Robotech Stargate Saga: Otherworld
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and universes that I am about to mangle around and mash together for my own amusement – sadly all Stargate and Robotech characters and concepts remain the property of MGM, Amazon and Harmony Gold respectively – I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use. As a result, please keep the legal attack dogs – also known as lawyers – firmly muzzled and on a leash as I have no profit to give to anyone.
Chapter Four
United Earth Defence Command
Alaska Base, Alaska
Standing on the command platform Admiral Donald Hayes frowned slightly as both orbital and lunar sensors detected movement among the Zentraedi fleet. After a few moments he saw why as a group of three of the smallest ships – Tou Redir-class destroyers if he remembered their entry in the SDF-1 database correctly – broke away from the fleet and began seemingly to move towards Earth.
"Confirm the course and speed of those ships," he ordered.
"Confirmed sir alien ships are on course to enter a very high orbit," one of the analysts said after a quick check of their readings, "alien warships will enter orbit in seven minutes. This is strange sir with such a large fleet why only send three towards us? "
Donald frowned slightly at that. It was puzzling him as well as everything they'd learned about the Zentraedi from the SDF-1's database indicated that this was very atypical behaviour for them. Most Zentraedi commanders would charge towards a target on mass missiles flying and beam cannons blazing. Yet whichever commander was in charge of this fleet was being unusually cautious and sending this group presumably as a scouting/reconnaissance force.
"They must be a recon group," he said, "have some of our ships move to intercept them. They're then to try and contact them."
"Aye sir," one of the communications ratings responded before relaying the intercept command to the orbiting fleet which, with Admiral Chase moving to take command of the second fleet over Mars, was under the command of Rear Admiral Xia Yong. The Chinese man responded immediately and three ships – an Intrepid-class battlecruiser, the class namesake herself, and two Manchester-class heavy cruisers Canberra and Seattle – began moving to intercept the incoming Zentraedi ships.
For a few more minutes nothing more happened beyond the three ships changing their orbits and positioning themselves between the Zentraedi and the planet. The response from the Zentraedi ships was immediate as they adjusted their course and attempted to go around the blockading ships only for the fleet ships to match their moves.
"Sir Admiral Xia reports that the Zentraedi are ignoring all attempts at communications," the rating who'd previously spoken reported. "He's requesting permission to fire a warning shot across the bow of the lead ship."
"Sir sensors are picking up power surges on the Zentraedi ships," another officer reported before Donald could respond to Xia's request to be permitted to fire a warning shot, "they're powering up their weapons systems and opening their gun ports."
Trying to intimidate our ships into getting out of the way are you, Donald thought looking at the three Zentraedi vessels. Windows on the focused display showed that the three destroyers had powered up their weapons and opened their gun ports vampire fang-like beam turrets now pointing at their ships. Missile tubes were also beginning to open as the giant humanoids prepared to fight their way past the blockade.
"Give Admiral Xia permission for the warning shot," he ordered after a moment, hoping that when the Zentraedi saw how powerful their particle beams were they'd hesitate before proceeding down the path of aggression. "However, have him fire a few shots between the ships, shake them up a little but don't directly hit them. Let's see if that gets their attention."
"Aye sir."
Zentraedi Command Dreadnought
That Same Time
Commander Breetai raised his solo remaining eyebrow as he observed the movements of the alien ships in orbit of the planet. Three of them had deliberately manoeuvred to place themselves between the recon squadron and the planet, clearly communicating that they did not want them going anywhere near the planet. Impressive coordination, he thought as they matched the destroyers attempts to adjust course to go around them.
"They seem determined not to let our ships get into orbit," Breetai commented to Exedore.
"Indeed, commander and I believe that I have found the reason why on our long-range scanner," Exedore replied manipulating a small computer tablet that he was holding in one hand. Immediately a new projector field powered up outside the command blister and a holographic screen pixeled into existence showing a ship landed on the surface at some kind of base.
A very familiar ship.
"That's Zor battlefortress," Breetai said before frowning as he took in all the quite substantial changes that the battlefortress had undergone since the last time he had seen it. The quasi-organic lines that had been popular among Tirolian shipwrights at the time of the vessel's construction had vanished replaced with sharp lines and a more rigid geometry. The engine nacelles at the back appeared to be a little bit bulkier with some additional superstructure on the sides and additional turrets. It was hard to make out exact details of the vessel though as there was some kind of haze in the air preventing it. "But what has happened to it? And what is that haze that's disrupting our visual feed?"
