I sat in my seat as American Airlines Flight 77 descended and then touched down on the runway. The plane taxied for a few minutes, and then it stopped.
"Welcome to Macross City," said the airline captain. We all got off the Boeing 767. The cold breezed bit my face as I descended the movable stairway. I looked around and noticed a lot of construction going on. I could see the SDF-1 towering in the distance. Here I was. I felt excited. I was going to start the next phase of my life.
I walked to the terminal even as airport workers loaded luggage on to a luggage train. The first thing I noticed upon entering was the much warmer air inside. I made sure to present my passport to the United Nations customs officials, including my residency permit. I then walked through sliding glass doors into the baggage claim area. I made a call on my Motorola cellular phone, and then I waited for my luggage to appear on the conveyer belt. One by one, the luggage from Flight 77 was brought down by a rubber conveyer belt and placed on a rotating conveyer belt. I then saw my luggage. After a few minutes, I took my two suitcases and cardboard box. an airport luggage handler offered to carry it. He put the luggage on a cart and we both went out through the glass doors.
I looked out and saw an airport mostly under construction. New terminal buildings were being built, and I could hear the noise from the construction equipment. In the distance I could see skyscrapers and huge cranes. There were cars and buses and vans running about.
A Toyota pickup truck pulled up to the curb., The tinted passenger window rolled down.
"Hey Vince," I said to the driver.
"Let's pack your stuff."
I tipped the luggage handler, and I placed my two suitcases and cardboard box into the back of the pikcup truck. Then I sat in the front seat. Vince put the truck in gear and soon we were leaving the airport.
Looking around, I could see entire neighborhoods being built. I could also see some brand new homes. The last time I had been here, this was scorched earth.
"Welcome back to Macross City," said Vince.
"Thank you," I said. Coming back here felt like going home again. "Listen, do you have a brochure of available apartments for rent? I was hoping to find an apartment by means other than walking around the neighborhood looking for For Rent signs."
"There are plenty of those around," said Vince. "And there are at least three vacant apartments in my building. You could even be settled in to your apartment at night."
"Will this be a good place?" I asked.
"Sure," said Vince. "My stove broke down last week. Handyman had it fixed the next day."
"Very efficient."
"He'd better be. If he doesn't get it fixed in three days, we could hire outside help and then deduct the fees from next month's rent and the owner can not raise rents for one year."
"Are there any places where I could go shopping?"
"Sure, we have a grocery store, fast food and sit-in restaurants, clothing stores, office supply stores. Badically every business that was in Macross City the past two years relocated outside. The Bright Star Casino is even back in business, and it is in the same building as the Macross Hyatt. I still work there as a bartender. There's still a lot of construction going on, so don't be surprised by any inconvenience."
I looked around and we entered downtown. I noticed tall office buildings. I also noticed plenty of For Rent signs on both office and apartment buildings.
"So how are things going with Jenna?" asked Vince.
"Fine," I answered. "Jenna came by to celebrate New Years' Eve in Times Square in New York."
"I saw the celebration on TV."
"I'm gonna write a letter to her after I find out where I'm gonna live."
"Well, here we are," said Vince.
I looked up and saw an apartment tower with balconies. Vince drove his truck into a underground parking garage beneath the building.
"Here we are," said Vince. "This is where I live, and maybe you'll live here. We have a landromat and a Jack in the Box and a liquor store on the first floor of the building. Let's get your stuff and put it in my place for a while."
I got out and lifted the cardboard box while Vince got a suitcase. He went to the elevator and pressed a button. We went up and got off on the fifth floor. Then we walked along the hallway and Vince unlocked a wooden door.
"Here we are," said Vince. I entered into the living room which had couches, a coffee table, a bookcase, and a television. I mplaced the box down. Then I went down to the garage and brought back up the remaining suitcase.
"Do you live alone?" I asked.
"Yes," said Vince. "What's in the box?"
"My personal computer," I said. "I'm gonna need it for my work."
"An editor, right?"
"Yeah. So how are things going on here?"
