1) I do not own Robotech or any of its characters. Harmony Gold does as far as I know.
2)This hasn't been run through a beta, so any and all mistakes - plot holes, typos, etc- are my bad.
3) For those of you who were hoping for an update to 'Sit Room', it is coming very soon. I have found my little wayward Robotech muse and have chained him to a wall to prevent escape (sound familiar?) Very soon, I promise.
4) Thanks to Carla Fox who 1) came up with the idea for this fic and letting me run with it, and 2) helping me brainstorm a title. I changed what we came up with a little. I hope you like it and the fic.
5) I would appreciate any and all comments. Please tell me what you think.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Admiral Henry Gloval sat in his comfortable command chair on the bridge of the SDF-1 and kept in the sigh of frustration that had been building up inside him for a while. It had been one year since the Robotech Defense Force defeated Dolza's vast armada, and he had hoped for more peaceful and quieter days.
And the Zentraedi complied with that wish for the most part. There had been no large scale attacks or deadly assaults. The few incidents that the RDF had to deal with were simply a result of the culture shock that the Zentraedi had been expected to go through. It was inevitable for there to be some trouble when the stark militaristic life of the Zentraedi came into contact with the thriving lifestyle of humans.
Even the new politics of Earth had been relatively easy for him to deal with. He pretty much had free reign to do what he felt needed to be done to rebuild the RDF. He didn't consider himself a hero by any means, but it certainly helped that the politicians would not dare antagonize the man who commanded the forces who saved the Earth, especially with the specter of more threats from the stars like the Robotech Masters hanging over the still recovering Earth.
And the reconstruction was proceeding as well as could be expected, with the Robotechnology that survived aboard the SDF-1 making the process easier than such an endeavor would have been even ten years earlier.
No, the sigh that had been threatening to erupt from just below his thick mustache had nothing to do with his former enemy or the politicos or reconstruction. To his extreme disappointment, the cause of his current bout of frustration was brought on by none other than two of his most trusted and senior officers.
He had been delighted beyond comprehension and relieved to the point of tears when he discovered that Lisa had survived the total destruction of Alaska Base, and found it a fitting case of karma when he realized that it had been Rick Hunter that saved her.
Gloval lowered his head so that the brim of his officer's hat covered some of his face, then raised his right had to his mouth and coughed softly to cover the smile that tugged at his lips as he recalled the sight of Lisa and Rick walking towards him on the Prometheus. Rick had his left arm around Lisa's shoulders and she had her right arm around his waist as they walked and Gloval thought that perhaps they had finally realized what he had already come to know to be true: that they belonged together. It warmed his heart almost as much as knowing that Lisa, his daughter in every way except biologically, was still alive.
It was wishful thinking however.
After a month or so of the two of them being more than civil to each other, they fell right back into their usual routine of stubborn bickering.
He simply didn't understand why the two of them didn't just stop pretending that they didn't care for each other so much and get on with it. Then again, the more he thought about it the more he realized that perhaps he did understand, maybe even more than most. He could, after all, see the whole picture from both sides.
Rick, Gloval knew, felt that he was in love with Minmei, and while it may have been true, Gloval also knew that it was a love doomed from the start. Be that as it may, Rick was stubbornly holding on to it and in doing so hurting Lisa and negating any chance of a relationship with her. The young fighter pilot simply couldn't get past Minmei, and unless or until he did, nothing would change with Lisa.
Lisa. She was being stubborn in her own right. Gloval felt fairly certain that if Lisa told Rick how she felt, then perhaps it would give Rick the opportunity he needed, the tool as it were, to get over Minmei. Yet, she would never tell Rick the truth unless something drastic was going on. She felt as though Minmei had Rick's heart and that nothing she could say or do would change that. Rick's continual fawning over Minmei and Lisa's command style did nothing to help either.
They needed each other…there was no doubt in Gloval's mind of that fact. They complimented each other beautifully, with Rick's youthful brashness being the perfect foil to Lisa's more mature control.
Gloval raised his head and lowered his hand to the arm of his chair when a particularly nasty sounding phrase started to come from Lisa's lips.
"You arrogant son of a bi…"
"Captain Hayes," interrupted Gloval from his chair before Lisa said something that she would later regret. When she turned to face him from her usual place near the front of the bridge he asked calmly, "Is there a problem?"
He watched as Lisa tried to control her rage. Gloval had to admit that he didn't think he had ever seen her so…pissed off. Her mouth was closed so tightly he thought he could even hear the grinding of her teeth. Her fists were clenched together so tightly that he was fairly certain her nails would be leaving tiny crescent shaped marks in the palm of her hands; her cheeks were flushed with anger and her eyes were a very bright green, a sign that he had come to realize meant she was so angry that he would bet on her in a fist fight against a full sized Zentraedi.
For a brief moment he pitied Rick.
Gloval waited for a response, and when he got none after a few moments he stood up and approached Lisa. She was still trying to control herself, so Gloval instead turned his attention to the image of Rick Hunter, big surprise, aboard Skull One on Lisa's communication screen.
"Is there a problem, Commander Hunter?" he asked just as calmly as he had asked Lisa.
He studied Rick while he waited for a response to his query. Rick looked almost as angry as Lisa…a deadly situation for a man piloting a state of the art military aircraft. His eyes were dark and his mouth was pressed shut in a firm line.
"I don't know what the problem is," commented Gloval after receiving nothing from either Rick or Lisa, "but it ends now." Gloval checked the progress of the Skull's patrol on the screen next to Rick's image. "Commander Hunter, when you land your plane in a few minutes, grab a shower and report to me in my office in one hour."
Rick acknowledged the order with a curt, 'Yes, sir.'
Lisa, still facing the Admiral's chair and not the screen said with mild triumph, "Thank you, Admiral."
Gloval watched Rick open his mouth to say something, most likely something very obscene and guaranteed to be argumentative and inflammatory, but he decided against it.
"Don't thank me, Captain," Gloval responded firmly. "You will report to me at the same time. Understood?"
Lisa's jaw tensed and she took a quick breath, but nodded and said quietly, "Yes, sir."
Gloval glanced at the screen then to Lisa. "Good," he declared and began walking towards the bridge door, ignoring the surprised looks he was receiving from Claudia and the girls. When he reached the door he said, "See you both in one hour." With that Gloval stepped through the door, and as it began to slide shut behind him he heard Rick and Lisa exclaim simultaneously to each other, "It's your fault!"
"And it was being such a nice day," thought Gloval gloomily.
----------------------------------
One hour later, Gloval was sitting in his chair behind his desk in his office, watching with some amusement two of his most trusted, competent and capable officers stand at attention on the other side of his desk, apparently trying to restrain themselves from pummeling each other.
It was a sad thing in which to find amusement, mused Gloval, but it was funny.
Gloval cleared his throat with the intention of gaining their undivided attention, and a second later when both Lisa and Rick focused on him he began.
"I have called you both here because I can no longer afford to have my best pilot and first officer going at each other like…like adolescent teenagers," he announced with a touch of annoyance in his voice.
Both officers' eyes bulged open in disbelief and both Rick and Lisa began to emphatically dispute Gloval's assessment that they were acting that way.
"Sir, with all due respect...," began Lisa only to be cut off by Rick. "You've got to be kidding…"
"Enough!" thundered Gloval as he leaned forward in his chair and fixed them both with a menacing glare. The noise from Lisa and Rick stopped immediately, and Gloval placed his hands upon his desk and pushed himself up into a standing position. "I have never before seen two senior officers act so foolishly." Gloval clasped his hands behind his back and walked slowly around his desk to stand in front of his two officers. He looked first to Lisa and then to Rick. "You are two of my best officers and work together on a daily basis. I need you both to behave and act professionally…set a positive example for everyone under your command, despite what's going on in your personal lives."
Gloval was immensely satisfied when both Rick and Lisa blushed at the implication but said nothing.
"I have watched you both for some time now," continued Gloval, "and it is clear to me now that there is only one thing to do."
Lisa and Rick looked at him questioningly.
