Chapter Five: Reminders

The initial exodus of the SDF-1 from Earth marked the beginning of a conflict that remains wholly unique in all of human history. It was in many ways a proxy war, fought by individuals disconnected from the greater whole of their respective societies. This naturally bore fruit in how those forces which came into direct contact would affect each other. From a human perspective, the early months of the war were notable for their uncertainty, both for the denizens of the SDF-1 and those who remained on Earth. In the race to ascertain perspective, older problems were overlooked and partially forgotten. That did not prevent these problems from still existing, however.

-“Drawing the Lines”, History of the First Robotech War, Vol. IX

“Are the clamps secure?” the workman asked.

“Almost,” Shinji answered, his Battloid outside the docking area. “The mechanism is moving a little slow.”

“I was afraid of that,” Dr. Lang said, his voice audible over the comm. “Shinji, see if you can ease them into place manually, one at a time.”

“Roger.” Shinji said, and then moved his Veritech to the first connection point.

It was now over a week since the SDF-1 had made its fold jump to the far end of the solar system and repair work was well underway. The 70,000 inhabitants of Macross Island were safely inside the battle fortress and construction on the new living areas had begun. Some people, of which Shinji was one, had taken to calling it a re-construction, since most of the work actually involved moving entire buildings from the ice-covered island to the new foundations being prepared inside what had been the main cargo hold of the SDF-1 and then restoring what was there.

When he had first heard about the plan, the boy had thought it was a joke – how could one simply move an entire city, building by building, into a spaceship and expect everything to function properly? Dr. Lang had explained the mechanics of it to him twice and he still did not understand half of it. Yet, somehow, it seemed to work. Several city blocks were already inside, complete with electricity (usually) and running water (often, but not always, due to what Lang figure to be a leak somewhere within the hidden corridors of the fortress).

Shinji, however, remained on recovery duty for the Prometheus. Captain Gloval did not want to simply abandon the aircraft carriers out in the middle of space and thus Dr. Lang had been tasked with finding a way of bringing them along. His solution had been quite simple – attach them to the SDF-1 itself and use them to launch fighters. This was the focus of Shinji’s current objective, completing the job of connecting the two ships. Special clamps had been fitted to both the Prometheus and the SDF-1 in order to lock them together. The trouble now was actually getting the clamps to work right. Everyone involved was under pressure to finish the task as quickly as possible, since the launch bays would be inoperable while everything was being fitted together. If the aliens attacked, there would be no way to deploy the Veritechs, leaving the SDF-1 a sitting duck.

“I’m at the first clamp,” Shinji reported.

“Alright my boy, now take the main latch and try to fit it into the receiving unit.” Dr. Lang said.

“Understood.”

With a surprising amount of difficulty, Shinji place the Battloid’s hands onto the latch. For a brief moment, the Third Child missed the ability to synch with his mecha. It made fighting more dangerous, but it also made it easier to get the machine’s hand to properly grip things. The Veritech’s controls seemed crude in comparison to the Eva for more delicate work. Then again, it occurred to Shinji that ‘delicate work’ was not something the Evas were ever deployed for.

“I think I’ve got it,” Shinji said as the latch fit into place.

“The system reports a lock,” Lang replied. “Well done. Now, only nine more to go.”

On the Prometheus, Shinji thought, well aware that the process would have to be repeated for the Daedalus. Silently, he hoped that Skull eleven would be the one to pull that duty.

On the other side of the SDF-1, Corporal Jonathan Dozen’s Veritech began to act strangely, suddenly weaving about, unable to keep a straight line. This erratic behavior soon came to the attention of Commander Hayes, who supervised all fighter activity. Irritated, she commed the pilot.

“Skull eleven, your flight pattern is irregular. Is there a problem?”

There was no response. Normally, the pilot’s face would be on the screen above her. Instead, it was blank.

“Skull eleven, are you experiencing equipment malfunction? Do you require maintenance?”

Inside the cockpit of Skull eleven, what remained of Jonathan’s mind pondered her question. Maintenance. To keep from failure or decline. The act of keeping a machine functional. All Veritechs were expected to undergo it regularly, but that could not have been allowed, so something had needed to be done. What was it? Oh yes, when the deck hand reported something strange about the Veritech, he had eaten him. It was a bit messy, and the copper aftertaste was distracting, but it needed to be done. Still, the machine – part of Zor’s Blasphemy – did need to be checked. He would have to get someone to look at it after killing everyone aboard.

“Skull eleven, please respond,” Commander Hayes tried again.

“Do you think something’s wrong?” Claudia asked, looking up from her station.

“I don’t know. It’s probably equipment failure. We had better bring him in.” Lisa answered and then switched to a different frequency. “Skull three and four, come in.”

“Is there a problem, sir?” Skull four asked.

“Skull eleven may be experiencing equipment failure. I need the two of you to bring him into the holding area inside the Daedalus until we can get the launch bays open”

“Roger,” Skull four said.

“Understood,” Shinji answered.

The two Battloids flew over to their comrade, both noticing it’s erratic movement. Shinji thought the Veritech’s outer casing looked odd, as though it had cracks from trying to fold in on itself. He tried to contact the pilot.

“Skull eleven, this is Skull three, can you hear me? Are you alright?” Shinji asked while Skull four closed in, arms reached out to grab hold of the Guardian.

Once again, Jonathan’s mind was examined. That voice, it had some significance. There was a connection it had to something important, but what could it…wait…yes…

Skull eleven turned towards the other two Veritechs and extended its left arm, ramming straight through Skull four, causing it to explode. Quickly hitting the feet jets, Shinji avoided a similar fate, but still received damage to his Battloid’s torso.

“Whoa!” he shouted.

“Skull three, what just happened? Did Skull eleven open fire?” Commander Hayes demanded.

“No sir, it didn’t open fire. Its arm…stretched out and punched right through Skull four!”

“What?!” Both Lisa and Claudia exclaimed, neither sure they were hearing right.

Skull eleven, meanwhile, had raised its gatling cannon and aimed it straight at Shinji. The boy switched to Fighter mode and flew in a zig-zag to avoid the blasts.

“Now he’s opened fire!” Shinji shouted.

“Skull eleven, you are ordered to cease fire and surrender! Repeat, you will cease fire and surrender or we will shoot you down!” Lisa yelled, desperately trying to regain control of the situation.

