Robotech - Tales of the RDF

The reporter smiles as he lowers his recorder. "That's a great sound bite. Can I quote you? As for me joining up in the military, all of us have a role to perform. Mine is to report and share the news with the people, not to be a soldier. Thank you for your time, sergeant, and congratulations on a great job out there."


Dennis finishes packing up the video gear and heads out, leaving the military personnel in the office.


Barbara looks down at the front of her uniform at the new medal pinned there with a look of wonder on her face. "Wow. Look at this! I never imagined that I would ever have one of these on my salad bar of awards. Not to mention that our medal ceremony is going to be in the news for everyone to see. How cool is that?"
 
Staff Sergeant Taniya


Taniya grins. "Not everyone has what it takes to be a soldier or a reporter. To each their own niche."


She considers Mann's request, once again wishing Zaile were here to guide her. Then she replies with a firm nod, "As long as it is a direct quote without 'spin' or embellishment, you may."


Taniya admires the medals on her squadmates. "It is very cool," she says to Tolson as she watches their expressions. "Very cool indeed."
 
Sergeant Eadric Braidwood, Field Scientist


Eadric can only grin as his award is pinned to his uniform. He stands tall and proud, though he cannot help thinking, I wish Mom were here to see this. He waits quietly behind his sergeant while the reporter interviews her, then smiles at Barbara. "I never thought I'd get one either - or if I did, that it would happen so early in my career! I hope my father sees the news coverage. I'll have to look into getting a copy, just in case."
 
As the four of you make your way out of the majors office, Barbara seems to be walking on air she is so pleased. She gets a wicked grin on her face and says, "I guess that Kevin is sorry he walked out on us when he did. No awards and medals for him, huh? That's got to rub him the wrong way." She giggles. "We need to have him hook up with High Lord Serena; might do them both some good!"
 
"It'll do one of them good. Then we'll be called in to clean up the mess." Connor said, subtly hinting that they were more likely to kill each other then 'do them both some good' as Barbara put it. "But getting them to even meet would be worth a trophy itself." he continued, smiling at the thought. First forced Zentradi Human interaction, that would be something to put in the record books.
 
Staff Sergeant Taniya


Taniya shakes her head but she does not stop Tolson or any of her Red Pandas from speaking their minds. She pauses mid-stride and takes the Red Pandas to a place of some privacy. "This is a good time to talk about that."


"I will not insult Renner, for he was one of us for a time. I will honor that memory."


"I had hoped to trust him as I do any of you. Still, I cannot even pretend to understand Renner's mind. Might any of you have an explanation for his actions? Post Traumatic Stress Disorder leading to a distrust of all Zentraedi, perhaps? Fear based on gender? What could cause a man to be so xenophobic toward someone who is willing to give up her very life for that man's people? This sort of thing does not occur among Zentraedi."


"I feel it is a pity his... fears and lack of discipline outweighed his bravery and good sense. He should have been with us, receiving as we did. That all changed when he became insubordinate." Taniya's eyes narrow. "Let us talk now about insubordination..."


"My brave Red Pandas, you are welcome to agree or disagree with me or each other anytime. You may love each other or hate each other, hug or punch each other as you please. That is fine. However, it is my order that you respect one another. No matter what. If you cannot, bring it to me."


"Also, if something frustrates you, treat it as an injury and do not let it fester as Renner did. Instead, come to me and we will talk about it privately. We will solve it together."


"This was my wish when I ordered Renner confined to his quarters. I wanted to talk things out with him, have a meeting of the minds, for we clearly did not understand one another."


"And here... is what Renner did not understand - Long before I joined the RDF, I was a Female Zentraedi Ace and officer. When a male Zentraedi under my command exhibited such signs of insubordination, I killed them myself in front of everyone."


"This was expected of me. Vaporization was the most painless method; I made examples of them and the rest fell in line quickly. I could not then and cannot now suffer insubordination. Without order, we become divided and weak. We fall. And then, the enemy kills us all the easier." She shakes her head slowly. "Ask yourself - was this not the fate of your legendary Roman Empire?"


"I will do as I promised and sign Renner's transfer papers. All I can do after that is wish him well."


