Chapter 20
The people of New Macross roared in applause. Lynn Minmei reached out to them with every song, pouring all her energy into each verse. She was opening her heart, giving it to the people. And the people devoured it, and wanted more.
"Thank you! You're a wonderful audience!" she cried out. A bead of sweat was running down her cheek, and her hands were shaking, trying to keep the microphone steady by her lips. But her smile was as beautiful, and her eyes as bright as ever.
A re-mixed version of a familiar song began to play. Minmei gasped for breath, but she was a professional at hiding it. She paused for a split second and struggled to muster more energy. She worried about the pause, but then she nearly laughed. The people would wait for her.
"This next one was my very first song," she said. "I didn't write it, but I sang it a lot! And I hope you don't mind if I sing it again tonight..."
The hungry crowd roared in reply.
Minmei closed her eyes, steadied her hand, and sang. Stage fright, go 'way... this is my big day...
Lisa rubbed her hand over her temple. "I hate this song," she groaned. Her eyes were closed tightly.
Joons smiled and nodded. "Heard it too many times?"
She nodded in return. "It gives me a headache..."
The melodic voice of Lynn Minmei bounced off the walls of the command center. Lisa's head began to pound.
This is my chance to be a star!
"Would you mind turning that down a little?" she snapped. "Concentrate, people! Let's not forget we're on a command bridge!"
"Right away, Commander!" came a voice from behind her, and the music disappeared. But when Lisa looked out her window, Minmei was still singing in front of the Valkyrie. Lisa watched her lips, and she could hear Minmei's voice just as clearly as before.
This is my chance to be a star...
Lisa closed her eyes tightly, and tried to think of another song, any song at all, but she could not. She thought of Lynn Minmei, flying high above the clouds in Rick's Valkyrie, holding his hand in the park, and kissing him under the streetlights of Old Macross. She thought of herself, alone and forgotten in the dim light of a bar, singing Minmei's song.
She's... she's the star...
"Everything all right, Commander?"
Lisa gasped blinked her eyes. "Wha-- what's that?"
Lieutenant Joons was glancing up from his seat. "Nevermind. I thought you said something." He returned his attention to the girl on the stage.
The radar screen flashed. Lisa grabbed it with both hands. "It's about time!" she said. "Let's get a confirmation on this blip, people!"
A young man in the back nodded his head. "It's one of ours, Commander. I'm reading a single VF-1S, bearing two-seven-three. He's disengaging his boost packs."
"Excellent!" Lisa beamed excitedly. "Make audio contact!"
A girl at the audio terminal spoke up. "Negative. VF-1S is not responding to our hails."
Lisa stopped in her place. "...Why? What's the problem?"
"His equipment is functioning properly, Commander. I'll continue hailing."
Joons rubbed his chin, and then he smiled. "Commander Hayes," he said. "I don't think I'd worry. I bet he's trying to sneak up on us."
Lisa smiled. She leaned over Joons and flipped a switch at her station. A pilot's image came on the main screen. Osprey One was written across the helmet's brow.
"Hello Commander!" said the masked pilot. "This is Osprey One, at your service!"
"Roger, Osprey One," said Lisa. "We've got a VF-1S on our radar bearing two-seven-three. Can you give us a visual?"
The pilot motioned off-screen to his equipment operators. "We've been trying since he dropped from orbit, Commander. He's moving too fast. I've never seen a Valk hit speeds like that before! It's gotta be the Skull."
Lisa smiled again.
The heavy G-forces pushed Rick into the pilot's seat. He was relieved to have jettisoned the booster packs from the Skull One's fuselage. The added rocket fuel had gotten him all the way to Earth from the Ultimatum, but the giant thrusters riding piggyback on the Valk became cumbersome as soon as he entered the atmosphere. Without the weight of his space boosters, the flight was smooth and responsive, and he felt the true speed of his VF-1S.
Rick pulled the Valk into a tight barrel roll. This was the Skull One he remembered.
Bringing his thrust all the way up, he came within meters of the ocean's surface. The waters parted violently in the wake of his engines. The sun was beginning to set on the fast-approaching shore of New Macross.
He imagined Ben Dixon flying close at nine o'clock, in a dust-brown VF-1A with a full armament of cruise missiles. His round face and wild eyes showed through the tint of his helmet. Those Zentraedi low lives are in for a surprise! Ben scoffed. We're gonna send them clear across the galaxy!
You said it! Max Sterling replied. He flew at three o'clock, his eyes sharp and steady like the royal blue VF-1A he controlled. I've got a few rockets with "Battle Pod" written all over them!
