Battle Cry

by Jack McKinney

  too far from the action, and it was hands-on action that she craved-contest, confrontation, challenge. She had little patience for the relative ease of a commander's life, having always to be ready to accept blame or praise based on how well the troops had carried out their mission. No, it was far easier to accept the orders of those unskilled superiors and bask in the freedom that a secondary position allowed.

  She was eager to mix it up with these Micronians. They were making fools of the pilots under Breetai's command. And even the great Khyron had not fared well with this new enemy.

  It was time to let the female Zentraedi take over.

  Anyone unaware of the motivational differences between Azonia and Miriya might have been inclined to read rivalry into their relationship, and in fact many of the female soldiers on the bridge did just that, even though no such condition existed.

  Azonia swirled the gray commander's cloak over her crimson uniform as she turned to face the female ace. Her close-cropped bluestone-colored hair gave her an air of efficiency. Unlike Miriya's long thick fall of forest green and large emerald eyes that radiated sensual fire.

  "I take it you have already been briefed on your mission." "I have, Commander Azonia. But may I speak freely?" "Say what's on your mind."

  "Delivering spies into the SDF-1 hardly seems a mission worthy of my talents."

  "Yes, I thought it might be something like that."

  "After all, I'm a combat pilot, not some delivery drone."

  "This mission happens to be of utmost importance. It has been authorized by Commander-in-Chief Dolza himself."

  "Of course, sir, but still-"

  "Have you considered that these Micronians might prove to be more dangerous than you have been led to believe?"

  "That is something to be hoped for, Commander."

  "Need I remind you that my reputation rides on this mission?"

  Miriya bowed and saluted. "I will not fail you, my lord." Azonia narrowed her yes.

  "The three micronized operatives are presently aboard our sister ship. They have been placed inside a capsule-craft that you will retrieve once we are within range of the dimensional fortress. Now, how will you get the spies aboard?"

  "I am not at liberty to discuss that aspect of the operation with anyone."

  The commander stiffened somewhat. "I see."

  "Commander, it will be good to best Breetai in this matter. And Khyron, of course."

  "Commander Khyron to you, Miriya-now and always. Is that clear?" "My apologies, sir."

  "You are dismissed. Return to your quarters and prepare for hyperspace-fold."

  The fold operation was the first note of encouragement struck for the four Micronian escapees who had sequestered themselves in a supply hangar elsewhere in Azonia's cruiser. The Zentraedi guards had left the hold when the spacefold began, leaving them alone in a room full of armaments and Battlepods. But they remained cautiously optimistic. Especially Ben.

  "I know a way we can pass the time-we can count the number of different places we might end up after this fold."

  Lisa's attention had been riveted on the real-time indicator, but Ben's comment intruded on her concentration.

  "Lieutenant Hunter, you didn't tell me you had such a comedian on your team." Lisa gestured to Ben. "We've gone from the frying pan to the fire, and all he can do is make jokes."

  "All right Ben, can it," said Rick.

  "How are we going to get outta here, anyway?" said Max. "Even if we do defold back in Earthspace?"

  "We're going to commandeer one of these Battlepods."

  Lisa said it so matter-of-factly that the three then did delayed double takes.

  "Just climb into the Battlepod and fly it out of here, huh? Who's going to teach us how to operate it? You think they left an operating manual inside, in the glove compartment maybe?"

  Lisa put her hands on her hips. "Have you been playing hooky, Lieutenant?"

  "Wait a minute!" Rick said defensively. "Sure, I've studied the insides of these things just like everybody else. But those were wrecks. Nobody's actually piloted one of them."

  "Listen, Rick, you said yourself that their systems are complex but not impossible to understand. It shouldn't be a problem for three ace pilots like you boys."

  "Come on, Commander..."

  Lisa checked her watch. "It took us twenty-four real hours to make the hyperspace jump from Earthspace to Dolza's command center. Assuming we're headed back to the SDF-1, we've got twenty hours left to learn."

  "And suppose we're not headed back to Earthspace? Suppose we defold at some other Zentraedi front or base or I don't know what?"

  "Then it won't matter whether we learn how to operate it or not."

  Rick stood up and cracked his knuckles. "All right, gang, let's get crackin'."

  Aft in the special weapons hold, Miriya strapped herself into the Quadrono scout ship-a combination thruster unit and multiple-missile launcher developed by the Invid, and designed for infiltration or solo penetration operations. Defold was complete, and the time had come to retrieve the three micronized agents from the cruiser's sister ship.

  Miriya lowered the canopy of the extravehicular pack and stepped forward to the edge of the port. In the distance she could see the object of her mission: the SDF-1. It was under attack by the remnants of Breetai's tattered fleet.

  Azonia came on-screen in the mecha's cockpit:

  "We'll draw the enemy's attention away from you. May you win all your battles!"

