Chapter 1

"Damn!"

Ken slammed the door on his small Cessna. He had thought that a flight would clear his head, but all it had done was to make things worse.

He should be happy. Galactor had been defeated, Katse was dead, and he was no longer on duty twenty-four hours a day as Gatchaman.

Of course, there had been a price for all of that. Joe was gone. Ken had spent months remembering that final day at Cross Karokorum: the way he had left the Condor, dying, outside of the entrance to Galactor Headquarters.

The Eagle had finally come to terms with the loss of his second-in-command, and had been starting to turn his life around.

It had been then, that he had realized that Jun had become a more and more important part of his life.

Oh, Jun had always been special to him. There had always been something different about their relationship, as compared to the way Ken interacted with Joe and Ryu, or even Jinpei. Ken had tried to ignore it, and had played dumb whenever Jinpei had teased him about it. There was no time for anything like the Swallow hinted at, even though he knew that Jun would not have been averse to the idea.

But since the war with Galactor had ended, there was something more. Jun had been there for him, holding his hand, or talking to him on his bracelet during those nights when he couldn't sleep, because of the terrifying images that had raced through his dreams. She had been his rock, and when he had had nowhere else to turn, she had been there.

Until the last few weeks. She had left the Snack J in the care of Jinpei and Ryu, and had gone on vacation with her girlfriends. Ken had been surprised to learn that she even had girlfriends. Jinpei had told him that once Jun had started opening the Snack every day, college students and other local young people had begun treating the place as a regular hangout, and Jun had met them while she was working.

As far as Ken knew, Jun had never had traditional girlfriends, and he could see how she was enjoying catching up on those missed parts of her teenage years. They chattered and shopped together, going out to the movies, and dancing each night at the Snack J, to the live music of local bands.

And then, they had all decided to take a trip together. Off they had gone to the French Riviera, to enjoy the sun and sand.

Only, Ken had a feeling that wasn't all they had been enjoying. He wasn't the world's greatest expert on women, but he knew that they talked about men, as much as men usually talked about women. He had caught the whole gaggle of them looking at him occasionally, laughing amongst themselves until his cheeks flamed. Ken wondered what Jun had been saying about him, and even more, what they had been telling her about him.

Jun had left two weeks ago, and he hadn't heard from her since. Sure, he could have contacted her on her bracelet, or asked Dr. Nambu for the phone number of her hotel, but he had been waiting for her to contact him.

But she hadn't.

Apparently, she had been having so much fun, that she had been unable to scribble a simple 'Wish you were here!' onto a card, and drop it into the postbox. She had been unable to send him a one-line email from an internet café, or even beep him on his bracelet.

Ken wondered what she had been doing, that she hadn't even thought about him.

In comparison, Jun had been on his mind since the day she had left. He couldn't stop thinking about her: he warm smile, her flashing eyes, her soft voice… But in the last week or so, he had realized that he thought about her in other ways as well. In his dreams he pictured her graceful curves, her rounded breasts, her…

Damn, he had to stop thinking about Jun like this! It wasn't helping matters any. He had been moping around for far too long, desperate for the day when he could see her again.

A beep on his bracelet interrupted his thoughts. Jun!

Eagerly, Ken activated his bracelet to answer the call.

"G1, here."

"G1, it's Nambu. Could you meet me in my office, please?"

Ken's face fell, and he knew his voice reflected his disappointment as well.

"Sure, Hakase." he replied dejectedly. "I'll be there shortly."

88888

What the hell was he doing here? Dr. Nambu had told Ken that he wanted him to inspect a new series of fighter planes being designed in New Jork. But instead of flying there, Hakase had handed him a ticket for the Princess Marka: a cruise ship that offered trans-Atlantic crossings.

Ken had looked at Nambu in bewilderment, wondering how the good Doctor had actually thought that it would be beneficial for Ken to waste five days in the middle of the ocean, when he could fly commercially to New Jork in as many hours.

But Dr. Nambu had given Ken that smug look: the one he always wore when he felt he knew better, and handed him the ticket.

"You need the relaxation." was all he would say.

Ken got it. Nambu had seen how stressed Ken was, while Jun was away, and had thought that the Eagle would benefit from a vacation as well. What Hakase hadn't realized, was that this was only bound to make him more miserable than ever. Ken knew that cruise ship cabins were sold based on double occupancy: in other words, the ships were full of couples.

That was the last thing Ken needed to see right now.

Sighing, the Eagle resigned himself to five days of boredom, inside of his cabin. He stood on the Westhampton docks, looking up at the white behemoth that was to be his home for the next five days.

Five days. It seemed like an eternity. But then, it was only one third the time that Jun had been gone, and he had already survived that. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

Ken looked around the processing area, seeing a crowd of happy faces, full of excitement about their upcoming trip. For them, this voyage meant relaxation and fun.

For Ken, it meant loneliness and isolation.

"Welcome aboard!" chirped the bubbly Cruise Director, as he walked onto the deck.