And Rick imagined the image of Roy Fokker, sparking to life on his video screen. Hey, Rick! he called out, with all the confidence and authority of a true hero. Take care of my baby for me! I'm not letting you keep her forever, you know!
Rick let their images fade away, replaced by the passing waves. "Well guys," he whispered. "This one's for you."
He pulled up and rose vertical, piercing into the darkening sky.
Minmei's voice faltered as she sang "We Will Win." Her heart skipped and she hoped no one had noticed. But the crowd was screaming so loudly and the music was booming so hard, Minmei figured she was hard to hear anyway.
She finished the song, just barely. Beads of sweat were running through her make-up. She panted for breath and counted the measures of the rhythm. Her next song was fast approaching and she wasn't ready.
I can't make it! she cried to herself. Turning to the band member at the turntables, she gave him a casual wave, hoping he would catch on and loop the beat for a few more seconds. But the DJ was looking up to the cloudy sky. Minmei glanced left and right. Her entire band was watching the sky, the backs of their shiny jumpsuits casting a bright reflection at the crowd.
What...what's happening? she gasped. Her shaking hands nearly dropped the microphone.
And then it reached her; a roaring boom like the clap of thunder. She raised her eyes skyward. A bright white shape burst through the clouds high above her and left a streak of glowing blue light behind it. She knew right away that it was a Veritech fighter. It stopped its climb and tipped to one side, and dove in a steady descent toward the airport.
She slowly climbed off the stage, watching the dark sky with the rest of the audience.
The Veritech was a screaming blur. It passed overhead quicker than the crowd could follow it, and a sonic boom shook the ground. It tipped sharply to one side and made a hair-pin right turn. A stream of ionized air crackled in its wake as the Veritech approached again.
It whizzed over the crowd a second time, until it was over the empty airfield. The fighter pulled back its nose and roared into a steep climb. The crowd instantly cheered at their first clear view. Its fuselage was emblazoned with a black skull and crossbones. Inside the shining cockpit, a pilot with a bright white helmet was looking back at the people as his Veritech climbed vertical. He raised his gloved hand and saluted them.
Minmei was dumbfounded. She stumbled backwards and leaned against the stage.
Ladies and gentlemen, the announcer proudly boomed. It seems like one of Minmei's old friends decided to stop by! The RDF and Macross City are honored to present two great heroes of the Macross War! Please welcome Commander Rick Hunter...and the legendary Skull One fighter!
Lisa could hear the wild applause from inside the control tower. Her eyes followed the Skull as it soared upwards. She smiled as Rick barrel-rolled through the ceiling of clouds, and all she could see was a soft blue glow from his engines.
Commander Hayes, came a voice from the room's intercom. You're on, whenever you're ready.
She nodded, calmed her nerves, and turned on the microphone on her headset. "Skull One!" she called, with all the added drama she could muster. "Come in, Skull One!" She could hear her own voice blasting from the speakers below.
She smiled again, and decided to ad-lib. "This is the SDF-1! Do you copy?"
Michael Joons perked up with surprise. He glanced at her with a smile of amusement. Lisa bit her lip and shrugged nervously, but he gave her a thumbs-up and silently mouthed "that's good!"
After a moment of dramatic silence, Rick's voice came in reply. "I read you, SDF-1! Good to hear your voice, Commander Hayes!"
Lisa blushed and covered her face. She didn't notice the roars of the audience below her.
Rick flew level, circling the airport above the clouds. He imagined the great Super Dimension Fortress waiting below, with Lisa Hayes standing confidently at its command.
"Skull One," Lisa called over the radio. "What is your situation?"
"All targets have been destroyed," said Rick with a hero's confidence. "Permission to touch down!"
He was having the time of his life. He wished he could see Lisa's face.
"Roger that, Skull One!" she replied. "You're clear to land on platform Two-Eight-Nine..." But her voice turned urgent and grave. "Negative! Skull One, we have hostiles! They've slipped through radar! Move to assist immediately!"
Rick grinned and unlocked his missile safety. "Copy, SDF-1! I'm on my way!"
Minmei felt a rush of excitement well inside her. From behind one of the airplane hangars, a pair of old Zentraedi Battle Pods stepped onto the open airway. They didn't look like the Pods she remembered. They were painted with brighter blues, and their movements were jerky and slow. She figured they were being remote-controlled from somewhere. But even so, the sight of a Battle Pod was enough to give her a chill.
