Chapter Three: All In

[Purr]

(Game Master note: Welcome to Chapter Three, folks! Enjoy yourselves, preferably together! =) )

*​

"All In"

Poker lingo.

Definition: "A bet that places all of a player's chips into the pot."

*​

Wild Cards - T.A.S.C. Team

Spoiler: Mood music

"Ready To Go" by Republica

Deep in the Floridian night, the Wild Cards moved purposefully and their mecha moved with them. The swiftly-moving metal feet of the veritech team kicked up great mounds of blackened, charred dirt inside the lightless tunnel.

Guided by infrared sensors, the T.A.S.C. pilots and Tactical Corp grunt saw the world through technological eyes that saw in distinct blacks, blues, oranges, yellows, and all colors in between.

Spoiler: Life in infrared

A strong smile came across Shirley's face. "Damned right we will!" She turned to the giant ever-patient alien. "Iris, open that blasted airlock! Wild Cards? Guns high! We're going in!"

Iris nodded toward Shirley and interacted with the console with superhuman finesse. Superb! This One believed your request would never come!

She saluted the vid pickup. "Right behind you, ma'am! Let's get our boys back!"

Mack returned the salute and guided her fully-armed Valkyrie to the right side of the airlock. The battle machine responded smoothly to her every motion. This put Neqel and herself on the other side of the airlock door where Muppet wound up while Iris rapidly worked the console with her strange three-digit "fingers."

Elinor, facing the rear, now had a choice to make. To stay where she was was to be directly in the line of fire of the doorway.

Shirley noticed. "Bruce Leanne, hustle up!"

"Muppet here. I'm all set to rock and roll."

"Cygnus One copies," Shirley replied.

"Iris, can you tell us more about for queen? What does she look like, for one? I don't want to open fire on her by accident. Also, what level of resistance should we expect on the other side of the door?"

While Iris worked, she briefly rotated her head all the way behind her while replying to Toph. Her fingers ceased their clicking. She held one digit above one of the terminal keys while she considered her answers.

Toph and everyone present read the following in their minds. This One has been away from this site for some time. Resistance levels beyond the airlock are unknown but are assumed to be less than before. Previous information concluded the following: beyond this airlock lies a station defended by a cadre of 32 Zeki-Zentraedi, all well-armed and armored in Zeki-Zentraedi fashion. This was also the last place we saw our Queen. Conclusion: The odds are not in the males' favor.

Iris returned to face the airlock door. She waited patiently until Elinor had chosen to move her Guardian-formed Valkyrie on the right or left of the airlock. Then she continued.

Forgive us, Toph Kirin? We are unable to reach consensus: Providing description of our Queen is... proving difficult. How does one describe the object of our fascination and adoration? The very height of deadliness? Conclusion: Consensus cannot be formed in the time we have presently. Self-query: Will viewing our Queen in action provide Mistress Neqel and her allies adequate life-threatening warning as to deter combat?

"Muppet?" It was Mack. "I'll give you the clue I'm goin' with - right now, their queen is probably the only 'she' onboard this gigantic ship full of hostile female-hating Zentraedi. Ya think, Iris?"

Iris nodded immediately. Consensus reached: This is sound logic! We bestow our gratitude toward Shirley Mack. Then Iris clicked the last key on the terminal.

Self finds our lack of descriptive abilities irritating! Self-query: How does one describe our beloved Queen?

Elinor was in position when not one but both of the tremendously-large airlock doors whooshed open revealing a passage into the vessel some 500 feet long, 100 feet tall, and 100 feet wide - a passage filled with hideous Zentraedi corpses, faces twisted in permanent expressions of fear and agony.

There were at least ten of them, all foot soldiers dressed in blood red armor with shields and strange-looking hand cannons and clubs, all of which were now littered across the decks like so much forgotten trash. There were savage lacerations across and through their bodies - cauterized cuts. Severed limbs holding weapons decorated the battlefield.

Farther down the corridor and around a corner that bent off to the right, there was an unnerving and chaotic scene taking place. Loud explosions shook the air and flaming debris flew. Weapons discharged as if in panic. The sounds of male voices screaming and dying echoed through the halls followed by the laughter of a single female creature. That joyous, maniacal laughter carried above all other sounds.

Exaltation! Iris leaped in surprise and joy for her question had been readily answered. Toph Kirin? That is her!

Without hesitation, Iris's rainbow wings unfurled from the bulb on her back and she zipped off toward the fighting at terrific speed.

To battle! For the Queen!

"Hey!" Shirley yelled. "Come back here, Iris!" Then the newly-minted 1st Lieutenant realized she was calling after the loyal and curious insect as if she were some sort of pet. Shirley pointed and the arm of her Valkyrie pointed with her.

"Follow that... uh... alien critter-chick!"

 

[Purr]

Wild Cards - A.T.A.C. Team

Mario looks over Sam with a critical eye. "The strong, silent type. I can handle that." He hefts his rifle and starts to walk down the airshaft. "Alright Sam, we are looking for a pair of mecha that was captured by the Zentraedi; Hover Tanks of the Army of the Southern Cross. I don't suppose you know where they would be inside this ship, and be willing to lead us there? We have to get them back or make sure they are destroyed to keep them out of the hands of the enemy."

Sam paused and turned his head back and forth in the negative to Mario's questions. It was clear Sam carried no firearm, no grenades, or anything obvious to defend himself. The forearms on his odd megasuit, however, seemed bulkier than the ASC megasuit's own. This, Mario remembered, was where Sam drew forth the cutting torch that led to the team's freedom.

Sam now tapped his left forearm. A small computer with an equally-small projection device came forth. With a few button taps, an image of laser light came to life - a holographic three-dimensional picture...

