Ranka and Nanase sat together at a huge table, working on costume and set designs for Ranka's upcoming concert for the new Zentraedi fleet on Aimo. The table was covered in magazines, photographs, and sketchpads; along with two cups of coffee near the two ladies. Elmo could be seen pacing around in the background, talking to someone on his cell phone.
"So, it's been decided that the stage will be constructed on the hull of the Zentraedi flagship, much like the setup you had when you performed on Gallia-4, right?" Nanase asked. "Yeah, except let's have them set up some of their power armor suits behind me, instead of a VF," Ranka responded.
"Need any help, there?" a voice chimed from the entrance to the room. Sheryl and Brera stood in the doorway, holding some boxes of fresh take-out food. "Sheryl! Brother!" Ranka exclaimed as she got up to help carry the boxes to the table. Nanase warmly smiled and waved to greet the two.
After setting up some space to eat, the quartet sat down to dig into their food while continuing to work on setting up the concert tomorrow morning. "So, what do you think of everything so far, Sheryl?" Ranka asked. Sheryl had already flipped through their notebooks and drawings to see if she could lend her expertise to help out. "Impressive so far. Those Zentrans aren't gonna know what hit 'em!" Sheryl responded with a smile.
Elmo came up behind them after finishing his phone call. "Sheryl! Big news! The execs at the record company have agreed to terms on your new contract. They want us to come by the offices this afternoon and wrap things up!" he exclaimed. Ranka, Brera, and Nanase all raised their drinks to Sheryl. "Congratulations!" Sheryl gleamed with happiness at the news. "Let me finish eating here and we'll head out, Elmo," she responded.
Elsewhere on Aimo, Cathy is in a meeting with the Joint Chiefs and the President. Fortunately, her role in this meeting was purely observational as the most powerful people in the NUNS and Frontier Government discussed the current state of the colony. Fleet Admiral Perry and President Mulcahy sat on opposite ends of the table, surrounded by their respective staffs. The atmosphere in the room was very tense, as the two groups furiously debated the most prevalent problems going on at the time.
"The arrival of the Zentraedi fleet has been both a boon and a bust to our economy. We're being stretched thin on resources and manpower, trying to accommodate the explosion in Zentran population. How much longer is it going to take before we can start to harvest the minerals from the Kihnes Asteroid Belt?" President Mulcahy demanded. "I just spoke with Captain Wilder, who is in charge of the operations out there. He informed me of a recent attack by a rogue swarm of Vajra, which inflicted moderate damage on the fleet before being destroyed. I am disturbed by his reports of the advanced coordination of their attack on the fleet," Admiral Perry responded.
President Mulcahy's staff began to murmur at the news of the attack. Admiral Perry continued, "This puts our operation at a further risk of losing valuable time and soldiers, if this attack is not an isolated incident. Wilder has ordered the fleet to enter into Phase 2 because of the sudden and inexplicable actions of the Vajra swarm. The fleet is currently performing recovery operations of their damaged and destroyed ships, and is preparing to move out to the asteroid belt using conventional propulsion."
One of Mulcahy's advisors whispered into his ear. Mulcahy nodded and turned back to the Admiral. "Our offices have been receiving numerous letters and complaints from citizens who are upset that they are being stretched to accommodate the abrupt and unplanned annexing of the Zentraedi fleet. We must keep our ears open to the desires of the populace, or we risk losing control."
Perry leaned forward with his hands together at his mouth. "We understand that this is making things difficult for you and your staff. Wilder has requested reinforcements and we have a partial solution to both of our problems; with your approval, of course." Mulcahy and his staff listened attentively to the Fleet Admiral's plan.
Millions of miles away, Cal sat in his seat on a transport ship. He watched out the window as several ships maneuvered around the lifeless wreckage of the destroyed ships, looking for survivors and salvaging useful materials. Combat patrols of VFs periodically flew by the transport, on their way to the next waypoint. His mind was fresh with memories of his squadron giving him a going-away party after he received word of his impending transfer to Skull Squadron.
