CHAPTER 9

Legions shall rise up against me, but I shall stand firm as a pillar of truth for the Zentraedi people. A great warrior I shall create for myself, a loyal servant to slay my foes. He shall be called Eo Prime, First of the Defenders. His mind and heart bourne of flesh, his body forged of iron and gold, he shall reign terror on those who stand against my rule. He shall fly on the wings of his Brother, the mighty Ghost. The Zentraedi shall bow before Eo Prime, and he shall kneel only to me.

He shall be treated as though he were my son. His body shall never be cloned, and when he breathes his last, the stars will shed their tears upon his grave.

- Excerpt from the Book of Zor

Rick sat with Lisa on a bench in Fortress Park. It was right in the middle of downtown New Macross, between the legs of the giant SDF-1. There was a fountain where people threw coins and made a wish. And a memorial plaque, which nobody ever read.

Rick looked up at the night stars. Lisa leaned into his arms and looked with him.

"We'll be up there soon," she said.

"I can hardly believe it," said Rick.

"Just like we were in the war…only…a little different now."

Rick looked down at Lisa and held her close. "Are you worried about going?"

She shook her head. "No…I'm not. This might sound strange, but…I'm really looking forward to it."

Rick nodded his head quietly.

"When we were aboard the SDF-1, all I ever thought about was getting us home. But then we came home, and the war followed us. It changed everything…and now, I can't stand it here."

"Neither can I," said Rick.

"I hate what this place is turning into."

"Me too. But we can't just give up on it. Somebody has to turn it around."

A group of young men and women came through the park. They were all dressed awkwardly – their clothing was out of style and it didn't match. All of them had brightly colored hair. They were tall and proud.

Rick and Lisa knew they were all Zentraedi. It was common for Zentraedi people to stick together in groups. Many of them were trying their best to fit in – but they still didn't associate much with the humans.

They came up the path, talking amongst themselves quietly. They all seemed very tired. But some of them were smiling. The humans in the park shot them dirty looks and scowls as they passed. The Zentraedi ignored it.

They stopped at the feet of the mammoth SDF-1. All of them looked up, silently except for some quiet whispers. A young man with green hair stepped up to the fence and leaned over; he couldn't reach the monument to touch it.

He looked over his shoulder at Rick and Lisa.

"Are you a soldier?" he asked.

Rick smiled a little. "Pilot," he said.

"Veritech?"

"Mm-hmm."

The Zentraedi nodded his head solemnly. "I was a battle pod pilot."

Rick stood up and offered his hand. "Rick Hunter," he said, and introduced Lisa.

The alien took the handshake. Soon Rick and Lisa were meeting the whole group. New Macross citizens walked by with their usual scornful looks – and now they were directed to Rick and Lisa as well.

The green-haired Zentraedi introduced his friends one by one, with great importance. "We all belonged to the same battle group," he explained. "So we have remained close. We try to assist each other in learning about this world. It is not often that a human wishes to speak with us."

Rick laughed to himself. Two years ago they'd probably been shooting at each other.

"We all have some adjusting to do," he said. "But remember…you're welcome here. There's plenty of room for Zentraedi on Earth."

The green-haired man gave an embarrassed smile. "Yes, there is. We have blown enough holes in your planet to fit ourselves nicely."

Everyone laughed – Rick, Lisa and all the Zentraedi. They stood around in the park for a long time. Rick and the young men chatted about flying – how exciting it was to be cruising through the sky. And the women gathered around Lisa, asking all sorts of questions – where she'd gotten her dress, and how to style their hair just the way she did. Lisa couldn't help but laugh at the questions – but she tried her best to help.

The green-haired man pointed up to a sign, hanging from the tree trunks. "What does that say?" he asked.

"Oh, that's from the Harvest Festival," said Rick. "It was earlier today."

"What do you harvest in New Macross?"

"People's money," said Lisa.

They all laughed again.

Joons tested the water in his bath tub. It was just warm enough, he thought. Not too hot...I don't want to startle her...

