05_force_of_arms-第5部分

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It　didn't　take　long　to　get　there；　Max　even　paid　for　the　cab。　The　Close　Encounters　game　arcade　was　alive　with　noise　and　lights；　like　some　Robotech　fun　house。

Max's　eyes　were　shining。　〃Great　place；　huh？　You're　gonna　love　it！〃

More　war　games？　Rick　groaned　to　himself。　〃I　don't　know。　Maybe　I'll　just　head　home…〃

But　Max　had　him　by　the　elbow　again。　〃A　coupla　games'll　make　you　feel　like　a　new　man；　boss。〃

〃Max；　I　don't　think…〃

〃Look；　I've　been　here　before；　I　know　what　I'm　talking　about！〃　He　dragged　Rick　through　the　entrance。

As　they　moved　deeper　into　the　arcade；　Rick　recognized　a　face。　Jason；　Lynn…Minmei's　little　cousin；　had　stopped　to　watch　a　young　woman　playing　a　game。　Rick　went　past　without　saying　anything　to　attract　the　child's　attention；　talking　to　Jason　would　only　remind　him　of　his　feelings　for　Minmei　and　pound　his　doubts　and　gloom。

In　passing；　he　did　notice　the　young　woman：　a　very　intense　player　with　green…dyed　hair　and　an　expression　like　some　beautiful　lioness　ready　for　the　kill。


The　shuttle　had　barely　rolled　to　a　stop　when　Hayes　reached　it；　running。　His　aide　watched　him　in　astonishment。

By　the　time　the　ground　crew　got　the　mobile　stairs　in　position；　Lisa　was　waiting　in　the　open　hatch。　The　wind　tugged　at　her　long；　heavy　locks　of　brown…blond　hair　and　her　too…light　trench　coat。　She　was　wearing　fur…trimmed　boots　she　had　borrowed；　but　the　cold　sent　ice　picks　through　her　and　numbed　her　skin　instantly。

She　halted；　shocked　to　see　her　father　waiting　for　her。　Their　previous　meeting　and　parting　had　been　anything　but　cordial；　with　the　admiral　doggedly　taking　the　UEDC　line　against　Gloval's　mon　sense　and　passion。　Coldly　formal　to　her　in　the　meetings；　her　father　had　later　sought　to　get　her　reassigned　to　headquarters　base；　to　get　her　out　of　the　danger　of　her　SDF…1　assignment。　Lisa　had　torn　up　the　conciliatory　note　he　had　sent　her　and　returned　to　the　dimensional　fortress　with　Gloval。　She　was　unaware　of　how　that　tormented　her　father。

Now；　looking　up　at　her；　he　said；　〃Lisa！　Thank　goodness　you're　here　at　last！〃　She　came　down　the　stairs　carefully；　holding　the　railing　with　one　hand　as　the　wind　buffetted　her；　clutching　a　dispatch　case。

〃You're　finally　off　that　cursed　alien　Flying　Dutchman。〃　He　was　smiling；　tears　forming。　〃We've　got　a　lot　of　talking　to　do！〃

But　when　she　reached　the　bottom　of　the　stairs；　she　came　to　attention　and　snapped　him　an　exacting　salute。　〃Admiral；　mander　Lisa　Hayes　reporting；　sir。　I'm　carrying　a　special　dispatch　from　the　captain　of　the　SDF…1　to　the　United　Earth　Defense　Council。〃

He　was　taken　aback；　the　smile　wiped　from　his　face。　It　was　her　turn　to　be　formal　and　distant　now；　her　right；　as　it　had　been　his　the　last　time。

If　she　was　giving　him　back　his　own；　he　was　willing　to　accept　it。　Nothing　was　as　important　to　him　as　the　fact　that　his　daughter；　his　only　family；　was　with　him　again。　He　returned　her　salute　crisply；　straight…faced。

