Parker was on the moon surface in less than a minute after the order was officially given. He spent a few seconds locating a suitable pile of debris then quickly moved to it.  "Echo 4 to Echo Lead, darned if I didn't forget a shopping cart today.  Silly me.  Anyway, do we got a place to stack my sweet loot?"  He asked as he crouched in battloid mode and began picking up different debris and loading it in the arms of his mecha.  The young pilot grabbed a chunk of flight console here, a leg thruster there, and part of the top mounted cannon that survived the blast among other things.

Cain watched the scopes and the Mark I eyeball out his canopy... finding nothing.  He heard Echo Lead give new objectives reassigning veritechs to recovery and high guard cover, but held position on the XO's flank; having been given no orders to break formation or 'directly' assigned to the lunar search & recovery operations.

Triggering his comm, "<TC> Echo 5 to Echo 2, Echo lead has retasked the squadron to search and recovery ma'am.  Are we holding position or joining the Op? Orders ma'am?"

At the same moment Cain started to ask his question, Hanako had shifted to Battloid mode and then Fighter mode again in order to do a hard turn and start heading back to the group in order to take part in the salvage operation.  "<TC>We're heading back, Echo Five.  Break formation upon return to the operation zone and start collecting anything that looks important," she said, her tone serious and professional.  If nobody else did it, she would start salvaging what was left of Echo Six's Veritech.  After all, they had limited parts, and every salvageable piece was necessary for continuing operations.

At least, that's what she told herself.

Vance shook his head at the question, but avoided a smart-aleck response.  "<TC>Ranger, can we get a pair of Spiderbugs dispatched to help with a salvage operation?  We've got some alien hardware...and what's left of one of our own."

The shot had gone right through Begay's cockpit...there would be no remains to take back.  But the cockpit had components that they could construct on Earth.  The crucial reflex reactor that powered the plane was hopefully still intact...without the facilities on the SDF-1, their capacity for constructing new Veritechs was extremely limited.  Rebuilding damaged ones...as long as certain key components were salvageable...was another story, altogether.

"Will that do for you, Harvey?" he asked in a tone that was somewhere between tired and amused.  "I mean, yeah, you'll have to juggle for a little bit...but we didn't exactly come out here expecting to salvage alien hardware, y'know?"

In reply to 2nd Lt. Hanako Moriya (msg # 79):

"<TC> QX, ma'am... breaking."

Cain pulled the "G" lever, shifting to Guardian-mode briefly to change direction, the 'leg' engines swung forward stopping his forward vector.  Then a quick pull of the "F" lever to change back to jet-mode and he was suddenly facing the opposite direction, though relative to the XO 'inverted'.  Full throttle sent him hurtling back toward the lunar surface.  Wings spread wide.. Cain spun the Veritech along its forward axis to right himself with the lunar surface so it was 'down' again.

As usual he came in hot for the deck, pulling the "G" lever again, the Veritech shifted to Guardian-mode as he leveled out near the surface.  Skimming the lunar surface at about 5'ft Cain went back to the spot the three alien craft revealed themselves... finding the plasma scorch... somewhat short of their position where his short-ranged plasma-missile munition had detonated her slowed the Veritech to a stop.

Cain was curious if there was some particular reason the Aliens had chosen THIS particular spot on the lunar surface to set up operations.  couldn't hurt to look at the very least, AND on a more personal level, he had always wanted to do this.. and figured this was his best chance.

Sealing his suit and helmet, he depressurized his cockpit and popped the canopy unstrapping to climb out of his veritech bowed low in Guardian-mode for easy exit to stand on the lunar surface.

"Finally, I actually did it mom.. I'm on another planet!"

Cain looked around at, likely the most mundane of desolate locales he'd ever visited.  He took some experimental steps and jumps to get a feel for the low gravity.  Picked up a couple of rocks for souvenirs for his little sister Sarah with a smile on his face as he thought of his very smart, and even more rebellious teenaged sister.  She was so eager to grow up and become a pilot like her 'big-brother'... he would have to make sure she got that chance... by protecting earth from the alien invaders!

