Chapter 4

Admiral Sever hated comparisons. "Would Gloval have approved?" the media would ask, withuot quetion, at every military conference. "How would you see Admiral Gloval handling the situation?"

But Sever was nothing like the man he replaced. A tall, lanky man with a pale complexion and a bald head, his presence did not command the authority that Admiral Gloval's had. But presence only accounts for so much, and Sever was a military genius in his own right. He had made a name for himself in the early battles of the Malcontent Uprising. His troops respected him, and knew him as a ruthless general with an appetite for complete victory. His Zentraedi foes feared his drastic and bloody results.

"And I'm not giving in to the personal whims of these officers!" he shouted in a nasal voice, sitting behind the desk in his office. "Gloval was too lenient with them. It's time for me to crack down."

A young lieutenant stood before the desk, holding a notepad. "I agree, sir, there's quite a lack of respect in the ranks lately."

Sever rubbed his eyes. "Of all people, I never expected this of Hayes. She hasn't been focused on her work in months. Hayes is a brilliant mind, but she needs to get her priorities straight." He handed the lieutenant a piece of paper. "Have this notice delivered to her immediately."

"But sir," said the lieutenant. "She's on sick leave..."

"Then take it to her home address, for all I care! Just make sure she gets it."

Sever leaned back in his chair. "It still bothers me that the Ecks-Op was the one who spotted them."

"Yes sir, it was a programming glitch. We've isolated and corrected it. The Ecks-Op is back offline."

"Even so," said Sever, "I want it carefully watched. If that thing got loose in its current form, who knows what catastrophe we'd have to explain away."

"I'll get security on it right away."

Sever nodded. "Oh...and by the way," he added. "I want to see Hunter's test debriefing."

Macross City was looking more liveable by the day. Buildings were in constant renovation. The streets were patched up, and once again being used by automobiles. Citizens took walks in the urban neighborhoods, chatting jovially about the day's events, and doing their best to ignore the screaming patrol Veritechs high above their heads.

Rick stood at the door to Lisa's small, single-floor apartment flat. A small porch light made him visible in the late evening. Rick was dressed in a formal-looking black suit jacket, and he cradled a bouquet of flowers in his arm. He took a deep breath, straighened his tie, and rang the doorbell.

There was no answer. Rick cocked his eye, waited a moment, and rang again. Maybe she's in the kitchen, he thought. Sometimes she can't hear the door back there...

But after another moment's wait, he still got no answer. I wonder if she forgot, thought Rick, scratching his head. He waited nervously, staring blankly at the door. But he finally shrugged, and gave it one last try. He rapped pleasantly a few times, and took a step back.

Finally, he heard Lisa's voice. "Ohh...hold on...I'm coming," she groaned, sounding tired and rather irate.

Yikes! thought Rick, swallowing hard. I suddenly get the feeling I'm not wanted! This can't be good...

The door slowly unlocked, and creaked open. "Wh-who's there?" Lisa called.

Rick summoned up a little extra courage. "Uhh...hey, Lisa! It's me!"

"...Rick? Is that you?"

Lisa opened the door, and stood in the dim light. She was barefoot, in her pajamas, and looking very tired. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. A blanket was draped over her shoulders, and she pulled it together with both hands.

"Oh... hello, Rick," she said bashfully.

"Hi there," he smiled, more than a little surprised. "I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"

"Nn-no! Not at all!" she shook her head, and the rest of her body shuddered along with it. "Would you like to... to come in?"

Rick blinked his eyes solemnly. "You caught a cold, didn't you?" he grimaced.

She nodded shakily. "I guess...just a little chill... Admiral Ss-sever gave me a few days to rest."

"Well, at least you won't have to deal with him for a while!" Rick smiled. "Can I keep you company? I'll make you something to eat."

