Robotech: Rise of the Shadow
Chapter 24: Ally

Sera landed her Royal Command Battloid in the center of a formation of Haydonite Infiltrator battloids, blasting away with her cannons as she spun around quickly. Five of the six Infiltrators exploded in bright yellow and white light as the six lurched forward, falling helplessly to the dusty surface of the Moon. Smoke and sparks spewing from the rear of enemy mecha as her sister's battloid landed behind the heap.

Thank you, sister, Sera greeted her sibling as she directed her mecha to turn to face the advancing line of Infiltrators.

To her, the Children of the Shadow must be defeated here and now. There was no other choice. It was a matter of survival. Not just for her or the humans she had chosen to live amongst. She knew if the humans were defeated on this rocky moon that orbited their homeworld, her own species would be hunted into extinction.

I'm sensing a surge, Ariel spoke directly into her thoughts. She felt it too. The feeling was overwhelming to her.

"Sera!" Lancer yelled out over the radio comms as an Infiltrator exploded only meters from her. "Get your head back in the fight." She shook her head to clear the overwhelming surge of power she was sensing. It was a sensation she had never felt before or at least could remember feeling.

Now in control of her actions again; she launched back into the fight, her reflexes as sharp as they ever were. Taking controlled, well-aimed shots at the advancing enemy who were firing indiscriminately at the REF lines.

Her lover had saved her from death at the hands of her race's most hated enemy. She reminded herself to thank him after the battle when they were celebrating their victory.

Sera was not surprised to see that Ariel had been able to regain control of herself and return to the fight. Her sister was beginning to prove herself an accomplished warrior. Together they fought side by side, holding the position against the advancing horde of enemy mecha while Lancer and Bernard and Skull Squadron flew above, strafing the enemy line or engaging Wraiths that would attempt to approach.

Several dozen Cyclone riders, Alpha fighters in battloid mode, and ten hover tanks were engaged nearby with squads of Infiltrators. To her surprise, their line was holding.

A flash of light illuminated the Moon's surface. Sera knew immediately a spacefold operation had been conducted. What she was not aware of at that moment was who had arrived in the midst of battle.

The battle seemed to pause for a brief moment as many of the combatants took notice to the new arrivals. Sera, too, took a brief moment to identify the newcomers. She was relieved almost immediately to see her instruments were registering signals from the Robotech Expeditionary Forces. Reinforcements have arrived in the form of the Arch Angel and six other ships.

Yet, she still sensed the surge that Ariel had been sensing. It was approaching. The sensation was familiar to her.

"The Haydonites are pressing the attack!" she heard Lancer call over her communications network. It was a simple warning that sent the Invid princess back into the fight.

I sense it still, she heard the telepathic voice of her sister. They are coming.

The Invid princess knew her sibling was right. Someone else was coming.

"Sera! Look to your three o'clock!" Ariel shrilled over the communications network.

She turned her mecha in the direction Ariel had indicated and saw a dozen or so Invid trooper transport ships materialize out of a blinding light. The ships opened their large doors and hundreds of Invid mecha launched and immediately engaged the unsuspecting Haydonite forces.

Sera. Ariel. I am Forj. Mother Regis has sent me as an emissary to the humans, the newcomer's voice echoed in her head. She had never heard his voice before. He was unknown to her.

"The Invid are attacking the Haydonite!" she heard Lieutenant Rush call over the communications network. "Adjust fire. Adjust fire. The Invid are not hostile!"

The princess agreed. "This is an emissary force, sent by Mother Regis," she added. "I'm in contact with their commander. His name is Forj."

"Forj?" asked Bernard. "Is he one of your brothers or something?"

"Yes," Ariel answered. "But I don't know him. Nor does Sera."

Scott Bernard continued his attack as the Haydonites began to withdraw from their assault. What seemed to be final stand only hours before was now concluding itself as a victory for the REF and their new Invid allies. An uneasy alliance had been made between the two former enemies with the simple idea of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The irony was not lost on Scott, less alone every member of the Robotech defenders.

As the last of the Haydonite warships folded from the system in full retreat, Scott quickly turned his attentions toward their new Invid allies. He, like they were, was unsure if they should attack. Ariel's voice was constant on his communications network, do not fire and allow diplomacy to prevail.

"Do not attack," she said, her voice was steady almost angelic. "Forj assures us he has no intentions of attacking us. He says his orders are very specific; aid the humans against the Children of the Shadow."

"How do we know this isn't some sort of ruse or something?" Lieutenant Rush asked over the intercom. "I mean, the Haydonites betrayed us. We have been at war with the Invid until recently. What isn't there to say that this Forj character isn't here as a vanguard for another invasion by the Invid?"

"Because," Sera answered next. "The Children of the Shadow are our people's most hated enemy. And if we can build an alliance that will mutually benefit both of our people, then Forj assures us that he will lead the Invid in a fight by humanity's side against our common enemy."

Rush countered, "I mean, you know…How can we be sure that they will not turn on us when the Haydonites are defeated?"

Scott sighed as he listened to the debate of his subordinates. He knew that the decision did not rest with him. His own superiors, Admiral Hunter and General Reinhardt, would have to draw their own conclusions and form alliances for the sake of humanity.

Finally, Ariel answered the question. "Because Mother Regis understands the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Because of that, you can trust what Forj is saying. Not to mention, she left Earth and bound Sera and I to humanity's destiny. Invid never abandon each other. We are all Mother Regis's children and she will always aid us. Why else would she have warned me about the attack at Space Station Liberty? She realizes her error in enslaving humans, a mistake. Now, she seeks a peace and alliance with humans. It is humans who will be able to defeat the Children of the Shadow. We share the same goal, Marcus."

