Chapter 3

March 9, 2009, Near the Planet Saturn

Errare humanum est. It is in man's nature to err.

That's more or less what Mathew Gendorsky thought about his situation. He had been pulled from his work on the refitting of a Valkyrie by a message from the newly-promoted Lieutenant-Commander Lenardais requesting that he be present at 900 hours in briefing room seven. He looked at the time. 8h43. Seventeen minutes to go yet.

He grunted in discomfort. He hated not knowing about a situation, yet he was excited despite himself. Alex Lenardais was amongst the most experienced pilots on board the SDF-1, and a war hero to boot. He had heard of he and Roy Fokker's exploits when he was just starting at the Piloting Academy of Saransk in the new Western Russian Quadrant. Back then, he had thought the two greater than life. And even after he had passed the tests with flying colours, even after becoming a RDF Officer and a pilot, he still thought them larger, better. Seeing the two together had been like a sort of dream come true. And he had seen in the two men the strength of will and the confidence of skill, neither things he found he had. And then he had blurted it.

Sir, you really are a great man.

"Ugh! Boshe Moï! Why couldn't you just say 'nothing sir', turn around and walk away instead of blurting that out like an idiot? Now who knows what he thinks?!" he would have ranted some more, if the door hadn't opened right then. A man stepped in. It wasn't Lenardais. He was taller and much, much broader. He had rather short black hair, a grim face and walked with a slight limp. His gaze was icy. He wore, like Gendorsky, a pilot uniform, except that he held the rank of Sergeant instead of Corporal.

"Well, it would seem I am not the only person to have been called to this meeting." he said, his soft and cultured tone a stark contrast to the primal brutality of his appearance. He looked around quickly, then made his way to the table where the young Corporal was seated. Gendorsky raised himself and showed his hand to the large man.

"It seems so. Corporal Mathew Gendorsky, sir."

The large man looked at the hand for an instant, then shook it firmly. His grip was impressively strong, but not brutal - another sharp contrast.

"A pleasure, Corporal. Sergeant Dwight Conway." he stated. This time Mathew placed his accent.

"You're Australian!" he blurted, then inwardly cursed himself for talking like a gawking twit.

"Indeed."said Conway smilling. "As surely as you are Russian, I'm sure."

Gendorsky smiled in turn. "That's right. Do you know why we're here?

The Sergeant shook his head. "No. I assume we will know soon enought." he seated himself. As he did the door hissed to life again. This time two people stepped in. One was a man small and slight, so much that it made the woman next to him tall and sturdy, althought she did not seem to be that very much. The man had reddish skin and black hair, marking him of indian ancestry. His attitude, however, was the opposite of what one would expect of indians. He wore the same rank as Dwight.

"Hey, big hello here! Sergeant James Galger at your service, here and forever! I don't know why I'm here but if there's gonna be a party, I want in!!!"

There's only one type of pilot I know who're like that, thought the corporal. Americans!

Conway and Gendorsky shook hands with the smaller man. It was then that the woman spoke. Her demeanor was tight and strict, making Conway's apparent calm a party-attitude by comparison. Her face was delicate and definitely asian. She did not shake hands with anyone but presented herself: Yoni Nagashiwa, Second Lieutenant and thus everyone's superior except for the man they were here to meet. Gendorsky wondered at her. In 2007 the United Earth Government imposed strict restrictions to woman entering Veritech service. Not because of anything sexist - there were women officers involved in the agreement - but because the Veritechs demanded a good constitution because of its speed and multi-tasking. That she had managed to enlist and make it to Second Lieutenant was something indeed, he realized.

The door hissed open at 8h59 hours exactly. The man they were to meet entered. Lieutenant-Commander Alex Lenardais looked around the room calmly, his eyes scanning each face for a moment, like a pilot choosing his targets. He hesitated when he saw lieutenant Nagashiwa, his face taking, for a bare instant, an undefinable expression. He then stepped forward with a slight smile. The four pilots stood up straight and saluted - this was a lieutenant-commander and a warhero, and they were, as such, extremely polite. He returned the salute.

"Well, I see everyone is here on time. Very good. We will begin at once." he said pleasantly. He gestured to the table. "Let's sit down."

They did so, the commander sitting himself at one end of the table. Gendorsky then realized he was holding papers and a pad, which he all spread in front of him. The papers looked damn well official, and the young man wondered what it portented. Judging the looks he saw from the others, they wondered the same thing.

They did not have to wait long. Lenardais only looked at the pad briefly before speaking again.

"Very well. I do not wish to waste our time, so I will make this as brief as I know how. I surmise you all know the Black Squadron, commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Jiro was utterly destroyed in the first battle against the alien forces?" Four nods -with varying degrees of hesitançy- were echoed back at him. "That's fine, for then you know that the SDF-1 is lacking one of its fifteen main squadrons. Captain Gloval, knowing this, has thus given me permission to create and command another such squadron."

