I called Commander Ward's office.
"There are no press conferences right now," said a Spacy sergeant. "Please check back with us."
I decided to go to Tower Records. I remembered that Lin Minmei would release her album today. I rode the bus to within a hundred feet of the Tower Records store. I entered the store and I looked around, seeing the racks filled with CD's and DVD's and audio and video cassettes. I saw Minmei and Lin Kyle in the store. I guessed they decided to go promote their new album after all. There were a few people in the store, not as much as there were in her debut album promotion over a year ago.
"Hello there," said Minmei. "First of all, I want to thank all of you for coming here for the release of my new album. I worked very hard in recording it. But as I stand here, I can not help but think of all those billions who won't have a chance to listen to it. This war has cost us a lot. I dedicate my album to those people who will never hear it here."
She then continued to sign the CD cases of those fans who came here to purchase her new album.
I walked up to her. "Any statements?" I asked.
"No thank you," she replied.
"I have a statement," said Kyle. "The whole war was the fault of the UN. It was the UN who started this war, and it was they who brought the destruction of our world. They said they wanted to bring peace. the only peace they brought wad the peace of the grave."
ooooooooooooo
Later that day, I went to a press conference along wioth other reporters. Commander Ward was addressing all of us.
"We have made contact with Juneau, Alaska," says the commander. "We have sent relief supplies and a squad of Marines to secure the area. We have airlifted some of the injured over here to SDF-1 for medical treatment. Our sources tell us that electrical power and running water are out and we are working with the local authorities and the state of Alaska to restore water and power to this city."
"What was the extent of the damage?" asks a reporter.
"Many of the buildings were blasted apart or burned to the ground," said Commander Ward. "We have set up temporary shelters and repaired construction equipment."
"There are many people in Macross City who were only visiting when we first went into space two years ago," I said. "Will they be repatriated to their hometowns?"
"We are still looking for survivors," said Ward. "We know that there are survivors in Juneau, and we';ve made contact with survivors from several UN military bases. We have Cat's Eye recon planes and one ARMD carrier in low Earth orbit. They reported receiving radio transmissions from the surface. We are currently investigating."
"How many people do you estimate survived the attack?" asked another reporter.
"About two billion. Now let me move on to the next announcement. We have made contact with Zentraedi Supreme Commander Breetai, who fought with us against the previous Supreme Commander Dolza. He has announced that pardons will be issued to all Zerntraedi defectors. They may choose to reside with us or return to duty. Captain Gloval has announced that the remaining Zentraedi prisoners are to be freed and granted residency status."
oooooooooooooo
I spent the next few days reporting on the search for survivors of the Zentraedi bombardment of Earth. I was glad to report that some large population centers, some with more than one hundred thousand residents, were still intact. Of course, there were entire towns that were completely wiped out, all that was left was a crater, and there was no indication from looking at the crater that a town was ever there.
A few hundred refugees went to SDF-1. I heard some of their stories.
"I was driving my truck on Interstate 90," said a man. "there was this flash, and I stepped on the brakes and ducked. then I saw this mushroom cloud. I thought it was a nuclear war."
"I was taking a walk in the park when all these beams of light came down from the sky," said this woman. "I heard these loud explosions. I looked and I saw the whole town was on fire."
"We were driving home," said this couple. "We saw the mushroom cloud. We stopped near the edge of this huge crater. It was like a mile long. there was no trace our home was ever there."
oooooooooooo
One afternoon, I was typing up an article in my office. I saw Jenna come in, dressed in her duty uniform.
"How are you doing?" I asked, smiling. "I haven't seen you in a long while."
"I've been very busy," said Jenna.
"I've been busy too. What's up?"
"Well, Wolf Squadron was escorting a Cat's Eye. It's Katie. Her whole family's dead."
"Her whole family?" I asked.
"She had a large family like you and I. There were no survivors. None at all. Colonel Beckett granted her leave."
oooooooooooo
That evening, Jenna and I were in Katie Taney's quarters. She was lying down on her bed. There was no sound. None of us talked. I wished there was something I could do to make Katie feel better. I looked into Jenna's eyes, and I knew she was wishing the same thing.
oooooooooo
"It is so sad," said Vince when I told him about Katie's family.
