Hello there!
Thank you for coming and reading this little story of mine.
And that is all, so enjoy the next chapter!
Chapter Three: Humble Beginnings.
Time: September 17, 2004. Location: Lantea.
It has been an interesting twelve days since Zor and the Protoculture Matrix was discovered in the bowels of the SDF-1.
Since then, a small army of Tirolian construction drones have been constructed and begun work on the two aircraft carriers, Prometheus and Daedalus.
The Tirolian construction drone is a two foot long, half a foot tall, eight legged spider-like drone that is similar in size to the fearsome Replicators that nearly destroyed the Asgard. However, the Tirolian variant has a circular forehead, were a silver beam of energy is fired that can rearrange the atomic structure of whatever the beam hits, allowing the drone to create newer, stronger materials out of already existing materials.
The drones had begun working on the two aircraft carriers, removing the upper deck of the two ships and slowly starting to replace the electrics and hull with the same materials that make the SDF-1 super tough, plus a blend of Trinium and Naquada is also being added onto the already tough materials. When completed, the Prometheus and Daedalus will be able to take blasts from a Ha'tak class warship with no damage to the hull.
New software and hardware that Zor has provided was being slowly integrated onto the two aircraft carriers. When completed, the Prometheus and Daedalus will have an array of particle cannons, laser cannons, newly designed beam CIWS and much more to lash out at any attackers and now, they will be much more accurate then before hand.
That is not the only thing that has changed since Zor was found. A change had occurred to both the RDF and the Atlantis Expedition.
It was becoming apparent that something had to be done, as several RDF members had refused to work with the Atlantis Expedition on a few off world excursions, resulting in a number of injuries.
As such, Gloval and Weir officially announced that both the Atlantis Expedition and RDF were thereby disbanded and a new organisation, the Atlantis Defensive Forces, or ADF for sort, was born. Shepherd was in charge of all ground based military assets, while Gloval was in charge of all space bound assets, meaning the two were of now equal rank and authority.
Many thought that this was a bad idea, since John was still only a major and there was many more experienced and higher ranking officers to chose from, but the decisions stood and eventually the complaints all died out after working with John.
John Shepperd was many things, he was impulsive, reckless, and sometimes a bit arrogant. However, he was also kind and caring towards those under his command, he wasn't willing to give an order he himself wasn't prepared to follow, and he listened to those under his command. Was he a perfect commander, no. But was he a good one, yes indeed.
John was slowly turning opinion of the joint military around. His actions was showing that the two groups working together was in the best interest of both groups and his command style was slowly gaining more favor among the 10,000 military personnel he now had under his command.
The people that were least apposed to the joining of the two organizations was the scientific branch. The scientists of both groups got along like peanut butter and jelly, exchanging scientific discoveries and knowledge with the greatest of ease. The only one who was having a slight problem was Rodney, who wasn't too keen on being Co-Scientific leader. He and Dr. lang were the head scientists of the ADF, with access to all projects and knowledge the ADF had. Rodney wasn't exactly the easiest person to get along with, but Lang made a good effort to get along with his fellow scientist, something Weir, Gloval and Shepherd were all thankful for. It was hard enough to run Atlantis, the SDF-1, the ADF and keep tabs on Neo-Macross all at the same time, so not having to worry about the scientific branch of their organisation was a blessing to those in charge.
Right now, Dr. Lang would be found in the area were the Fold Drives once were. All around him was silver-white glittering energy shards that filled the entire area.
Gloval, Weir and Shepperd all entered the area and saw the energy, which caused more then a few eyebrows to rise.
"So, this is what you wanted to show us Dr. Lang." Gloval said as he stared at the energy in slight intrigue.
"Indeed Captain. The energy you see before you is the remains of the hyperspace Fold Generators. When the generators disappeared, they left behind these strange particles. I have Zor helping me try to identify the energy. I have a theory that this energy, when run through the same channels the future shields emitters, shall make the shields much stronger then the energy we pump through to them should make them. In other words, by running this strange energy through the shields, we get a much stronger shield for the same energy cost running the shields would normally take." Land explained to those assembled.