All knew what was coming now, and each pilot showed it in a different manner. Conway only blinked quickly for a moment, then was serene again. Nagashiwa squared her shoulders in unconcealed anticipation and pride, her eyes lit up. Galger showed it the most; a gleeful, almost wolfish smile spread on his creased and joyous indian face. He was fidgeting, obviously overjoyed at the prospect.

As for Gendorsky, he was sure he was about to burst. The prospect of what this man was offering surpassed, overthought and completely outdid what he had expected from the meeting. So certain was he that he would either explode or faint that he gritted his teeth and gripped the table as hard as he could. He did not doubt he cut a rather strange figure, or a maniacal one, but he just couldn't help himself.

Lenardais looked around the table and nodded as if he had expected the reactions and spoke quietly. "Its clear you know what I'm about to say. I'll say it anyway: I want you to form the new Indigo Squadron with me."

The tension and expectation exploded...silently. The room did not diSolve into shouts and congratulations, but everyone around the table - except the commander, who remained extremely calm - flowed with obvious joy. Even Conway seemed to be exuding ecstasy, albeit more moderately than the others. He was then one who first spoke. Only three words, really.

"Why us, sir?"

Three words and a simple enought question. But it certainly garnered the attention of everyone. The great pilot smiled and seemed about to speak, when Galger's voice cut in.

"Yeah, pally, give us the whole scoop on the choosin', all right?"

Galger could easily have handled the outraged stares he received from his now-teammates, of that there was little doubt. But he found himself over his head with his now-commander. It wasn't a glare or an hard face. No. Gendorsky saw it as a subtle - oh so subtle?- shift in his idol's demeanor. It reminded him of something he heard about those first pilots of the Robotech Defense Force. Those they got, they got because they were damn good. But not only for that. They got them because thay had, deep inside, a something that can affect people. A natural commanding thing or such. He didn't remember who had told him this, or why. He only remembered that it was puzzling. He had never really undertood it fully.

He did now.

The shift in the demeanor seemed to make the room colder. The expression on the commander's face did not alter, but something in his eyes made Galger wilt...almost literally. An angry fit of his shook one of the so-called Bridge Bunnies, Gendorsky thought, and now a mere gaze is shutting up an RDF pilot. I DON'T want to be there is he ever really gets rageful.

But nothing happened this time. Calmly, but with hidden steel, Alex Lenardais spoke.

"Sergeant Galger, my intent on explaining my 'choosing' is certain. However, I will explain it as I see fit. Secondly, you may call me commander, Lenardais or even Alex. You will leave out 'pally', 'buddy', 'Al' or such words until we know each other better. Finally, in any formal meeting, I will treat you with courtesy and politness. I expect you to do the same. You may leave right now if you do not agree. Understood?"

Whether it was common sense taking old of the indian or it was simply the veiled fierceness in the commander's voice, Galger subsided and assumed a more serious air.

"Understood, sir."

Lenardais nodded, and the commanding stance - that until now Gendorsky thought only Captain Gloval and Commander Fokker could do- and resumed his normal, almost happy demeanor.

"Now then, as for choosing the four of you, the reasons are different. I will tell of them briefly so that you can go to your assigned Veritechs to ready them for our first patrol." Lenardais took and opened one of the files he had stacked. "Yoni Nagashiwa. Veritech Pilot class A. Birth: Asian Japanese Quadrant. Entered service in 2006 and joined RDF in 2007. Rank: 2nd Lieutenant. Known Engagements: four. Known number of kills: 29." He shut the file and looked at the asian woman and again his demeanor changed. It was subtle, as if the commander saw something or felt something he shouldn't and was controlling it. Gendorsky couldn't imagine what it was.

Lieutenant Nagashiwa didn't notice the change or didn't care. She stayed crisp and military-like. "That's right, sir."

"Lieutenant, it came to my attention that you felt your talents were being...misused. Is that correct?" The stare was challenging this time, even with the rigidness. Lenardais was probing her answer. The lieutenant saw that, of course. But she decided not to skitter around and to stand her ground. With an equally defiant stare -however much tinged with respect- she answered with great sincerity. "Sir I believed so and still do."

"And so do I." came the answer. "Let us try to remediate this." She nodded respectfully and the commander took another file.

It went on like this. First Master Sergeant Conway and then James Galger were put throught small introduction. From what Gendorsky heard, Galger was as good as he was insubordinate, and the indian would be at least a First Lieutenant if not for that little flaw. Conway had a biology degree and was an adept of budo, both of which surprised no one in the room, who saw his logical and relaxed style.

Finally Lenardais took the last file and turned his attention to Gendorsky. It was all the young pilot could do not to say or do something stupid. He was so nervous he could have.

"Mathew Gendorsky. Birth: Eastern Russian Quadrant. Entered service in 2008, transfered to RDF in 2009. Rank: Corporal. Veritech Pilot class A. No combat experience." There was a stress on the 'no'. The russian flushed in embarassement as the others turned to look at him with looks that said 'a green guy' plainly. He thoroughtly wished he was someplace else. But he was here and felt the insult bite.

