First Robotech War - First Robotech War - Aftermath

Aftermath

The SDF-1 landed on Earth, and New Macross City was founded around the battered ship. For the next two years humans and the allied Zentraedi under Breetai worked together to rebuild the planet. The Robotech Defense Force (RDF), led now by Admiral Gloval, established itself as the planet's primary military force, leading the recovery efforts. Breetai took command of the remaining Zentraedi forces, now loyal to Earth. In June 2013, the Breetai commands a joint-mission which proves successful in capturing the last remaining Zentraedi Satellite factory. The factory's facilities enable the construction of new ships and technology to aid in the rebuilding of Earth.

Unfortunately, a significant portion of the Zentraedi could not overcome their lifetime's conditioning as warriors and grew dissatisfied with civilian life while lusting for war. Beginning in March 2013, Zentraedi rebellions began as a series of violent incidents again human civilians that would be called the Malcontent Uprisings. Commanders Khyron and Azonia, who had laid low for almost two years since their ship crashed on Earth following the war, were particularly active by leading a rebel Zentraedi movement against the RDF. Khyron becomes the self-appointed leader of the rebels and begins to implement his plan to regain the Zentraedi's former glory. In May 2013, Khyron's forces begin launching a series of terrorist attacks against human population centers. In July 2013, Khyron's rebel forces stage a full-scale assault on New Detroit and seize a resizing chamber, which they bring back to their home base. Using the chamber, Khyron begins turning dissatisfied micronized Zentraedi back into warrior giants, and his ranks continue to swell. After a failed attempt to ransom Lynn Minmay and Lynn Kyle for a protoculture matrix, his forces launch an assault on New Macross City in December 2013 and successfully steal a matrix. The attack causes massive damage as Khyron detonates bombs hidden throughout the city.

In January 2014, Khyron and Azonia, with their warship repaired and their army stronger than ever, decide that, before leaving Earth, they must destroy the SDF-1 for revenge. During the initial attack, Khyron's warship fires its main gun and a swath of New Macross City is obliterated and the SDF-1 takes a direct hit. Khryon's forces also fire vollies of missiles at the city, causing even more damage. The Robotech Defense forces, led by Rick Hunter, Max Sterling and Miriya Parina Sterling launch a counterattack against the rebel fighters while the SDF-1, under the command of Admiral Henry J. Gloval and with the assistance of his bridge crew, are able to launch the SDF-1 a short distance into the air. Using all of its remaining power, the SDF-1 is able to fire one shot with its main cannon, crippling Khyron's ship.

However, Khyron remains determined to have his revenge, even at the cost of his own life. After disocvering that his ship's navigation system is still operational, he turns to Azonia and says that they can still have their revenge but "it requires a sacrifice. Are you prepared to face it with me?" to which Azonia replies "It will be glorious." Holding hands, the two rig their warship for a collision course with the SDF-1. The SDF-1, now fully drained of power, is unable to defend itself. The Robotech Defense forces throw everything they have at Khyron's ship, but they are unable to stop it. The collision and resulting explosion destroyed the SDF-1 and the newly-built SDF-2, killing Admiral Gloval, Commander Claudia Grant and bridge operators Vanessa Leeds, Sammie Porter and Kim Young. The only survivor is Lisa Hayes, who was pushed into the only remaining functioning escape pod by Admiral Gloval. The radioactive fallout from the explosion forces the evacuation and sealing of New Macross City, with the survivors being relocated to other cities, in particular, the newly designated capital of Monument City. The now leaderless rebel Zentraedi continue to launch attacks throughout 2014 and 2015, but since they had no means of producing new war materials beyond what they could salvage, their defeat was simply a matter of time.

The most notable effect on the Earth in the aftermath of the First Robotech War was the devastation of its surface and the decimation of its population. The population of the Earth was reduced from six billion in 2009 to a listed 70,000 survivors in the immediate aftermath of the Zentraedi orbital bombardment in 2011. Fortunately, SDF-1 survived and landed with its population of Macross City inside, with the support of Breetai's fleet, providing the basis of a fully equipped technological civilization to restore order to the planet. The sudden introduction of starships, protoculture and super-advanced Robotechnology to Earth led to a renaissance of sorts, as humanity strove to build a space fleet to take the war to the alien enemy should Earth come under attack again. In addition, it was found that the planet's ecosystem was recovering faster and with more vigor than the scientific community anticipated. As Earth recovers, a new civilization slowly emerges from the devastation as cities expand, industry and technology advance, and the population grows rapidly.

However, the new society that emerges was not like the one that existed before the war. Despite initially functioning as a democracy, elements within the military under Anatole Leonard, in cooperation with certain politicians slowly begin to chip away at the power of the United Earth Government (UEG) under the guise of military preparedness. Leonard eventually founded his own elite military organization: The Army of the Southern Cross, to further expand his influence. Over the next 15 years, democracy largely ceased to function and an unstable feudal society grew in its place. When the Robotech Expeditionary Force (REF) left Earth in December 2022, most of those who opposed these developments chose to go with the REF. As a result, by 2029, Leonard was essentially in control of Earth's government and military, with the new feudal powers being kept in line only by the Leonard's military power, and the newly created Global Military Police (GMP).

The end of the First Robotech War led to the first and by far the longest period of peace of the Robotech Wars era, lasting almost 18 years from Dolza's defeat in 2011 to the invasion of the Robotech Masters in February 2029.