The thought bringing him back to his task... Cain began to search around to see if the aliens had left any clues or trace of their operations here, likely not.. but might as well take at least a breif detailed look-see...
This message was last edited by the player at 15:11, Fri 19 June 2015.

In reply to Lt.Cdr. Vance Hardy (msg # 80):

"That'll do Top!  er, I mean yes sir."  Parker said happily.  His battloid looking like it was going to sink into the moon's surface it was carrying a giant heavy load.  The mecha even seemed to be as glad to set the items down as Parker was.  His view of the moon's surface was rather eerily peaceful after such a violent start to this day.

Then he spotted Cain taking a moonwalk.  Then a glint of something on the edge of his HUD was reflecting the sunlight.  It was small and Twenty-six meters away according to the rangefinder when Parker checked.

"Uh, Echo Four going in for a closer look.  Something shiny caught my eye."  A wicked grin spread on Parker's face as he switched to guardian mode and lowered the nose to the ground.  Sealing his own suit, he leapt from the cockpit.  The lighter gravity made such a reckless move possible without injury.  However the pilot did not count on bouncing.  He landed on his feet, then bounded up and came down on his back.  Parker made the most of the situation as he began to wave his arms and legs back and forth along the ground.  "Well that was graceful.  Look Moon angel!"

Parker however got to his feet when he was done screwing around and started looking around for that shiny thing...

It was only a matter of minutes before the salvage craft from the Ranger arrived in response to Hardy's summons.  The comm channels lit up briefly with laughter about the antics of the two Veritech pilots scurrying around on the surface, but they were silenced abruptly when Chief Bixby reminded them that this area had been occupied by enemy troops, and there was no way of being certain what might have been left behind...talking about pilots being out of their craft could invite any enemies they might not have discovered to come in shooting at unpiloted craft and unprotected pilots.

"Anyone shoots them, and we're going to have a long and earnest discussion about operational security.  And by 'discussion', I mean I'm going to be doing a lot of talking and you're going to be doing a lot of wishing my boot wasn't so far up your ass," he finished.  There were appropriately chastised acknowledgments, and the Spiderbugs got to work collecting the remains of the assorted mecha.

Once the salvage craft had arrived to deal with the remains of the Veritech, Hanako reluctantly pulled away from what she was doing and headed over to Vance's wing in order to help keep an eye on things.  With two pilots out of their spacecraft, someone needed to keep an eye on things topside just in case an enemy felt like being sneaky and trying to go for the exposed pilots.  And if there was anyone down there who was going to try fighting the pilots in hand to hand (and was small enough to do it in a fair fight), Hanako knew that, despite her training and skills, she wasn't the best choice for that sort of fighting.  Without enough gravity to assist her, she couldn't use her small build to move quickly and throw her opponents, nor use their weight against them as well as she could under normal conditions, so she decided to leave that up to the ones with stronger punches.

Vance watched the pair...Cain, very deliberate and determined, Parker much less so...and couldn't help but let a little bit of a grin sneak onto his face.  The contrasts between the two highlighted the variety of approaches that it would take to win this kind of fight.

If it can be won...he told himself.  He tried to avoid what others would call 'defeatist thinking'...but out of the entire squadron...out of nearly everyone on the Ranger, for that matter...he was one of the few who'd been in space when the entire alien fleet had been near Earth.  They'd been dealing with stragglers, a few at a time, and it was taking a heavy toll on them.  If the aliens ever came back, in force...

Well, then, I guess we go down swinging, he told himself.  Once again, he thought of his family, down on the surface, maintaining a ranch that he'd been expected to take over, before he signed on for military service.  And, not for the last time, he wondered if he'd ever see them again.

To break his somber mood, he flipped his comm over to a private channel, signalling to Hanako.  "<TC>How long should we let them run around down there before we drag 'em back home?" he asked, amusement creeping into his tone.

Not expecting the question, Hanako remains silent for several seconds before she finally replies along the same private channel, "<TC>Uh... well, sir, we let them continue until the Chief says to come back, I suppose."  She wonders if she should have made the comment about coming back for snacks, but she never could bring herself to crack jokes while on a mission.  "<TC>Or we see something strange, like moon rabbits.  Maybe we will finally find them making mochi on one of these moons."