The rest of the bridge had lost interest in whatever duties they were previously working on and were now focusing on this new development. Kim gave a silent prayer for Shinji’s safety.

The Corporal certainly needed all the good thoughts he could get since Skull eleven, still in Guardian mode, had decided to pursue him. He tried everything he could think of to shake the Veritech, short of the really dangerous tricks Roy had taught him. What was going on? One minute everything was fine and the next a pilot decides to use him as target practice. Did the guy just snap? And how were they going to stop him without killing him? As cannon fire streaked across his field of vision, Shinji decided that his first priority should be staying alive. Everything else could wait.

“Status report,” Gloval said as he entered the bridge.

“Skull eleven had gone rogue, sir. He’s destroyed Skull four and is currently pursuing Skull three.” Lisa explained.

“Has he made any statement why?”

“No sir, we haven’t been able to make contact with him.”

“Do we have any other Veritechs active?”

“Skull fifteen and seventeen, sir. I was just about to give them orders to engage.”

“Do so. Bring him in alive if possible, but if he forces their hand, tell our pilots they have clearance to use lethal force.”

While Commander Hayes relayed instructions to the Veritechs, Gloval slumped into his chair and folded his hands in front of his face. This had to happen now, of all times, when their ability to respond was minimal. Moreover, was this just the first of many such incidents to come? Were other pilots going to turn on their comrades? The Captain fervently hoped otherwise.

Outside, Shinji continued to be hounded by the crazed Veritech. Repeatedly he had tried to reason with him; to get him to calm down, but just trying to stay out of the incoming fire rendered his attempts clumsy at best. His heart racing, the boy made a sharp turn downwards and shifted modes, hoping that he could swing around and come up behind his pursuer and then grab him while in Battloid mode.

“Skull eleven, break off your pursuit and surrender or we will open fire,” Skull fifteen announced as he and his wingman approached in Fighter mode. “Come on Johnny, don’t make us do this.”

Again there was no immediate response, but after about a minute a cracked, hollow voice was audible.

“…Humanity has sinned…and must be punished…”

Skull eleven then turned from its pursuit of Skull three to confront the newcomers. The two Veritechs weaved around the cannon fire and came to a decision.

“This is Skull fifteen. I have locked on to the hostile.” There was a pause. “Firing.”

Two missiles streaked through space, intent on eliminating the rogue aircraft. They never reached their target however, because a strange, barely visible barrier materialized in front of the hostile. The missiles passed through and then sputtered off their course.

“What the hell?” Skull fifteen spouted. “Commander, I’ve had a weapons malfunction. I’m coming around for another pass.” He did not know what had gone wrong.

Shinji did and felt a familiar sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. It did not seem possible, but there was no way to dismiss the evidence right in front of his eyes. He should have realized it much sooner, but once he saw that barrier the Third Child knew exactly what was going on and what they were facing.

“Skull fifteen, stay back! That’s not an ordinary Veritech, it’s an Angel!”

It was too late. Using its AT field, the Angel once again deflected the incoming missiles. It then jetted towards its enemy and, extending its arms, tore through the Fighter’s cockpit.

“Sweet Jesus!” Skull seventeen exclaimed.

Then the Angel underwent a kind of twisted version of the Veritech’s transformation ability, switching from Guardian to a mangled parody of a Battloid. The cracked and bent metal casing was now clearly apparent on a machine strangely out of proportion with itself. Parts of the body did not match up their other halves and the head had strange lesions and protrusions covering it, with the single red eye of a VF-1A now contorted into three separate shapes, with an awkward jawline attached. Gatling cannon still in its hand, it opened fire on Skull seventeen and incinerated it instantly.

“Sir, we’ve lost both Skull fifteen and seventeen!” Lisa announced.

“What is that thing? One of the aliens?” Sammie asked.

“No, you heard the Corporal – it’s an Angel.” Gloval replied.

“But, how could one of those things be all the way out here?” Claudia wondered aloud.

Shinji was asking the exact same question, though his contemplations on the subject were often interrupted by the Angel’s renewed assault. With both of the other Veritechs destroyed, what had been Skull eleven had now decided to split its attention between attacking Shinji and tearing through the SDF-1’s hull. Every time the pilot got within a certain range, the Angel would open fire, forcing him to back off. In the meantime, it maneuvered around towards the backside of the battle fortress and started ripping apart the armor plating near the engines.

“Corporal Ikari, you have experience fighting these creatures. Can you tell us what it’s after?” Gloval asked.

“I…I don’t know,” Shinji stammered. He was never entirely sure why the Angels attacked Tokyo-3, except that it probably had something to do with the Evangelions. What could it want out here?

“Captain, I’ve run a projection based on the Angel’s movements and choice of area to breach the hull,” Dr. Lang announced on an open channel. “I believe it is heading straight towards the Reflex Furnace!”

Shinji gulped. If the Furnace was breached, the explosion would take out everything within a mile radius of the SDF-1. There would be no chance for anyone to survive.

“Is there anything in that area we can send against it?” Gloval asked.

“All Destroids are still in the forward holding area, sir. They’d never make it in time.” Claudia responded.

“Claudia, mobilize the Destroids. Perhaps the Corporal can slow the Angel long enough for them to arrive.” Gloval ordered

“Captain, the Angel has almost pierced the outer hull!” Kim announced as a warning light on her console went off.

“Corporal Ikari, we need you to do everything you can to destroy that creature,” Gloval said.

“But what about the pilot? I can’t just murder him!” Shinji replied.

“The alternative is the death of every man, woman and child aboard this ship! Now do your duty!” Gloval ordered.

“I…I…”

Whatever Shinji might have said was lost, since he had drifted once more into the Angel’s range. This time, instead of firing the cannon, it jetted towards him, arms extended. Jerking the controls, Shinji avoided a head-on collision but came off with some damage. The Angel went after him again and a kind of back and forth ensued as both combatants, still in Battloid mode, jetted around the underside of the SDF-1. The battle outside was paralleled by the one inside the Third Child’s mind. How could he just murder another human being, someone innocent and undeserving of death? Yes, he had killed recently, but those had been willing attackers, invaders deliberately out to kill innocent people. It was different from this, with someone basically held hostage by an Angel. Whatever else he was, Shinji knew that he could not – would not – be a murderer. But what would be the consequences of this decision? How could he save both the captured pilot and the SDF-1?

