Macross Fan Fiction ❯ Legend of Megaroad -- Book One ❯ Chapter 6: The Sound of Protoculture ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6: The Sound of Proto-culture

--March 21--

--04:45--

It was quiet on the Bridge of the Megaroad. Everyone was nervous, but few were actually scared. They all knew it would work, but they didn't know if it would work the way they planned it. Would the Zentradi run away, or would they surrender? Would they shut down completely, unable to function? Or would they turn on each other and destroy themselves? There were only a million things that could go wrong, but there was nothing they could do except broadcast Minmei's voice and hope for the best.

As expected, some 50 Zentradi warships had de-folded into the system and were on an intercept course with the colony fleet. The strange thing was that the approaching ships were moving much slower than normal, and several of them had even stopped en route to the intercept point and were falling behind. Dr. Varcus had assumed this to be some sort of tactic, but Broli and Misa had their own theory. They were limping.

Everything was ready. Broli had picked out a recording of one of his favorite songs, the Goodbye Tour recording of "Do You Remember Love?" by Lynn Minmei. The entire fleet had their weapons and fighter deployed and ready, and they had all run checks to make sure their defensive systems were operating properly.

And so, the hour finally came. The Zentradi fleet, tailed discretely by a pair of Valkyries with surveillance equipment, came into firing range of the colony fleet. But to the amazement of everyone there, only five of them actually opened fire, which was barely a challenge for the pinpoint barrier systems of the colony fleet. After scanning the Zentradi warships for several minutes, it was determined that more than half of them were actually being towed by the larger ships in the battle group, which as it happened was now short 12 warships as some of them had fallen behind with engine trouble. Instead of opening fire, the other Zentradi ships began deploying battle pods and fighters by the thousand, most of which were missing parts and some even lacked weapons. Misa stood on the bridge of the Megaroad and watched the events that unfolded before her, not truely sure what to make of any of it. "You've got to be kidding me. That's the best they can do?"

Varcus opened a com line from the Bacta-Quedrali and his face appeared on the monitor. He seemed very upset about something. "Captain, our scanners show extremely low power readings from the Zentradi vessels. Most of them appear to be running on only one or two reflex furnaces. I doubt half of their ships are even fold capable."

"What about life forms?"

"Not one of them even has a full crew on board. Three of them are un manned, probably decoys to draw our fire. Most of the battle pods appear to be run by remote. I can't be sure, but these ships appear to be exhausted from battle, and whoever they've been fighting with seems to be have the upper hand."

Misa already knew what he was hinting at. "And without support from the Bodolza fleet, they can't replace their damaged ships any more than they can repair the factory satellites."

"Precisely. Only the Supervision Army has the knowledge to fully repair their equipment, since most of the soldiers under their control are in fact proto-culture. It's possible that they have taken this time to begin operations against the Gallaron Defense fleet to reclaim lost proto-culture technology there, which may include ships and weapons of varying types and classes."

Misa sighed. It wasn't the best news she had heard all week, but at least the Zentradi weren't going to be a problem. "Corina, contact Broli and have him commence the broadcast."

"Yes ma'am."

--04:55--

General Karga had walked with a limp since the first wave of attacks on his fleet 6 years ago, but he had always done his best not to show it. This usually meant remaining seated on the bridge when the crew was watching, but some times he was forced to move around more than would have been wise, and everyone knew by now his health was failing. This didn't mean much to a Zentradi, since the technology on their ship could easily keep him alive indefinitely. But his fighting days were drawing to a close, and soon his many victories as a soldier would only be a memory.

Karga had not expected what he had seen when his fleet approached the new invaders. There were about 20 Zentradi ships from the old Bodolza fleet escorting some behemoth of a vessel he had never seen before. Amazingly, all of the ships in the fleet looked brand new, as if they were all fresh from the assembly line. The only way that was possible was if they had been captured by Supervisionists, or if they had somehow rediscovered the lost secrets of proto-culture. Either way, he could care less. It was time for him to die, as it was well past the time for all of them to die. The battleship around him had been so badly damaged in the last attack that it was no longer possible to man the vessel without space suits, and even the bridge was exposed to the vacuum of space through a large gaping hole from a Supervisionist battle pod that had rammed them. Parts of that very machine still littered the room around him, making it difficult for anyone to function through the clutter. He welcomed the end.

Korazan, the communications officer/archivist on the battleship, started to pick up something. "Lord Karga, we're getting a transmission from the enemy fleet. They're broadcasting on all open channels.

"That's strange. Does the holo-screen still work?"

"Yes, but the hard line is damaged. We still cannot transmit, only receive."