He stepped into his apartment's small living room, just big enough for a sofa and a television. It was a little cluttered, but he rarely spent time in the apartment anyway. He only cleaned on the rare occasion that Minmei was coming over. He wished it looked nicer for this unexpected guest.

She lay on the couch, still unconscious, in her rags and cloth slippers. Her body was bruised and scraped, and even though the apartment was warm, she was shivering.

He slowly picked her up and brought her into the bathroom. She rested her head against his shoulder as she slept.

Joons was a nervous wreck. He tried to kneel down and lay her on the bathroom rug, but he almost dropped her three times. Her frail body shifted in his arms; he was terrified that he might break it.

Finally, he was able to set her down gently. He stepped back and took an accomplished breath.

There we go, he thought. See, that wasn't so hard! Piece of cake, nothing to it.

He sighed.

...I have no idea what I'm doing.

He gently pulled off her slippers. She groaned sorely and tried to blink herself awake, but Joons quickly knelt over her and smiled.

"Just relax" he said. "You're...you're just fine. You're safe now. You're just fine."

She gave a labored exhale and fell asleep again.

He watched her breathe for a moment, just to be certain, and brushed the dirty blue hair from her face. He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't help but smile at her.

All right, he sighed to himself. You look like you could use a nice soak in the tub. I just hope you don't wake up...you look like you haven't slept in days. Yeah, you need your sleep for sure.

She feebly itched at the hem of her dress.

Joons' eyes snapped open. "Uh-oh" he groaned.

How's she going to undress! I can't...just...do it myself! And even if I did, am I supposed to just bathe her while she sleeps? I'm terrible at this...

He tried to gently shake her, but she would not wake back up. She panted as she slept deeply. Joons sighed and sat back against the bathroom wall, wondering in frustration how he even got himself into this.

And then, without notice or provocation, he went completely blind.

His vision came back before he could cry out. But it was changed; he saw everything in a fuzzy haze of blending colors. He stumbled to his feet rubbing his eyes, but the strange vision would not go away.

His heart raced in a panic. He was too frightened to scream or run, so he stood completely still against the wall. He stared down at his shaking hands, the carpet on the floor, the bath tub, hoping to gain some of his old clarity back.

As he calmed down, he realized what he was experiencing. It was the same effect as looking through heat-vision binoculars, or an infra-red rifle scope. The colder surfaces, like the sink and the mirror above it, were sharply detailed and colored dark blue. But the things that gave off heat, like Joons' hands, were bathed in a bright yellow and red glow. The bathroom lights were so intense, they gave Joons a headache. He reached up and turned them all off.

How...is this happening? he breathed, sliding down the wall once again.

He looked back at the Zentraedi girl. He could hear her distant breathing; she was still shivering. But her body heat covered her like a cocoon. He could no longer make out the details of her figure.

Joons gave a deep sigh and swallowed in his dry throat. He gently lifted the girl into his arms, and felt along her neck for the buttons of her dress.

Please don't wake up, he thought.

He poked around inside the kitchen cupboard. Come on, you're in here somewhere.

He came out triumphantly with a small bottle of aspirin. The changes to his vision were only temporary, it seemed, because they disappeared right after Joons had finished bathing the girl. But they left a monster of a headache behind.

He popped a few pills into his mouth and went back to the stove, where he was making pancakes on the burners. As the batter popped and fizzled, Joons could see the small blue flecks of multi-vitamins that he had added. Hope she can't taste the difference, he thought. Those oughtta help get some nourishment in her...

It didn't take long to prepare a whole stack of pancakes. Joons brought it to his table; the blue-haired girl was waiting there for him. She was dressed warmly, in Joons' thermal t-shirt and a pair of extra heavy sweatpants. And she was wrapped in a few blankets for good measure, but she was still shivering.

She was cleaner and warmer, but still exhausted as ever. Her eyes were barely open and she stared down at the table distantly. Joons had rubbed some medication on her face, but it was still scratched and bruised. Her hair was puffed up like a giant blue fur ball. She held her stomach weakly but she never complained.