Spoiler: Sam's image

(Image credit: mechajournal.com)

Sam pointed at the image. Then he thumbed his chest and nodded.

As if asking a question, Sam pointed at Mario's chest where, on a dress uniform one's last name would be present. Then he pointed at Mario's face. Sam turned and repeated the gesture toward Hercules. Hercules looked to Mario for answer.

All the while, MechaKitten, his tail lashing about, watched and listened in the way that cats do.

 

[Kaerri]

Elinor, facing the rear, now had a choice to make. To stay where she was was to be directly in the line of fire of the doorway.

Shirley noticed. "Bruce Leanne, hustle up!"

Elinor moved up and to the left, backing up Toph (and incidentally-on-purpose covering the smaller Ajax from any potential rear attacks).

Self finds our lack of descriptive abilities irritating! Self-query: How does one describe our beloved Queen?

Elinor couldn't help but smile, but her amusement turned into sympathy as she thought more about it. How would she describe her dear Grandpa Will, after all? He'd been so much more than just a physical description.

Shirley pointed and the arm of her Valkyrie pointed with her.

"Follow that... uh... alien critter-chick!"

Elinor grinned. "On your six, ma'am," she replied, suiting action to words and maintaining rear guard, unless Mack directed otherwise. "Iris, your queen sure don't like these guys, does she?" Elinor added, taking in the corpses that littered the floor.

 

[Sherwood]

As if asking a question, Sam pointed at Mario's chest where, on a dress uniform one's last name would be present. Then he pointed at Mario's face. Sam turned and repeated the gesture toward Hercules. Hercules looked to Mario for answer.

He wants to know who we are. Fair enough. Mario reaches up and takes off his helmet for a moment, letting Sam get a look at him. "My name is Mario Zuko, a corporal in the Alpha Tactical Armor Corps branch of the Army of the Southern Cross. My large friend here is Hercules Papadopolis, a fellow corporal and tanker in the ATAC. Like I said before, we are on a mission to locate and recover two missing Veritech Tanks that were snagged by these Zentraedi, and personally, once I get into a rig, I plan on doing everything I can to bring some hurt to these bastards for what happened to our friend back there." He straps his helmet back on and makes sure it is properly sealed before continuing. "Do you have any weapons? I don't want to risk going into harms way with you if you can't defend yourself."

 

[Purr]

Wild Cards - A.T.A.C. Team

He straps his helmet back on and makes sure it is properly sealed before continuing. "Do you have any weapons? I don't want to risk going into harms way with you if you can't defend yourself."

Sam shook his head from side to side. He seemed to react with quiet confidence as if he did not require weapons to do whatever it was he did. He tapped his chest with his index finger and then raised that finger to his helmet about where one's lips would be.

Having expressed this, Sam operated the high-tech computer console on his left forearm. Expertly, he tapped the screen and used a single-digit mouse-like interface. Then he showed that beautiful multi-colored display to Mario. Along its crystal clear face, Mario saw what appeared to be radio channels, AM/FM and HAM wavelengths, including some channels he could not recognize to save his life. Most of these channels were "dead." Either no one was talking on them or the channels were not in operation.

Sam then tapped that display and pointed at Mario's mouth and ears. He moved his right hand as if his fingers and thumb were "talking." Then he pointed to Mario with his hand open in request, prepared to enter information into his computer.

None of this appeared to get MechaKitten's attention beyond the casual. He acted as if he had seen all this before while cleaning his paws with his tongue while performing his best, "I'm not paying attention to any of you," look.

Spoiler: Game Master note for all

I will try and get the T.A.S.C. Team's post up tomorrow. =)

 

[Sherwood]

Mario thinks for a moment, then nods. "I guess that giving you our squad radio frequencies wouldn't be a security violation. Its not like we aren't cut off from the rest of the team outside the ship or anything." He quickly relays to Sam the radio codes that the Wild Cards are using. "Perhaps you'll have better luck in getting a signal out than I did."

 

[Purr]

Wild Cards - T.A.S.C. Team

Spoiler: Mood music

"Karma Slave" by Splashdown for the Titan A.E. Motion Picture Soundtrack... because it jams and it helps make the scene "happen"... =)


Partial lyrics
I'm the Master of my Wheel of my very own Wheel
Universal and recurrent

I'm a slave of Karma
Spin the Wheel and I'm a King reborn
I'm a slave to Karma
I'm coming back, yeah, I'll be coming back
But for the last time.

Elinor grinned. "On your six, ma'am," she replied, suiting action to words and maintaining rear guard, unless Mack directed otherwise. "Iris, your queen sure don't like these guys, does she?" Elinor added, taking in the corpses that littered the floor.

Iris zipped along the gigantic corridors of the starship while the sounds of battle continued from ahead. If written mentally-shared words could hold pride, Iris's most certainly would. Negative incarnate, Elinor Hall! Long before our mighty Queen discovered and freed us, she had made it her life's goal to destroy Zentraedi, much to their woe!

As the T.A.S.C. team made their way deeper inside the ship, the giant-sized airlock doors slid cleanly shut. Then a strange thing happened - each of the Wild Cards and Neqel immediately noticed a strange interference over their radio channels. Static like a snowy blizzard began to blind their mecha's radio communications readouts; all except for the Squadron channel - that relay alone seemed unaffected. Their ability to speak with the outside was quickly going away...

Iris seemed unaffected. She sped down the corridor and around the loud and fiery corner with grace and eagerness. For the Queen!

