Disclaimer: Macross is the creation of Shoji Kawamori. Sebastian Connor is my creation. Vanessa Connor belongs to Wing Commander White Wolf. The Ikaruga family is property of Centurious the Azure. Felix and Locus belong to Rooster Teeth.

Macross: The Warband Chronicles

By Storm Wolf77415, Centurious the Azure, and Wing Commander White Wolf

Prologue

(April 17th, 2051, open space)

In 2009, Humanity fought its first interstellar conflict, now known to history as Space War I, against the militaristic Zentraedi. At the forefront of the battle was the mighty Super Dimensional Fortress, SDF-01 Macross, A massive alien battleship that had crashed on Earth exactly a decade prior, and refurbished by humanity to become the crown jewel of the United Nations new space fleet.

On the day of its launch, the Zentraedi arrived, launching a surprise attack on the island where the Macross had landed, still unfamiliar with the ship's systems, ended up initiating an emergency fold that sent the ship, and the island all the way past Pluto. The fold drive was rendered inoperable, necessitating a year's long trip back to Earth the slow way, all the while fending off the Zentraedi's pursuit.

In the final battle of the war, the Zentraedi's main fleet had completely annihilated the surface of Earth, and almost the entire human race along with it, except for the people aboard the Macross itself. As a result of this, he UN began sending out colony fleets to settle as many worlds as possible to ensure humanity would survive in the event Earth was annihilated again.

As such as worlds were settled and more fleets were sent out, it would come that people would need to transport supplies and messages between then. The SCV Shadow Fang was one such ship, vaulting through the ocean of stars. It was a modest little freighter, belonging to one Lieutenant Commander William Connor NUNS (ret). A former Valkyrie pilot, he had started up Wolfpack Shipping and Courier Services with his wife, Andrea Connor.

Along for the ride were their two children, Vanessa, age 11, and Sebastian, age 8. Some might have questioned the logic of bringing young ones along on hops between worlds, but William and Andrea were good parents, the latter having been a school teacher, and thus making sure the kids at least got a proper education. Vanessa and Sebastian didn't mind their nomadic lifestyle, they had their parents, the Shadow Fang was their home, and that's all they needed.

William was in the cockpit, while Andrea was preparing lunch for the kids, currently playing Monopoly. Vanessa had long, white hair and brilliant red eyes. To sum her up in one word, it would be 'spitfire', she was a very precocious child, but also very smart. Sebastian was just as precocious, if a little on the hot blooded, melodramatic side. Still they were good kids who wouldn't hesitate to help others if called for it.

"I'm going to beat you this time, sis!" Sebastian chirped, eagerly rolling the dice in his hands. He had his sights sent on the green properties, specifically Pacific Avenue, all he needed was a five. A flick of the wrist sent the white cubes flying across the board, landing on five and four. "Aw man…" He groaned, reluctantly grabbing his battleship token, moving it around the board, bringing it to rest on the Waterworks utility square, causing Vanessa to smirk, as she had snapped up that and the Electric Company.

"Pay up, little brother! You owe me 90 smackers!" Vanessa chuckled as Sebastian handed over a fifty and two twenties. She patted her brother on the head. "Don't feel bad about it, Sebby. You're still in the game. I'm sure you can pull through." She said. The two Connor children were quite competitive when it came to their board games, Vanessa usually won, but Sebastian had racked up his own list of victories, although he still had a long way to go before he could match her.

It was then Andrea came in. "You can continue your game later, kids. It's time for lunch. I have sandwiches ready." The game was temporarily forgotten as Vanessa and Sebastian both stampeded to the small galley, where a pile of peanut butter sandwiches was waiting for them. They happily began munching on them. The Connor matriarch smiled at the sight of her kids, before picking up another sandwich, heading up to the cockpit.

William was in the pilot seat, checking the itinerary of planets where they still have deliveries. He was tall and lean, light brown hair starting to go grey. Deep blue eyes held a calculating, yet warm air about them. "Hey sweetheart." He said, "I take it the kids are eating?"

"Yes, and I brought something for you as well." She held out the plate holding the sandwich. "Ham, salami, and pastrami, all your favorites." William took the plate, putting it off to the side, before grabbing Andrea around her waist, pulling his wife into his lap, eliciting a squeal from her. "William Steven Connor!" She giggled as they shared a tender kiss. "The kids are in the galley, they'll hear us!"

