Hi, people!
Well, here the first revision of the first chapter of my first fic. Yeah, I
know, that's a lot of firsts. But don't be afraid, just read
and--hopefully--enjoy.
Some things have changed, so, please, take a look... and send C&C! If you
don't send me C&C, then I'll personally go to your houses and... I'll cry
and whine and plead and whimper. ^_^
BTW, I shortened the title, as I like this one better.
Ah! There are some notes at the end. If you get that far, I'll be thankful.
---
Since the Beginning of Time, infinite battles have been fought. Some
were petty; other ones, heroic. But only a few could be compared to the one
held between a misguided godling and a courageous martial artist, in times
when magic had been almost forgotten, and true warriors were rare.
The godling was ancient, for he was immortal, and thus had lived for
millennia upon millennia. In the course of his years, he had been given many
names: some called him the Master of Fire, for his true form was that of an
eternal flame; to others he was the Traveler of the Air, for with his strong
wings he could reach the highest clouds; and he was also named the Phoenix
King, for he was the ruler of the bird-people; but he called himself simply
Saffron. He was powerful, and wise in the ways of fighting. But he let his
pride and anger control his actions, and because of this he grew irritable,
and started hating humans. Some believed him foolish, many thought he was
evil.
The martial artist, on the contrary, was still young, and had not
achieved so many titles yet. His name was Ranma Saotome. Truth to tell, he
was proud and arrogant--and this won him many enemies. But he had a good
heart, and thus he gained many friendships through the years. He was never
really alone.
From the day he started crawling, he was taught the Art. And as the
years passed by, he became strong, agile, skilful in the martial arts: the
perfect warrior, an artist of war. The Art was his whole life, his reason to
exist. He was the heir of the Anything-Goes school of martial arts, and that
was his place in the world.
On a certain day, he met Akane, the daughter of one master of
Anything-Goes, and got engaged--through an arrangement of their parents. And
despite all their differences, and their constant bickering, and their
prides, and all the people who wanted to see them separated, and all the
people who wanted to see them together, and his reluctance to admit it, he
fell in love with her.
Then, everything changed.
For, though the Art was still a big part of who he was, and who he
wanted to be, it didn't seem so important when compared to Akane: taking
care of her became his reason to exist, for _she_ was his whole life now.
His place in the world was right next to her, and he would have died for
her. Or killed.
On many occasions Akane was kidnapped, or endangered somehow, and every
single time Ranma fought harder than ever before, and rescued her. Thus
everybody came to believe he would always win, for, after all, doesn't the
hero always save the damsel in distress?
No, he doesn't.
But when Saffron came and told Ranma his fianc�e would die if he didn't
defeat him, everyone couldn't help but think: 'There is nothing to worry
about. Ranma will win once again, and Akane will be safe,' and they were
both right and wrong.
Seconds became minutes, and minutes hours, but however hard Ranma tried,
he couldn't overcome his opponent. Yet Ranma knew time was crucial, and it
was quickly running out. He would have to go all out, even if there was the
danger of killing his enemy.
To kill in cold blood... Skilled in the martial arts as he was, never
before had he been forced to kill. There had always been another option, a
way out. Not this time. Could he really do it? And so deeply did he love
Akane that there was only one answer: yes.
Thus he called for his innermost power, one he had forbidden himself to
use. One that promised hunger and thirst--and many nightmares. An energy the
like of which had never before been seen by human eyes ran through his
veins, filling his heart, his lungs, his whole being. In that moment, he was
a god. He was able to destroy cities on a whim; he could easily obliterate
entire mountains, overthrow governments. He could do anything he wished, no
one could stop him--and that scared him. But seeing Saffron moving towards
him, he waited no more, and with a blast of raw energy, as pure and white as
snow and bright as a young star, he sent the godling to his death for the
first time in centuries.
Ranma hurried to his love's side and held her gently in his arms,
calling her. But it was too late. No matter how loud he shouted her name,
she wouldn't wake up. So he cried for hours, and when he had no more tears
to pour, he simply died. In mind and spirit, he died. And he was sure his
body would follow soon. Everything had been taken from him: he had no goal,
no hopes, no future. Surrendering to his grief, he lay down on the grass to
wait for the End.