The audience gasped with anticipation. The Pods stepped back to a safe distance, stopped, and looked menacingly down. They were devoid of guns or missile racks, and none of the people seemed threatened. Even the young children were unafraid. They ran up to the fence and shouted insults at the Zentraedi war machines.
Minmei frowned. I...I can't believe this! Have they...forgotten already?
The Skull One dropped from the sky behind the Pods. It flew dangerously close to the asphalt airstrip, closing the distance to its targets by the instant. The audience stared with baited breath.
Rick Hunter's voice called over the loudspeakers. "This is Skull One...switching to Guardian mode!"
The Skull's twin engines swung downward and formed into strong, inverted legs. A pair of arms and hands extended from the fuselage, one of them gripping the Valkyrie's gunpod weapon. The thrusters on the Skull's legs fired hard, and the Guardian rose into the air.
Under its wings, two ballistic racks delivered a swirling payload of cluster rockets. The warheads were dummies, nothing more than fireworks. They swirled through the air and left smoke trails behind them, until the empty cases fell against the pavement.
But the Zentraedi machines exploded just the same. They burst into roaring flames that leapt high into the air. Pyrotechnics detonated on the ground and fed the blaze, until the Battle Pods were engulfed in fire.
From the center of the smoke and heat, the Skull One Guardian's mighty legs stomped forth. Its legs pounded the ground and smashed the rubble of the enemy craft. The Skull moved slowly toward the fence, lowered its guns, and unlocked its canopy.
Rick Hunter stood from his cockpit. His face was composed and confident, hiding behind tufts of brown hair. His uniform was black and white, with the skull and crossbones on his shoulders, chest, and helmet. He smiled at the control tower as he stood, and gave it a perfect salute.
Over the roaring crowd, the faltering voice Commander Hayes called forth.
"Skull One...welcome back. It's...good to see you again."
Night was quickly falling on the airport. The people had long disappeared from the grandstands and fought the traffic back to their homes. Ground crews were cleaning up the messes and tearing down the vendors' stands. Giant floodlights on the tops of the hangars were slowly warming up, and casting ominous shadows behind the motionless Destroids and Guardians on the walkways.
Rick labored with the Skull One's maintenance team. He helped lower the ballistics racks off of the Skull's wings and onto transport carts. He made sure the refueling team didn't scratch the paint on the fuselage. And all the while, he spoke to Lisa through his helmet's radio.
"Are you going to be much longer?" she asked, as the fueling team gave Rick a thumbs-up and disconnected the pump. "I was hoping we could do a little celebrating tonight."
Rick looked up at the tower. He couldn't see Lisa through the windows, but he knew she was watching. "That sounds great," he smiled. "I'm just finishing up. Do you mind if I pull her in for the night?"
"Of course not! But...if you don't I see it again...in person?"
He patted the Skull's nose. "Sure! I'll wait for you. Wait 'til you see what's taped to the glass!"
She giggled. "See now, you owe that little robot! He gave you the finishing touch!"
"Yeah, he sure did."
Lisa stepped up to the glass, and waved down with a smile. "I'm proud of you, Rick."
"Thanks, Lisa. I'm proud of you too."
Lisa looked down at the pilot with tear-filled eyes. She gave him one last wave, and pulled off her headset. A sigh escaped her lips as she switched off the surveillance screens that were focused on the bleachers.
Joons stepped up, with a long cable wrapped around his arm. "All right, I got that last camera taken down," he said. "Anything else I can help you with?"
Lisa turned around, but she had forgotten to dry her eyes. She quickly dabbed at the tears running down her cheeks. "Uh...no, I don't..."
Joons was taken aback. "Oh! Umm, you know what? I missed a camera. Be back in a minute."
He went for the door, but Lisa laughed and called out to him. "Hang on, Lieutenant," she sighed, rubbing her face. "You don't have to leave every time I tear up...I've been doing it a lot these days."
He nodded and put the cables in a supply closet nearby. "It's been a rough go lately. I think we've all been through a lot."
"You can say that again," she breathed. The thought of it made her exhausted.
"But you know, I can tell you this much...I'm glad you and Commander Hunter are my superiors. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Lisa studied the young pilot. She could still barely believe he was flying with the RDF. He was too short, too young. A few years ago, they never would have let him take a Veritech into the sky. But the times were ever changing, and nowadays, all you needed were a sharp eye and a strong determination. And by the hard-set look of Joons' dark face, he seemed more than willing to lay himself on the line.
"Thank you, Lieutenant," she replied. "And I can tell you something. You're one of the best pilots we have out there."
He looked up and blushed deeply. "I...respect your judgment, ma'am. Thank you."
