Week Five: Robotech Art Three by Carl Macek

We have left Robotech Art Three's episode by episode guide for the first two weeks, and now we are onto the week by week synopsis for the next ten weeks. So, I'm just going to list the plot points from Week Five entitled The Liberation of Praxis.

1. Edwards attempts to undermine Dr. Lang and is infatuated with Minmei
2. Jack and Karen get closer
3. Lisa transforms into Warrior Woman like Bela and Gnea
4. Praxis devoid of men.
5. Battle long. Battle tough.
6. Battle lasts nearly one year.
7. Janice begins to see Zor in Rem.
8. Continues into week six.

After a relatively easy victory on Karbarra, the Sentinels Flagship, the Farrago defolds in a distant orbit over the home-world of the amazonian warriors of the Sentinels, Praxis.
The Sentinels are wary of anymore surprises, and are shocked by the complete absence of any signs of an active civilization on the planet's surface. The Sentinels command along with Tesla (aka the Main Characters) board the GMU, and it detaches from the Farrago to investigate the surface of the planet, leaving the bulk of the Sentinels forces onboard to guard the ship from a potential surprise Invid attack.
The Sentinels leadership meets to discuss the lack of Praxians on Praxis and the lack of Invid in their hives. The Praxians have decided to stay, even if the rest want to continue to Geruda, while Burak seeks to detach the Perytonian Module and head to his world. The meeting is cut short as they members of the Sentinels are notified that the Farrago is under attack by a massive Invid fleet.
The Invid make short work of the Sentinels forces in orbit, wiping out all of the ships defenders, and destroying the Farrago with a single shot fired at the ships Achilles' heel pointed out by the data provided to the Regent by General Edwards. Only a lone Spherian Drive module survives. The Sentinels leadership along with a skeleton crew are left stranded on Praxis mourning their loss as the Invid depart leaving only a token force behind to make sure there are no survivors.
Back on Tirol, Edwards is pleased when the Regent notifies him of the destruction of the Farrago.
The surviving Mecha battle the Invid again on the surface and emerge victorious, but many mecha are badly damaged, some are lost, and the rest are depleted of their Protoculture reserves. Afterwards the only thing left for the survivors to do is to lick their wounds and try to find away off the planet.
It has been only two months since the launch of the Sentinels mission, and it has meet with disaster.
Four Months Later.
The Invid, including the Invid Regent, once again arrive in Fantomaspace, not to conquer, but to negotiate with the REF.
And, as soon as Edwards meets the Regent he realizes that he is meeting with an impostor, a Simula-Regent, and is pleased when the "Regent" informs the Plenipotentiary council of the Farrago's destruction.
Meanwhile, on Praxis, the Sentinels survive, and the GMU detects the surviving Spherian drive module, but unfortunately, they don't have enough Protoculture reserves for even one Alpha to get to it.
And, if that isn't a big of enough problem, tectonic quakes have begun upon the surface of Praxis, and they are getting stronger as the days go on and Tesla is transforming into something more.
Rick isn't exactly happy with the current situation. He feels that the survivors are becoming complacent, and is confused with Lisa's growing relationships with the Praxian contingent of the Sentinels. His moping is interrupted by the return of a recon unit (featuring Jack, Karen, Lron, and Kami). It seems they may have found the solution to the survivors problems in an ancient Praxian cave.
It appears that an long-thought extinct of Praxian life has returned. An orb-like creature that has the ability to resist the pull of gravity, and seeks escape from the planet's death throws. Veidt convinces the orbs to help the group escape Praxis, and plans begin on how to use the orbs to reach the drive module.
Oh, and Tesla and Burak plan to hijack the module for their own ends.
They volunteer to join the mission to reach the drive module and are joined by Sarna (to help control the orbs), Janice (pilot of the module), and Col. Wolff (pilot of the Alpha that will be used to reach the module.
Meanwhile, back on Tirol, the negotiations with the "Regent" aren't going smoothly. The "Regent" will only meet with Edwards and makes demands that further convince Edwards that this is not the real ruler of the Invid.
As Praxis dies, the mission is launched to retrieve the drive module. The plan is to have Janice pilot the module lower into the atmosphere where it will be easier for Alpha's to take 5 people at a time up to the module, and then fold either to Karbarra or Tirol, but it seems that their be more than just the orbs in the cave.
As Baldan merges with planet to discover the cause of the planet's turmoil, he discovers the Regiss's Genesis Pit experiments are the cause, and something else was created by her experiments, a giant spider-like monster which also seeks escape from the planet.
As the Alpha/Beta combo gets closer to the module, Tesla takes control of the Beta from Janice (who isn't pleased), and separates it from the Alpha. The Alpha drifts off course, and the Beta rendezvous with the module as the survivors battle against the spiders.
Tesla quickly boards the module, and as he and Burak argue about the destination of the module, Janice programs it to, no matter what course is plotted, to defold in Fantomaspace, and Wolff maneuvers the Alpha to dock with the module.
Just as Wolff and Sarna board the module, it folds.
Back on Tirol, the Regent orders his Simula-Regent to return to Optera, Dr. Lang and Breetai meet to begin to plan an eventual Zentraedi Uprising should Edwards get to powerful, and the meeting is broken up when the Spherian module's defold is detected.
Upon boarding the SDF-3, Wolff is notified of Edwards rise in power and the negotiations with the Invid, then Wolff meets with the Plenipotentiary Council, who are not that concerned with the rescue of the Sentinels from Praxis. Edwards succeeds in convincing them that it could endanger their talks with the Invid.
The only way for Wolff to rescue his friends is to follow Dr. Lang's plan. To "steal" the prototype SDF-7 class vessel, and use that to rescue the surviving Sentinels.
Tesla and Burak escape the SDF-3's brig, and make their way to the Regent's quarters onboard the ship, and Tesla kills the "Regent" not realizing he is a fake, and with the help of Exedore, make their way to the shuttle taking Wolff to the SDF-7.
Col. Wolff, Sarna, Janice, Burak, and Tesla succeed in "stealing" the ship and Ghost Squadron gives "pursuit".
Edwards is pleased with how events are turning out. Wolff has stolen a ship and murdered what the Plenipotentiary Council to believe to be the Invid Regent. Wolff, and the Sentinels, are now deemed traitors, and it will be easier for him to completely take control of the REF and return to Earth as a conquerer.
The story continues next week.

