Chapter 50: Macross – Defensive Battle
After the Macross SDF-1 fired its heavy particle beam cannon and destroyed the Zentraedi advance guard's reconnaissance gunship, the battleship temporarily returned to normal. The crew aboard the Macross immediately began a full systems inspection.
Monty Hill turned to Nami and asked,
"Nami, tell me—would the Macross SDF-1 you copied have any backdoors? For example, some kind of automatic engagement trap program or something like that?"
"Master, please rest assured. When this Nano Sprite takes action, there will be no such mistakes. The copied battleship will absolutely meet your satisfaction, and there will never be any hidden backdoors."
"Oh, good, that's a relief. Wait—Nami, when did you become a Nano Sprite again?"
"Heeheehee, Master, I evolve. Becoming a Nano Sprite is just part of the process—it's perfectly normal, nothing strange about it."
Three beads of sweat formed on Monty Hill's forehead. "Alright, fine. You win. You make sense."
Meanwhile, the crew of the Macross SDF-1, through the bridge windows, stared in astonishment at South Ataria Island ahead.
The cliffside of the island had been blasted open by the heavy particle beam cannon, leaving a gaping chasm. Parts of the city in front had also been damaged by the beam's residual impact.
Misa Hayase, looking at the radar display, reported,
"Captain, the main cannon destroyed an object resembling a spacecraft at a distance of 280,000 kilometers, within lunar orbit. Multiple other spacecraft are now rapidly approaching from behind it."
Captain Global let out a helpless laugh, then rapped his knuckles against the bridge's glass window.
"We've been had! It's a trap! Exactly like the Germans used to do in World War II—leaving booby-trapped pens or pistols behind when retreating. When someone tries to use them, they explode…
The aliens who abandoned that spacecraft must have already programmed in an automatic defense system."
As he spoke, Captain Global took a pipe from his clothing, preparing to smoke.
At that moment, a female crew member on the bridge called out loudly,
"Captain, no smoking on the bridge!"
The others around them chuckled, and Captain Global, looking helpless, put the tobacco back into his pocket.
"I know… I was just holding it in my mouth."
Then he turned serious again.
"Battle Stations, Level One!"
A harsh alarm immediately rang throughout the battleship, and every department aboard the Macross began battle preparations.
Transport vehicles shuttled back and forth, loading supplies onto the Macross.
From the South Ataria Island military base, multiple VF-1 Valkyrie fighters were either being loaded onto the Macross or launching directly into the air to prepare for battle.
In Earth's orbit, the two space transport ships previously assimilated by Monty Hill also began launching defense drones and VF-1 Valkyries.
The moment these defense units and Valkyries left the transport ships, they began launching missiles.
A dense swarm of missiles streaked toward the incoming Zentraedi fleet, detonating in spectacular bursts of fire upon impact.
But the Zentraedi warships took little real damage—one small Zentraedi ship still pressed forward at full speed, charging straight through the missile barrage.
Once through, it returned fire, unleashing a barrage of blue beams that struck the Earth Unified Forces' defensive weapons, instantly shattering the defensive line.
The space transports continued to fight back, launching both defensive weapons and large reaction warheads.
Several of these massive reaction warheads struck the small Zentraedi vessel, and under the sustained bombardment, it finally erupted into a brilliant explosion—its debris becoming cosmic fireworks.
But then, the Zentraedi capital ships fired a rain of blue beams directly at the two Earth Unified Forces transports.
The transports swerved and dodged the first wave, losing only some defensive units.
The Zentraedi fleet, unwilling to relent, unleashed another heavy barrage.
This time, the Earth transports weren't so lucky—blue beams ripped through nearby defenses, VF-1 Valkyries, and the transports themselves.
The smaller craft exploded outright; the larger ones were riddled with holes.
Fortunately, Monty Hill had followed Nami's advice and moved his assimilated satellite to the far side of Earth's orbit in advance—otherwise, it would have been destroyed just like the rest.
On the Macross, Misa Hayase reported,
"ARMD-1 transport ship sunk! ARMD-2 lightly damaged! Enemy fleet breaking through orbital defense line and approaching this ship!"
Captain Global, slouched in his chair with eyes closed, said,
"At yesterday's Earth Defense Conference, we agreed that once the Macross launched into space today, even if we encountered aliens who did not attack us, we were not allowed to fire the first shot.
How ironic."
Then he straightened his back and ordered firmly,
"Macross, launch!"
"Understood! Macross, launching!" Misa Hayase echoed.
Her voice then came over the ship's broadcast:
"This vessel is now engaged in combat with alien forces. This is not a drill! Repeat—this is not a drill!"
A wave of tan-colored VF-1A Valkyries took off, heading for battle.
Major Roy Focker's Skull Squadron, piloting their white VF-1S Valkyries, also began to launch one after another.
Meanwhile, aboard the Zentraedi warships, countless battle pods and mecha were deployed, preparing to descend to Earth for a ground assault.
These units opened fire with missiles and beam cannons as they closed in on the Macross over South Ataria Island.
In response, the Macross's heavy missile launchers, medium artillery, and disposable missile pods all came online, unleashing a counter-barrage.
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