Shinji’s internal debate almost cost him his life when, distracted by his thoughts, he failed to avoid the Angel’s latest attack. It’s extended right arm grabbed hold of the Veritech’s leg and threw the mecha towards the SDF-1. The aircraft landed hard, then floated back up. Alarms sounded inside the cockpit of the Battloid, warning its pilot that the machine could not take much more damage. Shinji switched to Fighter mode and avoided a lunge from the Angel. Another alarm went off and the control board showed that the engine was close to giving out, with the right thruster already on its way.

“These things aren’t very durable,” Shinji muttered.

The Angel had also shifted to Fighter mode, though with less than complete success. In addition to the continued asymmetry, its left hand stuck out rather prominently from its underside and the tail wings were upside down. It fired its afterburners and closed in on its opponent, whose own engine was ready to sputter and die. Deciding that his current mode was a lost cause, Shinji switched back to Battloid and watched as the Angel sped right past him. Through sheer luck, he managed to catch a glimpse of the cockpit. The pilot was there and appeared to be in one piece. The Angel immediately shifted to Battloid as well, but with greater difficulty than the previous transformation. When the cockpit folded down to form the Battloid’s chest, the misplaced left hand became a snag that prevented the change from finishing. Then Angel then took out its cannon and, after a couple wild discharges, shot off its own hand, which started to float away. This act of dismemberment allowed the Angel to finish shifting to Battloid mode. It then grabbed the hand and tried to fit it back on.

Shinji, alarms still flashing in his eyes, watched all of this as he tried to keep his Veritech from falling apart. He cut as much power from the engine as he could while still being able to move. It did little good and he figured that, at best, he only had about several minutes before everything went completely dead, with himself following shortly. He had to think of something right now, or the deaths of 70,000 people would be on his hands. His mind raced over everything he had seen the Angel do, everything he knew about fighting them. And then it came to him.

He shifted back to Guardian mode, hoping his opponent would do the same. In a rare show of good luck, it did and with just as much trouble as before. Hitting his afterburners, Shinji flew right towards the Angel and more specifically the out-jutted cockpit area. The Third Child aimed his own cannon, drew in a breath, and fired. The blast tore straight through the nose section, dividing it and the cockpit from the rest of the Angel. He then slowed just enough so that when they crashed into each other, it would not immediately destroy his Veritech. Ramming into the Angel, Shinji distanced it from the former pilot and even more alarms gave off their warnings. Angered, the creature swung wildly and cracked open Shinji’s cockpit while simultaneously collapsing it on him. His left arm caught on something as the decompression pulled him upward.

“Arrgh!” he exclaimed as he felt something break. Instinctively, he hit the feet jets and managed to use them to push the Angel back a bit. Adrenaline surging through him, Shinji saw his chance and loosed every missile he had. Confused by a mixture of pain and rage, the Angel did not think to extend its AT field and thus 15 Reflex missiles slammed into it. The resulting fireball consumed it completely before itself being enveloped by the vacuum of space.

Battered, slightly broken, but very much alive, Corporal Shinji Ikari of the Robotech Defense Force allowed a smile to cross his face.

000

It took over fifteen minutes for the recovery vehicles to make it to the tattered remnants of Shinji’s Veritech. Strangely enough, they were some of the most peaceful fifteen minutes of his life. As he ever so slowly drifted away from the SDF-1, the boy had the chance to just sit back and observe the stars around him. They were such beautiful things, points of light against the surrounding dark. He thought about the first time he had seen them this close, when he exited Earth’s atmosphere to rendezvous with the SDF-1. It seemed so odd to him that he only had the chance to enjoy the stars like this after moments of fighting. Perhaps it was a kind of recompense. Part of him was disappointed when the searchlight of a rescue shuttle hit his face, bringing his moment of serenity to an end. The immense feeling of satisfaction that came from seeing Skull eleven’s cockpit carried into the landing bay almost made up for it. Waiting for the deck hands to cut him out of his own cockpit was less gratifying, especially when they tried to lift him out by his arms.

“Arrrrrraaahhhh!”

“Careful boys, the Corporal is quite fragile,” Roy joked, watching as Shinji was carried out.

“I think it’s broken,” Shinji said as he looked at his left arm.

“Well, if it’s broken, then it should hurt when I do this,” Roy said and poked the boy’s arm.

“OW!”

“Yep, it’s broken,” Roy chuckled.

“Why did you do that?!”

“Oh come on, surely the hero of the hour can take a little nudging. After all, you did just save the SDF-1, everyone aboard, and the hijacked Veritech pilot. If you don’t keep a stiff upper lip, people might think you’re only human and we certainly can’t have that. At least, not until you’ve gotten a couple girls’ phone numbers.” Roy ignored the dirty look sent his way while he was talking.

“You can be very cruel, Roy.” Shinji replied. “How’s Jonathan?”

“They’ve got him on a stretcher over there,” Roy motioned with his head. “He should be okay.

Shinji looked over to where the paramedics were gathered. There was concern in his next question, but also a bit of curiosity.

“Can I talk to him?”

“Don’t see why not, but you’d better get over there quick.”

Roy helped his friend up and waved for the paramedics to wait a moment. The man’s eyes were closed, but he seemed to be mumbling something. As Shinji leaned in closer, Dozen’s eyes shot open and he pulled the boy close. Then, in a whisper, he spoke.

“Zor’s blasphemy spreads…only she can offer redemption…Third Child.”

Before Shinji could respond he was pushed to the ground as Jonathan leapt to his feat and began attacking everyone around him. Paramedics attempting to restrain him were tossed aside, one thrown directly into Roy. A guard trying to intervene was quickly disarmed and his weapon grabbed. Looking directly into Shinji’s eyes, Jonathan raised the blaster to his head and fired. The body hit the floor a second later, a burnt hole in the side of its head. The universe seemed to stop for Shinji as he sat there, staring into the eyes of a dead man. They seemed to hold him there, binding him with a silent accusation. Time only resumed its normal course when the boy felt something wet touch his hand. Unable to move his left arm, Shinji raised his right and saw it covered with a red liquid. Several seconds had to pass before his mind could recognize the substance as human blood. It covered the palm of his hand completely, small bits dripping onto his uniform, staining it.

“Shinji?”

Something was speaking his name. The boy’s eyes immediately turned back to meet those belonging to the dead body next to him.

“Shinji.”

How could it be talking to him if it was dead? Its lips were not moving, so how could it be forming words? Shinji began to wonder if he was dead as well, and that was why he could hear the words.