"I didn't recall it was a crime to show affection to my wife." William leered, before running his hand through Andrea's shoulder length dark brown hair, taking in the sight of her brilliant green eyes. "I have to admit, what we've got something pretty good here. It's not much, but it's ours. I wouldn't trade it in for anything else." In all, it was a touching moment.

The entire cockpit shook. "What is that?" Andrea cried out, immediately hopping into the co-pilot's seat.

"We got incoming on radar." William said, frowning at the image on the screen. "There's no IFF signal coming from the transponders. I think we may be dealing with pirates go and get the kids into their spacesuits. I'm going to try and outmaneuver them!"

Andrea struggled to the back of the ship, where Vanessa and Sebastian were clinging on to each other. "Mommy!" the elder Connor sibling whimpered. Andrea scooped both of her children up in her arms, stroking Vanessa's long silver locks while rubbing Sebastian's back. "Mommy, what's going on?"

"Everything is going to be okay, dear." Andrea whispered. "I need you and your brother to go put on your spacesuits right now." She ushered them to the closets where the spacesuits were kept. The children wasted little time getting into them as they had practiced it many times at their parents' behest.

Andrea followed suit, taking her husband's suit up to him. William looked very distressed as he tried to avoid getting hit. "Dear, here's your spacesuit!" she called out, trying to avoid getting thrown into the wall as her husband sharply banked the Shadow Fang to port. The entire ship again, as it came to a total stop, the lights going out, only for the emergency lighting to snap on.

"Oh no…" William said. "They took out the engines, we're dead in the water." The grim air that emanated from William's eyes was all the indication Andrea needed to show how much trouble they were in. "Get to the escape pod now! Take the kids and go!" He reached to his seat, where his old NUNS issue sidearm sat in a holster.

She took hold of Sebastian and Vanessa's arms, heading for the Shadow Fang's lone escape pod, it was large enough to carry all four of them, but on a primal level, she knew her husband may not be joining them. The entire ship shook again, knocking everyone off their feet.

They could hear metallic clanging; it was a sound they all knew quite well, the sound of another ship docking with their own. There was a hissing. A sinister, fizzling sound coming from the hatch, sparks dancing up along the edges. William stepped forward, pistol at the ready. "Try to get to the escape pod, honey. I think we're about to have some unwanted guests!"

Just seconds after he spoke this, the hatch exploded

inward, the sound was deafening, all of the Connors clutched their ears, trying to stop the ringing caused by the shockwave. Loud, metallic footsteps ominously rang through the corridors of the Shadow Fang. Andrea reached for William's hand, watching as a pair of dark figures advanced on them.

The first person that walked in was in full body armor, almost reminding him of the Battroid mode of the Variable Fighters he used to fly in his military days. It was colored a deep charcoal gray, almost black, trimmed in a very dark green. William and Andrea could almost see the aura of death surrounding him, he carried a light machine gun in hand the light catching off the barrel.

A squad of four soldiers wearing lighter armor than the first two men followed, their armor seemed more ornate, it made William think it looked like what medieval knights wore in ages long past on Earth. They took hold of the children. "Stop that!" Sebastian whined, only to be backhanded across the face.

"Sebastian!" Andrea cried out, only for William to clap a hand over his wife's mouth.

"Well, well, well, it appears we caught something in our net." A condescending voice dripped, both William and Andrea looked upwards to the owner of the voice, decidedly male. He also wore a full suit of armor in the same charcoal gray, but trimmed in bright orange, including a helmet that obscured his face. He held a powerful looking assault rifle in his hands. "A family of wolves, aw, they've even got some pups."

"What in the hell do you want?" William snarled, silently cursing himself for not grabbing his old NUNS issue sidearm, currently sitting in a holster slung over the pilot's seat in the cockpit. The orange trimmed soldier whipped out, kicking him in the stomach.

"Ah ah, speak when spoken too, maggot. It would such a pity of something were to happen to this pretty thing." He brushed his fingers along Andrea's face before roughly grabbing onto her chin, jamming the barrel of his gun against her temple. "That, or the little ones." He rapidly turned the gun on Vanessa and Sebastian. "I do have to question the logic of bringing children out into such a dangerous place."

"This is just a simple cargo vessel. We've got nothing of value here." William protested, only to be met by another metallic boot to the face, he could taste the blood in his mouth, spitting out a tooth in the process.