"That is a very big claim Lang, how certain are you that this strange energy can do what your claiming?" Shepperd asked.
"I am very certain Major. The energy you see before you is remnants of Hyperspace Folding. The energy is awash with magnetic and gravitic energies. By running them through the ions that make up a shield, energy fire is much more easily dissipated before it can breach the ions. These specific particles also cause the ions that form a shield to harder, causing the toughness of the shields to increase even further." Lang said.
Zor appeared a little to Lang's left and gave a polite cough, so that he wouldn't scare Lang when he talked.
"Dr. lang is correct. The particles before you are a special type only found in Hyperspace Fold Bubbles. When the SDF-1 exited from your ill thought out Fold Jump, you carried some of the particles from Hyperspace with you, probably a byproduct from the Fold Generators vanishing. Captain, I believe it would be in our best interest in experimenting with these particles to create a type of shield booster. It may take time and resources, but the benefits from such experiments would be incalculable." Zor said.
"Agreed. Stronger shields is something I will never turn down. Gather however many scientists you require Dr. and whatever resources you need as well. Just try and get the shield boosters finished before the SDF-1's refit is completed." Gloval ordered.
"Understood. I will begin at once." Lang said as he hurried off to gather the scientists he knew he needed to help him create this new technology.
"Captain. I wish to talk to you about a project that I would like to begin." Zor asked Gloval.
"What kind of project?" Gloval asked the Tirolian scientist.
Zor produced a holographic schematic of a Puddle Jumper and of a Valkyrie and then said, "I wish to study a Puddle Jumper. The small shuttle is a fascinating piece of technology. I believe that if we were to incorporate some of the technologies of a Puddle Jumper and used them to design a new type of Valkyrie, we can increase the deadliness of the Valkyries by several leagues."
"What kind of upgrades are we talking?" Shepperd asked, clearly intrigued by the prospect of getting newer and more powerful Valkyries flying around the city. Of course he himself wasn't inching to fly one of those planes, perish the thought.
"By examining the pods of the Puddle Jumpers, I can hopefully find out how they work and produce my own versions. If I can, the Valkyries may very well be capable of achieving speeds capable of exiting a planet's atmosphere all by themselves with no problems. Additionally, cloaking and shielding capabilities may very well be possible, as well as increased reaction time due to the thought interface and targeting system the Puddle Jumpers utilize. Faster transformation times would allowing the newer Valkyries to adapt to new situations with the greatest of ease. I also estimate a drastic increase in firepower due to several new upgrades utilizing Tirolian technology, while an increase in power production due to the Protoculture/Naquada Reflex Reactors installed inside the mecha and finally, better hull plating due to Robotech Alloys mixed with Naquada and Trinium. If this project succeeds, it would be the future pathway to the next generation of Destroid's and other mecha." Zor said to those assembled as the a new schematic appeared showcasing a much sleeker and larger Valkyrie with many technological upgrades to it's predecessor.
"That a lot of benefits for allowing this project to begin. I think we should allow it Captain. The benefit of having such powerful space and air capable mecha would certainly make fighting the Wraith all that easier. Plus, if it does succeed, we can begin upgrading all of the other mecha as well. Would really help us in the long run." Shepherd said, adding his support to the argument.
Gloval nodded and then said, "There really isn't a reason to say no. So, begin the project."
Zor nodded and added the Project, code-named "Project Pendragon" to the list of ongoing projects.
"Also Captain, I would like to take this opportunity to ask permission to start construction of a new vessel." Zor said as he produced a hologram of said new vessel.
The ship was small, roughly a bit over half the size of the newly redesigned Prometheus and Daedalus, which were 530 meters long the two of them, so this vessel was around 310 meters long. The vessel had a much narrow bow section then the two previously named warships, being similar in shape to WW2 warships. The vessel had a long narrow profile, with four modules being placed in a X formation in the rear end part of the ship. The bridge was a small little bulge at the back end of the warship, just in front of the four sublight engines that were in the shape of a X as well. The ship was heavily armed for it's size with a grand total of 6 x 100 mm triple beam turrets, 8 x 72 mm double beam turrets, 36 x twin beam 30 mm CIWS and 12 ten-tube missile launcher pods with 6 torpedo tubes to round off it's offensive capabilities. For shields, this frigate had slightly weaker shields then the Prometheus and Daedalus, both of whom had much stronger shields then the SGC Prometheus. It had sensors and communication equipment equal to the Daedalus and Prometheus and finally, the ship had two Protoculture/Naquada Reflex Fusion Reactors planned to power the small vessel and it had a interstellar level Hyperspace Fold Generators for it's FTL drive.