"I mean it, Michael. I wouldn't trust Commander Hunter to anyone else."
His face seemed to lose some of its redness. "I'll take good care of him, ma'am."
Rick tapped his helmet. "Lisa, are you there? I'm all set down here. Want to have a look before she goes back in the hangar? Lisa, can you read me?"
He shrugged to himself. She must've taken off her headset. Oh well, I'll wait a few minutes. She knows where I'm at.
Pulling himself onto the Skull One's wing, he sat on the edge and let his legs dangle. The sun had left the sky, and thousands of distant stars were beginning to take its place. One star shone brighter than others, and it flashed and twinkled, and even seemed to move through the sky. Its glow was faintly blue.
I don't believe it! Thought Rick. That's the Ultimatum! I wish Lisa were here...she has to see this!
He heard his name being called. It was distant, but Rick was almost sure it wasn't Lisa's voice.
He looked down to see Lynn Minmei running toward the Skull. She was just as he remembered her from years ago. With the same tight dress, the same raven hair, and the same beautiful face. He took a single look at her and was flooded with emotions, all of them negative.
Oh...not now. Any time but now.
Minmei stopped right below him, nearly tumbling over herself with excitement. "Rick!" she cried. "Oh, Rick! I can't believe it's you!"
Rick tried to look happy. "Oh, hi there Minmei!" he waved, a bit wearily.
"Well, don't just sit up there! Come on down!"
She grabbed him by the boot and pulled him off the Skull's wing. But she tugged a little too hard. Rick came crashing down on top of her, and they both hit the pavement hard.
"Augh! Whoa! What was that for?" Rick stumbled up. At first he backed away, but Minmei was covered in grease and dirt from the runway. He sighed and offered her a hand.
"Thank you!" she smiled, and quickly pulled herself up. "I'm sorry...I'm just so glad to see you!"
Minmei leapt at Rick with her arms open, almost knocking them both over again. But he quickly caught her in his arms and tried to steady himself. Minmei squeezed his waist tightly, and pressed her head against his chest.
"Minmei..." Rick stuttered. But he had no idea what to say.
"I...I thought I might never see you again," she whispered.
"Yeah," said Rick, with a roll of his eyes. "Yeah, me either."
He heard a loud thump from the control tower above, and looked up. Lisa was staring weakly down, holding herself up with her hand on the window. Her eyes were void of expression, and her mouth had fallen open in shock.
He felt his heart sink to his feet.
Lisa's palm streaked down the control tower's glass. She shook inside as she watched. Her worst fear, the one that had been nagging in her mind all day, had come to pass. They had found each other again.
Joons stepped beside her. "Thought I heard something over here," he said. "What happened?"
He looked down to the runway, and saw Lynn Minmei in Rick's arms.
"Ah. So...they know each other, then?" he asked.
Lisa slowly turned to face Joons. Her eyes were hollow and welling with tears.
Joons sighed. "I'll go get that camera now."
She waited until the blast door had closed behind him, and she let her tears fall.
"Rick...you don't seem...happy to see me."
He looked down at the girl in his arms. He smiled, genuinely, set her back on her feet, and stepped away.
"I am, Minmei. I'm very happy to see you. You just...surprised me, that's all. I'm sorry, I haven't really been myself lately."
"Oh..." she moved a little closer. "Would...you like to talk about it? We could get some coffee...I know a place that's still open..."
He shook his head politely. "I'm sorry, Minmei, I just can't. Not tonight. But I would like to talk to you! Here, I'll give you the number to my apartment phone. Is that all right?"
Rick raised his eyes quickly to the control tower to see if Lisa was still there. But Minmei noticed, and turned around. She caught a glimpse of Lisa and gasped.
"I...I'm sorry, Rick! I'm sorry!" she whispered, and ran off toward the dark hangars.
Rick scrambled up into the Skull's cockpit. He threw his helmet on, and pressed the "hail" button for the control tower. His eyes were locked on Lisa's hollow stare. She looked back down, and did not receive the hail.
He pressed it again, but she still remained where she was. He held the button down. But still she looked back with tear-filled eyes.
Rick reached down at his instrument panel. Taped next to his altimeter was a photograph of him sitting in the park with Lisa. He pulled the picture off, stood up in the cockpit, and held it at her. He kicked the "hail" button once more.
Without looking away, Lisa put on a headset. The hail was received. Rick heard her quiet breath on the other end of the line.
He calmed his nerves. "Lisa...I love you. Nothing can change that. Nothing can get in the way."
As the tears ran down Lisa's cheeks, she smiled. But her smile was short-lived.