"Ah ah, I don't appreciate liars very much. I happen to know for a fact that you're transporting some very special cargo. My boss asked my partner and I to…acquire it for her." He drew the combat knife from the sheath on his left shoulder pauldron, holding it to his throat. "So why don't you just tell us where it is?" He shouldered his rifle, reaching for the pistol attached to the magnetic plate on his left thigh, pointing it right at Vanessa. "Otherwise, I'm afraid your daughter will meet with a very unfortunate case of bullet to the face."

"You stay from my children you…" was as far as Andrea Jane Connor got before the second soldier raised his pistol, putting a single round through her forehead, blowing out the back, painting the once pristine white wall red with specks of gray and white as blood, brain matter, and bone fragments sprayed all over the place.

Vanessa screamed in terror, and Sebastian could only watch as their mother's lifeless corpse slumped down to the ground, her once vibrant green eyes now lifeless. The man in the orange trimmed armor dug his metallic foot into her side. "Aw, it's always the pretty ones that die first. A real shame, but I guess it's a kindness really. She won't have to suffer."

"You low life piece of shit!" William raged, only to be met with the barrel of the green trimmed soldier's light machine gun in his face. "You didn't have to kill her!" He looked to his children, who were still being held by the soldiers that had followed these two demons in armor.

The other soldier finally spoke in a deep tone, made all the more ominous by the slight distortion caused by the helmet's speaker. "Contrary to what you may think, Commander Connor, I prefer not to make a mess." It was then everyone looked to Andrea's slowly cooling body. "Most of the time…Let's try not to count that one. Just give us what we came for, and we will leave."

"Or we can just kill all of you now and check the cargo manifest?" the orange trimmed soldier sneered. "I imagine it's somewhere on this trash heap of a ship?"

"That's enough Felix." The green-trimmed soldier spoke. "We've wasted enough time about this."

William bowed his head. "You don't have to do that…What you're looking for is in the cargo hold, a large wooden crate, marked A113L2319. That's what you're looking for." He stood up slowly, "But I have to take you there. It's in a special room where I keep the sensitive, high value cargo. It will only open with my fingerprint scan."

"See? Was that so hard? Of course, you could have done that before my esteemed colleague, Locus, here capped your wife." The soldier named Felix said, idly flipping his knife in his hand. "Just a thought." He looked over his shoulder to the four guards. "You two follow us, you two, keep an eye on the brats. If they so much as twitch…kill them both."

The elder Connor shot a glance to his children before leading the four soldiers into the cargo hold; it was about half full of boxes and crates of varying sizes. William tripped over a toolbox, falling backwards into one of the guards. There was a brief struggle, only for Locus to whip William across the face with the butt of his rifle. "We said no funny stuff!"

"Sorry, just tripped is all!" The Connor patriarch said, holding up his hands defensively. He quickly got up, trying to look as unassuming as possible. William went to a door with a keypad and fingerprint scanner mounted on it. "Here it is, the high value cargo vault. Just give me a few minutes." His fingers flew over the keypad, before sticking his thumb on the thumb scanner.

The heavy locks holding the door in place snapped open, Felix tossed William aside, leading the two rank and file soldiers inside while Locus kept his weapon trained on William. He could hear the jeering, He watched as the two soldiers carried the large crate out of the hold and back onto what he assumed was the ship that brought them.

"Okay, you got what came for." William said, hand curling behind his back. "Don't you think you've done enough to us? I mean, you killed my wife and traumatized my children. I think that's a full day's work for you." He was rewarded with everyone pointing their guns at him, causing him to sigh and face palm.

"I guess you haven't gotten the hint, pal." Felix said, cocking the slide on his pistol. "You see, since no one knows what we're doing, it's important to tie up loose ends. So, I'm afraid your whole family is just going to have to disappear." He leveled his weapon right at Vanessa. "Don't take it personally, of course…it was your idea to bring your children with you."

William took that moment to act, kneeing one of the other soldiers in the groin, yanking the assault rifle out of his hands, opening fire, managing to catch the other soldier in the chest. "Come on, kids! Let's get to the escape pod!" He called out, laying down suppressive fire. Vanessa took hold of her brother's arm, running toward their father.

"You little fuckwads!" Felix cursed, raising his pistol, managing to clip William in the shoulder.

