I looked out from the truck as I was sitting with the other officers in our battalion, and I saw the freight gate of Gibraltar Base, with more trucks going in. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was finally back on base. We had been called home, and we spent a few hours on Moon Base ALuCE packing our gear and loading it onto the cargo shuttles that took us to the U.N. Air Base in Spain, where we unloaded all of our hovertanks and gear onto the trucks taking us home.
When the truck was parked, we all leaped out. I glanced around as soldiers got out of the trucks. I looked around, seeing the familiar buildings and other structures of this base. It was a warm day, and I could feel a little sweat; those trucks were definitely not air-conditioned.
"Attention!" yelled Major Jack Emerson.
We all saw the familiar lavender face of Lieutenant Colonel Lupon Kravshera. He stood before us, clad in MARPAT camouflage. He did not even need crutches to stand, let alone sit in a wheelchair. We immediately saluted, and he saluted back.
"Welcome back to Earth, Micronians," he said. "I am back on duty, and I am taking command of this battalion. I know you are glad to be back here, but we've got work to do taking inventory and unpacking the gear. Major Emerson, I expect a full debriefing in my office after the gear is unloaded. The rest of you shall have R&R after we're done."
"Yes, sir," replied the major.
And so we unpacked the gear, as Master Sergeant Rebekah Avital and the other sergeants supervised the operation, and I had to fill out more paperwork.
Oooooooooooo
I sat on the leather couch inside the common room of the men's BOQ, watching a baseball game on the television. It was tuned in on a sports channel; none of us wanted to watch or read news about the war, as we had been living it for so many months now. I looked at the image of the screen, with the players in their outfits and the catcher wearing the mask and pads, almost looking like a fully armored infantry soldier, and the walls lining the field with the logos of corporate sponsors. It was so relaxing; doing this after filling out all of the paperwork that comes with returning from a major deployment.
"Too bad Jack still has to meet with the colonel," said Lieutenant Michael Meyers.
"That's why he gets to live in a house," I said. "We should go to the O-club and get ourselves a drink."
"Damn right," said another officer. "After all that hard work."
"It's the enlistees who do the heavy lifting," said Mike. I had seen some of that myself, as they had unloaded boxes full of supplies and equipment from the trucks and into the battalions' storage warehouses.
"I haven't had to do that sort of stuff since basic training," I said. I could still remember marching around and having to do chores under the direction of drill instructors. And the barracks the basic trainees had to sleep in were almost primitive as Quonset huts. It seemed like such a long time ago.
My life in Jamaica seemed like epochs ago. So much has changed this past year. I still get flashbacks to my times in combat every now and then. I had learned so much. I still remembered that visit to Jamaica last Christmas, and noticed how different I was from my friends.
Ooooooo
About a week later, I was having dinner at the Italian-Spanish-Lebanese-Greek fusion place in Tangier with Jack and the other officers. It looked pretty much the same as before. We all sat around this huge wooden round table. I was having this lamb pesto pasta for my entrée and a glass of wine for a drink. We were all telling stories about our lives. Sure, the food in the O-club was not bad, but sometimes we have to go out for a meal.
"Jack," said one of the officers, holding up a Motorola cell phone, "we got a message from base."
"I have one too," replied Jack, checking his cell phone. He then looked at all of us. "Guys, we all got to head back to our posts. The Army's going into full alert again."
Our waitress, a blond-haired woman clad in a dark outfit, approached the table. "Excuse me," said Mike. "We've got an emergency. We need to take this food to go."
"Right away, sir," replied the waitress.
Oooooooooo
Mike and I returned to the 18th ATAC troop office, still clad in our Class "A's" and carrying Styrofoam boxes with the food from the restaurant. I figured we would have to eat on the job. The office was already busy, with soldiers in MARPAT camouflage walking about.
"Sirs," said Executive Sergeant Wing, approaching us and standing at attention. "Our uniform for the day is camo."
"Thank you, Executive Sergeant," said Mike.
A few minutes later we were dressed in MARPAT camouflage. We had to coordinate, making sure we were ready for deployment at a moment's notice.
