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Chapter Text

Beady black eyes shifted across the room taking in the comings and goings of the people that had been called to the meeting. He watched their interactions with fascination as they readied the room for the meeting. His dwarfish face under a mop of unruly and quite frankly, garish red hair, lit up as he studied the micronians. His culture after all was so different. He watched as a female directed two young males and even though she appeared to have a higher rank, she still blushed when one of the men directed a comment to her. The Zentraedi ambassador looked on unabashedly. Even after the two years since the final battle against their Emperor Dolza when he had joined the micronians, he still did not understand the interactions between the complex creatures.

For example, take the Admiral. Exedore shifted a bit on his seat so he could have a better look at the leader of these micronians. He was the leader of the very people that had defeated the Zentraedi, the fiercest of warriors and yet he was constantly berated by a tiny slip of a girl every time he tried to engage in that micronian custom of lighting his pipe. The Admiral was a single, mostly solitary man but when asked about his family he claimed that he loved the crew like his very own. Love, Exedore had come to find, was a complicated feeling in the micronian culture.

Exedore saw the Admiral straighten into the attention pose as he saluted one of the new comers. Turning his head a bit, the Zentraedi ambassador nodded respectfully at the former commander of Skull 1. Roy Fokker returned the salute with a reserved air as he folded his tall frame in one of the chairs. A slight wince gave away the pain that would forever plague the newly appointed Captain. Exedore knew that the cause of this pain was an old battle wound. Even though it had happened before his time here, a bit over two years ago, he had learned what happened. From listening to the female micronians, and a few of the males, engage in a pastime they called gossip, he knew the Captain had been seriously injured in an accident. After this near death experience his views in life had been seriously affected.

Exedore remembered the day when he had heard the man ask the Admiral to be relocated to a non-combatant post. Extremely puzzled at this request, Exedore had waited until the commander had left to ask the Admiral why the man was willing to be relocated. The answer had not clarified anything. Admiral Gloval had simply answered that even if Roy Fokker loved flying, he loved his girlfriend Claudia Grant even more. Therefore he was willing to sacrifice his first love in order to live and be able to love Commander Grant for all of his life. To a Zentraedi, this was baffling. There was after all, no choice in the matter. Either you were a soldier or you died in the field. There was no life outside the battles and there was no way that a soldier would willingly choose to be taken out of the battles.

So far he had learned that people can love others as a family even if they are not really from the same flesh. He had also learned that love can make you change your whole life based on the fear of losing that which you hold dear.

Laughing voices pulled him from his thoughts and he looked towards the entrance to see Captain Hunter come in with Captain Sterling and Miriya Parino. All three saluted the Admiral with respect and turned to smile at Captain Fokker. He was surprised to see that the last person to come in was Captain Hayes but seeing the reports she was carrying he understood why she had been late. After all he knew the First Officer had been given many tasks by the Admiral in order to prepare her for what was about to come.

Exedore had long ago noticed how professional Captain Hayes behaved. That was one of the reasons that had made him admire the micronian female he had come to know in his time here. He knew even Breetai was impressed with her. This micronian would have made the Meltrandi proud. With her natural reserve, she saluted the Admiral and those in the room. Even knowing how close she was to all who were present, her demeanor had not changed even though the others were not as reserved when she came in. Roy turned to her and winked as he saluted her (something the Captain ignored with a sniff and made the Captain smile even more) and the Sterlings smiled unabashedly at her. The only one who returned the salute with a restraint similar to her own was Captain Hunter. His face was as stony as hers as he returned her salute and his eyes remained frosty instead of warming up as they usually did when he saw her.

Of course he knew that the restraint the man was showing was not his usual greeting. Normally the Captain would smile at the First Officer and maybe joke with her making the normally reserved woman blush. With a knowing smile he realized that the Captains must have had a fight recently. Oh yeah, he knew all about those fights of theirs, after all he was not deaf! In keeping with his research of the strange culture the micronians had, he had discovered an important part of their culture, something called gossip. Truth be told the gossip about Captains Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes was the most widespread and the… how did the female micronians put it, ah yes! The juiciest. Their battles were legendary, almost as much as the battle between the micronians and the Zentraedi and he had to admit, having observed a few of them, almost as fierce.

In attempting to learn about the interactions between females and males of their species, purely for scientific purposes of course, he had learned of various terms by listening in on the conversations of the people in the base. For example, he had overhead that the reason the Captains fought so much was because of "Unresolved Sexual Tension". This had puzzled the Zentraedi for a while as he didn't understand why they wouldn't just resolve it and be done with it. He did not understand how it was resolved either. When he had tried to ask the Admiral what rituals where involved to resolve this impasse, the Admiral had coughed the brandy he had been drinking and he had reluctantly stopped asking questions lest Admiral Gloval would choke again on something.

He had also learned that the reason why Captain Hayes sometimes wore a haunted look in her eyes, especially around the holidays, was because she had lost her fiancée to the war. Exedore wondered why something that happened such a long time ago (after all the Captain had been very young then) would still affect the fierce female warrior that had not batted an eyelash when she confronted their leader Dolza, a veritable giant to the tiny micronian. But alas he had learned that such was the pain of when one looses a loved one.

Exedore was glad he was not programmed to feel those troublesome feelings. Zentraedis and Meltrandis were warriors created by the Robotech Masters and programmed to fight. Feelings had no bearings in their programming. And still there was the matter of Miriya Sterling, formerly known as Miriya Parino, one of the greatest female warriors the Meltrandi had produced. For all of her fierceness, the Meltrandi had given up her glory as a warrior and had decided to tie herself to a micronian because she claimed she loved the male. Even more bizarre is that she had been able to create a micronian on her body just like the females of the micronian species. At his puzzlement, many of his micronian comrades had smiled knowingly and claimed such was the power of love.

Therefore, Exedore had studied and observed the different terminologies of the mysterious puzzle that is love. Aside from the "Power of Love" and the "Loss of a Loved One", Exedore had also learned of another term, "Unrequited Love". Apparently this variety of love was what Captain Hunter suffered from. He had learned, again from overhearing the females that had so much information on his test subjects, that Captain Hunter was in love with the pretty little singer Minmay Lynn. Unfortunately the singer did not love him in return (or so the females claimed in horrified whispers) making him quite miserable. In fact, in comparing the attitudes of both Captains, he had come to the conclusion that "Unrequited Love" and "Loss of a Loved One" caused the same symptoms, extreme sadness, a distracted air, sighing in dejection and the occasional teary eyes in the female of the species. Why anybody would subject themselves willingly to that he did not know. If he took into consideration the giggled comments among his female informants, he had determined that the Captains could cure themselves of their problems if they would only resolve their "Unresolved Sexual Tensions" and just admit that they were actually victims of the "Power of Love" that affected the Sterlings and Captain Fokker and Captain Grant.

Exedore sighed as his head started to pound. He always started getting a headache whenever he tried to understand these issues. He, Exedore the key strategist to Lord Breetai, the fiercest of warriors who held the most victories, could not understand this simple puzzle the micronians presented. He was not disheartened however since it seemed that the keepers of knowledge of the micronians, the female gossipers in the SDF-1, were stumped by this puzzle as well. With a final glance around the table, Exedore concluded that he would have to wait to hear more from the females in order to draw up more conclusions.

Admiral Henry Gloval waited until all of the people present were seated. He knew that the news he had to impart were not happy ones as it meant that the tenuous peace they had achieved with the aliens was about to be broken again. He knew that his visage was grim and judging by the countenances around the tables, he knew that all of them were bracing themselves for the news. Henry's deep brown eyes settled on the unlikely ally they had made in the battle against his very own people. Exedore looked slightly green around the gills as his beady eyes shifted around the room full of micronians. Henry was slightly worried about his reaction. If the Ambassador from the Zentraedi was that worried, he wondered what kind of chance they stood in this new battle. Shaking his head at the grim thoughts, he stood straighter, trying to impart a feeling of security that he himself did not posses. If there was something he had learned in the many years as an Admiral it was that those who depended on his leadership needed some kind of reassurance from him as well. If they felt that he was not completely sure of the positive outcome of their mission they would fail without even trying. That was the reason why he prayed to the gods above that he was not projecting his insecurity to his pseudo-family.

"I have called you all here today to brief you on an important mission." Admiral Gloval announced as he looked around the table. "As you all know Dolza was able to escape in the midst of the battle almost two years ago." All around the table there were nods and worried faces. "We have found evidence that he went back to his home planet in order to regroup and rebuild his forces."

"What evidence do we have of this?" Captain Lisa Hayes asked her intelligent green eyes clouded with worry.

"We have been monitoring the area around the home planet and we have seen recent mobilization." Exedore explained. "But still we wanted to be sure that this was the case and not a false alarm. A week ago the Admiral sent an unmanned cat's eye to report. It was detected a couple hours after it defolded but we still had enough information to support what the Admiral has just mentioned."

"But Exedore, I thought that the Grand Fleet was mostly defeated. Just a few were left after the battle. How many are we talking about now?"

"They only had two years to reconstruct so we are talking less than a fourth of what they originally had."

All the members in the table looked at each other in worry. None of them were fooled at the extent of vessels this would entail. In particular Lisa, Rick, Max and Miriya knew the extent of what they would be facing. The first three had witnessed beforehand the vast quantity of vessels the Zentraedi possessed and Miriya, being a former high officer in the Meltrandi army, knew of the awesome power her former army possessed.

Lisa turned to the Admiral, her face mirroring her puzzlement. "I don't understand sir, how could the Zentraedi rebuild their forces? If I am not mistaken we took possession of the last working factory satellite the Zentraedi had access to. Was that information incorrect?"

Henry looked towards his Commander in Chief, momentarily feeling a fluttering of pride at her intelligence. "That is a very good question Captain Hayes." He praised her. "The information was not incorrect. That was in fact the last satellite. We have come across another piece of disturbing news." He paused for a second and he could have sworn he heard a very faint groan coming from the direction of Captain Hunter. Understanding brown eyes faced troubled blue ones as he directed his next comment to the young Captain. "It seems the Zentraedi have either taken some allies or have conquered another race that have vast technological knowledge." He nodded towards the technician who stood next to the wall and the lights dimmed as the projector hummed to life. Admiral Gloval stepped aside as an image filled the screen. "These are some images we recovered from the Cat's Eye before it was destroyed. As you can see some of the vessels still retain the Zentraedi components but are now mixed with newer and more advanced parts." He remained silent as the images scrolled thru. When they were done, the lights slowly came back to reveal the horrified gazes of those inside the room. He could completely understand how they felt.

"It took some time to correctly identify the parts as the RDF had not encountered this kind of alien technology but others have. Dr. Lang?" He nodded to the man to his right.

Dr. Lang rose after thanking Admiral Gloval. His eerie pupiless eyes swept the room. "After making sure these pieces were not Zentraedi, Meltrandi or from the Robotech Masters, we decided to contact other scientists that have made it their priority to study phenomena such as these. I was in contact with some of the same scientists who first studied the SDF-1 when it made its landing on Earth. The conversations were… disturbing to say the least." He turned to the Admiral asking permission to speak, at his nod, he continued. "Apparently we were not the only ones that had been fighting alien forces. In fact some of the attacks that had been attributed to rogue Zentraedi were in fact other groups of alien invaders."

Gasps and murmurs could be heard around the table and Admiral Gloval rapidly raised his hand forestalling the questions. "I soon spoke with the different factions and I found out something of a conspiracy that was created to keep not only the civilians ignorant of these attacks but us as well."

"But who could have done that?" Rick Hunter asked.

The Admiral's eyes slipped towards haunted green eyes and he knew she had a good idea of who it had been. "It was apparently a practice that started with the old United Earth Government and is still being kept up by the current one."

Lisa looked down to her notes to escape the sorrow in her commander's eyes. A feeling of rage and impotence suffused her. Detachedly, she watched as her hand crumpled the piece of paper it had been holding. How dare they! How dare they keep that information from all of them? Had they learned nothing from the mistakes of their predecessors? It had been her father and the rest of the United Earth Government who started keeping secrets from the crew of the SDF-1 and the civilians inside of it and on Earth. And look at what it had accomplished, a barren land that they had had to rebuild almost from scratch.

She pulled herself out of her bleak thoughts to hear the account of how many of those factions had survived in spite of Dolza's attack to Earth. It had been in fact some of those factions who had saved some of the Earth's population from complete extinction.

"We have narrowed the list of alien supporters the Zentraedi could have. Based on their mecha we are pretty sure we are on the right track. We will now have to face not only the Zentraedi but these new threats as well."

"Do not despair as we have in fact come up with a solution to our dilemma. Seeing that the Zentraedi have seen fit to ally themselves and in the light that there are others who fight the same fight we do, we have decided to also take some allies in this new battle." Admiral Gloval announced breaking thru the gloomy atmosphere with a ray of hope. All of those around the table looked at him with so much trust that he was humbled by the sentiment. He swore to himself he would do anything in his power to make this be a fight that they could win. "The Admirals and I have decided to form an elite group which will fight alongside these other groups in order to defeat Dolza and this new threat. I must admit, we will have a long road of discovery ahead of us because as we uncover things, we are left with many more questions with no answers. It will be up to this group to uncover them with the aid of our new allies. In order to make our efforts more effective, we have decided to let this group operate on its own and lend support as it is needed. As it is, I have requested all of you to be part of this elite force. I have the outmost confidence in all of you."

The Admiral paused as he let this piece of news sink in. He had not been merely flattering them as he truly believed they were more than capable of handling the job. After all, they were the best he had.

"I have recommended Captain Lisa Hayes to be the leader of the group." He said nodding at Lisa who acknowledged the news with a widening of her eyes and a slight flaring of her nostrils as she sucked in a surprised breath. "You will coordinate all the attacks with the help of the leaders of the other divisions." Turning to the pilots, he said, "All squadron leaders will have command over their squadron and any air support the other divisions posses." Rick, Max, Miriya and Roy nodded. "Seniority dictates that Captain Fokker will lead all air divisions. I will travel with you to the initial debriefing but then I will return here to coordinate supporting attacks. You might wonder why we are not providing ground support," he paused as the others nodded. "One of the groups you will be joining has a strong ground force but we have found that they are all lacking an organized air force. Therefore we shall be providing it."

"How about the rest of the staff? We will need a Communications Officer." Lisa asked since the Admiral had not mentioned anything about Claudia.

"I was told you would be provided with a person who will work both as Communications Officer and as Radar technician."

"Begging your pardon sir, I do believe that I will need more assistance than that."

Gloval mulled it carefully. He had no idea how long this fight would take them. He hoped it would not be as long as the original battle had been but he had to be realistic. He hated to part with both of his best officers but as he looked at Lisa's stony face and Roy's almost pleading grey eyes, he made a final decision. "Very well I can provide Captain Grant." He said, containing a smile at the visible relief in both Lisa and Roy's faces. "You shall not be getting anybody else from my staff Captain Hayes so do not push for any more." He said with mock sternness and was rewarded with a small smile from his First Officer.

"Thank you sir, I will not ask for more."

"We will be meeting again tomorrow at 0800 hours in order to discuss the needed mecha we will provide. I want you all to be ready in two days for your departure. Pack whatever you need as if you were moving at least for a year. Your homes will be secured and everything you need will be provided. We will be heading to a training ground facility in order to develop new strategies and so that of the different groups can train together and join forces. Any questions?" They all shook their heads, their minds overwhelmed with the information given. "Well, you are all dismissed."

They had barely cleared the door of the conference room when Lisa was tackled by a 6'4" body.

"Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!"

"Uh, get off me!" Captain Lisa Hayes exclaimed in exasperated disgust as Captain Roy Fokker held her in a bear hug. Lisa was turning quite red in the face as people passed by them in the hallway and snickered at the Captain's antics. Max and Miriya couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the Lisa's peeved expression in contrast to Roy's comical blissful face as he rested his cheek on the crown of her head. They almost broke into gales of laughter as she tried to claw her way out of his embrace but he wouldn't budge. They knew that not only was the Captain grateful that her intervention had caused his girlfriend to be relocated with them but he was doing it knowing he was driving the normally unflappable woman up the wall.

"Is there a reason why you are draped all over my best friend?" Came a drawled voice from behind them. All of them turned, Roy dragging Lisa along as he still had not released her, to see Captain Grant tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for an answer. Her eyes betrayed the seriousness of her face as they twinkled with barely suppressed laughter. To her credit, her expression never wavered, even when they all could hear Captain Hayes' teeth gnashing in annoyance.

"I am hugging your friend here because she has saved me, er… us, from absolute loneliness while we are away on a mission." Claudia looked at him in bafflement. "Let me take you to lunch and I will explain everything to you. What do you say?" He said with a charming smile and a roguish wiggle of his eyebrows.

Claudia couldn't help but smile at that and said. "Well, since you plead your case so nicely, I think I will but don't you think you should let go of Lisa dear? Or are you thinking of becoming permanently attached to her?" She asked drolly as her best friend sputtered in exasperation.

Roy let go of Lisa as if she was a hot potato and moved towards his girlfriend in a flash, putting the dark skinned beauty between them. The lanky blond smiled a beatific smile at the green eyed woman as his eyes opened in a perfect imitation of an innocent puppy. Even if Lisa was well cured of the patented Roy Fokker charm, she couldn't help but snort in amusement at his expression. With a mock glare in his direction, she said:

"Captain Fokker, you try that again and you will find yourself transferred to trash collection duty."

"Yes, sir, madam, sir!" The commander said in mock reverence as he saluted her.

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Lisa left, heading towards the Admiral's office.

"Wow, I can't believe you actually got away to tell the tale." Rick told his big brother who was busily making besotted eyes to his long-time girlfriend now turned fiancée.

Roy snorted at his little brother in all but blood. "Come on Rick! You especially should know that Lisa is much more bark than bite. If that were not the case, you would probably have not survived till now."

"You got a point there." Rick said with a grimace as he remembered their last row. "I hope she would have a much better sense of humor when it comes to dealing with me though."

The rest of them knew he was referring to the last row the two had recently. Word had it Rick had not handled well the fact that he had been used as a diversion for the attack on the factory satellite and had taken it out on the poor woman. It wasn't as if she had not been forced into it herself, although all that knew her also knew she had given in to the plan of broadcasting their kiss for less altruistic reasons than just furthering their mission. They all had to suppress a sigh at the completely clueless man. To think that at this point, almost three years later, the man had yet to realize that Captain Lisa Hayes was head over heels in love with him was baffling.

Truth be told, all of them were starting to get tired of the whole Rick and Lisa saga, not that it wasn't entertaining and all and the cause of great gossip. All kidding aside, they all loved the two knuckleheads to death and were distressed at the thought that this could drag longer if some action was not taken.

While Rick was completely oblivious to what was happening around him, seriously when wasn't he, the Sterlings, Claudia and Roy gave each other knowing looks. A long stint outside of their everyday setting with only themselves as company and most of them being couples… this mission could very well be auspicious for the outcome of their plan of finally getting the two together. Then maybe that way they could get to cash in on their wagers. After all, it was a well known fact to everybody, except the two of them of course, that there was a giant pool on the outcome of their little feud. Being their very best friends, and having to suffer thru all of their bad moods whenever they had a row, they felt entitled to all proceedings that could be made from them.

"Well, maybe now that we are all going to spend some time together you might find that she does have a sense of humor… deep down… somewhere." Roy said, mumbling the last part. He then laughed as he tried to escape Claudia's elbow as she tried to poke him on the ribs. "Come on Clau! It was only a joke!"

Rick looked at them unconvinced. "I don't know about that you guys but just in case I think I am going home to start packing the Tequila. Have a feeling I will need it to survive this." He said drolly and with a wave, he was gone.

As soon as they saw the shaggy black head disappear down the corner, the four scheming friends looked at each other again, their eyes glinting with determination. If either Rick or Lisa would have seen the expression on Claudia's face, they would have started running the opposite way. As it was, the dark skinned beauty had a smile of pure evil on her face. "Ok, tonight, my place. We are meeting to put our plan in action." At those words, the same evil smile was echoed on all the other faces.

Chapter Text

To say that Rick Hunter was not a morning person was the understatement of the year.

Somehow the 23 year old Captain made it to the table where his friends were waiting for him. He either ignored the snickers as he plopped down in his seat or he was too sleepy to even register them. Still smiling, Roy handed his best friend a full cup of coffee, extra strong, as he knew his little brother needed it. Rick didn't even say a word. He just took the cup reverently and took a long sip closing his eyes to savor the strong brew.

"Is he alright?" He heard a voice saying. It was feminine and it sounded concerned. Eventually his muddled brain identified it as belonging to Claudia.

A laugh and then, "Ricky boy here is NOT a morning person." Rick opened one of his bleary eyes to direct a frown towards his immensely amused friend. "Have you noticed he doesn't do mornings at all?"

"But that's impossible, nobody can get away from morning duty." A smirk from Roy stopped her and then she added, "Or can they?"

"You have no idea the things that our Skipper has done in the past to get away from morning duty." His other friend Max, the traitor, said. Even half asleep Rick could tell he was trying hard not to laugh.

"Odd though, he has not been assigned to morning duty for a while." His wife Miriya mused.

"Maybe somebody realized that Rick in a plane in the mornings would mean more damage to us than anything the Zentraedi could possible inflict." Roy spoke again and more laughs followed. Rick thought about sending them a glare but he didn't really care about the comments, it's not like they were not absolutely true. In fact he often wondered what kind of miracle had kept him off the morning shifts. Taking another sip of his coffee he shrugged it off, attributing it to seniority or something.

"Really?" Came the highly suspicious reply from Claudia. "Maybe somebody does know." Rick was lost in his coffee induced coma but the others picked up the tone right away.

"Who does the rosters by the way?" Roy asked her slyly already knowing what the answer would be. As if to reiterate the answer a stern voice was heard.

"It's 0750 hours. What are you all doing here? Don't you remember the meeting?" The voice of Lisa Hayes reached them as she weaved her way across the Mess Hall's tables.

"Aren't you full of energy this morning, unlike some other people!" Roy couldn't help but tease. At his comment, Rick just gave him a weak glare, dimmed down by the fact that the caffeine had yet to run its course through his system.

Turning towards the rumpled looking man, Lisa had to suppress a wide grin. Everybody who had to work with Rick knew his functioning was close to zero in the mornings. In fact, there were mornings when she swore she couldn't understand what the poor man was saying. "Come on Hunter! Up and at 'em. Can't function without your caffeine fix huh?" She told him with a little smirk.

Rick managed enough irritation to scowl at her. No matter how much they got along on normal days, it still aggravated him when she made those kinds of remarks. He idly wondered why Lisa of all people could rattle his cage as she did. Hadn't he been teased by all of his other friends before that?

He was saved from further speculation as she impatiently reminded them of their meeting. Cries of "Yes mom" rang out as the others took their cups and any left over pastry to munch on during the meeting.

Staying a little bit behind, Roy asked Claudia. "I thought you said Lisa was horrible in the mornings." He said casting a puzzled glance towards the energetic woman leading them on towards the conference room.

At this comment Claudia laughed good-naturedly. "She's just as bad as your little brother. She's running on her third cup of coffee." With a snicker at the irony of it all, the two lovers rushed to catch up with the rest of their friends.
"Could we go over this one more time?" Rick was thankful that somebody was just as puzzled as him over the whole thing. For a second there, he had wondered if his big brother had given him decaf as a joke. Heck, even Lisa seemed puzzled by the plan. With a sigh he settled back in his seat, relieved that it wasn't him. The plan was just plain crazy.

The Admiral was just as frustrated as the rest of them. In an uncharacteristic gesture for him, he rubbed his thumb and fore finger across his eyes while he gave a small sigh. He knew the whole group was not confused by the plan since it was extremely simple. The reason for its simplicity was owed to a very important fact; they barely HAD a plan. The frustration of all those gathered was not so much at not understanding but that they could not fathom the fact that there really was nothing planned. Not that he could blame them, he felt exactly the same way.

Masking his thoughts as much as possible, he turned to Captain Fokker who had been the only one brave enough to ask the question. "Captain Fokker it is very simple. As I have tried to explain your mission will be to train with the different groups that we have contacted to become our allies. We are planning at this point to take a defensive stand against our attackers. We need this in order to make sure our counter-attacks will be effective."

"In other words you have no idea what the heck we will be fighting against." Roy could not have been more right on.

"Admiral if I may?" Dr Lang asked. The relieved man gave him the go ahead. As much as he loved all of the people present as his family he had to admit that they all had frightful tempers. "You are very right in that assessment Captain Fokker. Although we have narrowed the enemies that we might be facing we do not have an exact idea what their abilities are. We do not even know why they would have joined forces with the Zentraedi or even why the Zentraedi would have wanted to join with other beings." Saying this, Dr. Lang turned to Exedore as if seeking a confirmation.

"You are indeed correct Dr. Lang, it is not something that the Zentraedi are used to doing. There are no indications in our history that this has ever been done and still…" The gnomish Zentraedi seemed to hesitate. "And still I must admit that there are many moons near the planet that is home to the Robotech Masters. Maybe the allies belong to one of the many civilizations that are there." He said almost to himself. Around him the others blanched at the prospect of the unknown threat.

"That is why it is imperative that for now we focus on building a strong and united front in order to deal with whatever threat we face." Admiral Gloval interjected. He didn't want his crew to go into full panic at the prospect of another enemy who could be even stronger than the Zentraedi. "We hope that in the process we might learn more about who the Zentraedis' allies are and we can come up with a way of disabling this new threat." He looked around trying to determine the state of mind of his crew. They looked back at him, their faces pale but he could see the determination in their eyes. He smiled inwardly. He knew he could count on them for this. They were all brave warriors who would do everything in their power to defend Earth. He hoped their new allies felt the same passion as they did. From what he had learned, they did.

"We will be working with two very distinctive teams. One, which you will be part of, is the combat forces. The other will be a team of scientists that will work on putting all of the information together and hopefully will be working at developing new weapons to counteract the attacks."

"Can we have some information about our allies?" Ever practical Lisa asked.

"Yes, in fact I was expecting that question." Admiral Gloval nodded to his First Officer and continued. "Of the allies that have accepted to help, there is only one that is an organized entity similar to ours. The name of this army is Mechakkon and they are based mostly in Europe in a town called Viktor Town. It is in fact one of their training grounds that we will use as a base. It is ground based but secluded enough to give us the protection we need. Aside from their ground troops they also possess a robot that roughly resembles a VF's Battloid mode. This robot is called Gordian and is piloted by a young man by the name of Daigo Ottaki. To my understanding this is their strongest line of defense. The second group, based in Japan, is more loosely comprised. This group is headed by a Scientist named Kazuki. His ship, The Liberty, is unfortunately not constructed to be a water carrier but can be used as a mobile base. Their combat force is mainly made up of two small robots, the Plyzer and the Mighty. These robots can fight independently, although when needed, their pilots, Takeru Hoyo and Mai Kazuki join forces to control a bigger, stronger robot called Gakeen. The third group is actually a lone cyborg by the name of Kogo. From what I heard this man is virtually indestructible and can even become, at will, as tall as a full grown Zentraedi." Surprised intakes of breath were heard all around the table. Exedore leaned in, interested in the micronian that could become a fierce warrior like his race. "Kogo was removed from a vital mission in outer space. In fact another of the advantages of having this cyborg with us is his marvelous ship… Dr. Lang care to elaborate?"

The scientist seemed eager to jump in, almost fidgeting in his seat in his excitement. Rick hid his smile behind his refilled coffee mug. He could bet the good scientist was excited at the prospect of getting his hands on that piece of technology for further investigation.

"Well his ship was built by a brilliant scientist, Dr. Dodge, who gave it to him after he was created. This ship can travel faster than the speed of light, traveling across various light years in mere minutes. He can achieve an effect very similar to that of a space fold without actually leaving the temporal space just by traveling thru it."

"But isn't that mode of travel dangerous for humans? I thought the purpose of the space fold was to prevent the human heart from collapsing at these speeds. It's strenuous for the body to keep with the speed necessary to cross space in that quantity of time." Lisa asked in puzzlement.

Rick's mouth went slack. What the hell had she said? Since when was Lisa so… so… brilliant? Giving himself a shake, he had to admit that it had been unfair of him to think that, after all he had known that she WAS smart and possessed an inquisitive mind to boot. He had heard from both Claudia and Roy that she spent hours reading on theory such as this so that she could be well informed on the subject. In fact, for all that he knew, she was one of the very few people that knew and understood the SDF-1 inside and out. He felt grudging respect for the insufferable know-it-all.

"You have to remember he is a cyborg."

"Is he not human?" Claudia asked, her forehead creasing in a slight frown.

"No, he is human." Lang responded. "His body though has some robotic parts which make his metabolism endure more."

"What was his mission?" Quiet Max asked curiously.

"He is part of the entourage that was heading to the center of the galaxy." The Admiral took over the explanations. "Their purpose is to bring back the balance that was disrupted and has been affecting the whole galaxy. There have been scientific investigations that have proved that the balance of the whole Universe can be achieved by having a being with special powers ruling over the Deco planet in the center of the galaxy. The emanations that issue forth from this Being are amplified by the planet itself and distributed throughout the galaxy. Without these emanations of power, the balance shifts and what once was peaceful becomes monstrous and warlike." The crew looked skeptical at this.

"Forgive me Admiral but that sounds like a bunch of neo-peace loving ideas that the anti-military would sprout. It's ridiculous to think that all the ills, all the wars have a root in the imbalance of power from the center of the galaxy?" Roy said.

"Their theory rests in the fact that it is the decline in the positive energy which creates an imbalance that is manifested in a series of mutations that have become quite violent."

Roy looked positively disgusted with the whole idea while the rest of the younger crew merely looked unconvinced. Looking towards the others, Rick noticed that Lang seemed mildly interested in the subject. Upon spying Exedore however he had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. The man seemed to be hanging on every word that the Admiral said. The poor man seemed ready to believe any fairy tale he was told, Rick thought, but he was distracted by a muttering to his side. He could have sworn he heard Roy say something along the lines of "Bunch of tree-hugging pansies if you ask me…" Which earned him a swift kick from his fiancée.

"Aside from that, the other group will be working closely with Exedore and Dr. Lang in developing new equipment. They will be in direct contact with Lord Breetai abord the factory satellite. We are hopeful that their knowledge coupled with the other scientists' will be able to create strong defenses for our cause."

"There is also the fact that many of them have similar technologies to our Battloids." Dr. Lang interjected which grabbed the attention of them all. "As I mentioned before, some of the scientists who will be collaborating with us were part of the original team that investigated the SDF-1. Some of their ideas for those mega robots evolved from the SDF-1. It will be interesting to see how they will merge together." Dr. Lang said, his voice for a change animated.

"I thought the original team that worked in the SDF-1 was still here in its entirety" Lisa mused puzzled.

"No Captain." The scientist corrected her. "The original team was comprised of different people. In fact I was just there as an apprentice at the time, certainly not even as a participant. Those men and women are the top eminencies of the scientific field. It will be an honor to be working with them." Lang mused to himself.

'Isn't that a self-centered thought?' Rick thought. Sometimes he wondered if Dr. Lang just worked with them for the sole purpose of gaining more knowledge than for the actual desire to help. The Admiral's words put a stop to his thoughts as they brought him back to the present.

"Very well I hope that you are already clear on what will happen when we reach the Mechakon camp two days from now. You will all be relieved from duty until time of departure. In this time I want you all to prepare yourselves and your belongings for the time ahead." Looking around the table he saw them all nod their consent. Before he dismissed them he wanted to impart a piece of advice. "I hope I do not need to remind you that we do not know how long this venture will take." He paused to see the effect of his words, seeing that he still had their rapt attention, he continued. "Therefore I would like to reiterate the fact that you will be removed from your surroundings and moved to a place where you will know no others but yourselves. Aside from that you will be working with three other different groups, three unknown factions which will look to you for leadership. Consequently you need to remain a strong unit. You will need to be the nexus that holds all these different groups together." He advised, his head low enough to cause the brim of his officer's cap to shadow his eyes from everybody. Even if they could not see his eyes, all of them knew who those words were directed to. Both Lisa and Rick were mortified that they were singled out in such a manner even if the statement was vague enough.

Rick snuck a guilty glance towards the brown haired woman. Frosty green eyes met his gaze and her eyes narrowed dangerously when she realized his attention towards her. Rick gulped nervously when he saw her expression. He did not need to be reminded that the woman had quite a temper. He promised to himself to take the Admirals' words to heart and try to be civil to the woman. After all he knew from past encounters that they could have an amicable conversation when they actually tried. If fact they got along quite alright as long as their conversations were far removed from the topics of work, Minmay and Kyle. With this resolve in his mind, the young Captain decided to approach the woman and talk to her about it.

Lisa was beyond mortified. She couldn't believe the Admiral had said that! Granted those that had witnessed his words were almost family (with the exception of Exedore and Lang) but it still stung that he would have brought up her situation to the forefront in that way. After all Lisa was a very private person and she hated to have her life openly brought up in public. Oh, she was not stupid. She knew the whole base gossiped about her and her doomed love affair with the dark haired Captain but at least they did it behind her back and not to her face!

She walked at a rapid pace, her heels clicking on the smooth surface of the hallway. Her pace never wavered as she made her way out of the base intent on hiding in her house until the time when they all had to leave. Maybe that way she could avoid more humiliation she thought snidely. With a soft sigh she had to admit that her humiliation really came from the fact that she was so transparent. For the longest time she had prided herself on the control she had achieved over her emotions. Until the day a messy haired teenager had appeared in her life and all her self control had gone out the window.

Lisa wove thru the people, her gaze directed to the floor. She knew her feelings were too raw right now to face them all. She tried to keep her frosty image in place, hoping she could reach her home before it crumbled all together. Then her resolve was seriously tested when she heard the voice of her tormentor.

"Captain Hayes! A moment please."

Lisa almost groaned out loud as she seriously debated on continuing on. The fact that they were in a crowded hallway, with witnesses all around, kept her from bolting. She didn't want this new episode recounted to everybody on the base by nightfall. Closing her eyes in order to steel herself, she turned around just in time to see the young Captain jogging towards her. His momentum and the fact that she had taken a step forward when she had turned to face him caused them almost to collide with each other. She rapidly took a step back to put some distance between them and to avoid being trampled by the man.

Rick came to a stop just inches across from his Captain. Thanking his quick reflexes, he looked over to Lisa to notice her wary expression. 'Great! Here I am trying to be friendly with her and putting her at ease and I almost scare the living daylights out of her.' He thought, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

Lisa watched him nervously. She was surprised that Rick wanted to talk to her after "The Incident" as she was starting to call it, and his actions right now only served to put her at a distinct disadvantage. She was flustered by the fact that they almost collided, which would have proven disastrous in such a well transited hallway, but the fact that they now stood very close to each other was starting to wreak havoc in what little she still possessed of her mind.

Clear blue eyes watched her intently. Lisa nervously licked her suddenly dry lips as she wondered if she had missed a question from him. Seconds that felt like minutes passed making Lisa agonize more. A whisper to her right made her realize that they had been looking at each other without speaking. Knowing how incriminating they must look and not wanting to throw any more information to the gossip mill, she ordered the Captain to follow her.

Completely oblivious to the fact they were being observed closely by the members of the base that had witnessed the scene, Rick obediently trotted after his CO. He was very happy that she was willing to listen to him. They reached her office and he was hurriedly ushered inside by her.

Having reached the sanctuary of her office, Lisa felt the tension she had felt in the corridor ease somewhat. Slumping her shoulders a bit she turned around, startling when she realized how close Rick had been. For the second time in a matter of minutes, she had to jump back from the male body in front of her. Rick apparently had not noticed anything wrong as he was giving her that lopsided boyish grin that made all the women on the base sigh. She was no better than them though as she could feel her knees going weak at seeing it. Trying to mask her reaction and intending to get the upper hand again, Lisa told him, "Sit down Captain Hunter." In a brisk voice as she indicated a seat.

Rick looked over to the seat and back at her, his brow furrowing adorably. Lisa cursed herself inwardly for her weakness and held her breath as he apparently made his decision. With a shake of his midnight black hair, Rick responded, "Thanks Captain but I rather stand."

Now Lisa cursed him for his decision. She'd much rather have him sit down than looming over her; his body still too close for comfort. She was not a small woman, standing well over 5'7" in her stockings. The regulation pumps added two inches to her height giving her a total of 5'9" on most days which made her a tall woman by most standards. In fact, she remembered the time when she used to be able to look at Rick in the eyes and still wondered to this day when he had actually grown so tall. Apparently Rick was one of those men that had achieved a growth spurt late in life and he had managed to attain a nice height of 6'0". While that made him even sexier in Lisa's eyes, she had to admit she hated having lost the upper hand in the physical aspect. Giving a frustrated sigh, she prompted the infuriating man to speak.

"Well Captain," he started, his voice sounding a little bit uncertain. "The Admiral's words today made me think…" seeing her eyes narrowing again at the mention of his words, he hastened to say, "I was thinking that we should really put aside our differences. I mean I respect you and your decisions… at least most of the time" He stammered at the disbelieving expression on her face. "That got me to remember that we can actually get along without acting like an old married couple." Uh, bad choice of words Hunter! He thought, wincing inwardly as he took in her dumbfounded expression. "Well, you know what I mean… I have enjoyed spending time with you and I must admit I did blow the whole thing of the factory satellite completely out of proportion. After all, you were also forced to do it too, right?" He asked managing to look at her from beneath his eyelashes as he kept his face trained towards the ground. He really did not want to look at her in he eyes now. He was still so ashamed to be asked to "perform" something so intimate in front of so many people. Idly he wondered if Minmay felt the same whenever she was acting for any of her movies. His mind wandered down that tangent and he promptly lost his train of thought.

On the other hand Lisa was staring at the man in front of her in deep shock. Not only had he sort of apologized for his outburst after the kiss they had shared but his words seemed to indicate that he wanted something more. Lisa's heart started beating a heavy rhythm and her breath caught raggedly in her throat as hope unfurled in her breast. She looked at his faraway expression and wondered if he was remembering their kiss as she was replaying it right now. In a voice made thicker by emotion she said, "Yes, we can definitely get along just fine."

The voice, a sultry alto, much deeper than Minmay's piping soprano snapped Rick from his thoughts of the singer. For a second he looked at the woman in front of him in confusion. Then he remembered what they had been talking about and gave her a blinding smile. "I'm very glad you agree." He smiled again when he saw the shy smile Lisa was giving him. Rick paused to look at her. He really liked seeing her smile since she didn't do it that often and it made her look much younger and carefree. He had heard many times from Roy how stressed she was and he thought that she needed to be distracted from all that. That was one of the reasons why he used to joke with her and, until the whole factory incident, he had been very proud of the responses he had gotten from her. He hoped it loosened her up so that she wouldn't be stressed so much.

In his relief at getting such a positive response from the normally taciturn woman, he was careless with his next words. Rick would never understand why she had gone from being warm and open to the normally stern frigid woman in mere seconds.

"Yes, after all since you are Roy's and Max and Miriya's friend it is better if we get along, since we always end up seeing each other at their get-togethers." He said in amusement.

At his words, Lisa felt as if a bucket of icy water had been thrown on her. Rick wanted to be civil to her because of their common friends? Not because of any interest in her as a person? She felt hurt and betrayed but mostly she felt completely ridiculous. Her world seemed to crumble at the realization that yet again she had left herself open for disappointment.

Rick's teasing smile faded as he noticed how her expression closed off instantly. 'What the heck had happened?' He thought to himself. He didn't have long to wonder as Lisa rapidly regained her composure and her tattered dignity around her like a warm blanket of comfort. She straightened her spine and her chin rose fractionally as she responded, "You are very right Captain Hunter. I believe we have to behave in order to preserve their mental sanity." She said her wry tone masking the hurt she felt.

Rick nodded his assent although he was still eyeing her a little bit warily. He felt there was something different but he couldn't tell what it was. Lisa had seemed more open a few seconds ago but now she had gone all professional on him again. Deciding to let it go for now, after all she had agreed to their "truce", he said, "Well you can start by calling me Rick from now on."

Lisa's eyes narrowed a bit betraying her pain but she rapidly recovered. With a nod, she agreed. "Well Rick," she said, emphasizing his name, "I am going to collect some things and then I am going home. Are you finished with all your preparations?" She asked, rapidly steering the conversation away from the personal.

"I finished packing already but there are still a few things I still need to take care of." He said, thinking he still had to call Minmay to let her know he was leaving. Understanding that Lisa was trying to dismiss him gently, he decided not to push her for today and took his leave.

Lisa saw him leave with a wave and a carefree smile. Once again her heart lay in pieces and her dignity in tatters. Even though she had recouped during the conversation, in its aftermath she wanted nothing else but to cry. Her eyes went glassy as the green orbs filled with tears.

She remained motionless, her eyes unfocused as she refused her tears to fall. It was in that state that Claudia found her a few minutes later.

Chapter Text

Lisa, Claudia and Miriya were standing next to the aircraft carrier waiting for the rest of the crew. The men had grumbled a bit when they had been informed that they would not be piloting their own planes to the base. It had been decided it would be better if their allies received a single aircraft rather than a contingent of aircrafts for the purpose of keeping their movements shielded from their enemies. After the meaning had sunk thru their thick skulls they had reluctantly agreed that the idea had merit. That however did not stop them from making sure their "babies" were safely stored in the carrier before they left. This left the women waiting for them outside instead of joining the Admiral, Dr. Lang and the rest of the people that were traveling to the Mechakon camp inside of the ship.

In truth Lisa felt sort of silly to be waiting with the rest of them. It wasn't as if she had to wait for her significant other. That bubble had been burst two days ago with their last conversation. The whole embarrassing incident had served as an eye opener to show what Rick actually thought of her. That day she had felt devastated, her emotions had taken quite a beating but Lisa was not a Hayes for nothing. She had rapidly gathered enough of her composure to agree with him even if she had wanted nothing but to go and hide. It had taken a good scolding from the woman she considered her sister, to pull Lisa from her apathetic state. It was then that she promised herself to behave with a cooler head around the black haired pilot.

Which brought her back to the whole debacle in her head. Should she go into the ship or should she stay and act nonchalant when they came to join them? After all, the others were her friends too! Why, she knew Roy before Rick came into the picture and, in the time she had gotten to know him, she had come to truly like Max. She refused to be driven away from all of them because of her silly romantic notions.

In the meantime, Claudia was secretly amused as she watched her friend's indecision. Lisa kept giving nervous glances to the hangar's door from where the guys were supposed to come out and join them. Claudia was worried about the friend that was more than a sister to her. It was so sad how it all came down to the fact of Lisa's self esteem issues. That Rick was completely blind when it came to love was not the problem. Rick was a lonely man, hung up in a fantasy. If Lisa was a little bit bolder she could have him wrapped around her little finger in no time. The truly sad part was that Lisa had never been a limp noodle when it came to guys. In fact Claudia was still completely shocked with her friend's attitude. Something had happened to destroy Lisa's self confidence and damned if she would not help her get it back! Claudia thought to herself fiercely

"You know it won't do you any good if you are preparing an angry retort for whenever he appears." Claudia said, noticing the little frown that marred her friend's forehead.

Lisa looked at her, completely surprised by her accurate words. A blush of shame tinged her cheeks and made her look like a chastened girl. She was doing it again! Letting herself be ruled by a man. Since when had she become so weak?

"Lisa don't beat yourself about it, I completely understand. I was like that when I first realized I had fallen in love with Roy. It wasn't easy to swallow the fact that I was in love with the base's Casanova."

"At least you guys hit it off from the start!" Lisa grumbled.

"Ha! That is what you think." Claudia said, her eyes sparkling with laughter. Miriya looked at her curiously. "Remind me to tell you that story sometime." She told the two women. "The point is they are infuriating, arrogant and completely clueless most of the time but we still can't help falling in love with them. It doesn't help that they are good looking too." Claudia said with a wink.

"Max is not infuriating." Miriya came to the defense of her husband in an affronted manner.

"Yes Miriya, your husband is an exception." Claudia had to admit. Lisa just kept looking ahead with a morose expression so to get her out of the mood, Claudia decided to tease her.

"So, did you pack any lingerie? It's going to be a long year. You might get lucky." She said with a wink.

"Claudia!" Lisa said her cheeks reddening again.

"I did." Miriya quipped helpfully. Claudia and Lisa had to hold the urge to roll her eyes. Sometimes Miriya gave away WAY too much information.

Bringing the subject back at hand, Claudia said, "You did pack something else than functional boring clothes didn't you honey? I wasn't kidding. It could get rather boring. We might even have time to go out a couple of times. And anyways you can't be wearing your uniform forever!"

"Claudia we are not going to Club Med you know. We are going to train for a war." Lisa interjected, her chin going up in an affronted manner. She was not going to admit to her friends that she had indeed packed a few comfortable and feminine clothing. She would not hear the end of it.

"As I said, it is a long time. Maybe you can even get to show Rick your Hayes charm." Claudia said slyly.

"Stop that Claudia. I told you there won't be anything between us. I am trying to get over him." Lisa looked away which is why she missed the knowing look her two friends gave each other.

"Oh I don't know if you want to do that Lisa. He might be a jerk and maybe a little befuddled about his feelings but he has not been chosen as hunk of the month by the female pilots for the 5th time this year for no reason. Miriya said so." Claudia said and the Meltrandi in question nodded her head enthusiastically. "Maybe they know more than we know… after all they are pretty close to the male locker room." Claudia added slyly almost laughing out loud at the reaction she received from her friend. Lisa gasped loudly and turned to them, a shocked expression on her face.

"Do they actually go in?" She asked her green eyes impossibly wide.

"Oh don't be such a prude Lisa it is very unbecoming." Her friend scolded good naturedly as her hazel eyes sparkled with mirth. "They don't go in but sometimes the boys walk out shirtless…" As if on cue, Rick came out of the hangar, opening the door with enough force to have it bang against the wall. He stalked towards the ship his eyes blazing and his face quite red. He was closely followed by a smirking Roy. Max was trying very hard not to laugh. The women looked at each other perplexed wondering what could have Rick in such a tiff. As the men got closer, they could hear their conversation.

"What's up with those women? Haven't they seen a man shirtless before?" Rick hissed in exasperation.

"I don't know little brother, no idea why they would want to see that scrawny little chest of yours." Roy said with a laugh.

Rick would have replied with a snide remark had it not been for Lisa's interruption. She could not contain herself and said, "Maybe if you stop being such an exhibitionist you might not get so much attention."

She said, her voice frosty and her attitude all Captain Hayes. Everybody opened their eyes at her remark surprised that Lisa would say something like that. After recovering form her initial surprise, Claudia had to bite the insides of her cheek to keep from laughing. Finally the real Lisa was coming thru! It had been a long time. She had missed her sarcastic remarks too much she thought with fondness.

Rick opened his mouth and closed it in a good imitation of a fish out of water. He heard a snicker and thought it was Roy. The sound accompanied by her defiance drove him to say, "Are you jealous you did not get a showing? Should I issue an invitation next time?" The black haired pilot taunted back.

Lisa was red and sputtering, she was left speechless by his comeback. It was bad enough that he had said that in front of the others but it was really her reaction to the images her mind brought up what left her speechless. She wanted to kick herself for taunting him. She should have known better. After all of the two, she didn't know who had the worst temper.

"You better take that back little brother before she actually accepts the invitation." Roy said with humor to try to diffuse the situation.

Rick apparently realized that same instant what had happened and he cursed inwardly. Didn't he just promise to be civil towards her a mere two days ago? What had happened to that resolve? Lisa happened, he thought, answering his own question. Not for the first time in all the years that he knew the Captain he wondered why this woman could blow his cool when so many others had tried and failed miserably. For the most part Rick had a very mild temper. He wasn't the perfect image of patience as Max was, but he certainly was not a hot head like his big brother, except when it came to her.

Rick and Lisa were still eyeing each other like gunslingers in a showdown when Henry Gloval decided to see what the delay was. Seeing the remainder of his crew ready to go he called them inside. Obediently, they all shuffled to get the rest of their things and walk towards the stairs.

Lisa was the first to move, not before giving Rick one last spiteful look. With the affronted air of a dethroned queen, she walked ahead of all of them, calling herself a hundred times a fool for falling into the same trap all over again.

Behind her, Rick shook his head and followed her, still fuming about the whole thing. Who the hell did she think she was? He stalked towards the ship his mood even blacker than before. As he approached his seat he thought his day couldn't get any worse than it was. First he had not been able to get a hold of Minmay in order to tell her he was leaving. Then came the whole thing with the female pilots. Normally he would just shrug off their antics but today his embarrassment at being ogled upon had just served to put him in a worse mood. But the icing on the cake had been the whole incident with Captain Hayes. He almost groaned as he sunk even deeper in his seat. He couldn't wait till they got to the base. Maybe the Tequila he had packed might not be wasted after all.

Roy, Claudia, Max and Miriya had walked behind the two not wanting to get caught in their firing range. As they watched their friends settle in on the ship, they all looked forward to the sparks that would fly this year. Their devious minds were making plans as the pilots made all the preparations to depart.

Daigo Ottaki was hiding. Well, he really wouldn't call it hiding, more like avoiding the madness. The whole base was running around like chickens without heads as they got ready for the arrival of their new allies. His clear blue eyes swept the encampment. From his vantage point on the hill overlooking the base, he could see the comings and goings of the others as they made the final preparations to receive them. He was supposed to be part of all that but he really could care less about all the bureaucratic crap others cared about. He had to admit though; it was a blessing to have more trained people on their side who actually knew what they were doing. Their troops had started to dwindle with their battle to the point that they had to depend more and more on volunteer groups that were enthusiastic but not hardened enough for battle. It didn't matter really, he more than made up for their lack by using Gordian. The giant robot had been the deciding factor in most of their fights against Madokter.

There were many things he didn't understand. He really didn't know what the Madokters were after although he had a few guesses based on the areas they usually hit. Aside from that, there was the mystery of the unusual power that lay in the center of Viktor Town and that his father knew about.

With a huff, the 23 year old lay on his back and stared at the clear blue sky and its fluffy white clouds. He really didn't care about anything that the upper brass decided. He just did as he was told, brought out the robot Gordian that only he could pilot, defeated the bad guys and that was it. He occasionally went against the rules when he thought they made no sense, which happened quite often, and sometimes disrupted the peace when he thought that things were getting too dull.

A wicked grin split his tanned face. After all, having too much peace and quiet meant monotony and that led to boredom. He reflected that boredom led to lax defenses and that could get them all killed. So he rationalized it was up to him to keep them on their toes. He remembered with fondness the first base he had been assigned to. His smile took on a dreamy quality as he remembered his first assignment. His unit had been asked to build a base, a rather hard toiling and monotonous work. So what was a healthy 18 year old male to do in a situation like that? Well he decided to go target practice. With a grimace he remembered how he brought down their only watch tower getting himself almost expelled from the force. But, he thought with a sigh, the good thing was they had managed to knock off a pretty good chunk of the enemy battalion. Of course the base had been ruined in the process and Barry, his commander, had almost gotten killed but all in all everything had come all right at the end.

A deep menacing growl cut thru his nostalgic thoughts. In a fluid movement, Daigo shifted to a crouch and slipped his gun from its holster. He strained his ears to determine what the danger was. After a few seconds, he heard loud trampling footsteps and he relaxed slightly, however he did not reholster his gun.

Still hearing the low growl, Daigo turned to his pet and said: "Don't worry about it Clint. An enemy would not make so much noise." As if to prove him right, the noise got even louder and Daigo relaxed again when he finally saw who it was. Reholstering his pistol, he lay back down waiting until his friend approached him.

Slightly out of breath, Ryoma finally reached the brown haired young man who was laying in the grass without a care in the world. He shifted his samurai sword so he could plop down next to him and when he did, he glared down at his friend.

"What is up with you? Everybody has been looking for you. Peachy and Barry are promising bloody murder when they finally find you."

Daigo's lips curled into an amused smile as he thought of his commander and his friend. Both of them had horrible tempers aside from the fact of being sticklers for rules. He went back to his original statement that they could do well with getting their senses rattled every once in a while. Suddenly a thought struck him and he asked, "Is Saori also worried about me?" Only knowing that his sister was worried would actually make him come back.

"Nah! She says you will come back whenever you are ready. Whatever that means." Said the other man.

Daigo chuckled in amusement. His sister knew him too well, even if they had not grown up together.

"So are you ready now?" The dark man asked his companion.

"I don't think so. I might just wait until the people that are coming are settled in before I come back."

"You are kidding, right? Commander Barry will have your head! Do you remember the last stunt you pulled? He threatened to have you expelled."

Daigo snorted his amusement and said. "You should know better by now. Barry…" "Commander Barry" his friend corrected him. "Barry" Daigo emphasized the name again. "Threatens to get me booted out at least once every week. I remember one time he actually said it twice the same week." Daigo looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What is it to you? You are one of the biggest rule breakers I've ever known, added to that the fact that you do not technically belong to Mechakon. Why do you care?" Daigo narrowed his cerulean eyes suspiciously as he took in his friend's innocent expression. "Oh, I see! You are hoping there are women on board aren't you!"

A wide grin split across the samurai's face. "Heck yeah! It's women from America1, fresh meat!"

Daigo rolled his eyes and said with amusement. "And who would want to go out with you with that homey face?" He said, teasing his friend good naturedly.

Ryoma straightened his clothing in an affronted manner while his eyes twinkled at their running joke. Ryoma was not an ugly man but he was certainly average, at least when he was next to Daigo he was. His friend was too good looking. He even had dimples when he smiled for crying out loud!

"That is why I need you to be there. Women just flock to that pretty face of yours and when you turn them down there I am ready to console them on their hour of need."

Daigo chuckled in amusement. Trust his friend to shake him out of whatever mood he was in and make him get back to camp. As he stood up, Ryoma looked at his friend and couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at the sight. Not everybody could get away with wearing a body suit but Daigo could. Daigo would never be a bulky man. As much as he bemoaned his slim body and the lack of bulk that put him off being a football player, it was this coupled with his boyish face that had all the girls sighing in his vicinity. Daigo, much to their annoyance and heartache, did not enjoy all the attention and avoided them at all cost. In fact the only female that he approached was Peachy, the commander of the female forces, and it probably was because she did not bat her lashes continuously when she talked to him.

"What makes you think that any of those females will be any different than the ones we have here?" Daigo said, his voice pulling him out of his musings.

"There are very few unattached women at the base and from those there are only three of those that would interest me enough."

Daigo's easy going demeanor went away and he narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I told you to stay away from my sister."

"Don't worry about that! Even if I wanted… which I don't" he added quickly. "I wouldn't be able to compete with Barry."

Daigo's face darkened further at the comment. Even if he preferred to ignore all the silly romantic liaisons that happened around him, he couldn't very well ignore them when they involved his sister. Thankfully his commander treated his sister with respect showing all his men that Saori was a lady and deserved to be treated as such. That did not mean though he didn't keep a sharp eye on the man, commander or not. He decided to ignore the comment for now and told the other man. "That doesn't mean you can't go after the other two." He said with a smirk.

Daigo had to suppress his snickers at the expression of pure horror in the other man's face.

"Are you crazy? How can you say that?"

"They are good looking after all."

"You know very well that little devil that hangs around your sister would probably do some bodily harm if I look at her the wrong way and I am not brave enough to handle Peachy's temper." The older man said with a shudder.

Daigo had to agree with his assessments. Both ladies were scary in their own rights but at least they did not behave like idiots around him.

A rumble distracted them from their conversation. They turned rapidly to see a huge aircraft approaching the landing field. A wicked grin split the younger man's face as he studied the foreign ship.

"Come on Ryoma! Our guests have arrived. The show's about to start." And with that he took off, his pet following closely behind.

Knowing Daigo's penchant for mischief, Ryoma wasted no time in following. After all, he did not want to miss the show.

Peachy was still grumbling about insubordination as she stood beside him. Daigo was having a hard time suppressing his smile. It was so easy to get her panties in a twist. They had been going at it ever since they met. He was grateful though. She, or rather baiting her temper, was one of the reasons he did not go crazy in this unit. Thankfully he'd had only to deal with her reproaches as his commander was in too much of a nervous state to do much. He did not put it past him though that as soon as this was over he was going to get another lecture about responsibility from the man.

Tuning out the nagging at his side, he looked around him at the members of his team as they waited for the ship to finally land. Barry was holding himself stiff as if he had a poker stuck on his back which meant that Barry was making quite an effort not to pace, Daigo thought with a knowing smile. To his side Peachy had now become silent, watching in wonder the ship as it slowly made its descent. His sister, Saori, looked upon the arrival from the civilian side of the camp. Aside from that, the rest of the group was a complete disaster.

Here and there you could see some of the women applying various layers of makeup or plumping their hair. Daigo snorted. Some of them needed a lot of help in that regard. The men were making sure their uniforms looked good or better yet that they looked good in their uniforms. They looked on expectantly as wolves after their prey making him feel slightly nauseous. 'Really', he thought in disgust, 'was there any doubt as to why they were losing this battle?'

Daigo fidgeted a bit praying that their allies would get down soon so that they could all leave the arid airstrip and go back inside to eat a little bit of lunch. He was starting to get hungry. As if on cue, his stomach growled, earning him a dirty look from the blond companion to his side. He gave Peachy a sheepish smile and tried to settle down. Finally after what seemed like hours but could not have been more than ten minutes, the ship's door opened. The bottom door doubled as the stairs so they didn't have to wait long for them to come down, something Daigo was immensely grateful for.

The first man to come out must be their commander. He was a tall, older man probably in his late fifties. He couldn't see his features very well since his cap was throwing shadows over his face but Daigo had an impression of a hooked nose and a thick mustache as he looked around. Finally spotting Barry, the man descended the steps to meet him. Right behind the commander, came another man, also older who looked upon the scene impassively. His features seemed to be made out of wax as if there were no emotions. Daigo felt a shiver across his spine. The man looked creepy. Following the creepy one, was a gnome like being with reddish hair and a strange grayish skin tone. 'He looks like a science experiment gone bad.' Daigo thought wrinkling his nose. These allies were looking weirder by the minute.

Finally, somebody normal looking came out. Daigo had to roll his eyes though when all the women gave a simultaneous sigh. The man was tall, well over 6' tall, slim built and with a rakish hairstyle. Daigo gave a sigh of relief. Maybe the featherbrains in his unit would leave him alone now that they had fresh meat. Still his relief was short lived when the blond man turned to help one of the female officers to come down. Even as professional as they were acting, he could tell there was something between them. It was the same way Barry treated his sister when they were in front of a crowd.

Oh well, there might still be hope. All in all, there were twenty men and half of that number of females in the ally's battalion. A small number that was sure, but from what he had been told their forces were quite powerful. Aside from that, they were not their only allies.

Daigo scanned the group and his gaze stopped over quite a few of the soldiers. He wondered about some of their hair and skin colors. Aside from the odd gnome, there were a few men and females that looked very human but had something a little bit off. Their hair and skin coloring was not something that was found in any human race. One woman in particular struck him. She was the most normal looking of the bunch but her green, almost neon hair, was not exactly human. Daigo could tell that that was not a shade that could be found in any beauty salon.

Daigo was about to comment to his friend Ryoma about their allies when he noticed the slightly glazed look he wore. Rolling his eyes he decided to give the man a few moments to take in the military women in their uniforms.

Finally his friend said. "What a woman!" His voice sounded awed.

'Here we go again.' Daigo thought. Seeking to indulge him he said "Who? The looker with the green hair?" He said it a little bit loud too and got the expected reaction. Peachy, who had been straining to look at the new arrivals, now turned to him giving him a dirty look. Daigo just gave her an insolent wink that made her head turn with such a force, her short blonde curls bounced.

"No, not that one. Don't you see she's holding a baby? I am not a home wrecker you know. I have my standards." He sniffed insulted. "No, the one with the skirt uniform. Look at those legs!"

Well, that narrowed it down. Daigo took another look at the new comers as they stood talking to Barry. Apparently the ones with skirts were higher ranking officers as they stood next to the commander as he spoke with Barry.

"You mean the dark skinned one? I am sorry to tell you but I think she is going out with the tall blond guy."

"She is? No matter it wasn't her I was talking about, it's the one with the white uniform."

Daigo did a double take. "Of all the women… You like her?" Daigo looked skeptical. The brown haired woman was not ugly, not by far… she was just… bland. Very pale and with a serious expression on her face, to complement the matronly hairstyle she wore, this woman was not what he would have expected Ryoma to go after. All of the women he had seen his friend with were flashy and young. This seemed like a mature, no-nonsense woman.

"She is amazing." Ryoma breathed barely taking his eyes from her. Noticing for the first time his friend's expression, the samurai said. "Don't you see the amazing body she has? Long legs, tiny waist… and that hair! Not quite brown, not quite blond… it is so unusual."

"It's called honey brown." - he deadpanned.

"Honey… yes." He breathed again in awe. Daigo looked upon his enraptured expression with something akin to worry in his eyes. "Who is she?" The smitten man asked.

Daigo shrugged. He guessed he would know who she was if he had paid attention in the meetings but… Inspiration struck him as he knew who would know.

"Hey Peaches." He whispered again to the petite woman in front of him. While they had been carrying on, Peachy had tried to move as far away as she possibly could. Unfortunately for her, because of their formation, or what passed for it, she couldn't move very far so she had ended a row ahead of him. The woman in question turned to him, her blue eyes snapping and her cheeks flushed in annoyance.

"What?" She hissed to him.

"Who's the woman that looks like she is sucking on sour lemons?"

Her affronted gasp had Daigo shuddering as he tried to hold his laughter. "That woman is Captain Lisa Hayes and she will be the commander of the Allied Forces. So you need to show more respect!" That gave him pause. She was going to be their commander?

"What about the man who is talking to Barry? Isn't he the commander?"

"Admiral Gloval just came in as a show of good faith but he cannot stay! He has his own ship to run. Honestly did you even listen to the briefing?" Her voice rising in her exasperation. Suddenly the soldier next to Peachy elbowed her and shushed her. The tiny blond started and looked forward, not without a muttered "Look what you've done now."

Daigo straightened from his position. He'd had to bend quite a bit in order to talk to the girl since she barely reached 5'4" with her boots on. When he looked forward he understood what had happened. The small group that had been congregating around Barry was now looking in their direction. Since it wasn't the first time he had called attention to himself in situations like this, he continued to look forward, unconcerned.

Barry was looking quite green while the commander… Admiral Gloval, was stroking his mustache and Daigo had a sneaking suspicion that he was trying to cover his laughter. The dark skinned woman was looking on impassibly while the other one, the one that was about to become their commander, was looking on with a disapproving expression in her face.

'Great' Daigo thought. 'Not even a couple of minutes here and I already managed to displease yet another authority figure. I must be getting better at it.' He thought sarcastically. For a second he had the sneaking suspicion that working with this woman was not going to be easy. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Just when he had thought things were starting to get dull… He looked straight at the woman and gave a little nod. Oh, yes, he definitely welcomed this challenge.
Lisa could not wipe the frown off her face. The day, which had started in near disaster now seemed to plummet deep into it. First it had been her confrontation with Rick, then her own recriminations at her actions had left her with a sense of disquiet. She had been so upset that she had barely paid attention to the dossiers Admiral Gloval had given her to read.

Now she stood next to Admiral Gloval inspecting the troops she would lead and she couldn't help but feel a sliver of panic at the task. Oh, she was sure she was not showing it after all, her scowl prevented anybody to see past it into her eyes and read the panic there. It was not so much the task itself, after all, Henry in his wisdom, had been letting her take more and more of the reins of the day to day operations in the SDF-1, perhaps preparing her to something like this. No, her panic came from the state of the allies' troops. Her practiced military eyes swept over the troops and the base. She rapidly determined who actually belonged to the military unit and who was from the volunteer unit. With a sinking feeling she noticed that the majority were civilians that belonged to the volunteer unit.

With half an ear she listened to the military commander Barry Hawk as he explained how half of their military force had been wiped out when their enemies, the Madokters had taken over their city. Only Unit 18, the special forces unit had survived. From what she gathered, the special forces unit was the one that held people that had unique talents which could not be placed in other units. Reading between the lines, all the oddballs ended up Unit 18. But perhaps there was something special about them after all, they were the only ones to survive!

Lisa Hayes understood everything about special units. They might be the most talented ones, they were the ones that were sent in the most dangerous missions, the ones that had seemed like lost causes and emerged victorious. Knowing that, she also knew it held the most unruly and diverse group of people. Again, the oddballs.

"Commander Hawk." She said, taking advantage of the fact that the young man had taken a breath to interrupt him. "What happened to the other units? Why is it that only the volunteers and your unit are here?

Commander Hawk, who looked to be around Roy's age, mid-thirties and not a day more than that, turned to her, his eyes slightly sorrowful. "Victor Town is divided into 15 districts, therefore the 15 units. Victor Town was the military bastion of the area. It was our task not only to defend it but also the surrounding area. We have many military bases in other cities, for example, Los City used to hold our sole military factory. Many units were deployed to these cities in order to guard our remaining assets. Others were sent to deployed to some of the cities who were defenseless The unit under Colonel Hannonji's command are stationed on the border between Victor Town and Santore blocking the Madokter's way.

She nodded to show her understanding and wondered again what was so important about that town that the Madokter had spent so much energy into invading and why was it that it had become so important to the Zentraedi and their allies. It was a puzzle that they needed to uncover before they planned their attacks.

"Commander Hawk", Henry said, interrupting her thoughts. "Have our other allies arrived?"

"Negative Sir. I heard from the Liberty Ship and they have been delayed because of an attack. They had some serious damage as they faced an enemy unknown to them. They claim to have been overpowered by ostrich looking ships that were as tall as their smaller robots. The robots were damaged and they had to retreat. Their forces were not strong enough to battle so many numbers."

Claudia had gasped when she heard the description of the battle pods used by the Zentraedi. Lisa had narrowed her eyes while Henry pulled his cap lower on his head.

"So it's begun." He said quietly.

"Sir?" Commander Hawk asked puzzled.

"Those are Zentraedi battle pods Commander Hawk, our enemies. If they had started to target our allies it means that their plans have started to unfold." Lisa explained. Looking towards the ruins of Victor Town, she said in a low voice. "It means that they are ahead of us and we are at a disadvantage."

Silence stretched over the small group but it was suddenly disrupted by an enraged female voice. "Honestly did you even listen to the briefing?"

They all turned towards the disruption. In the midst of the troop's formation, and Lisa was using that term loosely as it was more of an organized riot, she saw a petite blond woman turned toward somebody behind her. It was hard to see from that angle who it was but it was revealed as soon as somebody nudged the woman and she jumped to attention. The person she had been talking to, or rather scolding, took his time to unfold himself to his full height and look towards them. Lisa resumed her scowl as she noticed the sardonic smile on the boyish face of the man.

'Oh, for the love of... Not another Hunter!' Her mind despaired. There was something about the young man that reminded her of Rick. Maybe it was that they were close in age or the slightly indolent posture he had assumed but something reminded her of the young pilot that used to butt heads with her. For a second she thought that her mental groan had somehow escaped her lips but she realized in an instant that it had been uttered by the young commander by her side.

"Is it too much to ask for him to behave for once?" She thought she heard him mutter.

"Commander Barry, I think it might be a good idea to break until our allies arrive. After all, we cannot meet without them. It will give us time to organize the provisions we brought. In the meantime we can meet so we can start devising a plan of action. Aside from that I think your unit might be hungry. After all we did arrive on your lunch time." Henry Gloval said with a small quirk of his lips.

The young man turned to his troop. "Listen up people! We are breaking until further notice. Proceed to the lunch room… IN AN ORDERLY FASHION." He added with emphasis on the last part as the group seemed to disintegrate as soon as he mentioned the word lunch. "Lieutenant White, please come here." He called and the blond woman that had been caught before broke away from the crowd to join them.

"Captain Hayes, please instruct our Captains to supervise the storage of our Veritechs. After that, you can join us."

"Yes Sir." Lisa said as she walked towards the rest of their crew.

Lisa was issuing orders to Rick, Roy, Max and Miriya when she felt somebody stand next to her. Thinking it was Claudia, she was surprised when she turned to see the baby blue eyes of Lieutenant White watching her apprehensively. With a nod towards the blond woman, she continued her instructions. After she was finished she turned to the woman next to her.

"Is there something you would like to inform us Lieutenant White?" Lisa asked addressing the woman by her name since she remembered Commander Hawk calling to her.

The petite woman saluted smartly and said. "Commander Hawk wanted to let you know that he will have personnel at your disposal that can help with the storage of your weapons and ships. He then asked me to take you to his office to join Admiral Gloval and him in a light lunch."

"Thanks Lieutenant." Her green eyes darkened with concern at having them work while the others were having lunch. Before she could say anything, Roy raised his hand forestalling any excuses from her.

"Don't worry Lisa, we are still in another time zone. I think we won't get hungry for a while now. The only one I am worried about is Miriya and Dana."

"I can take them to their rooms after I walk you to your destination captain." The earnest blond woman interjected at that point.

"There will be no need of walking me to my rooms Lieutenant." The commanding voice of Miriya Parino was heard. "I will be giving Dana to Jean until I am finished Captain." She said, nodding to Claudia's sister in law who had been invited to join the forces alongside Claudia's brother. "Is there somebody who will be taking them to their quarters or to the infirmary?"