The sky flashed to brilliant life as missiles cut through the clouds. They fell on radar towers, ripping them to shreds in clouds of fire and smoke. The dormant Guardians and Destroids were decimated. The airstrip was littered with craters and flaming supply trucks.
Sirens came alive everywhere, but not a single mecha moved to fire back.
Lisa was the only one still in the control tower, which had survived the barrage of missiles. She ran from screen to screen, switching everything off of standby and shouting commands into her headset. "All units remain where you are!" she cried. "Repeat, all units remain where you are! Any outside ground crews are to find shelter immediately! Destroid and Veritech divisions, signal by computer when your units have been armed! Light Arms divisions, signal by encrypted radio!"
Her heart froze, and she looked down at the airstrip. The Skull One was missing.
"Oh my god! Rick!"
Michael Joons threw aside a chunk of sheet metal, and climbed out from behind an overturned tanker truck. The airport was silent, except for the encompassing sound of a crackling fire.
His com-link went off and he quickly answered it. Rick Hunter was on the line.
"Mike, are you all right?" he called.
"Yes sir," whispered Joons. "I made it to shelter. Where's the Skull?"
"I'm hiding behind a hangar, two hundred yards from your position. I'm without a gunpod! I need to rendezvous with the Osprey and load up!"
"Roger that sir, good luck."
"No, wait!" said Rick. "Listen Mike, there's something you need to do. This is extremely important, do you understand?"
"Sir yes sir!"
"Good. Now listen closely. Lynn Minmei is still here. She's somewhere in the airport, probably near Hangar Eight. I need you to find her and get her out of here! When you reach her, take her to Hangar Eleven. There's a VF-1D waiting there for you."
"What's going on, sir? Where do I take her?"
"I...don't know yet. Just get her far away. We'll contact you as soon as this blows over."
"Good luck sir!"
"You too, Mike. Take good care of her."
Michael Joons' eyes thinned tight. "Sir yes sir."
Lisa poured over the monitors, shouting commands madly, but the airport below her was still a deathly calm. Officers began pouring in and occupying the various stations behind her; they were faces she did not recognize. But they instantly took her orders and eased some of her building stress.
God, Rick...where are you?
The main monitor flashed with an incoming hail. She instantly took it, but the face was not Rick's. It was a garbled digital feed of a man's face, adorned with a Zentraedi Battle Pod helmet.
She stared at the fading image, and the Zentraedi stared coldly back, until it spoke.
"What is your name, Micronian?"
Lisa mustered all the courage she had, and pushed her thoughts of Rick as far away as she could. "I am Commander Lisa Hayes of the Robotech Defense Force! You have assaulted a designated RDF facility! Stand down immediately or be met with immediate force!"
The Zentraedi ignored her speech. "Commander Lisa Hayes," he said. "Today you die at your bridge."
A chill ran up her spine and sent a cold numbness through her body.
Rick's Guardian pounded over bent metal and dancing flames. His mind replayed the audio messages he had just received.
Skull One, remain at your post! Our Veritechs have been engaged at the Lookout Zone! The Osprey is down, repeat, the Osprey is down!
The Guardian's hand reached into the flattened wreckage of an aircraft hangar, and pulled back a portion of the steel. A destroyed VF-1 lay beneath. Its wings and tailfins were smashed apart under the weight of the complex.
With both hands, the Skull One rolled the craft upside down. Its gunpod was broken apart.
Lisa refused to back down from the image before her.
"The RDF will not stand for such a barbaric attack! You'll pay dearly for this!"
The Zentraedi shook his head. "More blood will spill tonight, Commander. Your little outpost is hopelessly outnumbered. What fighters you have on the ground are without weapons. It seems your recreational display has left you completely vulnerable."
From the dark of night, scores of Zentraedi Battle Pods stomped onto the cratered airfield. They were ghostlike, mangled machines that sparked and surged from battle damage. Their numbers were staggering.
Between the long rows of mecha, military trucks were dispensing waves of foot soldiers armed with assault rifles. The soldiers ran to the battlefront, and stood with their weapons trained directly on Lisa's window.
"We will decimate this airport," said the Zentraedi commander. "And then we will storm Macross City. We will pile the bodies of dead Micronians in the streets. And your body, Commander Lisa Hayes, will be at the bottom of that pile."
Lisa's hands clenched tightly. She heard the shells loading in the Battle Pods beneath her.
"Unless," the image seemed to smile. "You decide to be the wise agent of human preservation that you are. Tell us where the matrix is being stored. We will leave this place immediately, and the city will be saved."
