“I want to dedicate my last number to a very special group of friends,” Lancer was saying from the stage.
“And to one friend in particular.… He’s leaving Earth behind, and with it the most precious of possessions: his friends—the people who love him most. But I want him to know that when he returns, we’ll be here to welcome him home with open arms.”
As Scott listened to Lancer’s latest composition, he found himself recalling the names and faces of the people who had emerged as heroes during Earth’s quarter of a century of devastating warfare. Rick and Lisa Hunter; Max, Miriya, and Dana Sterling; Lynn-Minmei and Bowie Grant and Louie Nichols … And all those who hadn’t lived to see this day: Admiral Gloval, Roy Fokker, Claudia Grant, Rolf Emerson, and countless others. Scott felt a bittersweet wave pass through him as Lancer’s words crept into his mind, Earth dwindling now in the Alpha’s cockpit display screen.
She finds him strong and brave
And how she wants him so, so much
So much she knows she needs that touch
To lead the way to love.
He spies a gentle soul
Waiting for her to find someone so
So very sweet and kind
To lead the way, the way to love.
“The Way to Love,” Scott repeated, meditating on the words. And it suddenly occurred to him that it was love after all that had tipped the scales in each of those terrible wars. Love had won out over the greed, the hatred, and the betrayals, redressing the evil the Robotech Masters had first unleashed, and perhaps even atoning for some unknown sin that was Zor’s alone.
And now they have their space
They’ve run the final race
Love’s given them a place
Where love can live
Heaven is where they are
With love, they have no need to roam
Just look at them to see how she,
She led them to love
They are in love
They are in love …
Marlene! he thought, leaning out as though to catch a glimpse of her. But there were only Earth’s oceans and clouds now, and stars winking into view above him. And he made a promise on one of them: a promise to return after he had found that jinxed ship and its long-lost crew.
Scott listened a moment more, choking back his sadness, and hit the Alpha’s thrusters, boostering up and away from the world he had helped to liberate, one he hoped he would see again.…
Far below, Lunk, Marlene, and Annie had climbed into the battered APC and were headed down to the festival grounds to pick up Lancer and Sera. There were wisps of sunset clouds in a warm-looking sky, clear all the way to tomorrow. The Moon was rising, brilliant and seemingly closer than it had ever been. Lunk glanced up at it and said:
“You know, sometimes I think that’s the most beautiful sight in the whole world. And I don’t know why anyone would want to leave it behind.”
Annie saw the VTs contrails caught in the western sky’s final moment of color and sighed.
“And it might be a long time before anyone leaves it again.” She smiled.
Marlene put her arm around Annie and hugged her close.
“Good-bye, Scott,” she said softly. “May you find what you’re after. May all of us.”
APPENDIX
Thanks to the magic of electronic publishing, it has become practical to update the classic Robotech novelizations. Many of these changes are simple spelling and grammar corrections while others are minor continuity corrections which were made to more closely match the events of the television episodes. Such continuity updates were made where we felt it could be done without too much disruption to the original prose, and left alone in other instances where we felt the disruption would outweigh the benefit. For those of you curious about the specific changes made, we offer the following list of updates and errata:
CHANGES TO ALL CHAPTERS:
• Different spellings of Jonathan Wolff’s last name have been updated to “Wolfe,” which was the spelling Carl Macek settled on in later books.
• The spelling of “Regis” has been updated to “Regess” (feminine of Regent).
• Various changes to weapon references and descriptions to match the animation.
CHANGES TO INVID INVASION:
This Page: When the Regess departed for Earth in 2030, Rick’s age has been changed to 41 instead of 35, to closer match television continuity.
This Page: “Past eleven years” changed to “past nine years”
This Page: The mainstay airborne Veritech of the Southern Cross changed to the VF-8 Logan instead of the Alpha Fighter.
This Page: At this time in 2042, Veritech Fighters had been in development for nearly 4 decades, not 3.
This Page: Originally stated that the Invid Sensor Nebulae had first been detected months earlier.
This Page: Marlene originally stated that she’d almost forgotten what Earth looked like, but would not have been old enough to remember.
This Page: Changed “Wolff’s forces” to “the 10th Division”
This Page: Changed the age of the Veritechs from fifteen years to twenty to match TV continuity.
This Page: Originally stated that Invid used Shock Trooper mecha in this battle.
This Page: Changed references to Scouts to Troopers.
This Page: Originally stated that the Invid Invasion began two years after the end of the Second Robotech War, when it was closer to a year.
This Page: The text originally implied that Lunk and Lancer (Metamorphosis p.80) were part of the Southern Cross, though they are too young to have been veterans of previous Robotech wars. Flashbacks in the animated series show their origins to be from the Mars Division.
This Page: Breetai was killed in McKinney’s Sentinels novel Rubicon, before being able to return to Earth to become acquainted with Scott and his group, so his reference to them has been changed to “freedom fighters.”
This Page: In the original text, Wolfe missed out on the SDF-1’s trip to Pluto.
This Page: Haydon IV reference swapped out for Karbarra.
This Page: “Fifteen years” changed to “Twenty years” to match TV continuity.
CHANGES TO METAMORPHOSIS:
This Page: Originally stated that the last of the Invid’s enemies were dead. Updated to account for the Regess’ reference to the “Children of the Shadow” at the end of the series.
This Page: Marlene’s last name updated to “Rush” from “Foley.”
This Page: While the novel originally described that the Invid Ariel was genetically derived from the late Marlene, the animated series explicitly made no such connection.
This Page: Originally stated that Rand switched to Cyclone Guardian mode, which doesn’t exist.
CHANGES TO SYMPHONY OF LIGHT:
This Page: Major Carpenter returns to Earth in a Tokugawa-class vessel, per the TV series, instead of the unique vessel described in the original novels.
This Page: Originally the novel named Shadow technology as “Nichols drives”
This Page: “Neutron bombs” updated to “Neutron-S” missiles, per the animated series.
— list compiled by Jonathan L. Switzer and Steve Yun
By Jack McKinney
Published by Ballantine Books:
THE ROBOTECH™ SERIES
GENESIS #1
BATTLE CRY #2
HOMECOMING #3
BATTLEHYMN #4
FORCE OF ARMS #5
DOOMSDAY #6
SOUTHERN CROSS #7
METAL FIRE #8
THE FINAL NIGHTMARE #9
INVID INVASION #10
METAMORPHOSIS #11
SYMPHONY OF LIGHT #12
THE SENTINELS™ SERIES
THE DEVIL’S HAND #1
DARK POWERS #2
DEATH DANCE #3
WORLD KILLERS #4
RUBICON #5
ROBOTECH: THE END OF THE CIRCLE #18
ROBOTECH: THE ZENTRAEDI REBELLION #19
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ROBOTECH: THE MASTERS’ GAMBIT #20
KADUNA MEMORIES
THE BLACK HOLE TRAVEL AGENCY:
Book One: Event Horizon
Book Two: Artifact of the System
Book Three: Free Radicals
Book Four: Hostile Takeover
Invid Invasion: The New Generation Page 58