“Shinji!”

Hands forced the boy’s head to look upwards, into the face of Roy Fokker. The soldier was saying something.

“Shinji, are you alright?”

The boy’s mouth opened, but no sound came from inside it. Then, slowly…

“I…I think I…” the boy didn’t finish, instead looking at his red hand.

“Hey, hey, don’t lose it on me, kid.” Roy said, then shouted at the paramedics. “Give me some help with him!”

Another stretcher was wheeled over and Shinji felt himself lifted from the ground.

“Easy with him, he’s already got a broken arm!” Roy scolded the medics before turning back to his friend. “Kid, give me a sign of life here.”

“Roy, I…I failed,” Shinji whispered. “I couldn’t…I couldn’t save him.”

“Commander Fokker, I’ll have to ask you to step back,” one of the medics said as they loaded Shinji into the back of a waiting ambulance. Roy moved to follow him in, but an arm on his shoulder distracted him.

“Sir, what do we do about the body?”

“Do?! You clear the area and let the medics clean it up and do their job!” Roy snarled, not in the mood for questions when a friend needed him. He turned back to the ambulance only to find that it was already leaving.

“Hey, wait!” he cried, but the medics did not notice him and sped off, carrying with them a fifteen-year-old boy who still had an innocent man’s blood dripping from his hand.

“I failed,” he whispered, admitting his guilt.

On the landing bay floor, the corpse of what had once been Jonathan Dozen began to go cold. Blood no longer flowed from the wound.

000

The cruiser was but one of many, a small part of an even larger force. It was the tiniest fraction of what was probably the largest fleet in history. Yet, somewhat paradoxically, it was one of the most important, not because of any special armaments or unique design, but because of the individuals who resided in it. Two individuals, to be specific. One was a towering figure, easily identifiable thanks both to the metal plate that covered old scars as well as the simple force of personality that comes with being among the mightiest warriors of his race. The other was not nearly so impressive upon first glance. In fact, he was often looked down upon by certain officers, referred to as an insult, a disgrace to a long warrior tradition. These claims were partially true, owing to the individual’s somewhat deformed physique, which left him unable to act as a warrior. However, he compensated quite nicely for his physical flaws with a keen mind that had made him the personal advisor (and perhaps the closest possible thing to a friend) to the aforementioned great warrior. This was why many of the mutterings against him were done with a hushed breath.

Even if such slanders were more open, they would not overly concern Exedore of the Zentraedi. He had more important things to worry about, namely a certain battle fortress that had managed to slip through their fingers. The Minister of Affairs (a worthless title if ever there was one) had spent the days since the ship’s disappearance pouring over sensor and coordinate data of every shape and kind in order to get an idea of just where Zor’s battle fortress had gone. As tasks went, it was more humiliating than anything else, an indication of how some of the finest Zentraedi soldiers alive were completely surprised by the ship’s fold. Such an act simply should not have been possible – a fold by a ship like that while deep within an atmosphere? Preposterous. Ridiculous. Also, a reality. Once again Zor had thwarted the will of the Robotech Masters, even from beyond the grave. If he was only half as aggravating in life as he was in death, it was no wonder that the great powers of the galaxy wished him dead. Idly, Exedore would often wonder what the man would have been like to meet, he who was responsible for the advent of Protoculture and all that had been wrought in its name.

Yet such musings were but more irrelevancies. Zor was dead and gone and now what remained was the reclamation of the Protoculture matrix he had stowed away inside his personal battle fortress. Exedore felt certain that he had correctly ascertained the ship’s general location. Once informed, the fleet’s commander would give the order to fold and the chase would resume. This was the positive side of things. On the negative – or at the least, dubious – side were two very interesting facts about those in possession of the Protoculture matrix. Facts the fleet commander should be informed of, but would not necessarily improve his mood. This was why Exedore was currently making his way through the corridors that led to the cruiser’s command bubble. As he walked, his mind reviewed the data available and formed conclusions, based on everything from the condition of enemy combatants to the amount of pressure the Robotech Masters would place on the Zentraedi Supreme Commander to retrieve the matrix as quickly as possible. When the doors opened to reveal the observation bubble overlooking astrogation, Exedore had concluded that a speedy resolution to their mission was not merely preferable, but necessary.

“Commander, I am ready to submit my report.” Exedore said.

“Very good. I must admit curiosity about what you found so unsettling,” a solid rumble of a voice replied. It was a voice that could only belong to Breetai, veteran of a thousand battles, whose victories against the hated Invid had cost half his face but won him the unconditional loyalty of his troops and the regard of the Supreme Commander himself.

“I have prepared transvids taken during our attack on the alien’s homeworld. They reveal something of note,” Exedore said and began playing the images on the display screen that materialized in front of the command platform.

“Are those…?” Breetai wondered aloud. “Micronians! Hmm, so our enemies are Micronians.” He folded his arms and began to understand why his advisor had given him forewarning.

“Yes, Commander. Since our initial encounter I have conducted investigations into all available data concerning Micronians and have discovered some items of note.”

“Such as?”

“Several legends warning all Zentraedi to maintain a clear distance from them. All of them were quite old, possibly dating back to the Great Transition, but each held clear evidence of coming from the Robotech Masters.”

Breetai stroked his chin and thought. It was rare for the Robotech Masters to be so obtuse in their wishes. They simply gave orders for the Zentraedi to carry out. That was the way things were done, the way things had always been. Exedore continued to speak.

“It is my opinion that we vacate this area of space as quickly as possible and make no attempt to return to this planet unless it is with the express permission of the Supreme Commander.”

“Agreed. There is nothing her now that can interest us.” Breetai noticed the expression on his advisor’s face and decided his previous statement may have been presumptuous. “Is there something else?”

“Yes, Commander. We have performed several scans of the planet since our arrival and they have revealed slightly disturbing findings.”

The Projecbeam shifted to display an image of the planet’s surface taken from a distance.

“In the planet’s northern hemisphere is an isolated land mass with a large amount of defensive weaponry. We have observed…emanations coming from this land mass, specifically this city area.”

The field shifted once more to display and overhead view of the buildings and streets of Tokyo-3.

“What kind of emanations?”

“I am unsure. We have nothing in our archives that provides a direct match, but they do show a strong similarity to readings taken of Optera prior to the bombardment.”