"I have arranged for you both to see someone regarding the situation," explained Gloval. He turned and retrieved two pieces of paper from his desk and turned back to face his disbelieving officers. After he handed one piece of paper to Lisa and the other to Rick he said, "Your first appointments are for Monday." As Rick and Lisa studied the information on the paper he had just handed to them, Gloval reached behind him and picked up his pipe and a match. After turning back to Lisa and Rick again, he lit the pipe waited for what he wanted them to do to sink in. "After she has seen you both individually, she will see you together, and she is a RDF officer so everything is being kept in house and confidential."
Lisa was the first to find her voice. "Admiral…sir, a counselor?" Lisa looked at the paper again, turned it over to see if there was anything written on the back and then studied the front side again. When her brow furrowed in confusion, Gloval took his pipe out of his mouth with his right hand and felt compelled to ask, "What's wrong, Captain?"
She looked at him and asked with a note of dread in her voice, "What kind of counselor, sir?"
Gloval actually smiled, an eerie sight from him made even spookier by the smoke billowing from his pipe which surrounded him like some sort of supernatural fog, as he stated almost merrily, "A relationship counselor."
To say that Lisa and Rick were flabbergasted would have been an understatement. He watched as Lisa and Rick turned to each other, then turned to him, then back to each other and finally back to him again.
"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Lisa angrily.
"Not a chance!" argued Rick emphatically.
"A relationship counselor?" asked Lisa incredulously. "We can't see a relationship counselor!"
"We're not even in a relationship!" added Rick.
Lisa nodded emphatically. "How can we see a relationship counselor if we aren't even seeing each other?" Lisa crossed her arms across her chest in a rare act of defiance. "Sir, this is a waste of time."
Rick nodded vigorously in agreement. "A BIG waste of time, sir."
It was Lisa's turn to nod again. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm," she looked to Rick for support and found it in his nodding head, "we're too busy to do this."
"I agree with Lisa…I mean Captain Hayes, sir." Rick smiled nervously. "Sure we can get a little out of control sometimes, but I don't think this is really necessary."
Gloval straightened to his full height and squared his broad shoulders to them, which anyone who met the man would agree was a very impressive sight. "Did I give the impression that this was a request?" Gloval's voice lowered steadily to the point where it held a dangerous tone by the time he finished the sentence.
"No, sir," replied Lisa and Rick meekly in unison.
Gloval nodded once in satisfaction and turned to walk back around his desk. When he reached his chair, he sat down and said without looking up, "Dismissed."
Gloval put his pipe back in his mouth and picked up a report to read as his first officer and the Skull leader walked to his office door, and when he heard them exclaim to each other at precisely the same time as the door closed, "It's your fault!" he slammed the report down on his desk and stood up again.
"Get back in here!" he bellowed after removing his beloved pipe once again.
A moment later the door opened slowly and Lisa and Rick, now looking very uncomfortable and extremely nervous, walked back inside and took up their previous positions in front of his desk.
After putting his pipe in his ashtray, Gloval took a deep breath, let it out slowly and allowed his face and tone to soften. A little bit. "Lisa, Rick, I need the both of you to take this seriously and participate fully." He looked Lisa in the eye, and then did the same to Rick. It was Rick's gaze he held as he continued. "I know you both care for each other, but for one reason or another you are unable or unwilling to allow yourselves to show it and relish it instead of fearing it." He started looking back and forth between his two officers. "And it is affecting your work, whether you see it or not. The girls on the bridge, with the exception of Claudia, are constantly on their toes waiting for the next blow up. Their jobs are stressful enough as it is without having to worry about getting caught in the crossfire between you two."
Rick and Lisa looked down towards the floor and Gloval knew he scored a direct hit. Lisa and Rick were alike in many ways, and one of their more glaring similarities was their protective tendencies towards others, especially their friends.
"Your antics are even affecting the pilots in the air," continued Gloval. "Did it ever occur to either of you that when you blow up at each other while Rick is in the air that he isn't the only pilot being distracted? I know of at least two instances where some of the younger members of your squadron, Commander, nearly collided with each other because they were paying more attention to you and Lisa than to what they were doing." The shame on Lisa and Rick's faces deepened as the realization that they could be hurting their friends, colleagues and subordinates continued to sink in.
Gloval sat back down and leaned back wearily in his chair. "Now, I would like for you…"
"Sir," Rick cut in softly. When Gloval looked at him expectantly Rick looked to Lisa who happened to be watching him. They smiled hesitantly at each other and then turned back to Gloval. "We'll do it, sir," announced Rick and Lisa concurred with an affirming nod.
"Good. Now get out of here so I can get some work done," chided Gloval gently as he picked up his report…again.
This time, he never even heard a whisper from either of them as they left and he couldn't help feeling a little morsel of hope for a positive turn in their little soap opera.
----------------------------------
The walk away from Gloval's office was completely silent save for their footfalls echoing through the corridor. Neither Rick nor Lisa had any idea of how they had gotten themselves into their current predicament, much less what was going to happen next.
Rick chanced a glance to his left. Lisa had lost the red in her cheeks caused first by embarrassment then anger, and had gone completely pale. She was looking straight ahead and didn't seem the least bit interested in acknowledging his presence.
But she looked so damn sad.
And he hated that.
The fact that he was the root cause of her sadness didn't help either.
As had happened far too often in their friendship, he felt obliged to apologize. "Lisa, I'm…"
"It's okay, Rick," interrupted Lisa as if she had been waiting for it. She had been as a matter of fact. She never broke her stride as she continued. "We have ourselves to blame. Neither of us is more responsible than the other, we're both at fault." She managed a weak smile and added, "I think we should keep it all to ourselves and just do our best to get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible."
The sadness in her voice made Rick stop dead in his tracks, and despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to run to her and hold her tight, all he could do was watch as she walked farther and farther away from him until she disappeared around the corner.
Rick took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, saying softly as he did so, "Damn."
----------------------------------
"You have to see a what?"
"Shhhhhh!" exclaimed Rick as his head turned rapidly from side to side to make sure no one was able to hear what Max had said. Finally satisfied that everyone was out of earshot or otherwise occupied and not paying attention to them, Rick whispered, "A relationship counselor. Do you believe that?"
They were in the main mess hall aboard the SDF-1 on Monday morning having breakfast. It was the first time he'd seen Max since Gloval ordered him and Lisa into counseling on Friday. The place was busy, though not over flowing with people.
Rick agreed with Lisa's idea about keeping their situation to themselves, but this was Max, his best friend, provider of sage advice and sounding board. Besides, he knew he could trust Max to keep it to himself, and he had no doubt whatsoever that Lisa would be discussing it with Claudia, if she hadn't already.
Max, on the other hand, had to concentrate hard on not laughing in Rick's face. "I don't know, Rick. Sort of."
Rick's eyes opened wide in surprise at his best friend's statement. "What do you mean 'sort of'?" Rick sat back in his chair with an air about him of a man who had just seen his last chance of rescue from a deserted island sail off into the sunset. "Don't tell me you agree with this."
Max leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest. "Well, Rick, yeah, I guess I do." When Rick's mouth dropped open in complete and total shock, Max couldn't help but grin. "Come on, Rick…Gloval is right and you know it. Something has to be done." Max put his hands on the table and leaned forward to whisper his next question. "How is Lisa taking it?"
Rick sighed and his shoulders slouched. "She's even less happy about it than me." Rick's eyes and mouth contorted into a confused expression. "I don't know, Max. She seemed, I don't know, sad about it." Rick looked at Max. "I haven't seen or heard from her since leaving Gloval's office and I'm worried about her." Rick looked to his watch then looked back to Max. "She's supposed to see this counselor in a few minutes."
Max smiled, and not the 'I'm having fun at your expense' type of smile he let Rick have earlier, but more of the type of smile that said that Rick just said something profoundly meaningful.
"How bad can it be, Rick?" Max waited for a couple of pilots to walk by on the way to a table and then asked, "You hate fighting with her all the time. What's the harm in trying to stop it?" Max raised an eyebrow at his CO. "Unless there's something that you don't want to come out, or something you don't want to face."
Rick went completely still. Max just hit the nail on the head, and it was something that he had only figured out the night before as he thought about why he was so disturbed by the idea of seeing a counselor. Maybe there was something that he didn't want to face, to bring out into the open for all to see. He just wasn't sure.
Max watched the introspection go on for a moment, and then spoke again. "Come on, Rick. We all know that you two share something. Why are you afraid of finding out what?"