"I call this vessel class the Plato Stealth Space Frigate Class. It is a fast, nimble warship with advanced sensor jamming equipment that will allow it to hopefully not be noticed by Wraith sensors until it is much too late and the vessel will be able to bring it's significant supply of beam weapons to bear on it's unsuspecting victims. It is also capable of carrying and deploying two squadrons of Veritechs, but that is it. It is a vessel solely designed to operate in outer space, but it can fight in atmosphere if need be. We can use this class of warships to launch a series of guerrilla attacks against the Wraith and start to weaken their forces and hopefully buy ourselves some time before they find Atlantis. By putting them on edge from unpredictable attacks, hopefully they won't be putting as much effort into finding Atlantis. We need as much time as we can get so be can prepare ourselves. Everyday counts, plus these ships can come in handy in defending this base and Neo-Macross when the time arrives." Zor said, outlining all the benefits of building Plato Class frigates.
"How many can we build?" Gloval asked, knowing the need for such warships.
"Well, we can have two of them built in four months time. They need some materials and the construction drones are being pushed to their limits to finish not only the Prometheus and Daedalus, but also the SDF-1 and Atlantis. So, the few construction drones we can spare to build these ships are going to take a while." Zor said.
After thinking it over for a few minutes Gloval said, "Very well. Construct two Plato class frigates for right now and if we need more, then well build them, but first let's see if the Plato class is even worth the resources we are going to be putting into them."
Zor nodded and then selected two groups of ten construction drones, reset their priorities and then sent them the command to start building the Plato class Frigates at two of the piers of Atlantis.
The two groups of spider-like drones stopped building and moved off towards the piers. With grace and purpose only known to machines, the drones began the slow process of building the two new frigates whose mission was to buy time for Atlantis to finish her upgrades and prepare herself for the oncoming storm that was the Wraith.
"Is there anything else you would like to ask permission for at this time Zor?" Weir asked, curious if their resident Tirolian scientist had hatched anymore new ideas.
"Well, I did have plans for the Alpha base that might prove beneficial." Zor said as a new holographic schematic appeared before him.
The plans for the new Alpha base were impressive. Instead of using bases out in the open, the Alpha base would be constructed using the construction drones that use their beams to absorb tons of dirt and then turn that dirt into new metals that would be the basis of the Alpha base. The Alpha base would be a colossal 1,000 meters in length, 870 meters in diameter while 750 meters deep into the ground, keeping the base safe from orbital bombardment.
The facility would have a Stargate placed in a large area around 300 feet long, 100 feet wide and 30 feet tall. The sides of the area would have several particle cannons located in the room and on the ground that would pop out and vaporize any threats to the facility. Also, a shield iris much like the one on the Atlantis Stargate would be installed. The doors would be modeled much like the ones on Atlantis and they too would have the ability to form shields and lock to prevent people from getting outside the gate room, plus also preventing the spread of viruses and pathogens should a infection happen on the facility.
The infirmary would have some of the examination beds like Atlantis did, plus some stasis pods to keep patients alive while treatment was devised.
There would be several construction facilities where new mecha would be built, along with the ammunition and weapons needed for those mecha, while a giant hanger bay was planned to be built as well.
The sensors of this facility where to be modeled after the ones found on Atlantis, but were going to be much weaker even at full power.
To power this massive facility, there was going to be 5 Protoculture/Naquada Fusion Reflex Reactors much larger then the ones made for the warships.