Peachy looked around a small frown marring her angelic face. She brightened when she spotted a figure hurrying towards the medics.

"I believe Saori will do it." She said, pointing to the young woman that approached. "She takes care of the civilians and she organizes our infirmary."

The three men saluted the Captain and the Lieutenant. In a smooth, graceful motion, Lisa pivoted on her heel and started walking towards the main building. Her purposeful strides made quick headway to the building, making the much shorter Lieutenant almost trot to catch up with her.

As soon as the two women walked away, Max turned to look after the flight crew that were starting to unload the RDF's cargo. Rick was about to follow him when he noticed that Roy still stood in the same place, his gaze seemingly far away. On hindsight, Rick should have known better than to ask. Concerned at his mentor's stillness he asked what was wrong. Roy turned to him, a rakish smile on his face. "I was thinking, now that we are here in Mechakon camp, do you think that they'll ask the girls to wear the Mechakon uniform?"

Rick was taken aback at the strange question. Curious, Rick followed his friend's gaze to the retreating females. Before Roy's comment, Rick had actually not paid attention to the Mechakon lieutenant and much less what she was wearing. A strange sense of deja-vu invaded him (something about a Minmay and a soda machine episode came to mind) and he suddenly realized what Roy had been referring to all along.

From what he could see, the Mechakon female uniform consisted of a blue shirt, topped by a waist long pink vest. That in itself was nothing to comment on, aside from the ultra feminine color. No, that was not what Roy was referring to. It was the ultra short, very pink skirt that revealed the lieutenant's pale legs that Roy was talking about. Couple that with the knee high boots and it was a distraction in the making for the reformed playboy.

Thinking on Roy's comment, his mind conjured an image of another pair of pale legs, these longer and well formed. Suddenly perturbed by the mental image, Rick tried to mask his reaction.

"God forbid they do. They might require the men to wear theirs and I am pretty sure pink is NOT my color." Rick replied sarcastically as he remembered the sea of pink and blue in the formation that had been before them.

Roy's face lost its smirk as he blanched at the thought. Without replying, he turned to follow Max. Normally Rick would have never let his big brother live down the fact that he had gotten one over him. Instead Rick was strangely quiet, his mind invaded by the disquieting image of Lisa's shapely legs showcased by the pink little skirt and encased in those sexy boots.

Chapter Text

Lisa Hayes hurried down the corridor, her heels tapping a fast staccato that she knew by heart. Sometimes she could swear that she could hear that hollowed sound in her dreams. Flanking her were both her comrade-in-arms, more like her sister, and her superior, more like her father than her own ever was. She did not need to look at them to imagine the looks on their faces. She had seen too many times the hard intensity that came over their faces as they prepared for battle to even need to see it again. The only difference this time was the fact that none of them were going to participate in any battle at all. For the first time they were mere observers in somebody else's fight. Lisa did not know if this was better or worse.

All three of them were following Saori Otaki down long corridors that led to the heart of Santore Base. They had been picked up by the blond haired woman when the alarms had blared. Now they were being dragged on to observe the battle from afar. Santore base was more than the mountain it seemed to be upon first glance. Hidden under the veneer, lay a base that had become both a refuge and a military stronghold when the inhabitants of Viktor Town, a tiny city in a small province of Europe, had been attacked and later invaded by the ruthless Madokters. What were these enemies looking for? Nobody knew, or at least nobody claimed to know. She had a feeling though that Henry and whoever had put this little group together had a pretty good idea but were keeping it tightly under wraps.

If Lisa were to presume that she knew the answer, she would say it was somewhat tied as to why the Madokters had become allies to the Zentraedi. There had to be a common link somewhere, something obvious enough that would make sense for these many diverse groups to be united. She was itching to go back to read the various reports she had barely skimmed over in order to understand the common link. If there was something Lisa disliked, it was to be left in the dark.

The abrupt stop in front of massive doors, which brought to mind Zentraedi vessels in their sheer size, brought the young Captain back to the present and to the situation at hand.

"Please follow me." Came the quiet voice of their guide, the woman that had been introduced to them a few hours before. From the way that she carried herself and the familiarity with the labyrinthine hallways, Saori Otaki was more than just the civilian coordinator. She seemed to be more than that to Santore.

The big doors opened to a similarly massive room. Three pairs of eyes swept the room appraisingly. The space seemed to be their Situation Room as it was full of computers and screens that were already showing the battle. The only two occupants in the room didn't even turn around to them, they were either being expected or they were being ignored. One of them was the tall lanky form of the soldier that had been in the formation outside. The other occupant was sitting in front of the comm. system so they couldn't see her very well. The only thing they could tell was that she had blond hair worn in a ponytail.

Saori frowned when she noticed who was there.

"Daigo! What are you still doing here?" At the woman's question, the young man turned to them, looking them over with bright blue eyes.

"Just wanted to see if they need me or not." He answered with a mischievous smile and a shrug. "Can't be taking out Gordian for just a little squabble. Gas is expensive after all."

Saori narrowed her own blue eyes at her brother in exasperation. She adored her younger brother, she truly did, but sometimes she wished somebody would take a more forceful approach with him and instill more discipline in the solitary and independent man.

"Daigo you know Gordian runs on X-Tron, not gas and you should be out there helping Barry and everyone else." She admonished.

"Barry can handle himself, besides he was the one that told me to stay around and guard Santore." He replied with a completely innocent expression that fooled no one.

"Couldn't have said so in the first place." Came the sarcastic comment from the younger blond on the comm. systems. Daigo just rolled his eyes and shrugged again, unrepentant.

Saori seemed to remember there were other people in the room at that moment as she turned to them.

"Sorry about that… I do not know if you have met my brother, Daigo." She said pointing to the young man who acknowledged them with a nod. "He is the pilot of Gordian, the robot created by my father. He never takes out Gordian unless the Madokter attack with a robot. Usually he does accompany them though." She said with a small frown directed at the young man who had, at this point, already turned to the screens ignoring them once more. "Rosette is manning the comm. system." She said pointing to the other woman who just acknowledged them by giving them all a cursory glance with her huge green eyes.

Lisa took a moment to examine the young man. His lean body was tensed for action as he leaned on his fingertips on the console table. He was poised for flight at the least minimum indication. The young Captain recognized the intensity, having seen it numerous times in the men and women under her command. Pleased with noting that he was not a lazy insubordinate but was truly following orders, she turned to his sister as she seemed more open to answering questions.

"Is there a particular reason why you wouldn't want to use Gordian? Is the X-tron that hard to get?" She asked, interested to know about this new robot.

"Well, piloting Gordian is very draining on the pilot's body…"

"Come on now sis, just because you had problems with it doesn't mean that it is exhausting." Her brother drawled without turning towards them.

"Don't talk to your sister like that!" The blond girl defended the woman who had been almost like her mother. "Just because you are not out there risking your neck like the others doesn't give you the right…"

"Do you really think that I'd much rather stay here and listen to you harp on me? I'd much rather be out there…" suddenly the alarm blared and they all turned to the screen to see a giant robot appear on the battle scene.

"Finally! Saved from the harpy. See ya'll later." He said as he rushed off.

"Daigo." His sister started to say but he cut her off.

"I know, I know I'll be careful." He said rolling his eyes at her but he still turned to give her a quick peck on her cheek before running off again.

"He's impossible." Saori murmured affectionately as she turned to the Robotech crew.

"Please approach here, I am sure you will want to see the monitors so you can follow the battle."

"Peachy, watch out!" Commander Hawk screamed as a volley of fire hurled straight at the curly haired woman.

Barry watched as Peachy managed to twist her cycle-like vehicle out of the way before she was caught in the missile. With a sigh of relief, he turned again to watch the rest of his battalion. He was conscious of the fact that he always paid more attention to her than to the rest of the men and women under his command. Not even the fact that she had her own squadron to command lessened the protectiveness he felt for her. Maybe it was because he known her since she had just joined in, a young cadet with huge green eyes and uncertain air about her or the fact that she had been with him in countless battles. Whatever it was, he felt like an older brother watching out for her.

A flash of light made him realize he had drifted off while in the midst of battle. He didn't even take the time to curse at himself, recriminations could wait, as he turned to the battle that lay before him. As usual the Madokters had brought in their spider-like mecha for the one on one attack. As per usual, the Mechakon were retaliating with their small ground units. The ground units were little more than mobile posts for the infantry to move around. Their main armament was their rifles and they had almost no armor to defend them from the strong "legs" of the Madokter's mecha which twisted and fell on them as a club swung from a giant.

Barry had to admit that at first glance, his forces were severely at a disadvantage. They were tiny compared to the monstrous spider-like machines. Their only redeeming value was the fact that where the Madockters' were big and imposing they were also slow. This played to their strong point which was the fact that their little mobile units were fast and most of the time could scurry out of the way of the Madokter's powerful legs or avoid their firepower.

However, it did take skill to be able to fire your rifle, maneuver your hover bike and be on the lookout for the enemy. It was painfully apparent to the commander that the forces that he was taking into battle were wholly inexperienced in this. They were young, not only in age but in experience. Too many of them were volunteers, reserves that had never been needed until the surprising and completely unknown invasion of the Madokters. Viktor Town had always been a peaceful town. The Mechakon were just merely patrollers watching out for the town which barely needed watching and its surrounding towns. When he had joined, Barry had marveled at the need for the towns to have a patrol. When he found out that Ros Town's main factory manufactured weapons, he saw the need for the patrol, at least there. Victor Town appeared nothing more than the capital of the small cluster of towns. It was not until this invasion that he realized that there was something more to Victor Town, something that he imagined was not common knowledge to those that lived there. He knew that many of the secrets were held by Saori and her late father.

It was those secrets that they were not only trying to protect but were attempting to get back. It was hard to fight for something that you were ignorant about but he knew that many of the secrets would need to be revealed soon.

A collective gasp rose from his battalion and he turned to see the new threat. A impressive robot was trying to decimate half his battalion with a mighty swipe of one of its arms. Barry ordered his men to clear away from the monstrosity as they waited for Daigo and his robot Gordian to come and save them as usual.

Daigo was running to the launching dock with his mind focused only on his mission. The allies and the conversation that had happened previously all but forgotten. As he ran, his breathing deepened and his body felt leadened but at the same time he felt empowered. He felt the changes his body went thru as he neared Gordian. He had tried to make light of it but he knew his body felt different when inside Gordian. In fact he knew his body was different. He had known ever since that time when he had fallen into that substance in the middle of Victor Town.

Of course he had not told Saori and their father had not told her either. In fact his father had not explained to him either what exactly had happened nor had he explained why he felt this way when he piloted Gordian. As always his father was keeping secrets that he had not wanted to reveal until the "appropriate time". Daigo had a feeling that the time had finally come for all secrets to be finally unveiled.

With a final burst of speed, he leapt into the open structure of Protesser, the first of the three robots that combined to create Gordian. He spun in the air until he felt the familiar pull and he lay in a T-pose inside of the robot. As soon as he was settled he was enveloped by the robotic parts enclosing him as he prepared for take off. As he was laid back on the launching pads, robot and all, he knew that the outer two pieces were already launched ahead of him. Now it was just a matter of waiting until he could reunite with them.

Down in the long strip used to house the military equipment, the Macross crew from the RDF were working feverishly to unload the various carrier planes as they tried to place their precious cargo in a safer place. It was painfully obvious that the strip was very exposed and their planes were vulnerable to an enemy attack. As soon as the alarms had blared and the military personnel had vacated the base, their efforts had doubled.

Roy looked towards the rest of the crew as they went about their work. Rick was directing the unloading of the crates that contained the missiles for the VT's. Max was in charge of seeing to the VT's themselves as Miriya helped direct the crews that were settling them in their interim hangar. Vince, his unofficial brother-in-law, was hard to miss as he shouted directions without the need of any loudspeaker. He was glad that there had been a last minute decision to bring him along. Not only was he a dedicated and loyal soldier, one who they could count on at any time but they got the added bonus of getting Jean too. And after seeing the ground troops that these people had he was more than glad Vince and his group had come along. Strong ground forces my hairy ass! He was rolling his eyes when a big shadow caught his eye.

"What the hell is that!" Roy exclaimed loudly.

Rick wiped the sweat from his brow and turned from examining some of the crates to see where his friend was pointing. Right above them a hatch had opened and a gigantic blue robot was propelled into the air. The robot seemed familiar and it took him a few seconds to place it from the various meetings that they had been part of last week as they had been briefed on this mission. As he watched, a second robot, this one red, also took into the air right after the first one. He barely noticed that he stood his arms akimbo and his mouth slightly hanging open as watched he the display in the sky in fascination. If he could have torn his eyes away from the sight, he would have noticed his pose mimicked by the rest of the Macross crew.

The final robot was launched, this one looking, strangely enough, like a football player. The head seemed to be encased in a helmet and the torso appeared to be the inner harness under the jersey. This robot seemed to have a pilot though as it maneuvered under the red robot. The red robot opened in mid air and the last robot positioned itself until he could insert itself inside the bigger robot. Then the robot closed itself, encasing the smaller robot and going after the first and bigger one. The same operation was repeated until all three robots were one inside the other one like one those Russian dolls that Minmay was so fond of displaying in her room.

Then in a final burst of energy, the big robot sped off, liberating the paralyzed crew that had been watching the display. For a second they all looked at each other to ascertain what they had seen and then they all ran into the hangar as they tried to communicate with somebody who could tell them what was going on.

Daigo found his enemy quite easily. It was hard to miss when it was as big as a 10 story building.

"Man they played quite a number on this robot." He said in disgusted fascination as he studied it. The towering robot looked more like a mismatch between different kinds of reptiles with a humanoid body. This robot was very different from the usual robots that the Madokters sent. It was too organic, as if a crazy genetic scientist had decided to put something together and had not had enough spare parts to create a whole. The word Frankenstein came to his mind.

He knew that this robot was not created by the Madokters. Just as he had overheard that some of the allies had been attacked by other people's enemies, he knew that this robot was somebody else's enemy too. He briefly wondered who the unfortunate bastards had been before he realized what it all meant to him.

With the Madokters, he already knew how to handle those. He knew their mode of operation. Now though he had been stuck with this genetic reject that he had no idea where to start tackling.

'Well never let it be said that Daigo is a cowardly man.' He thought as he dashed against the beast, trying to ascertain its weaknesses.

"What the heck…?"

"Is that what we are up against?"

The rhetorical questions were murmured as the Macross crew crowded behind the only comm. system that was in the hangar. Rick looked towards his friends for a second. Even as accustomed to battles as they were, the sight was still a bit daunting. Zentraedi were after all human looking and they were always in their pods so it was easy not to even think about what was inside but this… this inhuman thing…

"Well, at least we won't have to worry where we shoot this thing." Roy said.

"The problem is how we bring it down." Max replied as he watched the battle between the powerful looking robot and the reptilian monster. They seemed to be almost evenly matched.
Daigo was beating down the genetic reject with powerful punches that made the monster back up. The reptile seemed to rally for a second and started to spew from his mouth a noxious looking substance. Disgusted, Daigo tried to evade the volley as much as possible but one still caught him a little bit on the foot. Where the substance had hit, the foot started to be eaten away as if it was being eaten by acid.

Daigo cursed fluently as he kept evading the monster which now joined this volley of acid with his own powerful punches. Daigo made a grab at his webbed hands and head butted the unsuspecting monster, leaving it dazed. This would give him plenty of time to call up his sword and finish the thing off. 'Simple'. Daigo thought with a smirk, but it was short lived as he was suddenly pinched forward from a powerful blast that made contact with his back.

Thankfully his robot was not damaged, Daigo noted, but as he staggered to remain upright he turned to see what had happened. His blue eyes widened in shock. There, standing behind him was another robot. He turned back to the first one. The reptile was already recovering and moving threateningly towards him. Daigo backed up, away from the two robots who sprung simultaneous attacks on their victim.

Daigo took a second to study the newcomer. This one was definitely a Madokter robot. Apparently they were going with the animal theme for this battle as this robot looked like a rhino but at least it was metallic, just like all Madokters robots had been until now. The two robots decided to discharge their own venomous attacks at the same time, one the organic acid and the other a volley of laser fire.

Daigo decided it was unfair to have two against one. He was getting tired of being cornered by the two monsters, so he stopped and transformed.
"What!" Rosette was the only one who could say anything at the turn of events. Both fronts were in serious danger. On one hand, they had lost visuals of Commander Hawk's battalion after the huge rhino-like robot had appeared. They imagined that their comm. tower was decimated by the attack.

Saori had expected Daigo to go and rescue Barry's team as he always did and had been puzzled when he stopped midway thru before getting there. The answer had been quite surprising as she realized her brother was fighting a second robot. The blonde had looked at her ward in complete shock. This had never happened before.

"The robot that Daigo is fighting looks weird Saori." Rosette commented.

"This is completely unusual, to have more than one robot… and this is not their usual robot. Madokter's are usually like the one that attacked Barry, not this one."

Lisa narrowed her eyes in thought. She looked at Henry who was clenching his teeth around the unlit pipe. He had already received a dirty look from the petit blonde in the comm. system. If there had not been so much tension, Lisa would have laughed at the whole situation. As it was, she was feverishly trying to think of strategies and dismissing them just as fast. Without knowledge of the allied forces, she couldn't really think of any strategy. She didn't know their strengths or weaknesses. That she didn't know the enemy did not matter, after all, it would be like the first time they had faced the Zentraedi that long ago day in Macross.

With that thought in mind, she paid close attention to the two combatants on the field. This method was completely different from anything she had dealt with before. Where all their battles had taken place in the sky or space, with weapons that could be fired at a distance from the enemy, the way that Daigo fought was up and close to the enemy, just like a brawl. As she studied his methods, a feeling of insufficiency started to crawl over her skin. Ruthlessly she battled it down as she concentrated on paying attention to the fight. There would be plenty of time to hyperventilate later. For now she had to remain focused.

It was the sight of the second robot coming in to attack Daigo that left them all speechless. It was obvious that he was not used to fighting more than one robot at a time. It made sense since Saori had pointed out that this was the first time they had seen two robots on the scene at any point.

At that moment, Daigo seemed to come up with a decision. He suddenly stopped and the hatch of the bigger robot opened, letting out the smaller red robot held within. The action must have confused the enemy since they stood still, affording Daigo with an opportunity to hit the reptile robot and distracting them enough so that Gordian could close again.

"Gordian can fight without Daigo in it?" Lisa asked in surprise as she saw the two robots that had previously been one attack their enemies simultaneously.

"Gordian will not have as much power as when Daigo is in it but yes, all three can fight independently."

They all watched as Daigo led the reptilian robot away from the other two, figuring apparently, that this way they would have a better chance of the enemy robots not to team up with each other.

They were now watching two different screens showing the different positions when a voice broke thru the comm. lines.

"Captain Hayes, this is Captain Hunter requesting permission to scramble." Rick Hunter's face appeared on the internal comm. channel.

Lisa looked at Admiral Gloval, whether to ask him for permission or in deference to his position it was unclear. The man just nodded in a go ahead sign. The young blond woman that was manning the comm. controls gave her a headset and indicated to the board.

The first thing she noticed was the urgency in his sky blue eyes. The other was the tension in his face. Rick was coiled tight as a spring, ready to go on the slight order.

"Captain Hunter, the Veritechs were not fueled before the flight. Aside from that we still do not have a designated runway." She commented absentmindedly. There was something nagging in the back of her head… Rick's urgent voice snapped her to the moment at hand.

"We were refueling the Veritechs right before the attack. Skull One is half way done and I am ready to go." He said in an impassioned voice. "As for a runway I could transform into Batteloid mode or Guardian mode and take off with the thrusters that way."

Lisa hesitated for a second but looking over at the other screen that showed the battle she turned to Rick and said, "Permission granted Captain." From the corner of her eye, she saw Saori Otaki relax fractionally. Lisa imagined she was glad her younger brother would get some help.

"Keep the pump going Chief!" Rick screamed at somebody off screen. "We are going to scramble." Rick turned to his CO and asked. "Coordinates Captain?" But Lisa ignored his question as she half turned to Admiral Gloval and Claudia who were just looking at her. Something in the admiral's eyes made her pause.

"Captain? What are the coordinates?" Rick asked again.

"Hold for orders Captain Hunter." Lisa said but her attention was now on Saori. "Did you say that this is the first time they have used multiple robots to attack?" The blond woman nodded, uncertain. The young Captain's face took on a hard cast. She turned back to the screen to see the expectant face of one of the best pilots under her command and she knew what she had to do.

"Captain Hunter you will scramble but not to join the battle." Rick opened his mouth to refuse but she stopped him with a look and a raised hand. "It seems that our enemy has suddenly changed tactics. Right now we have to assume they think the base is vulnerable. They did after all bring more firepower than they usually bring." Rick was looking desperate, he had also seen the hard battle their allies were fighting and he definitely did not want to waste time talking. "I know what you are thinking Rick and trust me I want to help them too but we also need to make sure that the base and all the civilians in it are safe." She pleaded with him.

Rick sighed, knowing that she was probably right. If the enemy had more mecha and they knew their only defender was busy somewhere else, what was there to stop them from attacking the defenseless base?

"All right Lisa, we'll do it your way."

"Wait! Have them refuel Max and Miriya's after yours. They can take over your post defending the base and then you will be able to help the others." Lisa added, the reflexes that had made her such an efficient First Officer finally kicking in. "Is Vince around?" Rick nodded distractedly, one eye still set on his VT. "Patch him through. In the meantime get ready to engage."

"Aye, Captain" he said as he rapidly left the screen, bellowing the name of Vince as he went to his VT. In the meantime, various personnel from both the allied Mechakon forces and the Robotech forces scrambled around, still trying to unload everything in the imminent threat of battle.

"Claudia," Lisa turned back to address her friend. "Please try to work the communication channel so that we can get a patch with the VT's and the ground forces." Claudia nodded and turned to the blond girl that sat in the comm. console. The girl just gave her a vague suspicious look that was easily quelled when Saori looked her way.

Admiral Gloval had attempted to stay behind the scenes as he allowed Lisa to take the leading role. He knew she had the potential for being a great leader but she had allowed herself to fall under his shadow. Gloval had understood this and it had been the reason why he had fought so hard to grant her this opportunity of command. Lisa was about to turn around to the screen again when she happened to glance at the admiral. In that split second, she was warmed and heartened by the pride she saw in his eyes.

"Captain Hayes this is Commander Vince Grant." A voice on the comm. screen said and she turned her attention to it.

"Commander Grant, what is the status of the ground forces?"

"We are mostly still packed away Captain Hayes. It was decided to first take out the VT's seeing that they are bigger and needed to be refueled."

"So the ground mecha is fueled?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Ok, we need to take out any mecha that is small enough to get around the VT's. Get as much personnel as you can for that." Vince nodded, already calculating which pieces to move out. "Have the ground forces form a perimeter around the carriers. They will need to protect all those that are still going to be working on unloading the carriers. You will leave any offensive moves to the VT's, either Captain Hunter or the Sterlings."

"Yes Captain."

"Now Vince please call up Roy…" Roy popped up from the side of the screen. "Oh, there you are… Roy what's the status with Rick? Is he close to take off?"

"90 percent. He'll be ready in 5 more minutes."

"Is the idea viable? Does he have enough space to take off?"

"Lisa, Rick is a big boy. He knows what he is doing. Don't let him find out you doubted him for one second." He admonished her and Lisa flushed a bit, a flashback of her starting days as a commanding officer going thru her head.

"Right. He'll skin me alive." She said with a grimace and she changed the subject. "I want you to gather the rest of the pilots, except for Max and Miriya, and have them help out in clearing the area around the carriers. We need to make sure that our forces are not damaged. See how many of the ground forces you can make way for."

"Aye Captain." He said with a wink and disappeared from the comm. channel.

Lisa turned to Claudia at the comm. controls. "How is that working?"

Claudia and Rosette turned to her, their grim expressions answer enough. Claudia just shook her head and turned to the controls. Lisa turned to Saori and saw the worry and determination battling in her pretty features.

"Saori, can you communicate with your brother?" She asked, as much as a distraction for her as a way of determining how the battle was going on the other front.

The other woman just nodded, tight lipped and she bent over the screen Lisa had been using.

"Daigo, can you hear me?" Saori's dulcet voice called.

Silence reigned for a couple of seconds as they both watched the red robot on the outdoor screen.

"Daigo?"

"Not now sis." He finally said in a tight voice.

"Mr. Otaki, I need to know your position so I might be able to help you."

"Listen lady." Came the tight voice over the speakers. "No offense but I am a little busy here." His voice strained as he tried to stop the larger robot from gaining ground. "And besides that I've done this for years without anybody's meddling so… STAY. OUT." He growled as he pushed against the other metallic monster with little success.

"Daigo!" Saori said, her tone disapproving.

"Sorry sis but I am out." And with that the speakers went dead.

Saori and Lisa looked towards the two women by the comm. controls. "That stupid idiot cut us off from his side!" Rosette growled. "We won't be able to talk to him unless he opens communication again."

Lisa breathed deeply. She was not accustomed with dealing with this type of insubordination; after all, anybody that did anything remotely similar to this knew that they were as good as kicked out of the force. Not even Hunter in all of his rebellious glory had ever done anything like this!

"Just patch me thru with the VT's. Was Rick able to take off?"

Saori opened another channel and they were able to see another angle of the small runway. Skull One was in full Guardian mode while the ground forces had already started to create the requested perimeter around the carrier planes. Milling about they could make out the smaller shapes of the pilots and the workers that were trying to secure everything that was laid out in the open.

Tense minutes passed as they observed the different screens. The battle seemed to rage on, both sides causing losses while the gigantic warriors still battled for dominance. On the base, all activity continued in a hurried but careful pace.

"We might not need the extra measures it seems." Saori Otaki whispered to Lisa as she relaxed her guard a bit.

"Really Saori, don't you know that you can jinx yourself by saying that?" Rosette admonished. "Look at your left monitor and you'll see what I'm talking about."

They all turned to the one screen they had neglected to pay attention to. It was the screen that was monitoring the fight between the reptile looking robot and Daigo's unmanned robot, Gordian. Gordian lay on the ground, one of his arms ripped off at the elbow and the other severely mangled. One of his knees was blown off and that was the reason why the robot lay on the ground although it was obvious to see that it was still trying to follow the orders given by his pilot.

Saori gasped at the screen display and her eyes filled with tears. Although she knew her brother was not inside of Gordian, the sight still pained her as she feared that one day her brother would be severely injured or worse. Her eyes opened in alarm though when she realized the direction the reptilian robot was taking. Without any force to stop him, the robot was now free but instead of coming towards Santore base as they all feared, he headed to where Daigo and the other beast monster was.

In minutes, Daigo was being overpowered by the two robots. He knew that in order to stand a chance he needed Gordian's power but he had been unable to call the bigger outer robot to him before it had been rendered useless. He looked at his indicator one more time, hoping to see something different but he just saw what he already knew. The indicator light for Gordian was extinct. He had known though, as soon as Gordian had been defeated, he had felt its loss as if it had been a part of his own body. Inside the robots, he was part of them, and the loss of one was keenly felt. Now he had to face not one but two robots with Dellinger which was much smaller and less powerful than Gordian.

"Captain, please let me join the fight." Suddenly Rick's voice and his image broke thru the comm. channels. Lisa looked at Claudia in surprise to see her nodding, self-satisfied. "The ground forces can hold on until Max is ready to go."

"How long till Max is ready?" Lisa asked.

"No idea, you guys are the first I could communicate with. I can't even talk to Vince or any of his forces and they are right here beside me!"

Lisa blew out a breath in frustration. Her job was made even more complicated by the fact that there was no communication between any of the parties.

"Claudia, try to get a hold of Max, he should be around that comm. somewhere." Turning to her screen, "Captain Hunter I need to hold your post." From the corner of her eye, she saw Saori close her eyes as if in pain while a gasp of outrage came from Rosette. "Hold for new orders until I determine everybody else's status."

Turning to the pale older woman, she whispered soothingly. "Give me a couple of minutes Saori. Your brother is one of my men now and I won't allow him to get harmed if I can help it." She nodded, although her face remained tense. "Can you try to communicate with Commander Hawk?" Saori nodded again as she turned to the monitors.

In the meantime, Lisa walked over to Claudia and Rosette. The latter had a mulish expression on her face as her friend fiddled with the controls. The Captain had no idea if the expression was due to the fact that her post was being invaded or because of her orders.

"Any progress Clau?"

"No. I cannot get a hold of Max, he is somewhere far away from the ONLY comm. in the area and apparently everybody else is too busy to be around the comm. screen."

"There are no speakers or no other way to get their attention or talk to them?" Lisa asked in disbelief.

"Apparently not." Claudia said, sarcasm and disgust making for quite a nasty tone of her voice.

"This base was not built for the military, it was supposed to be a shelter." The young woman next to them answered back snidely. "That is the reason why we don't have the equipment you are requesting."

"How on Earth have the Mechakon been able to work then?" Lisa asked.

"Funny but they always managed." Rosette retorted spitefully.

Before Lisa could decide if she wanted to reply and put the snotty girl in her place or just ignore her, Saori's voice broke thru.

"Captain Hayes, I can't reach Barry!" the woman said, her voice breaking at the name.

A small part of Lisa's brain put that information away to analyze later while the other calculated all the odds.

"Please give me a visual of the scene." She commanded as she returned to her original post. Both their faces went grim as the camera tried to zoom into the area that had been a battle scene.

There was nothing to be seen now. Debris covered the area. Most of it was the pieces of what had been their attack vehicles. It was hard to tell if there were any bodies or any survivors. That the Madokters attack pods were moving away from the scene, still whole, did not bode well on the status of the attack force.

"Saori!" The voice made them all jump in its suddenness.

"Daigo! Are you all right?"

"Saori I need you to ask Barry for reinforcements!"

A choked sob. "Daigo we can't reach Barry…"

Daigo growled. "Where's that woman…? Where is the bossy lady?"

"My name is Captain Hayes, Mr. Otaki and I am here."

"Listen lady I don't have much time. If you and your men are going to do something useful they better do it now. I don't usually need or want help but… Agghhhh." A scream broke his tirade.

"Daigo! Daigo!" Saori said frantically.

"Do something! He better not die because of you." Rosette growled in a threatening manner.

Lisa breathed in deeply… she knew she needed somebody here at the base but the scene outside was looking grimmer than what she originally thought. "Get me Rick." She ordered, making the decision quickly.

"Captain Hayes…" Rick's voice was welcome, even if it was tense.

"Captain Hunter, I need you assist the red robot. You will need to engage in Guardian mode. Go the following coordinates…" A sudden exclamation from the pilot stopped her.

In the immediate cacophony created by the comm. system and the alarms that resumed their blaring, Lisa understood that the base was under attack as she had predicted. A grim sort of satisfaction passed by her and she had to squash it. Yes, she had been right that the enemy would attack the base but at what expense?

"Rick…"

"Lisa we are being attacked by ground forces. They are coming in from all around the surrounding mountains. I don't know if Vince will be able to hold with the forces he has… What the hell…?"

"Rick, what is it? Can we get visuals of the hangars?"

It was the same reptilian monster that had been fighting against Daigo. Lisa's blood froze as she took into consideration what that would mean.

"Rick hold your post. Daigo! Mr. Otaki, can you hear me?"

A long pause. Lisa was about to change the channel of the comm. system to get a visual of the other fight when the speakers came alive once again with cursing.

"Damned woman! Didn't I ask for help?"

"Well, at least I am grateful that your ungrateful hide is alive." She retorted dryly effectively masking her relief. The young man seemed to be more resilient than he appeared. "We are currently under attack so I need my pilots here. What is your status?"

"You're under attack?" More cursing. "Dellinger is heavily damaged. Without Gordian it's going to be near impossible to defeat this damned monster to get back there to help… Listen lady. I'll manage over here… just make sure everybody else is safe… even that annoying Barry and the shrew Peachy." The young man said, the concern in his voice belying the words.

"Stop playing the martyr and just get on with what you have to do." Came a new voice thru the comm. channels.

"Barry! You annoying gnat! I knew you would be hard to kill. You need to make my life miserable after all."

"Somebody has to do it after all. Now just do your job and go help your sister at Santore." The commander ordered. "By the way Peachy says that you better survive so she can skin you alive." Daigo groaned and cut the communication as he concentrated on his fight.

"Barry, you are alive." Saori said. She was trying to get a visual but the screen remained stubbornly black.

"We are heavily damaged… Captain Hayes what is the status at Santore?"

"We are currently fighting off the mecha that you had engaged, also there is a robot."

"Then what the heck is that lazy…"

"Daigo is fighting another robot. They decided to gang up on him but apparently his robot is weak enough now and one of them came over here." Low cursing was heard, this time even she had to raise her eyebrows in surprise. She had not heard such inventive cursing since the days when Roy Fokker flew on missions. "We are able to hold on as one of our VT's is out there but we have no one to help Mr. Otaki…"

"Orders Captain?" He asked and Lisa was speechless for a second. She had already taken command but to have it handed to her so easily by the man that was supposed to be leading this motley crew…

"I want you all to retreat. I am in fact going to call back Mr. Otaki. We are almost ready to launch another of the VT's so we will be able to defend Santore."

"Roger that Captain."

"Be careful on your way back. Be wary of any ambush attacks." She warned.

"No problem we will send our scout Ryoma ahead of us. Roger out."

Lisa did not look at anybody else in the room. She did not look for approval or confirmation. She had made a decision already and she would have to live with the consequences. Sometimes, she knew, battles were more about being able to fight another day much more than being able to win all the time. Somebody had told her that once.

She turned to call up the channel to talk to Daigo when a streak of light from one of the screens caught her attention. It seemed to have the force of a small comet and looked like a shooting star. The thing however, looked like it had a purpose and as it passed by two of the spider-like mecha in the base, it let forth a volley of energy that decimated the two.

The object however did not stop there but it flew on towards Daigo's position.

Lisa held her breath. Was this friend or foe? She did not waste any time thinking about it as she opened the comm. channel and called out to Daigo to warn him of this new development.
All of those that were fighting in Santore base stopped for a second as they felt the force of energy that was displaced by the unknown object. Allies and enemies stopped as they seemed to wait to see if the newcomer was friend or foe. After the thing decimated two of the Madokter mecha, the Macross allies seemed to rally even more and fought back even harder. At this point Max joined in the fight, letting loose a volley of energy blasts that struck the enemy with unerring accuracy.

Now that both Rick and Max were in action, the tide started to turn on their favor. Rick, being the bolder of the two, approached the reptilian monster and let loose a shower of missiles that broke down the monster's approach. Suddenly there was a third stream of missiles that aided Rick in the attack. He looked to the source to find Miriya flanking him while Max dealt with the rest.

Between all of them, they drove down the enemy until those that where still able limped away in retreat.

"What do you mean a strange force is coming my way?"

"That's exactly what I said Mr. Otaki. We cannot determine what it is and it goes too fast to get an actual visual…" Lisa trailed off because at this point it was useless to describe the "thing" to him. It was after all, barreling straight towards him.

Daigo watched the object in amazement. It was huge! Almost the size of a small craft and it trailed energy like a small comet. Unbidden, the image of the time when he fell into that substance in the center of Victor Town came to his mind. Everybody had described to him the fireball that had come and destroyed all of the enemy by passing near them. The only thing they had not known is that it had been him, drenched in that substance that had caused the fireball effect and had destroyed the enemy. He was still too freaked out by the whole experience to tell it to anybody.

For a second, Daigo thought that maybe one of the Madokters had gotten hold of that substance and had recreated the effect that he had done. He was ready to confront this new threat when the speeding object circled over them once and started to slow down.

Both Daigo and those that were in the Sit. Room in Santore watched with bated breath as the energy dispersed and they could finally see the silhouette of a small aircraft and the pilot who stood proudly over it.

Chapter Text

As it was, none of them were able to find out who the mystery pilot was. Oh, he was definitely on their side, after all, he did single handedly defeat the rhino robot. But just as quick as he had come, he left, leaving behind a heavily damaged Dellinger and a semi-conscious Daigo. By the time Rick and the Sterlings could leave the base, the only thing left for them to do was to carry the two damaged robots back to the base.

Rick and Miriya had been able to slay the monster after they combined their attacks. It had been a sobering experience for both of them since they were used to robotic enemies and not demi-giants that were harder to kill than cockroaches after a nuclear blast.

Even Lisa was not able to solve her own mysteries as she ended up helping everywhere around the base. As it turned out, the Mechakon base had no defined emergency corps but rather all of them tended to pitch in, taking care of their injured in their very modern facilities. That was a definite plus of Santore base; even if they were not properly staffed they had state of the art technology.

So that was how Lisa found herself sitting in a chair next to a sleeping Daigo Otaki as she popped in to make sure he was alright. She had already talked to Jean Grant and had been told that the young man was doing fine and was not the worse for wear after the intense battle. For a second a sense of deja-vu enveloped her. She saw herself next to another young man waiting for him to wake up. Thankfully this time there was none of the guilt that had accompanied that other visit. Also absent was the crippling feeling that had constricted her chest as she worried if the man she had fallen in love would make it.

She was so deep in thought that she had not realized that clear blue eyes were watching her until a sleep roughened voice brought her down to reality.

"Well I didn't know that I was so important to have the new boss-lady checking up on me."

Lisa blinked rapidly as her eyes turned to the bed to see an amused smile on the man's face. She rapidly stood up to cover her discomfiture. By the time she had approached the bed she had her professional mask on.

"Good to see you're finally awake Mr. Otaki.", she told him in her husky voice.

Daigo did not like the feeling of having the woman looming over him so he struggled to sit up. He was waging a silent battle with his weakened arms when he felt gentle, yet supporting, arms helping him to sit up.

"Thanks." He told her after they got him propped up in a semi-sitting position. Looking at her from his new vantage point, he realized that for some reason he did not feel that he had to act strong next to this woman. It was as if she understood human frailty or just had been thru this too many times. He noticed though how her eyes swept over his chest and rapidly looked away. He didn't know if she was embarrassed by his semi-clothed state or if she didn't want to seem like she was ogling him. Not that there was much to see since half of his chest was bandaged.

Lisa would never consider herself to be a prude but she still avoided looking at the man's bare chest. She was glad then when he raised the bed sheet and he was covered again.

"Thanks for looking after me boss-lady." He said insolently, effectively distracting them from the awkward moment.

"You know my name is Captain Hayes." She informed him in a crisp voice.

He could see that his new boss-lady was as uptight as his own commander Barry. Daigo smirked good-naturally as he realized he was going to have a lot of fun yanking her chain. Trying to see how much he could get away with, he asked innocently: "Is Captain your actual name? Quite unusual."

Jade green eyes narrowed as the captain looked at him. "Very amusing, ". No my name is not Captain, but I will not give you the satisfaction of getting a rise from me nor giving you my full name." She smoothed her hands over the starched uniform jacket as if to iron away non-existent wrinkles. "Seeing as you are awake and in no danger I think it is time for me to leave. I will call your sister so that she can fill you in on everything."

Soon after the words were out of her mouth, she turned on her heel and walked towards the door. She was almost out of the room when he asked, "Did everybody make it? Are Barry and the battalion safe?" He asked softly as if the previous conversation had not happened.

Lisa gazed towards the bed. She eyed the man's face for a couple of seconds and noted his serious expression. Still holding on to the door handle, she half turned and told him, "There were a few losses but none of them included the Commander or the Lieutenant. Now if you would excuse me…" She said with a final nod and was about to walk out of the room when somebody else came in. Lisa stopped short as she looked on in horrified fascination the outfit the newcomer was wearing. Most of the Mechakon were a weird bunch but this one took the cake.

As her eyes traveled down his body, Ryoma preened under the attention, puffing out his chest and making the top of his kendo outfit to open further revealing a very furry chest. Lisa's eyes widened and with a little panicky noise she scuttled around him and left the room with barely an acknowledgement to the newcomer.

Daigo stared after the woman's hasty departure and then looked at a very satisfied Ryoma who swaggered in as if he had received a compliment. Daigo, who had gotten a much better look of the panicked expression on the boss lady's face, knew that it was completely the opposite.

"Did you see that? She couldn't take her eyes off me." Ryoma said, waggling his eyebrows and it was all that Daigo could do not to explode in laughter right then and there.

In order for him to keep a straight face and not offend his friend completely, he asked Ryoma to fill him in all that had happened. As Ryoma's voice washed over him, he remembered the wounded look the woman had held when he woke up and briefly wondered who or what had caused it.

"The attack was a complete disaster! You really think those pathetic monsters could defeat the Earth forces?" Khyon's booming voice lashed at the other generals in the room.

"Are you implying that our Lord made a mistake in his orders?" bellowed the imperious reply of the Madokter General Saxodar. At his words, the Madocter generals moved behind him to show their solidarity.

"What am saying is your Lord probably has not looked recently through his little catalogue of monsters so they might not be… up to standards." He said scornfully, a little smirk on his lips.

"How dare you talk of the Book of Apocalypse like that!" the man yelped, his thin fingers clutching the ancient tome that contained the secrets to all of Lord Dokuma's orders. "This book had been used by the Madokters for over a millennia to defeat those pathetic humans and many of the usurpers that had tried to take our sacred place." His voice rose in volume and pitch, making his long pointy moustache vibrating with his outrage.

"You can tell it has been used for over a millennia, the robots are completely outdated." Came the sarcastic comment of one of the Izzari generals, a robotic android that looked like he belonged in a retro show. At Khyron's guffaw, he turned to him and said, "I wouldn't laugh if I were you Zentraedi. After all didn't your general come to us because you cannot even repair, much less update your armada?" The robotic voice still managed to infuse enough sarcasm to make it insulting.

"Why you…" Khyron's angry red face clashed horribly with his purple hair as he clenched his fists and moved towards the android.

"Silence!" The recently arrived leader of the Zentraedi, Dolza, ordered in a voice which resonated like thunder and shook the floors like a mini-earthquake. The effect was instantaneous and all of them backed off.

Behind Dolza, the slightly smaller shape of the commander of the Izzari walked in. His beady black eyes set on unnatural yellow eyeballs looked at the mingled force with contempt.

"No more fighting among the ranks. We had already established this beforehand. If we are divided then we will not be able to defeat our enemies. Anybody else who dares disobey will find themselves taking part in the next suicide mission."

Like unruly children being chided, the generals and commanders of the Izzari, Madokter and Zentraedi forces lowered their eyes in respect. Some knew by experience and others by reputation the tempers of all their leaders and they recognized this was not an idle threat.

"Now what has brought on this unsightly display?" The leader of the Izzari asked.

"This one was claiming that our Lord Dokuma has made a mistake in the monsters he ordered to attack the humans." General Saxodar accused the purple haired Zentraedi.

"Is that so?" Commander Brain, leader of the Izzari, asked. "What did you use to measure the lack of success?" The man's gigantic brain pulsed as if irritated.

"We were obviously defeated Commander." Khyron answered. Commander Brain and Dolza looked at each other, their smiles as enigmatic as sphinxes.

"Rest assured Khyron, we were quite successful in what we had planned to do." Dolza said. "After all, we were not interested in defeating them at this point but we wanted to see what weapons the humans had. Besides, we cannot defeat an enemy that we know nothing about."

"My lord you mean…?"

"Yes, it was a reconnaissance strike. Used to gather intelligence, no more." Brain said dismissively. "That we managed to damage the robot Gordian and stir up their defenses was just an added bonus."

Khyron's eyes glittered in malicious glee at his enemies' turmoil; he was after all used to using scare tactics on his enemies and his men too.

"Now I do not want a repeat performance of this day. We have much to do if we plan to achieve our goals." Dolza said and the men bowed at his proclamation while Commander Brain nodded his assent at his words.

"What do you mean he is a FEDERAL CRIMINAL?" Lisa screeched unbecomingly at Henry Gloval as she branded about the file she had just read.

"Now Lisa…" Admiral Henry Gloval tried to placate the irate woman. It appeared that lack of sleep coupled with stress did nothing to mellow the woman. On the contrary she turned into a fishwife. The fact that they had spent the last couple of hours reading the dossiers of their allies had only served to exacerbate the problem. In fact after five hours of reviewing the files, they were still in the impromptu Situation Room and the piles of folders and notes around them never seemed to go down.

"Please Henry do not Lisa me. Tell me the truth. Is he or is he not a federal criminal?"

"Technically he is." Gloval started and Lisa made an exasperated sound. "Please allow me to finish. Do you really think I would allow a dangerous criminal to aid us? He just had a bit of a wild side on him. It has been rectified and now he will be a powerful ally to us."

"The man is dangerous." She reiterated. "He is a cyborg, a man with robotic parts which will make him nearly invincible. How can he be controlled?"

"Professor Sandra assured me that he has been… tamed." Henry winced at his choice of words. God he made it sound as if the poor fellow was a wild animal. "He has been on a peaceful mission for almost a year. Obviously he is trustworthy if he has been tasked to take care of the savior of the galaxy."

"Henry, barring the fact that I am not that convinced about the role this so-called princess plays in the peace of our whole galaxy, the facts are facts. The man stole a dangerous weapon who nobody else but him can yield and then terrorized the whole base where he used to work. That was how he repaid his post, by stealing a classified item and destroying half of the battalion that came to contain him. In fact if it hadn't been for this professor Sandra that you keep mentioning, who knows what he might have done?"

"He spent ten years in isolation. I think that will make a man rethink his priorities and will serve to tame his wildness."

"Or it will make him crazier." Lisa stated her point with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms.

"He was a young man, now he is older and he has proven that he is dependable. I must insist on this. I know it is your team but I really feel this man will be an asset to us." He said, his voice measured and his visage stern, like a parent who wants to make their child understand an important point. "Lisa, I respect your concerns, I am not trying to disregard them. I trust that you will be a great leader and that you will make the right decisions. Can you at least meet him and the scientists in his team before you make a final decision?" He appealed to her.

Lisa looked at the man that she had trusted in battle for more than five years. As a friend and his First Officer she had always trusted him and his decisions. That he was allowing her to debate one of his decisions was proof enough of how highly he thought of her and her skills as a leader. He was treating her as an equal and not a subordinate. That confidence in her had to be reciprocated.

"Alright Henry" She coincided. "Sorry about the whole outburst I do respect your decisions…" she said in a weary tone, her body almost bowed under the stress and tiredness.

"Lisa, you are a bright tactician and an able leader. I would be disappointed if you didn't question me and my decisions made about your team." He said, his voice calm but still authoritative. "Now tell me what is really bothering you." Lisa looked at him in surprise.

"Can't fool you now can I?" She said with an amused snort. She sat down heavily, regarding her mentor from lowered lashes. "What really worries me is the state of this motley group. You saw the battle! There is no coordination, no communication and the men are not even trained soldiers! Their only line of defense is one man with a robot, a rather powerful robot from the descriptions, but one man nonetheless. Then we have a federal criminal which, for all that he is 'tamed', might still be dangerous. What else? Another robot fighter piloted by a female… at least I know she will listen, then two more pilots. It says in the dossier that this guy, Takeru, has problems with taking orders… just as Daigo Otaki seems to… This is a disaster in the making. The whole mission is doomed to be a failure right from the start…" The low, tired voice had risen by the end as she ranted at the state of her crew.

"Lisa I have the utmost faith in you." Henry said, quieting the young woman. He realized that it was a big task. He understood. Hell, he could still remember when he was assigned to the SDF-1 and that had not even been his first solo mission as a leader. Knowing the amount of people that depended on his leadership and the importance of it… was rather nerve wracking.

Lisa stopped her tirade and looked at Henry in the eyes. She saw his understanding there and it somehow made her fears ease. With a sigh she sat back down to finish reading the information supplied in the hopes that some of her questions might be answered but instead it managed to raise even more questions and disquieting answers.

A couple of hectic days passed while Santore's base and all those in it recovered from the attack. As Mechakon recovered, the Robotech forces took the time to finish unloading and getting acclimated with the base and its inhabitants. They also had to take the time to settle themselves in the barracks. While the lieutenants and cadets were rooming in the barracks, most of the captains were lodged in their own individual rooms. The quarters were designed similar to dorm rooms in the sense that they were all united by a common sitting room area that included a small kitchenette/bar area.

The rooms themselves were not fancy or big but had the appearance of a small studio. Most importantly, they were private and included the accommodation of having a small kitchen as well as a bathroom and a tiny sitting area that doubled as a dining room. The bedchamber was in the same open area and in the case of the women's it was half hidden by a screen to ensure their privacy. Even though it was definitely smaller than what they had been used to in Macross, the Robotech crew took it all on stride and made it a home as much as they could. After all, they planned on being there as long as it was necessary to complete their mission and from what it seemed, it might take quite a while to accomplish.

Rick opened the door to his darkened quarters in bone weary silence and with a sigh, took care of his nightly ablutions. Stretching out on the comfortable bed, Rick considered the oppressing silence. In the flurry of activity of settling in, most of them had not seen each other except in passing. To make it even harder, Rick was in a completely different sector from Roy and Max as they had been given the more spacious family quarters. For the Sterlings the reson was obvious as the whole family was there. Roy was afforded the bigger quarters as he was rooming with Claudia and was therefore also considered family. To be truthful he was even separated from Lang and Exedore who were not staying in the military dormitories but in the civilian ones. Rick knew that the rooms connected to his by the common area were still available and he wondered if they were being held for the others allies that had not arrived yet. In a moment of childish pique at being distanced from everybody else, Rick wondered if he would be able to get along with his next door 'neighbors'. Recognizing the sentiment for what it was, he snorted softly and lay down in bed. He really was tired of not having anybody to talk to, except for the crew that he had been ordering about during the day, and he found himself wondering when his neighbors would arrive. With a mental note, he decided to ask Lisa the following day. She was after all the most appropriate person to ask, being their CO. His last thought as he fell asleep was that he would be glad to talk to her. Hell, he could even admit that he had even missed talking to the impossible woman!

On the other side of the barracks, in the women's quarters, Lisa Hayes was having similar thoughts to those of the young captain. She walked into her darkened rooms, sighing as she turned on the lights in the dimmest setting possible. If it had been her quarters back in Macross she would not have bothered with the lights, being so used to the layout. As this one was completely unfamiliar for her, she was not about to attempt to get through her nighttime ablutions without some sort of illumination, no matter how tempted she was.

It had been one of those days and the throbbing in her skull reminded her of the fact that her tired body could not take it anymore. Squinting helped a bit, so she got through her nightly rituals as fast as she dared. As she let her satin nightgown slide deliciously down her body, she allowed herself a soft sigh at the slight pleasure. She snorted delicately as she wondered what her friends Claudia and Miriya would think if they knew her little decadent secret. They probably thought that she slept in an old maid's nightgown all bundled up from neck to toes. She could almost hear their teasing… Gods how she missed them! She had barely seen Claudia as she came in and out of the many meetings that they were both involved with. She knew that both of them had quite a lot of organizing and researching to do before their work even started but it was hard. She missed the way that no matter how hard a task or how boring, her sister in arms would always turn to her and make a funny face just to put a smile into her frowning face. In these few days there had been too much frowning and not that much smiling. Lisa idly wondered if there were any new frown lines on her forehead and she made a mental note to check upon it next morning. She was too tired and too cranky right now to do it.

As she curled herself into her favorite position in bed, she allowed herself a single tear to fall. She normally did not indulge in self-pity but tonight her headache, the stress of the day and her loneliness conspired together to put her in that mood. She longed to be held close and in that moment she missed her dead mother and her dead fiancé; she missed her friend who was living with her boyfriend but most of all, she missed her dream of being held by Rick Hunter.

The next morning dawned bright and way too early for Rick as he hurried along to the airstrip for the meeting he was supposed to attend. Even in the early hours it had started to get unbearably hot. It was the middle of June and the desert landscape had no reprieve from the relentless summer heat. Not even the huge mountain that was Santore afforded enough shelter from the newly risen sun.

The combination of the early hour and the heat wave were conspiring to put the normally affable man in a terrible mood. With barely enough caffeine in his system he grumpily approached the group that was waiting around the hangar. A quick glance showed that Vince was already there, talking to Claudia and a woman he did not recognize, or at least he couldn't tell if he knew her as she had her back towards him. The only thing he could see was that she had long brown hair pulled in a ponytail which reached to the middle of her back. Dismissing her as somebody from Mechakon base, he looked around to see the rest of the people he had to meet. He easily recognized Roy, Max and Miriya huddled together talking to each other. Rick frowned as he realized that the person he wanted to approach was not there yet. He had wanted to talk to her a bit before everybody got there. Resigned, he resolved to corner Lisa after the meeting was over.

With a couple of long strides he approached his friends. Another gust of dry hot air blew right at him. In that instant he was glad of the unspoken decision of foregoing their standard RDF uniforms. In merely two days of being there, they all had realized that the uniforms would be too stuffy for the warm climate. Only pilots, when they were in some sort of duty, wore their uniforms; everybody else had given up the fight and had dressed in cooler comfortable clothing. So at this moment Roy was wearing worn camouflage pants, a sleeveless undershirt and army boots. Max was dressed similarly in cotton baggy pants and a short sleeve shirt. Miriya, like the other two women, was wearing an outfit that resembled Roy's, tight sleeveless undershirts, baggy pants and short army boots.

As Rick approached the group, his gaze could not help but stray to the unknown woman. She had not moved from her position so he still had no clear look of her face. As she still had her back to him, he could only content himself with studying the shape of her well toned arms of palest cream, her tiny looking waist and a well shaped derriere that was clearly outlined by the worn material of the pants she wore.

A flicker in the corner of his eye caught his notice and he realized that he had been caught staring… by none other than Claudia Grant herself! The dark skinned woman just gave him a knowing smirk as she turned her attention to her companions. Mortified beyond belief, he turned to the others, pretending nothing had happened. However his mind was screaming at him, wondering what in heaven's name he had been thinking! He was not the kind of person to ogle women. That was strictly his big brother's department. There was something about the woman though… something that made her intriguing. He was suddenly assaulted by guilt since the only woman that had attracted him for the longest time had been Minmay. After the pretty singer had captured his heart he had not looked at any other woman after that… sort of. He thought, ignoring the little devil that kept reminding him about a certain green eyed woman.

"Finally!" Roy told him as he reached them. "Now that we are all here we can get on with this so we can go back to the a/c."

Rick frowned in confusion. Didn't he realize Lisa was not there? What about Admiral Gloval? Didn't they have to wait for them too? He told his big brother as much.

His friends started snickering at his comment. "What's so funny?" He asked crossly.

Before he could get a response from any of them, a familiar voice answered his earlier questions. "The Admiral will not be joining us Captain Hunter but I most certainly will." Lisa's crisp tone announced. Turning to the sound of the voice, Rick's eyes almost bugged out of his head when he realized where the voice of his CO had come from. It had not been a matter of simply overlooking Lisa but merely not recognizing her. 'Good Heavens above! Lisa Hayes was the woman with the ponytail!' He thought in horror as he realized who exactly he had been checking out earlier.

The snickers increased as Rick did his best imitation of a gaping fish.
'God it's hot!' Lisa thought as she stood in the desert heat, talking to Claudia and Vince Grant. For the first time she was glad she had been talked into wearing something other than the regulation uniform. Even though part of her uniform was a skirt, the thought of the jacket and its undershirt made her skin prickle uncomfortably in the unbearable heat. They had called the meeting early in the morning in order to avoid the worst of the heat and if this was it, she was staying inside for the reminder of the day. She was in no mood to get burned into a crisp. No wonder the women of Mechakon wore that kind of uniform. She would be in a mini skirt too to avoid this heat.

The meeting was necessary though. Even though her head was pounding from the heat and lack of sleep, she concentrated on Vince's preliminary report concerning the state of the hangars. The whole group was meeting to determine the ideal locale to store the mecha and start the analysis of what was needed in order to operate efficiently. After this preliminary analysis was completed, the scientific group, which was still incomplete, would devise the necessary equipment for launching the various mecha of the allies.

So concentrated was she on Vince's words, that she almost missed the by-play behind her when Rick arrived. In fact, it was Claudia's little smug face as she looked between her and whoever was behind her that made her actually start to pay attention to the conversation going on behind her. Thankfully Lisa was already a pro at masking her reaction to Rick's presence so she was sure she had not given herself away. A quick look at Claudia's face just to confirm… nope, everything was fine. Well, she was not called the Ice Queen for nothing!

The snickering caught her by surprise. So used was she to thinking how people laughed behind her back for her unfortunate obsession with the black-haired pilot, that she didn't realize right away that it was not at her they were laughing but at him. Then the questions finally registered and hot anger flashed through her veins. 'Was she so insignificant to him that he didn't even realize she was there?' she thought as her hands tightened around the clipboard. 'Well two could play that game!' with that last thought, she turned around to face Rick and with a voice that could chill molten lava, she decided to set him straight.

"The Admiral will not be joining us Captain Hunter but I most certainly will." She told him and had to reign in her temper even more when he acted as if he had not even seen her before. She gave a little huff. Who did he think was there talking to Vince anyway?

As soon as the storm clouds of Lisa's temper started to build up, they were dissipated by the arrival of the Mechakon group that would be escorting them around. Seeing them, some of the personnel from the launching docks also approached as their input working with the VT's for over a decade was invaluable. With all the arrivals, Lisa managed quite effectively to switch to her cool detached persona that was her professional role.
It was midday and they were still going on about it. The facilities were extensive and the differences in the mechas were too many. At times it seemed as they were even speaking a different language as the civilians were not used to the talk of mechas and their needs. Finally there was a breakthrough when Saori, who knew the base better than anybody, proposed an area near the tip of the base that was big enough to house the Veritechs. It was then settled that they would all get plans of that area and the scientists would devise a way for the Veritechs to take off in a speedy manner.

Lisa was glad that the talk was finally winding down as the heat was rising to unbearable proportions. Aside from that she had very fair skin and she knew that she could be in real danger of looking like a boiled lobster if she did not go inside soon. She was at the point of hardly disguising the fact that the heat was bothering her and she was using her notepad to fan herself.

Rick was mesmerized by the swishing movement of Lisa's notepad as it went back and forth. The displaced air was making some of the wisps of her hair to move and he followed their crazy dance with his gaze. He imagined that the heat had fried part of his brain since he couldn't stop looking at his CO. A tickle of sweat made a trail down the rosy cheeks pinked by the sun making its meandering way down to her throat, then her collarbone before it made its way down her sternum… Rick swallowed hard. 'Snap out of it!' Rick thought to himself as he rapidly snapped his eyes back to her face to realize that Lisa was looking at him with a fierce glare. His eyes opened wide in horror as he wondered if she had noticed him looking at her… well, at her breasts. God, he was turning into a pervert, he thought with an internal groan.

'Could this go on any longer?' Lisa thought exasperatedly. At this point there was nothing that they could do. The examination of the facilities was complete and without the rest of the scientific team there was nothing that could be done so if Dr. Lang could just shut up for a second, she might just propose that the meeting was over… A subtle movement caught her eye and she turned her eyes towards Rick. She had been avoiding looking at him until now because the only way she would forget about Rick Hunter would be if she just treated him as another soldier. It had been a painful realization she had come to bear at the wee hours of the morning and she had almost blown her resolution when she had heard his stupid comments… She was letting him get to her too much. She had decided only something drastic, like ignoring him except for official business, was going to be the only way to get him from under her skin. It would be like quickly ripping off a band-aid, turning a new leaf, starting a new chapter all that rot that is said… What the hell is he doing! Lisa thought all of her resolutions going scattering as she noticed his glazed eyes and slightly dazed expression. Did he fall asleep with his eyes open? And what was he looking at her like that for? Lisa gave him her best glare indicating her displeasure at his lack of professionalism. She saw him start and flush deep red while he rapidly avoided her eyes and he looked towards the others who had not noticed the subtle by-play.

Rick was about to melt into a puddle of embarrassment right there. Lisa had caught him looking at her and she was obviously displeased about the whole fact. Man, she was going to kill him. Not that he blamed her. He could still feel her eyes on him and he was trying really hard not to feel five inches tall. Gods, wasn't she one of the girls that had called him a pervert that one time with the toothpaste debacle? Now he would never hear the end of it. He thought with another mental groan. He was so mortified that he did not even notice the approach of Lieutenant White until the silence left by her announcement penetrated his brain.

"Pardon the interruption. I was told by Admiral Gloval to announce the fact that our other allies are on their way and they will be arriving at 1400 hours. He requests your presence, Captain Hayes."

"Thanks Lieutenant. I believe we shall call this meeting over." Lisa said.

"I believe it is a great idea. I feared for some of you as you are not accustomed to the sun. In fact, Captain Hunter seems to be suffering heatstroke, his face is all red." Saori said sounding concerned.

That is how Rick found himself the object of attention of ten pair of eyes as they all turned towards him, which of course caused him to blush even harder.

"Come on little brother; let's get your sensitive skin out of the sun before you broil. After all you do not want to meet our allies while sporting second degree burns?" Roy teased him as he took him by the arm and led him away.

Rick allowed himself to be led but his eyes followed the brisk walk of his commander as she met the Admiral's request to see him. As he watched her rapidly disappear, he had to tell himself that the sinking feeling was due to his embarrassment and not to the fact he was disappointed he did not need to talk to her any more.

Chapter Text

It had been a very long week since the Macross forces had landed at Santore base. During that week they had been attacked by the enemy, had two of their robots heavily damaged and had gotten a bitter taste of what was to come. Santore had now become their haven, the same way it had become the shelter of all those that had escaped the recently captured Victor Town. Santore was like the SDF-1, a military base that, in times of crisis, had welcomed those refugees that had their lives uprooted by a ruthless enemy which cared nothing but for their own agenda.

Lisa Hayes walked briskly towards the doors that lead to the inside of the base. At first glance, Santore seemed to be a normal mountain with a small military camp at its base. The reality of Santore was much more than that. Inside the mountain, which was just a clever disguise for the sentient base, lay an intricate maze of hallways that lead to an underground compound. The compound was divided into civilian housing and military barracks. Unlike the SDF-1, the facilities were lacking something… something that the resilient Macross inhabitants had given to the alien ship. Santore had been created specifically for a situation like this by the scientific genius of the late Dr. Chiotaro Otaki and although it was still the height of technology, it had the charm of a ghost town. The current residents of Santore seemed to feel that they would not stay there long and therefore took no care in making it a livable space. They were resigned to their status quo and the defeatist attitude permeated the base. This feeling creeped Lisa out every time she thought about it. There was also something nagging at the back of her head, a feeling that there was more to Santore than what their current residents knew. Or maybe they themselves were ignorant of the secret that seemed to permeate the base.

Thus there was another mystery for her to solve, another piece on the puzzle that this mission was fast becoming.

Takeru Hoyo was leaning against the wall, his pale, pointy face marred with a bored expression. Inside though, he was truly disgusted with the proceedings around him. He had been roped yet again into another one of these "missions" for the greater good that he did not care about. Why the hell did he always give in? At this point he could be practicing for the upcoming karate championship… 'Oh, what's the use?' Takeru thought with disgust. He knew that as much as he had tried to keep in shape, the last year of running around destroying invading aliens had also destroyed his chances of ever beating his father's title. That did not mean however, that he was going to enjoy all this "bonding" and "team-working" that his comrades forced on him all the time. That thought reminded him of his chief tormentor in that department and he looked for the cheerful she-devil he had to work with.

Mai Kazuki was the daughter of his parent's old friend, Dr. Kazuki, the only person for whom he would consider doing a favor. That consideration though, did not extend itself to his insufferably bossy daughter. So distracted was he in looking for the red-clad woman that he did not notice the man who was walking towards him.

"Hello" said the man who was slightly older than Takeru. His hand was outstretched in a greeting and his face was open and friendly. Takeru looked at him warily. Usually he tried to blend in, to not attract any attention managing most of the time to get overlooked. Either that or his rather rude attitude usually pushed people away. This man though was smiling at him as if he knew him. "I am sure I have seen you before. You are Takeru Hoyo right? The middle weight karate champion? I am a huge fan of yours." He said with a sincere smile that reached his dark chocolate-brown eyes.

Takeru kept looking at him, his dark amber eyes distrustful, his lips turned down in a petulant scowl. The man's smile wavered and his arm lowered a bit as his friendly actions were still rebuffed.

Slightly behind some of the huge cargo boxes that contained their robots, Mai Kazuki watched the exchange with exasperation. She knew that if she left it to Takeru, he would alienate the whole group of allies with his arrogant and patronizing attitude. Besides that, the dark-haired young man who was trying to be friendly with Takeru looked rather familiar… and rather cute too! She decided to approach the two men. As she was nearing them, she heard the dark haired man say, "My name is Koji Cabuto."

Before Takeru had a chance to reply, most likely with some sort of rude comment, Mai stepped in almost bumping against him. With a bright smile she reached over and took Koji's outstretched hand and shook it.

"Mr. Kabuto, nice to meet you. I have heard so much about you. I have read several of your articles and I am very interested in them. My name is Mai. I am the daughter of Dr. Kazuki." Koji looked towards Takeru who was frowning at Mai. The auburn-haired woman looked at him and said, "Are you going to keep on being rude or are you going to shake his hand?"

Takeru gave her a nasty look but strangely he did what he was told. As he was shaking Koji's hand, Mai told Koji. "Don't mind him. We have not decided if he is shy…or just antisocial." She said with a smile, which earned her a nastier look from the brown-haired man standing next to her.

Koji just looked at the two of them with a knowing smile. This pair reminded him a bit of his relationship with his co-pilot Sayaka. Complicated, complex and confusing as hell, they danced around each other, neither of them letting the other know what they really thought about each other.

On the other side of the room, Sayaka Yumi narrowed her big brown eyes as she watched the trio. She had been avidly watching out for Koji while she pretended to listen to her dad's conversation. While in other cases she would have been ecstatic to meet two old colleagues of her father's and listen to what they had to say, she was too worried looking at Koji's interactions with the floozy that was chatting him up to really pay any attention. Neither as tall nor willowy as she was, the girl who kept making cow eyes at her Koji was much curvier that she was. Although Sayaka was proud of her body, she was a bit touchy about the fact that she did not have curvy womanly hips. In fact, if it were not for her breasts, she would look like a pretty boy. To see somebody else with the assets she lacked, getting so close to Koji raised her hackles quite a bit.

Without thinking twice about it and taking her cue from Dr. Lang's question about Koji's father, she suggested introducing Koji to them. Dr. Lang, who seemed more interested in scientific conversations than human emotions, did not see anything amiss with that and followed her, while her dad gave her a quick look but remained silent. That was how the trio found themselves by the three youngsters. Sayaka hastened to introduce her recent acquaintance to the young man in order to distract him.

"Very honored to meet you Mr. Kabuto." Dr. Lang enthused. "I was very sorry to hear about your father's and grandfather's passings. Such great scientists! They are missed by the entire community. Although from what I have heard, you are already following in their footsteps. Studied in NASA, written a couple of papers… yes, yes very good."

Koji's smile was a bit strained under the attention from the strange pupil-less' eyes. In order to detract his attention, he asked, "Did you meet my dad and grandfather?"

"Just briefly, as he I was only Mr. Kazuki's assistant. By the time I would have had more interaction with his group, he had already left the SDF-1 research site."

While they had been talking, Sayaka had sidled towards Koji and was looking at the other woman trying to convey a silent message which would be understood by any woman. The ginger-haired woman narrowed her eyes in anger or in puzzlement, Sayaka didn't care, just as long as the other could see her close to Koji.

Mai could see the sullen look the other woman shot her and was completely puzzled as to what had caused it. As fascinating as it was to listen to two eminencies of the scientific world talking, she was feeling decidedly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the other woman. She decided that it might be better to excuse herself and find her father. She might as well drag Takeru with her, after all she could tell that Takeru had tuned them out a long time ago. She took a little step out of their circle, the unspoken signal between them to get a move on.

Koji apparently saw the small movement and before Takeru could react, the flustered man latched on to their presence.

"How rude of me. Let me introduce you all. Dr. Lang, Dr. Yumi these are Mai Kazuki and Takeru Hoyo from the Divine Liberty. I believe you might know Mai's father Dr. Kazuki? His work and seminars have been widely exposed in the community."

"I do know your father Ms. Kazuki. Is he here with us?" Dr. Yumi said as he shook her hand warmly. "I will be very happy to renew our acquaintance."

Mai smiled warmly at the older man. He was very soft-spoken and kind-looking. "Yes he is sir. I believe he was specifically requested to join in at least for the time being, same as you all were."

"Too right, we needed as many members from the initial Macross project." Dr. Lang interjected.

The younger generation looked at the man puzzled while Dr. Yumi and Dr. Lang shared a significant glance amongst them. Takeru looked at them with a distrustful expression while Koji took silent note but decided to ignore it for the moment.

"Takeru and Mai this is Sayaka, Dr. Yumi's daughter and the pilot of Venus A, one of the robots that will be helping you." Koji continued with the introductions.

"You pilot the robot alone?" Mai asked excitedly and Sayaka gave a small nod. "That's great. Both Takeru and I pilot our own robots, The Plizer and the Mighty but then we both pilot the Gakeen."

