"So where will I sleep?" I asked. "I mean, I can't sleep in the office."
"I have an idea," said Lieutenant Jenna Murphy. "Follow me."
The fighter pilot led me out of the office and through some corridors. I notice the doors all had numbers stenciled on them. Jenna Murphy opened one of the doors.
"You can stay in my quarters," she said.
I looked around. There was a bed and a dresser and suicases full of clothes. Jenna Murphy opened one of the suitcases.
"Here's a T-shirt and shorts in case you want to take a nap," she said. "Unless you prefer to take a nap in your suit."
"Thanks, Lieutenant," I said. "I really appreciate this."
"Call me Jenna. I only expect military people to address me as lieutenant."
"Thanks, Jenna."
"I just want to make sure you're comfortable. We don't know if anyone else survived. I heard that Commander Fokker of Skull Squadron picked up someone else, but it wasn't confirmed. Anyway, I have to go to the office now."
And so the lieutenant left. I looked at the T-shirt, which had the word FLYGIRL stenciled on it. I removed my coat, necktie, shirt, and pants. I slipped the T-shirt and shorts on. I looked around. At least there was gravity here; I read about other people's space travel experiences. I wondered how space travel was like forty years ago, when simulated gravity systems had not been invented. I lay down on the lower bed. Soon I drifted off to sleep.
oooooooo
I woke up and immediately knew I was not in my apartment nor a hotel room in Macross City. I looked around and I was in the quarters of a fighter pilot, on a ship that is near Pluto. And I was hungry. I hoped this vessel was provisioned for a year's supply of food. the idea of returning to Earth as a corpse was not very appealing.
I wondered if there was a library on this ship. Television was out of the question since we were too far to receive television broadcasts from Earth.
I heard a phone ring. "Hello?" I asked.
"Hi, this is Jenna," said a female voice. "How are you doing?"
"I'm hungry."
"the ship's crew is providing all of us with rations."
"I hope they don't mind a civilian eating in the officer's mess."
"Oh no. You see, we found more survivors. They were in the bomb shelters."
"But if the island was taken into space..."
"The shelters were designed to protect from NBC warfare. There was still enough air left inside to last for a day, long enough for us to get everyone out."
"That's great," I said. "I'm glad I wasn't the only survivor. How many survivors were there?"
"Seventy thousand."
"I guess I'll see you later. Maybe I'll join them."
I hung up the phone.
And then it occurred to me.
The ship was only built for a total capacity of seven thousand, including its crew of three thousand. There wasn't enough living space for seventy thousand people. This was a hell of a lot worse than when I was the only confirmed survivor. At this rate, almost all of us would die of starvation before reaching Saturn. Unless this ship can go back the way it came, the SDF-1 Macross might as well be a coffin.
I looked at my hands, and I looked at myself in the mirror. So this is how it will end. I will starve to death on this ship.
I heard the door knock and I opened it. I saw a man in a uniform.
"Corporal Dow," said the man. "I'm here to take you to where the other refugees are located."
"Sure," I said. I put on a pair of flip-flops and Corporal Dow led me through the steel corridors of the ship. We went into an elevator and he presses a button. When the elevator doors opened, it opened into a huge cavernous space in the ship. I could see a sea of people inside. They were all dressed in various outfits. One day, they were living their lives, most of them anticipating the launch of the SDF-1. Now they are inside the SDF-1, which was located farther than they have ever been from home. Hundreds of the were lined up.
"Please line up for food and water rations," said a voice over the speaker. "There will be no disorderly conduct."
I joined the line. I noticed marines armed with rifles to keep order, and I saw a huge suit of armor keeping watch; it did not like like the suits of armor that can transform into fighter jets. I waited for hours as my stomach growled. I finally reached the line, and a Spacy crewman gave me something.
"Ration bar," he said. "Developed for long space voyages. It'll keep you alive."
"Thanks," I said. I ate the ration bar, which tasted sort of like a granola bar. it had this richer taste though, due to extra nutrients. And it would keep me alive. But then we will run out of ration bars, and then we will starve. The crew might as well decompress the whole ship; death by asphyxiation can't be as bad as death by starvation.