About an hour later, a private gave me a phone call from battalion headquarters. I picked it up.
"Inform your troop that the Secretary General will be addressing the world in a minute," said the soldier on the other line.
I told Mike, and he gathered every soldier we could spare to watch the Sony color plasma television inside the office. An image of a wooden podium with the seal of the United Nations appeared on the plasma screen. A white-haired man in a suit went up to the podium. I recognized him as Wyatt Moran, the Secretary General of the United Nations. He was flanked by officers in Class "A" uniforms of their respective services.
"People of Earth," said the Secretary General. "The Robotech Masters have given us an ultimatum. They have told us to evacuate our world or they will be forced to destroy it. But it is we who will destroy them. I have ordered all members of the United Earth Forces to mobilize for an immediate offensive against our foe, and I ask the nations of Earth to get their troops ready for combat. We will not yield this world to this enemy. We will not yield this world to any enemy."
"All right, people, you heard our commander-in-chief," said Mike. "Let's prepare for war."
And so we continued. We once again did inventory of our supplies and equipment, and checked the systems of our VHT-1 Spartas veritech hovertanks and did last-second maintenance, even going so far as to polish the hulls. I kept myself awake by drinking cups of instant coffee.
Mike then called the senior staff of the troop into the office.
"All right," he said. "The colonel wants us and the rest of the battalion to meet at the parade grounds. We are moving for an immediate deployment."
And we did. It was a clear night, and I could see the brightest of the stars.
"These are our orders," said Colonel Kravshera. "We have been ordered to go to Monument City. Military Airlift Command is sending a re-entry pod to pick up our combat forces right here. Our support units will stay here to await further orders. The battle is raging out in space even now."
I recalled there was a huge landing field in Gibraltar Base. It was not a full-fledged airfield like the Gibraltar Air Base, but it could handle a shuttle or a re-entry pod.
We all drove our hovertanks with us to the landing field. We only carried the essential supplies. If we had to stay in Monument City, our logistics company would join us.
And then the re-entry pod arrived. It was a United Nations Air Force Frandlar-Tiluvo landing ship. It was actually a Zentraedi design; the Zentraedi Nation still had a few of those re-entry pods in service. We all boarded the pod in battloid mode. A few minutes later I felt heavier as the pod took off.
"I wonder why we are going to Monument City," said Master Sergeant Avital. "The enemy could land anywhere on Earth, and the Straits of Gibraltar are a chokepoint between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean- a prime target for a beachhead"
"I have an idea," said Jack. "Remember those flowers that Lieutenant Meyers found growing inside that ship."
"Yeah," said Mike.
"I'll upload a picture and share it with you all."
I looked at a small screen on the control console of the Spartas. An image of pink flowers appeared on the screen. They grew in three, and I knew those were the same kind of flowers that I had seen during our invasion of the Robotech Masters' ship.
"This was taken inside the SDF-1's grave," said Jack.
I once read about how the SDF-1 Macross was taken apart after it had been badly damaged in a renegade Zentraedi attack. Much of it was recycled, and some of it was buried in concrete bunkers near Monument City.
"That ship had those flowers too?" asked Colonel Kravshera.
"Yes, sir. And I think the Robotech Masters are trying to go for those flowers, and the Supreme Command knows this- they must have studied the flowers we found on that enemy ship."
"Why do they need the flowers from the remains of the SDF-1 if they already have them on their own ships?" asked Private Ducasse.
"Those flowers must be really important. Maybe they think there are so many more of them inside the SDF-1. Or maybe the ones on Earth aren't as quite the same."
"Well, we need to stop them from getting those flowers," said Kravshera.
Oooooooooo
We landed a little over an hour later after we took off; those old Zentraedi re-entry pods were fast. I looked around the landscape. In the distance I could see the skyline of Monument City, with smoke arising from it like a jerk cook out.
"Over there," said Kravshera. I looked and saw three dirt mounds. "That is the enemy objective. Right now, the enemy is engaging several regiments in Monument City. We head towards Monument City and we keep the enemy bioroids from getting to the remains of the SDF-1. Let's go, Micronians."
