Sorry folks. I meant to post this much sooner, but I had to get my car put back together again, which was a pain in the butt because I ran into a few nasty surprises. Unfortunately, that has been par for the course for me as of late.
On account of my assisting with the matter of the Zentradi Prisoners, Captain Gloval extended my 72 hour pass by another 24 hours. I put that time to good use by acting as an ad hoc manager for Minmei.
That is to say, I was actually screening applicants for the actual job.
The weird thing is that there was no shortage of these people on the SDF-1, and really, it was no wonder. The launch day celebrations was a celebration that kicked out all the stops, with celebrity appearances and new talent trying to break into the big games. And that entailed all the managers and talent scouts that went with an event of that proportion.
“I don’t know about that last one, Gar-kun. He was looking at me like someone looks at our food in the restaurant.”
“Yeah, I noticed. And another one bites the dust,” I said as a struck another name off the list. “So, glad that you decided to let me help you?”
“I think I’m actually gonna go pray at my family’s shrine for real this time,” said Minmei fervently. “If you hadn’t been here, I probably would have just gone with the first one that approached me. Who knows what would have happened!”
“Well, I’m here now, so let’s not think about what if’s like that. Let’s see who’s next.”
The next man that came in was an older fellow. He looked surprisingly dapper in his tweeds and saddle shoes. His eyes were shining, he had a handlebar moustache, and though his movements were smooth he seemed to radiate energy and enthusiasm.
He strongly reminded me of ‘Hey-Hey’ Jim Neville from the film version of The Black Stallion.
And the man most emphatically did not disappoint.
“Good evening, folks,” he said in an inflection that came rip-roaring out of America’s radio newscasts of the 1940’s. “Barnaby Truent’s my name and entertainment’s my game. I take it that this lovely little woman is the indefatigable Miss Lynn Minmei?”
“Yes, that’d be me,” said Minmei cheerfully.
“Then you must be her infamous beau, Mr. Grimm. I am absolutely pleased to make your acquaintance, the both of you, and I would be pleased as punch if you considered me at your disposal.”
He first shook my hand and took Minmei’s to give it a gentlemanly kiss.
“Well, Mr. Truent,” I said as we all settled back down into our seats. “I can see from your resume that you’re quite an accomplished scout and agent. However, I’m curious. Since men of your caliber tend to all know each other, what are your thoughts of the man who just left here?”
“Sydney?” Barnaby scoffed. “I won’t deny he’s a good agent, but he’s burned out more than a few starlets in his time. They don’t call him ‘The Lady Killer’ in this business for nothing. The man is an absolutely ghastly task master and he has only gotten worse once he starting working in Japan. Those poor girls with their work ethic... they have no idea. I would never treat one of my clients like a slave.”
“Great,” I replied glibly. “You’re hired.”
Barnaby raised his eyebrows.
“Just like that?”
I nodded. “Mr. Truent, as long as your primary concern is Minmei’s well being, then that’s all that matters to me. As it is, your resume speaks for itself. I don’t know what kind of scheister treatment other bigwigs have given you, but that’s not how I like to play ball. So, let’s get down to the brass tacks and talk business.”
Barnaby grinned and leaned over, waving an index finger at me.
“You. You siiiirrrr, Mr. Grim. I like you!” He then turned to Minmei. “Miss Lynn, I don’t know how many people have told you this, but you’ve netted yourself a good one. Better not let him get away.” He then winked, causing Minmei to giggle.
“Thanks! I don’t intend to!” she replied, grabbing my arm possessively.
“Good! Now, before we get started here, I got a proposition for you, Mr. Grimm!”
I raised my eyebrows at that. “I’m listening.”
“Word is they already want to make a movie, right here in Macross City. Scripts have been getting pitched left and right, and rumor has it that the producers are leaning towards doing a kung-fu film. But if you ask me, kung-fu is a bit played out lately. And here we have you - an American who knows his way with a sword! I think I know the perfect thing. Tell me, Mr. Grimm: what do you know about Anjin Miura?”
I grinned and leaned over the table. “Mr. Truent. I have read that book cover-to-cover several times. Let’s do this.”
##
While Macross City had been home to a sizable movie theater, they only had as many films as they had screens. While the theater was still being rebuilt, it was well known that the limited selection of films would get old real fast.
They would need new productions, and as quickly as possible.
Mr. Truent's plan was ambitious.
He wanted to pitch the idea as a bonafide film serial - featurettes with forty minutes of runtime - perfect for adaptation into a one-hour TV time slot - and always ending on a cliff hanger until the final climactic chapter.
Shorts are quick, easy to produce, and well within the means of the limited production equipment of a TV news studio. And Film Serials had cliff-hangers that all but guaranteed returning customers week after week.
I was in love with the idea right away. Hell, I loved everything about Mr. Truent. The man was an honest to gods throwback to the first half of the 20th Century with nothing but the best of that era.
In the meantime, the Zentradi finally stopped jamming us and we could finally get a message back to Earth.
I don’t know for sure if it was the impression I made on those intelligence officers, though. Only time would tell at this point. Of course, I already knew what the message coming back would entail. And I also knew of the political motivations behind that message. I just wish that I could tell everyone about it.
##
Seventy-two hours is quite a bit of time, but as with all measurements of time, it passes eventually. Sometimes before you even know it. Mr. Truent was kind enough to give Minmei and I what we had of our last day together. Besides, he needed that day to get all his ducks in a row and start working on Minmei’s schedule, and to especially make sure that hers dovetailed nicely with my own.
Minmei’s Aunt and Uncle were even kind enough to let Minmei have the day off. In fact, they even formally put out the ad for help in the restaurant, as Minmei would from then on have her own life to attend to.
The little bird had fledged early.
That day was a blissful one. We went to parks, ate lunch at a cafe, laid in the grass and made out at our favorite little spot, the engineered bluff, dined at Macross City’s only genuine Italian Restaurant. In fact, their Maître D' was quick to recognize us in the line and quickly assigned us a table in the VIP dining area with its quiet, secluded, and highly intimate booths.
