Andrew Wilson
21st November 2003, 07:00 AM
Previous chapters are at http://templar.anifics.com/
Disclaimer: The characters within belong to Pioneer and Harmony Gold.
No profit was made from this work of fiction
No Need For Protoculture
by Andrew Wilson
Chapter 17: Home For The Holidays
Ryoko stared at the carrier that had been rigged up for Alexander. She
had been maintaining that position since Tenchi arrived back onboard
Na'tok two days earlier. Occasionally she would feed, change, or play
with the boy (or attempt to, Tenchi more often than not ended up
rescuing the baby), but she was still overwhelmed by the revelation.
"Yosho's dead," she whispered in awe every hour or so. "And he had
another kid before he croaked."
"That's about the size of it," Tenchi said on the last day of their
journey. "I...can't believe he's gone."
"I can't either," Ryoko replied. "What happens now?"
"That depends on Sasami," Tenchi said. "I don't know why he was so sure
she'd be willing-"
"The same way that Sasami knew those three would be there," Ryoko responded.
"I guess so, but-" Tenchi cut off as a klaxon started howling. "I guess
we're about to de-fold. I'd better get to the bridge."
Ryoko looked to Alexander. "I'll keep the tyke company...I think."
Tenchi chuckled. "Right."
*******
"Nice to have you join up, Commander," Forsythe growled as Tenchi dashed
onto the bridge.
"What's going on, Tom?" Tenchi asked.
"We made a mistake in the fold, and lost almost two months," Forsythe
replied. "It's Christmas Eve, and Macross is under attack."
"What!" Tenchi was already heading for the bridge hatch. "Transfer
everything to my flight computer. And get Zaria and Montoya to their
Vindicators. We're going down there."
Forsythe nodded. "Better hurry. Looks like a hit-and-run going on."
Tenchi nodded. This was bad. If the malcontents were getting so bold
as to attack Macross itself, then things must have gotten worse over the
past four months. "Tell SDF Control that we're on the way."
*******
Hurricane Squadron's three Vindicator's shot out of the Na'tok's hanger
five minutes later. Tenchi reviewed the scant download as the autopilot
in his Veritech took the mecha into the atmosphere. Projections
indicated they were a little over ten minutes out of Macross, so he had
a little time. Oddly enough, Earth had acquired another moon while they
were away, but Tenchi was unable to pay much attention to the 'factory
satellite' as it was labeled on his scope.
"Oh no," he whispered. "Not Khyron."
But the data didn't lie. Khyron and Azonia had apparently survived the
Rain of Death and had been building their strength for the past two
years. And now they were striking out.
"What's the plan?" Zaria asked over the tactical channel.
"No word yet from SDF control," Tenchi replied. "So if it doesn't have a
friendly transponder, splash it."
"Roger," Montoya said. "Any priorities?"
Tenchi considered the question for a moment, and the information he
remember about Khyron. "Officer Pods and Power Armor, or anyone that
looks like a commander. Shoot straight and stay together, you two."
*******
"SDF-2 to Hurricane Flight," Captain Hayes' familiar voice was a welcome
sound in Tenchi's earpiece, "the Zentradi are in retreat. What is your
ammunition status?"
"Full load, Captain," Tenchi replied. "Armor piercing and plasma mix."
"There are some mecha escorting the Cyclops away from Macross." Tenchi
winced at the venom in Hayes' voice. "Why don't you show them the depth
of their error, Commander. Be advised, the Cyclops pod is believed to
be carrying a load of Protoculture. Disable only, we need it intact."
"Aye, Captain." Tenchi cut the circuit and relayed the orders his
wingmates. A bit of Hayes' hostility infected him as he brought the
veritech around to an intercept course and hit the afterburners.
*Christmas Eve,* came the growl in his head. *There would have been
families and children enjoying themselves all around Macross, and those
bastards just killed them. Why? Because they wanted Protoculture.*
Tenchi armed his weapons and settled himself in his seat. If Khyron
wanted trouble, he was about to get it in spades.
None of his companions made any comments as they closed on the fleeing
Zentradi mecha. The next ten minutes were tense as they continued on
the course given by the SDF-2. Tenchi jumped when the radar finally
pinged in reception. There were close to forty battlepods of various
types up ahead, but nothing else.
Tenchi keyed the squadron channel. "Zaria, keep scanning the area. I
want to know where the Cyclops went."
"Yes, sir," came Zaria's tense reply.
"Why not me?" Montoya asked.
"You can't split your attention as well as I can," Zaria said before
Tenchi could answer.
The radio crackled suddenly as a new, and unexpected, transmission
interrupted. "Is this the famous Commander Masaki?"
Tenchi clenched his teeth as recognition flooded in. "Yes, Khyron. Are
you in that little group up ahead? The one with," Tenchi made a show of
pausing to check the range readout, "thirty seconds to live."