Sayaka and Koji looked puzzled by this but Dr. Lang was positively ecstatic as he exclaimed. "Yes, you merge together into the Star-Cross right? I am looking forward to seeing this process in person. It is most fantastic how two beings can become one. Positively ingenious!"

Takeru and Mai looked embarrassed by the man's words. After all, put that way, the Star-Cross process seemed to allude to something else… Mai and Takeru avoided each other's eyes as they turned quite red. Dr. Yumi gave a little cough to break the rather awkward silence that had befallen the group.

"Yes, well, I have also heard about the Mazinger. I look forward seeing it in action. My father says it is quite a powerful robot." Mai said, turning the attention away from the awkward moment.

"Unfortunately I will probably not use it." Koji said and Mai's face fell at this. Sayaka had to suppress a smirk, even if the reasons why Koji would not be joining the fight were quite dire. "I will bring the Mazinger but I specifically requested to join the scientific team. I want to follow my father and grandfather's footsteps and an opportunity like this is too good to pass up. I will be able to gain an apprenticeship after this." The man answered in honesty but did not give the full account as to why he would not consider taking the powerful robot into the action against their enemy.

Mai seemed disappointed at this but she brightened considerably when she spied her father walking their way, a small gnomish man at his side. As the newcomers reached them, Takeru started to drift away from them. He didn't belong with that group of people. He had nothing to talk to them about and was not interested in listening to their talk.

With barely an acknowledgement, he stepped away from the group. Looking around, he gazed curiously at the various boxes of spare parts, armaments and various supplies that were being moved about. He noticed a black-haired man about his own age giving orders and writing notes on a clipboard.

Apparently the messy haired man was some sort of high ranking officer as they all scrambled to do his bidding. But if Takeru believed that all was well with this arrangement, he realized his error when two of the men passed him and without noticing or acknowledging him, started to complain about the orders.

Takeru shot a look at the young man who had not noticed anything out of the ordinary because he was busy sorting out a problem that had sprung up somewhere else. Curious about what they thought about the man, Takeru stealthily approached another group that seemed to be diligently working but not accomplishing much.

"These people!" One of them spat with anger. "They come here and think they can do everything better."

"Who says they know where the best place to store everything is?" The other agreed. "We have been here longer than them."

"We don't need their help anyway. We've got Gordian, Daigo has been more than enough to protect us all this time." Another grunted and they all made sounds of agreement.

Satisfied with what he had heard, Takeru silently moved away. A wicked smile blossomed in his face as he looked around the hangar and he wondered if the leaders of this little charade thought that everything was working out perfectly. So much for their valued team work!

These insubordinates! Rick thought with a scowl. For the umpteenth time he wondered how Lisa could make it with double the amount of men to order. No wonder she was always in a pissy mood!

"It's not as easy as she makes it look, now is it little brother?" As if reading his mind, Roy asked him, knowing full well the answer to that question. Not so much because of his own experience but because of the dark look Rick wore.

Rick muttered darkly but did not give him an answer.

"So where is our fearless leader now? I thought she was supposed to be greeting our allies, being an ambassador of goodwill and all that rot."

"She was waylaid by the Admiral as soon as she came in. More paperwork I guess."

"I see… and how did you end up with this rather marvelous and glorious job?"

"Gloval."

"Can't leave you alone for a moment, can I? I would have thought only Lisa would be mean enough to make you do it but I guess the old lady ain't talking to you still."

Rick gave him a sidelong glance and decided to ignore the barb. "If she hears you calling her old…"

"She is not here to hear me and I know how to handle her." Rick snorted in amusement at that, knowing it was all a bluff. The only people that could handle Lisa Hayes in a full snit were the Admiral and Claudia, nobody else. "Besides that" Roy continued, "you were the one who came up with that little nickname for her."

"First of all, it was Minmay who called her old lady. I called her old sourpuss. Aside from that it was ages ago and I will ask you to please not bring it up again as I like my skin attached to my body. I am not looking forward to being flayed alive by that tongue of hers."

"Not when it can do other things for you." Roy muttered too low for the other man to hear over the racket.

"What?" Rick asked and he thought he heard Roy say something about virgins or close to.

"Nothing." Roy said with a big false grin while Rick narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Lisa does have quite a temper on her… she's a fiery one." Roy said with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. "Talking about her temper… don't tell me you have not realized she has been avoiding you like the plague. Ever since your little spat the other day, she has not said two words to you."

"We've all been busy."

"Come one little bro, you really can't be that dense! She's still pissed off at you and you know it."

"Don't you have something better to do or did you just come over here to bug me?"

"I was actually looking for you, you little ingrate, but seeing that you are in such a disagreeable mood I might as well take myself elsewhere." Roy said with a haughty voice.

"Don't give me that bull. You just realized that Claudia was assigned on the welcoming duties that Lisa was supposed to be doing." Rick said with a knowing look.

Roy put on a look of mock surprise. "I had not realized but now that you mention it…"

"Is there something on your mind Roy?" Rick asked as he could tell his big brother's mind was not so much on his fiancé as it was on something else.

"Did you say the old man put you up to this?" Rick nodded. "Wonder what he has up his sleeve."

"What do you mean?" Rick asked suspiciously. He hated to be the last one knowing things. He especially hated when he found out he had been manipulated in any way.

"Can't you tell? They still have not said who will be the leader of this little shin-ding. So… I don't know… putting you up to a couple of things like this… He might have a plan for you."

Before Rick could explode (talk about fiery tempers) Roy hastened to explain. "Hey it might not mean anything. Besides it is a good thing. I know the old man thinks highly of you."

Slightly mollified, Rick backed down.

"I thought we were here to give them a hand."

"No…" Roy said, a speculative look on his face. "Look around you. Look at what they are having us do. I think they want us to lead them. To be the glue that holds everything together. Have you noticed how disorganized they all are?"

"Well you don't have to tell me twice." Rick said bitterly as he eyed a group of men who were supposed to be taking down some cargo from the newly arrived allies' ships and were doing everything but. "Listen, I think I have to take care of this one." He said as he hastened to them.

Roy looked at the dark haired man as he reached the men and patiently but forcefully got them to work. With a sense of swelling pride, he had to admit that Rick was all grown up and doing quite a good job. He was sure that Henry and Lisa had noticed and were gently but steadily grooming him for bigger and better things.

If he could just get his love life adjusted and finally see the light about a certain fiery captain, Roy was sure that Rick would be a very happy man.

The leaders of the opposition were not always in agreement but at this moment they all felt the same: Impatient. They were all impatient with the fact that their workers were not taking their tasks with the importance they were supposed to. Close to a week and no progress still.

"Have you discovered anything?" Dolza, the unspoken leader, questioned his most loyal (for lack of better followers) leader.

"No milord." Khyron said with mock reverence. He, after all, was not stupid and he did not want to get punished for his news. "We have not been able to find the material. Maybe there was a mistake, after all who would think the Masters…"

"There was no mistake! Our own people tracked it…" One of the generals of the Madokters tried to interject.

"Silence!" Dolza said to the man. Turning to the smirking Zentraedi, he said, " Khyron I am not asking you to think. Your orders were to lead the men in finding this material in the sub-soil of this town. Can you tell me that the micronians are cleverer than the Zentraedi?"

"No milord." The purple haired Zentraedi responded sounding chastened.

"Go and do not come back until you have better news. You will not rest until that material is found." Dolza said and Khyron's fist clenched. "Go." With a nod that was barely subservient, the proud and irascible Zentraedi left.

"Was it wise to order him to be there all the time? I do know that Zentraedi's bodies get tired same as ours… He will not do a good job if his head is less clear than usual."

"You do not know Khyron. He has too many sycophants and cowed servants to actually do any work but he will ultimately take all the glory and in order to do that, he will have to assume responsibility for the failures which are not his own."

The leader of the Izzari looked irritated as he asked the Commander, "I thought your men would be more effective in finding this material you all claim to be so important. After all, haven't they done this before?"

"It is important and you will see its power soon enough. As far as your concern… The Zentraedi were miners a long time ago, before the humans even stopped crawling over this planet. But it has been too long and it will take them awhile to get their programming back. After all it was changed by our Masters."

"I see. I do hope for the sake of this alliance that the matter is found immediately and we can start with the rest of our process soon. The humans have no idea and even less of a chance but we cannot give them any chances."

"I agree." Dolza said and in that moment he keenly felt the loss of his best warrior, Lord Breetai. Khyron was certainly not the best man for this task. He had the manpower and the ruthlessness to get the job done but he came from a different generation, one that had been bred exclusively for war and some of the earlier programming had been suppressed in order to favor the new need of the Masters.

Breetai on the other hand had been one of the first and one of the best. Even now that he had turned traitor he could still admire the old warrior and the worker. Breetai would have already gotten results. There were not many left of that generation and Dolza wished, in what could be described as a fit of nostalgia, that Breetai were still his man. Or at least that he had somebody as competent. He thought that even that Meltrandi woman Kazziana Hesh would have been a better alternative than Khyron at this point but nobody knew where the woman was.

Lisa sat in the chilly office where she had been ensconced after Henry decided she would do better coming with him and leaving Claudia to greet the allies. As much as she knew that was her duty and that she still had to meet with them, she was still grateful as she detested meeting new people and wondering what they thought, or how she should behave with them… She sighed despondently. She envied the easy way that Claudia and Roy could talk to people. Even Rick, who was not as chatty as Roy or Claudia, was still charismatic enough and accustomed to crowds enough to be comfortable with strangers. She imagined it must come from those days when he was in the flying circus…

There she went again, thinking about HIM, Lisa though with a pained grimace. She had to admit that her preoccupation with Rick was like an obsession, how he cropped up in her mind tied to any little thought. The cramping of her fingers on the tabletop brought her back from her thoughts and she realized that she was working herself up into a state again. If she did not take care ,she would develop a problem with her blood pressure and after avoiding it for all these years she was damned if she was going to allow Rick to get to her in this way. The promise she had made to herself that very morning was all but taunting her. She had to remind herself that love was not something that could be turned on or off like a switch and that same as it had taken time for her love for the black-haired pilot to develop, it would also take time for it to go away.

Seeking a diversion from her morose thoughts, Lisa concentrated on the pile of folders that seemed to be her constant companion for the past week. For days she had sat and studied report after report to familiarize herself with their allies' mecha and that of their enemy. More than that, she was getting familiar with the conflict with the different aliens. Lisa felt the answer was at the tips of her fingers, elusive but tantalizing enough to drive her insane. She was grateful though, this was distracting enough. After all it would not be the first time that Lisa would use work to bury her own heart.

Two hours later she was ready to get up and get some lunch when Henry came to her. Giving him a wearied smile, she waited to see what was on his mind.

"We need to announce to the whole force that there will be a meeting tomorrow as soon as the last of our allies arrive."

"Are they finally getting here?"

"They had logistical problems with the protection of their princess which is the reason why they are not here yet. They did send Kogo ahead though to help us with the fight."

"So that was him?" Lisa asked, remembering the pilot that remained long enough to help Daigo but did not even talk to any of them, let alone help the injured man back to the base. "Well that bodes well, great team player." She said sarcastically.

Henry decided to let that one pass. He knew, as well as Lisa did, that a performance like that did not mean anything. Kogo was still not under their command, at least not technically, and not having a compassionate nature did not mean that while in battle he might not help his comrades.

"Since they will be here in the early hours we are planning to have a meeting at 1400 hours to ensure that everybody understands what we are facing. We hope to gain more insight from having an open forum. Aside from that we will distribute the responsibility to the various areas; we need to start to integrate them and have them train together. "

Lisa nodded, agreeing with the idea. "I would also like to meet with the current leading figures. I don't want them to feel undermined by our decision. I hope to make them understand before it is announced in the meeting."

"Great idea, it is better to have their leaders agreeing with us to represent a united front." Henry mused, understanding Lisa's reasoning. "When do you plan to meet with them?"

"Right after dinner tonight. There are still a lot of things I need to go over and I want to familiarize myself with the names of the allies that came in today so I do not make any mistakes." Lisa admitted ruefully.

"I'm sure it will be fine." Henry paused and asked. "Will you have a problem with the assigned duties for Captain Hunter?"

"No, I agreed from the start he will be good for that. I do not foresee any problems with him."

"Lisa… you know what I mean."

"Begging your pardon sir, but when have I ever let my feelings interfere with my professional duties?"

"I am sorry Lisa, you are right. There's nothing to be worried about." He said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Now how about making that announcement to the group? They all can be found in the mess hall at this time so it will be easier to talk to all of them."

"Yes sir." And with a salute, she left.

Lisa started to compose her announcement in her head as she stepped out of the office and into the corridor. After a couple of steps she stopped cold as she suddenly realized she had no idea where the mess hall was. She'd had no time for an official tour and she'd eaten all of her meals in the offices with Admiral Gloval and Commander Barry. With a sigh she turned around to ask Barry to escort her there when she almost collided with somebody that was standing right behind her.

Lisa squeaked quite undignified while she backed up from the grinning man. She'd had no idea the man was there and he seemed to have come out of nowhere and that was what had freaked her out.

The man stuck out his hand and introduced himself. "Hello Captain Lady, my name is Ryoma. I am the spy of the group as I can move around silently. I hope I did not startle you."

'So that explains it', Lisa thought as she shook his hand. "Yes, I have seen you around Mr." she paused waiting for his last name but seeing that it was not forthcoming she continued, "Ryoma, but I did not have the pleasure of making your acquaintance."

'Oh, she's a classy one.' Ryoma thought as he grinned at her dreamily. Lisa's polite smile was starting to fray around the edges as she stood there in silence.

"Well, I have to go and make an announcement to the group in the Mess Hall, so if you will excuse me…" she trailed off and he nodded happily to her. Lisa sidestepped him, since it didn't seem he was going to move from where he was and was about to walk back to the office when the man said.

"That's not the way to the Mess Hall."

"I was going to ask for directions." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to kick herself, especially when she saw the man's black eyes light up.

"If you want I can escort you there Captain Lady." He said with a deep bow.

Lisa debated the matter for a couple of seconds and then she steeled herself for the trip there. After all, she had faced Zentraedi… how bad could it actually be?

When Lisa was done with her announcement, she left the Mess Hall, deciding to eat in a quieter place.

As soon as the Captain stepped out of the room, the whole assembly erupted with outraged cries.

"Who died and made her queen?" One of the most vociferous and their unspoken leader exclaimed.

"Yeah, who does she think she is?" Another echoed.

Peachy who was at a table next to Daigo, Ryoma, who had sat down for the announcement, and other close friends, stood up and confronted them. "She happens to be one of the captains of the allied forces. She even has a higher rank than Barry so you should show some respect!" The diminutive woman said forcefully. A couple of the men and women of the squadron backed away at the force of her rightful fury. They knew well of her temper and they had learned to respect it. Aside from that, she was still one of the squadron commanders and she was respected among the enlisted. Unfortunately most of those who disagreed with Captain Hayes were the volunteer forces who also resented the involvement of the Mechakon soldiers.

"You broads all stick with each other." The same man said disrespectfully.

Daigo and the rest of Peachys' friends resented the disparaging remark and scowled forcefully at them. Daigo stood up and placed himself behind the woman, leaning against a wall, his presence almost invisible. He was not going to interfere in the discussion but he was not going to let them get away with insulting the curly haired woman or threatening her.

"It is not about being a woman or not. This is about giving respect to your superiors." She responded. Peachy was sick and tired of trying to pacify the other facet of their forces. She was aware of how the tension between the two groups was reaching a fever pitch but she was damned if she was going to allow her comrades to fall because of their pettiness.

"She ain't my superior." One of the volunteers shouted.

"Yeah, Barry is our superior and we respond to him." One of the men from Mechakon agreed. "We don't want everybody else who is now here ordering us around, working us to the bone. Fetch this, fetch that…" Apparently the men had not realized that most of the "foreigners" were in the room tucked into a corner, observing the development.

"It's all a matter of cooperation…"

"Cooperation?" The guy scoffed. "I'll tell you what to do with that…" He said as he approached the petite woman in a threatening manner.

Daigo stepped away from the wall he was leaning against with the suddenness of a snake about to strike. His voice though was languid as he said, "Watch it Bruce."

"What are you going to do about it Otaki?"

"Do you really want to find out?" The younger man smirked as he cracked his knuckles comically. He did not find the man a threat and he was showing it.

"Is there a problem here?" The resounding tenor of Barry's voice broke what poised to be quite the fight.

"No sir, nothing's the problem sir…" The men answered.

"Daigo, Peachy… ?" Barry asked seeking confirmation.

"Nothing we couldn't handle sir." Daigo hastened to say before Peachy answered. He gave her a covert look and she lowered her eyes. "They were getting a little personal about my sister but I put them on their place. Told them they if they kept it up I would let you handle it." He said a warning to the rest of the group with his words.

Barry was not fooled for a second but he knew better than to call Daigo on his blatant lie. He was giving the men a second chance and he was not going to push it unless it became a problem. He knew that if it was serious enough Peachy would come in and tell him. Giving the room a narrow eyed look, he took in the occupant's faces. Barry noticed the chastened, yet still defiant look the men were giving Daigo while he gave them a challenging look. The Macross people seemed rather upset at something and two of them seemed to be restrained by the others. The rest of the allies were trying to blend into the background as they had no side to take and were too new to have gotten in a conflict.

"Carry on." The commander said as he left the room.

As soon as Barry had left, Daigo stepped forward and said. "By the way if I do hear somebody starting any rumors about my sister you will have to face me, not Barry." And with that he sat down to eat. Peachy knew when to retreat so with a last look, she sat down next to him.

The men sat down and only a couple of them ever realized that the people they had so vehemently been against were also in the room.

Rick's blood was boiling. If it was not for the fact that Roy was holding onto him, he would have confronted the volunteer forces and put them on their place. Next to Rick, Vince Grant was also being held back, in his case by Max who had laid a gentle hand on his arm to calm him.

It was obvious for anybody to see that Rick was much angrier than Vince, in fact angrier than anybody at the whole table. He was positively outraged. Still feeling Roy's restraining hand, Rick turned to Roy and asked him why he was being held back.

"I don't want you to get in trouble because of brawling. Aside from that we are outnumbered." The blond man answered matter-of-factly.

"But you heard what they said about Lisa!"

"Nothing that I have not heard before and nothing you have not heard before either. In fact some of the people that are here with us have said something similar in the past."

"How can you just sit there…"

"Hey, I don't like it but I know we can't afford to get into a fist fight. You want to explain to Gloval how this whole mission collapsed because you started a fight?"

Rick gulped and settled down. Seeing it that way it might not be such a great idea.

"Do you believe for a second that if you start the fight the rest of the guys will not jump in? Especially in light of the fact that they are waiting for an excuse to do so in the first place."

Rick shot a quick look behind him to the other tables and he realized that the rest of the SDF crew were poised as if waiting for an unspoken command to also jump to it. He looked back to Roy and his raised eyebrow and he slumped down lower on his seat.

The newcomers watched warily the interaction and tried to stay as inconspicuous as possible. They did not understand what was happening and did not want to garner the attention of the pacified mob. The only one that understood was Takeru and he smirked all throughout the meal.

Lisa was not made aware of the whole episode of the Mess Hall. They all thought she would be too hurt by the comments and the sentiment behind them. Claudia and Rick were of the idea that she should at least know of their hostility before something could happen and Claudia was volunteered into the task as Lisa was still giving Rick the silent treatment. (Sniggers from all and a glare from Rick at this comment). Claudia decided that she would wait until the after dinner meeting was done so that Lisa would not be self-conscious during it.

The room where they would be meeting was the smallish office Lisa had been using all this time to do her research. Being past dinner time, the artificial lights had gone up automatically but Lisa had dimmed them a bit to create a cozier atmosphere. Those who came from Macross instantly recognized the setup as the one she used in her own office. In fact, Roy knew that one of the reasons why Lisa liked the lights dimmed was because of her being prone to headaches.

The group was small and consisted of Rick, Roy, Vince, Max and Miriya from the Macross forces. From the other allies, the only ones present were Daigo, Peachy, Sayaka, Takeru and Mai. Koji would not be joining them as he was actually assigned to the scientific group and not the fighters. Lisa had arranged the chairs into a loose semi-circle in front of her desk. Her chair was not behind the desk but it was rather in front of the desk, facing the semi-circle. Close to them but still slightly apart.

They had all arrived pretty much at the same time and had been invited to sit promptly by the uniformed Captain. Lisa had decided to don her familiar uniform for this conversation, the starched fabric as much a comfort as a protective armor. After a brief introduction so that everybody could know each other, without it degenerating into a fellowship meeting, Lisa addressed the small group.

"I have invited you all here to talk a bit before tomorrow's meeting. Tomorrow we shall meet as a group in order to exchange information that will hopefully serve to clarify the motives behind our enemy's actions. Today though, I wanted to talk about something that will come up tomorrow. Seeing that the forces will have expanded and that we still have to cover our places of origin, there will be a reorganization and a change of duties. All of you will be leaders on your own accord in different divisions that will play to your strengths and familiar duties." She said, her green eyes looking at all of them and stopping briefly on Rick's face before moving on. "Now aside from the fact that you will be called to lead, you will need to be an example of cooperation for the rest of the crew. The fact that you will need to work together and also respond to orders will become an example for the crew and will foster this type of attitude. We have already started to work together and in fact have fought together, but next time there will be others leading them so we need to make sure that the process is smooth. That is why I am asking you to cooperate with each other and with me from now on in order to gain this."

Lisa spoke with a gentle but stern voice with the assurance of one who had been a First officer for years and had a lot of experience with working with diverse groups. But that had all been in Macross, in her base, where she had been known for years as a great soldier and had a reputation that preceded her. Unfortunately for her, she was not in Macross and she was promptly shown that.

Takeru, who had been listlessly listening to the little heartening speech, realized that the bossy lady who was talking to them had no idea of what was happening around her. He had no clear idea of who she was and what her job was but he sure as heck was going to enlighten her to the state of things.

"Lady, I think you have to walk down from your ivory tower or in this case your little office for a bit and see what is really happening out there." Takeru interjected and all of them turned to watch him in shock. "You talk about cooperation and getting everybody to work together and nobody in this place wants that. I've only been here one day and I have heard tons of complaints about your presence here. In fact, just this afternoon they were all complaining about you specifically. Ask them," He said, pointing to Rick, Roy, Max and Miriya, who seemed to be petrified in their seats, "if you doubt me but we all saw how little they want us here and how they don't want you as their leader." Wounded green eyes shot to her friends, who could not meet her gaze. "Something about your high- handedness and how they don't need any help from any of us at all. If it were me, I would just leave all of them to fend off by themselves."

"That's enough Takeru!" Mai said and that seemed to snap everybody form the unreal feeling they had been wrapped in.

Lisa had not taken her eyes of her friends, her comrades, her family, during the whole tirade. The fact that none of them had tried to meet her gaze proved that it was all true. Then Rick of all people was looking at her, his blue eyes trying to convey an apology that seemed sincere. It was that familiar gaze, that familiar expression in their never-ending circle of hurt and comfort, which made her steel her spine and continue on. She stood up and walked a few paces behind towards her desk, her fingers skimming the files that had become her puzzle and her purpose. Without raising her eyes from the abstract pattern she was drawing on the manila surface, she spoke, her voice as steady as before.

"Be as it may Mr. Hoyo the reality is that we need to defeat our common enemy one way or the other, even if it does involve that we pretend to be what we are not. Now more than ever I believe I will have to ask of all of you to show to the rest that we are in agreement, even if I might have to make it an order." She said, and at that moment her green eyes speared him, her attitude demanding and challenging.

Takeru understood the message and he nodded his assent. He realized this woman was not going to break easily nor was she going to back down. A tiny spark of respect for her kindled within him but he did not let it show. It would take more than that to see what she was made of. Aside from that he was still not interested in this fight much more than he had been in his previous one. He had owed a debt to Mai's father but he did not owe any to this woman. Still he looked to the side, refusing to meet her eyes anymore.

"Now, you are all dismissed until further notice. Tomorrow we shall all meet and I want you all to remember my request. At that time you shall all be given your official tasks. Goodnight to you all." She said in dismissal as she lowered her gaze to the files on her desk again.

The first one to go was Takeru, closely followed by Mai. Sayaka also left as she felt rather awkward about the whole situation. Daigo, for once, did not play any insolent games and just left. Peachy seemed to want to say something but she hesitated before she left. Only the Macross people remained. Roy made an effort to approach her but Lisa put her hand up and softly asked to be left alone. Roy looked torn but left, a determined expression on his face. No surprise to where he was heading, or better yet, who he would look for. Max and Miriya looked at each other and with the sort of communication developed by married couples, they decided to leave her be.

As he too left the room, Rick looked back one more time. Lisa had now gathered the thick files to her chest as if they could become an shield to protect her. Or maybe by gathering them close, she was trying to remind herself of what she was supposed to do. For the first time, he saw her for what she was, a woman, alone, who seemed to be carrying these burdens by herself and the weight of them seemed to break her, to make those proud shoulders bow down in defeat. Rick hesitated a minute, torn between going to her and leaving her to deal with it on her own. At last, he took the coward's way out and left, unsure of what her reaction would be if he gave in to the insane impulse he had to hold her tight and promise that everything would be alright.

Hours later, Rick was still sitting on his bed, unable to sleep. His mind kept replaying the scene. He wanted to kick himself for not telling Lisa beforehand or at least insisting that Claudia did. Then that way Lisa would not have been embarrassed and worst of all, that wounded, betrayed expression would not have appeared on her face. His heart had given a painful squeeze when he saw that and in that moment he had felt the urge to apologize to her, to hold her and tell her that everything would be alright, to shelter her from their painful words…

And lastly, Rick remembered the sadness and determination in those green eyes. The image was hauntingly familiar and he realized how many times Lisa had had to handle things by herself. With this realization he vowed to help the prickly woman whether she wanted it or not.

Chapter Text

"Disengage!" Lisa ordered. "Everybody return to base."

"What?" Daigo exclaimed in surprise. "We are not cowards. I will not return."

"I order you to disengage right now." Lisa said more forcefully.

"Roger that base, we are turning around." Rick's voice was the first one to come thru the comm. channels. After that, Max, Miriya and Roy echoed the acknowledgement and followed the command. Vince's unit turned around, marching straight thru Mechakon's formation.

Lisa could hear Barry echoing the order to his own troops. Her eyes stayed glued to the monitors where she could see Daigo struggling to keep fighting. Under the gigantic robot's legs, men from the volunteer forces were still fighting, ignoring Barry's orders of retreat. She turned her attention from them, confident in their ability to follow Barry's orders if not hers.

Looking at the other monitors, she could see Kogo fighting solo, a man obviously accustomed to doing things his own way. Anger at his disregard for her orders bubbled briefly but she tamped down quickly, and she reflected that he would come back when there was nobody else to fight with. Looking toward Mai and Takeru, the couple in the fighter robots which were still on the battlefield, it was obvious to see that the only reason why Mai stayed was to guard Takeru's back. Lisa thought that while he stayed there, Mai would not leave. Since they were also stopping the advance of the enemy and aiding the retreat of their troops, she let them be.

When Lisa turned to the last of the attack groups, she realized that all was not well with the female-looking robot piloted by Sayaka. She had been, apparently, in the process of following her orders but the creature robot that she had been fighting seemed to have a different opinion. The strange looking creature was relentlessly attacking the vulnerable woman. Lisa rapidly established communication with her, cursing mentally at the inability of her troops to communicate with her unless she opened the channel herself or they were in the confines of the base.

"Sayaka, are you alright?"

"Captain, I am trying to retreat..." A scream cut off the communication and Lisa could see the cowering form of the robot as she tried to make herself a smaller target for the enemy fire.

Lisa turned her attention to the others and she realized that Daigo's robot was the closest in position to help Sayaka.

"Daigo, I need you to help Sayaka, she's caught by enemy fire."

"I am busy right now."

"This is an order! Her robot is heavily damaged. Kogo, Takeru & Mai, I need assistance for Sayaka. I also need backup to lead the volunteer forces away from enemy fire."

"Why don't you ask for your team to do it instead of having them run away?" Daigo commented bitterly.

Lisa gritted her teeth against the comment she was about to tell him when she was interrupted by Rick's face appearing on the comm. screen.

"Captain Hayes, we're still on stand-by, we could help with their escape." Rick had already reached the confines of the base and he had been following the other's progress with growing concern.

Lisa did not want to send the team out again so soon after they had reached the base. Some of them might be dangerously close to needing refueling and she had no idea how long they would be able to last if they went back. She was loath to send them back against the overwhelming odds, and yet…

"Air forces, please stand by, I might need your assistance. Damn it Daigo move right now, Sayaka will not hold much longer."

Precious minutes ticked by in which the enemy forces kept pressing on, heavily damaging the volunteer brigade. Overlaid to their panicked screams, Barry's insistent orders to return to base could be heard, creating a digital chatter that reflected the chaos of their forces.

Finally Mai left Takeru and went to help Sayaka. Her action prompted a reluctant Takeru to help carry the, by now, heavily damaged female robot off of the battlefield. Daigo, seeing himself surrounded and finally seeing the damage done to the troops, created enough of a diversion for them to escape, carrying in his big robotic hands those that were too damaged to make it out. In the meantime Kogo was still flying around, hitting as many of the enemy ships as he could but their numbers were too many.

After the brigade made their limping retreat, Daigo left, the other three robots trailing him as they struggled with the unresponsive robot. The lone Kogo stayed for a minute longer until something made him pause in mid-strike and after that hesitation he made his way back to the base.

Rick and the Macross forces stayed guarding the perimeter of Santore until the last of the fighters came back. As soon as they were all safe, he gave the order to go in. He knew there was another battle brewing and this one would be inside of the base. Rick felt an urgent need to return to the hangar. He had a promise to keep. After all, he had pledged, if only to himself, to support Lisa in situations like these.

It had all started at that disastrous meeting in which he had realized the tremendous workload Lisa was shouldering.

Two weeks ago

Rick had barely slept that night, his mind kept replaying, not the meeting itself, but the expression in Lisa's eyes. He kept seeing the slight slump in the proud shoulders which seemed to be caving under the task that had been appointed to her. After much reflection and soul searching, he decided he could not let things go as they had gone. He could not think of letting her take on that responsibility by herself, not because he didn't think that she was capable, but because he knew she would do it until it broke her.

He had already seen the vulnerability in her and he knew he would not be able to work everyday alongside her without helping her in what he knew was well beyond his abilities to do. Aside from that, some of the many responsibilities that had been tied to his job while in Macross, had been eliminated by the arrangements in Santore. His work was a bit simpler here and he had to admit he was at loss with the extra hours.

So by one o'clock that morning, he had the hazy beginnings of a plan that involved integrating himself to Lisa's good graces and helping out the stubborn woman even if the inevitable fights killed them on the process.

So the next day Rick put his plan into motion. That morning he walked into the storage area looking for his CO. In his hands he carried two cups of coffee and under his arm he had his ever present clipboard. Spying his quarry, he walked resolutely toward her.

"Good morning Admiral Gloval, Captain Hayes."

Both Lisa and Henry saluted him but he could not return the salute because his hands were full.

"Are you planning on drinking both cups Captain Hunter?" Henry's voice was bland although there was a hint of mischievous curiosity hidden under his heavy accent. He was, as everybody that had seen Rick in the mornings, very aware of Rick's affliction at this time.

"Oh, no" Rick exclaimed, his ears starting to burn in a bit of embarrassment at having to do this in front of the Admiral. "This is for you." He said as he extended the still steaming cup to a surprised Lisa.

Lisa grabbed the cup unthinkingly while she looked at Rick's face as if trying to determine the reason for the offering. Rick's expression on his very open face was the answer she needed to understand where that gesture had come from.

"Hunter, I do not need your pity." Lisa said frostily, her arm making an abortive gesture to return the coffee.

"It's not pity." Rick rushed to say. He avoided looking at the Admiral as he felt like a five year old that had been reprimanded. He kept looking at Lisa's face, thinking that he had to make sure he did not antagonize her and feeling that he had already failed in that. "I just want to talk to you about the status of the armaments and I'd much rather that you are caffeinated for it." Rick told her, adding just the right amount of defensiveness in his voice to make it believable.

Lisa gave him a suspicious look but then apparently decided to let it slide. She was not about to reject the precious caffeine that might help her after the long night she'd just gone thru. She was pleasantly surprised after taking a sip that Rick had managed to prepare it just the way she liked it.

Rick felt the tension drain from him as soon as she took the first sip and he saw the little smile she had after it. His own smile was wobbly as he took a sip of his coffee. He felt the same way than when he returned home from a skirmish.

Henry was suppressing a smile as he watched them interact. At least he was glad that he would be able to leave the whole mission in capable hands. No matter what their personal problems were, he knew they would be able to work together. Deciding they needed a few minutes to overcome the shyness that seemed to overtake them, he excused himself and walked a few paces away.

Both Captains looked bemused at being left by themselves and they covered it by drinking from their respective beverages. After the first few minutes, Rick was the first to screw up his courage and ask, "So, are you ready now to face my report?"

Lisa pulled a face and said, "Can't say I am ready, especially since I have a feeling I will not like the status of things…" She cut off at the overly exaggerated expression on Rick's face that indicated her fears were not unfounded. "Thanks Hunter now I see why you were buttering me up." She said, nodding towards the coffee.

Rick gave her an unrepentant smile and with that exchange they were back to the easy camaraderie that had allowed them to work together many times. There was just a subtle change this time that neither of them acknowledged. Rick was determined to make this work and Lisa was determined to treat him as she would Max or Roy, with friendship and nothing more.

"As much as I would love to…" She stressed the word and injected a world of sarcasm in it. "I have other plans for this morning." Seeing Rick's dejected frown, she added, "it should not take me too long, and you are more than welcome to join us." She said, indicating the Admiral who was still a few paces away.

"What for?"

"The last of the allies are about to land in a couple of minutes. Admiral Gloval and I are going to meet them. After that I was planning to gather everybody's reports and try to decipher them. I am glad that you will be able to help me with yours by the way because I need to make sure I am ready for the meeting later today."

Rick knew about the meeting and in fact had been counting on it as his ace in case he needed to soften her up into allowing his help. He did a quick mental count of the allies that had already arrived and those that had been presented in the initial meeting and he came up with the final name.

"Is this Kogo, the guy that's been travelling through the galaxy?"

"Yes, he is." Lisa said, smiling warmly at him for remembering the detail. "The only good thing about him might be his ability to take orders from a woman." Lisa said bitterly. Seeing Rick's confusion, she explained further. "He is escorting Princess Aurora to the center of the galaxy. From my understanding she's the one giving all the orders."

"Oh, he's the one from that group." Rick specified, remembering now the conversation that had stemmed in the meeting about that specific group's ideas of saving the galaxy with the power of a single woman.

Lisa made a humming sound to acknowledge his sentiment but she did not smile at his joke. "I have been looking at their ideas and there is more to them than what we were exposed to." At his incredulous look, she continued to explain. "I am also a bit biased as I know the person spearheading the whole expedition."

"You do? How?" Rick asked, puzzled.

"We used to be neighbors, my parents and her. She had a foster daughter who was my age. We used to play together. So as you can imagine I am biased in my opinions." She said with a small smile.

Rick seemed to digest that little tidbit of information and Lisa stayed silent, possibly remembering her childhood friend. A movement from the corner of his eye reminded him of the Admiral's continued presence.

"I thought the Admiral was leaving for Macross yesterday." Rick commented, changing the subject.

"Oh, he had his reasons for staying." She said with a mysterious smile. Rick looked at her, puzzled. "You will see."

"Admiral, Captain, the ship has already here." Rosette said as she came in.

"Thank you Rosette." Lisa responded. She looked towards Henry who gave her a subtle nod. "Will you join us?" Lisa invited him again and Rick's curiosity was piqued. He wanted to meet this woman who had been Lisa's neighbor and he wanted to find out why the Admiral was convulsively, if unconsciously, smoothing his jacket.

When they reached the hangar, they saw two small ships which had landed. Around them was a cluster of people from Santore and those who Rick assumed were from the galaxy explorers. As they reached them, they parted into two groups and Rick could finally see the newcomers clearly.

One of them, a tall willowy dark-haired woman stepped forward, clearly the leader of the group. Rick tried to determine her age. It was really hard to pinpoint because she had a sort of ageless appearance but she seemed to be anywhere between 40 to mid-fifties although he guessed it was more of the latter. Her features were smooth and elegant and she carried herself with an air of self-confidence. Next to her was a short man who had a balding head and a full beard that connected all the way back with whatever was left of his hair. They made an odd couple, with her being so tall and him barely reaching past the woman's shoulder. The last member had to be the infamous Kogo. The man had yet to take off his helmet but his dark brown eyes scrutinized them as they approached. By the intensity of his gaze, Rick could see why this guy could be considered dangerous.

"Henry! It's been years. How have you been?" Dr. Sandra Kitt greeted the Admiral warmly and Lisa turned her head slightly towards Rick and gave him a discreet smile. Rick's eyes widened a fraction and then he looked straight on to the nearest wall. He was afraid of being indiscreet and letting his mouth fall open.

"I am doing well Sandra." There was a hesitant, semi-awkward moment in which they shared a private look. Henry was the first to snap out of it and said, "You do remember Lisa Hayes, Donald and Elizabeth Hayes' daughter?"

"Lisa? Oh, Dear Lord child, it's been so long!" She said as she approached the young Captain and embraced her warmly.

"It has been a long time. I trust you have been well?" Dr. Kitt smiled and nodded. Lisa hesitated for a moment and asked, "How is…"

"My daughter is doing fine, thanks for asking." The woman cut her off. "We shall need to meet and exchange stories." She said with a meaningful glance to her and at that moment, Lisa's suspicions were confirmed. It was no coincidence that the name of the Princess who was traveling to the center of the galaxy was the same as her childhood friend.

To cover up the silent message, Lisa turned to the other member of their party. "Dr. Kitt may I present Captain Hunter of the Macross fleet?"

"Pleased to meet you ma'am." He extended his hand to shake hers. He instantly liked her; she had a no-nonsense attitude that reminded him a bit of his Captain.

"Admiral, Captains, may I introduce Dr. Dodge Rogers? He has been my partner in many investigations for many years and has been invaluable with our latest venture." The little man beamed up at them. "He was part of the initial expedition to the Visitor."

Lisa noticed Rick's puzzled expression and explained. "That's the initial name that was given to the SDF-1."

"And let me introduce you to the last member of our team, Jan Kogo." Dr. Kitt motioned to the sullen young man who had by now taken off his helmet. "Jan was escorting Princess Aurora to the center of the galaxy but this mission was too important to not require his cooperation."

Kogo did not seem to agree with that assessment but he did step forward and nod to the RDF forces.

"We are glad you all were able to join us. It is indeed a very important mission." Admiral Gloval said. "We are especially happy you will be sharing your expertise with us, not only with your knowledge of the universe," he said, nodding to Dr. Sandra, "but your knowledge of weaponry and cybertronics." He finished and Dr. Dodge puffed his chest a bit in pride.

"I'll be very glad to see some of my old colleagues as well. Last I heard Dr. Lang will be here, yes?" Dr. Dodge asked as they started to move from the hangar into the body of Santore.

"Yes he is." Admiral Gloval confirmed.

"I've not seen him since our time in the Visitor." The older man commented wistfully as he struggled to keep up with the longer strides of the others.

The older members of the little party chitchatted with each other while the younger members followed along in silence. Rick and Lisa walked together behind the Admiral and the two scientists while Kogo trailed a couple of steps behind the young captains. Walking respectfully behind, the welcoming party from Santore was waiting to lead the newcomers to their rooms.

When they finally reached the hallway that branched off between the civilian and military barracks and the military offices, the young captains saluted the group and separated from them with a promise from Lisa to meet up with Dr. Kitt later.

After moving away from the rest of the party, Lisa had a faraway look on her face and Rick wondered what memory was playing in her mind. Rick wondered what Lisa's childhood was like; up to this point he had not thought of her outside of the everyday life of work and now he was trying to imagine Lisa as a little girl. With that thought in mind, they walked in silence the rest of the way to Lisa's office.

Hours later, after going over the reports and preparing for the strategic meeting, Rick and Lisa walked into the cacophony of the room where they were meeting. Lisa's step faltered briefly as she saw the chaos of the Mechakon forces as they tried to get assembled in some sort of order. The Macross forces were already sitting down and waiting patiently although their somewhat horrified gazes were travelling across the room following the Mechakon mess.

Rick noticed Lisa's hesitation and he stopped next to her. "Tough crowd." He commented giving her an understanding smile. His efforts earned him a roll of green eyes and a delicate snort as Lisa led them to the front of the room where the rest of the presenters were waiting.

After they had met this morning, Lisa had asked Rick if he felt comfortable enough to present the armament report which he agreed to with some hesitation. He had at least been gratified to see the relief on her face when he finally accepted.

The speakers were a rather large and varied group. Exedore and Dr. Lang, who they had barely seen since they landed in Santore were there, as well as Admiral Gloval who would be leaving right after the meeting. Saori and Barry would speak for the Mechakon side and many of the other scientific eminencies were sitting in the front row, ready in case their expertise was needed.

Saori, as the knowledge behind Santore, explained the purpose of the building as a fortress to shelter the civilians that had been saved from Viktor Town. She spoke of the hundreds that had stayed behind when the Mechakon forces could not save all of them and how many were still trapped.

Commander Barry spoke to them about the Mechakon forces and a brief history of the Madokters, their enemies, that had taken Viktor Town. To this day it was still a mystery what the Madokters were searching for in Viktor Town or what their purpose was in taking over.

Admiral Gloval recounted the story of the "Visitor" with many of the scientists that had been there recounting their experiences. Lisa got a calculating look in her eyes as soon as many of the scientists mentioned the samples of the materials found in the SDF-1 that they had taken to examine.

In fact, the more the other scientists talked, the more of a clearer picture she started to get. After all, many of the major groups that were now fighting as allies had at some point been in or investigated the alien ship and its substances after it landed. And many of them had used some sort of derivation from those materials to develop the robotic guardians they used to defend the Earth. Lisa scribbled a quick note to herself to investigate the scientific aspect of the mechas they all had.

Rick talked about the weapons they had and remarked on the need to maintain some of the armaments. He talked about what he had found as deficient and as a definite lack based on what he knew of the different enemy forces and their previous encounter with them. Most of his recommendations were taken note by the scientists that created or provided updates for the robots and who would take on the challenge of updating their forces.

Finally Exedore and Admiral Gloval spoke about the Zentraedi to give a bit of a background on the giant's forces.

"The Zentraedi are a race of warriors that do not know anything about civilian life." Admiral Gloval explained. "Everything that is our civilian culture is new to them, songs for example had an almost hypnotizing effect on them. One of the things that we noticed in our interactions with them is that normal interaction between men and women were quite shocking to the point of almost paralyzing their actions. We have in fact found out that something we take for granted like a kiss between a man and a woman can actually render them incapable of battle because of their confusion."

"You mean to tell me that a kiss can actually be used as a diversionary tactic?" One of the young men asked.

"Yes, if you want to put it that way…" Admiral Gloval responded.

"Damn, why didn't we get those aliens as enemies?" Daigo grumbled loudly.

The whole room erupted with laughter.

"So it will be easy then to distract them, we just smooch a coupla women and we are done." One of the cocky soldiers from Mechakon remarked. Many of the men cheered on to the disgust of the Macross women.

"It is not as easy as that anymore. Even though we have used songs as distraction tactics before many of the Zentraedi forces are already "immune" to those effects by now. There are still Zentraedi that are new to this but there is no way to tell from the two groups."

"What I don't understand is what they are all planning to do if they are successful. Are they all going to share the Earth?" Sayaka raised her hand and asked.

"Maybe it's a matter of getting rid of a common enemy and then the alliance is off and they have to fend for themselves. It has been a common tactic of generals in the past." Mai remarked.

"No, that's not really it. After all, the Zentraedi are not interested in staying on Earth. The only reason they came here is for the SDF-1." Exedore commented.

"Well the Izzari are definitely here to stay. Their planet blew up. They need a new planet to live. They just need to make it livable for them." Mai commented.

"How about the Madokters?" Lisa asked.

"Nobody really knows. They have been here for over a millennia, from what we have been told by a POW. Their influence has been over all major wars as far back as the Egyptians." Saori commented.

Everybody paled.

"Do we still have this POW?" Lisa asked.

"Unfortunately we lost her in a battle but we kept a recording of the story. It's been transcribed and given to you in your notes." Barry told her and she remembered the DVD that was included with the notes. She had not gotten to it yet and she made a point of reviewing it as soon as possible.

"That still doesn't give us enough information on their motives." Exedore commented. They all realized that they were back to where they had started, with all of that information but no connection as of yet.

A thoughtful silence filled the room. At that moment, Admiral Gloval decided to make his last announcement.

"As many all of you are aware, Captain Lisa Hayes will be the Executive Commanding officer of this mission. I shall now announce the rest of the positions:

Captain Roy Fokker, Chief Commanding Air Force Officer.

Captain Barry Hawke, Chief Commanding Officer for the Ground Forces.

Captain Rick Hunter, Tactical Officer and Chief Commanding Officer for Special Forces."

Rick snapped to attention when he heard his name and it took all he had to act normal. Simultaneously, he noticed the little start Lisa gave and the quick look of surprise she shot Admiral Gloval which was rapidly masked as well. So, she had not known either. Rick wondered when Gloval had come up with that little diabolical idea. They all knew this post would have him working closely with Lisa so even if he had not decided to help her of his own accord, this position would have. He was glad he had made the decision anyways so she would not think he was being forced into helping her. But what did Gloval mean about Special Forces? He turned his attention to what the Admiral was saying and almost groaned out loud. Apparently that meant he would be in charge of the ragtag group of robots and other mecha that did not fit into the ground or air categories. From the looks of pity he received from his friends, they all felt the same way about his assignment.

Present time (or a few hours before the chapter starts)

"So what do you guys think of our two lovebirds, hey? Are we ready to start planning what to do with the bet money?" Roy said with a leer as he sat down at the same table as Claudia, Max, Miriya, Vince and Jean. Absent as always during the last couple of weeks were the "lovebirds" in question.

"Roy, you cannot seriously believe that Rick and Lisa are doing anything else but work!" Claudia reprimanded him. "What do you think he is doing? Romancing her?"

"What do you mean? He brings her coffee every morning and they stay "working" together till late…" he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Jean and Vince both laughed, knowing that Rick and Lisa were doing exactly what they said they were doing… everybody could see that the only thing they had was a working relationship and nothing more.

"Roy, your little brother is NOT like you." Claudia said with a stern face, even if her lips were twitching at the air of confusion on his face. "They are actually working all the time."

Roy gave a defeated sigh. "You're probably right, Rick really doesn't know how to take an opportunity like that even if it bit him in the butt."

"He's just being nice and helping her out with her duties. He was just telling me the other day all of the things they had to rearrange, most of it dealing with Lisa's duties." Max explained.

"Well since you put it that way, you might be right. Although, you know how Rick is, he has a thing for damsels in distress."

"What do you mean?" Jean asked; she was totally intrigued by this saga. It was still new enough to her to be interesting.

"He likes to help girls that are in trouble or vulnerable. Take Minmay for example. When he first saw her, she was just a regular girl but as soon as she was in trouble, boom! She was a magnet he was attracted to."

"Lisa always seems so strong. How did he even pay attention to her then?" Jean asked, trying to poke a hole on his theory.

"Sara Base." All, except for Vince who was just as clueless as his wife, told her.

"Exactly. In Sara Base he had to rescue her from the base where her fiancé died and she was pretty vulnerable." Roy explained to the newcomers to the saga. "Can't hurt it's the first time he sees her in that tight flight suit." Claudia smacked him in the arm. "What! I mean that in a nice brotherly way."

"Really." She replied, unconvinced.

"Anyways, keeping up with my story, he lost interest as soon as she went back to being her usual independent self."

"But she went back to being vulnerable again." Max pointed out. They all nodded in understanding.

"What happens when she doesn't need to depend on him anymore?" Miriya asked. She knew Lisa and she would not stay down for long.

All of them looked kind of depressed by the idea.

"It's like a vicious circle." Jean gloomily predicted.

"I hope he finally realizes what a good woman she is." Vince said. He truly admired Captain Hayes as a woman and as a commander.

"I just hope he finally makes up his mind between the two!" Roy said and they all gave him dirty looks. "Well obviously I want it to be Lisa but the indecision is driving me insane!"

"And Lisa needs to move on if that's the case." Ever practical Max pointed out.

They all nodded gloomily at the thought.

Lisa was making a similar assessment of the situation. At the beginning she had been hurt thinking that he had felt pity for her or obligated by his task but the more she worked with him the more she realized it was neither of the two.

There were moments when she wanted to push him away and refuse his help, feeling that his presence would make her vulnerable and fall again. But as time passed she realized that she really would not be able to do it all by herself and she was grateful for his ideas. There was no denying that Rick was a good leader and he was a good springboard for ideas. Slowly she started to accept his presence and his help as she would of any of her friends.

There were times though when she had to catch herself and wonder at his motives. One of those times had been just a few minutes ago.

Rick had been taking a look at the reports of her research she had prepared and had commented: "Wow, you're really amazing."

Lisa looked at him suspiciously then. If it had been anybody else, she would have taken the remark in one of two ways, that he was being sarcastic or that he was flirting with her.

At her silence, Rick looked at her and seeing the funny look on her face, he asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

Lisa mentally rolled her eyes. Of course it was only a friendly comment. She could find nothing but sincerity in his eyes. Sometimes Rick could be so charmingly naïve!

Lisa gave him a smile and with a small laugh she said, "Nothing is wrong. Thank you. Do you want some tea?"

Rick looked a bit stunned for a minute, like he was having trouble following but agreed to the tea.

Lisa called for the tea and it was brought in a couple of minutes later by no other than Ryoma. Rick, who was sitting next to her, heard her quiet groan.

He was about to ask when the Japanese man went straight to her and made a fuss about her drink. He kept asking Lisa about the different choices he had brought until Rick noticed her exasperation and told him it would be fine, they could both handle it.

"I live to serve. Are you sure you want me to retire?" Ryoma asked, his eyes only on Lisa.

Lisa blushed and avoided looking at Rick. It was embarrassing enough whenever Ryoma did this, it was worse when somebody else was witnessing it and Rick of all people…

"Yes, thank you for your trouble Ryoma." She said after a while when he had not moved but stayed looking at her with cow eyes.

"You are very welcome, I merely recognize the beauty before me." And with a small bow, he left.

Lisa breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he left. Rick was looking at her puzzled. "Just ignore him he does this all the time. It's annoying but… he has not been offensive, on the contrary."

"Still if it makes you uncomfortable…" he told her, although he was looking at her with a strange look on his face, as if he was just seeing her for the first time.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, no, sorry." He stammered and pretended to go back to the reports. But even if his eyes were looking at them, his thoughts were on what he had seen.

Lisa was attractive after all. He had mentioned that to her in the past too. He didn't know why she would be embarrassed at seeing somebody tell her so. Even he had been distracted when he'd seen her in the fatigues.

"Here you go." She said, putting the tea cup in his line of vision.

Rick murmured his thanks and watched her sit down, pulling a folder towards her. She gracefully managed to balance both tasks and in that instant Rick wondered if Lisa had any romantic interests. He had never seen her with anybody. It was a real pity; after all, it would be sad if she was lonely. He knew better than to ask her though, he knew how broken up she was about her fiancé and he really did not want to stir any sad memories.

And with that, Rick put the whole episode behind him. He did not have a lot of time to think about it after when all hell broke loose.

"Khyron! What do you think you are doing?" Commander Radar from the Izzari forces asked. He had been given the onerous task of regulating the communications port .

Khyron continued to strap himself into his mecha as he responded, "I'm showing the Micronians the might of our combined forces." The Zentraedi warrior responded, the fire of battle ignited in his wild eyes.

"You idiot! We did not want to reveal all of our power now. We want to sneak it in on them the next time they attack." The robotic alien tried to reason with the battle crazed warrior. He should have known better than to try to stop a Zentraedi warrior that had been cooped up without fighting for weeks.

"You're slow and useless. You're putting us to do useless work when I can make the Micronian army tremble in the face of our power. I will crush them."

"Khyron! Come back Khyron." The Commander screamed but Khyron just turned off communications with the base and gave the command to depart.

Rick and Lisa jumped up and moved out of the office as soon as the alarms blared. Subconsciously they were both expecting the attack. They had after all, two weeks of relative peace. They knew it would not last for too long. What neither of them imagined was the immensity to the attack headed their way.

As Lisa stood in the command post, she felt a sinking feeling as she regarded the magnitude of the forces approaching them. They were apparently trying to get back one of the little citadels closest to Santore that had been hard won by the Mechakon a few months back.

After grueling hours of battle, and seeing the sorry state of the troops, Lisa had decided to give the order to retreat.

"The cowards are retreating." Grell commented.

"Of course they cannot battle the might of the Zentraedi. Now finish off those that have remained." Khyron ordered and then proceeded to do just that.

When there were no more Micronians because they were either dead at his hands or had retreated like cowards, he returned to his own base, basking in the feeling of the battle that still raged in his veins.

When the last one had returned to base and Lisa felt secure enough in leaving the command center, she, along with Saori and Claudia hurried to the receiving platform, weaving their way between the Aid Corps which were scattered around helping the injured. Lisa did not look around but headed straight to where Barry and Daigo were locked in a confrontation. None of them noticed an angry Koji making his way from the other side.

"She gave the order to disengage and I repeated it. Why did you not follow it?" Barry's raised voice reached the three women.

"We could've held our own if our so-called support had not left us in the middle of battle!" The younger man said.

"They left because they actually followed my orders." Lisa stated and both men turned to her.

"You! What kind of help are you going to provide if you leave us stranded in the middle of a battle?"

"You would not have been stranded if you would have followed my orders." She replied calmly, disregarding his angry tone and shaking fists. "The odds were too overwhelming in their favor so of course I'm going to ask my men, all my men, to come back. That order included you too."

"Well I'm not a coward who turns and runs in the middle of a fight! That's just showing weakness, but I guess that's what we get when we have a woman in command." He finished blithely, causing Lisa's face to tighten in anger.

"Women should stay off of the battlefield." Came a new voice before Lisa could formulate a response. "Case in point with her." Kogo said pointing to Sayaka who was being helped by Mai. They both flashed him murderous looks, however the response did not come from them but from Rick who had by now approached the center of the discussion.

"We have excellent female pilots who are brilliant on the battlefield, an excellent example is Miriya." He said, pointing to the Zentraedi warrior. "And by the way, some of the deadliest and most ruthless pilots from the enemy were female fighters. The reason why Sayaka was injured was because she needed backup when she was retreating and there was nobody to watch her back. We're all a team and you would never do that to a team member or any of the females in your troop, now would you?" Rick said, not addressing Kogo anymore but Daigo who just shrugged.

In the lull caused by that accusation, Koji burst out of the crowd and sucker punched Daigo who went down immediately, not expecting the attack. Barry and some of the other men held him back while the Koji screamed at the shocked man.

"I heard the Captain telling you to help Sayaka! She could've been dead if it had not been for Mai. How dare you!" He struggled more against the men holding him back while Daigo just sat there, his hand touching his jaw assessing the damage of the punch.

"Stop it, all of you or I will have you thrown in the brig for brawling." Lisa's calm commanding voice broke thru Koji's anger and the little scuffles that had broken out in the periphery of their circle. "Mr. Kabuto, please take Sayaka and make sure that she is okay. We will speak later." The man turned to her and even if he was not part of the military, he obeyed her without question. He knew she was giving him an out even though there would be hell to pay for a civilian interfering with the military. He hoped she would never find out he had been ready to take out Mazinger if he had not realized in time that Mai was helping Sayaka. He had a feeling the Captain would not take to that news that well.

Barry let him go and so did the others, nobody moving while he crossed over to Sayaka. He paused in front of Mai and thanked her, giving Takeru an assessing look and then taking Sayaka's arm to lead her to the triage.

"Mr. Kogo, I will not respond to your accusation as Captain Hunter has already addressed that. The only thing I will add is that no matter the gender, when we are on the battlefield we are all a team. You are to back them up no matter who they are. If you have a problem with that then you can be dismissed to your other mission." Kogo gave her an angry look and walked away seemingly to do just that.

Lisa then turned to Daigo. "Mr. Otaki, your actions today put a lot of people in danger. Regardless of my orders, you did not follow those of your other superior." She said indicating Barry. Even worse, your insubordination caused the rest of the troop to stay behind disobeying orders because you set that example."

"We needed to win this fight. Now we've lost ground because we couldn't protect it." Some of the men shared their opinion too but were quelled by Barry's stern look.

"It's true we lost ground but my priority is the security of the all the men and women under my command and if retreating is the best option, then that's what I will choose. I hope that you reflect on this as you look around and see how many of the people who followed my orders are injured versus those that stayed with you. I will leave Commander Barry to make a decision on disciplinary action against those who disobeyed the orders." Barry saluted as a grumble was heard.

Lisa turned to leave, followed by the rest of the Macross crew, when she suddenly turned and addressed all of those in the hangar. "If I hear of any fights breaking out between any member of Mechakon, Macross or anybody else, you will be removed from the mission and returned to where you came from suspended without pay. Is that understood?"

"Yes Captain!" Came the rapid reply from the Macross crew.

"Yes, Captain!" Was repeated after a hesitant pause by the rest of the force.

"You are all dismissed." Everybody lowered their salute and dispersed.

Only the group of friends from Macross stayed faithfully behind Lisa as she made her way to the space that had been designated as her office. None of them spoke, all of them knew Lisa was too raw right now to press her and they understood her silence too. It was better to speak in the privacy of her office than out here were there could be prying eyes.

By the time they entered the office, dusk had fallen and the shadows of the night were starting to creep in. The internal system, very much like the EVA system in the SDF-1, had mimicked the conditions of the outside and had created a starry night for Lisa to view out of her window. She stood there, unseeing and silent while her reflection spoke of her distress. None of them seemed to want to break the silence but Rick felt that she needed the reassurance.

"Captain…" Rick started, but at her flinch, he said, "Lisa," he continued soothingly. "You did the right thing. It was the right order to give, we were overpowered out there and I am sure that a few more minutes of that and many of them would have asked for the order to retreat."

"I know." She said softly, making them all stand straight in their surprise. They thought Lisa had been recriminating herself for her decision. "I am just concerned with the fact that they ignored not only my orders but that of the superior officer they know and left a comrade in danger."

"We should have stayed…" Rick said, feeling guilty for Sayaka but Roy interrupted him.

"No Rick, we did the right thing, not only for our men and women but for Lisa's authority. If we had not followed her command, we would have been in the same situation as their forces. Aside from that it is a learning experience. How many times have you seen a pilot disobey orders during their first skirmish? And what happens to those pilots? They either learn to take orders after they realize the danger they are in or they don't make it back. The Mechakon will learn as well. I am sure some of them understood and will think twice the next time."

"I am just worried about the ones that did not." Lisa said, her tone melancholy as she turned to face them. "Thank you all for your support."

"Don't mention it." Rick responded.

Roy saw this as an opportunity to tease his little brother and raise Lisa's spirit. "Don't worry you just go to rest now. We'll send Ricky boy with some coffee for you tomorrow." Roy said with a smirk while Rick turned red from embarrassment.

"Hey!" Rick said as Roy hurried out of the room.

"You usually bring her coffee anyways." Their bickering could be heard as they left.

Claudia gave her a hug before she followed her fiancé. Max and Miriya saluted her with a warm smile and left.

Finally, with a lighter heart amidst her worry, Lisa turned off the lights of her office and she left for the night.

While Lisa had been in her office with her friends, Kogo's ship left Santore. He had been given clearance to go if it pleased him.

"I'm not coming back. There's no way I will work with that woman." He was telling the older man in the comm. screen.

"Kogo you knucklehead! You have to stay there, those were your orders." Dr. Dodge yelled him, his red face a stark contrast to his white beard. They had been hashing over the same conversation for over ten minutes already and the man was running out of patience.

"Dr. Dodge, should you be getting excited like that in your old age? It could turn into an apoplexy and kill you." He teased the older man in his customary fashion, knowing it would distract him long enough to have him reach his destination.

"Why you insufferable..." Apparently the man figured out the plan and he told the younger man, "Don't try to distract me like you always do. You know Dr. Sandra asked you to stay here and complete you mission! You can't go back yet."

"My mission, and the one I signed up for, was to protect the Princess and that's what I'm going to do."

"Why you…wait until Dr. Sandra finds out…"

"Jan Kogo." The calm, authoritative voice that he knew well came thru. "You need to stay there and complete this mission."

"But I want to go back to the voyage to the center of the galaxy. You know how important it is!" His tone had changed to a mix between petulance and begging. There was no insolence from him when addressing her.

"This one is just as important. Turn back and stay until you have fulfilled your role in this mission." Her voice was as hard as steel.

Kogo gave her a sullen look but he knew there was no fighting with her whenever she gave him an order. With a sigh he turned back to Santore.

Daigo was standing on a ledge on the face of Santore. There were many of these rocky ledges leading out into the night air and Daigo had explored many of them in his restlessness. Right now though he gave into another way of calming his restlessness, bythrowing stones into the impossible darkness beyond Santore.

His mind was not involved in his actions, instead they kept replaying the scenes from today's battle. He could even still hear the panicked screams of those that had stayed with him to fight.

'Damn them! He never asked them to follow him.' He thought angrily. Unbidden, the words from the bossy… the Captain replayed on his head.

"We need to present a unified front. The troops will follow us and we need to set an example…" She had said this the night before the bigger meeting, the night when she had been told how much everybody hated her position.

You had to give it to her, the lady sure had guts. Weeks after she had been humiliated she came back and faced everybody. Even with the overwhelming evidence that the men would not follow her orders she still faced them and established her position as a leader once again.

'Why did the men follow me and not Barry? I am not a commander!' Daigo wondered. The simple answer was that the voluntary brigade liked to rebel anyways and he had given them the perfect excuse. That he felt somewhat responsible was different. He understood that as the pilot of the Gordian, their savior in so many battles, he did get some respect and he did have some responsibility to protect those who looked up to him.

He hurled the last stone with more force than all the others and, chest heaving with his exertions, just stood there, letting the breeze calm his chaotic thoughts.

Chapter Text

ick walked into the mess hall looking for Lisa. He knew she was going to have a tele-conference with Admiral Global to fill him in on what had happened during the last week. There was something that should have been included in the report, so he was looking for her so they could discuss it. He had looked for her everywhere and he could not find her anywhere. The mess hall was his last stop, even though he held no hope of finding her here since she tended to avoid this place after the whole incident a couple of weeks ago. Regardless, he thought that he could find somebody that could let him know where to find her.

He wondered if she was still sleeping but he had always heard from Claudia and Roy that she was a habitual early riser so he thought it unlikely. He peeked in to find the two of them making the line, buffet style, for their meal.

"Morning guys! Have any of you seen Captain Hayes?" He asked as he approached them, in deference of the fact that there were others around them.

"Rick! Is that you? What are you doing awake as this hour?" Roy said with a comically shocked expression. After all, it was barely 7:00am in the morning and not only was he awake but also alert.

"I completely forgot to give the Captain some info that she will need for the weekly meeting with Gloval and I wanted to catch her before she goes to it."

"You are aware that the meeting starts at 10 am, right?"

"Yeah well I remembered at 6 and I have not been able to sleep after that."

Claudia smiled indulgently at him while Roy outright laughed.

"We'll make a morning person out of you yet!" Roy teased him while Rick just scowled.

"So where is she? I thought you guys said that she was awake at the crack of dawn."

"She is. Wait, you didn't expect her to be here now did you?"

"Of course not! Not to sit in at least. But I thought she might just get coffee here and take it to her office."

"Nah, she orders in or we end up taking it to her. There's that weird kimono clad guy that usually loves to bring her stuff. I think he's trying to woo her." Roy snickered.

"Yeah, his name is Ryoma." Rick said. He still didn't know what to make of the guys actions but just thinking about his fawning expressions to Lisa irked him a little. He didn't like that guy around Lisa. He didn't trust him or like him. And just thinking that he was trying to ingrain himself to Lisa just made him furious. "So where is she then? I already checked her office and she wasn't there. Do you think she overslept today?"

"Oh no! She's probably already up. She usually gets up by 6am and works out until 7:30 when we meet her for breakfast." Claudia told him.

"She works out?" Rick asked incredulous. He never really thought about Lisa's body but it did make sense since she had an athletic built. "Wait, I never heard that she did."

"That's exactly why. Lisa is a very private person so she usually works out really early so that people don't have anything to gossip about. Since we came here she has been doing the same. So before we meet her we usually sit here to catch up with the gang and then we go see her."

Rick digested all that information and then said, "Boy I guess I miss out on a bunch of things, huh?" At that comment, Claudia gave him a look that said 'Understatement of the year!' until Roy gave her a nudge and a frown.

"Since you are awake, why don't you join us?" Roy asked, pointing to a table where Miriya, Max, little Dana, Jean and Vince were already sitting. He hoped the question would distract his little brother from his girlfriend's sarcastic look. "We can all go see her later when she is done."

Rick shrugged and went on with it, after all, he would not be able to go back to sleep at this point and he could then catch up with his friends which he had missed. No sooner had they all sat down together though that Lisa came barging in, a thunderous expression on her face.

"Hey honey, you are done with your exercises early?" Claudia asked puzzled. It was barely 7:15.

"I couldn't even start." She said as she said down and started preparing herself some coffee.

"What happened?"

"Well you know how I usually get up early to get started on the punching bag first, right?" Claudia nodded. "Well Takeru has been there early and he's hogging the thing! I've even told him that I just train for 45 mins, instead of the two hours that he does. By the time he is done I have to be already doing other things, I cannot wait for him." Lisa ranted as she started serving herself some of the coffee and breakfast trays her friends had brought to the table. All of the sudden she realized who else was in the table and she changed the subject. "Wow Hunter you are up early."

"Good morning…." He replied, passing her the cream since he knew she would need it for her coffee. "What do you use the punching bag for?" He asked, curious. He only used the punching bag when he was trying to let off some steam. He couldn't imagine Lisa doing that though.

"I do kickboxing." Lisa answered.

Rick blinked at that. The more that he learned about Lisa, the more that she surprised him.

"Why don't you pull rank?" Roy asked her.

"Aside from the fact that I do not want to cause more animosity in the ranks, I really can't because he doesn't technically belong to a military force. Any way I know he is just trying to get a rise out of me and I am not going to give him that satisfaction."

"Do you think that he is doing it on purpose?" Max asked.

"Oh yes! It pretty much seems like he is. I've even tried to come in earlier but the next day he comes in even earlier than I do. This has been going on for a couple of days already. I've already had to change my workout a couple of times by now. I'm not getting up at the crack of dawn for him."

"Captain, I must say that Takeru is the rudest person I have ever met." Came a voice behind Lisa. When she turned around, she saw Lieutenant Peachy White with her tray.

"I'm afraid you might be right about that Lieutenant." Looking at her uneaten tray, she told the petite woman, "Since you are here, do you want to join us?"

The girl blinked in surprise at the unexpected invitation and with a shy smile, she sat down on their table.

"Well since we are talking about rude people, what is up with that male Cogo?" Miriya asked. "I thought he was gone."

"I think somebody ordered him to come back." Lisa said, knowing full well that Dr. Kitts was fully invested in this venture and she probably insisted on his cooperation. She had no idea what kind of connection the two had or why he seemed to meekly cooperate when she gave him an order but she was glad for it at least.

"Well I do not envy your position little bro." Roy commented jokingly. Rick had been left in charge of the special forces and that meant that he was supposed to train and be in command of all the allies' oddballs and Cogo fell under that category.

Rick just sighed and looked at Lisa. In fact part of the report he usually gave her was about the special forces and she knew how much he was struggling. She gave him an understanding look and he just answered, "I'd rather not talk about it."

To Rick it seemed that they were going more backwards than forward. When Cogo was in a good mood or when he was ordered to do so by Dr. Kitt, he would "follow along". The girls he had no problem with, they were much more organized and cooperative of the whole lot. Daigo was out of commission right now, pending his disciplinary action so he would worry about him when it was time for him to go back. His hands were already full with trying to get the other two males to follow his lead and to take orders from him. He was not at all surprised at Lisa's account of Takeru's actions. He did seem to take a special satisfaction in taxing people's patience.

"I see that your report will be full of fun tidbits." Lisa said sarcastically. "Well since you saved me the trouble of having to wake you up, how about we finish this at my office while you fill me in."

"And there she goes, working through another meal. I have no idea how you have not gotten an ulcer yet." Claudia remarked.

"What makes you think that she hasn't?" Jean asked and everybody laughed at her joke.

"Funny, funny." Lisa remarked but there was no heat to it. She knew it was friendly teasing so she didn't mind it. "I'm sorry to be leaving Lieutenant White but feel free to sit here with the rest of the crew. Just don't believe anything that they tell you." She said meaningfully and the rest of the Macross crew gave her innocent looks. "Are you done packing that tray yet Hunter? You trying to feed the whole crew with it or what?"