Now Breetai understood why his advisor had been so awkward about relating this information. Any connection to the Optera of long ago would have to be handled carefully, especially in light of the fact that the Protoculture matrix had resided on this planet for what must have been a lengthy amount of time.

“These emanations are contained within this one land mass?”

“Yes Commander, though we also recorded faint readings from the planet’s southern polar region. Presumably some event transpired there and left residual traces. I cannot know for certain without direct study.”

“Hm. It appears we have stumbled upon something of importance. We may be returning to this planet sooner than we think.”

“You may be correct, Commander.”

“We will report this to the Supreme Commander along with our current progress towards the recovery of Zor’s battle fortress. All ships, prepare to fold!”

One after another, the ships of Breetai’s small fleet disappeared into foldspace, ready to continue their chase, leaving the blue planet alone for now. However, should their masters will it; they and many others would return and eliminate every living thing on it.

000

The minute Roy stepped into the Captain’s office; he knew there would be trouble. Gloval had his back to the door and a clear plume of smoke was rising from the man’s trademark pipe. It was never a good sign when those two actions came in tandem with one another. Still, Roy was not someone to back down from a fight and so he approached the Captain’s desk and came to attention.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Sit down, Commander.” Gloval said, still not turning his chair around.

Roy did so, and waited for the Captain to continue. It took a couple minutes for him to finally turn his chair around.

“I assume you are fully aware of the incident from earlier today.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I find it strange that such a creature could hijack one of our pieces of equipment so easily without any sort of warning.” Gloval stated.

“Well, these things have shown a tendency to come out of nowhere. The last one was basically a shadow on the ground and swallowed a couple city blocks before it was stopped.”

“We should count ourselves lucky, then, that this one was a little more conventional in its tactics.”

“I see nothing wrong in being thankful for minor miracles.”

“Still, we should not let our success give us cause to become complacent. After today, we will have to take precautions against another such incident.”

“Naturally, though I don’t think we’ll have to worry about anything exactly like today again. Everything we have on the Angels suggests that they like to mix up their tactics as time goes on.”

“That may be, but I still want a greater scrutiny placed upon the status of all Veritechs and Destroids, along with the mental condition of their pilots.”

“You’re the Captain. I’ll have to talk to Maistroff about it. He guards his Destroids like a dog with a bone.”

“Maistroff knows that attention has to be paid to the individuals piloting our mecha, in order to make sure that they will always act accordingly.”

Roy started to get impatient. They both knew what Gloval was really talking about, but for some reason the Captain seemed to be dancing around it. This kind of song and dance was always something that aggravated him to no end, but he knew that directly challenging the Captain about it would be a mistake.

“I agree. A good mindset is crucial for a pilot, especially when they’re facing a familiar enemy. I thought Corporal Ikari demonstrated that nicely.”

At first, Gloval did not respond, instead opening a file that had been lying in front of him. A quick glance revealed to Roy that it was on Shinji.

“It is interesting that the Angel was dealt with by the one person we have onboard who has the most experience with the threat it represents. Perhaps we should count ourselves lucky that the Corporal was on duty when the creature attacked.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me.”

“I wonder, though, about the Corporal’s ability to handle orders given to him under pressure. Some might say that his reluctance to immediately engage the Angel placed the SDF-1 in unnecessary jeopardy.”

“Maybe. ‘Course, one could easily say that his reluctance to kill an innocent hostage points towards his moral character and bravery. Especially since said hostage was recovered intact, despite what might have happened afterward.”

The two looked at each other for a moment, each trying to gauge the other’s mood. Roy maintained his show of confident nonchalance, while Gloval appeared stoic. The Captain then moved his gaze back to his paperwork.

“That will be all, Commander.”

“Actually, sir, while we’re on the subject of Corporal Ikari, there is something else I would like to discuss with you….”

000

Shinji remained awake during the trip to the hospital, his mind almost afraid to become unconscious. Eventually the choice was taken out of his hands when one of the doctors decided that his arm would have to be worked on and promptly put him under. He was awakened over twenty-four hours later by the last thing he expected – sunlight on his face. Lifting his good arm to shield his eyes, the boy looked out his window to see a blue sky for the first time in almost two weeks. For a few minutes, he wondered if everything had been a dream – Macross Island, the SDF-1, the aliens – all of it a figment of his imagination. Soon enough, Misato would stop by to see how he was doing, maybe congratulate him for stopping the Angel, and then take him back to the apartment. Asuka would be there, waiting for him to fix dinner, probably wanting something other than a Japanese dish. Or maybe she would be outside his hospital room again, trying not to be seen as she peeked in on him. Out of wishful thinking more than anything else, Shinji turned to look at the door, hoping that perhaps he might catch a glimpse of red hair. Instead there was someone standing in the doorway, some flowers in her hand.

“Hi,” Kim said, nervously. “I, uh, brought you some…weeds.”

Shinji smiled at the weak attempt at humor, watching as she placed the flowers on the table next to him. She pulled up a chair and sat down at his bedside.

“Thank you,” he replied, noticing that his voice sounded weaker than usual.

“Do you want a glass of water?” Kim asked.

“No, I’m okay.”

Kim glanced around the room, feeling awkward.

“Sorry I couldn’t bring you anything better looking. The gift shop was pretty sparse.”

“They’re nice, really.”

“I just figured the guy who single-handedly saved everyone on the ship deserved something.” she said. Shinji looked down.

“I didn’t save everyone.”

“What happened to him wasn’t your fault. You did more than enough when you stopped that thing from taking out the Furnace.”

“I didn’t do enough. I should have been faster, should have stopped him from grabbing that gun. He was right there, in front of me. I could have done something. I should have done something.”

He went silent for a moment and Kim thought he was finished, but then he spoke again.

“Every Angel I’ve gone up against has had something about it that made it uniquely horrifying. The only thing that stayed the same was how you killed it. Destroy the core, destroy the Angel. The problem is that each one always seems to…attack your soul more than the last. I just…I don’t know if there’s going to be anything left of me by the time it’s done.” He kept looking down as he talked, unable or unwilling to meet her eyes.

“Shinji, you’re a good man. Most people wouldn’t have event tried to save him, they would have taken him out without hesitation. But you didn’t. You found a way to bring him back, even if it was for just a little while. Nothing will ever change that.”

There was a sensation running up Shinji’s broken arm and he looked to see what it was. He then noticed that Kim had both her hands around his, but before he could gather the courage to look at her a new voice distracted him.