"Oh no," Khyron drawled. "I abhor violence. Dreadful practice, don't
you agree?"
"I don't know," Montoya quipped. "Why don't you come on out so we can
discuss it, face to missile."
"I have a trace," Zaria said suddenly.
"No, you don't," Khyron said. Tenchi's radar suddenly screamed as a
swarm of missiles appeared from the far side of the mecha formation and
screamed in. Tenchi instantly hit the emergency key on his weapons
panel that was designed for just this kind of encounter. Two panels on
his Vindicator's dorsal structure (what would become the shoulders of
the battleoid when transformed) slid open and sixteen plasma missiles
shot forward and spread out to meet the incoming wave.
The missiles detonated when their simple computer chip brains told them
that other missiles were close by. The wave of plasma washed over the
incoming warheads and caused them to detonate. The chain reaction
spread to the remainder of the missiles in the swarm as the warheads
committed fratricide.
Tenchi's radar pinged again as the mecha formation entered optimal range
for Hurricane's missiles. "Pick your targets and fire."
Over seven score missiles flew from Hurricane's launchers. Each
battlepod had three missiles homing in. The three officer's pods were
each targeted by five.
There was no need for any followup.
"Oh my, you humans are so aggressive," Khyron continued. "Perhaps I will
see you again some other time. Ta ta." Another crackled signaled the
circuit cutting.
"Zaria?" Tenchi asked. "Where was the trace?"
"Just ahead. Coming into range."
The cluster of artillery pods had depleted their missiles in that swarm,
and were easy prey for the Vindicators' gun pods.
*******
Tenchi felt decades older as he stood in front of Captain Hayes' desk an
hour later. No trace had been found of the Cyclops pod which stole the
supply of Protoculture, despite a number of search efforts. And while
no one suggested that there was anything he could do differently, Tenchi
felt like a failure.
It was not a feeling he had much experience with, and he didn't like it
at all.
"Any snags with the cargo transfer?" Hayes asked.
Tenchi blinked in surprised, then quickly regained his center. "None,
Ma'am. Everything went smoothly. We're not quite sure what caused the
fold mishap."
"I'm sure Doctor Lang will be interested in examining it," Hayes said
smoothly. "I just hope nothing like that goes wrong with the SDF-2's
fold engines. It would be pretty bad if they showed up at their
destination months or even years late."
"Captain," Tenchi began, "about the cyclops-"
"Don't go there, Tenchi," Hayes whispered. "I know exactly what you're
going to say. You're going to apologize for not catching up to it, for
not finding it, for letting Khyron's rear guard distract you, and
possibly even for your ship's fold mechanism malfunctioning. I don't
want to hear it."
Tenchi paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."
Hayes blew a curl of hair out of her eyes as she leaned back. "Well,
that was easier than I expected. Maybe I should have had Rick in fist
and finished the day with you."
"Excuse me, Captain?"
Hayes shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Masaki. I heard you have
some news and a package to deliver to your family. Get going, you
probably have a lot of catching up to do. You're off duty until after
New Years."
Tenchi simply nodded. "Thank you, Ma'am."
*******
Tenchi ran into Rick as he was leaving the command section of the SDF-2.
If possible, his friend looked worse than Tenchi felt.
"How bad has it been, lately?" Tenchi asked.
"Huh?" Rick shook himself. "Sorry, Tenchi, didn't notice you there." He
paused for a moment and sighed. "Bad. Every rogue Zentradi within ten
thousand klicks is gravitating toward Khyron. Everyday more Zentradi
simply walk away from their jobs and join one of the malcontent bands."
"The education programs aren't working?" Tenchi asked.
Rick shook his head. "No, they're working. Too well, in fact. Instead
of facing what could be called a barbarian hoard with heavy mecha, we're
facing an organized and intelligent force with heavy mecha."
Tenchi nodded. "Listen, I need to get back to the city. What do you
think is the fastest way with all the crews in the street?"
Rick tapped his jaw as he considered the question. "Talk to Colonel
Emerson."
"Destroid pilot, right?" The image in Tenchi's head was a tall,
broad-shouldered man who was as hot at the controls of an Excaliber as
Rick was with a Veritech. "He was in command of the destroid corps on
the SDF-1 after Colonel Maurer was killed?"
"Yeah, that's him," Rick replied. "He's an old friend of Roy's. Anyway,
he's in charge of defenses around Macross until the civil defense forces
recover. He might let you park your Vindicator in your back yard if you
say it could be used for quick response in case of emergency, or some BS
like that."
Tenchi smirked. "Thanks, I'll remember that one."
"Catch you later," Rick waved over his shoulder as he headed to Captain
Hayes' office. Tenchi stepped into the lift and punched the main hanger
into the destination panel.
*******
"As long as Gloval is around," Colonel T.R. Edwards stated, "our plans
won't have any chance of succeeding."