Lenardais seemed to have read his thoughts. "I am not judging you, corporal. Nor am I insulting you. We all started off with no experience. Me, the other commanders, Fokker. Even Gloval started from nothing. He learned and became what he is. As have we all. Now I deem that it is your turn to start." Then he smiled at the younger man sadly. "There is also the fact that you think I am a 'great man'. I intend to show at least you that I am a 'lucky man' and maybe a 'skilled man' but that I'm not that great. This being said, do you agree to join the squadron?"

Silence reigned as Gendorsky pondered this. It didn't last long. For, to the russian pilot, there really was only one possible answer.

"I'll do it, sir." he said

"Very good then. It seems we are bound to work together, all five of us. We will make our first team foray at 10h00 tomorrow morning. Understood?" Five acknowledgments echoed throught the room. " Then dismissed, people. And welcome aboard." He saluted sharply and all returned it. Then the new squadron commander gathered his things and left the room. Lieutenant Nagashiwa and sergeant Conway followed almost on his heels, saying brief, somewhat cold good-byes. Then only sergeant Galger and a elated but anxious corporal remained.

The Indian turned to him. His eyes had regained mischief but also gained some strange sadness, much like Lenardais' had showed. The young pilot pondered this and came to the conclusion that they were worried about him. It was a comforting thought but an irritating one also.

"You sure you're ready for this, kid?" Galger asked.

"I think so." was the piqued answer. Gendorsky never liked it when someone seemed to question his ability.

Galger seemed to realize that and grunted. "I hope so." Then he stood up and with a wave, he left the room. And Mathew Gendorsky was alone once more.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Well Rick, what do you think? From today on you're a real-life fighter pilot. You even get your own room! Congratulations."

Roy Fokker said this in the hopes that Rick Hunter might say something good or at least intelligible about it. He was sorely disappointed, as Rick once again muttered something incoherent and absolutely noncommital back to him.

He's been like this ever since he came back from that shopping trip with Minmey. He thought, wondering what had happened between the two. Still, he noted that it seemed to be especialy related to what happened around the shopping trip. He guessed he'd never know for certain. Still, this wasn't a situation or a mood he liked. Roy spared a glance to look at the compound they were in. The Veritech Headquarters were made of three buildings. The largest, the training building, was where the cadets of the Academy resided and trained. The next was the habitation building, where the Veritech Pilots and some ship officers had their quarters. The third and most impressive was without a doubt however, the central compound. There, in these chambers, missions were given, data was analysed and pilot debriefing conducted. It was also there that important meetings between the main commanders of the Veritech Forces were held. Surrounded by fences and guarded by battloids, the whole Headquarters was situated at the edge of the newly reconstructed Macross City. The strictness of the Headquarters, or perhaps Rick's mood, made Roy take a more disciplinary approach.

"But remember that even thought you have you're own room it doesn't mean you can fool around." He then spotted Commander Hayes and the Bridge Bunnies walking towards them. Rick, his eyes studying the ground, wasn't seeing them. He fought with himself to keep a straight face; laughing or even chortling simply wouldn't do. Nevertheless, his voice betrayed him a little when he said "and one other thing..."

The tone of his voice - anticipation mingled with mirth - took hold of Rick's attention. He looked back at the tall man warily, still caught-up in his strange mood. "What?"

The answer Roy gave was simple and appropriate to the situation. "ATTEN-TION!" And he did just that, saluting.

Only then did the younger man realize there were people ahead. He looked at them - completely forgetting to salute, which made Roy wonder if putting the boy throught an unorthodox, fast training was such a good idea - blankly for a moment. Then as he recognized them, he went straight into a fit of panic. So jittery did he seem that Fokker wouldn't have been really surprised if he had started running away screaming. As it was, he did not run, but remained trembling.

Commander Lisa Hayes hadn't picked up Rick's face from her memory obviously, for after saluting the Veritech commander, she walked to the two men serenely and wished them good afternoon. This sent Rick deeper into his feet. Roy was now having as much fun as he had expected. Holding his laughter, he decided to tease nonetheless.

"You little devil, I didn't know you knew commander Hayes?" he teased. Rick looked back at him, worried and miserable.

"Yeah, kind-of, you know what I mean?"

Roy didn't know what his young protégé was meaning, and would have said so, if amongst the Bunnies, Sammie, hadn't exclaimed. "Its Mister Langerais!!" and hadn't started a round of laughter on the subject.

Mister Langerais?!? thought Roy, confused.

Commander Hayes hadn't listened to the comments, or didn't care for them, for it was with the same casual calm that she talked with the blond commander.

"My dear commander Fokker, is this the brilliant new pilot you were raving about?" she asked. "Introduce him." To almost anyone else it would have been an order. To Fokker it was a simple request. And not one he was about to deny. He nudged the pilot - who was trying by now to make himself invisible. He sprang like a wire.

"I'm Rick Hunter!" was the squeak he gave by way of introduction. Again the brown-haired woman did not seem to notice his nervousness. She saluted back. And it was then that something clicked. Her brow furrowed in thought as something emerged from her memory.