William grimaced feeling the shooting pain in his arm, doing his best not to lose his grip on his stolen rifle. He grabbed Vanessa and Sebastian by the arms, throwing them bodily into the escape pod. He knew he was about to do the hardest thing any parent could do, but he had to buy as much time as possible.

"Listen kids, know that I love you both. Your mother felt the exact same way. I know you two will be fine, you're Connors after all." He gave them a wolf-like grin. "I love you kids!" He slammed the button, causing the hatch to close. Sebastian and Vanessa could only watch on helplessly as the escape pod rocketed away from the ship into the deep void of space.

The Connor Patriarch growled, as bullets ripped into his back. Despite their faces being obscured, it was evident they were enraged, but William didn't care. If he could count his remaining time in seconds, he would make it count. Felix lashed out with a foot, kicking William in the face. "You shithead! Oh, I'm going to enjoy killing you…and then I'll hunt your little brats down and do the same to them!"

William just spat at them in defiance. "You can kill me, but you won't ever lay a finger on my children! They'll grow strong, and one day they'll hunt you bastards down, and make you suffer! Of course…that depends on you two lowlifes surviving this!" He revealed the hand grenade he had grabbed from one of the soldiers when he feigned tripping in the cargo hold, thumb pulling out the pin. The body language of the two mercenaries said it all, they looked ready to bolt.

"When you get to hell…tell them William and Andrea Connor send their regards!" He pulled the pin, letting the explosive drop to the ground. William Steven Connor closed his eyes, feeling the heat of the explosion as it enveloped everything around him, he opened his eyes at the last second, seeing Andrea's smiling face before everything turned white.

Sebastian scrambled to look out the windows, just trying to catch a glimpse of the Shadow Fang. "Vanessa, we have to help Mommy and Daddy!" He struggled to see where their ship was. He finally caught sight of it. He watched as the other ship detached, Seconds later the Shadow Fang exploded. "MOMMY! DADDY!" He cried out, flailing about in the cramped cabin.

Vanessa then reached out to take hold of her brother, holding him in one place, as he broke down crying. "There's nothing we can do for them now, Sebby." She sniffled, keeping an iron grip on her little brother. "Mom and Dad are gone." Even after the tears subsided, the Connor siblings clung to each other, the only lifeline each other had left.

It wasn't long before Sebastian had fallen asleep, which suited Vanessa just fine. She ran a hand through her brother's hair, wondering what would happen to the two of them. She wondered if anyone would find them here in the cold void of space, or if the escape pod would become their tomb. She shivered at the thought, no self-respecting eleven year old should ponder about their imminent death, but it was the truth of their current situation.

The white haired little girl sighed, reasoning she should get some sleep. It would help to clear her mind and get focused. Their very survival depended on it. Vanessa cuddled up with her little brother, hoping something would happen and soon as sleep finally overtook her.

Both of the children were awakened about three hours later, by the sound of grinding metal on metal. Vanessa and Sebastian clung to each other, both silently wondering if this would be the end. The hatch slowly came open, revealing not the void of space, but the metallic confines of a hangar.

"Let's see what we've got here." A deep voice spoke, revealing a tall, dark skinned man wearing a NUNS flight suit. Dark hair tied up in a ponytail. He looked at the children, blinked twice. "Damn…what is it with me finding little kids in escape pods?" Captain Ozma Lee remarked, running a hand through his ponytail before sighing. "Well…I guess this means Ranka is getting a couple of new siblings."

"Who are you?" Vanessa asked, trying to be brave for her brother.

Ozma just gave an easygoing smile. "Don't worry, kids. I'm here to help you out." He extended a hand to them.

(Eight years later, August 17th, 2059, Frontier Colony Fleet)

"Mikumo!" Kuro Ikaruga called out, running frantically through the park. "Mikumo, where are you?" He growled in frustration, whapping his forehead in frustration. "Damn it…Of all times for her to run off. I swear that girl has a one-track mind at times!" he wiped the sweat out of his face. Frontier was currently going through a warm season, and the humidity was high that day.

The black-haired boy of thirteen was on a mission. Mikumo and Yukira Guynemer were twin sisters who currently lived with Kuro's family, as their parents were good friends. The Guynemers had been living in the Brisinger Globular Cluster on the planet Ragna, but due to being away on a business trip, the girls were living with the Ikarugas.

