Macross Fan Fiction ❯ Honor Against Invid ❯ For the Hour is Getting Late ( Chapter 5 )

"This is all I could find," Jace said, covered in sweat and oil. He had spent the better part of the morning scrounging around the wrecks, one eye scanning for usable mecha and parts and the other eye scanning the murky skies for any more Invid patrols. Smoke still drifted ominously through the area, stinging Jace's eyes. He just hoped that Kharn appreciated his efforts.

Kharn stood there beside Jace, his long white hair tied back in a long ponytail by his red bandana, gazing up at Jace's find. "Will it be useful?" he asked.

Jace smiled. "Sure, it's fully loaded with only some superficial damage. Nothing to bad. Found it in one of the assault pods from a downed Garfish. Lucky too. One of the pod's structural beams collapsed over it, protecting it from any further damage. I may not be a mecha engineer, but from what all I can do, she's ready to fly."

Kharn turned to Jace, his eyes hard and focused. He said, "You miss my point Stromer. Will it be useful for my quest?" He stared back at Jace's find. Squinting his eyes, Kharn remarked, "It looks...unwieldy."

Jace was quick to defend his find. "Look, this is it. All the Alphas I can find are smashed or worse. Some might be made combat-worthy, but only by a certified bio-maintenence engineer, which I am not. But if we are going to invade or assault or, whatever your plan is, an Invid hive, you're probably going to need a diversion. This baby can do that," Jace said proudly, patting the mecha's green armor plating.

Kharn stood rock-still, his brow furrowed in concentration. Finally, he said, "You pilot it."

"No problem," came the quick response.

"Remember though, you have to show me how to use the armor," Kharn reminded him, heading back to camp. "We leave tonight," he called back to Jace.

Jace smiled gleefully, watching Kharn disappear into the smoky horizon. "No problem," he whispered, his gaze going back to the green Beta fighter. Sunlight momentarily peeked through the debris smoke, illuminating the nose of the large REF fighter. "Baby, we're going to make magic together," Jace said, patting the Beta.

Preparations for their departure continued into the night. Jace helped Kharn understand the fundamentals of cyclone he had recovered. More like pieced together, Jace thought, staring at the repaired black VR-041 Saber. Kharn had to scrounge up some spare parts to make the bike operational, but the mecha's protoculture systems was still intact. Clad in black CVR-3 armor, Jace spent an hour or so teaching Kharn how to change modes, till Kharn was doing it flawlessly. Jace was somewhat unsettled to see the painstaking effort and the grim look of Kharn as he sharpened the blades of the CADS-1 system.

With darkness descending, Jace was inside the cargo pod, finishing up with the packing of some spare parts he thought would come in handy. Across the bay, young Josen heaved and hefted a cargo container towards the bay's door. Jace looked on with concern as Josen continued tugging the container across the floor. Josen's blue eyes showed grit and determination. Though he was wheezing and straining, with sweat streaming down out of his curly red hair, the boy did not quit nor did he ask for any help even though he spotted Jace watching him from across the bay. Josen just kept on moving the container, inching ever so closer to the bay's door, a determined unyielding look upon his face. The same look his father has, Jace thought.

Jace rummaged through a box near him, with Josen grunting in the distance. Grabbing a food ration packet, Jace walked over to Josen, carefully not to impede the youth's path to the door. He said, "Hey there, Josen. You look like you are working so hard."

Josen stared thoughtfully at Jace, though he didn't stop. Jace said playfully, "Well, since we are leaving tonight and we probably won't eat any grub for supper, how about taking a break for a moment? You are doing such a good job, but a growing boy like you needs his nourishment." Jace held out the food ration packet. "Here. This is for you. For doing good work."

Josen stopped, his attention focused on the metallic packaging of the ration packet. With some hesistation, Josen took the packet. Jace pointed at the corner, "There, rip it there to open it."

Josen stared at Jace, his blue eyes questioning. Ripping the edge of the packet, Josen ate the small meal contained therein. Slowly, a smile grew on his face as he kept eating. Jace smiled as well, "There you go."

Suddenly, a loud shout echoed across the bay, "Josen!" Kharn stalked into the bay, ominous-looking in his black armor. "Josen, we are in a hurry. Take that container outside and I'll be out there in a minute," he ordered.

Looking downcast, but resigned, Josen laid the ration packet down on the floor, taking up the task of heaving the container outside. Kharn asked forcefully, "Why did you do that?"

Jace shrugged, "Hey, he's been working as hard as us, but he's just a little boy. He deserves a break."

Pointing hard at Jace, Kharn said, "No, he doesn't deserve a break from discipline. I don't want him growing soft."

With a smug look, Jace dared to say, "You mean, growing human?"

Kharn took a step closer, the scars on his weathered face holding anger and outrage. He whispered fiercely, "Don't ever do that again." With that said, Kharn stalked over to a pile of containers.

Jace let out a deep breath. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Does he ever talk?" he asked of Josen.

Hefting a container up, Kharn replied, "Only when neccessary."

"Okay," Jace mumbled. Jace walked over to the same pile, not wanting to continue this particular argument tonight and tired of hitting the same Zentraedi walls over the issue. There will be other times, he thought, grabbing a small container. Instead, he asked, "So, where exactly are we going?"

Kharn, heaving the container atop his right shoulder, said, "We are going to Yaggerstown."

Jace whistled. "That's, what, at least 60, 70 miles to the south-east?"