Commander Junzou had never looked prouder than he was when he gave Cal a toast at the party in the Azusa's mess hall. Lieutenant Prince and Ensigns Carter and Bae were sad to see their teammate leaving, but celebrated his success in a vibrant fashion. A lot of the squadron's pilots and mechanics had attended, including the mechanic who works with Cal. He was also to join the crew of the Quarter, by request of Bell-Casse.
Cal had been in close contact with David Nguyen since the news of his transfer had become public. The two discussed the results of the first round of testing during the first phase of the fleet's operations. Of course, the flashbang countermeasures were a resounding success, coming with Cal's grand seal of approval. Unfortunately, the two agreed that the holographic projector was not a viable loadout option, considering its bulkiness and difficulty to deploy effectively. David was quite amused about the story Cal told; detailing his dogfight with Klan and how it was the wildcard he needed to pull out the win. The new electronic warfare enhancements to the radome on the 171 was a slight success, enabling Cal to take advantage of the brief periods of enhanced stealth it gave him.
The only two devices that still needed testing were the fold-magnetic chaff and the IFF hacking radome module. David assured Cal that he would ship out replacement systems that were compatible with the RVF-25 that Cal was going to be flying while in Skull Squadron. There would also be a restocking of the munitions that Cal used during the first phase of the operations.
David seemed very happy that Bell-Casse's systems were showing a lot of promise. NUNS had certainly noticed the effectiveness of the flashbangs and had already contacted the company for details on the countermeasures. It looks like there will be a juicy defense contract in store for Bell-Casse very soon!
The Quarter's galley was full of new and existing crew who were busily eating their lunches. Jen Wentz sat at a table, patiently waiting for someone to join her before she started eating. As she turned her head to look around, she heard the 'clack' of a lunch tray landing on the table she was sitting at. In front of her sat Cal, who was still in a great mood about joining Skull Squadron.
"Hey, stranger!" Jen said with excitement. Cal looked up from his tray, as he shook salt into his food from the shaker on the table. "Good to see you again, Jen," he said, somewhat nonchalantly. Jen's smile dissipated a bit. "Are you not happy to see me again?" Cal put the shaker back into its holder. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound disinterested. I'm just a little tired from all the partying overnight," he said putting a smile back on his face.
"I had been hearing whispers of you over the last week and a half. I'm so happy for your success. Isn't it going to be great to serve on the same ship now?" Jen asked with exuberance. Cal tried not to roll his eyes at the question. He wondered why he wasn't terribly excited to see Jen, but reminded himself that he should be on his best behavior. Maybe he just needs some rest. "Yeah, I'm pretty psyched to be here. Can't wait to get myself into one of those beautiful 25s in the hangar."
Jen took a sip from her drink before asking her next question. "Do you know whose team you will be on yet?" "No, they haven't said anything to me yet. We have a squadron meeting in a few hours and I should find out whose team I will be with then." Cal and Jen each took a bite of their food before continuing their conversation. "Did you get to meet your roommate yet?" Jen asked. "No, the other bunk was empty, so it'll probably be one of the new crew. I guess he hasn't made it to the ship quite yet."
As the conversation continued, Jen tried to not bring up anything about their clandestine activities a couple of weeks back before they left Aimo. She kept reminding herself of her promise to Cal, but something in her wanted to find out if he still had feelings for her. Cal's behavior was not quite right for someone who would have been happy to see her right now. She'll have to take his word for it that he's just tired, so that's why he seems so nonchalant. She'll keep an eye on his behavior during their next few meetings.
Several tables over, the view was partially concealed by a strategically-placed decorative houseplant. A young girl's eyes remained glued on Cal and watched his interactions with Jen from afar. Ozma, who was sitting next to her, had to ask what the distraction was. "Klan, your food's getting cold. What are you looking at over there?" Klan blinked, as if she snapped out of a trance. "N-nothing..." she said, as she took her fork and dug into the waiting meal.
