Robotech Fan Fiction ❯ The Protoculture Senshi ❯ A Senshi caught in a booby-trap ( Chapter 1 )

THE PROTOCULTURE SENSHI

 

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Iridia Sunheart.

 

Note: The notion of introducing Magic in the Robotech universe is not mine. It has been developed in the last arc of the story: The Sentinels. Of course, I don't think that a senshi was in store for the saga, but, I know that the Megaverse created for Rifts enables such a thing. In fact, I know of some fan-fictions where the Sailor Senshi found themselves in the Rifts universe and one fan-fiction where Sailor Mars became a meltran warrior.

 

I'm not very satisfied with what I have written so far. I hope it will improve in time. Tell me what you think of it.

 

 

Chap 1: A Senshi caught in a booby-trap.

 

It was a big day for the entire population of Macross city. The first July of 1999 was the official day of the inaugural launch of the SDF-1. Everyone was excited. Well except for a rather not happy grey-haired and blue-eyed commander Gloval, the designed captain of the Super Dimensional Fortress. Along with a big official, he was waving to the people with all the enthusiasm of a condemned man. Oh, he was trusting in his crew, but he would have preferred much more time for preparation. Most of them were very fresh from the new Robotech Academy and most of the systems aboard the SDF-1 were not really understood even by the leader of the Robotech team: the doctor Emile Lang. Basically, for Henry Gloval, they were just not ready.

 

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Meanwhile, the leader of the brand new aerial component of the Robotech Defence Force was dealing with problems of his own. Commander Roy Fokker was THE pilot of the transformable veritech fighters created by Lang and powered by the mysterious power source of Robotechnology. Blond-haired and blue-eyed ace during the global civil war, he was forced by his sense of duty to stay with the military despite a promise made to his family. And now, his `little brother' Rick Hunter, adopted by his family, was making a mess of his aerial demonstration. Not only that but he was making a fool of himself due to the little conversation he had with the dark brown-haired and blue-eyed Rick that was being broadcasted to the public.

 

Rick was a good pilot with the typical arrogance of the hot-headed knights of the sky. He was simply the best in his opinion. And, of course, he didn't want to perturb the celebration and the work of his `big brother'. It was just that his fanjet was so good and that he was an amazing pilot after all, that he feels that the public and the military pilots need a `little demonstration'.

 

Using his skills and the solid fuel booster rockets of his fanjet, Rick manoeuvred around the formation of veritech fighters and integrated himself in their figure. From the ground, the result was impressing and the crowd rejoiced in the fantastic aerial demonstration.

 

This was not to the liking of Roy and he excused himself from the podium. He has every intention to strip a long piece of skin from the back of his `little brother' for his stunt.

 

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Preceded by a wave of gravitational energy, the mighty fleet strong of a thousand ships emerged from space-fold. They were the Zentraedi, a race of giant warriors bent on conquest. They have tracked the giant space fortress in this solar system and now they have came to reclaim it.

 

Aboard the Zentraedi flagship `NUPETIET-VERNITZS' of three and a half mile (5.6km) long, the black-haired commander Breetai, giant even among his race by 68 feet, contemplated the sight on the giant holographic screen through his unique eye. A metal plate covered the right half of his head, a memento of an old conflict. He turned to his trusted advisor the smaller Exedore.

 

“Are you sure they are in this system?”

 

The red-haired Exedore looked up to his lord and close friend from his 46 feet.

 

“Yes sir. I'm positive. We have detected no other space-fold since their entry in this sector.”

 

“Very well. Send a scout team.”

 

Two Zentraedi cruisers, a mere 500 metres to the length of the flagship, separated themselves from the fleet and the `SALAN' scout type ships took the direction of Earth.

 

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She materialized with a rainbow halo in a small park. A small park very like the one she has left behind her in her home dimension a long time ago when she has begun her wandering.

 

She was a 5 feet 3 inches Japanese girl with lush and long black hair and emerald green eyes. She was apparently 16 years old but the wisdom showed by her eyes hinted that she was much older. She was clad in a standard Japanese Seifuku blue and white. Apart from her method of arrival, nothing betrayed her extra-dimensional origin.

 

She was Iridia Sunheart. Born as the reincarnation of a past warrior of the Silver Millennium, the young woman wielded tremendous power. In her original world, she found her purpose incomplete and searched with her best friends why. The then Neo-Queen Serenity asked her trusted advisor, the Senshi of Time, Setsuna why Iridia was like this. The answer was that her friend was unique among the Senshi.