Cain walked around the area the alien mecha had sprung their surprise attack from... but didn't find anything to indicate this spot of dirt on the desolate moon was any different or special than any other.  He had hoped to find..something.. anything!

Sighing he kicking a mound of lunar dirt in frustration.

Triggering his helmet comm which was too short range to pick up any real transmissions from the Veritech Squadron to the repeater in his veritech, "<TC> Echo 5 reporting. No joy Chief Bixby.  There is nothing the aliens left behind at their ambush point... guess they just choose this spot at random, returning to my Veritech.  Feeling more than a little exposed out here.  Returning to the wreckage recovery team."

Cain moved as quickly as was safe back to his Veritech's cockpit only a short climb up the extended foot ladder at the side~ likely unnecessary as a short hop in the reduced gravity would have been sufficient to grab the lip and get inside... but Cain was, if anything, methodical.

Cain wasted no time... sealing his cockpit to repressurize the armored pilots' compartment... before worrying over buckling his seat harness.  Bringing his systems back on-line the comm chatter hit him as he replayed the last few minutes... while the Veritech's engine spun up.  He grimaced, cheeks flushing in a bit of embarrassment and frustration at the Chief's chastisement... especially cause he knew the Chief was right.  Cain had taken a risk... hoping he might either find something useful.. or at least inspired anymore lurking alines to reveal themselves.  A gamble.. with his life as the pot.  He had not expected anyone else to follow his lead...  in something so reckless.  He sighed.

The words of Colonol Emerson from flight school coming back to him...
'Cain, you are one of the most talented pilots I've ever seen, a Natural, but your reckless!  When the other trainees see you do the crazy amazing things you can pull off.. some are dumb enough to try it too.. and most of them DON'T have what you've got...natural raw talent!  You got to set the example, THAT'S why I come down on you so hard!  STOP competing with your hated father, you don't have anything to prove... Captain 'Asshole' Edwards is not here... don't you become him instead!'

"Gotta go sometime I guess... as long as I take some of the alien bastards with me... seems a fair trade!  And the view was spectacular...", he patted the suit pockets of his flightsuit that contained the few bits of lunar ore for his sister and smiled, but knew he was just justifying the Colonol's words.

As soon as his engines were warmed up.. The Veritech moved off in Guardian-mode vectoring toward the salvage craft...

"<TC> Echo 5, back in flight. Echo 4 get your 'can' back in  your Veritech! Chief's right... this ain't no sight-seeing trip!  There are a myriad of things that can go wrong out here.  I'm vectoring toward the Slavage craft but I'll wait for you providing cover."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:07, Tue 23 June 2015.

The salvage proceeded apace, and in short order, the whole flight was back aboard the Ranger.  The mood, when they landed, was subdued...it seemed that the loss of Lt. Begay highlighted to everyone the fact that they could, in fact, die at any time, and that the lengthening respite from alien incursions was no permanent, unlike many had hoped to be the case.

When he landed, Bixby yanked all the ejectable drives from his machine and headed for the tech lab, trying to boil all the accumulated data in some kind of useful information.  The mechanics quickly sorted out the remains of Echo Six and began working on repairs for the sundered cockpit...no one would be flying it for a while, but the plane could be put back in service and the slowly dwindling supply of Veritechs made salvaging each one an imperative.

Word circulated quickly through the ground crews, as the pilots were de-planing...Captain Wilson wanted to see the squadron in the ready room as soon as they were all out.

The moment she was landed and allowed to disembark from her craft, Hanako did so, waiting until her feet were off the ladder before she pulled off her helmet and shook her hair out.  While the ship was also using recycled air, it was still less stale than that of her suit, which meant it generally tasted better to her.  It wasn't quite like the air on Earth, but it was the next best thing.

She waited until the rest of the squadron had landed before she started making her way to the debriefing room, her helmet still held in her arms.  She couldn't quite fit it under one arm, so she generally ended up carrying it in front of her like she was holding a big bowl.  If the general mood wasn't so somber, and her own face wasn't so forcefully serious, it might have actually been a bit endearing.