"Jenna's spending her free time with her," I said. "Katie needs a friend now more than ever."
"Are you spending time with her? I mean Jenna."
"Sometimes I accompany her when she visits Katie. What about your family?"
"My only family is Claudia. My parents died when I was young, and she raised me. I can understand how Katie is feeling. You know, I'm thinking of marrying Jean."
"Uh, why?" I asked.
"I love her, and I want to do my part to repopulate the Earth," said Vince.
"Maybe you should go pay a visit to Katie some time. She needs the company."
"I'll try."
"Have you spoken with Claudia recently?" I asked.
"She left messages on my machine, and I left messages on hers," said Vince. "I haven't seen her a lot since we returned to Earth. She's been busy."
"I was wondering if we can go shooting at the range again."
"Maybe tomorrow," said Vince.
oooooooooooo
Days later, I was outside the SDF-1 in the surrounding countryside. I never saw SDF-1 from the outside in a long time. It looked like a huge battloid, just as Jenna mentioned. I did notice it had a lot of wear and tear. I remembered reading in the newspaper that the SDF-1 is unable to fly again.
I looked around at the blasted landscape, with SDF-1 sitting in the middle of a huge crater. There were a whole bunch of people civilian and military, standing about. Mayor Tommy Luan stood and held a microphone.
"It has been three weeks since our return to Earth," said the mayor. "We have been through a lot these past two plus years. We've struggled, and we found joy and friendship and even romance among the struggle. The SDF-1 has been our home for two years. But it will soon be time to leave. Once again, we must relocate Macross City. And we will relocate it right here, around the final resting place of the SDF-1 Macross. The Public Works Department and the SDF-1 Construction Department have worked together to make a building plan for the new Macross City. Land surveyors have surveyed the landscape. And now we will begin the construction of Macross City. And to begin, I shall now break ground for the new Macross City Hall."
Mayor Luan takes a shovel and shoves it into the dirt as photographers snap pictures. He then digs out some drt as photgrahers snap more pictures.
ooooooooooooooo
WE'RE MOVING! NEW MACROSS CITY TO BE CONSTRUCTED OUTSIDE OF SDF-1
That was the headline of the Macross Gazette the next day. Articles mentioned that dump trucks and bulldozers and other equipment have been moved to the construction site just outside the ship. It was estimated it would take six months before the city was ready for habitation. I continued to cover the search for survivors and rhe reconstruction efforts. Eleven million survivors were already accounted for. And we were only exploring North America. This was a lot better than the idea of the people on board SDF-1 as being humanity's only survivors. The SDF-1 crew released images of the devastated towns and cities. It was as if a massive hurricane swept over the globe, followed by a worldwide earthquake. The devastated areas were guarded by infantry soldiers and destroids. The United Nations had just passed a resolution declaring global martial law. All surviving reserve units were activated to maintain order and security as the reconstruction continued.
One day, I received a call in my office.
"Hello," I said. I told the caller whom I was.
"It's me, Lieutenant Claudia Grant," the caller said. "I have someone on the line for you."
"I'm working on an article right now," I said.
"It won't take long. I'll transfer you."
ooooooooooo
I ran into Knight Squadron's briefing room.
"Jenna!" I yelled breathlessly.
"We're in a middle of a meeting," she said.
"THEY'RE ALIVE!" I yelled.
"Who's alive?"
"MY WHOLE FAMILY. MY PARENTS, SALLY, TONY, TAMMY, AND OLIVER! THEY ALL SURVIVED. THE BIG APPLE'S STILL THERE!"
"Thank God," says Jenna.
ooooooooooo
After Jenna got off, we met in her quarters.
"I spoke with my mom," I said. "She told me Dad and the others were still alive. I was actually a local celebrity due to the message I got out a year ago. They were told I was killed during the launch of the SDF-1. But when Claudia broadcast my message to New York, it was big news. They even appeared on TV, telling everyone that they hoped that the ship would come home and release me. Listen, Jenna, I have to get back to New York. I have to see my family again. New York is where I live."
