Beta-ed by steshin - please do not hesitate to point out any mistakes spotted, so that they may be rectified (editing was done late, so I may have missed a few things, here and there).

As Admiral Perry went over the battle plan one last time, Shun stole glances at the other pilots united for the final briefing. There was no doubt that the three pilots standing in the forefront were veterans, they were, after all, Frontier's elite Diamond squad.

However as he went on with his inspection, the young soldier had to face the facts, the three aforementioned men were lost in a crowd of rookies.

A makeshift army. That's what Frontier's one was at the moment. To top it off, the plan the higher-ups had come up with was nothing short of desperate. Rush into the fray and pray that one of them would be able to obliterate whatever Vajra Queen they may encounter before the bugs managed to wipe them out.

Protect his family, his homeland, those were his thoughts when he had enlisted in NUNS. But never in his wildest fantasies did he ever dream that he would be sent out to the biggest battle this ship would ever know. Sure, the VF-171 Nightmare Plus EX was an easy-to-maneuver space fighter-but it didn't change the fact that he had no more than 50 hours of training under his belt.

A cannon fodder, that's what he was. Scratch that, that's what the majority of the young men assembled in the briefing room were.

"May the singing voice of the Fairy of the Galaxy, Sheryl Nome, guide us to our victory!"

He noticed how his leader tensed, his grip tightening around his helmet, at this.

It was an improbable case but if he ever got the chance to live long enough to hook up with a nice girl, he knew for sure that he wouldn't want her to be used in such a way, even more so when said girl got completely disregarded in favor of another songstress not so long ago.

Not that he was one to talk. Being a former student and now a fresh recruit, he wasn't exactly rolling in gold and thus knowingly bought some of those cheap bootlegs to complete his collection. He wouldn't have if he had known beforehand what awaited him. Being lectured by Maruyama wasn't something he particularly enjoyed but it was nothing compared to the death glares sent his way when their leader learned what the rumpus was all about. He should have foreseen that between the Galactic Fairy's boyfriend and her self-proclaimed number-one fan, it was a given that there was no other possible outcome for such heresy. Luckily for him, the pink-haired songstress' appearance had saved him from further punishment at that time.

"Good luck to all of you!"

Indeed they would need a lot of it.

The numerous pilots wasted no time and made their way towards their units but the young man was surprised to see his leader going in the opposite direction. Maybe he wasn't as immune to stress as he previously thought.

"Taichou?"

"Go ahead. I'll follow right after you."

And with just that, Saotome Alto resumed his way.

"Taichou is such a lucky bastard. He has the looks, he had the VF-25 and he gets THE girl…"

Maruyama was right, it wasn't that hard to figure out where the man was heading to, considering that even with all his luck, everything might very well end for him as well in a few minutes.

"He could have at least let me keep my lucky charm!"

Shun's lips slightly curved upwards as he recalled the fuss their leader had made over Maruyama's nose art.

"I swear if I die, I will come back to haunt him."

"His reaction wasn't that unexpected considering the nature of"-

"I'm her fan number one! What more can I say?"

Both pilots stopped in front of the shorter man's fighter, his VF, his flying casket. No matter how much Shun tried to shake off this unhealthy thought, it was the only thing he could think of whenever he laid his eyes on the shiny fighter.

"It will be alright. Taichou is the man that managed to catch the Galaxy Fairy! What could happen to us with such a leader?"

This statement was meant for the both of them. Although he never stopped to gloat about the autograph he was about to get once this would be all over and appeared as carefree as usual, Maruyama was still a rookie just like him. He wasn't the only one in this hell.

"You're right. Let's do our best."

It was no use worrying about this, they were already past the contemplation time. All they had to do was to do their best for the sake of everyone. This and praying to be among the survivors if there were any post battles.

With that thought in mind, Sagittarius 02 and 03 climbed into their respective fighters.

A lone figure sat in front of a large dresser, staring at her reflection. This makeshift dressing room was miles away from what she had previously known while she was still at the height of her fame. It was hard to imagine that the Galactic Fairy was currently getting ready for the most important performance she would probably ever give in her short life.

Not that it mattered anyway, the safety of the whole colony she had come to call home during the past few months was at stake.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her left ear, Sheryl revealed the earring she had received a few days ago. Her thoughts lingered on the man who had given her the piece of jewelry she now treasured, just as much as her mother's memento.
He probably had boarded his unit by now and soon enough he would be on the front lines.

Alto…

The slight hiss of the sliding door shook her from her reverie. Finally, the time to give her greatest performance had-

"It's me."

Now that was quite a surprise. Just as she thought it might have been the last time she would ever see him, he just walked in the room.
She was moved to see he had come all this way to see her and yet she couldn't help but have mixed feelings regarding this matter. It had already been hard enough to let him go the first time, she didn't know if she had what it took to do it once more.

