"But how is this possible?" Lisa breathed. She stared up at Sammie as Vanessa applied a healing salve to Lisa's wounds.

Rick and Max, in Battloid mode, stood guard in the corridor just outside Azonia's day cabin, but still listening to the conversation. Everyone else, including Minmei, had regrouped at the campsite.

"Humans are resizable, just as Sammie postulated," Miriya said. Her voice echoed eerily around the room, a product of giant-sized vocal cords. "But perhaps not all humans; it's possible that only some are resizable and Sammie is lucky to be one of those. Also, the resize might be unstable."

"Okay," Kim said carefully. "Next question: why?"

Miriya and Sammie told them what happened in the engine room.

"I apologize for not telling you about Sammie's wounds earlier, Commander," Miriya said. "But I was so pressed, both for speed and for precision, that I could not afford the time to talk."

"I understand," Lisa said. "Your quick thinking saved Sammie's life. Thank you so much for that. Is your veritech still in the resize room?"

"Yes, it is."

"How did you know the Zentraedi medical computer could save a human?" Kim asked.

"I didn't."

The lights and air circulation died. Darkness surrounded them for about two seconds, then everything came back on.

"Until the engine room is repaired, that will keep happening," Miriya said. "Probably with greater frequency as time goes on."

"Earlier, you both said you didn't think any more Zentraedi were on board," Vanessa said. "Why do you think that?"

"My people would never send two attackers while holding more in reserve," Miriya said. "Almost certainly, they were a couple of scouts who felt they could make an impression by retaking this ship by themselves."

"But there's no guarantee they were the only two?" Lisa asked.

"There's never a guarantee, Commander," Miriya said. "But my confidence is high that these two were acting alone. Which means we got lucky; had they returned with knowledge of our location, we would be surrounded by a Zentraedi fleet right now."

"When the scouts don't return, the Zentraedi will realize why," Kim said.

"They certainly will," Lisa agreed. "Which means our deadline just got even tighter."

The lights went off again, for five seconds this time, then came back on.

"And that makes our deadline tighter still," Kim said.

"And we're making no real headway in figuring out how to fold back to the SDF-1," Vanessa said sadly.

"Maybe the scout ship has the route back pre-programmed into it," Minmei said.

They all looked at her.

Then Lisa looked at Miriya, who shrugged and said, "It's worth a shot."

"All right," Lisa said. "Return yourself and Sammie to normal size. Even though you're okay being a giant, I'd still feel a lot better with you in your veritech."

"That will actually have to wait a while, Commander," Miriya said. "The infirmary computer stabilized Sammie temporarily, but it needs to give her a second treatment about eight hours after the first to make the cure permanent. And as long as Sammie is giant-sized, I'd like to remain so, also, in case I need to help her."

"Understood," Lisa said, and addressed Sammie. "How are you feeling?"

"Moderately okay. All the burns are gone, but I'm a little wobbly. The smoke got inside my body through my skin, and my muscles keep cramping. On the plus side, the medical computer detected my damaged vocal cords and healed them."

"All right," Lisa said. "While you are giant-sized, stick close to Miriya at all times. Tell her the moment you feel any change for the worse. And if you feel the need to rest, swallow your pride and do so immediately. The rest of us will make allowances for you; you're in uncharted territory, so I'm not taking any risks."

"Yes, ma'am."

"All of us will now go, as a group, to investigate the scouts' ship, and see if it can get us home," Lisa said. She hesitated, then added, "In fact, pack up everything we might need, including the bowls of water. If the scout ship can get us home, we will not be returning here. Lieutenant Hunter, would you be so kind as to collect Azonia's computer?"

"With pleasure!" Rick said.

Rick pulled Azonia's computer to pieces and, under Miriya's guidance, extracted a black flat rectangular metal box about three feet long by two feet wide. Miriya said the Zentraedi name for it roughly translated to data storage and operations unit.

