Author's Note: This story is tied to another story I wrote called
"Vanessa's Story." In that story, Vanessa survived the destruction of the
SDF-1 in "To the Stars" and went on to have a family of her own. If you
like this story, I encourage you to read "Vanessa's Story" also on
fanfiction.net, if you haven't already.
* * *
Dana's heart was frozen in time as she stood on the observation deck of the Robotech factory satellite and watched the SDF-3 leave. Slowly and agonizingly, the great alien ship bore her parents away to an uncertain future. The image of Max and Miriya beholding their precious daughter with loving eyes one last time before taking the irrevocable step across the threshold of fate remained fast in Dana's mind. They had looked on her one last time and then turned to board the immense ship, the back-lighting from within the boarding deck of the SDF-3 casting them as two stark silhouettes, before disappearing from view at last. Dana wanted to hold onto the image of her parents smiling one last time on her. She wanted to hear her mother's tender voice telling her "I love you, Dana."
Turning away from the SDF-3, Dana hugged the woman behind her and lost herself in her tears.
Vanessa Leeds gently wrapped her arms around Dana and held her close.
"They're gone, Aunty," Dana said between sobs. "They're really gone."
"Dana, let's watch the SDF-3."
Vanessa led Dana by the hand to a large window nearby, where several dozen onlookers also watched the SDF-3 depart on its mission to Tirol.
The distance between the SDF-3 and Earth widened greatly with each passing minute. It would not be long before the battlefortress would begin a series of hyperspace folding operations that would bring them halfway across the galaxy, to a place that Dana could hardly imagine in her most outlandish dreams.
Vanessa pointed in a direction slightly wide left of the SDF-3's current course heading, to a small cluster of stars that, to the untrained eye, looked like nothing more than any other group of stars. Dana's eyes followed Vanessa's slender fingertip as it touched the window softly and came to rest.
"You see that? That's where they're going. That's the location of Tirol's star system."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"It's so very far away," Dana said in quiet wonder.
"Now you'll always know where your mom and dad are," Vanessa said. "They'll always be right there, and they'll always be thinking of you, I promise you that."
"I'm glad you're still here, Aunty."
"So am I," Vanessa smiled as she and Dana watched the stars. "You're always welcome to come over to my house. Bron and Sam will love to see you. I think we'll be seeing a lot of each other."
Dana turned to Vanessa and smiled through her tears. Vanessa reached out to Dana with her hand, and Dana took Vanessa's hand in her own. Together, they watched the SDF-3 for a long time, before the bright, brief flash of light enveloped the ship, signifying its leap to hyperspace.
* * *
"What do you think about when you look at the stars?"
Bowie Grant's voice shook Dana from her stargazing reverie. Dana turned to regard Bowie with a smile. At Dana's suggestion, they had hopped on their bikes and ridden to a hill that overlooked the "Three Mounds," where there lay buried in the dirt the remains of the SDF-1, the SDF-2, and Khyron's battlecruiser. Without any ambient light from Monument City, the stars shone brightly in the night sky.
It was Dana's thirteenth birthday, and she had gone over to Vanessa's home with Bowie to celebrate. At that dinner, Dana shocked everyone by announcing her intention to enter the Robotech Academy, in the fast-track program.
"I'm going to graduate by the time I turn sixteen," Dana said.
"Yeah, Dana can't stand the thought of me being in the army and not her," Bowie chuckled. "Makes her envious."
"Oh, be quiet, Bowie," Dana said in mock approbation. "You know you'd be completely clueless without me around to back you up. I know you're jumping for joy inside."
"Wow, Dana," Vanessa's eight-year old daughter, Samantha, said, "that's wonderful."
Rico, Konda, Bron, and Vanessa joined in showing how proud they were of their beloved "Little Dana."
Vanessa, sitting next to Bron, rose from her seat at the dining table and lit the thirteen candles on Dana's birthday cake. It was a delicious Barvarian peach cake, with the words, "Happy Birthday Dana" inscribed in the center, along with a small Veritech made of frosting as an embellishment.
