Episode Four: Blitzkrieg:
It has been a month since a Fold operation took the SDF-1 and Macross city into the future. After being refitted and resupplied for combat duty, the SDF-1 was christened the Macross. The Macross has been sent on a patrol assignment near the Coral System.
Rick Hunter, Max Sterling, and Ben Dixon, Robotech Defense Forces newest recruits, had been working hard to survive the rigorous training necessary to become the elite in the defense forces; the Veritech fighter pilots. Training to toughen them up on the ground and in space. With their basic training complete, the new pilots were looking forward to their first leave.
"I'm so glad we were able to finally get some leave," Ben Dixon said exuberantly. He was walking with his friend Max and Rick. Well, he was really walking with Max ahead of Rick who, was busy holding a paper bag full of groceries and trying to hold a conversation with Minmei.
"Yeah, I can't wait till I get to the arcade. I need to brush up on my skills," Max enthusiastically said while gesturing like he had a joy stick in his hands at the moment.
"You! Brush up? You're Max Sterling! You tore through those flight simulations like they were a Pac Man machine," Ben stated. Both laughed at the notion of Max needing brushing up.
"Hmmm…. I wonder if…. Ah there he is! Hey Besenti! Over here!" Max yelled excitedly. Besenti looked over to where he heard the shouting and saw that it was Max and his friend. He signaled to his squad mates with a hand gesture and walked over to Max and Ben, who stopped at a street corner. Rick was already in the nearby women's clothing shop with Minmei.
"Hey not bad uniforms for Flyboys," Besenti stated with a little jest in his tone.
"Yeah, I like those blue berets you're sporting," Ben quipped. Since UNSC personnel were assigned permanently aboard the Macross, Captain Gloval had thought it appropriate that the newcomers should wear the proper 'attire'. UNSC personnel were issued new uniforms according to their function and became an official part of the Robotech Defense Force. The marines were stuck with the blue jumpsuits of the military police.
"I really don't mind this uniform. It's simple and elegant at the same time," Jenkins stated to the group as he looked at himself through a nearby window.
"Mira, look at those girls over there," Mendoza said, pointing out the three lady that entered the women's clothing shop.
"I thought you were interested in that girl you were raving about. Uh what's her name…Minmei was it?" Jenkins asked.
"Yeah I was, but then I found out she was sixteen, or something like that. I'm sorry but she's a little young for me," Mendoza confessed as he scratched his head.
"Hey, weren't those ladies part of the bridge crew?" Ben inquired of the group.
"Yeah, I think one of them was Commander Hayes. Wait, Rick is in there!" Max exclaimed at the sudden thought. The group turned its attention at the Clothing shop and saw Commander Hayes leading Kim and Sammy out of the shop a few seconds later. The girls looked slightly disgusted.
"Well that can't be good," Jenkins observed as the three female bridge officers walked by.
"Hey! You think they're headed for the White Tiger?" Mendoza asked his squad mates eagerly.
"Ha! I would if I saw a pervert in uniform," Max playfully stated to the group. Everyone started laughing hysterically at the comment. They even laughed harder when Rick finally emerged out of the shop with Minmei.
"Ha ha ha. Oh man that was good one Max. I better find Sarge. He's probably back at the Sam Goodie still listening to that flip music. Go ahead Mendoza, take Jenkins with you and go talk with those girls," Besenti said, motioning his friends to enjoy themselves.
xxxxxxxxxx
Captain Gloval walked out of an entry hatch into the room where the UNSC slipspace fold system had been installed. As soon as he entered he saw what Cortana was trying to explain. In the empty void above the UNSC slipspace fold system was what could only be described as a shimmering effect that lit up the entire section.
"Ah, so this was what Cortana was talking about Dr. Lang?" Captain Gloval asked upon the sight of the phenomenon.
"Yes captain. I've never seen any reaction like," Dr. Lang observed.
"Since this is where the original fold generators were in, might there be a possible relation?" Captain Gloval questioned his chief engineer.
"Yes captain, that is a possibility. Perhaps when the original fold system disappeared the space/time fabric was distorted. This could be the result," Dr Lang explained to Captain Gloval. Dr. Lang also added, "Cortana and I have a theory, unproven so far, that it may be possible to use this reaction as some sort of protective barrier."
"Really? Get to work on it right away. With the civilians still aboard I want every possible way to protect this ship. Now I have to go. I have a meeting with the Spartans assigned to us."
"Of course sir. We'll get to work on it right away," Dr. Lang stated while saluting the captain.
xxxxxxxxxx
At the edge of the Coral system a Covenant battle group exited slipspace with orders to purge the system of human life. The battle group was presided over by the Ship Master Nola 'Thanosee.
"We have entered the system my lord," an elite reported to the Ship Master.
