I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and must have it painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black - Rolling Stones
After an attack on Terrain, an untested warp drive system was used within an island city, sending Super Dimensional Fortress One, or SDF-1 for short as well as the entire island into deep space. The ship was able to return home, only to be sent away because the ship and all three hundred thousand people were declared dead. Which in turn, was a blessing, as the Zentraedi, the alien race that originally owned SDF, turned earth into a radioactive wasteland. The SDF-1 would have also been destroyed, had it not been for the efforts of a rouge group of Zentraedi that fought with the SDF-1 and its crew. The ship and its inhabitants searched for a new home which they found.
As the evening hours went by, Macross City slept peacefully until a bright light shattered the city night. Two new forms appeared upon the city streets actually they rolled along the pavement, Jake stopped on his back. Raven pretty much had the same landing.
Shaking the cobwebs out of his rattled skull, "Now you know how we end up in a reality that doesn't have a reality shifter close by," groaned Jake, "we end up with a couple of scraps and bruises."
Glaring at her lover, "A little warning would have been nice though."
Nodding, "You're right," Jake said , "I'm sorry."
Sighing as Jake helped her to her feet, "You apologize the right way later. But right now, where do we need to go?"
"First the command bridge, that way I can talk with the Captain and get my veritech fighter," said Jake counting off the items with his fingers, "Also need to be refitted and get you fitted with a flight suit, I need to load up said fighter."
Motioning him to lead, "Alright, lets go."
As the two stepped out of the space between buildings where they had stopped, a blinding light caused them to cover their eyes.
A six-wheeled military vehicle pulled up and stopped.
Noticing a Browning M2HB aiming at them, "Jake?," Raven hissed through her teeth.
"Excuse me, are you General Spiegel and Ms. Roth?" asked a sergeant behind the wheel.
Jake nodded and the sergeant saluted, "Sir, I have orders to take you straight to headquarters."
Jake gave him a look, "Who ordered you?"
"Captain Altair, sir," her replied straight-faced.
Jake just shrugged, "Works for me," getting in the back with gunner.
Raven rode in the passenger seat.
Motioning to the M2HB, "Bit overkill for defending a city inside a ship," replied Raven.
Before the sergeant could answer, Jake let out a whistle when he saw SDF-1 in battiod form and lit up with searchlights
"Thought you guys were still searching for a planet," remarked Jake.
"This is the planet, we found. We monitored your portal. Really should've aimed for the transport terminal."
"In a hurry," said Jake.
"Truthfully he didn't know about the terminal," remarked Raven.
"What one expects from a JAFO. Anyways, good thing Captain Altair informed us of your arrival."
"Why's that?" Raven.
"You would've been shot on sight."
"Really?'
"This is a Sanctuary City. It's location must be guarded at all times. Only those with high security clearance can arrive unannounced.
"Like who?"
"Veterans of the Shadow War like Captain Altair."
"I missed it by a month," mumbled Jake.
It's just another war
Just another family torn
My voice will be heard today
It's just another kill
The countdown begins to destroy ourselves - Hero by Skillet
Arriving at Robotech Defense Force Headquarters, Jake and Raven stepped into conference room full of personnel. In the middle of a table opposite of the entrance, sat a lone man. He wore the uniform of a highly decorated officer, showing his medals won in the last Terrain Civil War. A white Captain's hat hid the man's graying hair, but not his graying goatee. Jake knew him as Captain Henry Gloval, leader of the RDF forces.
Along the two side tables sat a pair each. On one side was Altair and Daria, both in matching uniforms.
The other side Raven didn't know. One was thirty something black hair male. The other brown hair female properly the same age as the male. The female wore the same uniform as the two huntress, where as the man wore a pair of navy blue slacks with a red strip down the side.
Standing at attention, Jake saluted the Captain.
Nodding, "It's quite alright," said Glovel, "we both know you out rank me, so we know that it should be I saluting you."
