File # 4 "Prelude to Encounter"

The sound of trickling rain filled the streets of Island One, where the daily bustle despite the ill weather still kept going without delay. Under the protection of a hooded sweater, Shigeru jogs through the streets with a pair of head phones resting within his ears. With each motion Shigeru shows off his peak athleticism while also making sure not to bump or cause an inconvenience to the people walking around him.

The thoughts that had plagued him shortly after the encounter days ago replayed in his mind. Shigeru wished that he could take back some of the decisions made during the battle with the Vajra. However in the end the operation was deemed a success for the moment, but it would seem that Frontier would become a warzone within the next few weeks. The arrival of a vanguard squad from Galaxy, and Crescent Tactical Solution's Talia Eifman made the situation more pressing for those within the Independent Special Command and NUNS Forces.

At the crosswalk Shigeru paused for a moment to catch his breath. He glanced up at a holographic window hovering above a nearby building. It was playing an old interview with Sheryl that took place a few days ago concerning the concert, and at the end Shigeru was mentioned. The quote from the Fairy was that "She and Captain Kudo were merely acquaintances and are there is nothing romantic going on between the pair." The crossing light quickly changed, and Shigeru continued on his morning routine despite the rain continuing to drizzle against his hood. 'It seems the media is blowing this whole issue out of proportion. I just escorted her to the space port.' He thought to himself for a moment at the clip of the interview, and continued along his chosen path.

Shigeru made about half a miles progress down the street until he was interrupted by the buzzing of his mobile phone that was tucked into the front pocket of the damp jacket. The music cut out in the headphones, and with a simple push on the line the phone connected. "This is Shigeru?"

There was a slight pause on the other line followed by a deep breath. "You are a hard person to get into contact with. I had to go through several people in order to even get a chance to talk to you. Do you understand? I shouldn't have to go this far to express my gratitude."

Shigeru quickly rolled his eyes at the realization of the person on the other line. It was Sheryl Nome herself, and it didn't shock him at how the idol found out the number to his mobile phone. There were a lot of meddlers in both the military and public sector that were more than willing to get Shigeru Kudo away from the life of a bachelor. "Well…I've been busy with a few things. So Fairy, how are you going to express your gratitude? Are you going to ask me out on an extravagant dinner date?"

Sheryl nearly fell out of her chair when hearing Shigeru's words through the receiver. She quickly regained her composure while a dominant grin flashed on her face. "You are very bold to ask that of an idol…but I'm going to hold onto my initial offer. I will be asking for you to be present at my concert as an important guest."

Shigeru crossed under the cover a nearby café, and lowered his hood. "That's disappointing, I'd rather eat a nice meal but important guest does sound good. So how are you adjusting to Frontier?"

Sheryl leaned over and grabbed the datapad resting on the tabletop. A few holographic windows opened on it while she opened up a puzzle game. "Sounds good? You don't sound very surprised about this. Anyone of my fans would die to get a chance at what you will experience."

Shigeru took in a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. "This is exciting, what do you intend to do with me Sheryl? We just met after-all..."

Sheryl's cheeks turned a hint of red, and quickly she let out a quiet grumble, "Don't get so high and mighty it's not going to be anything like that...You're just going to be at my concert!"

Shigeru chuckled, "You're an interesting person...so easy to fluster."

Sheryl tossed the data pad to the side and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Me? You must be mistaken, this is nothing to me. I have great deal of experience in dealing with men like you."

Shigeru started to walk quietly down the street, with a smile growing bigger on his face. "Ouch, you've gone and hurt my feelings...maybe I won't accept your offer..." He paused and sighed, "Even though I think I'll somehow be able to make it due to a certain pair of meddlers."

"Good then….I'll be in contact with you." Sheryl ended the call, and looked over to see Grace sitting at the nearby mini-bar. "Captain Kudo is such a brazen man. Why is it that he gets on my nerves so much?"

Grace smiles and plays with the olive inside of her martini. "Your vitals seemed to have spiked a little while you were talking to him. Is it that perhaps you're a little too interested in the young captain?"

Sheryl's smile faded for a second and she shook her head. "How many times have I told you to stop scanning me Grace. I'm not any bit interested in that idiot."

Grace gently rubbed her temple, and shook her head. "So about the concert..."