〃Wele　home。〃


Dante's　Inferno　was　one　of　the　more　popular　games　there；　but　Rick　just　didn't　feel　like　following　old　Virgil　down　through　the　nine　circles　to　the　demanding　Ultimate　Player　level。　Dragonbane；　with　its　swirling　nightmare　reptile　attackers　and　Nordic　swordsman；　seemed　a　little　too　much　like　his　own　duel　with　inner　demons。

Nor　was　he　inclined　toward　Psycho　Highway　Chainsaw　Bloodbath。　Eventually；　though；　Max　convinced　him　to　take　on　a　pair　of　side…by…side　Aesop's　Gauntlet　machines；　mostly　because　the　easy　chairs　before　them　were　thickly　upholstered　and　fortable。

Down　below；　on　the　main　level；　Miriya　sharpened　her　skills　at　the　Veritechs！　game：　She　found　grim　amusement　in　being　a　simulated　Micronian　pilot；　blowing　Zentraedi　Battlepods　to　whirling　fragments。　She　was　disappointed　that　there　were　no　Quadrono　powered…armor　opponents　in　the　game；　her　own　unit　was　by　far　the　elite　of　the　alien　armada。

She　also　approved　of　the　training　machine…as　she　thought　of　it…for　not　introducing　trainees　to　the　realities　of　warfare　at　this　early　phase　of　their　instruction。　It　was　clear　that　the　gamesters　would　need　a　little　hardening　and　proper　military　discipline　before　they　could　deal　with　the　horror　and　bloodshed　of　real　warfare。　This　clean；　neat　gaming　gave　them　appropriate　affection　for　bat　without　any　confusing　exposure　to　certain　unpleasant　aspects　of　a　real　warrior's　life。　Clever。

She　sent　another　pod　to　puter…modeled　oblivion；　pretending　it　was　that　of　Khyron；　whom　she　had　e　to　despise。　The　score　credit　flashed；　and　little　Jason；　still　watching；　piped　up；　〃Wow！　Look　at　that！〃

She　tried　to　ignore　him　as　tokens　stamped　with　a　big　M　poured　into　the　payoff　tray。　The　little　Micronians　were　intriguing　to　her；　but　disquieting。　And　the　small　ones　were　always　so　boisterous　or　emotional…certainly　impulsive　and　rather　simpleminded。　At　first　she　thought　that　they　were　a　slave　underclass；　but　that　didn't　square　with　the　indulgent　treatment　they　got　from　the　bigger　Micronians。　She　forcefully　shut　from　her　mind　the　truth　about　human　childbearing；　pared　to　it；　the　war　and　slaughter　were　simple；　prehensible；　painless　things。

And　such　thoughts　were　not　in　keeping　with　her　true　mission　aboard　the　SDF…1。　She　looked　around；　wondering　when　she　would　find　her　quarry。　The　memory　still　burned　in　her：　of　how　the　Micronian　ace　had　outflown　her　and　then；　in　the　very　streets　of　Macross　itself；　she　in　her　Quadrono　superarmor　and　he　in　his　Battloid；　faced　her　down；　made　her　flee。

Her　face　burned　again　at　the　thought　of　it。　She　had　difficulty　eating　or　resting　and　would　until　she　regained　her　honor。

The　dimensional　fortress　was　big；　but　not　big　enough　that　her　enemy　could　hide　forever。


CHAPTER　FIVE

Considering　the　staggering　expense　involved　in　any　Robotech　operation；　the　match　that　took　place　in　the　arcade　that　day　certainly　ranks　as　the　most　cost…effective　VT　mission　of　the　war…and　perhaps　the　most　fateful。
Zachary　Fox　Jr。；　VT：　the　Men　and　the　Mecha

Every　animal　in　Aesop's　Bestiary　seemed　to　have　it　in　for　Rick；　while　Max　progressed　through　the　ascending　levels　with　ease。

〃The　points're　piling　up；　Lieutenant；〃　Max　said；　referring　to　his　score。　Rick；　teeth　gritted；　was　trying　to　wax　the　fox　that　was　leaping　for　the　grapes。　Damn　thing　moved　faster　than　a　Zentraedi　tri…thruster。

