That was the headline in the Macross Gazette the day after the crew announced that the residents of Macross City will not be allowed to leave the ship. I wrote the feature article, getting statements from Macross City residents and SDF-1 crewmen. That issue also featured a scathing editorial by chief editor Jake Austin.
I also wrote an article on the recent battle with the Zentraedi. UN Spacy Lieutenant Rick Hunter was listed as wounded. The military did not release the names of the dead pending notification of next of kin, although I already knew what happened to UN Space Marine Lieutenant Lani Hart.
I was sitting in my office that morning, having had breakfast. I woke up alone; Jenna must have left in the middle of the night to go back to her quarters in the officers' barracks. I was reading through some notes and leads when the telephone rang.
"Hello," I said. "Associated Press, Macross City office."
"This is Lin Kyle," said the voice. "I flew in with my cousin Minmei when she returned from Japan."
"Do you want to issue a statement? An interview?"
"I just became her manager. And we have a really big project coming up."
oooooooo
I met Kyle in his office which was not far from my own office. The office had a poster of Minmei with her hair done in buns and wearing a red dress, as well as the usual office furniture and equipment.
"I just met with some filmmakers," said Kyle, sitting behind his desk. "We're gonna shoot a movie."
"Here?" I asked. "In Macross City. In the SDF-1?"
"There are parts of the ship that haven't been explored," said Kyle. "I spoke with Public Works yesterday and we were planning to expand Macross City. I have full support from City Hall."
"What if we are relocated?"
"We'll deal with that. Besides, those fuckers at the UN declared all of you dead. They don't want us here."
"What's the title of the movie?" I asked.
"Small White Dragon," said Kyle. "Minmei and I will appear in the series. It was the brainchild of a screenwriter who came to Macross City to see the launch. I won't tell you the plot; I can invite you to a shooting of the movie."
"I would like that, Kyle," I said. I extended my hand. "I hope to do business with you. I can get you publicity."
ooooooooo
That evening, there was a memorial service for Marine First Lieutenant Lani Hart. It was in a chapel located a few blocks from City Hall. Members of Knight Squadron were in attendance, as well as pilots from other squadrons, other marines and crewmen, and some of us civilians. I saw a picture of Lani Hart, a woman with brown hair reaching the shoulders, framed by a wreath of flowers.
"Lieutenant Lani Hart was a fine pilot and a fine officer," said Lieutenant Colonel Angus Beckett. "Her wingmates loved her and could count on her and respected her. She was dedicated to protecting her wingmates, the crew of the SDF-1, and the people of Macross City. I , I wish could say something that would comfort her family and others who loved her. There is no rhyme or reason to this. All we can do is never forget her. She was in our lives, and that can not be taken away from us."
Then they played taps. This would be the only memorial service, as there was no body to bury. Jenna and the other pilots saluted, while I put my hand over my heart.
"I'll hand Lieutenant Hart's files to you personally," said Colonel Beckett. "You're the only person here who can write an obituary that can do justice."
"I've had a lot of practice the past year," I said.
"Your writing is as much an inspiration as Minmei's singing," said Lieutenant Commander Roy Fokker, the commander of Skull Squadron. "I've read what you wrote about the pilots I lost. It's one of the few things that inspire me to fight on."
Beckett and Fokker then speak to each other. I look and see Jenna.
"How are you doing?" I asked.
"I can't believe she's gone," replied Jenna.
"If you want to talk about it."
"No, I don't want to talk about it. I...I just want her back."
"I wish there was something I could say to help."
"There's nothing you can say! You're just talking to me so you can write a stupid story about her!"
Jenna then ran away. I kept looking until she ran to the right and disappeared from view.
"She needs time," said Katie Taney, putting her hand on my shoulder. "I also want Lani back."
oooooooooo
I continued working for the next few days. Jenna never came by to visit or even left messages on my machine. I became worried. I hoped she did not do something stupid, like taking the veritech for an unauthorized flight and crashing it into a mountain.
In the meantime, a new steakhouse opened. This was the first steakhouse to be open since the SDF-1's first voyage into space. Since we were getting meat from outside, meat has become more plentiful. I went to the steakhouse and ordered a sirloin steak. I wrote an article about it, interviewing the customers, employees, and the owner. My article on the steakhouse appeared on the left column of the front page of the Macross Gazette. I noticed that Ben Dixon fellow, the guy who escaped from the Zentraedi ship and told me they had four million ships after I got him plastered. he ordered a giant medium rare sirloin steak and he told me that the steakhouse was a dream come true. In the meantime, McDonald's, Burger King, Jack in the Box, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and other fast food places serving meat all opened franchises in Macross City.