"And worry not," Taniya adds with a grin. "The only aforementioned name that I wish vaporized from the galaxy is Commander Serena. And if the opportunity presents itself, I will see it done without hesitation."


"Your thoughts, Red Pandas?"
 
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Barbara looks down in embarrassment when Taniya makes her comments. "Yes, sergeant. I understand, and I am sorry for my inappropriate comments. They won't happen again." She looks up into Taniya's eyes, "and don't worry about Serena; we'll deal with her soon enough! We are all RDF, no matter what color skin, we are all a part of the Green Machine, and because of that, we will win and show all the Malcontents that working together is stronger than being separate."
 
Staff Sergeant Taniya


"At ease, Tolson. Be yourself. You have done no wrong; you have obeyed my request by speaking your honest mind. If I wanted 'yes-men' or boot-lickers, I would have joined the Malcontents..." Taniya raises her eyebrows and smiles in an attempt at humor.


"Now, what do you believe set Renner to act the way he did? Have you any theories?"
 
Barbara chews on her thumbnail in thought. "Well, according to the history books, when the Second World War was won, civilian members of the Axis powers were still looked at as sub-human monsters, since they were responsible for starting a major conflict across the planet. It took years before the hostility between the Americans and Japan, for example, was put aside and they finally developed a close economic relationship, and that is with other humans. Now, compare that to what happened during Space War One. The orbital bombardment sterilized whole sections of the planet and killed billions, and there is not a single person alive today that has not lost a loved one in that attack. Even though Commander Breetai and his forces were instrumental in our victory against the main Zentraedi fleet, many don't want to admit that fact, and see all Zentraedi as killers responsible for the deaths of so many. It is sad to think that there is some of the same hate on the other side of the border with the Malcontents."
 
Sergeant Eadric Braidwood, Field Scientist


"Without order, we become divided and weak. We fall. And then, the enemy kills us all the easier." She shakes her head slowly. "Ask yourself - was this not the fate of your legendary Roman Empire?"


Eadric nods soberly. "And to many, if not most, of the empires in human history. Rot spreads from within, and usually because one group is seen as 'better' than another. Also, Barbara is right in that humans, once an enemy is named, tend to cling to that relationship even when hostilities are over. I'd expect some people to remain prejudiced even if every Zentraedi anywhere had made peace with humans. I'm afraid we are all too prone to it - to defining people as 'us' and 'them,' and all too often 'them' is seen as lesser, and sometimes even as not human. That would be all the easier in this case, where Zentraedi really aren't human, but that is no excuse. Anyone with an open mind can see that you are thinking, feeling beings that are the equal of any human." He smiles wryly. "Of course, scientifically speaking, you can't even be that different, since we're able to interbreed. Something to remember, though: it isn't that long ago that 'whites' - people with lighter skin tone, generally assumed to be descended from Europeans - believed 'blacks' - people of dark skin tone, generally assumed to be descended from Africans - to be somehow inferior just from the color of their skin. It makes no sense, logically and biologically, but many believed it was true all the same. It would not surprise me to know many still believed it was true. Humanity as a whole is not always good at logic."


He pauses, considering their former squadmate. "It is possible Renner holds a personal grudge, by what he said earlier. Some find it harder to get over that sort of thing than others. It may have to do with how they see people in general: in groups, or as individuals. I've learned that most find it easier to label a group and go from there - 'Human,' 'Zentraedi,' 'male,' 'female.' I prefer to think in specifics - 'Barbara,' 'Taniya,' 'Connor,' 'Zaile' - take each person as an individual, to be judged on their own merits, and not classed with others they may not have anything in common with than certain biological facts."


Eadric looks up at his staff sergeant. "I don't know if it's in my record or not, but I think you should know, all the same. My mother was a fighter pilot, and went MIA in the bombardment. They still haven't found her or her jet. But you weren't the one that shot her down, nor was Zaile, and even if you were, you'd just have been following orders, same as Mom did. If I need to be mad at someone for it, the best person is the one ordered the bombardment, or the one who ordered the invasion of Earth in the first place. Holding a grudge against someone who had no real choice in the matter makes no sense to me."


