Macross Fan Fiction ❯ Legend of Megaroad -- Book One ❯ Chapter 4: Moving ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4: Moving

--March 7, 2016--

--18:25--

Phoenix. That was the unofficial codename given to the SDF-102 for combat operations. But when people thought about it, it fit the ship better than anything else they could come up with. It was the ship that rose from the ashes of a defeated army to become their newest battleship, and so the ship was named SDF Phoenix.

Even with a name, the ship was far from complete. As a gunboat, the main weapon of the Phoenix had been it's main cannon. But it had been armed with little else than destroids and small gun turrets when it went into combat that first time. As powerful as it was already this new ship was not nearly as formidable as the Macross. Construction teams worked on the new ship round the clock, installing new weapon systems and armor plating over the old, as well as a dedicated fighter bay for the 10 Valkyrie squadrons that would soon be added there. Every day, the ship seemed to look a bit more like the Macross, but no matter what they could change on the ship it still retained the sleek, predatory look as when they first discovered it.

Misa had finally made her decision about the commander of the Phoenix. Broli would be captain; there was no one better. No one had been less satisfied by the appointment as Broli himself, who insisted that he was never created for command of a battleship. In the end, it was Hikaru who convinced him to sign on, reminding him that proto-culture is a dynamic environment and that the universe is scarce with absolutes. At first he hesitated, but after catching a playful glance from Corina in the officer's club, he couldn't accept the assignment fast enough.

With the threat of Supervision Army survivors looming over their heads, Misa decided it was time to change course. The Megaroad colony fleet would set course for the center if the galaxy where the population of stars was denser and they might be able to search more quickly. As soon as the fleet had completed it's first in a series of long range defolds, Misa took a shuttle to the Zentradi battleship Bacta-Quedrali to meet with the Zentradi archivist known to the humans as Dr. Varcus. Like Exodor, Varcus was a very short Zentradi, but he still towered over Misa by more than 6 meters. "Welcome aboard Captain Ichijo. I got your message, and I searched our files for the information you requested."

"And did you find it?" She asked, standing on a catwalk next to his computer consol.

"No. I'm afraid it was destroyed during the Second Supervision Wars. But I did manage to find the next best thing. It may not be the homeworld of the proto-culture but it was relatively un-touched by proto-deviln occupation. There probably isn't anyone still there, but much of their technology should be intact."

That was good enough for Misa. "Show me." She said.

Varcus tapped a command into his consol, and Misa could feel the catwalk she was standing on vibrating with each tap of his massive fingers. The holographic screen in front of her lit up with the image of an Earthlike planet with three moons. "This is the planet Gallaron. Our last records were updated by a computer system on this world 6 millennia ago. During that time, the planet was hospitable but uninhabited, and much of it's machinery was useable. But there is one small problem." Varcus punched up a display of several hundred Zentradi warships in near orbit of the planet. "Gallaron was a strategic target of the Supervision Army, so we have since established a garrison of more than 500 battleships to guard the two factory satellites orbiting the planet."

"TWO satellites? What the hell for?"

Varcus sighed. "We Zentradi are a race of warriors. We used to leave it up to our creators to manage and repair our equipment, but they are mostly extinct now and those that are left have less knowledge of the technology than we do. Until we met you micronians, we had never fathomed such a basic concept like fixing things when they broke down. We always left it up to the proto-culture technicians to do it for us, or we just did our best to ignore it."

Misa thought about what he was saying, and then she realized the point he was trying to make. "One of those satellites is dead?"

"Both of them are. The second one was placed in orbit when the first one was abandoned, and then it too was damaged by a Supervision raid 20 years ago. It hasn't functioned since."

Misa grinned now. This wasn't what she had in mind, but it would have to do. "Thank you Varcus. You might want to tell Captain Gouraz that we'll be performing another fold soon."

Varcus saluted her, a custom Misa had not expected him to know, and then left the room to confer with his commander. Misa made her way back to her shuttle and returned to the Megaroad as quickly as possible. She had work to do.

******

--19:59:59--

There was a knock of the door. Minmei glanced at the clock just in time to see it strike 8:00pm. Richard was right on time, once again. It was a game they had started to play. Minmei found he had a truly uncanny knack for appearing on her doorstep at the exact moment she expected him to.

"Hi Rich!" She said, throwing the door open and launching into his arms.

"Hi Min!" He said, catching her. The two embraced for a few moments, invigorated to see each other again. "Am I late?"

"No." She said. "You're right on time, as always."