"The mission should have already started, you know? Why did you come here?"

Although it definitely sounded ruder than intended – especially since she didn't bother to face him – he didn't seem affected at all.

Using the mirror to make eye contact with the songstress, the pilot went on with what he had to tell her.

"Sheryl, I'm coming back. I'll survive this battle and I will definitely come back."

The Galactic Fairy spun around and peered into her lover's eyes. Despite her vision steadily blurring as the seconds ticked away, she could discern the self-confidence showing in those golden orbs. These words weren't spoken lightly, he believed what he had just said, or rather he acted as if he did.

Nevertheless she was relieved to hear him say this.

"One cannot fly alone. He shouldn't fly."

Her eyes widened a bit at the unexpected flying analogy but it didn't last long and she soon allowed herself a tender smile. It was just so like him.

"You finally realized? You're so slow."

For the first time since he entered the room, Alto shifted his gaze away from the woman he had come to call his dearest.

"I don't know what to say to that."

That sheepish tone… The thing she dreaded the most was on the verge of happening. It wouldn't be long now before she broke down in tears and begged him to stay. She could only pray inwardly for him to just shut up and go.

"But now I understand, thanks to you."

A lump formed in Sheryl's throat as he approached and linked their hands together.

According to Klan's words, it was at times like these when one should say those important things and that's exactly what he had initially intended to do. He wanted to let her know how important she was to him.

However as he scrutinized the now misty-eyed woman, he realized it was probably wiser to wait at the end of the conflict. Even he could see that it wasn't the right time to ask the Galactic Fairy such a thing.

"Sheryl, when this is all over…."

The look he gave her sent her heart racing. He didn't have to spell it out, as it was written all over his face-words she both longed and dreaded to hear under such complicated circumstances. She was grateful. Just knowing the feelings were there was enough for her at that moment.

"You can tell me the rest when everything's over."

"…Ah… You're right."

Although he didn't get to say what he initially wanted to, her answer and the smile she flashed him were enough for him.

Alto let go of her hands to make his way to the door. As she watched his back, Sheryl suddenly felt the urge to stop him. Deep down, she couldn't help but think it could be the last time she would see him alive and well.

"Alto!"

The soldier was already late for the ongoing operation and he knew that any further interaction would only result in making this harder for the both of them. Still, he couldn't bring himself to ignore her and stopped in his tracks.

"Hmm"-?

It was already too late by the time he realized what his lover was up to. As long as he could remember he had always loathed the feeling of metal embedded in his own flesh, the reason why women would bother to inflict such initial pain to themselves still eluded him to this day.

"You won't be able to lose it this time…"

Unlike what he had previously thought, Alto didn't feel anything close to discomfort under her feathery touch. In fact, he could only focus on what she had just said.

"Sheryl…"

The songstress took a step back to appraise her work, nodding once she deemed it to be satisfying.

"Remember… You'll rarely find as wonderful a woman as me."

Everything was forced, the wink, the smile… It didn't matter though. Last time, he had come back safely despite charging inside a Vajra flagship, thanks to her earring. There was no way he would die out there, now that he wore the other one.

"I know."

Finally, he resumed his way towards the entrance, the precious piece of jewelry dangling from his left ear.

Sheryl Nome had never been a religious person. She had always preferred to think that she had total control over her own fate, that she was the only one to blame when something didn't go the way she wanted. Nevertheless, she still prayed despite her earlier belief as her pilot left the room. And if there ever was a deity in this universe, she hoped it would be merciful enough to grant her dearest wish, no matter how selfish it was to only pray for the safety of one man considering the current situation.

"Taichou! You're late!"

First the mechanic and now his own wingman. Well there was no denying he had taken more time than he had originally planned to.

"WHOA! Is that Sheryl-san's earring?"

The long-haired man cringed at Maruyama's remark coupled with Shun's whistles, he knew he should have put on his helmet before boarding his fighter but it wasn't exactly an easy task to do so while running with such a long mane.

"Way to go, Taichou!"

"It suits you well!"

Surprisingly enough, he wasn't bothered by this comment. In fact, upon catching his reflection in the canopy, he had to agree, the earring did indeed look good on him.

Somehow his subordinates were noisier than he had expected. Not that he really could blame them, until recently he had been a rookie himself. Teasing their leader was as good a way as any to take their minds off things.

Loading of the MDE missiles was finally completed on all units. Alto checked his ammo supplies. Despite having inferior specs compared to the likes of the VF-25 or VF-27, the Nightmare Plus EX was still armed to the point that he wondered if he would actually get the chance to use all the weaponry he had at his disposition. The battle would probably be over by the time he managed to empty a quarter of it.

