“He’s a warrior,” says Colonel Amir Santoso, looking at the alien inside his own Quonset. “He was captured by us, and he thinks it is his duty to escape.”

“And to kill any of us who get in the way,” says Sergeant Major Peter Kaufman. “I guess those destroids must have frightened him.”

“Sir, the best thing we can do for him/her/it is to take him/her/it back to the crashed Zentraedi ship,” says Lieutenant Colonel Akira Nomura.

“But how do we get this fellow to climb into the cockpit of your Lightning?”

“Maybe we can tranq him, Colonel.”

“Bad idea, sir,” says Dr. Derek Lorne. “His physiology is different, remember? Tranqs might kill him.”

“We don’t want to do that just yet,” says Santoso. “We’re not at war with his people. And how do we communicate with the fellow? Maybe the locals here might understand.”

“Not if the alien came from across the ocean,” says Dr. Lorne. “Their language would be as unfamiliar to the alien as English would. However, he does know about the Zentraedi. My guess is that there were survivors of that crash, and they came into contact with the locals.”

“And what happened to the Zentraedi here?” asks Nomura.

“I don’t know. We’d have to ask the Zentraedi about what happened on this planet.”

“Colonel, is there any words on Taney and Alvarez?” asks Nomura, changing the subject.

“They haven’t gotten sick, from what the medical staff told me,” replies Santoso. He looks at the alien. “I’ll have to take charge of our guest here.”

Oooooo

“So that’s the alien,” says Captain Lisa Hayes, looking at the monitor screen while sitting in her office. “I can almost sympathize with his situation. How has your guest been doing?”

“He hasn’t had any food, Captain,” says Colonel Santoso. “We don’t know what he eats.”

“The medical staff is almost done with Taney, Alvarez, and DeSalle. They’re doing fine. And we just received a report from the Zentraedi. They have details about their visit to this planet, almost thirty years ago.”

“That’s good to know. What did the Zentraedi tell us?” Santoso pauses and looks at the reptiloid alien. “Can you get up?” Santoso asks the alien. Lisa sees two Space Marines enter the room. “I think the alien might be exhausted from hunger. Unless he’s playing possum or something. Maybe I can get Lieutenant Colonel Nomura to bring him back home.”

Oooooooo

Hunger.

Hunger dominates Ked!rick’s being. But even through his hunger, he can see other things. He looks outside. He is flying high above the sky. These zentr’dei have flying chariots. Until recently he only saw the wreckage of the flying chariot that had brought the zentr’dei to his land around the time of his hatching.

This is what it’s like for birds.

He sees he is flying high above the ocean. He had heard of the ocean, from traders going inland from coastal towns, but he never knew how big the oceans were. More surprisingly, he sees that the horizon is curved.

Apparently the world is shaped like a dome.

A few minutes later, he sees land. He hears the driver of the sky chariot say something. Ked!rick had managed to pick up a few words.

He sees the features of the ground become larger. He can see dirt roads. He then sees the crashed zentr’dei sky chariot, and then he sees mud huts and brick buildings surrounded by a dirt berm.

That’s Tulahayas. I can see my home, and the town market.

He feels a thud, the sky chariot must have landed just near Tulahayas’s defensive berm. Several townspeople standing watch for the town levy go out to greet the sky chariot; some of them are driving chariots. The ceiling opens.

Despite his hunger and pain, Ked!rick climbs down, using a ladder extending from the nose of the sky chariot.

“Ked!rick!” yells one of the people. “You are back from the dead!”

“The zentr’dei came back,” he says.

“It has been so long,” says an older townsperson. “I remember when they came, and we shared our music with them. They were fine guests. And then it rained fire.”

A few of the townspeople gesture. They can not forget that day, when fire rained down and burned the towns and forests. Smoke lingered in the sky for years.

Ked!rick looks towards the sky chariot, which is rising up. The legs of the chariot fold in and it flies, presumably back home.

Must be to make it fly faster.

“Is there anything you want?” asks the town’s leader.

“I’m hungry,” replies Ked!rick.

ooooooo

“We’re picking up gravitational waves consistent with multiple hyperspace defolds,” says a bridge operator on board the Tokugawa.

Lieutenant Vince Grant picks up a handset. “Captain and Commander to the bridge,” he says.

Captain Lisa Hayes and Commander Aaron Leibowitz enter the bridge. “What is it?” asks the captain.

“The fleet is here and they are hailing us,” says Grant.