The twins were considered to be a little weird. Yukira had long white hair, and piercing red eyes. Still, she got along well with Kuro and his brother, Yukimasa was very taken with the white-haired beauty, who despite her sarcastic demeanor, moved with a certain grace and poise.

Mikumo was the oddball, there was a mysterious, detached air about the girl. Her long purple hair was often curled into four straight chunks that looked like tentacles. As such, her sister often called her "tentacle head." She also seemed to have what Kuro thought was an unhealthy obsession with singing, often running off on her own to indulge in her favorite activity.

"Why, oh why do I end up with the weird one?" Kuro groaned. Today was the girls' thirteenth birthday party, and one of the guests of honor had decided to skip the festivities and vanish. Kuro's parents, Yukimura and Hitomi had dragged him away from a very intense game of Call of Duty to go look for her. He silently stewed, before a very familiar sound reached his ears.

Even if he found Mikumo to be weird, Kuro could not deny she had a lovely singing voice. As such all he had to do was follow the ethereal sounding notes, where he found her sitting on a bench, with several younger children surrounding her, entranced by her singing. She wore a simple cream-colored dress and matching shoes. Mikumo finished her song, before looking straight at Kuro. "Ah, you found me. I was wondering what was taking you so long."

"Oh, you're one to talk, sweetheart!" Kuro huffed, arms folded across his chest. "How many times have I had to go chasing after you when you get lost like this?" He shook his head. "You are such a pain in the ass at times, Mikumo. Just be lucky that my parents have told me to keep an eye on you and I love my mom and dad so much."

Mikumo just gave a playful smile. "You're way too uptight, Kuro. Getting lost is part of learning your away around in life" She stretched her arms up, maroon red eyes looking up at the approximation of the sky Frontier's Island One ship created. "Besides, it's a gorgeous day. Why can't I enjoy it?" Kuro rolled his eyes before sitting down on the bench next to her.

"Uh, maybe because it's your birthday?" Kuro threw his hands up in the air, frustration coloring his voice. "Mom and Dad put a lot of time and effort into preparing the party for you and Yukira. Not to mention my Grandma and Grandpa are going to be there. I haven't seen them in forever and I don't want to miss it."

Mikumo just folded her arms. "All the more reason, it's my birthday, I should be allowed to spend it however I want." Kuro sighed, luckily he had a secret weapon for situations like this.

"Okay…if you just want to stay here, it's none of my concern." Kuro smirked. "Of course, then you'll miss out on Mom's homemade raspberry ice cream, which she made just for you." His grin became wider as Mikumo shot up from her seat, grabbing him by the arm and taking off for home. "It works every single time." He muttered under his breath.

The Ikaruga family maintained a large home in one of Island One's more affluent neighborhoods. A mansion with an Art Deco exterior, the interior was simple, but refined, a reflection of Kuro's father, Yukimura, who was known for enjoying the finer things in life, and reflected his work as an archeologist and researcher.

But the centerpiece of the house existed in the house's main foyer. A large stone tablet hung on the wall. The massive slung contained the fossilized remains of what could only be describe as a 'space whale', Even after two decades of study, Yukimura had no clue what it was, so it came to live in his home, much to his wife, Hitomi's chagrin. The children had been entranced by it at first, but now it was just part of the scenery.

Yukimasa Ikaruga, Kuro's older brother, gave the fossil a dull stare, capped off by a yawn before moving into the kitchen where Hitomi was currently making the finishing touches to the decorations, with help from Yukira. "You think Kuro found her yet?" Yukimasa asked. "The guests are due to arrive in a few minutes, and I'm starting to go cross eyed looking at the giant rock."

"I've told him to get rid of that thing!" Hitomi muttered as she finished setting the table. "Kuro better find Mikumo quick. Otherwise this ice cream is going to melt." She said.

"It's Mikumo, does is surprise you that much, Aunt Hitomi?" Yukira asked, tossing her long white hair over her shoulder. She wore a sleeveless white dress with a black sash, coupled with black sandals with two-inch heels. Yukimasa found it hard not to stare at her. "Seriously, she'd skip out on the end of the world if she could." Yukira's gaze flickered to Yukimasa, flashing a brief smile at him. It was clear he had a crush on her, and she couldn't deny he wasn't a bad guy. In another couple years, he would become quite the catch.

"Hey, what's holding up the festivities?" A boisterous voice called from the living room. "I want this party to get started now."

