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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