Sammie wheeled in the trolley and Rick set the data storage unit on it. Moments later, the bowls of water, staircase objects, and cloth joined it.

Sammie then gently lifted her best friends, Kim and Vanessa, onto the trolley. They all felt the awkwardness of Sammie's unusual situation, so Vanessa dispelled it by saying, "You know I still outrank you."

"Whatever," Sammie said, and they all smiled.

Everyone headed for the landing bay, with Sammie pushing the trolley.

Max and Miriya walked beside each other, and traded bemused looks. Neither could think of anything to say.

They found the scout ship in the landing bay. Rick and Max stood guard while the others boarded it.

Miriya sighed as she lowered herself into the pilot's seat. "Ah. It's so nice to use my own hands to operate controls." Lisa, Kim, Vanessa, and Minmei stood on the console, and Sammie sat in the copilot's seat.

Miriya accessed the ship's flight commands and spent a few minutes scrolling through them slowly, studying them intently. Then she smiled.

"Our day just keeps getting better," she said. "I am pleased to report that as long we do not tamper with the fold controls at all, and merely execute its current stored command, this ship should take us home."

Her proclamation was greeted with a chorus of squeals, sighs, and, in Kim's case, a little dancing.

"Wonderful!" Lisa said. "We'll set up a new camp beside this ship. Miriya, find us another officers' coat to create a second latrine, a little distance away. As soon as you and Sammie resize, we're going home!"

Sammie grunted softly. She put one hand on the console and another on her stomach, and closed her eyes. She looked pale.

"Sammie?" Lisa asked.

Sammie shook her head a little and whispered, "Not feeling very well, Commander."

Lisa nodded to Miriya, who gently helped Sammie out of her seat. Sammie took her arm and they headed to the infirmary.

"We want to be with her, Commander," Kim said. Vanessa nodded.

Lisa looked at their set faces, and nodded. "Until Sammie is back to normal size, I want her to remain in that infirmary, and since I want us all to stay together, I guess that means the infirmary is our new campsite."

The ship's power flickered twice on their way to the infirmary.

 

Kim and Vanessa sat on the trolley and gazed at Sammie, lying on the infirmary table with her eyes closed.

"I'm off to fetch another coat to use as a latrine, Commander," Miriya said. "Permission for Max to accompany me?"

Lisa nodded, and the newlyweds left.

Minmei sat beside Kim, and Lisa sat beside Vanessa. Rick, in his battloid, stood guard in the infirmary's doorway.

"I'm sure she'll be okay," Minmei said softly.

They were all silent for a moment.

"The first time we ever met Sammie, she almost hit me with a pair of headphones," Kim said. "Remember that?"

Vanessa smiled a little.

"We were with a group of people, just walking down the sidewalk," Kim continued. "We were headed to a party off campus, and suddenly the front door of a coed dorm opens and someone starts throwing things. It was Sammie breaking up with her boyfriend, and she was throwing his stuff onto the front lawn and screaming at him. I mean really screaming! Out comes this portable TV. Wham! It hits the ground and busts open. Then comes the record collection. Whoosh! Records all over the place. Then she flings these headphones out the door. They miss my head by an inch!

"She immediately stops arguing with her boyfriend, rushes up to me, and starts apologizing. Then she turns around and resumes arguing with her boyfriend. Then she turns back to me and apologizes. Then she turns around and argues with her boyfriend some more. She keeps doing this, back and forth, apologizing to me and breaking up with this guy at the same time. And her mouth is moving a mile a minute, spewing this word salad we can barely understand. I just died! It was the funniest damned thing I'd ever seen." Kim shook her head. "My only thought was, I have got to get to know this girl. So we did."

"And she's been a pain in the ass ever since," Vanessa said.

"Yeah, and now she's a giant pain in the ass," Kim said.

"I can hear you," Sammie whispered without opening her eyes.

"We know," they both said.

Minmei chuckled, then said, "You three are the coolest people I've ever met. Please tell me I can continue seeing you when we get back to the SDF-1."