Cain landed his Veritech on the flight deck... his somber mood not the only one in the returning pilots, but his was tinged with a bitter anger at the lack of satisfaction... returning with ordinance unspent always brought him in a combat op.

Cain had barely knew Lt. Bejay, but he has been one of "ours".. and Cain did not let Anyone take from him what was his... at least the enemy paid triple in their loss, but it was a empty victory considering their numbers and their cowardly suicide.  Cain was certain human lives were ten times more important that the unprovoked blind-agression of the alien lives!

Before leaving the flight deck he went to his pilot's footlocker and pulled his makeshift paper stencil of the enemy battlepods silhouette and his red spray-paint can and placed one kill marker on the side of his Veritech under his cockpit's canopy lip.

The techs might remove the kill marker.. but the gesture made him feel better to let them know.. HE at least was keeping score and would make sure the enemy paid dearly!

Leaving the Deck he slipped his helmet's chin-guard over his elbow and wore the helmet on the crook of his elbow as he strode for the Briefing room.  Straitening his arm held the helmet on his elbow unable to slide down from the chin-piece tension.

Seeing 2nd Lt. Hanako, Cain slowed his stride to match hers only slightly behind her letting her take the lead.. but said nothing, letting his obvious presence speak of his support.  He was tall compared to the petite XO his mop of cornstalk-colored hair an unruly mess {as usual} but he certainly cut a grim serious 'shadow' beside the almost comically opposite endearing Asian woman clutching her helmet.  His expression was one of grim determination and frustration, but clearly not directed at the XO as he respectfully paced her to the Briefing room in a fierce silence.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:24, Wed 01 July 2015.

Vance climbed out of his plane, somber enough that he barely noted that his crew chief didn't give him the traditional ribbing about bringing the plane back in one piece...Sarge was as somber as everyone else, it seemed, though whether that was out of respect for the loss within the squadron or due to some other aspect of the day's events, only Sarge knew.

He nodded wordlessly when he got the news that the Captain wanted to meet with them, and set off.  Unlike many others, he carried his helmet at his side, gripping it by the bottom edge, in a casual hold...the rhythm of it brushing against his thigh as he walked was somehow easing to his mind, giving him something to focus on in place of the chaotic mass of thoughts that chased each other around in his brain.

He snapped to attention when he arrived, saluting Captain Wilson.  "Echo Squadron reporting in as ordered, Sir," he said.  "The rest of the squadron will be here in short order, Captain...just getting their planes squared away."

Parker stopped screwing around and searched just for a minute before finding the shiny thing he has seen from his veritech cockpit.  Unfortunately he had lost track of it's location when he took his tumble.  After the top officers began to berate him--and Cain he noticed too--he finally begrudgingly abandoned his search and finished the rest of the mission in his cockpit.

LATER

Parker landed his fighter and exited the ship.  He was still covered in moon dust as he made his way to the briefing.  The young man didn't care about his appearance right now.  He took off his helmet and hooked the thing to his belt like it was a large tumor growing off his left side as he joined the others.  The short red haired young man was bummed about not only the loss of the shiny thing he spotted, but also the dead pilot.  This didn't last too long as he stood with his teammates.  He just looked bored after that.

Parker was not one who allowed himself to dwell on the negative if he could help it.  He preferred coming up with distractions for himself.  Which is probably why he was usually in a chipper mood even if the crap hit the fan.  Many probably thought he was just being his normal ADHD self.  Parker of course knew the seriousness of the situation.  It was his way of dealing with the reality of being a combat pilot in this war though.  When he was alone--or at least he thought he was alone, that is when he allowed his real feelings to come out.  Parker was not fond of showing sadness in front of others.  It was probably a macho thing in reality.

Captain Wilson nodded to Hardy as he reported in, and watched and kept count as the rest of the squadron came in.  As the last pilot entered the room, he nodded to himself.  "Sit down, everyone."