Smiling, "Still your command," said Jake, "I'm just the guest."
Chuckling, "True considering your rank was changed," said Gloval, "Now would you kindly introduce us to your female friend?"
Stepping to the side, Jake motioned towards Raven who stood a bit behind Jake.
"Everyone, this is Raven."
Smiling, "I'm Admiral Henry Gloval," he said, "Now time for my Lieutenants to introduce themselves."
Smiling, "I'm Lieutenant Commander Lisa Hayes," said the RDF officer.
"And I'm Lieutenant Commander Rick Hunter," said Rick giving his own nod.
Smiling, "And as the failed to mention, Rick is in charge of the premiere fighter group here and Lisa is pretty much first mate on the ship," added Jake.
The two smiled a bit. Lisa blushed.
With the pleasantries done with, Jake returned his gaze to the Admiral.
"Sir, with your permission, I would like to take my fighter out of whatever storage its in and returned to me."
"May I ask why," asked Gloval.
"The only ship available does not have enough seats to accompany everyone wanting to get to their destination," Jake replied truthfully at least as close as he could, "my ship being fitted with a two seated pod, will help everyone."
Nodding, "Very well. Lisa," he said turning his head towards her, "could you see it done?"
Lisa nodded, "Yes sir, shouldn't be to much of a problem. If I may?"
Gloval nodded and Lisa left to find Jake's fighter.
Returning his look back to Jake, "Is that all you're here for?" asked Glovel.
"Well, Raven and I both need flight suits and I was hoping I could get access to weapons storage, because I don't have anything with me," Jake said crossing his arms.
A bit shocked.
"May I ask why you need weapons?"
"Where we are going," Jake said "may or may not be friendly. And being I have no energy weapons, I felt getting them here would be a better idea."
Taking a moment to think, "Very well, see the armory for what you need."
Saluting, "Thank you, sir."
With that, he turned and left, followed out by Rick, Daria, and Altair.
Sitting alone, Gloval pulled out his old pipe and placed a bit of tobacco inside. Jake was hiding something, something big. Gloval felt something was wrong, he always went for his pipe.
Applying a flame to the tobacco, "I hope he hasn't gotten in over his head," he thought. That would go against Jake's nature.
Come on, you apes! You wanta live forever? - Unknown platoon sergeant, 1918
Riding a transporter to the shipyard, Jake saw Battlestar Galactica. Seven Battlestars protected more refugees from earthlike planet were chased from their world by the Cylons along the way they were joined by the survivors of the Mongo Civil War. Add SDF-1, Battlestar Galactica, a group called the Human Defense Corp verse Zentraedi, forces of Ming the Merciless, Cylons, and rogue demon knights, the Shadow War was a cluster fuck and Jake missed it by a month.
"Battlestar Galactica was a staging ship that got decommissioned and turned into museum," said the pilot, "That's where your ship is."
"Why?" asked Jake.
"That's where all relics go to," stopping.
Entering the starboard hanger known as Camp Oilslick of Galactica, Jake wondered if this was how dinosaurs felt like. He saw Thunderfighters, Raptors and Vipers. It seems these ships were used for patrols while v-techs were for war.
Finding his v-tech fighter, Jake went through his checklist. Missing the Shadow War by a month and working out an agreement with a space based scrap yard when the SDF-1 was running low on supplies for making fighters and ammunition, Jake got his own fighter, a VF-1S Super Veritech. The basic model was made for captain and higher fighter pilots in charge of the fighter groups until they got replaced by VF-11 Thunderbolt. If Jake stayed, he would've got to fly one.
What made it super was the modifications done. Basically it's the machine, not the pilot. Glad Jake didn't stay. On the back were two extra pods that gave the fighter more thrust as well as hold a total of twenty missiles each. There were a few other things but really, they weren't important. It being his personal fighter, Jake had a special paint job. Where most fighters were white and maybe had some kind of nose and top art, his was red with black stripes.