Vanessa and Kim were both surprised. "Absolutely!" Kim said. "Do you like dancing at the disco?"

"Probably. I've never actually been."

"Really?" Vanessa asked.

"Well, I lived a pretty subdued life before the Zentraedi came. Then I became a star, and suddenly that became my life, so...I've never actually been out dancing."

"We have to change that," Vanessa said.

Minmei sighed dejectedly. "But how? Being a huge star, I get mobbed if I step out in public. It's so difficult to do anything normal."

"Well, you know," Kim said, "some people hit the disco all glammed up in their '70s best, and a few even wear wigs and really outlandish glasses or makeup to get into the spirit."

"Hmm," Minmei said. "I see where you're going with this."

"So, yeah, we'll fix you up with a look which doesn't look like you," Vanessa said. "And we can come up with a cool fake name and everything!"

"So exciting!" Minmei said.

"Yes," Sammie said weakly, opening her eyes a bit to look at them. "Dancing is the purpose of life, Minmei. Without dancing, we might as well be plants. Dancing is everything. And whatever obstacle gets in the way of dancing, we'll help you overcome it. Because life is only what we choose to make it."

"Amen," Vanessa said softly.

Sammie and Minmei stared at each other, and Minmei's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Sammie!" she exclaimed. "You're a genius!"

"I know," Sammie said, closing her eyes again. "Please tell the others. It's so frustrating."

Minmei pulled out her pencil and lyrics and began scribbling furiously. "Life is only what we choose to make it!" she said gleefully. "So...so...let's just take it. Let us be free! Oh, this is wonderful!"

"Glad I could help," Sammie said. "Send royalties to Ensign Sammie Porter."

"There won't be any royalties, I'm afraid. Long ago, I decided that all proceeds from this song will go to the relief effort."

"And there goes my shot at being rich," Sammie whispered. "Ah, well. Easy come, easy go."

Except for Rick, they all took turns napping over the next few hours. Even Minmei, as eager as she was to work on her song, dozed a little.

Each time the ship's power went out, it was only for a few seconds. But the blackouts were happening more frequently.

 

Miriya stopped in front of a doorway and looked in.

"Are the overcoats in here?" Max asked.

Miriya didn't answer. She gingerly stepped into the room. Max followed her.

It was an ordinary bedroom. It contained a single, uncomfortable-looking bunk bed, a sink, a desk, and a chair. No decorations. No personality. Miriya looked around with an odd expression that was partly blank, partly full of quiet distress.

"Why are we here?" Max asked.

"This was my room," Miriya said softly. She fingered the coarse blanket stretched over the bed. "I lived here for...hundreds of years."

"Hundreds?"

A tear drifted down her cheek. "Hundreds. Here in this empty place. Unchanging. Stagnant. Soulless."

Max didn't know what to say.

"How did I not see how horrid this is?" Miriya whispered. "How could I be so blind?" She turned to Max. "I'm sorry you're seeing this."

"I'm glad. I want to know you, Miriya. All of you. Including your past, and any pain you're still dealing with."

She gave a weak smile. "It's so strange being back here. And having you here with me, in this place." She looked around. "This is not a place meant for living. Merely existing."

Another moment passed, then she said, "Someone wise once told me that dancing is everything. That without dancing, we may as well be plants. The moment I heard that, something clicked inside me, like the entire universe tilted ninety degrees and became a completely different picture." She looked around the room. "But this place was never meant for dancing."

"Oh, I don't know. Someone wise once told me that life is only what we choose to make it." Max activated a recording, part of his personal collection which he stored on his veritech, and Minmei's voice filled the room.

 

Sometimes I dream with open eyes.
I dream of falling in love.

 

Max held out the battloid's hand. Weeping, Miriya took it, then wrapped her arms around his battloid – the fighter she had tried to destroy the first time she ever saw it. Shoulder to shoulder, they danced.

