Robotech: Sweet Vengeance Ch. 1

Ben was leaning against one of the lockers, his arms and legs crossed in front of him. "Sure, we can go to the Officers Mess and grab a—"

The thought went unfinished as battle klaxons blared loudly throughout Macross alerting everyone aboard to what was about to happen.

Not again, Max barely had time to think before the PA came alive and Lisa Hayes started giving orders.

All personnel report to battle stations immediately, Red alert, this is not a drill, repeat, red alert, all Veritech fighter groups to launching platforms. Skull squad up first, followed by blue, green and brown. Repeat: this is not a drill.

Lieutenants Sterling and Dixon are to report to Skull Squadron for immediate deployment. Repeat, Lieutenants Sterling and Dixon are to report to Skull Squadron for deployment.

"Looks like it's lockjaw time," Ben said, on his way for the door. "You get suited up and I'll alert the squadron leader and engineers to be expecting you."

Max then waved him off. "Thanks. I'm right behind you." Then ran for one of the unoccupied dressing room.

God…let this be the last battle. Let us all come home safely, Max prayed feverishly as he rushed to get dressed. It was a simple, but heartfelt prayer, one he said every time he went into battle, hoping against hope, that today would make a difference, no matter how small, and that he, and everyone locked in this bitter, relentless struggle, live long enough to see the War come to a swift, peaceful end.

But as with all the battles before, God was quiet.

Suited up, Max was ready for battle once again. Grabbing his helmet, Max ran to the hanger where his Veritech was waiting, fueled up and waiting to go.

"She's ready to go, sir. Good hunting." Engineer Benson said, dropping the stepladder when he saw Max approach.

"Thanks Chief," Max patted him on his back and hopped into the cockpit of the blue trimmed VT. Max acknowledged the rest of the maintenance crew by giving them a "thumbs up" before putting on his "Thinking Cap" and closing the open canopy. Max did a quick, systematic check of his online systems before contacting the Bridge.

"Bridge, this is Lieutenant Max Sterling on Prometheus deck. Requesting launch perpetrations and directives.

Lisa Hayes face appeared on the center tec net. "Lieutenant Sterling, you are cleared for launch on Prometheus deck 4C."

Max set the VT in motion. "Roger. Vermillion 2 approaching Prometheus deck, block 4C, awaiting further orders."

"You are to join the Skulls and engage the enemy at Delta 4585, Lieutenant."

"Have the Skull's engaged?"

"Negative. ETA is 20 minutes till contact. If you blast you're afterburners, you may be able to beat your commanding officer to the point of contact."

Max grinned. "Yes ma'am. Vermillion 2 is in place."

"Vermillion 2 you are go, repeat: you are go. Good hunting Lieutenant."

"Roger Bridge. Lift off positive." Max plied the Hotas stick, but what's more, he imaged a perfect take off through the "Think Cap" helmet and was off to take up the mantle of war once again.

* * * * *

Khyron's words propelled her into swift action.

In fact, two hours had barely passed before her attack cruiser entered Earths atmosphere and a squad of Queadlunn-Rau mecha pierced the sky as one after another stepped from the drop bays, their backpack thrusters blaring and hunting on their minds.

Once everyone was airborne, she gave her instructions over the tec net. "I am looking for one particular enemy fighter," she informed the massed assault mecha behind her. "He will show himself by superior performance. When he has been identified, you will maintain distance and leave his execution to me. Am I understood?"

"It is understood and shall be as you wish, Kamma Miriya" her second in command, Seloy Deparra, spoke for the contingent of Quadrono's.

Satisfied that her orders would be followed to the letter, Miriya allowed herself a brief moment to contemplate her kill.

There were many things, countless things that made this blatant disregard of orders so appealing. The chance to humiliate that fool Khyron—a definite plus at any opportunity, a way to defy Azonia. Miriya was tired of her carelessness toward Quadrono lives—hers in particular—and her self promoting ways, the chance to have the Robotech Masters sing the name of Miriya, the chance of ending the war once and for all, for her own personal glory, and of course, that ultimate thrill—flirting with complete disaster.

But as grand as all those things sound, the one thing that really drove her was the chance to meet a worthy opponent. Khyron had the right of it. Throughout her long military career, she has never met anyone that could provide a challenge. That alone made it worth the risk.

Because if she failed—and Miriya never had—all would probably be taken from her, her life included.