Klan had spent the last 22 or so hours trying to deal with her inner demons in preparation for the next phase of the fleet's operations. "You look better today," Ozma complimented, "How do you feel?" Klan finished eating her bite before answering. "I feel fine," was her simple answer. The usual Klan rhetoric...
The two leaders of the squadron continued to discuss their upcoming meeting with the rest of the squadron, while picking away at their lunches. Klan seemed much less tense, but Ozma noticed her attention drifting off to another part of the lunchroom from time to time. After some time, Jen and Cal got up from their chairs, returned their trays and hugged before parting.
Ozma's view had been obscured by the decorative plants set in a row on the bannister nearby. Upon seeing Cal pop up from behind, Ozma could see what Klan was looking at, since her point of view was not as obscured as his. Looking over to Klan to see what she was doing, he could see her attentively watching the two hugging each other before they left the lunchroom. Ozma let a smirk creep across his face.
"I see what it is now," he said. Klan snapped out of her trance again. "What?" "You like him, don't you??" Ozma asked, while elbowing Klan in the shoulder. Klan's face started to turn red, whether from embarrassment or anger, Ozma couldn't tell. "NO WAY! It's not like that. I am just intrigued as to what makes him tick. It's good to get to know how our pilots think," Klan said with a bit of a disgusted look on her face.
Ozma sat back up with the "yeah, right" look on his face. He'll leave her alone about it for now. He put his fork back into his food for another bite. "So, you'll be returning to duty shortly. What's first on your agenda?" "I just need to get my Queadluun ready for my escort duty. I'll finish that up right about when the meeting starts." Klan continued to eat her food, masking her thoughts from Ozma as best as she could. Ozma continued to look at her with narrowed eyes, as if he had the ability to see through her skull and into her thoughts.
Cal returned to his quarters to find that his roommate had just moved in. The aura of familiarity filled the space between the two as they recognized each other after a moment of hesitation. "Will Garrett, You don't belong here!" Cal said as he walked up to give a hearty handshake to his former schoolmate. "Man, I haven't seen you in years. Now I see what you've been up to!" Will said.
Cal saw Will's rank insignia on his uniform. "An ensign?? Have you been stuck behind a desk all this time, or something?" "No, I just joined up about a year ago. They promoted me from warrant officer a couple of months back. Looks like my flying skills are good enough for me to make the team, here. Do you know whose team you're flying for yet?" Will asked. Cal simply shook his head. "Yeah, they didn't tell me either. I guess we'll find out in the squadron meeting in a little while," Will said.
The two former school chums spent the next good while catching back up, while they finished unpacking their stuff into their quarters. "What ever happened with you and Marie? You guys were inseparable back in high school," Will asked. Cal had to explain what happened to yet another curious individual. "Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear that," Will said, consoling Cal's loss. "That's in the past now, but every once in awhile, I am reminded of her presence in one way or another," Cal said, alluding to his mysterious dreams and the way things have been working out for him recently.
As the time for the meeting neared, personnel began to gather at the briefing room for the first meeting of the new Skull Squadron. Cal and Will walked towards the hangar area, still talking about the "good old days".
Wrapping up her diagnostics on her Queadluun, Klan climbed out of the cockpit and started to head towards the micloning chamber to get ready for the meeting. Pilots and personnel would occasionally pass through the hangar on the way to the briefing room near where Klan was working, so she'd need to watch who was going by before darting across to the door leading to the micloning tanks.
"I saw the two Queadluuns in the hangar earlier. I wonder what it's going to be like to work with Zentraedi pilots. I heard the Nephilim is just as tough as she looks," Will chattered to Cal as the two approached the hangar entrance. Cal reserved his comments from Will. He wasn't going to give away any of the surprises that lie in wait for Will.
