Miriya, back in her battloid, pushed the trolley through the deserted ship.

Sammie's voice was beginning to sound strained, but that didn't stop her. "You know, when I became an officer in the Robotech Defense Force, I told people, 'One day, I'll get lost in deep space, and I'll be pushed around a giant alien battleship on a cart by a defector from an alien civilization in a shape-changing fighter plane.' But my astrogation instructor just didn't believe me. If only he could see me now!"

"You're only thinking about your astrogation instructor because you had a crush on him," Vanessa said.

"Yeah!" Sammie said dreamily. "Because he was so cute!"

"Because he was male and breathing," Kim said.

Sammie scowled at her.

"Sammie, rest your voice," Lisa said. "You used it all up screaming at the Zentraedi, and you sound like a frog."

"She screamed at Azonia?" Miriya asked.

"You should have heard her!" Max said. "If Sammie's voice was a weapon, we would have won the whole war!"

"My voice isn't a weapon," Sammie said. "That's Minmei you're thinking of."

Minmei was melancholy. "I never wanted my voice to be a weapon," she said softly.

"Oh, I know you didn't," Sammie said sympathetically. "I didn't mean it like that."

Minmei gave her a little smile to show she understood.

Lisa pointed at Sammie. "You. Silent. Now."

Sammie almost said, "Yes, ma'am," but realized that would violate the order, so she settled for saluting.

Kim and Vanessa grinned at each other. "Oh, glory hallelujah!" Kim said. "Commander Hayes, can you please make that order permanent?"

Sammie folded her arms and scowled at them both.

"Sorry, ladies," Lisa said, smiling. "I'm afraid not."

Sammie gave them a triumphant smile.

"Minmei, how are you holding up?" Rick asked.

Minmei gave a brave smile. "I'll be all right. Don't you worry about me!"

"Miriya, is your fighter fully functional?" Lisa asked.

"Yes."

"Good. We'll be depending on you and it almost exclusively. What armaments do you have?"

"Twenty-eight missiles, cannon charge at 86 percent."

"Are we absolutely sure there are no enemy combatants left on board?" Rick asked.

"If there were, they would have attacked us by now," Miriya said. "I broadcast my message throughout the entire ship. And after a Zeta 37 alarm, I would be beyond shocked if any of the crew were still aboard, even by accident."

"What about your veritechs?" Lisa asked Max and Rick. "Are they salvageable?"

"They lost power when we were hit with energy bursts," Max said. "But we might be able to get them running again."

"You ejected," Kim said. "Doesn't that mean the cockpits are no longer useable?"

"The fighters simply eject the seats," Rick said. "And the seats can be reattached. I think."

They reached the end of the corridor. To the left and to the right were open doorways. A third open doorway was straight ahead, through which they could see control consoles.

Once again, Miriya switched to Guardian, lowered the cockpit to the trolley, and hopped out. It was easier to speak with everyone that way.

"This is the command deck," Miriya said, indicating the room in front of them. "On the left is Azonia's quarters, on the right is Azonia's day cabin. Whatever we're going to do, we'll be doing it here."

"Are there any shower or bathroom facilities on board for people of our size?" Lisa asked.

"I'm afraid not, Commander."

"All right, here's what we'll do," Lisa said. "Miriya, I've noticed that some Zentraedi officers wear long, thick overcoats. Can you procure one?"

"Yes."

"Do so, and lay it down lengthwise on the floor in Azonia's quarters, near the door. We'll use the folds of the heavy cloth for a latrine. We'll set up camp in her day cabin, and we'll use her quarters to dump any waste we generate. Does anyone have any questions or concerns about that?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"All right. Miriya, we'll also need some cloth cut into human-size towels and rags for general purposes, such as washing. And we'll need cloth cut into human-size blankets for bedding."

"Not a problem," Miriya said.

"What should we do about water?" Lisa asked. "Any suggestions?"

Miriya said, "The best thing I can think to do is put water into the smallest bowls I can find, set them on the floor in the day cabin, and lay down objects next to the bowls so we can climb up to get the water. We would need several bowls, and I would need to refill them regularly to keep them sanitary. We should designate one for drinking only."

"Very well," Lisa said. "Unless anyone has a brighter idea, that's what we'll do. If I've done my math right, the emergency rations from three veritechs will feed the eight of us for about three days. Miriya, would it be safe for us to eat Zentraedi food?"