But Destiny, that mysterious master, had other plans for him, and would
not let his life go to waste. So the martial artist fell asleep, and
dreamed. He dreamed about the Past, and the Future; about things that had
already been, and things that might be; and about a War, and his place in
it. When he woke up, he was still sad, but he was also alive. He had found a
reason to live.
---
DISCLAIMER: Ranma 1/2 belongs to the brilliant Takahashi Rumiko. Robotech is
owned by Harmony Gold USA, Inc. No copyright infringement is intended.
This story is based on McKinney�s books.
___________________________________
SILENT BATTLES
A Ranma 1/2 / Robotech crossover
by Latin_D (latin_d@uol.com.ar)
___________________________________
Chapter 1: Crossroads
---
Ranma walked slowly through the streets of Macross, enjoying the
comforting warmth of the shining sun. The sidewalk was beautifully shadowed
by the leaves of the tall carobs that had been planted all over the city. In
a small park, children giggled loudly while they ran.
How peaceful it was here! That was what he loved about this place. Since
he was a little innocent kid, his life had been all rush and excitement:
training all the time, always fighting for his life, and, of course, the
occasional curse, potion or spice...
Well, he was tired now. Tired of all the craziness, of all the problems.
He just wanted--needed--calm. Some quiet place for resting and thinking. For
deciding what to do with his life. Maybe after he got rid of those flowers
he could stay in Macross and open a dojo of his own. Yes! And then he could
find Ryoga--with enough time he was pretty sure he could. And...
He stopped himself with determination. This was neither the time nor the
place to daydream. He had to be patient. First he was going to do what he
had come to that island for. Then he would make plans for the future.
He closed his eyes, a contented smile on his face. Outstretching his
senses to their limits, he could feel every single thing happening around
him, no matter how trivial it seemed to be: the gentlest breeze, the tiniest
leaf shaking in the trees, the almost non-existent sound he made while
walking, the hardness of the lamp post against his cheekbone...
Ranma picked himself up from the sidewalk staring all the time at the
now demolished obstacle. He couldn't believe he had been so engrossed in the
beauty of the day as to drop his defenses. How could he be such an idiot?
Constant awareness was the only reason he had survived the harsh years that
followed his departure from Nerima. When, as always he thought of his former
home, memories of better times flooded his mind.
---
The forest had seemed endless. The air was so hot and oppressive that
they had had trouble breathing. They had walked for hours and hours, and all
they were able to see in every direction had been trees. Well, that is not
entirely true. They saw trees, bushes, weeds, climbers and more trees. And
insects, lots of them. Clouds of tireless mosquitoes surrounded and followed
them during the whole trip, no matter what they tried to do to repel the
irritating bugs. It had been unbearable. He had no idea what Hell was like,
but he was pretty sure those winged torturers lived there.
Only that stupid father of his could call that a training ground. They
hadn't even been able to find a clearing to set up camp! Where were they
supposed to train? Oh, he had been _so_ angry with his idiotic pop... If he
had just been there, he would have let him know how pleased he had been with
his choice. But, of course, the old man stayed on the shore, fresh and
comfortable. 'Taking care of the boat,' he said. The nerve of that guy. Like
there was anyone in that island forgotten by the gods...
But Ranma had not been alone. Akane had come with him. Always by his
side, in every battle, in the saddest moments. Of course, he hadn't
appreciated it then, not at all. He had called her a nuisance, told her to
leave him alone. Yet, she had stayed and taken care of him. How could have
been so blind?
Finally, they found a nice, quiet spot with almost no trees. They spent
three days there, working out and training all the time. In the morning of
the fourth day, something changed their routines.
The sun was beginning to show its bright face in the East, but Oyaji had
been still asleep in his tent, exhausted though he had only sparred for a
few hours. He was definitely getting old. Resting next to the campfire,
Akane and he had been talking about nothing, chit-chatting, both comfortable
with each other's presence. It was incredible how well they fared when there
were no fianc�es or enemies to keep them apart. Yes, incredible.
After some time, they stopped talking and lay down on the grass side by
side, gazing at the cotton-like clouds that populated the sky. They even
held hands for a while. Seeing her there, so perfect and beautiful under the
sunlight, so relaxed and full with peace, made Ranma realize the moment had
arrived. It was finally been the right and perfect time to confess his
feelings for her. Well... At least, he had thought so. He had had no way of
knowing what was about to happen.
