10_invid_invasion-第1章

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Robotech：　Invid　Invasion
Book　10　of　the　Robotech　series
Copyright　1987　by　Jack　McKinney

arranged　by　dayuan　＇　robotech　zone　＇



PROLOGUE

Somewhere　a　queen　was　weeping。。。her　children　scattered；　her　regent　a　prisoner　of　the　blood　lust；　at　war　with　nature　and　enslaved　to　vengeance。

But　dare　we　presume　to　read　her　thoughts　even　now；　to　walk　a　path　not　taken…one　denied　to　us　by　gates　and　towers　our　senses　cannot　perceive　and　perhaps　never　will？

Still；　it　must　have　seemed　like　the　answer　to　a　prayer：　A　planet　newly　rich　in　the　flower　that　was　life　itself；　a　profusion　of　such　incredible　nutrient　wealth　that　her　Sensor　Nebulae　had　found　it　clear　across　the　galaxy。　A　blue　and　white　world　as　distant　from　her　Optera　as　she　was　from　the　peaceful　form　her　consciousness　once　inhabited。

And　yet　Optera　was　lost　to　her；　to　half　her　children。　Left　in　the　care　of　one　who　had　betrayed　his　kind；　who　had　bee　what　he　fought　so　desperately　to　destroy。　As　she　herself　had。。。

All　but　trapped　now　in　the　guise　that　he　had　worn；　the　one　who　lured　the　secrets　of　the　Flower　from　her。　And　whose　giant　warriors　had　returned　to　possess　the　planet　and　dispossess　its　inhabitants。　But　oh；　how　she　had　loved　him！　Enough　to　summon　from　her　very　depths　the　ability　to　emulate　him。　And　later　to　summon　a　hatred　keen　enough　to　birth　a　warring　nature；　an　army　of　soldiers　to　rival　his…to　rival　Zor's　own！

But　he；　too；　was　lost　to　her；　killed　by　the　very　soldiers　her　hatred　had　fashioned。

Oh；　to　be　rid　of　these　dark　memories！　her　ancient　heart　must　have　screamed。　To　be　rescued　from　these　sorry　realms！　Garuda；　Spheris；　Tirol。　And　this　Haydon　IV　with　its　sterile　flowers　long　awaiting　the　caress　of　the　Pollinators…this　coq　fused　world　even　my　Inorganics　cannot　subdue。

But　she　was　aware　that　all　these　things　would　soon　be　behind　her。　She　would　gather　the　cosmic　stuff　of　her　race　and　make　the　jump　to　that　world　the　Sensor　Nebulae　had　located。　And　woe　to　the　life　form　that　inhabited　that　world！　For　nothing　would　prevent　her　from　finding　a　home　for　her　children；　a　home　for　the　pletion　of　their　grand　evolutionary　design！


News　of　the　Invid　exodus　from　Haydon　IV　spread　through　the　Fourth　Quadrant…to　Spheris　and　Garuda　and　Praxis；　worlds　already　abandoned　by　the　insectlike　horde；　worlds　singled　out　by　fate　to　feel　the　backlash　of　Zor's　attempt　at　repense；　nature's　cruel　joke。

The　Tirolian　scientist　had　attempted　to　foliate　them　with　the　same　Flowers　he　had　been　ordered　to　steal　from　Optera；　an　action　that　had　sentenced　that　warm　world's　sentient　life…form　to　a　desperate　quest　to　relocate　their　nutrient　grail。　But　Zor's　experiments　had　failed；　because　the　Flower　of　Life　proved　to　be　a　discriminating　plant…choosy　about　where　it　would　and　would　not　put　down　roots…and　a　malignantly　loyal　one　as　well。

Deriving　as　much　from　the　Invid　as　the　Invid　derived　from　it；　the　Flower　called　out　from　Zor's　seeded　worlds　to　its　former　guardian/hosts。　Warlike　and　driven…instincts　born　of　the　Robotech　Masters'　transgression…the　Invid　answered　those　calls。　Their　army　of　mecha　and　Inorganics　arrived　in　swarms　to　overwhelm　and　rule；　and　instead　of　the　Protoculture　paradises　the　founder　of　Robotechnology　had　envisioned；　were　planets　dominated　by　the　beings　his　discoveries　had　all　but　doomed。

And　now　suddenly　they　were　gone；　off　on　a　new　quest　that　would　take　them　clear　across　the　galactic　core。

To　Earth。。。

Word　of　their　departure　reached　Rick　Hunter　aboard　the　Sentinel's　ships。　He　was　in　the　mand　seat　on　the　fortress　bridge　when　the　muniqu？was　received。　Thin　and　pale；　a　war…weary　veteran　of　countless　battles；　Rick　was　almost　thirty…five　years　old　by　Earth　reckoning；　but　the　vagaries　of　hyperspace　travel　put　him　closer　to　fifty　or　two　hundred　and　seventy；　depending　on　how　one　figured　it。

The　giant　planet　Fantoma；　once　home　to　the　Zentraedi；　filled　the　forward　viewports。　In　the　foreground　Rick　could　just　discern　the　small　inhabited　moon　called　Tirol；　an　angry　dot　against　Fantoma's　barren　face。　How　could　such　an　insignificant　world　have　unleashed　so　much　evil　on　an　unsuspecting　galaxy？　Rick　wondered。