 

To be in love must be the sweetest feeling that a girl can feel.
To be in love, to live a dream, with somebody you care about like no one else.
A special man, a dearest man, who needs to share his life with you alone.
Who'll hold you close and feel things
that only love brings.
To know that he is all your own.

To be my love, my love must be much more than any other man.
To be my love, to share my dream, my hero, he must take me where no other can.
Where we will find a brand new world, a world of things we've never seen before,
where silver suns have golden moons,
each year has thirteen Junes.
That's what must be for me.

To be in love.

 

They held each other. Silence filled the room.

Miriya rested her forehead against the battloid for a moment. Then, with a smile, she tapped the cockpit. "Open up."

And she unzipped her Zentraedi uniform.

Intrigued, Max raised the seat out of the battloid and walked onto Miriya's palm.

Miriya thumbed her panties open long enough to drop him inside, then lay on the bed.

 

Sammie squirmed and shifted position. "I'm hungry," she said.

"What do we feed a giant Sammie?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know," Kim said. "But I really don't want to suffer the Attack of the 50 Foot Woman."

Minmei said, "You know, Kim, it's really weird, but sometimes I could swear you sound exactly like my little cousin, Jason."

"Oh, neat!" Kim said. "I can't wait to meet him."

Max and Miriya returned with an overcoat. Miriya laid it along the far wall.

"Mmm, you two took your time," Lisa said.

"Yes, well," Max stammered. "It's a big ship."

"Mmm hmm," said Lisa, Kim, Vanessa, Sammie, Minmei, and Rick at the same time.

"Hey, Miriya, Sammie's hungry," Kim said.

Miriya asked Sammie, "Would you like to try a Zentraedi nutrition bar?"

Sammie groaned. "I want a burger and fries."

"Well, an appetite at least means you're feeling better," Lisa said.

"How long until the next treatment?" Sammie asked.

Miriya checked a readout and did some math in her head. "About three hours." Then she helped Sammie drink some water.

Max put his battloid's hand on Azonia's data storage unit. "What are we actually going to do with this? Can we read Zentraedi computer systems?"

"We can but try," Lisa said. "Remember, the SDF-1 originally came from the Zentraedi, or at least from the Robotech Masters, so we already have experience decoding alien computer systems. And the defectors can make themselves useful by helping us translate anything we find."

Despite the increasingly frequent power outages, they passed the next three hours pleasantly, except for Sammie, whose hunger deepened. They chatted, and somewhere along the way, the lyrics to Minmei's new song became a group project. Together, they helped her finish it. Minmei loved the final version.

She titled the song "We Will Win," then sang it for them. Her voice echoed around the room.

 

Life is only what we choose to make it.
Let's just take it.
Let us be free.
We can find the glory we all dream of,
and with our love,
we can win.

Still,
we must fight or face defeat.
We must stand tall and not retreat.
With our strength, we'll find the might.
There's no fight we can't fight
together.
All together, we can win.

Blessed
with strong hearts that beat as one,
watch us soar!
And with love that conquers all, we'll win this battle!
This last battle!
We will win! We must win!
We will win! We can win! We can win!

As the battle goes on we feel stronger.
How much longer
must this go on?
Each and every day we dream of winning,
and beginning
a new life.

Still,
we must fight or face defeat.
We must stand tall and not retreat.
With our strength we'll find the might.
There's no fight we can't fight
together.
All together, we can win.

Blessed
with strong hearts that beat as one,
watch us soar!
And with love that conquers all, we'll win this battle!
This last battle!
We will win! We must win!
We will win! We must win! We will win!

We can win!

 

The others wept as she sang, and applauded when she finished.

Minmei blushed.

"I agree with your assessment, Minmei," Lisa said. "I do believe you have written your masterpiece!"

"We all wrote it," Minmei said. "Together. I couldn't have done it without you."

"And it was a pleasure to be a part of it!" Vanessa said.

The medical computer buzzed, telling them it was time to heal Sammie.

Everyone except Miriya and Sammie left the room and took a position further down the hall so they couldn't see inside the infirmary, then Sammie stood up, disrobed, and lay back down.