He was about to start with the always-difficult task of talking to Akane
without putting his foot in his mouth, when she suddenly called him, "Ranma,
look! In the sky, it's a falling star!"
And indeed, as soon as he looked up, he caught sight of a glowing point
flying swiftly though the sky. It was leaving behind a shining path of fire
that seemed to start in the sun, as if a piece of the star had decided to
meet the Earth at last. Ranma stared mesmerized for some minutes, his former
intentions forgotten for the time being. He used to look at the stars for
hours when he was living in the road with his father, but he had never seen
anything like that.
That's something he would have loved to do: travel through the space,
see the galaxy--like an astronaut. Ha! Could you imagine that? Ranma
Saotome: the astronaut. �Ryoga would laugh for a whole hour if I told that
to him,� thought Ranma, shaking his head. Soon, the falling star had got out
of sight, hidden behind the horizon.
"You should ask for a wish, Ranma. They say it always comes true," said
Akane with that caring, warm voice he would always remember as hers in
later years.
Not knowing what Fate had in store for him, he had thought it was a good
idea. Wrong decision.
"Eh... Okay."
His first choice was one that would make the Devil proud: power. He
foolishly wanted to be the best martial artist in the world. However, he
suddenly remembered his curse. He also needed a cure, didn't he? What was
the use of being the best if you are only a half-man? �Besides, I _already_
am the best,� Ranma thought, a cocky grin in his lips.
Finally, too late, he came to his senses. He wished Akane and him could
be together. He had finally come to an agreement with his own feelings. He
was enlo--he had feelings for the tomboy, there was no denying it. All other
engagements be damned, he would face the consequences. But he never had the
opportunity to probe his words.
He was staring into the distance, lost in thought, when the glowing
point reappeared over the ocean. In that moment, the island started shaking.
---
Ranma stopped rummaging through his brown leather backpack and, taking
out of it a white envelope, resumed walking. Opening the envelope, he
grabbed the old-looking photograph it contained and held it aloft. It showed
a young man in his thirties, dressed in an immaculate sailor suit. He was
wearing extremely polished knee-high boots, and had so many medals in his
shirt it seemed impossible to find place to hang a new one. He had dark
hair, and the beginnings of a moustache were evident. The man was smiling
and waving to the camera, while in the background a gray warship appeared
about to leave, from the frantic activity evident in the port. Looking
closely, Ranma discovered a Russian flag painted in the ship's hull,
something he hadn't noticed before.
�Mom said Uncle Henry'd be waiting for me. I hope he remembers me,�
thought Ranma while putting the photo in his pocket. After all, he himself
barely remembered the man. He hadn't seen Uncle Henry since he was a little
boy, before going in the infamous ten-year-long training trip. How was he
going to recognize him? All he had was an old photo, and it was twenty years
old!
�It doesn't matter,� he decided. Luck was on his side for the first time
in long, never-ending years. An uncle working in the famous SDF-1; it was
almost too much to believe. He just hoped he had an important position--he
really needed to get inside that ship.
He was slowly but steadily approaching the airshow. Many people were
walking in his same direction, all laughing and chatting. He supposed it
wasn't strange they were in a good mood, with a free show on such a
beautiful day.
He could see the spaceship in more detail now. It was amazing! This was
the second time he had seen it, and the one thing that struck him the most
was its sheer size. Ranma couldn't help but marvel at how huge it actually
was. He was sure the entire city of Macross could fit inside. And it wasn't
just big, it also looked powerful. It seemed this single ship could take on
an entire army without even trying. He didn't remember it being so imposing.
Of course, it had been a broken and burnt wreck the last time...
---
Ranma had known nothing then about the Super Dimensional Fortress One,
or about the importance its arrival would have for the human race. He and
Akane had witnessed three orbits of the mysterious object, each closer to
the Earth and more catastrophic than the last, until it had finally decided
to abandon the air. The overheated spaceship's hull met the ocean within
their sight, vaporizing millions of gallons of water in less than a second.
A white cloud emerged as if by magic to hide it.
"Wha-what is it?" asked Akane, stumbling over her words. Her face was
pale and white.