“You should listen to the pretty girl, kid. She knows what she’s talking about.” Roy Fokker said as he entered the room.

“Oh, Commander Fokker!” Kim said, startled. She started to come to attention, but Roy waved it off.

“Keep sitting. I’m not worth getting up for.” He looked at Shinji. “How’s the arm?”

“Okay,” Shinji replied. “Feels a little funny, but that’s all.”

“Good to hear. The docs say you’ll be good to go by the morning, so you won’t have to sit here and stare at walls for too much longer. Of course, you could spend the time looking at her, but she’s got to get back on duty sometime.”

Both Shinji and Kim looked very awkward after the man’s teasing and had let go of each other’s hand. Roy did not bother to hide his amusement. Shinji started to blush.

“So remember kid, I’ll expect to see you suited back up once that arm heals.” Roy said.

“Roy…I don’t know if I can-” Shinji was interrupted before he could finish.

“Ah! Almost forgot to give you this little thing,” Roy said as he opened a small black case with him he handed it to the confused boy.

“Is this…?” Shinji started to ask.

“In recognition of exemplary service, it has been decided that pilot Shinji Ikari shall be promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the Robotech Defense Force, with all the proper privileges and responsibilities to be granted accordingly.” Roy announced in a mock-official tone.

“Congratulations!” Kim said.

“Roy…are you sure about this?” Shinji asked in disbelief.

“Kid, you went above and beyond the call on that last one. You saved the ship and rescued a fellow pilot from a dangerous situation. Anything that happened afterwards holds no bearing on you or your performance as an officer of the RDF. Not bad for someone who’s only been on active duty for just a few weeks.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Shinji admitted.

“Most people in my position would point out that a ‘thank you’ is good, but I prefer something along the lines of ‘I bow before your blindingly great magnificence’.” Roy puffed himself up slightly as he responded.

“I think you should just go with a ‘thank you’,” Kim whispered in Shinji’s ear.

“Um, thank you Roy.”

“Eh, I suppose that will do. But seriously kid, I am proud of you. That was some nice flying up there and I expect to see more of it.”

“I…appreciate that, but I really hope I’ll never have to do anything like that ever again,” the boy responded. There was something else relating to the Angel that was bothering him. He did not voice this to either Kim or Roy, not wanting to burden them with whatever implications it might have. Still, he knew he would have to tell someone about it, if only to make sense of it in his own mind, not to mention what it might mean for any future encounters with the Angels.

000

True to Roy’s pronouncement, Shinji was released from the hospital the following day, his left arm in a sling and orders to avoid strenuous activity. Shinji hailed a cab and soon found himself outside the improvised military base now located inside the ship it had originally been built around. From there he began his walk towards a certain hangar located on the outskirts of the base. When he first heard that it had been recovered from the mess that was now Macross Island, the boy had to wonder about the reasoning behind the decision to bring it aboard. Why that particular structure, when the object it had been meant to house was long gone, on the other side of the solar system? Surely it held no importance now, and may as well be abandoned with the rest of the garbage. Yet, if recent events were any indication, there may have been justifiable reasoning behind the doctor’s decision to bring it and all its contents along.

Entering the hangar, Shinji’s thoughts drifted back to the last time he had been here, over two months ago. Unit-01 had been locked down in the giant chair before him, while he had been sitting in front of it, trying to make a choice that would influence the rest of his life. The chair was now empty, but the ominous feeling he had when he looked upon it remained. If anything, it was stronger than ever.

“It never ceases to amaze me, the way things we leave behind continue to influence our lives,” Emil Lang said as he walked up beside Shinji, his attention also on the chair. “Hard to believe it has only been a couple of months since the talk we had here.”

“I…probably wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t happened,” Shinji admitted, still looking forward. “I wanted to get away from the Evas so much, but I felt bound to them.”

“Perhaps I should apologize to you, then. If not for me, you would be safe at home on Earth.”

“Earth was never safe. I’ve been reminded of that.”

“Ah yes, the reason you wanted to meet me here. A terrible tragedy, especially with what later happened to Mr. Dozen.”

“It’s not just what he did; it’s what he said to me. He whispered something in my ear –‘Zor’s blasphemy spreads; only she can offer redemption Third Child’. And right before the Angel killed Skull fifteen, he said something about ‘humanity having sinned’. It’s like the Angel was talking through him to me. It knew who I was.”

Shinji and the doctor had now turned to face each other. Lang considered the boy’s statements.

“These certainly are ominous developments. We performed an autopsy on Mr. Dozen’s body right after the suicide. I oversaw it myself.”

“What did you find?”

“Surprisingly little. His body showed no obvious signs of transfiguration or biological manipulation. Perhaps if we had some idea as to when and how he came into contact with the Angel we would have a better idea about whether or not there had been sufficient time for any type of metamorphosis to occur. Then again, this entire incident is without precedent, so we are relying mostly on guesswork and supposition. There were some interesting variations in his brain, or a kind I have never seen before, though my knowledge of neurology is limited.”

“Variations?”

“It appears that several areas were stimulated in order to increase memory capacity and retrieval ability. His mind was apparently picked apart and re-organized in order to better suit the Angel’s needs. His statements may have been a reflection of this, an attempt to put into words he could understand the concepts that the Angel drilled into his mind.”

“So, was that really him doing the talking?

“Possibly, but more likely it was his mind’s way of expressing the desires the Angel had re-organized it to pursue.”

“But what were those desires? And why single me out?”

“Those are questions I do not have answers for. We know so little about these creatures. At least, those of us outside of NERV. I have tried to access data about them, only to find it buried and sealed under the tightest of security. The status of Chief Engineer on the SDF-1 only takes one’s clearance so far and everything about the Angels biology remains a closely guarded secret. I had hoped that once the RDF replaced NERV as the world’s first line of defense against all global threats these files would soon become available to me. Were you ever given any detail about the functioning of the Angels?”

Shinji shook his head.

“No, not really. Everything they told us was limited to how to kill them. I doubt I would have understood Dr. Akagi anyway if she had told me.”

“Ah yes, Dr. Akagi. She wouldn’t be the easiest person to obtain information from.”

“You know her?”

“I am acquainted with her. It was her mother that I was more familiar with. An…interesting woman, to say the least. Fascinating that they would both work on the same project.”