The Wild Cards and Neqel followed close behind. You whirled around the corner and into a scene of fire, carnage, and blood. Your team had entered a vast room some 500 feet long and wide with a ceiling about 100 feet to its top. It was a weapons bay of Zentraedi design. About a dozen Zentraedi rifles and pistols decked the burning walls, yet about three times that many stations stood absent of their gear. Armored storage containers had been knocked aside like child's toys. All about the room about a dozen more Zentraedi warriors littered the floor, their gigantic, ugly corpses twisted and macabre. Severed arms and hands still clutched smoking weapons. Yet one still lived.

WHHHHHHSSSK!

"AAAAAGH!"

That howl of agony, male and angry, erupted from the only dark corner of the room. There surrounded by his fallen comrades, stood a Zentraedi male decked in blood red Nousjadeul-Ger Power Armor...

Spoiler: Zentraedi Male Power Armor

(Image credit: Pinterest)

... holding the fiery stump of his right arm. His plasma pistol and hand rolled across the floor. His remaining cannons turned about along with his body, but for the most part, they were fixed to fire at enemies before him.

He never saw the enemy behind him. He only saw the curving red arc of a long flashing blade nearly as tall as its wielder. One moment, the blazing sword was there, the next it was gone like a shadow. But behind him came a pair of hot red eyes and a cheshire grin, devilish in both appearance and intent. A humanoid arm expertly grasped the warrior around his neck and helm, her body pressed against his back so that for the moment, they were one. The hilt of the sword, now bladeless and small, pressed against the center of the Zentraedi's back.

"How does it feel, little man?" chuckled the voice behind him. He turned and spun about but it did not shake her off.

"All of us! By yourself! Damn you, woman!!"

"How does it feel... TO BE INFERIOR?!"

A bright volcanic glow erupted from behind him and then its light died as if swallowed. He screamed frightfully, twisting and turning, but he may as well have been trying to free himself from his own skin.

"Nooo! NOOOO!"

Again, the female slayer's laughter echoed through the starship halls... "AAAAHAHAHAHAAAA!!"

Then he stiffened in his death throes. That fiery blade had entered his back and now emitted a dangerous glow from just underneath his helmet. That glow was death. He screamed again and saw the blade burst forth from his body and out of the front of his power armor. The hellish length of red plasma had fully impaled him and there was nothing he could have done about it.

The corpse dropped to its knees. The blade disappeared. Immediately, Iris flew in. The slayer's left arm raised up offering a perch to the large, rainbow-winged insect. Proudly, Iris landed like a hunting falcon called to its only master. There, Iris closed her eyes and leaned her head upon her in an expression of the fullest trust and admiration.

My Queen!

There before you, armorless, dressed only in what appeared to be a skin-tight solid-black body suit, stood a fully grown Meltrandi with deep blue skin and passionate eyes of the most-violent crimson. Her suit was burned in some places, cut in others, but only superficially. In her right hand, her great sword reignited and twirled magnificently, its edge now turning to aim at the four of you.

Her voice was filled with bloodlust as she turned and roared...

Spoiler: Surprise

"WHO DARES?! WHO DARES SEEK TO SHARE THE BATTLEFIELD WITH WAR-QUEEN TANIYA OF THE URA-MELTRANDI?!"

Surprise (especially to Kaerri, Pips, and Sherwood)! =)

Cap'n and Psychie? I played Taniya in another game with Kaerri, Pips, and Sherwood. I feel just because that game ended abruptly, it doesn't mean I had to also cease playing a terrific character. And so, Taniya is here in my first Robotech game! Except this time... she's not exactly your ally... Have fun with it! =)

These are pictures from Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG. They don't do her justice, but they at least provide a good idea of what she looks like.

(Image credit: Star Wars: The Old Republic)


(Image credit: Star Wars: The Old Republic)

Faced with this, what do you do? =)

 

[Psychie]

As the comms begin to cut off contact with the outside, Toph begins to wonder if this means that they are going to be able to get back in touch with the ground team once more. As she moves forward into the starship, she plays her hunch that they are now inside the jamming zone and that Mario and Hercules can hear them. "This is Muppet in Cygnus 3 calling to Wild Cards ground team! Can you hear me? Herc! Mario! What is your status?"

When the Queen makes her challenge, the half-Meltrandi warrior holds her mecha still, not wanting to make any sudden moves that might be misinterpreted as an attack. "Mack? You want to take the lead on our first contact, or should either Neqel or I try to say hello as the team's resident Meltrandi?"

OOC How tall is the Queen? Is she human scale, or is she as large as a full sized Zentraedi?

 

[Purr]

Wild Cards - A.T.A.C Team

Spoiler: Mood music

"Don't Damn Me" by Guns & Roses (for no other reason than the lyrics are loosely helping me write this and I'm in the mood for Rock & Roll. How about you? =) ).

He quickly relays to Sam the radio codes that the Wild Cards are using. "Perhaps you'll have better luck in getting a signal out than I did."

"Spaceman Sam" input Mario's radio codes into his computer interface with efficiency; he did not have be told them more than once. Once input, he seemed to fiddle with the settings on his interface until he produced some desired result. Seeming satisfied, Sam nodded to Mario and Herc. His interface neatly packed itself up and stored itself on the left wrist of Sam's strange-looking megasuit. Then he picked up MechaKitten and held him with one hand against his chest.

He pointed forward down the ductwork and began creeping along quietly with as much speed as he could reasonably muster. His walk was practiced if a bit stiff. He seemed to move like someone who needed to stretch more often. He stayed away from portals except to peek through them. All along, the crackling of the fires behind you and the alarm klaxons from all around added to the tension as they mixed with the orderly shouts and rushing boots of Zeki-Zentraedi soldiers moving in pairs.

Meanwhile, the A.T.A.C. team was slowly but surely making their way deeper into the starship without the Zentraedi troops appearing any the wiser. It seemed air filtration shafts lacked sensors of any kind, even on a starship made for warrior-giants.