  "As always!"

  Miriya launched herself into space, a darting dragonfly among the stars...

  Max had his arms stretched out deep into the pod's waldolike gun controls. Ben was scratching his head, puzzling over the firing mechanism for the missiles. Lisa wondered how she was going to be able to activate those huge radio toggles. And Rick tried to figure out how he was going to fly the thing.

  The interior of the Battlepod was not entirely dissimilar to human-made Robotech mecha. In fact, the design of the cockpit went a long way toward verifying Lisa's theory about a point of common origin; the layout and placement of the controls had the logic of human construction, albeit on a grand scale.

  Lisa, her arms overhead hugging a toggle switch, glanced at her watch and dropped to the sphere's seat. She looked hard at her companions, calculating the present level of visual distortion against the indicator's display. Satisfied with the results of her scan, she announced:

  "We're coming out of defold right on schedule. It's got to be Earthspace or an incredible coincidence."

  The four regarded one another and took a collective breath; they all knew what had to be done next.

  Rick readied himself at the controls. "Let's see if we can start this thing

  up."

  He engaged the drive lever and activated the sensor and scanner

  systems. The mecha began to hum and come to life, and the first thing that greeted their eyes on the forward screen was the sight of two Zentraedi soldiers just returned to the hanger.

  The soldiers spun around at the sound of the activated pod.

  "They're on to us!" yelled Rick. "Blast 'em!"

  Max shouted, "Here goes nothing!" as laser bolts shot from the arm cannons and dropped the guards to the deck.

  Lisa and Ben cheered. Rick told Max to keep firing.

  "Keep it up; let's open up this can of worms and get out of here." Meanwhile, he nudged the stick forward and the Battlepod lifted away from its still silent companions.

  Max continued to pour particle heat into the hull, until all at once the lasers burned through, and air and mecha were being sucked in a rush toward the breach.

  "We're gonna have to be fast," Max warned them. "These things heal themselves."

  Ben said, "Not while I'm around!" and loosed two rockets at the hull.

  Rick let out a rousing yell. Simultaneously with the explosions, he sent the thruster stick home; the pod soared across the hangar and through the breach.

  Miriya had retri
eved the ejected canister which contained the micronized agents. Battlepods were swarming around Zor's ship like angry insects and engaging enemy mecha throughout the field. It would have been a simple matter to insert the cannister and be done with it, but she couldn't resist testing these waters.

  She flew straight into their midst, executing a series of teasing maneuvers meant to draw the enemy out; but not one of them succeeded in getting a fix on her. She made up her mind that these Micronians were nothing to worry about and grew even more daring, positioning herself in the center of an entire squadron of enemy fighters. And again their heat-seekers could not find the mark. She laughed aloud and stung back.

  Roy Fokker, Skull Team leader, would later recall the strange sight he witnessed that day: how a Zentraedi mecha, not much larger than a giant with a jet pack, had taken out five VTs at once.

  Through the breach, the commandeered Battlepod rolled into a near

  front gainer and was almost taken out by Zentraedi crossfire. But the occupants of that pod were filled with such vigor and than that they scarcely took notice of their predicament. Ahead of them, enveloped in a cloud of metal anger, was their ship. And beyond that, their planet and its silver satellite.

  "Can you raise anything on the radio?"

  "I'm trying," said Lisa. Ben came to her aid; together they put their strength to the knob and managed to give it a fraction of a turn.

  Rick heard singing: a familiar voice, a familiar song. "That's Minmei! That's her song-My Boyfriend's a Pilot'!" "As long as it's not was a pilot," said Ben.

  Miriya easily avoided the Phalanx and Valkyrie fire from the SDF-1 and came alongside the fortress at a point where Breetai claimed the hull could be easily breached. She summoned Protoculture strength to the outsize grappler hands of the mecha and tore away some new hatchway the Micronians had installed. She deposited the cylinder inside an air lock in the mecha, then opened and resealed.

  "Insertion successful," Miriya said aloud. "Returning to base." Status reports, enemy trajectories, battle coordinates... "We've got the military frequency," said Rick excitedly.

  Lisa leaned into the mike. "Please respond, SDF-1, we are in your air space. This is Commander Hayes and the Vermilion Team attempting to make contact with our home base. Do you read me? Over. Rick, do you think they heard us?"

  "I hope so, Lisa. I'd hate to be taken out by one of our own VTs."

  Three Battloids were closing on the pod in attack formation, gatling cannons in hand. Rick and Lisa, Ben and Max, turned to each other with undisguised looks of concern.

  "Did they hear us, Rick? Did they hear us?!"

  Rick closed his eyes as the Battloids moved in for the kill. With home so close you could almost touch it...

  End RTUCN.COM