Rick took a deep breath and then stood up. When Max stood up as well, Rick headed for the exit, and when Max fell into step beside him he responded with a quiet, "I wish I knew, Max."
Max smiled supportively and slapped Rick's right shoulder with his left hand. "Don't worry, Rick. No one ever died from going to a little therapy."
Rick groaned.
Max grinned.
And neither of them saw the astonished looks on the faces of two pilots sitting behind a decorative tree who just overheard Commander Max Sterling say that Captain Rick Hunter was going into therapy.
----------------------------------
"It'll be fine, Lisa," assured Claudia. "She's a professional. Everything you say will be between you, her and Rick."
Lisa smiled ruefully at her very best friend. "It's not her I'm worried about."
They were sitting in Lisa's office aboard the SDF-1 and, like Max with Rick, Claudia was having a hard time understanding what the big deal was for Lisa. Claudia was sitting in the visitor's chair, her fingers gently tapping at the armrests in an effort to keep from shaking some sense into Lisa. Lisa was sitting in her chair with her hands folded together and resting on her lap. Claudia couldn't remember seeing Lisa so pale or worried about anything before.
Claudia rolled her eyes and tried again. "What's the worst that can happen, honey? Rick finds out how you feel about him?" Claudia laughed a short laugh. "I can't see how that would be a bad thing."
"Oh let's see," said Lisa as she held up one finger. "First, there's the absolute certainty that he freaks out because he doesn't feel the same way and everything gets a lot worse. Second," Lisa stopped and shook her head as she lowered her hand back to her lap, "never mind. Number one is bad enough."
Claudia laughed again. "It will be fine, Lisa." She narrowed her eyes at Lisa. "Gloval loves you like a daughter. He would never make you do anything that had the slightest possibility of hurting you."
"I know, Claudia," said Lisa sincerely, "but I think he's missed the mark this time." She sighed and leaned her head back so that she could look at the ceiling. "She'll find out that I love him, Claudia. Then she'll find out that he loves Minmei, and that our fights are a direct result of the fact that I know he will never love me." Lisa tipped her head forward and gazed into the sympathetic brown eyes of her friend. "Then she will recommend that we either avoid each other or I should grow up and get on with my life."
Claudia stopped tapping on the armrests and gripped them hard, afraid that if she let go she would get up and deck her friend. "Lisa," began Claudia calmly, "that's ridiculous. You can't possibly know what's going to happen. For all you know Rick could discover that he does love you and you both live happily ever after." Ignoring Lisa's sarcastic laugh, Claudia forged ahead. "Trust Gloval. Trust yourself. And trust Rick"
Lisa smiled, truly and sincerely appreciative of Claudia's effort to cheer her up. "Thanks, Claudia." She sighed deeply and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really have a choice, do I? Gloval made it an order, and the only way to avoid following it is to resign."
Claudia opened her mouth to protest, but Lisa held up her hand to forestall it.
"I'm not resigning, Claudia." She lowered her hand again and looked down at her desk. "I just wish…"
When Lisa didn't continue Claudia finished for her. "That it didn't hurt so much?"
Lisa smiled. "Among other things."
Claudia smiled back. "So, what have you found out about this counselor?"
Lisa blushed slightly and sputtered, "What…what makes you think…how did…nothing."
Claudia laughed and shook her right index finger at Lisa. "I know you Lisa Hayes." She raised an eyebrow daring Lisa to contradict what she was about to say. "I bet a month's salary that you went home over the weekend and pulled up the personnel record of this doctor and found out whatever you could about her." Claudia smiled triumphantly and winked at Lisa.
Lisa could feel the stinging flush of embarrassment in her cheeks, though she wasn't really sure if she was embarrassed because Claudia was essentially correct or because her friend knew her so well. "Actually, you would lose a month's salary, Claudia."
Claudia narrowed her eyes at her friend. "You didn't even wait until you got home, did you? You looked up her file here on Friday before you even went home."
Lisa avoided Claudia's gaze until her friend leaned forward and asked impatiently, "Well? What did you find out?"
Lisa sighed and pulled out a file from her desk drawer. She opened it and skimmed the details in an effort to refresh her memory. Not that she needed it. "About what you'd expect. She has doctorate degrees in just about every psychoanalytical field there is. She has training in stress management, trauma and grief counseling and, of course, relationship counseling. Highly respected and not even the tiniest blemish on her record. She's forty-seven. Married to a neurosurgeon. Two kids, a boy and a girl…all in the RDF." Lisa looked at Claudia. "All indications point to a qualified and trusting person to whom I can tell my deepest secrets and trust to keep them to herself."
Claudia glanced at the clock on Lisa's desk. "Well then, if she's so great maybe it will turn out okay after all, though you better get going if you don't want to be late."
Lisa looked at the clock and stood up quickly. "I didn't realize it was so late." She nearly ran to the door, threw a hasty good-bye over her shoulder to Claudia and headed to the office of Dr. Irina Petrov on the medical deck.
----------------------------------
Case Notes.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Re: Capt. Lisa Hayes & Cmdr. Rick Hunter (attach personnel records)
Sessions requested by Adm. Henry J. Gloval, Commander RDF.
Adm. Gloval has referred these two senior officers to me in an effort to resolve what he says could be a very explosive situation. From what the Admiral has described to me, I believe that personal feelings that have developed between the two over the last year or more have corrupted their professional judgment when dealing with each other, something that, because of their respective positions happens quite often and can be quite serious.
Adm. Gloval also describes both officers as being headstrong and stubborn, warning me that getting either of them to admit their feelings may be slightly less difficult than pulling a tooth from a rabid dog. There is also the well-known fact that Cmdr. Hunter and the celebrity Minmei have a relationship, though it is impossible to tell at this time the extent of that relationship.
I have decided to see each officer individually, then see them together in an effort to resolve the situation.
----------------------------------
Ten minutes after leaving her office, Lisa was led into Petrov's office by her receptionist and seated in one of two very well padded and comfortable black leather armchairs. Lisa's anxiety level was very high, but she never had time to try to calm herself down when the door opened and Petrov walked in. Lisa took a second to appraise the doctor. Petrov was slim and taller than Lisa, with shoulder length blond hair which she had in a ponytail and big brown eyes.
"Good morning, Captain Hayes," greeted the doctor with an accent that reminded Lisa of Gloval as she sat behind her desk. "How are you this beautiful day?"
Lisa just managed to keep from snorting derisively at the comment, instead responding as naturally as she could. "Fine, Doctor."
The right side of Petrov's mouth edged up in a half smile. "I see."
"What did she mean by that?" asked Lisa to herself.
"It is an honor to meet you, Captain," said Petrov sincerely, causing the always modest Lisa to blush a little. "Besides the remarkable things you've done, Henry has told me a lot of very good things about you."
Lisa didn't know how to respond to that, the praise or the intimation that she and Gloval talked frequently and about her, so she just sat in the chair, slightly open mouthed and looking like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding APC.
"What do you say we get straight to business, Captain," said the doctor after a moment. "I'm sure you're very busy."
"Fine," muttered Lisa irritably. The irritation fled and was replaced by fear and worry when Petrov asked her first question a heartbeat later.
"What can you tell me about Rick Hunter, Captain?"
----------------------------------
Appointment notes: Monday, June 11, 2012
Patient: Hayes, Captain Lisa
Capt. Hayes was very nervous during our session, avoiding answering most questions and mumbling softly when she did answer them. Very stubborn when asked about her personal feelings for Cmdr. Hunter, instead invariably responding to such questions by quoting what would be considered her professional opinions about his job performance.
Recommendation: Perhaps more one-on-one sessions would be advised before seeing both together.
----------------------------------
Rick stood next to the book case in Petrov's office, looking at the numerous pictures of her family arranged neatly on the shelves …at least that's who he assumed the two men and woman were. Rick knew nothing about the woman, other than her name and that he was supposed to talk to her.
About what?
Lisa.
And Minmei most likely.
Rick couldn't help but shudder at the thought of telling a stranger things, thoughts and feelings, that he hadn't even been able to share with Max.
"Good afternoon, Commander Hunter," came an accented voice from the doorway which caused Rick to jump in surprise. He never even heard the door open.
