It's been a really long time since I updated, but here's my take on what could happen next.
Please read & review.
I don't own Robotech or own these characters (if I did, I'd slap Rick & Minmei upside the head. just kidding)
"Admiral! Khyron's locked in a collision course."
Lisa nervously double-checked her screen. Khyron's ship was coming in fast.
Damn him! This can't be happening! First the SDF-2 was destroyed and now, this!"Recommend we abandon ship, Admiral!" she shouted even though she knew there wouldn't be enough time. She braced herself against her console and said a silent prayer.
Before Gloval could respond, Khyron's ship slammed into the crippled Battle fortress.
The Zentraedi Warship tore off the Daedalus "arm" of the SDF –1 and plunged into the body of the ship several decks below the bridge. The impact caused the starboard wall of to buckle and sent debris and twisted metal flying through the bridge. A large piece of the bulkhead crashed through the observation window at the front. Sheets of metal and flames blocked the hatch, the bridge's sole exit.
The concussion from the impact threw Sammy and Kim to the floor pelting them with shrapnel and flaming debris. Vanessa slammed forward into her workstation, before falling to the floor. Lisa was thrown backward landing unconscious several feet from her console. Several fires began to burn around the bridge engaging the sprinkler system.
Only Admiral Gloval and Claudia were left standing and uninjured. Claudia immediately began checking to assess the damage to the ship and to see if there was any possible means of escape for the bridge crew.
"Status Report!"
"The Daedalus is gone," Responded Claudia, her voice shaking. "The hull and power systems are breached. The reflex furnace her been nearly depleted, but the temperature is rising – fast - the blast radius should be limited to….."
"How much time do we have?" asked Gloval.
Claudia looked at the screen that monitored the furnace's temperature. It was almost maxed out. "Five minutes – tops. There are two operational escape modules left."
"Give the order to abandon ship." Claudia nodded in response and pressed the button that automatically executed Gloval's command. The skeleton crew that was operating on he lower decks would probably have enough time to get out, and hopefully, get clear of any explosion or collapse.
Gloval looked around the bridge at his crew – his family. He knelt down, and felt Lisa's neck for a pulse. She was but alive, but seemed to be badly injured. Claudia checked Sammy, Vanessa and Kim – they were dead, killed on impact.
Gloval gently picked Lisa up placed her into one of the escape pods.
"Claudia! I'm putting Lisa in this one." Shouted Gloval as he bucked Lisa into seat. "You're taking the other one! That's an order! Don't argue!" Claudia nodded in agreement. She knew what his plans were, and knew that she couldn't change his mind. She also knew that there probably wasn't enough time for her to escape.
The bridge was getting hot and thick black smoke began to pour into through the breaches in the floor.
As soon as he put Lisa down she began to stir, moaning quietly. She opened her eyes, but all she could see was smoke and the pale red glow of the emergency lights. She blinked her eyes a few times and could make out the form of Admiral Gloval standing next to her.
Where was she? What was happening?"Goodbye, Lisa. You've been like a daughter to me."
"Emergency System Activated"Suddenly Lisa realized exactly what was happening. They were abandoning ship – or at least she was - she was in an escape pod. The pod's doors began to close slowly.
"NO!" She tried to get up, but she was buckled in, and a stabbing pain in her back and ribs prevented her from moving further. She watched helplessly as the doors shut. Admiral Gloval and Claudia were standing shoulder-to-shoulder watching just a few feet away.
"EMERGENCY EJECTION WILL COMMENCE IN 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
The pod ejected backwards with tremendous force. Lisa slipped into unconsciousness as the pod shot away from the doomed ship.
The very moment Lisa's pod cleared the ship, and before Gloval could open the remaining pod, the metal below the bridge began to give way from the heat from the reflex furnace. The whole ship began to shudder, knocking Claudia to the floor.
Goval knelt down beside Claudia, gathering her into his arms just as the top of the ship began to fall away.
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Rick stood on the tarmac of Fokker Air Base watching the whole, terrible scene. He saw the initial collision from the cockpit. and had tried repeatedly and in vain to contact the bridge.
Black smoke was billowing from the huge gash in the middle of the SDF-1. The portion above the impact zone was listing precariously. A series of smaller explosions were coming from the remnants of Khyron's ship.
Helicopters were hovering the ship, but it was obvious nothing could be done to save it. If there were survivors on the bridge, they probably only had minutes to escape before the entire structure collapsed.
Rick dropped to his knees, his helmet falling to the ground. Maybe they had time, he thought to himself. Maybe they abandoned ship and that was why she didn't answer.
"God, please…" he said out loud, his voice cracking. He put his hands over his eyes trying to block out the scene in front of him, and suppresses the tears that were coming, but the sound of more explosions and the unmistakable cracking and screeching of metal forced him to tear his hands away. The entire top of the ship was tearing apart from the rest and falling into the Lake.
Rick turned his head away from the horrible sight and hoped that there would be survivors from the rest of the ship. The SDF-1 was operating on a very limited staff at the present time, no more than 100 personnel, mostly assigned to areas below the breach. The RDF's primary focus was on the SDF-2, and most personnel had been transferred to the new project.
