Chapter One: Seven-Month Anniversary

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The planet Sweetwater. A shimmering blue jewel in space, much like Earth herself. Home to a vast population of colonists. Seven months ago, however, things were not so perfect. A fierce group of pirates, known as the Hammerheads, tried to destroy the colony and make their own base on the planet. Their attempt would eventually be thwarted, due in large part to the actions of three individuals. First was rookie fighter pilot Tommy Rickenbacker, then an ensign but now a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the U.N. Spacy. Second was Tommy's best friend and flight leader, John Peterson, who now holds the rank of full Lieutenant. Lastly, there was Kina Revdirgea, a 44-foot-tall Zentraedi girl with a kind heart, an easygoing nature, and a serious coordination problem. She is now a micronized Zentraedi, in between jobs. Considering the significance of what these three people did, one might think they'd be quite famous. Well…one would be wrong.

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"Damn, I haven't slept that soundly in some time," thought Tommy as he finished brushing his teeth. "Things sure have calmed down here." He looked over at the bed after rinsing. Inside, the love of his life was…still out like a light.

Tommy chuckled softly. "Sometimes I wish I were as relaxed as you, Kina." He smiled, and walked over to her side of the bed.

"Kina?" he said, gently nudging her with his hand. "Kina, wakey-wakey…"

Kina shifted slightly in bed. "Mmm…no…I don't wanna go to school…"

Tommy stifled a laugh. "Kina, if you don't get up you won't get to eat any chocolates…!"

Kina immediately sat up, knocking Tommy over. "Chocolates?! Where!?"

"Ouch…that was a mistake," said Tommy as he rubbed his head.

Kina swung her pajama-clad legs over the side of the bed. "Hey, where are the-huh? Tommy? Why are you on the floor?"

Tommy chuckled. "Don't worry about it." He sat on the bed next to Kina. She responded by taking hold of his left hand and giving it a squeeze. They held that for a couple of seconds, and then Kina stood up to go brush her own teeth.

"Hey, Kina? You said something last night about another new job?"

Kina spit into the sink before answering. "Yep! I'm going to be a waitress at that new Italian restaurant. Shouldn't be hard…although maybe I should brush up on my Italian…"

Tommy slowly wandered over to a drawer. "Don't sweat it, Kina. You'll do fine!"

Kina laughed. "That's what you said about the last eight jobs!" Her expression then turned a bit serious. "Uh, Tommy?"

Tommy was looking inside one of the drawers. "Yeah?" he answered as he reached inside.

"I, uh…I almost don't feel right. I feel like I'm mooching off of you."

"Kina, I'm glad to help you out like this. It's nothing, really…" Tommy pulled out a small black box, lined with velvet. He opened it…revealing a beautiful diamond ring.

"Can I do this…? …No, not yet. I feel like such a coward, but…it's just not the right time…" With a sigh, he closed the ring box and put it away.

"Tommy?"

Tommy jumped a little. "Huh?! Oh, uh…yes, Kina?" He turned around to see Kina standing just inside the doorway, a concerned look on her face.

"Tommy, tell me…is something wrong?"

Tommy sweatdropped. "Wrong? N-no, of course not! What makes you say that?"

Kina bit her lip. "Well…" She came over to him. "You see…I've been watching you a couple times from other rooms lately, and…Tommy, almost every time I look at you, you look really sad. Kinda like you've got something really heavy on your conscience."

Tommy looked at the ground. "I…well…er, that is…"

Kina suddenly embraced Tommy, surprising the human. "Tommy, I love you so much; please, please tell me what's wrong!"

"It's…nothing…really…!" choked Tommy under his girlfriend's unintentionally iron-strong embrace.

"Ah! Oops!" She let go. "Sorry!"

Tommy took a few breaths, and gave her a reassuring smile. "No problem. But please don't worry so much. I swear to you, I'm fine."

Kina returned his smile. "Well…okay." She stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek. "You know, you look really cute in those PJs!" she added with a giggle.

Tommy blushed. His pajamas had variable fighters printed all over the material. It wasn't something he would tell John or any of his other squadron mates, for sure. By contrast, Kina's had prints of tiny little hearts all over the place.

"Eh…thanks…I think…" As though to save him from the subject, his stomach started rumbling. "Whoa, I'm starving. How 'bout I make us breakfast?"

Kina clasped her hands together. "Sure!"

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Somewhere far from the Sweetwater system…

"Bandits coming back around for another pass!"

"Oh, my God…GET DOWN, QUICK!!!!!!!!!"

The powered armors had descended upon the tiny base like a swarm of flies. A whole squadron of Renegades, supported by salvaged Regult battlepods. But these Renegades were slightly different from your standard model…

"Damn it, you've got to put those fires out!!!!" cried one of the officers.

"We can't, sir! I don't know what's in those flamethrowers, but as soon as we stop spraying, it re-ignites!"

The officer scowled. "I don't believe this! First that incident in the Sweetwater system, and now-oh, crap…!" A Renegade was hovering right outside the window, its weapons pointing right where the two men were standing. It was painted in a bright blue and white color scheme, and there was a simple green face painted on the left shoulder, sticking out its tongue. Next, a voice came in over the base's radio system.

"…Hello? Darn it, is this frequency right?" The voice was that of a young woman. "Oh, the hell with it. Ahem…you are now prisoners of the Star Shooters group. Surrender now and nobody else gets roasted…!"

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Back on Sweetwater…

"Mmm! Delicious!" chirped Kina. "It's been seven months, and your cooking still blows me away, Tommy!"

Tommy laughed. "Thank you, thank you. Although, I'm not quite as good as my uncle was. He could make a quiche like you wouldn't believe. I STILL can't quite get the hang of quiche."

Kina smiled at him. "Oh, don't worry about it. You're still great at it."

Tommy then sighed. "Seven months today…the best thing that happened to me…"

Kina put her hands in front of her mouth. She then threw her arms around Tommy. "Oh, Tommy! Hug me!!"

Tommy's eyes bulged. "Not…possible…arms pinned!"

"ACK! Sorry again!" She released his arms, and slid her own under Tommy's, this time making sure to be gentle. "Better?"

Tommy smiled. "Much. I love you, Kina."

"I love you too, Tommy!" They kissed. "I'm still amazed you can put up with those little adrenaline rushes I have," said Kina with a sweatdrop after they broke the kiss.

"It's really not that much of a problem, really," said Tommy with a smile. "I've taken a lot worse in the G-force simulations they perform at the Academy. Now THAT is a serious squeeze!"

Kina giggled. "So, when do you have to report to base today?"

Tommy looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh, in about…45 MINUTES?! No way!" He got up. "Gotta get ready, gotta get-OOF!" He tripped over a kitchen rug that had been bunched up.

Kina gasped. "Tommy! Are you okay?"

"Yes…I'll be fine…no problem…!" said Tommy as he picked himself up off the floor.

Kina sighed with relief. "Thank goodness. I was afraid my clumsiness had rubbed off on you!"

Tommy laughed, then sweatdropped upon looking at the clock. "Yikes! Gotta run!" He took off for the bedroom to change into his duty uniform.

Kina smiled to herself. "Tommy…the only guy I know who can make me laugh and be doing something serious at the same time… Take care of yourself out there, Tommy."

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Author's Note: I've wrestled with this idea for a long time, and finally decided to make a follow-up story. I need to get back in swing with these characters, so these first few chapters may be a bit sub-par. Please be patient. ^_^