If Petrov realized that she had startled him she gave no indication of it. She simply went to her desk, sat down and looked at him as if she were waiting for him to take the first step.
He moved slowly to the large armchair on the left and sat down gingerly on the overstuffed seat. The comfort of the chair did little to ease the discomfort he felt in his stomach.
Petrov smiled and nodded towards the pictures. "My daughter is an engineer aboard the SDF-1 and my son is a pilot with the Ghost squadron," she said proudly.
She looked down and wrote something on the file on her desk as she said, "They both speak very highly of you." She stopped writing, though she didn't lift her pen from the file, and looked up at Rick. "And Captain Hayes as well." She looked down again and wrote something else in the file.
Rick gulped out of reflex, though he didn't have a clue as to why.
When Petrov finished writing, she leaned back in her chair, placed her elbows on the arms of her chair, steepled her fingers in front of her chest and looked at Rick appraisingly. "Do you know why you're here, Commander?"
Rick nodded numbly and opened his mouth to elaborate she went on without giving him the chance to.
"Commander Hunter," she said with what he thought was a slightly evil smile, "what can you tell me about Lisa Hayes?"
----------------------------------
Appointment notes: Monday, June 11, 2012
Patient: Hunter, Commander Rick
Cmdr. Hunter deliberately avoided answering questions about how he feels about Capt. Hayes, and everything relating to relationships and personal feelings for that matter. When asked about Capt. Hayes, his response was based solely on their professional relationship and totally positive.
Recommendation: Session has verified suggestion that further one-on-one sessions are needed before both patients are seen together.
----------------------------------
"I thought you were both supposed to see her once and then do like a group session," said Max as they walked towards their planes on the flight deck of the Prometheus.
Rick shrugged his shoulders. That had been the plan when he left her office yesterday afternoon, but this morning he got a message saying that they would do more personal sessions.
"I don't know, Max." Rick slipped on his helmet as he neared Skull One. "I just wish it was finished." Rick sighed as he added, "Lisa has been avoiding me like the plague since we left Gloval's office the other day."
And that bothered him, he'd come to realize.
It bothered him a lot.
"Don't worry, Boss, it will be finished soon," said Max reassuringly. To himself he added, "As soon as you admit you have feelings for Lisa and get away from Minmei. Hey, maybe I should be a shrink!"
Max shook his head at the errant thought and rushed to get into his own plane before Rick took off and left him with only his thoughts to keep him company.
----------------------------------
"I can't believe they're still letting him fly!" exclaimed a pilot near one of the other Veritechs.
A member of the flight crew who was working on the pilot's plane overheard and asked, "What do you mean, sir?"
The pilot looked around to make certain he wasn't overheard by anyone else. "Captain Hunter is going to therapy and they're still letting him fly."
The other man watched as Skull One took off into the wild blue yonder. "I was wondering when they'd send him to the shrink."
The pilot was shocked, so much so he nearly dropped his green and white helmet to the deck. "You were what? What do you mean?"
The Prometheus crew member finished locking the missile port on the plane and said, "Captain Hunter has been edgy the last few times he landed. He got out of his Veritech and stormed off in no particular direction, muttering to himself the whole time, and believe me, most of what he muttered would make my mother want to wash his mouth out with soap." At the pilot's incredulous look the crew member nodded. "Yep, and the last two times he landed weren't exactly graceful landings. As a matter of fact, the last time he landed a few days ago, he slammed into the deck so hard he busted the front suspension. We only got it fixed this morning."
The pilot leaned back against his plane. "Damn. Hunter is one of the best. I hope we don't lose him."
"Amen to that," replied the second man. "Your bird is ready to fly. Have a good patrol."
"Thanks."
The flight crew member walked towards the hangar bay after giving the pilot a wave and walked up behind one of the mechanics.
He tapped the woman on the shoulder and said, "Guess what I just heard…"
----------------------------------
"So Captain Hayes," said Petrov after half an hour of getting absolutely nowhere fast with Lisa, "there is nothing else you want to tell me about your relationship with Commander Hunter?"
"I've told you several times, Doctor," stated Lisa as neutrally as she could manage, "that Commander Hunter and I don't have a relationship."
"You are friends?" asked Petrov.
Lisa looked downward and smiled a sad little smile. "Sometimes," she whispered. Then she looked up and stated resolutely, "However, most times I would characterize it as being acquaintances more than friends…an acquaintance that comes from our working closely together."
Petrov sighed and closed the file on her desk. "Very well, Captain. That's all for today."
Lisa stood up and walked to the door. "Thank you, Doctor."
Petrov nodded politely, and when Lisa closed the door she opened the file again.
----------------------------------
Appointment notes: Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Patient: Hayes, Captain Lisa
I can understand what Henry (Adm. Henry Gloval) meant about Capt. Hayes having a stubborn streak that would put a mule to shame. She absolutely refuses to acknowledge to me that she has any feelings for Cmdr. Hunter other than respect brought on through their professional relationship, despite the fact that her affection for him slips through occasionally, that is until she realizes it and slams the door shut.
Recommendation: Continue one-on-one sessions until Capt. Hayes admits her feelings for Cmdr. Hunter.
----------------------------------
Petrov leaned forward, placed her elbows on her desk, folded her hands together and then rested her chin on them. Thirty minutes of trying to get something from Rick about Lisa had been a complete waste of time. As usual, he side-stepped, ignored, and refused to answer her questions.
"You flew into the mouth of the Grand Canon to save Captain Hayes, Commander," stated Petrov. "Why?"
The look on Rick's face was one of confusion. "She was alone and needed help. And there was the bonus that the Zentraedi were trying to destroy the planet."
Petrov opened her eyes wide for a moment as she seemed to consider that. "It seems a little extreme for you to risk yourself like that for someone in such dangerous circumstances." She looked him in the eyes as she added, "Unless..."
Rick's jaw tensed in frustration and he snapped. "I would have done the same for anybody, Doctor." He took a breath. "It just happened to be Lisa. I mean Captain Hayes."
Petrov fell back into her chair in disappointment and frustration. "Very well, Commander. That's all for today."
Rick nodded, stood up and made for the door as quickly as he was able, ignoring as best he could the subdued mumbling of what sound like Russian cursing coming from Petrov.
----------------------------------
Appointment notes: Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Patient: Hunter, Commander Rick
Like Capt. Hayes, Cmdr. Hunter has proven to be very headstrong when it comes to opening up about his feelings. Hopefully I can continue to chip away at his stubbornness and find something that will help.
Recommendation: Continue probing Cmdr. Hunter's feelings for Capt. Hayes in one-on-one sessions.
----------------------------------
"How many more of those sessions can I take?" thought Rick to himself. It had been exactly one week since his first appointment with Petrov, and after five sessions (thank God for the break over the weekend!) he was running out of ways to avoid really talking to her without getting hostile.
He saw on his navigational screen that they were inside the SDF-1's defense perimeter. "Skull One to SDF-1," announced Rick over the tactical net. "Request permission to land, over."
'SDF-1 to Skull leader,' buzzed Sammie's voice over the channel. 'You and your squadron are cleared to land on Prometheus. Continue on your current heading, over.'
"I thought Lisa was working today, Sammie," said Rick. This was the third time in the last week that he had contacted the bridge expecting to see Lisa's face and hear her voice, but seeing and hearing Sammie instead.
'Ah…well, Lisa asked me to take this shift for her today, and she's taking one of my shifts later in the week,' replied Sammie cautiously.
Rick narrowed his eyes and tightened his hand on the throttle. "Let me guess…Thursday…the twenty-first."
If Sammie was surprised that he knew which day Lisa had chosen, she didn't let it show in her voice. 'That's correct, Commander.'
Rick sighed loud enough for the mic to pick it up, causing Sammie to ask, 'Is something wrong, Commander?'
Rick looked to the screen and saw the concern on Sammie's face.
"No, Sammie," he lied with a half smile. "Everything is fine. We'll be on the deck in ten minutes. Skull One out."