Lisa choked. "The...the matrix?"
"The protoculture matrix, Commander! Give me its location immediately, or Macross is ours!"
"But I...I have no idea what you're talking about! There hasn't been a matrix on the planet for years!"
"Very well!" said the Zentraedi. "I am in the mood to kill something anyhow."
The soldiers cocked their rifles, and the Battle Pods trained their cannons. But Lisa's view was hidden away, as a blur of robotic steel moved in front of the glass. A pair of folded wings stopped in front of her, and their insignia told her that it was the Skull One.
Rick switched his head-lasers to burst mode. The Skull One was in Battloid mode, standing full height with its back against the control tower's glass. Its hands were empty of a weapon.
"Lisa!" Rick shouted. "Get the crew out now!"
Lisa's voice was solemn, but shaking. "Rick...go...please go."
"Lisa, listen to me! Abandon your post! There's an escort waiting outside!"
"I...can't leave, Rick."
He looked down at the rows of ghostly, sparking Battle Pods. The foot soldiers below were laughing. One of them picked up a rock and threw it at the Skull's foot.
"Then neither can I," Rick sighed.
His radar sensed movement directly on top of him. He panicked and swung the Skull's head back and forth, but saw nothing.
Lisa's voice was still coming to him through the radio. He listened as she breathed hard, swallowed a dry mouth, and whispered, "I love you, Rick."
"I love you too, Lisa."
"Lynn Minmei! Are you here! I'm looking for someone named Lynn Minmei!"
Joons opened the rear entrance to an airplane hangar. The sight took his breath away. Under the flash of red sirens, three Tomahawk Destroids were waiting to burst forth into action. Their torsos were slowly moving to and fro, as the pilots waited for the order to strike. And below the mighty mecha's legs were five armored transports, each packed with soldiers that carried assault rifles and rocket launchers. No one said a word. Only the humming of engines, the heavy smell of exhaust, and the flashing of a Red Alert. The tension was unbearable.
A commanding officer met Joons at the door. "Where you supposed to be, soldier!" he whispered.
He took a breath, and whispered back. "I'm looking for a girl. A little shorter than I am, with dark hair and a yellow dress. Have you seen her?"
"Boy, are you insane? You can't go looking for a girl now!" He stopped, and pondered for a moment. "My God, you mean Minmei's still here?!"
"Yes! I don't have much time...but I've been ordered to find her! I need to take her to Hangar Eleven for evac!"
The officer was panicked. "Okay! All right, I'll get a squad together and we'll find her! All we've got to do is..."
He was interrupted by the a booming voice over the loudspeakers. It was Commander Hayes. She shouted a battle cry that roused every soul in the hangar to attention.
"All Destroid units! All Veritech units! All Small Arms and Ground to Air units! Move out and follow instructed mission parameters! The base is under attack! Repeat, the base is under attack by Zentraedi forces! Protect this installation at all costs!"
The leading Destroid's speaker crackled to life. "Fourth Reaver Team, follow my lead and fire at will! Fire at will! Fire at will!"
The Destroid fired a blast from its chest cannons and ripped apart the hangar's doors.
The silence was broken by the movement of an RDF army. The hangars exploded with emerging mecha, armored trucks and soldiers. Hails of bullets and artillery blasts flew across the airfield and into the Zentraedi armada. Their attacks were as calculated as chess moves. Destroids lay down suppressing fire as Veritech Guardians rose into the sky, dropping rockets on the scattered rows of Zentraedi Pods. Battloids marched across the field with guns blazing. Armored trucks pooled together and formed outposts, where rifles and rocket launchers fired into the crowd of enemy foot soldiers.
Rick stood firmly before the tower and fired with his head-mounted lasers. Zentraedi mecha approached and took the blasts full-on. The lasers cut and sliced at their bodies, but did little to slow them down.
The empty space to Rick's left began to shift and warp. A shining black Battloid appeared beside him, firing a gunpod in both hands. It stepped in front of Rick and tore at the Zentraedi forces, spitting giant shell casings from its weapons. The ghostly mecha fell in a heap of flames.
Rick recognized the large, folded tail fins behind the Battloid's head. It was Eo Prime's VF-1X.
The Battloid handed one of its gunpods to Rick. It silently saluted and moved behind Rick.
"Eo...is that you?" Rick called.
The Battloid's head nodded.
"Yes!" he cried with relief, and a tight-clenched fist. "Eo, stick with me! We can't let this tower fall!"
The VF-1X knelt beside the tower and fired into the next advancing row of Zentraedi mecha.
