CHAPTER 7
Lisa-Minmei had just finished tidying up Rick's quarters when she heard his jeep pulling up to the curb. She was anxious to know how the morning's meeting with the various leaders had gone and each minute that passed by was like a day for that part of her which was still an officer. She still wondered why Lord Breetai, Col. Maistroff, et al did not ask her to be part of the discussion even if her position there would've been nominal only.
She was about to turn and head into the kitchen when she heard another voice that wasn't Rick's which, she assumed, belonged to an officer who may have accompanied him.
"Well here we are, sir. I'll be heading back to headquarters so if there's anything you need, just let me know. I'll have them deliver the package later," said the officer as he gave Rick a crisp salute then boarded the jeep.
"Package?" Lisa-Minmei wondered as she looked out the window and espied the epaulets on the officer's uniform as the jeep backed out of the curb. He was a Major already, thus would've outranked Rick so his addressing him in a subordinate manner was unusual. Lisa-Minmei felt highly curious but decided to contain it and composed herself, straightening her clothes so as not to betray her suspicions.
Rick on the other hand, stood still in front of the door. He was yet to formulate an explanation for the whole "promotion-thing" as he'd call it and he didn't know how Lisa-Minmei would react. The "Minmei" in her would've jumped for joy over it then cry later as it would've taken him away on further missions while the "Lisa" in her would've congratulated him while feeling a bit envious as he now outranked her. Again, Rick knew that the woman inside his quarters would hover between both reactions.
"Damn. I guess there's no other way but go inside. Here goes.," Rick muttered to himself as he turned the knob and opened the door.
Lisa-Minmei had her back to the door as she pretended to straighten the furniture which been straightened several times in the past five minutes. She turned around as Rick came in.
"I'm home!" Rick declared.
Lisa-Minmei turned to face him and she saw what confirmed her suspicions: Rick's uniform looked the same save for a couple of bars that she knew weren't there when he left this morning. The number and material used meant only one thing: Rick was now a Rear Admiral.
"Uh., Hi there. Well, what do you think?" Rick gently asked as he stood in front of Lisa-Minmei, showing her his uniform's new bars.
Rick was expecting the worst when Lisa-Minmei suddenly rushed to his side and embraced him as she buried her face into his shoulder.
"Congratulations, Rick! I knew it! I just knew it! They DID promote you!" she ecstatically declared. She would've rambled on if Rick did not take her face into his hands and gently kissed her forehead. He gently took both of her hands into his as he led her to the sofa.
"It was much a surprise for me too, you know. The meeting was well underway by the time I got there but it didn't seem to matter to them," Rick began as he told Lisa-Minmei of this morning's meeting.
He went on to tell her about Col. Maistroff's silent but highly palpable objections to the final decisions that the council agreed upon. Rick knew that Maistroff and co. would soon be formulating strategies that would slowly but surely ease him out but Rick had half of the remaining Earth RDF Council on his side, not to mention the whole Zentraedi Council headed by Breetai.
"I bet Maistroff's not voicing his objection to your promotion was the fact that he was promoted to the same rank as well. But I have to admit that your promotion was the more dramatic than his as you jumped a number of ranks," Lisa-Minmei enthused.
Rick went on to tell her about the rest of the morning, mentioning how Breetai congratulated him curtly but meaningfully albeit through video- feed. He went silent after a while which prompted Lisa-Minmei to ask him why.
"Anything the matter, Rick? You were telling me how you picked up your bars first," Lisa-Minmei asked.
Rick looked at her for a few seconds, then let out an audible sigh as he steeled himself and proceeded to ask Lisa-Minmei.
"How do you feel about my whole promotion?" he asked.
"What do you mean by that, Rick? I'm., happy about it, of course. I mean, who wouldn't be? Imagine: you went from being Flight Captain to Rear Admiral.." she eagerly replied though the eagerness faded midway in her sentence.
Her enthusiasm was short-lived as she knew what Rick's question meant and she had to look away from him slowly.