Joons pulled up a chair beside her and made her a plate. "Hey there," he said, somewhat stiffly. "You should have something to eat."

The girl stared down at the plate and held her stomach, but she did not touch the food.

"It's...really good, you know," he added. "It'll help you sleep better too."

She swallowed nervously and sighed.

"Oh...well, that's all right. You just eat when you're ready."

Joons made a plate for himself and began to eat. The girl lifted her eyes, and watched him for a long time. She picked up her fork and tried to imitate the way he held it.

His heart sank as he watched. After she tried a few times without any luck, he reached around her back and held her hand. He gently instructed her, without saying very much. Before long, the girl had almost eaten the whole stack.

"Pretty good, eh?" Joons smiled proudly.

She nodded slowly, with her head downcast.

"Yup...yeah, I'm a terrible cook, but at least I can make some pancakes..."

The girl sipped at a glass of milk. She shivered under the blankets.

They sat in silence for a while, until Joons felt he had to do something.

"So..." he said, scratching his hair nervously. "Um...what's your name?"

She put down the glass. Naoko, she whispered meekly.

"Naoko," he repeated. "It's...nice to meet you. My name is Joons."

She nodded and slowly blinked her eyes. Joons watched her carefully place her fork onto her plate. A tear ran down her cheek, but she quickly pawed it away.

You…saved me, she whispered.

"Mm-hmm."

Her eyes began to droop again. Why…did you…save…?

"I'm a soldier," he said, gently putting his arm around her. "That's what I do. I look for people who need help…and I save them."

Oh… she whispered, blinking in and out of her trance.

Joons laughed. "And then I take them home and make them pancakes."

…You saved me… she sighed.

Naoko showed a little trace of a smile. Her eyes closed, and she nearly slipped out of her seat. Joons caught her, and let her fall into his arms.

He laid the girl down on his sofa and watched her sleep. Poor Naoko was completely exhausted. He was afraid to leave her side.

After a few minutes, she began to stir and shiver. She whispered something in her sleep. Joons hopped up, ran into his bedroom and brought out more blankets. But Naoko wouldn't stop shivering, no matter how tightly he covered her.

He gently picked her back up in his arms and rested her against his chest. To his surprise, she calmed down. So he sat on the sofa, held her close and wrapped her back up.

"Well, I guess you're friendly," he smiled.

Naoko smiled in her sleep.

"You know something?" he whispered to her gently. "You're the scariest thing I've ever had to face. I am terrified of you."

Naoko snuggled him warmly. She pressed up against him and gave a blissful sigh.

"Yup," Joons nodded. "I'm terrified."

Rick and Lisa walked together through downtown New Macross. They had just parted ways with the group of Zentraedi. It had put a smile on both their faces.

They passed Lynn's Chinese Restaurant. There was a line out the door and down the street. Rick knew the place well – Minmei's aunt and uncle still ran the place. There was a sign in the window – Sorry, Minmei is NOT here tonight.

"Does she even come there anymore?" asked Lisa.

"I doubt it," Rick laughed. "She'd get mobbed."

"I wonder if Kyle comes here," Lisa giggled.

"I really doubt that."

They were just about to hail a taxi home, when Rick's phone beeped. He'd just received a new text message. It was from Lieutenant Joons.

"He's trying to call you now?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah…says he wants me to come to his place. Some kind of emergency."

"Think he's all right?"

"Eh…he's probably fine. I get these messages all the time. Once, he called me to ask why there was a 'water storage reservoir' in his new apartment. Turns out it was the bath tub."

"He's certainly come a long way!" Lisa laughed.

"Yeah…a lot faster than most Zentraedi. He's really lucky."

I swear…sometimes I think I'm cursed.

Joons sighed to himself as he sat on the living room floor, in the dark. The little girl Naoko was sleeping soundly on his sofa. She was wrapped up snugly in blankets, so that only her puff of just-dried blue hair was poking out.