When the shouts died down, the A.T.A.C. team were able to move more swiftly. The corridor ramped upward and turned into the next while blowers in predictable intervals blew cool air upon them in great gusts. Finally, the corridor ended altogether.

There were three ways to travel. Upward or downward through what appeared to be wide open shafts, and if a way were made, through the massive 20 foot by 20 foot by 5 foot panel before them. That panel bore slits that while tiny to Zentraedi were quite large for humans and MechaKittens to see through.

Mario and Herc understood that they were about 350 yards from the scene of their battle. Below them through the panel, Sam peered and MechaKitten with him. They seemed very comfortable with each other's presence. Sam kneeled. MechaKitten hopped to the floor and sniffed, his electric eyes glowing faintly. Sam then beckoned to you.

Through the grate, the Wild Card tankers heard the brief clamor of two giant pairs of hurrying, booted feet receding into the distance. You could see that you were looking down from a wall perched high near the ceiling of the chamber beyond. Below was a 120 foot by 120 foot by 80 foot room lit only by a computer system similar to the one the A.T.A.C. Wild Cards had visited before except this time, the chair before the console was empty. As all Zentraedi warships Herc and Mario had ever heard of, this place too was devoid of creature comforts of any sort. What appeared to be a closed locker some 50 feet in height and 20 feet in width bulged out of one wall. A plain-looking bench and table stood before it. Only one corridor seemed to lead from the room.

Sam turned to Mario and Herc and pointed at the console. He summoned forth his holographic projector and briefly displayed the perfect images of a Tomahawk destroid and a Veritech Hover Tank. He clicked a button and the images vanished. Then he pointed again at the console below, shrugged, and held out his hands as if to request input from you.

At that very moment, a harsh crackling came over the radios in Mario and Herc's megasuits. There was a woman's voice speaking urgently but the connection was horrible. Her voice could barely be heard but not clearly enough to make out her words.

What do you do?

 

[Purr]

Wild Cards - T.A.S.C. Team

Spoiler: Mood music

"Ghost Assassin" by Veela. Because it's Taniya's sort of music and it's exciting! =)

When the Queen makes her challenge, the half-Meltrandi warrior holds her mecha still, not wanting to make any sudden moves that might be misinterpreted as an attack. "Mack? You want to take the lead on our first contact, or should either Neqel or I try to say hello as the team's resident Meltrandi?"

Mack paused just long enough to consider. Given the scene and the black-clad spectre of death evidently responsible for it all, Mack was not making any sudden moves either.

Mack delivered her orders with confidence, both in herself and her squadron. "Toph, this one is all yours and Amherst's. You tackle this while I keep surfin' on the squadron channel for our boys! One way or another, they're comin' home!"

 

[Sherwood]

Mario raises up a hand as he struggles to listen to the voice on the headset. "Hold on for a sec; I'm getting a signal. Let me see if I can clean it up a bit." He works his controls on the radio, trying to boost the gain. "This is Corporal Zuko from the Wild Cards squadron. Please repeat your last transmission."

 

[Psychie]

Toph nods. "Understood, LT. I'll do my best!" She then flicks a switch to activate her external speakers. "Noble queen, we do not seek to do battle with you, but instead, we hope to become allies in our mutual war with the Zentraedi that threaten our homeworld. I am called Toph Kirin, a daughter of a Meltrandi-human union, and inside another one of our mecha is Neqel, a full-blooded Meltrandi warrior." She pauses, with her mind racing for what to say to this powerful woman. "It is clear that while you do not need our help in your fight, having allies and friends to help in your righteous cause can never be a bad thing. As I have said, we do not seek to fight you, but instead we are searching for our fellow squadron members that have infiltrated this ship earlier in search of mecha that these Zentraedi have taken from us. If you do not want to share the glory of your fight with the Zentraedi with us, we understand, but our mission to recover our team members has our priority."

 

[Epiphany]

Neqel's eyes narrowed. She actually stood up in her cockpit before bumping her head against the canopy. When she moved to pop the release, she remembered anew that this wasn't her ship and she wasn't in command here. Instead, the Meltrandi fell back in her seat and flipped on the comm unit.

"I am Neqel of the Lisara-Meltrandi, Queadluun-Rau pilot and Corporal in the Armies of the Southern Cross. And it's not your battlefield!" Struggling with the reflexive aggressiveness of her species, Neqel added "But your search and destroy operations may align with our search and rescue operations. Working together is a force multiplier for all of us. Fight with us, Taniya! And we will kill more of the enemy together, shoulder to shoulder, as warriors should!"

The unpredictable Ura-Meltrandi could be a liability on the mission as much as an asset but the other woman would likely be a danger if she wasn't made an ally.

 

[Purr]

Wild Cards - A.T.A.C. Team

Mario raises up a hand as he struggles to listen to the voice on the headset. "Hold on for a sec; I'm getting a signal. Let me see if I can clean it up a bit." He works his controls on the radio, trying to boost the gain. "This is Corporal Zuko from the Wild Cards squadron. Please repeat your last transmission."

Mario quickly figured out that the walls of the ventilation shaft were causing interference all by themselves. Boosting the gain was not enough; Mario put himself as close to the grate to the room below as he could. There, he was able to discern Shirley's voice coming in over the squad channel. Herc moved beside Mario. There, he heard the transmission too.

"*static* ... ground team. CYGNUS One to ground team. Come in."

