02_battle_cry-第2章

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Even　by　the　year　2010　the　book　on　interplanetary　travel　was　far　from　plete；　in　fact；　Lang；　Gloval；　and　a　few　others　were　still　writing　it。　Each　situation　faced　was　a　new　one；　each　new　maneuver　potentially　the　last。　There　had　been　any　number　of　unmanned　outer…planet　probes；　and　of　course　the　Armor　Series　orbital　stations　and　the　lunar　and　Martian　bases；　but　travel　beyond　the　asteroid　belt　had　never　been　undertaken　by　a　human　crew。　Who　was　to　say　how　it　might　have　been　if　the　Global　Civil　War　hadn't　put　an　end　to　the　human　experiment　in　space？　But　that　was　the　way　the　cards　had　been　dealt；　and　in　truth；　humankind　had　the　SDF…1　to　thank　for　getting　things　started　again；　even　if　the　ship　was　now　more　weapon　than　spacecraft。　All　this；　however；　would　be　for　the　historians　to　figure　out。　Gloval　had　more　pressing　concerns。

Relatively　speaking；　the　Earth　was　on　the　far　side　of　the　sun。　The　fortress's　reflex　engines　would　get　them　home；　but　not　quickly；　and　even　then　they　were　going　to　need　a　healthy　send…off　from　Saturn。　Engineering's　plan　was　for　the　ship　to　orbit　the　planet　and　make　use　of　centrifugal　force　to　sling　her　on　her　way。　It　was　not　an　entirely　untested　plan　but　a　dangerous　one　nonetheless。　And　there　was　one　more　factor　Gloval　had　to　figure　into　the　calculations：　the　enemy。

Unseen　in　full　force；　unnamed；　unknown。　Save　that　they　were　thought　to　be　sixty…foot…tall　humanoids　of　seemingly　limitless　supply。　They　had　appeared　in　Earthspace　a　little　more　than　two　months　ago　and　declared　war　on　the　planet。　There　was　no　way　of　knowing　what　fate　had　befallen　Earth　after　the　SDF…1's　hyperspace　jump；　but　some　of　the　enemy　fleet…or；　for　all　Gloval　knew；　a　splinter　group…had　pursued　the　ship　clear　across　the　solar　system　to　press　the　attack。　The　SDF…1's　main　gun　had　saved　them　once；　but　firing　it　had　required　a　modular　transformation　which　had　not　only　wreaked　havoc　with　many　of　the　ship's　secondary　systems　but　had　nearly　destroyed　the　city　that　had　grown　up　within　it。

For　two　months　now　the　enemy　had　left　the　ship　alone。　They　allowed　themselves　to　be　picked　up　by　radar　and　scanners　but　were　careful　not　to　reveal　the　size　of　their　fleet。　Sometimes　it　appeared　that　Battlepods　made　up　the　bulk　of　their　offensive　strength…those　oddly　shaped；　one…pilot　mecha　the　VT　teams　called　〃headless　ostriches。〃　At　other　times　there　was　evidence　of　scout　ships　and　recon　vessels；　cruisers　and　destroyers。　But　if　the　enemy's　numbers　were　a　source　for　speculation；　their　motives　seemed　to　be　clear：　They　had　e　for　their　ship；　the　SDF…1。

Gloval　was　not　about　to　let　them　have　it　without　a　fight。　Perhaps　if　they'd　e　calling　and　asked　for　the　ship；　something　could　have　been　arranged。　But　that；　too；　was　history。

There　was　only　one　way　to　guarantee　a　safe　return　to　Earth：　They　had　to　either　shake　the　enemy　from　their　tail　or　destroy　them。　Gloval　had　been　leaning　toward　the　former　approach　until　Dr。　Lang　had　surprised　him　with　the　latest　of　his　daily　discoveries。

Lang　was　Gloval's　interface　with　the　SDF…1；　more　than　anyone　else　onboard；　the　German　scientist　had　retuned　his　thinking　to　that　of　the　technicians　who　had　originally　built　the　ship。　He　had　acplished　on　a　grand　scale　what　the　Veritech　fighter　pilots　were　expected　to　do　on　each　mission：　meld　their　minds　to　the　mecha　controls。　There　was　suspicion　among　the　crew　that　Lang　had　plugged　himself　into　one　of　the　SDF…1's　stock　puters　and　taken　some　sort　of　mind　boost　which　had　put　him　in　touch　with　the　ship's　builders；　leaving　him　a　stranger　to　those　who　hadn't。　Gloval　often　felt　like　he　was　dealing　with　an　alien　entity　when　speaking　to　Lang…he　couldn't　bring　himself　to　make　contact　with　those　marblelike　eyes。　It　was　as　if　the　passionate　side　of　the　man's　nature　had　been　drained　away　and　replaced　with　some　of　the　strange　fluids　that　coursed　through　many　of　the　ship's　living　systems。　You　didn't　exchange　pleasantries　with　a　man　like　Lang；　you　went　directly　to　the　point　and　linked　memory　banks　with　him。　So　when　Lang　told　him　that　it　might　be　possible　to　create　a　protective　envelope　for　the　SDF…1；　Gloval　merely　asked　how　long　it　would　take　to　develop。