He smiles. "And, ma'am, my mom would be the first to smack me one if I wasn't respectful to my superiors, whoever they happened to be. That's just proper military discipline. As far as respect for my squadmates, well, of course!" He looks around, meeting the eyes of everyone in the squad. "We're in this together, and like, love, or hate, I've got your back, and I trust you to have mine."
 
As you are talking, Lt. Rosetti comes up walking up, a data pad in her hand. "Hey there. Sgt. Taniya, I have a transfer request from Sgt. Renner, requesting an immediate release from your squad. From the transmissions we received from you, I am inclined to grant it and send him on his way. But, that does leave your squad a man short." She hands over the datapad. "This is the file on a destroid pilot named Douglas Dorsey. He is fresh from training, but his evaluation numbers look top rate. Look over his file, and let me know what you think. Unless you have any objections, I can have him out here with his Tomahawk in a few days. Carry on." With that, the ever busy officer heads off down the hallway.
 
Staff Sergeant Taniya


Taniya motions for a moment with Rosetti. "Gratitude for the fine work, lieutenant. Tell me, where might a man like Renner end up? Despite our differences, he was brave and will do fine under a human leader."


After Rosetti answers (assuming she does), Taniya takes the datapad and peruses it thoroughly. If it seems like the Red Pandas are free until called again, Taniya sends them off to enjoy what free time they will have. All save Tolson.


"Tomorrow morning, see me on the training grounds for a workout and an important decision on your part. Squad dismissed."
 
Rosetti smiles. "You are the one doing the fine work, sergeant. I'm just a paper pusher. As far as I know, Renner's best shot at having any kind of career would be to shift over to the Army of the Southern Cross and work there. You are right in the fact that he's a skilled operator; he just has issues with the Zentraedi that we can't afford to have here or out in space with the UEEF. So long as he keeps away from the target of his hatred, he should do well for himself. It is still a shame, though. It is a fact that our two races will now forever be intertwined, and he will have to deal with that sooner or later."


With that, the blonde officer makes her way back to the operations center, leaving the Red Pandas to their own devices. Before she splits off on her own, Barbara nods at Taniya. "No problem, sergeant. I'll be on the field bright and early, usually by 0700 I'm ready to run laps, and I'll keep an eye out for you."


Does anyone have any business they would like to take care of before we move on to the next day?
 
When the members of the Red Pandas head to the main dining room, they can see on the tv display the medal ceremony from earlier in the day with a pair of reporters talking about the events that led up to it. Several people on the cafeteria come over to the squad and give you friendly pats on the back and shake hands. Quite a high spirited feeling in the room.
 
"Damn." Connor said as he stared at the TV and the ceremony he was just in. "I look amazing. Why didn't nobody tell me." he mumbled to himself. "So, where's the greenie?" he asked, remembering the file that was handed to Taniya. "What's their sheet say? Am I still going to be the soul Defender pilot? Are we going to get a Phalanx? A Spartan? Come on, what's joining us?"
 
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Staff Sergeant Taniya


"Tomahawk," Taniya replies with a grin. "Did you not hear the lieutenant? Worry not, McKinley. Your place as our Defender continues on without competition."

Again, Taniya reads the datapad. What does it tell her about Dorsey?
 
Doug Dorsey is an 18 year old corporal that received a award for marksmanship in training as a destroid pilot, focusing his training on the Tomahawk and the Spartan. He grew up on Macross Island, and at a young age was one of the refugees that got teleported out past Pluto on the maiden flight of the SDF-1. After having his older brother get shot down during the attack of the main fleet and Supreme Commander Dolza, he joined up as soon as he was old enough to do so. According to his psych profile, he is quite stable, but very aggressive when in combat, seeming to need to prove himself against the memory of his deceased brother. Given a strong commanding officer that can restrain his overly daring tendencies, he should excel.


Tomorrow at 1100, a air drop of several replacement destroids and pilots will take place to reinforce Anton-17, and then you will join in the ground attack against the Malcontent forces based around the remains of the destroyer. Their air defenses have been playing havoc with the air force, and a ground attack is needed to be able to advance and end the threat of the Malcontents once and for all.