It was a wonderful meal as we enjoyed Pasta alla Norma and Orecchette with tomato sauce (the ear-shaped pasta being similar to one from China known as māo ěr duǒ and therefore quite the novelty for Minmei). Minmei was too young for wine, but our waiter was perfectly understanding and suggested instead a wonderful sparkling cider instead.
And then we were off to the dance club, where I demonstrated my lack of anything not-formal (as formal dances were all that I had learned from Aeka and Rarity). Minmei took delight anyhow in coaching me into other dances, but was surprised when I hit her with a tango-like dance that originated from the more suave parts of Jyuraian society.
Let me tell you, there were a few people that needed a cigarette after that!
Afterwards, we returned to the bluff to relax and we talked lazily about the past and what future may come.
Minmei talked about her family’s history, that her family had fled China when the communists took over - her forebearers having been restaurateurs, their entire customer base at the time had been the same kind of wealthy bourgeoisie that the communists had come head-hunting for.
And so her family had settled in Yokohama, where the Japanese were still too busy in the process of rebuilding to pay attention to the ethnic Chinese that had built up their own little slice of China in what had been a very poor part of the city.
And thus, Minmei had enjoyed a very fertile cultural background in which she spoke and wrote Japanese, Mandarin, and English fluently.
I weaved a tapestry out of the bits of my past.
My time serving in the Navy.
A family that went to pieces in the wake of a matriarch’s passing.
My time adrift in Japan, and the discovery of my new family.
Tenchi.
Aeka.
Ryouko.
Washu-chan.
Mihoshi.
Sasami.
Even Yosho and Noboyuki.
Of course, I left out the more fantastic bits. I simply said that they were all the same family and left it at that.
But for my ladies?
I painted Minagi as a strong, yet beautiful Russian girl, traveling through Japan in pursuit of someone who could match her in her swordsmanship.
Yume was a tiny Brazilian woman, wild and untamed, yet possessed of a singular intellect as she held dual doctorates from Tokyo-U and was a good friend and colleague of Washu’s (who held a TRIPLE doctorate and for a time held tenure at Tokyo-U).
Yuki was exactly as she had been - a young middle schooler who’s life I had saved and because of that had the most terrible crush you could imagine.
Achika, a sailor in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. A tomboy to the core despite her feminine exterior.
I told Minmei that because of the impression they had all left on me that I still considered them all to be my ladies.
Minmei countered, saying that they all had played a role in making me the person I am now, and that she would love to meet them someday.
Perhaps she would.
I only hoped that she would take no issue with calling them all her sisters for the bond she would end up sharing with them.
##
Another day in the line of fire.
We had been on CAP when the Zentradi came. I had hoped that these attacks would at least let up a bit, but I took some comfort in noticing that this was Kamjin’s unit. He was the one most likely to not let up, even in the face of orders from Commander Breetai.
“Hoi, getting a little hairy this time around guys! Keep it tight, Dragonball! You don’t wanna get your nose shot off out here!”
“Gurk! Uh, too late, Robber,” he said sheepishly.
“Maintain your heading for a second, DB. Lemme get a look at it.” I fired my RCS thrusters and maneuvered in close.
They had indeed got him - I wouldn’t trust his Valkyrie to be able to maintain Batroid mode with the damage being where it was at.
“How’s your radar?”
“On the fritz, Robber.”
“How’s your air-tightness?” While we usually went with our cockpits depressurized, we still kept a tiny bit of air inside. It made it easier to know if there was any sort of breach. And any time there was a cockpit breach was a cause for concern.
“Ah, just a sec, Robber.”
“Dragonball, don’t screw with me on this.”
“Yes sir. Cockpit is compromised, but my suit integrity is fine.”
“Okay, that’s it. Gunsight, Red 2 Skull calling in a mayday. My wingman’s taken a hit and he’s lost radar. Cockpit integrity compromised. Requesting permission for RTB.”
“Gunsight, Red 2 Skull, permission denied. We’re spread too thin as it is.”
“Ma’am, I really don’t feel comfortable in keeping him out here. We’re losing too many of our guys as is.”
“And I told you already, pilot, we don’t have enough birds to cover for you!”
I was starting to get worried that I might have to disobey the Air Boss for Kakizaki’s sake, but Roy Fokker came to my rescue.
“Gunsight, Skull Squadron Actual. I’m sorry, Lieutenant, but I’m with Robber on this one, so I’m going to have to override you here. Between Black Wing and the rest of Red Wing, we can handle it. Either get Dragonball a new bird or scramble another two pilots.”
“... Gunsight copies, Skull Actual. Red 2, Gunsight: return to base with your wingman and prepare to sortie again. I’m having the flight deck ready a D-model for Red-4.”
“Gunsight, Red 2 Skull, copy that. Okay, Dragonball. Looks like you got stuck in a two-seater. Let’s get our butts over there as fast as possible so we can get back into the fight. And Dragonball?”
“Yes Robber?”
“Watch your tail next time. The last thing I want is to be writing a letter to your family.”
“...yes sir.”
##
It was hardly ever a dreary day inside the Super Dimensional Fortress. Sure, there were some days when they had rain. But it was precisely scheduled, and only because it made for keeping the city clean a lot easier.
But today was not one of those days. The simulated sky was blue with patches of puffy, white clouds, and the full-spectrum sunlamp shone brightly overhead. Guys relaxed on benches with their dates. Children ran about. There was even a girl walking her pet dog.
(Not very many animals had survived the first few calamitous weeks of us being out in space. Only service animals, and puppies and kittens too young to be without a caretaker for long were allowed in the shelters. And even more had perished when they were tragically swept out by vacuum into space during the first transformation of the SDF-1.)
It was a perfect day to wait for a date in the park. Although it did seem that Minmei was running a touch late. But I wasn’t worried. With Mr. Truent as her agent, he would brook no shenanigans in people messing with her schedule. If someone wanted to do an on-the-spot recording, they’d have to wait instead and schedule an appointment.
I waited with confidence that Minmei had only been slightly delayed, and only because Mr. Truent had to browbeat a pushy musician into a corner. Hell, I bet Minmei had even laughed at the whole thing.
And just while I was lost in thought, the Bridge Bunnies materialized before me.