After　a　lot　of　bleeping；　ringing；　and　flashing　from　Max's　machine；　a　flood　of　tokens；　glittering　like　gold；　slid　into　the　payoff　tray。　The　tokens　could　be　used　for　more　games；　of　course；　or　redeemed　for　prizes；　vouchers　of　various　kinds；　or…if　one　really　pressed　the　issue…cash。

〃That's　great！　I　always　make　more　than　I　can　cart　off。〃

〃Well；　you　left　me　behind；〃　Rick　admitted。　Wasn't　this　supposed　to　make　me　feel　better？

Actually；　it　did。　〃Max；　look　at　that！〃　More　and　more　tokens　slid　down　into　the　tray　until　they　were　spilling　all　over　the　place。

Close　Encounters's　assistant　manager；　Frankie　Zotz；　a　nervous　young　man　in　white　pancake　makeup　and　black；　owllike　hairdo；　rushed　into　the　manager's　booth。　〃Hey；　boss！　We're　gettin'　wiped　out　at　some　of　our　most　difficult　machines！〃

Blinko　Imperiale；　the　manager…he　of　the　goggle　shades　and　two…tone　Mohawk　and　vaguely　intimidating　lab　coat…sat　with　chin　on　fist。

〃Dincha　hear　me？〃　Frankie　Zotz　yelped。　〃That　pilot's　upstairs　again；　and　the　green…haired　dame's　inside　turnin'　a　VT　game　every　which　way　but　profitable！〃

Blinko　didn't　even　move；　sadly　staring　off　at　nothing。　〃Oh；　boy。　I　knew　I　never　shoulda　opened　this　place　near　where　those　RDF　maniacs　hang　out！〃


The　split…screen　parisons　were　obvious　even　to　nontechnical　personnel。　The　DNA　strands　and　analysis　workups　spoke　for　themselves。

The　presentation　flashed　along　as　Admiral　Hayes　muttered；　〃Interesting。。。hmmm。。。〃

It　was　much　more　than　that；　it　was　astounding。　It　shook　the　very　foundations　of　human　knowledge。

It　had　long　been　thought　that　wherever　the　basic　chemical　building　blocks　of　life　coexisted　in　the　universe；　they　would　preferentially　link　to　form　the　same　subunits　that　defined　the　essential　biogenetic　structures　found　on　Earth。　In　other　words；　the　ordering　of　the　DNA　code　wasn't　a　quirk　of　nature。　Tentative　evidence　dated　back　to　long　before　the　SDF…1's　crash　landing　on　Earth；　both　from　meteoric　remains　and　from　spark…discharge　experiments。

The　new　data　pointed　up　a　universal　chemistry…that　the　formation　and　linking　of　amino　acids　and　nucleotides　was　all　but　inevitable。　The　messenger　RNA　codonanticodon　linkages　that　blueprinted　the　production　of　amino　acids　seemed　to　operate　on　a　coding　intrinsic　to　the　molecules　themselves。　This　meant　that　life　throughout　the　universe　would　be　very　similar　and　that　some　force　dictated　that　it　be　so。

Admiral　Hayes　skimmed　over　all　that；　it　had　little　to　do　with　the　war。　He　skimmed　some　of　Dr。　Lang's　hypotheses　and　preliminary　findings；　too：　that　somehow　the　very　energies　that　drove　Robotechnology　were　identical　to　the　shadowy　forces　governing　molecular　behavior。　There　was　also　mention　of　this　irritatingly　mystical　Protoculture；　something　none　of　the　alien　defectors　had　had　sufficiently　high　clearance　to　have　learned　much　about。

Lang；　it　appeared；　was　monumentally　frustrated　that　the　hints　and　suspicions　couldn't　be　verified。　But　he　was　vocal　about　his　suspicion　that　this　Protoculture　the　Zentraedi　were　so　obsessed　with　was　the　key　to　it　all…molecular　behavior；　the　war；　the　origins　of　life；　ultimate　power。