A second file is on that datapad that catches your interest. There has been much talk about the next generation of destroids being made for the UEEF in their quest to seek peace from the Robotech Masters. Since your team has been thrust into the spotlight, you have been selected to be one of the first teams to receive the new mecha. [Files on the new mecha will be posted in the Items Folder] The older mecha that you are now piloting will be taken over by the new pilots being flown in.
 
The rest of the evening goes by without incident, with many promises to buy you guys a drink when you are back in 'civilization' and out of the boondocks like you are in now.


Up with the sun for a workout, the Red Panda squad is now heading to the exercise field for morning PT. When Taniya offers to show Barbara some acrobatics moves to help her fight off her fear of heights, the young girl is delighted. She has quite a bad case of hero worship for her squad leader, and would probably volunteer to do just about anything to please you.


After several sweat-inducing hours of work on and above the field, the team heads back inside to shower, dress and get some food inside you before the arrival of the new blood. As the minutes tick by, the station finally gets a signal from the lead aircraft, indicating that the mecha drop is about to commence. With a six pack of Valkyries flying in escort, the four transport jets make their final approach to Anton-17. One by one, each of the massive transport jets open their rear hatches and release a pair of destroids strapped down to pallets for the trip. Parachutes open wide to slow their fall, and soon, you are greeted by the sight of eight shiney new mecha; two RDF Tomahawks and one RDF Defender. The next four are a bit of a surprise, and are gathering a crowd to look them over. Thanks to the file that Taniya has, you recognize them as a pair of UEEF Tomahawks, a UEEF Spartan, a UEEF Defender, and a pint-sized UEEF Officer's Battlepod. The ground crews begin to pour over them to unlatch the destroids from their launch pallets to get them inside the armored bunker of the base.


A smaller transport makes its landing, and replacement crew members and pilots begin to climb out and look around. Lt. Rosetti is there with her datapad to check in the new arrivals, and soon you recognize the lanky form of Corporal Dorsey as he hauls his duffel bag over his shoulder to report in at his new assignment.
 
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"Let's see what the Defender Fairy brought me." Connor said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of his new mech. Then he saw it, and was somewhat disappointed. "Are those lasers? Lasers don't go boom, they go pew. I don't want to fire something that goes pew. I want to fire something that rattles your teeth! You can only do that with good ol' black powder. You can't do that with a couple of over sized batteries! And you melt the target with lasers, I want to blow it up, scatter it to the far corners of the battlefield. I want the mechanics fixing up my Defender to find a bolt from Malcontent Power Armor and wonder how it got there! And look at this." Walking up to the new Defender, he raps a knuckle on one of it's massive legs. "That's light alloy right there. You can get around faster, but can't take much of a hit. I like the missiles, though. Can I get me some on mine? What do you mean that isn't possible? Of course it is! Look at what the American's did in World War Two, took a Sherman and bolted a missile bank on it and out came the Calliope." Plus he had a pretty good mold of his backside in that seat. That took some real time and dedication to get something like that going.
 
Lt Rosetti laughs. "No need to get upset, sergeant. You want to keep your old Defender, by all means do so. I'll have no shortage of volunteers to try this one out." Indeed, many of the crew of Anton-17 are looking at the new mecha like they are expensive sports cars at an auto show. One by one, the heavy mecha recovery vehicles pull the destroids inside the underground hangar to begin prepping them for combat.


As this is going on, Cpl. Dorsey comes up. He shifts into parade rest and offers Taniya his paperwork. "Corporal Doug Dorsey reporting as ordered."
 
The ground crews begin their examination of the mecha, checking over their weapon systems and missile loads in preparation for the next mission. The new destroids are getting the royal treatment, getting extra attention from the interested crew members. Barbara even takes some time out to climb up inside the new Officer Battlepod and look around at the communications suite inside. She seems quite excited. "This has dual controls in it, so that I can operate the rear guns as a missile defense system or just a second blaster, leaving you to focus on keeping the hurt on the bad guys. Kinda cool! But, what do you think of your new ride, Sgt Taniya? Are you going to stick with the ol' Tomahawk, or upgrade to this?"
 