 

[Kaerri]

Apparently too much weird in one night could make you a little numb to that much more. Either that, or Elinor's mind had decided a full-sized (if armorless) Meltrandi in full-on combat mode didn't register on the weird scale at all, tonight. She rather hoped it was the second, or that the numb-to-the-weird had a reset button (after a good night's sleep, say). She didn't want to lose the wonder of all this along with the shock! And speaking of wonders, wasn't it something to see pretty-but-giant Iris land on her queen's arm? Elinor smiled, then listened in to the conversation, smile fading at the queen's challenge, which certainly dropped a wet blanket on any party mood anyone might have going. No joke to get challenged by someone like that, armored or no! She was certainly armed well enough!

Elinor nodded, agreeing with Mack that it was best to let their own Meltrandi (and part-Meltrandi) take the lead here. They sure didn't want this Queen Taniya deciding to take them on next! Better for everyone if they could get a truce going. Best of all would be to join forces, since it seemed they all had the same enemy anyway. Assuming Taniya just hated Zentraedi and not human males, that was, but Toph was already leading into that subject. Whether Taniya joined them or no, they had to make sure she didn't make things worse for their poor lost boys.

 

[Purr]

Wild Cards - T.A.S.C. Team

Taniya then raised her shimmering blade as if to pause their conversation as she walked upon the sprawled corpses of the Zeki-Zentraedi warriors all over the room. Black blast marks burned into the walls and ceiling, walls, and floor. No alarm sounded. No red beams of emergency lights flashed as Taniya's heels crunched against the faces of the dead in disdain as she strode casually over them.

"Twenty-nine... thirty... thirty-one... ah!" She kicked a decapitated helmeted across the floor as if it were trash. "Thirty-two...." The entire section of Zentraedi warriors were present - and destroyed.

"I am Neqel of the Lisara-Meltrandi, Queadluun-Rau pilot and Corporal in the Armies of the Southern Cross. And it's not your battlefield!"

War-Queen Taniya just about exploded with laughter again. "'Not my battlefield?' Ha haaaaa! Come and take it from me!"*

*

Spoiler: A blast from the past

Molon Labe = "Come and take" in Greek. In Taniya's previous Robotech game, this was her squadron's motto. That it becomes used so early in this conversation, in this game, is something else! Heh! =)

The War-Queen's vibrant burning blade vanished leaving only a black hilt in her hand. The Ura-Meltrandi stood plainly now, facing the Wild Cards and Neqel, one hand on her supple hips, that devilish grin upon her face. She seemed to be waiting for something.

As Toph and Neqel spoke, each of them noticed the instrumentation of the veritechs they were inside. Their electronic infrared sensors saw the cooling bodies, noted the blazing blast marks, and the absence of the fire in the curved two-handed sword in the Meltrandi's hand. When active, the flaming sword looked a lot like a burning Japanese No-daichi sword.

Spoiler: No-daichi

(Image credit: Le Japon .fr )

But their sensors and targeting electronics did not see the Ura-Meltrandi! Toph and Neqel could easily view the veteran with their own eyes as they looked out of their respective cockpits, but as far as their protoculture-driven aircraft were concerned, the War-Queen did not exist! If a fight broke out here, it seemed it would literally be their own skills against the Ura-Meltrandi without computerized guidance of any kind.

Mack and Elinor noted this a moment after. Mack turned to her missile cameras and tried for a lock only to discover even the missiles on her wings saw nothing to lock-on to.

Iris's chitinous frame and extremely low body heat helped shroud her insectoid frame from infrared making her very hard to detect, but the veritech sensors simply saw her floating in midair, resting upon something that did not exist.

"Heh, heh, heh! Now you see what these useless inferior males saw! They knew they were doomed to utter failure! As for you, 'Mistress' Neqel," she aimed her bloodstained finger at the Red Baroness, "we have met once before," Taniya briefly nuzzled Iris, "when Unit One brought your unconscious form to me. Tell me, Traverser, why do you stand with the likes of these when your place is among the stars? Do you lack sense of your own destiny?" She indicated Elinor and Shirley's Valkyries.

"As for you, half-thing," she spoke to Toph without deigning to face her. "Why stoop to chasing down piteous males? Have you failed to learn which army is the stronger of the two? Or need you more evidence than this?" With a wave of her arm, she displayed the small army of dead Zentraedi males all about the room. Each of them wore a look of anger or sheer horror frozen forever onto their still faces.

*​

Over the squad channel, the Wild Cards and Neqel could hear Mack repeating herself. "CYGNUS One to ground team. Do you read me?" Shirley could not help but spare Elinor a glance. Iris was the closest thing they had to an ally and here she was, totally in love with a queen that wasn't even her species! All this time, Shirley had thought of Iris's queen being a bigger version of Iris somehow. The Californian singer and surfer felt doubly-grateful for the Meltrandi presence in their own group and the lack of male Zentraedi among them.

This day was turning out to be exciting enough as it was!

 

[Epiphany]

"'Not my battlefield?' Ha haaaaa! Come and take it from me!"

Neqel didn't need a second invitation. She tabbed the fast-release for her flight harness, popped the canopy open and leaped out to perch in plain sight of the War-Queen. Despite the ridiculous size disparity, Neqel bared her teeth in a ferocious grimace and raised a fist towards the taunting Meltrandi warrior.

"Give me access to a Protoculture Chamber and a chance to Macronize and I'll accept your challenge! I don't need a machine to fight for me!"

Then the War Queen's subsequent words penetrated, resulting in a glance back at her new comrades. "Why do you call me Traverser? Unit One called us all Traversers but still has not explained what that means," she said, waving an hand in the direction of the insectoid female, grateful now that she hadn't grown attached given its obvious loyalties to this uncultured Meltrandi warrior. "And my destiny lies with them now. Their cause is my cause, their wars are my wars for my children are of them, just as Toph is."

