Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Jack McKinney - Robotech 05 - Force Of Arms Copyright 1987 by Jack McKinney PART I: SHOWDOWN PROLOGUE In the 1990s, a global civil war swept across the planet Earth; few wanted this war, but no one seemed to be able to avert it. It absorbed all the smaller disparate wars, rebellions, and terrorist struggles in the same way a huge storm vacuums up all the lesser weather systems around it. The War was fought with conventional weapons for the most part, but by 1999 it was clear that its escalation pointed directly to an all-out nuclear exchange-planetary obliteration. There seemed to be nothing any sane person could do about it. By then, the War had a life of its own. As the human race prepared to die-for everyone knew that the final phase of the War would surely exterminate all life on Earth, the fragile lunar and Martian research colonies, and the various orbital constructs-something like a malign miracle happened. A damaged starship-a super dimensional fortress created by the dying alien mastermind, Zor-appeared in Earth's skies. It crashed on a tiny Pacific island called Macross. Its descent wreaked more havoc than any war: there was tremendous damage and loss of life and numerous natural disasters. The human race was compelled to pause and take stock of itself. Zor had served the evil Robotech Masters, but he had resolved to serve them no more and had hidden his ultimate secrets concerning Protoculture-the most powerful force in the universe-in the fortress. The Robotech Masters needed those secrets not only to conquer the universe but to protect themselves from the vengeful attacks of the savage Invid, a race of creatures sworn to destroy them. Thus, the focus of an intergalactic conflict came to bear on the formerly insignificant Earth. The super dimensional fortress was Earth's first inkling of the greater events taking place outside the bounds of human knowledge. Earth's leaders saw at once that the wrecked SDF-1 could be rebuilt and become a rallying point that would unite a divided human race. A ten-year project began, incorporating the brains and energies of the entire planet. But on the day the SDF-1 was to be relaunched to guard humanity from alien attack, disaster struck again. The Zentraedi-the Robotech Masters' giant race of ferocious warrior clones-struck, bringing devastation to the Earth in an effort to recapture the SDF-1. The desperate crew of the SDF-1 attempted a spacefold jump to get clear of the attack. Yet a miscalculation resulted in the ship's reappearance far from its intended destination: The SDF-1 and most of the civilian population of Macross Island were suddenly, transported out to the orbit of the planet Pluto. And so the long, perilous voyage back to Earth began. The SDF-1 battled for its life, hounded by the Zentraedi armada at every turn. Returning after more than a year, the crew found that it was no longer welcome on the homeworld-in the view of the ruling powers, they constituted too much of a danger to Earth's safety as well as the rulers' own authority. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html A renewed Zentraedi offensive resulted in horrendous casualties on Earth and reinforced the Earth leaders' determination to refuse haven to the SDF-1-even though it had waged the only meaningful resistance to alien invasion. So the great star battleship was forced to ride an orbit to nowhere, its crew and civilian refugees struggling desperately to stay alive. The Zentraedi continued to plot new war plans, determined to have the ship and the secrets of Protoculture. Alien agents were planted within the ship, reduced from their fifty and sixty-foot heights to human size. These spies found themselves strangely affected by the experience of human life as their long-dormant emotions were awakened by the sight of humans mingling and showing affection and in particular by the singing of Minmei-the ship's superstar and media idol and the mainstay of its morale. Upon their return to the invasion fleet, the spies' stories and souvenirs of their experiences among the humans led to the defection of a dozen and more of the Zentraedi and disobedience in the ranks of those who remained behind. Aboard the SDF-1, human life fell into patterns of conflict and emotion. Lieutenant Rick Hunter, fighter pilot in the Robotech Defense Forces, experienced constant confusion and turmoil over his love for Minmei and simultaneous attraction to Commander Lisa Hayes, the SDF-1's First Officer. This triangle formed the core of a larger web of loves and hates, the sort of human emotional blaze that the colossal Zentraedi found so bathing and debilitating. Nevertheless, the Zentraedi imperative was battle, and battle it would be. The aliens deployed a million-plus ships in their armada, restrained from all-out attack only by their need to capture the SDF1's Protoculture secrets intact. Breetai, commander of the invasion force, moved in his own intrigues against two of his rebellious subordinates: Azonia, the female warlord, and Khyron the Backstabber, psychotic demon of battle. But the Robotech War proved to be far more complex than any of them-Zentraedi or human-could. have ever imagined. Dr. Lazlo Zand, On Earth As It Is in Hell: Recollections of the Robotech War CHAPTER ONE I guess Max was the most conspicuous example of the growing war weariness and hunger for peace. As the top VT pilot, he was revered by all the aspiring hot-doggers and would-be aces. When he came back from a mission, his aircraft maintenance people would always stencil the symbols for his latest kills on the side of his ship; that was their right. But like a lot of us who had been in the eye of the storm for too long, he began avoiding the jokes and high-fives and swaggering in the ready rooms, barracks, and officers' club. He was still top man on the roster, but it was plain that his attitude was changing. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html The Collected Journals of Admiral Rick Hunter "Ya ain't so big now, are ya, ya freakin' alien?" the big bruiser said, shaking a scarred fist the size of a roast in his face. Well, no, he wasn't. Karita had been a Zentraedi soldier some forty feet tall. But now, having been reduced to the size of a human and defecting to their side in the Robotech War, he was only a medium-build, slightly less-than-average-height fellow facing three hulking brawlers eager to split his head wide open in a Macross alley. Even as a Zentraedi, Karita hadn't excelled at combat; his main duty had been tending the Protoculture sizing chambers, the very same ones in which he had been micronized. The situation looked hopeless; the three ringed him in, fists cocked, light from the distant streetlamps illuminating the hatred in their faces. He tried to dodge past them, but they were too fast. The biggest grabbed him and hurled him against the wall. Karita dropped, half-stunned, the back of his scalp bleeding. He cursed himself for his carelessness; a slip of the tongue in the restaurant had given him away. Otherwise, no one could have told him apart from any other occupant of the SDF-1. But he could scarcely be blamed. The wonders of life aboard the super dimensional fortress were enough to make any Zentraedi careless. The humans had rebuilt their city; they mingled, both sexes, all ages. They lived lives in which emotions were given free expression, and there was an astonishing force called "love." It was enough to make any Zentraedi, born into a Spartan, merciless warrior culture with strict segregation of the sexes, forget himself. And so Karita had made his error; he had gone into the White Dragon in the hopes of getting a glimpse of Minmei. He didn't realize what he was saying when he let slip the fact that he had adored her since he had first seen her image on a Zentraedi battlecruiser. Then he saw the hard looks the trio gave him. He left quickly, but they followed. During the course of the war, everybody aboard had lost at least one friend or loved one. The Zentraedi, too, had suffered losses-many more than the SDF-1, in fact. That didn't stop Karita and the other defectors from hoping for a new life among their former enemies. Most humans were at least tolerant of the Zentraedi who'd deserted from their invading armada. Some humans even liked the aliens; three of them, former spies, had human girlfriends. But he should have known there would be humans who wouldn't see things that way. The three closed in on him. One of the men launched a kick Karita was too dazed to avoid. It was not so much a sharp pain he felt as a tremendous, panic-making numbness. He wondered woozily if his ribs were broken. Not that it mattered; it didn't look like his attackers were going to stop short of killing him. They didn't realize that they had picked on one of the most unmilitary of Zentraedi; given a different one, they would have had more of a fight on their hands. One of them drew back his heavy work boot to kick Karita again; Karita closed his eyes, waiting for the blow.