"It appears to have been completely remodelled and redesigned by the planet's inhabitants. Commander it is likely that the vessel crashed on this planet and was salvaged and repaired by the inhabitants," Exedore answered, "as for the haze blocking disrupting our visual feed it appears to be an optical phase distortion caused by an energy shield. Indeed, our sensors confirm that there is a very powerful force field dome covering almost the whole island."
"What about the crew they wouldn't just let aliens take the ship," Breetai asked knowing that even those Zentraedi loyal to Zor who had been aboard the vessel would fight to the death to keep the vessel from being taken – and at the last minute would have armed the self-destruct – rather than let it and with-it Zor's secrets fall into the hands of another race. Even one who was as advanced as this race appeared to be. So why hadn't they stopped them?
"It may well be that they were killed in the crash. "
Breetai scowled at that and almost pointed out that for that to have happened the vessel would have had to have been very badly damaged by the impact. Damaged to the point that her inertial compensators were overwhelmed which would have led to the crew getting pulverized. Certainly, it would be beyond most races abilities to salvage in that condition. He didn't however as the species on this planet, whoever they were, were clearly technologically advanced and would thus have the knowhow to understand the ships technology, understand and repair it.
Which was very concerning as both factors were going to make completing this mission successfully, and returning the ship to the Robotech Masters, that much harder. He was about to open his mouth to order an initial fighter and mecha launch before the fleet advanced however, before he could do so an alert sounded from the tactical screen. He looked over in time to see the largest of the three aliens fire upon the scout team unleashing a pair of high-powered particle beams that shot between the lead scout and its companions. The beam passing close enough for the beams blue glow to illuminate their green and purple hulls and the electromagnetic backwash to rattle the ships but otherwise do no harm.
It was very unequivocal warning shot. One Breetai had to admire in how perfectly it was executed.
"Interesting," Exedore said as he looked at one of the sensor repeater screens with a look of mild concern "commander our sensors detect traces of the same element augmenting the power systems in the beams. It is likely being used in each cannons focusing array as well as the acceleration coils. The result is not only are the beams travelling faster than ours but easily rival our heaviest weapons. This race is going to be an interesting challenge."
"Indeed, but it is one we must and will meet if we are to recover Zor's vessel," Breetai answered before deciding the time had come to test the unknown's mettle in the ultimate crucible. The crucible of battle, "All ships commence primary fighter and mecha launches. As soon as they're launched the fleet will advance and engage. In the meantime, tell the scout team to open fire, let's see what this foe is made of."
"Yes commander."
From numerous hangar bays around the perimeter of the four-kilometre-long command dreadnought swarms of Gnerl fighter pods as well as Regult battlepods shot into space and began forming up into their respective squadrons. Every other ship around the great warship did the same thing launching their initial squadrons of fighters and battle mecha that quickly began forming up into a dense swarm of attack craft around the capital ships.
Simultaneously the three Tou Redir sent ahead as scouts opened fire upon the Earth ships that had dared to stand in their way. Pale blue spears of searing particle energy launching from their cannons towards their opponents. The beams never touched them instead meters from the forward hulls of the three ships the beams stopped as though they had hit a wall, stopped and broke apart into a glimmering haze of Cherenkov radiation that outlined the softly glowing vaguely crystalline forms of the energy shields surrounding the Earth ships.
The Intrepid, Canberra and Seattle immediately returned fire unleashing a blistering hail of particle beams and plasma bolts. Travelling much faster than the plasma bolts the beams were the first to reach the doomed destroyers, slamming into their dull green hulls with searing force. Under the force of the naquada-enhanced particle beams the armour offered little protection vaporising almost immediately allowing the brilliant streams of energized death to slice deep into the ships cutting through and eviscerating the superstructure with almost contemptuous ease. Explosions erupted aboard the three ships as the beams vanished sending debris, atmosphere and the bodies of dead and dying Zentraedi warriors flying into space as the three half gutted ships began to spin wildly out of control.
Then the plasma bolts arrived. Already compromised armour and hull structures offered little resistance as the bolts punched deep into the hull before stopping filling dozens of compartments across numerous decks with superheated matter that quickly began melting the ships from the inside out, the intense heat consuming anything and everything around it melting and burning their way through to the very core of each ship until finally something vital gave way. With brilliant flashes of light all three crumpled into clouds of energized flotsam within a few seconds of one another.
