The first thing Dave did once he got out of the infirmary was to find a directory monitor and locate Mimi. Dave's injuries were a matter to laugh at, just a bump or bruise or two when he fell on the decking. Luke took a face shot against a bulkhead and received a bloody nose, he's still behind with Ben who is having his head looked at after he took a blow to it when he hit a bulkhead as well.
"Monroe, you busy later," Max asked. Lucky Max, he was the only one of the four who didn't take a bump.
"I'm not sure, I'm going to see Mimi now," Dave said as he scrolled the screen down until he located his girlfriend's designated cabin, "but I'll tell you what, let me give you a page later, okay?"
"Sure, catch you later," Max said with a slight wave as he hailed a shuttle.
Dave watched as his friend got into the shuttle and then marveled at what a good job the scientists did when they reconstructed the ship. In the belly of this beast there was a smaller version of Macross city. A park has been placed in the center of storefronts and apartments while an amphitheater stood off to the other side. The small town was large enough for shuttles and electric cars to drive through the streets to get to the other side of the ship to the other. Even the sky existed here. Sure it's merely a trick of lighting and holograms but sunrises and sunsets exist so do clouds that drift across the sky with a brilliant sun which changes into a moon when night sets in. Even stars twinkle from their projectors. But for those who wanted to see the real sky could head over to the observation deck and stare out the large panels of reinforced glass and look at the marvels of deep space. The view outside is beautiful, the Macross is orbiting Pluto until engineering can repair some of the damage it received during the spacefold.
"Match found," the automated voice came from the directory, "Rogers, Mimi, cabin two four five zero. Would you like a shuttle to take you to your destination?"
"Yes," Dave said.
"Paging shuttle, have a good day," the voice said once more before the monitor went down.
Dave stood aside the sidewalk and waited for his shuttle to arrive. His bruises don't hurt any more but he did have this weight on his shoulders. The weight of responsibility loomed over him. He is a fighter pilot in war time, he must assure everyone on board that they will make it back home. Also, after his first combat session he felt this coldness set in on him, a feeling of mortality. He knew that if it happened, he could quite possibly die in this war.
Dave waited at the directory for what he thought was an eternity. The last time he saw his girlfriend was before all hell broke loose down on Earth. He wanted to know if she made it okay to the Macross.
The shuttle rolled up and the doors hissed open hydraulically. The automated transport instructed Dave to get on board. Once he did the door once again hissed and then sealed itself. The electric engine revved as the shuttle drove around the park to connect to a bridge leading to the upper section of the town. Within moments Dave was dropped off before an apartment style cabin. A little garden trimmed the exterior up to the end of the sidewalk. The complex was named Andromeda Terraces.
Dave walked up the front walkway and climbed a small flight of stairs to the front door of the apartment. He then followed the hallway down to the end of a hallway where he turn down another corridor until he found her room number.
He pressed the doorbell.
Seconds later the door slid open and there she stood, five five, long blonde hair, sweet smile, and the most amazing sapphire blue eyes. Mimi was so glad to see her boyfriend at her door. She nearly burst into tears right then and there but she opted to hug him and attack him with kisses. Dave lifted her into his arms and they stepped inside where he sat her into a couch.
"Oh Dave, I was so worried," Mimi started, "once that fight broke out and we were being escorted to the Macross I saw all your jets fighting these other kinds of jets, I saw explosions, I was so afraid that you'd be hurt or worse."
"I felt so scared too when I was up there," replied Dave, "I thought I'd never see you again. I didn't know that they evacuated the city and I never attacked another pilot before until earlier today."
"I'm so glad you're all right," she confessed and she got back up and clung on to him some more.
"Me too, baby," Dave said as he rest his head on top of hers.
After a moment of silence, Mimi asked, "Where's Luke?"
"Still being checked by the nurse, he fell and hit his nose on the bulkead of the ship when we took off," Dave explained.
"What's a bulkhead," Mimi asked.
Dave chuckled a little bit and then he step back a little to look into her blue eyes, "I'll have to show you, it's part of a ship."
The two continued their embrace longer.
"Where did it go," Breetai questioned aloud to his bridge crew.
"Lord Breetai," one of the officers started as he stared up at his impressive looking superior, "It's possible that they may still be in this system. Our scans are indicating a small object orbiting the ninth planet. It could me a small moon or a comet perhaps, we are still performing longer ranged scans for better detail."
