Chapter 55: Macross – Space Battle
At the same time, Misa Hayase called out to Major Roy Focker over the communicator.
"Skull Squadron, lead unit! Please return to escort the Macross."
Major Roy Focker replied, "Roger that!" then turned to Hikaru Ichijyo and said, "Let's go, Hikaru."
He powered up his VF-1S Valkyrie and shifted it into Guardian mode, taking to the skies.
But when he saw Hikaru still sitting there dazed and unresponsive, he could only continue calling out.
"What's the matter, Hikaru? Let's go! … Aren't you coming with me? Hikaru!"
Hikaru shut off his communicator, refusing to listen to Roy's voice any longer.
Terrified, he curled up inside his cockpit, staring blankly and retreating into silence.
Roy had no choice but to give up on him, turning back to carry out Misa's order. He soared into space, heading toward the Macross to provide escort.
Even then, over the communicator, Roy kept persistently calling for Hikaru, hoping the boy would snap out of it and join him in battle.
As Roy approached the Macross, still worried about Hikaru's state, he switched channels and reported to Misa aboard the ship.
"This is Skull Squadron, lead unit. I'll be returning to South Ataria Island to pick up some… forgotten things. The escort mission for the Macross—leave it to the others."
Misa asked in confusion, "What is it you're going back to retrieve?"
"Sorry, I left behind Valkyrie Unit VT-102… and its pilot."
"VT-102? Now that you mention it, I did find that pilot a bit strange."
"You thought so too? Exactly. That's because he's a civilian."
Misa exclaimed in disbelief, "What, he's actually a civilian…?"
The nearby female operators echoed in unison, "No way! That can't be true!"
Meanwhile, the battle on the ground raged on. UN Spacy's mass-produced VF-1A Valkyrie Battroids kept up their three-barrel Gatling fire against the Zentraedi Regult Battle Pods.
But the fight was going poorly. The Regults steadily pushed forward, closing in on the Macross.
The VF-1A units had no choice but to contract their lines, slowly retreating.
Having returned to South Ataria, Roy also joined the fight against the alien invaders, blasting several Regults in pursuit with his missiles.
Before long, Roy reached Hikaru's position.
At last, roused by Roy's calls, Hikaru finally woke up.
The truth was—he had actually fallen asleep earlier. Watching through his neo DG Cells, Monty Hill was left utterly speechless.
He wasn't some kind of voyeur, but Hikaru really was like a dog—falling asleep even in this kind of situation. Incredible. Unbelievable.
Roy looked at Hikaru and sighed.
"Hikaru, why are you always so slow?"
Then he noticed Hikaru's VF-1 Valkyrie's leg, still caught in the grip of the Zentraedi giant he had just shot down. With a mocking grin, he said,
"Hikaru, looks like someone's taken a fancy to you. You really do have some luck with the ladies. Hahaha! Even aliens are into you now!"
In the shadows, Monty Hill gave Roy a silent thumbs-up. Well said. Respect.
Roy maneuvered his VF-1S closer, and with a deft motion of the Battroid's arm, detached Hikaru's cockpit block from the rest of the fighter, cradling it in his arms.
Hikaru stared in shock at his Valkyrie, now reduced to just a cockpit, and exclaimed,
"This actually works…? How did it end up like this?"
But what shocked him even more was what Roy did next: he mounted the cockpit block onto his right arm like a giant Gatling gun.
That way, the detached unit could stay secured beneath the VF-1S, making it easy to carry.
Monty Hill marveled as well. The VF-1 Valkyrie series was really something—not only self-repairing, but also ridiculously easy to maintain. Plug-and-play parts!
It could rival the Knightmare Frames in Code Geass. Both were designed for quick repairs—just swap out whatever part broke. That's exactly what a combat mecha ought to be.
Just as Roy was about to pull out, another Zentraedi Regult appeared and attacked his VF-1S.
Roy swiftly dodged, raised the triple-barreled Gatling, and fired back.
In just a few moments, he had destroyed it. Monty Hill couldn't help but admire him—Roy truly deserved to be called an ace pilot.
He even considered copying the techniques from Roy's brain someday; that would surely raise his own piloting skills to a new level.
But just as he finished admiring, a swarm of Regults, enraged at the loss of their comrade, closed in all around.
Without hesitation, Roy tossed aside the Gatling and fled with Hikaru's cockpit in tow.
Well—his combat instincts weren't the only thing sharp. His escape skills weren't half bad either.
Roy piloted his VF-1S with precision, weaving through the Regults' incoming fire.
Several times, it looked as though the Valkyrie would be hit, but each time he slipped past by the narrowest margin.
At one point, a Regult nearly caught him, but Roy spun clear at the last instant.
The Zentraedi weren't giving up. Reinforcements joined from other sectors, circling ahead to cut him off.
In a tight spot, Roy used his last missile to blast open a gap, destroying one of the Regults blocking his path.
Breaking through the encirclement at last, he left the ground behind and headed back toward the Macross.
Hikaru, drenched in cold sweat from fear, finally let his tense nerves relax when he realized they were safe.
On the Macross bridge, Captain Global asked,
"Misa, has the Valkyrie squadron been recovered?"
Misa checked the hangar reports and replied,
"The only ones left are Major Focker and that civilian in VT-102."
"Well, if it's Focker, then there's no need to worry." Then he turned to another female officer.
"Vanessa, where are ARMD-01 and ARMD-02?"
Vanessa reported, "Decelerating toward the rendezvous point. Estimated arrival in twenty minutes."
"Good. Very well done."
Next, Captain Global addressed Claudia LaSalle.
"Claudia, is everything proceeding smoothly on your end?"
Roy's girlfriend, Claudia LaSalle, answered,
"All going as planned. Everything's under control."
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