"Our Little Dana has grown up so fast," Vanessa said as she walked over to Dana's side, brought the cake before her, and kissed her softly on the cheek. Dana closed her eyes and tried her best not to cry. She thought she detected a hint of sadness, mixed with pride and loving admiration, in Vanessa's voice. It was almost as if, at that moment, Vanessa was trying to tell Dana how much she cherished her company. Every day, every heartbeat, is so precious, Vanessa seemed to say. Children grow up so fast, we all grow old so quickly, the world changes so much so quickly, that it's all too easy to lose sight of the here and now. We must always hold onto moments like these in our hearts, Dana. There will come a day when we will no longer all be together.
The thought that she, Bowie, Vanessa, Bron, little Samantha, Rico, and Konda might not be together as a sort of "family" made Dana inexpressibly sad. A black hole of grief opened up within the depths of her troubled soul.
Things change, Dana reflected. People change. Friends and loved ones come in and out of my life. Some will never return. Here I am, leaving my home to become an officer in the Army of the Southern Cross. Some things will never be the same again.
"Don't cry, it's your birthday," Bron said softly, noticing the tears of bittersweet sadness forming on Dana's cheeks.
"I promise," Dana stammered, trying to put on a cheerful face, "I promise to visit you guys every chance you get. I'll make sure Bowie comes too. You'll hardly notice we're gone!"
"I know you will," Vanessa said as she hugged Dana and held her close.
"Make a wish, sweetie," Vanessa whispered.
Dana made her wish and blew out the candles.
That was all just an hour ago, but it seemed like an eternity. Something had changed in Dana, and she knew her life with Vanessa's family would be changed in ways she could not dare to imagine. And now she was alone with her childhood friend Bowie, looking at the stars.
"What do you think about when you look at the stars?" Bowie asked.
Dana pointed at the night sky. "What do I think about?"
Dana pondered the question in silence.
"I think about my family," Dana said as she pointed. "See where I'm pointing? That's where my parents are. That's where both of our parents are. Right now, they're thinking of me, Bowie. They're wondering what I'm doing, they're wondering if I'm happy here on earth. And I am happy. I'm happy I have a family here that loves me. I have a family out there too, thinking of me, and loving me. And I'm thinking of them and how I love them so much. Sometimes I think of just flying right out there, all by myself, floating along like a feather in the wind, and finding my parents at last."
"That's a nice thought," Bowie said.
"What do YOU think about," Dana said in a teasing voice. "Your latest crush?"
Bowie was always struck by how Dana could shift from dead seriousness to flippancy in a second.
"I think about music," Bowie said.
"Music? Oh, come on, that's a cop-out."
"When I look at the stars, I hear music. I hear a song. There's an angel, playing a song for me on the piano, and she's so beautiful. It's just me and her at the piano, out in space, with the stars all around us. I want to come closer to her, I want to touch her and put my arms around her. When I see her, I know, I just know, that she's not like the other girls, that she's special. I feel so-so-"
Bowie stopped, embarrassed. "I'm just talking nonsense. It's just a stupid dream."
"No," Dana said, looking over at Bowie as they lay side by side on the grassy hill and felt the cool breeze caressing them in the night, "It's not stupid at all. It's wonderful to have a dream like that."
* * *
Dana lay on a couch in the ship's lounge, staring at the ceiling. Marie had informed everyone that they would be reaching the Tirol star system in a matter of days. They were making a series of leaps through hyperspace, following very much the same path that the SDF-3 had taken many years ago. Dana pictured herself as the feather, floating through space, on a rendezvous with destiny.
"What are you thinking about?" Bowie's voice interrupted Dana's thoughts, and Dana turned to regard Bowie fondly.
"Remember how we used to lie on the hill at night and talk about our dreams?"
Bowie nodded.
"I was just thinking about how our dreams are coming true," Dana said.