“Who’re you waiting for, Mr. Cradle Robber?” asked Sammy Milliome impishly.
I grinned at the young lady. “You know damn well who I’m waiting for!”
“Ah, so you’re on a date today?” asked Kim Kavirov eagerly.
“Well of course.”
“Did you get stood up?” queried Vanessa Laird.
“No!” I said rolling my eyes. “She just got delayed. She sent me a text, see!” I pulled out my phone and pulled up the text message in question.
The girls all hmmmed thoughtfully as they eyed it, working on decoding the subtle feminine signs hidden in the message.
“So!” said Sammy suddenly. “Who do you think is prettier? Minmei, or us?”
“HAH!” I crowed. “You adorable little imp! How could you ask me such a loaded question!”
The girls all laughed. It was all good and fun.
Right about then, that familiar and melodious voice drifted in from the distance.
“Gaaaarrrr~kuuuuunnn!”
“Ah, there she is!” I said happily. I caught Minmei just as she pounced and spun her around. This seemed to be a thing for us. The Bridge Bunnies all made squeals of delight as we then kissed. I didn’t mind doing it in public anymore since only people that lived under a rock didn’t know about Minmei and me. (And they typically stayed under their rocks if they could help it.)
“There!” I said as I set Minmei down and turned to the Bridge Bunnies. “She was just a little late, she did not stand me up, and you can judge for yourselves just how pretty you think you are compared to her!”
“Uh-oh! Did I leave you alone for too long, Gar-kun? I swear, you give the slightest sign that you’re disinterested with your man and the sharks start circling.” She then winked at the Bridge Bunnies, and then we all broke out into laughter.
The day of Minmei’s Sweet Sixteen, she and the Bunnies had all made a great impression on each other. So, whenever Minmei needed some girl time that had a somewhat more mature feel to it (though I must emphasize ‘somewhat’ here) she could always call on the Bridge Bunnies for a Girls Outing.
The fact that these outings usually included Misa and gave Minmei and the Bunnies ample opportunities to needle her mercilessly about her spats with Hikaru was icing on the cake.
“Well,” I said as we all recovered from our giggles. “If you three would excuse us, we have a whole evening to ourselves.”
“Yes Mr. Grimm,” the Bunnies all chorused.
But before anything else could be said or done, the deck beneath our feet began to vibrate.
Oh boy.
“GET TO THE BRIDGE!” I snapped. The girls didn’t need to be told even once - they were double-timing it for the nearest lift.
“What about you!?” said Minmei in alarm.
“You’re my main concern. Come on,” I said as I pulled her to the grass and laid down, pulling her down on top of me. “We should be fine like this.”
“Right,” said Minmei as she held me tightly.
Sweet Tsunami I wish that there something I could do. All those poor souls up in the radar room had no idea what was coming. But then Katherine called out to me.
GAR-KUN! Your power! I can feel it surging!
She was right. I could feel it. Just like that time with Tirek! Feverishly and grabbed ahold of that sensation and refused to let go.
Katherine! When the pinpoint barriers outside converge, help me guide my hand!
Right! Okay Gar-kun.... NOW!!!
And then it was there. I couldn’t see it, but I felt it, just outside the hull and behind the pinpoint barriers. And I could feel Katherine - just like a hand guiding me through the dark.
The ship rocked under the assault and I felt my shield bearing the brunt as the barriers gave away.
But today... Today was going to be different.
BY MY FATHER’S HALLOWED NAME, GIVE ME A DAY LIKE THIS! THAT JUST FOR TODAY NOBODY DIES! JUST THIS ONCE, KATHERINE, EVERYONE LIVES!
And then just like that, it was all over. I wasn’t able to do anything about the masts. If anything, the radar masts got hit even harder than they would have because of the increased energy wash from the blast.
But in that tiny moment, just before my shield winked out, and could sense them.
All those lives I had saved.
As I laid there with my eyes closed, I suddenly felt lips on mine.
Minmei.
I kissed her back hungrily. And her warmth was not the only one I felt. Katherine buzzed with the love she held for me. Even though no one else would know what I had done, she would, and she would love and praise me for it.
But for the moment, Minmei and I shared our mutual love as we had all just been reminded how precious and fragile our lives are.
##
This is it, I thought to myself. Today is the day.
The day that Red Wing was supposed to be captured by the Zentradi.
I didn’t know exactly what Commander Breetai had in mind. I knew for sure, though, that it was coming. Why else would he blow an asteroid to millions of pieces to blind our radar? He wanted a group like ours out here so he can capture and question us just as we had with his men. I only hope that he’d be as merciful as we were.
“Still, what are the odds that we’d get picked to fly your escort?” pondered Hikaru on the local net.
“I know!” agreed Misa. “It must be fate.”
“Well, either way, let’s play this as safe as we can. We can’t afford to lose you, ma’am. Even if Sammy’s been learning to take over for you.”
We were quiet after that, with only the cool and clipped status reports and observations going around. And only once we’d gotten too far from the SDF-1 for backup to get there in a timely manner did the attack finally come.
“Incoming contacts!” snapped Hikaru on the radio. “Watch yourselves, they’re taking pot-shots at us!”
I hit my PTT and said, “Fuzzy, looks like they’re trying to separate us from the Catseye.”
“Oh HELL no!” replied Hikaru.
“More contacts,” said Max. “Four at four-o’clock. Don’t know what they’re doing over there, but they’re too close for comfort.”
“Right,” replied Hikaru. “Robber, take Dragonball and go deal with them. Cornflower and I will stay with the Catseye.”
“Don’t worry about me,” snapped Misa over the radio. “All of you go and take care of those pods.”
“And leave you without an escort, ma’am? Are you crazy?”
“We can take care of ourselves. Now stop wasting time and get going. That’s an order, Pilot.”
“Damn,” I grumbled to myself. “She had to go and pull rank on us.”
“Yes ma’am,” replied Hikaru, a subtle hint of sullenness to his voice. “Red Wing, break and fall in with me.”
We all acknowledged the order and took up Hikaru’s lead.