"She, and they, are not 'half-things' but something greater than you or I or the Micronians alone. The best of both! Fight with us against the foul Zentraedi and see for yourself who these people are!"

 

[Sherwood]

Leaning up next to the air vent grate, Mario smiles. "Bingo! We are getting somewhere now." Once more on the radio, he replies, "This is Zuko! Your signal is coming in clear enough for me to read you. Can you hear me? We have had some trouble." Trouble. Heh. That's one way of putting it. I can still hear the last words from Booty as he launched his grenades into the belt, blowing himself and the Wargoths up. If I had only been a better shot . . . No, Mario. Don't do that to yourself. You can second guess all day long, but it won't bring that good man back from the dead. "We lost Cpl. Booty. I say again, we lost Booty. Herc and I are still uninjured, and we are still searching for the missing tanks. We have come across another person in here, a fellow in some kind of MDC armor with a nametag of Spaceman Sam on it. He hasn't said anything so far, but he's acting like a friendly, so we're sticking together for the moment." He pauses, thinking about what to say next. "One more thing. We have some evidence to suggest that we are inside a active Zentraedi warship of some kind. Command will need to be informed ASAP when we get out of here."

 

[Purr]

Wild Cards - T.A.S.C. Team

"Give me access to a Protoculture Chamber and a chance to Macronize and I'll accept your challenge! I don't need a machine to fight for me!"

Hearing this, the War-Queen threw back her head and laughed. There was the sound of rejoicing in it. "Behold! Here stands one of Lisara's warriors! Wrathful and true like Lisara the Destroyer herself! Are the humans with you truly worthy to fight beside you?"

"Why do you call me Traverser? Unit One called us all Traversers but still has not explained what that means," she said...

Taniya aimed a finger at Neqel's heart. "Because that is also what you are! How else can you communicate mind-to-mind with my precious Unit One without the aid of a telepathic transceiver?" Without taking her eyes off of the Wild Cards, Taniya turned her warrior's body in such a way that each of the ASC pilots could see a small and strange device mounted and cleverly-curved just behind the War-Queen's left ear.

The Meltrandi's voice slowed to a low growl. "Do you mean to tell me that none of you know the word? Can this truly be?"

"Know this, Earth-lovers! All that you have told Unit One is known to me. Including this new 'pet' name... Iriiiiisss." Taniya paused and turned toward the nuzzling insect on her left arm. Almost gently, she placed her forehead against Iris's own. Her voice was a purr. "Unit One? Does this human word have meaning to you? Do you care enough for it? Humans so love to name everything."

Unit One closed her eyes, sat with her head and antennae held high. She seemed to beam in delight. In your minds, the readable words came again. Indeed, Queen Taniya! Self sees this alternate designation as a trophy of sorts. In the short time This One has traveled with the Traversers, Self has enjoyed first-hand evidence - all of the tales you have told about Traversers hold true! They are like no other!

Consensus reached: We are enjoying their presence, especially that of Mistress Neqel. The name was created by her, a Meltrandi. This makes the 'name' doubly-meaningful. Request: Could Self be formally and permanently designated 'Iris'?

Taniya seemed to brood as she gazed and listened to the Scrath. "As you wish, my slayer. You may indeed bear the designation, Iris, as well as Unit One. You are the first of your species to carry this honor."

Iris bolted upright. With the greenest eyes you had ever seen her display, she happily flapped her pincers. Glee!!

"Congratulations, Earth-lovers," Taniya said to you. "You have infected my finest Hunter Killer with your precious 'culture.'"

"She, and they, are not 'half-things' but something greater than you or I or the Micronians alone. The best of both! Fight with us against the foul Zentraedi and see for yourself who these people are!"

"Or..." Taniya added, "it is the worst of both worlds..." Taniya stepped without hurry toward Toph and her Ajax. If Taniya was worried about the presence of a new human-made veritech, she certainly did not show it. Instead, her lava-red eyes leveled dangerously upon the half-Japanese, half-Meltrandi doctor and combat pilot with an unthreatened ease.

She watched Toph but she addressed the other Meltrandi. "So is this creature present because you have fallen in love with a human as Miriya Sterling did? Is this the result?"

Taniya leaned forward. She did not blink nor hesitate. Toph, Elinor, Neqel, and Shirley could easily see - Taniya's lust for destruction was clear upon her face. She stared at Toph as though she were a mouse. Or something less than a mouse.

She declared, "Let the half-thing show its teeth! Are you warrior or actress? Most of you humans died outright when Lord Dolza attacked your world. The First Robotech War was a war your species should not have won much less survived! So very few of you know what the way of the warrior means and fewer among you walk it. And here you stand before me requesting an alliance?"

Taniya's voice dropped to a whisper. "Little half-thing, I have battle trophies and scars older than your every human ancestor... I ally with no one save the fiercest... and I note now that you seem to lack a single kill marker on your vessel." Taniya stood close enough to Toph that the Wild Card could see what could only be called battle-madness stirring in the War-Queen's eyes.

"Think you and yours worthy to stand upon the battlefield with a War-Queen of the Ura-Meltrandi?! Speak! And let all here bear witness to the warrior in your heart or the coward in your soul... SPEAK!"

Taniya stood tall. She folded her arms and waited for Toph's reply while Iris watched in silence... and hope...

 

[Purr]

Wild Cards - A.T.A.C. Team

Leaning up next to the air vent grate, Mario smiles. "Bingo! We are getting somewhere now."

As Mario succeeded in finding a clear path to communication, Spaceman Sam knelt on the far side of the grate. His right arm seemed to grow as a mechanical barrel reappeared from his megasuit's oversized forearm. A moment later, a bright red flame erupted. With no enemies present, Sam was cutting again. He looked back and forth from his cutting job into the room below. He seemed ready to douse the cutting torch quickly.

