05_force_of_arms-第42部分

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We　shall　live　the　day　we　dream　of　winning；
And　beginning　a　new　life！


〃Minmei！〃　Lisa　cried。　She　didn't　know　whether　she　could　ever　change　her　feelings　toward　the　singer；　but　right　now　that　voice　was　as　wele　as…well；　almost　as　wele　as　the　pany　Lisa　was　keeping。

〃Up　there！〃　Rick　shouted；　pointing。　Something　was　descending　on　blue　thruster　flames　hundreds　of　yards　long；　trailing　sparkling　particles　behind　it；　weird　energy　anomalies　from　the　interaction　of　barrier　shield　and　reflex　furnace　obliteration。

Rick　held　Lisa　to　him。　The　dimensional　fortress　settled　in　toward　the　lake　bed；　the　two　flattops　held　level；　elbows　against　its　own　midsection　like　Jimmy　Cagney　doing　his　patented　move。

All　it　needs　to　do　is　throw　a　hitch　in　its　shoulders　and　sing　〃Yankee　Doodle　Dandy〃！　Rick　thought。

The　enormous　blasts　of　its　engines　kicked　up　dust；　but　the　SDF…1　was　landing　with　the　rising　sun　directly　at　its　back。　They　watched　it　sink　down；　silhouetted　against　the　wavering　fireball　of　the　sun；　until　the　land　was　waist　high　all　around　it。

Sunrise　was　throwing　brighter　light　across　the　flattened　terrain。　〃What　a　sight　for　sore　eyes。〃　Rick　smiled；　flicking　switches　on　his　instrument　panel。

Lisa　laughed　outright；　surprising　herself。　Was　it　right　to　be　happy　again　so　soon　after　so　much　carnage？　But　she　couldn't　help　feeling　joy；　and　she　laughed　again。　〃Oh；　yes；　yes！〃

〃This　thing's　still　got　a　few　miles　left　in　it；〃　Rick　decided；　studying　the　instruments。　〃Let's　go。〃

〃Okay！〃

She　settled　back　into　his　lap；　and　when　he　put　his　hand　over　the　throttle；　she　covered　it　gently　with　her　own；　averting　her　eyes　but　leaving　her　hand　there。　He　moved　the　throttle　forward。　Lisa's　heart　soared；　feeling　his　hand　beneath　hers。

The　Guardian　jetted　across　the　devastated　landscape；　into　the　sunrise；　straight　for　the　SDF…1　and　the　long　shadow　it　threw。　Lisa；　her　arms　around　Rick's　neck；　laid　her　head　on　his　chest　and　watched　a　new　future　loom　up　before　her。


PART　II：　RECONSTRUCTION　BLUES


CHAPTER　TWENTY　TWO

Why　were　the　higher…ups　so　surprised　that　we　rebuilt　right　away；　and　so　quickly？　Human　feet　can　wear　down　a　stone；　human　hands　can　grind　down　iron；　human　perseverance　can　overe　any　adversity。
Mayor　Tommy　Luan；　The　High　Ofce

Upon　its　initial　arrival；　Gloval　had　thought　of　the　SDF…1　as　a　kind　of　malign　miracle；　since　it　had　kept　humanity　from　destroying　itself　utterly　in　the　Global　Civil　War。

There　was　another　miraculous　purpose　it　was　to　serve；　to　divert　war　away　from　Earth；　fight　off　the　Zentraedi；　and　ultimately　break　the　invaders'　power。

But　there　was　a　third　role　in　this　sequence　of　events　that　even　Gloval　hadn't　guessed；　indeed；　he　had　unwittingly　worked　in　opposition　to　it。

The　SDF…1　was　an　ark；　as　well。

Even　after　the　bombardments；　the　scorched…Earth　attack　that　had　very　nearly　e　to　a　no…Earth　situation；　the　boiling　away　of　much　of　the　planet's　water…temporarily　at　least…into　the　atmosphere；　pockets　of　humanity　had　survived。　But　what　chance　would　they　have　to　resume　an　advanced　culture　and　technological　base？

Very　simply；　none。

Take　mining　as　an　example。　Most　of　the　useful　minerals　that　could　be　mined　by　primitive　means　were　long　since　exhausted。　The　huddled　groups　of　war…shocked　people　who　survived　the　Zentraedi　holocaust　were　unable　to　mount　even　steam…age　mining　efforts；　much　less　the　sophisticated　operations　it　would　take　to　get　to　the　less　accessible　deposits　still　remaining　in　the　planet。　An　unbelievably　plex　and　interdependent　world　had　simply　passed　away；　and　there　was　no　means　to　rebuild　it。