"Maybe I can speak with the air transportation department," said Jenna. "It's amazing the Zentraedi missed New York."
"I know," I said. "I was happily surprised when I learned New York was still in one piece. I was just waiting to hear whether or not my family survived. There were casualties over there during the attack."
"Tell me if you arrange transportation to New York. In the meantime, I'm going to try to get leave so I can see my family on Apollo Colony. I spoke to them, but I haven't gotten leave yet."
"They have to give you leave. You've been working hard the past three weeks. Somebody else can go fly these missions. You need a break."
ooooooooooo
After two weeks of working, hanging out at the casino, shooting at the range, and spending time with Jenna, I received a call.
"Hi there," said Jenna.
"Hi," I said, sitting in my office reading an article. "How are you doing?"
"I have good news for you," she said. "You'll be able to fly back to New York tomorrow morning."
"That's great!" I said. I was elated at finally returning. "I guess I'd better start packing. What time will my flight leave?"
"When I'm ready," said Jenna. "You see, Colonel Maistroff granted leave to me and a few other Marines. We brought in reservists to serve as replacements. I'll be bringing my veritech with me; the colonel insisted I have it in case I have to go back to fly a mission. Why don't we celebrate at the casino?"
"Okay," I said. I looked around my office. I sure had a lot of stuff to pack, not to mention my belongings in my apartment.
oooooooooooooo
That evening, after I finished packing my office stuff, I went to the Bright Star Casino. I played some of the slot machines and table games. I realized I won't be coming back here for quite some time. The SDF-1 had been my home for two years. But it was time to go back home, and to say goodbye to the friends I made on this ship.
I sat down at the casino bar with my friends. Jenna, Katie, the others from Knight Squadron, Vince, Claudia, the three Zentraedi defectors, Jake Austin and the reporters, all were here. We had to gather three tables.
"This is my last night here," I said. "I'll never forget the memories."
"We'll never forget you," said Katie.
"I'll still look forward to your articles," said Jake.
"You did a lot for us to help us adjust to life here," said Bron.
"Your writing was an inspiration," said Lieutenant Jonathan Wolfe.
"I'm glad to have the chance to meet your parents," said Jenna. "you're not the only one heading home. Lieutenant Ichijo is going back home too. Hiroshima survived the attack."
"What irony," said Ichijo.
"I was glad to help," said Claudia.
"We're gonna miss you, man," said Vince. "Maybe when airlines start runnin' again, I can fly to New York to visit you."
"I want to make a toast," said Jenna. "To this wonderful man whom I love very much, and to the Big Apple."
We all toasted.
oooooooooooooo
That evening, Jenna was helping me pack my personal belongings to bring back home. She even got me souveneirs, including an SDF-1 model kit.
"I suck at models," I said as I put some clothes into a cardboard box. "Maybe Oliver could do it. He likes that thing."
"I'm glad he does," said Jenna.
"Will Katie be okay?" I asked. "It's sad to know that her whole family is gone."
"She'll be all right. She's not gonna isolate herself like I did. She told me there were others to reach out to. So many people on this ship are the sole survivors of their families. I guess we got off lucky."
"We probably have relatives who were killed in the attack," I said. "Mom did not mention what happened to my uncles and aunts and cousins."
"I have uncles and aunts and cousins on Earth," said Jenna. "Some of them might not have survived."
"May family would sure love to meet you. You'll have such wonderful stories to tell."
"Remember when we went on that mission to Mars together? Now that I look back, it's kind of funny."
I opened my laptop computer case. Inside was several CD-ROM's. "Good thing I didn't forget them," I said.
"What's in there?" asks Jenna.
"Articles and digital photographs," I said. "The day after I return, I'm going back to the AP Manhattan office and submit thesr to whoever's the boss. I've been on assignment for two years, and I think the Manhattan office will want to see this."
"So you're going back to work immediately?"
"Technically, I'm still on assignment. I'll make the time to show you around. We can visit the Statue of Liberty, maybe take a concert at Radio City Music Hall, see a play on Broadway. Maybe you can stop by on New Year's Eve and we can celebrate in Times Square."
"I'll look forward to that."