Finally, there was found massive bio-domes that connected to the facility. Each bio-dome was 100 meters tall by 1,000 meters long by 750 meters wide. The bio-domes were completely automated and utilized a synthesized version of the nutrient baths for the Flowers of Life. This would allow the crops each bio-dome would produce to grow at only a third of the time usually needed to grow an equivalent amount of produce.
"This new type of facility would allow us to produce massive amounts of produce in little time, which is something we need as the food stores are only capable of supporting the populous we have for about another year before we run out of food. Also, these type of facilities would allow us fall back points should we ever have to abandon Lantea and have to destroy Atlantis. Better to have these facilities and not need them then to need them and not have them." Zor said as Shepherd, Weir and Gloval gave the designs a good long look.
"I dread to ask this, but how long to build a single one of these facilities?" Weir asked.
"Unfortunately, due to their immense size and technological complexity, it takes a good long time to build a single one of these facilities. I estimate that the number of construction drones needed to build this facility inside of a six month time frame to be 1,000 construction drones. So, the soonest we can have a single one of the facilities up and running is seven months from now, perhaps a bit longer. However, given how much they bring to the table, I think that building a few of these facilities is necessary." Zor said, outlining the pros and cons of building a single Alpha type base.
"I think we should start construction on several of these bases immediately, we really need some forwards bases and fall back points in Pegasus if we going to win this war." Shepperd said.
"Yes, but right now, we have so many projects going on at once, I don't know if the advantages this type of base brings out ways the lose of 1,000 construction drones we need to get Atlantis and the SDF-1's upgrades completed. As it is, we have ordered the creation of 6,000 more construction drones and even then we aren't going to be done with all the upgrades we have planned for another 11 months. We just don't have the manpower necessary to get all this work done and spare 1,000 construction drones on a six month project. That's a sixth of our construction drones busy on a six month project that could be used on building more warships, better Veritechs etc. Can we really say that right now, with all the things that are desperately needed, such a large base is needed?" Weir countered.
"All good points, but Shepherd is right, a fall back point is necessary for this war to be won. Also, with another facility making construction drones we can build more of them to begin other projects that are needed. Like a shipyard. I place my vote on getting this base started, but the first thing the construction drones are going to do is build the frame and then start work on facility to begin building more construction drones. Then those drones can aid in the finishing of the base and once it is completed, we can send those drones onto other projects." Gloval said.
Knowing she was officially outvoted, Weir sighed and said, "Very well. Zor, begin sending drones through the Stargate to a suitable world for the Alpha site."
Zor nodded and then gathered a thousand drones and sent them off to the gate room while he began to check the list of possible Alpha site worlds for one that would suite his purposes. After searching for a few minutes, he finally found a world that would work brilliantly.
He then contacted Chuck, the Stargate operator.
"Chuck, this is Zor. I have an order from Weir, Shepperd and Gloval that the 1,000 construction drones headed your ways are to be gated to the world whose gate address I have sent to you." Zor informed Chuck.
Chuck grabbed his tablet and saw the symbols listed and said, "Understood Zor."
Once the first construction drones started filing into the gate room, Chuck then started pressing the symbols on the DHD on the main console.
With each button chuck pushed, a small light would appear on the gate and travel along the gate's arch until it reached the assigned symbol, where the symbol would flash and then another light would appear and the whole process started over again until there was eight glowing symbol son the gate.
When the seventh chevron was dialed in, the ancient Alterran device activated, a massive whoosh was heard as a giant vortex of water like energy appeared coming out of the gate, where it went forwards about 15 feet and then stopped and hanged there for a second before the water like energy receded into the gate, causing a stable water-like appearance to be in the arches circle.
Once the gate was successfully dialed, the construction drones scurried through the gate as fast as they could, for the gate could only be open for 38 minutes.
Once the 38 minutes started to approach, the drones halted and waited for the gate to disconnect, whereupon Chuck dialed the planet once more and thus the process continued as even more drones went through the gate.
After five dialings to the planet, all 1,000 drones had been successfully sent to the planet, where they immediately began to start construction of the new Pegasus Alpha Site.
Back with Zor, Gloval, Weir and Shepperd, Zor said, "I have a final project to ask permission to start. Before you ask, it will not require anymore construction drones to do. I only need your permission to start."