~

High above the Echo airfield, the night sky was lighted by the twin-engine glow of a patroling Veritech. It was a standard VF-1A painted in dusty desert camoflauge, and it would have stuck out like a sore thumb during the day. But due to the lack of battle-ready Veritechs, the RDF had no choice but to fly imported fighters and make their best efforts to cover them up. Pilots sometimes rotated Veritechs, and considered it bad luck to fly a "cannon fodder" VF-1.

But nonetheless, First Lieutenant Michael Joons sat confidently at the controls. He was a bit short for a Veritech pilot, but was in top physical condition and had shown very promising skills since he had first enrolled. He was a cool pilot, very methodical in his approach, but he was not above pushing the Veritech to its limits in battle.

Joons' darkly tanned face showed through the tint of his visor. He blinked his tired eyes, and checked his monitor once more. "Echo Base," he called. "This is Hawk One. No sign of bandits; perimeter sweep has been completed."

"Hawk One, this is Echo Tower," said the replying voice. "Copy that, we're sending up the Buzzards. Your time with us has come to an end."

"Not a moment too soon," drolled Joons. "Bring us down, Tower."

Joons felt a rumble at two o'clock high, and watched as his wingman lowered from the sky above. The pilot waved from inside his cockpit, which held the lettering of "Lt. Martinez."

"Nice flying, man!" said the pilot. "Way to stay awake up here."

"Yeah, too bad they can't all be this easy," replied Joons. "The Commander picked an easy night to skip work."

"Just don't tell him," Martinez said. "Which reminds me, what do we tell the ladies tonight?"

"I shot down five, myself," laughed Joons.

"Alrigh then, I got four. But I had no missles!"

"Hawk Squadron, this is Echo Tower," came the base's radio hail. "If you gentlemen would kindly clear the airways, we'd be glad to bring you down."

Rick hung his jacket on a chair in the kitchen. He found a cabinet containing some glasses, and grabbed a pair of coffee mugs. "Are you sure you only want a cup of coffee?" he called over his shoulder.

"Yes, please," replied Lisa, "I'm not really hungry..."

"Good," said Rick. "'Cause I just remembered I can't cook!"

Lisa giggled, as Rick poured some coffee for the two of them. "You know," she said, "you're dressed up awfully nice just to come and see..."

Rick noticed the silence, and raised his eyebrow. Here it comes... he smiled.

"Oh, no..." Lisa breathed. "We...we were supposed to go out tonight! Oh Rick, I completely forgot!"

"Hey, it happens," Rick smiled as he stepped through the doorway. Lisa was balled up on the sofa, wrapped in blankets and propped up with a few pillows. She looked up sheepishly as he sat beside her.

"I'm so sorry," she groaned. "I really was looking forward to it, Rick! Oh my gosh, I can't believe I did that..."

"That's all right," he said, taking a sip of his coffee. "We're both tired anyway. We'd probably just sit there staring at each other all night."

"Yeah, I guess so..." Lisa laughed with him, but she looked up with earnest eyes. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Rick nodded with importance. "I'll hold you to that, you know!"

"Scout's honor!" she smiled.

~

Hours passed, but Rick and Lisa were content to stay on the sofa. They were illuminated by the glow of a small television, and huddled together, each with a fresh cup of coffee in hand. Rick's arm was wrapped around Lisa's shoulder, and he clicked leisurely away with the remote control.

"Hmm...you know," said Lisa, "I hope you don't catch anything...you know, with my chill and all."

"I guess," Rick nodded, looking down at her caringly. "I already had one, though..."

Lisa chuckled. "Rick, it's a cold, not the chicken pox!"

"Huh? Oh! Heh-heh...right..."

They sat quietly together, watching the television with little interest.

"This is probably the worst date you've ever had," Lisa laughed.

Rick raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I can think of a few bad ones...and actually, this one rates high! One of the best, in fact..."

He trailed off, and smiled warmly. Lisa reached up shyly, and kissed him.

"Thanks, Rick...I..."

Stage lights, flashing...the feeling's smashing!

The television broke into the lively presentation of Lynn Minmei's music video. Rick fumbled clumsily for the remote's "off" button.