A small part of Shinji’s mind felt as though an important piece of information had fallen into his lap. This fact about the doctors Akagi was quickly placed in a mental folder for future reference. He wanted to pursue this, but the original subject took priority for the boy.

“Aren’t the Angels listed as an extra-terrestrial threat? Shouldn’t the RDF have been given full access at the outset? We already knew there were aliens heading our way.”

“That was always strange to me as well. Everything I have made here was for the sole purpose of defending Earth from an extra-terrestrial force, but whenever a move was made to incorporate NERV into the UN Spacy there was a fierce resistance, often using a kind of double-speak about where the Angels came from and why they were NERV’s sole responsibility. It was not until after Unit-01 was brought to Macross Island that any sort of headway was made into the barricade your father had erected around his authority.”

That caused Shinji to quickly become sullen. He turned to look back at the empty chair.

“He would never tell me anything; never speak to me unless it had something to do with piloting.”

“He never mentioned anything about where the Angels came from?”

“Nothing. And now there are two alien races out for humanity’s blood.” Shinji paused for a moment. “Maybe…maybe he might know what Jonathan meant when he mentioned ‘Zor’s blasphemy’.”

“Such an interesting phrase for a creature called an Angel to use. Blasphemy. I can only wonder what ‘Zor’ might be.” And who ‘she’ is, Lang thought, but did not add.

They both looked back at the vacant throne, each with his own set of questions about its occupant. For one, it was the continued mystery of how the beast connected to the death of a woman he had cared deeply about. For the other, it was about the growing concern that he had been lied to and what that might mean for his future.

000

After parting with Dr. Lang, Shinji opted not to return to his quarters, instead deciding to wander around the still-under-construction Macross City. In conjunction with his decision not to go back to his bunk, Shinji decided to spend his time in civilian clothing, trying to distance himself from everything his uniform represented at the moment.

All things considered, the city really was a marvel of engineering and a miracle of the first order. Entire city blocks had seen a painstaking amount of energy put into the effort of making them exactly like they had been back on the island. It was nothing less than awe-inspiring when one considered that most of the buildings had been completely covered in ice as of a few days ago. Lang’s reputation as a miracle worker was firmly cemented amongst the members of the RDF and Shinji felt a pang of regret that he had been outside with the Prometheus and this missed most of the groundwork. It must have been a sight to behold.

Not that there was not still a great deal of work remaining, of course. Walking down one of the sidewalks, Shinji noticed a gaping hole in the road, allowing for a clear look below into the twisting pipes and passageways that littered the insides of the battle fortress. Idly, Shinji wondered how quickly a person might get lost if he tried to poke around down there. Without a clear idea of where you were going and an easy way to mark your progress, it would be all too easy for someone to wander aimlessly. Not even Dr. Lang knew how all of the inner corridors of the SDF-1 were laid out.

Deciding that he had no burning desire to find out, the boy continued his walk, observing the ebb and flow of people going about their lives. It was fascinating, just how normal everything seemed. There was a blue sky above him, people around him, businesses open, and he thought he heard music playing somewhere. Looking up, Shinji observed a cloud slowly passing by. Then it suddenly disappeared, revealing the cold gray roof of the SDF-1’s main holding area.

“Aw, not again,” he heard someone say. Shinji turned to see a short, rotund man speaking with someone several feet taller than him.

“The Defense Force told me that this was likely to happen for a while,” the short man said. “They haven’t been able to get it to work right. Something about ‘holo-energy requirements’ and some other gobbledygook. We’ll just have to live with it until someone gets around to trying to fix it again.”

Shinji frowned and kept walking, mulling over the loss of the illusion. It was comforting, a way of easing a person into this new life by trying to retain continuity with the old. But it was also a lie. A pleasant one, something that certainly made you feel better, but still just a lie. Maybe it was an aftereffect of his conversation with Dr. Lang, but the boy was feeling particularly ill-disposed towards the concept of telling a lie for some greater good. He intermittently looked back up at the dull-colored ceiling, deciding that a harsh truth was better than a pleasant lie.

Shinji may have spent the rest of the day roaming the streets aimlessly, pondering every last existential and general philosophical question that came to him, but he was soon distracted by a very loud noise coming from a couple blocks away. Almost instinctively he broke into a run, racing towards the source of the noise. What he found was another great hole in the ground, this one looking as though it had collapsed in on itself.

“What was that, an enemy missile?” Someone asked.

“Looks to me like a bomb went off!” Another added.

“Hey, there’s someone down there. It looks like a couple of kids!” Yet another pointed out.

Shinji peered down into the hole and sure enough there were two people standing down in it, a boy and a girl, surrounded by debris. The latter was being held close by the former.

“Why, that looks like Minmei down there,” the short man from earlier said and Shinji finally recognized him as Tommy Luan, the mayor of Macross City.

The Sergeant, meanwhile, had started to distance himself from the crowd and was making his way towards a nearby phone booth. He dialed a number given to all RDF personnel to be used should the need arise. Before long he was in contact with the ship’s services and ordering a crane to be delivered to the area. Once he received confirmation that it was on its way, he returned to the hole and approached the mayor, who was shouting down to the girl below.

“-so don’t worry, we’ll be getting you out as quickly as – eh?”

“Mr. Mayor? Sergeant Ikari of the RDF. I’ve already got a crane on its way to get them out.”

“Why thank you, soldier!” Luan then turned back to the hole. “We’ve got a crane on its way! You’ll be out of there in just a few minutes!”

Shinji was pretty sure he heard the girl shout back a ‘thank you’. As it turned out, it took about fifteen minutes for the crane to get there and another ten for it to be in position to send a basket down for the two to get in. Once they were up, Shinji helped both get out, despite the reduction in ability caused by his broken arm.

“Attention, message from the bridge. The disturbance in Sector 7x was caused by a construction accident. There were no injuries. The damage will be cleared up very shortly. Repeat, the disturbance is over. Please return to neutral status.” Commander Hayes announced over the PA system.

“Aunt Lena, Uncle Max, I was so worried I’d never see you again! We were down there for so long and didn’t know anything about what was happening! Every time we tried to look for an exit we got lost in all those hallways and rooms! And there were so many of them, like they weren’t ever supposed to stop anywhere!” the girl said after running over to her family.

“Don’t worry Minmei you’re back with us, safe and sound.” Max reassured his niece.