The whole moment would've dragged on if not for the sudden ringing of the phone which gave Rick the opportunity to break away from the tension.
Lisa-Minmei looked at Rick as he was talking to the other party on the phone. She pondered the full implications of Rick's sudden promotion on her. She may have been happy for him but the part of her that was Lisa felt chagrin at the fact that he now outranked her and he did so in record time. She wanted to be the first to do so and there were many she recalled, who stated that she would do just that, given her stellar performance at the academy.
The next few days were almost ordinary save for the added schedule of meetings that Rick now had to attend due to his promotion. The existing fighter complement was in shambles after the last battle with Khyron so Rick set upon a massive rehabilitation plan for it. A few more scientists, engineers and technicians were sent to the factory-satellite so that these could study the facilities and possibly set up something similar planetside. Lisa-Minmei wasn't left vacant as Rick appointed her and former Macross City mayor Tommy Luan as supervisors for reconstruction of civilian residences and restoration of basic utilities such as electricity, gas and water.
Lisa-Minmei decided to work from home today as she had done all that she could and left the rest to Mr. Luan, advising him to call her immediately should she be needed. She had finished preparing lunch and was expecting Rick back from a meeting with Exedore. As she waited, she noted how things were much different now compared to her usual routine just a few scant weeks ago. She was amazed and proud of Rick at his adaptation to his new rank and the duties that came with it. Their arguments over the tac net came to her mind and she laughed softly at the memory.
"And now the bratty pilot is now an officer. An admiral too, to boot!" she thought to herself.
Rick arrived an hour later.
"Hey there!" Rick greeted as he entered, took off his coat and headed for the kitchen. "Anything good to eat?" he asked as he opened the lid of a pot and inhaled the wonderful aroma of beef strips with asparagus while the other pan had stir-fried noodles. An ecletic mix again from Lisa-Minmei but still delicious nonetheless.
"So how's things at headquarters, Rick?" Lisa-Minmei began.
Rick started telling her about how a lot had been accomplished these past few days and how much was still needed to be done.
"I remember the first time the SDF-1 executed a reconfiguration; the amount of work was sheer madness, not to mention the engineering solutions we had to come up with just to make things modular," Rick stated.
"I know, Rick. I remember it, too," Lisa-Minmei added. She was about to say more when the phone rang and Rick got up to get it. She noted how even his stride and carriage was more refined now and compared it to how Rick was when he first got promoted where he got Max Sterling and Ben Dixon as his wingmen.
She was still in the middle of her recollection when she heard Rick put the phone down. She saw him turn to her, with his face slightly blanched; as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Why? What is it Rick?" she asked as she noted the color coming back to Rick's face.
"Better suit up. We need to be at the airstrip in 15 minutes," Rick replied.
"Us? At the airstrip? Why?" she asked further.
"That was Max on the other line just now. His search and rescue operations team found a few survivors near Alaska," Rick answered.
"Alaska?" Lisa-Minmei gasped.
"Yes, a few kilometers from the Grand Cannon installation, not far from where I rescued you the last time. Seems like there were 3 functional rescue pods in an area of the base which the teams didn't know existed before. All 3 survivors are onboard the plane heading here. Lisa, one of them is Admiral Hayes," Rick replied.
Lisa-Minmei gasped at Rick's last sentence. Her father or at least, Lisa's father was still alive.
The part of her that was Minmei withdrew for a while as she noted the flurry of activity that ensued. A quick shower, her best uniform, and most everything that Lisa would need were soon decked out on the bed. Rick on the other hand was on the phone again, requesting for a speedy vehicle and escort so their way to the airstrip would not be hampered. She had to smile a bit at Rick's being unaccustomed to the privileges that came with his newfound rank as he wasn't one who usually pulled rank on his subordinates. She also noted that Rick addressed her as "Lisa" only a while ago. She accepted this as this new development would have more impact on Lisa than on "her".