I haven't spoken much to Jenna these days. Every time she answered the phone, she would say she's fine and that she's really busy. I wondered what she was busy with, since the Zentraedi haven't attacked.
I went inside the disco. The disco plays old school music from the '70's and '80's. the place opened a year ago. I would sometimes come here with Jenna and her friends.
The place was not very busy. There were a handful of people dancing.
A woman called out my name. I turned and saw Katie Taney.
"How are you doing?" I asked.
"Fine," said Katie.
"Is Jenna all right?" I asked.
"She's withdrawn herself," said Katie. "She's been volunteering for double duty shifts. She just stays in her quarters after she gets off. She doesn't talk to anyone unless it's work related."
"I guess she hasn't gotten over Lani's death."
"Lani's death affected me a lot too. But I guess she took it harder than I did. I guess because she feels guilty for not being able to save her. She saw Lani's fighter get blown up. We all heard her telling us about the bandit on her tail, and Jenna was the closest to her."
"Maybe she just needs time," I said. "A few years ago, a guy named Ned worked in my New York office. He went to Sara Base on mars for a story. He was killed in a terrorist attack that destroyed the base. some of the people in my office were good friends with him. They're going on with their lives. They still miss him. Too bad I never got to meet him. Jenna needs to know that there are people who care about her and love her."
"I wonder what's wrong with those three?" asked a female voice.
I turned and saw three ladies who seemed to be good friends, sort of like Jenna and Lani and Katie. They seemed to be talking to these three men who seemed uncomfortable.
I recognized those men. I saw them on the Daedalus during the homecoming celebration.
"Hey, you guys," I said.
"You're the man pressing his lips against that woman," said the black-haired man. "Just like back on the ship."
"These guys are gay," I said to the three ladies trying to pick up those gentlemen.
"You know, that was a good article you wrote on Lani," said Katie. "I want to thank you."
"I miss her too," I said. "I just hope Jenna's okay."
oooooooo
Later that day, I went to the Bright Star Casino. I sat at the bar and ordered a drink from Vince. I told him about Jenna.
"It's just so tragic," said Vince. "I hope that girl can find some comfort."
"There is one another thing I want to do," I said. "I want to get a message out to my parents in New York."
"Claudia might be able to help you," said Vince. "Right, Claudia."
"There is something I can do," said Claudia, who was sitting two stools to my right. "I have graveyard shift tonight. You record your message and I can invite a reporter to do a story on the bridge graveyard shift."
"Tell me more," I said.
oooooooooo
I walked through the corridors of the bridge with my press pass. Claudia was able to get me in. I walked to the bridge where a Spacy policeman stood guard. I presented my press pass and he let me through.
"Hello there," said Claudia. She introduced me to the bridge people. "He will be doing a story on us. If you will all please leave. I want to speak with him alone."
"Yes, ma'am," replied the others. They left the bridge.
I looked around. I could see out into the Pacific and the starry sky above it. There were monitors and consoles for about every function on the ship.
"Do you have the message?" she asked.
"Here," I said, handing her a DVD that I burned in my office.
Claudia inserted it into a DVD player and played it back. It was me, dressed in a suit, telling people who I was, where I came from, and what happened to me.
"The whole world will know that the people of Macross City survived," said Claudia. "We can override radio frequencies. I'll make sure everyone in New York with a TV will see this broadcast. SDF-1 has the latest in communications equipment. Let me change the settings. all I have to do is press this button and your message will be broadcast over most of the world. The government won't be able to keep it quiet." Claudia pressed a button on the panel. "It's being broadcast now. The recording will loop and we will broadcast for five minutes." She then presses another button. "It's finished."
"What time is it in New York?" I asked.
"7 AM." Claudia yawns. "Time to get some sleep. I'm glad I don't hace to be upo late at night tomorrow. I'm looking forward to dinner with Roy. I'm going to make my famous pineapple salad. Maybe I can make you some someday."
oooooooooo
The next day, Lin Kyle invited me over to the set of "Small White Dragon". Lin Minmei was there too.
"I'm really excited to do this," she said. "This is my first feature role in a movie."