Musica appeared behind Bowie and took his hand. Bowie turned to her and smiled, acknowledging the truth of Dana's words.
* * *
Dana's heart was frozen in time as she stood on the observation deck of the Robotech factory satellite and watched the SDF-3 leave. Slowly and agonizingly, the great alien ship bore her parents away to an uncertain future. The image of Max and Miriya beholding their precious daughter with loving eyes one last time before taking the irrevocable step across the threshold of fate remained fast in Dana's mind. They had looked on her one last time and then turned to board the immense ship, the back-lighting from within the boarding deck of the SDF-3 casting them as two stark silhouettes, before disappearing from view at last. Dana wanted to hold onto the image of her parents smiling one last time on her. She wanted to hear her mother's tender voice telling her "I love you, Dana."
Turning away from the SDF-3, Dana hugged the woman behind her and lost herself in her tears.
Vanessa Leeds gently wrapped her arms around Dana and held her close.
"They're gone, Aunty," Dana said between sobs. "They're really gone."
"Dana, let's watch the SDF-3."
Vanessa led Dana by the hand to a large window nearby, where several dozen onlookers also watched the SDF-3 depart on its mission to Tirol.
The distance between the SDF-3 and Earth widened greatly with each passing minute. It would not be long before the battlefortress would begin a series of hyperspace folding operations that would bring them halfway across the galaxy, to a place that Dana could hardly imagine in her most outlandish dreams.
Vanessa pointed in a direction slightly wide left of the SDF-3's current course heading, to a small cluster of stars that, to the untrained eye, looked like nothing more than any other group of stars. Dana's eyes followed Vanessa's slender fingertip as it touched the window softly and came to rest.
"You see that? That's where they're going. That's the location of Tirol's star system."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"It's so very far away," Dana said in quiet wonder.
"Now you'll always know where your mom and dad are," Vanessa said. "They'll always be right there, and they'll always be thinking of you, I promise you that."
"I'm glad you're still here, Aunty."
"So am I," Vanessa smiled as she and Dana watched the stars. "You're always welcome to come over to my house. Bron and Sam will love to see you. I think we'll be seeing a lot of each other."
Dana turned to Vanessa and smiled through her tears. Vanessa reached out to Dana with her hand, and Dana took Vanessa's hand in her own. Together, they watched the SDF-3 for a long time, before the bright, brief flash of light enveloped the ship, signifying its leap to hyperspace.
* * *
"What do you think about when you look at the stars?"
Bowie Grant's voice shook Dana from her stargazing reverie. Dana turned to regard Bowie with a smile. At Dana's suggestion, they had hopped on their bikes and ridden to a hill that overlooked the "Three Mounds," where there lay buried in the dirt the remains of the SDF-1, the SDF-2, and Khyron's battlecruiser. Without any ambient light from Monument City, the stars shone brightly in the night sky.
It was Dana's thirteenth birthday, and she had gone over to Vanessa's home with Bowie to celebrate. At that dinner, Dana shocked everyone by announcing her intention to enter the Robotech Academy, in the fast-track program.
"I'm going to graduate by the time I turn sixteen," Dana said.
"Yeah, Dana can't stand the thought of me being in the army and not her," Bowie chuckled. "Makes her envious."
"Oh, be quiet, Bowie," Dana said in mock approbation. "You know you'd be completely clueless without me around to back you up. I know you're jumping for joy inside."
"Wow, Dana," Vanessa's eight-year old daughter, Samantha, said, "that's wonderful."
Rico, Konda, Bron, and Vanessa joined in showing how proud they were of their beloved "Little Dana."
Vanessa, sitting next to Bron, rose from her seat at the dining table and lit the thirteen candles on Dana's birthday cake. It was a delicious Barvarian peach cake, with the words, "Happy Birthday Dana" inscribed in the center, along with a small Veritech made of frosting as an embellishment.