He broke the connection and let one level of his mind float to Lisa. She was still avoiding him, not even returning his calls over the weekend to see if she wanted to get some coffee or something, and he supposed he couldn't blame her. Since they had started seeing Petrov one week ago, he wasn't sure himself how he should be acting around her. But still…
Damn it he missed her! He missed the way her eyes twinkled at him when she spoke to him; he missed the calming influence her voice had on him when he was flying into unknown or dangerous situations; he even missed the fighting, though he missed the making up part more. It was a cycle. They would fight, then apologize to each other and go see a movie or have dinner or something, and if they were a little closer afterwards so much the better.
Closer. Every time he thought about getting closer to Lisa his heart fluttered a little. He had to admit, these little therapy sessions were making him think about his love life, even if he didn't actually discuss it with Petrov. She made him remember some of the things he had done for Lisa, as well as some of the things she had done for him. He hated to admit it, but he had forgotten some of them.
But most importantly it made him remember feelings he had concerning Lisa that he had buried behind what he thought he felt for Minmei.
Minmei.
What had Minmei done for him in the year since they came back to Earth besides string him along like a puppy?
Nothing.
A beep from the nav system told him they were nearing the Prometheus, and Rick cleared his mind and concentrated on landing his plane in one piece. Even he had to admit that his last couple of landings were rougher than they should have been.
Five minutes later, Rick stepped from the ladder of Skull One and onto the deck of Prometheus. He noticed, not for the first time that week, that the flight crew avoided him as they approached to look after his plane, and though it hadn't really bothered him before it was starting to get to him now.
He walked up behind one of the crew members and tapped the man on the shoulder. When the man turned around his face went white as snow and he came to attention, nearly hitting his head on the wing.
Rick smiled and said, "At ease, crewman." The man didn't move, so Rick mentally shook his head and went on. "Could you check the throttle for me, please? It sticks around the three quarter thrust area, and I have to give it a little extra shove to move it."
The man gulped and bobbed his head quickly. "Of course, Commander. No problem. We'll get right on it, sir. It'll be fixed by your next patrol. No problem, sir. You have a nice day, sir. Bye-bye now."
With that the man all but took off around to the other side of the Veritech. Rick was about to follow him when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Something wrong, Rick?" asked Max.
Rick looked to where the man disappeared and then back to Max. "I'm not sure, Max." He started walking inside and said, "Besides the fact that Lisa is still not talking to me, people are acting a little weird around me lately."
Max lifted his eyebrows in confusion. "Weird how?"
Rick shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know…weird. Like that flight crew guy out there. He just…"
A bout of loud laughter from behind a set of lockers interrupted Rick, and he and Max looked at each other questioningly. When they got closer they could begin to hear a conversation.
"…so Hayes looks at me and tells me to go home…"
Rick and Max looked at each other with narrowed eyes.
"…all because I had one little drink before coming to work. So I told her to go to hell."
"You didn't?" exclaimed another voice.
"Damn right I did," said the first voice. "She didn't know what to say so…"
"I can't believe you told the Ice Queen to go to hell," said a third voice.
Rick had enough. He handed his helmet to Max and walked to where the men were as the first guy said, "Well, she's wound up so tight you could…"
"That's enough!" barked Rick forcefully as he turned around the edge of the row of lockers. He saw three men, all of them pilots. They all came to attention, and when he saw who was there he knew who was telling the lies. He walked up to the troublemaker, Lieutenant Bloomberg, and stopped a couple of inches away from him. His voice dripped with ice as he spoke. "You will not talk that way about Captain Hayes ever again…do you hear me?" When the man nodded, Rick went on. "She is not only a superior officer, she has saved our asses more times with her quick thinking than I can count. She deserves respect, and by God she will get it. Understand?" Again the pilot simply nodded. Rick turned to the other two pilots. "Understand?" he asked them. They both said at the same time, "Yes, sir!"
Rick turned back to Bloomberg, whose face had gone completely pale and become drenched in sweat. "And for the record, the way I heard that story was that when you told Captain Hayes to go to hell, you cowered away from her like a little girl when she came after you, and ran away when the Captain was restrained by a security officer who just happened to be there." He turned to look at the other two pilots again. "Is it as funny now?" They both shook their heads and Rick looked back to his original target. "If I ever hear you, or anyone, talk about Captain Hayes like that again, you will answer to me, and you will not like it, not one tiny little bit. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," whimpered Bloomberg.
Rick looked to the other two men. "Clear?" When they both replied in the affirmative, Rick took a step back and looked at Bloomberg. "Out."
The three pilots bolted from the locker room at their top speeds leaving Rick and Max alone.
"Well done, Rick," said Max proudly. "I doubt they will ever talk about Lisa again, let alone disrespectfully."
Rick turned to face his friend and sighed as he caught the helmet that Max gently tossed to him.
"I hope so," he said softly.
----------------------------------
Case Notes.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Re: Capt. Lisa Hayes & Comdr. Rick Hunter
Sessions requested by Adm. Henry J. Gloval, Commander RDF.
After five sessions with each patient, I have come to the agonizing and very disheartening conclusion that these people do not want help, from themselves or anyone else. The obstinate attitudes and sometimes adversarial tendencies they have both shown towards me and what I am trying to do have not only continued during the week, but have intensified.
I have no choice but to stop wasting their time and mine in what I now deem to be a useless exercise. I deeply regret this unfortunate but necessary decision.
I have already left messages for Capt. Hayes and Cmdr. Hunter and I will inform Adm. Gloval immediately.
----------------------------------
"Come in," answered Gloval when a knock sounded on his door. He looked up when the door opened, and through the smoke caused by the pipe he had clenched lovingly between his teeth, he saw his long time friend, Irina Petrov.
"Ah," said Gloval as he took his pipe from his mouth and held it in his right hand. "How are you, Irina?"
To his credit, Gloval didn't flinch as a folder was thrown onto his desk, sending the papers that were already there fluttering off his desk in all directions to the floor.
"I quit!" exclaimed Petrov without preamble.
Gloval studied the doctor before going any further. Her eyes were wide for some reason, and there were more lines around her eyes and mouth than had been there when he approached her a little over a week earlier about helping Lisa and Rick. Even her hair seemed to be a little more frazzled than usual.
He cleared his throat and motioned with his left hand for her to sit. She did after a moment of thought and Gloval spoke calmly to her. "What do you mean, Irina? Quit from what?"
She opened her mouth to say something, but apparently thought better of it and took a deep breath. Gloval knew from personal experience that this was a very bad sign indeed.
"They are…impossible, Henry," stated Petrov as calmly as she could, which wasn't really all that calm at all. She stood up and began pacing back and forth in front of Gloval's desk. He followed her with his eyes and after several moments he had the feeling that he should have been watching a tennis match instead of his good friend.
And there was no question in his mind as to whom she was referring.
Finally she stopped in front of the desk and looked at him seriously and with her hands on her hips. "They will not cooperate, Henry. For a week they have avoided my questions and given me the same answers over and over again." She threw her arms up in the air and then let them hand limply along the sides of her body. "They simply refuse to acknowledge anything, except the fact that they both consider the other to be a valued colleague. Other than that, I have gotten nothing from them." She raised her right hand and pointed her index finger at Gloval, and with a slightly crazed expression upon her face she said loudly, "And I have tried every trick and method I know!"
As she lowered her hand and resumed pacing in front of his desk Gloval took a puff on his pipe. He was about to ask her to reconsider when she whirled around in front of him, her long yellow hair whipping around like a helicopter blade, and pointed her finger at him again.
"I quit, Henry!" she exclaimed as though she knew what he was going to say. She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at him. "I have tried every technique I know of and I can not get through to them. They are so…so…pig headed! That's it I tell you!" She looked at him questioningly. "How do you put up with them?"
Gloval cleared his throat. "It is a challenge sometimes." Gloval placed his pipe in his ashtray and folded his hands on his lap. "You have made no progress, Irina?"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Gloval knew it was the wrong thing to say. The way he phrased the question made it sound as though he was blaming her for the lack of results. Before he had a chance to correct himself, Petrov pounced.
"No!" she yelled. "I have not been able to help them. I have not been able to get through to them. Nothing." She lifted her right hand and held her thumb and index finger an inch apart. "And because of them I am this close to retiring and learning how to fish!"
He must have had a strange and confused look on his face, because Petrov waved her hand in the air and muttered, "It's a doctor thing."