"Perhaps, but that is our destination."

"What's there?"

Kharn was walking towards the bay door, but paused to say, "A source of information, I hope."

Jace lifted the container up and walked over to Kharn. "Information? You mean, about maybe where the kids are?"

Kharn nodded gravely. "One of the survivors of my hometown mentioned that he saw one of my Zentraedi bethren, a male named Tonchy, there in town that aweful night. If he survived, then he might know where the children were taken."

Jace showed confusion as he said, "But you said that all your Zentraedi buddies were killed when they assaulted an Invid hive."

Kharn just stared hard at Jace, a sour look upon his face. Then, it hit Jace. "You don't think-, This guy-"

Kharn said truthfully, "If Tonchy has helped the Invid, then he will die by my hand and my hand alone. The blood of brave and honorable Zentraedi may stain his hands. If so, he will receive just punishment, but not before he tells me what I need to know." He started back for the bay door. "Now come. We must leave."

Jace stood there, numb. As he carried his container out the door, he silently pitied this Tonchy.

With the Beta fully loaded, including Jace's own cyclone, Jace sat in the cockpit, adorned in his blue CVR-3 armor. He brought the Beta's systems on-line, satisfied to hear the subtle but powerful thrumming of the fighter's engines. He called out over the net, "All set here."

"Affirmative. Let's move out," Kharn responded. Just outside his cockpit window, Jace saw the headlights of Kharn's cyclone. Earlier, Jace had seen where Kharn had painted the old sigil of the Zentraedi on the cyclone's fuel tank. Behind the bike was rigged a small camper-like box on wheels, where Josen was situated. In the Beta's floodlights , Jace could just make out Josen's blue coat and the dented flight helmet the young boy wore. Kharn was nothing but a dark shadow upon a hidden beast, a vengeful spirit unleashed upon this war-torn lanscape. The cyclone sped off into the distance as Jace engaged the Beta's thrusters. The massive fighter lifted off. Jace swung the fighter around, taking in the darkened view of the his former home. Sorry fellas, he thought, but I'll keep the fight up. You won't be forgotten or overlooked.

Hoping the spirits of the dead were appeased, Jace slowly goosed the throttle, and the Beta slowly followed the speeding cyclone.

Their journey to Yaggerstown went slowly, but couldn't be helped. Based on his knowledge of known Invid patrol routes, Jace had Kharn alter their course in hopes of avoiding any such patrols. This lengthend their route, taking them more south before returning to the south-east. Though it was dark, Jace knew the landscape that Kharn and Josen were travelling through, scorched earth, barren wastelands, and desert. Huge jutting buttes echoed on Jace's radar screen as he kept watch for any signs of Invid.

The rising sun blinded Jace, who was thankfully to see the golden globe. It's light warmed him through the cockpit window and he felt renewed. Below him, a dust trail wormed its' way through the towering rock buttes. By mid-morning, Kharn reported that they were coming up on Yaggerstown. Deciding it would best not to barge right into the sleepy hamlet, Jace landed the Beta, hiding the fighter within a large crevice in oneof the buttes. He got out his VR-052 Battler cyclone and joined up with Kharn. Kharn looked dusty, tired, and worn, but his resolution showed through his helmet. Josen smiled at Jace through his dented flight helmet. The boy actually giggled at one point, but stopped when Kharn shot a glare at him.

On the way to Yagerstown, Jace said over the net, "What makes you think this Tonchy guy is here?"

Kharn responded, "Before we settled in our hometown, my brothers and I wandered for awhile. We found some sympathetic humans in Yaggerstown at one point. It is one of the few places Tonchy might go."

"If they were sympathetic, why did you leave?" Jace asked, but his only answer was Kharn increasing speed as the outskirts of Yaggerstown came into view. The town wasn't all that large. It rested on the site of a former settelement and mining town in the western side of the continent of America. Old cracked rotting buildings served as remainders of that former frontier spirit and life, but the new buildings spoke of laziness and conformity. As the pair rode through the dirt streets, they saw few signs of life. They pulled up in front of a large building that was suggestive of a bar or saloon. Getting off their mechas, Kharn and Jace looked around, Josen hovering below the edge of his camper. From inside the saloon came the faint music of Yellow Dancer. Dust and tumbleweeds blew down the empty street. "Where is everyone?" Jace wondered.

Kharn listened intently amidst the blowing wind. Looking further down the street, he said, "This way. Josen, stay put and out of sight." Josen nodded as he vanished into his camper.

Seeing no reason to dispute him, Jace followed Kharn as he stalked down the dirt street, a black shadow, in his armor, in this blighted land. Then, Jace thought he heard faint sounds coming from a side street. Seeing that this was where Kharn was headed, Jace picked up his pace to keep up with him. Rounding the corner, the pair heard more commotion. They stopped to take in the scene before them.

They faced a large barn. In front of the barn was an old stooped tree. Surrounding the tree was the gathered populace of Yaggerstown, dressed up in what finery they had, chatting amongst themselves and staring at the old tree. Behind the tree was a large APC, out of which was marched a pale man guarded by three other men bearing rifles. They marched the pale man towards the old tree, in which was strung a long rope over a gnarled branch that end in a noose. The crowd seemed pleased to see the pale man.

Jace harumphed. He said sarcastically, "Well, would you look at that? We've arrived just in time for the morning hanging."

Kharn looked hard at the pale man. The color and life drained out of his pallid face. He said harshly, "They are hanging Tonchy."