The weather grew slightly more turbulent, and Shigeru finally reached the destination that served as his finishing point. Shigeru was soaked head to toe as he looked at the gateway in front of a large house. He glanced at the nameplate, and ran his hand across it looking at the "Wilder" with a hint of disgust. 'Take it easy...he's not here.' Shigeru questioned himself while pressing the paging button at the front gateway.

"Hello?" Reimi's voice played through the speaker at the front gateway.

Shigeru cleared his throat, and spoke into the receiver. "It's me Reimi...can you buzz me in? I don't think I can get any wetter out here."

Within seconds the monitor turned on showing Reimi's face without her glasses on. She narrowed her gaze at Shigeru and gasped, "Big Brother? What are you doing out in weather like this? Come in this instant or you'll catch a cold!"

Minutes later, Shigeru sits on a sofa running a towel through his hair, and wearing a pair of dry gym shorts, and a loose fitting t-shirt. He examined them closely for a second, and let out a sigh. "I'm kind of shocked that mom kept some of my clothes here while I was away."

Reimi carefully flips through several holographic windows while studying advanced medical terms and procedures. She glances over at Shigeru and smiles. "Mom is always like that. Others might not notice it, but she's a worrywart when the public isn't looking at her directly." She paused for a moment and the smile faded slowly. "Shigeru can you tell me why you had to leave my party so suddenly?"

Shigeru pulled the towel off his head, and glanced at Reimi with a stern set of eyes. "Sadly I can't tell you exactly what happened Reimi. I just had to return to the ship, and that is that. Please don't get mad at me for that. Anyway, tomorrows the big day right?"

Reimi still wanted to delve deeper into what her brother was doing last night, but Shigeru was always good at changing subjects. "You mean the Sheryl Concert? Of course I'm super excited for it. Ranka and I are going to go together to see her." She paused for a moment, and pointed at her brother. "Are the things they say on the news about you two real? Is Sheryl really inviting you to be her special guest at the concert?"

Shigeru let out a deep sigh, it seemed that information traveled faster than usual here on the colony. "I received a phone call from her representative. It's simply a public relations stunt, there's nothing going on between the two of us. We're just acquaintances..."

Reimi closed her holo-books, and walked over to Shigeru glaring daggers at him. "Don't embarrass the family when you're with her. I don't think I'll be able to live if my brother does something illicit to my idol!"

Shigeru shot Reimi a confused look, and shook his head. "Who do you take me for? I'm not going to do anything to her...we've only talked a few times and that was that..."

Reimi turned her head to the side and let out a small pout. "You better promise me that you won't do something when you're with her. You get an All Access Pass, that means you'll be able to see her dressing room, and talk with her backstage. Knowing how you look, there is no doubt that she'll be smitten by you so be on your best behavior!"

The sound of light coughing fills the lower room while a slightly short statured girl walks down the stairs with her silvery white hair parted into a pair of twin tails. "You're being too loud..." The sickly girl looks at her bespectacled sister, and slowly turns to spot the sight of Shigeru sitting across from her. "Shi...Shigeru?" She coughed for a second while weakly trying to walk over from the staircase.

Shigeru slowly turned over, and got up from the couch quickly. He held his hand out to Reimi motioning for her to stop. "Riha...you shouldn't be down here..."

Riha covered her mouth with her pajama sleeve, and shook her head. "I don't care if I'm sick...I don't want to see you leave again...without..." She started off into another fit of coughing.

"I'm not going anywhere Riha..." Shigeru crossed over to her and put his hand against her forehead. "You're still running a fever..you should get some rest."

Reimi looked over at Riha, and Shigeru standing beside each other, and smiled to herself. It had been so many years since three of them were together. Shigeru had always been a protective brother of the two of them, and despite any of them being sick or injured he would always rush out of his way to make sure they were safe. It was the same today, despite it being six years, the letters, and video calls sufficed enough to keep the sisters informed of their older brother's exploits. "Riha, did we wake you up? I was being a little too loud..."

Riha looked at her older sister, and shook her head. "No...I just heard Shigeru's voice, and since I couldn't go to the party..." She looked up at Shigeru with eyes wide while he patted her hand the head.

"Riha don't push yourself..."

Meanwhile inside a dimly lit bar inside the SMS headquarters, Ozma Lee sits quietly at a table with a few other members of the senior staff. He sets down a glass of whiskey, and looks at the new broadcast with a look of disgust on his face. "This isn't new, it's just shameless promotion..."