 

Iridia was the only Senshi sworn to fight for Justice and Love only and not to fight for it on the behalf of her Queen. This concept transcended Time and Space. Iridia has accomplished her mission in her home world, now she needed to help the others worlds as well.

 

The goodbyes had been bittersweet but all were immortals warriors. They know their duty and Time itself is not an obstacle to eternal friendship. And thus, Iridia has begun his wandering among the worlds, fighting for her oaths.

 

She searched around her for visual clues on this place. She found it.

 

Dwarfing the city around it was the Super Dimensional Fortress.

 

“Oh…no…the Super Dimensional Fortress Macross…I'm in the anime-type world of Macross!”

 

She quickly turned around gathering others clues. “Worse! I'm on Macross Island at the very beginning of the series. The main gun has not fired yet.”

 

She sighed. “Great. It's just great. I'm in a Mecha-type world with the Zentran about to attack.”

 

What Iridia was referring was the original Japanese anime which served as the basis of the American show of Robotech. For her, Rick Hunter was Hikaru Ichijo and the concept of Robotechnolology was unknown. But the wandering Senshi was not aware of that now.

 

What she was aware was the feeling of a strange energy. Something akin to magic but more on par with a cosmic power was permeating the area. Her mystic senses were tingling to the sensation. She could pinpoint it to the massive vessel and to the fighters in the sky.

 

`Valkyrie transformable fighters. But why can I sense that many things here are…powered by this weird energy?'

 

She couldn't know it yet, but she was simply sensing the amazing power of the Protoculture.

 

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Meanwhile Roy and Rick have a `little discussion'. Roy `explained' why Rick shouldn't have done what he did and Rick asked his `big brother' why he didn't come back home after the end of the war. The response: Robotechnology. The amazing power of the veritechs was not something that Roy could have let go.

 

After another explanation where Rick remarked that Roy was still a womanizer, the pair found themselves in front of a trainer veritech. Roy, knowing the potential of Rick, decided to give him a demonstration of the fighter in the hope he will become addicted to the powerful machine.

 

On the podium near the SDF-1, the representative was delivering a speech to the glory of the Unified Earth Government. The captain Gloval was calmly waiting for the end of this hell. He couldn't even smoke his pipe to pass the time. An officer discretely approached him to warn him that the sensor net has detected a gravitational anomaly and an intense flash of light near the lunar orbit. The same thing has happened ten years ago: the dreaded alien fleet was here.

 

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As she walked among the people of Macross, Iridia suddenly sensed a raise in the strange energy level of the fortress. She gazed up and witnessed the opening of the bow portion of the massive ship into two sections. Then arcs of energy began to jump between the now fork-like projections of the bow. Suddenly a blinding beam of hellfire stabbed out, carving a deep furrow through the mountains surrounding the plain where the SDF-1 and Macross City rested. The rocks in the path of the beam simply ceased to exist, vaporized like ice cubes in a blast furnace. The beam continued on until it shot up into the sky. When it was over, the SDF-1 had returned to its normal configuration.

 

Contrary to all the people around her, the Senshi has not thrown herself on the ground. The violent wind provoked by the energy attack had whipped her hair and clothes but she has stood up, eyes trained to the sky.

 

“It has begun.”

 

She knew that the attack will soon begin. Once again Sol was about to enter combat. She didn't know how her power level could be compared to the Mechas used in this conflict but she had to try her best.

 

In high orbit, the reflex beam utterly obliterated the two Zentraedi scout ships. Breetai smiled at the final proof that the wayward space fortress was on that blue planet. He ordered his fleet to take position with prudence as to not be under the threat of the main gun of the Fortress.

 

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As Roy ordered Rick to stay in the training veritech while he went to have some explanations on what happened, the bridge staff tried to understand why the beam fired by itself.

 

The short and red-haired Sammie Porter, one of the bridge bunnies, relayed the computer analysis to the consol of brown-haired Lisa Hayes, the first officer of the SDF-1. Two unidentified medium ships were destroyed by the beam at 200 000 km of the earth.

 

Gloval burst into laughter at the report. It was so evident now for him. They have fallen into the oldest ruse of history: The enemy has booby-trapped them and now knew where the SDF-1 was thanks to their automated defence system.

