Genesis

Recall Lieutenant Commander Fokker's team immediately!'

Lisa, studying her data displays, said, 'They're still engaged in combat with the first attack wave, sir. I doubt they can break away without suffering heavy losses.'

Gloval nodded stiffly. 'I understand. Thank you.'

Vanessa updated, 'The unidentified craft have landed in the ocean twenty-five miles west of us. They seem to have submerged, sir.'

Gloval could no longer put off giving Lisa the unpleasant command. 'Call Prometheus and order them to send out reconnaissance choppers.'

'I already have them awaiting your go-ahead, sir. They'll be on station in five minutes.'

'Mind reader,' Gloval growled, though there was real fondness in his voice.

'Yes, sir,' Lisa said, cheeks coloring a bit.

There was only a moment in which to be relieved that Gloval wasn't rankled at her for anticipating him; those recon helicopters racing to confront the new alien arrivals were quite capable in their own way, but they weren't Robotech ships. And that could be very bad for the helo crews.

People had crept forth, very hesitantly, to gawk up at the towering knightlike figure that had been VT one- zero-two. The Battloid stood straddle-legged in the middle of the street. As pieces of sheetrock fell from its shoulders and bits of rubble rained around it, it appeared as if it were waiting for a trumpet to sound the call to arms. It took a few faltering steps, nearly toppling over.

'What is that?' one man breathed.

'A giant robot!' a second misguessed.

'Could be an alien invader!' a third ventured. There were already a thousand rumors abroad as to exactly what had happened to Macross Island and to the human race in general.

A few yards away, Lynn-Minmei crouched with her uncle and aunt in the doorway of their restaurant, the White Dragon, unsure what to do. Jason had been outside playing somewhere when the chaos began, and there was no sign of him.

'It's stopped moving; it's just standing there now,' Minmei said, looking up at it. She got ready to make a dash, to go look for her cousin.

Suddenly a small figure in bib overalls and yellow sweatshirt dashed out from behind a crumpled trailer, passing by the metal fighting machine's feet, close enough to touch them.

'Wow! Hey, Minmei! Come lookit what's out here! An honest-to-goodness giant robot!'

She caught him up in a hug, as relieved as her Uncle Max and Aunt Lena were. 'Oh, Jason! What if that thing had stepped on you?'

Jason pushed her away with the unconcern of the very young. 'Aw, I can take care of myself.' Then he broke loose, heading for the stairs, a compact little whirlwind.

'I want to get a good look at that thing! C'mon; we'll go upstairs and look out the window!'

Minmei hurried after. She yelled, 'Jason, wait for me!' as her Aunt Lena called, 'Don't let him fall out the window!' then went back to trying to figure out what to do with the shambles that had been a thriving business only minutes before.

The two Barracuda naval attack helicopters from Prometheus approached watchfully, encountering only calm sea.

'This is PHP two-zero-two,' the flight leader radioed. 'We're approaching target area. Negative sightings of alien craft so far.'

Lisa's reply came after a burst of static. 'Roger that, PHP two-zero-two. Maintain maximum surveillance; bogies are suspected to be submerged. Prepare to deploy sonobuoys.'

Her transmission was just ending as the blue water broke for one, then another, then half a dozen rounded shapes. They bobbed up, shedding water, bulbous and gleaming metallically, with odd projections-tubes- suggesting old-fashioned magnetic mines.

The floating objects turned, the tubes aligning and sighting. All at once they spat lines of dazzling brilliance up at the Barracudas. More and more of the rounded shapes bobbed to the surface, joining in the barrage.

The flight leader barely blurted out, 'We're being fired upon!' when the crisscrossing beams found the second chopper and blew it to pieces in midair.

'Let's get out of here!' the leader screamed, firing a missile and preparing to run even as the beams converged on his ship. The chopper became a fireball. The pilot's scream was cut off in midtransmission.

Back on the bridge, Lisa reported woodenly, 'They're gone, sir.'

Gloval glared out the forward viewport. 'And here I am with an untested ship, an inexperienced crew-' And very little time to make my decisions.

The hatch slid open, and Russo strode onto the bridge, puffing on his cigar and clutching his expensive lapel, seemingly in control. But he was pale and sweating; Lisa could see that and smell it. Under the hail-fellow-well- met exterior, the senator was so frightened that he was in danger of passing out.

'Well, Captain, it's lucky for us we got this ship finished in time to fight off the invaders. When d'you take off?'

The curious timing had occurred to Gloval, too-that the aliens should arrive at this very moment. His own conclusion was that the final activation of the SDF-1's huge, mysterious sealed power plant had somehow drawn the invaders. But he had no time to think about that now.

In answer to Russo's question, he simply hmphhed.

Russo's eyebrows beetled. 'You are ready, aren't you? Why haven't you taken off? What are you waiting for?' He glared up at the captain.

Gloval's upper lip curled. 'You must think I'm out of my mind. I can't take this ship into combat with a crew of raw recruits who've never been in space before! What's more, this ship hasn't even been tested yet; we don't even know if it'll fly.'

His commitment to his oath of service made him add, 'If you order me to take SDF-1 up, I'll obey. But it'll be against my better judgment.'

Claudia and Lisa were standing rigidly at their stations, pretending to take no notice. But Sammie turned to Kim and whispered, 'D'you think he's serious?'

'I think he means it.' Kim nodded after a moment's thought.

Sammie gave a toss of her long mane of wheat-colored hair. 'Wow,' she whispered with a tremble.

'I am ordering you to take off, Captain. Understand?' Russo was saying.

Kim frowned, 'What's the matter, Sammie? I thought you wanted to go into space.'

Sammie's eyes were big, frightened. 'I do… I think.' But all of a sudden, it's real!

'Let it be your responsibility, then,' Gloval came back to Russo, 'because I'm telling you, it could be suicide. We don't understand half of SDF-1's systemry yet!'

Russo's lip was quivering, but he bristled, 'It sounds to me like you're saying you've no confidence in your crew. Is that what you're telling me, Gloval?'

Gloval looked quickly to Lisa and Claudia, who turned back to their duties to avoid being caught watching the confrontation. 'I didn't say that.'

'Then what are you saying? Earth has spent untold resources on this Robotech ship, and I don't want to see it destroyed on the ground.'

'Senator-'

'No, Captain! No more excuses; take off!'

'Very well. As ranking official, you may take that seat over there. We'll be under way in a few moments.'

Russo almost swallowed his cigar. Claudia had to stifle her snigger. 'What?!' the senator exploded. 'No! That is, I have too many other things to do on the ground. You're not to take off until I've left this ship, is that clear?' The terror in his voice was unmistakable.

'Whatever you say, Senator.' Gloval showed a thin smile.