A holographic image of Vice Admiral Shin Lung appears. “Captain Hayes,” he says. “How is your crew?”

“We are doing well, sir,” replies Lisa.

“REFCOM read your reports and has decided to conduct extensive surveys of this planet,” says the admiral. “Meet me down on the surface.:

“Yes, sir,” says Lisa.

Oooooooo

Crewman Sam Laird, Crewman Ken Kabirov, and Crewman Dan Milliome are all mopping up the officers’ mess, wiping away the tracks left by boots.

“The officers’ mess doesn’t look too different from the enlisted mess,” says Laird as he dips a mop into the soapy water in the pail.

Master Space Sergeant Kwame Mugabe enters the mess. “You three are going down to the planet,” he says.

“We’re getting shore leave, Master Space Sergeant?” asks Kabirov.

“No, you need to help the science team pack up their things.”

Oooooooo

“This planet sure has potential,” says Commander Max Sterling.

“Maybe we’ll take vacations here in a few years,” says Captain Rick Hunter.

A few transport and cargo ships and re-entry pods had landed on the surface of the planet, right next to the Space Marines’ base camp. Inside the base camp, Colonel Santoso and the Space Marines pack up. Sergeant Major Peter Kaufman supervises, and three of the Space Marines take inventory of what was left. Most of the people wear short-sleeve camouflage or khakis, as the air temperature is above ninety.

“Welcome, Admiral,” says Lisa, upon seeing Admiral Shin. A tall man with a cloth covering the right side of his face stands next to the admiral. He is clad in a blue outfit, and the single silver star indicates that he is a brigadier general in the United Nations Air Force.

“Captain,” says Admiral Shin, “this is Brigadier General Edwards. He is in charge of the survey mission.”

“It will be some time before we can recommend on permanent settlement,” says General Edwards. “We have to do all sorts of tests at many sites. And of course, we have to do a climatological study, which will take at least one planetary revolution.”

“We have a lot of work to do,” says Dr. Emil Lang, a scientist and engineer whom Lisa recognizes from her deployment aboard the SDF-1 Macross.

“Dr. Lang,” says Dr. Derek Lorne, “here is a copy of my notes.”

“Thank you,” replies Dr. Lang, taking a small cylinder storage device from the field scientist.

“Admiral, we will provide whatever support you need for this mission,” says Lisa.

“Maybe in the future, but not now,” replies Shin. “After we finish replenishing your supplies, you are to continue exploring the galaxy. Enjoy your stay on this planet. I’ll be going up to your ship.”

“Maybe we will work together again in the future, Captain Hayes,” says Edwards.

“Lisa,” says Rick, walking up to the captain. “the survey crew set up a rec center. They’ve invited a few of us to the games.”

“Why not?” asks Lisa. “We might as well have some R & R down here before we leave, and before we have to go through decon.”

“I’m looking forward to that,” says Max, remembering his first time going through decon.

Oooooooo

“Admiral on deck!” yells Captain Lisa Hayes.

Everyone in the crew not assigned to watch is gathered in a large room in the Tokugawa. This room is a cover area, so they all have hats on. Ceiling lights provide illumination. They all salute Admiral Shin as he enters, and the admiral returns their salute.

“Crew members and members of the air wing and Space Marine detachments, I want to thank you all for your service,” says Shin. “I know the hardships of a long-term deep space deployment, and the separation from your loved ones. Not to mention the hardship of going through decontamination and having to sit in isolation until some doctor says you can go. The past new days have given humanity a new frontier. We needed to leave our cradle behind, and your work put us closer to that. I wish you luck on the rest of your mission to explore this galaxy. Go back to your posts.”

“Aye aye, sir!” everyone yells.

Admiral Shin approaches Lisa. “Any ideas of where you are going next?” he asks.

“Closer to the center of this system,” replies Lisa. “This is a binary star system. One of the stars is a red giant, and the other is a black hole, about a million miles from the other star. This is an opportunity to study a black hole up close.”

“Not inside the event horizon, I hope.”

“No, sir. We will be at least two solar radii from the black hole; we should be safe.”

“I will return to Earth. I wish you well, Captain Hayes.”

Ooooo

Down on the surface, the expedition sets up, setting up tents and Quonset huts and air purification systems. Construction engineers work on a landing strip for shuttles and cargo ships.

A few miles away, the Veeroth clan of the Relainna meets. The other clans had sent representatives to the Veeroth clan’s meeting.

“We must discuss our future,” says one of the councilors.