Just as the two stepped into the hangar area, a macronized Klan walked by in front of them. Cal's heart skipped a beat as she glared at him from the corner of her eye for a moment, then turned her nose up and closed her eyes as she passed by. The two stopped for a moment until she left the room and then continued on across the hangar to the briefing room. Will was dumbfounded.
"Who was that?" he asked. Cal sighed and answered, "That... was Lt. Commander Klan Klang." "That was the Nephilim?! She doesn't look anything like I had thought! The stories I heard painted her as something of a monster who'd change you to stone if you looked at her," Will said. Cal could tell Will was falling in love already... Cal clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. Will is the same girl-crazy guy he went to school with.
The briefing room was full of boisterous chatter as the squadron personnel took a bit of time to introduce each other before the meeting started. Cal sat next to Will at one of the tables, surrounded by many pilots and crew whom they had never seen before. Kanaria, Nene, and Luca were sitting at various places in the room. Alto stood against the front wall, watching for the commanding officers to enter the room to begin.
Right on time, Captain Wilder and Ozma entered the room. "Captain on deck!" Alto barked. The room grew silent and the crew all stood at attention. "At ease," Wilder said, tossing his notes onto the table at the front of the room. The crew all sat down to listen to the briefing.
"I'm just here to introduce myself, so I will make it quick. I'm Captain Wilder and I'd like to welcome you newbies to the Macross Quarter. This ship represents the best the NUNS has to offer and I will give each of you a fair warning: You were selected to join us because you showed the skills and expertise necessary to uphold the standard of service the NUNS has come to expect from us. If you can't live up to our standards, we can always find someone to replace you. For those of you who don't see that as a problem, you'll fit in just fine here."
"Normally, I'd spend more time with you, but I am sorely needed on the bridge to complete our preparations to move out. Good luck to you all, and we look forward to seeing what you can do for this ship," Wilder said as he headed back out the way he came. Ozma moved into the center where Wilder stood. "I'm Commander Ozma Lee, and I am the squadron commander. Welcome to Skull Squadron, pilots." By then, Klan had returned to the room in her miclone form. She replaced Alto at the front of the room and he went to go sit down in the chair that Luca had saved for him.
Before Cal could ask himself why there was a kid standing in the front of the room, Klan singled him out with her eyes. She gave him the same glare as before when he was crossing the hangar area into the briefing room. "Who's the kid?" Will whispered into his ear. "You don't wanna know," Cal answered as it became fairly clear to him who it was.
"As you already know, Skull Squadron has the honor of being the first deployed unit to operate the new VF-25 Messiah variable fighters. All of you newbies will need to go through rigorous training and orientation to fly these majestic machines. We also have a pair of Queadluun Rheas in our squadron, one of which is piloted by the squadron XO, Lt. Commander Klan Klang. Commander?" Ozma said, giving way to the child-like Klan.
She moved behind the table in the front and stepped up on a small stool that was placed there in anticipation for her portion of the presentation. Whispers and murmurs mixed in with some chuckling here and there. Cal knew better than to make light of the situation, but he had to fight to keep a straight face. Klan stood on the stool for a moment, waiting for everyone in the room to get it out of their systems. Her patience ran thin, as she quickly came to a boil and overflowed over the edge.
"Are you quite finished?!" She demanded. The room fell silent once again. Klan exhaled and began her part of the presentation. "Teams are set up as follows..." Klan went down the list and came to hers last. "I will command Team Pixie, Nene Rora will be my 2nd in command, Ensign Garrett will fly a VF, and my RVF will be Lieutenant Wagner." A faint 'smack' could be heard as Cal placed his hand over his face and sunk into his chair.
Klan shot a look at Cal. "Something the matter, Lieutenant?" Cal looked back at her and sat up straight. "No Ma'am." "Good. I will now go over our escort schedule while the fleet moves into position to begin its first series of scans of the asteroid belt..." Klan continued. Will leaned over to whisper to Cal, "What's the matter, dude?" Cal lightly shook his head and answered, "I'll tell you later."