"I have no idea. I don't think you should risk it, but if we're stuck here for a long time, you eventually might not have any choice. I'll eat Zentraedi food instead of using the rations. That will allow the rations to last a bit longer among the rest of you."

Sammie stuck her hand in the air.

Lisa sighed. "Sammie, I only gave you that order to save your voice. If you have something to say that's not frivolous, by all means, say it."

"If the Zentraedi can make themselves as small as humans, why can't we make ourselves as large as Zentraedi?" Sammie asked.

Everyone stared at her.

"Make her stop talking again," Vanessa said.

"You outrank her," Kim said. "You could make her stop talking."

Vanessa's face lit up. "Hey! That's right!"

"I'm being serious!" Sammie said. "If we were giant size, all these logistical problems go away!"

"Yes, it is a serious and ingenious suggestion, Sammie, and I thank you for it," Lisa said. "But I highly doubt it's possible."

"I also doubt it's possible," Miriya agreed. "Our genetic makeup is similar, but not identical. For example, I can survive unprotected in open space, whereas you cannot. My race was artificially constructed by the Robotech Masters, and we were specifically designed to be resizable."

"Besides, if we made ourselves giants, our food intake would skyrocket," Max said. "We'd have to start eating Zentraedi food immediately."

"All right, here's the plan," Lisa said. "The most important thing is this: I want the eight of us to stick together as much as possible. At the very least, be within shouting distance of at least one other person at all times, unless my orders dictate otherwise. Don't wander off. This area we're standing in will be our base of operations and our community while we're on board this ship.

"I want us to adhere to a strict and shared schedule, and continue a normal human cycle of day and night as if we were aboard the SDF-1. Doing anything else would lead to confusion, disorder, and fatigue. We'll all go to bed at 2200 and get up at 0600, at which point we'll eat breakfast. Lunch will be at noon, dinner at 1800. We'll eat our meals together so we can track our rations exactly. We'll sleep in a group and post guards during the night, just in case. Vanessa, create a night watch schedule."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Miriya, once you have retrieved the cloth and water we need, take Rick and Max to their veritechs and assess their damage. If they can be repaired quickly, do so, and bring them back here. If they can't be repaired at all, salvage any missiles and supplies you can and destroy the veritechs. If they can be repaired but it will take a long time, bring the veritechs here and station them in the corridor; then Rick and Max can work on them without being separated from the rest of us."

"Understood," Miriya said.

"Why not station the veritechs inside the day cabin?" Kim asked. "If we're attacked, the lieutenants could then just jump into their fighters and be ready to go immediately."

"Once the veritechs are operational, we will station them in the day cabin," Lisa agreed. "But if they need to be repaired, I want them in the corridor in case Rick and Max need to continue repairing them while the rest of us sleep."

Kim nodded.

Lisa continued. "Once we get the veritechs sorted out, Miriya, Kim, Vanessa, Sammie, and I will spend every waking moment figuring out how to perform a space fold back home. Miriya, this means you might be pulling double duty. We'll need you and your veritech on the command deck to translate for us and to operate any controls, yet Rick and Max might need your veritech to help them repair their veritechs. You might be moving constantly back and forth between them and us, as needed."

"As well as keeping our water fresh," Miriya said with a smile. "I can do all that."

"Wonderful. Also, once we're on the floor, park this trolley somewhere close by in case we need it again. Does anyone have any questions?"

"Is there anything you want me to do?" Minmei asked.

Lisa blinked at her. "No, Minmei, nothing I can think of."

"Well, I'll do whatever you need," Minmei said. "Night watch, retrieving food, passing wrenches, making notes. You name it, if you need it done, tell me, and I'll do it."

Lisa smiled at her. "Thank you very much. I'm sure we'll all be very busy. Does anyone else have any questions?"

No one said anything.

"All right. Before we begin, I just want to say something to all of you. Each of you has performed splendidly, and you are a credit to your service and to the SDF-1. None of you panicked. Minmei, you kept your composure and secretly made that recording, which led to our rescue. We're alive because of your quick thinking. I can never thank you enough for that."

Minmei blushed. "Well, I'm alive because of everything all of you in the army do to protect me every day. So the feeling's mutual."

Lisa nodded. "And Kim, Vanessa, and Sammie, you performed admirably, in a very difficult situation which you were never trained to deal with. Rick, Max, and Miriya, you came after us alone, and attacked this ship against incredible odds, and pulled off a miracle. Miriya, you, in particular, are a godsend. You singlehandedly rescued the rest of us, and we would be completely lost without you and your knowledge.