"Irina…" tried Gloval in his calmest voice, but was cut off.
"They love each other," she said tiredly as she sat down in the chair and took a deep breath. "I'm certain of it, Henry. She loves him, deeply if I read the signs correctly. I am equally sure that he loves her, but I don't think he has even realized it yet." She leaned back in the chair and locked stares with Gloval. "And I think you're right about Minmei being in the way, but I can't even get him to admit that he has a history with Minmei, or that he loves anyone." Petrov sighed. "Every time I mention feelings to either one of them, they- what's the expression?- clam up?"
Gloval waited a moment to make sure he could get a word in and then said, "I see." He leaned forward in his chair and looked at his friend with a kind expression on his face. "What do you recommend?"
Petrov grunted and then laughed as she said, "Transfer them as far away from each other as you can."
Knowing she was joking Gloval smiled at her response. At least he hoped she was joking. "Is there nothing else we can do? What about seeing them together as was planned?" Petrov had been keeping him up to date, so he knew that she had only seen them individually.
Petrov sighed. "I don't see the point, Henry. If they will not discuss anything when they are alone with me, without anyone else as an audience, they will certainly be even less forthcoming if the object of their affection is sitting next to them. Besides being stubborn and perhaps even afraid of discussing it, they would certainly be embarrassed, if I read them and their psyche profiles correctly, and that would make your current situation even worse than it is now." Petrov leaned forward and spoke seriously. "Be warned, Henry. Leaving them as they are now without resolving their feelings for each other might very well make things worse for them…and you. Despite not getting a resolution, we have made them aware that others see something that they do not or something that they do not want to deal with, which I believe to be more likely. In any case, they will be uncomfortable for sometime around each other and around those who know what has happened."
Gloval rubbed his eyes and sighed again. "Very well. Thank you for trying, Irina."
Petrov stood up and nodded. When she reached the door a second later, she turned and said, "I'm sorry I couldn't help, Henry." With that she went through the door and closed it behind her.
"I'm sorry too," said Gloval into his empty office.
----------------------------------
Lisa walked into the mess, got a cup of coffee and went to her favorite table: a small, round two seat table hidden behind one of the massive vertical support beams. She sat down, took a sip of the bitter black coffee and looked over the duty schedule again. She had managed to do a pretty good job of avoiding Rick in the last week. She had up until Thursday covered, but after that it was going to be trickier to arrange the duty schedule so that they wouldn't be working at the same time.
"Running away from him isn't going to solve anything," came a slightly amused and familiar voice from behind her.
Lisa continued to study the schedule and said as Claudia sat down at the table, "I'm not running, Claudia. I'm just minimizing the amount of time we have to fight with each other, and the less we fight with each other, the less chance there is that we will hurt anyone besides…"
Lisa stopped, and after a moment Claudia said softly, "Besides you."
Lisa didn't look up, but the pink that bloomed on her cheeks told Claudia that she was right.
"How are the sessions going?" asked Claudia.
That got a bark of laughter from Lisa, and when she looked up into Claudia's eyes, all Claudia could see was morbid amusement.
"Actually, the sessions are finished." Lisa nodded her head and added, "I got a message this morning that my appointment for toady was cancelled and that it would not be rescheduled. A report is being forwarded to Admiral Gloval as soon as it's ready." She looked at Claudia with a resigned smile. "That should be interesting."
Claudia remained silent as Lisa went back to studying her schedule. She had no idea what to do to help Rick and Lisa.
She was about to try something when she heard the door to the mess open and the sounds of a conversation reached her ears.
"That's what he said," came a female voice that Claudia didn't recognize. "He said that Bloomberg was bragging this morning about telling off Captain Hayes, but Commander Hunter stopped him cold."
Lisa and Claudia looked at each with eyes widened in surprise.
"Really?" asked a second female voice.
"Yep, and apparently Commander Hunter told Bloomberg that anyone who disrespected the Captain again would answer to him."
"Wow," said the second woman. "I wish I had someone like that to come to my rescue."
"Me too…" said the first woman, but anything else that was said was lost as they walked farther away.
Claudia looked at Lisa, who had her eyes closed. When they opened a second later they were moist with tears.
"See Lisa," said Claudia as she leaned forward, seizing the opportunity. "He cares more than he lets on. You have to…"
"I'm his friend, Claudia." Lisa smiled sadly. "He would have done it for you, Max, Miriya and a dozen others. Don't make more of it than it is."
Claudia sighed and stood up. She took the step necessary to stand beside Lisa and put her left hand on Lisa's shoulder. "Maybe you should try seeing it for what it really is." Claudia squeezed Lisa's shoulder then let go. "I'll see you on the bridge."
When Claudia left, Lisa took a deep breath and turned her attention back to the schedule. She had to go to New Phoenix later in the day and wouldn't get back until Wednesday evening, so she wanted to get it done…and fast.
----------------------------------
Gloval sat at his desk on Tuesday morning, trying to figure out what to do before he went to the bridge for the day. Petrov's admission the day before that there was nothing to be done was disquieting to say the least. He needed something to happen. Anything. At this point it didn't matter what.
He reached for his phone and contacted the bridge.
"Kim," he said when he got an answer, "could you please tell Captain Hayes and Commander Hunter that I want to see them in my office as soon as possible."
He listened as Kim spoke to him, and when she finished Gloval mumbled a few choice Russian words. "Thank you, Kim. I forgot Lisa went to New Phoenix last night. She will be back when? Wednesday night…yes of course, I remember now. Very well. Never mind then. I will talk to them later. Thank you, Kim."
Gloval replaced the receiver in its cradle and wished he had an answer to the Lisa and Rick dilemma…it just wasn't something they taught you about in command school.
----------------------------------
Rick sat alone at a table in the mess of the SDF-1 on Wednesday morning and he was moping.
He was moping and he knew it. He just didn't care.
"Mind if we join you", said a voice he would recognize anywhere.
He motioned to the two chairs across from him and said, "Be my guest."
Max and Miriya sat down and looked at him. Like him, they were in uniform, but unlike him they appeared to be happy.
"What is the matter, Rick?" asked Miriya in her typical straight forward style.
Rick flinched and sighed. "What makes you think…?" The 'you've got to be kidding' look that Miriya had come to master stopped him cold, much, apparently, to Max's amusement. "She's gone to New Phoenix and she didn't even tell me." Rick put both his hands on the sides of his head and rested his elbows on the table. He looked down as he said disbelievingly, "She just…left, without a word." He looked up to his friends. "She always used to let me know when she was going away. But not this time. The only reason I know is because I ran into Claudia and she told me that she left Monday evening and won't be back until tonight."
Max and Miriya adopted equally sympathetic looks.
"Rick…" tried Max.
"And why is everyone looking at me funny?" asked Rick as he sat up straight, slammed his hands down onto the table and looked around.
Max and Miriya looked around as well, and managed to catch a couple of people turn away quickly as though they were caught staring, which of course they were.
"Oh that," said Miriya casually. "They think you're a train."
Rick looked at Max.
Max looked at Rick.
Then they both looked at Miriya.
"Miriya, honey," said Max as if he were talking to a child. "What do you mean?"
Miriya's brow furrowed. "I heard a couple of pilots say that they were afraid to go near Rick because he was a train."
After another quick glance at Rick, Max asked Miriya, "Are you sure they said train?"
Miriya rubbed her chin as she thought about it, something she had seen some Micronians do when they had to think about something. "No…they said something else." She closed her eyes and remembered the conversation. Her eyes shot open and she said proudly, "Loco! They said they were afraid to go near him because he was going to therapy because he had gone loco!"
Rick had very unfortunate timing, for just as Miriya made her announcement he had taken a fairly sizable gulp of the orange juice he had been nursing, and promptly spit is out onto the table in a wide gush when Miriya said what she did.
"What?" Rick croaked loudly as he wiped his chin.
Miriya nodded and used a napkin to wipe up of some of the juice. "Someone started the rumor that you are going to therapy because you have gone loco."
"Loco!" Rick shouted, causing heads to turn sharply in his direction and hushed whispers to pass between friends. Rick looked around then leaned in and whispered, "Loco?"
Miriya nodded smartly. "Yes, loco." Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Isn't a loco a train?" she asked Max.
