Macross 1/2
By Tailkinker
[email protected]
Author's Opening Statement and Disclaimer
Okay, I know that the first thing you folks are gonna ask is, why did I do it? Why write a Ranma/Robotech crossover?
Well, the real reason is that I had an image in my mind of a Valkyrie throwing a chi fireball...At first, I considered a Ranma/Macross crossover, but Robotech allowed for a bigger scope of creativity, thanks to the existence of Protoculture. Also, I have a lot more reference material for Robotech than I do for Macross. (Hey--the western world in general has a lot more reference material for Robotech than for Macross, since everything that holds for Macross also holds for Robotech...) And let's face it...Robotech has a great story that's really worth following. (Okay, THAT's gonna get me flamed...) But no matter how you slice it, a fair amount of Macross crept into this during the writing - particularly Mecha names, names of organizations, et cetera.
Originally, I was going to have Ranma et al avoiding interference with the primary Robotech plot; the idea was to see how they reacted when placed into the Robotech world. Unfortunately, Ranma is a weirdness magnet, and despite my best efforts, things got out of hand...But hey, my brain and hands are merely the medium by which the story expresses itself.
This story starts three years after Jushenkyo (Except for the prologue, which starts just after Ranma and Genma return from China, but before they go to the Tendo Dojo). So if the characters seem a bit out of character, remember that an extra three years of growing up during your teens will make one hell of a difference in personality. The basic core of personality is still there, but most of them have a lot more patience.
All characters from Ranma 1/2 are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and all the people she's sold/licensed them to - I can think of Shogakukan, Kitty and Viz, but there are probably more. Robotech and all elements of such are owned by Carl Macek and/or Harmony Gold (I think). Book titles robbed from Jack McKinney's Robotech novel series, published by Pocket Books, but as far as I know, the titles were all taken from names of individual Robotech episodes anyway. I'm not sure who owns Macross, I think the company's called Big West, but it sure ain't me. My usage of any of the above is in no way meant to be a challenge to their copyrights. Any of the above parties have far more money than me and, just for fun, could crush me like a bug for imitating them. Please don't--I'm not worth it!
Dialogue conventions:
"" denotes conversations in Japanese or English. Most U.N. Spacy personnel are fluent in both, and it should be either obvious or irrelevant where each is being spoken.
~~ denotes character thoughts.
-- denotes sound effects. (These'll be fairly obvious anyway...)
** denotes conversations in Zentraedi.
Postscript to the Author's Notes:
I started writing this sucker long, long before I started on This Side Down. In fact, this is probably the second 'fic I ever wrote (the first shall remain nameless, for although it was also the first posted, it was posted under a different pen name and email address. I was so embarrassed by my first fic I changed my nick...:)
When I started writing this beast, I told myself, "I won't post it until it's done." Boy, was that dumb. Since there was no particular impetus to get it done, I kept going over it, tweaking the stuff I had finished...So I decided to start posting it, one chapter per week or two. Otherwise, it's just gonna keep gathering dust on my hard drive...
The original title was horrible, so I ditched it, and used a more stock (read: less imaginative, quite predicable and rather boring, but at least not horrible) title.
But enough of me flapping my gums. On to the story.
PROLOGUE
NERIMA, JAPAN
"Damnit, old man! How dare you decide my future this way?"
The young, red-haired girl jumped up from the cafe table and threw a punch at the older man seated across from her. Her Chinese clothing was overly loose on her, and it was obvious to any observer that she was not wearing a brassiere. The older man, dressed in a white gi, jumped up and dodged the punch. The cafe manager groaned as he considered how much damage was about to be inflicted on his restaurant.
"You've got no right whatsoever to pick my fiancee for me! Damnit, I've already joined the service!"
"Ranma, you idiot! What about your...little secret? You think they'll let you stay in with your curse?"
Ranma threw a kick at the older man, slamming him into the wall. "You think I was gonna tell them? Give me credit for brains at least, oyaji!"
The older man stood, a little unsteadily. "I did not raise you to be a master of the School of Unrestricted Grappling to see you waste your life in the JSDF."
"Who said anything about the Defense Force?" The girl did not let up on her attacks. "I'm joining U.N. Spacy!"
The older man grabbed the girl and smashed her into the wall, pinning her to it with his superior mass.
"Did you say...U.N. Spacy?"
"Yeah...And I've already been accepted and posted!"
"To...Macross Island?"
The girl seemed surprised. "Yeah...how did you know?"
The man released her, and she slid to the floor. He adjusted his glasses and scowled at her. "Ranma, I am still deeply grieved that you went behind my back in this affair. However, I will tell you now that the U.N. Spacy is the only military I would have allowed you to join."
"Oh? Why's that?" The girl stood, rubbing her neck. Already, a bruise was reddening around her throat.
"I cannot say. But if you truly do not wish to uphold your engagement, I shall so inform the Tendo family."
Ranma sighed. "Look, oyaji, I never said that I didn't want to get married, or meet family obligation. But I already have my career planned out, and getting married will only throw it out of whack. Not to mention I haven't seen my so-called 'fiancee' in seven years. When I get married, it'll be on my own time, when I decide to, to whom I decide.
"Sorry, oyaji, but you really should have thought this out beforehand. Just like with Jushenkyo."
"Hey, who's going to pay for this damage?"
Ranma grinned at the cafe manager. "He is!"
With one swing, she knocked her father on his ass and pulled out his wallet. She extracted a hefty sum in yen--far more than the cost of the repairs--and tossed it to the manager.