Macross Fan Fiction ❯ Underground Down Under ❯ Geography Lession ( Chapter 1 )

Robotech: Underground Down Under

Chapter I: Geography Lession

Timeline/historical Note: This piece is designed within the context of the Robotech series, however it takes its cues from the novels and Bill Splanger's Robotech: Invid War comic series. It takes place in March 2033, about a year before the arrival of Mars Division in the first episode of Robotech: New Generation.

Valhalla was abuzz with preparations for the upcoming offensive against Reflex Point in concert with reinforcements from the moon. The city (more commonly known as Soldiertown), the Southlands' foremost beacon of resistance following the Invid invasion, possessed not only the largest operational number of Veritechs in the Western Hemisphere, but also the dedicated and experienced pilots generated from three decades of warfare. The clank of maintenance and last minute modification on everything from aging Valkyries and Hovertanks to Alphas had reached a constant din. It was only after several minutes spent sitting in Colonel Wolff's quasi-high rise headquarters conference room that Gordon Sabol realized that it was his brain and not his ears that supplied the sound effects of an alarm klaxon. Everybody who was anybody in Soldiertown was sitting in the same room. And they were looking at him.

"How are you, Gordon?" Wolff asked him. Wolff never addressed people by their first names anymore, not even his second-in-command, Major John Carpenter.

"Not as well as I hoped," Sabol managed. Now where does that line come from? his mind wondered, having pressed the off switch on its alarm and devoted itself to other idle pursuits. Wolff smiled. Or at least his mouth twitched with amusement, which was as close as he came to smiling since arriving back on Earth.

Sabol looked at other leaders clustered around him, their eyes dissecting his disposition and attitude in a most military way. Wolff, Carpenter, and Bekka Cade- ALUCE-2's liaison on Earth- all wore the same grim expression typical of anyone aware of the long odds the resistance and humanity faced in the coming days. Off to one side sat Louie Nichols, late of the Southern Cross and recently spirited from Japan to Soldiertown by Carpenter. Nichols and Sabol had worked to improve Valhalla's communications equipment; the genius tanker had assured everyone that he was days from establishing the link with ALUCE that would allow the Reflex Point Operation to proceed.

Uncomfortably, Sabol shifted in his seat and worked to close the mouth he vaguely was aware had drooped open. As if on cue, Carpenter broke the silence: "Well, straight to the point, Sabol. We're sending you to Australia." Sabol's jaw dropped by sheer reflex. "It's an important mission," Carpenter added as an afterthought.

To his credit, Sabol stifled himself before he could break into a string of incoherent protests. Every person in the room had faced a death defying journey merely to arrive at Valhalla; Wolff from across the galaxy, Cade from the Moon, Nichols from Japan, and Carpenter (taking the prize from those assembled no doubt) from not only Tirol but his epic two-way flight across the Invid controlled Earth. It was unlikely that any of them would feel any particular sympathy for his plight.

"What do you want me to do, sir?" Sabol said after a moment.

There was that half smile creeping onto Wolff's face again. "One of the things that hampers our activities against the Invid more than anything else is a lack of reliable reconnaissance."

"The fact is that we can't risk what mecha we have unless we know what we're up against," Carpenter broke in. "At this time, we don't have the slightest idea what the Invid are doing in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Not only that, but if the assault on Reflex Point is to succeed, we need to know exactly what we're going to face without telegraphing our intentions to the Regis."

"I quite agree," said Sabol, "but where do I come in?"

Wolff nodded to Nichols, who explained: "Gordon, we need to tap those satellites remaining operational in orbit. The problem is that almost no centers capable of controlling them survived the Invid invasion."

"Before the invasion, the United Earth Government effectively created a reserve network of communications and reconnaissance satellites above Earth that after an invasion could be used to coordinate resistance movements," Nichols continued. "The satellites themselves were heavily shielded and inactive when the Invid arrived, which probably means a good portion survived the energy waves which knocked out the rest of the net."

"Unfortunately, the UEG was stringent on funds and insisted on elaborate defenses and failsafe measures," Wolff broke in. "As a result, only two uplink stations for the reserve network were completed before the Invid arrived. One was located at the UEG's Rocky Mountain headquarters, Pinnacle Base-" He glanced at Cade. "-which from what we hear is literally a hole in the ground. The other built in Australia. Because the Flower of Life had not taken hold in the vast desert region there, the UEG figured it had a chance of surviving the invasion."

Wolff brought up a map of Australia on the monitor screen. A string of red dots marked the eastern coastal regions in particular. Cade stood up and gestured to them. "These mark the position of Invid Hives and Protoculture Farms. The transmitter station…Is located here, in the Great Victoria Desert, on the south western part of the continent."

"Well," Sabol commented, rubbing his jaw his mind admirably working over the technical details, "with no Invid in that area, it can't be that difficult to access the transmitter, assuming it's in working order."

The assembled staff traded glances in a way that sent Sabol's brain back to klaxon mode.

"The transmitter is in the Great Victoria Desert," Wolff told him. "However, the actual control bunker is located in New Perth, about 500 miles to the west. They are linked by a non-Protoculture fiber optic cable line."