MechaKitten scurried over to Mario's feet. He seemed to be trying to listen to the radio traffic. "Mew?" he meowed curiously. Hercules stood by, his weapon at the ready.

"We lost Cpl. Booty. I say again, we lost Booty. Herc and I are still uninjured, and we are still searching for the missing tanks. We have come across another person in here, a fellow in some kind of MDC armor with a nametag of Spaceman Sam on it. He hasn't said anything so far, but he's acting like a friendly, so we're sticking together for the moment."

Shirley breathed a sigh of relief as the rest of the women and Meltrandi in her squadron kept eyes on the War-Queen and Iris. "CYGNUS ONE copies, ground team! And, uh... about Cpl. Booty? Listen... We know. Don't go asking details, O.K.? Just... We know he's gone. It's part of the reason we came in here after you."

"Can you identify the armor the friendly is wearing? Any patches or insignias on him? And what the hell is he doing in here anyway? All by himself?" Shirley shook her head. When it came to technology, the mega-suits the Wild Cards and Neqel wore were as new as the Army of the Southern Cross. They had not been invented during the First Robotech War which meant no one in the Robotech Defense Force ever wore one until very recently. So who else on Earth had megasuits? The Scavengers? No way. E.B.S.I.S.? Surely the Russians across the pond hadn't somehow gotten ahold of some ASC suits and made their own or whatever. Reverse-engineering a technological marvel like this should take years. But if not E.B.S.I.S., then who?

Shirley tucked her curly black hair back inside her helmet and grinned, "So what's he look like? Is he cute?" This last was Shirley's attempt at lightening the mood. Things had been dark enough recently and she found herself fighting back against it any way she could.

"One more thing. We have some evidence to suggest that we are inside a active Zentraedi warship of some kind. Command will need to be informed ASAP when we get out of here."

"CYGNUS One copies all. That information is confirmed. We are in a starship. One of unknown origin and model. One of our new allies... again, don't ask; you'll find out when we pick you up... called this class of vessel an 'Assault Scout.' Command is aware, but we got cut off from the outside when we came in here after you - we can't talk to anyone but you now. We're here to get you out - the tanks are no longer my top priority - you are. Copy all that? And do you have any idea where you are in this giant blasted thing?"

 

[Sherwood]

Mario frowns at the comments made by Shirley. How can they know about Booty's death? And who is this mysterious ally? Worry about that later. We have much to do in the meantime. "Copy your last, Cygnus One. Let me give you a description of Sam's suit; maybe you'll have better luck identifying it than I have had." He tries to paint a in depth description of the suit for the lieutenant, working from helmet to boots. "While he has not said anything, he has shown some holographic images of a Tomahawk, as if to indicate that he was a mecha pilot of one of those Destroids." He pauses for a moment, then continues. "I am not sure what part of the ship we are in, other than to say we are currently hiding in an air shaft, next to a vent. Give me a moment and I'll set up a scrambled signal for you to try and home in on. While we wait, do you want us to hold position, or try to maneuver through the innards of this ship to rendezvous with you?"

 

[Psychie]

In a measured tone of voice, Toph says to Taniya, "The Zentraedi descended upon this world in such numbers that they were able to black out the sky, trying to capture the SDF-1 and destroy the handful of Lord Breetai's ships that Dolza had deemed to be 'corrupted' by exposure to our culture. Despite the fierce warrior spirit of the warriors in the massive battle fleet, the scattered remnants of humanity managed to slaughter the five million ships sent to wipe my homeworld out of existence. My mother was one of the few pilots that saw the true strength of humanity and decided that she would join willingly the mission to go forth to Tyrol. Zyorna is a proud Meltrandi, one of the ace pilots stationed on her ship. While she was not as famous as some, she still was a force to be feared on the battlefield. She has taught me that I should not only embrace my Meltrandi heritage, but reach for the strength of my human side too."

Toph pauses as she remembers her mother and the many lessons she imparted upon her as a young girl. "I represent a melding of two races; human and Meltrandi, and I have been trained by the same humans that defeated Dolza's fleet to be a fighter that is second to none. With all the strength of both humanity and Meltrandi flowing in my veins, you would do well to ally yourself with me, and be thankful for the chance to do so! The women and men of this squad have earned my respect, being the best, brightest and most noble of people I could ever hope to be associated with! What have you done? You've killed some Zentraedi. So what? Any fool can do that. Prove to me that you are worthy of being aligned with us or be off with you and stop wasting our time."

She adds as an afterthought, "And I don't need to brag about any kills that I have earned. My ego doesn't need to be stroked like that."

 

[Captain Hesperus]

The world was upside down and back to front. Less than a few hours ago, he had been sat laughing and eating delicious barbecued food with people who had gone from strangers to friends in less minutes than he had fingers. Corporal Booty is dead. Now he was like a rat running through the vents of a human habitat, fleeing from the inhabitants of this subterranean base. He died, right in front of me, and I could not do a thing to save him. ‘Spaceman Sam’ was busy with his cutting torch on yet another vent, trying to get the remaining Wild Cards back out so they could continue their mission. Reggie, I’m so sorry. I never wanted this to happen.

Hercules watched everything around him as if from the other side of a TV screen, a viewer of a show or action movie, involved but dispassionately so. His breathing came steadily from within his sealed helmet, his heart beat a smooth rhythm within his massive chest. He couldn’t bring himself to speak, to give vent to the simmering rage that bubbled within him. To do that would be to lose control, to do that would be to give up. Booty wouldn’t have wanted that.

