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home base and carrying almost 60；000 civilians in its belly； he refused to let the question surface more than twice a day。
And yet here was the planet Saturn filling the forward bays of the SDF…1's bridge； and here was Henry Gloval in the mand chair treating it like just one more Pacific current he'd have to navigate。 Well； not quite： No one he'd encountered during his long career as a naval officer had ever used an ocean current the way he planned to use Saturn's gravitational fields。
The SDF…1； spacefold generators； which two months ago had allowed the ship to travel through hyperspace from Earth to Pluto in a matter of minutes； had vanished。 Perhaps 〃allowed〃 was the wrong word； since Gloval had had his sights on the moon at the time。 But no matter…the disappearance remained a mystery for Dr。 Lang and his Robotechs to unravel； it had fallen on Gloval's shoulders to figure a way back home without the generators。
Even by the year 2010 the book on interplanetary travel was far from plete； in fact； Lang； Gloval； and a few others were still writing it。 Each situation faced was a new one； each new maneuver potentially the last。 There had been any number of unmanned outer…planet probes； and of course the Armor Series orbital stations and the lunar and Martian bases； but travel beyond the asteroid belt had never been undertaken by a human crew。 Who was to say how it might have been if the Global Civil War hadn't put an end to the human experiment in space？ But that was the way the cards had been dealt； and in truth； humankind had the SDF…1 to thank for getting things started again； even if the ship was now more weapon than spacecraft。 All this； however； would be for the historians to figure out。 Gloval had more pressing concerns。
Relatively speaking； the Earth was on the far side of the sun。 The fortress's reflex engines would get them home； but not quickly； and even then they were going to need a healthy send…off from Saturn。 Engineering's plan was for the ship to orbit the planet and make use of centrifugal force to sling her on her way。 It was not an entirely untested plan but a dangerous one nonetheless。 And there was one more factor Gloval had to figure into the calculations： the enemy。
Unseen in full force； unnamed； unknown。 Save that they were thought to be sixty…foot…tall humanoids of seemingly limitless supply。 They had appeared in Earthspace a little more than two months ago and declared war on the planet。 There was no way of knowing what fate had befallen Earth after the SDF…1's hyperspace jump； but some of the enemy fleet…or； for all Gloval knew； a splinter group…had pursued the ship clear across the solar system to press the attack。 The SDF…1's main gun had saved them once； but firing it had required a modular transformation which had not only wreaked havoc with many of the ship's secondary systems but had nearly destroyed the city that had grown up within it。
For two months now the enemy had left the ship alone。 They allowed themselves to be picked up by radar and scanners but were careful not to reveal the size of their fleet。 Sometimes it appeared that Battlepods made up the bulk of their offensive strength…those oddly shaped； one…pilot mecha the VT teams called 〃headless ostriches。〃 At other times there was evidence of scout ships and recon vessels； cruisers and destroyers。 But if the enemy's numbers were a source for speculation； their motives seemed to be clear： They had e for their ship； the SDF…1。
Gloval was not about to let them have it without a fight。 Perhaps if they'd e calling and asked for the ship； something could have been arranged。 But that； too； was history。
There was only one way to guarantee a safe return to Earth： They had to either shake the enemy from their tail or destroy them。 Gloval had been leaning toward the former approach until Dr。 Lang had surprised him with the latest of his daily discoveries。
Lang was Gloval's interface with the SDF…1； more than anyone else onboard； the German scientist had retuned his thinking to that of the technicians who had originally built the ship。 He had acplished on a grand scale what the Veritech fighter pilots were expected to do on each mission： meld their minds to the mecha controls。 There was suspicion among the crew that Lang had plugged himself into one of the SDF…1's stock puters and taken some sort of mind boost which had put him in touch with the ship's builders； leaving him a stranger to those who hadn't。 Gloval often felt like he was dealing with an alien entity when speaking to Lang…he couldn't bring himself to make contact with those marblelike eyes。 It was as if the passionate side of the man's nature had been drained away and replaced with some of the strange fluids that coursed through many of the ship's living systems。 You didn't exchange pleasantries with a man like Lang； you went directly to the point and linked memory banks with him。 So when Lang told him that it might be possible to create a protective envelope for the SDF…1； Gloval merely asked how long it would take to develop。
The two men met in the chamber that until recently had housed the spacefold generators。 Lang wanted Gloval to see for himself the free…floating mesmerizing energy that had spontaneously appeared there with the disappearance of the generators。 Later they moved to Lang's quarters； the only section of the unreconstructed fortress sized to human proportions。 There the scientist explained that the energy had something to do with a local distortion in the spacetime continuum。 Gloval couldn't follow all the details of the theories involved； but he stayed with it long enough to understand that this same energy could be utilized in the fabrication of a shield system for the SDF…1。
Since his conversation with Dr。 Lang； Gloval had bee preoccupied with the idea of taking the enemy by surprise with an offensive maneuver。 With the main guns now operational and the potential of a protective barrier； Gloval and the SDF…1 would be able to secure an unobstructed route back to Earth。 And Saturn； with its many moons and rings； was ideally suited to such a purpose。
Rick Hunter； Veritech cadet； admired his reflection in the shop windows along Macross City's main street。 He stopped once or twice to straighten the pleats in his trousers； adjust the belt that cinched his colorful jacket； or give his long black hair just the right look of stylish disarray。 It was his first day of leave after eight weeks of rigorous training； and he had never felt better。 Or looked better； to judge from the attention he was getting from passersby； especially the young women of the transplanted city。
Rick was always reasonably fit…years of stunt flying had necessitated that…but the drill sergeants had turned his thin frame wiry and tough。 〃Nothing extraneous； in mind or body。〃 Rick had adopted their motto as his own。 He had even learned a few new flying tricks （and taught the instructors a few himself）。 Planes had been his life for nineteen years； and even the weightlessness of deep space felt like his element。 He wasn't as fortable with weapons； though； and the idea of killing a living creature was still as alien to him as it had been two months ago。 But Roy Fokker； Rick