Mission Log 046 - Refugees
Near where they landed in the Outback the 21st finds the remains of a crashed Robotech Masters shuttle and inside they find what appears to be hundreds of dead Tirolians, possibly the civilian population from the destroyed mothership. They are surprised to find some survivors and learn that the Robotech Masters had rounded up all of the civilians prior to the final assault and those that could not be used for soldiers, mainly the women, children and elderly, were placed on deliberately sabotaged shuttles and ejected from the mothership to perish. The three dozen or so survivors here are only alive because they had been pressed into the shuttle so tightly that the bodies of their dead companions cushioned the impact of the crash. Nonetheless these survivors are in bad shape and will not likely survive more than a few days without help. Lost Boy convinces the others that these people are not their enemy, they were betrayed by their Masters and are innocent civilians and it is their morale duty to help. The 21st build a crude hover platform from the shuttle wreckage and their own hovercycles and begin their search for civilization. Among the survivors is a Tirolian muse named Celesta, the only surviving sister of the trio put aboard the shuttle. It was her song that had initially drawn the 21st to the crash site and something about her fascinates Punchout.
Mission Log 047 - Walkabout
Aussie-born Shark recognizes the remains of an old road as the Gunbarrel Highway and knows that following it will get the 21st and their companions to within site of Ayers Rock, an unmistakable landmark that will help them get their bearings. Following the road the travelers encounter a group of Aborigines and are surprised to learn that they were apparently expected. The Aborigines escort the 21st and the refugees to their camp near Uluru (the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock) where the group gets a chance to rest and eat. The tribe's shaman claims to have known about the arrival of the 21st in the aftermath of the space war and shows the group paintings he has made. Though in a primitive art style, the paintings seem to show details about the squadron's past exploits, and even their encounter with the Aborigines. There are also paintings that appear to show the group's future, including pictures of a strange plant and of the squadron battling crab-like monsters. The shaman is most insistent that the 21st has some kind of role to play in an upcoming mystical event, something that will involve the "Rainbow Serpent once again walking about the land."
From Ayers Rock, the 21st makes a short trip to Alice Springs and confirm their fears, that it and the base at nearby Pine Gap had been destroyed by the mothership before it had been taken down. After a few more days of rest the 21st and their refugee companions head south. They reach the ocean and face a decision about what to do from there. An encounter with gypsy-like nomads that travel along the old railway lines helps make that decision, as the travellers tell the group that Perth has also been destroyed. This reduces the group's options to one viable one, to attempt to cross the sea to New Zealand, Punchout's home, and hope that it fared better than Australia in the war.
Mission Log 048 - Crossing the Ditch
The 21st begins searching for any surviving sea-worthy vessels they might use to cross to New Zealand. It begins to look like they might have to venture into the dangerous wastelands to look for a ship in the ruins of Sydney or Melbourne when Bullseye stumbles upon a serendipitous find. Partially buried just off shore Bullseye has found the HMAS Darwin, an old Australian navy frigate that had been scheduled to be sunk for use as an artificial reef but was apparently never scuttled, probably due to the Zentraedi planetary assault, and had been sitting half-covered in sand ever since. The boat has been stripped of almost all of its equipment, but the hull is still relatively intact. The 21st builds a make-shift dry dock and haul the ship out of its resting place with the hovertanks. Brains sets to work jury-rigging various control and propulsion systems while the others patch holes in the hull. The group also takes turns using their hovertanks to trawl for fish off shore using homemade nets to supplement their dwindling food rations.
After a week of almost round-the-clock work Brains has the HMAS Darwin sea worthy again. He has even managed to hook up the propeller and turbine to a makeshift engine, using the Protoculture reactor from Lost Boy's hovertank in place of the boiler and a delicate control system to adjust the power. Another hovertank has been bolted into the forward deck in place of the old gun turret to serve the double purpose as defensive weaponry and sensor systems. A steering system has been rigged to the pilot house, where a portable computer displays sensor information from the front deck hovertank.
With everything in place the remaining hovertanks are used to launch the boat and once she is afloat they come aboard and are lashed tight to the deck. With the Tirolian refugees tucked below decks under the watchful eye of Lost Boy the Darwin begins its perilous journey to the promised land.
A few days out and the Darwin is passing by Tasmania when the sensors pick up incoming water craft. A quick scan shows that the city of Hobart is now apparently a pirate base and they cannot resist a target like the Darwin. Bullseye brings the ship around and O.L. uses the hovertank guns to completely destroy the incoming pirate boats. To discourage the pirates further, Tank Girl brings out a portable launcher and fires off a pair of missiles that cause much destruction to parts of the pirate's harbor base on Tasmania.
Far out into the Southern Ocean the crew of the Darwin picks up a violent storm bearing down on them. The waves will likely tip over the top heavy vessel and it looks like the crew may have to ditch some of the hovertanks overboard or risk losing the whole ship. Shark comes up with a risky plan to save the boat and the hovertanks that requires everyone to work as a perfect team. Two tanks in battloid mode, one fore and one aft, will have to surf the ship, countering to motion of the waves while the ship's pilot tries to steer the ship into each major wave to minimize it's effect. Punchout and Shark do the surfing with Tank Girl and Ortega manning belay lines attached to the tanks to help keep them in line. Both wear jet packs to help in case one goes overboard and also get Punchout and Shark's jet boots, which also have a magnetic grapple function. O.L. mans the turret VHT monitoring waves and calling out to the Bullseye in the pilot house steering the boat so he can turn the boat in time. Brains is below decks babying the reactor (which he needs to run at well over 100% to generate the necessary heat to run the boiler) and performing emergency repairs damage that is sustained. While all of this is going on Lost Boy is keeping watch on the refugees.
Though highly risky the plan pays off, with the scariest moment being Ortega washing overboard, but he is able to get back using the jet pack. The Darwin makes it through the storm and after a brief stop at a fishing village on Stewart Island, where the crew trade medicine and services for food, the Darwin covers the final stretch to the shores of New Zealand.
Next: Homecoming