After a few hours, a truck pulled into the cavernious space. Marines handed out blankets. I lined up for hours to get a blanket. Just seconds after getting a blanket, I saw a little boy who did not have a blanket.
"Want my blanket?" I asked.
"Sure, mister," said the boy.
I have him the blanket. I decided to sleep resting against the bulkhead. It wasn't exactly a comfortable sleep. But tired people manage to find sleep in even the most uncomfortable surfaces.
ooooooooo
The next morning , I woke up and I received the breakfast ration from the crew, wondering how many days of rations we will have left. I also wondered if the crew were planning to send some of us refugees to the vacuum of space to make the food last longer. After all, the fewer mouths to feed, the longer the food supply will last. Will they get rid of the elderly? The sick? The disabled? Will law and order break down and the SDF-1 turn into a ship of cannibals?
There wasn't much else to do but talk to the other refugees. I got statements from some of them. I promised them that I would send a message to my office in New York so that the people of Earth would know what we went through.
Then after hours in this cavernous space, I heard an announcement from the PA. But it was not an announcement for ration distribution.
"Hello, this is Mayor Tommy Luan of Macross City," said the voice. "I am pleased to inform you that the crew recovered food from the warehouse district. I would like to thank God, Captain Gloval, and the crew of this fine ship for making the effort. I have a proposal. The crew's engineers, the Macross City Public Works Department, and I have been discussing plans. We plan to build Macross City inside the SDF-1."
That guy has to be kidding! I looked around and the crowd seemed to agree.
"All the building materials are already located on the island," said the mayor. "We're going to salvage them and any vehicles, equipment, and supplies that we can. We still have each other and we have hope. We can make it back to Earth. We will make it back to Earth."
oooooooo
The next day, all sorts of construction equipment and vehicles moved into the huge cavernous space. The armored suits, which I leanred were called mecha, stood guard. Many of the refugees volunteered to work in constructing the new Macross City. Even I pitched in. I made sure to keep notes, as I would write this story and submit it to the Associated Press whatever way I can.
Mayor Tommy Luan was watching as his city was being rebuilt inside the SDF-1. He was a short pudgy balding man with some black hair left on his head.
"Excuse me, your Honor," I said. I introduced myself. "I'm a reporter from the Associated Press."
"From what office?" asked the mayor.
"The New York office."
"So you're just a visitor."
"I only intended to stay for one night. I guess I'll be staying in Macross City for a year. I'm going to write news articles."
"And you want an interview?"
"I'd like some things. A laptop computer and a printer. Someday, a hundred years from now, people are going to read what we wrote about this."
"Well, feel free to ask me a few questions."
"When did you come up with the idea of rebuilding the city?" I asked.
"It started when I heard the crew got back the food from the warehouses," said Mayor Luan. "You see, we needed to make more living space to house everyone, and this place is large enough to fit a small city."
"What do you plan to build, sir?"
"Apartment buildings, businesses, libraries, schools, a hospital, and a park. There's plenty of stuff to be salvaged from the island. The Public Works Department is working with SDF-1 Engineering to build the city."
"So who's going to be in charge?"
"The elected officials of Macross City will make laws, and the police and fire departments will continue the duties they had before our relocation. Once the city is operational, the municipal government will be open for business. I think trying to recreate some of the life we had on Earth will make the transition easier. We have a long journey back home."
"I'll look forward to that, sir."
"Where did you get that T-shirt? Flygirl?"
"A fighter pilot loaned me these clothes," I said. "She was the one who picked me up from Macross City and brought me here before we all went to Pluto. Your Hionor, I hope you can loan me what I need."
"I'll see what I can do," said the mayor. "Captain Gloval told me that the city government will have sole discretion on what to do with the salvage from the island."
And so the construction continued for the next few days. The apartment buildings were the first to be built. All of us here registered with Lieutenant Commander Ward, who was assigned as the officer in charge of the refugees. He would also become liaison to the city government once Macross City is rebuilt. We got the usual rations, just enough to keep us alive. At least obesity would not be an issue here.