Anatole Leonard shrugged his massive shoulders from the other side of
his desk. "Gloval is the only thing holding the coalition of survivors
together. In case you haven't noticed, the Russians look to him like he
was the second coming. If he were gone, they would probably be forming
their own state."
"So?" Edwards smiled. "With orbital industries recovering, we don't need
Siberia. And if everything else shatters, so what? The best leaders
are born from the fires of chaos."
The two of them made an odd conspiracy. Edwards was a power-hungry
opportunist, but he didn't have any resources after the destruction of
the UEDC and his two years of imposed hermitage. Leonard was a
mercenary commander from the Global War that managed to secure a
commission in the RDF after the Rain of Death. His small force in the
Zentradi Control Zone was isolated and under constant pressure. The
prefect place to groom people under his command into his own (highly
competent) personality cult. The addition of Edwards' Ghost Rider
squadron originally made for personality clashes, but soon the two
veterans were conspiring like old friends.
"I'm not so sure," Leonard admitted. "I think that the RDF still has too
much clout with the governments. All the surviving members of
Earth-bound military units have flocked to their banner."
"So?" Edwards sneered. "The scraps of the barrel, those lucky enough to
be nowhere important when the Rain started."
Leonard gave Edwards a level look. "I know you worked for the Chinese
during most of the war, but don't be so stupid as to believe the
propaganda they spouted during the latter years. We are talking about
nearly twenty percent of the United States Army, forty percent of the
Marine Corps, and thirty percent of the navy. About equal numbers of
Russian forces, I might add."
Edwards waved a hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter. Dock workers and
trainees."
"Aircraft carriers," Leonard replied. "Submarine crew. Entire Special
Forces commands. The best of the best, in many cases. Don't
underestimate them, Edwards."
Edwards shrugged. "Fine. No killing Gloval. Though with how the
Malcontents are acting up, I might not have to. And you'll be a hero,
Anatole."
"Lets just make sure that title isn't posthumous."
*******
Ayeka and Ryoko were waiting inside the house as Tenchi landed in the
yard and secured his Vindicator. Emerson not only had been willing to
allow Tenchi to take his Vindicator into town, he had managed to prod
the ground crews into getting his mecha serviced in record time.
"About time you got back." Ryoko smirked as she drifted through the air
and into Tenchi's arms.
Ayeka sat on the couch and held Alexander in her arms. Her expression
was a mix of awe and grief as a smile clashed with tears. "Sasami will
be here soon, Tenchi. Did Yosho say anything else to you before he
died? Anything you forgot to tell Ryoko."
Tenchi shook his head as the wave of grief washed over him. "I'm sorry.
I only had a few minutes with him."
Ayeka nodded. "But why Sasami? She's so busy in Monument."
"It's not safe here," Tenchi replied. He gently dropped Ryoko onto one
side of the couch and flopped down beside her. "I don't know what it was
like for you here, but from what I've heard has happened in the past
months, Macross is the biggest target in North America."
Ayeka nodded. "Yes, that is true. I should probably move down there, as
well."
Tenchi sat up suddenly, his fatigue was temporarily forgotten. Ryoko
mirrored his action. "Why?"
"Because of you two," Ayeka replied. "I know, this house is much larger
than either of you two need. But you are also building a kind of future
together, and I need to do that same. But I need to build mine apart
from who I've leaned on before. I did some of that two years ago with
Father, but it's not enough."
Tenchi nodded slowly. "I understand. Sasami's not coming, is she?"
"No," Ayeka admitted. "I will take Alexander to Monument City tomorrow
morning. By this time next month, I will be down there full time."
"Thank you," Ryoko said softly.
Tenchi nodded. "We're here if you ever need a place to stay."
Ayeka nodded. "I know. Thank you."
*******
Two weeks later, the peace and recovery of Macross was interrupted by a
hail of missiles raining down across the entire city. Skull Squadron
shot out of the ground-based hangers to meet the few mecha on assault.
Hurricane flight took to the air a moment later. They still hadn't
assembled a new class for Hurricane, so Tenchi was limited to Montoya
and Zaria on his wings.
"One battleship," Zaria reported. "Fifteen kilometers out. It's
charging weapons."
Tenchi felt the blood drain from his face at Zaria's statement.
"Particle cannon?"
"Negative," Zaria quickly replied. "Spinal laser only."
"Incoming missiles!" Montoya screamed.
It seems as though every missile launcher on the battleship was aimed
directly at Hurricane flight. Tenchi triggered his counter missiles and
took his Vindicator into a steep dive to the streets of Macross. Behind
him, the swarm of missiles committed fratricide, but a few got through.
"Damn!" Montoya's voice cut in. "I'm hit, boss. Losing power. I'll see
you on the ground."
"I've also sustained damage, Commander," Zaria's cool tone added. "I'm
sorry."
"Just get to safety," Tenchi ordered.
"I'm coming in, Tenchi," Ryoko's voice cut into the squadron channel.