The destruction of the three Zentraedi acted like the starting gun in a race. Even as the glare of the explosions faded, leaving spinning plumes of debris behind, both the intruding Zentraedi fleet and the defending Earth fleet opened fire. Space quickly filling with a deluge of particle, plasma, laser and missile fire.
The powerful beams from the Earth ships cut deep into the hulls of the Zentraedi warships, slicing through dense layers of nanolaminated armour to inflict heavy damage to the warships of the giant warrior humanoids. A number of vessels fell out of formation, trailing slicks of venting atmosphere, debris and bodies from numerous breaches cut into their hides by the powerful beams.
The Earth ships however were not getting everything their own way as hundreds of beams a piece pelted their shields making the glow of Cherenkov radiation around them grow every brighter as the shields fought to defend the vessels beneath. It was a battle that they were never going to win not against the sheer volume of fire being directed at them by the Zentraedi. The heavily upgraded Armour-class cruiser Ranger was the first casualty as her retrofitted – as with all the original eleven Armour-class ships which had ultimately seen the design be discontinued in favour of the larger and far more powerful Manchester-class – shields failed under the deluge of particle and laser fire. Beams immediately cut deep into the hull inflicting massive amounts of damage until with a brilliant flash the Ranger exploded as beams ignited her primary missile magazines.
United Earth Defence Command
Alaska Base, Alaska
Admiral Hayes scowled slightly as he observed the destruction of the Ranger, the vessel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Zentraedi cannon fire. We need to break there fleet up, he thought watching the tactical display as the icons of three destroyers and another cruiser broke apart and dissolved indicating that the ships had been destroyed. We need to break them up or they're going to bury us under sheer force of numbers.
Thankfully there was a way he could do just that.
"Are quick strike groups two and three ready to commence Operation Hellstorm?" he asked.
"They will be ready momentarily sir," an operations rating reported, "correction they're ready and only require the enemy fleets coordinates to plot their jump."
Donald smiled, somewhat wolfishly at that report. "Send it to them," he ordered even as he glanced at the tactical display again to see some more of their ships had been destroyed, others including one of the two Intrepid battlecruisers were drifting disabled. The others however were continuing to fight, even though they were beginning to sustain damage to their armour as shields became depleted, inflicting casualties upon the Zentraedi fleet.
"Make sure the luna launch facilities and the orbital platforms are all ready to fire at the same time as the strike groups," he added.
"Aye sir."
"Sir we're receiving an urgent message from Admiral Xia. He is requesting permission to temporarily withdraw all ships to allow them to recharge their shields."
"Granted tell him to use Operation Hellstorm as cover for his withdrawal," Donald ordered, "instruct all surface to space defence installations to prepare for firing. And someone contact General O'Neill and Captain Gloval on Macross Island. Find out how much longer it will be before the SDF-1 can launch and join the battle."
"Aye sir."
As the various ratings hurried to carry out his orders Donald turned his full attention back to the tactical displays and the massive battle raging in the space between Earth and the moon. A battle that he knew would be visible from the ground especially in those parts of the planet where it was night as the flashes of ships exploding and the glow of Cherenkov radiation from shield impacts would be visible from the ground. Plus, global news satellites were no doubt focused on the fighting in space between them and the Zentraedi though they naturally wouldn't know the name of this particular alien race.
A change on the tactical screen caught his attention and he smiled in a very shark-like fashion as he saw the ships of quick strike groups two and three – a mixture of Monsoon-class corvettes and Hydra-class heavy destroyers – moving out from where they had been assembling on the other side of the planet. In moments they entered hyperspace…
… and reappeared directly behind and below the Zentraedi fleet.
"Surprise," he said as the thirty lighter warships finished reorientating themselves from the precision hyperspace jump before opening fire.
From the external launch cradles each of the twenty-four Monsoon-class corvettes four large missiles were released into space engines igniting immediately and sending them flying towards the Zentraedi fleet. Simultaneously the six Hydra-class heavy destroyers cycled their own launch tubes each ship sending twenty more of the missiles – known as Hellfire missiles – into space towards there leviathan foes. In total two hundred and sixteen individual missiles began eating up the distance between them and the Zentraedi fleet. Behind the strike groups previously concealed launchers on the moon revealed themselves sending out nearly three hundred more of the missiles.
