The generational Robotech saga passes the torch to the next set of heroes as Dana Sterling, a tank driver for the Armored Tactical Assault Corps, leads the fightback against the sinister Robotech Masters. Dana Sterling is the daughter of two heroes of the Earth - Max and Miriya Sterling, the fighter aces whose love helped bridge the separation of the human and Zentradi people. Her parents, along with the remnants of the first generation of Robotech heroes, have left the Earth in the new SDF-3, seeking to intercept the Robotech Masters and hopefully keep the Earth free of battle; those left behind, like Dana, prepare for the worst with the aid of the newly-formed Army of the Southern Cross, led by Supreme Commander Leonard. Dana, along with her friend Bowie (the nephew of fallen RDF hero Claudia Grant), graduates from the academy and joins the Armored Tactical Assault Corp as the pilot of a transformable hovertank.
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Meanwhile, the fleet of the Masters materializes near the moon. They quickly launch an assault on the lunar Liberty base, where Marie Crystal of the Tactical Armored Space Corp, a rival of Dana's, leads a defense against the invaders. Second-generation Veritechs clash with the Bioroids of the Masters in the void of space; the Earthlings manage to deflect the initial, probing attack.
Dana reports to her posting and meets one of the soldiers under her command: Sergeant Angelo Dante, the towering and gruff NCO, At Fokker base, the encounter the newly-triumphant Black Lion squad, MArie's command, and tensions cause a brawl between the units. Eventually, Dana and her friends leave on their bikes. Later that night, Dana is hauled away by another rival, Nova Satori of the Global Military Police.
General Emerson of the Southern Cross Command collates data from the battle on the moon, as well as radar data. They see a giant warcruiser on a course for Earth and brace for the worst. As the first set of Bioroids descends, Dana is released from the stockade to join her squad on the defense. The action is successful, but the alien leader, in a red Bioroid, escapes. Dana feels an odd affinity to the invader.
The high command decides to launch an attack on the Masters, spearheaded by the Black Lions; Dana and her tankers are left in the rear guard. A large contingent of Bioroids slips around the fighting to perpetrate their own attack on the humans' base, led by the mysterious red; Dana and her crew move to intercept, repelling the assault
The Lions and Dana's tank squad are assigned to a relief mission designed to link up with any survivors on the moon base. After a brief battle, they reestablish communications.
Out for a late night drive back on Earth, Dana and Bowie encounter the red Bioroid and others on a clandestine mission. Observing the pilots outside of their armor, they notice that they are human-like in appearance. Dana immediately thinks of them as clones, and wonders why; in truth, it is her Zentradi heritage that allows her insight into the foe. When Bowie gets left behind, Dana rallies the other members of the squad for a covert and illicit deployment against the Masters forces, in which the pilot of the red identifies himself as Zor Prime, warlord of the Robotech Masters. Although the unauthorized action causes Dana to receive a mild reprimand, the valuable data she gathers makes up for it.
Conflict within the high command emerges, between the conservative Emerson, who believes in gathering more information about the foe, and the bloodthirsty glory hound Leonard, who wishes to launch more attacks. Leonard, the higher-ranked of the two, wins out, and planning begins for another offensive, this time against one of the mother ships used by the Masters to transport their Bioroids. The attack goes well, thanks to the plans of Louie, the nerdy genius attached to Dana's squad, who identifies a structural weakness on the vessel. As the downed ship settles on to the Earth, Dana's squad gets some downtime as a reward.
Best part of story, including ending:
I personally like the Masters Saga the best of the three original Robotech segments, and McKinney's well-done prose provides the definitive version of the story.
Best scene in story:
The brawl between the Black Lions and Dana's squad humanizes the protagonists and sets up the Southern Cross theme of damaging interhuman rivalries nicely.
Opinion about the main character:
Dana comes off better in the books than in the television series. In the animated version, she often seems shallow and shrill, while McKinney's version of her emphasizes her confusion over her mixed heritage and the source of her feelings for Zor Prime.
