Dave, grounded and now dumped by his highschool sweetheart, decided to go for a long walk. He started from the barracks and worked his way aft, heading into the makeshift city. Images of yesterday kept replaying in his head.


"How could you let me lose," Mimi shouted at Dave.

Dave went to Mimi and Kelly's cabin after the pageant. Kelly stepped out to let the two talk in private. Things were uncomfortably quiet within the cabin until Mimi blew up at the one she had loved and trusted.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, why are you putting this on me," Dave asked defensively as he brought his voice up. He had done little more than walk into her room and asked how she was doing, considering that she beet Jan Morris by one point but came under Minmei by one herself.

"I know that you were one of the judges and you voted for that geisha from the restaurant," Mimi screamed right into his face, "you are such a pig, you know that?"

"Who told you that I was a judge, huh? Was it Luke," Dave demanded of her.

"No, it wasn't Luke, I found out when I found your judge's pass in your jacket the other night in your room," Mimi stated and then backed away from Dave, heading into her bathroom.

"Oh no, you don't walk away from me like this," Dave screamed as he put his foot between the door and the threshold, once the automated door slid to his foot it slid back into the wall with its ordinary hiss.

"You're an asshole, David," Mimi screamed and beet on his chest with white knuckled, balled up fists.

Dave grabbed her fists and sat her down on the toilet. The door sealed behind them. He then stood in front of the door and stared down at her.

"You think I did this intentionally? You think I would have you enter a contest that I would vote against you? Is that what you think?"

"I've seen the way you flirt with that girl, you're in love with Minmei Lynn, admit it," Mimi said.

"You know, it's a wonder why I'm not with her because you're treating me like shit," Dave yelled and emphasized his anger by throwing her brush against the shower door. It made a loud noise as it rebound of the door and rolled on the floor by her feet.

"Get out, get the hell out of my room, get the hell out of my apartment, get the hell out of my life," she screamed as she charged at him.

"You know what, I'm glad we had this little talk, because I was getting sick and tired of this relationship. I'm not here to kiss your debutante ass any more, so get use to that, your highness," Dave said as he bolted out the door. After that little tantrum he went back to his barrack where he had some smuggled liquor hidden away.


So, after drinking a third of the bottle Dave walked down to the city. He found himself in the park and he decided to take a short rest beneath a tree so he could calm down. His head was spinning and his vision was blurry from the makeshift wine concocted of fermented fruits made by an acquaintance of Roy in Skull squadron.

"David, it is you," sounded a sweet and familiar little voice.

Dave carefully turned around so his head wouldn't spin too much out of control and he looked up to see Minmei. She was dressed somewhat like a schoolgirl with her pleated skirt and blouse. Her smile was warm and friendly and she fixed a stray strand of hair that fell over her eye. Dave struggled to his feet to greet his guest.

"Hi, Minmei, how are you," Dave asked and offered to shake her hand. She returned his handshake with a very light grip and she smiled.

"I feel like I'm on the top of the world right now, I am so excited that I am Miss Macross. Oh Dave, it was like a dream, being up in front of all those people, singing, dancing, having them adore me, I've never experienced anything like that before," Minmei said as she spun around in a pirouette and then stopped right before Dave once more, only she lost her footing and fell into him. He grabbed hold of her so she wouldn't slip and fall.

"Whoa, easy there, Miss Lynn, you might fall," Dave said with a slight smile.

"Oh, Dave," she began.

"Yeah," Dave asked as he moved a little closer.

"Have you seen Hikaru? He never made it to the show last night and I haven't heard from him for a while. I've been calling his room and leaving messages, but he hasn't returned any of them," Minmai asked in his arms.

Dave suddenly felt all of his excitement drain right then and there once he was reminded that she was with Hikaru Ichijo, the young upstart pilot who jumped ranks and is technically in charge of him. Only a few days ago did the younger officer challenge Dave in the pilots' lounge. He had no clue as to what set of Lieutenant Ichijo, even now.

"I haven't seen him at all, maybe he's on patrol or on guard duty," Dave offered.

"Poor baby," Minmei then said.

"What," Dave asked, looking down into her eyes again.

"Your head, you hurt it. I'm sorry, here I am going on and on about being Miss Macross and I didn't even notice that you've hurt your head," Minmei stated.

Dave absently brought a hand up to his hairline and felt his dressing. Even he forgot, at that moment, about the wound he received on Mars. But as he thinks about it now it does throb slightly, but then again that may be due to drinking.

"Oh, it's nothing, I got this on Mars," Dave shrugged off and led Minmei through the park by moving towards a manmade pond.

"You were on Mars, how exciting. I've never been to another planet before; I've never been in space before but now, here I am. Tell me all about it, Dave, Mars that is," Minmei said as she followed him towards the pond.

"Well, have you ever been to Arizona," Dave asked.

"No."

"Well," Dave laughed, "it's a lot like that. It's arid, rocky, sandy, they have beautiful plateaus, it's just a lot cooler than Arizona."

"I thought Mars would be hot, it's red," Minmei began.

"No, it's only red because of the copper in the atmosphere, it's actually rather cold, not that I would know, it's not like I got out and walked around or anything," Dave said as he took a seat at the edge of the pond.