"I don't know," Ranma shouted above the rumble, "but whatever it is,
it's _really_ big, and it's coming really fast. Let's get out of here!" He
scooped her up in his arms and ran for the coast, a fully-awake Genma at his
heels.
He flew through the forest at full speed, getting hurt many times by
low-hanging branches but not caring at all. Despite all his effort, they
hadn�t covered more than a few miles when the SDF-1 finally crashed against
the island. Metal met earth and rock, and crumpled and changed, screaming
its pain. The collision had been deafening. So much so, that Ranma was
stunned by it, and thus didn't react at first when a tree was sent flying
through the air in his direction.
"Ranma!" cried Akane, terrified.
That had been enough. Using every ounce of experience in the martial
arts he had, he jumped high in the air, barely avoiding the impending trunk.
Landing safely on the ground, he hurried with his father behind a large gray
boulder.
"That was a close one." Akane was still in his arms.
"You think so?" she asked, sarcasm in her voice.
Peering over the rock, they could see how their abandoned tent
collapsed under a trunk. Miles behind it, the spaceship was gliding over the
rocky ground, the friction and its unbelievable weight eroding its initial
speed.
"It's slowing down." Ranma had always had an uncanny ability to state
the obvious.
"Yes, b--" Interrupting her, Ranma tackled Akane to the ground, a big
boulder missing her head by mere inches.
A rain of debris and chunks of wood ensued, and they again dove for
cover. After what seemed like eternity to the unfortunate campers, it
finally stopped and the ground became still again, signaling the end of the
ship's journey through Macross Island. An eerie peace followed, almost
unreal when compared to the recent havoc.
Slowly, almost fearful of what they were about to see, Akane and Ranma
stood up and gazed at the alien spacecraft. Theirs had been the first human
eyes to fall upon the SDF-1, and though they hadn't understood it then, a
new era had begun.
"Ranma, what _is_ that thing?" asked Akane, her eyes wide and fixed in
the blackened monstrosity.
"I don't know, Akane. I don't know."
Astonishingly, the ship itself, though burnt and obviously damaged,
seemed to be in one piece. It barely fit on the tiny island, and was quickly
cooling in the fresh morning air. The nearby forest, however, had not been
so lucky. It had been devastated during the unexpected landing: a large
crater surrounded the wreck where the land had crumbled, and outside its
area, most of the trees were uprooted or leafless and dead. Their tent was
still where they had set it, though partly burnt and under a pile of fallen
trees.
Ranma was no engineer, but it amazed him that something had been able to
stand such a crash. It had to be some secret government project, maybe a new
weapon constructed by the Neasians. Or it could be some kind of UFO, came
from another pl--He really had to stop reading so much manga, it brought
strange ideas to his head.
Whatever it was, something about it made his hair stand on end. He
couldn't be sure, being so far from the smoldering ship, but he thought he
could see movement in its hull. Perhaps he ought to take a look at that
thing. �Yeah, that's exactly what I should do,� he decided.
"Akane, wait here," said Ranma, and started walking towards the wreck.
'Started' is about right, because before he could make one step in its
direction, Akane's hand caught him by his shirt, halting him.
"Where do you think you are going?!" she thundered, anger and concern
evident in her voice. "It could be dangerous!"
"Hey! I'm gonna check that thing out. What if there's some survivor or
something? We can't just leave him there," he reasoned. In those days, he
had been trying not to snap at Akane and instead try to explain things to
her. Even though most of the time his temper had still got the better of
him, there had been occasions when it actually worked. His body had
definitely _not_ been missing the extra beatings.
"Maybe you are right," she conceded grudgingly, "but I'll go with you,"
she finished in a tone that left no room for discussion. Ranma didn't want
to argue with her, not that day, so he wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Okay, you can come. What about you, Pop?"
"Eh..." Genma's brow glistened with sweat as he fearfully looked at the
wreck. "I don't feel that good, I think I may be coming down with something.
Why don't you both go? I'll go and prepare the boat so we can leave quickly
when you return. Yes, that's exactly what I'll do." He started edging away
from the couple.
"Take care of your fianc�e, boy." Turning around, he practically ran
toward the forest.
They stared in the direction he had gone for a moment. Then, shaking
their heads, they headed to the ship.
