Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Evangelion meets Robotech ❯ Chapter 14

Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Robotech: Fourteen

A suddenly blooming fireball signaled the destruction of yet another battlepod as the variable fighter Evangelion soared through the blast. The brown haired young woman sitting in the pilot's seat studied her heads up display for a moment then began to curse softly.

Hikaru Horaki scowled to herself as she radioed her wingmen to demand, "All right guys, where are you now?"

A few seconds later a blonde haired young man looked at her sheepishly as his face appeared on the screen, the similarly designed fighter plane settling in beside her as they soared across the battlefield. "Sorry," Aida pushed his glasses up under his helmet, "we got kinda hung up back there."

The other boy had darker brown hair and a cocky smile on his face as his fighter slid into place on the other side. "We needed to save some of our fellow pilots," Toji boasted.

"More like they saved us," Aida muttered.

"Hey!" Toji protested.

"Break it up you two," Hikaru said to them firmly, "we've got work to do." She smiled to herself sadly as memories came to haunt her, thinking about how they had been ordinary schoolmates way back when. Then the war came to Japan, they went to a recruitment office and discovered that all three of them had the skills needed to be a pilot.

"You all right?" Aida asked her, peering at her worriedly.

"I'm fine," Hikaru softly reassured him. There was a sudden alarm on their status screens and she growled softly, noting the breakthrough in their lines. "Let's go," she commanded them, "it looks like things are getting lively again."

"Next time let's get out here when the Angels of Death are around," Aida said with a slight smile, "things are always quieter with them on patrol."

"We don't need those three," Toji scoffed.

Hikaru didn't answer, all her attention focused on her viewscreen. Still, she had to admit that Aida was right, the Zentradi really didn't like facing the three aces known as the Angels of Death, Asuka, Rei and Shinji. "You'd better be enjoying your night off," she muttered.

The three Evangelion shifted almost as one being, the fighters swiftly reconfiguring into the EVA mode, semi-humanoid warriors of frightening power. Their railguns boomed as they fired, spent shells falling towards the sea far below as the three drove back an enemy asault.

On the bridge Ritsuko monitored the ongoing battle, the blonde haired officer's gaze intense on the screen. "We're holding the fighter assault back with minimal losses," she reported, "and several Zentradi battle cruisers are holding a parallel course to observe."

Misato looked like she was fast asleep, the black captain's hat she usually wore pulled down over her eyes as she lounded in her chair. The black haired woman's voice was crystal clear, however, as she crisply asked them, "And what about the Angels?"

"No Angel units have been reported by the pilots," Ritsuko answered.

Maya spoke up from her tactical station before she could even be asked the question, "While our sensors can't perfectly distinguish between the normal enemy units and Angels, it appears that there aren't any out there."

"So why aren't they using them?" Misato pushed herself up a bit in her chair to look out the viewport at the bursts of light flaring in the sky, each one a dying pilot.

Makoto spoke up from his station to offer a theory, "Well, maybe they have much less of those suits than we thought?"

"Or they're just holding them back for somekind of final assault," Ritsuko said seriously.

"You always say the most reassuring things," Misato said with a scowl. She looked thoughtful, "The enemy cruisers?"

Ritsuko blinked then turned back to her console, "Still holding their distance."

"Maybe it's time we reminded them that we have some teeth," Misato said with a dangerous little smile. "Ready the main gun," she commanded, "target those cruisers."

"Right," Maya squeaked as the bridge crew set to work.

The massive starship began to shift, segments moving as different components were brought together to combine the systems. Looking oddly humanoid the SDF-1 reared up, aircraft carrier arms extended, thrusters from it's engine legs holding it aloft. Twin bows dropperd into place on the shoulders, directed towards where the cruisers observed.

"Modular transformation completed," Ritsuko reported the facts crisply, "the main gun is active and ready to fire on your command."

Between the massive bows a energy began to built. It began with a soft glow around each of the massive structures, then bolts of lightning began to dance between them. Brighter and brighter it grew, a powerful magnetic bottle holding the energy back.

"Fighter commanders report that all Evengelion are clear of the firing radius," Maya said, her expression deadly serious.

"Fire!" Misato commanded.

Maya firmly pressed down on the big red button, the power that had been so carefully built up simply unleashed in a focused direction. The cruisers saw it coming, slowly attempting to turn but it was simply too late. The wave of destructive fire washed over all of them and no matter how good their armor was it couldn't stand against it.

"Sensors confirm the destruction of all targets," Maya said softly. She looked shaken, the sudden destruction of the Zentradi vessels filling them all with a mix of awe and fear. A gentle hand was set on hers and Maya met Ritsuko's sympathetic gaze.

Makoto's voice was relieved as he reported, "The remaining battlepods are pulling out, disengaging from our Evangelion fighters."

"Keep us in combat mode for the next hour," Misato commanded, "I don't want the Zentradi thinking we're just a one shot wonder."

"What about the city?" Ritsuko asked curiously, referring to the entire city that the SDF-1 carried in it's massive belly.

"They're used to this sort of thing by now," Misato said optimistically before adding, "besides, what could go wrong?"

Deep within the heart of the SDF-1 Minmei sighed tiredly as the Chinese beauty muttered, "Look at the mess you've gotten us into."

"But I didn't," Shinji started to say only to trail off with a sigh, looking around the pit that the three of them were trapped in. They had rushed for a safety zone as the ship reshaped itself but were caught up in moving segments until they ended up in here.

"What happened?" Miriya asked them, the green haired young woman looking around her with honest curiosity.

"The ship had to transform," Shinji sighed, the brown haiored boy continuing on, "probably to fire the main cannons."

"Wonder how long we'll be stuck here?" Minmei asked, looking around them at the massive walls disappearing into the distance.

"Who knows," Shinji shrugged. He noticed Minmei shivering slightly and pulled his jacket off to drape it over her shoulders.

"Thank you," Minmei smiled up at the young man greatfully.

'I will never understand these beings,' Miriya thought irritably, feeling a uncomfortable sensation in her stomach as she watched. Finally she had to ask, "And the cannon can not be fired without the transformation?"

Shinji actually blushed slightly, keeping his distance from Minmei. "We lost segments of the ship's interior during the first major space fold," he explained uncomfortably, "the transformation is the only way to link the various pieces of the cannon together."

"I never knew that," Minmei admitted.

'And to think we wondered why they weren't using their weapons,' Miriya thought, the Zentradi officer taking a seat against one of the walls, 'when in fact they couldn't.'

"Miriya's got the right idea," Shinji said as he sat down too, "there's not much we can do until the ship reverts back to normal."

Minmei settled down beside him, the young woman snuggling in warmly there by Shinji. "I just hate waiting here without doing anything," she gave Shinji a little smile.

'No,' Miriya thought to herself, fighting off the feeling of being physically ill from watching them, 'I will never understand these beings.'

To be continued....