Differences from Art Three and the Novels

• Praxis has been abandoned.
• The Invid destroy the Sentinels Flagship.
• Instead of a long battle against the Invid, it's a battle for survival.
• Note: Major Carpenter (From "The Outsiders") is one of the survivors trapped on Praxis.
• Praxis is a dying world
• Baldan sacrifices himself to learn more about Praxis' predicament.
• Wolff and the Sentinels are branded traitors by the REF.

Robotech II: The Sentinels Book Two Issue 21 and Book Three Issues 1-8 by Tom Mason, Jason and John Waltrip published by Eternity.

• The Last Issues of the Eternity Run of Robotech II The Sentinels
• Differences between The Novels and The Comics
• There seems to be a conspiracy underfoot on board the SDF-3
• Edwards "Code Pyramid" surveillance system installed to monitor the Regent's visit publicly (and everyone else privately)
• The conspiracy seems to involve the Invid.
• A woman with vengeance on her mind, Kathryn Hix, seduces a technician, Jonny Craigle, for Tango-7, and after she gets it, she kills him. In cold blood.
• There is a conspiracy of soldiers within the REF who seek to kill the visiting Invid Regent.
• An investigation begins in the murder of the enlisted tech on board the SDF-3
• Benson keeps evidence from Doctor Lang to perform a little investigation of his own.
• The conspiracy within the REF continues. The conspirators seem to be loyal to Rick and Lisa, and seek vengeance upon the Invid for the destruction of the Farrago and the deaths caused in battle.
• Edwards discovers the conspiracy after an explosion rips through a section of the SDF-3's hull and Tango-7 residue is found.
• Benson's investigation into the murder of Jonny Craigle continues
• It seems that Janice realizes she's an android, but she doesn't seem to realize her mission from Dr. Lang.
• The conspiracy continues onboard the the SDF-3 as Jonny Craigle's murderer attempts to seduce Benson, and a woman named Rebecca Nicks seeks vengeance for Jonny's murder.
• In the novels, Maj. Carpenter was part of the Sentinels mission and chosen by Dr. Lang for command of the SDF-7 meant for a return mission to Earth.
• Note: Jason Waltrip takes on the lead writing duties of Robotech II: The Sentinels as of Book Three Issue 7
• The conspiracy to assassinate the Regent is foiled after Tesla murders the Simula-Regent, and Rebecca Nicks makes short work of the conspirators.