Several minutes later, Ranma and Akane stood by the wreckage, dwarfed by
its colossal size. The looming structure lay motionless before them, but
Ranma couldn't notice anything strange or unusual about it. Well, except the
facts that it had come from nowhere and that it was unbelievably large.
Perhaps he had been letting his imagination run away with him. Perhaps.
"What do we do now?" asked Akane, neck arched back and trying to gauge
the ruin's height.
"What else? We get into this... whatever, and see if there's anyone."
�Actually, _I_ get inside it and you stay waiting safely outside,� added
Ranma mentally.
"I know that, you jackass!" snapped the youngest Tendo. "What I meant is
_how_ we are going to get in."
Good point. "Well, I suppose I could break a hole big enough for us."
Walking towards the ship's battered hull, he gave the metallic surface a
tentative blow. When he pulled his fist back, there wasn't even the
slightest mark on it.
"What the..." Increasing his punches' strength, he proceeded to give the
spaceship the pounding of its existence. However, even after several tries,
the metal was hardly dented and didn't seem about to give in.
"This is tough stuff," recognized Ranma while gently rubbing his sore
hand. "Maybe with a ki-blast..." he trailed off, realizing for the first
time that Akane was nowhere to be seen. Panicking, he started frantically
searching for any sign of her, when he suddenly heard a voice calling to him
from the distance.
"Ranma! Over here!" Akane was no more than a mile away, standing next to
some sort of circular protuberance and waving for him to come. "I think I
found a hatch!"
Behind her, the hatch snapped open.
---
Up in the air, six planes flew in tight formation. Ranma, led by the
stares of the awed public, caught sight of them, and couldn't help but be
impressed at these beautiful fighters. Though he wasn't very interested in
war machines, Ranma had seen quite a lot of different combat planes during
his life--as every other person who lived in the Global Civil War times.
None looked like these: precise, swift, sleek, deathly. A shiny canopy and
lots of ammo completed the picture.
He thought he remembered hearing about them somewhere. 'Veritech
fighters' they were called, if his memory worked. One of the new United
Earth Government's most secret projects. Well, at least as secret as every
other thing even remotely related to the so-called Robotechnology was those
days. He wondered what all the fuss was about; they weren't anything more
than a new model of plane, right?
For a moment, he wondered how it would feel like to pilot a plane like
those ones, but after a moment of consideration he dropped the idea,
berating himself for even thinking about it. �Who needs a plane when your
own _body_ takes to the air like a duck to water?� thought Ranma, following
the fighters while they cut the air at speeds believed impossible just a
decade ago. After all, could the pilots feel the wind over their skin while
they fly? Could they breathe this gentle sea breeze inside their locked
pressurized cockpits? No, they couldn't. They were in a prison of metal and
circuits, completely dependant on machines to stay alive. He probably knew
more freedom while he roof-hopped than they did in their whole life.
Around him, people gasped in amazement as the white Veritechs executed a
dive, only to level up at the last possible moment. Yet, no matter what
these Veritech fighters could do, to Ranma there was only one star in this
show: the SDF-1. In his eyes, nothing could even begin to be compared with
the titanic spaceship that had burst into his life so long ago.
Trying to get sight of the ship, he turned around--only to bump his head
against a man's back. Quickly apologizing, he looked around, but all he
could see were faces of strangers. Somehow, he was lost in a sea of people.
Unbelievable. One minute he was watching some planes, and the next thing he
knew, he was in the middle of a crowd of thousands. Funny, that he got lost
heading to a spaceship that was at full sight. Maybe this was how Ryoga
felt.
Not far from where he was standing, a platform had been erected. In that
moment, the public address system announced the start of the demonstration.
Some guy dressed in a military dress uniform appeared on the stage, and the
throng greeted him fervently. Tall and proud, with finely chiseled features
and a thick mop of blond hair, he fell into a relaxed posture, hands locked
behind his back. Certainly good looking. Handsome even, if you liked the
pilot jock type.
�Heh, I'm much more handsome!� Ranma gloated to himself. �Besides, It's
not like I need an uniform to attract girls... Yeah, I can use either
martial arts or Pop's arrangements for that.�
Chuckling, he tried to decide what to do next. Maybe he could jump over
the crowd... No. That would put him in the spotlight, and that's something
he definitely didn't need right now.
