!
Rick Hunter: Calm down Riber, this teen is actually a highly skilled Mobile Suit pilot and all he needs is Crongus Combat Training.
Karl Riber: That little quirt? [Rick nods.] But- Oh well, Mission Accepted General Hunter Sir.[Both Karl and Heero salute to Rick Hunter and leave the office.]
[Screen then fades to a large training area for military personnel. Karl Riber and Heero Yuy are wearing UCE combat armor and Karl Riber was pressing several screen buttons on the touch pad council next to a hologram room.]
Karl Riber: Now this is the game plan, we are to work your way up from level 0 of Crongus battle ability all the way up until you're unable to reach further. You are to follow my strict orders and treat the simulation as reality and not an illusion, understood?
Heero Yuy: Yes sir.
Karl Riber: Oh and um, skip the formalities unless it a report, got it?
Heero Yuy: Yes.
Karl Riber: Okay then, lets vamoose. [The two enter the hologram arena and Heero Yuy starts his Crongus Battle Training. Many hours pass and Parallel Lisa walks up to the hologram arena entrance. She presses a com button.]
Parallel Lisa: Karl, it's me Lisa. How long are you going to be in there?
Karl Riber[VO]: Just thirty plus more minutes Lisa, my second-in-command's almost at level 10.
Parallel Lisa: I know, but what about the cafe that you were going to take me for our anniversary?
Karl Riber[VO]: Like I said, just a- What the- End Program! [Karl Riber rushes towards the entrance and pokes his head out.] Could you please repeat that?
Parallel Lisa: Our anniversary. [Karl Riber turns his head towards Heero Yuy still inside the hologram arena.]
Karl Riber: Yo Heero, time to go. Yah know where your bunking right?
Heero Yuy[VO]: Actually, I'm assigned to your quarters sir.
Karl Riber: What the- How the fuck did that happen?
Heero Yuy[VO]: General Hunter-
Karl Riber: Never mind, never mind. [Turns towards Parallel Lisa.] Sorry about that.
Parallel Lisa: That's okay love, it happens. [Karl Riber gives Parallel Lisa a peck on her cheek and the three walk away from the hologram arena.]
[Scene starts with an ext. shot of Invid Warships battling REF Capital Ships. Multiple Invid ships were obliterated and REF Capital Ships were highly damaged. Int. shot of SDF-3A Bridge.]
Rick Hunter: Drat, I didn't think that the Invid Collective would attack this early!
Bretai: True, the traffic reports of their ships were very misleading.
[Then there was an explosion near the shield perimeter and the entire bridge shook.]
First Officer Applegate: General Hunter sir we have multiple Scorpion Assault Carriers on a collision course towards us!
Rick Hunter: Turn us around and fire the Reflex Cannons and get some ships to help us.
First Officer Applegate: Yes sir.
Lisa "Hayes" Hunter: ...And get those Ikazuchi to sector Beta Nine by Zulu fourteen, those SDFC's need immediate back up! Get all forces in quadrant six to eight to pull back, we have a Photonic Cannon targeting that area.
[Ext. shot of SDF-3A with two Mobile Suits launching from the main hangar bay.]
Karl Riber: Guess now would be a good time to test out our Mobile Suits huh Heero.
Heero Yuy: Hn.
Karl Riber: Okay let's rock and roll! [Karl Riber then inserts a CD into a drive and the song, "Highway to the Danger Zone" played.] Hell, I love this song.
[Karl Riber's UCEG-01G W and Heero Yuy's XXXG-01G W accelerated towards one of the Invid Assault Carriers in a collision course towards the SDF-3A. The two Buster Rifles of the two Gundams both targeted the Carrier that was closest and fired, the Beam completely obliterated the carrier.]
Karl Riber: You take the left one, I'll take the right.
Heero Yuy: Yes sir.
[The two Gundams flanked and headed towards their targets with weapons blazing across space and holding off the Invid Assault Carriers until the SDF-3A's Reflex Cannons were charged.]
Karl Riber: Break off attack and get your ass out of here!
Heero Yuy: Ryoukai.
Karl Riber: Say that again?
Heero Yuy: Rodger.
Karl Riber: Oh.
[The two Gundams accelerated away from the path of the firing Reflex Cannon as it wiped out the remaining Invid Assault Carriers.]
Heero Yuy: Lieutenant Riber, we got a message from the SDF-1.
Karl Riber: Put it through.
[The message was barely audible as it played out on the communicator.]
Captain Gloval[VO]: This is....Henry J. Glov... of the SD....1 Macross.....need...assistance...please answer....distress...aid us...defenses...breached.
Karl Riber: This is Lieutenant Karl Riber to SDF-1, we are on our way to assist you.
Captain Gloval[VO]: Thank.....The Invid have over...our defenses.
Karl Riber: Right, we'll be there momentarily over and out. Heero, let's pump up the afterburners, they need our help over there.
Heero Yuy: Ryoukai.
[The Gundams accelerated towards the general direction of the SDF-1. After a minute passed, they find the SDF-1 surrounded by Invid Mecha and from the SDF-1's current contrition, they could not defend themselves.]
Karl Riber: Let's rock and roll! [Karl Riber increased his velocity and fired Plasma Pulse Cannons at the Invid to direct their attention while Heero Yuy sniped each Swarm leader that was within his range.]
Roy Fokker: Hey guys look, we got help.
Rick2: Who are they?
Roy Fokker: I don't know, but we appreciate their help.
Karl Riber[VO]: Don't mind if I do.
Rick2: Riber?
Karl Riber[VO]: Yep that's the name, don't wear it out. What do you think of this kind of hardware. [Karl fired the Buster Rifle at a Swarm of Invid Combat Troopers.]
Rick2: That's totally incredible.
Karl Riber: Watch your back!
Rick2: What? [Behind Rick2's Mustang was an Invid Assault Battloid. Rick2 turned sharply around and fired his gunpod which filled the Invid Mecha with holes before finally exploding.] Thanks Lieutenant.
Karl Riber: No prob.
Heero Yuy: Sir, something's happening to Parallel Optera.
Karl Riber: What? [Optera then started to quake as subspace waves started to crack at the surface of the planet and several Invid ships, both Collective and native, began to perform Hyperspace Folds away from the planet.] Shit, this entire battle was a trap! Get the SDF-3A on the line and tell them to go to Hyperspace Warp Immediately!
Heero Yuy: Ryoukai.
[After several moments, the REF fleet began to Warp away from the dieing planet.]
Captain Gloval[VO]: This is Captain Henry J. Gloval to unknown units, you are welcome to land aboard the Prometheus when we perform the Hyperspace Warp.
Karl Riber: This is Lieutenant Karl Riber, we really appreciate it.
[As the last ship Warps, the planet Optera explodes and leaving behind an asteroid field of planetary debris. Screen then fades to black.]