 

He was about to light his pipe when Sammie jumped to her feet.

 

“CAPTAIN GLOVAL!”

 

“Yes! What is it Sammie?”

 

“No smoking on the bridge Sir! It's on the regulation Sir!”

 

Claudia Grant, a black brunette woman and chief of communications smacked her head at that. She couldn't believe it!

 

“Hum…I have no intention to light it… All right scramble all the forces and prepare for combat!”

 

On the ground, the general quarters began to sound and people began running everywhere. It wasn't very long before ordinance people showed up and began to arm all available planes. While they were working feverishly, maintenance gave them a quick once-over.

 

The Veritech pilots had climbed back into the cockpits and began to listen to the Tactical-net. It seemed that the aliens had come looking for the ship at long last. They were being invaded and every available fighter was being scrambled.

 

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In space, two ARMD space platforms launched their unmanned combat drone, the Lancer II, to attack the enemy fleet. The Zentraedi riposted on the tiny vessels which enabled the Terran platforms to launch their nuclear missiles. A Zentraedi Destroyer `THUVERL SALAN' exploded under the volley.

 

On the bridge of his ship, Exedore and Breetai were perplexed about the tactics used against his forces.

 

“Heavy resistance Sir!”

 

“Yes, but why using such primitives weapons? And why concentrate it on a simple destroyer?”

 

“There's must be a reason but I can't find it.”

 

`Commander, the two vessels are approaching our position!'

 

“Blast them into pieces.”

 

The mighty flagship opened fire on the platforms which tried to use their smallest size to escape the volley.

 

“Ah Ah! Pathetic! Full power, all canons!”

 

Sixty forward lasers and more than ninety laser turrets launched a full volley on the two helpless ships which were shredded like paper, their armour proved to be insufficient against the powerful energy weapons.

 

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Aboard the SDF-1, Gloval was reflecting on the situation. After finally uniting the earth under a single government, humanity was about to begin war with aliens. Will they never be free of such a burden?

 

“All right! All forces move out!”

 

All available forces were launched against the approaching enemy. Veritech fighters and unmanned trans-atmospheric Ghost fighters scrambled to take their positions.

 

Aboard his personal veritech, a VF-1S, Roy Fokker directed his Skull squadron to combat.

 

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Breetai was observing what his sensors can show him about this blue and white planet. He was confused by the configuration totally illogical for him of the urbanized sectors. But when he saw the space fortress…

 

“What? But it's the damaged Robotech vessel! What happened to it?”

 

“It seems to have been repaired and remodelled, perhaps by the inhabitants of this planet.”

 

“How such a primitive culture could have done it?”

 

“The fortress may have crashed on this planet.”

 

“What about the crew?”

 

“They were probably killed by the crash.”

 

“Even so, the fortress should have been heavily damaged. How have they managed to repair it? Even ourselves don't have the knowledge necessary to repair our own materiel.”

 

“I know my Lord, but it IS the Robotech fortress of Zor… We know they have…”

 

“Reflex weaponry!”

 

“Correct, therefore we must exercise caution.”

 

`Commander! We are launching fighters!'

 

From a Zentraedi Landing ship `QUILTRA QUELUAL', fighter pods and re-entry pods were launched. As they approached the Macross Island, the fighter pods fired a barrage of medium range missiles. The missile batteries of the SDF-1 sprayed defensive fire but there were too many to intercept. Death rained on the ground.

 

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On the ground Rick Hunter found himself ordered to take off by Lisa Hayes who confounded him for a military pilot. Deaf to his protestations, she forced VT-102 in the sky after refuelling and rearming.

 

“Well, if you insist.”

 

Under his expert piloting, the veritech broke the cloud limit and found itself in THE furball. Fighter pods and veritechs were chained to a dance. It was a dance of explosions, shrapnel, missiles, lasers, particle beams and sudden death. Pilots died gripping their sticks, cursing their fates as their machines exploded. Warriors of a war culture, the Zentraedi fought to the death.

 

Hearing the voice of his big-brother on the tactical-net, Rick asked him what was going around. Roy found himself with his little brother, a civilian, aboard a plane he never piloted before. A transformable fighter at that.

 

No choice but to take him as his wingman and help him to stay alive in the battle. Unfortunately the fighter pods were not cooperative and Roy was forced to defend himself as he helplessly saw the plane of Rick falling after a glancing hit.