As the deployment began, he recalled his first sortie, the earring he had naively hooked in his cockpit at the time and the soothing effect it had on him. He recalled the words Ozma had said at the time.

The former Skull-4 opened a private channel to his wingmates.

"Listen, you two."

He wasn't exactly cut for grand speeches like these. Neither did he have Ozma's experience nor his charisma but as their appointed leader he still felt he had to say it.

"I won't let any of you die. We'll all survive…"

They could feel their units being moved to their designated launch pads.

"…and return to Frontier."

A heavy weight had been lifted from Warrant Officers Maruyama and Shun's shoulders as soon as those words registered in their minds. Their squad leader, the man who managed to sweep the Galactic Fairy off her feet, was watching out for them.

After they had both replied in unison, Alto closed the channel.

To be honest he hated this position, being responsible for those two lives. Nevertheless, his apprehension would not keep him from doing his job right. No matter what would happen out there, they would protect the fleet and come back safely to celebrate with their loved ones.

Soon enough, the first notes of his girlfriend's signature song reached him through the fold quartz she had lent him, fittingly accompanying their take-off.

The starry battlefield was literally littered with hordes of Vajras and yet that didn't stop Frontier's army from actually having the upper-hand in this last showdown with its legions of fighters pouring endless waves of those new MDE warheads on the enemy, backed up by the numerous space cruisers firing constant beam barrages.

As it stood, it seemed there would be no need for the purposely dispatched stealth frigate Stargazer to make a breakthrough in order to reach the Queen; Battle 25 had nearly completed its transformation and with the Vajras showing nothing near the coordination level they had on their previous encounters, one shot from the fleet's humongous flagship should be enough to tip the scales in their favor for good.

Alto led his squad to an outlying area packed with red lobsters – as they had come to dub them – flying around aimlessly. The three fighters fired their warheads, unleashing purple hell in the aliens' ranks upon contact. He could only watch in awe as his radar HUD display cleared off a number of dots. All that was left to do now was to clean up the Vajra's force remnant.

Each Nightmare sped towards an individual target, breaking up their formation. Under normal circumstances it would have been foolish to let his wingmen duke it out with a red one on their own but as they were right now, the once fearsome aliens were nothing short of sitting ducks.

His prey locked on, Alto riddled it with his two laser guns mounted on both sides of his cockpit. In accordance with what he had been taught, Sagittarius-1 zoomed past the exploding bug and immediately went after another target.

"I got one!"

"Maruyama, behind you!"

Spinning around, the youngster came face to face with a red Vajra pointing his ominously glowing cannon at the stationary Battroid.

His salvation came in the form of several blue beams accurately striking down his foe.

"Idiot! Focus if you don't want to wind up dead!"

"Y-Yes!"

Alto scowled as Sagittarius-2 reverted back into fighter mode. This must have been how Ozma felt when he saw him doing the same stupid mistake back then during his rookie days. However, even though he would have to give his subordinate a proper scolding, he was beginning to share his overconfidence with the Vajras, a race with a hive-mind consciousness and no actual understanding of the individuality concept, acting in such a disorganized way.

He had to face it, whether he liked it or not, Sheryl's song proved to be a much more an invaluable asset in their struggle than he would have wanted.

What he didn't know was that another songstress was about to make its debut.

Her failed experiment was doing way better than she expected as she had been able to finish two songs in a row without any signs of weakening.

The mad scientist smirked.

Her former colleague's granddaughter had always been like this, a hardworking girl who never knew when to give up, a common characteristic of the Nome family. After all these years, Dr. Mao and her daughter still ranked among the most stubborn people she had ever met.

All in all, this observation could be extended to the Frontier convoy as a whole. It was really a shame they couldn't see that she was just elevating humanity above the Protoculture. She could have surely put such pugnacity to good use.
It didn't matter anymore though as she had finally been able to initiate a connection with the Queen. Now the throne was hers alone and soon she would be able to coerce humanity as a whole into a new age.

The other fleets might be a little reluctant at first but she knew they would be more than willing to cooperate upon seeing the ultimate fate of the 25th large scale super long range emigration fleet.

The time to put an end to their valiant yet pointless efforts had come.

For the first time in the years following the loss of her original body, Grace O'Connor felt an electric shock running down her cybernetic spine. She was going to take sweet delight in watching her two former partners' progenies going against each other and savor every second the highlight of all those years of plotting her revenge against the who refused to acknowledge her theories.

Sheryl had already begun her third song by the time the first notes of Lynn Minmay's most famous song reached her, soon to be followed by Ranka Lee's voice.