The action was tense once we got there. The pods all scattered just as we arrived and began to play a game of cat and mouse with us. It took us twenty minutes to finally do the last of them in, and that was only with me hiding in the shadow of an asteroid fragment to get the drop on him with my GU-16.
Bam-whap! Done.
Right then, Max gave us the news.
“Fuzzy, they’ve launched a recon unit! Looks like they figured us out!”
“Figured us out hell!” I replied. “This was their whole fucking game plan from the word Go!”
“I think Robber’s right, Boss,” said Kakizaki. “They definitely seem to know what we’re doing.”
“Right,” replied Hikaru. “Red Wing, form up and return to the Catseye.”
It was a tense few minutes as we made our way through the space rocks as quickly as we dared. But all at once the radome of the Catseye drifted past, and ahead we saw a Quell-Quallie beating feet for the Zentradi command ship.
“Red Wing, break and engage!” barked Hikaru.
“Motherfuckin’ yippi-kay-yay, cocksuckers!” I called out on the open channel - see what these guys made of that! I ignored the battle pods, though. I had bigger fish to fry.
“Dragonball! Cover me!”
“You got it, Robber!”
I dove straight through the scrum, leaving behind confused Zentradi pilots as I went not for the Quel-Quallie, but something just as important. It just took them precious seconds to figure it out. But that was all I needed.
I don’t often use my missiles. I try to save them for when I really needed them, relying instead on my deadly accurate GU-16. But this time the gunpod wasn’t gonna cut it. Instead, I fired up my targeting radar, and lit up the twelve point-defense guns closest to the docking bay that the Quel-Quallie was heading for, and then let her rip.
“Red 2, Fox Three!”
They never even had a chance. Once the missiles were lose, their guidance computers enacted their counter-tracking flightpath programming, seeming to go anywhere but their designated target and making the men manning the point defense systems think that the missiles were duds. That is, until the very last possible second. That was when all of them suddenly juked and slammed into their targets, reducing twelve guns to slag and opening a fair portion of sky for us to maneuver in.
“Outstanding, Robber!” praised Max as he then got to WORK. The sky was still thick with laser fire, but without the point defense guns the remaining battle pods were all but helpless as we mowed them down. Even Kakizaki scored a pair of kills.
“Ensign Ichijou! Forget about me!” came Misa’s voice over the radio as the Quel-Quallie neared the docking bay. “You won’t make it in time!”
Hikaru wasn’t having any of that, though. “Red Wing, we’re going in!”
Completely unopposed, we shifted into gerwalk mode and dove into the hangar right after the Quell-Qualie, with Hikaru, Max, and Kakizaki cutting loose missiles to confuse the enemy. One unfortunate technician got a boot-to-the-head by Hikaru as we all transformed into batroid mode and swooped into the bay proper.
“Conserve your ammo!” I snapped at the others as they began to spray the bay down and send the rest of the technicians fleeing for their lives.
“Copy that, Robber,” replied Max. “Fuzzy, we need to hurry. Robber’s right, we don’t have much left.”
“I’m down to hand-to-hand,” added Kakizaki.
I was gonna have to have a talk with him later.
“You are all blatantly disobeying orders!” barked Misa from the cockpit of the ruined Catseye.
“This is hardly the time for that, ma’am!” snapped Hikaru as he reached down for the plane. “Watch your head.”
Without time to use the small manipulators to trigger the canopy jettison, Hikaru simply shattered what was left of the canopy.
And then there he was, flying out of a passage one level up and vaulting the catwalk railing.
Commander Breetai himself.
“HEADS UP!” I called out as I moved to tackle him, firing my thruster pack to meet him in the air.
We collided like a pair of freight trains, me sacking him like he was an ill-positioned quarterback. He didn’t give me the luxury of taking advantage of that, though, as he elbowed my Valyrie in the back and dislodged me.
That was okay, though. We may have been too close for me to get a fix with my GU-16, but I could use it as a blunt weapon readily enough. Breetai grimaced as he avoided my swings. Damn that old fart was fast.
I moved to set myself up for me swordsmanship skills, but he took advantage of the opening to land a haymaker on me. It may not have hurt, but it still sent my Valkyrie sprawling.
But that was fine as it had given Max plenty of opportunity to set up his take down.
Kakizaki launched his last two missile, blowing the bulkhead open to vacuum, and Max used his gunpod to put Breetai in a chock hold and send him out into space before the emergency doors could seal the breech.
“We better hurry, guys,” I said. “I’m sure there’s more where he came from.”
“But we’re stuck here,” said Kakizaki. “What do we do, Boss?”
“Cut through the airlock with your lasers,” said Misa from her spot in Hikaru’s hand. We all looked at her and she had assumed that insouciant pose that only women are capable of, that one that says ‘Well? I’m waiting here.’
“Robber is right,” she went on. “We need to hurry before more soldiers come along.”
“Good thinking, Ma’am,” said Hikaru, though his brain seemed to be in slow motion. Seeing how much of her figure that vacuum suit revealed, I didn’t have to imagine why. I sighed to myself. I did warn the kid after all. The lady could stop traffic if she wanted to, and not a soul would complain about it.
“You can thank me later. Now would you mind putting me down?” she said, resting her head on her hand, elbow propped against the Valkyrie’s thumb joint, and amping up the I’m Waiting Factor by about three magnitudes.
“Oh! Sorry, Ma’am!”
“Looks like our leader is helpless around the ladies,” said Max over our private band.
“You said it,” agreed Kakizaki.
“Dear God he’s such a kid still. Come on, guys, let’s get to it.”
Whatever the airlock was made of, it was some serious shit. We had to take turns because we were overheating our head-lasers trying to cut through it.
I kept an especially close eye on the open duct above us, knowing what was coming.
“Contact!” I snapped out as I got Breetai to back off with a few rounds from my gun. A couple more showed him that I still had plenty of ammo to give.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to keep him pinned down for long because that was when more soldierS showed up, and this time in force.
No ammo, no missiles, and I was starting to run out myself.
“Guys, I think they got us.”
“What do you suggest we do, Robber!?”
“We surrender,” said Misa with grim finality.
Everyone looked at each other. There was simply no other choice in the matter. We threw our gunpods down and raised our arms.