The nose art was black outline of red wolf head on either side bearing fangs, and the back was a full wolf's head that looked highly threatening. Jake named his fighter, the Red Wolf. He wanted straight black with red stripes. It seems black was reserved for only those that fought in the Shadow War which he missed by a month.
Finding a flight suit that fit, Raven didn't want to remove her Titan outfit.
"Raven," brought her attention onto Altair.
"Altair, what's going on?"
"A lot. When you finish this mission, Jake needs to check with the organization. There's some changes that affect him."
"Like what?"
"He just needs to check with the organization."
Jake was running of the last of his specs in his a black strip down the center and a matching red wolf's head on the back white flight suit.
"These things weren't made to be much of anything, were they," he heard over his shoulder.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw her in a dark gray jumpsuit. Knowing the Raven didn't like wearing white, he managed to have her flight suit done quickly in a darker color.
Smiling at his girlfriend, "Not really, but they keep you alive if the canopy is damaged in some way. You have to admit, that's worth something."
Smiling, "I guess. All set?"
"Yea, lets fly."
Helping Raven into the seat right behind the pilot's seat, he made sure she was buckled in, her helmet secured with the faceplate down. Jake proceeded to strap himself into his own seat.
Staring at the tunnel ahead of them, "Ready to leave by flight deck," said Jake.
"Red Wolf, Battlestar Galactica doesn't have a flight deck. It uses electromagnetic launch system."
"Meaning?"
"You'll know what a bullet feels like."
"Still mad about that poker game, Gordon?"
"Jake, you cheated."
Whoosh, Jake felt his stomach joining Raven in the back seat. Within ten minutes, they were through a white light that headed back to their own home.
They chased us round and round the barrack square.
And now we're on the road to anywhere.
No one's in the know.
We're singing as we go.
Oh, we don't know where we're going until we're there.
Three hours later at Titan's tower
"Launch in three, two, one, launch," counted Cyborg from the front pod of the T-ship.
Jake and Raven left for the hideout three hours and Cyborg was done with his launch preparations. They waited for a half an hour after wards as well, but they still hadn't shown up, so Nightwing finally told him to go ahead with the launch.
And when Cyborg finished his count, the four rockets ignited, pushing G force down on the five occupants.
Starfire and Blackfire watched from midair as the ship launch, and the pillar of smoke it left behind.
Halfway between the ground and the atmosphere when Nightwing saw something approaching on the radar.
"Single ship," he said, "coming right at us."
The five Titans saw against the seas surface, a black dot leaving a trail of water behind it. As the speck got closer, they saw it was a fully armed fighter with two engines over the back of the wings.
The radio crackled to life, "Glad I told you guys not to wait."
"Jake, is that you?" answered Nightwing.
"Damn right."
Turning on his radio, "Dude," remarked Cyborg, "you won't be able to break orbit in that thing."
"Oh no," came back Jake, "watch me."
The ship moved closer to the water. The moment it was near the island, the fighter pulled up. With the force behind his engines, the fighter seemed to pulled the water behind him. Now craning their necks, the Titans saw the engines, which were four, ignited even further. The fighter gained such speed. By the time the T-ship broke the Thermosphere, the fighter was right behind them and catching up.
"Woohoo," came Jake's cheer, "I told you."
Then came Raven's voice over the radio, "Could you please not do that again."
"Sorry."
The Titans laughed.
"Ok, I'll admit," said Cyborg, "I was wrong. What is that thing?"
"The VF-1S Super Veritech that I call the Red Wolf," came Jake. "My baby has firepower galore and can almost pull Mach 5."
"Damn, dude," Cyborg replied, "what the hell is that thing running?"
Before Jake could answer, Nightwing came over the radio, "Talk later. We need to get to Tamaran. You two can discuss ships later."
"Right, sorry," came Jake.
And with that, the two ships and the two Tamaranean space flyers were on their way to Tamaran, not knowing what was at stake.