"I appreciate each and every one of you, and if I had to be stranded in deep space with anyone, I'm glad it's you."

They were all smiling at her.

"Now, let's get moving," Lisa said.

Sammie held up a finger. "I vote we lay down that latrine, first."

"Seconded," Vanessa said.

"I'm on it," Miriya said.

 

Lisa chose a spot beneath Azonia's desk to be their campsite. Miriya, back in her veritech, set three bowls of water, each ten feet high, on the floor nearby, then dumped a load of miscellaneous objects on the floor. While the others began arranging these objects to form staircases so they could reach the water, Miriya ripped an officer's overcoat to shreds, providing the group with far more rags, towels, and blankets than they would probably ever need.

Then Miriya lifted Rick and Max onto the trolley and the three pilots went to assess the damaged veritechs and to retrieve their emergency rations. While they were gone, the others finished building the staircases, then arranged eight piles of cloth in a circle, each pile of cloth forming a crude bed. Since they had so much cloth and could afford to pile it on, each bed was actually very deep and soft.

The pilots returned just as they finished. Lisa was disappointed, but unsurprised, to see only one battloid returning instead of three. Miriya set Rick and Max on the floor. Each carried a box of emergency supplies.

"Our veritechs are still in the landing bay," Max said. "We figured out how to replace the seats. The electrical systems can be repaired, but it won't be easy. Miriya will have to move them here."

As he spoke, Miriya – still in her battloid – carefully laid a Zentraedi uniform shirt on the floor near the wall, laid a white bar about twenty feet long on top of it, then began grinding the bar into tiny pieces.

"What's she doing?" Lisa asked.

"That bar is Zentraedi food," Max said. "She's says it's some kind of tasteless nutrition bar. She's grinding it into crumbs so she can eat it."

"How long will the repairs take?" Lisa asked.

"About 20 man-hours for each veritech," Rick said. "Some of the circuit boards are burned out, but we can't tell which ones. And they're all buried deep, so we have to pull out some other stuff to get to them. We each have some spare circuit boards, but we won't know if they work until we plug them in because the energy bursts may have fried them, too. And even if they work, we might not have enough."

"I understand," Lisa said. "We'll just hope for the best. For now, let's eat our first dinner."

 

When Lisa divided the rations by meal and by person, she found they had food for almost five days. They had no human-sized cups, so they had to cup their hands and drink directly from the bowl.

"If anyone has any diseases, now's the time to share," Vanessa said as they took turns drinking. Max got a chuckle out of that.

"The veritechs have medical kits, right?" Sammie asked. By now, her voice was very hoarse.

"Yeah, we brought them," Rick said. "They include some wide-body antibiotics."

Each person chose a bed and sat down to eat. Minmei chose a bed next to Rick. As he sat down, she said, "Plane rations again, huh? Think we can find a tuna floating in space?"

Rick laughed, and the others gave them odd looks.

"What's that about?" Kim asked.

So Minmei and Rick filled the time by telling the others about the two weeks they'd spent trapped deep inside the SDF-1. They laughed as they recounted their attempt to bring in a giant frozen tuna. The story was hugely entertaining.

As Lisa observed the easy camaraderie between Rick and Minmei, and heard them talk about all that time they had spent alone together, she grew increasingly jealous. She tried to snap herself out of it. Come on! she thought. You've got more important things to worry about! But the jealousy refused to die.

In completing their tale, Rick and Minmei told the others how they had felt they were going to die, but they had made it through because of a miracle. The story lifted everyone's spirits, and the entire group was in a good mood as they finished dinner.

"I've worked out a night watch schedule," Vanessa said. "Everyone will have to remember it because we don't have any pen or paper."

Minmei took her song lyrics and pencil from her pocket. "I've got this. There's just half a sheet of paper left, but it's yours."

"Thanks," Vanessa said, smiling. "But let's save that in case we need it for something more urgent."

Minmei set the paper and pencil beside the rations, which were stacked in the middle of the circle. "This is for whoever needs it."

"We have eight sleeping hours and eight people, so that works out nicely," Vanessa said. "Normally, I'd have teams of two people keeping watch for two hours each, so each person could keep the other company. But we'll be under a lot of stress over the next few days, maybe longer, so we'll desperately need all the sleep we can get, and I think if I deprive people of two hours of sleep each night, that will add up and we'll start to make mental mistakes and morale will deteriorate. So I think it's much more important for each person to stand watch alone for just one hour. I also base this decision on the fact that the chances are very low that anyone is left on this ship to harm us. Does that sound reasonable, Commander Hayes?"