Breetai looked down from his command post and felt anger at the words of his officer. How could this mission have possibly go wrong. A mighty Zentraedi fleet waits in orbit of this little blue world and all they had to do was land on the planet's surface and retrieve the ship. Kamjin, himself, led some of his finest pilots on a raiding mission. The ship had been refitted, it looked like, and it appeared that the new allies of the ship's people had modify it to have a more vulnerable hull and ineffective weaponry. Even these new warriors lacked the will of a true fighter.
"M'lord, what are we to do," Exedore asked. The disfigured and shorter Zentraedi asked as he moved beside his ally.
Breetai weighed the gamble of leading the fleet back to the ninth planet. If they continue to leap at shadows they may never find the damned ship. Then again, should his judgment be wrong and they did return to the furthest planet out then that would give the ship more distance from the fleet.
"M'lord, what shall I tell Lord Dolza," Exedore brought up.
"Tell him that the ship had eluded us by spacefolding. We are in pursuit of the vessel which is orbiting the farthest planet out in this solar system," Breetai said with a sense of dread. What if he was wrong and they lose the ship once more, Lord Dolza would have his head. Breetai thought about that over and over again and then decided that the gamble will pay off, if not, he would find happiness in the after life where he will drink all night, fight all day, and be reunited with his favorite warriors who had died before him.
"Very good, m'lord," even Exedore felt that if this does not pay off, then something serious will happen.
The hunchbacked Zentraedi limped off the command post and made his way to a private chamber where he could contact Lord Dolza and explain to him the situation.
"Helmsman, plot a course to the ninth planet," Breetai started, "engineering, give me full power."
The fleet orbiting Earth came to life once more as the hulks moved into a proper course for Pluto. The Zentraedi navy is truly an awesome sight here in cold space. More impressive is the damage they can do. The wreckage of the ARMD 1 platform drifts away in the gravity peacefully as the lumbering alien vessels cruise into course for the Macross.
Dave and Mimi spent the whole "day" strolling through Macross' park and venders' row. They got a bite to eat at this Italian restaurant and then watched the hologram set into nightfall.
"Hey, have you seen the observation deck yet," Dave asked.
Mimi, looking up from his arms smiled warmly, "No, not yet."
The two paged a shuttle and it took them to the observation deck. There was another park here, smaller and it overlooked the town from balconies. On the other side was a magnificent view of a starry panorama and a giant blue sphere nearly below the ship. Pluto. Dozens of people were here and they moved their way to the front and peered out into space. It seemed so unreal at first to both Dave and Mimi, neither of them have ever been to space before in their lives. Neither of them had gone out of the country except for a senior class vacation to Tijuana once and that was it. Dave had never been in a plane before to fly anywhere, but now he's a fighter pilot who's been to the other end of the solar system.
"Isn't it beautiful," Mimi said as she stepped out of the shuttle. She was definitely struck by the vista and she drew closer to the sight. Dave followed closely behind, his hand returning her grasp.
There were so many stars out there, more than Dave had ever seen being raised in the cities of Southern California. He camped out a few times and seen a lot of stars, but that pales in comparison to this sight of space. He looked out the window in search of home but it was drowned out by the great distance between Pluto and Earth. He looked around hoping to see if he could find any familiar constellation but he couldn't. There were so many stars and so far away from the Earth that it just looked like a random field of white pinpricks against a black backdrop, which, of course, they are.
Mimi inched her way closer and closer still to the window where many stood. She was still drawn in and moved a bit closer and closer still. And then she gave in and reached out and felt the window. It was such a thrill. Her field of vision way enveloped by space, she truly felt like she was in space now. She looked down at Pluto and realized how close they are and yet so how far away they are from the planet. She looked out and tried to find home but she couldn't see that far. But the more she tried the more she remembered home. She remembered growing up on the coast as a child and then her parents moving into the valley. She grew up and went to school and found a hobby in acting. She became an actress in her high school and she met Dave, the rebellious punk kid who was always making mischief on campus. He took her by surprised, she thought that he was a total clown and didn't take him serious and then she got to know him a little bit more and then she just fell for him. And here they are now, together in the heavens looking down at Earth somewhere out there.
"It's so romantic," she whispered.