"Where's my cabin?" Ken asked sourly.

"Oh, Sir, we call them 'staterooms' now." giggled the woman, "'Cabin' is so old-fashioned. You wouldn't want anyone to think of you as a stick-in-the-mud, now would you?"

Ken merely grunted at her. Frankly, he didn't care what anyone thought of him. He just wanted to get this voyage over and done with. He was definitely going to fly home, if he had to transmute into Birdstyle and commandeer a military jet to do it.

Scared by the expression on his face, the Cruise Director quickly looked at Ken's keycard, them stammered out directions to the Eagle's stateroom.

Fuming, Ken stalked the entire way to his stateroom, wondering if it were possible that the Cruise Director was really a secret Galactor agent. The Eagle found himself wishing that she was; if only so he had an excuse to throw her overboard.

He threw open the door to his room. It looked nice enough, he supposed, with a queen-sized bed and a small desk and couch. The bathroom was barely big enough to stand in, but that was to be expected, he guessed. Space on cruise ships was at a premium, and most of it was reserved for the public areas. Sighing, he tossed his duffel bag into the closet, then lay down on the bed.

Two hours later, he was startled awake from his impromptu nap by three long whistle blasts, followed by three short whistle blasts. The noise had come from a speaker on the ceiling of his room.

"This is the emergency drill." intoned a male voice. "It is mandatory for all passengers to participate in the emergency drill. Please put on your life jackets and proceed to your assigned muster stations."

Ken sighed. So this was the equivalent of the airplane's emergency instructions. But he resented being forced to leave his cabin for it. Grumpily, he ran his hand through his tousled hair, and looked for his life jacket. He found it in his closet, on the top shelf.

Ken left the room, determining from his cabin steward… make that stateroom steward… that his muster station was in the ship's theatre.

The theatre was three stories high, and had a large balcony, in addition to the 'orchestra' seating on the main level. Ken sat in a corner of the balcony, barely acknowledging his presence when they called his cabin number during attendance. He closed his eyes and pretended not to pay attention as the passengers were given information about what to do during an emergency at sea. He figured that whatever happened, he'd be able to deal with it.

The personnel conducting the drill stopped speaking, and Ken opened his eyes, realizing that the drill was over.

The first thing his eyes focused on was a young woman on the main level of the theatre. She was wearing a bulky orange lifejacket, but something about the way she moved was familiar.

She looked like…

No, that couldn't be. Jun was on the French Riviera, partying with her girlfriends. But this woman certainly looked like Jun, down to the same lustrous, ebony hair. Ken wished he could get a closer look, but he was too far away from his position on the balcony.

He looked carefully, but he didn't see anyone with her.

She appeared to be alone.

Despite himself, Ken was intrigued. Who was this woman, and did her resemblance to Jun go beneath the surface?

The Eagle decided that it would be more interesting to find out, than sitting in his cabin for the next five days.

He watched as the main floor of the theatre was evacuated first, seething at being unable to follow the familiar woman.

The moment he was released from the emergency briefing, Ken ran back to his room, throwing his life jacket inside. He raced to the upper decks of the ship, going out to the pool, sun and sports areas, looking for a hint of the mysterious woman.

After an hour he was tired and frustrated, feeling that his mind had been playing tricks on him. This ship held 3,000 passengers, and probably just as many crew members. How was he ever going to find this woman again? If, indeed, she even existed.

Sighing in frustration, he flopped down onto a deck chair, shading his eyes from the brilliant sun with his hand. He had been in such a hurry to leave his stateroom that he had neglected to bring his sunglasses with him.

Slowly, he took a few deep breaths, then opened his eyes again.

And there she was.

Her back was to him, but somehow, Ken realized that it was the same woman he had seen earlier. She was sitting in the hot tub, directly in front of him, her eyes closed, enjoying the warm sensations of the bubbly spa.

She was alone.

Ken found himself standing, and drawing closer to the mysterious woman. As he approached, her lips curved into a smile, and she opened her eyes to greet her admirer.

The sun blinded her somewhat, but the woman was able to catch a silhouette of shaggy, auburn hair, and brilliant blue eyes. They were so familiar…

"Ken?" she asked, surprised.

"Jun?" he sputtered, equally surprised. "I… I thought I recognized you."

"What are you doing here?" they asked each other, simultaneously, then both laughing at their mutual surprise.

"You first." Jun grinned, gesturing that Ken should sit down at the edge of the hot tub.

"Hakase is sending me to New Jork, to examine some developmental fighter planes." Ken explained. "He booked me passage on this ship, telling me that I needed a vacation." The Eagle rolled his eyes, as if to emphasize how ridiculous this notion was.

"Hmmm…" replied Jun, an amused look in her eyes. She certainly agreed with Hakase, that Ken needed a vacation. Just look at him! Wound up as tight as a coiled spring, and wearing heavy jeans and a t-shirt on the pool deck, in 30 degrees Celsius weather.