The image of Shigeru escorting Sheryl flashes across the screen, and slowly the bridge operators quickly swoon at his charming looks.

"To think that he's the captain's stepson..." Mina Roshan turned over to the two bridge operators seated at the round table, and quietly stirred her carbonated drink with the small plastic straw.

"He's very attractive...girls like us don't seem to have a chance with a guy like him." Lam Hoa rolled her eyes while slowly turning to the other seated at the table. Her eyes quickly narrow at the shocked expression across the face of Monica Lang, and a devious smirk flashes across her face.

"What?" Monica turned away from the television broadcast, and scowled at the expression beaming over to her from Lam.

"So, there are others that you find attractive other than the Captain. That's amazing Monica." Lam let out a playful chuckle only to find a crumpled napkin thrown in her general direction. "Looks like I pushed the wrong button!"

Monica growled at the top of her lungs, and slammed her hand on the table. "That was uncalled for Lam!"

Ozma let out a small sigh at the conversation occurring at the neighboring table, and gave his drink a quiet sip. He had been looking over the situational reports that were recently transferred by private courier to the SMS headquarters earlier this morning. The information contained within detailed that the Independent Special Command had spent months if not years preventing the Vajra from contacting any of the outlaying colony fleets. The heavily redacted documents gave some enlightenment, but like all classified material anything worth anything was covered with a black unseeing bar.

"You seem down...are you still thinking about the situational reports? Those bastards from the Earth Branch are hiding a little too much don't you think? I thought we were allies." Henry Gilliam threw a dart at the nearby board landing a quick bulls-eye before taking a sip from a rather tall glass of beer.

Ozma turned over to Gilliam, and let out a disheartened sigh. "It's the government they'll redact anything that may put them in a compromising position. They use things like this event to distract the public to avoid any chance of panic. That is why they won't officially announce the Victor-3 even though we've known about them for nearly ten years." He paused for a moment and glared at the paused feed and focused in on Shigeru. "Frontier is in for some heavy battles if the Earth Branch decided to attach "them" to our fleet."

Gilliam took his seat across from Ozma, and glanced at the commander of Skull Squadron as he prepared to throw his turn at the dartboard. "Do you think they'll be able to match our skills? The Frontier's garrison is pretty weak..."

Ozma threw his dart missing the center by a few inches, and cursed under his breath. "I wouldn't compare them to Frontier's garrison..." He motioned to the video replaying of Shigeru on screen, and rubbed the back of his head. "They are highly trained with the task of preventing terrorist activity, uprisings and anything that may threaten the NUNS Government. They are professionals compared to the Frontier Garrison. They are on par with the veterans stationed on Earth or Eden. Their ace pilot is on a level that could rival that of a Jenius."

Gilliam whistled, "That's some praise coming from a guy like you." He paused, "Have you flown with any of those Black uniform guys?"

Ozma took the last sip from his glass, and promptly refilled the beverage. "I've seen them a few times, and it makes me feel less worried if we're attacked. The only thing is if the NUNS-Frontier will allow them to remain autonomous."

Gilliam leaned back in the chair resting his head on the neck rest, and took a quick sip from his beverage. "Autonomous huh?"

Back within the walls of the Wilder Mansion, Shigeru sits at the side of a bed where Riha lies under the covers. He flips through a photo album and looks at the various photos of his youngest sister going through school. There was a hint of regret held within Shigeru's eyes, while realizing how much time he really did miss since leaving his family. Being this close to both Reimi, Riha, and his mother brought back memories and a taste of nostalgia back. It felt as the long years he had been away was minutes instead of years. "It almost feels as if I didn't miss much being away for so long."

Riha weakly opened her eyes while hearing Shigeru's somber words escape his lips. "I took great care..." She paused while removing the cooled towel off her forehead. "In detailing the letters and pictures in my mails." She sat up in the bed and gently wiped the sweat away. "Shigeru, is it true what Reimi said? That you're going to be a special guest for Sheryl Nome?"

Shigeru closed his eyes, and let out a deep sigh. To be honest he was a little excited to be caught in the spotlight with Sheryl Nome. Her abrasive personality seemed to ignite a spark inside Shigeru. It made all the hard coded military discipline vanish in a moment. A firm smile appeared on his face, and a soft chuckle escaped. "Yeah, it's true...but she's a lot different in person from what the media portrays her to be."

Riha shook her head, and motioned to the stack of manga on the night stand. "It's not shocking to me, Reimi views her as an idol. I on the other hand see her like how mom would probably see her."