Dave wrapped his arms around her and looked out into space, seeing their reflection in the glass. He thought he had seen the most beautiful image when he saw their reflection against the stars.
"I love you Dave," she told him.
"I love you too," he said.
"Hey you two," Luke called as he and his highschool sweetie, Kelly ran up.
Luke looked ridiculous with his nose bandaged up but his confidence made up for it. Dave laughed at his good friend and the four hugged each other.
"Hey, guys, let's get our picture taken," Luke said. He flagged down an imaging robot which wheeled over to them. It zoomed in on the four friends against the backdrop of space and it took a very memorable image. Four copies printed out from it's side. Luke took them and the little robot wheeled over to another couple.
The four friends took a look at them together. Friends since high school, Dave and Luke, the bad boys on campus and Mimi and Kelly, an actress and the other a cheerleader. It was a beautiful picture with Pluto behind them. Many people back home will be so jealous of them.
"How are you guys," Mimi asked, very happy to see that Max is still alive, banged up, but alive. And that's when she noticed his nose, "Oh my gosh, Luke."
"It's fine, I hit it on the bulkhead," he said.
"Dave told me all about it, but what is it," she asked.
"Wise guy here broke it, he fell down and broke it," Kelly butted in and the three of them laughed as Luke turned red a little.
"I'm sorry man, but you're going to look back at this and laugh," Dave assured.
"Right," Luke huffed.
"So where are you guys off to after this," Luke asked.
Mimi squeezed Dave and the two rocked back.
"I don't know what do you guys have in mind," Dave asked.
The two couples sat around Mimi's table where the girls watched their guys play dominoes. As soon as one guy got ahead there's be a celebration from one side and trash talking being done from the other side. This had been a pastime that Dave and Luke shared. They use to always play dominoes. Where most kids were playing with video games or card games Dav and Luke brought domioes to school. Their first part time jobs were over spring break and they both saved up enough money to get themselves a real good set each. Tonight they were using Luke's, his were fashioned from a green and white marble and the numbers where done in Roman numerals.
The night went on and they foursome talked about good times back on Earth and how exciting that this whole situation will be. At first they were all afraid of the war that was going on around them and then they found comfort in traveling through space. No one has ever flown out to Pluto and back again. The Macross had the power to do that. No one knows where its origins are from, all they know is that it is capable of deep space travel. This may have come from another galaxy or even another universe.
"Monroe, you busy later," Max asked. Lucky Max, he was the only one of the four who didn't take a bump.
"I'm not sure, I'm going to see Mimi now," Dave said as he scrolled the screen down until he located his girlfriend's designated cabin, "but I'll tell you what, let me give you a page later, okay?"
"Sure, catch you later," Max said with a slight wave as he hailed a shuttle.
Dave watched as his friend got into the shuttle and then marveled at what a good job the scientists did when they reconstructed the ship. In the belly of this beast there was a smaller version of Macross city. A park has been placed in the center of storefronts and apartments while an amphitheater stood off to the other side. The small town was large enough for shuttles and electric cars to drive through the streets to get to the other side of the ship to the other. Even the sky existed here. Sure it's merely a trick of lighting and holograms but sunrises and sunsets exist so do clouds that drift across the sky with a brilliant sun which changes into a moon when night sets in. Even stars twinkle from their projectors. But for those who wanted to see the real sky could head over to the observation deck and stare out the large panels of reinforced glass and look at the marvels of deep space. The view outside is beautiful, the Macross is orbiting Pluto until engineering can repair some of the damage it received during the spacefold.
"Match found," the automated voice came from the directory, "Rogers, Mimi, cabin two four five zero. Would you like a shuttle to take you to your destination?"
"Yes," Dave said.
"Paging shuttle, have a good day," the voice said once more before the monitor went down.
Dave stood aside the sidewalk and waited for his shuttle to arrive. His bruises don't hurt any more but he did have this weight on his shoulders. The weight of responsibility loomed over him. He is a fighter pilot in war time, he must assure everyone on board that they will make it back home. Also, after his first combat session he felt this coldness set in on him, a feeling of mortality. He knew that if it happened, he could quite possibly die in this war.
Dave waited at the directory for what he thought was an eternity. The last time he saw his girlfriend was before all hell broke loose down on Earth. He wanted to know if she made it okay to the Macross.