Yukimasa walked into the living room where a couple in their mid-forties, a man with shoulder length brown hair that was going gray at the roots, sitting next to a graceful looking woman of Chinese ancestry, sat on the plush leather couch. "We're still waiting for Kuro to get back with Mikumo, Grandpa Isamu!" he said. "You know how it always takes a while for him to find her when she runs off."

Isamu Alva Dyson and Myung Fang-Lone Dyson were Hitomi's parents. Isamu was regarded as being one of the greatest fighter pilots of his time, both of them had been involved in the infamous Sharon Apple incident, where the rogue AI had taken over the original Macross, and prototype X-9 Ghost drone fighter. It was only due to the sacrifice of their old friend, Guld Goa Bowman, which saw the destruction of both the fighter, and Sharon's central AI unit. They had married not long after that.

Isamu just gave his trademark smirk, putting his feet up on the footstool. "Ah, our little Black Jackal is getting his private time in with his beautiful cloud goddess while he can, huh? It's about time if you ask me. He may not show it, but he does care about her a lot."

Yukimasa chuckled. "Yeah, I won't dispute that at all, Gramps. Any time I see Kuro and Mikumo together, they're arguing like an old married couple. She definitely lives up to her name. She always seems to be drifting about like a cloud. I think Mikumo just enjoys being chased around by Kuro. She's just not willing to admit her feelings yet."

Myung shook her head in bemusement. "They're not the only ones. Tell me, Masa, dear. Have you told Yukira how you feel about her, yet?" Yukimasa bowed his head slightly in embarrassment as Myung gave a knowing smile. "I've seen how you look at her, sweetheart. You're not very good at hiding your feelings."

Isamu let out a barking laugh, before giving his grandson a hearty smack on the back. "That's my boy! We Dyson men get a gorgeous woman locked in our sights, we stay on them until we find our mark!" He flashed a grin to his wife. "And we always find our mark!"

"Grandma!" Yukimasa groaned, praying Yukira didn't come into the living room. Silently he knew his grandparents weren't wrong. He did have quite the attraction to the white haired Guynemer twin. In many ways, she was the total opposite of her sister, always blunt and outspoken. Yukira never beat around the bush, or hid who she was. Her candor was one of the things he liked most about her.

The sound of the door opening was enough to break the awkward atmosphere. "Mom, Dad, I'm home! I found the space cadet!" Kuro called out, "She was in the park…as usual." Mikumo came in, skipping about with her usual otherworldly poise.

"It's about time." Hitomi said as she stepped out of the kitchen. "The guests will be arriving here before too long. Go ahead and get cleaned up, kids. I imagine everyone will love the new dress I picked for you, Mikumo. It's your special day after all." Mikumo just gave a dismissive toss of her hair, before winking at Kuro and trotting up the stairs.

"Did it take you long to find her, bro?" Yukimasa asked Kuro. "She does like to drift, after all."

He shook his head. "Thankfully, not long this time around. It only took about ten minutes this time. I still remember I spent an hour for that wedding we had to go to." Kuro sighed as he put his hands in his pockets. "I really wonder where her common sense is at times." He looked to Yukira. "You're her twin, think maybe you could provide some insight?"

Yukira rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but there's isn't much to say, Black Lightning. All my sister's common sense was traded in for her incredible singing talent." She put her hands on her hips. "So, it's quite clear I inherited the brains in this arrangement."

"Aw, how sweet of you to say that, Yukira." Mikumo smirked as she came back down the stairs. She wore a simple off the shoulder dress, in the violet she preferred. Kuro was stunned, since she looked so majestic as she scaled the stairs, almost seeming to glide with each step. "At least if anything happens, one of us can keep our career alive."

Isamu whistled. "Wow, sick burn there, sweetie." Before anyone could get in a witty retort, the doorbell rang. Kuro went to get the door, and Sebastian, now sixteen, and Vanessa, now nineteen, were standing on the front doorstep. They were wearing leather jackets and jeans, a patch for Strategic Military Services, a private military corporation based on Frontier on their left breast.

"Hope we're not late, Kuro." Sebastian held up a pair of gift bags, one colored white and the other violet. "We bring presents for the birthday girls." Kuro took the gifts into the dining room, while the Connor siblings entered the living room. The two immediately snapped to attention and saluted upon seeing Isamu. "Hello, Colonel Dyson!" Sebastian said.