"Good! Have scout ships begin a sweep of this entire system. We shall find and destroy any human infestation," the Ship Master stated with disdain and hate in his speech.
xxxxxxxxxx
The Master Chief felt a little uneasy in his new uniform. It was a green suit with a black trim. He'd prefer to wear his MJOLNIR mk. 5 suit, but he was going to meet members of the command crew and pilots and it would be a little intimidating for him to wear his armor in public. He arrived first outside the gate to the military block of town and waited there for a little while.
'I wonder were Linda is?' The Master Chief thought to himself. Finally after five minutes Lisa, Kim, Sammy, and Vanessa arrived.
"Ah, Master Chief I presume," Lisa said as she approached the Master Chief. He quickly saluted Lisa, and Lisa and her group saluted back.
"So how do you like it in the RDF?" Sammy asked.
"Quaint Ma'am," The Master Chief stated straight forwardly.
Kim chimed in and said to the Master Chief, "You're a man of few words huh?"
"Yes," the Master Chief replied plainly.
"…You even get your own room men, but that doesn't mean you can fool around. Oh and one other thing; Attention!" Roy told his pilots as he saluted Lisa Hayes.
Rick merely blushed at the sight of the three girls that spotted him in the launderer shop earlier. Max and Ben chuckled to themselves while feigning a salute. The situation was too funny to resist laughing.
Sammy then recognized Rick and blurted out, "Ah, its mister Launderer!"
"Mister Launderer?" Vanessa asked herself aloud. Then Kim whispered into Vanessa's ear about Rick and the Launderer shop incident. "Oh my goodness!" Vanessa cried out when Kim was done explaining.
"Well, are these the brilliant young pilots you've been raving about? Well introduce them," Lisa requested from Roy.
"Of course. This is Pilot Rick Hunter," Roy said while pointing to his little brother.
"Ma'am!" Rick shouted while snapping to attention.
"Hello Rick…wait why is that name so familiar?" Lisa pondered out loud. "Wait I remember now! You're that loud mouth pilot!" She said pointedly at Rick.
'Well, so much for introductions.' The Master Chief thought to himself. Before Rick and Lisa could continue their little spat a Warthog came to a screeching halt near the group. Captain Gloval climbed out the passenger seat of the Hog and greeted everyone there.
"I'm sorry gentlemen to interrupt, but Lisa I want you and the rest of the bridge crew to report for immediate duty. We have a situation developing," Captain Gloval ordered his first officer and bridge crew.
"Is it anything we need to be concerned about?" Commander Fokker inquired.
"No, nothing to be worried about yet. Go about your regular business Gentleman," Captain Gloval replied reassuringly to Commander Fokker. Gloval then climbed back into the Hog with Lisa, Kim and Sammy and the Hog rode away.
"Well, let's get to the business at hand. Master Chief, are you ready to fly a Veritech around for a little spin?" Roy Fokker asked the Master Chief.
"Why not?" The Master Chief asked rhetorically. Roy Fokker, Master Chief, Rick, Max, and Ben entered the military block. Roy had heard of the Spartans and the impressive record they'd racked up in the war. He wanted to see if they had what it took to be a Veritech fighter pilot. Besides, it would give these new pilots some real practice.
xxxxxxxxxx
"Report Cortana," Gloval ordered his new ship AI as he and most of the bridge crew took their positions.
"Well sir, a space monitor report came in a little while ago. It showed a large gravimetric distortion just outside of this system. Also, no other UNSC ships are scheduled to enter this system for some time so it has to be Covenant," Cortana observed from the data she compiled.
"Sir, she may be right. Long range sensors detect several tracks approaching at a high rate of speed toward Coral," Vanessa added.
"Hmmm… So they've come," Captain Gloval said as he sat down. "Cortana, are there any settlements on Coral that we need to Evac?" He requested of Cortana.
"Coral only has an archeological team on the surface right now," Cortana replied.
"Time until the enemy reaches firing range of the Main Gun from our current position Lisa?" Captain Gloval questioned his first officer.
"I estimate at least a day until they make it here. Coral's solar system is quiet large," Lisa told Gloval.
"Actually, I say it'll take them 1.567 days to reach our destination," Cortana stated with precision.
"Even better. Lisa, activate the ECM, and Claudia bring us into the rings of Coral. We're setting a trap for our alien friends," Captain Gloval ordered his crew.
"ECM activated and the ship is already on a course for the rings. Do you want me to order a pelican down with a flight of fighters to evac the archeologist?" Cortana asked the Captain. Both Lisa and Claudia looked at each other, surprised by Cortana's speed. Then Lisa shot an angry look at Cortana that didn't go unnoticed.
"Cortana, are you a Ship AI or a mind reader?" Gloval asked sarcastically. He spoke up again before Cortana could reply. "Dispatch two Pelicans to retrieve the archeologists."
xxxxxxxxxx
"So how did you sleep?" Roy asked Rick who had just emerged from his new room.