For the first time since her debut, the Galactic Fairy, messed up an entire verse during a live performance but she still continued to sing even though she had already lost the tempo, the emotionless voice overpowering her to the point that she couldn't hear her own one anymore.
Hearing who she assumed to be Admiral Perry and Frontier's new President, Leon Mishima, arguing about whether to fire or not Battle Frontier's main battery wasn't helping either.

The songstress inwardly cringed as she missed another line. In the distance she could see the Vajras' forces regrouping in the center of the battlefield, lining in front of the green-haired girl's giant representation.

"Do you remember love?"

Her eyes widened in horror as their alien foes fired constant barrages against the fleet, completely filling her field of vision with nothing but colorful beams and explosions.

She nearly dropped her microphone when a green beam struck a cruiser stationed near Battle Frontier, blowing up the ship and thus ending hundreds of lives in a flash.

In the background she could hear the panicked voices of the operators announcing losses after losses with Frontier's squadrons getting decimated one after another. Everyone around her was panicking, the operators were all shouting, making it nearly impossible to discern what they were saying. The Galactic Fairy could feel the general panic reaching her as well.

Nonetheless, there were still a lot of people desperately fighting out there. Several people she personally knew were among them starting with her Meltran friend.

Also, he was still fighting too.

Her resolve renewed, Sheryl started to sing the song she had written a few days ago. Although "Northern Cross" was nowhere near "Do you remember love?" in terms of symbolism, she wasn't going to lose to such an inhumane rendition of the classic.

"What's going on here? Taichou!"

Alto ignored his wingman's inquiries and continued to circle around Ranka's giant apparition performing a song which once embodied salvation for his peers. It wasn't like he knew what was happening anyway.

No, the pilot knew perfectly well what the green songstress was doing with this song, he was in the first row to witness the Vajras firing at his homeland with renewed strength. He just didn't want to accept it.

His grip tightened around the controls as he recalled what he had said to his Meltran friend a few days ago. He had told her he wouldn't hesitate to shoot at his former friend should the need ever arise. However, he had also secretly prayed that it wouldn't have to come to this, that she would realize how much she had endangered the fleet and all its inhabitants by leaving them to fend off the Vajras by themselves.

The young man narrowed his eyes at the ghostly apparition. He could vaguely hear the distress call of the Stargazer frigate amidst his two subordinates yelling. More importantly, he could hear the faint voice of their very own Songstress of Hope, unwilling to let her rival win this singing duel even though it was painfully obvious who had the advantage.

To his wingmen's surprise, Sagittarius-01 let out a feral roar and sped towards his newly acquired target.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS, RANKA?"

He dived towards their enemy, weaving through the swarms of Vajra gathered around their little queen, not even bothering to fire at the hostile aliens shooting at him as he zipped past them. This senseless war, his peers struggle, his loved one's suffering… He was going to end it all with this one kill.

Just as he was going to unload the content of his super packs, a purple beam forced him to deviate from his course.

Cursing through his gritted teeth, Alto searched for the beam's source. It wasn't long before he spotted a familiar fighter, eyes flaring up with rage as he instantly recognize his attacker. There was only one VF with that purple color scheme he knew of.

"You again!"

Brera Sterne grunted as his VF-27 zoomed past the VF-171EX he had just missed.

"Tch… Persistent, aren't you?"

Under different circumstances, he would have been impressed. An un-enhanced pilot in a crude fighter such as Frontier's VF-171 avoiding this shot was already an achievement in itself and he would have taken great pleasure in toying with him had they met earlier.

Too bad he had no time to waste on this one, Ranka's safety was his top priority.

The cyborg made an otherwise impossibly sharp turn had he not been one and lined up the red striped fighter in his sights.

He wasn't going to let him fire a single round at his sister.

Alto continuously cursed as he tried to shake off his pursuer. He had made a promise, he wasn't going to die out here-and especially not at the hands of that cyborg.

The red-striped fighter banked towards an asteroid field. Upon reaching it, the long-haired pilot unloaded his super pack's missiles pods he had saved until now, effectively creating a smokescreen, shielding him from the cyborg's view.

Having to resort to a trick learned from his last encounter with his former squad leader wasn't to his liking but he had no other choice.

Alto shifted to Gerwalk mode to scan his surroundings in search of his archenemy. He knew his only chance now was to find the Galaxy pilot before he found him.

A warning signal flashed on his screen, soon followed by a powerful beam he managed to evade by a hair's breadth. Way too close to his liking.

"Damn!"

The Sagittarius squad leader shifted back to fighter mode before making his way out of the asteroid field, followed closely by Brera Sterne's Lucifer.

As he aimed his VF-171 head cannons towards his pursuer, Alto cursed for the umpteenth time since he crossed the VF-27's path. Each minute lost in this fight equaled to an additional minute during which Sheryl had to sing.

"Taichou!"