"B-But, why would they do that?" Sabol stammered in disbelief.

Wolff sighed. "Paranoia, convenience, who can say how politicians decide things? They wanted to make it impossible for anyone to overpower a single site and sabotage the entire network."

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Sabol blurted out.

"We selected you for this mission because you're a battle-seasoned pilot, but also have a technical background," Carpenter continued. "Mr. Nichols believes it may be possible to override some of the failsafes, and then use your Alpha's computer as an interface to reactivate the satellites. Once they're up and running, we might well be able to take control of them from here. Barring that, you merely have to get into the bunker. Colonel Wolff, um, acquired the access codes before the UEG's demise."

There's a security breach, said Sabol's brain.

"The Invid have placed a stilt hive practically on the bunker's doorstep," Cade elaborated. "However, it is extremely unlikely that they would have discovered it, since it is powered by conventional rather than Robotech energy."

"What about personnel?" Sabol asked. "Are there any local resistance groups who might be willing to help?"

"We know that there are scattered resistance groups operating everywhere the Invid are strongest. Intelligence being what it is, we only know details about one particular group," Wolff answered, punching a few keys and bringing up a face and RDF personnel file.

"This is Tom Barker, a veteran of the First Robotech War. He was twice decorated with the Titanium Medal for Valor while serving with the SDF-1 and rounding up Malcontents. Several days ago, we received word that his group, known as ACIF, attacked and destroyed an Invid hive near Darwin, the most strategic city in Northern Australia. That in itself suggests he has ample resources to assist you in this mission."

"What does ACIF stand for?" Sabol wondered.

Wolff shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Cade hit a few keys on the monitor to bring up a map of the Pacific Ocean and produced a metal pointer rod in one hand. "I've plotted your route to Australia with the object of avoiding most areas inhabited by humans and Invid. The first leg of your journey will be southwest to the Juan Fernandez Islands off the coast of southern Chile. Your target will be Robinson Crusoe, the easternmost island. Your navigational computer should put you right on target; needless to say, if you're successful in your mission, the return journey could be GPS aided."

"Robinson Crusoe? They really named an island that?" Sabol asked dubiously, doing his best not to fidget.

"Yes," Cade assured him impatiently. "It's sparsely inhabited, and far enough south that the Invid have no presence there. On that island you can exchange your Alpha's Protoculture Cells with fresh ones from your cargo bay."

The path line on the map curved downward in an arc towards Antarctica.

"You will notice," continued Cade "that there isn't another island for 6000 miles west of the Juan Fernandez Islands. But that means no Flower of Life, and no Invid presence. Cutting closer to Antarctica will obviously shorten the journey."

Sabol gulped. The idea of flying 6000 miles over frigid water with not a prayer if the Veritech went down…

Just east of New Zealand, the flight path made a sharp turn due north and then west to the tip of the North Island.

"The Invid have been slow to colonize New Zealand," Cade explained. "They've made a small hive on the South Island, but you should be able to refuel on the North Island and slip by without being detected."

"Ok, sounds ok," Sabol acknowledged in a pathetic attempt to sound more courageous than he was.

"Now this is the most difficult leg of the journey." Cade gestured to the red dots flashing angrily on the coast of Australia and many of the smaller islands to the north and east. "The Invid have fortified the entire Eastern Australian coast from Tasmania to Cape York. There are hives strategically placed on the southern Papua New Guinea and the island of New Caledonia. Unfortunately, since your resistance contacts are based out of Arnhem Land, there is little choice but to run the gauntlet. A single sea skimming fighter might well be able to slip past without being detected."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second!" Sabol exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "This is such an important a mission, and you're sending one guy?"

Carpenter narrowed his eyes. "I'm afraid so, Sabol," he replied unsympathetically. "We can't spare anyone else with the mission coming up. And just making that long a journey with a single Veritech is going to take as much Protoculture as a squadron uses in a month of normal operations."

Cade cleared her throat. "As I was saying. You're to fly at low level across the Coral Sea heading northwest, maintaining as great a distance from the hives on either side as possible. Then you'll turn due west and penetrate the Torres Strait between the northern tip of Australia and New Guinea. From there, it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to Arnhem Land and Barker."

"Oh my god," muttered Sabol. It was fortunate there was no solid object within reach to bang his head against. But his mind wouldn't like that, he supposed.

"With any luck, we're only talking about 17 or 18 hours of actual flight time at cruising speeds," Cade estimated. "Taking into account rest stops on the two islands, you should be able to complete your journey in a little over a day. The Moon will reach its perigee to the Earth in 15 days. You have at least that long to accomplish your mission until ALUCE launches its fighters for the Reflex Point operation. If we can't establish a communications link before then, you might have another month as well."

"I can tell you're not enthusiastic about this assignment, Gordon," Wolff said, actually managing to simulate a bit of concern in his voice.

Sabol actually managed a smile, the first anybody in the room had managed that day. Quite a feat, really. "We all have to do our part, right Colonel?" Only Sabol's raspy voice betrayed his fear and trepidation. "I accept the assignment."