"I'm ok Roy," Rick told his older brother as they jogged to a waiting Warthog.
"Hope you slept better than I did," Max said sleepily as Roy and Rick climbed into the back of the Warthog.
"What exactly were you doing that kept you awake all that time?" Roy asked his most promising pilot.
"The Master Chief and I were playing Ace Combat Six on my PS3. They spent their money well when they trained you Spartans. Isn't that right Chief?" He said as the Warthog sped through the city streets.
"Yes Max. Maybe after this little bout we could finish that match," the Chief said from the passenger side seat in the Hog.
"Maybe after I get some… sleep," Max tried to say after nearly dozing off.
"Okay Max, you can't fight these aliens in that condition. Just find a cot on the Prometheus and rest up." Roy said to Max sympathetically. He was impressed by the Master Chief's endurance though. He had played all night with Max and didn't look even mildly fatigued. "Hey, Master Chief, you want to fly for Max instead?" Roy asked the enigmatic Spartan.
"I have fifty flight hours under my belt. Why not?" The Chief replied.
"Good, his Veritech is blue with a white trim. Your call sign is Skull 24." Roy told the Master Chief who looked back smiling. 'Never saw the Chief smile before,' Fokker thought to himself.
xxxxxxxxxx
All six Veritech squadrons and one Longsword squadron entered the shadow zone of Coral's rings. The darkness of the rings, combined with the ECM emissions from the Macross gave perfect cover for an ambush. Now all the pilots had to do was wait for the Covenant picket to enter the outer rings near the shadow zone. They didn't have long to wait.
The obscure backdrop of the shadow zone lit up violently as a few random explosions lit up the region. The Covenant was bombing the rings to root out any human ships in the area.
"Methodical buggers," A Longsword pilot observed to himself over the radio.
"Ok, let's get' em!" Roy yelled with enthusiasm into the comm. channel. All squadrons exited the shadow zone into the light of the nearby star at a high rate of speed. While they accelerated out of the shroud of darkness, the Veritechs fired off a swarm of micro-missiles that slammed into and destroyed most of the Covenant Seraph fighters that had entered the ring.
"It's about time we finally have a win in space. Let's mop up these stragglers and focus on that Covenant Frigate group that the Seraphs came from!" A Longsword pilot yelled into the comm. channel.
"Captain Gloval to all Veritechs! We have another group of fighters approaching from the other side of the Planet! We don't know how they found us but redirect your attack and intercept them immediately!" The captain ordered. Three new battle groups had popped up from the other side of the planet. Two were made up of Capital ships while the other was made up of pure fighter craft. It was going to be a grueling battle for sure. The Longswords were the first to engage the new wave of Seraphs.
"Damn it! There are too many of them!" Another Longsword pilot shouted into the comms. Now instead of shouts of jubilation filling the RDF comms there were shouts of distress and screams of death.
xxxxxxxxxx
"Redirect and target the new group of enemy capital ships!" Captain Gloval ordered as the Macross rocked from another pulse laser strike to the hull.
"Target set! Ready to go LOUD!" Cortana called back as the Macross spun around quickly on it's axis in order to get its main gun into position.
"Good! Fire the main gun!" Gloval ordered.
xxxxxxxxxx
"What are they doing!" The ship Master questioned his subordinate.
The major elite answered back hastily, "They are charging some type of weapon! its power readings are off the scale my lord!" Then, on the holographic monitor screen in front of him, the ship master witnessed the Macross firing its main gun and incinerating part of his ambush fleet.
"Have a frigate and a fighter group keep the enemy busy as the rest of our fleet retreats!" The Ship Master barked out. He needed to reassess the situation before he could proceed any further.
xxxxxxxxxx
"I need some help Here!" Roy yelled into the comm. channel while trying to outmaneuver the Seraph that was right on his tail. Then suddenly the Seraph was struck with a hail of gun pod fire. "Rick was that you?" Roy asked in a more relaxed tone.
"Yeah big brother. You noticed that most of those fighters ran away?" Rick asked his older brother.
"Yeah, but we are not done yet Rick. Let's mop up the rest of these fighters. Master Chief can you handle that frigate?" Roy asked over the comms.
"I don't need to," the Master Chief said calmly. Roy noticed what the Master Chief was talking about. The Macross had reeled around and was preparing to fire off its main gun again. The frigate tried to get out of the main gun's firing arc, but when the Macross fired off its main gun and scorched the frigate's side armor its reactor still went critical.
xxxxxxxxxx
Next in Robotech/Halo, The Covenant commander discusses plans to capture the Macross upon revelation that the ship is somehow involved in the great journey. Captain Gloval tries to evade the Covenant in a nearby nebula, and nearly causes a disaster. Don't miss Gauntlet. The next exciting adventure in Robotech /Halo.