Rick rolled his eyes and shook his head. He could tell that she was joking with him so he didn't take any offense on her comments. If she would have told him that years ago, he would have started up a fight with her but he knew her better by now.

"You won't be complaining when you get the munchies later on!" He said.

"What are you talking about? I do not get the munchies!" She said as she waved goodbye to everybody and left.

"Oh, pardon me, you just absentmindedly nibble." Rick retorted as he nodded to his friends and went after her.

The rest of the table looked at them go. The majority of them had an indulgent smile on their faces. Peachy on the other hand looked at them in wide eyed wonder.

"Is it always like this?" She asked the rest of the gang.

"Yep. When it's good, it's good but when they are bad, it gets bad!" Roy responded a bit enigmatically. He didn't want to give away too much about his friends yet but Peachy reminded him a bit of Lisa when she first started in the corps. Very intense and serious but with a huge heart and a crush for a bad boy.

"So where's Daigo? We haven't seen him around?" Max said good naturally. The young man could always be seen in the mornings eating with his friends but lately he had not been around.

Peachy stiffened a bit at the question but as she looked at Max's face, she could not see any malice in his face, just curiosity. Max had been nothing but polite to all of them and she had seen how he treated his wife with love and respect. In fact all of the Macross crew had been nothing but patient and kind to the rest of the allies, including the Mechakon. The problem was when the allies themselves had been rowdy or undisciplined, then they were strong but fair in their punishments. But still, she owed her brothers and sisters in battle some respect so she decided to answer the question truthfully but not say exactly what she thought of Daigo's disobedience.

"Well he was ordered to train the new recruits in hand to hand combat and range shooting so he's out since really early in the morning trying to prepare everything." She answered primly.

"Oh that's great! He's a good trainer?"

"He's really patient with the kids, whom he teaches self defense. The kids might be young but we never know if Santore will ever be attacked and they might be faced with danger. In fact a lot of the kids that are here had multiple conflicts with Madokters."

"That's great then." Said Claudia with a bit of false cheer. She did not see how this was such a punishment and she believed that the sanctions against the insubordinates were rather weak. Still she understood to an extent that these people were mostly survivors and were taxed to the very limits. A truly hard sanction might have them deserting or worse.

"Well the kids are not the problem, it's the civilians. Poor Daigo is having a really hard time getting them trained in the shooting range. Getting them all to agree and to follow his orders has not been that easy."

Claudia, Roy and the Sterlings looked at each other in surprise. They thought he was the unspoken leader of the group. To realize that the voluntary corps listened to nobody was not the realization that they wanted to have.

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A couple of hours later, Rick walked out Lisa's office, on his way to the hangar to train his troops, when he heard a loud conversation. Not wanting to eavesdrop, he was about to try to sneak past it without letting the protagonists know that he was around, when he realized one of them was his new subordinate Sayaka. Since she was expected to be in the training grounds by now, he was curious as to what had kept her.

"I have not seen you in days, ever since the last attack, and you greet me with this?" She said in a shrill voice.

"Well, I have not been able to get away from my duties. I'm actually working here." Replied a male voice but Rick was not able to tell who it was.

"Oh, and what do you think I'm doing? Playing?" Her voice got impossibly higher at that. "I'm getting real valuable training by these people, especially Rick. He and all the Macross soldiers have no problem with having a female in their team."

"I don't have any problem with having a female on the team. I just think that you shouldn't have been there fighting by yourself in the first place." The exasperated male voice said. A dull hitting sound was heard right after. Having heard and seen enough drama between his male and female pilots, Rick could hazard a guess of what that sound was.

He peeked discreetly around the corner to see that it was Koji Kabuto the unfortunate recipient of the slap in his face.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"You, you jerk! You are siding up with them?" They all knew who she meant, she was talking about Kogo and Takeru.

"That's not it! You know your robot Venus A is not as powerful as my Mazinkizer! You always get defeated in battles!"

Rick grimaced at that statement. Years and years ago, he might have thought like that, but enlisting in the service had banished any misogynistic thoughts out of his head. From the pilots, to the service crew to the women in command, he knew that women were a tough and brave lot. Kabuto had a lot of growing up to do in that regard!

"For your information, I was actually helping until everybody abandoned me."

"Well I would prefer if you do not go out to fight without me."

"We talked about this Kabuto! You might not be willing to help because you are too much of a chicken to face your robot but I have no problem with mine."

"You have no idea what you are talking about." He said sullenly.

"Regardless I do not need a man to protect me. I can do this on my own!" She said as she stormed off.

"Sayaka! Sayaka! Come back here you crazy woman!" Koji's voice called out to her.

Rick shook his head at the whole exchange. 'Lover's spat.' He scoffed at their antics and for a brief second, he thought if that's how Lisa and him sounded to other people. But for that they would have to be lovers, or at least romantically interested in each other and he knew that Lisa did not see him in that vein. Shaking his head in disgust at the silly thoughts, hurriedly walked towards the training grounds, already dreading the day ahead.

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'Man, this whole giving orders thing was hard!' Daigo thought for the multiple time. Maybe that's why Barry had put him up for this. He wouldn't put it past his superior officer to give him a job that would try to teach him a lesson. Barry thought he was so clever but he sometimes could be so transparent! He was not like their new boss, now that was an enigmatic lady!

As if he had called her with his thoughts, the Boss Lady came around, and she seemed on edge about something. Since his duties included being the Range Safety Officer, he approached her to see if she needed anything.

"Hello Boss Lady!" he said, in his usual sardonic manner.

"Hello Mr. Otaki." She responded with her usual cold detachment.

"Do you need any help?" he asked politely. For all he knew, she might be dropping in for a surprise evaluation or something.

"No, thank you. I just need to blow off some steam."

"Oh, and you cannot kick the shit out of the punching bag." Lisa looked at him surprised. "It's a small base, word gets around."

No matter where she was, she was still the topic of conversation, Lisa thought, disgusted.

"Well, it's mostly Ryoma who has told me. He admires you a lot." Daigo said with an amused smile. He knew Ryoma's antics drove the normally unflappable woman insane.

Lisa's face must have shown her discomfort because he laughed quite heartily. "Don't be scared! He comes off as a creepy stalker. But he's really not that creepy."

Lisa's eyes narrowed at the man's seemingly innocuous comment.

All of the sudden, Daigo's demeanor got all serious and he said, "Don't worry about him though. He has the utmost respect for you. He would never do anything to harm you. If you do not trust me on that, you can ask Barry."

Lisa looked at him, noticing the intensity of his words and the sincerity in his demeanor. "I'll take your word for it."

Daigo nodded his head, "Happy hunting Boss Lady." He said as he turned his back and walked away.

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The next day, Lisa decided to skip the gym, and the aggravation, altogether and go for a run before the inferno that was this section of the world would heat up. The Zentraedi attack had ravaged a lot of the Earth, and even more, it had damaged the atmosphere. All this devastation had changed the weather conditions of a lot of places.

She was walking back from her run, when she saw Daigo setting up for the day. Seeing him setting up gave her an idea. She had actually enjoyed her shooting range exercises yesterday, and just because she was usually in the command center, that did not abstain her from potentially being in danger at any point on this war. A good training on marksmanship might not be amiss.

"Good morning, Mr Otaki."

"Good Morning Boss Lady." he greeted her jauntily. "Are you here for another go?" He asked with curiosity.

"Actually yes." She replied good naturally. "Rather relaxing."

"Relax away then." He said with a laugh and left her to her own devices, which suited her just fine.

Daigo went away to continue his own duties, although every once in awhile he would look back towards the immensely focused commanding officer. After awhile, he gave up on trying to look busy and came by to stand by his new Commanding Officer.

Lisa felt his presence but she didn't stop what she was doing. It wasn't until she was done with her round that she removed her gear and looked at him inquisitively.

"Nothing much to see, I'm afraid. I am a bit rusty. Although I learned marksmanship in the Academy, I have not had a lot of time to practice what I learned." She said as she looked at her results.

"It doesn't look too bad." Daigo responded with a shrug of his shoulder. Then he caught with something she had said. "You are not active in the field?" Daigo asked curiously. She seemed such a gun-ho person, he expected her to be like Barry or Peachy and take up arms with her crew.

"No, mostly I do what I have been doing here. I strategize and give the orders from behind the scenes. I have been involved in recon missions but not active fighting."

Daigo nodded in understanding. She was sort of what Barry's superior did.

"Then would you mind if I give you a few pointers?"

"Well you are the Range Safety Officer. Also, I have studied your records and have observed that you have almost perfect marksmanship."

Daigo was thrown off by her knowledge but then he laughed. Trust the Boss Lady to do her research! She was nothing if not thorough. Shaking his head at her comment, he came closer to her and got into the shooting stance. "Here if you do this…"

Daigo showed her a couple of techniques and corrected her pose when Lisa needed it. He found that she was a really good listener. The Captain had no ego like some of the soldiers that he had tried to give pointers to. When he first started in the force he was already a gifted marksman. He had tried to show his technique to some of the soldiers that had been there before him but they all had dismissed him, claiming that he had never had any formal training. After that, he had been a bit more closed off with his conversations with others in the force. The fact that she was totally open to his instruction and feedback, even though she outranked him, impressed him quite a bit. He felt more respect for the taciturn lady.

"You are a really patient teacher. Thanks." Lisa said.

"You are welcome." Daigo said and he moved away as she started to pack her gear. From that day on, they were cordial to each other and would talk while Daigo kept giving her more pointers. Daigo had reached an understanding of who was the woman behind the Ice and she had seen a glimpse of the man that he could become.

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After that morning's calming session, Lisa was ready to tackle the overwhelming puzzle that this mission was becoming. The biggest problem was to figure out what the invaders were doing in the nearby city. From a distance, Roy and his group had been able to see a lot of movement in the city but nothing about what they were really doing. At least it was not apparent from up high. It seemed that the important work was happening indoors or underground.

"What if we send an unmanned Cat's eye to investigate?" Rick suggested.

"I am afraid it would be too far away to get any valuable info. Aerial shots will not get us any new information." Lisa said. "At least nothing new from what Roy and his crew have been able to report."

"How about a drone? It's much smaller than a Cat's eye, so it can get closer." Rick questioned.

"Anything visible in their air space would be shot down as soon as it's spotted." Barry interjected. "We could send a small recon unit to be our eyes and ears."

"That sounds very dangerous."

"Anything else would trigger an alarm for them. Victor Town is a maze and only our men are used to it.

"Who would you send?" Rick asked, wondering about the crazy suicide mission that Commander Hawk was cooking up.

"Ryoma is our scout and he usually works with a small group of 2 more people."

Rick and Lisa looked at him doubtful after they heard who would be spearheading the delicate mission.

"Is he the right person for the job?" Rick tried to ask as diplomatically as possible but he couldn't stop the doubt from creeping into his voice.

"As much of an oddball as Ryoma may appear, he is a valuable member of our group. All of us, are the discarded, the odd shaped pegs that couldn't fit in anywhere. I have to admit, I do give them some liberties but it is also because I see their value. What might seem like misfits to others, are actually passionate, genuine people that work hard on their assigned task. I personally vouch for all of them." Commander Hawk said in all seriousness.

"Commander Hawk, Barry, we mean no disrespect." Lisa said and Rick nodded solemnly. "If you believe in them, we trust your judgement."

"Thank you." Said the passionate commander.

"Why don't you give your team the go ahead on this mission?" Lisa said.

"Thank you Captain Hayes." He said as he retired to debrief his team.

"Do you think it was wise?" Rick asked her, still worried about the mission, even after her words.

"I think so. I think these people are resourceful survivors, just like us. I think there's more to them than meets the eye."

Rick sighed and said, "If you believe it is the best idea, then I will back you up." He said with conviction. Lisa smiled at him in gratitude.

"Do you have time for the next meeting? It concerns you after all."

"I will stay for the beginning of it but then I have to meet up with my group. Today we are going over the fighting schematics of the different groups. It was really clever of the scientific team to come up with that solution, right? Who would have thought they could use the black box information, run it through a simulation program and turn it into a 3D simulation! I can't wait to use it to review their moves with them." Rick said excitedly and Lisa had to try really hard to hold the indulgent smile she was about to give him for his geeky tendencies. "Have you been able to see it?"

"Not yet, I have been looking at the schematics and memorizing their weapons systems. That way I can give them instructions in the fight."

Rick nodded in understanding. Even though he would be the squadron leader for the misfits, as he secretly called them, when he was in the midst of the fight, he would have to depend on Lisa to guide him and them too.

In that moment, a knock was heard. At Lisa's invitation to come in, Dr. Lang, Exxedor and Dr. Dodge from the outer space team, walked to her office. All three men nodded instead of the usual salute as most of them were civilians. Even to some extent Exxedore was not in any military capacity any more, mostly diplomatic.

"Good morning gentlemen." She welcomed them. "Please take a seat. Captain Hunter will join us for the beginning of our meeting since he has to meet with his group. How about we start with the changes that he suggested?"

"Perfect." Dr. Lang said as he turned on Lisa's table screen. All of them sat around the center table that served as a regular table but which's top was also a screen. "Captain Hunter, based on your recommendations and the breakdown you gave us of the 3D simulations, we have determined that you will need certain modifications to your VT. Now Skull-1 is an older model and we thought about suggesting that you move to a newer Valkirie model but Captain Hayes thought you would be more comfortable with your own plane."

Rick was not aware of how tense those words had made him until he felt the tension release with that last sentence. He flashed a quick look at the Captain in question and he noticed the little smile flitting on the corner of her mouth. How did she know him so well?

It was true that after Roy had had his accident, and had been grounded for months, he had taken over the ol' Skull-1. Although in some days he still felt guilty about taking over command on his Big Brother's plane, the fact that Roy was totally ok with giving him command of the famous Skull and the Skull plane did help. It was not only a big honor, it was a gift.

"Captain Hayes would be correct, yes."

The scientists looked at each other after that confirmation. "Very well, taking that into consideration we will have to modify the Skull. This is a schematic of the changes." Dr. Lang continued.

The next one to talk was the older scientist, Dr. Dodge. "As you see here Captain, we thought that the first order of business would be to protect you from direct attacks that could crush your canopy and therefore perforate to the cockpit. Based on the hands on attack that the enemy uses which is more similar to hand-to-hand combat, the Batteloid module could leave you exposed to a punch or a direct hit. So the idea is to seal the cockpit with an armored alloy like the one that the other robots possess."

"But how would I be able to see?" Rick asked, puzzled.

"That would be the other modification. We have been developing a visor for your helmet so that you can get constant live feed of the outside world. There will be cameras that will act as your eyes in the Batteloid's head. Think of any optical head-mounted display, like the ones that have been adapted as glasses and this is more or less what you will get."

"What they are trying to say is that your visor will give you a Virtual Reality feel through the camera feed from the Battleloids' eyes and it will also give give you statistical information that you can call up with any voice command." Lisa translated to the overwhelmed pilot.

"Wow." He said reverently. "Won't that be distracting?"

"That was my concern too. Although it might not be any more distracting than having all the screens in your cockpit. Aside from that, some of the stats would stay in your peripheral vision which would not interrupt your center vision. You would have to train yourself to ignore the peripheral information until you need it." Lisa responded.

"The visor will be designed to follow your eye movement too for better viewing and so that you can call in the information in the peripheral vision whenever you need to concentrate on it.

Rick nodded as he let everything sink in. What they were explaining sounded awesome and scary at the same time.

"Is that all gentlemen?" He asked, as they did not provide anything new.

"For now." Dr. Lang responded. "Dr. Dodge is an expert in cybertronics and weaponry so he's already thinking of a couple of weapons to add to the robots. But this would be the first stage because of safety."

"I understand. Dr, let me ask you, what has Koji Kabuto's role been in this whole process?"

"Well, as you know, he was the one that suggested and mostly implemented the 3D simulations from the robots. He has also done some testing on the first prototype of the visor since he has piloted a robot himself." Dr. Lang responded.

"Next time, I want him in these meetings. As a scientist and a pilot himself, I think that his opinions would be invaluable to these kinds of conversations." He suggested.

"Of course Captain. Do you want me to inform him?"

"No, I will do so myself. I will see him in the meeting that I am going to right now. He is, after all, explaining to the rest of the team what his research was supposed to show them." Rick said, rising from his chair. "Now if I may be excused?"

"Thank you for staying Captain. Good luck in your meeting." Lisa replied, giving him a salute, which he returned. Rick then nodded to the other men and left for his own meeting.

On his way to the hangar, he spied another head of messy black hair. This one though did not wear a pilot's suit or an uniform since he was on the role of a civilian. The young man, around the same age as Lisa, was hurrying to the meeting place as if he was afraid of being late.

"Kabuto, wait up!" Rick called after him.

The young pilot turned scientist almost skidded on the shiny metallic floor because of the velocity of his trajectory and the suddenness of his stop. He pinwheeled his arms a bit but then was able to keep his balance although his face showed his mortification.

"My apologies Mr. Kabuto, I am sorry if I startled you."

"No, no, it was nothing. I have no idea what these people were thinking when they built this place, the floors are a menace! And to think I was told it had been a scientist who built this place! Does he know nothing of velocity and perils of polished surfaces?" Koji responded, rolling his coffee colored eyes at the thought.

"Ha! Maybe he should have hired an interior designer to think about the flooring instead." Rick joked with the other pilot as they resumed their brisk walk to Rick's temporary office. Koji laughed as he followed along.

"Mr. Kabuto, I was talking with the leaders of the scientific team a little while ago about the new technologies that they are suggesting for my plane. Pretty cool stuff." Rick started the conversation.

"Yes, it is! I got to test it myself. There are a couple of kinks still and some getting used to but I think you will like the results."

Rick nodded his acknowledgement. "I asked Dr. Lang to bring you next time to the meetings."

"Sir?" He asked in surprise.

"Well, I want to have your take on it, you are both a pilot like me, you fight like the rest of the group, and you are also a scientist. Aside from that, it is hard to geek out with the rest of the people that were in the meeting. They just don't get it!"

Koji pictured the older scientists and the alien diplomat and he heartily agreed with the young Captain.

"I also would like for you to start training with us. Not only will you be able to bridge what we are doing as a team much better, you will also be able to help us as a backup just in case."

"Captain… I… I don't think I can…" Koji said, lowering his head so that the other man could not see the panic in his eyes. He would do anything, anything but get back in his robot. But his pride and the fear would not let him explain to the leader of the Special Teams why he wouldn't do it.

" Mr. Kabuto… Koji." Rick said, his voice filled with understanding. "As both a pilot and a soldier, I have crashed and been shot down by both enemy and friendly fire. And although that first flight after is rather nerve-wracking, you learn to push it away and to keep going."

Rick said to the man in front of him, who still had not raised his head. And one of the reasons why Koji kept his head low was because he did not want to give away the confusion that his eyes must surely show to the other man's words. What was Hunter talking about?

The next words though helped shed some light on the young Captain's words. "I know you were shot down, your robot completely destroyed. But even though you might not have your original robot, you were given a second chance with Mazinkaiser. Maybe by training with us, you will be able to get over" … your fear, the words were implied… "your hesitation over using another robot again."

Koji's eyes opened wide at his words. Now everything that Hunter had said was making sense! He thought that the reason why he was afraid of using Mazinkaiser was his fear of being brought down, of getting hurt… If Hunter only knew how many times at the beginning of his battle against his own vanquished enemy, he had been close to death's door and he had fearlessly gone back to battle the next time. No, his reason was not the fear of getting shot down but the alternative, telling him the truth, would put him out of commision forever and he did not want that either.

Rick saw the shock and the shame dancing in the man's dark eyes. He put his hand on the civilian's shoulder and squeezed in a sympathetic manner. "It will be ok, you'll see." And with a reassuring smile, he led them both to his office where the rest were waiting.

Koji followed the younger soldier to the meeting place, his mind still reeling from that conversation. On one hand, he felt touched that the Captain was asking him to be part of the team, if mostly as a liaison, on the other hand, the fear that his secret would actually be discovered weighted heavily on him. The guilty conscience that he was developing because of trying to hide his secret to everybody, including Sayaka, made him feel cornered and angry. Therefore, by the time that he had finally reached the meeting area, he looked as sullen as Takeru and almost as sour as Cogo on a bad day. The first one to greet him ended up being the only person that he was closest to and therefore the easiest target to take his anger out on.

"Hi Koji!" Said Sayaka enthusiastically, her past fight with him pretty much forgotten.

"What are you wearing?" He asked her in lieu of a greeting. Sayaka was encased in a tight flight outfit that somehow, even though it covered her from her neck to her feet, made her more enticing than her usual mini-skirt and high knee boots outfit.

"Why do you ask? Is there a problem with it?" She asked, just like that, back at being mad at him.

"You look like a boy with that thing. At least with the skirt you could disguise the lack of hips…" Koji said, knowing he would get a raise out of her. It was not the first time he had teased her about her "boyish" body. Having seen her in a bathing suit, he knew that Sayaka looked nothing like a boy but right now he just wanted to get a rise out of her and forget what he was thinking about.

"Why you…!" She was about to respond none to kindly at his observation when the discreet sound of someone clearing their throat was heard. Both of them had been almost nose to nose in a stare off contest when they turned around at the sound. A sweep of the room showed a very amused Takeru sitting next to a scandalized Mai. Jan Cogo was rolling his eyes at the unsightly display and the originator of the sound, the Captain himself, had quite the dismayed expression on his face.

"Sorry. My apologies." They both said at the same time as they shot another venomous look at each other. They sank down to nearby seats as they pretended to be ok in the eyes of everybody in the room.

"So… yeah.. Mr. Kabuto, I have to say, I was the one that suggested the flight suit for Sayaka. I thought it would be better for mobility and for protection too. The flight suit has thermal sensors which can help the wearer keep cool or warm depending of the condition. It also is made of a material similar to Kevlar so it can protect the wearer from some minimal damage, like cuts and scratches."

Koji couldn't sink any lower in his chair. What a great first impression! And to have Sayaka be the one that was right this time… Even more embarrassing!

"With that matter resolved," Rick continued in a falsely cheerful manner, "How about I let Mr. Kabuto explain what he has done with the information retrieved off your navigation and black box systems."

Koji skulked to the center of the room and started explaining what they had done and the discoveries they had made based on their individual fighting styles. Rick and him went back and forth explaining what changes would need to be made in order for their fighting styles to mesh properly but as he as talking, Koji couldn't help but think. He couldn't let go of his guilt, his fear and the hatred that he had for himself had found a new target in the perfect Captain Hunter.

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Chapter Text

'Another day, another run finished.' Lisa thought as she changed the earbuds she had been using for music for the protective earphones that blocked the sound in the shooting range. She had already put on a pair of warm up sweatpants with buttons running on the side of her legs to protect her from the flying casings. She usually ran with shorts but what was good for keeping her cool on the the oppressing heat offered her no protection on the gun range. She nodded hello to Daigo Otaki who was glumly sweeping the casings from the floor that people had left last night. He gave her a thumbs up and kept up with his task.

It had now become a habit of hers, first run, then off to the shooting range for an hour. After starting her days that way, she would go to her usual routine of meetings, and immersing herself in the endless reports and studies from the different factions.

The whole base, from the military to the civilians, were on pins and needles since the recon group had left. Everybody was trying to deal with the tension in different ways. For Lisa, the shooting range was allowing her that release of tension. It felt good to concentrate on the target. Target practice was such a precise sport and in her case, it demanded a lot of her concentration since she had not had a lot of practice in a while. This helped her clear her mind and she really enjoyed it.

It helped that it was really quiet in the mornings, not a lot of people were coming in to practice their shooting, in part, because of the time. The other reason was because as soon as they saw their new leader, they remembered they had better things to do. It was perfect for Lisa who prefered not to be gawked at but on the flip side, Daigo found himself rather bored for that amount of time.

'And when I'm bored, I start thinking about things.' Daigo thought as he looked at the lonely and secluded expanse of land where the gun range was situated. 'I think of serious things, like where is this war going? What is my place in it?' He sighed, as he looked at the horizon. He really didn't want to think about that kind of stuff. It made him remember how colossally he had messed up in the last mission. The guilt was getting to him, especially at night, when he was alone with his thoughts…

So he needed a distraction, and he needed it fast. He looked around and the only living person around him in a 3 mile radius was the Bossy Lady. Time to find out what made her tick then. He thought with an amused smile as he made his way over. During the days that she had been coming over they'd had some cordial conversation. Even though it had mostly revolved around him teaching her new techniques or correcting her on her marksmanship, they'd had no discussions. He had learned to have an open mind about her and he stopped seeing her as a person who just gave orders while she stayed safe on an ivory tower. While talking to her, he had realized how intelligent she was and how she could jump from one conjecture to another. From seeing her practice, he could see her improvement and he could also see how she had incorporated what he had shown her with her previous knowledge.

Lisa was rather satisfied with herself today. Her shooting had actually improved with the daily practice. She was now trying to gain more accuracy in her targets when she felt a presence next to her. She turned to see Daigo observing her quietly.

"Sorry Boss Lady, I did not want to interrupt." He said. "But I'm bored and you are the only one that gets up early enough to use the shooting range. " He said with a mock pout.

"Ha! You mean, nobody is brave enough to come out here when I'm around." She said ruefully. "Don't worry Mr. Otaki, this is not my first round at this. There's something about being in command that alienates some of us from others. Some of us command by being charismatic. Others by fear. I'm very aware in which category I fall."

"I wouldn't call it fear, just healthy respect." He said amused. "Anybody that fears you is just dumb. It's obvious you care about the people that serve under you."

Lisa's eyebrows rose. 'Was that a roundabout apology?' "Surprising words coming from you." She couldn't help but comment.

Daigo looked down and shuffled his feet a little. "Well, I've had a lot of time to think." He said, uncomfortable.

Lisa decided to help him out and change the conversation slightly. "Tell me Mr. Otaki, how did you start in the army?"

Daigo looked startled at the different direction track she had given to the conversation. It was also the first time she had asked something personal about him. "I guess you can tell I was not trained formally in this sort of thing, right?"

"That is a bit of an understatement." She said, withholding a smile.

"Well I sort of stumbled into it. My uncle sent me to the army to enlist, probably because he knew that I would need training. Apparently my father had communicated to him the need for me to learn how to fight so I would be prepared to use Gordian." Daigo said, his voice held a trace of bitterness that Lisa could not help to hear. Since she didn't want to interrupt him, she filed that sort of information for later use. "After I learned that I was the only one that could control Gordian, I sort of stayed on, plus I can't abandon my sister and my friends."

"How about your father, you mentioned him…"

"My father is dead." He said dryly. "It's rather complicated." He said, scratching his head in a confused manner as he hem-hawed about what he could tell her.

"I understand." Lisa said, she was no stranger to complicated relationships with parental figures so she could commiserate with him. After the last couple of days she had started to get a different perspective about the rash soldier who was reminding her more and more of another brash pilot that she knew. Aside from their similar ages and arrogant personalities, they both had been sort of swept up by wars that they had no interest on participating. In that moment, she saw a younger Rick in Daigo and she realized that he just needed a push to become that man that he could be. With the right guidance, he too could become a great leader.

Speaking of the man in question, Lisa heard his familiar voice speaking with someone else. Daigo, who had been leaning on a post talking to her, straightened from his position to see better what was happening.

"Oh, there she is!" Came the relieved voice of the young pilot. "Thanks Sergeant Opal, I can take it from here." Rick said politely but the woman was not leaving right away and instead seemed like she was about to keep up with him.

Daigo had to roll his eyes when he saw how flustered the Captain was getting at the attention that he was receiving from the female soldier. What he found even more interesting was the air of disapproval, and dare he say jealousy, that the Bossy Lady had but before he could analyze it any further, it was gone. A sly smile crossed his face. So it seemed that the rumors he had been hearing were true and there was something between the two top Commanders of the Macross forces. Then he shrugged, he really could care less about romances, that was for people like Ryoma.

He did feel bad for the young Captain, having been in that position before. He decided to throw him a bone and help him out. At least for this time.

"Shareen, the Captain said that you can go now." The man said with a lazy drawl. "Don't you remember proper protocol?"

"You are a good one to talk!" The woman said crossly. With one last coquettish look towards Rick and a flip of her hair, she flounced off.

Rick gave a sigh of relief. He was not a stranger to friendly flirting and he was used to the good natured comments the female pilots gave him but these women were something else! He turned his gaze towards his intended target and he couldn't stop a frown from marring his forehead. He had not liked the fact that when he had first seen them, Daigo was leaning way too close to his Commander and he was still standing too close to her. He really did not want to spend time analyzing why that bothered him now so he decided to file that for later.

"Sorry to interrupt Captain but there is a message from the Admiral that I believe you should take a look at. Also our recon group is back and they have news."

"Oh great! Ryoma is back! It was starting to get dull around here." Daigo said with a sardonic smile.

Rick just looked at him with narrowed eyes. How dare he interrupt? Did he not know proper protocol? Apparently not, based on all that had happened until now and what Sargent Opal had said.

As if he had heard his thoughts, or maybe he felt the air of disapproval, the chestnut haired man replied. "Oops! Sorry! I'm used to speaking my mind around here." Daigo said with an apologetic smile that did not seem too sincere to Rick.

Lisa cleared her throat, trying to diffuse the situation between them. She was starting to see the potential in the young warrior so she hoped she could talk to Rick about it before a real animosity could start. Aside from that, she also realized that they had to start getting along since Daigo and Gordian were part of the Special Forces that Rick was in charge of. Thinking that Rick needed another ally within that group, she thought that maybe if they worked together a bit more, they could come to an agreement.

"Mr Otaki, would you be interested in joining us as we meet with the recon group?" she asked the young man. Daigo looked at her in silence and Rick's mouth dropped slightly in surprise.

"Sure." Daigo said, surprised by her invitation.

"I do not want any funny business though during the meeting." She warned him sternly. "And at the first indication that this is not a serious matter to you, I will ask that you to remove yourself from the meeting."

Daigo nodded in understanding.

"I will contact Barry and intercede in your behalf. If he agrees, I will send somebody to inform you. I expect not to be disappointed. " She finished.

"You will not ma'am." He replied with a salute.

"Let's go and see that the Admiral wants and then we will meet with the others." Lisa said to Rick. With a salute to Daigo, they moved away from the shooting range.

As soon as they were inside, Rick turned to Lisa and asked her, "Why did you ask him to be in the talks? He is an irresponsible, arrogant and completely undisciplined soldier!"

"I have been observing him in the last couple of days and he can behave with responsibility when he needs to. He is also a patient teacher and cares about those that are dependent on him. He just sees rules in his own terms. Admittedly this might not be the right setting for him or he might just need to feel like he has a say. I feel that if he is given a voice he might start showing his true colors."

"You are giving him too much credit." Rick said, his voice full of doubt.

"Perhaps, but if I did not believe in giving cocky, arrogant soldiers a chance, who knows where some of us would be… don't you think Captain?" Lisa said meaningfully and walked away from him.

Rick stopped in his tracks as he saw her walk away. Her parting shot did give him pause. He knew she was referring to him and even though a the responsibilities given to him came from the Admiral, he knew a lot of them had been influenced by her. If she had seen the potential in him and had managed to mold him to what he had become, maybe he too could mold this group of misfits. He hated when Lisa was right. With a sigh, he hurried to catch up with his Commanding officer.

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Daigo walked into the meeting room to find everybody getting ready for the meeting. Captain Hayes and Captain Hunter were sitting together as they usually did. Commander Hawk was sitting to their right and Lieutenant Peachy White was sitting next to him, serving as his aide for the Mechakon side. They were so strapped for personnel that they sometimes had to fill many roles and this was one of them. Plus, Daigo thought with a tiny smile, Peachy was so uptight with the rules she had memorized all of them so she was perfect for this kind of thing. Daigo's eyes swept the conference table to see who else was there and he saw his sister Saori was also on the talks. She knew a lot about the lore of Santore, having lived with their father much longer than he ever had, so if there was somebody that knew about Santore and the secrets that their father was keeping, it was her. The rest of the people in the room were the recon group and the tall blond from Macross that was in charge of the air units. They all turned to see who the newcomer was and Daigo decided to put on his best behavior to show them that he was serious about what he had said to the captains.

He approached the table and stood directly in front of the leaders. "Daigo Otaki, reporting Captain Hayes." He said with a formal salute to the lady that had, little by little, started to stake her claim on the leadership of this whole operation. "Captain Hunter, Commander Hawk." He saluted the other two who returned their salute with the same gravity he had.

"At ease Mr. Otaki. Please sit." Captain Hayes said. Daigo relaxed his salute and went to sit by his sister's side. He noticed some of the surprised looks that were coming his way. He figured that neither of the leaders had informed the others that he would be present on the talks. He couldn't fault his friends for their surprise. He usually decided to not be included in any of the formal talks, just following orders when he cared for them and if not, jumping to action on his own. But the down time that he'd had while on disciplinary action had made him reflect on all that he had done and what he really wanted to do. The occasional talks with the Bossy… with Captain Hayes had further served his decision to become an integral part of the war.

Ryoma tried to catch Daigo's eyes to make a funny gesture. It was a habit of them to roll their eyes at the formalities of the army or when they were listening to some order that seemed illogical to them. Daigo knew though what his intentions were and he knew that he had made a promise to his new boss so he gave Ryoma a sidelong glance and just shook his head slightly. Ryoma looked a bit put out by his reaction but he settled down quietly next to his group in the center of the table.

"Well now that we are all here, let's have you present what you have seen." Lisa said to the recon unit.

Ryoma stood and bowed at the three commanders. If Daigo was going to be all formal, he could do the same too. What he did in his personal life was one thing but he took his job very seriously and what he had seen in the depths of Victor Town was no laughing matter.

"Captain, we observed that the Madokters and the Zentraedi are building tunnels underground. A lot of the action is happening underground which is why Captain Fokker has not been able to see anything from the air. The tunnels are being used to transport materials that have been mined and also to transport weapons and other materials that seem like machinery parts." He nodded to one of the two people on his team. The man turned the center screen on to show the images they had caught in their camera.

"As you can see here, we took some close ups of the machinery and the pieces that they are using to modify their vehicles." One of the other members commented.

"Were you able to scout areas where they had some of the modified vehicles?" Lisa asked.

"Although heavily guarded, we were able to get a few shots. Although far from our positions, the high resolution of the camera can help us focus…" Ryoma said and the person manning the display zoomed in to the vehicles. Lisa's eyes opened wide when she saw the images and Rick bit out a curse. They could all see the different ships with modified parts, from Zentraedi to Mechakon, to Izzari all of the machines had been modified in some way.

"The scientific team should be able to identify these pieces and hopefully give us an idea of what they are planning." Lisa said, mostly to Barry since it was his team and he should give the order of what to do with the information. Both Barry and Ryoma agreed.

"I get the secrecy in moving around the machinery and pieces for upgrading their weapons and ships but it almost seems like that is a secondary use." Roy commented and Rick nodded in agreement.

"Then what are they looking for?" Lisa raised the question but it mostly seemed like she was talking to herself.

Daigo avoided their gaze since he pretty much had a good idea of what they were really looking for. All the areas that the enemy seemed to be working on were the sub parts of Victor Town, exactly in the area where he had gotten lost and he had fallen on that weird substance... As much as he would like to reveal what he knew, he had been forbidden to talk about what he had seen. So he kept his best poker face as the group examined the pictures. The good news was that the enemy, while close, was not exactly in the exact position but that might change pretty soon. It appeared that the time for secrets was coming to an end.

"We will need to compare the pictures and your trajectory to the maps of Victor Town and the aerial shots taken from Captain Fokker's reconnaissance. Let's cross reference all the images and see what we can figure out from that. I expect a report in two days time." Lisa told Barry and Ryoma who nodded, even though they held no hope on really uncovering a lot from this mysterious circumstances.

"If this is all, you are all dismissed." Lisa said and everybody saluted her and some of them started filing out.

After saluting the Captain, Barry turned to Daigo who had stayed behind talking to his sister. "I see you made it to the meeting." He told the younger recruit.

"Yes, of course. I even managed to behave for it, are you proud?" He finished with a laugh, which had the Commander rolling his eyes. "But seriously, I have to thank Captain Hayes for putting in a good word for me." He said, smiling towards the Captain that looked at him blandly but did not reply back.

"Actually it was not Captain Hayes, it was Captain Hunter who came to talk to me." Barry corrected him.

Confused cornflower blue eyes met the sky blue one of the man that was sitting silently, observing him. "Thank you then, Captain Hunter." he said, confusion still in his voice.

"You are welcome."

"Well, I will see you all tomorrow. Have a good night everybody." Lisa said as she got up to leave. Rick was about to leave too when Daigo called out, "Captain Hunter, a word?"

Rick turned back to see the young man waiting for him. He nodded to her and turned to the young man.

"Yes Mr. Otaki?"

"I really wanted to thank you again…" Daigo started to say but he hesitated on what he really wanted to find out.

"And you were wondering what made me intercede in your behalf?" Rick finished for him, knowing that he would have done the same.

"Yes, to be honest… I would have expected something like this it from the Bo… I mean from Captain Hayes..."

"Mr Otaki, you will be one of my men now and you have now become my responsibility. Although yes, Captain Hayes did speak to me, it made me rethink my earlier evaluation of you. I'm glad to see that our hopes are seemingly placed in the right track."

"I will not disappoint." Daigo said with all seriousness. When he gave his word, and he put his mind to it, he would do everything in his power to commit to his duty.

"One last thing Mr. Otaki." Rick said. "As we heard here, the war is escalating and you will have to decide what your role will be in the coming war. Will you be a soldier blindly following along or will you be a leader and help us win over this threat? Think it over. Good night."

Daigo stood there for a long time, long after Rick had already left. He realized that by taking that step this afternoon and agreeing to be voluntarily in this meeting, he had just opened himself to a lot more responsibilities that he had ever thought. He realized that all this time, he had just been avoiding taking these responsibilities but the time had come to put that aside and take all of this seriously.

Well… not too seriously. Daigo thought with a smirk. It wouldn't be him if he went all tight arsed like Barry or all serious and brooding as his new Commander. As he was putting together a new plan in his head about what he could do to help, he couldn't help but think about the leaders of the Macross forces. He was feeling a newfound respect over the young Captain that would be his commander. At first, he had dismissed him, seeing Hunter as a puppy, potentially a love sick puppy, following the Captain around. After tonight's conversation, though, he had also changed his mind about him too. As he replayed the Captain's motivating words, he could understand why he inspired the blind devotion and loyalty from his team.

Slowly he moved away from the darkened room. He needed to get some rest before tomorrow's renewal of his duties but he had one more thing to do before. Resolutely, he strode towards the innards of Santore.

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As he was walking to meet up for dinner with his friends, he changed his mind and decided to go have a quiet dinner Lisa. He knew he would find her in her office.

"Well that was an interesting meeting." Rick commented.

"Yes it was." Lisa replied softly, without turning around, knowing full well who it was. She also had a feeling that he would follow her there.

"Do you want me to order food?" He asked and she hummed an answer.

Lisa heard him talking on the phone that communicated with the mess hall. She felt strangely content. Things were starting to heat up and every answer that they seemed to uncover, lead to even more questions but still she felt good about the latest meeting that they'd had. They seemed to be finally making progress in this puzzle. And even though she knew there were still a million things to fix, she was strangely optimistic. Maybe it was due to the team that she had supporting her, or just the man that was slowly walking towards her.

"You didn't seem surprised about what I did today." He said casually as he stood next to her.

At that , Lisa just looked at him from under her lashes, an enigmatic smile on her lips. Rick couldn't help but hold his breath silently as he felt the electric currents of desire flit about his belly. For a second, he briefly wondered about the strange power she seemed to hold over him.

He was silent for so long, that Lisa started to wonder what was wrong. At that moment, he noticed her looking at him, a question in her eyes.

"Command really suits you." He said huskily and he meant it.

Lisa picked up on the sincerity in his voice and her smile widened. The way that he said it and the way that he looked at her made those words not only sound like a statement but more like a compliment. Their eyes met as they turned to each other. Rick wanted to tell her some many things, or to hug her or hold her next to him and never let go…

But he did none of those things and the moment was broken when somebody announced themselves in the door. Food had arrived.

Lisa sighed as Rick hurried to the door to help with their food. It was always like this. Every time something seemed like it would happen between them, somebody interrupted, from the Zentraedi attacking to Minmay…

Lisa shook her head at that. She was too content today to let those kinds of thoughts invade her. She resolved to have a nice dinner with her friend and for today, the whole world could hang. She shared a conspiratorial smile with Rick as the person fumbled with leaving their food in the circular conference table that sat in the middle of her ample office.

"This is nice. I might just have to install a table in my own office back home."

"So you can also take your lunch and dinner there? No way! Claudia won't let you. You seem to enjoy this isolation too much." Rick accused her, half-playfully. In truth it really worried him how she preferred to be by herself. He was afraid that if they would let her, she would become the Ice Queen that he had so accused her of being, so many years ago. 'Why Lisa? Why?,' he thought as he saw her lower her eyes. 'Why do you want to be alone? Why would you want to wrap yourself in the cold, when you can be such a warm and caring person? Was it because of Karl?'

"You are right about that. Better not make my Big Sister mad." Lisa said as she blew it off. She had seen the questions that Rick could not mask in his eyes and she had changed the subject because she did not want to deal with them.

"Yeah, better not." Rick said lamely. He didn't have the courage to ask, he did not want to hear about the man that inspired so much love in the young Captain's heart, that she had been willing to die for him. A man that still had such a hold in her heart that she would prefer to keep herself from company to the point that she lived such a Spartan life. A man so perfect that he inspired the eternal devotion of the strong woman before him. A man he could never be.

"Thanks for keeping me company."

"Always." He responded automatically and Lisa had to stop herself from grimacing at his choice of words. 'If only..' But she just gave him a smile and sat down next to him to eat.

They spent an amicable dinner, talking of inconsequential things. Rick had entertained her with stories about the Special Force's training escapades and Lisa had tried to top his stories with training anecdotes of her own. It was a quiet, non-descript evening between two friends.

Lisa was still in her office after dinner with Rick. She was about to turn off the lights when she saw a shadowy figure approaching. Her eyebrows rose when she saw who it was.

"Captain Hayes, we need to talk." the young man with cornflower blue eyes said, his voice grave.

"Of course, please take a seat Mr. Otaki." She said, as she closed the door behind them.

Chapter Text

Lisa was trying to lose him. She looking for a way to escape from him when she found herself in the men's barracks. 'Great' she thought, disgusted with herself. 'Where are am I going to find a hiding place here?'

She could feel him getting nearer. Suddenly, like a miracle, she read one of the names on the wall plate and she eagerly approached it. Knocking on the door, she desperately chanted 'Please be in, please be in…'

She was about to reconsider her options and find another hiding place, when the door finally opened to a rather rumpled looking Rick. Confused blue eyes met panicked green.

"There you are Hunter, I need to talk to you. Like right now." She said in a rush as she shouldered her way in.

"Lisa, what?..." He started to say but stopped when she covered his mouth with her hand and put an ear on the door.

"Hush!" Lisa strained to hear if there were any noises coming from the hallway. She couldn't hear any more footsteps. She knew that he had been behind her, all of her training had taught her to sense when she was being followed. Relieved that she had shaken her tail, Lisa finally turned to see…

The very concerned face of her young companion. He was also looking at her like he thought she had lost it. She imagined how she must have looked and felt quite foolish. She decided to explain herself. "I was being followed."

"What?" Rick exclaimed, suddenly alarmed. "How did the enemy get in? Let me get my gun…"

"No, not the enemy. It was even worse." She said and he looked at her in confusion. What could be worse than the enemy? He wondered what could shake his CO's unflappable composure. All of the sudden, he started to laugh, remembering another time when he had seen that panicked look. "Ryoma?" He asked and knew that he had nailed it when she grimaced.

"He's been following me for quite some time. He was starting to gain some ground when I came around this area. I'm so glad you were here."

She finally realized the state that Rick was in. He was just wearing the reglementary black undershirt and a pair of sweatpants. His hair was all mussed, as if he had just thrown his shirt over his head really quickly. The rest of his uniform was draped over a chair. Her face flamed with embarrassment.

"Oh, my! I'm so sorry, you weren't even dressed when I knocked! I should probably leave." She turned to do just that but Rick stopped her.

"You don't have to go! I'm decent now." He shrugged. "Well kinda." He said ruefully, as he looked down at his bare toes and wiggled them. This elicited a startled laugh out of her.

"No, I'll go. But before I leave, would you mind checking if he's still there?"

Rick had to smother a laugh. Was this the same woman that had stared down at Dolza, the leader of the Zentraedi, all those years ago? The woman that made every pilot piss on their pants when she yelled over the TacNet? With twinkling eyes, Rick decided to peek out of his doorway. He turned his head one way and then the other and he noticed the Japanese man sitting cross-legged on the floor in the adjacent hallway. Rick couldn't tell if he had just fallen asleep like that of it he was meditating. One thing was for sure, he looked like he was not budging from there any time soon. He was about to come back and report that to his companion, when Lisa, who couldn't wait any more for news, decided to peek too. Rick was distracted from the his spying when he felt his Commander's womanly curves pressed against him. Lisa's breast was pressed to the back of his arm and her hip kept rubbing his thigh as she peered around impatiently.

"Is he gone?" She whispered.

Rick had to clear his throat, which seemed impossibly dry, before he could answer her.

"No, still there." He said as he closed the door.

"I guess I will be accepting that invitation to stay then."

"Well, I was going to prepare myself some coffee before I headed out. Would you like some?"

"Do I ever! I can't face the morning without some coffee first." She remarked as she walked by him.

Rick stopped in his tracks and looked at her in shock. "What do you mean about that? I thought you were Ms. Morning Sunshine and stuff."

"Are you crazy! I normally go to bed with a headache and wake up with a headache, although I think the morning headache is my addiction to caffeine… At some point I might try quitting but not until this whole battle thing is over. If I don't drink coffee I'm worse than a hibernating bear." Rick looked at her with his mouth open in shock. "It's all about faking it Hunter, it's all about faking it. Don't ever let them see your weakness." She said with mock gravity but her eyes were twinkling.

Rick just shook his head and laughed. "Come on, I really don't want to have an encounter with that hibernating bear then! Let's feed the addiction." He said jovially and they both laughed as they crossed the threshold from his little room to the common area between the rooms.

"Are they still sleeping?" Lisa whispered.

"Who knows." Rick shrugged. "I think Takeru might have left already, although now that he doesn't have to compete with you for the punching bag, he might be waking up later. Kogo wakes up later but he can sleep through a nuclear bomb explosion and Koji usually leaves the rooms after me. I never get to see any of them." Rick continued as he set up the coffee machine.

"Same with me, I usually leave before everybody else so I don't get to see any of the girls. To be fair, I don't usually use the common area all that much."

"You are not going for a run and your usual shooting range exercises?" Rick asked, wondering about her latest morning routine.

"Well, I was up late last night so I really didn't feel like getting up early for my run. And as far as the shooting range… I don't know if it will be all that valuable or entertaining for me now that Mr Otaki has been relieved out of those duties and reinstated." Lisa mused and Rick had to stop himself from dropping the coffee pot at her comment. What did she mean it wouldn't be as fun now that Daigo wasn't around?

"Oh, and why do you say that?" Rick asked casually.

"Well, he did give me a lot of good pointers, my shooting has actually improved from the first day." She told him. Rick handed her the cup of coffee, which she took gratefully, and they both sat down in one of the sofas around the common area. "The other thing is that he was the only one brave enough to come around and talk to me when I was there. Probably because it was his job but still, it was nice to have somebody around."

"Maybe I can join you on the shooting range." Rick said.

Lisa thought about it, and she thought about her promise to herself of keeping her distance and she also thought about how bad of a job she was doing in that account. After a pause, that was starting to get uncomfortable for Rick, she replied, "Perhaps." And she softened the rebuff with a smile.

Rick took a sip of his coffee to cover the fact that he was bothered by what Lisa had said. Why wouldn't she want to be in the shooting range with him when she had no problem being around that guy Daigo all the time. Forget the fact that he had been there for his punishment, he had seen them talking quite a few times. In fact, there was some rumor going around that hinted at the fact that they liked each other… Rick had to stop himself at that. Why was he so bothered at the fact that they might like each other? They were both single. Was Lisa finally getting over Karl, because of Daigo? He should be happy about that… right?

Lisa was not aware of the tumultuous thoughts that were running around her silent companion. Instead, she had other heavy thoughts weighing on her mind. Taking a deep breath, she decided that now would be a good time as any to tell Rick what had happened last night. With a bracing sigh, she started, "Now that you mentioned Mr Otaki, he was actually the reason why I didn't sleep last night…"

When Rick heard those words, he almost spat out his coffee in surprise. As it was, he missed his mouth and spilled some of his coffee on his pants. With a curse, he got up and shook his pant leg, trying to cool off the liquid that had gotten perilously close to burning some delicate bits of flesh.

"Oh no Rick! Are you ok?" Lisa asked, her green eyes full of concern.

"Yes, yes I'm fine." He said as he approached the counter and grabbed some napkins. He was trying to buy himself some time because he just wanted to go back to her and shake her by the shoulders. How dare they! How could she even… And why did it hurt so much!

"Are you sure you are ok?" Lisa asked gently as she laid a delicate hand on his back. Surprised at her touch and hurt by her words, he turned around and separated himself from her. Lisa was just as shocked by his violent reaction and she just held her hand to herself as if it had been burned, her face reflecting her confusion and hurt. "Uhm, maybe I better get going… We can talk about this later. I was going to tell you in the morning meeting regardless." She said in a small voice and she turned away from him but not before he could see the sadness in her jade green eyes.

She was going to talk about it in a meeting? Rick thought confused… and with the speed of a combat pilot, he leapt forward and held one of her arms, preventing her from running away.

"Wait, wait. What are you talking about? What meeting?" Rick asked.

"I was going to inform you of the meeting I had last night with Daigo. He came by to tell me about Victor Town and his ideas about what could the enemy be mining in the subsoil." She replied.

RIck's head was reeling. Lisa and Daigo had a meeting last night? About the war?

Now it was Lisa's turn to look at him all confused. "What did you think I was talking about?"

"Nothing, erm… You never told me you were going to have a meeting with him. When did you schedule it?" He said, his mind going a mile a minute. Could it be, that she only met with him to discuss military strategies? Was he wrong? His chest eased up on the tightness and now that he could breathe a bit better, he guided her back to the sofa where her coffee was getting cold.

"Well it was not a planned meeting. He just came by the office unannounced after you left last night. He has a theory about what the enemy is looking for in Victor Town."

"But if he had a theory, why didn't he tell us about it earlier when we were debriefing the recon group?" He said, still distrustful.

"It's complicated. His father, who created the robot and the power source to control it, explicitly told him not to talk about a specific encounter Daigo had in the subsoil of Victor Town, around that same area where the enemy is mining. So after the debriefing of the recon group, Daigo went and spoke with his father about what is happening and he asked him about talking to us about it. "

"Daigo is going to tell us what happened?"

"He will, but he also convinced his father to meet with us and finally reveal some of the secrets he has been keeping."

"Why have we not met his father until now?"

"That's the complicated part. You see, his father was fatally shot when Saori was a little girl and Daigo was a baby…"

"Fatally shot? That would mean that he's…?" Rick looked at her in confusion.

"Dead? Technically he is." Rick looked at her, his face mirroring his incomprehension on the subject. "What happened is that Saori found him right before he… passed… and she managed to bring him back to Santore. When he was here he managed to connect his consciousness to a living computer. His consciousness lives, although his body does not." Lisa explained, her voice quiet in deference to the subject.

Rick looked at her with barely disguised horror. To have a child go through such a traumatic experience of seeing her mortally wounded father and then talk to him through a computer, not being able to hug or see them… He didn't know what was worse. Regardless it was still a creepy situation all the way around. He couldn't help the shiver of horror that shook his frame at thinking of meeting this living computer.

Lisa saw this and commented, "I understand how you feel and it is rather creepy. Can you imagine talking to your father that way? On the other hand, at least they can still talk to him, he is not lost to them forever." Lisa finished. As an orphan, both of them longed to be able to talk to their own parents, at least one more time, to either mend the broken fences that were never repaired in life or to ask for validation of the person they had become. Lisa and Rick looked at each other in understanding since they both had spoken about their respective parents at length.

"When will we meet?" Rick asked solemnly.

"Soon, Daigo was going to talk to Saori this morning. As you can imagine, she has been keeping him a secret for the longest time and she needs to be on board for all of us to meet him. Daigo and I thought that both you and Barry should be there. Aside from you both, I think the scientific team should be there, Lang and Dr. Dodge, Exxedore since he will be able to corroborate some of the Zentraedi lore with whatever comes up from the talks…"

"How about Koji?"

"Kabuto?" Lisa asked surprised.

"He is the grandson of one of the original scientists that was involved in the SDF-1, aside from that he is piloting another robot like the one that Daigo pilots but at least he has an understanding of the scientific aspect that goes into making these robots. I think he will be a good liaison between the two worlds."

"Well, if Daigo and Saori don't mind all of those people there, I see no problem." Lisa said satisfied. "I guess we don't need to have our meeting after all." She said amused.

But then her mood shifted a bit and she couldn't help but stay quiet. She glanced over at Rick who was morosely studying the dregs of his cup of coffee. This had been a rollercoaster morning for her. In a way, the whole surreal morning summed up their relationship in a nutshell. They would laugh, get along fine and then something weird would happen between them that would put them at odds and then magically they would solve their differences and get back to the beginning to create a vicious circle of ups and downs.

On his part, Lisa's pensive face and silence made Rick remember the misunderstanding from before and he felt guilty about how he had treated her. He really wanted to apologize but how was he going to explain the anger he had felt at the thought of her with another man? And more so, how dare he feel jealous when he had no claim over her? Still thinking about it made his blood boil a bit. What did he really feel about Lisa? There was no way that a mere friend, best or not, would feel like that about another person right? Man he was so confused! He didn't even feel jealous about Minmay anymore. He was sort of used to the idea that she was with Kyle so he didn't even think about it but with Lisa… Was he that petty that he wanted all her attention? Or was there an attraction there?

Rick looked over at Lisa, which prompted her to look at him. They looked at each other in silence, both of them too scared about revealing their feelings and regretting their cowardice. How long did they stay like that, they didn't know but the moment was broken when they heard a door opening into the common area and a surprised Kogo stood by the door, regarding them warily. Both of them acted like they had been caught doing something else, they straightened to attention like two guilty children.

"Morning…" The cyborg said warily.

"Good morning Mr Kogo."

"Was there a meeting that I did not know about?"

Lisa scoffed softly at his question and answered, "You can call it that." Lisa said to him as she got up from her seat. "I leave you to your training Captain Hunter since we already met this morning. Thanks for the coffee… and the sanctuary."

"Anytime." He smiled melancholically. He was loath to let her go. More and more he longed to stay with her and get to know more about her. He felt that instead of understanding her, the more that he spent time with her, the more that she became a mystery to him. Instead of a military salute, he lazily raised his cup and gave her a lopsided smile. Lisa smiled back at him, a smile full of bitterness. Directing her gaze to the other occupant in the room, she nodded goodbye to him and left.

Both men saw her go. Rick took a deep breath and rose from the sofa. "I'll meet you in the training grounds Mr. Kogo." And with that he went back to his rooms to get dressed.

Kogo watched him go. He might not be an expert in relationships and he really could care less about other people's romantic problems but anybody with two eyes on their face could tell that there was something going on between those two. Either an unsatisfied love, a sexual attraction or a failed relationship, but there was some denial there from the two that was obvious to everybody but themselves. With a shake of his head, he decided to file that information for a time when it was necessary.

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"Arrggghhhh" A scream of pain was heard echoing in the subterranean tunnels in Victor Town. A giant being engulfed in blue flames barreled through the tunnel, taking anyone and everything in his path. The rest of the miners, micronians and Zentraedi alike were jumping out of his way or screaming in a panic at the horrible sight.

"Stand down you cowards!" Khyron screamed from a different part of the tunnel. "What the blazes is happening?" Khyron demanded to know. He had been tasked to supervise the mining of whatever shit these micronian aliens thought that was important in these parts and he was quite annoyed by it.

"Commander, we found something!"

Khyron was relieved, maybe now he could finally get out of this hellhole that he had been assigned to by Dolza for his little joyride weeks ago.

"Someone stop that idiot before he destroys our own forces." Some of the micronized beings tried to barricade the Zentraedi who was in so much pain from the substance that he kept swiping at all the barricades put up by them. Khyron just growled impatiently, whipped out his weapon and put the other Zentraedi out of his misery.

"Now what did you find…" He said as he made his way to the edge of the excavations.

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If Rick had thought that talking to a living computer was creepy, the reality of it was even worse. The waiting room to talk to Dr. Otaki was sterile and dark. They were all waiting on Saori to come in and reveal the actual computer entity and the expectation kept them all quiet, which only served to make the electric hum of the computer more prominent. Rick glanced at Lisa, she looked calm and collected but he could see her drumming her fingers against her thigh which he knew was an indication of how anxious she actually was. Koji was not very good at hiding his anxiety as he kept looking around and pacing in a small circle. Dr. Dodge and Exxdedore looked like little kids, almost jumping in place from their excitement. Barry and Ryoma seemed at ease but this was not their first time talking to the computer. Only Dr. Lang seemed completely calm and collected in the face of the unknown. The term cold blooded seemed like an understatement for him.

Finally Saori and Daigo came in from a side door. They had been talking to their father in a smaller room before the meeting. Saori looked visibly upset but she acted as regal and reserved as she usually did as she acknowledged all of them. Silently, she moved to the center panel, where a lonely chair stood. Upon sitting down on it, she pressed a big red button on the console in front of her. At that action, there was a whooshing sound and then gears could be heard, working to open the massive gates that covered and protected the computer. When it was done, they all observed a liquid like substance that bubbled and waved. The room was filled with the eerie blue light emitted from the depths of the substance, as if it was an energy source. Rick slowly released the breath that he had not realized had been holding at the sight of it. He had to admit the computer did not look that intimidating since it almost looked like an aquarium with no fish. The liquid substance seemed almost soothing to see.

"Good afternoon colleagues." Started the disembodied voice. Lisa couldn't help but start at hearing the voice with no physical person to utter it. "My son requested this meeting and I have agreed to it because I see that the time has come for all of us to work together. In order to do that, there will be a need for transparency in my actions, something that I did not foresee happening but based on the report brought by Ryoma, I see we have no choice."

Daigo, who had been standing next to Saori, turned to the group and said, "Yesterday afternoon when Ryoma and the recon group presented their findings, I recognized the area from a time when I was there. I think it was for a mission that we had a year ago. Remember that fight that we had where there was a streak that destroyed all the Madoketer ships? Well that streak was actually me…"

"What?" Barry said incredulous. He had actually seen the streak in person so he was more impressed with the recounting of the story.

"Can you be a bit more specific Mr Otaki?" Lisa requested, reminding the young man that not everybody had been there at the time.

"Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot the rest of you weren't here at that time..." Daigo said sheepishly. "Last year I was sent on a mission with a group of five others. In our investigation, we realized that we had stumbled with an area of Victor Town that was not in the maps. As we kept moving further into the unexplored area, the ground became unstable and I fell off from the path separating me from the rest of the group." He looked away from all of them, as if gathering his thoughts. "When I came to, I was… floating on top of some substance that felt familiar and powerful at the same time. I was completely disoriented, especially because I could hear a million different sounds, my body felt more powerful as if the energy had recharged all the cells in my body. It was sort of how I feel when I pilot Gordian but much more intense!" The young man fell silent, as if trying to remember all he had experienced.

"And the streak?" Lisa prompted him softly.

Daigo looked at her, startled out of his thoughts. His brow furrowed a bit and he continued. "I must have blanked out for a while from the overload of sensations. The only thing I remember thinking was that I had to get back and help everybody so I had to be strong and escape. Next thing I remember was that I was running in a battlefield full of Madokters. I could see my friends were in trouble because I was not there to help them with Gordian. Something told me that I could still help them and I ran past one of the Madokter's ships and it exploded! So I just kept running by them and as I touched them, they kept exploding from the overload of energy that I was discharging. Everybody that told me the story after said that it looked as if a streak or a comet was running around, destroying the enemy. After all the ships were destroyed I ran away, towards Santore but my body gave out on the way and I only managed to see Rosette and Saori coming for me before I passed out again." He fell silent again and this time nobody said anything for a while.

"Daigo… I didn't know." His sister finally said, touched by his story. Not even she had been told the full story of what had happened to her little brother.

"Father forbade me from saying anything, in fact he didn't really explain what had happened to me or what I fell into. So that's it old man, the jig is up. You are going to have to 'fess up and tell us the whole story." Daigo demanded in a rather petulant attitude.

"Daigo, you must understand that at the time I didn't find it prudent that you or any of you knew the whole story, as it could be dangerous if the enemy figured out what lies beneath Victor Town. I thought that if only I knew, then the less risk of the truth being uncovered. The only protection I could give my children was to keep them distanced from the truth." Dr. Otaki explained to all of the people that were present. "Let me start from the beginning, as you know, when the Visitor arrived, I was in the team of scientists that was called at the time. A select few of us were tasked to study the Protoculture Matrix that was the energy source of the whole ship. Based on our own individual areas of study, we took some of the material found on the Matrix to extrapolate something that could work with our own human made machines. After manipulating it, I managed to turn it into two different things, one an energy source and the other one a super strong alloy. Dr. Kabuto had similar results with his studies. His experimentation also yielded two products. In my case, I called my results the X-tron. Dr. Kabuto's results of his own experimentation yielded the Superalloy Z and the photoatomic energy . We both decided to create giant robots that would defend the Earth in case of any attacks. I believe Dr. Kazuki, Mai's father, used Protoculture to distill an electromagnetic energy source which is used to power their robots."

"As you can imagine, Protoculture is a vast field of knowledge and we all decided to collaborate on all of our findings. I believe Dr. Dodge you were working on cloning and cyber manipulating?" Dr. Lang remarked.

"Yes, although the cloning was not my preferred area, I was interested in the findings of how the giants could become smaller, basically our size. As the members of Macross know by now, the process is called Micronization. This process makes a full sized Zentraedi the size of a Human. As later found by Dr. Lang after his studies with the Zentraedi, the Human and Zentraedi share common ancestors, the Protoculture or Robotech Masters. I might not have known the full extent of it at the time but I did think that the Zentraedi were human-like enough to allow for experimentation on a human. After many experiments, I was finally able to recreate the process of Macronization, although the only way for it to be successful in my case, was by mixing it with cyborg pieces that uses X-tron as an energy source and are built using Superalloy Z."

"So you mean to say that Kogo has these two alloys in him?"

"Yes, yes, he does. As Dr. Lang said, one of the things that we had spoken about when we working on the Visitor was to join our knowledge as much as we could to create a group of guardians or super fighters to defend Earth. Well, we just went about it in different ways."

"They were not the only ones." Lang said to them. "Though different, we also used some of the same energy and technology based on their findings and we applied it to the "Thinking caps" that control the Veritech fighters. In essence, we all found that this compound from the ship could be used to connect the human and Zentraedi consciousness into these machines to allow for better control. It made the robotic become an extension of the human mind."

Lisa's eyes were opened wide at this revelation. She had never been privy to this information and she didn't know to what extent even the Admiral had been made aware of this. This revelation changed their whole game. "You mean to tell me that all of our mechas are, in a way connected to each other, as they all originated from one same source, from the Zentraedi?"

"It is more than that Captain Hayes." Exxedore, who had been quietly absorbing all of the information, interjected. "The source of all of these technologies are not the Zentraedi but that of the Protoculture, the culture that created us all, humans and Zentraedi alike. It is more ancient than all of our cultures."

The younger generation of the group, the non-scientists, were having a hard time digesting this revelation. It was too massive and it changed a lot of what they had been told until now. But before they could continue with that line of questioning, Dr. Otaki decided to continue.

"Now back to Daigo's story, and my concern about the area that the Madokters and Zentraedi are mining in, what Daigo fell into close to a year ago was raw X-tron that I stored under Victor Town as I was manipulating it into the energy source. Since Daigo was exposed to Xtron when he was young, he can resist the power of the Xtron but even at that pure level it was too much for him and it sapped his energy."

Rick thought about all that he had heard. "Wait a second, if all of our tech involves the same energy source or at least similar, are you telling me that this is what happens to all of us pilots to a certain extent?" At Lisa, Barry and some of the other's perplexed look, Rick explained further. "Well there is a transitioning period of when we start to use our thinking caps. The first few weeks it's really draining. Is that why we need to train so hard when we first start using the 'thinking caps'? I always attributed it to the stress of the war."

"There is some of that too Captain Hunter." Dr. Lang replied. "But you are correct in assuming that the training of the 'thinking cap' takes a lot out of the body and it does need training to learn how to manipulate the Veritechs without sapping the emotional energy from the pilot."

Koji was silent but he was fascinated by what he was hearing. If all the mechas used a similar technology and the caps used their emotional energy and strength to control their robots, then that might be the answer for his own dilemma with his own robot.

"It takes a special kind of person to really take advantage of the powers of Protoculture. As you both may know, Captains Hunter and Hayes, many a pilot has failed in their training and could never really pilot the Veritechs. Some others managed to pilot them but never really master it. It takes a strength of will and character in order to be able to do it."

"And a great deal of stubbornness and a really hard head too I bet." Lisa said with a straight face but she couldn't help the twitching at the corners of her mouth.

Rick just looked at her and she raised her eyebrow as a challenge. Barry and Saori just smirked and Dr. Dodge just exclaimed, "Yes! So true!" In such a heartfelt manner that everybody had to laugh after that.

"But in all seriousness, that means that the Zentraedi and the Madokters must know the existence of the Xtron and that's what they are mining under Victor Town." Ryoma reminded the rest of the group.

"They must be looking for a power source for their vessels!" Exxedore exclaimed.

"That means that after they find the Xtron, they will have to learn how to manipulate it, which nobody but me knows how to do. Aside from that they would have to prepare their vessels to use the Xtron. So even then they would need time and knowledge that they do not posses to process and synthesize the raw material into actual fuel for their modified ships." Otaki warned them.

"Now I understand! Dolza must have felt the lure of the raw material from the Protoculture Matrix but he knows the Zentraedi do not possess the knowledge or technology to use it. That's why he needed the Izzari and the Madokters who in turn have the intelligence and the technology to do this." Exxedore said.

"We must use this to our advantage. Now that we know the secret of the power of our mechas we need to use this to overpower their vessels. We need to combine xtron knowledge with the different technologies." Lang said.

"Why don't we start the experimentation with Mazinkaiser?" Rick suggested.

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Koji demurred quickly.

"Is there a particular reason why you do not want to do this Mr Kabuto?" Lisa asked, quick as a whip.

Nine pair of eyes looked at him in expectation of his answer. Koji felt cornered by the question and he knew that his answer would damn him in front of all the different factions.

"No, I just thought I would be better served by helping on the scientific team."

"And you still will be helping us. You straddle both sides of the team between the fighter and the scientific faction. And no disrespect to the Captain here but sometimes it is hard for him to convey his ideas in a matter that we can understand." Lang excused himself.

Rick turned to Lisa with a surprised look on his face.

"It's all the acronyms you like to use." Lisa said as she scratched her eyebrow and avoided his gaze.

"But you understand…"

"I'm psychic." She said, smiling at him.

Rick just growled and looked at Lang. "Ok, so you definitely are making the case for Mr. Kabuto." Turning to the young man in question he said, "You heard it Mr. Kabuto, you are the perfect choice. What do you say?" Rick said with a smile.

"Sure." Koji said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

"Ok, I think this meeting is adjourned." Lisa said, her eyes lingering on Koji. There was something about him that just didn't jive with her. She agreed with Rick in that he was the perfect choice but she felt there was something there that he was just not revealing. But in this case she would probably have to defer to both Rick and Dr. Land. They both seemed to believe in him.

"See ya on the training ground tomorrow!" Daigo said happily. "You are going to love hanging out with Takeru and Kogo! Oh, they are so much fun!"

Koji just smiled to the younger man as if nothing was wrong. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Captain Hunter talking and laughing with the Commander and the rest of the scientific team. As he saw him being so carefree, he resented the man who was pushing him to reveal his darkest secret. He vowed to pretend that nothing was wrong tomorrow, that nobody would be able to figure out that the real reason why he did not want to fight with Mazinkaiser anymore was because he could not control it. And he was scared of what would happen if that robot was unleashed without his control.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours later, Lisa entered the Mess Hall with Daigo. He had gone to find her in her office and convinced her to join them. He had promised her that nobody would treat her wrongly as he had already talked to them.

"You see, they are still supposed to obey orders, that was the condition to stay here. Anybody that doesn't obey either Barry or Saori they will be sent out of Santore." The young man was explaining to her. "So anybody that even thinks of saying anything about our new Boss Lady will have to face all of us." He said with a laugh.

"Thanks Mr Otaki, my knight in shining armor." Lisa said with a smile and a shake of her head. Daigo gave her a salute, which he softened with a smile. Lisa saluted him in return and turned to the Macross table, still smiling at the younger man's antics.

Lisa reached the table to see all her friends looking at her with surprised expressions on their faces. But the most surprising expression was that of Rick's who seemed to be looking at them warily.