�Oh, well. I guess I'll have to do it the hard way,� he thought
resignedly. Slowly making his way through the people, he heard the roar of
the planes' engines as they executed a pass over the stage. No time to see
the show. He had people to see, business to attend.
There only was one thing he didn't understand: what were they all
laughing about?
---
As in slow motion, Ranma had been able to see the hatch open in two,
both halves sliding apart with almost no sound. Five segmented metallic
tentacles shot swiftly out from the dark hole. Not wasting time, one of them
snaked towards an unsuspecting Akane, who still hadn't noticed them. It had
happened all too quickly.
"Akane! Get out of there!" he yelled, but it was already too late.
One of those nightmarish tentacles caught Akane in an iron grip, and
started waving her through the air.
"Ranma! Help me!" Akane screamed, struggling against it--but to no
avail.
Not stopping running for a moment, he shot a Moko Takabisha to the
tentacle that held Akane. It broke in half and went limp, immediately
releasing its prey. Using another of the tentacles as a springboard, he
caught Akane as she was falling down and, without even looking back, ran for
the woods.
"It's okay, Akane. It's okay," he whispered in her ear while still
running, trying to calm her sobbing fianc�e.
When they reached the beach, Akane was still a bit shaken, but she
seemed to be calming down rather quickly. He guessed living in Nerima had
somehow hardened her, or something. He started to put their stuff in the
boat when Akane suddenly gave a yelp. He whirled around, half-expecting to
see more of those damned tentacles attacking them.
"Oh, no! I forgot my backpack in the tent!" she hurriedly said. "I have
to go back to get it! My diary is in it!"
"Wait!" Ranma practically screamed. "It could be dangerous! Wait!" But
she was already disappearing in the trees. He started to go after her, but
Genma raised a hand, stopping him.
"Don't go, boy," he said, a serious expression in his face. "She can
take care of herself. Besides, you won't be able to follow her through such
a dense vegetation."
"But she--"
"She is a martial artist, too. Now come here and help your poor father
to get this heavy things into the boat."
"Get out of here, old fart!" He kicked him in the face and sent him
flying towards the sea.
�But he is probably right. She'll get mad at me if I go after her. Maybe
I should wait for a while,� he thought. Casting a last worried glance in the
SDF-1's direction, he turned around and slowly walked to the boat.
Five minutes, ten minutes, thirty minutes passed and Akane hadn't come
back yet.
"Pop!" Ranma called. "I can't wait any more! I'm gonna go look for her!"
Magic words, those were, because as they left his mouth, a puffing Akane
stepped into the beach. Kneeling in the yellow sand, she panted for breath.
She was carrying her black leather backpack.
"Where were you?! What took you so long?!" he snapped as he hurried to
her side and helped her to her feet.
"Oh, Ranma. You won't believe this. I found the most strange--" She
never finished this sentence.
"There's no time to talk. We've got to get going. I don't wanna spend a
minute more on this island."
Akane nodded, and they quickly gathered the few things Genma had managed
to rescue from the camping.
As their boat left the island, a group of choppers appeared in the
horizon.
---
�This must be the place,� the pig-tailed martial artist ventured to
himself as he gazed at the small wooden sentry box behind the tall wire
fence. About a dozen soldiers stood next to it, all of them with menacing
rifles at the ready. He couldn't see their features clearly, as they were
effectively hidden by the shadow projected by the SDF-1, which lay no more
than a few dozens miles ahead, blocking the sun. But as he reached the
control post, one of them approached him and, without opening the gate,
asked him what was he doing here.
�So, this is a restricted area?� wondered Ranma. �But Uncle Henry's
letter says I have to go through here... Okay, time to see if I know the
right people.�
"Wait a sec'," he said, cutting the soldier in mid-speech. "I have an
invitation for today's ceremonies." He handed the invitation his uncle had
sent him with the letter and couldn't help but smirk when the man's eyes
widened in surprise.
�Well, well, well. It seems he has an important position after all. Much
better,� thought Ranma as he waited for the sentries to get confirmation.
The day was just getting better and better.
Not having anything better to do, he started lazily looking around. To
his left, to his right, up, and down his gaze traveled. He studied the
soldiers. They were all wearing green and brown fatigues and brown boots.