 

[Purr]

Wild Cards - A.T.A.C. Team

"I am not sure what part of the ship we are in, other than to say we are currently hiding in an air shaft, next to a vent. Give me a moment and I'll set up a scrambled signal for you to try and home in on. While we wait, do you want us to hold position, or try to maneuver through the innards of this ship to rendezvous with you?"

Mario's military-provided education in communications told him a few things about this strategy.

Spoiler

1. It would have limited effect as the only radio he had was the one in his megasuit, and while the narrow band squad radio was good for about two and a half miles under normal conditions, it was barely enough to do the job and no substitute for a "real" radio.
2. Sending a scrambled signal was fine under quiet conditions, but this base, this starship, was on alert. The alarm klaxons had been going off ever since Cpl. Booty had fired his grenade launcher on his own munitions. Which meant...
3. ...Mario's tactic was sound unless someone was actively looking for signals like the one he meant to send. If that was going to take place, it would most likely happen now with the Zentraedi on alert and looking for someone to kill.

Mack replied, "Look, if you don't know where you are, then I have no idea how to find you. Can you... Huh! We just entered the vessel from a big-as-heck tunnel the Zentraedi were using and now we're in some kind of weapons bay near an airlock on the south side of the ship. You can't miss us; there are Zentraedi corpses all over the place..."

She thought a moment, then continued. "Ground team, can any of you guys read Zentraedi? Maybe you wanna try finding a computer console and get a map of this section of the ship and start heading to us?"

Suddenly, the corridor darkened. Sam looked up. He was already done with his cutting. He stood up beside a hole with a now-moveable section of the grate just large enough for Hercules to push aside and step through. The cutting torch retracted into his megasuit's forearm. Hands drooped at his sides, Sam gazed with what appeared to be calmness down to the room below. Of course, with the shiny helmet in the way, it was not easy at all to tell what he was truly expressing.

MechaKitten seemed to sense Hercules's unease. Herc looked down to see the little golden-eyed fellow peering up at him, his forepaws on Herc's shin, and his tail flitting about in desire for attention.

 

[Purr]

Wild Cards - T.A.S.C. Team

"With all the strength of both humanity and Meltrandi flowing in my veins, you would do well to ally yourself with me, and be thankful for the chance to do so! The women and men of this squad have earned my respect, being the best, brightest and most noble of people I could ever hope to be associated with! What have you done? You've killed some Zentraedi. So what? Any fool can do that. Prove to me that you are worthy of being aligned with us or be off with you and stop wasting our time."

She adds as an afterthought, "And I don't need to brag about any kills that I have earned. My ego doesn't need to be stroked like that."

In response, Taniya clapped.

Slowly.

"Spoken like a true novice... Not a single kill marker on your ship and I am to feel lucky to be in the same room with you? Stars! You arrogantly spout about what you think you are instead of your accomplishments - probably because you have none worth boasting about...

"Then you go on to belittle and accuse me of hubris for the glories I have earned? Oh, would that Lord Dolza were alive to see the likes of you - you must think he would have fled screaming in terror from your fine speech! Toph Kirin!" She raised one hand high. "The sole savior of Earth!" Taniya's maniacal laughter rocked the bloody halls while she glared at Toph as if to dare her to do something about it.

Hand on her hip, she turned to her fellow full-blooded Meltrandi. Neqel saw disdain in Taniya's expression. "This... is your idea of the 'best of both worlds'? This... dull... unbloodied... blade?"

She turned back to Toph, her flame-red eyes dancing with battle-lust, her cheshire grin widening - the expression of a veteran warrior who had just had a great idea. She gripped her sword handle and pointed her index finger straight at Toph. "Listen well, Dull Blade... I make females like your mother! Time to prove you are fit to live! You say 'any fool' can lay waste to an entire Zeki-Zentraedi cadre alone, do you? I have a challenge for you! Do you dare accept? Do you believe in your mother's blood or will you shame her memory by running away? Hmmmm?"

At that very moment, Mack, busied with her radio conversation with the Wild Cards' ground team, having finally found them, looked up to the situation around her. She did not like what she saw. Challenge? Just what is that crazy alien chick talking about?!

"Hey!" she shouted at Neqel. "Just who in the hell gave you permission to pop my canopy, huh? Get your ass back in here!" Sounding more surprised than angry, Shirley grabbed the Valkyrie's throttle and pushed it forward a notch. Without warning, the entire Red Baroness lurched with just enough forward momentum to send Neqel reeling backwards. Unlike a typical human, the Meltrandi possessed the grace not to fall flat on her tush. Still, she found herself tumbling into Mack's backseat while the protective canopy came down around them and sealed shut. "There. Now we're not wide-open any more."

(Game Master note for Sherwood Captain Hesperus . Please read the contents of this spoiler. =) )

Spoiler

Mario, Hercules, and now Spaceman Sam, can hear everything going on over the Wild Cards' squadron channel - including the conversation below.

Over the squad channel, Mack spoke softly between gritted teeth. Her tone was bewildered. "What does this crazy chick want? Is she willing to help us find Mario and Herc or-- " Then Shirley saw the Ura-Meltrandi's bloodthirsty grin and hostile, waiting eyes. That alone was enough to tell her something was up. Something serious.

Taniya taunted Toph. "Do you accept, Dull Blade?"

Shirley looked at her heads-up display that showed her Bruce Leeanne, Muppet, and Amherst's faces. Then she stared to the grinning, sweating Meltrandi who had just single-handedly slain over 30 troops by herself and looked like she was ready to slay 3,000 more. The giantess was standing aggressively before Muppet's Ajax awaiting some kind of reply. Shirley realized then she had been asking the wrong questions. She turned to her squadron in a cautious tone like a woman who had just been told she had to walk across a live minefield.

"Hold on... What did you guys just do?"