As they found seats, he put his hands behind his back, his face pensive.  Once they were down, he turned to them all again.  "I don't know if word made it out to you," he began, and his face was an odd mixture of somber and...anticipation?

"Upon your engagement with the enemy units on the lunar surface, the scrambling effect that's been troubling our communications with the outbound mission cleared up.  Chief Bixby is no doubt trying to puzzle through that correlation, right now...but I thought you should hear what came through in the clear."

He pressed 'play' on a remote on the desk in front of him, and an audio feed playback began.  Initially, the words were fuzzed beyond comprehension...but they cleared up in short order.

"...readings from Saturn orbit.  We are not close enough to identify what these readings are, specifically...and, additionally, it appears as though there may be some enemy vessels between our current position and the planet, and their equipment is interfering with our sensors," it played, in Lt. Cdr. Ritter's voice.

"Whatever it was, there was at least one massive energy burst of some sort that was visible to the naked eye, briefly...whether it was some kind of energy flare from the planet, or..."  The shrug that accompanied the pause could almost be heard.  "It may have been one of the enemy ships, or...well...we have no way of knowing, really, what it was.  We're keeping our equipment focused on that area to see if some kind of energy signature becomes recognizable, but...they're out here.  The aliens.  They don't seem to have noticed us, but we keep picking up traces of fold operations, further out in the Solar System, and the ion trails we've been able to isolate have all been matches for the alien drive systems that we've encountered.  Whatever they're doing out there, it seems to be demanding their full attention."

There was a sigh, and then Ritter resumed, "Given their level of activity, I want to keep these reports as brief as possible, to avoid drawing their attention.  We still haven't isolated the comm bug on our end, so I hope you've been able to do something about it.  I don't even know, for certain, if you'll be able to understand any of this.  But I can't escape the impression that it's significant.  Hopefully, by tomorrow, I'll have details to report."

It went silent for a moment, and Captain Wilson looked over the group.  "With the exception of Chief Bixby, you're my best and brightest minds out here.  What do you make of this?"

Cain spoke up, "Well sir, I know what op reports said about the initial contact.  That the SDF-1 main gun fired at two objects approaching in low earth orbit totally destroying them, before Macross Isle was attacked by the alien battlepods in a swarm. I've heard rumors that some malfunction happened with the SDF-1's gravity lifters when it attempted to take off.  Then shortly latter it performed what can only be a spacefold taking most of Macross Isle with it... along with the UN Spacey's taskforce wet navy ships 'Daedalus', and 'Prometheus'.  And... THE Henry Gloval, of the Global Civil war fame was in command of the SDF-1."

He shrugs, "...I think if anyone could see the SDF-1 through a crazy thing like a spacefold still in the gravity well of the planet... Captain Gloval could do it.  And if he survived... he's likely still fighting the aliens!"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:11, Tue 04 Aug 2015.

Vance listened to Cain's interpretation, his lips pursed in a thoughtful frown.  "Impossible to give you any sort of definite answer with the information at hand.  Saturn isn't known for flare activity, so that's unlikely, but not impossible...especially if the right chunk of debris hit the atmosphere.  It could have been a ship firing a large weapon...or a ship blowing up.  Without more information on the energy signature, it's impossible to know which one it might be...and whether it was the SDF-1 or one of the alien ships.  If it was an alien ship, we still don't necessarily know if it was destroyed...or by whom.  Much as it would relieve my worries to have the SDF-1 confirmed active, we just don't have the information necessary to make that assumption, Sir."

He gave a curt nod of his head and added, "With that in mind, Sir, we should see what kind of information we can confirm.  If it was an alien ship that was destroyed, causing the flare, then we need to know what destroyed it.  If it was one of their own ships firing on it, it could be some kind of mutiny or civil war breaking out, and if they get started fighting each other, maybe they'll leave us alone.  If it wasn't one of their ships that destroyed it, that means there's someone else with that kind of firepower out there...and we have no way of knowing if they're friend or foe.  Guarded optimism, Sir, is what I think we need."