Shigeru grabbed the nearby manga and handed it over to Riha before returning to the photo album. "How does mom see her?" He paused for a moment, and remembered the words she spoke to him. "Never..."

Riha opened the manga and started to read while a devilish grin appeared on her face. "Mom probably has already gotten a sample of her DNA from the immunizations bureau. To think you have a taste for human women. I always considered you to like someone as intrusive and strong as mom."

Shigeru closed the photo album, and gently rubbed his temple. "Riha, I hope this is your fever talking..." He glanced down to his pocket to see the dim light from his phone flashing. "Give me a second...I'm getting a call."

At the hotel room, Sheryl stands in front of a mirror with a small ear-bud resting in her ear. She holds up one of two cocktail dresses in front of her while grinning devilishly. "I hate to call you again, but you're needed for an event tonight."

Shigeru lets out a dull gaze while getting up from the chair he was seat previously. Riha looks over with a suspicious gaze while her ears twitch slightly. "An event tonight? Why do you need someone as lowly as I am?" He noticed Riha's eavesdropping, and waved goodbye casually before stepping out of the room.

Sheryl moved the white cocktail dress over her, and let out a smile while tossing the black dress into the hands of a designer. "I need someone that is familiar with Frontier to escort me to a soiree held by the influential members of high society here." She turned her head to the side, and let out a mocking laugh. "After-all you should be pleased that I would ask a barbarian like you to join me."

Shigeru looked at the calendar on the wall, and sighed. "If this is an invitation to the Miss Macross Planning Committee ball, I will humbly decline."

Sheryl nearly lost her footing, and looked at the invitation for two mounted on the dressing room mirror. She cursed silently to herself, and took a breath to regain herself. "Oh, you do know about this. Why would you give up a chance to escort me? After-all I could just pick a person out at random."

Shigeru paced back and forth in the hallway, and sighed. "You're very tricky Sheryl Nome. I know for a fact you're too prideful to go with a random guy as it would negatively impact your image."

Sheryl grinned for a moment, and chuckled. "I could invite that long haired cute boy that is from Mihoshi Academy. What was his name again? Alto...Sao something. He is from an influential family maybe I should find out his information."

Shigeru lowered the phone and looked over his shoulder to see the prying eyes of Riha in the crack of the doorway, and Reimi attempting to act nonchalantly at the foot of the staircase with ear buds in her ears. "Well I don't really care about it. Go ahead and contact that guy." He paused for a moment at the sound of another call coming in. "Give me a second I have to take this call."

Sheryl gasped loudly, "How dare you..." The call disconnected, and Sheryl nearly threw the ear bud out of her ear. "How dare someone put me on hold like a simple person."

On the other line, the chilling voice of Eridase comes through the receiver. It caused Shigeru to freeze for a moment and almost instantly the realization of his mother's capabilities came to mind. "Oh, I'm glad I managed to get into contact with you. I'm deeply involved in some work tonight, and I cannot make it to the Miss Macross Planning Committee ball. Would you kindly go as a representative of me? After-all you are my only son."

Shigeru was at loss for words, he was expecting it to be something that he could use to avoid this whole situation. However it seemed that it was all rigged from the beginning. "Do you really want me to go to this as your son? Or simply to be company for the many single debutants of this colony's high rollers?"

Eridase looked out the window of her high rise office, and took a sip from a glass of wine. A smile flashed across her face while looking over her shoulder at the silhouette of a woman and man at the other side of her desk. "You see through me all too well." She turned around in the chair, and took a deep breath. "I want you to go there, and mingle for me. Also the press seems to be interested in your relationship with Sheryl Nome. She's going to be a special judge, and could use a local as handsome as you to escort her for the time being. Anyway...I have business to attend to. Be there to pick her up. You can use any of the cars in the garage."

There was a click on the other line, and slowly Shigeru lowered the phone placing it quickly into the front pant pocket. Shigeru had quite a bit flowing through his head after talking to his mother. It would seem that the push to spend time with Sheryl Nome was at the top of his mother's agenda. Shigeru walked down the corridor of the estate making his way to the garage taking a few moments to stop and look over her shoulder for any of his sisters. They were eavesdroppers and Shigeru knew that for his entire life growing up around them. They were always fascinated by the only brother's daily life, and often it got them into trouble. It would seem that even with time away the habits never faded.