Curious, Weir asked, "What is it?"
"I wish to start building new AIs to aid the ADF. I will use my brainwaves as the basis to build new AIs that can be sent onto the new Pluto class frigates, plus the Prometheus and Daedalus, along with any additional facilities built by the ADF. These AIs purpose will be managing the construction drones under their control, along with aiding the ADF in all their endeavors. They have built in parameters to not harm or take a action that might indirectly cause the death of an innocent or a human being. They are only there to aid the ADF, nothing more and nothing less. They will not rise up and try to kill anyone, I assure you." Zor said.
"Hm. We don't have the best experience with AIs Zor. The last time we dealt with AIs they were trying to kill all life in the Milky Way Galaxy and it took the Ultimate Super Weapon built by the most advanced race to ever exist to finally end them. Even then, it took everything we and our allies had to stop them." Weir said, the dread and terror of the Replicators felt by all who had ever served in the SGC.
"Yeah, but think about all the benefits of having multiple AIs would bring. It would reduce the amount of work on us humans and the construction drones would be more efficiently managed. I think we should allow Zor to do this, as long as he can guarantee that the AIs won't go crazy." Shepherd said.
Gloval nodded and said, "I agree with Major Shepperd. We need more manpower and until we can get more manpower, we'll just have to substitute these AIs in their place."
Weir sighed, knowing she had been outvoted and said, "Very well Zor. Go ahead."
Zor nodded and then said, "I shall be off. I have work to do."
And with that, the Tirolian scientist disappeared like a whisper.
Shepperd then said, "Well, I am going to go to the training area and see how the ADF members are getting along."
Gloval sighed deeply and said, "It is such a shame that so many members of both our organizations cannot see that the move of joining the two is for the best. We need a clear, concise chain of command and as Atlantis is our main base, it is only logical that the head of all military affairs would then be placed as the leader of all our ground units. I get that there are a lot more experienced officers, but right now we need someone who has actually had experience going out into this new galaxy we find ourselves in. Let's just hope that we can move past our differences and get working together or none of us are going to last long enough to get home."
Shepperd nodded at that grim thought and left the room, headed towards the training grounds on Atlantis.
Weir then said, "Well Captain, I must be going back to Atlantis. There is a lot to do and I can't afford to be here much longer. As always, a pleasure."
Gloval nodded and then said, "A pleasure seeing you as well."
Weir then left and headed towards her office in the main tower of Atlantis while Gloval went back to his office near the bridge of the SDF-1.
Changes were happening at a rapid pace and it was unknown what was to come next.
Meanwhile, in Neo-Macross...
Rick Hunter sighed deeply as he walked back to his apartment with a aura of gloom around him.
He had just been turned down for a job and this was his sixth job interview in two weeks.
When Neo-Macross had been being built, Rick had volunteered to help with the construction crews. It had been brutal work, but the pay was good and it kept him busy for a time.
But once Neo-Macross had been completed, a massive amount of the volunteer construction workers had been laid off and Rick had been one of them.
Since then, he had tried to find a job, but no one was looking for someone with Rick's skill set. Being a eight time amateur flying contest winner didn't have a lot of sway in a place with no need of good pilots considering there wasn't an airport since there wasn't a need for planes in their current situation.
A lot of the other construction workers had managed to get another job, but Rick just hadn't been able to land a job and if he didn't, soon he would be facing problems.
When it was built, Neo-Macross hadn't been built with the idea of money motivating people. Instead, when you worked you got a food card that you showed to food vendors and it would allow you to get food. Since Rick had worked double shifts and chance he got, he had a lot of food cards saved up, but since he got laid off, that supply had dwindled and now he was having to start rationing. If he didn't find a job soon, he would start needing help.
Rick soon found himself in a large public park that he remembered helping build and sat down on the nearest park bench were he began to start thinking about his life and what he could do about it.
Rick was sure he would eventually find a job as Neo-Macross had no shortage of open positions to fill. But Rick didn't want to spend the rest of his life working a 10-5 job in a place he hated working with people he couldn't stand. He wanted freedom, he wanted choice. But most of all, he wanted to fly.