Jun had entertained the thought of inviting him to go with her, on her trip with the girls. Her best friend Melissa had urged her to bring him along. But whenever Ken looked at her friends, he got so cold, and quiet. Jun could tell that he didn't like them too much.

So rather than play referee when she was supposed to be having fun, Jun decided to go by herself. That had turned out to be a huge mistake. Melissa could see that Jun was hung up on Ken, but since the Eagle hadn't accompanied her, Melissa had assumed that he was uninterested, and encouraged Jun to meet someone new on the Riviera.

Every time Jun had thought about contacting Ken, Melissa was there, urging her to have fun, and making sure that Jun had fun as well. Melissa didn't like to see her best friend moping about.

One day, on the beach, Jun had even met someone interesting. His name was Helm, and his white-blonde hair streamed down his back, framing a handsome face. He was funny, and charming, and so unlike Ken. Rumor had it that he was heir to a Romanian earldom, but that didn't interest Jun, especially when she heard about the custom for Romanian Counts to dye their skin blue.

But Helm was exciting, and showed her a good time as he escorted her around the various cafes and nightclubs that the Riviera had to offer. He had kissed her once or twice, but when he did, images of piercing blue eyes and auburn hair filled Jun's mind, and she found herself pulling away.

Helm was too much of a gentleman to press her, and soon he stopped calling, once he had realized that she wasn't interested.

Melissa saw it too, and hadn't wanted to see her friend so depressed.

"Here." she had said, pressing some papers into Jun's hand, "Take this. Have a good time!"

"What is it?" Jun had asked curiously.

"It's a ticket for the Princess Marka."

"A cruise ship?" Jun had replied. "That's not really my style."

"It will be fun!" Melissa had insisted. "I was supposed to go. My uncle paid for the ticket, but frankly, I'd rather stay here. The European men are just too good to pass up!"

"Are you sure?" Jun had asked. It all seemed a bit strange. But Melissa had practically pushed her onto the ship, even staying at the dock, until the whistles for the emergency drill had begun. Jun had had to scramble to get her life jacket and make it to her muster station in the theatre on time.

But now, Jun silently thanked her friend with all of her heart. She was stuck on a cruise ship for five days… with Ken.

Just what she needed.

"So, what are you doing here?" Ken asked. Jun seemed to be off in a world of her own, smiling at something that only she saw.

"My friend, Melissa, gave me her ticket for the ship." Jun explained, turning that brilliant smile toward the Eagle. "She didn't want to use it, and I wasn't having the best time on the beach. She thought the change of scenery might do me good."

"Why weren't you having a good time?" Ken asked.

"I missed you." Jun said simply.

She held her breath. How could she have been so forward? But something inside told her that it was now or never. There were no excuses between them anymore. Galactor wasn't a threat, and there were no demands at the Snack, or with Ken's air delivery business, to distract them.

If Ken wasn't interested in her now, when would he ever be? This was her one chance to snag the Eagle, and the Swan was determined to catch her prey.

When she said that she had missed him, Ken's heart beat faster. He could hardly believe that he was actually here, with Jun, in this romantic setting, for five whole days.

Suddenly, the length of the voyage, which only an hour before had been much too long,

seemed far too short.

"I missed you, too." Ken replied, his eyes dipping down from Jun's face, to her body. The lines of her slim figure were somewhat distorted under the bubbling water, but Ken could see just enough to make his mouth go dry. Water splashed between her breasts, and Ken could hardly tear his eyes away from the sight.

"What time do you have dinner?" Jun asked Ken, forcing him to look at her face again.

"Six o'clock." he replied.

"Me too." she grinned. "I need to get back to my stateroom to get ready."

"I'll walk you back." Ken offered.

"I'd like that." Jun smiled, as she stepped out of the hot tub, her body glistening with sparkling droplets of water.

Ken couldn't keep his eyes off of the Swan. Her bright red bikini showed off her curves, and he imagined what it would feel like to run his hands down the length of her body, pressing himself against her…

Jun quickly dried herself off with her towel, then pulled on her swim coverup for the walk back to her stateroom. She felt Ken's eyes on her, and laughed to herself.

This was turning out very well indeed.

Now, all she had to do was keep the Eagle's interest.

88888

The phone rang, its shrill sound cutting through the otherwise quiet office.

"Yes?" he said, picking up the received on the second ring.

"It's done, Uncle." Melissa said. "I personally made sure that she got on the ship. She was reluctant to take me up on my offer, but I insisted."

"And what about… ?"

"I saw him as well." Melissa giggled. "What a man! I can guarantee you that if they're meant to be together, they will be, after this trip."

"I appreciate your help, Melissa."

"No problem, Uncle!" Melissa replied. "Anything to help a wonderful friend, like Jun."

"Thank you."

Dr. Nambu hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and smiled. Melissa was right. If Ken and Jun were meant to find happiness with each other (and God knew, they deserved some, after the hell they had endured over the last three years), they would do so on this cruise.

This trip had been the least he could do, after all they had done for the ISO.