Terran　technology　had　used　up　its　one　bolt；　and　there　was　no　such　thing　as　starting　over　from　scratch；　because　the　resources　that　had　let　Homo　sapiens　start　from　scratch　had　been　consumed　long　before。

The　human　race　was　on　its　way　to　being　a　permanent；　dead…end　race　of　hunter…gatherers　with　no　hope　of　ever　being　more　again。　History　was　about　to　close　the　books　on　a　vaguely　interesting　little　upstart　species；　events　and　the　simple　facts　of　life　had　gone　against　it。

Except　there　was　the　SDF…1；　with　Macross　City　inside。

There　had　been　few　hard　words　or　unyielding　attitudes　once　the　great　starship　set　down　in　the　dry　lakebed。　Who　do　you　get　mad　at　when　the　world　lies　dying？

In　their　years　of　wandering　and　persevering；　the　residents　of　Macross　City　had　put　most　delusions　and　wishful　thinking　behind　them。　They　saw　what　had　happened；　and　it　came　to　them　quickly　that　against　any　expectation；　they　had　been　the　lucky　ones。　The　castoffs　and　pariahs　were　actually　the　cargo　of　a　new　ark。

So　in　the　end　that　was　the　fate　of　Macross　City。　What　was　left　of　it　was　disembarked；　person　by　person；　piece　by　piece；　around　the　lakebed；　and　the　rebuilding　began。

The　intellectuals　and　experts　argued　about　the　best　ways　to　reestablish　ecological　balances　and　manage　moisture　reclamation；　the　people　of　Macross　rebuilt　their　homes　and　businesses　and　lives　as　best　they　could；　trusting　that　such　things　were　more　important　than　all　the　puter　projections。

The　ship's　engines　provided　power。　Its　mecha　and　military　people　enforced　law　and　order　in　an　ever…growing　domain　of　security。　The　SDF…1's　fabricators　and　other　technical　equipment　quickly　provided　a　new　industrial　base；　and　the　population　of　Macross　constituted　an　urban　economic　hub。

In　the　time　after　that　last　Armageddon；　the　SDF…1's　name　might　better　have　been　that　of　one　of　its　constituent　flattops；　Prometheus。　It　was　humanity's　main　source　of　medical　care；　technical　resources；　and　most　importantly；　the　accumulated　knowledge　and　wisdom　of　the　species　Homo　sapiens。

The　nuclear　winter　scenario　was　much　less　severe　than　the　puters　had　guessed。　That　was　partly　because　the　predictions　had　been　based　on　faulty　models。　It　was　also　because　the　RDF　and　civilian　corps　worked　around　the　clock　to　make　it　so。

And　they　had　allies。　The　explosion　of　Dolza's　base　had　disabled　or　taken　with　it　his　entire　Grand　Fleet；　but　a　considerable　part　of　Breetai's　armada　had　survived。　Many　Zentraedi　had　chosen　to　go　to　Earth　and　take　up　a　life　there　either　in　Micronian　size　or　in　their　own　original　bodies。

Both　races　hoped　for　a　new　golden　age　or　at　least　a　lasting　silver　one。

It　was　a　world　seared　and　barren；　pockmarked　with　craters　and。　split　with　fissures　made　by　war。　Everywhere　were　the　rusting　mecha　of　the　last　great　battle。　Most　of　the　disabled　Zentraedi　ships　had；　for　unknown　reasons；　oriented　on　the　nearest　center　of　gravity…Earth…and　driven　toward　it。

The　result　was　that　the　planet's　surface　was　an　eerie　Robotech　Boot　Hill　dotted　with　crumpled　alien　warships　that　had　driven　themselves　partway　into　the　ground　like　spikes。　The　reminders　of　that　last　day　were　everywhere；　too　many　to　ever　dismantle　or　bury。　Only　time　and　the　elements　would　remove　the　grave　markers；　and　they　would　not　do　so　in　the　life　span　of　anyone　then　living。

But　those　who　were　left　alive　went　on　a　new　crusade；　the　one　to　heal　the　planet　and　put　things　right　again。

Two　years　passed。


Rick　Hunter's　VT；　in　Guardian　mode；　plained　at　the　strain　he　put　on　it　in　the　tight　bank。　He　gritted　his　teeth　but　held　to　it。　The　old　ship；　battered　as　it　was；　had　never　failed　him　yet。　With　replacement