Rick loved flying. He had been flying for as long as he could remember. It was what he was best at. When he was up in the air, all of his worries just seemed to disappear. He felt free up there in the endless sky. There was no weights pulling him down. It was in the air he had found his calling.
The problem was, there was no flying circuses here on Neo-Macross and Rick seriously doubted that there would be one anytime soon. Besides, his airplane had been destroyed and made nothing more then scrap metal in the disastrous Fold Incident.
Rick was pondering his options when a strange thought occurred to him.
What if joined the newly announced ADF as a Veritech pilot?
Normally he would never join the military, as he had a long standing hatred for the military and was almost a pacifist. But the more he thought about it, the more appealing the option appeared. As a Veritech pilot, he would assigned a Veritech, an aircraft that was vastly superior to his old airplane. Also, he would receive a number of benefits from joining the ADF. Also, Roy Fokker, his older brother had already joined the RDF and now had transferred to the ADF, so he would see more of Roy then what he was now.
It was a crazy idea, but as it was right now, he didn't exactly have many options and none of the alternative options allowed him to fly, whereas the ADF would allow him to do what he loved the most.
After a little bit of a thinking, Rick stood up and decided he was going to join the ADF.
With his goal clear in his mind, Rick turned and walked back to his apartment, where he would call and set up an appointment with the local recruiting office tomorrow.
Time: September 18, 2004. Location: Lantea.
Rick was currently walking down towards the local recruitment center.
As all of his files had been on Earth when the SDF-1 had her disastrous Fold incident, he had to have new ones made for himself and it was just recently they had been finished.
Opening the door and walking up to the counter, Rick told the receptionist, "Hi, I am Rick Hunter. I am here for my appointment."
She nodded and then said, "Please sit down, the recruiter will be out with you in a few minutes."
Rick nodded and then sat down in one of chairs and waited, a thousand thoughts running through his head at this moment.
After a few minutes, the door opened and a tall man with shirt dirty blonde hair walked out and said, "Miser Rick Hunter? Please follow me."
Rick got up and followed the man into his office where he sat down.
The recruitment officer opened a file and said, "Rick Hunter. Born November 22, 1990. Age: 19. Was winner of eight annual amateur flying competitions in a row. Quite impressive. And perhaps most interesting, you are the son of the man who adopted Roy Fokker, making you brothers in a way. So please tell me Mister Hunter, why do you want to join the ADF?"
"Well sir, there are a number of reasons why. One of them is I have been having a bit of trouble finding a job for a man of my talents lately. But the main one is...I want to help people." Rick said.
"Oh? Care to elaborate?" The officer asked, slightly intrigued.
"During the attack on Macross Island I was in a Veritech trainer and was forced to fight the aliens. At first I was scared out of my mind and was nearly shot down. I then crashed the Veritech trainer into the city where Roy found me. He helped me get out of the city, but while we were leaving I found a civilian girl by the name of Lynn Minmay. Roy sent us off to hold off a group of alien attackers, but we got attacked by one of them who had managed to get away from Roy. Minmay was knocked unconscious and I shot and damaged the alien's mecha. But the pilot got out and tried to attack us, but Roy shot him. Roy then took me and Minmay to the SDF-1, but that moment has stayed with me. I was powerless and would have gotten myself and Minmay killed if Roy hadn't been there to save us. I have thought long and hard about this and I have decided I want to help others so they don't have to feel powerless anymore. I know it's a childish dream, but I just want to help people." Rick said, the words coming from his mouth.
The recruitment officer was quiet for a few moment and then he stood up and said, "The ADF can really use a pilot of your skills. Welcome to the Atlantis Defense Forces Mister Hunter. Tomorrow morning at oh six hundred hours, be at the edge of Neo-Macross city by the landing pads. There a shuttle will take you to the SDF-1 where you shall be trained in Veritech combat. If you fail, you can always apply for the marines, but given your skills, I don't think you will have much trouble getting into the Veritech squadrons. Good luck Mr. Hunter."
