Chapter 1

[Reality Check - Saturday Jun. 27 2009, 1326 hours, Macross Island SDF-1 Base]

Following a young pilot across the air field, I scanned the excited crowd that surrounded me. Everybody on Macross Island must have been there. Of course, it was a very important day to everyone. I mean, for most people the launch of the SDF-1 meant the end of the importance of the island and their home town. But, for others, like myself, it was the beginning of a new life. Of course, my new life was bound to be quite different from those who were going to end up on that ship, floating around in space, waiting for an enemy that would never come. My life was going to change, but for the better. 

Soon I'd be off this island, with proof that I'm the best reporter that ever existed. My current story, my best ever, was about the new Veritech fighters and the technology they used. I almost had enough information to write the scoop of the century, and this pilot would give me more than enough to finish it up. If all things went well, I'd end up the star reporter on Tri-Net! 

Karl, my brother, was going to show me his fighter. Quite an astonishing machine, from what he had told me so far. But, more importantly, he had told me how to fly it. It wasn't difficult, really, considering I had been flying everything from helicopters to jet aircraft since I was sixteen. He had even told me some top secret information: "These things aren't just planes, they're capable of a metamorphic process that changes them into giant robots, comparable in size to the aliens <oh, yeah, right!> that crashed the SDF on our planet," he had said. He went into detail on how to control the machine in all three of the modes it was capable of, the basic fighter <which I was familiar with>, the 'battloid' form, and a hybrid of the two, a sort of plane with arms and legs. It was all quite fascinating, and, I was quite sure, extremely valuable information. 

Now, he wanted to show me the plane itself, now that the security restrictions were no longer in effect. <I should be able to get some excellent pictures of the cockpit, maybe even the internals of the fighter itself!> I allowed myself a smirk, <Nobody. Absolutely nobody will have this kind of information... this is SOOO COOL!.> There was no way things could go bad on me now. 

We finally broke through the crowd and walked into a hangar that sat deep inside the shadow of the huge SDF-1. Inside, there were three or four planes, all painted in RDF colours and insignia. Karl walked to the door controls and closed a connection. The huge doors slowly started to close as he walked toward the closest of the fighters. I couldn't do anything but stand where I was, gaping at the planes. 

"They... They're beautiful," I stammered. Something about the design just reached out and grabbed me by the heart. They looked like some of the other fighters I had flown, but these had a sort of... pulsing energy to them. 

Karl motioned for me to come to him and the plane. As I reached it, he pointed to the cockpit, where his name had been stencilled in black letters: "K. Landers." Then, Karl started up the short step ladder leading to the cockpit and pulled me along behind him. 

"Go ahead, get in," he whispered, pushing me lightly on the shoulder. 

As I crawled into the seat, he put his helmet on my head and started pointing out the controls, explaining the ones he hadn't been allowed to mention before. 

"You didn't tell me there were so many buttons, Karl. This fighter has more controls than an E-4C+, front and back." 

Just then, the doors stopped closing and the hangar lights dimmed. Muttering something about military technicians, he jumped to the ground and started for the door. His short, red hair started standing on end, and he turned around, saying, "Stay there, I'll be back in a sec...", and, with a grin, "and don't touch anything." Then he stepped through the three foot opening left in the doors and disappeared. 

Immediately after he left, I whipped out my camera and started taking pictures of the cockpit. I wanted to include some of the displays too, so I started jabbing at buttons, trying to find the power switch. <Oops, wrong one,> I thought as the cockpit started to close. At the touch of another switch, I yelped as the seat harnesses snapped into place. <Ooooh! Damnit! Which switch is the power!? Ah, there it is.>I pressed the power... and the world exploded. 

There was a flash of light and a huge explosion, and then the building decided it wasn't in the mood to stay standing anymore. So it toppled over with me inside it. I screamed and covered my head as I saw the ceiling approaching, and felt the plane quake and fall as the landing gear gave out. 

When I peeked out from under the helmet, I discovered the plane was buried. No light made it through the steel, plaster and stone that covered the cockpit, and the only illumination was from the internal displays. 

"Sorry...," I whispered to nobody in particular. Right then I figured it would be an excellent idea to take my brother's advice, so I sat there for a few moments. Then the comm display lit up. Some lady's face appeared on a screen to my right. 

"All units, enemy forces are approaching in sector four-one-two, we need you in the air immediately." 

I tapped the comm switch, "Err... I hope you don't mind my asking, but where exactly is sector four-one-two?" 

"WHAT?!" She exclaimed, "One moment... Very funny Colonel Landers, just get in the air." 

"But...," as her picture disappeared from the screen. <Great, now what do I do? I'm trapped under a building and they want me to fly... Hold on! Enemy forces?! What kind of enemy would the RDF have to worry about?>Almost in answer to my question, the world exploded again. This time, since the building couldn't fall down any further, it just blew away, uncovering the plane most of the way. The building had been moved by a series of explosions... missile explosions! <Whoever this enemy was, they weren't screwing around. I have to do something, maybe even something to help.>Since I couldn't take off like a normal plane anymore, I'd have to change to the battloid mode to do anything. I found the proper lever and pulled it. Then the plane started to move. The cockpit was covered by a sliding blast shield, and I felt myself turning inside the plane itself. Then the displays lit up. I was seeing through a set of screens, looking at the ground. <Hmm... Now let's see if I can remember how to control this thing...> After playing with the movements for a few moments, and 'thinking' through the moves like Karl had told me, I managed to get on 'my' feet. This was weird, but I had to work with it if I were to accomplish anything. 

I started looking around at the city. It was in horrible condition. Buildings everywhere had been either smashed or atomised by the missiles, and I didn't see a single person moving... Except that thing... whatever it was... It looked like a twenty foot egg on legs... but it had guns... and they were pointing at me. 

Forward to Chapter 2. 

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