The　point　of　the　presentation　was　obvious　even　to　an　aging　flag…rank　officer　whose　Academy　biochemistry　classes　were　far　behind　him。　〃Let　me　see　if　I'm　pletely　clear　about　what　you're　telling　me。〃

〃You　believe　our　genetic　backgrounds；　the　Zentraedi's　and　that　of　the　human　race；　are　similar。　And　because　of　the　possibility　that　we　might　all　be　part　of　the　same　species；　you　hope　to　promote　peace　talks。〃

Lisa　was　nodding；　wide…eyed　as　the　little　girl　he　remembered。　〃But　will　all　this　convince　the　UEDC　to　open　negotiations；　sir？〃

He　sighed；　the　heavy　brows　lowering；　staring　down　at　the　briefing　file　before　him　on　the　coffee　table。　Lisa　held　her　breath。

〃I'm　not　sure；〃　her　father　said　at　last。　He　looked　up　at　her　again。　〃But　I'll　present　it　to　them　and　make　sure　they　listen；　then　we'll　see　what　they　say。〃

For　the　first　time　since　she　left　the　SDF…1；　Lisa　smiled。


Miriya　bent　over　the　VT　machine；　refining　her　game。　Next　to　her；　on　the　floor；　were　two　plastic　pans　filled　with　playing　tokens。　Frankie　Zotz　had　had　to　refill　the　game's　reservoir　twice　to　pay　off　all　her　winnings。　She　ignored　his　sweaty　invitations　to　go　play　some　other　game…or；　better　yet；　take　a　rain　check　and　just　go…with　a　slit…eyed　amusement　and　a　dangerous　air　that　kept　him　from　pressing　her　too　hard　about　it。

Max　came　downstairs　with　Rick；　holding　his　own　tray　of　tokens。　Suddenly；　he　stopped　yammering　his　overcheerful　encouragements　about　how　Rick　would　eventually　get　the　hang　of　the　puter　games。　That　was　fine　with　Rick；　he　had　had　just　about　enough　light　banter。

Max　paused　on　the　stairs。　〃Oh！　That　girl！　Sitting　at　that　game！〃

Rick　looked　at　the　green　hair。　She　wore　a　tight　brown　body　suit　that　showed　off　a　lithe　figure；　and　a　flamboyant　yellow　scarf　knotted　at　her　throat。　〃So？　What　about　her？〃

〃Isn't　she　incredible？〃　Max　said；　more　excitedly　than　Rick　had　ever　heard　Max　talk　about　anything。　〃I've　been　seeing　her　everywhere。〃

〃Well；　she　is　sort　of　attractive；〃　Rick　had　to　admit；　his　mind　too　full　of　Lisa　Hayes　and　Minmei　for　him　to　go　on　at　any　greater　length。

Max；　the　renowned　VT　wizard；　wasn't　much　when　it　came　to　the　pursuit　of　females；　his　few　fumbling　attempts　with　one　or　another　of　the　Terrible　Trio　had　failed；　and　he　retreated　pletely　when　Sammie；　Vanessa；　and　Kim　became　involved　with　the　three　Zentraedi　ex…spies；　Konda；　Bron；　and　Rico。

Max's　modest；　self…effacing　shipside　persona　made　him　a　sort　of　uninteresting　doormat　for　women。　Perhaps　he　wasn't　suave　or　seductively　menacing　enough。　So　when　he　wasn't　out　in　a　Veritech；　he　kept　to　himself　for　the　most　part。

But　this　was　different；　the　Close　Encounters　arcade　was　his　turf。　〃Maybe　I　can　get　her　in　a　game　with　me！〃　Max　said；　as　he　went　racing　down　the　stairs。