Richard and Minmei walked hand in hand down from the back porch of her condo and around the corner to the bus stop. "So where are we going tonight?" She asked playfully.

"I thought we'd catch a flick, and then maybe I'd cook for you."

"Skip the movie. Let's just have dinner."

"We haven't been to a movie since we started seeing each other. You never know, it might be fun."

Minmei sighed. "Okay fine. What movie you want to see?"

"Well, I wanted to see Harriet's Demise, but I don't think you'd like it. And then there's Small White Dragon, but that's a Kung-fu flick so I don't think you'd like it either."

Minmei would have died laughing if she didn't know he was being serious. "You're right. I hate violence. Why don't we see Shining Star? I heard that that's a love story. You may not be a romantic, but I am and I think it would really soften me up for your cooking."

Richard smiled at her. "You're wish is my command." He said, leading her to the bus stop.

The 8:15 bus was slightly less punctual than Richard, but Minmei didn't really mind. It was only about 5 minutes late, but it didn't matter because the movie started at 8:45. Minmei and Richard always talked the most during the 10 minute bus ride to their destinations. "So, did you ever find a new roommate?" Minmei asked.

"Nope. There was this guy from across town and he sounded cool on the phone, but I don't think it would work out."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's a Zentradi." Richard said. "I don't trust those people."

"Oh, lighten up! Some of my best friends in Macross City were Zentradi. They're not all bad, just give them a chance..."

"I just can't let it go. If it weren't for people like you and the others on the Macross, we'd be extinct now."

"But if it weren't for Britai and his battle fleet, even the Macross would be gone now. Like it or not, I owe my life to those very same Zentradi you despise so much."

Richard smiled again. "Minmei, we've been over this before. I can't change the way I feel."

Not far from the theatre, the bus stopped near the army barracks, and Broli and Corina boarded arm in arm. "I can't tell you enough how sorry I am." Broli was saying.

"Don't worry about it, it's my fault. I shouldn't have rushed you into it like that. But from now on, please let me know when you feel uncomfortable."

Minmei caught Richard glowering at the couple. "Richard, please try to keep an open mind. He's here because he wants to learn about us. Most Zentradi have never seen a woman before."

Richard growled. "Looks like he learns fast." He said, glancing back over at them.

Minmei looked over again and saw the two of them share a long and deep kiss. She tried to think of something else to say but there was no need. They had arrived at their stop. As soon as they were off the bus, Richard was back to his old gentle self, but Minmei didn't dare mention to him that Corina and Broli were people she often called friends.

In the theatre, Richard bought popcorn and they took seats in the back row. He held onto her hand for the first part of the movie, by the second half of the movie they were clinging to each other, almost afraid to let go. When they were together, they were the only two people in the world, and that meant more to Minmei than it ever had before.

Lost in a daze of emotion, Minmei and Richard eventually made their way back to his apartment on Galaxy Boulevard after the end of the film. As promised, Richard heated his stove top and got to work on a strip of salmon and a pair of lobster tails. He was an excellent cook, as Minmei had come to realize and even adore about him. He made it all seem so easy, the way he seemed to know when it was ready, or when to add oil or spices. And he knew a thousand cooking tricks that Minmei, even knowing what she did from watching Aunt Lina and Uncle Max, had never seen before. Finally, it was ready.

"Smells good." That was an understatement. Minmei's mouth was watering.

"Hope you like it." He said, setting a plater in front of her.

Minmei didn't even wait for him to sit down, but started immediately on the salmon. Richard watched her for a minute or two before he joined her in eating. This was the third time he had cooked for her, and as with the other two times, neither said anything for almost an hour. Even after they were finished with the dinner, neither could think of anything to say. Usually, Richard walked her back to her apartment and kissed her goodnight. But this time Minmei took control. "You still need a roommate?"

"Yeah."

"What if I moved in with you?" She said plainly. "I've got a steady job at King Lao's and I've got some cash saved up in case of situations like this. If I split the rent with you, it'll still be cheaper than my old condo. what do you think?"

"I could think of a million reasons why it's a good idea. What worries me are the reasons why it's a bad idea, the ones that might not seem obvious yet. I don't want us to make a big mistake..."

Minmei leaned over the table and kissed him passionately. "Don't worry about anything. If there are problems, we can overcome them together."

They stood there, lost in each other's eyes for almost 10 minutes. At length, Richard felt he was inclined to agree with her. "I love you, Minmei." He said.

"I love you Richard." She kissed him again, and then added, "But please don't help me move my stuff. I'd feel guilty if you pulled something."