Max's smile was as wide as his face. "No, honey," he said softly. "A train is a locomotive. Loco as you heard it means crazy. Insane. Bonkers. Out of your…"
"Thank you, Max…I think Miriya gets the picture," said Rick and he leaned back in his chair wondering why he had ever given Max a word of the day calendar for his last birthday. "That's just great! How did they know I was seeing Petrov, and what the hell made them think it was because I went bananas?"
Miriya was still cleaning up as she said, "I do not know. But some people believe that your grumpy attitude lately is the reason for it." She looked at Rick and then to Max. "I am surprised that neither of you has heard the rumor."
"Hunh," grunted Rick. "I guess they're all too afraid to tell me." Rick smiled wickedly and lifted his arms up and locked his fingers together behind his head. "This could work to my advantage."
Max was confused and let it show in his voice. "I thought you thought it was weird," he said slowly.
Rick lowered his arms and folded them across his chest. "That was before I knew why they were avoiding me. Now that I know, I can use it."
Rick kept smiling for a moment, then his face dropped into its previous depressed look. When he stood up, Max asked, "Where are you going, Rick?"
Rick smiled a cheerless smile as he whispered, "Home."
----------------------------------
The next morning Rick was in the air in Skull One, on his way with the rest of the Skull to do a patrol in one of the Northern Quadrants. His night had been less than peaceful. Nightmares of a life without Lisa plagued him constantly, and Petrov's continual questioning of his feelings for Lisa kept ringing out in his mind, which made him consider the answers over and over again.
And on top of that, he still hadn't heard from Lisa. He assumed she got back last night as scheduled, but she hadn't called him as was her habit after coming back from a trip.
Lisa was staying away from him and it hurt, a lot more than he thought it would.
More than being away from Minmei ever did.
But right now he was in the air, where all was going well as they prepared to hit the afterburners and fly freely through the clear blue skies.
That is until the TAC net spewed forth a message that changed all of that in a heartbeat.
'This is Shuttle One declaring an emergency,' stated a familiar voice that was tinged with a note of anxiety that sent shivers down Rick's spine. 'We have been attacked and have received extensive damage to most flight systems. The pilot and copilot have both been injured. We require immediate assistance. I say again…"
The voice went through the information again, and as it did, Rick used his radar and sensing equipment to determine the location of the shuttle. He got the exact location, changed his course and engaged full throttle before Lisa could get all the way through her message.
"Lisa, I'm on my way," he stated with a clear and calm voice despite the fact that fear for Lisa's well-being and the usual adrenaline rush he got whenever a dangerous situation came up had his heart beating faster than it ever had before.
'Rick' Lisa said softly. The way she said his name told him she wasn't at all surprised that he would be the one to come to her rescue; that it was the way it was supposed to be, and if he were to be honest with himself, he agreed.
"I'm on my way, Lisa," he declared again. "I have your position and will be there in two minutes. What's your status?" What he wanted to ask was, "Are you okay?"
'Not great,' she replied, and he took it to mean no to his unasked question. 'The attackers have left us alone…I think they thought we were finished and moved on. I don't know.' There was a pause and he could hear her trying to control her breathing over the speakers. 'Both pilots are out, and I'm the only one in the shuttle who has ever managed to find the time to fly an aircraft before.'
"You know what to do, Lisa," he said with a confidence that was totally sincere. "God knows you've talked us through worse before. Just hang on."
He could hear the smile in her voice when she said, "Thank you, Rick."
Rick nearly bolted out of his safety harness when he heard a small explosion over the channel, followed by some static interrupted shouting.
"Lisa! Lisa! Are you there? Lisa!" he shouted.
When he heard Lisa's voice again it was garbled and choppy. 'Small expl…cab…fire…fi…suppression sys…malfunc…'
"Come on, come on," Rick whispered, trying to coax his plane to go faster. After what seemed like a dozen lifetimes he saw the shuttle, trailing thick black smoke in the atmosphere and heading downward at a God awful velocity. The shuttle's white body was scarred from stem to stern with the telltale black marks of what looked to be dozens of laser hits, and part of the tail fin was missing. The smoke that Rick initially saw was coming from two areas near the thrusters. He pulled in close to the port side of the shuttle, matched his speed with it and looked over into the cockpit. Relief washed over him as he saw Lisa look back out at him. He checked their vector and realized that they were headed for the SDF-1. "Skull One to SDF-1. Shuttle One is on a collision course with the ship. Recommend you institute evacuation procedures, over."
'Roger, Skull One,' came Claudia's anxious voice.
Rick thought over the options. There was no way to evacuate the shuttle. The speed at which the shuttle was descending, plus the fact that there were multiple evacuees precluded that option. But what did that leave?
An idea came to him, something his instructors at the academy would call impossible, foolhardy and suicidal. He was calling it Lisa's only chance. He took a quick breath and reset his hands on the stick and throttle to ensure he had a solid grip on both instruments.
"Lisa, can your hear me?" When he got no response, Rick tried again. Again he got no response, but when he looked over, he saw Lisa nodding her head in an exaggerated motion. He surmised, he hoped, that that meant that she could receive but not transmit.
"Lisa, if you can hear me wave at me." When she waved at him through the cockpit window of the shuttle Rick sighed with relief. "Listen to me carefully, Lisa. I'm going to switch to Battloid mode and move underneath the shuttle…give it enough thrust to keep level. When that happens, we're going to have to land the shuttle. You know what to do to land, so do it as you normally would unless I say otherwise." Rick pulled in even closer. "I'll use my thrusters to steer the shuttle in the right direction. Do you have any helm control at all?" Lisa nodded her head then held her hands a little ways apart. "Some but not a lot?" he asked and she nodded. "I'll tell you when I'm going to modify my thrust so you'll be ready for the movements." Lisa nodded in understanding.
Rick swallowed the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. "Lisa, I need you to know something." He took another quick breath and found her eyes across the distance between them. "Lisa…I lo…damn!"
The last word was because an explosion near the shuttle's port thruster sent the shuttle into a sharp turn towards him and he had to move out of the way quickly. Lisa recovered beautifully. "If we get out of this I have to remember to compliment her on that," he thought but then added, "when! When we get out of this, Rick…not if!"
Rick moved Skull One down underneath the shuttle and matched their vector and velocity, then pulled the mode selector switch to B. Robotechnology worked its magic and within seconds Skull One was a techno knight in a free fall. He reached up with the Battloid's arms and grabbed onto the bottom of the shuttle, crunching the metal skin of the shuttle in its strong titanium alloy hands, and then hoped with all his heart that his plan worked.
----------------------------------
Gloval was on the bridge three seconds after Claudia called him about Shuttle One's mayday. Shuttle One was the shuttle that transported Lisa to New Phoenix and was supposed to bring her back last night, but a message waiting for him this morning told him that the meetings Lisa had been involved with went on longer than they thought they would, so Lisa decided to wait until today to come home.
He watched the screens with wonder and awe as he saw what Rick was trying to do. One Veritech wouldn't be enough knew Gloval. He just hoped that Rick and the other members of the Skull knew it too.
----------------------------------
It took a few anxious moments to get the shuttle leveled off and heading for the Prometheus, but when it was finally done Rick turned his Battloid around so that the foot thrusters were at the nose of the shuttle trying to arrest their forward velocity. They were slowing down, but not nearly enough to try to land, and land was coming up on them very fast.
Out of nowhere, a streak of blue passed by the port side of the shuttle, followed immediately by a streak of red down the starboard side. Rick smiled despite the situation and wasn't the least bit surprised when Max's voice drifted through his speakers.
'Hey Boss…need a hand?'
'Or two?' added Miriya.
"Switch to Guardian mode you two," began Rick without answering their question. "Grab the shuttle's wings on either side as close to the fuselage as you can. When you have a firm grip, turn your planes around so that you can point your foot thrusters and dorsal thrusters forward. Do you…"
He didn't have to finish asking if they understood, because just after saying 'you' he saw Miriya's red Guardian grab the port wing and maneuver into position, then he saw Max's blue Guardian do the same to the starboard wing.
The shuttle slowed significantly.
"Skull One to SDF-1. We're coming in hot. Have emergency teams on standby." He didn't wait for them to acknowledge. "Okay guys," he said to Max and Miriya. "Let's do it."