Miriya didn't intend to fail.

But what was any of it for, if not for the risking? She lived for combat and victory, she thrilled and delighted in it. It was far easier to keep bleeding prey from the jaws of a lioness, then it was to avoid Miriya's wrath.

* * * * *

"Nice of you to join us Lieutenant." Ben joked.

Max had just joined with the Skull contingent, plus another flight of VTs off Prometheus, a little late, but game. In command was Roy Fokker, but he hadn't arrived there yet. "Hey, better late then never," he quipped. "Where is—"

Max never got to finish, because his tec net suddenly came alive and Roy Fokker's face appeared. "If the two of you are finish, can we get back to the business at hand?"

Ben couldn't resist. "Well, as I live and breath. Our fearless leader has arrived."

Max looked down at his tec net and saw Roy grin. "Stow the jokes hotshot. We're about to have our hands full in three minutes. Are you ready to get the job done?"

"Yes sir!" Ben confirmed eagerly.

Ready? Max thought. Who was every ready to kill and be killed? But he was committed and now was not the time for doubt. "Affirmative sir."

"Then lets do the damn thing!" Roy took them up into a ballistic climb, guiding the squadron directly at the enemy. All of them were eager for the dogfight that had been forced upon them, but that eagerness suddenly waned with the newest update.

"Bogies at 11'o'clock. Looks like its gonna be a real bitch this rip men. That's a squadron of Quadrono's up ahead," Roy said, a bit dismayed. He remembered the souped-up Zentraedi mecha better than anyone, and if the SDF-1 was facing a division of them, that was all she wrote. Endgame.

Roy wasn't the only one worried. Max wasn't too thrilled either. To date, none of the VTs had much success in fighting the Quadroons, except for Rick, and he hadn't come out of it so well.

Now's not the time Sterling, he reminded himself. Remember: nothing extraneous in mind or body, or you may end up dead before the first shot is fired. Just keep your mind on your job and maybe you'll live to see tomorrow. His resolve strengthened, Max waited for orders.

"All right men…Attack!" Roy screamed, then let loose a barrage of missiles into the Quadrono's midst.

Orders received, Max plied the Hotas once again and dove into the battle, passing judgment on those in his path.

* * * * *

Now…Where is this great enemy ace that Khyron fears so? Miriya thought as she watched the enemy's crafts come toward her. Which one is he?

Signaling to her squad, Miriya and the first few of her armored Quadrono deployed under power to engage a slightly lesser number of enemy aircraft.

"Kah yar," she yelled in Zentraedi, commencing them to attack.

Immediately the Quadrono's dove into the frenzy, engaging an enemy they considered beneath them.

The dying started immediately.

Quadrono battle suits begin pouring forth cascades of fire; Veritechs dove up into it eagerly, dodging and jamming missiles, gambling their reflexes against the enemy's until one by one, they fell. Quadrono Power Suits and VT's blazed a burning trail, before exploding into a million fragments across Earth's clear blue skies before falling into the sea.

* * * * *

As usual, Max Sterling was on top of his game.

Missiles fired from the Quadrono's battle armor moved faster than the eye could follow, detectable only by their plasmatic wakes and corkscrewing trails of smoke, but somehow, they managed to miss Max Sterling. The Missiles never got close. He twisted and rolled his VT through seemingly impossible maneuvers, jamming some of the missiles' guidance systems, getting others to take out each other, all while skirting a hair's breadth around them. It was a close dance. One bad move and he could be paying for it with his life.

""Max, two o'clock!" Ben warned, his sensors locating one of the power suits hiding in a dense formation of clouds, trying to get the jump on Max with a surprise attack. The warning was unnecessary though. Max had seen it.

Imaging his VT over to Battloid mode, Max then lifted his autocannon and fired, spraying the Quadrono with bullets and blowing it to twisted shrapnel. He turned just in time to catch another Quadrono trying to sneak up on him. Again, his chain-gun made quick work of the mecha, as it too became a distant memory. Max watched disinterestedly as the disabled mecha spiraled into the ocean. Again he prayed for a peaceful end. All the killing was starting to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

* * * * *

Miriya had been watching interestedly, though not participating in the fighting directly. She merely observed the battle as it was waged; delighting in the cold, efficient way the Quadrono's dispatched the Micronians and sent those unfortunate soldiers to a fiery demise. For the sisters caught unaware by the Micronians, their lives ended by missiles or the short controlled burst from a VT's chaingun, Miriya silently acknowledged and renewed her sworn oath: Vengeance—for herself, and her sisters.