Hanako nods in agreement with Vance as she says, "Indeed.  Better to be prepared for a hard fight and find none than to go out expecting a miracle and be let down."  Potentially no-one in the room desired the SDF-1 to be what is out there more than Hanako, as that meant the possibility that her family was still alive and on the ship, but she had forced herself to mourn them through her work, and allowing herself to get her hopes up only to have them dashed was something she wouldn't be able to handle.

"Energy flare?  Uh, Yeah... It's totally a ship firing their main gun."  Parker said with confidence in his voice.  Actually it probably came across like he was cocky and dismissive of any other evidence that might contradict this, not that he noticed.  "I saw the released footage of that day on macross like everyone else.  If you could see that flare from here with just mark one eyeball, it totally had to be that.  Uh hell I hope it is the SDF-1 blasting some aliens a new aft exhaust."  Parker grinned widely and let out a little cough as some of the moon dust covering him seemed to kick up from the air circulators.

Captain Wilson nodded, his face a mask of concentration for a moment.  "It would be good news, indeed, if that turned out to be the SDF-1.  I'm not sure how much faith I dare put in that, however, seeing as Captain Gloval was essentially chased away from Earth by the sheer volume of alien firepower coming at his ship.  If he wasn't safe to stay here, I can't imagine he's much safer out there."

He sighed, and rubbed at the bridge of his nose for a moment, a pained expression on his face.  "We'll just have to wait and see what further information Commander Ritter can send back to us, as he gets closer."  He looked at Vance.

"I'm going to hope your hypothetical mutiny is the cause of what we saw, Lieutenant Commander.  If it was the main guns of the SDF-1 firing, I can only imagine it will increase the aliens' desire to destroy it...and, frankly, having been in space to see the size of their fleet, I don't see how one ship, no matter how heavy its main guns may be, could withstand the onslaught if they attacked in force.  And if it's not us, and it's not them...that means there's someone else out there, with just as much or more firepower than the aliens...and we have no idea who they may be or what they may want."

He sighed and shook his head again.  "I'm giving Chief Bixby a couple of days to process everything he collected from your squadron's combined sensors and the Two-Ex...in the meantime, take a break.  Lieutenant Khan can cover the routine patrols with her squadron for a day or two.  You've all earned a break."  The sad tone in his voice made it clear, he was referring to the loss of Begay.

"See you here, in forty-eight hours.  Dismissed."

Cain shrugged at the dismissal, stood and gave a crisp salute to Captain Wilson, and gathering his flight helmet moved to leave the briefing room.  His expression was one of agitated weariness... like an athlete whose game had been delayed a third or fourth time due to weather.  Cain was ready to start dealing back some pain to the enemy... all this 'hurry up and wait...', was getting on his nerves.

He left the mission planning section of the ship heading for his bunk to briefly gather his sketch pad and pencils... to make his way down to medical.  He still carried his helmet on his elbow and was clad in his flightsuit, perhaps an unconscious means of remaining ready at any moment to hop back into readiness.

He'd briefly read the waiting text message when he'd gotten to his bunk on his PDA from medical about his step-sister Nina, 'Patient remains in a stable, but persistently unresponsive coma'.

He still had mixed feelings about her... she was another child of his father who he'd never even met before... but she was also a pilot, like Cain himself.  Guess something of their father was in her as well... part of him wanted to know how she dealt with the depredations of their father, did Edwards even know she existed, did she know a side of him Cain did not know?  Did she also have good reason to hate Edwards as much as Cain did?  All questions .. he could get no answer too because she was seriously injured...in fact her injury was chief cause to his transfer to the ARMD Space Carrier!

Cain found his way to her room the nurses and doctors some smiling some shaking heads in pity at his familiar presence for he visited 2nd Lieut. Nina Petrovic quite often, despite her unresponsive state.

He sat down in the chair in her room next to her bead and looked her over.  The young woman had intravenous cables feeding her nourishment and fluids while others monitored her vitals. Her expression was always serene, her sharp features calm in repose her soft darker blonde hair tied back from her face by the nurses who regularly moved her to keep her from developing bed sores.

Cain grimaced, and pulled a stray strand of hair from her face.  He did not know this woman and yet she was blood... at least of his father.  Yet he cared for her angry she remain comatose wanting to make a connection to one of his father's strays who had come so far.  She was family... broken family~ and all that entailed, but family nonetheless.