"Then take that command battle pod we've been using as a transmitter to coordinate the attack. In the mean time, show me this enemy signal."

"Right away sir." His com officer walked stiffly to the one working control panel in the room and received the message.

First, there was music. The introduction to "Do You Remember Love?" piped over the speakers as the image formed in front of them. The first thing Karga saw on his monitor was a woman, easily one fifth his size, wearing a very strange uniform or armor of some kind. Though he couldn't understand it's significance, he noticed the garment was somewhat revealing very pleasing to look at. And then he realized, so was she. "What is that micronian wearing?" He said, more to himself than to anyone. Before Korazan could think of any type of answer, Minmei started to sing. The signal was relayed from the bridge of Karga's battleship to the battle pod they had rigged as a com tower, and to every Zentradi ship with a crew aboard. Even the battle pods in flight picked up the signal, and all of them stopped their advance to listen to the music. Karga felt his emotions stirring as the song went on, but he couldn't understand why. "What is she talking about?"

"I don't know sir. Some type of code maybe?"

He listened to the rest of the verse, more confused than he'd ever been before in his life. "Korazan, do you think she's talking to me?"

"Our com towers are offline. There's no way she can see you."

"Then what does that mean, 'I love you so'?"

"It's baffling. Strange though it may seem, she is modulating her voice in a very well controlled pitch. And those devices behind her are producing sound waves in the second and third harmonic frequencies. I have no idea what purpose this serves, but I'd guess it's some type of mind control or hypnotic suggestion."

"That's a good possibility. But it is very pleasant to hear, especially after fighting so long without replacements."

"That it is sir."

Though General Karga still felt his life at an end, he found himself hoping he would last a few more minutes in order to hear the rest of the song. "What ship is sending that?"

Korazan contacted one of the few operational pickets in the fleet and had it trace the signal, and then reported in. "It's a proto-culture battleship near the front of the formation. Judging by it's armament it does not appear to belong to the Supervision Army, and much of it's equipment is very new, possibly added to the ship within the last year."

"Uh huh." The General was lost in the song now, and found himself staring at the image of Minmei dancing around on the stage.

Karga and Korazan listened to the second verse of the song from the Phoenix before even bothering to move or speak again. With every word, and every note, it sounded more and more beautiful. "Contact that ship. I want to know more."

"Is that wise sir? They destroyed several of our ships. This might just be a tactic to keep us docile until they can deploy a squad of proto-deviln to take control..."

"I don't care anymore, Korazan. Let them take control if they wish, just as long as I can listen to that sound."

Korazan nodded. "I understand sir." He opened a communications channel from the battle pod to the Phoenix and was greeted by the grinning face of a commander type Zentradi. "Commander Broli Kidranik? What are you doing on that proto-culture ship?"

Broli smiled wider. "Korazan. Good to see you again. Actually, I'm the commander of this vessel. The crew had me micronized so I could lead them."

"The crew?"

"Proto-culture. Or what's left of them. These people here are a new class of bionoid, similar to us in many ways, but more closely based on proto-culture. You might even say, they're the missing link between us and our creators."

Karga stood up to the monitor. "Commander Broli, what is that sound your ship is broadcasting?"

Broli grinned. "Why that, my dear General, is the sound of proto-culture in it's purest form. We've found it to be very pleasant, as it's easy to produce too. All you need is a female micronian and a band."

"This micronian... I'd... well, I wonder if it might be possible to contact her. Is she on your ship now?"

"No, and I'm afraid it's not possible to contact her at this time. If you like, we can micronize your crew and you can meet her in person later today."

Karga's eyes bulged a bit. "If that is what proto-culture refers to as a joke, I'm not impressed. Male and female can not coexist in the same space for any period of time. To do so would be disastrous."

"Didn't you ever wonder why we have that rule?"

Karga looked at Korazan, who shrugged blankly. "Come to think of it, I HAVE thought about it. But I'm not about to tempt fate by trying it!"

Broli stood up and gestured to someone off screen. "The rule was created by the proto-culture to keep us from forming emotional relationships with females. They were afraid we would loose our fighting spirit if we came to enjoy such pleasures. This..." Ensign Ryder stepped into view of the camera. "...is my tactical officer. She's young, but well trained and very talented. And notice, I'm standing not two feet from her and my head hasn't exploded yet."

Ensign Ryder blushed a bit. "Skipper, you just want me to stand here?" She whispered.

"Yeah. Relax, you're doing fine. Just stand here and smile at him a bit." Broli whispered back.