Sergeant Eadric Braidwood, Field Scientist


Eadric whistles as he looks over the new Spartan. "Oh, aren't you a beauty? Let's take a look around, shall we?" He clambers over, around, and inside it, tapping here and there and noting the differences. It's smaller than his previous Defender, the way a falcon is smaller than a hawk - smaller, but faster, and no less deadly. He smiles, finding many improvements. "I don't know, Connor, I rather like 'pew-pew.' Like old-style sci-fi blasters. I'm thinking this lovely will vaporize targets if I hit them just right, not just melt them."
 
"Bah, still not as satisfying as ballistics." Connor said adamantly. He was an old fashion guy. Give a big hit, take a big hit, and make the thing out of steel. He could see it now, his dinged up and dirty Destroid next to those shiny white things without a scratch on them. It would be quite the contrast, especially with the weaponry of his Defender. You'd have to show him something with a bigger punch behind it then his Defender to get him to change. And besides, the dirt and dings gave it character. And the little red panda he was planning on painting on it.
 
Staff Sergeant Taniya


At Tolson's question, Taniya looks up to the sky. Gently she answers, "It flies, Tolson."


Taniya explores and discovers the new Officer's Pod with great interest and wonder, but this is immediately and fully put aside the moment Corporal Dorsey arrives and presents himself. Mecha, however incredible, are just giant harmless statues without their pilots - even the brand-new models.


Taniya climbs down and examines Dorsey with even greater scrutiny. From the human pilot's apparent physical condition to his mannerisms to his uniform and gear, Taniya takes in every piece of information her veteran warrior's senses can provide her. She seems to be letting what she discovers answer many of her own questions. Does he maintain his body well? His gear? His uniform? Taniya knows well that a pilot's habits outside out of the cockpit often mirror those inside. This was one reason the Zentraedi ace was not concerned when they received Braidwood; he clearly had his own act together before he became a Red Panda. What could be said of this human?


"Corporal Dorsey," she begins, "At ease." She looks him right in the eye. "It is like this - If you can fit in with us and show that you have what it takes, then you are welcome to fight alongside us - My brave Red Panda Squadron. If you cannot, then I will wish you well. Either way, you can depend on me to act swiftly and appropriately without hesitation."


"Dorsey, remember this:


- I do not tolerate disrespect, dishonor, or insubordination of any kind. You are welcome to disagree with me, respectfully.


- I may be Zentraedi, but I value my people. However, I only value them if they are valuable. Do not become worthless.


- My Red Pandas fight as a team - one unit under my voice. We are one; you can be too. Time will tell if we mesh. Until then, do not worry about this.


- Do all you can for us and we will do all we can for you. Share your ideas, feelings, and concerns. Do not seek to impress; instead, be yourself. We certainly will be.


- Remember that we are all here for one reason - to complete our objectives as provided us by the RDF. The Red Pandas specialize in destroying our opponents. If you cannot kill, you have no place here. However, if you act as a warrior, you will be treated as one and earn your place in history alongside Earth's valiant defenders."


Taniya pauses to let those words sink in. Then she says, "Can you do this, Dorsey? Give me your thoughts now."


Arms crossed, Taniya listens with patience.
 
The young corporal nods as he listens to Taniya, slipping easily into the Parade Rest position as she talks. "Ma'am, I look forward to showing you what kind of soldier I am, both in my mecha and out of it. I have no beef against anyone, human or Zentraedi, so I don't see any reason that I won't get along with the rest of your team." He speaks simply, but with a touch of steel in his voice that marks him as a warrior, not just some REMF (Rear Echelon Mother F***er for those that don't know) "I've never been in real combat before, but the training that I went through did everything possible to prepare me for the actual event. When it comes down to it, I plan on being one of the victors walking off the field with my head held high, not the scrap metal being hauled away for recycling."


Looking Dorsey over, Taniya can see that his BDUs are neat and clean, with crisp lines showing that he has taken pride in his uniform. Clean shaven and tidy, he looks every inch the new man straight out of training that you know him to be.
 
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