 

Lisa saw everything on her radar but was utterly mystified when the pilot seemed to ignore the transformable options of his fighter. With no time as the plane was on a direct course to the SDF-1, she quickly showed him how to activate the battloid configuration.

 

Miracle, the plane transformed and survived the crash into the buildings. Rick found himself into a giant robot gazing on a sky sprinkled by explosions and alive.

 

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Iridia looked up to the sky. Brave men and women were fighting for their life. Around her the emergency teams were fighting against death to help the wounded. It was time to make a decision. No! It was time to act.

 

She quickly went into a deserted alley and, for the first time in this dimension, transformed.

 

“Sun Prism Power... Make Up!”

 

She purposely activated the long type transformation. Long was a relative term. It was long for her perception but the transformation was instant for the exterior.

 

Solar plasma covered her as she whirled on herself in the three dimensions. A gold sun-trim fuku with a white body covered her. A golden tiara with a fire opal adorned her brow and golden calf-boots appeared on her feet. Finally, the Sun-Jewel blazed on her breast.

 

Sol, the Senshi of the Sun projected her awareness in the sky above. Her first stage transformation was the only one available until she adapted to the dimension. She bended her legs and jumped.

 

Many thought that magic was directly responsible of the amazing physical gifts of a Senshi. They were wrong. The body was transformed by magic and everything was amplified by a factor which varied from Senshi to Senshi. For Sol her physical might was decupled.

 

She had already attained the height of a multi-stories building when her elemental aura manifested. A plasma-propelled living missile gained altitude.

 

On the sensor-net of the SDF-1 she was an anomaly. Kim Young, black-haired and blue-eyed bridge bunny responsible of detection, was confused by the analysis of the signal. A multi-mach launch from the ground was not strange with all the defensive missiles fired but a temperature of several thousands of degrees was. Her partner, the brunette and blue-eyed Vanessa Leads, was in the same case.

 

Lisa Hayes, preoccupied by the situation at hand, decided to let it go until they received others news. It was on a course with the main group of enemy fighters and that was good to her. Beside there was something about VT-102 that was nagging her.

 

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As she reached the battle zone, Sol was perplexed by the fact that even the enemy Zentran fighters registered on her magic sense as the Valkyrie fighters. She shook her head. No time for that, she couldn't even tried to communicate with the Macross forces.

 

Saying that the Zentraedi were surprised was like saying that the Sun is hot. Sol ripped into the enemy formation by launching a huge gout of solar plasma which sent them in disarray. She estimated that her `Solar Flare' attack will be largely sufficient to destroy the fighters.

 

As she began to reach optimal range and opened fire, she was surprised by the relative fragility of the Zentran machines. They have a force field that covered only a part at a time. The tri-barrelled particle beam and the medium missiles were powerful but the armour was rather…flimsy.

 

For the Zentraedi, it was a nightmare. A micronian and female at that was flying without a Mecha…in a very skimpy suit. She was also firing lethal energy beams and was capable to absorb the attacks on her. The cherry on top was when she caught a fighter with her bare hands and redirected his flight into another fighter pod.

 

Sol has no delusion. She has the advantage of total surprise only for now. The few glancing hits she took have shown her that she could be killed if enough were direct hits. She was the equal of any Mecha in term of firepower. Her skills will have to do the difference.

 

The major Kramer was the sub-leader of the Bravo flight of Skull squadron. He was a solid and reliable soldier. He was also now insane. He could not see what he was seeing.

 

“SDF-1, Bravo lead. You HAVE to see what I think I see!” He then flipped on his pursuit camera on what he hoped was a hallucination.

 

On the bridge, everyone stared at the feed.

 

“Please Claudia tell me I'm not seeing what I'm seeing.”

 

“Sorry Lisa but I'm seeing it also…I think…”

 

“You were right, Ensign Porter, I should stop smoking…”

 

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In the next episode of The Protoculture Senshi, the aliens will do anything to capture the fortress. The combat will even happen in the streets of the city of Macross. The humans will have nothing more than their courage to oppose the redoubtable weapons of the Zentraedi, with perhaps the exception of a certain Senshi. Will they manage to escape alive and victorious of this horrible nightmare. The answer is in the next episode of the story of The Protoculture Senshi!