"I'm already sub-orbital. Ayeka's on the ground with the guardians."
"Right, thanks." Tenchi risked a glance at his radar as he flew less
than three meters above the streets. The battleship had struck the
SDF-2 dead center and overflown Macross. The SDF-2 was sinking into the
lake, but something else was happening. The SDF-1, long thought
non-functional, rose from the lake like an avenging angel.
The twin booms of the main gun were charging as Tenchi brought his
Vindicator around. The few mecha forces had been eliminated by Skull
squadron already. The Veritechs and Destroids were expending their
munitions against the thick armor to no effect. Weapon turrets blew
away, sensors were blinded, and hanger doors were shut for all time.
But the ship finished its turn and plunged toward the SDF-1 like a
juggernaut.
Tenchi threw the throttle wide open as he focused on the SDF-1's bridge
tower. With barely a thought, he switched his radio frequency from the
general tactical frequency to a special, private channel.
"I could use some help," he stated. "The only people on the SDF-1 are
the bridge crew."
"I'm already there, Tenchi," Ayeka's voice replied. "But Azaka and
Kamidaki can't seem to teleport into the bridge. We need to remove the
observation bubble."
Tenchi didn't reply as he switched to Battleoid mode and landed on the
'shoulder' of the battle fortress. He also tried to ignore the flaming
wreck that was lumbering towards them. The bowl-shaped 'bubble' was
designed to withstand heavy missile fire, so Tenchi knew his
Vindicator's weapon systems wouldn't affect it.
But that didn't mean he couldn't do it.
Tenchi concentrated, and the circuitry Washu had added to his mecha over
a year before hummed in reply. A sword of blue light formed in the
battleoid's hand and Tenchi drove it into the bowl.
"Hang on," Ryoko's voice called over the radio, "I'm on my way."
"We're out of time!" Tenchi shouted as main gun let loose a wave of
hellfire at the approaching battleship.
*******
"No we're not," Ryoko growled. The afterburners were already beginning
to overheat, but she poured on more speed by activating the main drive.
Only then did she look down at the furry bundle in her lap.
"Get out of here, Ryo-ohki."
The cabbit shook her head and gave a defiant 'Meow!'
"Now!" Ryoko shouted as the SDF-1 came into view. "Do it! Override
klatu verada nicto!"
Ryo-ohki froze for an instant, then faded from sight.
*******
Ayeka gave a start when Ryo-ohki landed on her shoulder. She pushed
that from her mind as the final cut was made and Tenchi dispelled his sword.
"Azaka, Kamidaki! Go!"
"Yes Ma'am," her guardian's replied as they rushed into the bridge.
Ayeka was going to give her next command when a blur rushed by at many
times the speed of sound. An instant later, she and Tenchi were thrown
off the SDF-1's hull and into mid-air. Ryo-ohki was the first to
recover and transformed into her ship-form and transported Ayeka away
from the battle fortress. Tenchi quickly shifted to Guardian mode and
followed the transformed cabbit away from the expected explosion. Ayeka
looked back and saw a dark blur plow into Zentradi battleship from
below. The battleship bucked once, then began to rise steadily above
the SDF-1.
Ryo-ohki deposited them on the shore of the lake and shifted back to her
smaller form. Tears were in the cabbit's eyes as she watched the
battleship rise higher into the sky.
"Oh no," Tenchi breathed as he stood on his Vindicator's nose. "Ryoko!"
Tenchi dropped to the ground at the same moment the Zentradi ship
vanished in an explosion of white light. The battleship was completely
consumed, and the upper portion of the SDF-1 was shattered by the blast.
A few seconds later, the pressure wave from the explosion knocked
everyone to the ground, including the bridge crew Ayeka's guardian's had
dropped off.
"Ryoko!" Tenchi cried.
Ayeka stared at the fading cloud of plasma. "I never thought it would
end like this. She was too much of a survivor to allow this to happen...."
"She knew what had to be done," Tenchi whispered. Ayeka mutely nodded.
Tenchi felt tears running down his face as the wind carried the smell of
smoke and burnt flesh from the fires. The new year was supposed to
bring hope and joy. Instead, it brought death and misery.
Gravel crunched and Tenchi glanced over to see Rick jogging up. "What
happened?" he frantically asked. "The SDFs, Lisa!"
"I'm here, Rick," Hayes all but collapsed into Hunter's arms. "We made
it, Tenchi got us out in time."
Tenchi shook his head. "Ryoko did it, not me. We would have been killed
by the colision if she hadn't..." Tenchi had to cut off his words as
sobs threatened to overwhelm his speech.
"Did someone order barbecue? Oh, wait, that's me."
Tenchi's eyes bugged out as he turned toward the sudden voice.
A smile split Ryoko's soot-streaked face. "I guess I waited a little to
long before teleporting out. Sorry."
A strange event happened. For the first time in memory, Tenchi all but
tackled Ryoko in a bearhug and swept her off her feet.