All of the sudden, they all saw Peachy get up from the Mechakon table and leave the hall with the air of an affronted queen. Lisa spied the messy auburn hair of Daigo who was shrugging as if he had no idea what was happening. Some of the women of Mechakon though turned to her and gave her nasty looks before they turned to gossip amongst themselves.

"What is going on!" Lisa whispered as she sat down next to Claudia and Roy. Rick on the other hand, didn't know what to believe. On one hand, he had heard from Lisa herself what she had been doing with Daigo and it had all been strictly business but at the same time, they seemed kind of cozy all the times he had seen them together.

"I believe that everybody thinks you and Daigo have something going on." Claudia informed her quite gleefully.

"Are you joking?" Lisa said in shock.

"No, that is what the rumor mill is saying."

"Why would they even think that?"

"Well there's the fact that you both got along so well while in the shooting range. Then there is the rumor that you dismissed his disciplinary action and actually included him in the meeting the other day."

"Technically it was Rick that interceded on his behalf." Lisa said, trying to get him to back her story but Rick just gave a shrug and didn't respond. Lisa frowned at her friend, not comprehending why he was acting so weird. Roy had seen the look that Rick had been giving Lisa and Daigo as soon as they had come in and had a pretty good idea what was going through his little brother's head right now.

"Still, it doesn't look good. I guess the fact that you both came in together tonight just took it to the next level." Claudia continued, enjoying the fact that she was making Roy's little brother squirm. She knew Lisa was not interested in Daigo at all. Lisa tended to be extremely shy, to the point of being mute, around the men that she liked and was pretty friendly with men she had no interest on. The fact that she was talking so comfortably with Daigo meant that she had no interest or attraction on him at all. In fact, as comfortable as Lisa was with Rick, as soon as she thought of him outside of a friend, she clammed up and acted like a teenager with a schoolgirl crush.

"This is ridiculous! He's just a kid." Lisa said dismissively.

"He's my same age." Rick mentioned with a small frown. Did Lisa think of him as a kid too?

"He is?" Lisa had forgotten for a second. Daigo had such a child-like way of living that made him seem younger than his years. Or maybe it was just that Rick had been forced to mature too early. "Regardless, there is nothing going on between us. Really! What is it with me and gossip mills!" She said in exasperation.

"What can you say Lisa, you are too interesting and mysterious." Claudia said with a smothered smile. Lisa just glared at her.

"Did you all believe this?" Lisa asked incredulously around the table.

"Not for a second." Roy said and everybody nodded enthusiastically. After all, they all, except for Rick, knew who she really was interested in. For all her protest to the contrary, Lisa had not managed to forget Rick, especially since she kept working with him every single day. Lisa looked at Rick who just gave her a guilty look and refused to look at her in the eye. Vowing to set the record straight with him as soon as they were in a more private setting, Lisa decided to let it slide for now.

"So you think that is what's wrong with her?" Again, all of the Macross table nodded. "Do I have to go and set this straight? It's not like they are dating." Claudia gave her THE LOOK, the one that said, 'Pot, my name is Kettle.' Lisa definitely got the message. "I know, I know… you can tell she's totally in love with him, even though she denies it. Reminds me of someone…" She muttered under her breath, low enough for Claudia to hear but stopping from reaching the object of her impossible love affair.

"Good luck!" Roy said in a sing song voice. Everybody, except for Rick, gave her an overly bright smile and the thumbs up. Lisa gritted her teeth and went to find the younger woman.

Lisa walked around the base, looking for the young Lieutenant. 'If I'm a young, impressionable woman who feels jilted, where would I have gone?' Lisa asked herself, her inner voice full of sarcasm. She couldn't believe that she had escaped the Macross rumor mill to land in another one here. The story of her life! She thought with exasperation.

All of the sudden, she spied the long blond ponytail of Rosette, the girl that manned the comm and that hung around Saori all the time. Calling out to her, she rushed to the end of the hallway where she had seen her. The woman looked at her with distrust and anger in her eyes and Lisa had to swallow her pride in order to avoid giving her a scathing look of her own. Rosette had never really been on board with the whole mission from the first day, regarding them as strangers to be distrusted. Time had not seemed to have diminished that distrust. In deference to Saori though, Rosette had managed to work with them but always with some reservation. Tonight though, without Saori to serve as an intermediary, all bets seemed off.

Lisa took a deep breath as she approached the young girl who in reality could not be older than Sammy. "Rosette, have you seen Lieutenant White?"

"Why? So you can rub it on her face what you are doing with Daigo?"

At her silly accusation following the talk with her friends, the look on Rick's face and the stress of this mission, Lisa could not help but blow up at the poor woman.

"Listen what I am or am not doing in my personal life, stays in my personal life. I believe that Mr Otaki is above the age of consent and is not really sentimentally attached to anybody, is that correct?"

"Yes." Rosette said, not expecting the verbal assault.

"So who he decides to go out with is his own decision, correct?"

"Yes ma'am." Rosette responded.

"Now listen well because I will only say this once. I will explain myself in this situation only in deference of the fact that you are the Otakis' friend and I know that my own friends would stand up for me the same way that you are trying to do for him and Lieutenant White; I am not involved with Mr Otaki and I have no designs to be involved with him at all, regardless of who likes him or not. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Rosette answered again, realizing the strong character of the woman in front of her. This was not like the vapid girls that thought they were in love with every single man out there. This was also not the kind of woman that you wanted to cross because of an unfounded rumor.

"Rosette, that was really unfair to the Captain and we both owe her an apology." Came a quiet voice from the adjacent corridor.

Lisa turned to the voice in surprise. Apparently Rosette had come from seeing Peachy and the other woman had been in the darkened corridor all that time, so she had heard everything that Lisa had said.

"Lieutenant White!"

"My apologies also for eavesdropping." Peachy said, her head hanging low. The woman looked so young! In fact both of them were so young and dealing with all the hardships of this war that was tearing their world apart when in another lifetime they would be getting ready for college and starting a life.

Lisa felt so old all of the sudden. It didn't matter that when she started in the SDF-1 she was around the same age as this girls were now or that she wasn't that much older than them to begin with. Right now she felt much older than her 26 years.

"Lieutenant White, Peachy… let's walk." She said as she waited for the younger woman to approach her. When they were together, Peachy was starting to give her a salute but she stopped her. "At ease. This is an unofficial conversation." Both Peachy and Rosette regarded her warily. "Have a good night Rosette." She said, dismissing the blond girl. Rosette looked at Peachy who nodded to her and slowly walked away from them.

"Peachy… Don't feel bad. I know what you feel right now. I've been in your same shoes. In fact, I am not a stranger to being in the gossip mill. The more different that you are from the rest, the more that they will try peg you in a hole so that they can understand you. I can see that you are not like the majority of the girls in your regiment. You are disciplined, responsible and you are not trying to hook up with anybody and everybody. In a way, you remind me of myself when I was your age." Lisa said with a smile. Peachy looked at the older woman in wonder. She really admired the Captain, as a soldier and as a person, even with the little interaction that they'd had, so to hear her say that, made her feel proud.

"Part of the reason why I am in the gossip mill is because I do not just go out with anybody and when I fell in love with the man that I considered special, well it was a big deal. The fact that we have not gotten together… well that is the source of speculation and gossip." Lisa explained delicately. "The truth is I… well my relationship with this man is rather complicated." She said, avoiding the other woman's avid gaze. "There are many reasons why we cannot be together, past misunderstandings and the fact that his heart belongs to somebody else." Lisa did not like getting too detailed with her personal life. In fact she preferred to avoid personal conversations about her own emotions as much as she could because she was afraid of opening herself emotionally to others and then being hurt but Peachy reminded her so much of how she'd been! She was afraid that this young woman might one day close herself off as she herself had done. So she would give her the advice that she wished she'd had all those years ago.

"I am a very private person Peachy and I do not like to discuss things like this but I do not want you to lose the opportunities that are in front of you and then you will lament the fact that you never acted in time to get what or who you wanted. You both are young right now, and as much as I think you care for Mr. Otaki, you and him, are not ready for a relationship. For his part, I think he cares for you. Will that turn into love, I cannot tell you, you will have to cultivate it and see where it goes. But if you do think that he's worth it, if you think that you can come to love him in the future, then don't ever give up, on him or on yourself. Fight for what you want and don't let a misunderstanding or a silly rumor get in your way. When you are ready, then ask him where you both stand and if you can accept his answer and you can wait for him for when he is ready, then do so but with the understanding that all is clear between you and you know where you both stand."

Peachy looked at the older woman with tears in her eyes. Peachy had had no siblings and no parents for a long time, since they had been killed in the war. In Mechakkon, there was nobody, aside from Barry, that she actually admired and trusted. She didn't feel like she could confide in Saori because she was Daigo's sister and they had completely different outlooks and upbringings but here was somebody that was like her, that she could see herself becoming in the future. Lisa Hayes was a role model for her and she was touched by the sincerity of her words and their accuracy.

"Captain Hayes, Lisa.. Thank you for talking to me. You have no idea what your words mean to me. Thank you." And she did something that she was not used to doing, she gave the older woman a hug. For a second, Lisa was frozen at the unexpected action. She was not a hugger because people wouldn't normally hug her. Everybody was put aback by the Ice Queen persona so they tended to avoid her. But after the initial surprise wore off, she hugged the petite woman with affection, like she would a younger sibling.

After a strong bear hug, both women separated and Lisa said to the teary eyed girl, "Now go get something to eat and get some rest. Tomorrow hold your head high and don't let the gossip get to you. Don't let them win because you are much more than just gossip fodder. Ok?" She asked and Peachy nodded enthusiastically, making her blond curls bounce. With a laugh, Lisa told her, "I see you tomorrow Lieutenant, bright and bushy tailed."

"Yes ma'am." The younger soldier said with a semi serious salute.

Lisa nodded and walked away to her rooms, emotionally drained by the events of the night.

As she watched her leave, Peachy thought about the words the Captain had said about the man she loved and she couldn't help but think if she was talking about Captain Hunter. Deciding to take the Captain's advice, she wouldn't believe in the rumors that swirled around those two but she could finally understand why the older woman wore that perpetual look of sadness around her. Vowing to not let that happen to her, she swore to herself that she was going to do some deep soul searching and if Daigo was really the man that she wanted to be with, she would start laying the groundwork for that to happen instead of running away from him as she'd been doing all this time.

Chapter Text

Life had to go on during the war, so everybody tried to do their job to the best of their abilities. Some did it with conviction, some did it for a cause and some just did it because they had no other choice in the matter. Everybody though, understood that the times they were living were rather dire and regardless of what their personal feelings were, they had to do whatever it took to defeat their enemy.

Roy, who had been mostly grounded while in Macross, had been tasked with flying during this mission. Although highly qualified, his last bout with the enemy years ago had left wounds that would prevent him forever from flying combat ever again. And although he could fly, he did only for short reconnaissance missions that were easier to handle by his afflicted body. While in this mission, he had been tasked to fly over the invaded town to get a sense of what the enemy was doing. His information, while not expansive because of the challenges of flying over the enemy camp, was still valuable to strategically plan for future attacks and to understand what they were up against. In this fight, they were weak on air attacks because of the limited area that they had to work with.

Vince on the other hand was having his own challenges. He had been working with Commander Barry Hawk to develop new strategies in which both their forces could join in the battle. While both commanders were really cooperative with each other, the problem was the forces under them. The Macross troops followed along because they were well trained but it was obvious that they distrusted the other troops. Unfortunately in the heat of the battle this could cause their lines of communications to break and their missions to fail, which is why the two commanders were so frustrated with their training missions. That frustration made them push their respective groups harder and harder. Commander Hawk had taken into training the Macross soldiers in the close combat that was used in the desert and to adapt to the desert’s temperatures. Vince on the other hand had taken into instilling some discipline into the voluntary corps. It wasn’t that Barry was a bad commander or too soft but Vince, by being a total unknown and with his rather big size, was really good at intimidating them into following along. As they worked together, Barry and Vince found that their training and commanding styles were very similar and complemented each other really well.
For some others, though, it seemed like it was a case of two steps forward and one step back. Rick, who had found himself with the almost impossible task of reigning in the Special Forces, had his hands full. Not only did he have to train people that had no military experience, it was also the ones with the biggest personalities in the whole team. Granted, he was no easy cookie himself, and he had given his squadron leaders and his CO a lot of proverbial gray hairs because of his attitude but he found himself struggling with being able to mesh their personalities and fighting styles into something cohesive.

Everyday brought different challenges and Rick counted his victories in the training field differently than he would have done back in Macross. A good day for him would be when he actually got all of them to cooperate and not fight amongst each other while training. Some days he thought rather ruefully that maybe he had some bad karma to work through.

Today was a victory day for him. The training drills had not gone that bad. Rick was always glad when they could get through a day without any major fights or disasters. The addition of Daigo to the team turned out to be more helpful than what he expected. At least he was another one that was on his side.

After the drill, as was his usual routine, he waited for his team to return and give them feedback on their individual performance. Rick turned to see his notes on Jan Kogo, the lone warrior with the smallest spaceship. Kogo’s strength was his speed. The small size of his vessel allowed him to weave through the bigger robots and deliver debilitating attacks to them. He could also help the ground forces or the air forces if needed. The last thing about Jan Kogo was the fact that he could use his weapon, The Astrolance, to grow to the size of a Zentraedi which was impressive in its own right. After seeing the Micronization process, he knew that even the zentraedi were not capable of such a swift transformation In size. Unfortunately, there were a lot of downsides to him too. Kogo was unpredictable, arrogant and too strong for his own good. His temper was as fiery as the red trim of his spaceship. He also used to be the leader of his own group so taking orders from somebody else was not an easy feat. Rick felt that much of the time he was just indulging him or playing nice for the time being. The only saving grace was that whomever was really telling him what to do was on their side.
Today Jan had been entertained by sparring as a giant with Daigo who had given him a run for his money. At what point it had degenerated from a real practice to children tussling with each other, he had no idea. But as soon as Rick realized that Jan was trying to give Daigo a metal nookie on his robot’s head, he called the end to the mockery of a practice. Rick shook his head in exasperation at their antics. As annoyed as he was by Jan’s levity, he at least was glad that he and Daigo were getting along and up until that point they’d had a rather good practice.

At his orders to rest, the Super Magnetic Robot piloted by Mai and Takeru returned to the training grounds followed by Sayaka who had been training with them. The three of them were working rather well together. Rick believed it was the influence of Mai on Takeru that actually kept that combination in check. When he tried to separate them to their smaller individual robots, Takeru did his own thing but as soon as he had to combine together to control the bigger robot, they were forced to work together as one person. It seemed that in that case, Takeru just followed along with what Mai did unless he felt really strongly about going against her wishes and then he would take the lead.
The only one who didn’t respond to the end of the training and staunchly stayed in his robot was Koji, the scientist turned warrior. Rick didn’t really know what to do with him and he had started to regret including him in the training. He had truly believed that he would be another helpful ally and that his presence would not only benefit the whole group but would also benefit their initiative of merging their individual technologies to benefit all. To be truthful, Koji had been as sullen as Takeru used to be and worse, would pick on Sayaka all the time, hampering her performance. At least Mai seemed to have a thicker skin when it came to Takeru and although they fought constantly outside of the robots, they had apparently learned to work mostly together when they created the one combined robot. Sayaka on the other hand was a bit more emotional and needed more positive reinforcement, which Koji was not providing, and she obviously craved. Rick was going to have to talk to Lisa and Roy about handling that situation since he was a little bit at loss about how to handle this particular relationship. It was one of the weirdest non-relationships that he had ever seen.
For now, he couldn’t do much until he analyzed this new complication and mulled it over with Roy and Max. He was hesitant about bringing it up to Lisa since he had been the one to advocate for Koji in the first place. He knew that she had not been totally onboard about his decision but respected him enough to let him get away with it. Man, he hated it when she was right about something! It was as if she had a sixth sense or something. He decided that until he resolved this new puzzle, he would keep doing what he had been doing until now and ignore the situation for the time being. So when Sayaka finally dismounted from her cockpit and was on ground next to him, he turned to talk to her, commending her on the work that she had done. Giving her positive reinforcement as well as what aspects that needed to change.

Koji was watching the group as they started to wrap up from their training of the day. As the others came and went, he studied them from his cabin. His shoulders were hunched almost to his ears and he couldn’t help but feel like a sullen teenager again. His fingers shook slightly on the handlebar like controllers and it took an effort to slowly gentle the grip he had on them.
He gave a shaky exhale as he tried to relieve the tension he felt. He tried to do the relaxation exercises he had taught himself months ago but nothing was helping. His body felt coiled as if he was ready to do battle but he knew the battle was not with an outside threat. No, this threat was more insidious, as it was a battle of wills between himself and the powerful robot he was connected to. Fleetingly, he recalled the conversation between the Macross crew about the pilots that could not handle the connection with their mecha. Before, the first generation of his robot, he would have scoffed at the idea of anyone not being able to control a mechanical robot but after he had been given the newer, second generation robot, he finally could understand why they would not be able to deal with the strain of keeping their power under control. It was a battle of man vs machine and he was struggling to stay afloat.
Koji’s mind and body were exhausted from the stress of handling his robot. It had been months since he had gotten in its cockpit and it had been as hard to handle it as the first day when he had come across the powerful robot. A strong feeling of inadequacy filled him and he felt all the things that he had taken for granted being torn away from him. He used to be the strongest fighter with Mazinger and was used to that robot to the point that it was almost an extension of his own body but this robot, Mazinger 2.0* was different. He could feel the robot’s sentient being fighting him constantly, trying to take over his consciousness and he knew that if he would let the robot take over, hell would come to Earth.
A small movement outside caught his eye and he relished the distraction, hoping that it would let him achieve control once again. He commanded the camera to zoom in to the tarmac and realized it was Sayaka rapidly approaching the young Captain of the Macross forces. Sayaka, the girl that confused him and made him yearn for things that he could not have right now. Not now, when he was finally free to achieve some of the goals that he had only dreamed of. Not now when he felt like he was not needed anymore.

On one hand, he was impressed with all that Sayaka had achieved under the Captain’s tutelage. On the other hand, he hated how she lapped his attention and followed everything he said to a T. He zoomed to her face even further to see Sayaka looking at the man intently, hanging on to every word he was saying like it was Gospel.

And what was Hunter’s problem? He was always looking out for her and giving her instructions. It was as if he didn’t care about any of the other ones but her. It was HIS job to look after her damn it! Not anybody else’s. His thought spiraled darker and darker, same as his vision but he was too far gone to notice. He could hear the whisper of something or someone in his mind, taunting him for his failures. Was it himself or was it Mazinger, laughing at his failings? He felt his rage mounting and his despair washed over him until he knew no more.

Mazinkaiser jerked, as if it had been a puppet with its strings cut. And then his weapons geared up to fire...
Jan Kogo was about to descend from his vehicle when he noticed the abrupt movement from Koji’s robot. The young scientist had not really participated much but from what he had seen, this was not how Koji controlled his mecha. There was something off with Its jerky movements. A high pitched sound reached his sensitive eardrums and he knew exactly what that kind of sound meant. Still, his eyes widened when he saw Mazinkaiser aiming his weapons towards Rick and Sayaka, not expecting that action from the normally affable man.

“Hunter, Sayaka, watch out!”

Rick was still talking to Sayaka when all of the sudden he heard The cyborg yell at them. Rick and Sayaka turned to see what the problem was. Rick noticed the big robot’s threat first and instinctively pushed Sayaka out of the way. Sayaka fell to the side, unharmed. Rick on the other hand got caught in the backlash of the blast and fell to the ground, dazed. He shook his head to clear it and got up to face the pilot.
“Koji what is you problem? Stand down now!” He ordered but the pilot ignored him.

Sayaka screamed as she watched Koji deliver another blast to the defenseless man. Thankfully Rick was a battle hardened soldier with quick reflexes and he avoided the majority of the hit but the after shock sent him flying like a discarded doll and he landed heavily, unmoving.

“Koji! Koji, stop! You are going to kill him.” She screamed at him. She ran towards Rick and stood in front of him, protecting the fallen man with her body.

Everything happened too fast for the rest of the stupefied pilots to do anything. They could not believe that one of their own would attack them. Jan was the fastest to act. He transformed back to his giant self. That spurred the other two robots, Gordian and the Super Magnetic Robot to distract the rogue robot from its human target. As they struggled to neutralize him, Jan took a second to analyze the threat of the powerful ally turned to enemy. The robot’s movements were not as fluid as they had been before. Granted, he had not seen Kabuto train for too long, since he had been paired with Daigo but still the movement did not seem normal.

“Kabuto! What are you doing?” Jan calls out but he gets no response. He sees the big robot take another menacing step towards the injured Captain.

But by now, Koji was in the thrall of the robot. There was nothing of Koji’s consciousness left. If he would have been aware of what he was doing, he would have been horrified. Koji was not a violent man, he fought to protect those he loved, his brother, his friends, the woman he secretly loved… but he did not revel in violence. So his actions, to someone who did not know him, might not have seemed strange but Sayaka knew that there was something wrong. This was not the Koji that she had come to care for. Unfortunately, she was too preoccupied on staying alive to really think about what was happening. That realization would come later, after all the craziness was taken care of.

Without thinking about it, Jan jumps to deflect a new attack aimed at Rick. Daigo comes to help him but before he gets closer, Jan says to him, “Forget about helping me! Take the Captain and the girl to the infirmary.” He said it with such a commanding tone that Daigo didn’t hesitate to do as he was told. He doubled back and gently cradled the, by now, unconscious Rick and a tearful Sayaka and took them back to Santore.

“Hey you two, some help here…” The space cyborg asked. If this would have been any other type of enemy, he would have wasted no time in decimating the threat and he would have been done with the whole thing but this was a human being and he needed to be careful with this life. This was not a space monster created by space debris and shaped by the galactic energy, this was a person that he knew. Regardless of what he had done, his life was still valuable.

The other robot seemed to hesitate and Jan didn’t care if they were having one of their fights in there, wherever they were housed when they created their robot. He needed their help and he needed it now! This robot was stronger than what he had ever experienced. And although he was powerful on his own right, the fact that he was only trying to neutralize the threat instead of blowing it up to little pieces was proving to be quite a feat.

“Move now! Or so help me when I’m done with this guy…” Jan barked and something about his tone convinced the pilots to rush to help him.

Lisa was in the briefing room, deep in a debate with Commander Hawk and Commander Grant when the door flew open from its hinges and violently bounced off the wall. Vince and Barry, battle hardened soldiers, jumped to face the threat, their handguns drawn. Lisa had managed to make it halfway out of her chair before they were both blocking her view of the intruder as they had moved in front of her to protect her.

“Captain Hayes…” A breathless voice gasped as if she was trying to catch her breath. The voice seemed somewhat familiar but she didn’t put a face to the name until…

“Rosette, what are you doing barging in like that?”

Commander Barry Hawk moved a bit towards the blond haired girl, allowing Lisa to see the worried and slightly out of breath form of Saori’s Communications’ technician.

“Captain Hayes, there’s been an accident in the training field.” Rosette hurriedly informed her.

“An accident?” She asked alarmed. “What kind of accident?” Her concern mounted when she saw Rosette’s face.

“It’s Captain Hunter.” The younger woman replied, not mincing any words but going straight to the point. “He was involved in some friendly fire and now he’s being rushed here to the infirmary.”

Lisa’s blood froze at her words. For a second, her senses shut down and she truly could not say what happened or what was said, except she snapped back to see them looking at her with different levels of concern. Her head was bent, she realized with detachment, and her hands were clutching at her desk as if to gather strength to stand.

Two beats, two painful heartbeats was all it took for her to gather her composure but then she asked, “How bad is it?” Her manner as professional as she could manage.

“Daigo only said he was caught in a blast, he didn’t give any specifics.”

"Where are they now?"

"They are on their way.  They will be landing in Landing Bay 2-B"

"Thank you Rosette, that is all."  Lisa dismissed her.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Rosette…” Lisa called out as the younger blond was leaving. “Please keep this to as few people as possible.”

“Yes ma’am”. The other woman nodded and left.

Lisa sat heavily on her chair, her mind conjuring images of the last time that Rick had been caught in friendly fire and how close to losing him she had come. Vaguely she noticed Vince talking in the phone and from what she could gather from the conversation, he was letting Jean know so she could prepare herself from whatever eventuality would come her way.

Barry Hawk on the other hand was looking at her with concern. Lisa tried to gather her ragged feelings so that she could put them aside for when she was alone but she was too scared to do so. Her mind just went around in circles, envisioning different scenarios, each more disturbing than the last. She knew that she had to get it together, she willed herself to move but she couldn’t even stop gripping the desk in front of her.

“Captain Hayes, do you want me to escort you to the loading dock? If Daigo is bringing him, I know where he usually lands in cases like this so I can take you there swiftly.” Barry said.

Lisa just looked at him, silent for a moment. She was glad that he was not acknowledging her feelings, instead , his voice had the same professional tone that he had been using when discussing their battle tactics. In that moment, she knew he would tell no tales of her weakness.

His calm tone had another effect, it helped to put her at ease. Something about his professional tone comforted her in his familiar tones and it helped her remember her place and her duty. Yes, she was Lisa, a woman worried for her friend but she was also Captain Lisa Hayes, the soldier that had a duty to perform. The reminder helped her to finally gather herself and she found the strength to get up from her desk and approach the young Commander.

How she made it to the landing bay, she had no idea. She just had quick impressions of winding hallways and multiple staircases. Her mind was too preoccupied with regrets and fears. All of the sudden, she heard frantic voices calling out and her footsteps hurried towards the noise. She burst into the landing bay to see a small medic team prepping to move the injured man. Lisa could not tear her gaze of the white unmoving sheets, her steps hesitant now. After hurrying to the dock, she now found that she had to force herself to approach him. The sound of soft sobs reached in her ears, echoing the sounds her heart was making. She didn’t look towards the distraught female that was making the sounds and she refused to catch the eyes of the young man that was trying to console her. Her narrowed focus was on reaching him.

She made sure not to get in the way of the medics and she waited on a pause between their prep to get near him. She needed to touch him, to make sure that he was alive, to make sure that he would be okay, to make sure that he would still be there with her, even if he would never be hers.

Paleness, that was the first thing she noticed. His face was so pale, probably made more pronounced by the contrast of his inky black hair and the dark red of the blood that seeped from a gash by his hairline.
“Lisa.” Jean Grant said. “I need to take him to triage. He will be okay.” Her soft voice held a promise.

Lisa acknowledged her words with a sharp nod. She took a step away from the gurney as her eyes swept over the still form. Her fists clenched, driving her nails into her palms, the pain gounding her. Remember your duty… a mantra, words that had kept her going when she had been ready to give up. Because regardless of her feelings, she still had a job to do. People depended on her, a whole world depended on her and she could not afford to fall apart now.
She was about to turn around to talk to both Daigo and Sayaka when an alarm sounded.

“Are we being attacked?” Sayaka’s voice rose in a panic. Lisa’s body tensed as she expected the announcement.

“No, that’s a different alarm. We have incoming aircrafts.” Commander Hawk responded.

“It’s probably the others, they stayed behind to stop Koji…” Daigo said absentmindedly but he abruptly cut off as he realized what he was going to say and who was his audience.

Lisa’s sharp eyes speared the two of them as they warily looked at each other. Her eyes quickly took in the details of their appearance, from Sayaka’s disheveled hair, to the torn sleeve to the bruise that was starting to blossom on her thigh to Daigo’s guilty face. She was about to ask for an explanation when Barry’s communicator beeped with an incoming message.

“Barry Hawk.”

“Barry, are you still on the landing zone?” Rosette’s voice rang clearly in the quiet. When Barry responded with an affirmative, she continued. “The rest of the robots are about to land there. Please stand by for the medics, one of the pilots is unconscious.”

“One of them is unconscious? Who?”

Lisa suspected the answer before she got confirmation. “Koji it seems.” A wince from Daigo and a whimper of distress from Sayaka and she knew that there was more to this story. She would demand an explanation but she knew that she would get nothing right now so she bade her time. They didn’t have long to wait before the sounds of rushed footsteps heralded the arrival of the medical team and the sharp whine of engines brought the rest of the team to land on the deck.

Her clinical gaze swept the scene as the rest of the pilots dismounted and Jan Kogo handed over the unconscious man to the medics. In the meantime, the combined robot of Mai and Takeru was gingerly depositing the massive robot in the deck, like a soulless puppet. Lisa approached the Magnetic robot and they turned to her.

“Where is Sayaka’s robot?” She questioned.

“Still in the field.” The combined voices of Mai and Takeru answered.

“Go and retrieve it.” She ordered and before they could acknowledge her command she added, “after that, report to my office. We will meet in 15 minutes. Is that enough time?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” She responded and turned to Jan Kogo who was warily watching her.

“I take it you want to meet with me too.” A raised eyebrow was his only answer. He gave a resigned sigh and he nodded.

“Sayaka,” She said, finally turning to the last two members. “Take the time to freshen up and change your clothing. Are you hurt aside from your thigh?” The woman looked down at herself as if she had just realized that she was hurt.

A soft shake of her head answered her. “Go then, I will expect you at the same time as everybody else.” Lisa’s gaze speared Daigo’s crystal blue eyes and he understood that he had been included in that command.
“Do you need me in that meeting Captain Hayes?” Commander Barry offered.

With a soft shake of her head she declined his assistance. He would need to be informed but not now. She needed to get to the bottom of what had happened first.

Quiet, subdued footsteps were the only thing that could be heard in the hallway that lead to Captain Hayes’ office. It seemed like the whole base was on tenterhooks, after the latest fiasco. Jan Kogo had not expected the day to end like this. The day had started like any other, he had woken up in the foreign room, the Earthly gravity weighing down his body in an unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable manner. While he knew logically that the fake gravity field created by the massive ship he travelled in was not the same as Earth’s gravity, it was a rude awakening every morning. He had not realized how much he would be affected. Maybe he could ask Dr. Dodge to make some adjustments to his suit so he could not feel gravity so heavily…
His thoughts were derailed when he heard rapid footsteps coming behind him as if trying to catch up to him. He also heard another pair of heavier, slower footsteps coming sedately after. From the sounds, he determined it was Takeru and Mai. Those two were never far apart from each other. He often wondered about their relationship but he never let himself dwell too long in it. What others did on their own time was their problem. He had too much to worry about. He just wanted this whole thing to be done with so he could move on with his own mission.

He neither sped up nor slowed down to allow the girl to catch up to him. Without turning to see who it was, he knew that it would be Mai to try to talk to him. Takeru didn’t seem to talk much unless it was to complain or to throw some snide comment.
“Jan, wait…” the girl said as she suddenly reached him and lightly touched his arm. He turned abruptly towards her, making her stumble back a couple of steps. Takeru’s steps sped up then, protective of his partner as always. “Sorry, err… Mr. Kogo” She amended her address, watching him warily. She not interacted with him much and although she was not a shy person, there was something about him made her wary. He seemed to be as caustic and distant as Takeru was when he first started in the team but she never felt that much of a dangerous aura from him as she was getting from the cyborg.

Jan just watched her silently, giving her his attention but she could tell that he was well aware of Takeru’s approach.

“What?” He asked at her continued silence. “You stopped me for a reason. I don’t want to keep the dragon lady waiting for much longer. Not that I care too much about what she thinks but I have people that do.” he grunted as an afterthought.

Mai mentally rolled her eyes, another one that didn’t care about the rules. She could almost see Takeru smirk beside her as he agreed with the cyborg. Maybe it her exasperation at the “boy’s club” she was surrounded with that made her lose her reticence and she asked, “What are you going to tell them?”

The cyborg crossed his arms as he considered his answer. “The truth.” He answered simply. “I have nothing to hide. Do you?” He added with an arrogant smirk. He couldn’t help himself, he had a natural tendency to turn to sarcasm when questioned.

Takeru could feel Mai’s temper rising. She had held back from the stranger because she didn’t know him but he knew how sharp her tongue could get. He didn’t want to have to fight the cyborg to protect his foolish partner.
“Easy there Mai. He’s just playing with you. And he’s right, we should tell the truth. We don’t have anything to hide.”

“That was not my question and you both know it.” She said with a narrowed eyed glare. “Are you telling them what we think? Even though it’s… quite bizarre?”

Jan looked at the other man but he avoided his gaze. He could tell they were remembering what had just transpired and he did not disagree with them. He couldn’t help but recall in vivid detail what had happened right after Daigo had left with the injured Captain and the other girl.

…..Flashback…..

Even with the help of the other robot, Jan was struggling to hold Mazinger’s arm behind it’s back.

“Quick, grab his arm! I don’t want another one of his torpedo arms trying to hit me.” Jan commanded. He was used to being a leader of his own accord, so giving orders was more on par with him than taking orders. Plus, he had never been good at taking orders on the first place. The other robot on the other hand, seemed to be more used to direct orders so they scrambled to obey.

The cyborg grunted as the robot made another abortive attempt to get free. Regardless of the fact that its movements were uncontrolled and erratic, it was still a powerful robot and they were struggling.

“Kabuto!” He called out. “Koji. Can you hear me?” Only silence was heard. That into itself was weird. There was no grunting, no vocalization of any kind. He knew from his own fights that controlling the robots created its own kind of exertion so to not hear anything was strange. Also the fact that Kabuto was not moving his head to acknowledge any of his attackers, regardless of the fact that he might not want to talk to them...

Jan decided to change tactics and went after the pilot himself. He finally found an opening created by Mai and Takeru’s Gakeen robot and forced open the canopy of the Mazinkaiser. The sight that greeted him made him stop cold on his tracks. His suspicions were right. The reason why Koji had not answered was because he was unconscious in the cockpit. His body hung limp as if boneless, like only the relaxation that unconsciousness could bring.

“Kogo, what is the problem?” Takeru and Mai spoke in their eerie combined voice.

“He’s unconscious.” Jan said as he carefully extracted the limp body out of the cockpit. ‘How was he able to control the robot while unconscious?’ He thought dazedly but then the answer slapped him in the face. He hadn’t. Koji had not been in control of the robot, the robot had somehow tapped into him and had manipulated him as a puppet. A cold shiver shook his frame slightly. Was the robot sentient? Could it control itself? How dangerous was it? Jan was not one to get spooked easily. He had seen and done too many things in his past but this was too eerie, even for him.

“He’s out? But how?” They grunted in unison as Mazinger suddenly went limp on their arms. Now that the pilot was out, it seemed that the robot had no more force to tap into.

“You tell me… Let’s just take him in. The bosses can deal with this shit. Grab the robot, will you?”

Jan could feel the hesitation of the other two pilots, the stillness for a moment as they seemed to debate internally wherever those two were inside of the robot. Did they speak telepathically? Were they connected? Were they one? Ugh, just thinking about it made him squeamish, like when you think of other people having sex…. And he just had to go there… He might need to bleach his brain after all this.
Thankfully the other robot seemed to have reached a decision by then and they moved to gather the by now immobile Mazinger. Jan deposited the man carefully in his own ship. Hurriedly he reduced his size and jumped in the space behind his cockpit so he could pilot his own ship. At this point he didn’t know if the unconscious man was possessed or if he had some sort of unnatural talent to drive things even in his sleep so just to be on the safe side, he wanted to be the one in charge.
The other two robots had already taken off and so he hurried up to catch up with them.

Just looking at their faces showed him that they were also remembering what had happened hardly half an hour ago. Half an hour that had tossed his sanity down a black hole. An easy mission they had said, he thought with a grumble.

The cyborg could understand their trepidation. It was one thing to be the defenders of what was “right” and to fight against the invaders but when their own instruments turned against them…? That was quite a different matter.

He let his guard down a bit and decided to give them a simple answer. “Let’s tell her all that we know, we’ll let her decide what to do. After all, isn’t that why they pay her the big bucks to do?” He said with a levity that he didn’t really feel. Mai looked like she was not as convinced but she agreed that their captain would be the best suited to figure out what was going on. After all, she had a feeling that Captain Hayes knew more about this whole mission than she was letting on.

When the trio came in they realized that Daigo and Sayaka were already there. So was Captain Hayes, who stood behind her desk, arms crossed as she waited for them to enter.

“I want to know exactly what happened on the field.” Lisa’s voice rang with the force of steel.

And she went straight to the point, Jan Kogo thought. There was one thing that he admired about this lady, she did not mince words. After having so many people he trusted try to “protect” him by serving him lies or half-truths, he could appreciate honesty. Still, he might admire her but he was not going to turn into anybody’s lackey. He would see how this played out. He crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, waiting to see who would be the first to crack. He didn’t have long to wait.

“I’m so sorry Captain, I have no idea what Koji was thinking…” Sayaka started to apologize in a rush but Lisa was having none of that.

“I do not want to hear excuses.” Her voice was ice cold as she cut off the bubblering female. With her tone, they all could see why some of her own people would sometimes call her the Ice Queen behind her back. “I asked for the facts to be reported.” Hard jade eyes swept across the room and all of the people in it. “This is an official investigation. A superior officer was seriously injured and could have been killed.” Sayaka turned pale at the ramifications of what the woman was saying. As much as she appreciated her superior officer, Captain Hunter and wished him no harm, she felt very strong emotions towards Koji and she feared for what would become of him.

Mai and Daigo also looked nervous at the face of their leader’s words and serious face. Jan had a poker face, he seemed to be studying the woman as he tried to evaluate, how much of her anger was caused by her concern over a subordinate or if it went deeper than that. After all, he had seen them together before and had his own observation about them. Takeru was the only one that was totally unfazed by the whole procedure. For him it was clear, he had no guilty conscience so he knew the woman’s anger was not directed to him. So Takeru just laid back and waited for this whole production to finish.

“Captain, I can tell you what I saw and hopefully the rest can fill in.” Daigo stated, he had a much better understanding of the Captain than the rest of them and a much better relationship because of the conversations they’d had before. So he took it upon himself to tell what had happened as clinically as possible up until Jan had told him to leave.
“Thank you Mr. Otaki. And you said you left when Mr. Kogo asked you to bring Captain Hunter to us?” She asked as she looked at the other man. Kogo stared at her, knowing he would be questioned next. You just don’t take command and expect to have no responsibility attached to it.

Lisa cleared her throat delicately and asked, “Does anybody have anything to add?” Mai gave an imperceptible shake of her head and Takeru simply shrugged. Lisa directed her
“The only thing I know is that I had already dismounted from my robot and Captain Hunter wanted to talk to me about my training of the day.” Sayaka started. “Jan… I mean, Kogo warned us about the attack and Captain Hunter threw me aside to protect me from the attack.”

“You warned them of the attack?” Lisa addressed the man directly, since he’d decided to keep his silence until now.

Everyone turned to the cyborg, curiosity burning in their gazes.

“I’m a cyborg.” He said with a shoulder shrug. At the majority of their blank faces, he sighed and explained. “Super hearing? I can pick up sounds that regular humans cannot.” He said, his eyes shifting a bit, like he was a bit embarrassed to admit his superhuman status. He then looked directly at Lisa, adding. “I heard a high pitched whine that I come to equate to weapons when they are about to discharge. I guess you can call it a perk.”
Lisa just studied him impassively, neither impressed not put out by that admission. The other people in the room didn’t seem to look disgusted either. But then again, the majority of the people in that room were not that normal either.
Jan sat up straight then and decided to pick up the story from where Daigo left off.

“You are not getting what I’m trying to tell you Captain.” Jan Kogo realized that Lisa was not understanding the most important aspect of what had happened. She was too focused on the fact that Koji almost killed Hunter to really realize the implications of what he was saying. “When I said he was unconscious , I meant he was knocked out the whole time. He didn’t faint after I held him back or after I forced his cabin open, he had been unconscious the entire time.” Kogo said.
That made her pause. Finally, it seemed that she had understood what he was getting at.

“What? How can that be?” Her eyes shifted to everyone in the room. Daigo and Sayaka, who left first, were as surprised as she was at hearing what Kogo was saying but Mai and Takeru were somber. She could tell they were a bit spooked by what they had seen.

“I realized that there was something wrong when he didn’t answer our calls but when I was close to him, I noticed that although his robot reacted to my nearness, he did not.”
“Oh no…” Sayaka whispered and Lisa turned laser eyes to her.

“I take it this is not the first time that this happens.”

“No, but the last time this happened, he had been seriously injured when his other robot, the Mazinger was destroyed in battle. He found this new robot that had been built by his grandfather as an upgraded version of the Mazinger but… it proved to be too strong for him.”

Lisa’s analytical mind ran through the puzzle pieces rather quickly. The fact that he seemed so reticent about using his robot, the fact that Dr. Lang had told them that Koji was looking for better ways to connect with the robotechnology, that single minded dedication... He had know that he could lose control over the Mazinkaiser anytime!

“You mean to tell me that he could not control his robot and yet he was using it?” Lisa’s voice dripped venom. All the other occupants on the room were shocked by the admission from the brunette.

“No, not exactly! I mean that was the first time he transitioned from Mazinger to Mazinkaizer and he was hurt… After that, he practiced and trained and he could control his robot. This is the first time after then.”

“Yet he hesitated in using his robot.” Lisa remarked knowingly. Sayaka knew she was right. She remembered her last fight with his a day ago where she accused him of not acting and hiding behind the guise of science.

Lisa sat heavily on her chair, the events that had unfolded bearing more weight than what she had thought possible. This was not a simple case of negligence, although there was a small part of that, or intentional sabotage. She would have to talk to Kabuto and get to the bottom of what had happened. As much as she wanted to rage against him, there were a lot of things stopping her. One was her professionalism, the other was her sense of fairness.

She raised her eyes to the rest of the people in the room who were waiting on her decision on the matter.

“I will speak with Mr. Kabuto when he is awake. Sayaka, I want you to be seen by the medics.” The other woman was about to object but she raised her hand. “I know you told me that you were not hurt. I want to make sure that there is nothing that was missed. As for the rest, starting tomorrow, you will all train under Captain Fokker and Lieutenant Commander Sterling until Captain Hunter recovers.” They didn’t dare groan but Kogo and Takeru were not happy.

“What will happen with Koji?” Sayaka asked, fearing for him.

“For now, he will not train anymore. I will not make a decision until I have heard his side of the story. You are dismissed.”

Sayaka hesitated at the non answer but one look at the face of their leader made her understand that she shouldn’t push it. Captain Hayes seemed like a less forthcoming person than Captain Hunter so attempting to get any information when she didn’t want to provide it might prove counterproductive. With some difficulty, she rose of her chair and she decided to play along. Maybe if she was in her best behavior she could intercede in Koji’s behalf in the future.

After she left, the rest of the group disbanded. Lisa’s gaze lingered after Kogo’s figure as he left. She briefly wondered about his actions of that day. There was a lot more to him than what he was trying to project. As if this whole mission was not hard enough, this whole group was a small powder keg. Lisa felt the crushing weight of leadership more keenly now that she was alone. She had no Admiral Gloval to rely on, and now she didn’t even have Rick. Her eyes darkened as she thought of the last time she had seen him.

As exhausted as she was by the extent of the events that had unfolded that day already, she knew that she was far from done. Again, she had too many responsibilities to just give in and curl under the covers as she wished she could do. She vehemently wished she had the luxury of hiding from the world but she knew that was not for her. It took some effort but she forced her her hand to reached for the phone. After she was done getting an update from Jean Grant, she would have to meet with the rest of the command staff and inform them of what had happened. If there was something she had learned from her time in the SDF-1 when they were stranded in space was that in a small contained community such as this, gossip would flare faster than a grass fire and she had to do some damage control before it would flare out of control.

With a click, Lisa concentrated on her task at hand. One task at a time, after all was done, she could then go to her room and fall apart.

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Chapter Text

Lisa felt like she had aged ten years in the past few hours.  It’s not that she had not appreciated what Rick had been doing lately but the absence of him brought home how much he had shouldered on in the past.   Rick seemed to be all over the place so it was hard to see beyond the flurry of activity to all that he had accomplished. Beyond that, the fact of the accident itself had brought on extra measures and steps to make sure that they would not be left vulnerable while Rick was out of commision.

For that reason, she had not had an opportunity to visit him yet.  She had gotten regular reports and she knew that the injuries were not life threatening but he was still unresponsive.  She was aware that until he was not up and bothering her again, she would still be worried. Rick’s energy was infectious and right now she was feeling that lack of energy keenly.

She walked to the room he had been moved to for recovery, lost in thoughts.  When she neared his room, she heard voices. Her heart stopped for a moment, as it swelled with happiness.  He was awake! She wanted to burst in but she decided to present a modicum of grace and so she knocked and awaited for an acknowledgement.   The voice that responded was not Rick’s but she was not deterred, she still pushed in, her hopes high. Her hope was deflected through as soon as she stepped in.  The voices she had heard belonged to Roy and Max but they were not talking to Rick, they were talking about Rick. The third man was still laying on the bed, still unresponsive.  Something must have shown on her face, as much as she avoided it, because Max just gave her a soft look and shook his head.

“Nothing yet.”  Max said softly.

Roy harrumphed and said in a gruff voice, “The kid just had to be heroic, didn’t he?”

“Did you expect anything else from him?”  Lisa said with a soft smile.

“No, and of course, we all would have done the same… It’s just… It’s hard to see him get hurt.  Especially in a case like this.” Roy said.

“What has Jean said about him?”  Max asked. “I’m sure you were getting reports hourly about his progress.”

Lisa flushed and crossed her arms, peeved at the fact that they knew her so well.

“She said that he has extensive bruising, mainly a dislocated shoulder and around the ribs.  He’s only unconscious because of the amount of painkillers they gave him. Since she didn’t have his file here, they gave him one that he is allergic to and that worsened his condition.  He is fine now.” Lisa said placatingly at alarm in the other two faces. “He will need to be in observation for a couple of days and then he can go back to his duties. He just will not be able to be in the field for at least a week.”

Roy winced at that.  He could only imagine how Rick would feel about that.  He had been a total brat when he’d been caught in the friendly fire that one time.  He was not looking forward to his temper when he was told he would be benched again.

“What happened to the other person that was unconscious?”  Max asked. “Were they also involved in the friendly fire?”

Lisa winced.  She didn’t want to tell them what had happened for a variety of reasons.  One, morale of the whole group, the other because she knew how protective both Max and Roy were of Rick.  But she owed them the truth or as much of the truth as she could tell them.

“Mr. Kabuto is under surveillance right now until I find out what malfunctioned in his robot.  I’ve been unable to talk to him yet.”

“So it was friendly fire.  What happened to this guy?”  Roy asked angrily.

“I have to question him Roy, please don’t jump into conclusions…”

“SO what we heard is right.  He just all of the sudden started shooting at Rick and wouldn’t stop.”

“It’s not as simple as that and I would appreciate if you do not pay attention to gossip.  I hope it didn’t come from Rick’s team. I specifically ordered them not to.”

“It didn’t.”  Max assured her and looked at Roy as if asking him to shut up.  

But Roy was too much of a hothead and especially when it came to protecting his family and Rick was as close to family as he had in the moment.  So he ignored Max’s warning look and demanded, “What will be his punishment? Are you going to send him back out? He could have killed Rick, what if…?”

“Roy stop!”  Lisa said sharply, in no mood to get into a discussion at the moment.  “First off, are make sure that you do not question me like this in public.  You are seriously undermining my judgement and authority at the moment.” Lisa fired back, her body shaking slightly from the need to hold back at what could become a full blown argument.  She knew that if it had been Admiral Gloval making that decision, Roy would have never questioned the older gentleman. The fact that she was younger and a woman seemed to give him the right and familiarity to talk to her like that and that seriously was one of her pet peeves.  “Second, I have yet to talk to him and hear his side of the story. I will not make a decision until I listen to him.” She explained, her voice final.

Roy pressed his lips together and didn’t say anything else.  He knew Lisa. He knew when to push her and to what. He also knew when she had reached the end of her rope and this was it.  Lisa possessed a very high sense of fairness and a huge amount of indecision. She could talk herself out of any situation by playing Devil’s Advocate.  But when she reached a decision, it was final. He knew that she would try her best to be fair and not to be swayed by her emotions, especially in a case where she could be accused of favoritism.  In fact in a case like that, she would gather as much information as she could so it would never come to that.

Not fully mollified by her decision but deciding to respect it for now, he nodded his consent, Max following suit.  Changing the subject, Roy asked, “So we are taking over training until this slacker can do his job again?”

Lisa rolled her eyes at the attempt of humor.  “Yes, you will need a lot of patience from what I heard.”

Roy growled good naturedly but didn’t complain about the assignment.  “We still have to meet about the irregularities that we observed on the last fly-by over the town.”

Lisa nodded, feeling her tiredness creep up at the face of more work.

“Don’t worry, it can wait another day, especially since I talked to Barry and he is comparing with earlier notes to see if that’s something we even need to worry about.”  He said and she was grateful for the reprieve. “Let’s meet tomorrow after the training.” She nodded, her mind already in the many things she would have to take care of.

“Well, if that’s the case, I should get going.  We have an early morning.” Max said.

“Definitely, I should go too.”  

“Will you be okay Lisa?”  Max asked, concerned.

“Yes Max, thanks for asking.”  Lisa answered quietly.

With a squeeze to her arm in solidarity, Roy nodded and took off, followed by a small wave from Max, leaving her alone with Rick.

When Daigo went looking for the Captain  he went directly to Captain Hunter’s room, assuming that at that hour, she would be there.  The door was open so he didn’t feel like he was intruding in their privacy. Lisa was standing as still as a statue, not far from the unconscious Captain but not too close, as if she was afraid of intruding in his space.

“How is he doing?” Daigo asked.

Lisa did not turn to him but she answered stiffly, “He will live.”

Daigo felt uncomfortable with her stiffness so he just blurted out.  “I just wanted to let you know that Koji is awake.”

That made her turn.  If she had seemed cold earlier, during their meeting, she now resembled a marble statue, made of unmovable stone.  Her face was inexpressive and her normally vibrant eyes were dull.

“Thanks Mr. Otaki.”  She answered hollowly.  After one last look at the fallen Captain, she left to take care of her duty.

Daigo looked after her.  Until that moment he had not realized how wrong everybody was about their dear Boss Lady.  Everybody called her cold and heartless, a veritable Ice Queen but it wasn’t until faced with its absence that one could notice how full of life their Captain was.  Like a banked fire, her vibrancy and life was tamed under the surface, waiting to explode when called for. But this situation seemed to have snuffed her intensity until just a shell remained.

Daigo looked at the man that had caused their Boss so much suffering.  In truth, his situation was not as dire as it could have been. Why was she so broken up?  Was it because it was friendly fire, and therefore unexpected? Or was it because it reminded her of how fragile the life of a soldier is?  One minute you are here and the other you could be gone. That was why it was so important to tell the people that you love how important they were to you because you never know if you will come back to them.  He wondered if the Captain had ever told Captain Hunter how much he meant to her. With those sobering thoughts, Daigo pulled over a chair and stood guard over the convalescent man.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As Lisa was nearing the room where Koji was resting, she could hear a hushed conversation.  She didn’t want to eavesdrop but she refused to wait until the conversation was done before she went in.  She had a lot to do and tomorrow loomed as another long day.

She respected their privacy so instead of hovering outside, she rapped on the door, announcing her presence immediately.  The voices stopped abruptly and a shaky voice bid her to enter.

When Lisa came in, her eyes swept over the room quickly.  She found who she expected but what she didn’t expect what the expression on Koji Kabuto’s face.  The man looked like a wreck. His face was sickly pale, his eyes glassy and his breathing was erratic.  Something on his face made her move quickly to get the wastebasket from the side of the bed and hold it to him.  Not a moment too soon as the man clutched it tightly and proceeded to return whatever was in his stomach.

Lisa stepped back to give him some room.  Sayaka had jumped out of her seat at the Captain’s actions and now stood next to him, rubbing his back as he proceeded to dry heave.  Sayaka looked at her askance, as if she was surprised by her actions. Lisa heaved a silent sigh and half-turned to give them some privacy.  She couldn’t help but mentally roll her eyes, not entirely surprised that the other woman had given her that look. She was well aware of the facade that she presented to the rest of the world.  If she was to stay professional, she had to maintain a certain wall between herself and those under her command. That was the only way that she knew to command. She was not like Rick or Roy who seemed approachable even when they were respected.  Maybe it was because of how young she had been when she started or the stigma of her last name. Unfortunately she didn’t know how else to behave. As such, she was seen with distrust by all when it came to emotional situations.

‘The Ice Queen strikes again.’  She thought with no humor.

After Koji stopped, Lisa still stayed looking to the other side, giving him a bit of privacy to compose himself.  She heard a whispered conversation start and shut down right away. She looked in surprise when she saw a figure approaching her.  It was Sayaka, looking at her distrustfully as she left her with Koji.

As she heard the door click behind her, Lisa looked at the pilot of the Mazinger.  The man didn’t look that much better but at least he didn’t seem like would be sick anymore.  Nothing to do but bear through.

“Mr. Kabuto, I take it you know why I am here.  It also seems that you were filled in what happened this afternoon.”

The man seemed to shrink further into the bed but he nodded, his eyes avoiding hers.

“I need to have your version of what happened in order to finish my report and determine how to move from here.”

“There isn’t much to say… I… I, don’t remember much.  In fact, I don’t remember what happened after the Captain said we were finished for the day.”  He whispered.

“You didn’t notice anything unusual?  Nothing out of the ordinary?” His eyes shifted again.  “Come on Mr. Kabuto. I need to understand how one of my men is now laying in a hospital bed, unconscious.”  She said harshly.

Koji hesitated.  He didn’t want to admit to his failings, not entirely.  Especially to this woman who seemed like she would not be tolerant of others’ failures.

Lisa sensed that there was more to the whole thing but she was too tired and lacked the patience to properly coax that from him.  So she decided to change tactics. “I was told by the people who retrieved you that you were unconscious. Was this because of your health?  Has this happened before? Are you fit to be the pilot of the Mazinger?”

She knew she had hit a nerve when he flinched.  The man exhaled, his face turned serious and his gaze steady.  “Am I fit to pilot the Mazinger? I have questioned myself that same thing lately.”  He furrowed his brow. “I was asking myself that same question right before… before I blacked out.  There is nothing wrong with me. I have piloted the past Mazinger without any problems, aside from the learning curve of piloting it for the first time and learning how new weapons work.  But after Mazinger was destroyed the first time and we found the second Mazinger, the one we call Mazinkaiser, it has not been the same. The robot feels different, the way that it fights me… it’s taken a toll on me.   You ask if I am fit to pilot it, I tell you that I have done my best to be the best pilot for the Mazinkaiser. If I am not enough, I guess it is up to it to decide.”

“Are you saying that the robot is sentient?”  Lisa asked, aghast.

“Yes and no…”  He answered slowly, as if carefully considering his answer.   “I guess that it is as sentient as that mass of energy that Daigo was telling us about.  The one he found underground. From what his father said, that’s the energy that powers our robots in one way or the other.  It feels intentions I guess.” The man said quietly, almost introspective. “It’s different than Robotechnology which uses thoughts to reflect the faster reflexes, enhancing what the aircrafts can do.  This one is more of an emotional energy. It bonds with the pilot and enhances its feelings, feeding off from them. It is as flawed as the pilot, it needs that humanity but it is flawed by it too. Without the humanity, it would seek to destroy everything in its path.”  Koji finished almost passionately, his theorizing giving him more energy than what she had seen from the man since she had come in, in fact she had not seen him this animated since the first days when she had met him.

Lisa observed him quietly.  Seeing him explain what he knew, what he observed, she finally understood what Rick had seen in him.  Why he had deemed important that he was there, combining the scientist with the warrior.

“So you mean to say that the robot is linked to you?”

Koji considered the question carefully.  “Yes. In fact I would not be surprised since it is the same for Daigo.  His robot is also attuned to him, to the point that his sister tried to pilot it and was unsuccessful.  You’ve heard the story, right?” She furrowed her brow, considering. “Saori, in order to save her brother from danger, and before they had even met, decided to use the robot and pilot it herself.  Unfortunately, she was not supposed to use it, regardless of being siblings, and she suffered injuries for it.”

The comment teased  her and brought up a vague memory, something that she had not paid attention at a time.  What seemed to be a throwaway comment on that first day when she’d met them, an almost inside joke between brother and sister, now had taken a whole new meaning.

“Do you know what Mazinger means?” Koji asked suddenly, out of the blue, pulling her out of her memory.  She shook her head. “It means God, Demon, Energy.” Lisa inhaled sharply, her eyes open wide. “So you see, with this robot you can be either God or Demon, depending who pilots it and how.  If you let it control you or if you control it.” Koji looked directly at her. “Captain Hayes, the Mazinger… it possesses a huge strength and it requires a huge strength to pilot it. In the side of good, it could be such an asset, you have to let me…” he looked at her imploringly, his hands outstretched in order to make her understand…

“No.”  The negative exploded out of her mouth.  She even seemed to recoil from the strength of it.  Koji looked at her in disbelief. “No.” She said again, more quietly this time.  “You cannot pilot the Mazinger Mr. Kabuto. You almost killed a man. You lost control of your vessel, of your god-like robot and it almost killed an innocent person.”  Her eyes were hard chips boring into him. “You cannot be trusted with it so you will not pilot it for this mission.” Koji looked at her frantic, his mouth opening and closing in silence.  “You can help us by continuing with your previous duties. You can help the scientific team but I cannot trust you in the field any more. Be grateful I do not throw you in the brig or in jail for what happened.”  She said severely. “Is that clear?”

Koji looked away from her in defeat.  “Yes ma’am.”

“Good night then Mr. Kabuto.  Hope you can rest well.” Lisa said as a dismissal and then she left.

Koji looked at the space where the Captain had been.  She was absolutely right. He had almost killed a man.   A man that had done nothing to him, on the contrary, he had only encouraged him in all that he did.  In truth, Captain Hunter reminded him a bit of himself, when he thought that he could still change the world.  For the first time, Koji felt defeated. He would not, could not be the pilot of the Mazinger anymore. Yes, his dream of being a scientist like his father and grandfather was still available but his calling to protect those that he cared for, his brother, Sayaka… he would not be able to fulfill it anymore.  He had failed them.

Lisa had left the door open when she left but Koji didn’t have the will to get up and close it.  He was too deep in his own spiral of self doubt to notice anything around himself. Which is why he missed the dark shadow that stood in the threshold of his door, observing him.

“You know he’s interested in the Captain, right?”  Jan Kogo’s voice rang in the darkness, startling him.  Seeing that he had the attention of the younger man, he continued, “And based on her reaction when he was hurt, I think she corresponds.”

Koji looked towards the voice so see him come out of the darkened door.  Behind him, their shared living room stood empty and dark. It was usually Rick who made use of it the most so now that he was in the infirmary, it lay in darkness.

“What?  Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I noticed that you went after him specifically.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.  I don’t hate him! I have nothing against him.”  Koji said, not meeting his gaze.

“Sure…”  Jan said with a sardonic smile.  “Jealousy is a nasty thing.”

“I'm not jealous!”  Koji exploded. Jan just shrugged, nonplussed by his attitude.

“I’m just telling you so that you do not worry about your girlfriend.”

“Sayaka is not my girlfriend.  Aside from that, what makes you say they are in love with each other, if they are not even together?”

“They probably have the same stupid relationship you two have.”  Jan said with a laugh and left.

Koji looked after the cyborg.  Was the man right? Was he that petty?  Had his feelings really been picked up by the robot and that’s why he had attacked the defenseless Captain?  If that was the reason, he was more despicable than he thought. To fail because of physical weakness was one thing, to fail because of the darkness of his soul took over, that was an even bigger failure because that meant that he was losing the fight with himself.

……………………………………………

It took two days before Rick was feeling better from the cocktail of painkillers they had given him.  The first day, he didn’t even want to remember, his stomach and head had suffered abysmally. He could barely move his head without a wave of nausea hitting him like a pile of rocks.  The day after that, he was slightly better but he still found himself gritting his teeth to stop the nauseous feeling from overtaking him. If this kept up, he would need a dentist before this was over.

Rick heard some rustling beside him.  He had taken a nap since it helped him pass the time and it gave a chance to his body to recover.  He groaned slightly as he opened his eyes to see who was next to him. It could be anybody, at this point.  Every time he had woken up it had been someone different. There was only one person he had yet to see and he was hoping it was her.

His hopes were dashed though when he focused on a tanned face and blond hair of his companion.  

“How do you feel?”  Roy asked his little brother as soon as he saw Rick’s eyes focus on him.

“Like a ten ton robot pounded me to the pavement.” Rick joked.

But Roy didn’t seem to find that funny.  Instead, his eyes focused intently on him and he asked, “Is that what happened?”  

“Don’t you know?”  Rick asked him, seriously surprised at that question.

“No, Lisa has kept a tight lid on the whole thing.  She’s kept the info in a need to know basis and right now the only people privy to it are the ones that were there when it happened.”  Roy complained.

Rick was impressed but at the same time he was not.  Only Lisa could scare everyone into a gag order.

“So where’s the dragon lady?”  The soft way he said that sobriquet indicated that it was more of an endearing nickname than an insult.

Roy looked at him oddly.  “She hasn’t been here?”

“Not that I have seen.  Not since I’ve been awake.  Did she come in when I was not?”

“She was.  Briefly. She’s been busy.”

Rick frowned at the prospect that she had not come to see him yet.  For some reason it hurt that she had not made an effort to see him after he awoke.  He would have expected her to be here. After all she visited everyone else when they were hurt.  He thought he was closer to her than that. Regardless, the fact that he had to hear about what happened after his own accident in such a roundabout way just put him in a bad mood.

“Stop being a grouch.”  Roy told him, seeing his face.  “I told you she’s been busy.”

Rick rolled his eyes at the fact that his “brother” could read him so well.  He also thought that Roy was making excuses for Lisa but he decided to let that slide.

Rick asked Roy to tell him what he knew and Roy filled him in as much as he could.  Rick was frustrated because it was not much to go on. He needed to talk to the sources apparently and being bedridden he had very limited options.

“That’s not a lot of information to go from.”  Rick frowned. “Can you ask Kabuto to come see me or was he injured?”

“Kabuto has been confined to his room for now.  Lisa gave the order herself. I don’t know why she is keeping him around for but she has not kicked him out of the mission yet.”  Roy replied darkly.

“What?  I can’t believe she still has him in confinement.  What did he say for himself?” Rick asked, fishing for more information.

“I don’t know but I would have sent him out of the mission.”  Roy said dismissively. “He’s a danger to all of us if he cannot control his robot and passes out while using it.”

“Is that what happened?  Did he actually pass out?”  Rick asked Roy, his mind in that last conversation they’d had when they had been talking about all the pressures of being a pilot.

“Yes.  Although I heard that in passing, not from the official sources.”

“Gah!  I just need to talk to her, or to him!”  Rick grumbled frustrated. “This is so weird.  I need to know what really happened.”

“What, you don’t believe me?”  Roy asked him, affronted.

Rick just harrumphed and changed the subject.  He had a plan and he didn’t want to clue Roy in it because he didn’t want to get talked out of it.  But if Lisa was not coming to inform him of things, he would manage to get her attention one way or the other.  He thought with a wicked grin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A knock sounded on his door.  Koji Kabuto looked at his door suspiciously.  Who would it be at this time? Based on the time, Sayaka was in training and nobody else had visited him after Jan Kogo that night.  He was seriously bored out of his mind and would welcome almost anybody at this point.. Except maybe Captain Hayes. She was still scary.

Another knock sounded, more insistent.  While Koji debated to answer to just come in or get up and open the door, a voice called impatiently from outside.  

“Come on Kabuto open up.  I don’t know how much longer I can stand out here.”  

Koji’s eyes almost popped out of his head when he heard the voice of Captain Hunter talking to him from outside.  He launched himself out of the bed and in two steps opened the door. The dark haired man just blinked stupidly at the vision before him, trying to make sure if the man outside his room was real or not.

“I’m not a ghost!  Surely they didn’t tell you I died, now did they?”  The young captain teased Koji with a lopsided smile.

“Captain Hunter sir!  Wha...What… are you doing…?”  

“Right now I’m coming to see you to get some straight answers but first, do you mind if I sit?  I really should not be out of bed.” Rick admitted sheepishly.

Koji sprang into action.  He moved away from the door, where he had been inadvertently blocking the Captain’s way and grabbed the other man by the arm so he could guide him to a seat.

“Oh come on Kabuto, don’t be such a nanny!  I managed to come here on my own didn’t I?”

But still, Koji could see the toll that the effort to walk was taking on the other man.  His face was beaded with sweat and his gait was loopy at times, indicating that Rick had not fully recovered yet.  Ignoring his complaints, Koji kept on guiding him to the seat, where Rick sat down gracelessly.

“Close the door will ya?”  Rick requested, partly for privacy, partly to gather his breath before the conversation with the other man.   He had to admit, this was probably not his best plan. But desperate times take desperate measures and he had a feeling that this matter with Koji needed to be resolved before rumors took off and feelings began to fester.  Also, he had been bored out of his mind in the room and he was tired of being coddled by being kept ignorant of what was currently happening.

Plus, he was hoping that it might have the added bonus of luring a certain dragon out of its den.  

He closed his eyes as he gathered his strength again.  His hands gripped the seat’s armrests a bit too tightly as he fought another bout of dizziness.  When he opened his eyes, it was to see concern radiating out of Koji’s face.To his credit, the other man didn’t say anything but he looked a step away from running outside and calling for help.

“Sit, sit.  I’m fine.” Rick told him and the other man hesitantly took a seat in the bed across from him.  The books he had been perusing shifted with him and he impatiently closed them and shoved them to the nightstand.

“What were you reading?”  Rick asked curiously, trying to break the ice.

Koji told him but Rick was not familiar with the theory behind it.  At Rick’s blank look, Koji explained further. “I thought the methods that were used to harness that type of energy would help us when upgrading the weapon system of the different robots.”  He shrugged, a bit self-consciously.

“You think that’s possible?”

“In theory, yes.  That’s what I had been discussing with Dr. Lang and Dr. Otaki before”  his eyes suddenly jumped to Rick’s and then skittered away in guilt.

“Before I asked you to join us in the training ground?”  Rick finished for him. The other man nodded, still uncomfortable with all that had happened.  

“Captain, I’m really sorry for what I did.”  Koji told him, contrite. “I really don’t know what came over me.”  

Rick observed the other man.  His body language screamed the fact that he felt bad about what had happened.  Koji’s open posture, facing him, his face and eyes pleading to be understood seemed absolutely sincere to Rick.  And Rick, being a man accustomed to making snap judgements and hasty decisions, determined that he was innocent.

“I believe you.”  Rick said and Koji seemed to sag in relief.  “Tell me Kabuto. What made you join… the group of fighters that you were a part of?”

If Koji was surprised by the request, he didn’t let it show.  He just tilted his head in curiosity and he responded, “I always wanted to be a scientist, like my father and my grandfather before him.  I don’t know if you heard but my dad was one of the scientists that studied the Visi… I mean the SDF-1 when it landed.” Rick nodded, he had heard about it but it hadn’t really affected him at the time.  “Well, a little bit after that, my father and grandfather started experimenting with the energy given to them by the Protoculture. Together, with the other original scientists that visited the SDF-1, they came up with different products produced by their studies of the elements found in the ship.  At the time, I was just a kid, going to school and taking care of my little brother, Shiro.” Koji said, pointing at a framed picture that showed two black haired boys, one was Koji and the other one, which Rick assumed to be Shiro, was a much younger boy. There seemed to be a marked age gap between the two and Rick was reminded of a much younger version of himself and Roy when they were both in the Air Circus.

“One day though, my father never came back home.  That was not unusual but he would always call us to let us know he would be late or held up. After not hearing from him a whole night, I went looking for him.  It was raining and it was really difficult to see. I was in my bike and I almost collided with a huge monster that came out of nowhere… It turned out it was Sayaka’s robot.”  Koji said, a soft smile on his face as he remembered their first introduction. “I sort of yelled at her when I realized it was being piloted by a person. I told her she was being irresponsible and that she could have killed me.”  A smirk, “Let’s just say she didn’t take that too kindly.”

Rick had to hold on a snort of laughter at the story.  It reminded him too much of the way he and Lisa had met and he had a feeling that some choice words were uttered by Koji and Sayaka, just like they’d had.

“So?”  Rick prompted him, still wanting to hear what had made him change career paths.  He couldn’t help but compare Koji’s life a little bit to his. After all, from the way he was making it sound, Koji had also been dragged into the life of a soldier or a warrior by circumstances and not by choice.

“So, after I left Sayaka, I stumbled upon my father’s lab and found him gone.  Instead of him, I found Mazinger Z and a hologram of his that guided me on how to pilot the robot.  After that, I ran into Sayaka again and she took me to the lab that was working with the energy that my dad had produced.  My father had been the brains but the scientist there had taken his ideas and turned them into a reality.” A proud smile flashed briefly over his face.  “Shortly after, the monsters started appearing and threatening us so I was the only one that could pilot the Mazinger, nobody else could. I was “volunteered” into the position if you will.”

“You were the only one that could pilot it?”  Rick asked, perplexed at the wording.

Koji sighed and proceeded to explain the same thing he had told Captain Hayes the night before.  Rick followed along, fascinated by the theory behind it all.