His ringing phone shook Rick out of his shocked state.
It was Max.
"Max, where are you?"
"I just got in, Rick, but I'm headed for the base hospital. Miriya's got some minor burns, nothing serious."
"Did you see anyone getting off the bridge? Escape pods or anything?" Max heard a long pause "I'm looking for Lisa."
"Oh." Max glanced out the door of the hangar at the remains of the SDF-1 and hoped for Rick's sake, that a miracle happened. "No, Rick, I haven't heard anything, but I'll let you know if I do."
"Okay, thanks, Max."
Rick and ordered the first private he found to get a vehicle and take him to the area around Lake Gloval. If anyone was able to escape, chances were that's where they'd end up.
Lisa's escape pod was programmed to clear the ship and land gently with the assistance of an automatically deployed parachute. The chute was damaged during the attack and was of little help – her pod slammed into the ground at water's edge.
Lisa had been stuck inside the damaged pod for a while, minutes, or hours, she couldn't tell how long, since she had been unconscious for part of the time.
She knew the rescue workers would find her, each pod emitted a distress signal and was equipped with a locating device, but she wasn't sure they would reach her in time. She wasn't sure how badly she was injured, but she was finding it difficult to breathe and she was beginning to feel like she might pass out again
She began to pound on the door with her hands and feet trying to push open the jammed door.
"I have to get out of here. I have to find out if anyone else made it out…."
She didn't bother trying to yell for help, no one out the outside would hear her anyway. Where did she land that no one saw her? Doing her best to ignore the pain in her back and chest, Lisa decided to put what little energy she had into getting out of the pod.
"I am NOT going to die in here - Dammit," She yelled out loud, kicking open the pod door.
She pulled herself to a standing position and surveyed her surroundings.
"No wonder no one saw me," she thought to herself. The pod was surrounded by smoke and large pieces of flaming debris.
She tried to step out of the pod, but the she couldn't – the stabbing pains in her lower back were severe.
"Ma'am? Do you need help?"
Lisa looked up and saw a young engineering technician from the SDF-1 with his hand outstretched.
"Yes, yes, thank you."
The young man, Lisa recognized him as Lt. Adams, put his other hand on Lisa's elbow and gently helped her out of the pod.
There was rescue equipment of all kinds making its way through the area. Lisa recognized it as the parking lot by the park. He led her to a bench a short way away from the shore where the air wasn't so thick with smoke.
She began to feel dizzy and put her hand up to her head.
"Are you okay, Captain? Are you hurt?"
"Did you see any other escape pods – from the bridge?"
"No ma'am. I only saw the one escape pod, yours, before the collapse."
"Collapse…." Lisa stood up and turned around and saw the smoking remains of the SDF-1. "Oh no." She put one hand on Adams' arm steadying herself. "Oh my God." She put her other hand over her mouth and began to cry.
When Lisa turned around Adams could see blood on the back of her uniform. "Captain, you need medical attention….."
Lisa stood, not moving staring at the ship. She either didn't hear him, or ignored his assessment.
"Can I call someone for you?"
Without turning around she said, "Can you find Captain Hunter for me? Rick Hunter."
"Uh, sure, ma'am. What do you want me to tell him?"
He looked at Lisa – she was in shock for sure, staring and deathly pale. Tears were running down both of her cheeks. He pulled out his phone and made a quick call to base command. They were able to patch him through to Rick's phone.
"Just tell him I'm here."
Lisa didn't feel pain anymore, she just felt numb.
They can't all be dead. I couldn't be the sole survivor.
Rick had the private driving all over the area surrounding the SDF-1, looking for something, anything that might help him find out if there were survivors. He was beginning to resign himself to the fact that Lisa went down with the ship, when his phone rang again.
Lt. Adams? Who was that?"Captain Hunter. I'm calling for Captain Hayes. She wants me to tell you we're at the edge of the park right off parking lot "C."
"What! I'll be right there."
Rick's leapt out of the jeep before it could complete its screeching stop, running over to Lisa. She was sitting on the bench motionless, crying, staring, at the remains of the ship.
Rick stopped himself, not wanting to startle Lisa.
"Thank you Adams."
"No problem, sir." Adams saluted and ran off, returning to duty.
"Rick." Lisa stood up and walked directly into Rick's arms, burying her face in his chest.
He put his arms around her and almost felt faint. He almost lost her, and the reality of that hit him hard. Lisa was shaking and sobbing into his chest.
"Lisa. Are you okay?"
"They're all gone Rick. Henry, Claudia, the girls….."
"I know, Lisa. I'm so sorry."
Rick rested his chin on top of Lisa's head and held her close.
"Henry put me in the ejection pod…he saved my life, Rick."
"He loved you Lisa. You know you were like a daughter to him." Rick pulled away and looked Lisa in the eyes, and wiped her cheeks with his thumbs.
I love you, too, Lisa.
Justthen Rick realized that the hand he had on Lisa's back was getting wet. He took his hand away – it was blood. She began to feel heavy in his arms.
"Lisa! Lisa, talk to me!"
She didn't respond. Hs scooped Lisa into his arms and moved as fast as he could toward the rescue workers.
"Medic! I need a Medic here, now!"