DUN-DUUNN-DUUUNNNNNNNNNN!
On account of my assisting with the matter of the Zentradi Prisoners, Captain Gloval extended my 72 hour pass by another 24 hours. I put that time to good use by acting as an ad hoc manager for Minmei.
That is to say, I was actually screening applicants for the actual job.
The weird thing is that there was no shortage of these people on the SDF-1, and really, it was no wonder. The launch day celebrations was a celebration that kicked out all the stops, with celebrity appearances and new talent trying to break into the big games. And that entailed all the managers and talent scouts that went with an event of that proportion.
“I don’t know about that last one, Gar-kun. He was looking at me like someone looks at our food in the restaurant.”
“Yeah, I noticed. And another one bites the dust,” I said as a struck another name off the list. “So, glad that you decided to let me help you?”
“I think I’m actually gonna go pray at my family’s shrine for real this time,” said Minmei fervently. “If you hadn’t been here, I probably would have just gone with the first one that approached me. Who knows what would have happened!”
“Well, I’m here now, so let’s not think about what if’s like that. Let’s see who’s next.”
The next man that came in was an older fellow. He looked surprisingly dapper in his tweeds and saddle shoes. His eyes were shining, he had a handlebar moustache, and though his movements were smooth he seemed to radiate energy and enthusiasm.
He strongly reminded me of ‘Hey-Hey’ Jim Neville from the film version of The Black Stallion.
And the man most emphatically did not disappoint.
“Good evening, folks,” he said in an inflection that came rip-roaring out of America’s radio newscasts of the 1940’s. “Barnaby Truent’s my name and entertainment’s my game. I take it that this lovely little woman is the indefatigable Miss Lynn Minmei?”
“Yes, that’d be me,” said Minmei cheerfully.
“Then you must be her infamous beau, Mr. Grimm. I am absolutely pleased to make your acquaintance, the both of you, and I would be pleased as punch if you considered me at your disposal.”
He first shook my hand and took Minmei’s to give it a gentlemanly kiss.
“Well, Mr. Truent,” I said as we all settled back down into our seats. “I can see from your resume that you’re quite an accomplished scout and agent. However, I’m curious. Since men of your caliber tend to all know each other, what are your thoughts of the man who just left here?”
“Sydney?” Barnaby scoffed. “I won’t deny he’s a good agent, but he’s burned out more than a few starlets in his time. They don’t call him ‘The Lady Killer’ in this business for nothing. The man is an absolutely ghastly task master and he has only gotten worse once he starting working in Japan. Those poor girls with their work ethic... they have no idea. I would never treat one of my clients like a slave.”
“Great,” I replied glibly. “You’re hired.”
Barnaby raised his eyebrows.
“Just like that?”
I nodded. “Mr. Truent, as long as your primary concern is Minmei’s well being, then that’s all that matters to me. As it is, your resume speaks for itself. I don’t know what kind of scheister treatment other bigwigs have given you, but that’s not how I like to play ball. So, let’s get down to the brass tacks and talk business.”
Barnaby grinned and leaned over, waving an index finger at me.
“You. You siiiirrrr, Mr. Grim. I like you!” He then turned to Minmei. “Miss Lynn, I don’t know how many people have told you this, but you’ve netted yourself a good one. Better not let him get away.” He then winked, causing Minmei to giggle.
“Thanks! I don’t intend to!” she replied, grabbing my arm possessively.
“Good! Now, before we get started here, I got a proposition for you, Mr. Grimm!”
I raised my eyebrows at that. “I’m listening.”
“Word is they already want to make a movie, right here in Macross City. Scripts have been getting pitched left and right, and rumor has it that the producers are leaning towards doing a kung-fu film. But if you ask me, kung-fu is a bit played out lately. And here we have you - an American who knows his way with a sword! I think I know the perfect thing. Tell me, Mr. Grimm: what do you know about Anjin Miura?”
I grinned and leaned over the table. “Mr. Truent. I have read that book cover-to-cover several times. Let’s do this.”
##
While Macross City had been home to a sizable movie theater, they only had as many films as they had screens. While the theater was still being rebuilt, it was well known that the limited selection of films would get old real fast.
They would need new productions, and as quickly as possible.
Mr. Truent's plan was ambitious.
He wanted to pitch the idea as a bonafide film serial - featurettes with forty minutes of runtime - perfect for adaptation into a one-hour TV time slot - and always ending on a cliff hanger until the final climactic chapter.
Shorts are quick, easy to produce, and well within the means of the limited production equipment of a TV news studio. And Film Serials had cliff-hangers that all but guaranteed returning customers week after week.
I was in love with the idea right away. Hell, I loved everything about Mr. Truent. The man was an honest to gods throwback to the first half of the 20th Century with nothing but the best of that era.
In the meantime, the Zentradi finally stopped jamming us and we could finally get a message back to Earth.
I don’t know for sure if it was the impression I made on those intelligence officers, though. Only time would tell at this point. Of course, I already knew what the message coming back would entail. And I also knew of the political motivations behind that message. I just wish that I could tell everyone about it.
##
Seventy-two hours is quite a bit of time, but as with all measurements of time, it passes eventually. Sometimes before you even know it. Mr. Truent was kind enough to give Minmei and I what we had of our last day together. Besides, he needed that day to get all his ducks in a row and start working on Minmei’s schedule, and to especially make sure that hers dovetailed nicely with my own.
Minmei’s Aunt and Uncle were even kind enough to let Minmei have the day off. In fact, they even formally put out the ad for help in the restaurant, as Minmei would from then on have her own life to attend to.
The little bird had fledged early.
That day was a blissful one. We went to parks, ate lunch at a cafe, laid in the grass and made out at our favorite little spot, the engineered bluff, dined at Macross City’s only genuine Italian Restaurant. In fact, their Maître D' was quick to recognize us in the line and quickly assigned us a table in the VIP dining area with its quiet, secluded, and highly intimate booths.
It was a wonderful meal as we enjoyed Pasta alla Norma and Orecchette with tomato sauce (the ear-shaped pasta being similar to one from China known as māo ěr duǒ and therefore quite the novelty for Minmei). Minmei was too young for wine, but our waiter was perfectly understanding and suggested instead a wonderful sparkling cider instead.
