Yuki asked her, "What is your reason behind liking Hiro?"
Alma was embarrassed and blushed slightly asking her, "How do you know that?"
"Well, its obvious from the way you look at it.", Yuki replied.
Alma sighed an said, "So, I was too obvious in my behaviour", and continued, "Well it is a bit of a long story. Do you think you have the patience?"
"Yeah I do.", Yuki replied.
"Alma, we're leaving", Hiro called out to her from afar.
"You can go, I'll be with Mrs. Yuki for a while.", Alma told him and Hiro left along with his siblings.
Alma sighed and continued her words towards Yuki, "It all happened during the first stampede seven years ago."
"Ohh, I remember that day". Yuki told in a dull tone.
Everyone in the district remember that day. From children to the elderly. The day he died, it was also the day that the district was given a bit of its freedom. The reason behind the 'festival'. It all had begun the same day seven years ago.
Alma said, "I actually used to hate Hiro in the past."
"Ehh, really, why?", Yuki asked while being stupefied.
"Well, I used to hate the nobility and hated the fact that Hiro was the favourite kid of lord Robert from the orphanage back then.", Alma replied to her.
"The orphanage, right.", Yuki said to her and continued, "That tragedy, no one from this district might be able to forget it."
"When RIORs had broken into the district and one had almost killed me. Hiro saved me in the nick of time.", Alma said to Yuki and continued, "I still love him for that. Plus that wasn't the only reason I fell in love with him. Just for being a benefactor in my life.",
After saying the words, she gave a bright smile. The very view of her smiling could give meaning to the word 'beautiful'.
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It had happened seven years ago, when Alma was 14 years old. She was about to get killed by a RIOR with its claws but in the spur of the moment Hiro came and saved her. He was aged 15 at that time.
"You, to kill a RIOR, stab its chest or head or shoot it. Even a projectile with high speed can kill it.", Hiro told to Alma as he stabbed the RIOR with the sharp edge of a broken cane.
Hiro throwed it down and the sound made Alma scared.
It slightly pissed Hiro and he said, "What's there to be scared, there are women who are MECHA pilots in nobility. You're just getting scared of this."
His words slightly etched her chest. She was slightly annoyed and said, "Even I can do it, if I want to!"
"Good", He told her and continued, "Take a sharp and a long object out there. WE'RE GONNA SURVIVE THIS!!!"
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Back to the present, Alma got a call from her father who told her to immediately come home.
"I'll be going then Mrs. Yuki"
"Then take care, Alma"
"Well, that itself wasn't the whole story of how I like him.", and Alma continued, "I will tell you the rest later."
"Eh, there's more. Well tell me when you have the time."
Then, Alma left and Yuki sighed saying, "She's still enjoying her youth. Isn't she gonna turn 21 in a few months?"
The next, Yuki visited Alma in Hiro's house.
"Alma, continue the story
"Well I told you I would continue my story from back then right?", Alma told her.
"Before that, where is Hiro?", she asked Alma.
"Hiro had some maintenance work on his MECHA so he had to go to headquarters.", Alma replied.
"The way you take care of him and stay in his place to watch over his siblings and house. Maybe you really are his wife", Yuki told her as if she was teasing him.
Alma blushed a lot to her words and continued, "Let's move on the story right."
Alma walked over to the kids as they were watching the television in the living room. Both Alma and Yuki sat on the sofa as the children sat beside them.
"Well, its kinda embarrassing."
Meanwhile, Hiro was in the upper class district "Weiss" where his headquarters were. He was laying down on the grass in front of the pond which was at the back of the headquarters. He done the maintenance check on Vernier and was spacing out for a bit.
"Feeling lazy huh, Hiro?", Anton asked him as he was walking towards him.
"Well, I've got no work to do, so.", Hiro replied.
"I can get why you'd be lazy.", Anton said with a smile.
Anton said to him, "I know Hiro, this might sound rude but, can I ask you something?"