Rick nodded and shook the recruitment officers hand and then left the office and headed to his apartment where he would pack his bags and get ready for the newest chapter in his life.
Time: September 19, 2004. Location: Lantea.
Rick currently was drinking some coffee as he awaited his ride as he stood by the landing pads.
Years of being a pilot had allowed Rick to awaken at the crack of dawn with no problems what so ever, although having a cup of coffee did help a little.
Rick took a sip, enjoying the taste of white caramel wash over his taste buds as the warm liquid went down his throat when he heard the sound of whining engines.
Sure enough, a second later a small elongated cylindrical ship came over the water and softly landed on the landing pad.
Rick had heard of these shuttles. They were called Puddle Jumpers for some reason and were the main flying vehicle for the Atlantis Expedition. Not much was known about the Puddle Jumpers or the Atlantis Expedition, but since the expedition had helped save not only the lives on-board the Prometheus and the Daedalus, but also helped evacuate the 70,000 civilians onto the SDF-1, so everyone kept their big mouths shut and just accepted their help.
It then occurred to Rick that he would be working with the Atlantis Expedition members in the future, so he best make sure to be on his best behavior.
The ramp then opened up and out came a man wearing a new type of uniform not worn by either the RDF or the Atlantis Expedition. The uniform looked similar to a mix of the two. The uniform was primarily dark blue long sleeved shirt with a black t-shirt underneath. He had a black tactical vest on, while having dark blue pants on, with a black belt and black boots. On the right shoulder was a patch with a woven version of the SDF-1 on it and above the SDF-1 was the words, "Atlantis Defensive Forces. United We Protect."
"Are you Rick Hunter?" The man asked as he stepped out of the jumper.
"Yes I am sir." Rick said, trying his best to sound respectful.
"Don't need to do that stuff with me kid. Well, get your stuff on the jumper and we can get you to the SDF-1 and to boot camp." The man said as he walked back into the jumper.
Rick grabbed his single bag of clothes and his backpack full of other amenities he might need and then walked into the jumper.
The man sat down in the pilot seat and placed his hands on the console, the entire ship coming back to life in a few seconds.
After Rick had sat down in the back and gotten his stuff safely secured, the jumper's hatch closed and the small shuttle slowly ascended into the air.
Once high enough, the jumped banked to the right and made a 180 degree turn and flew off back across the ocean towards Atlantis.
After about an hour of flying as the jumper was going at a much more leisurely paced flight.
Eventually, the jumper reached Atlantis.
Rick was looking out of the window in absolute awe, never had he seen such a wonderful or beautiful city in his life.
After crossing over Atlantis the jumper flew over to the SDF-1.
"SDF-1 control this is jumper 3 requesting permission to land. Over." The pilot said over the comm.
"Jumper 3, this is SDF-1 control. You have permission to land. Please precede to hanger bay two. Over." A voice said over the comm.
"Roger that. Proceeding to hanger 2." The pilot said as he moved the jumper to the right and flew towards hanger 3.
The jumper slowly entered into hanger 3 and slowly flew over to a pot designed only for jumpers. Along the way, the jumper passed over mechanics and pilots as they worked hard to keep Atlantis safe.
Once at the designed area, the jumper slowly landed soft as a falling leaf onto a lake.
The back hatch opened up and Rick got out of his seat and took his stuff and left the jumper and walked out onto the flight deck.
Rick looked around in awe, this was a lot more impressive the flying circus he flew in when he was a young boy.
He then heard a voice say, "Rick!"
Rick turned and saw Roy sprinting over to him.
Rick smiled and said, "Hey Roy!"
Roy then said, "Come on Rick. I'll show you to the barracks."
Rick nodded and then grabbed his stuff and followed after Roy as he led the way to the barracks.
After leaving the hanger the two rented a jeep and then the two where off, the roar of the jeep's engine the only thing they heard.
While they were driving, Roy was thinking about recent events.
He was happy his brother had finally done something. He had been worried Rick would have just wasted away and done nothing with his life after the events of Battle of Macross, yet Rick had surprised him yesterday by calling him and telling him he had been accepted by the ADF and was going to be joining Roy.