And so we did. We raced across the landscape towards the embattled city. We switched to battloid mode upon reaching the edge of the city. Looking at the viewscreen, I could see other Army battloids duking it out with the enemy bioroids. There was another large explosion as an aircraft delivered more ordnance, kicking up rubble and dirt.
"Okay, take your shots," said the colonel.
I took aim at one the blue bioroids and I delivered a volley, and the blue bioroid went down in smoke and flames. In the back of my mind I knew that our own people could be inside those enemy bioroids. And yet we had to stop them.
We once again split into fire teams, and I led a team of six and took position at an intersection. All around us he heard gunfire and explosions. All of the smoke made the cityscape look hazy.
"Incoming!" yelled Private Ducasse.
Everything seemed to run on slow motion, like a movie. The enemy kept coming in waves, and we had to blast them down. Occasionally a veritech guardian would deliver much-needed close air support. The streets were littered with the wreckage of war machines.
There would be lulls in battle, like the eye of a hurricane. And then we would once again be in the thicket of a firefight, firing at the enemy while taking whatever cover we could. I also heard chatter over the radio.
"We're pinned down," I heard. "We need air support."
"We're at Fifty-Second Street," said another voice. "We can't hold them. Arrrghhhh!"
"Just keep it together, people," I said. I looked around; making sure we all covered each other.
"We could use some backup here," I heard Master Sergeant Avital say. "We're at Marshall and Fifteenth."
Colonel Kravshera contacted me. "Assist Avital's fire team," he said.
"Yes, sir," I replied. "Okay team, we're moving out. We're gonna need some cover."
And so we switched to hovertank mode and raced across the rubble-littered streets, hovering a few feet above the ground. My heart raced. We had to get there fast while Avital's team was still there for us to save. I pushed the hovertank's engines to the limit.
We then came across Avital's fire team. I could see the flak coming from the enemy bioroids. Switching to battloid mode and using the STVFS, I aimed at the enemy bioroids and fired a salvo, destroying one of the bioroids.
"Thanks," said Master Sergeant Avital.
"Okay, people," I said, looking at the members of both fire teams. "We'll hold this area until we receive further orders from Colonel Kravshera or Major Emerson."
"Look," said one of the soldiers. "Up in the sky."
I took a look in the sky. I could see a huge Robotech Masters ship flying high above Monument City. Were they going to drop troops? Or bombs?
"Looks like they called in air support," said Avital.
"Take cover, everyone!" I yelled. And we did, trying to shield ourselves among the tall concrete buildings in the city.
My heart was racing as I anticipated the enemy's next move. The ball was in their court. I could only glance at the enemy ship, even as our fighter squadrons were attacking it.
And then there was this flash, and a moment later, I was knocked down from the shockwave.
"Is everyone all right?" I yelled. For two seconds no one replied, and I wondered if they were dead.
I wondered if I was dead.
"We're a bit sore, but we're alive, I think," said Private Ducasse. "There's so much smoke though."
Indeed there was. There was so much smoke that we could not see even one hundred feet ahead. I reported in.
"This is Kravshera," said our battalion commander. "I'm still here."
"Everyone stay alert," said Jack. "The enemy might try to sneak up on us."
"Or they might try to get to the SDF-1 remains," said Lieutenant Chalmers. "Colonel, I suggest we make a retreat back there."
"Affirmative," said Kravshera. "We will retreat towards the SDF-1. The 17th will take the vanguard. Attack any enemy units you encounter."
And we did, making sure to watch our back so the enemy was not following us as we retreated through the smokescape.
"Hummingbird, is there any enemy activity near the SDF-1 remains?" the colonel asked one of the Air Force pilots doing aerial recon.
"Negative," said an Air Force pilot. "Look, Supreme Command Headquarters. It's gone!"
"Thank you for the information," replied Kravshera.
We had just taken a huge hit. We could function without Supreme Command Headquarters- we had backup command centers both in the air and on the ground. Still, Supreme Command Headquarters had much of our command and control capacity, and now it was dust.
"There might be survivors there, sir," said Jack.