The Haydonites continued their exit from the battlescape and retreated to hyperspace. The Robotech Expeditionary Force pursued the overwhelmed Haydonites until none remained. It was as Ariel had said, the humans were able to defeat the Haydonites. Bernard realized she was right. An alliance between the Invid and REF would be strong enough to stand against and possibly defeat the Haydonite threat completely.

A deep familiar voice broke Bernard's contemplations. "Commander Bernard," Captain Grant spoke. "Return to Moon Base Aluce immediately. I need you and Ariel there for a meeting with General Reinhardt."

"Understood sir," Bernard replied as he switched channels to speak with Ariel. "We need return to Base immediately. General Reinhardt and Captain Grant want to meet with us immediately." He added Lancer, Sera, Marcus, and Maia to the link. "Commander Sterling, finish up here. Lieutenant Rush, ensure we check for survivors amongst all the wreckage. I want no one left behind. I'm being recalled to Aluce. Lancer, Sera, you come as well. I'm sure you both will have some insight on what they will want to talk about."

None of the recipients responded. Scott did not care, either. He was exhausted. Battle after battle was beginning to weigh heavily on the officer. Now, he was being called into a conference with the senior command about the Invid, a subject he is admittedly one of the most knowledgeable about. General Reinhardt and, undoubtedly, Admiral Hunter are most curious of his opinion on the offer Forj's arrival has.

Scott was met by Captain Grant as he guided his Alpha fighter to a stop. The senior officer waited for Bernard to exit the fighter before addressing him. "Scott," he began. "General Grant is in the Ready Room with Forj. They are awaiting our arrival."

"Sir, I invited Ariel, Lancer, and Sera to this meeting. I believe their opinions and experiences will greatly help in this situation," Bernard stated as Lancer's fighter came to a stop with two Invid Royal Command Battloids on each wing.

"Very well," answered Grant.

The ready room was tensely quiet. One side of the table sat General Reinhardt, Captain Grant, Commander Bernard, and several other senior REF Officers. On the other side sat Forj and two other Invid, a pink haired female called Lara and a blue haired male called Jarl. Lancer, Ariel, and Sera sat along the wall behind the REF Officers.

Ariel could sense the uneasiness and unwillingness of the humans to trust her brothers and sister sitting across from them. She could also hear the doubts of the same about the humans. Only recently they were bitter enemies. Now, through circumstance, they were considering an alliance.

Finally, the silence was broken by Lancer.

"The Regis has dispatched you here to aid us," the slender officer and musician stated in a soothing voice.

Forj's eyes focused in on the singer. Ariel heard her brother's voice in her head mentioning Lancer's name. "Yes. Though, I'm not sure Mother can be entirely right in offering this alliance."

"But," General Reinhardt began. "You are sitting across the table from us, right now, making that very offer. What do you want in return?"

Ariel tried to probe her brother's mind. But, her attempts were met with failure. He was not allowing her to peer too far into his thoughts.

"The same as you, the end of the Children of the Shadow; the Haydonites as you call them. And your people's word that we can live in peace, free from persecution," came Lara's response of the question. "Mother Regis asks that a small colony of Invid be allowed to live on Earth, so we can continue to cultivate the Flower of Life. We will share the seeds of the flower with you, of course. And in return, we offer peace and eventual friendship. That is the long term. Short term, however, we pledge the Invid forces currently in orbit above this moon to fight alongside your forces in any battle against the Children of the Shadow and their allies."

"A colony?" asked Grant.

"Out of the question!" shouted an officer who was immediately silenced by General Reinhardt's stern glare.

"Admiral Hunter has the final decision on the colony request and he has been listening via subspace radio," General Grant announced. He turned to the screen where Admiral Hunter's visage appeared. "What is your opinion on this matter, sir?"

The white-haired Rick Hunter looked at the assembled group before speaking. "The proposal is an interesting one," he said. "However, I would like Commander Bernard's opinion on this matter."

Bernard looked up to screen. His eyes were focused on his Commander-in-Chief. Ariel knew Scott could not oppose the offer. The offer was mutually beneficial. Scott had to see that.

"Sir," Scott Bernard started. "I think the proposal has merit. However, if we agree to it, we have to keep the location of the colony a secret from the populace on Earth. And the Invid will have to agree to stay within the boundaries of the colony, allowing our forces to patrol borders. There is a lot of animosity for the Invid on the Earth…as well as within our ranks. This alliance, if agreed to, is going to test humanity's discipline."

Ariel turned to look at the Admiral as he absorbed Scott's words. She felt Forj and Lara agree with Scott's sentiment as well.

"We can agree with joint patrols along the colonial border," Jarl added. "It is my belief that such joint patrols will foster trust between our peoples."

The Invid princess sensed the truth in Jarl's words. She knew he believed them. She could also sense Forj and Lara agreed with Jarl.

"Agreed," Admiral Hunter said. "Joint patrols along the colonial border would be permissible. In light of recent developments, I agree to the terms from Ambassador Forj. We can allow them to have a series of uninhabited islands in the Pacific Ocean. It will be easier to keep the Invid out of the civilian populace eyesight there."

Forj glanced to his companions then looked toward Ariel. She knew he was agreeable to this. "I think this will be beneficial, Admiral. General," he answered. "Thank you for this conference."

Forj, Lara, and Jarl stood up and flashed out of the room. Ariel still felt their thoughts, though they were hundreds of miles away. She closed her eyes and reached out to her siblings. Thank you, she said telepathically. Thank you for helping the Earth.

That is not why we are helping, Forj replied.