The Zentraedi immediately detected the weapons coming at them from their most vulnerable quarter. They immediately reacted to defend themselves as fighters and battlepods came about and began moving to intercept particle cannons and hypervelocity autocannons blazing. Simultaneously the capital ships reset what few secondary gun turrets they had on their aft and ventral quarters to point defence laser mode before opening fire.
Immediately missiles began dying either punched into hazy balls of vaporised metal by energy bolts or turned into metallic confetti by autocannons. It did little to reduce the number of incoming weapons as it was at that moment that the Hellfire's revealed their trump card. As they closed the nose cone of each missile split open, and each released ten smaller weapons and four decoy projectors suddenly turning two hundred missiles into two thousand. Then the decoys activated, and the number of missile signatures doubled.
For a few moments Zentraedi warriors stared in stupefied horror at the storm of hypervelocity missiles coming at them. Then they began firing with renewed vigour, desperate to stop the incoming storm of death. More missiles and decoys died, thinning out the barrage but between the relatively close range the missiles had been fired from and the light rear armament of the Zentraedi ships it wasn't enough.
A Thuverl Salen-class cruiser was the first ship to be struck. A single missile burying itself into the side of the ship like a harpoon burying itself in the side of a whale before triggering its naquada-enhanced fusion warhead. A sphere of plasma hotter than the surface of a blue giant sun burst into its short existence enveloping and utterly annihilating the unfortunate cruiser and the hundreds of Zentraedi warriors aboard it. Spinning heavily irradiated fragments of the destroyed vessel flew in all directions alight with the nuclear hellfire that had annihilated it.
More missiles streaked in despite the best attempts of Zentraedi gunners and pilots to stop them and detonated. Naquada-enhanced nuclear hell enveloped the rear ranks of the Zentraedi fleet a hellfire that only grew brighter and wider as more missiles – both from the luna launch sites and the six destroyers recycling their missile tubes – streaked in adding to the carnage. Shockwaves of supercharged plasma raced outwards, accompanied by a deluge of semi-molten wreckage, slamming into the ranks of battlepods, fighters and the hulls of other Zentraedi capital ships spreading the mayhem.
Finally, the blasts cooled and dissipated revealing a scene of utter devastation as numerous Zentraedi warships were simply gone, erase from existence by the enhanced weapons whose individual power rivalled that of a reflex warhead. Yet more were drifting or spinning out of control, heavily damaged and in many cases on fire from the intensity of both the plasma shockwave and its accompanying massive burst of radiation that simply overwhelmed shielding designed to keep it out.
Not content with the damage their missile salvos had inflicted the corvettes and destroyers of the quick strike groups opened up with their energy weapons slamming bolts of plasma and slender charged particle beams into already wounded hulls.
The result was carnage.
Zentraedi Command Dreadnought
"What in Zor's name was that?"
Commander Breetai's shocked question hung in the air as the great warlord, one of the greatest of his kind second only to Dolza himself, stared in shock and no small amount of horror at the utterly decimated rear flank of his fleet. He almost thought the weapons used were reflex warheads, they could after all inflict such catastrophic losses, but the blasts were all wrong. There was also no gravitational sheering waves or blizzard of antimatter particles that accompanied reflex weapon detonations nothing but plasma and a lot of hard radiation.
"Sensors indicate some kind of enhanced nuclear fusion warheads," Exedore answered as shaken by the attack as his superior was. "It's that element again however this time our sensors have been able to identify it."
"What is it?" Breetai asked, "and what's the status of our rear formation?"
"It's naquada commander. It's a rare element back in our native galaxy but must be far more common here," Exedore replied prompting Breetai to scowl at that. He vaguely remembered hearing about naquada and how it could be used to among other things enhance weapons and if he remembered right the Asgard – a foe that the Zentraedi feared and respected in equal measure as the grey micronians were formidable warriors who had wiped out whole fleets and armies of Zentraedi in the past and indeed were powerful enough that even the Robotech Masters were cautious around them – also made use of it.
"As to the extent of our losses we have eighty-three ships destroyed, one hundred and four with damage ranging from mild to severe and nearly ten thousand fighter and battlepods annihilated with another ten thousand now drifting dead in space," Exedore continued making Breetai's scowl deepen. That was a severe loss indeed though he also had to admire this unknown race for the tactic they'd employed against his forces. They were clearly a warrior people and thus entitled to respect.
Still now it was time to make them pay for their attack.