And then we were off to the dance club, where I demonstrated my lack of anything not-formal (as formal dances were all that I had learned from Aeka and Rarity). Minmei took delight anyhow in coaching me into other dances, but was surprised when I hit her with a tango-like dance that originated from the more suave parts of Jyuraian society.
Let me tell you, there were a few people that needed a cigarette after that!
Afterwards, we returned to the bluff to relax and we talked lazily about the past and what future may come.
Minmei talked about her family’s history, that her family had fled China when the communists took over - her forebearers having been restaurateurs, their entire customer base at the time had been the same kind of wealthy bourgeoisie that the communists had come head-hunting for.
And so her family had settled in Yokohama, where the Japanese were still too busy in the process of rebuilding to pay attention to the ethnic Chinese that had built up their own little slice of China in what had been a very poor part of the city.
And thus, Minmei had enjoyed a very fertile cultural background in which she spoke and wrote Japanese, Mandarin, and English fluently.
I weaved a tapestry out of the bits of my past.
My time serving in the Navy.
A family that went to pieces in the wake of a matriarch’s passing.
My time adrift in Japan, and the discovery of my new family.
Tenchi.
Aeka.
Ryouko.
Washu-chan.
Mihoshi.
Sasami.
Even Yosho and Noboyuki.
Of course, I left out the more fantastic bits. I simply said that they were all the same family and left it at that.
But for my ladies?
I painted Minagi as a strong, yet beautiful Russian girl, traveling through Japan in pursuit of someone who could match her in her swordsmanship.
Yume was a tiny Brazilian woman, wild and untamed, yet possessed of a singular intellect as she held dual doctorates from Tokyo-U and was a good friend and colleague of Washu’s (who held a TRIPLE doctorate and for a time held tenure at Tokyo-U).
Yuki was exactly as she had been - a young middle schooler who’s life I had saved and because of that had the most terrible crush you could imagine.
Achika, a sailor in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. A tomboy to the core despite her feminine exterior.
I told Minmei that because of the impression they had all left on me that I still considered them all to be my ladies.
Minmei countered, saying that they all had played a role in making me the person I am now, and that she would love to meet them someday.
Perhaps she would.
I only hoped that she would take no issue with calling them all her sisters for the bond she would end up sharing with them.
##
Another day in the line of fire.
We had been on CAP when the Zentradi came. I had hoped that these attacks would at least let up a bit, but I took some comfort in noticing that this was Kamjin’s unit. He was the one most likely to not let up, even in the face of orders from Commander Breetai.
“Hoi, getting a little hairy this time around guys! Keep it tight, Dragonball! You don’t wanna get your nose shot off out here!”
“Gurk! Uh, too late, Robber,” he said sheepishly.
“Maintain your heading for a second, DB. Lemme get a look at it.” I fired my RCS thrusters and maneuvered in close.
They had indeed got him - I wouldn’t trust his Valkyrie to be able to maintain Batroid mode with the damage being where it was at.
“How’s your radar?”
“On the fritz, Robber.”
“How’s your air-tightness?” While we usually went with our cockpits depressurized, we still kept a tiny bit of air inside. It made it easier to know if there was any sort of breach. And any time there was a cockpit breach was a cause for concern.
“Ah, just a sec, Robber.”
“Dragonball, don’t screw with me on this.”
“Yes sir. Cockpit is compromised, but my suit integrity is fine.”
“Okay, that’s it. Gunsight, Red 2 Skull calling in a mayday. My wingman’s taken a hit and he’s lost radar. Cockpit integrity compromised. Requesting permission for RTB.”
“Gunsight, Red 2 Skull, permission denied. We’re spread too thin as it is.”
“Ma’am, I really don’t feel comfortable in keeping him out here. We’re losing too many of our guys as is.”
“And I told you already, pilot, we don’t have enough birds to cover for you!”
I was starting to get worried that I might have to disobey the Air Boss for Kakizaki’s sake, but Roy Fokker came to my rescue.
“Gunsight, Skull Squadron Actual. I’m sorry, Lieutenant, but I’m with Robber on this one, so I’m going to have to override you here. Between Black Wing and the rest of Red Wing, we can handle it. Either get Dragonball a new bird or scramble another two pilots.”
“... Gunsight copies, Skull Actual. Red 2, Gunsight: return to base with your wingman and prepare to sortie again. I’m having the flight deck ready a D-model for Red-4.”
“Gunsight, Red 2 Skull, copy that. Okay, Dragonball. Looks like you got stuck in a two-seater. Let’s get our butts over there as fast as possible so we can get back into the fight. And Dragonball?”
“Yes Robber?”
“Watch your tail next time. The last thing I want is to be writing a letter to your family.”
“...yes sir.”
##
It was hardly ever a dreary day inside the Super Dimensional Fortress. Sure, there were some days when they had rain. But it was precisely scheduled, and only because it made for keeping the city clean a lot easier.
But today was not one of those days. The simulated sky was blue with patches of puffy, white clouds, and the full-spectrum sunlamp shone brightly overhead. Guys relaxed on benches with their dates. Children ran about. There was even a girl walking her pet dog.
(Not very many animals had survived the first few calamitous weeks of us being out in space. Only service animals, and puppies and kittens too young to be without a caretaker for long were allowed in the shelters. And even more had perished when they were tragically swept out by vacuum into space during the first transformation of the SDF-1.)
It was a perfect day to wait for a date in the park. Although it did seem that Minmei was running a touch late. But I wasn’t worried. With Mr. Truent as her agent, he would brook no shenanigans in people messing with her schedule. If someone wanted to do an on-the-spot recording, they’d have to wait instead and schedule an appointment.
I waited with confidence that Minmei had only been slightly delayed, and only because Mr. Truent had to browbeat a pushy musician into a corner. Hell, I bet Minmei had even laughed at the whole thing.
And just while I was lost in thought, the Bridge Bunnies materialized before me.
“Who’re you waiting for, Mr. Cradle Robber?” asked Sammy Milliome impishly.