End Chapter 17
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Disclaimer: The characters within belong to Pioneer and Harmony Gold.
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No Need For Protoculture
by Andrew Wilson
Chapter 17: Home For The Holidays
Ryoko stared at the carrier that had been rigged up for Alexander. She
had been maintaining that position since Tenchi arrived back onboard
Na'tok two days earlier. Occasionally she would feed, change, or play
with the boy (or attempt to, Tenchi more often than not ended up
rescuing the baby), but she was still overwhelmed by the revelation.
"Yosho's dead," she whispered in awe every hour or so. "And he had
another kid before he croaked."
"That's about the size of it," Tenchi said on the last day of their
journey. "I...can't believe he's gone."
"I can't either," Ryoko replied. "What happens now?"
"That depends on Sasami," Tenchi said. "I don't know why he was so sure
she'd be willing-"
"The same way that Sasami knew those three would be there," Ryoko responded.
"I guess so, but-" Tenchi cut off as a klaxon started howling. "I guess
we're about to de-fold. I'd better get to the bridge."
Ryoko looked to Alexander. "I'll keep the tyke company...I think."
Tenchi chuckled. "Right."
*******
"Nice to have you join up, Commander," Forsythe growled as Tenchi dashed
onto the bridge.
"What's going on, Tom?" Tenchi asked.
"We made a mistake in the fold, and lost almost two months," Forsythe
replied. "It's Christmas Eve, and Macross is under attack."
"What!" Tenchi was already heading for the bridge hatch. "Transfer
everything to my flight computer. And get Zaria and Montoya to their
Vindicators. We're going down there."
Forsythe nodded. "Better hurry. Looks like a hit-and-run going on."
Tenchi nodded. This was bad. If the malcontents were getting so bold
as to attack Macross itself, then things must have gotten worse over the
past four months. "Tell SDF Control that we're on the way."
*******
Hurricane Squadron's three Vindicator's shot out of the Na'tok's hanger
five minutes later. Tenchi reviewed the scant download as the autopilot
in his Veritech took the mecha into the atmosphere. Projections
indicated they were a little over ten minutes out of Macross, so he had
a little time. Oddly enough, Earth had acquired another moon while they
were away, but Tenchi was unable to pay much attention to the 'factory
satellite' as it was labeled on his scope.
"Oh no," he whispered. "Not Khyron."
But the data didn't lie. Khyron and Azonia had apparently survived the
Rain of Death and had been building their strength for the past two
years. And now they were striking out.
"What's the plan?" Zaria asked over the tactical channel.
"No word yet from SDF control," Tenchi replied. "So if it doesn't have a
friendly transponder, splash it."
"Roger," Montoya said. "Any priorities?"
Tenchi considered the question for a moment, and the information he
remember about Khyron. "Officer Pods and Power Armor, or anyone that
looks like a commander. Shoot straight and stay together, you two."
*******
"SDF-2 to Hurricane Flight," Captain Hayes' familiar voice was a welcome
sound in Tenchi's earpiece, "the Zentradi are in retreat. What is your
ammunition status?"
"Full load, Captain," Tenchi replied. "Armor piercing and plasma mix."
"There are some mecha escorting the Cyclops away from Macross." Tenchi
winced at the venom in Hayes' voice. "Why don't you show them the depth
of their error, Commander. Be advised, the Cyclops pod is believed to
be carrying a load of Protoculture. Disable only, we need it intact."
"Aye, Captain." Tenchi cut the circuit and relayed the orders his
wingmates. A bit of Hayes' hostility infected him as he brought the
veritech around to an intercept course and hit the afterburners.
*Christmas Eve,* came the growl in his head. *There would have been
families and children enjoying themselves all around Macross, and those
bastards just killed them. Why? Because they wanted Protoculture.*
Tenchi armed his weapons and settled himself in his seat. If Khyron
wanted trouble, he was about to get it in spades.
None of his companions made any comments as they closed on the fleeing
Zentradi mecha. The next ten minutes were tense as they continued on
the course given by the SDF-2. Tenchi jumped when the radar finally
pinged in reception. There were close to forty battlepods of various
types up ahead, but nothing else.
Tenchi keyed the squadron channel. "Zaria, keep scanning the area. I
want to know where the Cyclops went."
"Yes, sir," came Zaria's tense reply.
"Why not me?" Montoya asked.
"You can't split your attention as well as I can," Zaria said before
Tenchi could answer.
The radio crackled suddenly as a new, and unexpected, transmission
interrupted. "Is this the famous Commander Masaki?"
Tenchi clenched his teeth as recognition flooded in. "Yes, Khyron. Are
you in that little group up ahead? The one with," Tenchi made a show of
pausing to check the range readout, "thirty seconds to live."
"Oh no," Khyron drawled. "I abhor violence. Dreadful practice, don't
you agree?"