Klan wrapped up her reports and Ozma dismissed the squadron from the briefing room. The first person to leave was Cal. All he wanted to do was go to his quarters and get some sleep before his simulation classes later.
Will wasn't too far behind him, but it gave Cal enough time to get his uniform off and hop into bed. Will couldn't stop talking about Klan's youthful appearance while micloned. "I heard it's a genetic defect that she has. That's too bad. She's quite the looker when she's super-sized." Cal didn't really feel like talking about it as he grunted and rolled over, as if to tell Will to shut the hell up and let him sleep.
As if being summoned by speaking about her, the door to their quarters flew open and Klan entered with her sister. "At attention! It's inspection time!" Klan barked out. Cal jumped up from his bed and slammed his head on the bottom of the upper bunk. "Goddammit!" he mumbled as he struggled to get out of bed. The two roommates stood at attention on either side of the bunk beds. Unfortunately for Cal, he was in nothing but a tank-top, boxers and socks. He stood at attention still wincing from the pulsing pain on his forehead. Nene stood near the door, giggling, as her sister moved over in front of Cal.
Klan took the opportunity to look at Cal in his underwear from toe to head. A very mischievous grin remained on her face as she scoffed at what she was looking at. Klan looked around for anything to give them shit about. Since they had not quite unpacked everything, she proceeded to go through Cal's dresser drawers to look for 'contraband'. She inspected the shelf on his bed, and the belongings in the closet. Unable to find anything to reprimand for, she paced back and forth in front of the two new pilots.
"You two are now in Pixie Team. Your asses belong to me and if I feel that you can't handle the job, I'll be sure to leave a good boot print as I kick you out the door." Klan paced back in front of Cal and turned to him while finishing her assertion session. "Our team has latrine cleaning duty today. Wagner, since none of us have done it yet, you're the one to get it done. Move out!" "But Ma'am, I'm not wearing--" "NOW!" Klan yelled, pointing to the door. Cal gritted his teeth and jogged out of the quarters. Klan gave Will a quick look on the way out while Nene followed. Will exhaled when the door closed. "She didn't even look through my stuff..." he murmured.
The door to the cleaning supplies closet was partially ajar. Two "wet floor" signs blocked the entrances to the men's and women's bathrooms. Inside one of the restrooms, Cal knelt down as he worked on cleaning one of the toilets. He knows that Klan is intentionally picking on him, but he seems to take it lightheartedly. That is, until a member of the Quarter's cleaning and maintenance crew showed up, surprised to see a pilot in boxers and a tank-top doing latrine duty.
"Hey! What are you doing?" the worker asked. "Huh?" Cal said as he poked his head out of the stall he was working in. "I'm part of the maintenance crew. We're supposed to be cleaning the head," the worker said. Cal turned back towards the toilet he was working on and gritted his teeth again. "Goddamn that woman..." he thought to himself as he realized he'd just been put through a bit of a hazing ritual. Who knows what else she's got saved up for him...? Cal turned back to the maintenance worker. "I'm almost done here. Just come back in awhile and you can check to see if I did a good job." The worker left with a confused look on his face.
Cal continued to scrub the toilets while he formulated a way of getting back at Klan for this. The question was, "Is it a good idea?" Perhaps Cal should just take his licks since this must be the standard initiation process that new pilots go through when they join Skull Squadron.
After finishing the bathrooms, Cal sleepily walked back into his quarters. Will was fast asleep and all of the lights were off in the room. Checking the time before going back to bed, Cal realized that he only had a few hours to sleep before he had to get up for his simulator classes.
4 AM came faster than Cal had hoped and his alarm violently played his skull like a set of bongo drums. The hot shower helped a bit, but Cal seemed to drag his feet as he made his way to the classrooms with a thermos full of coffee in his hands. Ozma was to be the proctor of the classes and he patiently waited for the new pilots to show up.