“So it is a bit like what we talked about.  It takes a special kind of character to pilot the VTs.  Just in your case it is even more complex.” Rick commented.

“Yes, in fact, I mentioned to Captain Hayes that it was similar to what Daigo goes through with his robots.”  He was about to elaborate in that when a sharp knock was heard.

Rick almost jumped out of his seat at the sudden interruption to the quiet conversation that he was having.  The other man facing him also jumped to attention, too used to surprise attacks and taking action right away.

Koji looked at Rick for direction.  Rick, who had a pretty good idea of who it could be, just nodded to him to let the person in.

When Koji opened the door, his eyes opened up like saucers as he realized who was at the door.  But the Captain did not spare him more than a cursory nod. Instead, she turned her intense green eyes at the other occupant in the room.

“What do you think you are doing out of bed?”  Lisa asked him coldly but her eyes gave away how angry she was at finding him out and about in another person’s room.  And especially since said person was the one that had almost killed him, albeit unintentionally.

“Oh, there you are Captain Hayes!”  Rick said with a cheerfully loopy expression.  He had to resist the urge to smirk at her. She was so adorably predictable.  Of course she would come in to yell at him for disobeying orders, even doctor’s orders.

“You are pumped full of medication, aren’t you?”  She asked him suspiciously.

“Just a couple of painkillers, the good ones not the other ones, so I could move around.”

“It is my understanding that you were not discharged from your care.”

“You are right, I’m not discharged.  But I did need to walk around a bit. You know, for recuperation purposes.”

“You weren’t supposed to walk this far and you know it.”  She reprimanded him.

Rick just laughed.  He was glad he had drawn her out of her office.  In fact if they had been by themselves, he would have made a joke out of that.  As it was, they very much were not alone, and the third person in the room kept looking back and forth between the two of them as they had their conversation.  

Koji’s face ping ponged between them as he finally saw what Jan had told him.  There definitely was something more than just professional relationship. It spoke of years of familiarity.  There was also something more than just casual friendship, the fondness in both their eyes belied that.  Was it love?  He wasn’t an expert so he couldn’t tell but they really cared for each other, that was for sure.

“Well, since you so graciously came looking for me, I guess I’ll leave with you.”

He was still weak and when he pushed himself up with his arms to stand upright, his arms shook a bit.  Lisa resisted the urge to run to his aid. Koji must not have had the same misgiving as her as he did approach the injured Captain but was waved off by him.

They said their goodbyes to Koji, his much warmer than hers, and headed out.  As soon as they were a bit of a distance away, Rick looked over at her and noticed her pale and worn out features.  Had it been only two days and a half only? He was instantly worried about her, knowing all that she must had shouldered while he was out of commision.  

“What happened to you?  Are you working out? Are you even sleeping?”  Rick asked concerned. He also felt a bit guilty, even though it was not his fault, but that guilt made the line of questioning a bit more abrupt.

“Wow Hunter, way to make a woman feel better.”  She huffed, surprised and hurt by his questions.  “Good afternoon to you too.”

Rick rolled his eyes as he slowly walked next to her.  “Hey, I’m not saying it in a bad way. I’m worried about you.  It’s been only two days and you look tired. That means that you haven’t been taken care of yourself properly.”

“Are you my self appointed guardian angel now?”  She said sarcastically.

“You are mine, why can’t I be yours?”

Abruptly, Lisa stopped walking and just stood there, flummoxed by his simple reply.  Rick continued to walk slowly back to his room. He knew she would catch up with him and if he was completely honest, if he stopped, he might not be able to continue.

When Lisa caught up to him, he was leaning with his good arm against the wall, muttering under his breath about not being able to recuperate in his room instead of having to go back to the infirmary.

“You still need to get properly checked out, that’s why you have to go back .”  She replied to his grumbling. She attempted to prop him up but she touched his chest with a bit more force than what she expected.  Rick flinched away from her as his ribs were still bruised. Lisa looked properly horrified by harming him and she whispered an apology.

“No, no worries. I am tired and I do need to rest but I can’t lean on you.  Thanks though.” He said, a sincere smile on his face. “You know, I mean it when I worry about you.  You are one of my best friends.”

Lisa closed her eyes at the bittersweet sentiment. To realize that this was the extent of what he felt for her hurt and she realized that she kept putting herself in these situations instead of keeping her distance but she just couldn’t.  She cared too much for him and he was right. At the end of the day, they were still very good friends. Best friends even.

When she opened her eyes, she saw his looking at her with kindness and love.  Maybe it wasn’t the love that she wanted but she would embrace it. Perhaps one day she would be able to move on but for now, she would greedily and selfishly hold on to it like a miser.

They started walking companionably down the hall.   

“And that’s why you need to take care of yourself.  Who else will ask if I’m working out or shove food in my face?”  Rick snorted a laugh, seeing the humor on her gaze and realizing that whatever had been bothering her was gone for now.  He was happy he could make her forget her worries, if only for a little bit. Of course, he preferred not to become on of her many worries but it couldn’t be avoided sometimes.  Hazards of the job.

“I’m sure Claudia will nag you about it too.”

“I still don’t know how you can tell I have not been doing those things.  Are you psychic? Is that what happens when you receive multiple concussions?”  Lisa asked him flippantly. On the surface, it seemed like an innocent question but in reality she was burning with curiosity.  She was not entirely incorrect in hinting that he was the only one who read her so well. Claudia usually nagged her about the same things but in a general kind of way.  Lisa could normally mask it from everybody else but Rick could always tell.

“Hardy har har.”  He replied dryly although he couldn't mask the laughter in his voice at her sarcastic comment.  He looked at her and took in the vulnerability in her eyes and he realized that she did want an honest answer so he responded in kind.  “I know when you don’t workout because you usually have a bit of a glow when you do. You drag about a bit when you don’t and that combined with not sleeping… I can tell you don’t have the same energy that you normally do.”

“Oh.”  Lisa responded but didn’t elaborate more than that.  They lapsed into a amicable silence.

As they entered his room in the infirmary, Lisa closed the door gently behind them and waited until he sat down on the bed.  With a sigh, Rick lay back on the bed which was still propped into a sitting position from when he had made his escape.

“So who snitched on me?”  Rick asked her with an easy smile.

Lisa snorted a laugh and sat down on the chair next to him.  “It was Max. He was just finished working with your team and he passed by to talk to you.  He asked me if you had been released. Roy was with me so he confirmed that he had been in your room and that you were still under observation until further notice.”

“I hope I didn’t pull you from anything important.”  Rick asked, he had worried a bit about Lisa’s schedule when he decided to pull that stunt but he also knew how responsible Lisa was.  At the end of the day, he was sure that she had waited until she was free of her duties.

“I had a bit of a break” She said.  When he frowned and opened his mouth as if to speak, she cut him off and added,  “don’t worry, I did eat.” As he visibly relaxed, she realized that her assumption was right.  “What made you go over to Kabuto’s room? “ She asked, changing the subject.

“I heard he was confined there and I wanted answers.  Didn’t want to override your instructions.” He said with fake innocence.  Lisa harumped at his comment, reading into it for what it was. “I also wanted to hear his side of the story.  I wanted to hear it from him and not a third party.” He mentioned hesitantly, as if afraid of offending her. She waved off his concern, she would have done the same thing, especially if she would have been involved in the accident as he was.

“Would you like to read the official report before I get your statement?”

“No, I will read it after.  Can you have it sent to me by tonight though?  I need to have something to do or else I will go crazy here.”  Lisa nodded in understanding and in compliance. “After you take my statement, and I read the report, will we discuss what will happen to him?”

Lisa looked away from him as if considering how to answer.  Rick felt his hackles rise, thinking that she would dismiss his input.  But just as sudden as that thought came, he pushed it away. If there was anything that he had learned while in this mission, it was that Lisa did respect his opinions and she usually tried to work with him and incorporate their two idiosyncrasies together.  So he decided to calm down and wait for her to gather her thoughts.

“I was waiting for you to read the report first so I can get your unbiased opinion but since you already spoke with Koji… I can tell you in all honesty that I am keeping him in his room for his own safety.”

Rick stared at her, dumbfounded.  Of all the answers that he expected from her, this was not it.  His confusion must have shown on his face because Lisa continued.  “Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s at fault too. The fact that he had plenty of opportunity to come clean and tell us the truth about having issues with his very powerful and very dangerous robot is what I disapprove.”  She said, her voice severe and angry, mostly on his behalf. “But it truly was an accident and his input is valuable. While I think that he should not be allowed to pilot the robot anymore, at least until he controls it, I do not think that sending him away or worse, sending him to jail is the answer.”

“Totally agree with you.  Even though I don’t think he’s telling 100% of the truth about what was going on before everything happened, I do think that he can help us quite a bit.  Did you know that he is thinking about some ways of modifying our current mechas with some of the other technologies? He’s researching that right now. That’s fascinating!”

Lisa smiled at his enthusiasm.  “I agree. Hopefully that can give us an edge over our enemy.”

Rick nodded somberly.  Right now they were on a stalemate and they needed something that could tide the war to their favor.

He looked towards a clock that was hanging on the opposite wall to where he lay.  “How much time do you have?”

“Why you ask?”  She asked him puzzled.

“As much as I enjoy your company, I know you have stuff to do.”  She acknowledged that statement with a hum. “But if you do have some time, we could get the official statement out of the way and maybe I can get my hands on the report you compiled before dinner tonight?”

“That sounds like a plan.”  She got up to get some paper from the nurses’ station so she could jot her notes down.

“Hey Lisa?”  Rick asked before she could step out.  “If you don’t have any plans, do you want to grab dinner with me?”  He asked in a hesitant voice. At her pause, he rushed over and said, “We could discuss the other part of the report if you want to.”

Lisa smiled gently and responded, “Sure, we could chit chat over dinner and then talk business.  How does that sound?”

“Great!”  He replied with a smile.

When Lisa stepped out to get the paper, Rick breathed a shaky sigh.  He realized he was as nervous as his first day flying a plane. It was a good nervous, excited even.  Was he nervous about spending time with Lisa? It was not the first time he would do so, both casually and professionally.  So what could it be? Thinking about it further, made him nervous and his palms sweaty. He knew he had missed her, quite a bit.  He had been disappointed when he had not seen her and when he did see her in Koji’s quarters, he had not been able to stop the smile of happiness.  In all honesty, he had been seeing her everyday, working with her constantly. He saw her more frequently than Max or Roy in some days. Was it because of that?  Or was it something else?

As Lisa poked her head back in, and his chest filled with the familiar warmth, he resolved to just enjoy the feeling without going too deep into it.  He felt as if he was looking at a precipice and he didn’t know if he would fall or fly above it. By the time that Lisa was settled and looked at him expectantly, Rick had put his feelings in the back of his head to take them out and look at them later.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Captain, you are back!”  Sayaka exclaimed happily, she was the first one to spy the figure of their team leader approaching them in the hangar where they usually met.  The rest of the team turned to see and were surprised to see not one but two dark haired men approaching.

Takeru discreetly looked towards Jan Kogo and raised an eyebrow towards the cyborg, as in questioning what he was seeing.  There had been many rumors about the aftermath of The Accident, as it was now referred to, but no official word had been uttered.  The last thing they had been officially told was that Koji was in “house arrest” and Hunter was out of commision for a while. Fokker and Sterling were not very forthcoming with information and as competent as they were, they were no Rick Hunter.  In truth, the whole team was pleasantly surprised to see their leader. They just didn’t know what to think of the dark haired companion that he had brought with him.

As if reading their minds, Koji said “No worries, I’m not here to train.  At least, not with the whole team, not yet. I’m still on time out.” Koji joked.

The rest of the group visibly relaxed at that.

“I wasn’t worried.  I wouldn’t worry really, you have me after all.  I already took you down once.” Jan boasted teasingly, flexing his arms and winking.

“You mean ‘We’ took him down.”  Takeru snarkily corrected him. Jan just rolled his eyes at the other man and laughed.

“Ha!  You would have only needed one if I’d been around.  Unfortunately I was in nursing duty.” Daigo bragged as well.

“Boys…”  Mai said warningly, thinking that they would offend either Captain Hunter or Koji.

“That’s also not counting that Sayaka was out.”  Jan said slyly.

Sayaka looked surprised at his comment and Koji looked confused.  “I don’t know about the other robots but I know that Sayaka’s Venus A is not as powerful as Mazinger.”  Koji corrected him.

Sayaka glared daggers at him and Rick mind flashed back to the conversation he had intruded upon a while back.  Now that he knew what he knew, he could understand some of the comments in their discussion. If there ever was a sore subject between the two, it was her feasibility as a soldier in the field.  Koji though that she didn’t belong in the robot and should stop fighting and Sayaka would not bend down to his opinion.

He was about to interject so that he could diffuse the fight that seemed to be brewing when Jan chimed in, “Who says she needs a robot to do that?”

The comment itself and the embarrassed faces of the two prompted the whole team to start laughing, even the normally bitter looking Takeru couldn’t help but join in.  Rick laughed right along with them. He had allowed the ribbing to go this long because he knew they needed a bit of release of the tension brought by the actions that had happened four days prior.  If they were ever to move on from it, they needed to face it head on. And in true soldier fashion, they had joked about their frailty to lessen the impact of the precariousness of their lives.

Rick was laughing so hard that he forgot to be careful with his ribs but he was painfully reminded of the fact when he felt the soreness from his still healing body.

“Ah, I forgot I should not been laughing this hard.”  Rick explained when the rest of the team stopped laughing and regarded him with concern.

He was further interrupted by a sharp voice that said, “I knew I would find you here.”

In a reflex as instinctive as breathing, Rick felt his spine straighten and his arm raise in a salute before he turned to his commanding officer.  The rest of the team mirroed Captain Hunter’s salute to both Lisa and Roy. Koji, who was standing next to Rick and technically was back to civilian status, saluted too although he couldn’t help but scooting a bit closer to the Captain standing next to him.  He wasn’t hiding per se, but he hoped that by standing next to Rick, it would diffuse the Captain's anger towards him. Or maybe it wouldn’t. Who knew with Captain Hayes.

Jan must have noticed his action because he murmured loud enough for the team to hear them “There’s another one that doesn’t need a robot.”  Someone snickered on the back, probably Daigo and even Rick had to grit his teeth to stop himself from doing the same. His captain WAS scary when she wanted to.

RIck coughed in order to mask his laugh at the comment and also to attract the attention of stormy green eyes from Jan’s shit eating grin to him before he got in trouble.  “To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit today, Captain Hayes?”

Lisa narrowed her eyes at him, knowing Rick enough to read his playful tone.  She was not happy to see him in the middle of the training field but she was not going to make a scene about it at the moment.  It would also be of little use to talk to him after, by being here, he had already forced her hand. Even though she believed that he should be taking better care of himself and therefore rest more, the fact that he was here, just a day after being released, was a statement that he was retaking his responsibilities, regardless of his healing limitations.  She would just have to support him as best as she could.

“Rick, you are seriously not considering retaking your training responsibilities, are you?”  Roy brought up the question in everyone’s mind.

“Well, there isn’t a lot I can do with a dislocated shoulder and bruised ribs.”  The younger man responded acerbically. Takeru and Mai were shocked when they heard the extent of his injuries.  They had talked about the incident and speculated about it but they had never heard the official word on his injuries.

Jan didn’t show his surprise but he was also shocked at what he heard.  It was not surprising, based on the attack, it was more surprising that he was still alive, but the fact that he was here and not in bed was.  

“That’s a serious injury sir.”  Mai, who was no stranger to injuries during battles, said.  The, ‘How and why are you here?’ , were implied but not voiced.

“Regardless of the fact that both Roy and Max will continue to lead the trainings, I still want to observe and give my input.  At the end of the day you are my team and I need to understand how you all work and make sure that you integrate together. Both between yourselves and with my style too.  And as talented as both Roy and Max are, my style is very different to them.” Rick answered, looking at Roy and conveying a silent message. ‘They are my team’, it said. Rick felt both pride and responsibility in his squadrons, so when he was given an assignment like the one he had been given, he was 100% dedicated to it.

Roy nodded in acknowledgement of his message.

“Aside from giving my input, Koji will be here to study the way your mecha behaves in order to report it to the scientists in our team.  So he will be our liason with them. Are there any questions on any of our roles here?” Rick said, daring the others to say anything. Especially Takeru and Jan.

“I have a question!”  Daigo waved cheerfully.  They all looked at him in various degrees of surprise.  Was he seriously going to contest any of the things their Captain had said?  Rick raised an eyebrow, a scathing reply already forming on his lips, even before the question had been uttered.  “How much drugs did they pump you with in order to be standing here.”

Rick gave him a deadpan look as Jan smirked.  Mai and Sayaka just looked at him with poorly veiled concern.

“That’s for me to know, but if I decide to take a nap, don’t wake me up.”

“Sure old man.”

“What do you mean old man?  I’m your same age!”

“Age is in the eye of the beholder.  You have an old soul my man.”

“You know, I liked you better when you were just being an asshole and not trying to be funny.”  Rick responded. “Now, if nobody else has any other pertinent questions,” Rick emphasized the word pertinent, “go on to your stations and gear up.”

“Yes sir!”  Daigo left after giving his captain a jaunty salute.

Rick turned to see how Lisa was handling his interactions with the whole team.  He knew this was way more loosey goosey than how he would talk to his own team in Macross but circumstances here were different.  None of the people, aside from Daigo, were military and he didn’t feel that he could talk to them as such. So just a firm hand when needed but no reglementary talk between them if he could avoid it.  He kept that for the Macross crew.

Lisa seemed to be taking it all on stride.  She was a smart woman, he knew and she had read all the files, just as he had.  Regardless of how she felt about his behavior, he knew that she would let him do his own thing.  He noticed she wore an exasperated look as she looked after the team but she had a small smile.

“Captain Hunter, I would like to talk to you and Coronel Fokker after this session is over.”

“Yes sir.”  He responded respectfully as he went into the hangar to follow his team.  Koji hesitantly followed him, giving them a quick nod to acknowledge his departure.

Roy looked after them and nonchalantly said, “You know, he’s going to be a great dad someday.”  

Lisa started and looked at Roy as if he had lost his mind.

“That was the most random thing…  Why did you suddenly think of that?”

“Because dealing with this group is like dealing with a bunch of little kids.”  Roy said with a sly smile. Giving his own jaunty salute, he followed them all to the training grounds.

Shaking her head at the whole situation, Lisa went back to the base to start her day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“What news do you bring us human?”  Cypher, the robotic entity that was one of the Zentradis’ allies, asked the man dressed in a voluntary military uniform.  The human male was a mousy little thing, and inspired nothing but contempt in both Cypher and Khyron but he was the only thing they had inside of the enemy camp.  If Cypher was a mortal, he would have wished for someone more intelligent or braver but alas, he was not. Instead, his analytical mind just stacked that the odd were a bit more on their favor by having this man infiltrated in their enemy’s camp, regardless of his merits or lack thereof.

“One of the leaders from the Macross team was injured by another robot.”  Their spy informed the two gigantic looking men.

“Someone from Macross you said?”  Khyron, who had been largely disinterested in these meetings, perked up at the news.  Maybe finally he could hear some news that would be worth his while!

“Yes, the dark haired one.  I think his name is Hunt or something like that.”

“Hunter?”  The giant said gleefully.  At the man’s shrug, he asked.  “What kind of spy are you if you cannot get accurate information?”  The spy cringed at that. “Well, finish telling us. Is he dead?”

“No, just injured.  I see him in the training field walking around with a brace around his arm.”  

“That’s it?”  Khyron was disappointed.  Hunter was a nuisance but he was not the first one in his list of people he wanted to see dead.  Still it would be one less pest to fight.

“Is he important for the operation?”   Cipher, made a robotic sound that could be taken as a questioning hum if he would have been human.

“He is the leader of the Special Forces.”

Khyron grunted, bored again with the conversation.  Cipher on the other hand thought that it was most auspicious.  After all, if their leader was out of commision and was not able to fully practice with them, the team must be suffering.  

“Keep observing and let me know if anything changes.”  The robot said. “You are dismissed.”

The man bowed and left.

“Why do we keep him?  He barely has any good news to bring us, or any news for that matter.”  Khyron said.

“You seemed to know this Hunter.  Is he important?” The robot asked, the open circuitry that passed for his brain lighting up as he processed the information.   

“He is a gnat.  Barely talented, he’s nothing compared to my skills.”  If Cipher could have the ability to roll his eyes, he would be looking at the back of his skull at that moment.  Khyron did like to brag. “If there is someone that is almost at my level it would be the Meltrandi traitor and her human mate.”

“But Hunter is one of their leaders?  An important piece in their command?”

Khyron just shrugged, again, not interested with anything that had to deal with strategy.  That used to be Exedore’s or Breetai’s job, he just hit everyone indiscriminately.

Cipher scrutinized all the information that had been provided by the spy and what he had gathered from all of the others.  It was his job to record odd bits of information and analyze the potential outcomes based on it.

“We should attack soon, before their leader recovers.”

“Finally!  Some action.  My men tire of just digging for you.”

“When we uncover the secrets of Victor Town and we can harness the power that lies dormant here, you will be finally grateful that we did.”

“We will see when we finally do.”  Infusing as much doubt to the validity of that claim as he could.  “For now, I prepare for battle.”

Khyron left, not awaiting for a response.  To him, their roles were clear. The Zentraedi were the true warriors and the other races just provided what they needed.  He did not need and would not take any orders from anybody.

Cypher watched him go, knowing that it was futile to stop him.  He had analyzed Khyron and his actions and deduced he was not a reasonable man, not like his leader Dolza.  Dolza was more cautious, and liked to deliberate before he acted. He was a weak leader though and Cypher could see where they had lost the war.  None of the other leaders respected him and it seemed that his own underlings didn’t either. After all, Dolza’s best warrior had defected his ranks.  

Based on the records he had found, it was Breetai who was a much better leader for the Zentraedi.  If he were a mortal entity, he would have wished that instead of working with these Zentraedi, the would have worked instead with them.  It was unfortunate that he and his counselor Exxedor had decided to side with the humans. ‘They would be crushed just like them.’, the robot theorized as he prepared a to send a new monster to aid the hot headed Zentraedi warrior.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13 - A different Situation

The attack couldn't have come at a worse time.  As far as attacks go, they were all inconvenient nuisances that they have to live with.  For Rick though, the fact that he was barely healing from the accident proved more than that.  As his team rushed to meet with the enemy, he felt like a useless lump.

They had been wrapping up the training exercises when the alarm sounded across the base and the Big Voice made the attack announcement over the speakers.  They listened to see who needed to be scrambled. From the announcement, Rick determined it was not a big convoy and it will not need that much intervention from the ground troops.  It seemed, though, that the Special Forces would be fully needed as there were three giant robots flying support to the Zentraedi battle pods.

Rick ordered the scramble to his team and Max agreed to rendezvous with them, leaving his own squadron under Miriya.

Koji had appointed himself caretaker to Rick apparently, as he ushered Rick to a Jeep that had been stationed nearby.  He was the logical choice since he was the only other one in the team that could not fight. As Koji drove them to the base, Rick held on to the seat of the Jeep, his mind in turmoil.  He felt powerless as he was driven to the base.

When they arrived outside the main building of the base, Rick made a snap decision.  He assured Koji that he was fine and advised him to hurry to convene with the scientific team to analyze the data coming in from the fight.  He then proceeded to the command center. He was not familiar with the layout of the building as he had always been in the field whenever there was an attack.  He knew he would find Lisa there, and he would at least be able to help her direct his team even if it was remotely. He just hoped it would be enough.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The convoy of Zentraedi vessels and manufactured robots was small by Khyron's standards, who preferred to showcase his might as much as he could.  This was pitiful compared to what the Zentraedi could do, but he was not expecting much of an opposition from the Micronian forces. From what the spy had mentioned, there was much dissent in the ranks of the Micronians, and with Hunter out of the picture...Well, they were also missing a leader so they should be easy prey.

Khyron had rounded up a couple of stray soldiers that didn't have specific duties at that moment and left without informing his allies.  He was not very concerned with the troop numbers as they could keep cloning more and the Izzari and Madokters could build more ships. They now had the technology and the materials to do it. At least these allies were useful for something.

"What is your command, Lord Khyron?"  The Zentraedi warrior asked.

"Destroy at will but leave the red aircraft to me.  I have a little score to settle with that pilot." He said, an evil smile splitting his face.

#

Lisa rushed into the Situation Room, giving a fleeting stray thought to Rick; she hoped he would have enough time to get to safety.  She crossed the threshold of the command room to find Claudia talking to both Rosette and Saori as they were setting up.

Rosette had mellowed out a bit after the whole Peachy debacle and now she carried out her duties with much more civility.  There was still a lot of sass going on, but it was nothing that Lisa couldn't handle after being with Claudia and the SDF-1 bridge crew.

#

As Lisa was preparing the crew to roll out, Rick was crossing the hallways as fast as he could.  As much training as Roy had been doing with the Special Forces, he couldn't fight alongside them because of his injuries.  And although Max had also contributed to the team's training, he was not familiar with their team dynamics, so the Special Forces would be mostly on their own, and Rick refused to leave them high and dry like that.  Plus he was not a man that would just be able to sit back and wait passively for this to pass. If he could not be in the action directly, he would definitely be involved somehow.

His ribs were burning and his shoulder was killing him but he still pressed on.  It was his duty to be with his team and he felt like he was abandoning them He already felt isolated working without his regular team.  Rick shook his head of those thoughts, knowing that he could get himself into a bad mindset and would not be able to perform his duties appropriately.

When he finally reached the Situation Room, he tried to come in as unobtrusive as possible.  He didn’t want to distract anyone from the fight. He knew that momentary distractions on the battlefield could be costly, and in some cases, deadly mistakes.  The soft swish of the door must have alerted Lisa though because she turned towards his direction. Her eyes widened and she seemed about to question his presence when Claudia called for her attention.  Pressing her lips together, Lisa turned back to the action to see what Claudia needed. Rick took the time to look at the massive monitors before them, where the battle was playing out as he gathered his breath.  He was winded and his shoulder sent twinges of pain all the way down his arm, so he took a bit of time to calm down. In the meantime, Lisa finished giving orders before turning towards him again.

"Captain Hunter?  What are you doing here?"  She asked, but her attention was riveted back to the screen immediately as she listened to something in her comm.

Rick’s gaze followed the action as Lisa was fed data over her comm. When it looked like she was finished with the last of her orders, he snapped a salute towards her and said, "I'm here to help in whatever way I can, sir."

Lisa looked at him surprised, clearly not expecting that.  By then, the rest of the occupants in the room had turned towards them.  Even though he had four pairs of eyes on him, he directed his to the green eyed gaze in front of him.  Those eyes grew calculating as they took him in. He tried to mask his pain as much as he could. And although he was not successful at hiding it completely, he seemed to have minimized it enough that she nodded her assent at his presence.

"Can you help me with your team? I have to coordinate the ground and air forces, plus each individual member of that team..."

"No worries, I got it."  He looked around at the room for ideas on how to do what she had asked.  

"Over here, Mr. Hunter."  Saori, Daigo's sister, called out to him.  He had not seen her all that frequently and he didn't know her that well, but he knew that this was her domain and so he followed her instructions.  She took off her own headset and handed it to him. Her young assistant, Rosette, looked a bit put out at the beginning. She rolled her eyes, but then shook her head as she adjusted to the situation.  As soon as Rick put on the headset, Rosette pointed to the screen to direct his attention to the action.

All of the robots were deployed but scattered as they tried to help in different places.  Rick was relieved to see that they were at least being helpful even though they were still not working together.  Without proper direction, they were not performing to their full potential.

Rick turned to Rosette and asked, "Ok, can you get me to talk to them?"  She nodded and switched the channel. Rick indicated that he wanted to talk to Max first.

"Max, this is Rick."

"Skipper!  You in the command center?"

"Yes, listen to me Max. Go to Skull and Grey squadrons and take your regular post."

"But Skipper..."

"No worries Max, I've got this.  If we need you, I'll let you know.  Now go help Miriya. It seems Khyron is targeting her directly."

"Whatever you say Boss."  Max transformed his Batteloid into Guardian mode and left the area.  He knew that going after Khyron and also trying to control the squadron would be a lot to handle so he would gladly help her out in any way he could.

Rick then turned to the first team member that he knew would answer positively.

"Daigo, this is Rick."

"Hey Cap!  So that's where you disappeared to!"

"Well, someone has to look after you all."  Rick commented as he studied the area around the gigantic Gordian Robot.

"Yeah, Boss Lady seemed like she had her hands full."  Daigo answered with a grunt as he pushed one of the Ostrich shaped Zentraedi vessels away from him.

"Yeah, she does.  From what I am seeing here, there are at least 50 bandits surrounding you."

"Bandits?"  Daigo sounded confused for a second but before Rick could explain himself, Daigo asked, "You mean bad guys?  Yeah, got it. I've got a visual of them."

"Great, try to lead them away from the ground forces, towards the cliffs.  There you will meet up with Kogo, who will give you support."

"Got it, over!"

Rosette had anticipated his need to change the channel towards the cyborg and with a nod she indicated to him to speak. "Kogo, Daigo will be meeting up with you soon.  Do you have a visual?"

"Not yet Captain."  The man responded dutifully, more subdued than his usual tone, which  made Rick a bit suspicious.

"Be on the lookout then, and Kogo, no colorful actions from you."  He said as a warning.

"What if they are in black and white?"

"Very funny, no fancy acrobatics or ignoring the rules."

"Yeah, yeah.  Trust me, I don't want to hear the Boss Lady yelling at me... or any other ladies."  Kogo muttered under his breath.

Rick heard the mumbled words but let the comment slide, being too busy to puzzle over that particular comment.

Time wore on as the fight continued.  For Rick, this was a completely different experience in battle.  He could hear Lisa next to him, giving instructions to the ground troops.  It was distracting to listen to all the noise and bustle next to him. There was up to the minute data that needed to be processed for Lisa and him to consider.  In the cockpit, there’s some radio noise but he could control it better. He could even turn it off if needed, leaving only the deadly silence of space, or the rushing winds of Earth.  He now had a new respect for what Lisa and the Admiral did.

As the adrenaline of the attack's announcement and the subsequent trek to the Sit Room started to wear off, Rick noticed the pain start to creep over his injuries.  He rubbed his shoulder with his good hand as he continued to give directions. His pained grimace was plain to see to those that were next to him. Regardless, he did not falter in his directions.

"Are you ok, Mr. Hunter?"  Saori asked, concerned.

"I'm fine."  He bit out as he kept his eye on the action.

"Rick, do you need someone to get your medication?"  Claudia asked him, also worried about him.

"No, if I take the pills, they will knock me out, then I won’t be able to assist with the attack.  It's not that bad. I'll be ok." He waved it off.

Lisa listened in but didn't contribute anything to that conversation.  She would have wanted to scold him, to tell him he was trying to be a martyr, but she tightened her lips and didn't say anything.  She knew that if she were in his shoes, she would do the same thing. In fact, she remembered with guilt, she had allowed her emotional pain to overwhelm her sometimes and that had caused her to get distracted while in battle.  So she had no moral leg to stand on when it came to forcing him to leave.

Lisa gave a small shake of her head to Claudia, who seemed like she would keep going.  Rick was not an irresponsible kid any more. If he felt that he could not take it anymore, he would say something or leave.  The battle was starting to wind down regardless, so she hoped that he could hold on until the end with no major damage to himself.

After her initial question, Saori just kept a silent eye on the man.  She couldn't help but picture her little brother in the self-asserted young man next to her.  Daigo was maturing under the tutelage of the Macross group, specifically Rick’s, and she appreciated what they were doing for him.  She was grateful and hoped that she could repay them in some way.

"The Zentraedi seem to be retiring to their base."  Claudia informed them and Lisa sagged a bit in relief.

"Captain Hayes, do you want our forces to follow?"  Rosette asked.

Lisa didn't really need to consider the answer; that would be a resounding no.  The force that had been sent out by the enemy was negligible. Almost as if they were testing the waters.  After a period of inactivity, it was not unusual for a faction to test out the opposition's forces in order to determine strength.  Too much silence never boded well. It was a strategic power move. It also signified that the enemy held the power right now.

If their Allied forces had been stronger, Lisa would have considered pushing for more action, potentially a definitive win, but right now was not the time.  The Allied forces had not fully come together and the loss of Rick from the field was a definite drawback. On the plus side, his direction from the Sit Room was an asset and had given them a good idea of how they could work to fill in that void.  They would still need some help out there on the field to keep the Special Forces working together, but Rick's direction and strategies would not be lost.

Looking over at Rick, she was reminded of another reason why they needed to finish up already.  Rick was not well, and regardless of how he tried to play it off earlier, she could see right through it.  She let him stay because she saw his unwavering determination, but now he could use more rest and another dose of painkillers.  Before she uttered her decision though, Rosette spoke up.

"Retreat then." Rosette said, her blond ponytail bobbing as she turned to the console.

"No, not a retreat."  Lisa said, and they all turned to her.  "Just call them back home. There were no wins or loses today.    You've all done well." She finished warmly.

Rosette seemed taken aback but her eyes warmed up considerably as she turned back to the comms.  Claudia gave Lisa a smile and a nod of approval before turning to her station.

Rick called back his team too, relaying her praise on a job well done.  He knew the importance of morale, and how they were just warming up to Lisa, so he thought it would be important for them to hear her words.  After he finished, he reached to remove the borrowed headgear, forgetting to be careful with his still healing shoulder and ribs. His body had no qualms about reminding him of those limitations though, as a sharp pain ripped through his torso in a white hot flash.

He gave an involuntary yelp of pain before biting his lip down to hold it in.  Saori was next to him in an instant, her hands hovering uncertainty as she hesitated to touch him and accidentally harming him further.  Rick slumped a bit against the console as he caught his breath. Saori looked at Lisa who stared at him with wide, worried eyes. The Captain gave an imperceptible shake of her head and made a discreet hand gesture to wait.

A few seconds later, Rick handed Saori the headset, and he righted himself gingerly.  In a rare moment of frailty, he let out his frustration in front of the women.

"Ugh!  This is so frustrating."  Rick said. He felt like punching something, unfortunately he couldn’t let out his frustration in any physical way without harming himself any further.

"I understand Rick."  Lisa said soothingly. "But you did well today in command."  Lisa told him, looking at him proudly.

Rick smiled shyly, appreciating her compliment.  

Claudia looked at them both.  Roy's little brother had grown so much!  She realized how mature he had become and how he was becoming more Lisa's equal everyday.  If only he could just see it. They could be so good for each other. As it is, their command seemed to complement really well.  Time would tell with other battles if it did. He had learned under Lisa's and Roy's guidance but still he maintained his own flair which would make him a great leader in the long run.

"Thanks, but regardless, I still feel like I should be out there, with them."  He said, looking at the screen displaying the returning troops. Lisa could see the longing in his eyes.  He might be a good commander, but he is first and foremost a pilot. He felt much more in command in the cockpit.  To cut his wings like that, it was painful. He was not ready to give that up yet. Who knew if he ever would.

"There's nothing to do but let nature take its course."

"I can't be out of commission for months!  I will be completely useless!"

Lisa didn't have the heart to contradict him.  She knew how hard it had been for Roy when he had to step down from flying.  She could feel Claudia's eyes boring holes in her back of her head but she refused to turn towards her.  Rick was smart, and if he even thought that he was being manipulated, he would refuse to listen to reason.  Regardless, she knew what Claudia was thinking, and she agreed wholeheartedly. She would ask Roy to have a heart to heart with him.  Maybe he would listen to Roy since he had been in a similar situation. Anything that Lisa would say right now would come off wrong. No, better to stay out of this fight and just be the supportive listening ear that he would need.  

"Let’s go and take the meds now."  She recommended, to which Rick nodded somberly.

They said their goodbyes to the other women in the room.  Laboriously, they walked back. Even through his pain, his lips curled a bit in amusement when he caught her purposely slowing down to match his speed and he could tell it was very difficult for her.

"Well, we were due for another attack, I guess.  And with me being up like this, I should get used to more attacks that I cannot be flying for."  Rick commented companionably.

"Yeah, we were due..."  She responded absentmindedly to which Rick made a questioning sound. She turned her attention to him.  "Oh, it's nothing. You are right. It had been a while."

"You don't seem so sure about that though."

"Well, it does seem like a huge coincidence, but it's not like it happened right away after your injury.  And you are right, it had been too quiet for a while. I just thought the enemy had changed tactics."

"It did seem like they were biding their attack for something big. Didn't Roy mention something about that in his report?"

"Yes... we should meet with them now that you are able to attend.  I've met with all the groups individually but I think we might all need to meet and see what we come up with together."

"You think there's something more to this attack?"  

Lisa shook her head, "No, I'm just being paranoid.  It's not out of the realm of possibilities that they would have launched an attack to test us before their big attack, and as you said, it's been a while.  Plus, based on Breetai and Exedore's intel, Khyron cannot sit still too long. He loves strife."

"He's like Loki from Norse mythology."  Rick said with a laugh. Lisa looked at him surprised.  "Hey, I read too you know." Lisa intended to apologize when Rick responded, "Although maybe I learned about him more from the comic books."  Lisa gave him a sidelong glance, at which Rick laughed heartily. "Ok, ok, I admit, it started with comic books but then I read some other stories and I wanted to know more about those characters.  I used to have a lot of downtime while doing the air shows." He replied and his eyes got more nostalgic the more he spoke. Feeling that she was going to say something about it, he replied. "Regardless, we should think about what we are going to do with my team."  His mouth twisted in a sad frown.

They were passing by her office when Lisa hesitated.  “I know you need your meds but can you spare a couple of minutes?”  She wanted to test the waters to see how receptive he would be to the idea she had thought of earlier and she knew that they would have no privacy in his shared space.  Rick looked at her questioningly but understood that she wanted to speak with him about something she didn’t want overheard.

“It won’t be too long, I promise.”  They walked into her office and she closed the door behind him.  "It is very unfortunate that you didn't participate in the fight."  She said casually. "But now that you are in the Sit Room, we should have someone else standing up as a leader on the field, not calling the shots, but responding to the emergencies."  

Rick was surprised at the theme of the conversation for a second but then he smiled, thinking about how in sync they were.

"You know, I was thinking about that too."  He replied and Lisa almost sighed in relief at the fact that she wouldn't have to fight him on that. "But we have Max who has his own team depending on him, and then there’s Roy who can’t fly combat anymore..."

"How about someone from the team itself that knows their fighting styles?"

Rick made a doubtful sound, but then shrugged.  "Maybe. I just don't think any of them are ready for command.  I mean, the girls are too timid. They are great at following orders but for some reason they have been subjugated under the guys that they work with, especially Mai.  I don't think her heart is into it. Like, she is a great fighter, and she fights with a passion, but it's somebody else's passion. The only reason why she is doing all of this is to help her dad.  I think in any other circumstances, she wouldn’t have been interested in fighting at all. Then there's Sayaka. She's a firecracker like Miriya, but, unlike Miriya, she is not a great soldier or strategist.  She's brilliant, but I think she wants to follow in her father's footsteps of becoming a scientist too. She'll be good at it, I've seen her talk with Lang and Koji... No, she would not be the best one for this job...  Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You are thinking like a leader, Rick.  You are doing a great job." Rick blushed at her praise.

"So much for the hotshot pilot, huh?"  

"Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves.  There are times when he makes an appearance." She said, her eyes holding a teasing twinkle that made her look absolutely alluring.

Rick’s breath caught in his throat sharply at the sudden spike of heat that filled him.  Was he… attracted to Lisa? Why did that little smile make him want to capture her lips? Since when?

So big was his shock at the sudden thought that he recoiled back suddenly, clutching at his chest in a way that made him grimace in pain.  

"Rick, are you all right?"  Lisa asked worriedly.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw her wide green eyes running over his face and chest in order to determine if he was hurt.  He latched on to that excuse so he could escape her and his confusing thoughts.

"I...I think I should go get my meds.”  He stuttered. He had to get out of there, out of the closeness of her office and her presence.  He tore his eyes away from her and asked, “Are we still meeting today...?"

"No, I will set up everything for tomorrow at 700 hours."  Lisa responded, and he could hear the worry in her voice.

He nodded jerkily, still stunned by his feelings.  "I'll be here then." He opened the door hurriedly to leave.

"Rick, are you sure you are ok?”  Lisa stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm.  “You look pale. I could go with you…”

"No need.”  He replied in a rush.  “I just need some rest. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"  He tried to sound casual but he could feel the lie in his own ears.

"Have a good night then."  She said subdued as she watched him leave from her office’s doorway.  Rick felt a pang of guilt at worrying her. He wanted to go back and reassure her that it wasn’t her but he was too much of a coward to turn around and face her at the moment.

So preoccupied were they by their thoughts that they did not see the figure that stood in the shadows, watching the exchange.

#

"Easy pickings."  Khyron smirked in satisfaction as he returned to the base.

"I wouldn't gloat that much."  Cypher said. "There was no gain and minimal loses from both sides.  It was a waste of our resources."

"Well, we confirmed Hunter was certainly not there."  Grell pointed out, helping his leader.

"And they still managed remarkably well.  The robots seemed a bit less organized than the last time, but it wasn't a total disarray like you assumed."  Khyron shrugged. He got to stomp on a couple of Micronians so he was happy with the results. "We need a different approach."  Cypher determined.

"What do you have in mind?"

"We must utilize our spy better.  He's already in the base and he is displeased with the situation.  More promises of riches should placate him and encourage him to take more chances."

#

Rick got to his room and closed it with a resounding thud, but he could not escape what had driven him here in the first place.  He leaned against the door, his eyes scanning around the room blindly. His head was still overwhelmed with the thoughts that had been clamoring in his brain.  

‘Where did that come from?’ Rick thought, licking his lips in a nervous manner.  If he was completely fair, he was not surprised at the fact that he found Lisa attractive.  It was not the first, nor will it likely be the last, time that he had remarked, even to her, that she was beautiful.  He would have to be blind not to notice, but that was not the point. The fact was that he had never been physically attracted to her.  He always saw Lisa as a friend.  A very good and dear friend. A friend that over the last couple of years had become closer than anybody else, even Roy.

Mechanically, Rick found the pain medication in the medicine cabinet and he swallowed them down.  He raised his head and caught his reflection in the mirror. He looked haunted and pale. If he’d had that face, he could understand why Lisa had been so worried about him.  

Lisa, it always came back to her.  She was always there for him and he truly valued her friendship.  Rick was not a very social person in the sense that he didn’t have that many close friends.  He could socialize easily but when it came to true friendships, he didn’t open up easily to others.  Lisa had managed to crawl under his defenses and had become a rock for him in times of turmoil. When he had felt like he had lost everything that day that he had been hospitalized and he had found out about Roy potentially dying, it had been her who had held him while he cried.  He could still remember how he had held on to her like a child, crying on her shoulder and she never let him go. She had not been disgusted by his tears and weakness, she had not tried to offer empty promises, just her presence comforted him. Ever since then, she had gradually become closer to him. Even closer than his big brother, partly due to the fact that Roy had realized how close he had come to never seeing the love of his life again, and now he devotes himself more to her.

Rick’s steps echoed hollowly in the empty room as he sat down on the bed.  Rick had to recognize that he and Lisa had so much in common, two lonely people… Because of that, they tend to gravitate towards each other, like magnets inevitably pulled to each other.   When the loneliness became too much, they usually found solace in each other’s presence. There were many a time when both he and Lisa had talked about their loneliness and their wish to find a companion.  Was that what was happening? Was he just lonely?

For as long as he can remember, he had been left behind by the people that should have cared the most.   His mother’s passing because of cancer, his dad’s devotion to both alcohol and the circus, his ultimate death at the job that he loved the most…

Logically, he knew it wasn’t their fault.  Death was unavoidable and there was no predicting it or getting away from it.  But it still made him bitter that he’d had nobody to care for him since he was young.  In the dark moments, when memories threatened to suffocate him, he craved for a soft touch and a loving hand to hold.  

He thought his “brother” Roy would have helped fill that void, so he had chased him when he had found himself all alone in the world.  To an extent, Roy had helped. Also the rest of his squadron had helped him feel like he was part of a family. However, it was not the same.

Rick felt guilty sometimes, like he wanted too much, like he was too greedy and wanted more than what had been already given to him.  But was it too much to want to have a family of his own? Sometimes it was so painful to see Max and Miriya with little Dana, or even Roy and Claudia, that he avoided being with them so that he wouldn’t let his jealousy and envy show.

When he had met Minmay; sweet, adorable Minmay, he thought he had finally met someone who he could bond with.  Someone who could truly belong to him. Someone to satisfy that craving of family. And with her family, he had found himself dreaming about belonging to a family all over again.

But Minmay had big dreams, dreams that he could not compete with.  Dreams that, as they grew into their roles, separated them more and more.  He had tried so hard to bridge that gap, to be there for her so that she could be there for him but that dream seemed more distant now.  Some days he was riding a high when he remembered the moments spent with Minmay but most of the days he was bogged down by the feeling of emptiness because she was not there with him.

‘But Lisa is…’  His eyes opened wide as he regarded the darkened ceiling.  With a frown, he sat up and started the laborious process of undressing without further damaging his much abused body.  He wanted to escape the dark thoughts that whispered in his mind and conjured images of him and Lisa in an intimate setting, someone that would be his…

He let out a frustrated sound.  He didn’t want to go down that route because it was not fair to her or him.  They were good friends and he would never damage their friendship by considering Lisa a distraction from his loneliness.  He finished shedding his clothing and threw them on the armchair by his bed. He padded to the bathroom, hoping that the warm spray of the shower would wash away all those crazy thoughts in his head.

Chapter Text

The next morning came far too quickly for Rick. He felt as if he had not slept a wink.  First night out of the infirmary and he had not dealt well with the pain, regardless of the medication.  It was not a sharp pain anymore, more like a dull ache that just wouldn’t go away. He felt like a baby for complaining about it since it had lessened from before. It didn’t help that he was starting physical therapy today, and there was the promise of even more pain.  He didn't want to think about it, just like he didn't want to think about the other reason why he had not slept well.

Not even the blessed numbness of the medication had helped him forget what had driven him to his room in such a state last night.   The inappropriate thoughts he had towards his friend had not lessened, nor had the feeling of loneliness.

And though he wanted to hide from her, he knew he could not avoid her.  She was a valued friend and confidant, and on this mission, the lifeline to his sanity.  Or at least she had been, until yesterday happened. Regardless, he remembered her concerned words from last night, and on hindsight, he could see the worry that had clouded her eyes.  

Maybe, since he was up so early, he could go and see her before the meeting.  Even though he couldn’t tell her the exact reason why he left so hastily, his abrupt leaving was still rude, and he should let her know that he’s okay to ease her worries after last night.    

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he finished straightening his uniform.  He looked as careworn as he felt. His mouth was in a constant frown from the pain and it had started to form brackets around the corners of his lips.  He felt much older than his twenty three years and it weighed heavily on his body and mind.

#

A couple of hallways down, Lisa was getting dressed in her standard Macross uniform.  Aside from the fact that she would be in meetings inside the base all day, her uniform felt like a protective second skin.  And she had a feeling that she would need it today. Her mind was contemplating multiple things at the same time as she allowed her body to go through the familiar motions of getting ready as if on autopilot.  While this was not unusual for her, it was unusual for her to not be able to organize her thoughts in a productive manner.

Every morning, Lisa’s morning routine began with organizing her massive to-do list.  She had learned early on in life that if she didn’t take the time to organize these random thoughts, she would get overwhelmed and become unproductive.  So the mental exercise of compartmentalizing each task and assigning a priority had become an essential part of her day. She credited her efficiency to this organizational practice.  She would then dictate her results to her official phone as a voice memo and work from there to chip away at her to-do list.

Today though, those thoughts were stubbornly getting bumped out by her worry over Rick.  She mentally cursed at herself; she couldn’t help but keep thinking about him. She had promised not to let herself dwell on him, and here she was, affected by him again.   And regardless of the fact that it was not in a romantic manner, thoughts of him still intruded into her routine. With a sigh, she gave in and decided to address those thoughts in order to move on with the rest of her tasks.

Aside from the obvious concern about his physical condition due to the accident, she was more troubled about his mental state.  She worried if he would be able to carry out his duties, and how that would affect him personally. He seemed capable, based on yesterday’s performance, but she had seen him doubting himself after.  He didn’t think he was ready for command. He thought his place was in the thick of the battle. And although he had performed admirably, Lisa knew it had been an instinctive reaction to the situation rather than a planned, strategic one.  She knew Rick was like that. He would act in the moment, letting instinct guide him, but then he would become confused when he had too much time to dwell on things. He was also a person with a strong sense of loyalty, almost to a fault. Case in point, his loyalty to be on the field with his team, and his unflagging loyalty towards the little singer that continues to haunt him.  It was hard for him to let go of the status quo and move on.

Lisa made a moue of distaste.  No, she was not going to go down that rabbit hole.  Not now. It had been hard to accept, but love could not be manufactured or earned.   Reality was harsh and nothing like the movies. There is no changing one’s heart when it is being held by someone else.  Just like she could not change her own heart and make it stop loving Rick, she couldn’t change his from loving Minmay.

When her eyes started to prickle with the sting of imminent tears, Lisa gave herself a stern glance at the mirror.  The face that looked back at her reminded her that this was not the time to be thinking such frivolous things. Mentally, she visualized herself sending all those thoughts and emotions down a virtual cliff and scoffed at herself for her flight of fancy.  With a last look in the mirror, she exited her room to start her day.

#

Rick finally decided to head down the hallway to Lisa’s office.  He had procrastinated long enough on coming to see her. He was apprehensive at the thought of being alone with her, so after he left his room, he had not gone to get her for breakfast like he usually did, instead he spent it with the other Macross crew.  But as much as he tried to appear unaffected by her absence on the outside, inside that was not the case.

Rick sipped his coffee and let the sounds of the breakfast rush buzz around him.  Conversation was lively at their table and even though he listening, his attention wasn’t really into it.  His friends attributed his silence to his normal pre-caffeine stupor and therefore left him alone to nurse his beverage. He was included in their conversation briefly when the topic turned to his health but after responding to their inquiries, the topic fizzled and he was left once again to listening morosely to the light gossip of the other couples at the table.  As interesting as it usually was to hear the others’ views on how situations were developing around the base, Rick could not shake the feeling of being left out.

For that reason, he did not stay too long.  As soon as he had finished his breakfast, he cited an excuse to leave the table.  Whether by habit or gut instinct, Rick’s footsteps led him to the well-known path to Lisa’s office, and he reasoned that this time would be as good a time as any to clear the air with her.

His hope of catching her by herself was not to be since he could hear voices as he approached. He slowed down his pace in order to determine if it was a good moment to walk in or not.  He was also curious as to who could be there so early.

“Remind me again Ryoma, why did I not have this meeting in the conference room?”  Lisa’s voice floated out of the open door of her office. Her tone made it seem like the question was more in humor than a real question.

“Because then you would have had to haul this mountain of papers across half the base,”  Ryoma responded just as wryly. Lisa snorted and they both let out a good laugh.

‘Huh, since when did they both get so chummy?’  Rick thought crossly. Last he knew, Lisa was using his room to hide from the stalkerish samurai spy.  Remembering that day made him recall the feel of her body as she pressed herself against him to look for Ryoma down the hallway.  Rick shook himself out of that train of thought real quickly. He was trying to not think about his friend in that way, dammit!

More laughter trickled out towards him and he realized he had spaced out in the middle of the hallway.  Rick's mood darkened even further at the husky sound of her laughter. Laughter that mostly Rick was able to pull out of the normally taciturn woman.  

‘So I get myself laid up for a week and Lisa replaces me with this guy?’ Rick thought angrily. The flash of anger that ran through him shocked him and he stopped himself.  ‘Where did that come from?’

Rick’s eyes opened up wide as his heart pounded painfully.  He normally only felt this hatred towards Kyle. Did that mean he had feelings for Lisa?  Rick felt as if he had been doused with cold water. He couldn’t, could he? His mouth dried up and his palms started sweating.  In order to distract himself from this thoughts, he walked into the room abruptly.

“Good morning,” he grumbled as they both turned around to face him.

“Morning Captain!”  Ryoma replied cheerily, a smile still on his lips from his earlier conversation with the honey-haired Captain.  Lisa on the other hand, echoed the sentiment with a bit more reservation, her demeanor shuttering down into the usual cool professionalism.   It would not do to slide back into the Lisa that worried about Rick and the confusing sentiments that he arose in her. She had to be strong on her resolve of treating him like a friend and not a potential love interest.

“Did you come to help us set up for the meeting too?”  Ryoma asked casually.

Rick looked around the room and noticed how her tidy office had been turned into to a mini conference room for the meeting.  He kicked himself for not thinking that she might have needed help a bit sooner. Not that he could have helped much at the moment.  Even forgetting about the fact that he was still wearing a sling to immobilize his shoulder, he was forbidden from doing any manual work that might strain his still healing ribs.

Even while awaiting a response to his polite inquiry, Ryoma kept on working, moving around some chairs as Rick grunted out what could pass as an assent.  

'He's probably trying to suck up to her by being extra helpful.  Did he really think he can get her to fall for him that way?' Rick thought angrily.  That anger made him lash out at the one person that was causing all of this confusion in his head and heart.  "What is that?" Rick asked Lisa, his voice sounding much harsher than he intended. At her blank expression, he pointed in the direction of her hands.  

Lisa blinked in confusion as she was trying to put down the mound of papers she held in one hand.  She looked at the papers in puzzlement, wondering what was so strange about the reports she held.

With an exasperated sigh, he gestured towards the other hand that was holding what amounted to her whole breakfast.

It took her a few seconds to catch on, but then Lisa responded.   "A cereal bar," she replied slowly, the silent ‘duh’ permeating the air.

"You seriously cannot tell me that that is what you are having for breakfast."

She gave him an arched look and asked, "Are you my nanny?"

"Lisa, we’ve talked about this, that's not good for you.  I'll go and get you something. It's not like I am doing anything else that’s helpful right now,"  he replied bitterly.

"That will not be necessary,”  she said in a clipped tone.

They were both on edge after their tumultuous night and morning thoughts, and thus started reverting to their old ways.  In the back of his mind, Rick realized that he was antagonizing Lisa on purpose, probably because he was upset with the whole situation and he just wanted to lash out.  And although in his hearts of hearts he knew he was wrong, he couldn't stop himself from frowning back at her. The dark feelings he had been trying to escape bubbling to the surface, almost drowning him and he realized that he had not done a good job at managing them. He was angry at himself, at his removal from his duties, his estrangement from Minmay, his confusion over his emerging feelings for Lisa, the fact that he was alone...all of that had been weighing heavily on him lately. He had tried to avoid thinking about it in the past, but now that he was laid up, he had more time to ponder these things, and the confusing thoughts were drowning him.

Feeling the tension in the room, Ryoma jumped in and said,  "Captain Hunter is right. You should have a full breakfast and a coffee refill.  How about I'll go get it, Captain Hayes? Captain Hunter, you should not be straining your injuries.”  

Lisa didn't want to be ungrateful, so she allowed him to go. “Thanks a lot for all your help Ryoma.  I would not have been able to do this without you,” Lisa said as the samurai turned to leave.

“It was my pleasure, Captain Hayes,”  Ryoma responded. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the bright blue eyes of the other man and he was taken aback by Captain Hunter’s obvious dislike of him.  With a muttered goodbye, he left, closing the door behind him, all the while puzzled about the young Captain’s reaction to him.

After Ryoma was gone, Lisa turned to Rick with an angry look.  "See what you did?" she said frustrated.

Rick just turned his face mulishly away from her.  At the childish action, Lisa rolled her eyes and took a deep, calming breath.  She knew how this song and dance could go if she let it get away from her, and she made it a point to not give in.  Therefore, she decided to be the bigger person and not lash back at him. Lisa sat down and patted the cushion next to her.  Rick looked at her, and like a dejected puppy, approached her.

After he sat down, she tried again, in a softer voice.  "What is it, Rick? You are usually not like this. I know that you are frustrated with this whole situation, and you would like to go back to your regular duties, but don't think that you are not needed."  

"I know, I'm sorry.  I don't know what came over me."  Looking at her expression, he lowered his head in shame.  "Ok, I do know. I hate being a grump about this but I just hate not being in the cockpit with my team.  I feel useless. But you are right, it’s not like I’m not doing anything.” His voice sounded dejected. "Don't worry about it, I'll get over it.  I can be a big boy about it."

Lisa was about to make a joke about it if the situation had not been so tense.  It seemed that there was more to what Rick was saying, and this situation was the tip of the iceberg of whatever was troubling him, so she refrained from levity at the moment.

Rick looked at her strangely and lightly asked, “What, I give you the perfect set up and you don’t even take take a shot at it?”  

Lisa looked at the humor that sparked in his baby blue eyes, making them more electric.  She realized how much she had missed his good humor after the tense week they’d gone though after his accident.  She couldn’t help the fond look she gave him. “I was trying to be sensitive, and now you’ve ruined it,” she replied with a scoff, which Rick responded with a quiet laugh.

“Well, I will take the reprieve for what it is.  But I do not expect to be treated like a baby anymore; I can take a licking from that sharp tongue of yours.”  Realizing what he had said once the words were out of his mouth, Rick’s eyes widened in a panic. He could feel his ears getting warm and he hoped his embarrassment was not too obvious.  What the hell had he been thinking? He was trying to get their relationship back to normal, and here he was, overthinking his comments for double entendres. God, could this get more awkward?  

Lisa looked at him, her eyes clouding with bemusement.  Wildly, Rick looked around, trying to find something to distract her with before she really thought about the comment and the innuendo couched into it.  His eyes fell on the stack of papers she had placed on the table previously. He recognized them as the files on the rest of his team and he grabbed the top one swiftly.

“So, what are your thoughts on who could be the lead on the field?” he asked, changing the subject.   

Lisa blinked at the sudden change in conversation and a small, adorable frown of confusion creased her brow.  Rick avoided her gaze, trying to avoid the temptation he had of smoothing out said frown with his fingers.

A few terse seconds passed before Lisa responded. “Well, I have two candidates in mind, but I would like to hear your opinion before we make a decision about it.  I told you I wanted to hear your thoughts first, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, I remember now,”  Rick said quickly, happy she had taken the change of topic in stride.  She was still looking at him strangely, as if she knew there was something odd going on, but he could work with this.  “What a coincidence, I had two in mind too, although I’m leaning more towards Daigo than Kugo. What do you think? Who made it on your shortlist?”

Lisa and Rick discussed the pros and cons of both candidates, knowing that they had some time before the rest of the group came to join them for the meeting.  The murmur of their voices reached the other side of the closed door, where unbeknownst to them, a figure stood quietly, unmoved since exiting the door.

Even though he couldn’t hear exactly what they were talking about, Ryoma could still hear the cadence of their voices.  He wasn’t eavesdropping per se, that was not his intention. It was more of an evidence gathering mission.

Ryoma was a former samurai, trained in spying and tracking services.  When he had found himself without a home because of the Madokters, he had decided to try his fortune by following the footsteps of his childhood friend.  He had been received with open arms by Daigo and his sister Saori, and he had been content with his new job in the military that his friend served in. It was for a good cause and he had found himself comfortable in his current situation.  

Ryoma was generally a man of simple tastes and simple requests.  He had a job that he enjoyed, but he found himself at the point in his life where he wanted other things.  While none of the available women in Mechakon had grabbed his eye because of their shallowness, the moment he had laid eyes on Captain Hayes, his attention had been truly caught.  It wasn’t just her natural beauty and elegance, it was the air of calm and confidence that surrounded her. He always respected strong women, and Captain Hayes seemed to be the epitome of all that he admired.  So he had made it his mission to get close to her, studying her habits to woo her properly.

Although she had been spooked at first, he had managed to integrate himself into her daily life, to the point where she did not seem bothered by his presence anymore, but that she seemed to welcomed the company.  The more he observed her day-to-day activities, the more he realized how much Captain Hunter was a steady part of her life. Ever since the first few days after the Macross crew arrived, Hunter had been a constant presence around her, almost as much as Ryoma himself.  And while Ryoma was trying to integrate into her routine, Captain Hunter was deeply ingrained in her life in ways that Ryoma had not realized until now. Ever since last week, when Captain Hunter had been away from her, her demeanor had seemed downcast and overburdened with responsibilities and worries.  But now, he could hear the uplifting tone in her voice as she addressed the man in her office.

Ryoma froze, finally realizing what many others had already seen and subtly hinted at, there was more between them than what they let on.  And even if Captain Hayes and Captain Hunter were not aware of that fact yet, and even if they fought to deny it, there were feelings there that needed to be addressed.

With these troubled thoughts, he went to the spacious kitchen that fed all the people of Santore.  By now the rush of breakfast was done and he could have the peace that he needed as he gathered a small plate for Captain Hayes.  He was so deep in thought that he didn’t realize there was someone else there.

“Hey, why the long face?”

Ryoma pulled himself out of his thoughts to see the smirking face of his oldest friend.  Daigo was so carefree, Ryoma sometimes envied the way he lived his life. And while he knew it was mostly an act, there was a certain rebelliousness that still remained untamed under the surface.  Even now, Ryoma could see through the nonchalance that Daigo tried to project. Daigo thought he was getting away with it but Ryoma knew him too well. His old friend was concerned about him, but was trying to hide it.  If only Daigo knew that he could read him like a book!

The presence of his friend and the simple question were enough to pull him out of his funk, but not enough to lift his spirits.  He gave his friend a considering gaze. Could he ask Daigo for confirmation of his fears? Daigo worked close enough with the both of them.  And as much as he pretended not to care about anything but himself, Daigo was rather observant and astute.

“Do you think Captain Hayes is involved with Captain Hunter?”

Daigo did a double take at the question, almost toppling over as he stiffened from the relaxed posture he had a minute ago.  Any other time, Ryoma would have laughed at the clumsy movement of his otherwise graceful friend, but he didn’t feel like it at the moment.  In fact, the closed expression on his friend’s face, and the way that Daigo avoided his eyes gave him the answer he needed.

“I see…”  Ryoma murmured, busying himself with filling up the plate.

“Well, I wouldn’t say they are together…”  Daigo said weakly.

“But she’s in love with him.”

“Well, she does feel strongly for him, more than anyone else it seems,”  Daigo prevadicated. He didn’t want to break his friend’s heart, but at the same time, he didn’t want to give him any false hope.  In fact, he had tried to hint to Ryoma that he might want to set his sights elsewhere but he didn’t want to come out and say it in so many words.

“And he feels the same about her too?”  

“Ugh, Ryoma, you are killing me here!  You know I’m not good at this stuff!” Daigo made an exaggerated jazz motion with his hands, indicating his displeasure.  An electric blue eye peeked at Ryoma through Daigo’s ridiculously long bangs, but Ryoma did not smile at his friend’s antics.  There was time for levity, but this was not it, the young man realized. He slumped on the table behind him. “I have no idea,” Daigo admitted softly.  “He’s a bit harder to read. I can say he’s the only one aside from you that cares about bringing her food and making sure she’s taken care of, so if I were to draw conclusions based on that…”

“Say no more.  I understand,” Ryoma said as he raised the plate and turned to leave the room.  He wanted to sneak in the plate before the rest of the people came for the meeting.  Checking the clock on the wall, he saw he had at least fifteen minutes before the meeting started.

“You are still going to bring her food?”  

Ryoma raised his eyebrow at his friend’s question.

“That’s who you were preparing this for, right?  I saw you had breakfast already.”

“You sure are nosy,”  Ryoma answered without turning around.  “Just because I don’t have a chance right now, doesn’t mean that I cannot do something nice for her.  Even if it may not be as frequent from now on.”

“Here, let me go with you.  I have to head that way for my training session.  I’m paired with Takeru today of all people. Today’s  gonna suuuuuuck!” Daigo exaggerated, bringing a smile to Ryoma’s face.  

The two friends joked around as they reached the Captain’s office.  Aside from Captain Hunter and Captain Hayes, the only other person that had arrived early was Captain Hawk.  All three were talking quietly, but Rick was the first to see the two men when they entered the room. With a quiet word, he detached himself from the conversation and walked over to them.  Daigo could feel Ryoma tensing next to him as the young Captain approached them. Daigo felt defensive for his friend and stood tall next to him in solidarity. Captain Hunter seemed to not have noticed as he seemed preoccupied by something.  

Ryoma thought that Captain Hunter was going to take the plate from him and claim all the glory for himself.  And as much as Ryoma was resigned to it, he still felt resentment at the young man approaching him. When the black-haired man reached him,  Rick raised his arm towards Ryoma, and Ryoma resignedly raised the plate to him, but Captain Hunter made no move to grab it. Instead, the other man lightly touched Ryoma’s arm and a small smile warmed Rick’s face.

“Thanks for bringing that Ryoma.  That was really nice of you to offer.  Why don’t you leave it on her desk for now?  People are going to start coming in soon so she’ll eat when she can.”

Ryoma was taken aback by the man’s actions.  He was not expecting anything like what had happened, especially after the harsh looks he received earlier from the young man.  As the young Captain talked, Ryoma studied his face for any sign of deceit, and only found sincerity and gratefulness on his open features.  With a nod, Ryoma headed over to do what Captain Hunter had asked, his opinion of the man slowly changing. As he passed Captain Hayes and Barry, she turned to him, nodding discreetly at him as her eyes seemed to thank him.    

Ryoma decided that it was his turn to make a decision.  He would either stand by the sidelines until they figured it out on their own, or actively help them get together.  Regardless of his feelings, his lady's heart was taken for the time being and there was no space for him at the moment. He was grateful that if he had to lose her affections to someone else, at least it would be to someone that also seemed to care for her well-being.

#

Rick watched Ryoma discreetly place the plate on her desk.  After his talk with Lisa, he had felt bad and had decided to approach Ryoma and offer up an olive branch.  After all, he should be glad someone else was taking care of Lisa when he couldn’t.

Realizing that he had an audience, he turned to Daigo, who was still in front of him, silently watching what had just transpired.  Rick clapped his hand lightly on the other man’s shoulder, only twinging slightly at how the movement pulled on his ribs.

“Daigo, I would like to talk to you after the meeting.  Actually both Captain Hayes and I want to talk with you.  Will 1300 hours work for you?”

“That’s fine,”  Daigo replied. “Did I do something wrong?”  he asked, puzzled. He had been on his best behaviour lately, no pranks or a toe out of line…at least that he knew of.

“No,” Rick said and laughed lightly at the other’s apprehensive face.  “On the contrary. We’ll fill you in later, but trust me, it’s not a bad thing.”

“Ok.”  Daigo shrugged.  Whatever it was seemed like it could wait, and Captain Hunter would not be smiling if it was a bad thing.  In fact, the Captain’s spirits seemed almost to be back to his usual good mood. “You are looking well today, Captain Hunter.”

Rick scoffed and replied, “Don’t be fooled.  That might be a combination of caffeine and the meds finally kicking in.”

“Not a bad thing then,”  Daigo smirked.

Their conversation was cut short by the greetings of the other people that were starting to file in for the meeting.  Koji in particular smiled as he made a beeline towards them.

Daigo greeted the warrior-turned-scientist.  “Well, it seems like you guys are ready to start.  I’ll take that as my cue to leave. I don’t know who will be babysitting us today but I don’t want to piss them off.”  With a two-fingered salute, the long-haired man left. He did a discreet look back at the room to look for Ryoma and found him talking to Commodore Fokker.  Satisfied that his friend seemed to be handling things for now, he left the room to head towards the training grounds.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15,  Of Plots and Drastic Measures

In a cavernous underground chamber, large enough to fit the extraterrestrial entities, the leaders of the enemy forces were meeting at the request of Grand Master Dokuma.  Dolza had no choice but to attend if he wanted their cooperation, but inside, he was tired of the lack of forward action.

“What are the news from the miners?” The Grand Master asked to his audience.  His bodiless voice still managed, without any facial expressions, to convey his impatience towards his allies and his lackeys.

“ We go as fast as your Generals can survey ,”  Dolza replied, his own impatience at the matter evident.  If he had known that this whole ordeal would take this long, he would have taken his chances and attacked the micronians with what little forces he had left.  This period of inaction was not sitting well with him. And though he was not hot-tempered like Khyron, he would, at the very least, want to be planning something to thwart his enemies.

“The excavation of the Xtron is not a matter that can be rushed,”  General Saxidar, Madokter’s second highest official, explained with a certain air of arrogance that made Dolza grit his teeth to avoid backhanding the micronian-sized man.  “It is an extremely delicate and volatile substance. A wrong move and we could have it explode under us and wipe out our forces in a matter of seconds.”

Dolza growled. He wanted, no, he needed to get off this forsaken planet.  The very air of it was infesting him with its culture. He knew that if the Robotech Masters had an inkling of his epic defeat, he would be annihilated without a chance to explain himself.

He needed to finish his mission and capture the SDF-1.  He couldn’t give up now; doing so would spell his death.  Plus, he was not going to leave until he managed to bring justice over those that had decided to turn against him and the teachings of the Masters.  