"Yes, you can. I have no problem.", Hiro replied.
"Why did you become a MECHA pilot?", Anton asked him and continued while being restless, "I know it is a sensitive topic and all."
"Chill, bro. No one's killing you", Hiro said to him and continued, "It was of an oath I gave to someone."
"What oath and who is that 'someone'?", Anton asked him.
Hiro put his arm on the knee and looked upwards saying in a low tone, "Do you remember the the first stampede which occurred in Macross district?"
"Yeah, I do. It was the only stampede which humanity was able to suppress.", Anton replied.
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It all began seven years ago, when a large group of RIORs break into a city while a few pillars became weak. A large group of RIORS entering a city or raiding it when the barrier falls weak is called a 'stampede' in Kreiss.
7th month, 3rd day, C619, it had begun when the barrier had fallen weak from the secondary pillar. Macross district existed in the south-west side which was directly connected to the barrier. There were a large group of RIORs who seemed to have sensed the weakness in the barrier and took the chance. Their bloodlust far surpassed that of a normal human being.
As soon the barrier fell, the RIORS entered into the district. The RIORs who entered the district killed humans irrationally, not caring whether it was a senior citizen or a child. They killed them without care. Some tried to fight back and some were running but there was nothing they could do.
"The people, they're dying.", Robert the commander there.
"We cannot do anything.", the commander replied.
"Stop joking, Dorian", Robert told him.
"All we can do it just add new pillars to Weiss district.", he replied.
"Stop fucking with me.", Robert cried and went to his MECHA 'Macross' which coincided with the district's name.
"What you're gonna save it all by yourself? There won't any reinforcements", Dorian told him in a mocking manner through SPE.
"I will do it by myself.", he said.
"Okay then, open the locks. Sending Macross to the mission.", Dorian gave out the orders like he could care anymore about it and starting mixing his coffee while whistling.
Robert moved his MECHA to Macross district manually by making it run. By the time it reached the district, it was chaotic. A quarter of the district was already destroyed. He could only see destruction and chaos.
The people were running away. Some were getting killed. Others were trying to sacrifice their fellow people to save themselves.
There a kid who had splattered all over her was crying, "MAMA!!" as a RIOR behind her was coming to kill her. It was going to stab its blade like arms into her from upwards but it was stopped by the arm of Robert's MECHA Marcross. It pushed away and smashed its head downwards to the arm killing it.
"Go the lord's manor, you will be safe there.", Robert told the kid through the speaker attached to the MECHA from its inside.
He took out a sword which glowed with blue colour. His MECHA was Black tinted with blue stripes and blue eyes.
A bunch of RIORS came upon him but he slashed them swiftly.
"Seriously how many of them are going come?", Robert wondered.
Robert went ahead and fought every upcoming RIOR, with a single goal and motive in his mind, which was to save the people there.
"Shouldn't we help him commander?", another pilot who was beside him asked.
"No, a fool's decision must be rectified the hard way.", he replied and continued, "Those commoners, for us are nothing more than livestock who work for us."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly as I said, if we loose a bit of livestock, we can replace it. Yet, he values them as humans and he disturbs the power of us Nobles. His greatest punishment must be death."
Dorian said that as he smacked his cup to the table and warned everyone in the headquarters by announcing, "Everybody here, raise up the back up barriers for Weiss district. We don't need those lower-class swines here."
The barriers were raised and a higher class soldier asked him, "What about Mr. Brown. At least let us save him."
"No, he will die a fool's death. Just abandon him and do as my orders.", Dorian replied while taking full advantage of his position.
Robert was fighting every on coming RIOR with his might. His situation could be described as 'worn out' and his MECHA was partially destroyed. From the inside, Robert was bleeding from his mouth due to the pressure experienced by him.
Another RIOR came onto him. He moved slightly sideward and slashed from the abdomen. He saw that more and more were incoming. He couldn't go on.