"I don't know," Montoya quipped. "Why don't you come on out so we can
discuss it, face to missile."
"I have a trace," Zaria said suddenly.
"No, you don't," Khyron said. Tenchi's radar suddenly screamed as a
swarm of missiles appeared from the far side of the mecha formation and
screamed in. Tenchi instantly hit the emergency key on his weapons
panel that was designed for just this kind of encounter. Two panels on
his Vindicator's dorsal structure (what would become the shoulders of
the battleoid when transformed) slid open and sixteen plasma missiles
shot forward and spread out to meet the incoming wave.
The missiles detonated when their simple computer chip brains told them
that other missiles were close by. The wave of plasma washed over the
incoming warheads and caused them to detonate. The chain reaction
spread to the remainder of the missiles in the swarm as the warheads
committed fratricide.
Tenchi's radar pinged again as the mecha formation entered optimal range
for Hurricane's missiles. "Pick your targets and fire."
Over seven score missiles flew from Hurricane's launchers. Each
battlepod had three missiles homing in. The three officer's pods were
each targeted by five.
There was no need for any followup.
"Oh my, you humans are so aggressive," Khyron continued. "Perhaps I will
see you again some other time. Ta ta." Another crackled signaled the
circuit cutting.
"Zaria?" Tenchi asked. "Where was the trace?"
"Just ahead. Coming into range."
The cluster of artillery pods had depleted their missiles in that swarm,
and were easy prey for the Vindicators' gun pods.
*******
Tenchi felt decades older as he stood in front of Captain Hayes' desk an
hour later. No trace had been found of the Cyclops pod which stole the
supply of Protoculture, despite a number of search efforts. And while
no one suggested that there was anything he could do differently, Tenchi
felt like a failure.
It was not a feeling he had much experience with, and he didn't like it
at all.
"Any snags with the cargo transfer?" Hayes asked.
Tenchi blinked in surprised, then quickly regained his center. "None,
Ma'am. Everything went smoothly. We're not quite sure what caused the
fold mishap."
"I'm sure Doctor Lang will be interested in examining it," Hayes said
smoothly. "I just hope nothing like that goes wrong with the SDF-2's
fold engines. It would be pretty bad if they showed up at their
destination months or even years late."
"Captain," Tenchi began, "about the cyclops-"
"Don't go there, Tenchi," Hayes whispered. "I know exactly what you're
going to say. You're going to apologize for not catching up to it, for
not finding it, for letting Khyron's rear guard distract you, and
possibly even for your ship's fold mechanism malfunctioning. I don't
want to hear it."
Tenchi paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."
Hayes blew a curl of hair out of her eyes as she leaned back. "Well,
that was easier than I expected. Maybe I should have had Rick in fist
and finished the day with you."
"Excuse me, Captain?"
Hayes shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Masaki. I heard you have
some news and a package to deliver to your family. Get going, you
probably have a lot of catching up to do. You're off duty until after
New Years."
Tenchi simply nodded. "Thank you, Ma'am."
*******
Tenchi ran into Rick as he was leaving the command section of the SDF-2.
If possible, his friend looked worse than Tenchi felt.
"How bad has it been, lately?" Tenchi asked.
"Huh?" Rick shook himself. "Sorry, Tenchi, didn't notice you there." He
paused for a moment and sighed. "Bad. Every rogue Zentradi within ten
thousand klicks is gravitating toward Khyron. Everyday more Zentradi
simply walk away from their jobs and join one of the malcontent bands."
"The education programs aren't working?" Tenchi asked.
Rick shook his head. "No, they're working. Too well, in fact. Instead
of facing what could be called a barbarian hoard with heavy mecha, we're
facing an organized and intelligent force with heavy mecha."
Tenchi nodded. "Listen, I need to get back to the city. What do you
think is the fastest way with all the crews in the street?"
Rick tapped his jaw as he considered the question. "Talk to Colonel
Emerson."
"Destroid pilot, right?" The image in Tenchi's head was a tall,
broad-shouldered man who was as hot at the controls of an Excaliber as
Rick was with a Veritech. "He was in command of the destroid corps on
the SDF-1 after Colonel Maurer was killed?"
"Yeah, that's him," Rick replied. "He's an old friend of Roy's. Anyway,
he's in charge of defenses around Macross until the civil defense forces
recover. He might let you park your Vindicator in your back yard if you
say it could be used for quick response in case of emergency, or some BS
like that."
Tenchi smirked. "Thanks, I'll remember that one."
"Catch you later," Rick waved over his shoulder as he headed to Captain
Hayes' office. Tenchi stepped into the lift and punched the main hanger
into the destination panel.
*******
"As long as Gloval is around," Colonel T.R. Edwards stated, "our plans
won't have any chance of succeeding."
Anatole Leonard shrugged his massive shoulders from the other side of
his desk. "Gloval is the only thing holding the coalition of survivors
together. In case you haven't noticed, the Russians look to him like he
was the second coming. If he were gone, they would probably be forming
their own state."