Joons sat at her side, gently rubbing her back. She seemed to like it – it was keeping her calm, at least.

"You are one scary creature," he whispered to her with a smile. "But…you're a lot less scary when you're asleep."

To his chagrin, she didn't stay that way for long. Naoko's eyes blinked open and she gasped sharply. She began to struggle out of the blankets.

"Oh...oh no...I am sorry!"

Joons helped her off the sofa. She fumbled onto the floor in her baggy clothes, nearly in tears.

"Umm…okay…okay, try to calm down," he said nervously. "You're gonna hurt yourself!"

She gasped. "Please do not hurt me! Please, I did not mean to sleep in your bed! I do not know how I got there!"

"No. No calm down…I'm not going to hurt you. You're gonna hurt yourself if you keep…"

Naoko backed away from him, frightened. She bumped into an end table and sent it crashing over. She screamed and hid behind the sofa.

Joons crossed his legs and sat down where he was. He waited for a while, trying to keep calm. It wasn't easy.

Finally, he took a breath and whispered, "Hi there, Naoko."

Hello, she said meekly from behind the sofa.

"Did you…um…did you have a bad dream? Because you're…safe here, you know. You're okay."

She didn't say anything. Joons saw her head poke up from behind the sofa, just enough to see him. He smiled and waved at her gently. She yelped feebly and hid again.

"Naoko," he asked. "Are you…afraid of me?"

I…y-yes, I am…

"Well, I understand. I mean…this is scary. All these new things are happening at once…and I'm a stranger, and you saw me do some…uh…some fighting, and that was really scary. But I want to try and explain…"

You are what is called a 'soldier.' You are strong and righteous…you are a warrior of this world. And you came to take us away from our Master. Other soldiers have tried, but only you were strong enough.

Joons blinked his eyes.

"Hmm. Well…that's pretty accurate."

Do I…understand?

"I think so."

Naoko peeked out once again. She watched his eyes and his smile carefully.

Then…you have chosen me?

She crawled back onto the carpet with Joons. He gave her the most winning smile he could. He wondered if she could tell how scared he was.

Naoko slowly got down on her knees. She bowed before him with her face on the ground, and her thin arms stretched out on the floor. Her small shoulders rose and fell when she breathed.

"My master," she whispered nervously. "I am Naoko...your humble and willing slave."

Joons felt his headache getting worse.

"I am a docile and obedient creature...and I am very easy to take care of. I will not trouble you at all."

He watched her silently, shocked at the whole thing. He had no idea what to do.

"I only wish to please you...and...and your every will...shall become my...m-my..."

Naoko began to shiver again. She dug her fingers into the carpet and began to cry. Joons came up beside her.

"I cannot...remember," she sobbed, rubbing her bruised face on the floor in agony. "I am so sorry...I practiced it so much..."

He held her shoulders, and slowly lifted her up from the ground. Naoko's eyes were swollen, bloodshot, and lined with dark circles. Her blue hair was matted to her face with tears. She cried and shivered, but never looked back at his gaze.

He drew her close, and rested her head against his shoulder. "It's all right" he breathed. "I think you did just fine."

She shook her head lightly against his neck. "I forgot..."

He placed a hand on her head, and another across her back. "Don't worry" he said. "I forget things all the time! It's all right."

"I am trying...my best..." she sighed.

"I know. You're doing a really good job...I'm proud of you."

"Then...you will...keep me?"

He blushed with embarrassment. "Well, of course I will. You're welcome here for as long as you want."

Naoko sighed in his arms. "Thank you," she whispered. "I promise...I will not disappoint you...I really am a good sla- ohhh..." She grabbed her head and winced sharply.

Joons touched her chin and slowly lifted her head. Her glassy blue eyes met with his. She tried to look away, but Joons held her still. "What's wrong" he asked.

"I...well...nothing" she sighed, keeping her eyes downcast.

He frowned and shook his head. "Close your eyes," he said.