Roy had been over the moon when he had learned Rick was going to be joining him as a member of the SDF-1. He had always wanted to fly side by side with Rick and now he was going to be able to. However, a smaller part of him was worried for Rick. He was the older sibling, so it was his job to be worried about Rick no matter what, but this was on a whole other level fro the things he was usually afraid of for Rick.
Rick was going to be a Veritech pilot Roy knew that for a fact. Flying as in Rick's blood and Roy knew Rick was going to pass the training. However, whether or not Rick as going to survive his first combat is a whole other kettle of fish.
So the two drove in silence until they reached the barracks.
Once there, Roy and Rick got out and took Rick's stuff up to his bunk.
Once that was done, Rick was taken to the quarter master and got his uniforms.
Once that was over, Roy and Rick went out and got something to eat from the cafeteria.
Once they were done eating, the two men went up to one the observation decks near the bridge and just stared out upon the view of Atlantis.
"Rick? Why did you join the ADF?" Roy asked.
Rick was silent for a few moments before he said, "I want to help people. I want to make a difference in their lives. But most of all, I want to keep them from seeing what I saw back on Macross Island during the attack. I saw death and people dying and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I joined the ADF so I could help make sure that people wouldn't have to feel afraid for their lives."
"Those are good reasons, but Rick. One thing you have to know is that you can't save everyone. You are going to see people die and no matter what, there will be nothing yo can do to save them. You are going to see horrible things that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Are you prepared for that burden?" Roy asked.
"I am. I will shoulder whatever comes my way and I will protect everyone I can. No matter what." Rick said to Roy, determination clear in his eyes.
Roy gave a soft smile as he looked down on his young brother, who had just showed he had changed a lot over the years since they last saw each other. Sure he was still a brat and had a bit of an ego about his own skills sometimes, but all in all, Rick had shown he had the potential to be a better pilot and leader then Roy, if he only pushed himself.
Roy gave Rick's untamable mess of hair a quick shake and said, "C'mon bro. Let's go. I'll show you around."
Rick and Roy walked off, leaving behind the observation deck behind them as they went to enjoy their day until the time came for Rick to head back to the barracks.
Rick lay on his bed, his eyes looking towards the ceiling.
"I can do this. I will do this. I will complete my training and become a Veritech pilot." Rick thought to himself.
With his little bit of reaffirmation, Rick closed his eyes and fell asleep, ready to face the hell that was boot camp tomorrow.
The pieces are moving into position and the wheels of fate are turning.
The winds of destiny are blowing and where they lead to, no one knows.
But one thing is for sure.
One man can make a difference in the fates of many.
And that is it!
This chapter is a little bit smaller then the other two, just because I ran out of things to put in this chapter before it got boring.
As for the Plato Stealth Space Frigate, it is basically just the Stealth Space Cruiser, but with Stargate tech added onto it. I really liked the design of this class of ship, they are some of my favorite in both Macross and Robotech, with the SDF-1, the SDF-3, the Macross Quarter, the Macross Elysium and the Icarus being my three all time favorite ships in the entire two franchises.
I guess that I really just like ships that have a lot of practicality and functionality in their design basis. That maybe why I really don't like the Goa'uld designs. They're just flying pyramids with way to much gold in their design.
The Ori have the worst designs for their ships. They're just flying toilet bowls! I mean seriously! Stargate has such good designs with the Bilskirnir, the Prometheus, the Daedalus class and the O'Neill class warships, plus Atlantis looks amazing and then they have flying toilet bowls as the main warships of the followers of beings who are basically gods. Its pathetic. Sorry, I just really do not like the Ori Mother-ship design, it looks stupid and impractical in my opinion.
As for future Tau'ri warships, there is going to be several redesigns of beloved ships of Stargate, as well as a few from the Robotech Shadow Chronicles. Anyone who guess correctly what ship I am talking about gets a shout out in the next chapter.
Things are really going to heat up in the next chapter, so be on the look out for that one.
As always, if you have comments, criticisms or concerns, send me a PM or leave a review.
Until next time, this is StrikeFreedom10 signing out.
PLUS ULTRA!