Once the apartments were finished, the crew assigned us rooms. We had all registered with the crew. Because I was not here with a wife or kids, I was assigned a studio apartment. The apartment was bare, except for a bed and a telephone. I guessed the furniture retrieved from the island was still in storage.
I lay on my bed. The only stuff I had were the clothes I borrowed from Jenna Murphy. Does she even remember me? She still has my suit.
I heard the phone ring. At least the city has a telephone service. "Hello?" I asked.
"It's me, Jenna," said a female voice. "you know, the pilot that saved your life."
"What's up?" I asked.
"You left something in my quarters."
"My suit?"
"Yes. It's still intact. I'd like to bring it to you. Coiuld you tell me where your apartment is?"
oooooooooo
"This place is bigger than mine," said Jenna, after she handed me my suit.
"Not much, just a bed and a phone," I replied.
"At least you have your own bathroom."
The bathroom was built into one corner of the apartment.
"So how are you doing?" she asked.
"I just moved in here today," I said. "How did you know my number?"
"I looked up your number on the database after the city's telephone system went online. I knew each refugee family will get one living unit."
"Well, I think I'm going to continue my work. I'll have a lot of articles to write. I hope the city gives me a working computer. In the meantime, I'm going to get some clothes from the Spacy. They're going to be handing out spare clothes to us."
"So tell me about yourself. You're from New York, right?"
"Right. I moved to Manhattan to work as a reporter at the Associated Press. I traveled around the country."
"Any family?"
"Yes, my parents live in Queens. I have two brothers and two sisters."
"So do I," said Jenna.
"What part of Earth are they from?" I asked.
"They're not from Earth. they live on Apollo colony on the moon. My dad's an aerospace engineer and Boeing has a lunar construction facility for spaceships."
"I'd better go get new clothes," I said. "The lines are long and they might run out of clothes my size."
"I have to go to my duty shift in ten minutes," said Jenna. "See you later."
oooooooooooo
The ceremony dedicating city hall was today. It was very important, as this marks the opening of the Macross City government. I was there, dressed in my suit.
"I am proud to introduce Mayor Tommy Luan," said Commander Ward.
"Thank you, Commander," said the mayor, dressed in a suit. "For the past two weeks we have been building new homes and new shops here in this ship. We now have electricity, running water, and telephones. We will soon have libraries and schools and parks and community centers. Today marks the opening of the city hall. From now on, we will be responsible for the city. We will build a life for us, right here on this ship."
Everyone clapped.
"And now, I hereby dedicate the Macross City hall." Mayor Luan cuts a ribbon. Behind the ribbon is a four-story building. Above the entrance were the carved words MACROSS CITY HALL. I took a closer look at a bronze plaque. It mentions that the buuilding was constructed from the remains of the old city hall.
"Excuse me, sir," I asked. "I'm with the Associated Press. Are the police and fire departments in business?"
"Yes," said the mayor. "As of now, the Macross City Police Department is in charge of law enforcement, while the Fire Department deals with fires."
"And what extent does the military have authority here?"
"They have full authority. Captain Gloval has delegated city matters to us."
After that, the mayor and his people entered city hall. I decided to walk back to my apartment. There was still much construction going on. The threat of starvation did not seem looming.
Then I heard a crash. I looked and saw there was a hole in the street. I ran to the site.
I looked down and there were two people down there. Soon the construction crew was lifting them up. Some of them were taking pictures. I saw the two people, a boy and a girl. They were put into an ambulance and they were taken to a hospital.
ooooooooooo
I sat in front of a computer in the city hall. The mayor allowed me to use the computer to write the articles. One was the article about the dedication of Macross City. The other article was the recovery of the two people who were believed to be killed. The hospital, which was still under construction, revealed their names as Rick Hunter and Lin Minmei.
I finished the article and saved it to a floppy disk. I was lucky I had access to a working personal computer. I then printed out thirty copies of the article. I signed weach article with my name and the name of my employer.
At last, I said. I am now reporting again.