Miriya continued her vigilance.

At long last, Miriya spotted him. Of all the VT's engaged in combat, only the blue-trimmed mecha was unmatched. No Zentraedi had been able to stand against it, so who else could it be but Khyron's vaunted Micronian champion?

Leaving her position of relative safety, Miriya dived at him like a rocket-powered hawk, anticipating the battle to come. "Now you die!"

Miriya's first volley of missiles were launched, and Max dodged them and managed to get a few rounds into her armor as she passed.

Miriya loosed another flight of missiles and he dodged those too, and still he came, charging straight at her and firing the entire time. An unbelievable piece of flying, but Miriya wasn't so easily impressed.

"You devil!" Miriya hissed softly, almost fondly, knowing now what a pleasure it was going to be when she killed him. The powered armor and the Battloid whirled and pounced, the upper hand changing sides a dozen times in a few seconds. Miriya was astounded. Could this Micronian have artificially enhanced reflexes and telepathic powers? she thought, while she dodged his chaingun rounds. That was certainly the way he flew his aircraft.

Miriya went into a ballistic climb in order to gain a little breathing space, and Max got a sustained burst into her backpack thrusters power unit. Miriya's mecha trailed sparks and flame as it fell through the air, only to suddenly straightened out again. Playing hurt was the oldest trick in the book and Max fell for it. Once again, Miriya had the advantage and she didn't hesitate to use it.

Particle cannon charged, Miriya wasted little time pounding away at the off guard Battloid, knocking it back as several rounds hit home.

Whoa! This fella's not playing; Max thought as he hit his boosters, trying to regained some stability. Max switched to Veritech mode and took evasive action in order to get a little elbowroom before going at it again.

Miriya laughed like some wild huntress and pursued him down through the clouds, crying, "You can't dodge me forever!"

* * * * *

"That's very odd," Lisa Hayes murmured. "Those alien mecha aren't attacking us. In fact, they seem to be holding off, covering the one that engaged Max Sterling."

Claudia Grant, the stately dark-skinned fiancée of Roy Fokker, was standing near Lisa's station, watching the intricate series of bleeps and bright dots on the tec screen. Claudia nodded. "It seems like the leader, or whoever it is, has a personal vendetta against Max Sterling."

"Who can understand the mind of a combat pilot?" Captain Gloval shrugged. "Especially an alien one?"

Lisa turned to face Captain Gloval. "That's true sir, but there must be some reason Lieutenant Sterling has been singled out."

Gloval crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat. The ever-present cigar perched between the fingers of his right hand, unlit. "Not really surprising Lisa. Sterling is the best pilot in the fleet, if not the world. It makes strategic sense that the enemy would try and take him out as a way of weakening our defenses. Or there could be something more sinister at work."

"Your orders sir?"

"Order Lieutenant Sterling to retreat. If they continue to pursue him, it will mean that the target isn't SDF-1."

* * * * *

Max was staring at the tec with total bewilderment. "Retreat? Wa—waitaminute, I don't get it! What's the big idea, huh?"

Hey would be lying if he said he was having a good time, but he was doing what he did best—what he did better then anyone alive—and they wanted him to turn tail and run? What the hell was going on?

"The bandit on your tail is trying too hard," Roy explained.

"So?"

"So, the bridge wants to find out what his game is."

"You got it," Max said reluctantly. He thought there was something different about this mecha jock. Whoever this alien was, he was one hell of a hot pilot.

Max shoved his stick into the corner for a pushover and dove for the surface of the ocean. The Quadrono powered armor streaked after him.

* * * * *

Of the seven people watching instruments on the dimensional fortress's bridge, three exchanged knowing glances. Gloval stood to his feet. "So, now we know."

* * * * *

Max and Miriya still fought their incredible duel across the sky.

Max had changed into Battloid mode, and the two circled each other with extreme caution. Max released another flight of missiles that she avoided, then nearly clipped her with his Gatling rounds.

But she evaded him again. It was the most difficult, dangerous, exhilarating contest of wills and skills Max had ever been in. His sense of time had completely slipped away, and he didn't think of victory so much as excelling, of outperforming his foe.