Looking carefully, Ranma distinguished the letters 'RDF' neatly embroidered
in the fabric. They seemed very relaxed, calmly chatting among themselves,
some smiling or even laughing.
�Well, it's a happy day for them, I suppose,� Ranma reasoned. He
knew--as virtually every other person over the world--that the SDF-1 was
going to be launched and thus would leave Macross today, and the rest of the
military personnel would surely follow. They probably had several off-duty
days ahead.
He studied their weapons. Matt black, nasty-looking, _really_ big
rifles. They were immaculate and looked brand new. Everything was shiny and
at its prime that day. Or so it looked like.
Sad. They really don't understand. No mater how many times they polish
their rifles, they will still be ugly. They won't ever obtain grace through
simple shine. There's no honor in bullets, just as there's no honor in war,
Ranma stated in his mind.
�What was that?!� he wondered after a short pause. �I think Kuno is
rubbing off on me. Next thing I know, I'll be reciting bad poetry and
kissing my female side in the mirror.�
Then, he studied the SDF-1. So full of secrets, so mysterious. Who had
sent it? With what purpose? Would anyone ever come back to reclaim it? So
many questions... and the answers were inside the ship itself, he was
certain.
He studied himself. He might be a few years older, but, in his humble
and unbiased opinion, he looked better than ever. At twenty-six, he was
taller and slightly more muscular--but he still had that Saotome charm his
father used to talk about. Of course, he was wearing his old short-sleeved
red silken shirt and the usual black pants. He didn't remember the last time
he had worn a different clothes. Sure, sometimes, when the weather was cold,
he changed this shirt for the long-sleeved one, but that didn't count. Maybe
he ought to change his style... Nah. Probably no one would recognize him if
he did so.
Finally, he slowly looked upwards, and there, a tiny orb in the
firmament, was the moon. Quiet, desert, peaceful moon. Ancient, eternal
moon. So beautiful... And yet, as he stared at it, something nagged him.
There was something odd about it, something wrong... Argh! He just couldn't
put his finger on it.
It must be my imagination, he calmed himself and forcefully averted his
gaze. He never looked back at the moon during that day.
�What's taking them so long?� he asked himself. �I don't have much
time!� Ten minutes had passed and the soldier was still on the phone.
He had heard a news bulletin saying that the SDF-1 was leaving in its
maiden flight at three o'clock in the afternoon. That left... only two hours
and a half to get inside and do his business.
�Be patient, calm down,� he ordered himself. Patience was one of the
things he had never learned. He was fairly good at meditation, but that was
a complete diferent thing.
In that moment, the soldier finally hung up, a perplexed look in his
face.
�It's about time!� Ranma couldn't help but think as the sentry opened
the fence's gate. He stepped past it, ignoring the other soldiers, and
started walking towards the spaceship at a fast pace. A few more miles. Just
a few more miles and he could start.
Suddenly, as so many years ago, the island of Macross started shaking.
Startled, Ranma noticed movement in the starship's bow. There, between the
twin booms that formed the front of the ship, a show of light and sound
started. Red-orange energy circled around and between the booms, connecting
them in a bridge of flame. Whirling, spinning, dancing, it almost seemed
alive in Ranma's eyes. A high-pitched sound came out from the booms as the
energy began concentrating in their tips. Finally, the SDF-1's main gun
shot, and a tower of starflame erupted from its bow and howled off into the
distance, throwing Ranma off his feet and into the ground.
Soon, the rumble stopped. He slowly put his head in his hands. �Why do
these things always happen to me?� he silently asked, but no one answered.
As he stood up, he could hear loud alarms going off in the city.
---
To be continued...
---
Author's notes:
Well, that was all. I'll be posting Chapter 2 in tomorrow. Sorry for
the delay, but the revision took a lot of time (really ^_^).
Before I forget it, I'd like to thank some people:
Morgan Hudson, for all his help and encouragement. Thanks again, man!
Bridget Wilde, who gave me the best C&C I could ever receive. I used most
of your suggestions, thanks. I tried to follow your advices, but the verbal
tenses during the flashbacks still give me headaches. Don�t worry! I�ll
rewrite this thing over and over till I get it right.
My brand new prereaders: Chris Huber, Trevor Hoffert and Wanderer D.
All the other people who sent me C&C for the first draft.
I�ll stop ranting now. See you,
Latin_D