Ensign Ryder smiled, and Karga took two steps back. "C-C-Commander Broli, is it safe for you to be standing so close to her?"

"You'll never know until you try it. You might even like it." He said, putting his hands on her shoulders.

Karga was sweating bullets inside his space suit. Though he was growing fearful of the oddities of micronian culture, he would give anything to be out of his suit for a while. "I will comply with your request. I will gather my commanders and we shall join you on your flag ship to meet this micronian woman."

"Have your party meet me on our battleship to be micronized. Only as a micronian could you fully appreciate all that proto-culture has to offer you."

Karga gestured for Korazan to relay the signal to the other ships. "I'll agree to that much. But know that our fleet, though weakened, still has plenty of fight left in it. If this is some kind of deception, I can promise that all of you will be destroyed."

Broli almost laughed. "Fair enough. In the mean time, we'll send a few ships to tow in those stragglers in the rear of your formation."

Karga's teeth were grinding as the com line closed, and once again he was faced with the broadcast of Minmei's song. He watched her dance and sing on the stage for a few more minutes before he decided to risk some unknown fate in order just to meet her. "This woman has a voice that makes life worth living. I must see her in person." With that, the great General Karga left the bridge to prepare a fighter pod for launch. Soon after, he joined the other commanders in space and together they made their way to the Bacta-Quedrali and their meeting with Minmei.

--15:35--

She got off work at 3:15 as usual, but she did not go home today. The call from Misa had not been a very unwelcome one, explaining how they had convinced the Zentradi to meet with them to negotiate peace, but all of them had wanted to meet her in person before agreeing to anything. Minmei had expected that, and she was willing to do that much if it meant avoiding a costly and tragic battle. Even though she was hoping not to have to sing at the event, she knew the Zentradi commanders would settle for nothing less, so once she got off from work she left a message at the apartment that one of her friends had been hospitalized in some emergency and set off to the officers club where the visiting Zentradi were waiting.

On her arrival there, she was greeted with an all too familiar sight. More than 40 wide eyed Zentradi moved about the room, poking and prodding everything in sight with the wonder of small children. Unlike before, Minmei did not find this amusing; she sensed this group of Zentradi was a bit more exited than they probably should have been. As soon as she entered the room, they gathered around her and gawked like schoolboys around a supermodel. She was relieved that they seemed determined to keep their distance while simultaneously battling to get a closer look. She worked her way through the room until she located Broli and Corina, who were sitting at a long table along with Misa and four Zentradi officers in UN Spacey uniforms. "Minmei, I'm glad you could make it. I'd like to introduce you to General Karga, of the Gallaron defense fleet. He's just dying to meet you. Literally." Misa giggled.

Minmei did find this amusing. "Is he one of those Zentradi who's afraid of cooties or something?"

"Something like that. They have a superstition that disaster befalls any men and women who actually touch each other."

"I guess that's not completely untrue." She said half joking.

General Karga looked across the table and stared at her for a few seconds. Minmei felt uncomfortable about the way he was looking her over, but she could understand why a Zentradi would be mesmerized by something he had never seen before. "You are Minmei?" He said at last.

"Yes I am." She said. "Pleased to meet you. I'm glad you decided to join forces with us. We've been having trouble with the Supervision Army ourselves lately."

"So I've heard." General Karga looked her up and down again, and Minmei realized he seemed to be staring at her legs. "You are a very beautiful woman. Would it be possible for you to remove your uniform so we might see you more clearly?"

Misa jumped in before Minmei could even react. "I'm sorry General, but micronians do not remove their garments unless the situation demands it. I'm afraid this is not such a situation." She snuck a glance at Minmei, who was trying her best not to look offended.

"I understand, thank you." Karga said plainly. "You ARE the one who made that song, aren't you?"

"Yes. Misa told me you saw me singing on your monitors."

"That's right. I was wondering, could you sing for us today Minmei?"

"I suppose I could. But you know, our people have made recordings of my songs so they can replay them when I'm not around. Maybe you'd like to go to the city and buy an album..."

Korazan held several large plastic bags, which each contained several dozen video disks and CD cases. "We've been able to purchase these albums in the city. Actually, we really wanted to see you live. Until we saw you on our monitors, most of us were ready to die in battle."

Minmei gasped in surprise. "What?! I don't understand!"

"We've been fighting with a resurfaced branch on the Supervision Army for many years now, ever since your people defeated the Bodolza fleet. Without the ability to replace or repair much of our own equipment, our forces have descended into stagnation. Most of our fleet is in shambles and less than half of them have enough power to use their weapons, let alone fight battles. When we spotted your fleet, our plan of attack was to ram your ships with our battle pods and disable your weapon systems so that our warships could get close enough do the same. With our reflex furnaces barely functioning, it is the only effective weapon we have left."