"Rick Hunter...why is that name so familiar?" she mused. This sent Rick into an even worse fit of anxiety. It was all Fokker could do not to laugh out loud, even more so when those two realized fully who the other was. To her credit, Hayes stayed calm, but anyone spotting the gleam of cold in her eye would have run for cover fast. As it was, she riveted the new pilot to the ground. Finding the situation opportune, the veritech veteran half-advised and half-teased his protégé, telling him to watch his mouth from now on. This seemed to somewhat satisfy the first officer.

"I hope for his sake he follows your advice, commander." she started to walk past the duo when she stopped and turned back, her face about as mischievious as could be. "And it doesn't do you credit to hang around Langerais shops, you know." she teased. It stung. Rick now really looked like a wreck, and couldn't do anything as the commander and the three other bridge officers passed. He seemed spent as they walked away. Roy felt sorry for the boy, even thought he had brought this on himself with his loud-mouthed comments.

"Well I'm still addled about this Langerais affair, but otherwise it went okay, wouldn't you say?" he asked.

"No I wouldn't."

Roy laughed. "That's because you've never seen it when its bad. I did. Trust me, you did okay."

Rick seemed dubious, but slowly nodded. "Right."

"Now that this is over, how about we..." He heard voices he recognized not far away from them, and he turned towards the direction commander Hayes and the Bunnies had gone. Sure enought, they were there, about ten meters from them, Hayes standing to the side with an amused mien and the three young women haggling a male officer severely. It took Fokker a bare instant to recognize the officer in question. As recognition dawned, so did a sense of dread laced with hilarity. Rick, evidently, took notice of the sudden silence from his, as he called him, 'big brother' and also turned his attention to the exchange. He frowned to the officer.

"Who's that?" he asked mildly. "And why are those girls reprimanding him?"

Roy did not look away from the exchange, but nodded. "First question: he's lieutenant-commander Lenardais. Second: because."

"Alex Lenardais? The guy you sometimes talked about when you visited dad and me?"

"Yup."

The conversation, as it was, ended at that. Fokker shifted his full attention on the quarrel. It seemed, from the sheepish look of his friend's face and the insistence of the Bunnies, that they were arguing about his actions in the debriefing. Roy winced; true, Alex had behaved foolishly and completely out of his style, but there was a reason to that at least. A very real reason. A terrible one. But not a good one in this case. It wasn't surprising that Vanessa had spilled the beans to Kim and Sammie. After all, the three were inseparable. The poor guy wasn't doing too well, he realised, seemingly struggling to keep control of an uncontrollable situation. Fokker dwelled on the precept that maybe he should do something or at least intervene, but decided against it. Althought Alex originally feared women outright, it had given way to high nevousness that he was, usually, able to subdue.

But then, the Bunnies weren't ordinary female officers...

Fortunately, the blond pilot saw the conflict evaporate before coming to a decision. Alex's face shifted to something less strict and more relax, and he said something to Vanessa directly, ignoring the other two. Fokker didn't make out what was being said, but he wished it dearly, for it put a pall of stupor on the three girls. Vanessa nodded hesitantly, and Alex looked towards commander Hayes and saluted. He then broke from the group and, catching sight of the two pilots staring, made his way to them. Roy saw the four officers looking in their direction before turning away at last.

As soon as he came within speaking distance, Roy asked his friend "What did you say?"

Alex chose to ignore this and turned his attention on the young corporal. "And you are?"

Rick, who had been staring at some point of nothingness, suddenly sprang to life. He stood stiffly and saluted. "Sir! Corporal Rick Hunter, sir!" The conversation with Hayes had shaken him, hmm?

Instead of saluting back, the grey-eyed veteran thrust his hand into view. Rick stared at it numbly before realization sunk in. He then hesitantly took the proffered hand. And got caught in a very vigorous handshake.

"So we finally meet face-to-face, heh, Rick Hunter?" said Alex jovialy.

"Hum, yes sir." replied a dazed Rick.

"Al?" said Roy dangerously. His friend pointedly ignored him.

"I wanted to have you in my Squadron but, since my list was completed already, I had no choice but to ignore you. I hope you're not angry about it."

"N..no, sir." stutered a confused Rick. Roy reached his limit.

"AL!" he shouted in exasperation. Both men turned to him at this. Alex smiled and Fokker realized this was the reaction the smaller veteran had hoped for. He bit off uttering a curse, knowing it would only make his old wingman laugh. Instead he repeated his first question. This time Alex had no choice but to answer.

The man in question took a deep breath. "Well...hum...you see Vanessa was mad still about what I said to her you know that stupid outburst and the token of reconciliation didn't work that well and she was still miffed and her friends backed her up so that..." he took another breath as the other two men watched, in near-awe, at the continuous bursts of words that came forth from the guy's mouth.

"So that?" edged Roy.

"That...Iinvitedheronadate."

Both men blinked, looked at each other then back and blinked again. They hadn't made this one out. "Come again?" Alex flushed crimson.

"Iinvitedheronadate."