His shoulders slumped and he sat back... finally pulling out his sketch padd he got to work...

Cain sketched a lunar surface with the earth detained above... to one side a guardian mode veritech parked on the surface and clearly a VF pilot in flightsuit and helmet seen from behind, identity unseen, staring up at the grandeur.
But between the lunar surface and the earth was the softly penciled image of Nina lying in repose in her medical bed.. almost dreamlike her position one not entirely out of place as if thoughts of her were also on the lunar pilot's mind...

Cain set his sketch padd aside at the foot of Nina's bed, leaning over to take her hand and squeeze it he whispered, "..please wake up Nina..."

The nurses find him asleep head resting on the the side of her bed his hand, still holding Nina's...
This message was last edited by the player at 13:15, Tue 11 Aug 2015.

The schedule resumed, as expected...until just a couple of hours before the squadron was expected to report to meet with the Captain again. A ship-wide message came across the ship's PA, and for those who were off the ship at the time, on either their personal comms or in their planes.

An audibly shaken Captain Wilson spoke.  "Attention, all personnel.  We just picked up the following transmission, on one of the open comm channels commonly used by Resistance members."

The audio shifted.  Bursts of static cut in, at times obscuring what was being said, and the sound of klaxons rang in the background.  "Io Base has fallen.  It wasn't the UEDF...I don't know what these things are.  There are...I don't know how many.  We thought they might just pass us by if we stayed quiet, but...*static*...wrong.  *static*...beyond outgunned.  And they're coming your way."  There was another big burst of static, which cleared just in time for the sounds of explosions to carry along.  The voice resumed, with a rising note of desperation, "It's too late...*static*...up arms to protect our planet.  We can't afford to split our strength now.  But it may not make any difference."

Another, louder explosion sounded, and cries of injured personnel could be heard.  "We were wrong.  God forgive us...we were wrong."  A loud noise that could have been an explosion started, and the signal dissolved into static.

Wilson's voice came back on the comm system.  "We are analyzing the signal to verify its authenticity, and trying to corroborate any information with Commander Ritter's expeditionary team.  Thus far, we've had no contact with the Commander.  While this is not necessarily unexpected with the Harry Truman in such proximity to the Asteroid Belt and the amount of debris that could be obscuring signals, it's alarming in light of what they could be flying into if this message is on the level.  Long story short, we are resuming standard battle operations.  The Ranger will be setting course for Mars orbit at best possible speed within the hour, to improve our chances of regaining contact with the Truman."

There was a pause, and then Wilson added, with a grim tone, "I hope you've all enjoyed the reprieve.  It sounds like the war may be coming back to Earth.

In reply to Donovan Wilson (msg # 100):

Cain was on one of the many extra patrols he'd volunteered for... he just felt more 'at-home' in the cockpit of a Veritech... and in truth he was itching to be doing something useful.. namely.. spoiling for a fight, with the alien invaders.

The routine 'hurry up and wait', climate was getting on his nerves... he wanted to stay sharp and simulators could only take one so far... real in-cockpit flight time in Zero-G was the best training.  He spent much of his patrols shifting from Jet to Guardian to Battloid mode shifting position to cover a 3D imagined attack pattern from various vector to increase how quickly he could react to the sudden appearance of foes from three of four different directions at once... drilling and drilling until the practice became second thought.

When the Captain's all-personel message came through, Cain was just returning to Jet mode on the final leg of his 1 hour patrol, having successfully reacted to a 3-vector simulation attack in 10.6 seconds... still too slow by his standards...he wanted to shave at least a couple of seconds off his targeting time.

Listening to the Captain's words and the partially garbled recorded message... Cain scowled.

{So the Alien bastards were finally coming back to Earth... it had to happen eventually...!}

"About God Damned time... my kill markers are getting lonely!"

When the all-flights return call came over his comm cancelling all patrols and calling all planes back to the RANGER, Cain smiled and pushed the drives to 110% tearing back across space... eager to get back to the war...