"Well, we now have electricity and running water and telephones and the Internet. We are also expanding, as you might have noticed fromn all the construction sites. As for me, I'm engaged. I'm going to marry Jean."
"That's great."
"It's amazing. The first time she saw me, doctors were picking shrapnel out of my ass from that casino bombing."
"How could I forget?" I said. I remembered being arrested in complicity for it.
"So when are you going to start looking for an apartment?"
"Today," I said. "There are apartments for rent here, right? But I have got to eat first. I haven't had lunch yet."
"It's early to have lunch."
"It's because of the jet lag; I'm still on New York time."
ooooooooooooo
After eating a hamburger and drinking a Coke from the Jack in the Box, I decided to look for an apartment. I showed my bank statements and my pay stubs.
"Our apartments come with complimentary furniture, stove, and refirgerator," said the property manager. "We have a laundromat, fast food restaurant, and a liquor store in the first floor. The refrigerator even comes with its own water filter. We don't guarantee the filter; you will have to change it yourself."
I looked around and saw a couch, an easy chair, and a coffee table. There was nothing else. I went into the unit's one bedroom and saw a bed and a closet.
"I like it," I said. "I already know someone who lives in the building."
"Okay," said the property manager. He takes a paper out of a briefcase he was carrying. "Here is the rental agreement."
And I read throug it. It had the rent which would be locked for one year, various restrictions on the use of the property, the eviction procedure. And it had the provision that Vince mentioned earlier. If the landlord fails to repair any fixture for three days after the initial request, the tenant may hire outside help and then deduct it from the next month's rent, and the landlord can not raise rent for one year. The tenant can not deduct the rent for repairs done without a request to the landlord, or done in less than three days after the request for repair.
I signed it and gave the security deposit to the property manager. "We hope you enjoy your stay here," he said.
oooooooooo
Vince helped me move my stuff in.
"I'm still gonna have to buy a desk for my computer as well as a TV and stereo," I said as I hung my clothes.
"Well, the building is gonna have a welcoming party. We do that for new tenants."
And so I went to the party.
ooooooooooooooo
The party was held in a common room for all the tenants. The room had a nice view of the outside street, and the SDF-1 stood behind the buildings across the street. Chips and punch were brought. I decided to meet the people whom I was going to live with.
"We know you," someone said.
I looked and saw three men- one with purple hair, one with black hair, and one with red hair. I recognized them.
"I'm the new tenant," I said to Konda, Rico, and Bron, the three Zentraedi defectors whom I interviewed long ago.
"Welcome to our building," said Konda.
"It's good to see you," said Rico.
"This building is amazing," said Bron.
"Where do you live?" I asked.
"We share a three bedroom unit on the top floor," said Konda.
"What brings you here?' asked Bron.
"I started a new job. I'm gonna be the editor for the Macross City Bureau. How is your job going?"
"We're now teaching Zentraedi the English language," said Rico. "Many of them wanted to become part of Micronian society, so they applied for residency. We've even met with old friends whom we served with once."
"Commander-in-chief Breetai issued thousands of discharges to those who wanted to live here," said Konda. "They went through micronization and they moved here. Our job is to teach them your language."
"At that rate, Breetai won't have enough people to run his ships," I said.
"We're all exposed to Micronian culture," said Rico. "But I guess everyone who wanted to join you already did. Some of them are uncomfortable, and chose to stay in the service."
ooooooooooooo
That evening, I lay in bed after composing my letter to Jenna which I intended to send in the mail the next morning. I went to sleep. My first day here was a good experience.
ooooooooooooooo
The next morning, I had myself a breakfast of Rice Krispies which I bought from the liquir store on the first floor. My first business was to find an office.
Walking the streets of downtown Macross City, it was not hard to find brochures for rental space. There were dozens of them, and more buldings were along the way. I looked at a brochure advertising office leases. I walked to the building, which was only a block from the lake where the SDF-1 was located. I looked at the directory for the building manager. I then walked into the building manager's office.
"May I help you?" she asked.
I introudced myself. "I'm the Macross City Bureau Editor for the Associated Press. My bureau needs an office."