"What?"

Deep crimson.

"Iinvitedheronadate!!"

"Buddy, we can't make out..."

Beet red.

"I INVITED HER ON A BLOODY DATE, OKAY?" Mt.Alex exploded, making Rick jump two feet backward and making Roy recoil. But as the words sank in, the tall pilot started to smile. After all, to him, this was something he never thought he would hear from his friend. Ever Alex scowled blackly, knowing him and the cause of the smile too well.

"I should have known it'd make you happy." he muttered. This didn't stop Roy from smiling. If nothing else, the smile widened.

"Well, now I understand why they were so surprised. After all, Vanessa must have told her friends how you are around women." he chuckled. "This is good! I never thought I'd see the day!"

"Argh." grunted Alex noncommitally, looking at his friend and superior in almost-real loathing.

Roy chuckled more at this, but unknown to him there was tension and sadness underneath it. Alex realized this quickly and dismissed a very grateful Rick Hunter from immediate duties. As the young ensign walked -well, almost jogged- away from them, veteran faced veteran for a moment, and the smaller of the two nodded. They started walking to the command compound before the question was asked.

"So...how many did we lose in that last skirmish?" the question came out softly, as it was plain it wasn't a subject the pilots liked to talk about. The last "skirmish" had been hard-fought and hard-won, with the aliens showing much more aptitude battling in space than on the ground. It was the first battle Alex had participated in space, and the only one he did as simple wingman and not as squadron commander. His flying style had kept him unscratched, but many others didn't share the same skills or the same luck. The battle, in fact, had been a loosing one, until Captain Gloval ordered what was known as the Modular Transformation, transforming the ship to robot-like mode. That way, the Main Gun, that had been rendered useless by the loss of the Fold engines - another unwanted side-effect of the blind and desperate first Fold operation - had come back online and was fired on the attacking forces, destroying it almost totally. But this victory had been costly, crippling the half-constructed city and costing many pilot lives.

The face of Roy Fokker became grave, all merriment was gone from him. "I received a report. We lost sixty-seven veritechs. eighteen pilots managed to eject." Dully said, with the voice showing how he felt: responsible for the deaths and yet helpless to stop him. Beside him, his friend sighed heavily. It wasn't the first time they encountered death, and they both knew it wouldn't be the last time.

They hated it.

"This brings us down by nearly a hundred veritechs and eighty experienced pilots. In short, they're bleeding us slowly." Roy finished his litany bleakly.

"I know. But we have the manufacturing plants running at full speed, and we got the ressources to build thousands of veritechs still. Further, our RDF Academy on board the ship is busy training new recruits from enlistees from the survivors of Macross City."

"Yeah, but except for a few guys like Rick, these aren't nearly as good as true fighter pilots."

"'True fighter pilots?'"Alex teased, trying to sound humorous but failing." We were all enlistees at first, Roy."

Roy nodded pensively as they went throught the front doors of the command compound.

"Yeah but still...I mean I've been a pilot since 1998 and you since 2001. We're used to all this now."

"Commander Fokker?" said the attendant officer, a young ensign by the looks of him. Roy stopped and raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement. "Sir, the bridge just called. They want to talk to you."

The tall pilot nodded, traded a look with his old friend, and went to the nearest ship intercom. Punching his ID code into it, he called up the bridge, wondering what he'd hear, and if he would like it at all.
* * * * * * * * * *

"A blitzkrieg?!?" gasped a stunned Claudia, a sentiment echoed by all bridge members at Gloval's plan. Kim Young was no exception. She'd just come on duty along with Vanessa, Sammie and Commander Hayes, when the Captain decided to do a blitzkrieg offensive. No one on the bridge had thought much of the idea.

Captain Gloval turned to Claudia and Lisa slowly. He too seemed uncertain as to the viability of his plan. His voice was firm, however, as it always was.

"When we leave Saturn they will still be on our flank, so I would like to find a way out of this trap." That said, he started to walk toward the exit of the bridge. "You all know how dangerous this will be." He added.

They knew all right. Enought so that Claudia tried to protest on the plan. Gloval kept walking, assuring that there was no other way. Claudia gave in.

"Yes sir. All sections will be prepared for an immediate counter-attack." she said, as steadfastly as Gloval had announced his intentions.

"Good." As he answered, the Captain stepped toward the door and banged his head on the door frame. It happened to him sometimes, as the door had been made too small for really tall people like Captain Gloval or Colonel Meistrov. The greying man mumbled curses at the door and at the engineers who built it, before regaining his restreint and retiring from his bridge. Immediately Lisa Hayes took command, swiftly and without hesitation.

"All right then, girls. Claudia, I want you to program an attack vector into the computer so that our task will be simplified. Vanessa, scan the enemy position and choose the best coordinates for a successful counter-attack. Sammie, you arrange communication channels so that we know what happens in the ship as it happens. Kim, you contact the commanders of both the Destroid and Veritech forces. That way they'll be able to work out a strategy in synch with ours. Everybody understands? Great, lets do it." With that parting remark, the second-in-command of the SDF-1 turned her full attention to her own duties.

