Episode Two: Readjustment

Under the threat of imminent destruction by alien forces, Captain Gloval ordered the SDF-1 to undergo a Fold operation. Not only did the huge battle-fortress end up at the wrong location, but the fold took part of Macross island and some of the surrounding ocean with it into the future. Two weeks have passed since the fold operation and Macross City has been settled somewhat uneasily within the battle-fortress with the help of the Circumference and the UNSC support fleet.

Captain Gloval walked over to Dr. Lang, who was busy overseeing the installation of the new slipspace fold system that the UNSC had graciously provided for the SDF-1.

"Dr. Lang, you wanted to see me?" Captain Gloval asked.

"Ah, Captain," Dr. Lang said. He then quickly saluted the captain, and the captain saluted back. "I have zome good newz to report. We will be able to fold to Marz to finish our refitting within a few hourz."

"Very good Dr. Lang. By the way, who do I have to thank for this?" the captain questioned.

"Well zir, most of the credit goes to Dr. Halzey." When Dr. Lang mentioned her name Dr. Halsey quickly turned around to face Captain Gloval.

"I thank you very much Dr. Halsey. Maybe after our refit we can return Macross city to Earth," Captain Gloval said.

"Maybe," Dr. Halsey replied. She didn't want to tell him that Earth was overpopulated as it was, but she wasn't going to have to make that decision anyways. She was just there to see if the ship was of Forerunner origin. Cortana's scan disc was in her coat pocket and she would be able to tell if the SDF-1 was one, but there was only one way to truly tell. "Captain Gloval, all UNSC vessels have ship grade AIs installed into the computer systems. The AI allows the ship to function more efficiently in any given situation it may face."

"Oh, I'm assuming that you have one of these AI's on hand to help us out then," Captain Gloval stated.

"Yes I do, as a matter of fact. She may even help in unlocking the secrets of robotechnology." After Dr. Halsey said this she took out a small chip from her coat pocket and walked over to a computer terminal. Dr. Lang and Captain Gloval followed her. She put the chip in the terminal and the holographic projector recently installed by UNSC technicians came alive. The hologram was female in shape. Captain Gloval and Dr. Lang observed that looked a lot like a younger version of Dr. Halsey.

"Wow. You can't imagine the wealth of information, knowledge. So much, so fast! … It's Glorious." The hologram stated. Dr. Lang and Captain Gloval looked at each other in bewilderment. Dr. Halsey was only slightly astonished by her AI's comment.

Dr. Halsey then quickly got the attention of the Hologram, Captain Gloval, and Dr. Lang when she asked, "Cortana, is this ship what I think it is?"

"Yes it is. It's a Forerunner ship." Cortana said. Dr. Halsey then nodded. Captain Gloval, who didn't like to be kept out of a loop, quickly spoke up and asked both Cortana, and Dr. Halsey, "What is this Forerunner you speak of?"

"Yez, what did Cortana mean by zo much information?" Dr. Lang further questioned.

"I'm sure you'll be briefed on this subject once your ship docks at one of Reyes-McLees shipyards at Mars," Dr. Halsey stated. "Suffice to say you might have engaged a distinct group of Forerunners on that February day when you launched into hyperspace."

Captain Gloval merely nodded. He didn't like how Dr. Halsey reacted to his question, but he pushed that aside and turned to more immediate matters. "Dr. Lang, how long will it take until we can fold?" he asked.

"Hard to zay Captain. The UNSC fold zyztem is much smaller than that of the original. It'll take at leazt two hourz, zir, to jury rig it in," Dr. Lang concluded.

"Very good. Keep at it; I want a full report," the captain said as he walked away to a nearby door. He felt a little more at ease now that he was away from the Dr. Halsey. 'There is something wrong here.' he thought. 'Oh well, at least we are safe for now.'

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Now that UNSC technicians had arrived to help in the repair work of the SDF-1 much of the crew gotten to take some time off and relax for a change. Of course when Lisa Hayes finally got off her shift she found herself walking the streets of Macross City, thinking of her long dead loved she left behind five hundred years ago. She didn't know where she was going; only that she walked down a flight of stairs and entered a dimly light room. When she looked up, she saw a young man. He looked to be in his late teens, early twenties. He was bent over a tarp covering a mangled mess of metal. She needed to take her mind off of Karl so she asked the young man, "What are you looking at over there?"

"Oh, just my racer that I won eight international championships with. Now it's a pile of junk," the young man said without looking at who had asked him. He was clearly upset by his loss, but just before she was going to ask if she could take a closer look she felt a hand grasp her right shoulder. She looked over and saw that it was Commander Fokker. Before she could say anything to him he whispered into her ear, "I need to talk to that love sick idiot over there privately. Go get yourself something to eat at the White Tiger, you look starved."

Roy was right. It had been twelve hours since she last ate, and a day since she'd last slept. Maybe that would help her get over her loss. She took his advice and went to the White Tiger. She was amazed at how many UN Spacy and UNSC personnel were at the restaurant. She even spotted Vanessa, Kim and Sammy eating at a table. She picked up some Chow Mien and a milk shake and sat down with them, trying to forget Karl like she did while she was in the Robotech Academy.

"I am so glad we can finally take a break," Kim said.

"Hey, do any of you wanna go see a movie? I hear that the theatre is finally open for business," Vanessa added.

"Sure," Sammy replied.

"I guess I can watch a movie. I haven't been in a theatre in quiet sometime," Lisa added hesitantly. After they finished their meals they walked out to the theatre together.

"Yo' I can't believe how loco that blue haired dude is. He beat you badly on that arcade game ese," a Spanish UNSC marine said to his friend as they walked into the restaurant.

"What really bugs me is he wears glasses too," his friend added. Then the blue harried kid they were talking about, and his friend, entered the restaurant behind them. It was clear that the blue head was content with his recent victory. He approached the marine upon spotting him and said, "Hey Bisenti, how about I get you and your friend something to eat? It's the least I can do after beating you."

"Hey Mendoza you think I should take him up on his offer? Mendoza?" Bisenti said trying to get the attention of his squad mate.

"Mira," Mendoza mumbled. Bisenti looked at the direction that Mendoza was staring at and he saw what captivated his squad mate. It was Minmei. Before Bisenti could talk Mendoza out of his trance the man had already scurried over to Minmei and even started a conversation. It was the usual idle, 'I'd like to get to know you better if you what I mean' type conversation. Bisenti wasn't the only one who was surprised. Rick saw it all as he entered the restaurant. Luckily Roy was with him to keep his friend under control. During the tormenting three minutes Roy's words resounded in Rick's mind. 'Girls like her can be fickle at times; you know what I mean? You better be careful that some guy in uniform comes along.' He was determined to be that guy in uniform.

"Roy," Rick said to catch his brother's attention. "I've decided to join the Robotech squad."

"Same here for both of us," the blue haired kid said, gesturing to himself and his friend. "I'm Max Sterling, and this is my friend Ben Dixon. We have nothing else better to do. Our old jobs our long gone," he added.

"Yeah I'm up for it," Ben said.

"Great, I need some fresh pilots after the battle of Macross Island. You guys can report tomorrow morning at the military section of town. We'll be officially recruiting then," Roy said with enthusiasm.

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Next in the odyssey of Robotech/Halo the SDF-1 undergoes refitting while Captain Gloval attempts to get the civilians to safety before the SDF-1 is pressed into service against the Covenant War Machine. Don't miss the Unsettling News, the next intriguing episode in Robotech/Halo.