"How many employees in your bureau?"
"I'm the only one; I still have to go out and hire some reporters and staff. I have an expense account of forty million for this year."
"Let me take you to one of our offices."
She led me to the elevator and we went up. Then she unlocked one of the office suites.
I looked around. I could see a desk where the receptionist would sit. I went through the door to the main office, which was currently empty. There were doors leading to a kitchen and storage rooms.
"This will be a fitting office for you," she said, leading me to a corner office.
The corner office was currently empty. I looked out and I could see the SDF-1 sitting in the middle of the lake. This was fitting, as my officve would cover stories from the SDF-1. "Get me the lease agreement," I said. "I'm going to sign for the lease."
I signed it, and just like that the Associated Press had an office in Macross City once again.
oooooooooooooo
I spent the next few days working very hard. I advertised in the newspaper for reporters and office workers, an accountant, and an information technology specialist, I ordered furniture and computers and printers to be delivered to the office, and ordered telephone and Internet service. I personally contacted recent high school graduates to work as reporters, offering them high wages, as high as reporters in New York make.
Then came the day when the Associated Press Macross City office would be opened once again. This time, it would not be one lone reporter cut off from Earth wirting stories using salvage equipment, but a fully funded staff. I looked at the reporters- Keith, Rebecca, Tyrone, Hakim, and Clarence.
"Hello," I said, standing in the main office and wearing my suit. "This is your first day. The Macross City office is very important. Just a few blocks away is the SDF-1, the headquarters for the Robotech Defense Forces whose mission is worldwide defense of the United Nations. We are at a critical point of human history. We are rebuilding from a war that nearly destroyed all of us. We will be recording history here. Future generations will read our work, and teachers will use or articles to teach kids about what their parents and grandparents went through. I chose you because I believed you are the best, and I expect you to prove me right."
I went into my private office and dialed the number for the Robotech Defense Forces Public Affairs office. I had five reporters, and I needed stories for them to cover.
The Associated Press Macross City office was once again open for business.
ooooooooooooo
Once again we started reporting on the reconstruction efforts on Earth which were carried out by the Robotech Defense Forces. My office had contacts with the staff of the RDF Headquarters inside the SDF-1. U.N. Spacy Captain Dennis Ward was the chief of public affairs and he would release press releases. I would review the articles submitted by my reporters and proofread them and check them against know facts.
There was one ceremony whioch I personally attended. Thousands of people were gathered in this park along the shoreline of the lake where the SDF-1 stood. A tarp covered something. UN Spacy Admiral Henry J. Gloval, the commander-in-chief of the Robotech Defense Forces, stood on a wooden platform. Mayor Tommy Luan stood by his side, as did city officials and UN military officers.
"Today we dedicate this memorial wall to those who gave all during the SDF-1's journey through space," said the admiral. "Many of us here spent two years on that ship. Each name of this wall is the name of a person who gave all so that we could be here. These people were friends, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, and fathers. Today we celebrate their memory."
And then the tarp is pulled. I saw a huge dark wall with many, many names carved into it. People walked towards the wall and laid flowers near the names of those they lost. I had three reporters working on this particular story.
I saw Jenna and Katie standing in front of the wall, dressed in their dress uniforms. They flew in last night to attend the dedication ceremony; I knew whom they were paying their respects to.
"Hi there," I said.
"We're doing fine," said Katie.
Jenna and I walked to the wall to look at the name that was engraved on the wall.
1LT LANI HART, UNSM
Then I saw a young man in a Spacy uniform salute Jenna. Jenna returned his salute.
"Your name, Corporal?" asked Jenna.
"Corporal Bryan Hart, UN Spacy," he said. "First Lieutenant Lani Hart was my sister, ma'am."
"Major Jenna Murphy, UN Space Marines. Lieutenant Hart was my wingmate. She was also a close friend."
"We're her parents," said this middle-aged man who was accompanied by a middle-aged woman.
"I remember seeing you at the memorial service," said Katie. "I am Captain Kathleen Taney. I was Lieutenant Hart's wingmate."