Sagittarius-1 paled as he heard Maruyama's voice over the channel.

"Sagittarius-2, 3! Don't interfere! It's an order!"

Maruyama ignored this order. There was no way in hell he was going to idly watch his leader getting shot down by this unknown bastard. Once he had his target lined up, the young man fired, against his better judgment.

A swift change to Battroid mode and Brera Sterne was above his prey, his charged beam gun pointed at the unfortunate rookie, ready to blow him to smithereens.

"Maruyama!"

Brera grunted as he avoided several shots from yet another annoying plane. With a swift turn, he aimed at the third fighter and fired a volley from his gunpod, blowing one of his assailant's wings in the process.

The cyborg didn't get to finish him however as he had to once again avoid the rounds fired by the red-striped Battroid charging at him.

Alto let out another loud battle cry as he closed in on the purple mecha. He wasn't going to let him kill any of his men either.

Coming out of nowhere, a green VF-27 maneuvered to his three o'clock, showering him with beams on rapid-fire mode, forcing the NUNS pilot to deviate from his course. Alto unloaded his last missile pod on Brera before turning his attention to his new attacker. Unlike the purple one, the green VF-27 didn't put up much of a fight and went down surprisingly quick.

As quick as it had been, it still gave the time to Brera to line the long-haired pilot for a clean shot.

"Shit!"

The cyborg licked his lips in anticipation. Finally, he would get rid of this hindrance.

Or so he thought.

For the first time in years, the light green-blond lost his cool and cursed loudly as he shifted back to fighter mode and sped away to avoid the large beams fired at him before making a sharp turn and charging back at the familiar red Queadluun-Rea.

As soon as he recovered from his initial shock, Alto headed towards the Meltran to lend her a hand in her duel, leaving Nene to help his subordinates.

"Klan!"

"Get lost, hime! He's mine!"

"Like hell he is! I saw him f"-

A sudden flash caught the three pilots' attention.

"What the"-?

Following it was the biggest energy beam fired since the battle for the Vajra homeworld began.

Brera's eyes widened upon realizing what had just happened.

"RANKA!"

Battle Frontier had just fired at his sister's ghostly apparition.

None of the executives present on Battle Frontier's bridge could believe what they were seeing.

In place of Ranka Lee's image stood the flagship from their supposedly lost sister fleet, unscathed as it had been covered from the blast by a multi-layered wall of Vajras.

"Impossible! Macross Galaxy has already been…!"

Leon inwardly cursed as Admiral Perry voiced his surprise. He should have known better than trying to get rid of that damned woman who faced him now with not only a whole army of ruthless aliens but also a Macross class ship.

The newly appointed president slammed his fist on his console.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot that damn ship down already!"

"But what about the possible survivors-"

"Just fire it already! Would you compromise the whole colony's safety for a handful of possible survivors?"

The admiral didn't object this time. This man was too good for his own welfare and was clearly unfit to be the fleet leader, the kind of man to be killed first.

"We have to wait for the main battery to cool down before firing another shot."

The current president returned his attention to the purple mecha displayed on the main screen. All he could do for now was to pray that Grace O'Connor wouldn't be the first to strike.

"G-Galaxy…?"

Sheryl dropped her microphone upon seeing Battle Galaxy. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, the flagship from her homeland, which she thought had been long lost to the merciless Vajras, was standing before them.

The songstress stayed still, unable to make the slightest movement. There was so much she wanted to say at this moment, so many thoughts racing in her mind to voice out, so many questions she needed to be answered…and yet only a single word made it past her parted lips.

"Why…?"

Why was the purple battleship there, on their enemy side nonetheless? After all the efforts and the PR campaigns she had conducted to stimulate the researches for potential survivors…

She told Alto she had no fond memories of the ship in which she had contracted the V-type virus, it wasn't entirely true.

Yes, she couldn't recall anything about her parents. In fact she couldn't recall anything prior to her harsh life in the slums. But there were also more pleasant ones, her first meeting with Grace and how she rescued her from misery, the first meal Grace made for her, the piano lessons she gave her followed by the singing lessons, their first single topping Galaxy's chart…

A tremor caught the Galactic Fairy by surprise resulting in a painful landing on the floor. As she tried to get back up, her hand brushed against her microphone, the shiny object drawing her attention.

Grace… If it hadn't been for her she would most probably be dead by now. If her former manager hadn't taken care of her like an older sister would have, she would have never made it as the Galactic Fairy. Sheryl Nome owed everything to Grace O'Connor, the same woman, manager, older sister, who both pulled her out of Galaxy slums and then abandoned her like an expired product…

"I'll survive this battle and definitely come back"

Alto…

Thoughts of the young man who gave her a new home quickly flooded the songstress mind, distracting her from her Galaxy memories.