The shuttle rolled up and the doors hissed open hydraulically. The automated transport instructed Dave to get on board. Once he did the door once again hissed and then sealed itself. The electric engine revved as the shuttle drove around the park to connect to a bridge leading to the upper section of the town. Within moments Dave was dropped off before an apartment style cabin. A little garden trimmed the exterior up to the end of the sidewalk. The complex was named Andromeda Terraces.
Dave walked up the front walkway and climbed a small flight of stairs to the front door of the apartment. He then followed the hallway down to the end of a hallway where he turn down another corridor until he found her room number.
He pressed the doorbell.
Seconds later the door slid open and there she stood, five five, long blonde hair, sweet smile, and the most amazing sapphire blue eyes. Mimi was so glad to see her boyfriend at her door. She nearly burst into tears right then and there but she opted to hug him and attack him with kisses. Dave lifted her into his arms and they stepped inside where he sat her into a couch.
"Oh Dave, I was so worried," Mimi started, "once that fight broke out and we were being escorted to the Macross I saw all your jets fighting these other kinds of jets, I saw explosions, I was so afraid that you'd be hurt or worse."
"I felt so scared too when I was up there," replied Dave, "I thought I'd never see you again. I didn't know that they evacuated the city and I never attacked another pilot before until earlier today."
"I'm so glad you're all right," she confessed and she got back up and clung on to him some more.
"Me too, baby," Dave said as he rest his head on top of hers.
After a moment of silence, Mimi asked, "Where's Luke?"
"Still being checked by the nurse, he fell and hit his nose on the bulkead of the ship when we took off," Dave explained.
"What's a bulkhead," Mimi asked.
Dave chuckled a little bit and then he step back a little to look into her blue eyes, "I'll have to show you, it's part of a ship."
The two continued their embrace longer.
"Where did it go," Breetai questioned aloud to his bridge crew.
"Lord Breetai," one of the officers started as he stared up at his impressive looking superior, "It's possible that they may still be in this system. Our scans are indicating a small object orbiting the ninth planet. It could me a small moon or a comet perhaps, we are still performing longer ranged scans for better detail."
Breetai looked down from his command post and felt anger at the words of his officer. How could this mission have possibly go wrong. A mighty Zentraedi fleet waits in orbit of this little blue world and all they had to do was land on the planet's surface and retrieve the ship. Kamjin, himself, led some of his finest pilots on a raiding mission. The ship had been refitted, it looked like, and it appeared that the new allies of the ship's people had modify it to have a more vulnerable hull and ineffective weaponry. Even these new warriors lacked the will of a true fighter.
"M'lord, what are we to do," Exedore asked. The disfigured and shorter Zentraedi asked as he moved beside his ally.
Breetai weighed the gamble of leading the fleet back to the ninth planet. If they continue to leap at shadows they may never find the damned ship. Then again, should his judgment be wrong and they did return to the furthest planet out then that would give the ship more distance from the fleet.
"M'lord, what shall I tell Lord Dolza," Exedore brought up.
"Tell him that the ship had eluded us by spacefolding. We are in pursuit of the vessel which is orbiting the farthest planet out in this solar system," Breetai said with a sense of dread. What if he was wrong and they lose the ship once more, Lord Dolza would have his head. Breetai thought about that over and over again and then decided that the gamble will pay off, if not, he would find happiness in the after life where he will drink all night, fight all day, and be reunited with his favorite warriors who had died before him.
"Very good, m'lord," even Exedore felt that if this does not pay off, then something serious will happen.
The hunchbacked Zentraedi limped off the command post and made his way to a private chamber where he could contact Lord Dolza and explain to him the situation.
"Helmsman, plot a course to the ninth planet," Breetai started, "engineering, give me full power."
The fleet orbiting Earth came to life once more as the hulks moved into a proper course for Pluto. The Zentraedi navy is truly an awesome sight here in cold space. More impressive is the damage they can do. The wreckage of the ARMD 1 platform drifts away in the gravity peacefully as the lumbering alien vessels cruise into course for the Macross.
Dave and Mimi spent the whole "day" strolling through Macross' park and venders' row. They got a bite to eat at this Italian restaurant and then watched the hologram set into nightfall.
"Hey, have you seen the observation deck yet," Dave asked.
Mimi, looking up from his arms smiled warmly, "No, not yet."