"We went to see Lani before the ship launched," said the woman who was presumably Lani's mother. "Our flight out of Macross City was scheduled the afternoon after the launch. We didn't know we would be with her on the ship."
"She was fortunate to have you on board," said Jenna. "She always took a piiture of her family with her when she flew out on a mission. It reminded her of what was at stake, and the reason why she was putting her life on the line. To get you home safely."
"Hi there," I said to Lani's parents and brother. "I'm the Macross City editor for the Associated Press. I'd like to ask you a few questions."
"Go ahead," said Bryan Hart.
ooooooooooooooo
"So this is where you live," said Jenna, standing in my apartment and looking around.
"That's right," I replied. "I actually pay less rent for my own apartment than when I was sharing an apartment with Quinn back in New York."
I sat on the couch and looked around. I had purchased a thirty-two inch Toshiba color television, a bookcase, an Aiwa stereo system, and table lamps. I had subscribed to a satellite television service; the satellite which was installed inside the hull of a derelict Zentraedi cruiser.
"So how is your job like?" asked Jenna.
"I spend most of my time sitting behind a desk," I replied. "The dedication of the SDF-1 memorial wall was the first story I personally covered. I do have help in running the office. Still, there's a lot of paperwork I have to personally sign."
"It's like my job. Most of the time I'm sitting behind a desk. Rarely do I get to actually fly in a veritech plane. I guess it's true. Fighter pilots end up dead or behind a desk."
"When do you have to go back to work?" I asked.
"My flight leaves from the JFAF tomorrow morning. At least I could take a look around."
"I'm writing a new article. It's about Lani. Is there anything you want to add?"
"Well, yes. As you know, I met her in veritech flight training. I was a first lieutenant, and she was a second lieutenant. I never got to pull rank, since there was someone that was a major or a lieutenant commander giving us instruction. The training base was in Macross City near the SDF-1. Veritech fighter training was very grueling, even more so than Marine Officer Training. Some of us who did not pass became pilots of transport and Cat's Eye planes. We got liberty almost every evening and weekend, except when we had to do live night flying. The training for guardian and battloid modes was conducted in Groom Lake Air Force Base since the modes were top secret at the time. I formed a close friendship with Lani and Katie. We were inseparable. We would eat out at restaurants, gamble our pay in the Bright Star Casino. We even went to Australia in the December before the launch of the SDF-1. Being with her lifted my spirits. And of course, we told each other things that we never told anyone else."
"How did Lani react when she learned that she was going to be shipped out on SDF-1?"
"She was ecstatic," said Jenna. "She saw it as some kind of adventure. We didn't hear of the Zentraedi at the time, of course. She invited her parents and brother over to witness the ship's launch. She had dinner with them the evening before the launch, at the Lin's Chinese restaurant."
"I was there too," I said.
"We had loaded our supplies and equipment on board ship," said Jenna. "Only the administrative staff would stay behind in Macross City. After the ship launched, we were to fly up into orbit to rendezvous with SDF-1 after it completed docking with the ARMD's. But then the SDF-1 fired its main gun at the Zentraedi ships. Colonel Beckett told us to suit up and prepare for immediate takeoff. When the colonel gave the order to fly up there, I looked and Lani and Katie, we all looked at each other, and gave a group hug. Then we took off to repel the Zentraedi attack. I saw a Zentraedi fighter on the ground, and the colonel ordered me to go down and take a closer look, and you know what happened from there."
"How did she deal with the aftermath of the fold operation?"
"After we got off duty, we kept a vigil for her parents and brother. She was relieved when she found out they had been rescued along with the rest of Macross City. She helped them adjust to their new life aboard ship. She always made sure to visit or call them at least three times a week. I mean, I wasn't close to my own family at the time. She even saved my life once, when my ceritech was badly damanged and she pushed me to the Prometheus."
"Anything else?" I asked.