"We're gonna have a lot of shooting to do, Minmei," sai Kyle.
"How is the movie going along?" I asked.
"We're right on schedule," said Kyle. "We just finished preliminary photography. We're now going to film the scenes. I fully expect five scenes to be done by...Where's Minmei?"
I looked and saw Minmei talking to Commander Fokker. Kyle then spoke to the commander. He then came back to the set, and Commander Fokker left.
"Minmei's decided to visit a friend," said Kyle. "I guess production will be put on hold. I bet Jan Morris never did this kind of thing."
ooooooooooo
Many minutes later, the siren blared There was an enemy attack. I hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take me to the observation deck. He was driving when he suddenly braked. I looked to the left and saw a huge destroid; it was green and it had a round shape and had two arms and two legs. I got out of the cab to take cover. I then look and saw a blue veritech battloid to the right. they were facing each other. That destroid must be Zentraedi.
The veritech battloid opened fire on the enemy destroid, knocking it down. It looked like the destroid was going to be destroyed. Then the Zentraedi destroid flew up and out into the sky. The veritech battloid gave chase, transforming as it flew out of an overhead hatch. People came out into the street, wondering what just happened.
oooooooo
The battle inside the ship was the top story on TV. TV reporters showed footage of the battle between the blue UN battloid and the Zentraedi destroid.
The phone rang.
"Hello," I asked.
"It's me, Jenna."
"Jenna? You haven't called in a while. What's up?"
"Did you see that? Did you see the news about the battle in the city?
"I saw it myself," I said. " I was there."
"That was him! That thing was what killed Lani. I know it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Lani's killer was inside the ship."
"Maybe I can talk to Colonel Beckett and ask if I could look at the combat recorders. Hello? Jenna?"
She hung up on me. I can imagine her sobbing in her bed, the wound in her soul reopened.
ooooooooooo
BATTLE INSIDE MACROSS CITY! ZENTRAEDI MECHA FORCED OUT BY VERITECH
That was the headline of the Macross Gazette. I wrote the feature article. I went into my office that morning, the newspaper in my hand. I read some of the other articles written by the staff writers of the Gazette. I was going to work on the article on the shooting of Small White Dragon when I got a call.
"Hello," I said.
"This is Captain Gloval," said the voice. "I read the obituaries you wrote. they demonstrate your respect and compassion."
"Thank you, Captain," I replied. Captain Gloval never called me before.
"There will be another one for you. Lieutenant Commander Roy Fokker died last night of wounds sustained in combat. Come to my office at 1200 and I will give you a copy of his file."
And so I did.
ooooooooooo
After picking up Fokker's file from Captain Gloval and dropping them off at my office, I spoke to more people about Commander Fokker. There was one person who knew him well.
I visited Lieutenant Rick Hunter in the hospital. He had been injured in the battle in which Lani Hart was killed. I noticed he was in the same room that Vince was recuperating in when he was injured in the terrorist attack, and the same room that Jenna was recuperating in when she was injured in battle.
"Hi there," he said. "The doctors said I could be out by tomorrow. I'll get to attend his memorial service."
"Tell me about Roy Fokker," I said.
"He was like a big brother to me. I knew him all my life. My dad took him in. He was an orphan. He loved to fly. He gave me lessons on how to fly. He used to fly in the air circus before joining the military. He advised me to join the military and fly veritechs. Aside from my dad, he was my role model. I just can't believe he is dead."
"What did you know of other people's opinion of him?"
"I know one person who knows him better. Claudia Grant. He told me of how he proposed to her on Valentine's Day. I didn't get to see it because I was in a Zentraedi ship at the time. But someone recorded it."
"I don't think talking to Claudia would be a good idea."
"Yeah."
ooooooooooooo
Once again, I was at a memorial service. Commander Fokker was a well-known officer on the ship, so his death was big news. Most of the crew attended the service. Commander Fokker's body would be flown out of here. Fokker had no next of kin, so Captain Gloval decided to give the body to the air circus which had adopted him. We all sat in the chapel, and in the front was a coffin which revealed Roy Fokker. He looked so peaceful.
Jenna and I left the chapel. Everyone was saddened at Roy's passing. We looked and we saw Claudia, with her brother Vince placing his arm around her. We could hear her cry from feet away.
"It's so sad," said Jenna.
"I know," I said. "I don't know if words exist that can honor Commander Fokker. I can't imagine how she must be feeling."
"You might find out soon."