Rick squeezed the trigger and the Skull One fired its new gunpod. The weapon kicked back with tremendous force and it belched rounds at twice the speed. Rick had never felt a Veritech's gun deliver such a punch. And when his fire blasted a hole through two approaching Battle Pods, he was struck with awe.
The control crew was a nerve-wracked mess. The officers were too young to know their positions; just boys and girls on the night shift. Some of them were crying. When a ballistic shell exploded near the glass, they all screamed.
Lisa had forwarded all of their data to her own monitors. She controlled the entire battlefield. Her eyes carefully watched the advancing groups on both sides. A split-second could mean life or death for an entire division of soldiers.
A Defender Destroid by Hangar Nine took a missile hit. Its arm caught fire and exploded. The soldiers below it scattered from the heat and shrapnel.
"Viper Squadron!" called Lisa. "Cover Defender at Hangar Nine!"
A trio of Valkyrie Battloids fired on the attacking Zentraedi Pods. They bounded across the field to reach the damaged mecha. Roger that Control! Defender is with us from now on! Small Arms are relocating to nearby Phalanx!
A Tomahawk Destroid took damage. It exploded at the chest and sent its giant arm-cannon spinning through the air. The gun smashed into a running Valkyrie and snapped off its leg, sending the Valk crashing on its side into an armored missile truck. The soldiers worked quickly to free the pilot from the wrecked mecha.
"South-east missile post needs cover!" cried Lisa.
This is Defender 0079 on the West Hill! Everyone watch your heads!"
A Defender Destroid with long-range cannons raised the barrels and fired from across the battlefield. The shells blew apart a group of Battle Pods and rocked the ground where troops were advancing.
Commander Hayes! This is Skull One!
Lisa ran to the front window and looked down. Rick's Skull was joined by the VF-1X prototype. They were knelt at the base of the tower, fending back mobs of skeletal Zentraedi Pods.
"Acknowledged!" she cried.
Commander, we have the high ground! Enemy Small Arms are retreating and the Pods aren't standing up! We have you covered!
The bridge crew shouted in excitement.
"Roger, Skull One!" said Lisa. "I'm sending you a Phalanx for good measure!"
Much obliged, Control. Stay low and watch the artillery fire!
Lisa turned to the young recruits. "Don't make me win this battle without you! How about a little support?"
Joons roared between the hangars at the wheel of an armored RDF humvee. The gun turret in the back spun loosely in circles as he dodged the craters in the ground. He maneuvered around the moving legs of Destroids and Veritechs. Shards of metal beat against his vehicle's side as Battle Pods exploded.
Nearly hidden in shadow, a flash of bright yellow caught his eye.
He rounded a corner and parked the truck between two hangars. Laying against the ribbed sheet metal was the girl he was looking for. She was covered in dirt and scratches and hiding her face on the ground. Her legs were buried in a pile of rubble.
Joons swung open the door and leapt out. "Lynn Minmei!" he screamed. "Lynn Minmei, can you hear me!"
She raised her head and cried out to him, but the noise of battle drowned out her voice. He charged toward her, waving his arms and calling for her to get up.
A Zentraedi foot soldier rounded the rear corner of the hangar. He nocked his rifle's stock against his shoulder.
Joons skidded to a halt. There was no cover to dive for. He saw the flash, felt three punches to his chest, and fell against the ground.
Lynn Minmei cried and screamed as the Zentraedi cocked his gun. The rocks and metal scraped against her legs. She squirmed and struggled but could not tug herself free. She shut her eyes and cowered away.
A dull and gut-wrenching crunch bounced off the wall beside her. The bullets never came. And the Zentraedi lay in the dirt with a combat knife in his helmet.
"Lynn Minmei!"
She looked to the humvee. Joons was leaning tiredly against the open driver's door. His blue flight suit was cut open with three bullet holes, but he was not bleeding. An open knife sheath was flapping at his side.
"Come on!" he cried. "Come on, we're going home!"
Minmei screamed in pain and pulled herself out of the slag. She limped quickly to his cries of encouragement. Her legs and feet were cut and bleeding. Tears ran down her worried face.
She collapsed into his arms, but reeled back and screamed at his wounds.
He smiled gently at her and strained his voice over the explosions. "I'm okay! I'm bulletproof, see? I'm just fine! Now let me take you home!"
He quickly scooped her up and set her in the passenger's seat of the truck. Slamming his door shut, he spun the humvee around and headed back onto the battlefield.