Kim Young was less than thrilled about her duties. Calling the two commanders was unnerving when you thought about it, especially because of the reason of her call. Commander Rodonov wasn't a bad prospect; after all, his forces would do the defense of the ship no matter what. In this case, there might be more pressure, but not that much. He might not even grumble much about the main plan.

Commander Fokker would however. In a counter-attack, it will be his pilots who will have to do the most fighting and take the most risks. In this case, he'd probably end up losing many men - far too many. He was bound to be not only grumbling, but plain angry. He was effectively the least person she wanted to call. Choosing to face the worst first, Kim called up the Veritech Command Compound. She was told Commander Fokker would be back momentarily, so she busied herself with other duties for a few moments. The veritech commander called her up on the private intercom soon.

"Bridge administration, this is Fokker. What is it, Kim?" he seemed wary of her answer. And none too eager to hear it. But she had to tell him. So she took a breath and told him what Gloval had told the bridge crew not long before. When she was finished explaining, there was a thick silence over the line as Fokker obviously digested what he had heard. Then he spoke.

"A...counter...attack?" was the reply. Even thought it was said steadily, the spacing of the three words spoke volumes about the veteran's true state of being. She was glad that the line she was talking to him with had no visual.

"Okay." he said as she acknowledged his own question. "Where's the Captain?" her heart sank and she sighed. So it was to be that again, huh? Oh well.

"He was retiring to his quarters. His shift is over." she answered.

"Thanks Kim. See ya." and the communication was over. Kim blew air in exasperation. Fokker would go see Gloval and the two would certainly butt heads about the viability of the mission. Gloval would of course argue his point and win the support of the veritech commander. It had happened before and would certainly happen again.

"Why can't you just say 'yes'." the administration officer muttered as she called the destroid commander.
* * * * * * * * * *

Gendorsky rushed to the pilots' gathering, fearing to be late. The call to the pilots had been issued while he was nearly on the other side of town, strolling quietly in one of its recreated parks. He sprinted much of the distance, and subsequently arrived to the meeting horribly winded. He panted, eyes glazed and lungs burning from exhaustion. Looking over, he saw that most of the other pilots were in the mission yard, chatting or lounging around. He saw none of his own unit and wondered where they could be in the throng.

A hard slap on the back knocked out what little air remained in him. Choking and wheezing he turned and was suddenly face-to-face with the joyous indian face of James Galger.

"Hehe. Hello there pally! So ready to hear what the up-and-ups have in store fer us?"

"Y...yes, sir" he gasped in response. Another slap choked him.

"Aww! No need to call me that, Matt! James well be fine!" was the cheerful retort. Was this guy always in such an euphoric mood? cringed Gendorsky.

It was only a matter of time before they found the others, who were chatting - if you can call monosyllabic exchanges "chatting". Two stoic nods were all the two more emotional members of Indigo squadron received before a Line officer walked on the raised platform in front of the pilots and called for attention. In moments, perfect military lines were formed, and the officer presented the situation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, " he began in a clipped, no-nonsensical voice "No one knows more than you about the precariousness of the SDF-1's situation and so I'll say nothing on it. However, a plan has been formulated and accepted by the various branches of the command structure to slip throught the enemy lines to rejoin in aiding Earth's defense. The plan is simple: at 7H00 tomorrow the SDF-1 will be on the verge of leaving the rings of Saturn. At that moment, the Defense Forces will initiate a counter-attack."

There were mumurs of anxiety and surprise at this. None of the pilots seemed to be able to totally cope with the situation they were facing. Galger cursed softly about the sheer craziness of the plan. Conway frowned in obvious displeasure and even Nagashiwa seemed to lose some of her cool. As for Gendorsky himself, he was thunderstruck. The Defense Forces had, what, perhaps four hundred Veritechs, five hundred Destroids. Add to that automated 22G-Blue Fighters and they had, at most, one thousand. Now that fleet, one hundred thousand warships, they must have hundreds of thousands of those...what do they call it...pods, yeah. Dammit, there was just no way they could win this! The officer addressing the pilots might have been aware of that, but then he hid it well, letting no emotion show on his face or in his subsequent speech.

"The plan is to attack and destroy an enemy cruiser, then pass throught the smaller ships stationed around it, thus interrupting their flanking maneuvers. This will be a very dangerous mission, and it is no secret that many will not be coming back. But this is our only hope to escape. So, good luck and remember everyone here is counting on you. And if you need to see someone, do it tonight. That is all. Dismissed." The officer left the platform as quickly and as calmly as he had come. The pilots dismissed, but only to gather in nervous groups to discuss what they had heard. An anxious buzz floated over the area. His squadron did the same, gathering to discuss. Galger immediately showed his colors.

"I think Gloval must have gone potty to either think or allow something like that! And Fokker's just as whacked to go along with it!"

Nagashiwa fixed him with a slightly superior glare, her delicate asian features darkening. "Sergeant, it's not your place to make such comments about our commanding officers!" she stated coldly. Galger returned the glare in kind, unimpressed.