"So?" Edwards smiled. "With orbital industries recovering, we don't need
Siberia. And if everything else shatters, so what? The best leaders
are born from the fires of chaos."
The two of them made an odd conspiracy. Edwards was a power-hungry
opportunist, but he didn't have any resources after the destruction of
the UEDC and his two years of imposed hermitage. Leonard was a
mercenary commander from the Global War that managed to secure a
commission in the RDF after the Rain of Death. His small force in the
Zentradi Control Zone was isolated and under constant pressure. The
prefect place to groom people under his command into his own (highly
competent) personality cult. The addition of Edwards' Ghost Rider
squadron originally made for personality clashes, but soon the two
veterans were conspiring like old friends.
"I'm not so sure," Leonard admitted. "I think that the RDF still has too
much clout with the governments. All the surviving members of
Earth-bound military units have flocked to their banner."
"So?" Edwards sneered. "The scraps of the barrel, those lucky enough to
be nowhere important when the Rain started."
Leonard gave Edwards a level look. "I know you worked for the Chinese
during most of the war, but don't be so stupid as to believe the
propaganda they spouted during the latter years. We are talking about
nearly twenty percent of the United States Army, forty percent of the
Marine Corps, and thirty percent of the navy. About equal numbers of
Russian forces, I might add."
Edwards waved a hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter. Dock workers and
trainees."
"Aircraft carriers," Leonard replied. "Submarine crew. Entire Special
Forces commands. The best of the best, in many cases. Don't
underestimate them, Edwards."
Edwards shrugged. "Fine. No killing Gloval. Though with how the
Malcontents are acting up, I might not have to. And you'll be a hero,
Anatole."
"Lets just make sure that title isn't posthumous."
*******
Ayeka and Ryoko were waiting inside the house as Tenchi landed in the
yard and secured his Vindicator. Emerson not only had been willing to
allow Tenchi to take his Vindicator into town, he had managed to prod
the ground crews into getting his mecha serviced in record time.
"About time you got back." Ryoko smirked as she drifted through the air
and into Tenchi's arms.
Ayeka sat on the couch and held Alexander in her arms. Her expression
was a mix of awe and grief as a smile clashed with tears. "Sasami will
be here soon, Tenchi. Did Yosho say anything else to you before he
died? Anything you forgot to tell Ryoko."
Tenchi shook his head as the wave of grief washed over him. "I'm sorry.
I only had a few minutes with him."
Ayeka nodded. "But why Sasami? She's so busy in Monument."
"It's not safe here," Tenchi replied. He gently dropped Ryoko onto one
side of the couch and flopped down beside her. "I don't know what it was
like for you here, but from what I've heard has happened in the past
months, Macross is the biggest target in North America."
Ayeka nodded. "Yes, that is true. I should probably move down there, as
well."
Tenchi sat up suddenly, his fatigue was temporarily forgotten. Ryoko
mirrored his action. "Why?"
"Because of you two," Ayeka replied. "I know, this house is much larger
than either of you two need. But you are also building a kind of future
together, and I need to do that same. But I need to build mine apart
from who I've leaned on before. I did some of that two years ago with
Father, but it's not enough."
Tenchi nodded slowly. "I understand. Sasami's not coming, is she?"
"No," Ayeka admitted. "I will take Alexander to Monument City tomorrow
morning. By this time next month, I will be down there full time."
"Thank you," Ryoko said softly.
Tenchi nodded. "We're here if you ever need a place to stay."
Ayeka nodded. "I know. Thank you."
*******
Two weeks later, the peace and recovery of Macross was interrupted by a
hail of missiles raining down across the entire city. Skull Squadron
shot out of the ground-based hangers to meet the few mecha on assault.
Hurricane flight took to the air a moment later. They still hadn't
assembled a new class for Hurricane, so Tenchi was limited to Montoya
and Zaria on his wings.
"One battleship," Zaria reported. "Fifteen kilometers out. It's
charging weapons."
Tenchi felt the blood drain from his face at Zaria's statement.
"Particle cannon?"
"Negative," Zaria quickly replied. "Spinal laser only."
"Incoming missiles!" Montoya screamed.
It seems as though every missile launcher on the battleship was aimed
directly at Hurricane flight. Tenchi triggered his counter missiles and
took his Vindicator into a steep dive to the streets of Macross. Behind
him, the swarm of missiles committed fratricide, but a few got through.
"Damn!" Montoya's voice cut in. "I'm hit, boss. Losing power. I'll see
you on the ground."
"I've also sustained damage, Commander," Zaria's cool tone added. "I'm
sorry."
"Just get to safety," Tenchi ordered.
"I'm coming in, Tenchi," Ryoko's voice cut into the squadron channel.
"I'm already sub-orbital. Ayeka's on the ground with the guardians."