He　glanced　over　at　Lisa；　who　was　humming　to　herself　while　she　tapped　a　flurry　of　mands　into　her　console。　His　wife。　They　had　stayed　together　through　thick　and　thin　these　past　eleven　years；　although　they　had　had　their　share　of　disagreements；　especially　when　Rick　had　opted　to　join　the　Sentinels…Baldon；　Teal；　Crysta；　and　the　others…and　pursue　the　Invid。

Who　would　have　thought　it　would　e　to　this？　he　asked　himself。　A　mission　whose　purpose　had　been　peace　at　war　with　itself。　Edwards　and　his　grand　designs　of　empire。。。how　like　the　Invid　regent　he　was；　how　like　the　Masters；　too！　But　he　was　history　now；　and　that　fleet　he　had　raised　to　conquer　Earth　would　be　used　to　battle　the　Invid　when　the　Expeditionary　Force　reached　the　planet。

Providing　the　fleet　reached　Earth；　of　course。　There　were　still　major　problems　with　the　spacefold　system　Lang　and　the　Tirolian　Cabell　had　designed。　Some　missing　ingredient。。。Major　Carpenter　had　never　been　heard　from；　nor　Wolff；　and　now　the　Mars　and　Jupiter　Group　attack　wings　were　preparing　to　fold；　with　almost　two　thousand　Veritechs　between　them。

Rick　exhaled　slowly　and　deliberately；　loud　enough　for　Lisa　to　hear　him　and　turn　a　thin　smile　his　way。　Somehow　it　was　fitting　that　Earth　should　end　up　on　the　Invid's　list；　Rick　decided。　But　what　could　have　happened　there　to　draw　them　in　such　unprecedented　numbers？　Rick　shuddered　at　the　thought。

Perhaps　Earth　was　where　the　final　battle　was　meant　to　be　fought。


Ravaged　by　the　Robotech　Masters　and　their　gargantuan　agents；　the　Zentraedi；　it　was　a　miracle　that　Earth　had　managed　to　survive　at　all。　Looking　on　the　planet　from　deep　space；　it　would　have　appeared　unchanged：　its　beautiful　oceans　and　swirling　masses　of　cloud；　its　silver　satellite；　bright　as　any　beacon　in　the　quadrant。　But　a　closer　look　revealed　the　scars　and　disfigurations　those　invasions　had　wrought。　The　northern　hemisphere　was　all　but　a　barren　waste；　forested　by　the　rusting　remains　of　Dolza's　ill…fated　four…million…ship　armada。　Great　cities　of　gleaming　concrete；　steel；　and　glass　towers　lay　ruined　and　abandoned。　Wide　highways　and　graceful　bridges　were　cratered　and　collapsed。　Airports；　schools；　hospitals；　sports　plexes；　industrial　and　residential　zones。。。reduced　to　rubble；　unmarked　graveyards　all。

A　fifteen…year　period　of　peace…that　tranquil　prologue　to　the　Masters'　arrival…saw　the　resurrection　of　some　of　those　things　the　twentieth　century　had　all　but　taken　for　granted。　Cities　had　rebuilt　themselves；　new　ones　had　grown　up。　But　humankind　was　now　a　different　species　from　that　which　had　originally　raised　those　towering　sculptures　of　stone。　Post…Cataclysmites；　they　were　a　feudal；　warring　breed；　as　distrustful　of　one　another　as　they　were　of　those　stars　their　hopeful　ancestors　had　once　wished　upon。　Perhaps；　as　some　have　claimed；　Earth　actually　called　in　its　second　period　of　catastrophe；　as　if　bent　on　adhering　to　some　self…fulfilling　prophecy　of　doom。　The　Masters；　too；　for　that　matter：　The　two　races　met　and　engaged　in　an　unspoken　agreement　for　mutual　annihilation…a　paving　of　the　way　for　what　would　follow。

Those　who　still　wish　to　blame　Protoculture　trace　the　genesis　of　this　back　to　Zor；　Aquarian…age　Prometheus；　whose　gift　to　the　galaxy　was　a　Pandora's　box　he　willingly　opened。　Displaced　and　repressed；　the　Flower　of　Life　had　rebelled。　And　there　were　no　chains；　molecular　or　otherwise；　capable　of　containing　its　power。　That　Zor；　resurrected　by　the　Elders　of　his　race　for　their　dark　purposes；　should　have　been　the　one　to　free　the　Flower　from　its　Matrix　is　now　seen　as　part　of　Protoculture's　equation。　Equally　so；　that　that　liberation　should　call　forth　the　Invid　to　plete　the　circle。


They　came　without　warning：　a　swarm　of　monsters　and　mecha　folded　across　space　and　time　by　their　leader/queen；　the　Regis；　through　an　effort　of　pure　psychic　will。　They　did　not　choose　to　announce　themselves　the　way　their　former　enemies　had；　nor　did　they　delay　their　invasion　to　puzzle　out　humankind's　strengths　and　weaknesses；　quirks　and　foibles。　There　was　no　need　to　determine　whether　Earth　did　or　did　not　have　what　they　sought；　their　Sensor　Nebulae　had　already　alerted　them　to　t