A row of nozzles descended from the ceiling, and Sammie screwed her eyes shut as they sprayed a fine mist all over her. Then two needles injected her with who-knew-what. The computer instructed her to lie still for five minutes, then pronounced her reasonably well but still slightly ill for reasons unknown.

"Why does it think I'm still sick? I feel fine."

Miriya checked some more readings, then shrugged. "I can only assume the difference between humans and Zentraedi is confusing the machine. Our normal body temperature is different by a few fractions of a degree."

Sammie put her Zentraedi uniform back on, then she and Miriya joined the others in the corridor.

"How do you feel?" Lisa asked.

"Peachy keen, Commander!" She even stood to attention and saluted for good measure. The oversized sleeve flopped against her forehead.

"Excellent!" Lisa said with a grin. "Let's get you back to normal."

They moved quickly. Now that Sammie was cured, they no longer had the luxury of taking things easy. Every second brought them closer to another possible Zentraedi attempt to retake the ship.

"What happens if there's a power outage while you're resizing?" Lisa asked.

"I have no idea," Miriya said.

Miriya and Sammie entered the resize room. The others again waited in the corridor, some distance away so they couldn't see inside.

Miriya and Sammie disrobed, and Sammie entered the first chamber. By her feet, still lying on the floor, were her and Miriya's RDF uniforms.

Sammie looked at the tiny clothing and a thought struck her. "I don't suppose you could actually stop the resize a little early so I'm maybe six inches taller?"

Miriya smiled. "Let's not tempt fate." She operated the controls and set the resize on a brief timer, just long enough to let her enter the second chamber.

About halfway through the resize, the power died. Sammie and Miriya waited in silence and darkness, hardly daring to breathe. Seconds later, the power returned, and the resize continued with no further interruption.

When it finished, Miriya ran to the first chamber, where Sammie was already putting her original clothing back on. "Are you all right?" Miriya asked.

"I think so. You?"

Miriya nodded.

"Are our eyes, nose, fingers, and toes all in the right place?" Sammie asked.

Miriya giggled, then held up fingers and waggled them around. "I think so!"

A 20-second power outage struck while they dressed. It lasted so long that they thought for a moment the power wouldn't come back on at all.

Then Miriya hopped into her veritech, changed to Battloid, picked up Sammie, and carried her back to the others.

The moment Sammie's feet touched the trolley, Kim and Vanessa wrapped her in a hug. For several moments, the Terrible Trio was silent in a world of their own.

"Did the power go out while you were resizing?" Lisa asked Miriya.

"Yes. But as far as we can tell, it merely paused the process harmlessly."

The Terrible Trio finally pulled apart, their eyes moist, and Vanessa handed Sammie an entire emergency ration.

As famished as she was, Sammie made sure to eat it slowly. Even as she ate, they were moving back to the landing bay.

They eagerly boarded the scout ship, taking the trolley with them since it was easier just to wheel it on board. Miriya squeezed her battloid into the pilot's seat. Neither Rick nor Max tried to sit in the copilot's seat. With two standing battloids and a trolley, the ship's cabin was cramped, but they fit.

Miriya flew the scout ship into space, then turned it so they could take one last look at the battleship.

"I'm going to miss The Mouse's Roar," Sammie said.

"I'm not," Kim said.

"You're right," Sammie agreed. "I'm not, either."

"She served her purpose, and did it well," Lisa said.

"I'd love to see the look on Azonia's face when she discovers what's waiting for her in her engine room," Miriya said.

"I'd love to see the look on her face when she discovers what's waiting for her in her quarters," Max said.

They all thought of the latrine, and laughed mightily.

"Ready, Commander?" Miriya asked.

"Hit it!" Lisa said.

Miriya instructed the ship to execute its stored fold operation. Space turned inside out, and they were suddenly surrounded by Zentraedi battleships.

The SDF-1 was nowhere in sight.