“So what are you going to do in the meantime, aside from twiddling your thumbs as we wait,”  the derisive voice of the Madokter’s Grand Master echoed hollowly in the room.

Dolza almost rolled his eyes at the choice of words from the bodiless mass of energy that called himself Grand Master Dokuma.

“Grand Master, we are devising a plan for our spy to deploy.  We will be creating chaos from within,” General Saxidar explained to his leader in a placating voice.

“We are also planning on stealing intel on the Allied Forces.  The spy has informed us that the Intelligence Division has taken over the factory side of the base, and they seem to be building something that is being kept under wraps.  We need to know what they are working on in order to neutralize that threat,” Commander Cypher, the Izzari robot, continued.

“Why don’t we blow them up and be done with it?” Dolza asked, with a flip of his giant hand.

Saxidar looked at him with barely concealed disdain at his uncouth suggestion.  ‘Zentraedi were such savages! Such a lowly race,’ he thought with a grimace. The only thing they were good for was their brute strength.  They were obviously not cloned for their intelligence. “If we do, Emperor Dolza,” Saxidar replied out loud, with as much diplomacy as he could muster,  “we run the risk of triggering the Xtron. We have reason to believe that there are multiple corridors that once transported the Xtron from Viktor Town to Santore Base.”

Dolza grunted, his vision of an early escape dashed.  It seemed that this would turn out to be an even longer mission than what he had anticipated.  If only he didn’t need them, he would explode the whole thing and be done with both factions. Visions of masterful explosions danced across his mind for a minute until the harsh reality dashed them.  After all, he had been the one to seek them out, and it had been for this very reason. His forces would be powerless without them at the moment. He needed the ships that they could provide and the energy that they were excavating in order to power them all.  As much as it displeased him, he would have to bide his time and keep cooperating with them.

#

At the Santore Base, a very similar meeting was occuring.  The participants were the leaders of the Earth’s resistance, a group comprised of a ragtag band of both military factions and civilian warriors.  Added to that, the scientific team had been called in to weigh in on both the information coming in from Roy’s latest spying mission, and their own scientific experimentations.  Missing from the meeting were the rest of the Special Forces, who at the moment were training under the joint tutelage of Max and Miriya, and Exedore, who had travelled to the Factory Satellite to put together some prototypes for the scientific team.  A lot had happened during the week when Rick had been recovering, and this meeting was more of a call to action within the factions now that matters had calmed.

Roy presented to the entire group the pictures that he had gathered from his flying mission almost a week ago.  In that time, Ryoma and Saori had superimposed the pictorial information into various maps of Viktor Town and the corridors that led to Santore Base in order to determine what the enemy’s plans were.  Based on information gathered from Dr. Otaki’s logs, there was no doubt that they were mining for the precious Xtron. What was in doubt was if they had already managed to tap into the source and fathom the ways of turning it into usable energy.  That was their biggest question at the moment, therefore a plan to infiltrate the town was slowly being put into place.

“There are definitely some corridors that we’ve used in the past to go back and forth from Santore Base and Viktor Town, but I wouldn’t put it past the enemy forces to be guarding them from attacks,”  Captain Barry Hawk said to the rest of the group that was meeting in Captain Hayes’ office that morning.

“There are some that are well hidden though, that only my father knew about.  We could use those,” Saori Otaki interjected. “I can provide the maps that my father drew up when he helped build Viktor Town.”

“If we use one of those hidden passages, we could sneak in and investigate,” suggested Ryoma, the samurai spy.

“Could we sabotage their operation somehow?” asked Roy.

“It would be a rather delicate job,”  Dr. Lang said, and Saori nodded. “We would have to be careful that we don’t destabilize the Xtron.”

“Why?”  Rick asked.

“If it becomes too unstable, it could create an explosion...”

“And lead it straight back to us,”  Rick mused grimly.

“Exactly,” said Dr. Lang.  

“But knowing the enemy’s weaknesses from within their base could help us stage a future strike from the inside,”  the samurai argued. “We do have an advantage due to the fact that we know Viktor Town like the back of our hands. It was our city first, after all.”  

“There are too many variables, too many places for them to hide,” the ever-cautious Barry groused.  

“All the more reason to investigate their base before we strike,”  Ryoma argued.

Rick and Lisa looked at each other, measuring what they both thought without communicating out loud.  Familiarity from years of working together and having a similar thought process have made it possible to communicate without words, and right now, they could read each other’s expressions like an open book.  They were both skeptical of the idea that Ryoma was presenting, but they realized they had no other choice. It would be a risky move, but they have been operating blindly for so long; they desperately needed an upper hand.

“How many people would you need for a mission like this?”  Lisa asked Ryoma.

“Not many; the smaller the number, the better.  Eight, at most.”

“They would have to be good at hand-to-hand combat, or with weapons that could not discharge an explosion,”  Barry pointed out and Ryoma smirked, unsheathing his samurai sword with his thumb and letting it fall again, causing a hiss from the sword.  It was definitely not a power weapon; everyone else involved had to be able to wield a similar weapon.

“Understandably,”  Lisa reasoned. “Captain Hawk, Ryoma, can you put together a team and meet with us at 1200 hours?”

“Aye, Captain.  I recommend Saori be present for this,”  Barry said, looking at the blond woman for acknowledgement.  She nodded and gave him a serene smile.

“I think some of the people from the Special Forces can help also.  Can they be present at that meeting too?” Rick interjected, and Lisa nodded her assent.

“Commodore Fokker, could you arrange that?  Also include both Captains Sterlings. They should be looped in on this too.”

“Yes, Captain Hayes.”

“If there are no more updates about this, let’s take a 15 minute recess before starting with the Research and Development Meeting.”

All the members took a moment to get up and stretch their legs.  Saori, Ryoma, and Barry excused themselves and left the room. As they left, Roy placed a couple quick calls to alert the people Lisa had requested that their attendance is required for the 1200 meeting.

In the meantime, as Koji started setting up the holographic display, Lisa took the opportunity to nibble on some of the food that Ryoma had left on her desk.  

“You brought Lisa some food after you left?” Roy asked Rick, sitting down next in the vacated spot of the female Captain.  “I didn’t see you pick up anything when you left.”

“No, that wasn’t me.  I wouldn’t have been able to carry all that by myself either.  It was Ryoma,” Rick said airily.

“Oh,”  Roy exclaimed as he frowned a bit.  He was happy that at least Lisa was being taken care of, but there was always the added bonus when Rick was the one doing it since that brought them closer together.  The fact that another guy was doing it didn’t sit well with the group’s plan of getting the two of them together. Although… “So, how do you feel about that?”

Rick looked annoyed at the question.  He raised an eyebrow at Roy and responded in a harsh whisper, “Now is not the place to talk about that.”

Roy sighed.  Rick was right.  There were too many people close by.  Although Koji didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything else other than fidgeting with the equipment, he was still within hearing distance, so Roy decided to give Rick a break, but he gave his little brother a look that promised they would talk about it later.

In the tense silence that followed, Rick couldn’t help but be annoyed at Roy’s indiscretion, but he was more annoyed at the question itself.  What did Roy intend with that question? Rick was happy that Lisa would not fall back into her bad habits of eating fast meals to sustain herself.  He believed that if Roy was a good friend to her, he should just be glad that she was eating actual healthy food, regardless of who provided it. The act itself meant nothing more than helping out a friend in need.  He was relieved when Lisa called the meeting to order as Roy had to vacate the seat in order for Lisa to reclaim it.

“Now, what news do we have from the Intelligence Division?”  Lisa said, turning to Dr. Lang, the unspoken leader of the division, despite his age.  Regardless of the fact that Dr. Dodge had more seniority in the scientific field, Dr. Lang was the more knowledgeable one about Protoculture and its history due to his collaboration with Exedore.

“In order to be more effective when creating new weaponry for our existing mecha, we started our process by cataloguing the strengths and weaknesses of the mecha from the various factions of both the Allied Forces and the enemies we are facing,”  Dr. Lang proclaimed. “We compiled all the data from the original creators and analyzed the power of the machines and the impact that each of the variables bring to the different machines.”

Koji made a disgruntled face at the last comment and Rick glanced over at him, puzzled by the reaction.

“By variables, are you including the pilots as part of the equation?” Lisa asked, and Rick finally understood Koji’s expression because he was not too pleased at being described as a mere variable either.

“Of course, human interaction with the mecha creates the most diverse effects,”  Lang replied blandly. “Also, different pilots create different reactions from the mecha.”

“Err, what Dr. Lang is trying to say here is that not everyone can pilot all the mecha and there are certain mechas that are keyed to one pilot specifically,”  Dr. Dodge interjected. “I am sure you have already observed that on your own.”

“I suspected, yes.  But it was confirmed recently,”  Lisa replied.

“What do you mean by that?”  Roy asked, looking at the two of them. Since he had not been in the previous meetings, he had never heard of those theories, and even more, he had not been privy to Koji’s admissions about the power of the Mazinkaizer.  

“Starting with the less taxing mecha, the VFs, you must have seen that it takes a special kind of person to become a soldier.  Not everyone is cut for that,” Lang stated.

“I’ve been in the army before VFs were even around.  It always takes a special kind of person to be a soldier and to stick through with it,”  Roy scoffed. “Those that don’t, get killed easily.”

Lisa made a move as if she was going to say something, but Rick interjected, “That’s true for the most part, but you’ve trained soldiers, and you have also trained VF pilots.  Not everyone can be a pilot, not every pilot can be a soldier, and not everyone can be a pilot that connects so deeply with the VFs to have it be an extension of their own body and thoughts.  That’s what he’s talking about,” Rick explained passionately.

Roy relented, realizing the truth to that statement.  He had felt it as a pilot, and he had seen it when he saw the Sterlings, and even Rick, fly.

“You said this before Captain Hunter, where the pilot’s even need a period of adjustment to the mecha,”  Dr. Dodge said, remembering the conversation they’d had previously.

“Well, it’s more of a period of adjustment to the thinking cap,” Rick explained further.  “I was a pilot before joining the army, and although the training was exhausting, it was using the caps to control the VFs that was really mentally and emotionally draining.” (?)

“Part of the power of the Protoculture in the mechas we pilot is that it connects to the pilot on an emotional, guttural level.  The stronger the connection, the better control the pilot has of the mecha. As Captain Hunter said, it becomes an extension of our thoughts, and in some cases, feelings,”  Koji spoke, his dark eyes boring into the light gray ones of the older soldier.

“It is indeed.  Part of what we have been trying to do in studying this phenomenon is to better aid those pilots control their mecha.  Specifically, the giant robots since they are more specialized and more tailored to specific individuals.”

“That is not to say,” interjected Dr. Dodge after Lang spoke, “that we cannot tweak the performance of the VFs by adding more of this intuitive power.  But we theorize that it should not be used with every pilot.”

“Are you saying that you could make us connect with our mecha on an even deeper level?  Similar to how the robots are being controlled?” Rick asked fascinated, and turned to Koji who nodded back at him.

“In theory, yes,”  Lang admitted, hesitantly.

“You do not seem too sure about it,”  Lisa observed.

“It is all theory until it is put to practice,”  Lang responded, and Roy almost rolled his eyes at the evasiveness of the response.  “Aside from that, we can all agree that this should not be something to be implemented to all VFs, but to a certain few, like my colleague has mentioned.”

Lisa thought that she might have to restrain Rick, who seemed to be vibrating in his seat at the news.  She was sure that the old Rick would have been jumping up and down and having something to say about it.  She admired his recently acquired restraint.

“Yes Captain Hunter, you and the Sterlings would specifically be the first ones to test the new technology…err, that is, whenever you are given the health clearance to do so.”  Lang seemed to note his barely concealed excitement.

Rick almost pouted at that last part but he was still excited about the idea.

“When we were studying Mr. Kabuto’s helmet and the connection to Mazinkaizer, we found certain similarities to the VF’s helmet and the connection to that veritech fighter.  We have come up with some improvements to the current technology based on those observations. In the manuscript that you have been given Captain Hayes, there is an outline on the pros and cons of implementing the technology on the test subjects, and what improvements could be found in their performance.”

Lisa had not looked at the manuscript, she would have to study it at her leisure later, probably with Rick, who seemed like he was only containing his curiosity out of professional courtesy.  Instead, she asked, “Who would be your first intended tester?”

“We were thinking that it should be Captain Miriya Sterling.”  

Roy and Rick were surprised her name was first.  

“She makes the most logical sense for a series of reasons, the first one being that Captain Hunter cannot pilot right now,”  Koji shot him an apologetic glance, and Rick just rolled his eyes and shook his head to dismiss it. Guilt was fine, but too much guilt would not let them move on.  “And the fact that as a Meltrandi, she has been trained in a much more intuitive mecha than the one we have currently.”

“Are you saying that the Zentraedi and the Meltrandi have mecha that are more similar to the robots than ours?”  Roy asked.

“To an extent.  It is more linked to muscle memory and to mechanical movement than emotional energy, but yes.  The Zentraedi were not breed for emotional depth so those facets would not be cultivated or even encouraged in that culture.”

“Now, in theory,” Lisa started, knowing that if she didn’t phrase it correctly, Lang would balk at giving her a straight answer, “is it possible to give Mr. Kabuto the same training that the VF pilots are given?  Or maybe even a different thinking cap that could block part of the connection of the robot to him, perhaps making it more manageable?”

“Change my helmet…?” Koji mumbled, surprised at her suggestion.  

Lang gave a sigh, as if the answer was a big conundrum.  Looking at the other two members of the team, he answered, “I would not recommend your last suggestion Captain Hayes.  It sounds like that could be a way of manipulating Mazinkaizer in a safer manner, and I see your point after the unfortunate incident between Captain Hunter and Mr. Kabuto…”  Koji’s ears reddened at the attention this comment brought, “but it would not be a wisesolution.”

“Why not?”  Lisa challenged him.  She knew she would have to push for an answer since Lang always got cagey when sharing theories until they were proven and had a concrete solution, but the time to be hesitant was past.  Not only did they have to be aggressive in order to be able to protect their planet, they also had to be cautious of the magnificent power they wielded. It would not do to try to save the planet while destroying it in the process with their friendly fire.

“Without Dr. Kabuto, the original creator, here, I would not recommend making any changes to the helmet.  Unfortunately, Dr. Kabuto did not share his notes with his grandson or any of his colleagues at the PhotoAtomic Research Center-”  

“I’m sorry to interrupt you Dr. Lang, but can I answer this?” the young man asked, his voice serious and his gaze steely, his expression making even the indomitable scientist snap his jaw shut.  For the first time in the whole meeting, Koji met the eyes of their leader head on, his spine straight and his gaze unwavering. “Regardless of my regrettable actions last week, Mazinkaizer needs the emotional energy that it feeds off me.  If the mecha is independent from the human…well, the actions might be worse than the remedy you are proposing. I do not disagree that I am not ready to pilot it at this stage, and I am willing to do all it takes to be a better pilot, but you cannot take the human out of the equation or else it will be the machine that wins, and not humanity.”

Lisa met his eyes and saw the warrior that had been hidden until now. While he had expressed those convictions before, it wasn’t until now that he seemed to stand up for them.  Finally she could see the resolve that could be molded into the force that could wrangle the dangerous monster machine.

“I see.  Then you will understand the need for you to train until you can tame the beast that you pilot.  I’m sure that understanding the importance of this mecha and the destructive capabilities it possess, Captain Hunter and Commodore Fokker will not object to take you under their wing and make sure that you are ready for it.”

The three men in question just blinked stupidly at her as her meaning slowly sank in.  Koji felt relieved that he would not be parted from the robot, and that his allies still trusted  him. Captain Hayes was a formidable leader, and if she deemed him a threat, he was sure that he would be forced to give up his robot or else.  He really had no desire to battle these people that he admired.

Koji tore his eyes away from her slightly triumphant gaze to look at the other two men in question.  Rick flashed him a grin, obviously on board with the idea. Commodore Fokker did not look as pleased, but he was too much of a professional to voice his opinion.  And now he was put on the spot by her, making it harder to refuse.

“I have no problem,”  Rick chirped in.

“That is a great idea!”  the overly enthusiastic voice of Dr. Dodge demonstrated his approval.  Dr. Lang seemed cautiously optimistic of the outcome.

“If Captain Hunter and Commodore Fokker have no issues with that, I will gladly take this opportunity Captain Hayes,”  Koji responded.

She nodded and looked at Roy who had yet to answer.  The man gave a nod, not entirely pleased with the idea, but agreeing for the sake of the mission.  He still didn’t know what to make of the dark-haired pilot, but duty was duty, and personal feelings had to be put aside for the benefit of saving their planet.

“What about the other robots?  Any improvements that can be applied to them?”  Rick interjected.

“We have been making headway with the different weapons we have devised as upgrades to the mecha’s current weapons,”  Dr. Lang said, taking back the thread of the conversation, prompting Koji to scramble to show some of the images of the robots’ blueprints and the proposals to their weapons.  “We will be involving the creators of the other robots to make sure that they are viable, but in summary, for Gakeen,” Koji pulled up Takeru and Mai’s robot, “we are planning on intensifying their magnetic powers by rebuilding their power core with a combination of Xtron and PhotoAtomic energy.  This one might be the most delicate one since we need to make sure that both Takeru and Mai can withstand the surplus charge of energy.”

“Isn’t that dangerous to them?”  Lisa asked, alarmed.

“Mai should be familiar with this process, she has been subjected to this kind of experimentation in the past,”  Lang said in his cold, calculated manner. The rest of the people in the room were not as immune to the information as they listened in horror.  

Dr. Dodge, who was more aware of human emotions, tried to placate them. “Of course, we will need to make sure that they are all right with it, and it will all be done in a safe manner,”  he said, his hands making a soothing gesture. They still looked alarmed but at least they were not on high alert.

“How about Takeru?”  Rick asked.

“The power core would be in essence translated into a stronger current of electromagnetic energy.  We know from past history that he has a natural tolerance to electricity and electromagnetic energy.  It should not be a problem.”

Rick did not like the dismissive attitude that Lang sometimes took on when talking about things like this.  It seemed that for him, everything was an experiment, and human frailties did not factor into his equation. Neither did human emotions.  Rick had been told by Lisa that Lang didn’t use to be like that. She had heard stories that the continued exposure to Protoculture had changed the scientist, but Rick only knew what he had always seen and it made his hackles rise.  But before he could say anything, he felt a light touch on his pinky finger. Discreetly, he side-eyed Lisa to see her impassive face looking at Lang as if nothing was wrong, but he could tell that her attention was on him, and that she was very aware of his reaction.  Rick knew that this would not be the end of this conversation, but he also knew this was not the time to have it, so he deliberately sat back and relaxed, sending a silent message to both Lisa and the others that he would not create a scene. If Lang was perturbed by the subtext, he did not give any indication of it.

At Rick’s movement, Lisa also relaxed marginally, thankful that Rick had decided to back off.  She was just as perturbed by the information she had received, and she vowed to have a conversation with both Mai and Takeru about all this, but to Lang’s and the scientific team’s defense, it was all theory for now.  Until she has reviewed the information and talked to all the pertinent parties, she would not be overly worried about it. Far be it to stir up a hornet’s nest for something that might not even work.

“On the other hand, there is a way to safely add a modified version of one of Mazinkaizer’s weapons onto Gakeen,”  Koji hurried to add, understanding the tension in the room and wanting to diffuse it. “Mazinkaizer has the ability to spout Hurricane 5 force winds from the grate around his “mouth,” and since Gakeen has a similar design, we are thinking of incorporating something similar that uses the excess energy built up by the robot.  This would not, in theory, tax the pilots’ energy. On the contrary, it might help them conserve more energy from using the robot.” At their look of confusion, Koji explained, “Takeru and Mai are like the polar opposites of a magnet. One positive and one negative charge. When they need to assemble Gakeen, they combine together in a process called the Star-Cross, and at that point they act as the “battery” that charges the robot.  Their bodies are unique because they store and create copious amount of electricity. When they power the robots, they are the electrical charge that powers the magnetic aspect of the robot and holds it together. Now, powering the robot takes a lot of energy from the two of them, but with the Xtron power core, they can boost the electrical charge without taxing their bodies as much.”

“But if they are creating electricity, why are they not discharging electrical currents left and right?”  Roy asked, confused.

“It’s only when they are in the robot that they can release this energy.  It’s not like they are mutants or something like that,” Koji expanded. “The only side effect that I have heard is that Takeru is super resistant to electricity.  Beyond that, he is very tight lipped about the effects, even on the report that we have received from their scientific team. Mai has no reported side effects. It seems, as she was growing up, she willingly let herself be treated to electromagnetic experiments to allow her body to adjust to the flow of strong, electrical currents.”

Lisa and Rick filed that little tidbit into the back of their minds. Lisa looked at the schematics grimly. She was used to her pilots having some sort of backlash from PTSD after the fights and exhaustion from the long, grueling hours of patrolling, but nothing like this. Listening to the explanation drove the point home that she would need to give this particular group a lot more support and attention, not only on the battlefield, but also outside of it.  She made a mental note to address her concerns with Rick as soon as possible to better support his team.

Rick was making a mental note of his own.  He was aware of how some of the robots worked, having read the dossiers and seeing them in action, but he had not been privy to the full extent of it.  

Roy was also shocked at all the information he was hearing, and he reasoned that he had somewhat done a disservice to the men and women of the Special Forces.  Finally understanding the power they held, and the absolute lack of training most of them had had when they were thrust in the position of saving the world, he could have more compassion towards them.  He still thought they, especially the men of the team, could be brought down a peg or two, but he resolved to make sure that he was more aware of their needs.

The conversation then moved to some changes that Dr. Dodge had planned for Jan, namely the ability of making clones of himself that could work either in conjunction, or as automatons without the need for his control.  This ability would come at a high energy cost to the cyborg, so it could not be used too frequently, but it would be safe to use.

“I was planning to add this since the beginning,”  he explained to the Captains as he assured them of the safety of his invention,  “but I lacked the proper power source. With the ability to use the PhotoAtomic energy conversion, and Dr. Otaki’s methods of synthesizing this energy, I am confident that I can do it in a safe manner.”  

For some reason, both Rick and Lisa did not worry as much about the cyborg in hands of his own “creator”.  After all, the elderly scientist seemed to hold an affection towards the young cyborg similar to that of a parent talking about his own child.

“And what about Gordian and Venus A?”

“As per Dr. Otaki’s request, we are not doing any upgrades to his mecha at this time,”  Lang informed them.

Lisa was relieved in a sense, since it seemed that the new weapons would tax the energy and time of the ones that would wield it.  Both Rick and her need Daigo to be the point person on the battlefield, and to have him distracted with extra training for these weapons might detract from that.

“As for Venus A,”  Koji interjected before Lang could spout some of his more crazy ideas for Sayaka’s robot, “we are planning on using the same Superalloy Z to strengthen her robot to be more durable in the battlefield.”

“Venus A already possesses similar weapons to Mazinkaiser, but in a lesser capacity to that robot.  It is also less taxing to the pilot by utilizing less of a connection from the robot to the pilot, making it less effective.”  

Koji narrowed his eyes at the way Lang talked about Sayaka’s robot.  It was one thing to have from him think that, but another to have an outsider express that dismissiveness for her contribution.  He bit his tongue though and decided to take a page out of Captain Hunter’s book and voice his opinion with a more sympathetic audience.

“Is that all then, as far as upgrades and updates from the Intelligence Division?”  Lisa asked, knowing that the approval to these upgrades, as important as they were, would not be solved in that instant and there were other pressing matters to attend to.  

“There is one more thing that we would like to share with you,”  Lang said, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant. “I would have preferred to wait to inform you about this until we had more information, but we might need to ask for Ambassador Exedore’s help, and I did not want to do so without at least letting you know what the situation was.  Although Captain Miriya Sterling has been helping us translate some mysterious, alien files that we came across while studying Dr. Otaki’s collection, there are some things that she is not familiar with, that she never learned from her time with the Meltrandi.  But the Ambassador would have, since he was their archivist.”

“What is the information?”

“It talks about a colonization ship, lost on Earth.  That was what the SDF-1 was programmed to do, to go and search for that colonization vessel and bring those rebels back to the fold.  Unfortunately, or fortunately for the colonists, the Zentraedi seemed to have perished on that mission when the SDF-1 crash-landed on Earth.”

“Where is this ship?  Why haven't we heard about it?” Lisa was just as flummoxed by this information as the others.  She had never been given any indication that something like this could exist. She felt almost cheated at the fact that it had been kept from her.

“We are still digging through the information, but as we mentioned, it’s still incomplete. We did not have enough relevant data to brief you yet.  Even with my own notes and Dr. Lang’s, there is not enough there to fill in the blanks,” Dr. Dodge added.

“That’s what’s so strange, there is nothing on the records about it.  More than that, the coordinates for where the ship landed are for a city that doesn’t exist on any official map known to us…well, we have theories, but nothing concrete,”  Koji interjected excitedly.

“For goodness’ sake man, it’s a legend.  It’s not real!” Lang insisted.

“What legend are you talking about?” Rick asked, confused.

“Atlantis,”  Lang responded with a sour taste in his mouth.

“Well, there are plenty of documentation for it.  It could be a potential site.”

“It is only a theory at this point, let’s not jump to conclusions.”

Koji slumped in dejection, put out by the man’s attitude, while Dr. Dodge looked at him sympathetically.

“All right,” Lisa interjected, before the matter escalated.  At this point, they needed answers, not theories, so she cut the flights of fancy short.  “I will talk to Saori to see about procuring an encrypted communication to the Factory Satellite.  I will have to inform Admiral Gloval of the matter too in order to facilitate this. As soon as we are done with the next two meetings, I will personally talk to him.  Could you please provide a concise report for me to provide to him as to the urgency of this?”

“I will,”  Lang confirmed.  He was interrupted by a knock, and he knew that their time had come to an end.

“Enter,”  Lisa ordered, to see the rest of the people she had requested for the Infiltration Meeting at 1200.  She rose from her seat to greet the newcomers and to usher out the scientific research team. Rick did the same, albeit a little slower than her as he was being mindful of his injuries.  They both watched as Ryoma filed in first, followed by most of the Special Forces. Saori trailed in after, taking her place next to her brother. The Sterlings greeted them all with salutes that were echoed by the Captains and Commodore Fokker.  As Lisa was about to start the meeting, Rick realized something.

“Wait, we are missing one.  Where is Takeru?”

“That guy is so hard to find...”  Roy complained, his earlier idea to treat the Special Forces group with more compassion disappearing at the face of his exasperation at the man’s irresponsible behavior.

“Mai?” Rick asked his partner, finding her easily next to Sayaka as both women usually stuck together when not accompanied by their respective partners.

“Sorry Captain, I already tried to get ahold of him…”

“Why are you bothering her?  She’s my teammate, not my keeper,”  Takeru replied angrily from the door.  “I make myself available as scheduled. The rest of the time I was told was mine,”  he said with a frown.

Roy decided to hold his tongue for now, and he could see by Rick’s expression that he seemed to be mentally praying for patience.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Hoyo.  Could you please make yourself available now by closing the door and joining us?”  Lisa’s sarcastic, but still borderline professional, comment cut through the silence, resolving the standoff they all seemed to be in.

Takeru hated to be the center of attention unless it was tied to his performance in the martial arts arena.  He also disliked to be put on the spot, so he hurried to do as he was told so that he could take the focus off of him.  He stood behind Mai, with his back to the wall, sullen and vigilant of those in the room. He didn’t trust anyone there, aside from Mai, and he didn’t particularly like to be around these people, with their pretentious ideas and overly friendly gestures.  There was always a catch to people, and he had not managed to figure out what made everyone tick, not that he cared to really. He just wanted to be left alone to do his own training, and yet there was always someone dragging him away from that in order to do something that he was not interested in doing.  Like this meeting for example. As the Boss Lady droned on about some mission or other, he couldn’t help but tune the whole thing out. He didn’t ask to be here, he didn’t ask to be involved. He would participate in piloting his robot to battles because that’s what Dr. Kazuki had asked him to help them with, but that was it!  When volunteers were requested for this group, he almost scoffed.

“We are going to need people for this mission that have experience with stealth and can fight at short-range, hand-to-hand combat, or non-discharge weapons,”  Ryoma explained. “Unfortunately, my team is small now and mostly inexperienced. I have been training them in the art of spying, but not fighting. We need a few people that can provide cover for us to work.  The main criteria is that they need to be able to fight without firing weapons that can cause explosions in the area for both safety and stealth.”

“I can do it,” both Miriya and Daigo offered.  

Max closed his mouth, as he was going to offer, but seeing that his wife beat him to the punch, he would take a step back.  One of them had to be there for Dana, and he guessed it would be his time.

Ryoma turned to Miriya, his face surprised.  He had only seen her training with the VFs, so he was not familiar with her fighting style.

“I was trained in hand-to-hand combat when I was part of the Meltrandi army.  I can hold my own.”

“Very well, thank you,”  Ryoma said, bowing his head in gratitude.

“Daigo, isn’t your main weapon a laser pistol?”  Roy asked, puzzled at the man offering his services.

“Yeah, but I also have a whip and Clint,”  Daigo replied, nodding towards his mechanical pet panther, who accompanies him everywhere.

“As much as we need able-bodied soldiers, I would prefer that you do not participate in this mission Mr. Otaki. We have other plans for you at the moment,”  Lisa said.

Daigo wondered if that had anything to do with what Rick had hinted at this morning.  He glanced at the dark-haired Captain with a raised eyebrow and the man nodded, answering the unspoken question.

“Well, that doesn’t leave a lot of options,”  Daigo mused. “I could still send Clint on the mission though. He can help guard the group.”  

When there were no more forthcoming offers, Lisa scanned the group again.

“I would offer Captain Hayes, but you might have noticed my main weapon is the Astrolance.  It’s exactly what you don’t want,” Jan Kugo pointed out.

“Can’t you use the Astrolance like a bo staff?”  Takeru asked insolently. “We’ve all seen your fancy maneuvers.”

“Sure, I could,” Jan said with a shrug.  “But if we are talking about fancy maneuvers, you would win in hand-to-hand combat,” he continued, an evil smirk spreading across his face.  Takeru narrowed his eyes at him, realizing his taunt had backfired.

“Well, since you’re both so eager to show off your combat skills, Mr. Hoyo and Mr. Kugo,” Lisa interrupted coldly, “ I’m sure you wouldn’t mind volunteering for this mission,”  Lisa said, her gaze narrowed.

Those that knew her could tell how much she was holding back, and Rick was always secretly amused when Lisa turned on the sarcasm.  

Jan shrugged again, nonplussed at the idea.  Takeru on the other hand was clearly not happy with the situation, but he held his tongue in light of the position he was in. It was clear from his face that he would do what was asked even if he hated it.

As the details of the mission were expanded on, Rick kept an eye on Takeru.  At least he was paying attention, and it seemed that, even if forced to participate, he would still commit to what he was sent to do.  Regardless, he thought it would not be a bad idea to talk to him afterwards. Takeru seemed to have a hard time taking orders in general, and from people in authority in particular. Rick knew he was a bit more approachable than Lisa.  He’d been there before. So he knew that the order would not sit well with someone like Takeru. He hoped he would have a chance to catch him before the mission tonight.

As the meeting wound down and all questions were answered, Lisa dismissed the group for a late lunch.  She urged them to rest and prepare for the mission, and she thanked them for their service. It didn’t do much to soften the edges of those that didn’t want to partake in the mission in the first place, but at least it seemed like everything was set for that night.  The first to go out the door was Takeru. Daigo gave Ryoma and Saori a sign to let them know he was not leaving yet, and turned to Captain Hayes and Captain Hunter.

“You wanted to see me, Captain?”  Daigo asked as he wove between the last few people leaving the meeting.

“We will not be long,”  Rick assured him as he turned to Lisa, who was closing the door after the last person left.

“Please, take a seat Mr. Otaki,”  Lisa said, and Daigo realized whatever this conversation was, it was serious.  Lisa did not address him so formally unless they were in a meeting or going over official business.

The chestnut-haired young man looked at them expectantly.  He didn’t have to wait for long.

“Mr. Otaki, in light of my injuries, it is impossible for me to be in the field during the fights.  And while Captain Hayes and I have agreed that working from the Command Room will benefit the communication between our team and the rest of the forces, it was obvious that there was still some disorganization during our last battle.”

“We were lucky it was such a small faction attacking and not a full battalion,” Lisa continued.  “Unfortunately, we cannot count on that luck to hold.”

Daigo nodded, agreeing with their point.  

“For that reason, we have decided to appoint a Field Leader to give out orders from the battle lines.”  

Daigo now looked puzzled at that idea.  

“And we thought that you could be that person.”  

Baby blue eyes opened wide and bounced their gaze between the two Captains.  

“We pulled you out from the spying mission because, if you accept this position, we would like to have you start your training right away.”

“I…I am flattered.  I never thought…” Daigo started, but closed his mouth, not knowing what else to say.

“We can give you some time to think about it, but we would prefer an answer by the end of the day,” Lisa interjected.

“I have physical therapy this afternoon, but Captain Hayes has offered to meet with you and Commodore Fokker to come up with a plan, if that’s what you decide to do.”

“Yes, I will do it,”  Daigo said, his brow still creased in thought, but resolution filling his body.  He had some misgivings about being a leader, he had always seen himself more of a solo fighter, but over the weeks of working with the Macross Group, he had firmly established his need to take on more responsibilities when it came to this war.  He had always fought for justice, and with conviction, but he realized he needed to step up to his responsibility as a fighter for the freedom of his planet, his loved ones, and friends. If they saw something in him, then he would do whatever he could to help.  “I only have one question…” Their eyebrows rose in expectation. “Do you think we can meet after having lunch?”

Rick snorted at that, and Lisa just pressed her lips in an attempt to cover up her amusement.

“The man has a point, Lisa,”  Rick said, indicating the serious meeting was over.

“Yes, of course, we will eat lunch first,”  she rolled her eyes good-naturally as she rose from her seat.  

Daigo whooped in pleasure and hurried to the door, holding it open to them.  Lisa walked at a leisurely pace towards the exit, delicately allowing time for Rick to catch up with them.  As they all walked together towards the mess hall, the men struck up an enthusiastic conversation about Daigo’s favorite sport, American football, and she let their conversation  wash over her.

As the conversation buzzed around her, she couldn’t help but marvel at how different they all acted in this hidden town, away from the regulations of their regular lives.  Lisa was astonished at the easy camaraderie between the two. Daigo’s easy, open friendliness complemented Rick’s friendly but firm leadership, making the two men a great team.  She could see some influences of Rick on Daigo, after all, the young man had calmed down tremendously and was taking his responsibility as a leader much more seriously. But she could also see the influence that Daigo’s had on Rick.   Rick seemed to take on a big brother role around Daigo; he seemed more calm and mindful, and even more affectionate .  She was even more confused now than she had ever been with him, and the barriers that she had worked so hard to erect were threatening to topple like a house of cards instead of the impenetrable barrier that she had hoped to achieve.

Walking next to the talking pair, she reflected on how she liked the man that she was seeing, the pilot more mature than his physical years.  This was the warm, caring person that she fantasized late at night about, being next to her when situations got tough. This was the strong rock that she was depending on too much, and although scary, she wholeheartedly wanted to surrender herself to him.  She was in danger of losing her heart again, and she feared she would not be able to stop it next time.

#

“What do you make of these news?”  Dolza asked Cypher, who had come to inform him of the latest message from their spy.  The spy had managed to send an encrypted message about an upcoming mission. Cypher didn’t trust Khyron to relay all the information to his leader, so even though the purple-haired giant had been there when the spy had presented the latest bit of intel, the robot had come to talk to the older Zentraedi.

Dolza knew the failings of his current warriors.  He missed Breetai in times like these. If Breetai was still loyal to him, he would not need to meddle in these affairs.  As it was, he had delegated the task of information gathering to Khyron and the robotic entity, Cypher. And what the robot was bringing up seemed promising.  Having the enemy in their territory, and knowing in advance, could offer them a huge advantage in the fight.

“We must assume that the big players will not be involved in this infiltration mission, but killing or capturing them could perhaps deal a blow that could set them back.”

“It’s a pity that our spy is so low in their ranks.  I need to know what they are planning. I want to know what THEY know.”

“Information is always accessible, Emperor Dolza.  If that is what you require, I will manage to provide it.”

“See what you can do.”  

Cypher inclined his head and walked away, a plan already forming in his brain.

#

Rick was adamant about seeing them off on the mission.  He fought off the effects of the medication and pain that lingered after that afternoon’s therapy session.  Jean Grant had apologized to him and explained that this one would be the worst one as they had tried to get his shoulder to move after days of being in the splint.  He was not a wimp when it came to pain, but this felt like getting the injury all over again. He would make sure to go straight to bed after this.

His eyes swept over the small clusters that made up the infiltration team as they readied themselves for the mission.  They were somber, an air of tension lingering around them. He easily spied Lisa talking to Barry, Daigo and his robotic panther Clint, and Ryoma.  Rick wondered yet again when Lisa got so at ease talking with the brash samurai. She had gone from hiding from him to having full conversations with him and laughing in his presence.  Rick knew that Lisa was shy and reserved with most people when she first met them, but the way that the samurai had ingrained himself into her life was most unprecedented. Rick couldn’t stop the frisson of unease that created in him.  They must have felt his gaze on them since all of them turned towards him. Rick nodded to acknowledge them, but he didn’t approach. He wasn’t being petty, but he thought he should get himself in a better frame of mind before talking to them.

He nodded to three other members of the volunteer corps as he passed by them.  The men huddled together, forming their own clique among the group. Rick hoped they would perform well; they were vouched for by both Captain Hawk and Ryoma, so he would trust their expertise.

He decided to continue on to where Max and Miriya were standing until a slight movement to his left caught his eye.  Leaning against a wall, trying to look inconspicuous, was Takeru, his hooded gaze unreadable. Rick was surprised he was alone, without the ever-present shadow of Mai around him, but just as Takeru had made it pretty clear this afternoon, they were not in a relationship and were not responsible for each other in any way.  In fact, if Rick had to hazard a guess, he imagined that Takeru’s comment had driven a wedge between them, since Mai’s attitude had been particularly frosty during the meeting after that comment was made. Rick wondered if Takeru portrayed that kind of attitude in order to purposely drive other people away. A stab of pity lodged itself in his heart, and he found himself approaching the rapidly alarmed young man.

Takeru stood to attention, his body unfurling from the casual pose he’d been in.  His dark blue eyes shifted as he avoided looking at Rick head on, clearly uncomfortable with the attention of the Captain.  But as Rick got closer, it almost seemed like Takeru changed. If Rick had not been studying him, he would not have seen the subtle shift as Takeru put on his “mask”.  A smirk spread over Takeru’s lips, and he threw back his shoulders as his head rose to look at Rick with an uncaring attitude that screamed arrogance. It was an insufferable look that Rick had seen many a time on the other man’s face, but Rick was not fooled by it now.  He had seen the vulnerability in the man’s face, if only for a moment, and a clearer picture was starting to unravel before him. After all, Rick had used the same shield back when he had started in the RDF, only in his case, he’d had Roy to call him out on it and Lisa to keep him grounded.  

“Takeru,”  Rick acknowledged him when he got closer.

“Captain,”  the man nodded.

“Thank you for agreeing to this mission.”

“It’s not like I had that much of a choice,”  the man argued back flippantly.

Takeru’s attitude and Rick’s own physical maladies combined into a rather explosive amalgamation of feelings that brought Rick’s natural good temper to a short stop.

“Let me stop you right there and set things straight.  You are not in the military, so if you still want to back out from this, from all of this, you still have a chance.”

Takeru looked at him silently, his eyes betraying his surprise at the Captain’s words.

“If someone made you believe that you do not have a choice, then let me make it plenty clear.  I don’t want to force anyone to follow my orders, and neither does Captain Hayes,” Rick said bluntly.  “You are free to leave now, both from this mission and from this fight, if that’s what you want. If you don’t believe in this fight, then there is no point in you being here.”  

Takeru swallowed hard, his heart beating slowly in his chest.  He felt the same way when he had been offered the choice to fight with Gakeen for the first time by Dr. Kazuki.  But unlike that time a year ago, he did not owe anything to the man in front of him. He was not bound by old family favors or old childhood memories.  This man was offering him freedom from that responsibility, freedom to do what he wanted to do, freedom to go back to his old fight.

Rick saw the conflict in the man’s eyes and he knew he had hit a nerve.  He could have stopped there and let Takeru think about his words, but he couldn’t afford to have Takeru be indecisive during the mission.  He needed Takeru to take a stand, and if he had read the man right, Rick had an idea of where the cards would fall. Just as Rick opened his mouth to say something, Takeru interrupted.

“I will never be free,”  Takeru said harshly, his response strangely revealing and guarded at the same time.  

Rick knew Takeru meant that even if he left this mission, he would still have to go back to Dr. Kazuki, but there seemed to be something else there.  There were other layers to that answer that he couldn’t quite understand.

“Then choose to own it,”  Rick replied with uncharacteristic harshness.  Or at least, he had never talked to Takeru in that way.  Up until now, Rick had let Takeru coast on the coattails of the others; in many cases, even communicating to him through the buffer of Mai, but it was finally  time for the man to make a decision. “Will you be a part of the team, or will you not? You do not strike me as the kind of person that enjoys ambivalence. So I’m asking for the same straightforwardness from you.  Will you stand with us, or will you leave? Can I count on you to guard your team with the same dedication that you train with?”

Takeru’s blood boiled at what he realized was an ultimatum.  Stay and fight, or go back with his tail between his legs. The only thing at stake would be his own personal honor, and who gave a toss about his honor if everyone believed the worst about him already?

“Hey, look who I found skulking around.”  A gratingly cheerful voice pierced through the charged atmosphere.  

Rick and Takeru looked towards the voice to see Jan gently, but forcibly, dragging a reluctant Mai.  

“I was NOT skulking,”  Mai grumbled as she looked at both men warily.  She raised her head and looked at them full-on. She then moved to stand next to Takeru, not in defiance, but in solidarity.  

Takeru did not like anybody fighting his battles for him he was his own man, but when he felt the warm presence of Mai next to him, he slowly felt the tension leave his body.  He felt less alone with her around. He knew that he would not stay because he was being constricted, but he was choosing to stay because it made him part of something. He had picked his own family, and he was fighting for them, starting with the woman next to him.

“You don’t need to worry about that, Captain.   I'm a man of honor, and I would never abandon a team member."  

Rick nodded to him, the tension from the confrontation also leaving his frame.  “Best of luck on the mission then. I’ll see you when you get back.” With a nod to the other two, he left them, intent on checking in with Miriya. But as he walked away, steps followed him and fell in tandem to his.  

“You’re welcome,”  Jan Kugo’s smirking face greeted him.  “It looked like you needed a hand.”

“I don’t know if that was really what that was.”

“Don’t push him too much or he might snap.  I think you did what you needed to do,” Jan replied casually, his tone suddenly serious.  “Besides, you have me to look after him. I’ll keep him in line,” the cyborg said, his tone irreverent once again.

Rick had to bite his tongue before he spit out what he was really thinking about his help.  Jan was a really hard person to read. He would waver between irreverent sarcasm and serious insights.  He was arrogant and insolent, but he had been given the same choice that Rick had offered to Takeru, and he had come back.  What or whom had made him change his mind was never revealed, and no apologies were offered, but the cyborg had stuck with them, obeying commands when given.  It had been that resolve that had almost made him the choice for being the Field Leader, but it was that unpredictability in his character that ultimately made them bypass him in favor of Daigo.  Intelligent gray eyes looked back at him, as if they knew what Rick was thinking.

Rick narrowed his eyes and replied lightly as he smirked, “And who will keep you in line?”  

Jan smiled crookedly as he shrugged his shoulders.  Jan’s gaze skittered away from his to land on the group of leaders that were still talking.  Rick felt his hackles raise for some reason. Was that creep looking at Lisa? Or did he mean Ryoma, the leader of the mission?  Was it as simple and innocent as that? Jan gave him a sidelong glance, causing Rick to frown even further. The cyborg’s eyes danced with humor, and Rick was in no mood to take any more insolence from anybody else.  He was about to say something when he was distracted by Lisa looking their way. Immediately he cleared his expression, unwilling to alarm her. Jan took the opportunity to give him a jaunty two-fingered salute and leisurely made his way to where Lisa, Ryoma, Daigo, and Barry were.

Rick shook his head at the concern in Lisa’s eyes and he made a sharp right towards his initial target, Miriya, and Max, who held little Dana.  

“Everything okay, Skipper?”  Max asked, his usual concern a balm on Rick’s nerves.

“Nothing I can’t handle Max.”  He turned to Dana, who was wiggling in her dad’s arms as if she intended to jump in his arms.  “Hi there Warrior Princess!” He nuzzled his nose on her cheek, making her giggle and attempt to grab him.  Offering his good hand as a way to placate her, he said, “Sorry little lady, but uncle Rick was hurt in the field and I can’t hold you.  Remember how we talked about it?”

Dana stilled and looked at him seriously, as if she understood far above her age.  The look she gave him was uncannily like her father’s. Suddenly she slumped heavily against Max, making him almost stumble from the force.  Dana pouted as she buried her little face against her father’s neck, still holding on to Rick’s fingers, but she did not make any more attempts to go to him.

Miriya scoffed at the display, making Rick turn to her.  

“You take care of yourself, okay?”

The Meltrandi rolled her eyes at the command.  “You mean, take care of this group of soft men?”

“That too,”  Rick said with a smile.

“Don’t worry Boss, I will make sure they do not take a step out of line.”  

Rick smiled at her.  “Godspeed.”

He rescued his hand from the toddler, who seemed to settle down and feel asleep in her father’s arms, to salute the two of them.  The two returned the salute and he turned to leave. Miriya gave Max a quick peck on the lips and followed Rick towards the mission’s leader, Ryoma.  She fell in lockstep with him, understanding his need to not talk, but at the same time, offering her solidarity.

Their march seemed to spark the end of the waiting period as the others started to follow them, moving towards Ryoma.  

“Okay people, we are moving out,” Ryoma announced, making a hand gesture to follow him.  Clint, who had been laying at Daigo’s feet like an oversized cat, stood and padded next to Ryoma in preparation to leave.

“Wait a second, you mean you are going dressed like that?  Isn’t that the opposite of inconspicuous?” Jan teased Ryoma.

“Do you think I want to use one of those tight things?  A catsuit, or worse, one of those thick second skins? No way, I want to make sure all my parts are free to breathe,”  he said, his legs spread apart, shoulders back, which caused his kendo outfit to open, revealing his hairy chest.

Lisa snorted and almost choked on laughter at the display, but she covered up with a fake cough.  Miriya had no such reservations and she laughed heartily as the men looked at him with various levels of incredulity.

“I know you all are as intimidated by my awesome masculinity as pretty boy here,” he said, indicating to Daigo, who just rolled his eyes good-naturedly, used to his friend’s teasing. “But this allows me better movement than those skin tight pants.”

“Sure, that’s what you keep saying, but I don’t think that fashion trend will pick up anytime soon,”  Daigo teased back. “Godspeed,” he said fondly as he slapped his friend’s shoulder in a friendly manner.

“Godspeed,”  Lisa repeated as she saluted them, prompting a round of salutes from the people all around.  

Those that stayed behind waited until they could not see the group anymore in the tunnel.  They slowly dispersed, knowing there would be nothing more to do than to await news of the mission when they return.

Chapter Text

“There must be a mole in our midst.”

Lisa’s words echoed in his head, followed by the sounds of the injured as they were taken away to the infirmary.

Rick threw off his covers, resigned to the fact he would not sleep anymore. His bleary gaze looked at the clock and saw the red letters indicating that it was 0500 hours. His mind was too full from the events of yesterday to allow him to fall back to sleep.

A day later and he still could not fathom how their spying mission had gone so wrong. To think someone among them could have betrayed them like that…It made his skin crawl.

And yet, just as Lisa had expressed later on, there was no other way that the enemy could have known which exact tunnel they would use. If the people of Santore Base were to be believed, the knowledge of that particular route should have been known only to them. To have their enemy ambush them as soon as they exited the tunnel was a coincidence too great to ignore.

He slowly got up and got ready for the day. If anything, he would start by visiting those who were injured in the infirmary.

As he neared the infirmary, he realized that he was not the only one with that idea. He was not surprised to see Lisa as one of the occupants at the reception desk, but he was taken aback at seeing her in comfortable cotton pants and a simple t-shirt, hair pulled back in a ponytail. He smiled ruefully, realizing that she was probably still feeling the stress from yesterday, and had opted for comfort.

Next to her was Miriya, and again, Rick was not surprised to find her there. Miriya felt responsible for Takeru’s injuries, regardless of the fact that Takeru was the one that made the decision to sacrifice himself to save her.

“Morning ladies.”

“Oh, Boss! You couldn’t sleep either?” Miriya was the first to react to his presence.

Rick shook his head. “Any news?”

“Takeru is still the same since they brought him in,” Lisa answered. “He has not woken up after he was treated. Mai spent the night here but we are not able to see them since it’s too early. I also don’t want to walk in and wake her up.”

“So we don’t know if the treatment worked yet…” Rick looked at Miriya’s face. He could read her guilt. There was nothing to say until Takeru reacted, so instead her put a hand on her shoulder in solidarity. “Go home to your family, we’ll keep you posted.”

“But Skipper…”

“You can’t do anything here now. And I am sure you would have done the same in his shoes. If there is anybody to blame here, it is Khyron and his stupid vendetta against you. He seems fixated on you. Don’t think I didn’t notice on the last attack how he targeted you.”

Miriya looked at him for a long time but then gave a quick nod of agreement. With a sharp salute, she returned to the chamber she shared with her family.

Rick watched her leave, a frown marring his brow. Lisa caught on to his expression based on the conversation and remarked, “You are worried about her.”

“Aren’t you? You’ve seen what Khyron is doing. He seems to have it out for her.”

“She won’t let her guard down again; she can handle herself. She’s much better than Khyron, and hits back twice as hard.” She gave him an amused smirk. “You are such a papa bear.”

Rick could feel the color rising to his face at the familiar nickname, only it was normally not directed at him, but at Admiral Gloval. The Admiral is very protective of his crew, especially the core Bridge Crew, thus earning him the nickname.

At his mortified look, Lisa smirked, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret.” She gave him a discreet wink and turned to the head of triage, who was a couple of paces away from them. She requested to be notified as soon as any update was available and came back to Rick, who had been waiting for her patiently.

“Do you want to have breakfast?” he asked as soon as she was near. He did not feel like being alone with his thoughts and he liked Lisa’s company, regardless of the confusing feelings she arose within him. Also, she looked like she needed some company herself.

“Not in the mess hall,” she answered. “I don’t think I can face that many people now, especially with how everyone reacted to the news of the ambush.”

“It’s as if they all suspect…” Even unsaid, Lisa’s words from yesterday still hung between them.

“Even if they do not suspect, they are spooked by it,” Lisa whispered. “Some of their own were in the attack. Ryoma feels responsible for it too.”

“Oh, you already saw him today?” he asked, trying to sound casual.

She shook her head. “No, he told me last night, when he requested…” She looked around, remembering that they are in an open area. And even though nobody seemed to be around, they could not take enough precautions. “Maybe, let’s go to the dinette in one of our chambers.”

“Let’s go to yours. Even if Takeru is here, there’s still Koji and Jan sharing my common area. With Mai here…” Rick didn’t finish the sentence, since they both knew that there would only be one more occupant in Lisa’s area instead of the two in Rick’s.

They both walked down the quiet hallways, the air feeling oppressive in its silence. They grabbed some food from the kitchens and walked to Lisa’s quarters.

#

“I thought I’d find you here,” Roy said to Rick as soon as Lisa opened the door to her chambers.

Rick and Lisa had just set down their food on the table when the knock had sounded to reveal the tall, lanky form of the pilot.

“A bit early to be up, isn’t it old man?” Rick teased.

“Har, har. I see you are getting ready to have some breakfast. Why don’t you all come over to our place? It’s cozier.”

Rick and Lisa read between the lines of Roy’s comments, as in, ‘it’s more private’. A quick look at each other cemented their decision and they quietly grabbed everything and headed over to the married couples section of the barracks.

When they got there, they saw Claudia preparing some coffee, to which both Rick and Lisa, were instantly grateful. The three of them tried to set as much of what they had brought over onto the dining table, but since it was a small table meant for two, they ended up placing some on the counter. Rick and Lisa sat down and tried to make space for the other couple to sit with them. It was a tight fit for Lisa, and even more so when Rick scooted over practically on top of Lisa.

“Personal space, Hunter,” she said, although her words lacked any real heat. She looked more puzzled at his actions than furious.

Rick shifted to a more sensible space but did not stray too far from her. Claudia’s sharp eyes did not miss this, and a quick look to her fiance promised a future conversation about it.

“So, can someone fill me in on what happened in the meeting yesterday?” Claudia asked them. “I asked Roy but he wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“We had a more important meeting to attend to,” Roy replied lasciviously as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“Can we please leave the jokes for another day? It’s too early for this stuff.” Lisa requested with grimace, her long, pale fingers moving to massage her temples, as if to stave off an oncoming headache.

Rick looked at her, concerned. She looked stressed and Rick felt a pang in his heart at her distress. Silently, he handed Lisa her coffee cup and was gratified to see her grabbing it with a small smile.

Claudia’s sharp gaze did not miss the young pilot’s actions but she judiciously decided to stay silent about it. Instead, she turned the conversation back to the topic at hand. “Is it true that they were ambushed? Or were they discovered?”

“They were definitely ambushed. It was made to look like a coincidence, but the way the team described it, and by both Ryoma’s and Jan’s admittance, someone expected them,” Lisa answered, her voice leadened with fatigue.

“So they knew we were coming,” Claudia said. “You suspect a leak?”

Lisa frowned as she didn’t want to voice her fear again, but Rick beat her to the punch when he remarked, “Lisa has been suspecting that there was one for awhile,” he said as he looked at Lisa’s eyes directly. At Lisa’s surprised look, he continued, “There was a comment you said a couple of weeks ago, when I was injured. You said that we were due for an attack, but I know you, you seemed to think otherwise.”

Lisa looked at him wide-eyed. When had he become so perceptive? Was it with everyone or did he really get that adept at reading her? “Yes, I thought it was strange that we were attacked then.”

“And the fact that someone ambushed our forces just cemented those thoughts,” Claudia added.

“The ‘coincidences’ seem to pile up. Little things now stand out, like discovering our positioning for certain travel routes, even the fact that they clued in on Roy’s spy mission so quickly…” She huffed, not used to a situation where the enemy could be a comrade. This did not even compare to when the Zentraedi had infiltrated the SDF-1. This was one of them, posing as friends but instead working with the enemy. Only her father’s or Admiral Gloval’s stories of the old war compared to it.

“Do you think that’s what Jan was alluding to?” Rick asked her, engrossed in the conversation while Claudia and Roy just noticed how well they worked with each other.

“You mean, that he accused someone of being the mole?”

“Well, I for one cannot believe that Jan would have the balls to accuse one of Ryoma’s men to his face like that,” Roy remarked, sounding impressed.

“Oh, I can believe it!” Rick said, turning to him and shaking his head exasperatedly. “That guy has no tact. I wish he would have told us in private. At least Lewis was not there for that meeting, only Ryoma and that was bad enough. I hope that information didn’t leave the room.“

“I agree, if he would have said it to us in private, we could have taken better action. Now it is out in the open,” Lisa responded.

“Do you think he did it to throw blame on someone else? To deflect attention from him?”

“He is shady. I mean, he is always leaving the base and we don’t know where he’s going. He could just as well be trying to redirect attention,” Roy responded, his distrust of the Special Forces still evident, regardless of his earlier desire to give them a chance.

“Not to let him off the hook or anything, but it is my understanding he meets with Dr. Kitt and Dr. Dodgers at night, and he is around them when he is not with us,” Rick commented. “Still, it could be a good cover story.”

“I can confirm with Dr. Kitt and Dr. Dodgers if that is the case. Regardless, I think Ryoma will do some spying on his own,” Lisa mentioned.

“Is that what he came to talk to you about?” Rick asked, as the other two looked on.

“Yes, he wanted to let me know he would take on that task.”

“And who will keep him on task? What happens when it is one of his own team members? I am not saying that Jan is right, but we should take all accusations into consideration,” Rick countered, throwing his own team a bone.

“I do not disagree with you Rick, and neither does Ryoma. He said he would pay close attention to Lewis.”

“That’s weird. He vouched for that whole group. What made him change his mind?” Roy speculated.

“Maybe he saw whatever Jan saw. I mean, Jan pointed out that Lewis did not seem surprised by the attack, and that he avoided taking action the entire time, as if he was not worried about defending himself.”

“People act differently in different situations…although at least some preservation instincts should have been kicking in,” Claudia mused.

A few beeps sounded, interrupting them. Lisa pulled her phone out and read the text she had just received. “Takeru is awake.”

“He is? Are you going to see him now?” Rick asked.

“I’ll go change first. Give him some time to compose himself, and for the doctors to take a look at him. Do you want me to call you when I head over to him?”

“Yes, thanks.”

As Claudia got up to clear some dishes, Rick leaned over to Roy and sheepishly asked, “Hey Roy, can you do my laundry with yours later?”

“Why would you ask that?” Roy asked, surprised by the question.

“I sort of need help,” Rick admitted, embarrassed.

“No can do little brother, Claudia does my laundry with hers, I don’t even do my own laundry.”

“Come on Roy, it’s not like I can sort and load laundry with the restrictions I have right now!” Rick added defensively.

“I guess I could help you out, Hunter,” Lisa said offhandedly, just as Claudia came back into the room.

“Really, you’ll help him sort and clean his clothing? What if you run into his unmentionables?” Roy teased Lisa as he wiggled his eyebrows, making the young Captain embarrassed enough to grow a blush on her cheeks and ears.

“Well, it’s nothing she hasn’t seen before,” Rick defended her innocently, thinking of saving her from being put on the spot, but in reality, making it worse.

Roy and Claudia looked at him bemused while Lisa looked even more mortified.

Rick, realizing how that must sound, backtracks. “No, wait, that’s not what I meant! I mean, she has seen my dirty laundry before, in my room.”

“She’s been to your room?” Roy kept on teasing him. Gosh, it was so much fun riling up both of them!

“When she’s come over before, to help me clean my house!” Rick quickly amended, his eyes growing bigger in his face as he tried to backpedal. “You must’ve seen my underwear there, I’d imagine,” he mumbled as he looked away from Lisa’s apoplexic expression.

“Watch it Hunter, you shouldn’t kill your superior officer by embarrassment. They will throw you in the brig for that,” Claudia’s smooth voice cut through his panicked rambling, saving the two before Rick dug himself into a deeper hole and Lisa died of a heart attack..

“Killed by innuendo,” Roy said, trying to catch his breath between guffaws.

Rick unconsciously raised his good arm to rub the back of his neck as he usually did when he was mortified, but he forgot about his injuries and the motion pulled at his still healing chest.

The grimace of pain didn’t go unnoticed by his friends, and Claudia was the first to acknowledge it by lightly swatting at Roy’s arm and saying, “We will all help you Rick, just take it easy.”

“Thanks Claudia.”

“I’ll meet you later then Hunter,” Lisa said as she made her escape.

When she was finally gone and as Rick was saying his goodbyes , Claudia stopped him. “Will you be okay to get dressed on your own now?” Claudia asked him kindly and matter-of-factly.

“I’ll be okay,” Rick answered, his red ears giving away the fact that he was still embarrassed about where the conversation had gone. “Jean taught me how to do it without straining my injuries. Thanks though.”

“In all seriousness, we’re here for you, kid,” Roy reminded him. “Even if we tease you about it,” Roy said smirking and Rick groaned.

“Okay, enough teasing for one day Roy,” Claudia defended the young pilot. “Let him get changed so he can meet up with Lisa.”

And with that, Rick made his escape, not before getting a promise from them about helping him with his laundry the next day.
#

Never in a million years could Takeru had predicted the bizarre turn of events that were unfolding before him since this day had begun. From Mai hanging on to him like he would disappear any second, to visits from the members of the Special Forces group as if he was their long lost cousin. But having a fierce alien warrior and her husband pledge their eternal gratitude and protection really stole the cake.

Takeru scowled fiercely remembering how he had been enjoying a brief respite from all the attention. He had just managed to send Mai on an errand and was finally free to think properly when his room had been invaded, yet again, by another female, this one scarier than the last. At least Captain Hayes had already come and gone, he didn’t think he could survive all of these women in a room together at this time. He looked into the fierce aqua eyes of Captain Parino-Sterling and resigned himself to his fate.

To say that he did not expect this outcome to his day was the understatement of the year.

Takeru didn’t do friendships, because that meant that he had to open up to others and opening up left him vulnerable to attacks. If there was one thing he had learned from his father’s lessons, it is to never leave himself open to any attacks. He had meant physical but Takeru understood it also meant emotional.

Takeru Hoyo did not consider himself an altruistic man. He always thought had his priorities straight. His single-minded focus was on being the best at martial arts so that one day he could defeat his father in combat. He looked forward to the day when he could stand over his father and crow his victory at him. Unfortunately, the war had caught up with him and he had been called to take a part in it. He could have cared less about the war; he had been on the fringes. Let others play at heroics, he had other things to do. But a favor had been called and he could not say no to Mai’s father, Dr. Kazuki. But this war kept involving him in more and more things that took him away from what he really wanted to do. He needed to defeat his father! He couldn’t fail again, like he had failed so many times before.

But for all his selfishness, Takeru did not enjoy seeing others suffer, especially kids. The fact that he had seen Miriya interacting with her daughter on base, and knew how close they were, his heart, which he thought had grown jaded, had constricted with emotion. This latest mission had only made him very aware of the danger she was facing. And he was not one of those guys that thought women belonged in the house, but there was something about this mission that put him on edge. So when the giant man targeted her specifically, his senses were on high alert. He saw an opportunity and had taken it, regardless of the fact that he knew it would harm him and it would cause him pain. If he could save one mother, the way he wished he had been able to save his own, then so be it. That he had created a diversion long enough to allow everyone to escape, was just an added bonus. Perversely, he just hoped that the giant man was suffering more than he was, after all, that charge of electricity was meant to fell the giant. It was only because of his powers of electricity and magnetic energy that he had managed to stay alive long enough to see the deed done and escape to tell the tale.

Regardless, he didn’t want her or her husband’s gratitude. He wanted to be left alone to lick his wounds in private and rethink his priorities which seemed to be shifting more and more these days.

Staring intently into her earnest eyes, he said tersely, “You don’t owe me anything.”

“But saving a life requires a like reward,” Miriya replied matter-of-factly.

“I’m absolving you of that responsibility. I don’t need any help.”

The alien woman just regarded him with a lost expression.. Did her people not understand working alone? She stayed silent for so long, he thought he had finally gotten through to her but Miriya speared him with those intent aqua eyes, and he couldn’t help but hang on to her words.

“When I was a Meltrandi warrior, I was one of the highest ranking officers. I did not earn this by showing mercy, not even to my people. I did not know mercy or compassion until I came to live among the Micronians and married my Maximilian,” she explained to him, and Takeru wondered why she felt the need to share her backstory. “You might believe that these emotions are unnecessary and weak, but they are not, Mr. Hoyo. I will respect your wishes for the time being, but think about what I just told you. You are not alone,” her voice was serious and her eyes bored into him as if she could see into his loneliness. “Not with Mai, and not with our team. Captain Hunter doesn’t believe in leaving anyone behind, and neither do I anymore. You are one of us now, regardless if you want it or not. Good day.” And with a crisp salute, she left the room, leaving him staring after her, alone with his tumultuous thoughts.

#

“Well, that’s one more person out of commission,” Rick said in disgust as he threw the clipboard with a summary of Takeru’s injuries on top of Lisa’s desk.

Lisa and he had just come back from visiting a morose and rather meek Takeru, who seemed weak but was on the path to recovery. On the way back, they had called up Daigo, Barry and Roy to create contingency plans for the drop of numbers in their ranks.

“At least it’s just for a couple of days…” Daigo said placatingly, but that only made Rick turn to look outside the windows with a huff.

“Problem is what happens if they attack us in the meantime,” Lisa explained to the greener team leader. “That puts a lot of pressure on you and the rest of the team in a time when you are also learning to manage the field with Rick. Also, we still have the problem of how the enemy knows our every move.”

“So the rumors of a mole are correct?” Daigo asked, and both Captains looked at him in alarm. “Oh, come on. Anything that is a rumor will not stay a secret for too long here. Also, I know how Ryoma gets when he is on a mission, and I have seen him snooping around everyone with suspicion.”

“We may never find the mole this way if they know their jig is up,” Rick lamented.

“It may create pressure on them and we might force them out into the open,” Barry speculated.

“Then we need to make it harder for them, starting with stating a curfew to limit the times when people can be out of the base,” Lisa said. “Patrol times should be tightly controlled and anyone outside of those on the patrol will be sent to the brig to await questioning. We will tell them it’s for security, but it’s really to control who comes in and out.”

“That will be a tough sell,” Daigo said with a grimace.

“Unfortunately, it’s what needs to be done. I’ll inform Jan about it. He will not be happy,” Rick said, not looking forward to that conversation.

“I’ll speak to Dr. Kitt and Dr. Dodger. If there is a reason he must be out, then we will allow him to continue, but we’ll be monitoring him while he does so.”

“Wow, do you guys suspect him?” Daigo asked, looking around the room at the closed-off faces of the Macross crew.

“We must take everyone into consideration, unfortunately. Present company excluded,” Lisa responded tactfully.

“If we had the Trio here, we would already know who the mole was,” Roy offhandedly commented to Rick who snorted at the suggestion.

“The Trio?”

“It’s a joke, and one in very poor taste, especially when the girls are not here to defend themselves,” Lisa commented, not amused by the joke, at least not in public.

“Oh, we might not have a Trio, but we have a full squadron of women that do nothing but gossip amongst themselves. Mostly about men, but maybe they might be useful for something else. What do you say Barry?”

Barry just rolled his eyes and took a page out of Captain Hayes’ book and kept mum. He still gave the younger man a warning stare.

“Be that as it may, the fewer people that know about it, the more chances we will have at catching the mole,” Lisa said.

“Are we not going to tell the rest of the Special Forces team?” Daigo asked Rick.

Rick sighed and looked at Lisa. A short communication seemed to happen between them and he replied, “Maybe not. At least, not at first.”

“You don’t trust them.”

“They have not given us a chance to trust them,” Roy replied.

“Are we under investigation too?” Daigo asked sullenly.

“If you were, you wouldn’t be here, you knucklehead!” Barry replied in exasperation.

“Hey!”

“To be honest, I do not think they are the mole,” Lisa replied. Before Daigo could ask his question, she continued, “But there are some suspicious disappearances from some people of the group, some gaps in time. We just want to make sure they are not inadvertently leaking information. The curfew will take care of that,” she said with finality.

Chapter Text

“Why has the spy not reported to us?” Grand Master Dokuma’s voice demanded imperiously.

“Pardon my liege, a curfew was enacted in the enemy camp. They probably suspected there’s a mole.” General Saxidar’s mustache seemed to twitch like a nervous mouse’s whiskers. “Communications were intercepted multiple times.”

“I told you we should have killed all of them,” Khyron murmured.

“Maybe if the attack hadn’t been so reckless, we could have lured them in and finished them off, leaving only our spy alive to report back,” Saxidar said, side-eyeing Khyron.

“They were being cautious and not taking the bait. I had to act fast.” The Zentraedi shrugged nonchalantly at the rest of the generals in the room.

“And yet, after you attacked, you could have killed them. Yet you weren’t able to, even though you had the element of surprise on your side,” the other said, his face showing his disdain.

“I almost had them until that Micronian pulled that crazy stunt. The electric currents paralyzed me! How was I to know that a Micronian would be so stupid as to withstand that much power to save the Traitor? It was a foolish Micronian sacrifice.”

“That’s what humans do. They sacrifice for each other, especially comrades.”

“It couldn’t have been that much Khyron. Maybe you're not as strong as you think you are, if the current was so strong, how was he not burnt to a crisp? A current so strong that it could fall a mighty Zentraedi?”

“I’ll throw you into the-” Khyron said, defending his war honor.

“Silence! Stop your bickering.”

“They do have a cyborg in their midst, maybe it was the cyborg that did it,” Grell speculated, not familiar with the faces of the other enemy soldiers.

“It was not,” Cypher interrupted. “I reviewed the footage. It was Takeru Hoyo, and he’s not a cyborg. But he IS resistant to electric currents. That is how he can power the magnetic forces of the Robot Gakeen. Still, a charge that powerful must have weakened him.” A gleam seemed to enter his robotic eyes. “May I be excused? I have some experiments I think might prove successful in our endeavors.”

“Get out, all of you,” Dokuma said dismissively. “And do not come back until you have a better plan to decimate our enemies.”

They all scurried out of the room; they knew how Dokuma’s temper could affect his associates and subordinates.

“I think we need to force our little spy to take some action,” Saxidar said.

“Let me handle that. Just prepare yourself to have something for us to do when we cause chaos from within,” Cypher replied.