I grinned at the young lady. “You know damn well who I’m waiting for!”
“Ah, so you’re on a date today?” asked Kim Kavirov eagerly.
“Well of course.”
“Did you get stood up?” queried Vanessa Laird.
“No!” I said rolling my eyes. “She just got delayed. She sent me a text, see!” I pulled out my phone and pulled up the text message in question.
The girls all hmmmed thoughtfully as they eyed it, working on decoding the subtle feminine signs hidden in the message.
“So!” said Sammy suddenly. “Who do you think is prettier? Minmei, or us?”
“HAH!” I crowed. “You adorable little imp! How could you ask me such a loaded question!”
The girls all laughed. It was all good and fun.
Right about then, that familiar and melodious voice drifted in from the distance.
“Gaaaarrrr~kuuuuunnn!”
“Ah, there she is!” I said happily. I caught Minmei just as she pounced and spun her around. This seemed to be a thing for us. The Bridge Bunnies all made squeals of delight as we then kissed. I didn’t mind doing it in public anymore since only people that lived under a rock didn’t know about Minmei and me. (And they typically stayed under their rocks if they could help it.)
“There!” I said as I set Minmei down and turned to the Bridge Bunnies. “She was just a little late, she did not stand me up, and you can judge for yourselves just how pretty you think you are compared to her!”
“Uh-oh! Did I leave you alone for too long, Gar-kun? I swear, you give the slightest sign that you’re disinterested with your man and the sharks start circling.” She then winked at the Bridge Bunnies, and then we all broke out into laughter.
The day of Minmei’s Sweet Sixteen, she and the Bunnies had all made a great impression on each other. So, whenever Minmei needed some girl time that had a somewhat more mature feel to it (though I must emphasize ‘somewhat’ here) she could always call on the Bridge Bunnies for a Girls Outing.
The fact that these outings usually included Misa and gave Minmei and the Bunnies ample opportunities to needle her mercilessly about her spats with Hikaru was icing on the cake.
“Well,” I said as we all recovered from our giggles. “If you three would excuse us, we have a whole evening to ourselves.”
“Yes Mr. Grimm,” the Bunnies all chorused.
But before anything else could be said or done, the deck beneath our feet began to vibrate.
Oh boy.
“GET TO THE BRIDGE!” I snapped. The girls didn’t need to be told even once - they were double-timing it for the nearest lift.
“What about you!?” said Minmei in alarm.
“You’re my main concern. Come on,” I said as I pulled her to the grass and laid down, pulling her down on top of me. “We should be fine like this.”
“Right,” said Minmei as she held me tightly.
Sweet Tsunami I wish that there something I could do. All those poor souls up in the radar room had no idea what was coming. But then Katherine called out to me.
GAR-KUN! Your power! I can feel it surging!
She was right. I could feel it. Just like that time with Tirek! Feverishly and grabbed ahold of that sensation and refused to let go.
Katherine! When the pinpoint barriers outside converge, help me guide my hand!
Right! Okay Gar-kun.... NOW!!!
And then it was there. I couldn’t see it, but I felt it, just outside the hull and behind the pinpoint barriers. And I could feel Katherine - just like a hand guiding me through the dark.
The ship rocked under the assault and I felt my shield bearing the brunt as the barriers gave away.
But today... Today was going to be different.
BY MY FATHER’S HALLOWED NAME, GIVE ME A DAY LIKE THIS! THAT JUST FOR TODAY NOBODY DIES! JUST THIS ONCE, KATHERINE, EVERYONE LIVES!
And then just like that, it was all over. I wasn’t able to do anything about the masts. If anything, the radar masts got hit even harder than they would have because of the increased energy wash from the blast.
But in that tiny moment, just before my shield winked out, and could sense them.
All those lives I had saved.
As I laid there with my eyes closed, I suddenly felt lips on mine.
Minmei.
I kissed her back hungrily. And her warmth was not the only one I felt. Katherine buzzed with the love she held for me. Even though no one else would know what I had done, she would, and she would love and praise me for it.
But for the moment, Minmei and I shared our mutual love as we had all just been reminded how precious and fragile our lives are.
##
This is it, I thought to myself. Today is the day.
The day that Red Wing was supposed to be captured by the Zentradi.
I didn’t know exactly what Commander Breetai had in mind. I knew for sure, though, that it was coming. Why else would he blow an asteroid to millions of pieces to blind our radar? He wanted a group like ours out here so he can capture and question us just as we had with his men. I only hope that he’d be as merciful as we were.
“Still, what are the odds that we’d get picked to fly your escort?” pondered Hikaru on the local net.
“I know!” agreed Misa. “It must be fate.”
“Well, either way, let’s play this as safe as we can. We can’t afford to lose you, ma’am. Even if Sammy’s been learning to take over for you.”
We were quiet after that, with only the cool and clipped status reports and observations going around. And only once we’d gotten too far from the SDF-1 for backup to get there in a timely manner did the attack finally come.
“Incoming contacts!” snapped Hikaru on the radio. “Watch yourselves, they’re taking pot-shots at us!”
I hit my PTT and said, “Fuzzy, looks like they’re trying to separate us from the Catseye.”
“Oh HELL no!” replied Hikaru.
“More contacts,” said Max. “Four at four-o’clock. Don’t know what they’re doing over there, but they’re too close for comfort.”
“Right,” replied Hikaru. “Robber, take Dragonball and go deal with them. Cornflower and I will stay with the Catseye.”
“Don’t worry about me,” snapped Misa over the radio. “All of you go and take care of those pods.”
“And leave you without an escort, ma’am? Are you crazy?”
“We can take care of ourselves. Now stop wasting time and get going. That’s an order, Pilot.”
“Damn,” I grumbled to myself. “She had to go and pull rank on us.”
“Yes ma’am,” replied Hikaru, a subtle hint of sullenness to his voice. “Red Wing, break and fall in with me.”
We all acknowledged the order and took up Hikaru’s lead.
The action was tense once we got there. The pods all scattered just as we arrived and began to play a game of cat and mouse with us. It took us twenty minutes to finally do the last of them in, and that was only with me hiding in the shadow of an asteroid fragment to get the drop on him with my GU-16.