Sheryl reached for her microphone after swiftly wiping away tears she could not afford to shed at this very moment. Now wasn't the time for crying over her native fleet. She'd rather do all she can to protect Alto's home, a place she has come to call hers as well.

"Not bad… Not bad at all."

Such persistence was certainly worthy of her praise. Frontier's army, their pathetic leader, Dr. Mao's grand-daughter… They were still all fighting to the fullest of their abilities even after witnessing the overwhelming power of the Vajras, led by their little queen.

Grace sighed as she watched the 25th emigration fleet continue to struggle against the mighty alien race. It was a real shame but no matter how entertaining this display of bravery and patriotism was, it didn't change the fact that she would eventually have to bring an end to it.

"Antares 1, stop fooling around. It's time to end this."

"But Ranka"-

"What better way to protect her than ending this pointless battle?"

Brera pondered on her words. The major was right, he couldn't keep on merely defending his sister even if Ranka would be against him destroying her foster home. He had no other options left.

"…Understood."

Grace smirked upon hearing her underling's reply. He was so easy to manipulate.

However, she also knew he would most probably be not up to the task. After all, whether you're called Brera Sterne or not, taking out a Macross class battleship with a single Valkyrie wasn't an easy feat.

It was a chance she happened to have a ship perfectly fit for the job under command.

"Galaxy…"

Alto hadn't wanted to believe it. Even after Klan told him about her suspicions, he had refused to believe their sister fleet was behind this bloodshed.

The Vajras couldn't have just taken control of the battleship when they attacked the 21st emigration fleet. Highly unlikely, considering the Vajras' tendency to attack on sight and the pristine state of the purple ship… Even more when said ship had all its turrets pointed at the other Macross class ship present on the battlefield.

Sheryl…

Alto could only imagine her inner turmoil upon witnessing this scene.

A movement to his right diverted his attention from the purple behemoth.

"Wait! Where do you think"-

Once he realized where it was headed to, Alto hurriedly gave chase to the VF-27, praying his VF-171EX enhanced engines would be able to catch up with the unbelievably fast Galaxy craft.

"Alto!"

"Nee-san!"

Klan stopped in her tracks and turned around just in time to see a large group of fighters launching from Battle Galaxy. She was too far away to identify those crafts but their signature erratic movements as they closed in Nene's Queadlunn-Rea and the two Sagittarius squad members were more than enough to give away their identities.

"Ghosts V-9!"

Knowing full well the three wouldn't stand a chance, the Pixie leader dashed towards the group, praying Sagittarius-1 would be able to get the upper-hand in his duel with the VF-27.

Sheryl kept on singing despite the explosions drawing near. In the distance, one could see a purple machine leaving in its wake a trail of destruction as it disposed of everyone foolish enough to hinder it on its way to ending this war.

The songstress let out a small yelp as a pink beam struck a destroid stationed near the bridge.

Get a grip on yourself, Sheryl Nome!

A collective cry prompted the Galactic Fairy to open her eyes.

She was met by a barrel pointed directly at her.

Her grip tightened around her microphone as she looked up defiantly at the Battroid green visor. What harm could a single fighter do against Battle-25's pinpoint barrier system anyway? A lot at point blank, if the crew's reaction was anything to go by.

Sheryl was denied an answer to her question as the purple mecha suddenly lost one of his leg and was tackled from behind by a gray one.

"YOU!"

The cyborg was literally boiling with rage for the first time since his surgery. He had experienced numerous feelings he had long since forgotten during the last months spent around his sister but none of them could compare in intensity of the pure rage flooding his senses upon being interrupted by the same unit yet again.

"Damn! Damn! DAMN!"

Shouting a string of curses uncharacteristically, Brera exited the cyberspace interface he had been using until now and grasped his VF-27 manual flight controls, directing all his vernier thrusters in the same direction in an attempt to jerk the mechanical arm holding the beam rifle from the VF-171EX's grasp.

Seizing this opportunity, Alto pulled his Battroid in the opposite direction, ripping the VF-27's arm in the process. Using the momentum to his advantage, he spun around his mecha, effectively catching the VF-27 head with its own arm.

The VF-27 was quick to retaliate and swung his remaining arm at the gray Battroid, crushing one of its upper limbs as the punch connected.

Brera hurriedly switched to Gerwalk when he noticed the head turrets aiming at his cockpit and rammed into the NUNS machine.

Upon seeing the exposed cockpit, Alto saw red – or rather purple in that case- and brought down his Battroid's remaining arm down in a loud cry to crush the bastard who tried to murder the Galactic Fairy.

The Sagittarius leader wasn't fast enough though and cursed loudly as the cyborg managed to catch the gray fist inches away from its intended target.