"Uncle!", he heard a voice and looked in that direction.
It was Hiro together with Alma. They were holding hands.
"Hiro, what are you doing here?", Robert wondered and saw that a RIOR was heading towards them in the direction from him. He moved slightly closer and caught the 'frog-shaped' RIOR with its arms, squishing it as the blood splattered out. He saw more and more RIORS coming there.
They came onto him but he used all of his weapons as the RIORS caught him, tearing the armor bits by bits. He shook them all off. They all fell as they died. Then, a large humanoid monster which was almost the same height as MECHA came in front of.
"Ohh, you wanna go.", Robert said while bleeding heavily and looking at the broken screen which could still show what was in front of the MECHA.
It gave an uppercut to Macross' head and pieces of armor flew from its head. Then Robert from inside moved Macross' right arm and landed a straight punch on it face. It then kicked at the side of the abdomen. It held the RIOR's leg and threw it sidewards, smashing it into the building beside it.
It moved upon the RIOR and held its head within its arm, lifting it with its body and smashing it with its bare arms. As the RIORS blood splattered on it leaked steam from the valve which opened at its jaw.
More and more RIORS came upon the MECHA. The caught hold of him, making him almost unable to move.
The people from the district were trying to get into Weiss district but weren't able to, They begged, they cried but weren't able to do anything. But it might their luck, that the RIORS weren't in their pursue. The people saw that Robert was fighting for them in his MECHA.
Robert was completely covered by RIORS which left him with no choice but to cast an 'energy explosion'. Which is near self destruct sequence of the external body of the MECHA while ignoring the cockpit of the pilot but the pilot might die from the explosion.
He casted 'energy explosion' to which the body of Macross glowed. The RIORS which on it had their body parts slightly melted from the heat and then it took place, an explosion, a large one.
Hiro and Alma got into cover under a building as the MECHA blew up, debris was sent flying.
Hiro held Alma strongly in his arms to shield her from the debris and to his luck, he wasn't hit by debris.
The explosion took place and there was a large amount of smoke and ash. The buildings near it were destroyed and some were reduced to rubble. Hiro got up and looked at the scene there.
He saw it, there was Robert stuck between a pile of rubble facing downwards. Upon seeing him, Hiro ran towards Robert as tears came his eyes.
"Don't worry Sir. I will save you.", Hiro said to Robert who was about to listen his consciousness.
"Let me also help.", Alma volunteered to him.
Robert then smiled a bit and said, "Listen, Hiro. I used to have a wife named Christina and a son named Antonio."
"Please tell me this after I save you."
"Hiro, I am going to be a dead man soon. So, please listen to this old man's wishes.", Robert said to him as he caressed Hiro's cheeks with his arms.
"Sir, what do you..."
"You are like a son to me, Hiro. I always cared about the orphans and you", he said and he coughed some blood.
"You are no position to talk.", Hiro said as he got restless.
"Make my last wish come true, Hiro.", Robert pleaded Hiro.
"What is it?", Hiro asked.
Robert took out a broken glass beside him in rubble and held Hiro's right arm in his hand, opening his palm and cutting it with the glass piece in a diagonal line. He did it in the same way for himself also and held Hiro's hand in his.
"This is a blood oath, Hiro. Promise me that you will become a MECHA pilot despite being a commoner."
"But that is.."
"There are no 'buts'!", Robert said to him.
Hiro was stunned and he replied, "Yes, I will."
"Thank You, Hiro.", Robert replied with a smile.
The oath was made and Robert passed away with a smile in Hiro's arms.
Alma who saw the whole exchange had tears flowing from her eyes.
She went towards only to see him crying as the held the hands of Robert's corpse. She couldn't bear it and hugged him from behind.
The rescue forces arrived about half an hour later to see that Robert's corpse was removed from the rubble and Hiro and Alma beside his corpse.
"That day, Hiro came a step closer to his fate."