Bam-whap! Done.
Right then, Max gave us the news.
“Fuzzy, they’ve launched a recon unit! Looks like they figured us out!”
“Figured us out hell!” I replied. “This was their whole fucking game plan from the word Go!”
“I think Robber’s right, Boss,” said Kakizaki. “They definitely seem to know what we’re doing.”
“Right,” replied Hikaru. “Red Wing, form up and return to the Catseye.”
It was a tense few minutes as we made our way through the space rocks as quickly as we dared. But all at once the radome of the Catseye drifted past, and ahead we saw a Quell-Quallie beating feet for the Zentradi command ship.
“Red Wing, break and engage!” barked Hikaru.
“Motherfuckin’ yippi-kay-yay, cocksuckers!” I called out on the open channel - see what these guys made of that! I ignored the battle pods, though. I had bigger fish to fry.
“Dragonball! Cover me!”
“You got it, Robber!”
I dove straight through the scrum, leaving behind confused Zentradi pilots as I went not for the Quel-Quallie, but something just as important. It just took them precious seconds to figure it out. But that was all I needed.
I don’t often use my missiles. I try to save them for when I really needed them, relying instead on my deadly accurate GU-16. But this time the gunpod wasn’t gonna cut it. Instead, I fired up my targeting radar, and lit up the twelve point-defense guns closest to the docking bay that the Quel-Quallie was heading for, and then let her rip.
“Red 2, Fox Three!”
They never even had a chance. Once the missiles were lose, their guidance computers enacted their counter-tracking flightpath programming, seeming to go anywhere but their designated target and making the men manning the point defense systems think that the missiles were duds. That is, until the very last possible second. That was when all of them suddenly juked and slammed into their targets, reducing twelve guns to slag and opening a fair portion of sky for us to maneuver in.
“Outstanding, Robber!” praised Max as he then got to WORK. The sky was still thick with laser fire, but without the point defense guns the remaining battle pods were all but helpless as we mowed them down. Even Kakizaki scored a pair of kills.
“Ensign Ichijou! Forget about me!” came Misa’s voice over the radio as the Quel-Quallie neared the docking bay. “You won’t make it in time!”
Hikaru wasn’t having any of that, though. “Red Wing, we’re going in!”
Completely unopposed, we shifted into gerwalk mode and dove into the hangar right after the Quell-Qualie, with Hikaru, Max, and Kakizaki cutting loose missiles to confuse the enemy. One unfortunate technician got a boot-to-the-head by Hikaru as we all transformed into batroid mode and swooped into the bay proper.
“Conserve your ammo!” I snapped at the others as they began to spray the bay down and send the rest of the technicians fleeing for their lives.
“Copy that, Robber,” replied Max. “Fuzzy, we need to hurry. Robber’s right, we don’t have much left.”
“I’m down to hand-to-hand,” added Kakizaki.
I was gonna have to have a talk with him later.
“You are all blatantly disobeying orders!” barked Misa from the cockpit of the ruined Catseye.
“This is hardly the time for that, ma’am!” snapped Hikaru as he reached down for the plane. “Watch your head.”
Without time to use the small manipulators to trigger the canopy jettison, Hikaru simply shattered what was left of the canopy.
And then there he was, flying out of a passage one level up and vaulting the catwalk railing.
Commander Breetai himself.
“HEADS UP!” I called out as I moved to tackle him, firing my thruster pack to meet him in the air.
We collided like a pair of freight trains, me sacking him like he was an ill-positioned quarterback. He didn’t give me the luxury of taking advantage of that, though, as he elbowed my Valyrie in the back and dislodged me.
That was okay, though. We may have been too close for me to get a fix with my GU-16, but I could use it as a blunt weapon readily enough. Breetai grimaced as he avoided my swings. Damn that old fart was fast.
I moved to set myself up for me swordsmanship skills, but he took advantage of the opening to land a haymaker on me. It may not have hurt, but it still sent my Valkyrie sprawling.
But that was fine as it had given Max plenty of opportunity to set up his take down.
Kakizaki launched his last two missile, blowing the bulkhead open to vacuum, and Max used his gunpod to put Breetai in a chock hold and send him out into space before the emergency doors could seal the breech.
“We better hurry, guys,” I said. “I’m sure there’s more where he came from.”
“But we’re stuck here,” said Kakizaki. “What do we do, Boss?”
“Cut through the airlock with your lasers,” said Misa from her spot in Hikaru’s hand. We all looked at her and she had assumed that insouciant pose that only women are capable of, that one that says ‘Well? I’m waiting here.’
“Robber is right,” she went on. “We need to hurry before more soldiers come along.”
“Good thinking, Ma’am,” said Hikaru, though his brain seemed to be in slow motion. Seeing how much of her figure that vacuum suit revealed, I didn’t have to imagine why. I sighed to myself. I did warn the kid after all. The lady could stop traffic if she wanted to, and not a soul would complain about it.
“You can thank me later. Now would you mind putting me down?” she said, resting her head on her hand, elbow propped against the Valkyrie’s thumb joint, and amping up the I’m Waiting Factor by about three magnitudes.
“Oh! Sorry, Ma’am!”
“Looks like our leader is helpless around the ladies,” said Max over our private band.
“You said it,” agreed Kakizaki.
“Dear God he’s such a kid still. Come on, guys, let’s get to it.”
Whatever the airlock was made of, it was some serious shit. We had to take turns because we were overheating our head-lasers trying to cut through it.
I kept an especially close eye on the open duct above us, knowing what was coming.
“Contact!” I snapped out as I got Breetai to back off with a few rounds from my gun. A couple more showed him that I still had plenty of ammo to give.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to keep him pinned down for long because that was when more soldierS showed up, and this time in force.
No ammo, no missiles, and I was starting to run out myself.
“Guys, I think they got us.”
“What do you suggest we do, Robber!?”
“We surrender,” said Misa with grim finality.
Everyone looked at each other. There was simply no other choice in the matter. We threw our gunpods down and raised our arms.
DUN-DUUNN-DUUUNNNNNNNNNN!