"You would throw away your own lives just to stop an enemy? That's... I can't believe it!"

"Why can't you? I would have no reason to lie to you. Perhaps if we..."

Minmei realized Korazan was taking her too literally. "Okay, okay! I believe you." Minmei now had something to think about. She had never imagined a suicidal Zentradi might find so much meaning in something she completely took for granted. "And you changed you mind just because of one song?"

"Yes. In fact, I'd never heard anything so beautiful! It was like I was awake for the first time in my life, and all I wanted was to hear more. I suppose this sounds ridiculous to you who have lived with this wonderful gift your entire life..."

"No, I understand. I'd be glad to sing for you."

Corina patted her on the shoulder. "I've got the gang ready in the back. All you have to do is pick a song."

"Just pick a song? Okay, what would you like to hear General Karga?"

"First, I'd love it if you could sing that one we heard from our ship. You were wearing that white... what's the word?"

"Dress." Misa said. "You know the song Minmei? The one from your last concert?"

"That's one of my favorites. Sure I'll sing that one. Sorry, but I don't still have the dress."

"It's alright. Just as long as we can hear that beautiful song."

Enthusiasm growing, Minmei and Corina crept to the backstage area of the officers club where Corina's band was waiting. Minmei had watched them perform every other Friday night for two years, and she knew they were good enough for her tastes. Corina herself was the lead guitar, Lieutenant Harper from Iron Chiefs squadron played the piano, one of the Blake twins from the missile control room handled the drum set, and Lieutenant Sara Douglass worked the bass guitar. Apparently, they'd been waiting for her quite a while. "You ready miss Lynn?"

"I'm always ready. You?"

"Just give the word and we'll start jammin. What'll it be first?" said Blake, who was a known Minmei fanatic. Though he always tried his best not to show it, anyone who had ever seen his bunk knew the score.

"Do You Remember Love, and Angel's Paint." Minmei said.

"We got time for one more." Corina said, handing her a bottle of water. "What's your favorite closing?"

Minmei took a few gulps of the water before answering. "We've got a Zentradi audience today. How about... Goodbye Gentleness?"

"Great idea." Said Harper. "We'll play anything you like. Let's just get to work before they tear the house down." All of them agreed, and the band moved onto the stage behind the curtain where their 'tools of the trade' awaited them, already tuned and ready. As soon as Minmei stepped up to the mic, the curtain started to open. In her mind, Minmei had hoped to just sing the songs and get it over with so she could go back to Richard. But when the music started, and the spotlight beamed down on her from the ceiling, Minmei felt a warmth inside her she had not felt in many years, a feeling she had thought lost ever since she stepped off the Macross and looked upon the scorched ruins of the Earth. She knew she had their full attention, and that they had hers. So she sang to them happily, with a full heart.

As the band played and Minmei began her first song, Broli worked his way over to the back table where Hikaru was sitting. "Colonel Ichijo, I need some advice."

"Fire away." Hikaru said.

"It's Corina. I think she's inerested in me a bit more than I thought."

Hikaru looked at him strangely. "What's wrong? Don't you like her?"

"I think I love her. And I know she loves me. And that's the problem. She may feel it is time to move toward a much more... physical relationship."

Hikaru laughed. "Broli, you sound just like a teenage girl on prom night! What are you so worried about?"

"If she begins making advances toward me, I'm really worried that we might end up mating."

"Congratulations! I knew you had it in you!" Hikaru ordered a shot of tequila from the bartender and handed it to Broli. "If she likes you that much, then you've got no worries. Just keep doing what you've been doing and she's all yours."

Broli threw back the drink and coughed a bit from the afterburn. "Maybe you don't understand! I'm terrified of what might happen if we mated together! I've never been faced with such a strange and bizarre ritual in my life!"

"Broli, you're thinking about this way to much. Don't forget, I've seen you together. It's only a matter of time before she starts thinking about marriage."

"That's not what worries me. It's the sexual part the freaks me out. Why can't you understand what I'm trying to say? I can't handle this!"

Hikaru looked at him with pity. "Broli, I think you're coming at this the wrong way. When you get to that part of your relationship, just let Corina walk you through it. She's a smart girl with endless patience, and I know she's crazy about you. You'll be just fine."

"I hope so." Broli said. He leaned against the bar and watched Corina on stage, performing with Minmei and her band. "She IS beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yeah." Hikaru said, looking at Minmei. "She's really something."