Naoko slowly closed her eyes. Joons rested her head against his shoulder. He felt the soft brushing of her hair against his cheek, and smelled the mild shampoo that he had rubbed into her hair. She sniffled feebly, and shivered in his arms. He could feel the throbbing in her aching head.

He didn't know what else to say, or if he should even speak at all. So he sat with her on the floor, cradling her in his arms until she fell asleep. He laid her down under the covers of his own bed, took a blanket from the closet, and tried to sleep on the sofa. But he tossed and turned for hours with Naoko on his mind. He checked on her every few minutes and always found her sound asleep, with a little smile across her face. After a while, he convinced himself to leave her alone.

But he didn't sleep for long, until a distant moan woke him up. He looked down, and found the blue-haired girl asleep on the floor at his feet. She was curled up tightly against the sofa, but she was not shivering.

It's freezing out here. Why isn't he coming to the door?

Rick stood impatiently at the entrance to Joons' apartment. Lisa was at his side, with his pilot's jacket wrapped around her shoulders for warmth. It was nearly two in the morning.

"You didn't have to come with me," Rick smiled to Lisa.

"Well, now you've got me worried about him," she smiled back.

The door finally opened. Lieutenant Joons was still in his clothes from the day. His dusty brown hair was in a mess. He looked like a bundle of nerves.

"Good evening, sir," he sighed. "Oh! And…Commander Hayes…hello."

"Hi Joons," she smiled.

"You okay?" asked Rick.

Lieutenant Joons sighed again. "No…I am not, sir."

He led them into the house, making sure they were quiet. And he brought them to the living room, where young Naoko was asleep on the floor. Blankets were carefully tucked around her.

Lisa covered her smiling mouth and gasped.

"Shh!" whispered Joons. "Please, don't wake her up."

Lisa knelt down to see her closely. "Joons…she's precious! Who is she?"

"A Zentraedi," he replied. "She was one of the girls in the Warehouse District…I guess...I rescued her."

"Oh my gosh…the poor thing! Oh, she must be terrified!"

"She's okay now," smiled Joons. "I think she's finally calming down. Seriously, don't wake her."

Rick stood quietly beside his tired friend. "She looks about your age," he said. "Maybe a couple years younger. Think she was a soldier?"

"Not a chance," whispered Joons.

"Is she nice?"

"Um…yes."

"What's her name?"

"Naoko."

Rick put his hand on Joons' shoulder.

"So…why am I here at two in the morning?"

"Sir…what am I supposed to do?"

"How am I supposed to know!?"

"Well…you'd know better than me!"

"Why?"

"Because you taught me about this world!"

"Then...teach her what I taught you."

Lisa was on her knees, inching closer to the girl. Naoko's body rose and fell with her breaths under the blankets.

"Oh my goodness…this poor girl…she's just the cutest thing ever!"

"Ma'am!" whispered Joons. "Commander…please be careful…she's very sensitive…"

Naoko stirred awake. Her eyes blinked open, and the first thing she saw was Lisa kneeling over her with open arms.

"Oh, hello darling!" smiled Lisa.

Naoko screamed in terror and buried herself under the blankets. "Help!" she cried. "Help me! Please…oh, please help me!!"

"Whoa!" laughed Rick.

"Oh here we go," sighed Joons.

He ran into the living room and dove onto the carpet. He scooped up Naoko, blankets and all, and gave her a warm hug.

"It's okay, it's okay!" he whispered to her. "I'm sorry they scared you. They're my friends. They're really nice people. They just came to visit."

Naoko's head popped up from the blankets. She buried her face in his chest. I am so scared…

"Don't worry! I'm right here!"

Please hide me…oh please, hide me…can they see me? Will they hurt me?

He gently rocked her in his arms. "It's all right…everything's fine, Naoko. I'm right here."

Joons looked up at Rick and Lisa with the most terrified look on his face. Lisa's heart melted at the sight. But Rick thought it was absolutely hilarious.