"Detail some ships to eliminate the ships that attacked and proceed to destroy the revealed launch facilities on the moon," he ordered into one of the comm scopes.
"Yes commander," one of the fleet coordinators on the lower level of the bridge responded immediately.
While his order was carried out Breetai looked back at the tactical display. And blinked in surprise when he saw that the warships that had been firing at them, and inflicting considerable damage and casualties, had moved away. According to the tactical display they were now on the opposite side of the planet for some reason.
"Opinion Exedore why do you think the unknowns have withdrawn their fleet to the other side of the planet?"
"I believe that they have probably withdrawn to recharge their shields commander. They will no doubt return soon and reengage us until then we have an opportunity to complete our mission."
"Indeed," Breetai agreed seeing immediately what his advisor was getting at as with the temporary withdrawal of the warships the only thing between them and Zor's battlefortress was the orbital defences and any defences that the island had beyond the shield dome. Thankfully they were quite experienced in dealing with such things as they had literally centuries of knowledge and experience in planetary assaults to draw upon.
"Instruct all ships concentrate all fire on the orbital defence platforms and satellites," he ordered, "prepare our dropships for deployment. Instruct several of our battlecruisers to launch their strike modules, they're to advance on the island where Zor's battlefortress is landed and take down its defences."
"Yes commander."
Once again, the diminished, but still very dangerous, Zentraedi fleet opened fire sending out a storm of both heavy and standard particle beams. All of them focused on a mere handful of orbital defence platforms, specifically those that could in anyway impede their attack upon Macross Island. Shields flared nova bright as they fought to withstand the onslaught.
It was a battle that they were never going to win.
Even as heavy particle beams, heavy plasma bolts and Hellfire missiles shot back towards the Zentraedi ships – the latter immediately attracting undivided attention from defensive gunners and fighters alike – one satellite after another lost shields allowing dozens of beams to strike each unmanned defence satellite quickly tearing them apart. Keeping their guard up, mindful of the fact that their current foes admittedly formidable warships could appear from hyperspace and reengage them at any time, the Zentraedi began a careful approach to Earth.
United Earth Defence Command
Alaska Base, Alaska
"Admiral the enemy fleet is approaching an extremely high orbit," a sensor operator reported, "we're picking up additional craft being launched from the command dreadnought and the three second largest ships in the fleet. Also, several ships appear to be separating somehow."
"So, I see lieutenant," Admiral Hayes replied frowning as he observed the tactical display screen, he had hoped that the orbital defence satellites – rated as they were to withstand sustained fire from the plasma batteries of a Goa'uld Ha'tak-class mothership – would have slowed the Zentraedi down much more than they had, given their ships more time to finish restoring their shields so they could return and reengage. Unfortunately, the Zentraedi had swept the satellites aside without much effort and now were preparing to send down their ground forces.
"Tell all planetary batteries that have a lock on them to open fire," he ordered. "Also contact Admiral Xia find out how much longer they need to finish recharging their shields. Then I want a status update on the SDF-1's launch preparations from Captain Gloval."
"Aye sir."
Movement on the tactical display caught Donald's attention at that moment. He looked at it and frowned noting that the Zentraedi fleet was changing its formation somewhat, opening up their firing arcs while still giving themselves mutual defensive fire coverage. The new formation seemed a little odd until he realised what it was, they were assuming a position for a limited orbital bombardment all of it focused on Macross Island.
"Inform General O'Neill that the attack on the island is about to begin," he ordered seeing the ships that had separated from the others moving into position around the island as well.
"Aye sir."
"Sir we're receiving a message from Admiral Xia. All ships have completed shield recharge and are ready to jump back into battle."
Donald frowned thoughtfully. "Not yet," he muttered a plan beginning to form inside his head. "Is the SDF-1 ready to launch?"
"Yes, sir they are but with the island about to come under attack they might not be able to get away."
"That's alright as long as they keep the Zentraedi distracted. Get me Admiral's Xia and Chase as well as Captain Gloval. We need a new plan if we're going to win this battle."
"Aye sir."
Authors Notes: Well, another chapter bites the dust I hope you all enjoyed it. I really wanted to do something different in this reality with regards to the battle between Earth and the Zentraedi. While Earth is more powerful than it is in Robotech canon due to adapting various technologies from the Stargate as well as naquada the Zentraedi are still a serious threat due to their superior numbers. In the next chapter we will have the battle over Macross Island, hopefully it won't take me long to write it for you. Until next time.