"On that day, we were given four-hour shifts," said Jenna. "I had the morning shift with Lani and Katie. We went one hour in the sims , one hour in physical training, and one hour overseeing maintenance. Then we went to the casino and you were there and there was the announcement that the civilians couldn't leave the ship. Then the alarm sounded and we had to go back. We got dressed in our flight suits. We all looked at each other, and then I went to my plane. I left Lani for the last time that day. I want to say that I was blessed to know Lani Hart. I can never forget her."
"Thanks," I said. "We all suffered losses." I turned on the personal computyer which sat on the desk, inserted a floppy disk and wrote the article on Lani.
The next day, I published the article on Lani Hart, titled "A Name on the Wall". I had written in the end, "Each and every name has a story behind it, a story of someone who gave all to ensure the people of Macross City could return to their home world."
ooooooooooo
One weekend I went on an outing with Vince and some friends. Most of the January snow had already melted; still, we had to dress warmly, as it is always cold this far north.
"Here we are," said Vince's friend Phil.
"Just remember to keep yourself out of enemy sight," said Rolf, another friend of Vince. He was a major in the UN Army. "It's hard to shoot what you don't know is there.
"Okay," I said, holding a paintball rifle. I looked and saw the landscape. There was a lot of junk and cars and pipes and shit. I noticed at least one hull fragment from a wrecked Zentraedi ship.
The referee came to talk to all of us. "We will now begin," he said. "The time will be thirty minutes. If you get hit with a paintball, you are out."
"Follow my lead," said Vince. He, like me, was wearing a red cap and armband.
We were wandering through this maze of junk and brush. Sometimes I would hear the pop of paintballs, and I would look to see someone disappear behind an obstruction. My heart was racing and I was fully alert for any movement.
Vince and I stood at the corner of a small building. I peeked around the corner and I saw a figure with a blue armband.
I burst out and fired some paintballs. Then I felt something hard hit my back.
"you're out," said Vince.
I reached around my back and felt the wet paint. I immediately put my hands on my head and walked out to the area where other people with paint on their outfits were staying.
I definitely needed practice.
ooooooooooo
"That was great," I said as I left the paintball park with Vince, Phil, Rolf, and this other fellow named Devon.
"You should do this more often," said Vince. "We can get practice."
oooooooooo
One day, I paid a visit to Macross Gazette publisher Jake Austin at his home.
"How are you doing?" Jake asked me, sitting in his wheelchair.
"Fine," I said. "My new job has been going well for the past six months."
"And your personal life, if I may ask?"
"I still have contact with my parents in New York, and I still write to Jenna. I last saw her when the memorial wall was dedicated."
I looked and saw a brown-haired toddler wander in. I knew him as James Austin, also known as Lunk.
"Hi, Lunk," I said.
"Hi," said Lunk.
"We're having another baby," said Jake. "My wife is out shopping with a friend of hers, by the way. Her pregnancy's going great."
"And how's Lunk doing?"
"He said his first word three months ago and he's gained eight pounds."
"That's great."
oooooooooooooooo
Vince's wedding was coming up, and I was one of the guests. I was sitting at the bar in the Macross Hyatt Hotel and Bright Star Casino, having a Budweiser beer after a round of gaming action. A baseball game was on TV; ithe New York Mets were playing.
"Are you feeling jittery?" I asked. "Your going to be a husband in three days."
"A little," said Vince.
"I'm getting better at paintball. I actually scored three before I was hit."
I looked at the TV and the Mets were at bat. The bases were loaded, it was the bottom of the ninth, and there were two outs and two strikes and three balls.
"Maybe he'll pull a Kirk Gibson," said this man sitting two stools to my left.
"Who's that?" I asked.
"He was in the L.A. Dodgers. Game One of the 1988 World Series was played in Dodger Stadium against the Oakland Athletics. Bases were loaded, two outs at the bottom of the ninth. Gibson hit a home run and scored a victory for the Dodgers."
I watched as the pitcher prepared to pitch the baseball. He threw it. I watched the ball. the Mets' hitter swung the bat, and I heard the crack. The ball flew towards the end of the stadium as the centerfielder ran to the wall. The ball was making its descent. It would land near the wall- the question was which side. My heart raced in anticipation.
And then there was snow.
"What the fuck?" I asked.