The　two　men　met　in　the　chamber　that　until　recently　had　housed　the　spacefold　generators。　Lang　wanted　Gloval　to　see　for　himself　the　free…floating　mesmerizing　energy　that　had　spontaneously　appeared　there　with　the　disappearance　of　the　generators。　Later　they　moved　to　Lang's　quarters；　the　only　section　of　the　unreconstructed　fortress　sized　to　human　proportions。　There　the　scientist　explained　that　the　energy　had　something　to　do　with　a　local　distortion　in　the　spacetime　continuum。　Gloval　couldn't　follow　all　the　details　of　the　theories　involved；　but　he　stayed　with　it　long　enough　to　understand　that　this　same　energy　could　be　utilized　in　the　fabrication　of　a　shield　system　for　the　SDF…1。

Since　his　conversation　with　Dr。　Lang；　Gloval　had　bee　preoccupied　with　the　idea　of　taking　the　enemy　by　surprise　with　an　offensive　maneuver。　With　the　main　guns　now　operational　and　the　potential　of　a　protective　barrier；　Gloval　and　the　SDF…1　would　be　able　to　secure　an　unobstructed　route　back　to　Earth。　And　Saturn；　with　its　many　moons　and　rings；　was　ideally　suited　to　such　a　purpose。


Rick　Hunter；　Veritech　cadet；　admired　his　reflection　in　the　shop　windows　along　Macross　City's　main　street。　He　stopped　once　or　twice　to　straighten　the　pleats　in　his　trousers；　adjust　the　belt　that　cinched　his　colorful　jacket；　or　give　his　long　black　hair　just　the　right　look　of　stylish　disarray。　It　was　his　first　day　of　leave　after　eight　weeks　of　rigorous　training；　and　he　had　never　felt　better。　Or　looked　better；　to　judge　from　the　attention　he　was　getting　from　passersby；　especially　the　young　women　of　the　transplanted　city。

Rick　was　always　reasonably　fit…years　of　stunt　flying　had　necessitated　that…but　the　drill　sergeants　had　turned　his　thin　frame　wiry　and　tough。　〃Nothing　extraneous；　in　mind　or　body。〃　Rick　had　adopted　their　motto　as　his　own。　He　had　even　learned　a　few　new　flying　tricks　（and　taught　the　instructors　a　few　himself）。　Planes　had　been　his　life　for　nineteen　years；　and　even　the　weightlessness　of　deep　space　felt　like　his　element。　He　wasn't　as　fortable　with　weapons；　though；　and　the　idea　of　killing　a　living　creature　was　still　as　alien　to　him　as　it　had　been　two　months　ago。　But　Roy　Fokker；　Rick's　〃older　brother；〃　was　helping　him　through　this　rough　period。　Roy　had　talked　about　his　own　early　misgivings；　about　how　you　had　to　think　of　the　Battlepods　as　mecha；　about　how　real　the　enemy　threat　was　to　all　of　them　inboard　the　SDF…1。　〃　‘The　price　of　liberty　is　eternal　vigilance'；〃　Roy　said；　quoting　an　American　president。　〃There's　no　more　flying　for　fun。　This　time　you'll　be　flying　for　your　home　and　the　safety　of　your　loved　ones。〃　Of　course　Roy　had　been　through　the　Global　Civil　War；　he　had　experience　in　death　and　destruction。　He'd　even　e　through　it　a　decorated　soldier。　Although　why　anyone　would　have　sought　that　out　remained　a　mystery　to　Rick。　Roy　had　left　Pop　Hunter's　flying　circus　for　that　circus　of　global　madness；　and　it　wasn't　something　Rick　liked　to　think　about。　Besides；　as　true　as　it　might　be　that　the　war　was　right　outside　any　hatch　of　the　ship；　it　was　surely　a　long　way　off　for　a　cadet　whose　battle　experience　thus　far　had　been　purely　accidental。

Rick　was　strolling　down　Macross　Boulevard　at　a　leisurely　pace；　he　still　had　a　few　minutes　to　kill　before　meeting　Minmei　at　the　market。　The　city　had　managed　to　pletely　rebuild　what　the　modular　transformation　had　left　in　ruins。　Taking　into　account　the　SDF…1's　ability　to　mechamorphose；　the　revised　city　plan　relied　on　a　vertical　axis　of　orientation。　The　attempt　to　recreate　the　horizontal　openness　of　Macross　Island　was　abandoned。　The　new　city　rose　in　three　tiers　toward　the　ceiling　of　the　massive　hold。　Ornate　bridges　spanned　structural　troughs；　environmental　control　units　and　the　vast　recycling　system　had　been　integrated　into　the　high…tech　design　of　the　buildings；　EVE　engineers…specialists　in　enhanced　video　emulation…were　experimenting　with　sky　and　horizon　effects；　hydroponics　had　supplied　trees　and　shrubs；　and　a　monorail　was　under　construction。　The　city　planners　had　also　worked　out　many　of　the　problems　that　had　plagued　the　city　early　on。　Shelters　and　yellow　and　black　safety　areas　we