For Miriya it was far more different. Not only had she not destroyed the Micronian, she'd come very close to being killed herself. But Miriya was undaunted. He was as good as Khyron had said and better, but that was no deterrent. Miriya was certain she could defeat him, thought she was beginning to see that it wasn't going to be as easy as she once assumed. For the first time in her long life, Miriya was beginning to know what her own opponents, her long list of kills, had felt.

Perhaps, as the ancient wisdom goes, there is always someone better than oneself. The thought filled her with an angry dread.

She tore through a small white puff of cloud to see that the SDF-1 was close by and suddenly had a brilliant idea. "His ship!"

She made straight for it at maximum speed. "Lets see how well you perform with all those unprotected Micronians around." As plans go, it was extraordinary. Perhaps in such tight quarters with his own people around, he would know a hesitation to shoot, would lose concentration, and then she would have him. His life would be hers.

It was a deliciously audacious, risky plan; she adored it.

"I won't be able to catch him in time!" Max hollered over the command net, seeing what this brilliant, devious enemy had in mind. Desperate to stop the mecha from even reaching the SDF-1, Max hit his afterburners and streaked after it.

* * * * *

"Oh God…" Claudia murmured.

"They're heading this way Captain—heading straight for us!" Lisa reported.

"Tell the AA batteries not to fire Claudia," Gloval barked. "Sterling is too close to the enemy! Lisa, make sure all hatches are sealed and double-check and make sure that all civilians are in shelters!"

"Right away Sir."

"Yes Sir." Lisa responded.

* * * * *

Most of the exterior hatches on the SDF-1 were already sealed because of the ship being at general quarters, but one wasn't: the one through which the air-sea rescue Helo had just left to make the pickup of wounded and dead. The enormous hatch couldn't be closed quickly, but it was already more than half closed.

It was more then enough.

Miriya saw it and made a beeline for it, diving through it and into the dimensional fortress.

Damn, he's already in, Max thought, hot on its tail and blasting his afterburners in the hope of catching him before he actually go in, but the alien mecha had the advantage. Max noticed that the hatch was quickly closing and shouted, "This is it!" Then configured his VT into fighter mode and slipped through the rapidly closing hatch. Max rear stabilizers barely cleared the descending upper half of the hatch; but he was in.

He chased the giant powered armor suit through a long curve of enormous passageway usually used to shuttle large machinery, components, and vehicles inside the ship. Max refused to fire on the enemy here because of the potential damage that could be caused to the ship, and indirectly to the people of Macross. If the corridor was caved in or destroyed, then it would take precious time, time Max was beginning to suspect the SDF-1 didn't have, to re-supply the ship through the overhead hatches. That wasn't acceptable, especially when every second counts, so Max held his fire and chased the retreating Quadrono through the corridor, praying that when they hit the inner section, the section where Macross City was housed, that everyone was safely inside the underground shelters. He had a feeling that some property damage is unavoidable.

Miriya was curious as to why the Micronian devil held his fire, but she was perfectly willing to wait until they were someplace that allowed more room. She was pleased to see that he followed her still.

Such a determined spirit. Indeed, a worthy opponent at last. Miriya smiled behind her green tinted face shield. Soon she'll be able to avenge herself. This Micronian's time was ending.

"Run, little man, run," Miriya beckoned, watching him approaching in her rearview screen while simultaneously flying at hair-raising speed through the relatively tight passageway. "And when you catch me, you die."

There was no subtle, controlled entrance into Macross. Miriya hit the open settlement with total disregard, crashing through walls and tearing out overhead signs and fixtures. None of it mattered to her since it didn't affect her mecha. She was determined to find the perfect battleground for this, her greatest victory.

About 500 feet ahead, Miriya came about, her foot stabilizers blazing blue as she turned and set down on the mecha's mechanical legs, waiting.

She didn't have long to wait.

Thirty seconds later Max shot out of the corridor and reconfigured into Battloid mode, looking around for his antagonist, then winched when he saw the damage to the inside of the ship. "Oh God…I hope no one was in any of those buildings."

Then there was no more time for idle thoughts, because Max's onboard sensors had caught Miriya with her back turned, literally. Raising the Veritech's long, cigar-shaped chaingun, Max opened up in a massive hail of bullets. Though several blocks separated them, it had no affect on his aim. Max had managed to spray the Quadrono where the armor was thinnest, driving it backwards and knocking it off balance, then watched as it fell over.