"Yeah? Well, Ice Queen, tell me what's sane about this plan because I'D like to know! Or are you just a fool who blindly follows orders?!?"

The young lieutenant's face colored. Obviously sensing an imminent disaster, Conway stepped in.

"This bickering is pointless. We have to follow our orders no matter what they tell us right now. We're in the military, after all." It was a very neutral statement, so calmly said that it diffused the tense moment. Galger sighed and, after a moment, nodded wearily.

"Yeah, yer right. But I don't like it."

"I don't think they want us to like it." Gendorsky said dully. All three looked at him.

"Matt's gotta point." agreed the indian. "I wonder what the commanders think of this?"

"We like it about as much as you do." said a voice. They turned from their discussion to find their Squadron Leader standing close by looking at them. They walked towards him. Conway spoke up immediately.

"Commander. What is the battle plan for tomorrow?"

"Standard counter-attack method from the Shadow Zone and outward. The squadron will be merged into various Main Squadrons. The largest, Skull - in which we will be - will be the spearpoint of the counter-attack."

"And what will ensure that the SDF-1 will be successfull in the outflanking?" asked Nagashiwa.

Lenardais shrugged. "As for that, you'd have to ask Gloval or Hayes. Put it out of your minds. Our task is to protect the SDF-1 as long as we can and thats exactly what we'll do. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" said four voices.

"Good. Gendorsky?"

"Sir?"

"I've assigned you to Veritech 424. Go make sure that it will be ready for tomorrow."

"Aye!"

"Excellent. See you tomorrow people." with that parting remark, he walked away from the group. They watched him go. Then Gendorsky quickly went to check on his veritech, wishing them all good luck tomorrow.

He knew they'd need it.

* * * * * * * * * *
March 10, 2009, Inside Saturn's Rings

James Galger never liked it when he didn't know what would happen to him. He never would. And that was why he always put a jovial or passionate facade on things. Six years in the military -four in the RDF- had made him cynical and wry. All that made him a very dislikable person when the situation was grim. But it was the only thing that could hide his fear. And right now he was terrified. Terrified of the fact that he was going to fight, going to kill, perhaps going to die. Such were his somber thoughts.

So he joked around on overdrive. From his quarters, onward on the jeep (where other pilots almost strangled him, to be sure) and as he climbed the steel stairs inside his Veritech. He had briefly seen his teammates, including an absolutely shitless Gendorsky, but barely had the time to wish them luck before the alert sounded. And then there was no time to lose. Inside his veritech, his facade crumbled and his worry became evident. With an effort, he pushed his fear aside. I'm not a whimp, he thought, I've seen my share of battles. I survived. I will survive again! With that thought, he put the veritech into waiting position as other fighters launched one after the other into the asteroid-filled space of Saturn's Rings. Soon it was his turn.

"Skull thirty-five, ready for launch." he said calmly, subduing the fear completely. Fear had no place in what lay ahead.

"Roger." answered a woman's voice. And he flew away. After years of dodging fire in the Anti-Unification Skirmishes, zigzagging his way throught slow-moving asteroids wasn't much of a snatch. He easily kept up with the other crafts and stayed in formation. He even allowed himself some leisure as he thought about what he might do when he got back. A shower for sure. Then probably take a turn in a bar or some such place. Perhaps he'd take Matt with him. The boy was unsure of himself and of his worth, but Galger was willing to bet it wouldn't last. There was a pretty good man beyond the inexperience. If he survived, he'd learn fast.

If he survived.

He was brought short on his musings by the voice of the Veritech Commander. Roy Fokker appeared on a sub-screen, looking composed and determined. And deadly serious.

"This is Skull One to all fighters." he called grimly. "In T minus twelve seconds we'll enter into the Shadow Zone. So keep one eye on your controls and one on the ice!" The communication ended as abruptly as it had started. The Shadow Zone. It was visible as a black void in front of him. The place were almost no sun rays could penetrate. Inside this, the computer and excellent dodging skills were all that could stand between life and death. The twelve seconds passed only too quickly for him. Then all was darkness. Boulders of ice and small asteroids passed him and a few tried to collide with him. He obligingly disappointed them with quick maneuvers. At least two others made unlikable aquaintances, however, if he could judge the two far-flung fireball he saw briefly.

"Skull Sixty-Three to Skull Thirty-Five. This is crazy! What good will it be if we're dead before we strike?!?" The slightly panicky voice belonged to Mathew Gendorsky. Galger wasn't surprised. After all, this was his first mission. And what a mission!

"Calm down, Matt. That's the best way to come on the enemy forces while they're unknowing. Just take it instride and remember your training. You'll be..." he was cut off.

"This is Delta. Do you two remember that communication must be minimal? This is no time for chatting!" This was certainly Commander Hayes.

Galger gritted his teeth. "I wasn't 'chatting', sir. I was attempting..."

"I don't care what you were attempting. This is a mission, not a counseling session."