--March 8, 2016--

--07:20--

The following morning, Corina returned to her station on the bridge, relieving Lieutenant Ketterwell and signing in. She did not notice Captain Ichijo was already on the bridge, but instead leaned over her consol, still half asleep. "Morning, Corina." Misa said. "Have a good time with Broli last night?"

Acting on instinct, Corina stoop rigid and smoothed the wrinkles in her uniform before her judgment reminded her of just how easy going Captain Ichijo really was. "I think he's gotten used to me. But he's still afraid to come into my apartment. I've met high school boys with more courage."

"Well you'll have more dates, I'm sure. But just in case, you'd better plan something big for the two of you. There's a chance you might never see each other again."

Corina turned around and looked at Misa, but she could not see her eyes beneath the shadow of her officer's cap. "Sir, the SDF-102 isn't ready for active duty yet. Can't he stay on for just a little…?"

"The ship is undergoing it's last upgrades and repairs. As soon as those are completed, We'll be going into battle."

"Battle sir?! This is a colony ship! It can't fight!"

"I know. That's why the Megaroad will be staying behind the battle lines."

"I don't understand."

Misa stood up and locked the rear hatch to the bridge. "What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room." She said, opening a com line to Captain Gouraz of the Bacta-Quedrali.

"I got your message, Captain, and we are on a secure line. What did you want to say?" The Zentradi officer seemed anxious about something.

Misa took a deep breath. "Prepare your ships to move out. Our destination is the Gallaron System, and we will be making the transit with four separate fold operations."

Everyone on the bridge was confused, but Captain Gouraz was mortified. "Are you insane?! We can't take this fleet to Gallaron! They'll blast us to bits before we even get close!"

"We might not have to fight through all of them. We might just be able to convince them to fight on our side."

Gouraz prepared another protest, but then he seemed to understand. "You propose we perform a Minmei attack?"

"Exactly. If all goes to plan, they'll join forces with us."

Corina, like the rest of the bridge crew, were confused. "That might work sir, but what's your plan? What's in the Gallaron system anyway?"

"Now listen up people, and you too Captain. It is my intention to proceed to the Gallaron system to either enlist or destroy the defending Zentradi fleet there. Furthermore, I do this with the intention of capturing both factory satellites for the UN Space Government. In doing so, we hope to not only build up our forces for the further defense of Earth and ourselves, but also to recover lost proto-culture technology that has been lying dormant on the planet surface for several thousand years."

Gouraz stroked his chin. "The Zentradi fleet there would have no reason to go there except to find food, considering that there isn't anyone left alive down there."

"How many ships do they have there?" Corina asked.

"Slightly more than 500 ships of varying classes. Varcus sent me the details earlier this morning, and I think we might have a real chance if we use Minmei. With their factory satellites out of operation, they're probably less than 100% operational."

"Well we'd better contact HQ about this. They might not approve of this mission." Corina sounded less than optimistic about this mission.

"I already know they won't approve. That's why I'm not going to tell them until AFTER we capture the planet."

The bridge officers were flabbergasted. This was totally uncharacteristic of Captain Ichijo. Even Gouraz was shocked, but he would respect her command even if he didn't agree with her. "Captain Ichijo, you do realize that Admiral Britai Kidranik has recently been appointed as commander of the UN Spacey's armed forces? I'm sure HE'd except your proposal and he'd want to send you more support…"

"I don't want to have to bother Admiral Britai with this. It's something we have to do on our own."

Gouraz tried to say something, but then he seemed to realize what Misa was planning. He had an almost mischievous grin on his lips now. "As you wish, Captain. It will be done." He saluted and turned off the monitor.

Corina was boiling over with anxiety. "Captain, we're due to send in this month's progress report. What should we tell them?"

"Leave that to me. I'll take care of everything."

"But sir, Why are we…"

"You have your orders Corina! Prepare the ship for hyperspace fold! Gallaron is almost 3 days travel from here, so you set fold coordinates for system L-1993A as our first stop!"

Corina had never been so unsure in her life. She wished she new why the Captain was acting so strangely, but she decided it would become painfully clear soon enough.

In System HJ-95B, 21 spacecraft orbited a ringed gas giant now totally devoid of life forms. But then there is a flash of light and a change in the gravitational field, and suddenly there are only 15 ships. Another flash, and another, and all of the Zentradi warships are gone. Only two remain in this system. The SDF-2 Megaroad, and it's newest companion the SDF-102 Phoenix. And then, with one final flash of light, the two majestic space ships vanish into hyperspace. When they emerged again, they would be more than 200 light years away, bringing them still farther from the world which gave them life.