"Wow, aren't we Mister Wizard," Minmei giggled, "you must have done very well in school."

"Actually, no, but I did watch a lot of science shows on TV," Dave added and laughed with her.


"I don't understand the function of this," one of the micronized Zentraedi, Konda, brought up as he examined his shirt at a closer inspection. Earlier the three spies had rummaged around came across some clothing in a discard pile below the decks. The clothes had been thrown out into the trash deck, waiting to be jettisoned.

"I want to say that these are ceremonial, but none of these micronians are fashioned in a set uniform, these are random collections of fabric put together for some strange reason, I just don't know what it is," Brom, their mission leader began.

"I agree, if this is merely ceremonial, then why do they wear this more than once, it's almost been more than a full day and they still wear this as opposed to uniforms or armor," the third, Rico, said.

The three stopped fiddling with their clothing as three micronian females walked by and giggled.

"Strange, are they talking," Konda asked, "are those words; ha, ha, ha, ha?"

"Is that a form of greeting, you believe, maybe they asked us for our cloning number, rank, and assignment," Rico added.

"It's not possible, the way they addressed it, these Meltran-like micronians, seemed very undisciplined, very unfit. See how that one smiles, maybe it was a taunt," Brom suggested as he watched the three girls round the corner. As they disappeared he noticed that one of them had waved their hand at them.

"Look sir, a challenge," Rico said in response to the gesture, "what should we do, confront her?"

"I do not understand their order of operation, are all of these micronians this offensive in their greetings or is this an outright challenge," Konda added.

"We can not represent any dishonor, we would be found out for sure," Brom stated before he led his team after the girls. As they rounded the corner they were shocked at what was laid out before them. There exists an entire landscape within the ship. Turf and rolling hillside with bridges and trees decorated the middle of this neon-lit city.

"Unbelievable, this is similar to their homeworld's surface. I read about this in Lord Kamjin's report," Brom said in awe.

"Look sir, the Meltran-like micronians are heading into the earthen place," Konda pointed out as he watched the three giggling girls head into the park.

"Proceed with caution, and above anything else, remain inconspicuous," Brom said as he led his fellows towards the park.

They had lost sight of the three girls but they did happen to spy on two micronians beside a pond.

"A Zentran and a Meltran are relaxing together on their leisure time, unbelievable," Konda gasped.

"Maybe they are discussing plans," Brom said at length as he tried to make out what the two were doing. He then watched the two laugh aloud.

"They look like equals, how is this possible," Rico asked.

Brom went pale. This was odd because he had never lost his color before, despite all of his life threatening battle he had been in. This was the look of a man who has seen a ghost.

"Sir," both Zentraedi asked Brom.

"Protoculture," Brom whispered in awe.

The other two looked around nervously, as if looking to see if it was safe to discuss the matter of Protoculture behind their creators' backs.

"What do you mean, sir," Konda asked, "Protoculture is but a myth shared by heretics." This was only a half truth since many Zentraedi, Meltran and Zentran alike had followed a hidden belief behind their creators' back. This was the belief in Protoculture, an idea that the mighty Zentraedi have descended from an ancient and divine race of savages. Many stories had been told in secret and many different spins have been added to the myths, but the root belief was that all Zentraedi came from Protoculture, the groundwork from which clones were spawned from. This notion is blasphemous and outlawed. The Creators would sentence heretics to death without entrance into the Battlegrounds and would cease that lineage of clone. Protoculture has a very steep punishment for its belief. Those wise Zentraedi would dismiss the stories altogether where as the proud ones would never listen to such a notion in the first place, after all, all Zentraedi, according to them, are created by the Marduk, they were not adopted from another inferior and savage race of micronized alien from the other side of the galaxy.

"Konda, do not look surprised, you know of the legends. The existence that a race lived long before our creation. A race which the Creators used to clone us," Brom said under his breath, fearing that the Creators are listening.

"What you are saying is blasphemy," Rico reminded.

"Is it blasphemy or revelation," Brom posed to his fellows. "You have served with me for countless cycles, you know me well enough to know that I am not a heretic but this has me baffled. These micronians are Zentraedi, or we are micronian, whichever, this is very important."

"Would you like me to add this to our report to Lady Azonia," Rico asked, testing his mission leader.

"There is nothing to report yet, we must find out more about these aliens and find their weakness so we can exploit it," Brom added.

The three remained out of sight of Dave an Minmei and watched the two continue to interact.


"Dave, you are so funny, would you care for some lunch at my place," Minmei asked.

"Sure," Dave said as he stood up. He then offered Minmei a hand to help her up. This gesture caught the hidden aliens' attention, that a Zentran would help up an uninjured Meltran.


Mimi rang the doorbell once more and then she heard a slight commotion. Whoever was on the other side must be looking at the vid monitor to see who was outside so Mimi looked up at the pinhole camera in the corner of the threshold and waved.

"It's me, Mimi," she said.

The door slid open and Stan was there, standing in a towel wrapped around his waist and water dripping from his golden hair.

"You must excuse me, I've just gotten out of the shower. Please, come inside and help yourself to some coffee," Stan said with his hallmark smile.