You cold-blooded, arrogant bitch! thought the american indian furiously. What would you know of aircraft missions?! He was about to say exactly that, but she cut off the transmission. He cursed loudly.

"Sorry, James." said Gendorsky dejectedly. Galger snorted.

"Don't worry about it kiddo. Just watch yourself." he cut off transmission, still fuming against Line Officers. Just then, Commander Fokker reappeared on the subscreen.

"We're about to leave the Shadow Zone. Full speed ahead. Let them have it boys! Attack!!!"

The dark area cleared suddenly, and over three hundred Veritech fighters soared to meet waves upon waves of enemy pods. Games of cats and mouses were begun as skirmishes exploded everywhere Galger could see. Explosions menaced to blind him at times as missiles and beam weapons fired with abandon. The Robotech Defense Forces were outnumbered nearly ten-to-one, by the looks of things. For all their firepower, the alien forces's pods were poor foes, however. They only had two main beam weapons, which they could only fire in a limited arc. Their speed wasn't quite the equivalent to a Veritech and their poor maneuvrability made them ridiculously easy targets. Pods burst everywhere as the dogfights spread. But the human fighters certainly weren't invincible either and while five pods were destroyed for one plane, the enemy still was too much. This was simply a doomed attempt.

But Galger had no time for such worries now. Already he had dispatched two pods that had been firing at friendly units and he was engaged in combat with another one. It was tailing him rather obtusely, following his movements to the letter. Quickly it became clear that the enemy pilot was poor imagination-wise. The american feinted to the left and then did a full turn right, confusing the enemy which was swiveling to the left - as he had predicted. Without pausing, he opened fire with five missiles at point-blank range. The pod never had a chance. Scratch three. And then there were more pods flying around, flocking to him like hungry mosquitoes. Survival took precedence over everything. Galger's world was reduced to his throttle and the firing system.

When he did have time to look around again, he saw a veritech being pursued by three pods near him. As he prepared to go to the pilot's rescue, the fleeing veritech transformed to guardian mode, kicked afterburners to launch himself backward and passed between the pods which ended up bringing themselves short in confusion. Before any could do anything, the guardian launched a volley of missiles and transformed to battloid mode, hefting its riffle. Two pods were destroyed by the missiles and as the third attempted to evade, it was brought down by riffle fire. As the third pod exploded, the battloid changed back to plane mode. All in all it had taken but six or eight seconds. A risky but brilliant maneuver. Whoever that pilot was, it was some hotshot at fighting.

"Skull Three to Skull Thirty-Five. How are you doing, Galger?"

Galger was dumbstruck. "That you Commander?" he asked.

"Yeah. You holding up?"

"Huh...yeah. Yeah sure I am!" said the american, recovering. Woah, so the guy was as good as the gossip went! He flew on the wing of the other veteran quickly. And looked about. No pods in their area.

"Holy shit! What are they doing?!" Lenardais sounded surprised, awed and exasperated at the same time. Galger looked ahead and caught the desire to say the same words. The SDF-1 was thrusting its right 'arm' - the Deadalus - into the enemy cruiser. Uncertain as to what this would accomplish, he looked on. And the enemy cruiser seemed to boil from inside as the Deadalus was retrieved. Covulsing, the greenish metal shattered in many places, rupturing the hull. The cruiser exploded in a gigantic deflagration. Mission accomplished, thought the american, accomplished in a hell of a strange way but accomplished. We can go home now.

A few moments later, the order to return back to the ship was effectively passed, and the RDF fighters broke up the fight, returning solo or in groups. Lenardais and he returned together and waited for clearance. In under a minute it was given. Lenardais went first, changing to guardian mode to activate retro-boosters.

They didn't go.

A instant passed between the realization and Lenardais communication that compounded his fears.

"Retro-boosters will not activate, Delta. Clear the deck immediately." The voice was calm, thought Galger knew from experience the guy was probably scared as hell. The Veritech continued its descent at alarming speeds. At this rate, it would against the far walls.

"Deck is cleared, Skull Three." said a worried - could a woman like Hayes really be worried? - Lisa Hayes. "Nets on standby."

"Understood." Then the guardian shifted to battloid mode as it barreled for the wall. Suddenly its arms extended. Its hands touched the deck and screeched across it for a long moments before the metal fingers bent because of the horrendous pressure. But it was enought to slow the craft so the nets could stop it completely.

"Landing successful." said Lenardais with a wry but relieved sigh.

"Good work, Skull Three." said an equally relieved Commander Hayes.

Galger missed on the rest of the discussion. In fact, he paid attention to little until he had his clearance granted. In his head the day's toll was becoming taxing. He wanted the explosions and the bloodshed to go away. He'd seen enought of both! Enought to plague him the rest of his life. But the horror of them would remain. As long as they would, he'd get little precious sleep.

Better get used to it, he sighedmentally, for this isn't over by a long shot with those giants. Bet on it. With that gloomy thought, he flew in to park his veritech as technicians hurried to his Squadron leader's crashed battloid.

* * * * * * * * *