Lisa-Minmei had just finished tidying up Rick's quarters when she heard his jeep pulling up to the curb. She was anxious to know how the morning's meeting with the various leaders had gone and each minute that passed by was like a day for that part of her which was still an officer. She still wondered why Lord Breetai, Col. Maistroff, et al did not ask her to be part of the discussion even if her position there would've been nominal only.
She was about to turn and head into the kitchen when she heard another voice that wasn't Rick's which, she assumed, belonged to an officer who may have accompanied him.
"Well here we are, sir. I'll be heading back to headquarters so if there's anything you need, just let me know. I'll have them deliver the package later," said the officer as he gave Rick a crisp salute then boarded the jeep.
"Package?" Lisa-Minmei wondered as she looked out the window and espied the epaulets on the officer's uniform as the jeep backed out of the curb. He was a Major already, thus would've outranked Rick so his addressing him in a subordinate manner was unusual. Lisa-Minmei felt highly curious but decided to contain it and composed herself, straightening her clothes so as not to betray her suspicions.
Rick on the other hand, stood still in front of the door. He was yet to formulate an explanation for the whole "promotion-thing" as he'd call it and he didn't know how Lisa-Minmei would react. The "Minmei" in her would've jumped for joy over it then cry later as it would've taken him away on further missions while the "Lisa" in her would've congratulated him while feeling a bit envious as he now outranked her. Again, Rick knew that the woman inside his quarters would hover between both reactions.
"Damn. I guess there's no other way but go inside. Here goes.," Rick muttered to himself as he turned the knob and opened the door.
Lisa-Minmei had her back to the door as she pretended to straighten the furniture which been straightened several times in the past five minutes. She turned around as Rick came in.
"I'm home!" Rick declared.
Lisa-Minmei turned to face him and she saw what confirmed her suspicions: Rick's uniform looked the same save for a couple of bars that she knew weren't there when he left this morning. The number and material used meant only one thing: Rick was now a Rear Admiral.
"Uh., Hi there. Well, what do you think?" Rick gently asked as he stood in front of Lisa-Minmei, showing her his uniform's new bars.
Rick was expecting the worst when Lisa-Minmei suddenly rushed to his side and embraced him as she buried her face into his shoulder.
"Congratulations, Rick! I knew it! I just knew it! They DID promote you!" she ecstatically declared. She would've rambled on if Rick did not take her face into his hands and gently kissed her forehead. He gently took both of her hands into his as he led her to the sofa.
"It was much a surprise for me too, you know. The meeting was well underway by the time I got there but it didn't seem to matter to them," Rick began as he told Lisa-Minmei of this morning's meeting.
He went on to tell her about Col. Maistroff's silent but highly palpable objections to the final decisions that the council agreed upon. Rick knew that Maistroff and co. would soon be formulating strategies that would slowly but surely ease him out but Rick had half of the remaining Earth RDF Council on his side, not to mention the whole Zentraedi Council headed by Breetai.
"I bet Maistroff's not voicing his objection to your promotion was the fact that he was promoted to the same rank as well. But I have to admit that your promotion was the more dramatic than his as you jumped a number of ranks," Lisa-Minmei enthused.
Rick went on to tell her about the rest of the morning, mentioning how Breetai congratulated him curtly but meaningfully albeit through video- feed. He went silent after a while which prompted Lisa-Minmei to ask him why.
"Anything the matter, Rick? You were telling me how you picked up your bars first," Lisa-Minmei asked.
Rick looked at her for a few seconds, then let out an audible sigh as he steeled himself and proceeded to ask Lisa-Minmei.
"How do you feel about my whole promotion?" he asked.
"What do you mean by that, Rick? I'm., happy about it, of course. I mean, who wouldn't be? Imagine: you went from being Flight Captain to Rear Admiral.." she eagerly replied though the eagerness faded midway in her sentence.
Her enthusiasm was short-lived as she knew what Rick's question meant and she had to look away from him slowly.
