An alternate on what could have happened at the crowning, only more humiliating for Roid (and with a lesser death toll).
Take 4: Economics
"To ensure our victory, we must crush the UN government!" Roid thundered to the galaxy after showing them the footage of the fold bomb deployment. "We will keep expanding the Starwind Sector, advance toward the core of the galaxy, and defeat the UN government. As the rightful heirs of the Protoculture, we shall accomplish what they failed to do five hundred thousand years ago and establish the Great Galactic Civilization! This is a war to f-" Nobody would know what that war was to, as Roid was interrupted by a dirtty diaper to the face.
"WHO CARES ABOUT THE WAR! WHERE'S MY CHILD'S FOOD?!"
"MY SISTER DIED OF GREEN PLAGUE FOR YOUR WAR!"
"PEACE NOW!"
"PEACE NOW!"
"PEACE NOW!"
After a few moments of stunned silence, Roid ordered the guards to arrest the rioters, and that was when someone in the crowd shot him. It wasn't enough to wound him through his armored clothes, but he understood it was better run. And it had happened before the eyes of the whole galaxy… What was happening?!
"And you have to ask?!" Berger shouted as Roid called him to ask why there were riots and even open rebellions. "It's because YOU convinced king Gramia to fight this stupid war!"
"But-" Roid tried to interject, but Berger cut him off. "Windermere has an agrarian economy! That and the fold quartz exports! You always had it, before and after first contact, and before and after independence! Temple guardians like you and elders had the kings prevent the creation of a decent infrastructure and an industrial economy! And the result?! You were an economic drain for the UN government and only got the dregs as garrison, dregs that did stupid things and got into fights with the civilians! When fold quartz exports fell after the Macross Galaxy Rebellion you got hit by the worst planetary depression since Space War I, and that one had a CLASS 1 APOCALYPSE!
"And then, after you rebelled and the Unified Forces wrecked your military and the transportation system before withdrawing, we stepped in to rebuild, with you paying with fold crystals because you had nothing else of value to export… And instead of following our advice, that would have created a working economy and netted us long-term profits, you got Gramia to make only the minimal repairs to the transportation before building up for this war, leaving half the population starving and without medicines while we milked you for all you were worth because we couldn't get the better option! AND YOU STILL HAVE TO ASK WHY THERE'S A REVOLUTION ON YOUR PLANET! In fact, how many of your six aces among the Aerial Knights are still fighting for you?"
Roid winced, unable to tell him the answer was none: Qasim and, surprisingly enough, Bogue, had joined the rebels, and did it by shooting down the others from behind and making sure they died.
"We can still win!" Roid declared in a desperate attempt to convince himself of it. Not that Berger would let him do it, he was fed up with his stupidity.
"Please! The only reason you got so far was that the General Assembly was keeping the Spacy from sending here a fortress group with reinforced drives, and that happened because you aren't that much of a threat and the ones buying your fold quartz from us is the New United Nations Government! They let you go this far, and now that the revolution is keeping your cargo ships grounded… Well, I heard the 7 4th army group has been attached to the 42nd fortress group under the command of Komirya Jenius, and her command just placed a large order for missiles and 30mm gun ammo…"
"We must go there and save the planet before cannibalism sets in!" Freyja cried to captain Johnson.
"Is it really that bad?" the puzzled Hayate asked Mirage, who could only shrug.
"Don't worry, we're about to go in soon." Johnson replied. "It just came in, Komirya Jenius-"
"That's overkill!" Mirage shouted.
"Indeed. I was saying, Komirya Jenius has been given the go order to take back the Brisingr Cluster, and she had us hired to provide Var healing, plus defense if the Spacy's jammers don't work as advertised. They'll be here by tomorrow with the supplies we need and spare parts to repair the Island, and we're going in as soon as the Elysion isn't needed by the refugees anymore.
Author note: Windermere's economic stupidity is canon: not only we have from the series that they get every single advanced equipment from Epsilon Foundation (including the Sigur Valens: it was them who restored it, not the Windbags), but, as seen in the tie-in manga White Knight of the Black Wing, when they were still part of the NUN they had refused to install any new industry except for fold quartz mining, an industry that is implied to have been crippled by extremely restrictive regulations after the role they played in the events of Macross Frontier (incidentally, the Windermere 'independence war' happened the year after that). And considering the very actual example of what's happening in Venezuela without a war to makes things worse, I had to think crazier than usual to justify how Windermere paid for their weapons. And it still feels like an ass pull.
Oh, and I had Bogue join the rebellion instead than the twins (who are from a merchant family) because when I rewatched the episode to write this I saw that Bogue was appalled when Roid announced the war would continue (at least in the early parts of the speech) while the twins looked happy. I don't think anyone needs to be explained why Qasim went with the rebels too.