The two paged a shuttle and it took them to the observation deck. There was another park here, smaller and it overlooked the town from balconies. On the other side was a magnificent view of a starry panorama and a giant blue sphere nearly below the ship. Pluto. Dozens of people were here and they moved their way to the front and peered out into space. It seemed so unreal at first to both Dave and Mimi, neither of them have ever been to space before in their lives. Neither of them had gone out of the country except for a senior class vacation to Tijuana once and that was it. Dave had never been in a plane before to fly anywhere, but now he's a fighter pilot who's been to the other end of the solar system.
"Isn't it beautiful," Mimi said as she stepped out of the shuttle. She was definitely struck by the vista and she drew closer to the sight. Dave followed closely behind, his hand returning her grasp.
There were so many stars out there, more than Dave had ever seen being raised in the cities of Southern California. He camped out a few times and seen a lot of stars, but that pales in comparison to this sight of space. He looked out the window in search of home but it was drowned out by the great distance between Pluto and Earth. He looked around hoping to see if he could find any familiar constellation but he couldn't. There were so many stars and so far away from the Earth that it just looked like a random field of white pinpricks against a black backdrop, which, of course, they are.
Mimi inched her way closer and closer still to the window where many stood. She was still drawn in and moved a bit closer and closer still. And then she gave in and reached out and felt the window. It was such a thrill. Her field of vision way enveloped by space, she truly felt like she was in space now. She looked down at Pluto and realized how close they are and yet so how far away they are from the planet. She looked out and tried to find home but she couldn't see that far. But the more she tried the more she remembered home. She remembered growing up on the coast as a child and then her parents moving into the valley. She grew up and went to school and found a hobby in acting. She became an actress in her high school and she met Dave, the rebellious punk kid who was always making mischief on campus. He took her by surprised, she thought that he was a total clown and didn't take him serious and then she got to know him a little bit more and then she just fell for him. And here they are now, together in the heavens looking down at Earth somewhere out there.
"It's so romantic," she whispered.
Dave wrapped his arms around her and looked out into space, seeing their reflection in the glass. He thought he had seen the most beautiful image when he saw their reflection against the stars.
"I love you Dave," she told him.
"I love you too," he said.
"Hey you two," Luke called as he and his highschool sweetie, Kelly ran up.
Luke looked ridiculous with his nose bandaged up but his confidence made up for it. Dave laughed at his good friend and the four hugged each other.
"Hey, guys, let's get our picture taken," Luke said. He flagged down an imaging robot which wheeled over to them. It zoomed in on the four friends against the backdrop of space and it took a very memorable image. Four copies printed out from it's side. Luke took them and the little robot wheeled over to another couple.
The four friends took a look at them together. Friends since high school, Dave and Luke, the bad boys on campus and Mimi and Kelly, an actress and the other a cheerleader. It was a beautiful picture with Pluto behind them. Many people back home will be so jealous of them.
"How are you guys," Mimi asked, very happy to see that Max is still alive, banged up, but alive. And that's when she noticed his nose, "Oh my gosh, Luke."
"It's fine, I hit it on the bulkhead," he said.
"Dave told me all about it, but what is it," she asked.
"Wise guy here broke it, he fell down and broke it," Kelly butted in and the three of them laughed as Luke turned red a little.
"I'm sorry man, but you're going to look back at this and laugh," Dave assured.
"Right," Luke huffed.
"So where are you guys off to after this," Luke asked.
Mimi squeezed Dave and the two rocked back.
"I don't know what do you guys have in mind," Dave asked.
The two couples sat around Mimi's table where the girls watched their guys play dominoes. As soon as one guy got ahead there's be a celebration from one side and trash talking being done from the other side. This had been a pastime that Dave and Luke shared. They use to always play dominoes. Where most kids were playing with video games or card games Dav and Luke brought domioes to school. Their first part time jobs were over spring break and they both saved up enough money to get themselves a real good set each. Tonight they were using Luke's, his were fashioned from a green and white marble and the numbers where done in Roman numerals.
The night went on and they foursome talked about good times back on Earth and how exciting that this whole situation will be. At first they were all afraid of the war that was going on around them and then they found comfort in traveling through space. No one has ever flown out to Pluto and back again. The Macross had the power to do that. No one knows where its origins are from, all they know is that it is capable of deep space travel. This may have come from another galaxy or even another universe.