The whole moment would've dragged on if not for the sudden ringing of the phone which gave Rick the opportunity to break away from the tension.
Lisa-Minmei looked at Rick as he was talking to the other party on the phone. She pondered the full implications of Rick's sudden promotion on her. She may have been happy for him but the part of her that was Lisa felt chagrin at the fact that he now outranked her and he did so in record time. She wanted to be the first to do so and there were many she recalled, who stated that she would do just that, given her stellar performance at the academy.
The next few days were almost ordinary save for the added schedule of meetings that Rick now had to attend due to his promotion. The existing fighter complement was in shambles after the last battle with Khyron so Rick set upon a massive rehabilitation plan for it. A few more scientists, engineers and technicians were sent to the factory-satellite so that these could study the facilities and possibly set up something similar planetside. Lisa-Minmei wasn't left vacant as Rick appointed her and former Macross City mayor Tommy Luan as supervisors for reconstruction of civilian residences and restoration of basic utilities such as electricity, gas and water.
Lisa-Minmei decided to work from home today as she had done all that she could and left the rest to Mr. Luan, advising him to call her immediately should she be needed. She had finished preparing lunch and was expecting Rick back from a meeting with Exedore. As she waited, she noted how things were much different now compared to her usual routine just a few scant weeks ago. She was amazed and proud of Rick at his adaptation to his new rank and the duties that came with it. Their arguments over the tac net came to her mind and she laughed softly at the memory.
"And now the bratty pilot is now an officer. An admiral too, to boot!" she thought to herself.
Rick arrived an hour later.
"Hey there!" Rick greeted as he entered, took off his coat and headed for the kitchen. "Anything good to eat?" he asked as he opened the lid of a pot and inhaled the wonderful aroma of beef strips with asparagus while the other pan had stir-fried noodles. An ecletic mix again from Lisa-Minmei but still delicious nonetheless.
"So how's things at headquarters, Rick?" Lisa-Minmei began.
Rick started telling her about how a lot had been accomplished these past few days and how much was still needed to be done.
"I remember the first time the SDF-1 executed a reconfiguration; the amount of work was sheer madness, not to mention the engineering solutions we had to come up with just to make things modular," Rick stated.
"I know, Rick. I remember it, too," Lisa-Minmei added. She was about to say more when the phone rang and Rick got up to get it. She noted how even his stride and carriage was more refined now and compared it to how Rick was when he first got promoted where he got Max Sterling and Ben Dixon as his wingmen.
She was still in the middle of her recollection when she heard Rick put the phone down. She saw him turn to her, with his face slightly blanched; as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Why? What is it Rick?" she asked as she noted the color coming back to Rick's face.
"Better suit up. We need to be at the airstrip in 15 minutes," Rick replied.
"Us? At the airstrip? Why?" she asked further.
"That was Max on the other line just now. His search and rescue operations team found a few survivors near Alaska," Rick answered.
"Alaska?" Lisa-Minmei gasped.
"Yes, a few kilometers from the Grand Cannon installation, not far from where I rescued you the last time. Seems like there were 3 functional rescue pods in an area of the base which the teams didn't know existed before. All 3 survivors are onboard the plane heading here. Lisa, one of them is Admiral Hayes," Rick replied.
Lisa-Minmei gasped at Rick's last sentence. Her father or at least, Lisa's father was still alive.
The part of her that was Minmei withdrew for a while as she noted the flurry of activity that ensued. A quick shower, her best uniform, and most everything that Lisa would need were soon decked out on the bed. Rick on the other hand was on the phone again, requesting for a speedy vehicle and escort so their way to the airstrip would not be hampered. She had to smile a bit at Rick's being unaccustomed to the privileges that came with his newfound rank as he wasn't one who usually pulled rank on his subordinates. She also noted that Rick addressed her as "Lisa" only a while ago. She accepted this as this new development would have more impact on Lisa than on "her".