Isamu snorted. "You don't need to be so formal around me, kid. I haven't part of the regular NUNS forces in years."

"We're just giving respect where it's due, sir." Vanessa bowed her head slightly. "You are kind of a legend in aviation circles after all."

The elder pilot just smirked. "Well, no lying there. When you're awesome, you're awesome!" Isamu's smug grin didn't last as Myung pinched his cheeks. "Ow! What's the deal, Myung!" He struggled to form the words. The Connor siblings shivered a little as Myung gave a smile that seemed very unsettling on the Dyson Matriarch's face.

"Now honey, I know you're proud of your skill in the cockpit. But that doesn't mean you can overshadow your granddaughters on their special day, right?" Myung smirked, tugging her husband's cheeks ever harder with the last word, causing Isamu to meekly nod. "Good boy." She gave him a gentle pat on the head. It was then a knocking came at the door, indicating the other guests had arrived.

It wasn't long before everyone was sitting in the living room, Yukira and Mikumo at the center of everything with a large pile of presents, surrounding them. "Smile and open your presents, girls! This day is all about you!" Hitomi said, holding up her camera to take pictures. The presents were a mixed affair, clothes and what not. Yukira and Mikumo then went for Sebastian and Vanessa's gifts.

"It's a fencing set!" Yukira's eyes lit up, checking the mask and jacket, before inspecting the accompanying practice foil, sabre, and epee. She gave Sebastian a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Aw, thank you so much! You knew I'd wanted to take lessons! I'm not sure what weapon to choose. The real professionals only specialize in one."

"I might have had some help in that regard." Sebastian said, eyes flickering to Hitomi who just flashed a knowing smile. "Either way, I know a guy who would be willing to teach you the finer points. I just got you the tools you need. What you do with them is up to you."

Mikumo then pulled up the purple gift bag, tossing out the wrapping paper and producing a square box. "It looks like a karaoke machine." She began inspecting the cover of the box. "You remembered!"

"My sister and I picked it out together. It's got all the bells and whistles on it. You can make good use of out of it." Sebastian said, knowing all too well how much Mikumo loved to sing. He and Vanessa had been over to the Ikaruga home plenty of times and played captive audience to the Guynemer sisters, not that either of them minded. Both Mikumo and Yukira's voices were very pleasant.

Kuro and Yukimasa came in, both holding a bouquet of flowers, "We really couldn't pick what to get you, but mom said a girl would always appreciate flowers, so we got you each a bouquet that we thought was appropriate." He held his bouquet out to Mikumo, a bunch of orchids. "I thought of your hair when I saw them at the flower shop." Mikumo just gave a coy smile, taking them.

Yukimasa had a combination of red and white roses. "I went the same path as my brother. Red and white complement each other very well, a lot like how your hair brings out the color of your eyes." He bowed his head slightly, not sure how Yukira would react. So it was much to his relief that she gingerly plucked them out of his hand, and his surprise when Yukira planted a big, wet one on his cheek!

"I'm impressed…you actually picked them quite well. I'll have to find somewhere with a lot of light." Yukira

smirked.

Now that the presents had all been opened. It was the part that Isamu most was waiting for…the cake and ice cream. The twins hadn't been able to decide on a flavor, so they settled for a spilt white/chocolate cake, decorated with white and violet frosting, two sets of numbered '13' candles were lit. "Happy birthday girls!" Hitomi said, bursting with as much pride as a mother could be.

Kuro leaned in close to his brother, as the crowd sang the Happy Birthday song. "I wish Dad wouldn't have missed this. You think he would have at least stayed for the girls' birthday! Didn't he just come home from his last business trip last week?" Their father, Yukimura Ikaruga was one of the Frontier fleet's most prominent businessmen, his hand in many industries and services that helped keep the fleet running.

Yukimasa shrugged. "I know the feeling, but it couldn't be helped. Apparently, Dad has some big-time investors in a company on the Galaxy fleet, and if he doesn't show up and hobnob with them, they get cranky. We'll just have to get by without him, then again…it's nothing we're not used to, right?" The girls blew out their candles with his words.

Kuro trained his gaze on Mikumo, "Yeah…I guess you're right about that." He said, silently taking in every inch of her face.

Author's Notes: Finally, my first step into Macross! I have to admit, I'm a Gundam fan through and through, but as a child my dream job was to be a fighter pilot, and Macross gives me all that and then some!