A frozen Sheryl stared at the gruesome battle happening just in front of her. The sight of these two pilots, whose goals were so different – one was protecting them, while the other tried to kill them all – and yet shared the same blood lust, terrified her.

The purple unit's three remaining main thrusters suddenly flared up and pushed back their savior before pulling an equally sudden halt, the force exerted in the process being enough to break off the VF-171EX's second arm.

The songstress couldn't pull her eyes off from the fight, even as the VF-27 turned back to Battroid mode and grabbed the friendly unit's head turrets, severing its head in one swift motion.

It wasn't a fight anymore; it had turned into an execution.

Sheryl felt nauseous upon seeing the headless/armless mecha firing blindly with the forward guns mounted on its torso, each random shot being easily dodged by the enemy who dived towards its floating rifle before dashing out of her field of vision.

"You're not getting away!"

Alto promptly switched back to fighter mode and left in pursuit of the Galaxy Variable Fighter, his battered VF-171EX managing to catch up, thanks to the VF-27 missing one of his legs.

However, a bright flash diverted his attention from his enemy before he had him lined up for a shot, a flash similar to the previous one that already interrupted their duel once. However the NUNS pilot was the one prone to panic this time around.

The VF-171EX made a sharp turn back to Frontier's flagship, forgetting all about his ongoing dogfight with the cyborg. All color drained from his face upon seeing the battleship state after failing to fully dodge its Galaxy counterpart shot, gone was its entire left leg section and even though the bridge seemed to have sustained no direct damage, he knew a shock of this magnitude was bound to have repercussions inside the ship.

"SHERYL!"

This sudden shift in attention didn't go unnoticed by Brera who wasted no time to aim his beam rifle at his ex-pursuer currently moving in a straight line, paying no more heed to the red Queadluun-Rea closing in fast and firing at him from afar. Not even a beam connecting with his mecha's remaining leg could prevent him from finally shooting down this annoying hindrance.

"SCATTER TO THE ENDS OF THE GALAXY!"

The VF-27 fired one last beam before getting completely incapacitated, leaving no chance for his rival to dodge despite him trying his best to deviate in time from his straight course.

Sheryl flinched as she got up from the cold floor. Unlike the rest of the crew whom had all been fastened to their chairs, there was nothing in the songstress vicinity she could have used to keep herself from getting tossed around. No doubt she would have to keep her pilot at bay for several days with all the bruises she was bound to have after this, if they managed to live through this war of course.

The Galactic Fairy reached for her microphone when amidst all the yelling she heard one of the bridge bunnies report yet another loss.

"Sagittarius-1 down!"

It was only another loss out of many for the crew members, one out of the many that had been reported since the beginning of the battle.

For the Galactic Fairy, however, her whole world fell apart with this single phrase.

"Alto…"

I want to survive.
I still want to live.
I love you.

A song she had written during their short time living together, a song that simply stated the reason behind her newfound will to live.

A song she would probably never get the chance to sing now even though she had promised herself she would keep singing no matter what.

Despite her whole world crumbling down, the fight went on. Time had stopped for no one except for her.

Had she been in a clearer state of mind, she might have told herself she wasn't the only one who had lost a loved one...parents, children, her Meltran friend… Such was the cruelty of war.

"Alto…"

Sheryl brought her microphone to her parted lips in a mechanical gesture, completely oblivious to the commotion caused by the SMS Quarter's appearance, flanked by the 33rd Marine Battalion survivors under Major Oghotwhai's command.

The truth is simple. I love you.

Yet again another love song she had written while sharing the same roof with the former performer. Another one she would never get to sing now.

Neither the Macross Quarter's rushing towards Battle Galaxy to prevent it from shooting again nor the arrest of President Mishima had any effect on the songstress who was just staring into space, her eyes devoid of their usual twinkle. She just stood still in the center of the makeshift stage, mouthing the name that grew on her during her prolonged stay in the 25th emigration fleet. Each time, uttering the name with added intensity than the last one.

Her eyes widened as the piece of news finally sank in, the tears she had saved until now freely falling down her face.

"ALTO!"

Sheryl kept on screaming her lover's name like a possessed woman, clutching her head while doing so. A medical team was soon dispatched by the commanding officer to take care of the hysterical woman but to no avail.

Neither the medical staff's efforts nor the voice of Ranka Lee, freshly rescued by the Macross Quarter, managed to break her free from her trance.

All the galactic fairy could see as she looked around was a mass of unidentifiable, viscous forms moving towards her, a feeling of dread as an unknown word resounded in her foggy mind, a single word which terrified her.

Kadun.

Sheryl kept on shouting her deceased lover's name, naively hoping he would save her from the ghastly apparitions.