There　was　quite　a　crowd　around　Miriya；　she　had　rolled　up　one　of　the　largest　scores　ever　on　the　Veritechs　game。　She　felt　a　little　irritated；　even　a　bit　strange；　with　all　these　Micronians　gathered　around。　Yet　she　endured　their　gaze；　proud　and　pleased　to　show　off　her　prowess。

She　briefly　considered　the　idea　that　her　strange　sensations　had　something　to　do　with　the　damned　Micronian　food。　It　was　nothing　like　the　cold；　processed；　sanitized　rations　of　the　Zentraedi；　human　food　had　strange　textures　and　flavors；　odd　biological　constituents。　It　was　all　animal　tissue　and　plant　substances；　and　she　suspected　it　was　affecting　her　system。

She　shook　off　the　feeling　and　kept　playing；　rolling　her　score　higher　and　higher；　until　she　went　over　the　top；　beating　the　game；　and　more　tokens　poured　into　her　tray。　Getting　enough　money　to　survive　in　Macross　had　been　no　problem　for　Miriya　since　she　had　discovered　the　arcades。

Now　someone　pressed　through　the　crowd：　an　unremarkable…looking　VT　pilot　with　a　tray　of　token　winnings　in　his　hands。　She　was　inclined　to　dismiss　him；　dozens　of　men　had　made　overtures　to　her　since　she　first　came　to　the　SDF…1。

But　there　was　something　different　about　this　one；　she　thought。

Max　worked　up　the　nerve　to　say；　〃'Scuse　me；　would　you　be　interested　in　playing　a　game　with　me？　From　what　I've　seen；　I　think　we'd　be　equally　matched。　Don't　you？〃

He　looked　so　young　and　eager　that　she　almost　laughed　in　his　face　and　ignored　him。　Then　she　considered　the　tray　of　tokens　in　his　hands。　Miriya　knew　enough　about　the　arcades　to　appreciate　how　good　he　must　have　been　to　have　accumulated　so　many　of　the　glittering　pieces。

Of　course　it　was　beyond　the　realm　of　possibility　that　this　slim　youngster　could　be　the　premier　enemy　killer；　but　if　he　provided　some　petition；　it　might　make　for　useful　practice。

She　looked　at　him　languidly　beneath　long　black　lashes。　Max　felt　his　heart　pounding。　〃Are　you　willing　to　bet　all　that？〃　Miriya　asked。

He　gasped　happily。　〃Yes；　I　am！〃　He　set　his　tray　down　next　to　hers；　then　scooted　around　into　the　seat　opposite　her。　He　babbled；　〃This　is　absolutely　terrific！　I　know　we're　gonna　have　a　great　game！〃

Watching　frorn　the　sidelines；　Rick　wondered　if　there　wasn't　something　else　Max　could　do　to　screw　up　his　chances　of　impressing　her。　Trip　over　her；　maybe；　or　throw　up。

But　once　in　his　seat；　Max　took　on　the　air　of　confidence　and　aplomb　that　was　his　in　matters　regarding　the　VTs。　〃How　about　starting　with　level　B？　All　right　with　you？〃

She　shrugged；　somehow　making　it　seem　alluring　and　yet　indifferent。　〃Fine。〃

〃All　right。　Here　we　go。〃

He　deposited　the　tokens；　and　the　screen　lit。　Miriya　had　picked　red　for　the　color　of　her　VT；　Max　selected　blue；　for　the　trim　on　his　own　ship。　He　didn't　notice　that　Miriya's　eyes　suddenly　narrowed　at　that　choice。

Little　animated　Minmei　figures　walked　out　from　either　side　of　the　screen　to　strike　a　gong　in　the　center；　and　the　action　began。　They　guided　their　VTs　through　the　twisting；　changing　puter…modeled　landscape；　using　control　sticks　and　foot　pedals；　maneuvering　at　each　other　and　firing。

It　didn't　take　long　for　Miriya　to　lose　her　nonchalance。　Try　as　she　might；　she　couldn't　gain　the　advantage　on　him；　couldn't　shake　him　once　he'd　gained　on　her。　A　frow