“Oh, thank goodness for that! It was so cold and dark and lonely down there, like some kind of dank cave! The food just kept getting less and less despite everything Rick and I tried. I can’t wait to get back to a warm bed and away from that cold floor! And the mice, ewww!”

Seeing that there was nothing to do for the girl, who seemed to have more energy than he thought possible in a human being, Shinji turned his attention to her companion. Of the two, he was decidedly the worse for wear, looking bewildered, pale and exhausted. Just as Shinji was about to ask if he needed anything, the mayor slapped the rescued boy on the back, causing him to fall forward. Shinji reached out his arm, hoping to catch him and prevent him from falling, but only managed to grab hold of the back of his jacket, barely stopping him from hitting the ground right in front of Shinji’s shoes.

“Hey, are you alright son?” Mayor Luan asked after he rushed over to help Shinji pick the boy up. There was no response and it looked like he had collapsed from fatigue.

“We had better get him someplace where he can lie down,” Shinji said, trying to hold onto the surprisingly heavy body with his good arm.

“Rick! Oh, Rick, are you alright?” Minmei asked.

“I don’t think he can hear you, Minmei,” Luan responded.

“Let’s bring him into the restaurant. We have a room he can stay in there.” Lena said.

With Shinji holding him up on one side and the mayor holding up the other, Rick was carried over to the specified restaurant, not too far from the hole, with a small crowd following. Once they were inside, Shinji started to lose his grip on the limp figure.

“Here, let me take over. You’ve done plenty,” Max offered, taking Rick from Shinji.

“Say, what’s that smell?” Minmei wondered aloud.

Shinji sniffed the air, then looked down at his shoes and found them covered in a strange, yellow-gray mushy substance. Embarrassed, he quietly backed out of the restaurant and into the crowd, hoping everyone would be focused on Rick and not paying him any attention. Once safely away, Shinji sniffed again, then wrinkled his face in disgust; sure of what was covering his shoes. After a brief bit of contemplation he decided it must have happened when Rick collapsed and his head had been right above Shinji’s shoes.

Using his heels, Shinji got out of the tainted footwear and deposited them in a nearby trash container, praying that no one was actually looking at him. Despite his best attempts, he was unable to hail a cab and resigned himself to the fact that he would have to walk all the way back to the base in his socks. With a heavy sigh, he started moving and tried not to flinch whenever he stepped on something unpleasant to his foot. This happened more times than he would have liked. Occasionally while walking he would notice an odd look from a random passerby and this would prompt him to increase his pace for the next block or so.

Finally, after what seemed to be a far greater distance on the way back than it was from his departure, Shinji made it back to the base. Keeping up a brisk stride (but not an outright run – that would draw attention to him) he thought he could make it back to his quarters without running into anyone. Once past the main gate and inside his building the boy felt certain he would make it. He should have known better.

“Oh, hey Shinji!” Sammie Porter said.

“…Hi, Sammie,” Shinji responded, cringing. Why did it have to be one of Kim’s two best friends? And a bridge officer, to boot?

“How’s your arm?”

“Fine, it’s fine.”

“That’s good. Kim was worried about you.”

‘I know.”

“You should do something nice for her.”

“I know.”

“She’d really appreciate it.”

“I know.”

“I can give you gift ideas, if you can’t think of anything.”

“I know.”

Sammie checked her watch.

“Oh, I’ve got to get back to the bridge. I’ll see you later!” She was almost across the room when she turned around and, in a far louder voice than he would have liked, said “By the way, you’ve lost your shoes!”

“…I know,” Shinji muttered, exasperated. There were times when he understood why Kim, Sammie and Vanessa had been nicknamed ‘the Terrible Trio’.

Feeling very tired, Shinji finally managed to make it back to his room, which seemed far more cramped than usual. Granted, it was never the most spacious living area he had stayed in, but today its compact size seemed to be accentuated. He flipped on the radio, hoping that the broadcasting stations had been set up by now, but was greeted with nothing more than the harsh crackle of sound that was static. Sighing, Shinji turned it off and sad down in the lone chair available to him.

There had been times in past when silence and solitude were things he sought after desperately, but now they seemed hollow to him. He desperately wished to hear Asuka extolling her own virtues while Misato slyly teased the two of them about everything ranging from work issues to a relationship. Never a day went by without some kind of comment from someone about the two of them sounding like an old married couple. Annoying at the time, such things now seemed an important part of a life he was starting to miss. Strange that the things which aggravated him were what came to mind when he waxed nostalgic.

Deciding to do something about the silence, Shinji brought his cello close, ready to play a bit to soothe his nerves. Then he tried to lift his left arm back.

“Ow,” he muttered, feeling like an idiot. “Right, right.”

Next he tried his SDAT player, thinking he could lose himself in it now as he had done so many times before. After a few minutes passed, however, he had grown dissatisfied with that as well. Just laying down and doing nothing but listening was not what he needed right now. He needed to be doing something as well, something to distract him from the emptiness of the room, the lack of life in it. Sitting back down at his desk, Shinji took out a pen and paper from a drawer. The paper was not the kind he needed for this type of work, but it would suffice for the time being. He could get what he needed later and really, it was not as though he had any intention of letting anyone else see this.

“Hmm-hm, hmm. No, maybe a hmm, hmm-hmmm,” Shinji hummed to himself as he wrote the notes. Once his arm healed, he could get a better idea of how this would sound when actually played. For now, the Third Child was content with this.

I want to give a big thank you to LD, who really deserves a co-writing credit on this chapter. Plenty of stuff would not be in here without him.

Yes, I'm well aware that I cheated about Rick. He's here, he just didn't get a speaking role this chapter. Next time, though.

As for Kim's age, well, I was planning on pointing out that Kim is in fact 19 years old, not 23. To support this, I went to the Robotech website for backup. Then I checked one of the larger Macross sites on the internet. It turns out that, yes, Kim is 19. Kim Kabirov, of Macross, that is. Kim Young of Robotech is listed as 23, according to the current guide to Robotech continuity.

Whoops.

While I remain sure that I saw Kim Young listed as 19 somewhere offcial, it doesn't change the fact that I currently have egg on my face. So, in the interest of narrowing the age gap, I'm keeping Kim at 19, making her a year younger than Sammie, who's 20. In the meantime, I'll be waiting for Harmony Gold to 'officially' return Kim to a younger age, even if it does make less sense (but then again, a lot of Robotech characters seem ridiculously underaged).