[center][B][U]Along A Different Path:[/U]
[I]An AU Macross/Robotech RP[/i][/b][/center]

[B]AD 2014: Tirol Orbit
Two Weeks After the arrival of the SDF-1 Macross in Tirol Space, Two Weeks after the battle against the Invid Fleet...[/b]

Captain Henry James Gloval looked out of the curve of the [I]Macross[/i] bridge window, standing on the command balcony level of the ships' multi-story command deck. Out beyond the reflections of the bridge crew hard at work, the sleek, alien shape of the Core Worlds starship - they called it a 'battlecarrier', he remembered - hung in space. The alien ship was wholly three-quarters of the length of the mile-long Super Dimensional Fortress, and he knew from experience from the frantic battle that had broken out when the SDF-1 had emerged from fold-space into orbit of the world hanging below them, that the ship packed as much power as it's hulking lines implied. The only thing it was lacking in was a similar 'ship-killer' to the SDF-1's own main gun. 
The captain sucked on the end of his wooden pipe, tapping his lip with the end of the stem as he looked out at the vista. Lights shuttled to and from from the outstretched ARMD carriers that formed the 'arms' of the SDF-1, and from bays all over the ship. Shuttles and fighters, transferring supplies, equipment and personnel to the ship of their new allies, the self-styled 'Sentinels'. 
As a movement behind him caught his eye in the reflection, he locked eyes with his first officer, a tall and elegant dark-skinned woman; Claudia Grant. 
"Penny for your thoughts, Captain?" she said in a smooth and confident voice.
"Ah, Claudia," he replied in his thickly Russian-accented voice. "I know we don't have much choice, stuck here so far from home and with so many to look after. But I still can't help thinking: Are we getting ourselves into more trouble by making this alliance? Are we making more enemies we don't need? And am I sending my people into danger?"
"I know you're worried, Captain - but would we do anything less for anyone else? They need our help, as much as we need theirs. I don't see what else we could do. And we had to send someone to help with command".
"You're right, Claudia, of course. Don't mind me; I'm just an old man gathering his thoughts".
"Ah, it's okay to care, sir. And don't worry, they can look after themselves. The Invid won't know what hit 'em".
One particular twinkle of light launched from the deck of the ARMD carrier on the port side of the SDF-1, accompanied by the blue exhaust flares of an escort squadron, and the captain followed it with his eyes as it approached the [i]Sentinel's[/i] landing bay, pushing the tiny shape of the Star Goose shuttle along with all the good will he could muster.

In the bay of the ship, the crew were hard at work finding parking and landing spots for the influx of Destroids, Variable Fighters, Dropships and vehicles. Not to mention bunks and berths for the humans who'd come along with them, and all of their associated supplies. The human crews and their new allies worked together, but there was still a wary curiosity between the two groups. Small knots of people of all species stood around, almost like the first few dances of a party where people are too shy and awkward to talk to each other, other than the first few sideways nervous glances and awkward conversations over the buffet table. 
Announcements in a half-dozen languages sounded as the latest landings were announced, and among them the human commander of the RDF forces, Commander Hayes, was coming aboard.
The aerodynamic yet bulbous shape of one of the human personnel transport ships hove into view, escorted by a trio of their swift and sleek fighters, which held a neatly-positioned formation around the fighters.

On the deck, a small reception committee from some of the Sentinels' members had formed. Ordered to assist in receiving the commander and the pilots, the group were a mixed bunch. A Selachai, Olthranan, Tirolian and Felness. 
"Fall in, boys and girls," ordered the Red Panda. "We should probably at least try and make this look good, since these-" she paused and frowned, trying on the human language without the aid of her communication translator "-[i]Arrr Deee Efff[/i] are giving us such a helping hand with all their mecha and people. And they certainly know a thing or two about fighting. The ones here are some of their best, too, so we ought to thank them and make them feel welcome, all right?" 
The shuttles' gear came down as it lined up on the landing pattern, hook down to catch the arresting wire across the mouth of the cavernous bay. A short distance back, the fighters dropped back, staying in their impeccable formation. 

In the cockpit of the left-most variable fighter, a VF-1 Phoenix, Gabe 'Struck' Strucker spoke over the communications channel to his wingmen - or women, in this case - as the Star Goose lined up neatly. 
"All right, ladies - let's keep it nice and neat for the commander. Not to mention our new friends, they may have seen what we can do in a fight, but now's the chance to show them we can do spit-and-polish just as well as we do rough and tumble",
He eyed the SV-52 and VF-1 on his wings, and mentally noted how well both Svenja and Rita flew. Both women were exacting and precise in their movements, but still had their individual edge and fluidity, that 'signature' each pilot had in their movements. He knew that his own style was a combination of smooth movements and swift changes of mode and direction, though that was as much a mark of his craft as it was his professional touch.
Turning his attention to the ship ahead, he searched the brightly lit interior of the bay as it swallowed the shuttle. He'd seen and met face-to-face a few members of the alien races aboard, and had been surprised by how similar they were to humans in a lot of ways. But living and working alongside them... what would that be like? Would he get to know them, become friends with them? It was exciting and a little scary to imagine. Only weeks earlier, he'd still been in near-denial of the fact that aliens existed at all, despite being aware of the origins of the technology that was behind the VF's and the SDF-1. Now, here he was after having fought beings from another world, and fought alongside others still.
A processed voice coming from the [i]Sentinels[/i] landing control informed him of landing approach, and he let down the VF-1's landing gear and lined up on the bay mouth.
"Struck, on the ball. All green" called the RDF landing operator. "Looking good, keep it coming," he advised, coaxing the fighter-mode mecha down into a landing. The familiar grab pulled at his stomach as he felt the gear kiss the deck, a good trap on the second wire, he thought. 
A vulpine-looking alien dressed in blue overalls waved him to a parking spot with a pair of lighted batons, and he felt hypnotized and slightly disoriented by watching the XT perform so familiar an action, until he taxied into position alongside the parked shuttle and shut down his engines. The ladder extended from below the cockpit, and he climbed down, waiting for the others to catch up as the shuttles' air stair folded down.

Commander Hayes stepped down from the hatch on the side of the Star Goose. Willowy and lithe, the Commander carried herself with an air of quiet authority and commanding presence, despite a hint of doubt behind her eyes. 
Looking at her fellows to either side of her, Irry stepped forward to meet the commander, as the other humans made their way over.
"Commander," she said, carefully measuring her words and making sure they sounded right. "Welcome aboard the [I]Sentinel[/i]. Thank you for coming, and we look forward to working with you. All of you," she added, nodding to include the fighter pilots. 
The Commander looked to the red panda-like XT and nodded in reply, smiling warmly and offering her hand, before looking to the others. 
"Thank you," she replied in a warm, confident voice. "I'm glad to be here. And on behalf of the RDF, I-"
She was cut off as alarms sounded, and the overhead lighting turned red.
[I]"Battlestations! All hands to battlestations! Enemy defold detected, Invid troop carriers launched and closing in![/i]