"Perfectly," Lisa said. Listening to Vanessa reminds me why we promoted her, she thought. The girl really has her head on straight.

"This is the watch order," Vanessa said. "Remember who comes after you, because you'll be waking that person up. Minmei will be first, followed by me, then Kim, Sammie, Lieutenant Max Sterling, Lieutenant Miriya Sterling, Lieutenant Hunter, and Commander Hayes will be last. Any complaints?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Good, 'cause I wasn't gonna change it anyway," Vanessa said.

"Thank you, Vanessa," Lisa said. "Lieutenants, go get those planes."

 

Rick, Max, and Miriya had thought it would take several hours to move the veritechs, but Miriya found she could lift them quite easily. Since each veritech had been frozen in Guardian mode, maneuvering them along the corridors wasn't too difficult. In just under an hour, both veritechs were stationed in the corridor outside the day cabin.

No one could do anything on the command deck without Miriya's help, so while the pilots moved the planes, the others wandered around the day cabin, but there wasn't much to see from the floor.

"I find it better not to look up too much," Minmei said. "Constantly seeing giant-sized furniture makes my head ache."

"I know what you mean," Kim said. "It feels like we all shrank. It's sort of like vertigo."

"I wonder if Zentraedi ships have the equivalent of giant cockroaches or rats," Vanessa said.

Kim groaned. "I could have gone my whole life without hearing that."

Sammie looked up at Azonia's desk and (hoarsely) said, "It'd be really nice if we could get into their computer and take back a serious load of intel."

"It sure would," Lisa agreed.

They wandered back to camp at the same time the pilots did. At this point, lights out was 30 minutes away, and while Lisa was anxious to spend those 30 minutes on the command deck because she didn't want to waste a second, she knew it would be pointless to start this late in the day. So they just sat and talked.

Kim noticed the paper Minmei had set on the floor earlier. She picked it up and scanned it. "Are these lyrics?"

"Yes, but they're not finished, and I don't really like what I've come up with," Minmei said. "I was trying to write a song for the new album when I was kidnapped. Ha! The new album! It won't be finished in time, now. My manager will be so upset."

"War messes up schedules," Vanessa said.

"This is interesting," Kim said, reading the lyrics. "I sort of see what you're going for, here. Is it like...love and war at the same time?"

Minmei's face brightened. "Yes! I'm trying to write a powerful song, the most powerful I've ever written. I've already written the music, but the lyrics are being a pain. I want a song that's about fighting a battle, the great battle of a lifetime. I want it to be kind of melancholy, with a hint of tragedy, but also inspiring, and ultimately triumphant. And I also want it to be about love, the love we all fight for. I don't want it to be a war song, or a battle hymn, or anything like that. The song is about battle, but it doesn't celebrate battle. I want a song which gives a voice to what all of us on the SDF-1 have experienced over the last two years, the weariness, but also the hope. A song that's about fighting for a brighter day. I want to unveil it at the most special moment possible. I'm hoping it will become my masterpiece. Right now, though, it's in masterpieces."

As Minmei spoke, the others listened intently, mesmerized by her passion and creativity. They experienced that beautiful sensation one has when someone else gives a voice and words to things which are so very true, and so heartfelt. Even Lisa saw her for the artist she was, not the girl who was her rival in love.

"That sounds wonderful!" Sammie said dreamily. "I can't wait to hear it. Sing a few bars!"

"All right. Just as long as you understand that the lyrics kind of stink, and I will come up with something better."

Minmei sang. Her voice echoed around the cavernous room.

 

Weariness of battle overtakes us,
but our love wakes us,
makes us go on.
Each and every day we dream of winning,
and beginning
a new life.

 

Minmei shrugged sheepishly.

"That was beautiful," Miriya whispered.

"Thanks," Minmei said. "I kind of like the dream of winning lines. I'll probably keep those. But it still needs some work. I really want the first word of the song to be life, and I want the final word to be win. That's really, really important."

Lisa smiled. "I'm sure you'll work it out, Minmei. And your album may not be released on time, but I swear to you, we will get back to the SDF-1, and we will hear you sing this song in concert."

"Amen!" Vanessa said. Everyone was smiling.

"To make that promise come true, we need to be well rested and sharp," Lisa said. "So let's hit the sack." She looked at the ceiling, suddenly realizing she had forgotten something. "Uh...Miriya, I guess you can turn the lights off."

Miriya laughed. "I can do that."