The classes began on time and Ozma started his introduction to the new birds that the pilots would be flying. Cal counted nine other pilots in the class... there's going to be a bit of a learning curve to deal with here. "The VF-25 is the latest variable fighter model available to the Frontier colony. Based off of the designs of the YF-24 Evolution, the fighter boasts the latest advances in engine, avionics, transformation mechanics, and armaments. The inclusion of the Inertia Store Converter system, when combined with existing EX-gears, significantly reduces stresses placed on the pilot during high g-force-inducing maneuvers in space and atmospheric conditions."
The pilots worked to take notes as quickly as their hands could write. Despite being so tired, Cal was excited to hear about the vast improvements over the 171EXs. Perhaps this fighter will give him the room he needs to reach his full potential in combat.
The simulators were as easy as Cal had expected. However, he was very impressed by the changes to the cockpit layout and the performance the simulators showed him. Transformation times were significantly reduced when compared to the 171EX. His simulator was also specialized with the inclusion of the control panels that he will see in his RVF variant. The overall layout was similar, with a few interesting nuances.
Will and Cal exited the classrooms for a lunch break before their scheduled escort shifts. As was expected of the best pilots in the fleet, everyone passed the introduction testing with no issues. At least there's one thing that went right, for a change. Cal had to attend a quick meeting with Luca and the other RVF pilots to roll out their duties before their launching.
With just enough time to grab some food from the mess before his flight time, Cal swiped one of the remaining muffins and refilled his coffee to try to get more caffeine into his system so he will be alert while flying. Leaving the end of the cafeteria line, he walked by the table at which Ozma and Klan were eating. Images of his degradation from last night quickly flashed through his mind. Unable to simply pass by without saying anything, Cal put his neck on the line again.
"Commander," he said, looking at Klan, "I ran into a nice guy from the maintenance crew last night. He said I did a great job of cleaning the bathrooms. He also asked me how I got my boxers creased so well. I told him I use a lot of starch." Cal turned and headed to the hangar to join the RVF pilot meeting without anything else to say.
Ozma had stopped chewing for a moment as he stared at Klan, waiting for her to enlighten him on what the hell Cal was talking about. She casually shrugged as if she had nothing to do with it. "No way. In his underwear?" Ozma asked. Klan didn't respond, playing it cool. "I won't believe it until I see it," Ozma said.
Pixie Team patiently waited on the Quarter's tarmac for clearance to launch. Klan opened up a channel to address her team before they took their first flight. "Listen up, maggots! We've got the privilege to spearhead the expeditionary force as we secure the first area of the asteroid field. I want things done by the book. No showboating or being a hero, Wagner." Klan had seen Cal yawning as she said that. His face turned a bit red as he realized he'd been seen through the video feed. "Pay attention to that radar screen of yours, Lieutenant. You'll be our eyes out there, since the high EM signatures of the asteroids will make it difficult for us to be able to target anything if we run into trouble. Don't do anything stupid and get yourself killed, alright?" Klan finished.
"Afraid you'll miss me, Commander?" Cal sarcastically asked, "I didn't know you cared, all of a sudden." "Don't get smart with me, Lieutenant. We wouldn't want a repeat of last night now, would we?" Klan said. Nene and Will snickered on their radios.
Jen Wentz gave the team authorization to launch, "Good luck, Pixie Team!" "Thank you," they all replied. Klan led the team off of the tarmac and entered into the holding pattern with her team close behind. Other escort teams were scattered amongst the capital ships, who were also holding a tight defensive pattern. The fleet steadily exited their orbital path around Coral-5 and headed to the Kihnes Asteroid Belt.
Floating freely behind the advancing fleet, the empty husks of the destroyed NUNS ships were accompanied by various wreckages of downed VFs and the carcasses of dead Vajra drones. Perhaps some day, another human or alien fleet will come upon the remains of the battle and reflect upon their own race's mortality.