"Right, thanks." Tenchi risked a glance at his radar as he flew less
than three meters above the streets. The battleship had struck the
SDF-2 dead center and overflown Macross. The SDF-2 was sinking into the
lake, but something else was happening. The SDF-1, long thought
non-functional, rose from the lake like an avenging angel.
The twin booms of the main gun were charging as Tenchi brought his
Vindicator around. The few mecha forces had been eliminated by Skull
squadron already. The Veritechs and Destroids were expending their
munitions against the thick armor to no effect. Weapon turrets blew
away, sensors were blinded, and hanger doors were shut for all time.
But the ship finished its turn and plunged toward the SDF-1 like a
juggernaut.
Tenchi threw the throttle wide open as he focused on the SDF-1's bridge
tower. With barely a thought, he switched his radio frequency from the
general tactical frequency to a special, private channel.
"I could use some help," he stated. "The only people on the SDF-1 are
the bridge crew."
"I'm already there, Tenchi," Ayeka's voice replied. "But Azaka and
Kamidaki can't seem to teleport into the bridge. We need to remove the
observation bubble."
Tenchi didn't reply as he switched to Battleoid mode and landed on the
'shoulder' of the battle fortress. He also tried to ignore the flaming
wreck that was lumbering towards them. The bowl-shaped 'bubble' was
designed to withstand heavy missile fire, so Tenchi knew his
Vindicator's weapon systems wouldn't affect it.
But that didn't mean he couldn't do it.
Tenchi concentrated, and the circuitry Washu had added to his mecha over
a year before hummed in reply. A sword of blue light formed in the
battleoid's hand and Tenchi drove it into the bowl.
"Hang on," Ryoko's voice called over the radio, "I'm on my way."
"We're out of time!" Tenchi shouted as main gun let loose a wave of
hellfire at the approaching battleship.
*******
"No we're not," Ryoko growled. The afterburners were already beginning
to overheat, but she poured on more speed by activating the main drive.
Only then did she look down at the furry bundle in her lap.
"Get out of here, Ryo-ohki."
The cabbit shook her head and gave a defiant 'Meow!'
"Now!" Ryoko shouted as the SDF-1 came into view. "Do it! Override
klatu verada nicto!"
Ryo-ohki froze for an instant, then faded from sight.
*******
Ayeka gave a start when Ryo-ohki landed on her shoulder. She pushed
that from her mind as the final cut was made and Tenchi dispelled his sword.
"Azaka, Kamidaki! Go!"
"Yes Ma'am," her guardian's replied as they rushed into the bridge.
Ayeka was going to give her next command when a blur rushed by at many
times the speed of sound. An instant later, she and Tenchi were thrown
off the SDF-1's hull and into mid-air. Ryo-ohki was the first to
recover and transformed into her ship-form and transported Ayeka away
from the battle fortress. Tenchi quickly shifted to Guardian mode and
followed the transformed cabbit away from the expected explosion. Ayeka
looked back and saw a dark blur plow into Zentradi battleship from
below. The battleship bucked once, then began to rise steadily above
the SDF-1.
Ryo-ohki deposited them on the shore of the lake and shifted back to her
smaller form. Tears were in the cabbit's eyes as she watched the
battleship rise higher into the sky.
"Oh no," Tenchi breathed as he stood on his Vindicator's nose. "Ryoko!"
Tenchi dropped to the ground at the same moment the Zentradi ship
vanished in an explosion of white light. The battleship was completely
consumed, and the upper portion of the SDF-1 was shattered by the blast.
A few seconds later, the pressure wave from the explosion knocked
everyone to the ground, including the bridge crew Ayeka's guardian's had
dropped off.
"Ryoko!" Tenchi cried.
Ayeka stared at the fading cloud of plasma. "I never thought it would
end like this. She was too much of a survivor to allow this to happen...."
"She knew what had to be done," Tenchi whispered. Ayeka mutely nodded.
Tenchi felt tears running down his face as the wind carried the smell of
smoke and burnt flesh from the fires. The new year was supposed to
bring hope and joy. Instead, it brought death and misery.
Gravel crunched and Tenchi glanced over to see Rick jogging up. "What
happened?" he frantically asked. "The SDFs, Lisa!"
"I'm here, Rick," Hayes all but collapsed into Hunter's arms. "We made
it, Tenchi got us out in time."
Tenchi shook his head. "Ryoko did it, not me. We would have been killed
by the colision if she hadn't..." Tenchi had to cut off his words as
sobs threatened to overwhelm his speech.
"Did someone order barbecue? Oh, wait, that's me."
Tenchi's eyes bugged out as he turned toward the sudden voice.
A smile split Ryoko's soot-streaked face. "I guess I waited a little to
long before teleporting out. Sorry."
A strange event happened. For the first time in memory, Tenchi all but
tackled Ryoko in a bearhug and swept her off her feet.
End Chapter 17
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