"We need to keep the enemy from the SDF-1 ruins," replied the colonel.
"Don't worry," said the pilot from the airborne command center. "I'll have someone check out Supreme Command Headquarters for survivors."
We reached the edge of Monument City and we sped across the flat landscape in hovertank mode, heading for the three mounds where the remains of the SDF-1 Macross were buried. I could feel the wind rush against my helmeted face. It took us a few minutes to reach the site. I glanced back towards the city, with heavy smoke rising from it.
"Okay everyone," said Colonel Kravshera. "The enemy wants the flowers inside those ruins. We will need to take samples of the flowers outside and hand it to whoever is above us in the chain of command. Then we burn the rest."
Jack spoke to me. "You're going with us inside," he said. "The hovertanks won't fit inside, so we'll have to enter by foot."
"Lieutenant Chalmers, you will stand guard here with the rest," said the colonel.
"Yes, sir," replied the lieutenant. He then gave orders to the other sergeants.
I made sure to take a loaded carbine and an M-79 grenade launcher, loading it with napalm rounds. Colonel Kravshera, Major Emerson, Master Sergeant Avital, and I entered the ruins through this big hole. We were descending. I noticed the walls were made of concrete, and there were rusted, leaky pipes attached to the ceiling.
After about a minute, I could see dust flying around. "What's this?" I asked.
"This place had been deserted for at least fifteen years," said Avital.
We continued walking down the corridor, with only headlamps lighting the way and our footsteps making sounds.
It was then that we saw it. Our headlamps revealed a huge landscape of pink. The flowers grew in threes, just like the one I saw on the enemy ship that we had captured a few weeks ago. They filled the entire chamber.
"So this used to be the engine," said Jack. "I wonder why the flowers would grow here."
"The SDF-1 was once the personal yacht of this prominent Robotech Master named Zor," said Kravshera, holding one of the flowers. "The Zentraedi were dispatched to recover his ship after it had been stolen." The colonel cut off on the flowers. "So this is why we were sent here. Okay, make sure you all take a sample."
And so I did. Using a combat knife, I cut one of the green stems and placed the pink flower inside one of the pockets in my hovertank suit, making sure the pocket's cover was closed.
"Everyone back," said Kravshera, and we retreated to the entrance of the chamber. I looked ahead at the flowerscape. "Make sure your napalm rounds are loaded. And fire."
And so we did, firing napalm rounds from the M-79 grenade launchers. Soon a lake of fire covered the floor of the flower chamber. I could feel the heat even through my suit.
"All right, let's get out of here," said Kravshera.
And we did, making sure that we walked quickly. Our footsteps echoed as we went through what must have been an access corridor on the SDF-1 Macross.
"Wait a minute," said Jack as we were walking towards the exit. "Where's Avital?"
I looked and I only saw Jack and Colonel Kravshera. "I'll go back for her," I said.
I walked back towards where the flowers were. I felt the heat get stronger. After a few seconds, I saw Avital leaning against the wall.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I tripped and I hurt my ankle," she replied.
"I'll help you," I said. And I did, helping her walk. We moved briskly, with her hopping on one foot. About a minute later I caught up with Jack and the colonel.
"Only a little further," said Jack as we made out way toward the exit.
"There," said Kravshera as we saw the daylight seeping in from the exit. It took us another few seconds to go out into the fresh air, although we could not smell it because we had our helmets on.
The others in our battalion greeted us.
"You all right, sir?" asked Lieutenant Chalmers.
"Yes," replied Kravshera. "Now let's form a perimeter and stay here long enough for the fire to…"
"Colonel, look out!" yelled a soldier.
I looked up and saw a huge enemy ship, heading directly towards us. It was not firing on us, though. It was moving faster and faster, and it was surrounded by a halo of flame.
"It's gonna crash here!" I yelled.
"Move out!" yelled the colonel.
I helped Master Sergeant Avital get into her hovertank, and then I leaped into my own hovertank. I maxed out the throttle as I sped away from the gravesite of the SDF-1's engines.
I heard a loud blast right as the shockwave reached me…