###

Lisa tensed as she heard voices approaching the laundry room where she was tending to her much postponed laundry duties. She had been so busy the past couple of weeks that her cleaning duties had unfortunately fallen by the wayside. Therefore, she had woken up early to avoid facing a crowd of people in the cramped laundry room. The curfew had gone into effect two days ago and she had heard the grumblings and the complaints about the rule. And while no one had told her to her face, she knew who they were blaming behind closed doors. She was more worried about how this would affect the relationship between the Allies and the Macross team than how they viewed her.

As the male voices got closer, she recognized them and Lisa sighed in resignation. It was Roy and Rick who apparently had the same idea as her. There was no avoiding them now. Even though things seemed to be splendid between her and Rick, she was still leary about being put into situations not directly related to work. Lately though, it was worse as he kept getting closer and closer to her, as if the distance from Minmay was making him forget about his feelings towards the little singer and it made her think if he had not met Minmay first, they might have had a chance. And that hurt so much!

Lisa rapidly shook her head as if to shake off those thoughts. If she let herself go down that path, she might spiral into self-pity and this was not the time nor the place for it. So in true Lisa Hayes fashion, she steeled her spine and squared her shoulders while she hid her underwear behind her laundry basket. She might trust Rick not to tease her but she didn’t expect the same courtesy from Roy. The men crossed the threshold in a flurry of jokes and teasing comments and Lisa knew that she had made the right call. Roy was on fire today, based on Rick’s exasperated face, and was not tempered by Claudia as he usually was.

“Lisa!” he exclaimed happily as he sided up to her. “Please save me from Roy, he’s being annoying.” He complained like a little boy, including a pout for good measure.

“Did you also run out of clean clothes Lisa? I thought you planned better than that?” Roy turned his teasing to her.

“With what time? Unless I could clone myself, and I would not want to unleash that on the world.”

“That would be scary!” Roy joined in her laughter while Rick just shook his head and smiled.

Rick considered Lisa’s casual manner of dress, fatigues and a t-shirt, the outfit similar to when she went on excursions outside of Santore Base. His perusal of her manner of dress did not miss the holstered weapon by her side, ready to be drawn at any minute. He made a mental note to grab his own gun after they finished with the laundry. A bit of extra protection would not be remiss. If Lisa was expecting an attack or at least to be on the defensive, he would be on the lookout too.

Roy plopped the rather full basket of laundry in the floor just as they heard raised voices coming from the corridor.

“You can’t do this at the moment,” a female voice said. “Just accept the help you ingrate!”

“You are such a frustrating know-it-all,” the man growled.

The bickering couple crossed the threshold, their eyes locked onto each other, but froze when they realized they had an audience. Mai just blinked owlishly at them, but Takeru flushed an unbecoming shade of red as he retracted his hands from the very full basket of clothing they seemed to be fighting over. Lisa didn’t have to even look at the basket to realize what was happening. Just like Rick, Takeru was injured, and just like Rick, Takeru had waited until the last minute to do something about it. Or maybe Mai just wanted to be helpful in whatever way she could, and since he didn’t like her fussing, this seemed the only thing she could do.

“Come on Takeru, you can join in on my humiliation.” Rick realized what was happening just as quickly as Lisa had and was trying to add some levity to the situation to make Takeru feel less self-conscious.

“It’s not humiliating to ask for help,” Lisa gently corrected him, including both men in that statement.

“You see?” Mai crowed triumphantly as she moved in and plopped the full basket on top of the washer. This prompted a rather disheveled Takeru to sullenly follow her inside of the brightly lit room.

“It is humiliating when Roy is the one helping,” Rick continued with the self-deprecating joke to take away the attention from the unlikely pair.

“You make it too easy,” Roy snickered back.

“We should have realized that you might need help too. I’m sorry we didn’t ask,” Rick said apologetically, trying to appease the skittish young man.

“He wouldn’t have accepted the help anyway,” Mai replied matter-of-factly, to which Takeru glowered darkly, making them all understand that she was correct in that fact.

“If he doesn’t want your help, I'm sure that Miriya would have found out somehow and she would have made herself useful. She has been asking around about how to make it up to you after you saved her life,” Lisa said.

“When she sees you with the same clothing on, she would have figured it out herself,” Mai snickered, catching on to the “innocent” remark her Captain had deviously proposed. And seeing Takeru's slightly green complexion, it seemed to work.

“She wouldn’t!” Takeru exclaimed, looking for confirmation from the other two men in the room. Rick looked indecisive while Roy just shrugged nonchalantly.

“Have you ever tried saying no to a Zentraedi after they make up their minds?” Roy shuddered theatrically, selling the ruse. “Especially to that specific Zentraedi, I think they broke the mold with her.”

Takeru looked even greener at the prospect they were laying out. From what he had seen and observed about the alien lady, all that they were describing seemed on par. Also they knew her for far longer so they would know what they were talking about. Mai and the boss lady were stubborn, strong ladies. His sister and Mai could be nosy to the point of uncomfortable, he thought as he side-eyed his companion as she set up the wash. But regardless of how stubborn or a busybody they could all be, at least they had some social skills and decorum, which seemed to be totally lacking from the Zentraedi refugee. The alien lacked the tact that is ingrained in someone who was brought up within Earth’s society.

“At least let me help by separating the laundry,” Takeru told Mai gruffly, ignoring everyone else. He just wanted to be done with this entire ordeal. He needed the help, and it was always an issue for him to ask for help, but he did not like his weaknesses paraded in front of everyone.

“Oh hey! It’s a laundry day party!” Daigo’s cheerful voice cut through the tension of the room he walked in with his own basket.

Rick and Lisa couldn’t help but laugh at his goofiness, as did Mai. Takeru didn’t seem too impressed with him and just grunted as he went back to separating his laundry.

“My sister and Peachy threatened that if I didn’t do laundry soon they would do it for me. Scary!”

“Is it crowded there?” another voice asked as Koji and Sayaka peeked in.

“Nah, come and join the party!” Daigo invited them.

The newcomers looked a bit uncomfortable as they took in the people in the room. Koji was still afraid of Lisa after the whole Rick debacle and Sayaka took one look at Mai and Takeru and wanted to avoid that powder keg. They were brought short of coming up with an excuse when Lisa spoke up.

“Might as well,” Lisa said pragmatically. “We might not have another chance soon.” She had seen the discomfort on Koji’s face and she knew it was because of her presence there, but they had to work together again, regardless of their feelings towards each other. Also, she knew that Roy was supposed to be working with Koji, so she wanted to see how they acted together.

Sayaka and Koji looked at each other and scurried back to their rooms to grab their dirty laundry. If the Captain implied that busy days would be up ahead, they should heed her advice. They came back not long after to another tense stand-off.

“I can do this,” Takeru was saying through gritted teeth.

“Just accept the help and be done with it!” Mai replied. “As if I have not done this for you before!”

That made him stop and stare.

“What?! Did you think the cleaning elves had cleaned your clothing and your room?” she snapped with a roll of her eyes.

Takeru turned red and looked away in embarrassment. “I thought it was Takoe.”

“You thought your sister was doing your laundry? Pffffff, no way!” Mai scoffed.

That seemed to shut him up for the moment as he considered all the times that he had come back from a mission or his personal training back home to find everything put in order. Mindful of the crowd that seemed to be avidly listening in, but pretending to not be listening in, he didn’t blurt out anything else.

“Well, I, for one, wouldn’t mind if someone would help me with my chores.” Koji winked suggestively at Sayaka who looked back unimpressed.

“Why don’t you ask one of the groupie girls that are always following you around to do it,” Sayaka retorted dryly as she raised her nose up in disdain.

Koji pouted and Daigo snickered. Lisa turned her face away from the group so that they would not see her surprise at that comment. Who would have thought that Koji had a groupie following of girls? Objectively, she could understand why. In fact, the young men of the Special Forces were all handsome in their own account. Even Takeru, as disagreeable as he was, was a handsome young man when he wasn’t wearing his usual sullen expression and didn’t open his mouth and ruin everything. Rick seemed to fit in well with the group of good-looking men with big mouths and enormous attitudes.

Rick had also filed that little tidbit of information away. So many things made much more sense from their relationship. The two pilots seemed to have a love-hate relationship based on some unresolved sexual tension but they were both too stubborn to act on it. On one hand, Koji worked through it by teasing Sayaka and low-key flirting but not letting anything get too serious, which seemed to confuse and infuriate the female pilot and makes her treat him badly, which makes him view their whole relationship not as serious, and therefore starting the whole spiralling cycle of bickering between them over again. Koji’s attitude reminded him a bit of Roy’s in which he did not take any relationship seriously, but whereas Koji was too shy to act upon it, Roy would rack up the conquests. Rick looked over to a pensive Roy, who seemed to have reached the same conclusion as Rick.

One by one, the people in the laundry room started to wrap up their business. There was not a lot to do while waiting for the laundry to wash, or dry. Since Lisa had been there much earlier, she methodically worked on folding her laundry as the other joked around her.

“Well, as entertaining as this whole conversation has been, I do need to get my day started,” Lisa stated, as she prepared to leave.

“Oh, ok,” Rick answered, and Lisa briefly thought he looked disappointed at her leaving. She hadn’t been participating much in the conversations, aside from an occasional laugh here and there, so she doubted it. “See you later for our meeting.”

Lisa nodded at that and said goodbye to everyone else. The rest of the room said their goodbyes with different levels of friendliness.

Lisa stepped out of the elevator and down the long hallway that led towards her shared quarters. It was still early, so she did not expect anyone to be walking around the hallways. She was surprised therefore when she saw a blur of color crossing the hall in front of her that led to the rooms.

Carefully and silently, she lowered her basket to the floor and pulled the gun from her holster, cocking it, glad that she had the foresight to bring it with her this morning. Her movements are careful and nearly silent. Lisa scanned the area and found that her position was too exposed. She had to draw them out. As she neared the end of the hallway, she turned to round the corner to see a slender figure with her back to her. The person seemed to be trying the knobs on her door. Lisa did not recognize the person, a woman, from what she could perceive.

“State your business! Who are you and what are you doing here?” Lisa said with a clear, authoritative voice.

The person starts and raises her arms to show she was unarmed. Slowly, she turns around and Lisa grips the handle of the pistol more firmly as she plants herself like Daigo had taught her in case she has to fire her weapon.

The young woman finally turns around and cocks her head inquisitively. Her eyes open in surprise when she sees Lisa and her mouth gapes a bit, but it suddenly turns into a blinding smile. Now it’s Lisa who looks at her in bewilderment at her odd behavior.

“After all this time, this is the way you greet me?” said the soft voice. Boldly, the woman walks to Lisa, who is in too much shock to react properly.

“Who…?”

Guileless blue eyes blink up at her, as if asking ‘you really don’t know?’ Lisa takes her in, from her long, blond hair that spills like a curtain end ends right above her hips, to the delicate, almost fae-like features.

“Oh God!” Lisa gasps as her gun falters in her hold. “I can’t believe it’s you!” Through her tear-filled eyes, Lisa looked at the woman in front of her. “When, how?”

“I’ve been here all this time.” Her childhood friend, Aurora, smiled up at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Dr. Kitt, Kogo, and Dr. Dodge all recommended that I stay hidden but I couldn’t resist seeing my oldest friend! Especially when you are so close to me, after all this time.”

That made Lisa pause, understanding the situation that they are in. The Princess of the Galaxy should not be on Earth, and if someone sees her, they would discover the ruse and she would be in danger.

“And they would be right. Let’s go,” Lisa said, grabbing her hand. There were only a handful of places where they would not be seen. She was already mapping them in her head as she skulked outside of the base, a baffled Princess in tow.

“Where are we going?”

“Shhhh, keep it down. I’m taking you to a place where I know we can talk in private. I keep getting this feeling that we are being watched and with the mole in the base, it’s not safe for you.” Thankfully, Lisa had picked up on some tricks from her teammates, specifically Ryoma who liked to explain to her some ways he avoided detection. Aurora followed docidly behind her, trusting her friend in these matters.

Finally, they reached a small grove of trees that edged the eastern side of Santore Base, the shadowed side. Lisa still ventured into the groove. Not too far in that she would get lost, but not that close to the edge that they would be seen.

“Are we going to my ship?”

“Your ship is this way?” Lisa groaned at the other’s enthusiastic nodding. “Then we better stop here. I don’t want to know where your ship is.”

“Why?”

Lisa looked at her in disbelief. “Because you are supposed to stay a secret! I still can’t believe you are here.”

“I know, you said so before.”

“No, like I can’t believe you outed yourself like that! What if someone else stumbled across you?”

“You sound like Jan,” Aurora complained with a roll of her eyes. She approached a big, sturdy tree and sat down at its base. The slim blond arranged her legs demurely, taking care of covering as much of her legs with her short skirt. A habit, really, from being in a ship surrounded by men all the time.

Lisa approached her and sat close to her with a huff. Her legs stretched and crossed in front of her. “Well, I think Jan had the better idea of the two of you.”

“Are you going to baby me too? I think you all forget that I have been across the galaxy and have had to get myself out of scrapes too,” the blond complained.

“And I think you forget that your safety is imperative for the continued {safety} of the galaxy.”

“Trust me, I remember that every. Single. Day,” Aurora responded wearily.

Lisa looked over at her friend and her eyes softened. She could not even imagine the immense pressure she had to be in with the responsibility that hung over her shoulders. And Lisa couldn’t blame her, she would also go crazy if she had to be kept in a gilded cage even if it was for her own good. “Well, you were always a bit of a wild child.”

“So says the tomboy,” came the sassy reply from the blond.

“You always had these crazy ideas.”

“Are you kidding? I was just following your dares.”

“Oh don’t blame me for being so gullible! I was trying to see when you would chicken out.”

“As if!” the blond responded and the entire exchange was so childish that they both started giggling like a pair of schoolgirls.

Lisa looked at her childhood friend, and a wave of nostalgia swept over her. She scooted closer to her friend until she could bump her shoulder with hers and told her, “Still, it’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you too. Even if you turned into a grumpy old lady.”

“What!? You take that back!” Lisa said, poking her friend in her waist, eliciting a string of cackles from the other woman.

“Oh, I’ve heard the stories from Jan,” Aurora said, as she battled Lisa’s hands.

Lisa just harrumphed, but suddenly, she stilled, as she heard a sound from the path they came from. Aurora raised herself to her knees but Lisa was faster. She was already in a half crouch, positioned protectively in front of Aurora, gun pointed at the sound.

“Don’t shoot,” a male voice said. “Even though that will do nothing to me. But I don’t want to alert anyone of your presence.”

Lisa narrowed her eyes as she spied a shadow moving by a tree.

“Jan!” Aurora happily said. She finished getting up and Lisa straightened to her full height, her gun still at the ready.

Jan Kogo came out of the shadows, his hands raised nonchalantly, indicating that he didn’t think of her as a threat.

“How long have you been following us?” Lisa asked.

“Probably since the beginning.” Aurora snorted, amused. Lisa looked at her alarmed. She had not noticed the presence at all! How could she protect her friend if she hadn’t… But then again, she had, hadn’t she? Looking back, she remembered the alarm she had felt before she met up with Aurora, the presence that had been hanging around her room. She had attributed it to the mole first, then to Aurora, but what if it had been him?

“Of course you knew,” Jan said disgustedly.

“I suspected when Lisa said she felt a presence. I know how much of a worry wart you all are. I’m sure that someone noticed I was missing, and they called you.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Lisa asked.

Jan looked uncomfortable at the accusation, embarrassed even. “She went through all that trouble to find you. I didn’t want to intrude. I just wanted to make sure you both were safe.”

Jan was avoiding their gaze, clearly uncomfortable, but it didn’t seem like he was lying. Yes, Lisa was not happy that he was spying on them, It was a tad creepy, but like a bodyguard, he had just stayed on the sidelines, not intruding.

“Please don’t be mad at Jan,” her friend entreated cajolingly. “He was just trying to protect me, it’s hard to give me any privacy when I need to be protected all the time. Plus, I think he revealed himself on purpose so we wouldn’t say anything incriminating,” Aurora said with a sly smile.

The man in question looked even more embarrassed.

“Thank you for keeping her safe, Jan,” Lisa said.

The man just nodded, uncharacteristically shy. Lisa looked at him in surprise. He was never like this! He was silent and broody, but always with an arrogant air. What had happened… Lisa looked toward her friend and noticed her soft gaze, directed at the man in front of her. And something just clicked in her head.

“Yes, well. It’s time for you to go back to the ship, Princess,” the cyborg said, gaining his composure. “We’ve all been out for too long and everyone will start missing us. The Captain cannot disappear for too long without the entire base noticing.”

With a start, Lisa realized that he was right. She had let herself get distracted and had absconded with her responsibilities. She looked at her watch, mentally going over her schedule and trying to figure out an excellent excuse for her absence.

“I’m sure no one will begrudge you needing to get a bit of fresh air, Captain Hayes.” Jan gave her lopsided smirk, giving her the perfect excuse. “But take longer than this and people will start wondering if you were kidnapped or something.”

“Yes, you are right. Thank you Mr. Kogo, I must go.”

“Will I get to see you again?”

“‘Rora,” Lisa said mournfully, the childhood nickname slipping from her lips at the sad expression on her friend’s face. “It’s not safe…”

“I’ll come up with a solution and let you know about it. Now go, before you reveal all of us!” Jan told her urgently.

Lisa gave her friend a quick hug and scampered away as Jan walked towards the woman he had been sworn to protect.

#

At the end, it was as simple as Jan had suggested. She told Rick that she had been feeling cooped up and she needed to get away for a bit. She was super lucky that her meeting had been with him and Ryoma and not the rest of the Captains.

Ryoma had looked at her funny, but he had wisely kept silent. She wondered how much he really knew and if he was aware of the secret that was being kept in the grove outside. Lisa also wondered if Daigo or Saori knew. An enormous ship like the one that Aurora travelled in was hard to miss. She would ask Jan when she saw him next to make sure she said nothing too revealing of her friend’s whereabouts.

The whole incident with Aurora was making Lisa distracted. She was thankful that she had asked for Rick’s presence in these meetings with Ryoma. She knew that Ryoma would give a much shorter report to the other leaders, but this was an informal meeting in which they speculated and bounced off ideas. As important as this meeting was, Lisa could not help but get distracted.

“So I’ve concentrated on the leaders first, as I’m not ruling anyone out. A lot of them have alibis or are constantly with other people…”

Lisa felt her mind wander; she did not suspect any of the leaders. In her eyes, the mole had to be someone else, someone that had heard the instructions of the plan, but not someone privy to in-depth meetings. No, if it was someone like that, they would be in serious trouble.

The names and the reports about them washed over Lisa as she reviewed the events of that morning. If Aurora had slipped in, couldn’t the enemy do so too? Aurora should not be here at all. How did she know where her room was? She would have to ask Aurora about it, if she ever got to see her again… All those thoughts and memories were playing in her head as she analyzed all that had happened.

She was letting the information wash over her when she heard two names mentioned by Ryoma, “... My biggest concerns are Takeru and Jan because of their loner and secretive natures but we intercepted a communication from the enemy when Takeru was laid up. Also, some other actions we have now attributed to the mole were when Takeru was seen with the kids he mentors…”

“So there’s a strong possibility that it could not be him then,” Rick finished for him, knowing that it was the cumulative and not the single incidents that exonerated the karate champion. In reality, both Lisa and him had discounted him from the list the minute they had seen the condition he had been in after the ambush. Regardless, if he knew or suspected he would be safe from the electric current, no one would go that far for an alibi. Takeru had been in serious pain the first two nights, and still weak. That seemed a tad too extreme.

Rick looked at Lisa for confirmation, but it seemed like her mind was elsewhere. Rick frowned at her distracted expression, not knowing her to be unprofessional. He dismissed his worry as maybe she was analyzing the information.

“And that leaves Kogo. Out of the entire group, he is the one that travels the most outside of the base and he disappears constantly with no explanations.”

“It’s not him!” Lisa suddenly jumps in, making Rick jump a bit with the unexpected defense. She seemed to be daydreaming just a little bit ago, but now, she was suddenly being very protective towards Jan.

Both men turned to her, puzzled. Lisa had acted nothing but neutral towards the cyborg. In fact, if there was any kind of history between them, it was negative since the last time they had a confrontation it had resulted in Kogo leaving Santore before coming back. So this kind of defense seemed out of character for her.

Lisa looked at the two men, noticing the surprise in their faces, and she almost blushed at her stupid mistake. What was she? A green recruit? This was a fundamental mistake that could endanger her friend. She needed to be more careful.

“I mean, it’s not him because I spoke with Dr. Kitt and Dr. Dodge. They vouched for him. They mentioned he was taking care of some work for them at those times.”

“Oh, ok,” Rick said, still puzzled at her impassioned defense just minutes ago, but he did recall she promised to follow up with them.

They continued the meeting with no further interruptions, while Lisa attempted to stay more focused on the matters at hand. Now Rick was distracted. On one hand, he thought Lisa’s actions were still weird. He thought back to Lisa and Jan’s interactions. They really never did, aside from the few occasional meetings here and there. She had mentioned at some point that her opinion of him had shifted, but not enough to trust him as the Field Officer, which was why ultimately they chose Daigo. In fact, she had warned him twice about Jan’s immense power and how he seemed to hold back. Her suspicions of him had made Rick cautious around the cyborg, so why would she defend him so vehemently now?

Besides that, he was worried about Ryoma. Rick thought Ryoma was acting strange. He felt like he was hiding something. Did he know something? He had named everyone that the spy was not. Nothing about who it COULD be. Was there some loyalty to the person? Where did Ryoma’s loyalties lay? Was it with them or with the people of Santore? Perhaps a talk to Daigo might be in order.

So it was an unsatisfied group of people that left the Captain’s office. Rick decided to talk to Daigo to get insight into Ryoma’s loyalties. Lisa made a mental note of finding the cyborg and talking about Aurora’s safety. And Ryoma left with a heavy heart, guilt gnawing at him. He had not revealed all the cards to the others, but he vowed to prove his hunch correct before he revealed what he suspected.

#

“Lord Dokuma the spy has informed us that everything is in position.”

“Execute the plan then.”

“Yes sir.”

#

After a late lunch, Lisa was walking down the hallway when she felt someone whisper her name from one of the barely-used side hallways. Looking around, Lisa realized that the particular corridor was in a blindspot of the cameras. Warily, she approached the spot and saw that it was Jan.

“Jan? What are you doing here? I just saw you in the common room area.”

“I left a clone of myself there to make sure no one noticed I was here.”

“Wait, do you do this often?”

Jan smiled rakishly. “Do you really want to know?”

“You know what? No, I don’t. Just know I will check if it’s you in the next meeting or a clone.”

Jan groaned, confirming her suspicions. “Lady, I need to protect the princess. I have to be there with her, not here…”

“You know what, we will leave this discussion for another time. I imagine you have something important to say to me or you wouldn’t be skulking in dark hallways waiting for unsuspecting victims.”

The cyborg made a sour face, realizing he had shot himself in the foot with that admittance. Regardless, he told Lisa, “I spoke with Dr. Kitt and the Princess. Dr. Kitt was not happy that Princess Aurora had taken the risk to come over here, against all of our advice too, I might add. Unfortunately the Princess put her foot down and said she didn’t want to be sheltered from everyone, especially you.” Jan let out a forceful sigh, and Lisa felt somewhat bad for him being in the middle of those two indomitable forces. “Aurora said something about separating you two again and that’s when Dr. Kitt caved a bit.” Lisa could see his eyes burning with curiosity at that last statement but she kept her face as impassive as possible. “So after that, Dr. Kitt is allowing you, and only you, to come and see the Princess, although she asked me to escort you.”

Lisa frowned deeply at that, not because of the fact that Dr. Kitt was against them visiting each other but about the memories that Jan had brought up. “Sounds fair. Her safety is paramount but she needs to understand I cannot visit all the time.”

“I know!” Jan said, sounding frustrated and it seemed that the point had already been talked about and it had sparked another disagreement.

“Ok, I’ll address that myself when I visit. Maybe tomorrow night? I will let you know midday if I will be able to go out. Is that fair?”

“More than fair, Captain. I’ll let them know.” Jan started to go but Lisa grabbed him by the wrist before he could leave.

“Thanks for all that you do to protect her, Jan,” Lisa said quietly.

“She’s too important to all of us, to the whole galaxy. Of course I will protect her with my life,” he responded, but Lisa knew the truth.

It was plain in his face once you knew. Jan Kogo was head over heels in love with his ward. Lisa acknowledged him with a nod and they both parted ways, making sure they were not seen together.

#

Lisa arrived at her office, deep in thought. The hour was getting late so the only light was the one from the dying sunset, filling her office with oranges and reds. She turned on the artificial lights but jumped back against the door when she realized there was someone sitting in the dark, waiting for her. As she was about to unhoster her gun, she realized who she was facing and gave the perpetrator a dark look.

“Were you trying to kill me?”

“My apologies Captain, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Ryoma looked apologetic. “But I think I should be the one worried here,” he said, pointing at her gun.

Lisa gave him a reproachful look at his ill timed joke as she let go of the gun and put a hand over her hammering heart, trying to calm down. After a few seconds, and once she felt the adrenaline rush receding, she walked over to her chair to plop down unceremoniously.

“Well that was unexpected,” Lisa said wryly.

“Again, I’m so sorry!”

“No, that was, rather eye opening. I should not expect to be safe anywhere.” Ryoma looked conflicted but Lisa waved it off. “Don’t worry Ryoma, it was my fault. My head was up in the clouds and I should have been paying more attention. Now, why were you waiting for me?”

“Captain Hayes, I have a confession that I did not want to make in the meeting we had earlier.” Ryoma paused, he looked conflicted at what he had to say.

Lisa looked at him in concern. Over the weeks that they had been here, Lisa had gone from actively avoiding Ryoma and his crazy stalkerish antics to having a much better rapport with him, especially in the past couple of weeks when he had seemed to tone down his attention to her. As she got past his overwhelming attitude, she started valuing his input in the volunteer forces.

“Did you not trust me, or Rick?”

“I trust you, one hundred percent!” Ryoma blurted out, and he winced at that. “And it’s not that I do not trust Captain Hunter, he has not given me any reason to… it’s more than I do not want to tell this to anyone until I am sure of it.” Ryoma paused, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

“Ryoma, if you feel more comfortable telling Daigo or Barry…”

“That’s just it, I don't! Grrrrr!” He angrily whispered, bowing his head and holding it in his hands. “I… I failed them, I failed you…” His brown eyes looked at her sorrowfully.

“Ryoma, what do you think you failed at?” Lisa asked calmly.

“My men… I was so sure…” He took a bracing breath but his eyes remained hunted. “I hand picked all of them. To be honest, I kept thinking it was Kogo all this time. He comes and goes, is not where he says he is… Do you know he clones himself sometimes to get out of meetings?”

Lisa gave a long suffering sigh, “I did find out today. I already had words with him.”

“It doesn’t matter, because I don’t think it’s him. But I do not want to accuse anyone without proof…”

“Ryoma, you have a strong sense of loyalty and friendship. That is what made me trust you for this job, not the fact that you offered. I could see your strong sense of justice and fairness too. But you cannot let those things blind you to who the culprit is.” Lisa took a deep breath and looked at him straight in the eye. “Do you know who the mole is?”

“I… don’t. But I have a very strong candidate.”

“Who do you suspect and we can put extra eyes on them to catch them in the act.” Lisa got up, purposely giving energy to her movements but as she was approaching the comm system, Ryoma stopped her.

“No!”

Lisa turned around, surprised.

“There is too much distrust right now. If I bring this person in, without proof, I might lose all credibility and the ability to slip by unnoticed. Everyone is going to be expecting me to get them. I must bring them in with proof.”

“Ryoma, that could be dangerous.”

“Madam Captain, with all due respect, I know what I am doing. I cannot face this person with just whispers and suppositions to support my claim! That could be even more dangerous.”

Lisa was taken aback. This was the second time today that someone alluded to that fateful conversation so many years ago. And while she knew that Ryoma had no idea how those words were affecting her, she couldn’t help but make a parallel of those situations. Lisa didn’t believe in fate, not anymore, that had been beaten out of her at a very young age, but there were so many coincidences… that she hesitated.

“Ryoma…”

“Please Captain, just give me one last chance. Tonight, tonight I will get the proof that you need. And then we can bring him to justice,” he said vehemently, his honor, his pride at stake.

Lisa was very conflicted. Something told her that this was not the right decision but she trusted Ryoma and the crippling guilt that she had felt that night years ago came to haunt her again. She would trust that she might not always be right and that sometimes things had to be kept discreet. So she gave her consent.

“Be very careful Ryoma.”

“I will, Captain, it’s always an honor to serve you,” Ryoma said and he left as quietly as he always did.

#

Hours after their meeting this morning, Rick was feeling a little bit more at ease after his talk with Daigo as the man assured him about Ryoma’s loyalties. Daigo suspected that Ryoma might not want to reveal something until he was sure. They speculated that the person might be someone from Santore and that’s why Ryoma’s loyalties might be divided. Daigo promised to have a talk with Ryoma too and see if he could get something from the enigmatic man.

With that conversation still in mind, Rick had gone to look for Lisa, knowing that he could talk through his thoughts with her. He always felt much better and more sure of his decisions when he talked them through with her. All thoughts about the mission fell off his mind though when he finally found her in the hallway outside her office.

Lisa seemed preoccupied, more so than before. She looked burdened. Some instinctual part of him wanted to grab her and shelter her from her problems.. He had cared deeply for Lisa before, in fact they were good at talking things out, when they were not yelling their grievances, but this felt even stronger. Over the time that they were here, he could feel himself getting even closer to her. Maybe it was the long hours working closely together, maybe it was all the living in close quarters, now that they get along, but he was seeing a very different and much more human side to Lisa Hayes that he never expected to see.

He was drawn to her like a moth to a flame, moving closer to her without even realizing he was moving.

“Rick?” she seemed perplexed at his silence. “Are you feeling okay, Rick? Are your injuries causing you any pain?” she asked him with concern.

Rick leaned down, his eyes roving over her features. Lisa was confused, if it had been anyone but Rick, she would have thought that he wanted to lean over and kiss her, but they didn’t have that kind of relationship and Rick didn’t have that interest towards her.

“Lisa, I…” He wet his dry lips, and Lisa followed the movement avidly. What was wrong with him?

Suddenly an explosion rocked the base, tearing them apart. Rick was so caught by surprise that he lost his balance, knocking his bad shoulder against the wall. A grunt of pain escaped his lips, and he bent into himself as the sharp pain rocked through him just as powerfully as the explosion had.

“Rick!” Lisa exclaimed in concern.

The blare of sirens, the thundering of footsteps and the babble of raised voices sounded from different places.

“Don’t worry about me, see what happened. I’ll catch up.”

Lisa threw a concerned look his way but knew where her duty was. She didn’t have to be told twice. She took off towards the sound of the explosion.

#

Lisa had to compartmentalize. Now was not the time to worry about Rick. If this was what she feared, they had bigger problems on their hands. There was a cacophony of noises, sirens blaring, people shouting, the hard slap of shoes on the floor as people were running over to investigate from different directions. The noises were distracting, making it hard to pinpoint a point of origin. She needed to get in charge of the situation quickly or else it would turn into an even major disaster, as she could hear the sounds of the screams underlying panic in their voices.

The practical person in her started drawing up possibilities of what this could have been, but something whispered that it might be much darker. A tiny voice whispered that it could be something bigger, like (when someone is doing something underhanded).

She got to a crossroads on the hallway to see people in various states of dress; it had pulled a lot of them from their beds. Among them, Lisa spied Roy, Claudia right next to him.

“Roy, keep everyone here at all costs! Set up a perimeter, no one comes in or out unless they are a senior official. Everyone, wait for further instructions on how to proceed.”

Shots exploded ahead and more screams can be heard.

Alarmed, Lisa’s eyes popped open and she turned to the sound in a violent motion. “Wait here!”

“Captain Hayes...”

“It’s an order,” she threw over her shoulder as she continued to the bowels of the Santore Base.

#

A woman’s scream sounded ahead, the voice vaguely familiar.

Lisa, hearing a scuffle, slipped out of her shoes to approach more stealthy.

“You bastard! What are you doing?” A male voice. Ryoma? Daigo? screamed as the woman sobbed. ‘Saori?’ Her mind supplied.

Lisa took off running. Behind her, she heard footsteps coming from the other side of the corridor. She held her gun at the ready, but she wasn’t too worried about who was behind her, since Roy would’ve filtered who came from there. She was much more worried about the scuffles that came from ahead.

Nothing prepared her for the image she found. Saori was on the floor, a gash on her forehead bleeding profusely. Daigo stood in front of her, protecting her. Ryoma and one of the men that worked on his team, his right-hand man, stood facing off. Lisa took in the battle stance of both men, one with a gun pointed at Ryoma’s head and Ryoma with his katana at the ready, blood dripping from both his sword and the man in front of him. Lisa understood the tableau right away and realized who the spy was.

She looked towards Daigo, noting his intense expression as he aimed his weapon carefully at the spy.

“Stay back, I’m not afraid of making this entire area blow up.” the spy said, his eyes shifting around rapidly.

Lisa noted the gaping hole on the wall behind him. That must have been where the explosion came from, it also was the man’s escape route.

“Give it up, you are surrounded.” Daigo said.

The footsteps behind them ran louder, faster and more chaotic. It sounded like more than one person was approaching.

Suddenly, a black blur came in between Lisa and Daigo and jumped over Ryoma to tackle the spy.

“Clint!” Daigo cried happily at the sight of his pet panther.

Everything else happened too fast for Lisa to do anything about it. She heard a cry from the spy as Clint’s teeth closed over the man’s arm. Simultaneously, a yell of “Daigo, take cover!” rang out as a body barrelled into hers, taking her to the ground as they covered her body with theirs. And as an explosion rocked the small hallway, Lisa heard a scream of pain and another scream from Saori calling for her father.

Through the ringing of her ears, Lisa heard someone screaming her name.

“Lisa!” Rick’s scream came from far away as the body above hers moved off her. Lisa gaped at Jan’s face as he looked down at her in concern. The cyborg moved her to a sitting position as he observed her face and body for injuries. He was about to ask her how she was doing when they heard a mournful sound. They turned to see Clint nudging a severely burned body. It was in such a terrible shape that it took Lisa and Jan a few moments to recognize who it was.

“Ryoma!” Daigo’s pained cry identified the victim of the explosion. Lisa watched, horrified, as the young man ran to his friend and cradled the body of the samurai.

Lisa didn’t realize how shocked she was at the sight until it was abruptly cut off by a pair of sky-blue eyes searching her features and a hand cradling her cheek. It wasn’t until Rick’s scent enveloped her and her face cradled in the crook of his neck; she noticed the sobs wracking her body. Sobs that Saori and Daigo echoed.

#

“What do you want to do with it,” a voice asked with disgust as it kicked aside the unmoving carcass that had collapsed by his feet.

Radar looked at the spy’s half burned body impassively. The man had dragged himself to them, citing a meeting point and barely making it there as it had been on his death throes, a trail of blood leading the enemy to them.

“It’s done serving its purpose. Get rid of it.”

Khyron nudged the body of the spy until it fell down the ravine they were standing in. The hole was from a failed mining expedition. Even though both creatures did not understand poetic irony, they thought the burial place befitted their entire experience with the mole.

“Did you get what you were expecting?”

“I received enough.” Cypher’s antenna swiveled

“Useless until the end,” Khyron grunted as the two giants left the meeting place with the spy and went to inform their superiors that their mission was over for now.

Chapter Text

It’s a New Year miracle, I’m aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!

Sorry it’s been a while. This chapter is for all the people that still take the time to read this story. Thanks to all the guest readers that leave messages, like Mariana, the anonymous guest reviews, and everyone else that is still enjoying this story. Thanks for not giving up on it.I swear, I will stop saying I will update faster the next time. Every time I do that, I jinx myself. I will tell you though that I try my hardest to find time to work on it but with having kids at home, I cannot write as fast. My apologies for that.

For now, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

As always, thanks to my beta, Taxivan.
________________________________________________________________

Chapter 18 - Chaos from Within

Koji looks up from the computer terminal he had been pouring over, his face pale. “Dr. Dodge, Dr. Lang, you need to see this.” His words were urgent.

Both men rushed over to the younger man, whose job was to examine the damage left by the spy’s last act of terror.

“Oh my!” Dr. Dodge said shakily when he realized what Koji had found.

“We need to tell Captain Hayes and Captain Barry right away,” Lang, the pragmatic one, said.

“But first, I think we need to tell the Otakis,” replied Dr. Dodge, his voice quavering with emotion.

#

Lisa was waiting for news about Ryoma outside of the nurse’s station when she saw Daigo and Saori approach. Daigo was supporting his sister, who seemed to have withered in the past few days after the incident. Lisa’s heart broke for her, especially after receiving the latest report from the Scientific Team. It has been heartbreaking to hear that Dr. Otaki had sacrificed himself to stop the flow of information stolen by the spy. It was a hard blow to bear for the siblings, to lose a father not once, but twice.

Lisa approached the siblings to greet them. As she spoke to Saori, she noticed Daigo leaving them in order to approach the nurses in charge of Ryoma’s care. The samurai had yet to come to, and his recovery seemed like it would be a long and arduous process.

Lisa had no illusions about the state of the samurai spy. She had conferred with Jean about the case last night and they had come to only one conclusion, this base was not equipped to handle a case like his. Santore was a peaceful base under siege, momentarily taken over by military personnel. It was seriously understaffed and had limited supplies. The ravaged cities around it had been raided by the volunteers and anything useful had been brought to it, but nothing else had come in. A serious injury, like the one Ryoma had, needed to be treated in a place that could offer more than a temporary refuge.

After many discussions, and a conference with doctors from Macross, Jean had concluded that the only solution would be to airlift the man to New Macross city. Time was of the essence and he needed specialized help. She might not have known Ryoma as long as Daigo, and she was not as close to him as he seemed to have wished that they were, but she considers him a friend and she hoped for a speedy recovery for him. She made a mental note to talk to Daigo about their plan. It was merely a formality to do so, but she would feel better to have his agreement than to impose her will on him. She felt that the people of Santore had been through enough and having their will take away from them with no warning might alienate them even more. Regardless, as soon as she spoke with him, she was planning on talking to the Admiral to work on the arrangements to send out the injured man today or tomorrow at the latest.

#

Hours after the hospital visit and a heartbreaking conversation with Captain Hayes, Daigo walked out of another meeting, mentally worn out. He was trying, he really was! But it was so hard right now to focus on anything but his sister and his best friend. All throughout the meeting with the Special Forces, his mind kept wandering, and he had to be pulled back by Captain Hunter a couple of times. The Captain had been nice about it but he had been mortified. Not that the rest of the team was doing any better. In fact, if he had to hazard a guess, he would say that the only one that was actually paying attention was Jan Kugo, who kept his eyes on them the entire time.

Back when Barry had explained about the Allies coming in, it had all seemed to be like the solution to all their problems. When the Special Team had finally come together and worked so well under Captain Hunter, he had been so inspired and hopeful. But now, he was not so sure. The war was dragging, and the enemy seemed to have gained the upper hand. He looked around himself and saw the same expression on the others, from Takeru, who still looked worn out, to the ladies that fought with them. He could see the same weariness in their faces, in their eyes. He could see the ill-concealed worry in the eyes of their Captain, who as much as he tried to rally them, had his own limitations at the moment.

Daigo turned towards the hallway that led to the sick bay with heavy steps. He was about to say goodbye to his childhood friend. He understood the need to take him away from here but it bruised his heart agreeing to the decision. He was grateful to Captain Hayes, though. She had made a point of having him agree first before she requested permission from both Barry and her Admiral. He knew it had been mostly a courtesy, a way of including him in the decision, even though the decision had already been made.

Back when they had believed they were orphans, Ryoma and he had formed a sibling bond. Before he had bonded with people in Mechakon, before he had met his long estranged sister, he’d had Ryoma. And as much as he had grown to care and love Saori, Ryoma knew him in ways that his sister could not come to understand yet. But they were not bound by blood. The ultimate decision on Ryoma’s life was Barry Hawk’s, their commanding officer. The fact the Boss Lady talked to him first spoke of how much she acknowledged their bond of brotherhood and friendship before allowing duty to take over.

He was thankful for her idea. He knew his friend would not heal properly with the kind of care they had here. Ryoma needed to leave in order to heal. So now, Daigo had to let him go in order to see him alive and well in the future. The same way that he had to rally and fight for the future of all humanity, he had to be strong and say farewell to another family member he had forged a bond with.

He was not surprised to see Saori, Barry, and Captain Hayes already waiting for him to support him. Together, they approached the medical team that was preparing Ryoma for his departure. Upon seeing him, Dr. Grant, the Macross medical doctor, motioned him to come closer. The others stayed behind, a tacit understanding that he could say his goodbyes privately; although both Saori and Barry hovered close behind, lending their support.

Lisa took a step away to try and blend into the background as much as she could. She felt like an intruder in this family moment. Because even if Barry was not blood family, his connection to Saori and even Daigo was palpable. He was as much a big brother to the troubled young man as Rick had become to Max and the late Ben Dixon.

As she saw the young man shed tears for his fallen friend, her mind’s eye couldn’t help but see another young man, one with inky black hair and sky-blue eyes, in a similar situation with another wounded brother. Rick had taken Roy’s injuries just as hard years ago when Roy had been shot down and ended up in a coma. Both Rick and Claudia had spent those months of recovery by his bedside, hoping to see his gray eyes open again to the world.

Daigo would not be able to do that. She knew very well that she had talked him out of that possibility, regardless of the fact that it was for the samurai’s well-being. She was saving him but depriving his brother in all but blood from that privilege. Her heart bled for those proud, broken boys that had been torn apart by the war and had lost so much already. She averted her gaze, overcome with guilt and sadness at the moment she was witnessing.

She was brought back to the present and away from her spiraling thoughts by a gentle pressure on her arm.

Jean smiled a gentle smile, understanding shining on her face. She had also witnessed Rick and Roy’s relationship and recovery, and had witnessed countless families torn apart by the war. She had also witnessed the women who loved them and how much they had been there for them, both Lisa and Claudia spending countless hours with them. Jean stood with Lisa in silent solidarity of the burden that she had to bear, the burden of command. She knew how hard Lisa took things to heart. Lisa was a gentle soul with a spine made of steel and a bruised heart that was longing to love and to have her love reciprocated. A movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention to the very person she had been thinking of.

Rick was glad that he arrived before Ryoma was flown out. He had come to a tacit agreement with the samurai and regardless of his conflicted feeling towards the man, he was still a hero that had saved them all. But mostly, he had wanted to be there to support his protege.

Looking around at the ones gathered on the tarmac, Rick saw Barry and Saori close to Daigo, who was leaning over the unconscious man, probably saying his goodbyes. It was a private moment between family, so he held back, not wanting to intrude. His gaze swept around the tarmac and he quickly spied Lisa and Jean off to the side, discreetly showing their support. Rick’s heart swelled at the sight. Lisa was such a giving woman, she was always there to provide support for others. He admired that about her. It didn’t matter how much work she had, she always made an effort to support others, with a word or a gesture.

Lisa looked up and saw him, her eyes widening a bit before a small smile was drawn on her lips. Just like that, she had given him her approval and a warm feeling spread over him. Her silent strength gave him the power to always face the hardest battles, be it physical or emotional. He again felt a twinge of guilt at the thoughts that he had been having lately. Because if those feelings were correct, then she had been much more to him than what he had given her credit for and he feared that he had not been there enough for her. His resolve started to crumble and he faltered, uncertain of his reception. But knowing that Daigo needed all the support he could get, bolstered his resolve and he went to join the ladies in solidarity.

#

Lisa returned to her office with a heavy step. Twilight had long since settled on a very long day. But the last hour seemed even longer than the whole day put together. She had just come back from overseeing the transfer of Ryoma to New Macross. All logistics aside, it was seeing the face of Daigo as he watched his friend being flown away that broke her heart. She was becoming too attached to these people and this mission. Rick’s presence there was as welcome as it was perilous for her heart, as he kept close to her, looking at her with those soft eyes. She just couldn’t separate the sad, lost boy look from both of those men. Daigo’s baby blue eyes reminded her of Rick’s when she came to tell him that Roy had been struck down and was in intensive care.

Even talking to the Admiral had not given her any solace. Although he had been concerned about the state of the mission, he had reiterated that he was not unhappy with the way she was handling it, just at the magnitude it had become. He expressed how proud he was at her performance and at the way she was handling everything but she still had a lot of doubt. She had not felt this inadequate since she had first started the service, as a green soldier under the tutelage of Henry. Regardless, she was here, facing her duty and her responsibility. She was a Hayes, and a Hayes did not back down from their duty. Henry would not think of removing her either. There had been no mishandling of her duties, no wrong being done on her part, so she would remain standing, facing this mission until its end.

Too many memories, too many emotions, past and present, were colliding in her mind. The presence of her old friend Aurora was not helping either, bringing back happy but also sad memories. Her memories haunted her and she felt burdened by her past actions. She felt like she was losing herself. Her guilt was also getting the best of her. She kept thinking what if she had stopped Ryoma before he left. What if she commanded him to get backup instead of letting him convince her to go alone?

She opened the door to her office with more force than necessary, her eyes blinded by the gathering moisture, her breath stuttering in her chest. She made a beeline to the big windows in the back, the twinkling stars and the immense darkness from outside comforting her. Slowly, she reigned in her emotions, stuffing them in a box to be unpacked later, much later, where there was little chance of being interrupted and when she could give free reign to her guilt.

“Good evening Captain Hayes.”

A deep voice coming from seemingly nowhere caused her to jump and clutch at her throat. Panicked green eyes looked at the dark corner where the voice came from to see a serious face looking back at her.

“Do you just like to appear out of nowhere?” She accused him as Jan Kugo shrugged.

“The better to have a private conversation,” he responded casually.

Lisa narrowed her eyes. Did he notice the state she had been in? Was he just going to ignore it? Was he doing it to preserve her dignity or his? Lisa looked at the ceiling, briefly contemplating her life and her life choices, wondering why she had been saddled with impossible men that liked to make her life difficult.

“What do you want to talk about Jan?” she asked wearily. “Did Aurora send you with a message?”

“Oh, I’m sure she will,” he said casually, “when she actually sees me.”

Lisa raised her brow at that comment.

“I have not been on the ship yet since the spy’s breakout,” he explained. “Too much tension at the moment. I would not be able to move about undetected.”

“Wise choice.”

“I make some of those, every once in a while,” he smirked, his usual cheekiness making an appearance.

“So what did you want to talk about?”

“We had a meeting with the other boss, Captain Hunter, a couple of hours ago. Things are not looking well.”

“Yes, I am aware of that,” Lisa scoffed.

“Morale is pretty low.”

“I can imagine,” Lisa answered as she pressed her fingers to her lips nervously.

“The kid is barely holding on as it is after his friend got hurt,” Jan continued, knowing Captain Hunter would try to sugarcoat things to not worry her. She needed to know the full extent; that this mission was teetering on the brink of disaster. “And the other rebellious child is worrisome too, I don’t think he’s at full strength, regardless of what he says. Captain Hunter has his hands full with them.”

“I know.”

“I think the girls…” Lisa gave him a side eyed glare, “the ladies,” he corrected, “bare the brunt of the losses. I mean, there’s only so much I can do.”

“It’s not all on you Jan, I’m sure that Daigo and Takeru will allow nothing to happen to them either,” Lisa said wearily.

“You have too much faith. I hate to say it but we need Koji back.”

Lisa grumbled and turned away from the windows she had been looking out of.

“I mean ideally, if we could have Captain Hunter back…”

“Rick still has weeks before he’s cleared for fighting,” Lisa said almost absentmindedly.

“The princess has been worried about you, she’s told me multiple times since she found out you were the one leading the team.”

“Tell ‘Rora she doesn’t need to worry, she doesn’t need to send you to watch over me.”

“Anyone with two eyes would worry about you,” he scoffed. “I just know I’m not the company you want at the moment,” the cyborg rebuffed as he stood up to leave. “Have a good night, Captain Hayes,” Kugo said as he approached the doorway. As he opened the door, he almost bumped into Rick, who was about to knock. “Oh, Captain Hunter, just the right person for the job. I leave you in excellent hands,” Jan said with a sardonic smile aimed at Lisa, who just fumed at his retreating figure.

“What was that?” Rick asked as he looked towards the empty doorway, still puzzling about Jan’s presence and his words.

“He’s being an ass,” Lisa answered, and Rick looked at her in surprise. “What, you don’t think I curse?” Lisa asked with a smirk.

“Oh, I have heard you curse when you think I am not listening on the comm. You could give some pilots a run for their money,” he answered right back with a mischievous smile.

Lisa’s face lit up in embarrassment but she answered right back, “Yeah, some of that language had to rub off on me after listening to you guys.”

“Ah, blame the poor pilots, why don’tcha,” he said with a laugh which Lisa echoed. “Are you sure you are ok?” he asked when the laughter died down.

“You are not the only one to ask me that,” Lisa said, the moment of levity evaporating.

“Kugo?”

“Yeah, he was here worrying about the meeting you guys had today and he told me as much.”

“Is that why he was here?” Rick asked, surprised. “Some days I barely see him around, and now he’s everywhere. Mostly around you,” he accused.

“Why else would he be here?” Lisa asked, not addressing the last comment.

“He doesn’t seem to care as much about anything.”

Lisa shrugged. “He seems to care when he wants.”

Rick frowned. “What did he say about the meeting?”

“He's worried about Daigo’s mindset and Takeru’s health. He also thinks Sayaka and Mai are in more danger because of it. He urged me to reconsider bringing Koji back.”

Rick blinked at the commentary from the cyborg. “That is…surprisingly accurate,” he replied hesitantly. “I don’t totally agree with bringing Koji right this moment, but I think that his robot fighting with us would probably help us win. But he’s not ready yet.”

“I was afraid of that. I was going to ask you about Roy's progress report on Koji’s training.”

“Well, the Scientific Team pulled him from training while they try to unscramble the mess the spy left behind, which means he has not trained in the last couple of days since the incident.”

Lisa hummed, considering the information. So he would not have advanced much then. No use in bringing back a loose cannon on the field. They had enough with the other ones.

“I still find it weird that Kugo came over to see you,” Rick commented.

Lisa sighed in irritation. This was one thing that truly drove her insane about Rick. When he had something on his mind, he was like a dog with a bone, gnawing at it until he got to the center. He would not let go. “Why do you say that?” She sought to dance around the issue. She had learned her lesson about letting secrets get out. Her need to protect her friend Aurora was tinged with guilt and remorse of old actions.

“Well, he is not the most talkative of the bunch.”

“That’s not exactly true. He’s also not anti-social,” she said, and he knew she was referring to Takeru. “He’s a lot friendlier once you get to know him.”

Rick frowned, considering her response. Since when was she so familiar with him? How much was Jan hanging around her? What had changed? Aside from being tired, Lisa looked distracted most of the time. Not when she was working; no, she was too much of a professional for that. But when they were just talking like this, she used to give him her total attention. Now though, her mind seemed to wander. Was she just worried about all the things that had been happening or was there something or someone else, causing the distractions?

She also had a haunted look around her that hung to her like a dark cloud. Rick looked at her, taking in the slightly hunched shoulders and the vulnerable demeanor that weighed down the proud warrior woman that he normally knew. He ached to take away all her pain, to hold her close and to promise her that everything would be alright, but he knew that he could do none of those things. He didn’t trust himself. Because all the feelings he had were so chaotic at the moment, and he didn’t trust that he wouldn’t hurt her. In a spark of clarity, he realized that he was not in the right frame of mind to help her, not when he was so confused about his own place in her life and her place in his.

“I guess I do not know him that well then,” Rick murmured uneasily. He hadn’t realized that they had been lost in silence for a while until his voice seemed to startle her. Huge green eyes looked back at him and he almost broke his resolve to keep his distance. These urges to hold her and never letting her go were becoming more and more frequent and were wreaking havoc with his sanity. He wanted things to be simple, like the wish of the simpler times of childhood, but just like he knew that that was a futile wish, he knew that this one was as well. Just like he had grown to be a man, he knew that he had to grow up in this too and decide about his feelings. For that reason, he lowered his gaze from hers, hiding his confusion and regret as he bid her goodnight, leaving her with her heavy thoughts and carrying his own.

#

If a robot could show glee, this would be the expression on Cypher’s face. The spy was not useless after all. As the data scrolled by, the more the robotic general approved of the plan to implant a spy in the earthlings’ ranks. This was more information than they even hoped to get.

His brain collated the information into two different categories to present it to the rest of the forces. With this kind of information and what they had already uncovered, they would be victorious!

#

The next morning, Lisa sat with a steaming mug of coffee as she prepared to listen to what amounted to be more bad news. She’s had a restless night, plagued by thoughts of how dire things were going and how much it seemed to escape from all their hands. The brief talk she’d had with Henry yesterday, right after the formalities of transferring the injured Ryoma, had eased her tortured mind. Even so, nightmares plagued her. She felt fragile, like she needed someone to lean on, to listen to her and moor her in this sea of uncertainty. She decided that she would make a point of both visiting her old childhood friend and spending time with her friends and comrades today. She needed all the support that she could get.

As for the meeting, she had asked a few of her closest confidants to be there because she did not want to have the contents of it spilling into the rest of the volunteer forces. As much as she would have loved to have Claudia with her, she needed to rely on her old friend to cover her in other places that she could not be at the moment. There were a lot of fires to put out on the civilian side of Santore and there was no one as qualified as Claudia to handle that, especially after all the experience she had from handling the fiasco that had been the Space Fold with Macross Island.

That left her with Rick and Barry Hawk, two unexpected allies that had become much more. They had become an oasis of calm for her, with their solid presence and innovative, intuitive ideas. Both of them were young but experienced because of the hard knocks they had received. They thought fast on their feet, making smart decisions that had led their battalions to come through some tight spots. If there was anyone that she would like around her with their council, it was them. Who would have thought she would think like that about the rash, brash and cocky pilot she had met three years ago?, Lisa thought wryly.

Dr. Dodger nervously cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to the three men presenting their information. The grim look on their faces showed she had been right on her initial assessment and she thanked her foresight to grab the largest mug of coffee she could get.

“Before we present what was leaked to the enemy forces, I want to start by telling you that there was a lot that did not make it out. Dr. Otaki’s consciousness was aware of what was happening, and he corrupted or erased a lot of the information before it could be copied. Unfortunately, that caused his memories and consciousness to be corrupted, even before the explosion that ultimately caused the fatal blow.”

“Which is why it took us so long to unscramble the information that was left and to recover the log of what the spy had access to,” Koji interjected.

“Correct, we had to backwards engineer what we had access to in order to recognize what was missing, because of all the safeguards and other traps the computer had put together to protect it.”

“So that sounds like not a lot of private information made it out, no?” Barry asked hopefully.

“A lot of the information that contained the memories of Dr. Otaki were well encrypted and safeguarded because he’s had years to protect it. So all the plans for Victor Town and the process of turning protoculture into Xtron was protected from the breach. Also, all the processes of Protoculture in its different uses were also protected.”

“But…” Rick was getting impatient by the suspense. He knew the other shoe was going to drop and drop hard. He was not as optimistic as Barry seemed to be.

“What made it out was the newer information he had been processing, as he was part of the Intelligence Division that was setting up upgrades for the mechas. As encrypted as the information was, the spy had access to alien technology and viruses that we had never seen and had no protection against. The computer side of Dr. Otaki could not stand a chance against their attack.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dr. Otaki was able to separate what was his human consciousness from the computer parts that kept it alive and accessible to us. While he could process new information and in fact could interact with his children, that was just the computer part accessing the memories of Dr. Otaki. Think of it as two different entities, two different servers that communicated with each other. The server that processed and protected the memories, the artificial intelligence, was the superficial level, and that one was the one infected by the virus and it ravaged it, basically turning against itself. That is why Dr. Otaki had the computer turn onto itself so that it wouldn’t access the other server, the one with the memories and the human component.”

“So regardless of the explosion, the AI that communicated with the memories would have been useless?”

“Not useless, it would have kept infecting everything else in Santore. He stopped the virus from making it deeper into the Santore controls and destroying everything he had built within it.”

Now they understood the sacrifice Dr. Otaki had made; he had saved all of them from becoming sitting ducks inside of the sanctuary he had built.

“Unfortunately, before all the safeguards could make it into place, before the AI could realize what the virus was doing to it, the latest files that it had been processing were vulnerable to the attack.”

Finally, Rick thought as he leaned forward, all attention focused on the next words. He could see Lisa doing the same, squinting her eyes a bit, like she always did when she was concentrating on something.

“The information that included the personnel files, strengths and weaknesses of some of the mech and the upgrades we were planning was compromised,” Lang stated, like taking a bandage out of a very painful wound.

“All the personnel files?” Lisa asked, her blood going cold.

“Not all, and only certain information. It was more interested in strengths and weaknesses, especially on the mechs.”

“Which means, all the advances and the plans we had are now in their hands,” Rick growled angrily.

“Unfortunately yes,” Lang said. “There is also a strong possibility that they know the state that you are in right now, Captain Hunter, as it was one of the things contained in the personnel files and it is technically considered a weakness.”

Rick bit back a curse. If the enemy had any suspicions that he was down for the count based on his lack of action there would not be any doubt now when it was spelled in black and white for them.

“The other information compromised was the headway we had made in decoding the information about the Colonization city and the Anoha.”

“The what?” Barry asked, not having heard about any of this.

“I apologize Captain Hawk, you were busy in other meetings when we spoke about this. We had refrained from sharing too much information until we knew more about it,” Dr. Lang said. “To summarize what we know today, we had unearthed in the files contained by Dr. Otaki, the existence of a colonization ship sent by the Robotech Masters. This colonization vessel made it to Earth but the ship itself and its site are still unknown. Dr. Otaki had identified it as “The Anoha”. Thanks to Captain Hayes we had obtained permission to talk to Exedore, since he was an archivist for the Zentraedi culture.

“Some of us got more enthusiastic than others about it,” Dr Lang finished, and both Dr. Dodgers and Koji looked sheepish. “And trust me, theirs was nothing compared to Exedore’s reaction,” Lang said dryly and Koji couldn’t help the snicker that came out, which he covered with a hasty cough at Lang’s expression.

“Regardless, we now think we have a couple possible sites that could be the final resting place of the Anoha. Unfortunately, that was also one of the files that was leaked by the spy. We do not know what resources the enemy camp holds but we possess the same amount of information at the moment.”

The recipient of the information looked on in absolute shock at the members of the Scientific Team before them. They all knew what this meant, it would now become a race to scramble the information they had and to gain the upper hand in order to reach this new asset that could potentially help them to vanquish their enemy for good.

“Let’s patch in Exedore and the Admiral, we have to figure this out as soon as possible. We’ll make finding the Anoha our priority. Captain Hawk, I need you to talk to Lieutenant Colonel Grant and take over the defenses of the base as we work on this.” Barry nodded and was about to take his leave when Lisa mentioned, “Also, call in Saori, if she’s up to it and have her help us out. I have a feeling her input will be invaluable.”

“Yes Captain Hayes.” Barry Hawk took his leave with a salute.

“Captain Hunger, can you please get Captain Grant to patch us with Admiral Global?”

Rick gave her a nod as he moved to the phone to call the communication center.

“Don’t worry Captain Hayes, I’m already trying to reach Exedore,” Koji informed her when she turned to them.

Lisa gave him a grateful look. With an internal sigh, she took on her tablet to write her notes, she had a feeling this would be the first of many meetings that would determine the fate of humankind.

#

The meeting was long and tedious. By the end, it was already late and dinner was about to begin. Both of them debated about the idea of eating in the Mess Hall to show a united front and to show solidarity with the troops. As much as Lisa was uncomfortable eating in such a large group, it ended up being a good decision after all. As somber as the atmosphere was, the troops still found a way to lift each other up. Lisa and Rick were pleasantly surprised to see some of the groups interacting with each other, even at the volunteer level.

After eating with the rest of the group, Rick offered to escort her to her room. Lisa had agreed in the heat of the moment, old habits and tiredness getting the best of her. The walk started quiet, both of them unsure of their feelings and where they stood with each other. Lisa was overthinking her decision of agreeing to the walk, whereas Rick was scrambling to find a topic of conversation that would not bring the whole mood down.

Suddenly, an idea struck him and he knew exactly what he could say. “Did you see the look on Takeru‘s face when Miriya offered to cook him a romantic dinner for him and Mai? Priceless!” He said with a straight face, although when Lisa turned around, all big eyes full of surprise, he couldn't hold his expression for too long and a snicker escaped him.

Lisa was surprised that he had brought that up out of the blue but after seeing his mirthful blue eyes twinkling in mischief, she couldn’t help it and a small smile reluctantly was drawn on her lips.“I don’t know, I think she should do it,” Lisa said, trying to keep a straight face.

Rick let out a fake, and frankly, overly exaggerated gasp, but he was enjoying Lisa’s reaction to his theatrics. He knew he was hamming it up but he felt a thrill at being the center of her attention after days of being surrounded by others, and for bringing that lighthearted reaction from her. “You don’t mean that! I cannot believe you would be so evil.”

“You are right, I wouldn’t wish Miriya’s cooking on poor Mai,” she replied in mock seriousness although her eyes were dancing with glee as she obviously left Takeru out of that comment.

Rick didn’t miss that and laughed even harder. ”Oh man! Haha, I missed this!” Rick said with a chuckle, nostalgia turning his eyes soft. They both stopped walking, a few feet away from her door. Rick was surprised at the feelings that the comment evoked. He had not realized how much he had missed the Lisa he had met during the Reconstruction years. Not the hard commander, not the stressed out Captain, not the person that was at odds with him, but the friend that he could talk and laugh with. They had been so close after he rescued her from Alaska Base, bonding over their losses and similar experiences. They had worked together so well for two years after that. What had changed? Was it only the Factory Satellite? “I miss my friend,” Rick whispered unintentionally, voice sad, like a lost little boy.

Lisa’s heart broke, both at the sentiment and the fact that she could not offer him that same friendship and closeness anymore, not after all the mixed signals he had, and was still, sending her. Because as much as she was still drawn to him, she wanted to protect her heart and keep it intact. “Rick,” Lisa whispered fornorly.

“Captain! There you are. I thought you would be eating in your office tonight.” (?)

Jan’s jovial voice interrupted them, making Rick take a step back from her. Lisa was already used to the cyborg’s sneak attacks so she just sighed as she turned her attention to him. She didn’t know if she should scold him or commend him for the interruption. Especially since she had a feeling that he knew exactly what he had interrupted, if his smirking expression had anything to do with it.

“I ate at the Mess Hall tonight.”

“Ah, no wonder I couldn’t find you. Did not expect that,” he murmured absentmindedly. “Could I talk to you for a minute?” The cyborg asked, scratching his neck in what seemed like a nervous manner.

Lisa looked confused for a second, but the furtive look on Kugo’s face convinced her. She excused herself from Rick, who looked on, surprised and suspicious at their actions.

“What is this about Jan?” Lisa asked when they were out of earshot.

Jan turned his back to the dark-haired Captain, effectively covering his actions. He then raised his arm and tapped an envelope against his chest, a smirk drawn in his lips as he saw her eyes widen. Lisa rapidly grabbed the envelope, looked at the handwriting on the envelope and knew exactly who it was from, Aurora. Jan must have tattled on her. Or maybe her friend wanted to arrange another meeting. As thick as the envelope felt, it didn’t seem likely. She hastily shoved it in her pocket, incredulous at the fact that Jan was so reckless with a missive from the princess.

“Is everything ok?” Rick asked, trying to figure out what was happening since he couldn't see or hear much.

“Yes, everything is fine…” she replied, glaring at Jan to make sure he got the message and stayed quiet for a change. Jan just shrugged good naturedly and followed along.

Rick turned his eyes to Jan, impatiently waiting for the cyborg to excuse himself so he could continue his conversation with Lisa. He was waiting for the cyborg to get the message. Jan though, seemed entirely oblivious at the silent message, just stood there, an expectant look on his face.

Lisa, on the other hand, was half seething at the fact that this man had flounted all the rules and broken curfew and half grateful that this whole situation took her away from the emotionally charged conversation she was having with Rick.

At the expectant look in both the men’s faces, she decided to go with the lesser of the two evils.

“Captain Hunter, I need to take care of this matter, I will see you tomorrow,” she replied formally as she turned to leave. “Mr. Kugo, if you follow me to the common rooms? I believe the other occupants are still in the Mess Hall so we can speak.”

“Sure thing, Boss,” Jan quipped back.

“Wait, but Lisa...” Rick implored, his good arm reaching out to her but stopping short as he realized that the cyborg was still there.

“Yes, Captain Hunter?”

“Nothing…have a good night,” he told her sadly, his eyes mournfully watching her reach the door of the common room and go inside, disappearing from his gaze. Rick looked at the overly cheerful cyborg and had to swallow a sigh. His interruption might not mean anything so he should not take out his anger at him. With a nod, he turned away from Lisa’s door, barely hearing it close after the cyborg as turmoil filled his head as he mourned lost chances and happier times.

#

“What was that all about?” Lisa rounded on the unsuspecting cyborg as soon as they determined that Rick had left.

“Errr…”

“Wait!” Lisa raised her hand imperiously as she did a sweep of the common room. All the doors were open and the rooms were darkened as if they were still empty.

“There’s no one here. I cannot hear or detect any other life forms aside from us in this space,” Jan said, realizing what she was doing.

“Fine”, she huffed, satisfied they were alone. She turned to him again. “Now, explain to me what was the purpose of approaching me with a letter from someone whom you are not supposed to have contact with, because A, she's not supposed to be around and B, there is a curfew so you should not have gone out to meet regardless!” she hissed at him as she leaned into his personal space.

Jan was not expecting this attack and was taken aback by the fierceness in her eyes and the pink splotches on her cheek that indicated her anger. He took a step back and bumped into the doorway. “Errrr…”

“I’m still waiting, Mr Kugo.”

“Personal space?” he said sheepishly, with a comically wide smile that almost closed his eyes. Lisa harrumphed and stepped away from him, arms crossed and an expectant look on her face. “Well, Captain Hayes, I hope you didn’t expect me not to go and check in with the Princess, it is my duty to guard her after all.”

“She has two other cyborgs looking after her.”

“But they are not me.” The man responded with arrogance as if that explained everything. Lisa narrowed her eyes, not buying it. “Curfew will not hold me back, Boss Lady, I will tell you right now. The only reason why I held back from going was to make sure that it was safe enough to go out without getting caught.”

“Are you saying our vigilance is lax now?”

“No, but I can get away from it, if I want to. The situation was too volatile before today, everyone on edge, everyone still looking for scapegoats so I didn’t want to chance it.”

Lisa held the bridge of her nose with her thumb and middle finger as her index touched her forehead. Jan thought that she looked like she was praying for patience, at least that’s what Aurora usually told him when she did the same move. And he had seen that same pained expression on her face multiple times.

“Ok, you should know better about what you can and cannot get away with but DO NOT GET CAUGHT.” She emphasized her words by jabbing her index towards him as if she was stabbing the air with it. He hoped that didn’t mean that’s what she wanted to do to him. Man, this woman was scarier than the Princess when she was mad, and that’s saying a lot!

“Not only could you endanger the Princess, you are also sublimating my orders and I will be forced to take disciplinary action.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And another thing, what was that stunt you pulled with Hunter? I hate lying to my commanders and friends, even if by omission.”

Jan smirked at that, his contrite attitude wiped out in a second. “I was just rescuing a lady in need.”

“Were you listening to our conversation?”

“I didn’t need to, I could tell. It was awkward.”

“Let me make one thing clear, Mr. Kugo, I have not given you permission to meddle in my affairs. I am a big girl and I can take care of myself just fine.”

“Noted.” Jan deflated, answering in a dull voice.

Lisa groaned and then brought her hands to her face. Racking her fingers through her hair, she looked at him, contrite. . “I’m sorry. That was not a nice thing to say.”

“I understand Captain Hayes, I get it.”

“No, you don’t. Please, don’t meddle between Rick and I, what we have it’s…weird and complicated.” She looked vulnerable, haunted. “To be honest, you didn’t read it wrong, I just…prefer you do not interfere.”

“Noted, Captain. My apologies. It will not happen again.”

“Thank you Jan,” Lisa said, her hand grasping one of his crossed arms forearms, and giving it a quick squeeze. He blinked at her slowly, bewildered at her action, like he had not received a lot of kindness in his life and her heart reached out to him.

“You’re…welcome…I’ll go now,” he said in a rush, not sure of what to think at the moment. Not many people felt comfortable to touch him, and less people than that had apologized to him for any wrongs they had committed on him.

“Have a good night.” She waved him off and he nodded, overwhelmed with curiosity and surprise at the lady that everyone feared but didn’t seem to know all that well. As he walked away from her quarters, he passed Mai and Sayaka who looked at him oddly. He politely bid them goodnight but kept walking, missing the perplexed look that passed between the two women. As he approached his sleeping quarters, he realized that he had seriously underestimated and misjudged these allies, starting with their leader. He vowed to have an open mind and a more open spirit.

###