Shigeru entered basement of the estate where a great deal of the cars were stored. With a flick of a switch the lights activated in staggering fashion. The garage was filled with almost every type of car that a wealthy person would own. Some were replicas, while others were more sleek and modern. Shigeru ignored most of the fancy looking vehicles, and moved towards the rear as if on a mission. There was a tarp covering a motorcycle sized object beside several others. The grayish tarp with an aged note on top reading "I'll send for this when I'm able." pinned to the top.

The tarp was rather dusty, and it would seem that it was left in the same condition it was five years ago. With a careful set of tugs, the tarp was removed, but a cloud of dust filled the area causing Shigeru to sneeze. Underneath the tarp was a pristine sports bike with side exhaust, and a polished red paint job. There were a few scratches and some minor denting on the frame from an accident on a ride through the city during the rainy season. Shigeru closed his eyes and remembered that day, and a nostalgic smile appeared on his face. Without any further notice, Shigeru climbed on top, and took a look at the gauges. Despite it looking like a Pre Space-War-One motorcycle, its gauges were from the latest technology. Shigeru dreamed of having a old combustion engine, but the sheer cost of finding one, and getting past the red tape to operate one in a colony was too much trouble to even pursue. With a simple push of the ignition switch a bio-metric scanner reads Shigeru's fingerprint. The onboard computer let out a small beep while the motorcycle slowly came back to life. The electric engine let out a low sounding hum, and slowly started to replicate a sound of a purring engine. The energy tank was still at full, and it would seem that despite the tarp the bike had been at least cycled on a routine basis.

Shigeru wondered for a moment at who was using his motorcycle, but the negative thoughts quickly vanished when he looked at the clock mounted on the wall. It was steadily approaching the evening hours, and knowing the people that would be attending the Miss Macross "Meet & Greet" he would have to yet again dress up in his best attire. "I guess it's time for me to head back to the ship, and get dressed..." Without moments to lose, Shigeru walked over to the nearby table, and grabbed hold of a motorcycle helmet. He looked at the other nearby, and thought to himself. "What if..." He grinned for a moment, and picked the extra helmet up as well.

From her bedroom window Riha looked away from her magazine at the sound of the motorcycle leaving the garage and entering the central courtyard. She let out a faint smile while turning back to the magazine. "A not so suave pick of a vehicle big-brother. You must really like her if you're going to let her ride with you on that."

At the doorway, Reimi was biting her nails with a look of panic on her face. "What do you mean by that? Does Shigeru have a date or something?" She pulled one of the ear buds from her ear and gave Riha an odd look.

Riha momentarily closed her eyes, and shook her head at her elder sister's lack of awareness for the time being. "For a smart intellectual, you really can't read signals right can you. Shigeru is going to be mom's replacement at the Miss Macross Planning Ball."

Reimi's eyes went wide, "That is where..." She gasped and let out a loud yell. "Sheryl is going to be! I need to call Shigeru and ask him to get me her autograph! Better yet..."

Riha shook her head, and smacked the nearby table with a rolled up magazine drawing Reimi out of her fan-girl delusion. "Don't even try to get in-between this Reimi. Mom took great plans in trying to play matchmaker. Even if Shigeru doesn't care for Sheryl there are a few others there that will pull him apart. Namely Mrs. Rora, and Rerenia."

Reimi smacked her forehead, "Oh my god...you can't be serious is Shigeru being a playboy again?"

Riha rolled her eyes, and shifted her attention back to the magazine. "Shigeru isn't that much of a lady's man. It's just that he is a genetic rarity in our genome that makes him desirable for members of the opposite sex. Meltrandi or Human."

Reimi paused for a moment to think about what Riha had said. Despite being sick and mostly an athletic junkie normally, Riha often showcased her genius level intellect at times. It was true that in most Human and Zentradi relationships the offspring would always be the Zentradi Parent's gender. However in Shigeru's case, it was the opposite and the percentage was something that even Reimi didn't want to ask about. It was a very low percentage making him a rare type of hybrid, but it made it mysterious as well since even Reimi didn't know who Shigeru's father was. She stayed silent for a moment thinking, and turned to Riha to reply. "I guess that makes sense...but wouldn't it be better if Shigeru married a Meltrandi?"

Riha shrugged her shoulders, and let out a small yawn. "Whatever it's Shigeru's choice...I personally wouldn't mind having a human sister in law."