Then the snow disappeared and was replaced by an image, but not that of a baseball stadium. Instead, this lavender-skinned man appeared on the screen.
"Greetings, fellow Zentraedi," said the man. "I am Khyron, commander of the Seventh Mechanized Division."
Vince changed the channel with a remote control. "This guy's on all the channels!" he yells.
"I have survived," said Khyron. "The Micronians have robbed you of your heritage. Join me, and together we can leave this miserable world and rebuild the Zentraedi into a force feared throughout the galaxy. Many of our brothers are still in the wastelands, continuing their battle with the Micronians. Join them. You Zentraedi are warriors; it is your reason to exist."
I was really pissed off. This Khyron fellow just interrupted a baseball game.
"He's right," said this man sitting at a table. "We are warriors. We should join him."
"Are you crazy?" asked another man sitting at the table. "That's Khyron the Backstabber! He fired on his own troops many times. You want to join forces with him?"
"It's better than going around serving food. We're warriors and we should join our brethren who are out there continuing the fight."
"It was your idea to live among the Micronians," said a third man. "You wanted their music and movies and talking to females. If you want to be a warrior, go to the UN recruiting office."
One of the men stood up. "I'm gonna go out and join my true Zentraedi brothers."
"You're crazy!" yelled a man.
"Tell my boss I quit!"
He then stormed out of the bar.
oooooooooooo
I later went inside the SDF-1 which was the headquarters for the Robotech Defense Forces Command. The interior of the ship had been remodeled, since the ship woould no longer go into space. It was permanently moored in the lake.
I went inside the press briefing room with the other reporters. The Zentraedi Advisor Exedore would give us a briefing about the transmission.
"As you know, a transmission was broadcast all over Earth yesterday at about six forty-two PM," said Exedore, a short man with red hair. It was amazing that he used to tower over all of us. "We have idnetified the image as that of Khyron. He was the commander of the Seventh Mechanized Division. A Cat's Eye recon plane calculated the source of the transmission, and veritech planes were sent to take a closer look. The source was a Regult Scout Pod. It was apparently destroyed after the transmission was made. We suspect Khyron ordered the scout pod to be destroyed after it finished its transmission. He has killed his own troops to achieve victory in his previous battles. We also suspect that he has spies in Micronian society distributing literature asking the micronized Zentraedi to join the Zentraedi rebellion. He is a very dangerous Zentraedi. He may organize the renegade factions."
And then we asked him more questions.
ooooooooooooo
I sat in the church and I looked at Vincent Grant, dressed in his black tuxedo. He was accompanied by his groomsmen Phil, Rolf, and Devon. There were many guests. I was wearing a suit.
Then Jean was brought in, wearing her white wedding dress. She marched down the aisle.
They looked at the priest and they exchanged vows.
"I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Grant," said the priest.
Vince and Jean walked down the aisle, now husband and wife. I waved to them as they waved to the guests at the church. They smiled; this was the happiest day of their lives.
I went outside. It was a clear day. The air was not that cold.
"Congratulations," I said to the newly wed couple.
"Thanks," said Vince.
"Nice to meet you," said Jean.
After greeting the guests, they went into the limousine which then took them to the Macross Hyatt Hotel where the reception would be.
I noticed a woman with curly black hair wearing a green dress. That was Vince's sister Claudia.
"Hi there," I said. "I haven't seen you in a while."
"I haven't seen you in a while either," she said. "How's it going?"
"I live in Macross City now. I'm the chief editor of the Macross City Bureau for the Associated Press."
"I'm now a lieutenant commander," said Claudia. "I work at RDFHQ inside the SDF-1. Well, I'd better get to the reception."
oooooooooooo
The reception was held in a ballroom at the Macross Hyatt Hotel. We all sat at cloth-covered tables.
When bride and groom were introduced, photographers snapped pictures. Then they walked to the head table.
We all had a toast to Vince and Jean Grant.
As I looked at them, I wondered what kind of world they would live in. Would this Khyron fellow renew the Zentraedi war against Earth? Do Vince and Jean have a chance of raising a family in peace?