----------------------------------
Gloval watched with burgeoning respect for Rick, Max and Miriya. The shuttle and Veritechs of the Skull were visible through the window and Gloval knew it would all be over in seconds.
"Claudia, you have the bridge!" he shouted and ran off the bridge to head for the Prometheus.
----------------------------------
"This is it!" shouted Rick. "I'm aiming for the bow of Prometheus to give us as much room as possible. It's going to be a rough landing. As soon as we touch down you guys, hit maximum power on your thrusters and wait for my command to cut them."
'Roger, Boss,' replied Max, followed by Miriya's, 'Affirmative, Skull leader.'
"Lisa, if you can hear me, when we're within half a kilometer of the Prometheus cut power to the shuttle thrusters. Inertia will bring us in and our thrusters will stop us." He silently added, "I hope."
"Standby…"
----------------------------------
Gloval felt a deep sense of dread in his stomach as he watched the incoming shuttle and Veritechs. If it didn't work, he would lose three of the best pilots he had and his first officer. More than that, however, he would lose three members of his family.
As the shuttle came closer, Gloval prayed to a God he hadn't spoken to in a very long time that they would be okay.
----------------------------------
Lisa cut the power to the shuttle's thrusters just as he had instructed. She still couldn't believe what was happening. It seemed surreal, to be in the pilot's seat of a crippled shuttle hoping that the man you loved and two of your best friends could save your life.
"Everybody strapped in?" she called back into the cabin from the cockpit. Someone called back that they were.
She estimated seconds until impact, and as the Prometheus rushed towards them the only thought on her mind was Rick, trying his best to save her life one more time.
"I love you, Rick," she whispered as she felt the impact of the shuttle hitting the deck of the Prometheus.
----------------------------------
Rick felt the impact as well; the back of his Battloid scraping along the deck causing what he was sure had to be a brilliant light show of sparks and smoke. Skull One would need a hell of a paint job when this was over…if it wasn't wrecked and he lived, that is.
"Come on," he grated through clenched teeth. He already had the throttle as far forward as it could go trying to stop them. "Come on!"
----------------------------------
Gloval saw the impact, followed immediately by the bone jarring sound of metal screeching as it scraped along metal. Smoke and flames were instantly flung into the air, and sirens sounded indicating that the emergency crews were already on the move.
Before he knew it, he was moving towards the shuttle as well.
----------------------------------
Rick felt them slowing down and pulled the throttle back. The last thing he needed was for their momentum to shift and start heading backward. "Cut thrust!" he ordered to Max and Miriya over the net.
The cockpit was shaking apart and tiny sparks erupted from one of the starboard control panels. "Keep it together," he implored.
It was then that the shuttle stopped with a lurch and he immediately hit the emergency shut off switch for the engines.
Rick listened as an eerie silence settled in the cockpit, shattered only by the sound of the near cardiac arrest that he could hear in his chest.
He turned his Battloid's head to the side and then looked forward as best he could. They had stopped just in time…less than a meter from the arm of the SDF-1. Rick sighed in relief, then immediately felt a stab of fear.
"Lisa…can you hear me?" he asked, forgetting in his haste and panic that the shuttle's transmitter was no longer working. He waited for a moment before saying, "Please answer me." He saw that Max and Miriya were still holding the shuttle by the wings. "Max, Miriya. Can you lift this thing up enough for me to squeeze out of here?"
They didn't respond verbally, but he saw and felt the shuttle being lifted from the chest of his Battloid. The groaning of metal as it strained to maintain its form and strength as the shuttle lifted told him to hurry. He maneuvered out from underneath the shuttle quickly and switched his Veritech to Guardian mode as close to the shuttle as he could safely and without interfering with the emergency crews. He immediately looked to the cockpit of the shuttle as Max and Miriya lowered the crippled shuttle gently onto the deck of Prometheus.
His heart stopped when he couldn't see her. He lowered the nose of his Guardian towards the deck and opened the canopy, though he was on the deck and running to the port side of the shuttle where the emergency evacuation slide had already been deployed as the canopy was still opening.
----------------------------------
Gloval was at the bottom of the slide when Lisa slid down. He hugged her tightly, partly out of relief and partly so she couldn't see the tears in his eyes. When they separated, Gloval removed a white handkerchief from his trousers and pressed it to a cut on her forehead. She smiled and lifted her hand to press the cloth to her head.
Gloval was beyond words, so when he heard Rick frantically call out Lisa's name through the smoke that still lingered around the shuttle, all he could do was smile and nod for her to go.
Lisa smiled back at her CO and surrogate father and nodded thankfully.
She turned then, and headed towards the direction of Rick's voice hoping for one more miracle that day.
So was Gloval.
----------------------------------
When Rick saw her emerge from the smoke, her usually pristine, white uniform visibly scorched in several places and holding a blood stained cloth to her head, Rick thought he had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life than Lisa, safe and sound, walking towards him.
He walked towards her, taking only two steps before breaking into a run, a run that ended when he reached her, put his arms around her waist and pulled her into the most passionate kiss he had ever initiated with anyone in his life.
Relief bloomed throughout him when Lisa's hands snaked around his neck and she returned the kiss with equal enthusiasm. He let everything within him bleed into the kiss; the emptiness he felt at missing her lately, the fear he felt for her life, the relief he felt when he saw that she was safe, and, most importantly, his love. When he ended the kiss moments later he hugged her closer and buried his face in her neck.
"I thought I was going to lose you," he whispered, ignoring the clapping, whistling and cheering going on by everyone around them.
Lisa was oblivious to it as well as she leaned back to look at him. "Lose me?" she repeated softly.
Rick nodded. "I love you, Lisa." Her eyes opened wide in shock. "I know it sounds like, well, I'm saying that because of what just happened, but I've come to realize that I've loved you for a while." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "I love you. More than anything." Rick watched as Lisa's mouth opened and closed twice without saying anything. "Lisa, speak to me."
She felt a tear slip down her left cheek. As he reached up with his right hand and brushed the tear away she said lovingly, "I love you, too."
They both smiled, at least until they leaned in towards each other a moment later and kissed for the second time in a matter of minutes.
The kiss went on until Rick started to laugh against Lisa's lips. Thoroughly annoyed, Lisa stopped the kiss and looked at Rick with a mixture of annoyance, amusement and confusion.
When he settled down he looked at her and said, "Who needs a counselor and therapy? All we needed was one more near death experience to get us to admit our feelings to each other."
Lisa laughed for a moment. She caressed his left cheek with her hand. "Yes," she said jovially. "That's all."
----------------------------------
Gloval watched the scene happily; the joy of knowing that two members of his family had finally come together warmed his heart. Of course, seeing Max Sterling jumping up and down in the cockpit of his blue Veritech like a giddy schoolboy whose team had just won the big game helped as well.
Gloval pulled his cap down to nearly cover his eyes and began to walk back to the bridge of his ship to spend the rest of what he hoped would be a quiet day.
Several hours later, near the end of what did indeed turn out to be a relatively calm day, Gloval went into his office to pick up a little package and left to find the woman who had had a hand in the significant event of the day.
He found Irina Petrov in her office looking over some kind of report.
She looked at him warily as she said, "I heard the good news, Henry." She turned her attention back to her report. "I may not retire after all."
He never said a word as he walked in and produced the item he had hidden behind his back. He then placed the bottle of his favorite brand of vodka on her desk, sat down in the nearest armchair and waited with his arms resting on the arms of the chair.
Petrov glanced at the bottle nonchalantly and then slowly closed the folder on her desk. She sighed and looked Gloval in the eyes, and after a moment she reached down and opened her desk drawer, removing from it two small glasses and placing them on her desk near the bottle.
"I did all the hard work," she said haughtily. "You pour."
Gloval nodded once in agreement. He reached over and took the bottle in his large hands, removing the cover easily, and then poured two generous helpings of the clear liquid for them.
"To you, Irina," saluted Gloval as he held his drink in the air between them. "You got them thinking and they saw the truth of their situation."
Petrov held up her own glass. "To them," she corrected. "May they have a long and healthy relationship."
Gloval smiled and clinked his glass against hers. "To them," he agreed as he brought the glass to his lips.