That was when she noticed it, a viscous body way bigger than any other, rapidly growing larger the nearer it got.

The songstress' shriek filled the entire bridge, immediately followed by an enormous explosion.

Grace laughed maniacally at the sudden turn of events. Although the Vajra Queen had just destroyed the charging Battle Galaxy, the irony of it all was too much for her.

"You think you can steal the Queen's throne from me?"

The girl she had turned into one of the greatest songstress, the subject she had left to die after she realized she would never live up to her expectations, Dr. Mao's grand-daughter… Sheryl Nome was now threatening to ruin her grand scheme even though she was practically on her deathbed.

After all those years of waiting, her Nome blood decided to manifest itself at the worst possible moment. Although she had stopped laughing, a manic grin still adorned her torn features.

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHO THE REAL QUEE-!"

The mad scientist didn't get to finish her line as she was vaporized by Battle Frontier's main battery, this last shot ending the disastrous war.

Shun's VF-171EX carefully made his way through the huge amount of debris scattered around in search of possible survivors. Among the ships remains, he could spot several maimed bodies floating around, the sight of which made him sick.

The young pilot vigorously shook his head. He had to proceed.

Averting his eyes from the gruesome scene, Sagittarius-3 continued towards the distress signal emitted by his squad leader's ex-gear, dread flooding him as he got closer.

What if all that awaited him was just another mutilated body?

The young man switched to Gerwalk mode and began to scan the area, unknowingly holding his breath as he did so.

Upon meticulously scanning the surrounding area, Shun finally spotted who he was searching for.

With a sigh of relief, he made his way towards his squad leader, zooming in on his target.

"Move! MOVE!"

It was the only thought on his mind since the screaming relayed by the fold quartz earring had been replaced by a deafening silence. Nothing else mattered at the moment for the pilot, totally oblivious to what had been going on since he got shot down and barely managed to eject before his fighter exploded.

Alto cursed as his ex-gear thrusters refused to ignite despite all his begging. With his suit failing him, he could neither call for help nor get back on his own and could only hope his distress beacon was still working.

Sheryl!

He had to get back to Battle Frontier as soon as possible.

The pilot scrutinized the vicinity, eyes darting everywhere in a frantic search for a friendly unit.

To his utmost relief, he soon spotted a lone VF-171EX coming his way and began gesturing unashamedly.

At last, he would be able to go back to his fairy's side.

He could only hope he wouldn't be late like what she always sang in her song.

For the second time in his life, Alto found himself staring at a natural sky. Its best feature? Being completely free of holographic panels reminding you the maximum height you could reach. He should be rejoicing. This was, after all, the sky he had yearned for all along, the sky Sheryl opened up for him in exchange of her very health…

Alto sighed as he took a seat besides the bed placed in the middle of one of the sanitized room aboard the Macross Quarter.

One cannot fly alone.

True to his words, he had no intention to fly alone anymore. If he couldn't share it with the comatose woman laid down before him, he'd rather not fly at all.

The pilot took his fairy's hand and began stroking it gently with his thumb. He alternated between circular motions and drawing random figures on her smooth skin, his gaze never leaving her face as he did so.

It was the first time he felt that lost. Even when Klan told him about Sheryl's condition, he instinctively knew what he had to do, not that he had that many options to begin with…

"Wake up, Sheryl…"

His voice was no more than a mere whisper and yet Alto held his breath as he waited, to no avail, for a reaction. Any sign showing that she could hear him, feel his touch, anything… If only it were that simple…

A hand on his shoulder jerked him from his thoughts.

"Taichou!"

"Gah! Ever learn to knock on a door before?"

The sight of their fearsome leader jumping out of his seat with only a slight tap on the shoulder could have been a funny scene if it hadn't been for one fact.

"We knocked thrice."

Alto looked up at his subordinates, only to be met by two worried faces. The squad leader immediately shifted his gaze back to his lap, unable to retain eye contact. He must have reached an all time low if even Maruyama gave him this look.

"I'm sorry I was just… thinking."

Shun's eyes moved from his hierarchic superior to the comatose Galactic Fairy, his gaze lingering on their linked hands as he shifted it back to the young man.

"Taichou… You should get some rest…"

It was even truer considering the strenuous day they had.

"It won't do her any good to just ruin your health."

Alto's ears perked up at this, Shun had a valid point, he knew it well. Even then he still couldn't bring himself to leave her side. Not after the desperate shouts he had heard.

"What if she wakes up…?"

This thought had been plaguing his mind ever since he learned what had happened on Battle Frontier's bridge, how the Galactic Fairy went into an inexplicable frenzy, how she went limp just when Battle Frontier blew up the Vajra Queen's head...

What if she found herself alone upon waking up?

The very thought terrified him.