A Phalanx Destroid turned its torso as Joons passed by. It fired a missile blast into a Battle Pod between the hangars. The mangled machine collapsed and roared on fire in the path of the humvee. Minmei screamed and leaned back. Joons swerved hard; his tires clipped over the Pod's lasers, but he regained control.
"Stay down!" he told her firmly. She huddled down into the seat below the windows.
He found the hangar marked with a bright white "11." It was still intact and unharmed. Joons leapt out of the truck and ran for the main doors' controls, but bullet holes covered the control panels and most of the doors themselves.
He climbed onto the back of the humvee and swung the gun turret around. The barrel blazed as he decimated the control panel with fire, then sent a few shots at the locks. He climbed over the roof and back into the driver's seat.
The humvee's tires screeched hard, and the vehicle smashed through the hangar doors. Joons slammed on the brakes and almost hit the nose of an orange VF-1D Valkyrie fighter.
Minmei leaned against the Valk fighter's gunpod and tried to catch her breath. Joons carefully wrapped strips of gauze around her feet. They quickly turned dark with blood stains, and her legs were bleeding just as badly. Minmei tried her best to hold back her cries.
"You'll be all right," he smiled. "It hurts, but it's not bad."
She bit her lip. "Mmhhh....it's not?"
"No ma'am. Nothing to be scared of. Just be brave." He tied off the gauze at Minmei's knees. "Just don't walk, all right? I'll carry you."
"Mmh-kay..."
He unzipped a pocket on his flight suit and pulled out a small box. Inside were some emergency bandages and a few green pills. "Want to take one of these?" he asked. "It helps with the pain."
"Nn-no..." she shook her head, and pointed at his chest. "Mm-maybe you should take one."
Joons pounded his chest vigorously. "Hey! I'm bulletproof, remember? Don't you worry about me! Now sit tight and I'll get us ready to fly."
He quickly sprinted off to the far corner of the hangar, where a locker contained a helmet and extra flight suit. Joons leaned against the wall and groaned in tired pain. Almost done, he thought. Almost done!
Grabbing up the gear, he started back to the Valk. Oh...wait a minute, my suit! He stopped and knelt to the ground. Pulling a roll of tape from his suit pocket, he quickly patched up the holes. That should keep me airtight...
When he ducked back under the Valk's fuselage, he found Minmei looking wearily out the open hangar doors. Her eyes were damp with painful tears. They were hollow and glassy, a look of silent, passive terror.
He sat next to her and blocked her view. "I'll help you put these on," he said, "and we'll take off. We'll leave this all behind."
Minmei seemed to be looking right through him. "I can't," she whispered. "I can't leave it behind."
Lisa stepped onto the battlefield for the first time. The airport was decimated. Blood and burning wreckage were all that was left. But the devastation was nearly all Zentraedi. There had been only nine confirmed fatalities on the RDF side. The attackers were completely routed.
The mysterious commander was right in his threat. The human army was outnumbered two-to-one. But thanks to a few snap decisions and the element of surprise, only ten percent of the Battle Pods even attacked. The rest of them retreated into the night, and Lisa was in no position to make chase.
The Destroids were posted around the airport's perimeter, keeping watch. The fire control mecha, which had miraculously survived, were busy stomping through the ruins and keeping the blazes from spreading. Emergency crews were treating the wounded, Zentraedi and human alike.
Two Battloid visors shone through the night. The Skull One and the VF-1X appeared from the darkness. They were marked with bullet holes and covered with dust. A hundred RDF foot soldiers followed behind them.
The mighty Battloids raised their gunpods, and the soldiers of the RDF cheered their victory. Lisa thought of innocent, oblivious Macross, and she raised her hands with them.
A brilliant flash of light filled the sky. The mighty space carrier, Global State Ship Ultimatum, space-folded into orbit high above their position. Soon it would send down a full support team, but there was no need. The battle was over and won. Even so, the Ultimatum's presence brought a familiar calm to Lisa.
As she watched the sky, a Valkyrie fighter rose from Hangar Eleven and raced into the night sky.
a/n:
This is the final chapter for "On Wings of Steel!" I'd like to thank everybody who read the story, especially those who sent their comments to me in reviews. They helped me immensely. I couldn't have gotten to Chapter 20 without you.
At the time of this writing, I've already started the OWOS sequel, "Robotech: The Ghost Eagles." It continues the story of Rick, Joons and Eo Prime, as they implement brand new Robotechnology to search for the Protoculture matrix. It also hopes to focus more deeply on Rick's relationship with Lisa. As always, I'll be open to your comments and criticism as I continue the story of the Malcontent Uprising.
Thank you again,
Indie