"Our Little Dana has grown up so fast," Vanessa said as she walked over to Dana's side, brought the cake before her, and kissed her softly on the cheek. Dana closed her eyes and tried her best not to cry. She thought she detected a hint of sadness, mixed with pride and loving admiration, in Vanessa's voice. It was almost as if, at that moment, Vanessa was trying to tell Dana how much she cherished her company. Every day, every heartbeat, is so precious, Vanessa seemed to say. Children grow up so fast, we all grow old so quickly, the world changes so much so quickly, that it's all too easy to lose sight of the here and now. We must always hold onto moments like these in our hearts, Dana. There will come a day when we will no longer all be together.
The thought that she, Bowie, Vanessa, Bron, little Samantha, Rico, and Konda might not be together as a sort of "family" made Dana inexpressibly sad. A black hole of grief opened up within the depths of her troubled soul.
Things change, Dana reflected. People change. Friends and loved ones come in and out of my life. Some will never return. Here I am, leaving my home to become an officer in the Army of the Southern Cross. Some things will never be the same again.
"Don't cry, it's your birthday," Bron said softly, noticing the tears of bittersweet sadness forming on Dana's cheeks.
"I promise," Dana stammered, trying to put on a cheerful face, "I promise to visit you guys every chance you get. I'll make sure Bowie comes too. You'll hardly notice we're gone!"
"I know you will," Vanessa said as she hugged Dana and held her close.
"Make a wish, sweetie," Vanessa whispered.
Dana made her wish and blew out the candles.
That was all just an hour ago, but it seemed like an eternity. Something had changed in Dana, and she knew her life with Vanessa's family would be changed in ways she could not dare to imagine. And now she was alone with her childhood friend Bowie, looking at the stars.
"What do you think about when you look at the stars?" Bowie asked.
Dana pointed at the night sky. "What do I think about?"
Dana pondered the question in silence.
"I think about my family," Dana said as she pointed. "See where I'm pointing? That's where my parents are. That's where both of our parents are. Right now, they're thinking of me, Bowie. They're wondering what I'm doing, they're wondering if I'm happy here on earth. And I am happy. I'm happy I have a family here that loves me. I have a family out there too, thinking of me, and loving me. And I'm thinking of them and how I love them so much. Sometimes I think of just flying right out there, all by myself, floating along like a feather in the wind, and finding my parents at last."
"That's a nice thought," Bowie said.
"What do YOU think about," Dana said in a teasing voice. "Your latest crush?"
Bowie was always struck by how Dana could shift from dead seriousness to flippancy in a second.
"I think about music," Bowie said.
"Music? Oh, come on, that's a cop-out."
"When I look at the stars, I hear music. I hear a song. There's an angel, playing a song for me on the piano, and she's so beautiful. It's just me and her at the piano, out in space, with the stars all around us. I want to come closer to her, I want to touch her and put my arms around her. When I see her, I know, I just know, that she's not like the other girls, that she's special. I feel so-so-"
Bowie stopped, embarrassed. "I'm just talking nonsense. It's just a stupid dream."
"No," Dana said, looking over at Bowie as they lay side by side on the grassy hill and felt the cool breeze caressing them in the night, "It's not stupid at all. It's wonderful to have a dream like that."
* * *
Dana lay on a couch in the ship's lounge, staring at the ceiling. Marie had informed everyone that they would be reaching the Tirol star system in a matter of days. They were making a series of leaps through hyperspace, following very much the same path that the SDF-3 had taken many years ago. Dana pictured herself as the feather, floating through space, on a rendezvous with destiny.
"What are you thinking about?" Bowie's voice interrupted Dana's thoughts, and Dana turned to regard Bowie fondly.
"Remember how we used to lie on the hill at night and talk about our dreams?"
Bowie nodded.
"I was just thinking about how our dreams are coming true," Dana said.
Musica appeared behind Bowie and took his hand. Bowie turned to her and smiled, acknowledging the truth of Dana's words.