Disclaimer: I don't own Robotech or any of the characters. The following fan fiction is written for entertainment purposes only.

CHAPTER ONE:

“Who is she?”

“Who?” Roy Fokker, legendary ace fighter pilot and leader of the famous Skull Squadron asked, and looked around but saw no one of interest in their immediate vicinity.

“Her!” Rick said and pointed her out with his eyes to Roy.

Roy followed his gaze and when he saw who Rick was gazing at he smiled. The smiled was full of mischief and his trademark killer blue eyes sparkled with glee instead of cold steel.

“You mean Commander Hayes?”

“Is that who she is? Commander Hayes?”

“Actually, her name is Lisa but she’s Commander Hayes to you, little bro, and stop looking at her like that, Rick,” Roy growled and put on his most stern look of disapproval. He prayed Rick wouldn’t turn to look at him because if he did, Roy knew he would burst out laughing.

“Like what?” Rick protested hotly but his eye never strayed from her—Lisa. He wondered if ‘Lisa’ was her real name or a shorten version of Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Isabel or something else.

He saw that she was now joined by three girls, also in uniform but he had eyes only for her. He’d never seen anyone like her before, all pale, calm and so aristocratic in her feature and mannerism. Yet there was an air of fragility about her that intrigued him and he wondered what color were her eyes.

“How come I’ve never see her before, Roy?”

“Because she was in the infirmary for a month after we space folded. When the enemy attacked us on Earth, she was on her way back from the UEG headquarter. Her plane got caught in the crossfire and crashed. She was badly hurt,” Roy muttered and picked up his empty cup of coffee.

He raised it to the waitress who was making the rounds and coming toward their table. She nodded in response to his request and he automatically flashed her his legendary ‘Roy Fokker’ sexy smile. He saw her blushing and feeling pretty satisfied with himself he turned back to Rick.

“For a while there we didn’t know what had happened to Lisa until we found her among the citizens of Macross in one of the shelters. You haven’t seen her before because when she was well enough to return to work you were at boot camp. If you’ll remember knucklehead, today is your first day out in six weeks.”

“Is she seeing anyone?”

“She is definitely single, and definitely not looking. Hate to break your heart, kid, but she is one lady you do not want to mess with and besides, she’s your CO.”

“What!”

“Yes, she’s your commanding officer,” Roy said and he couldn’t stop grinning as he watched his little brother fall for Commander Lisa Hayes, otherwise known as the “ice queen” among all the male pilots. “She’s out of your league, Rick. She’s not the “ice queen” for no reason.”

“I don’t care what she is. She’s incredible… look at her!”

“Rick, listen to me, Lisa’s… she’s different,” Roy said with caution now, “she doesn’t play. For all her air of fragility, she’s all steel and determination. She didn’t get to her rank and position just on looks and family connection…”

“Introduce me, Roy,” Rick said, cutting Roy off as Lisa and her friends came closer to the café.

“Why should I?”

“Please, Roy, anything. I’ll give you anything, you want. I’ll even volunteer for extra duty.”

Roy knew he should stop it here and now but looking at Rick staring at Lisa so intently with awe, he couldn’t refuse. “I want your WWII airplane collection when we get back to Earth and you take two extra shits next week when you report to work.”

“Done,” Rick replied without hesitation.

Roy laughed and stood up.

“Commander Hayes!”

“Lisa,” Vanessa said, “I think Commander Fokker is calling you.”

Lisa turned and looked across the street. Sure enough, Commander Roy Fokker was waving to them and smiling.

“I think he wants us to join him,” Sammie said with a perky smile and crossed the street without even looking both ways.

“Sammie wait—“Lisa said but she quickly realized that it was already too late. For Sammie was already on the other side of the street and waving back at Commander Fokker like a love-struck fool.

“Sometimes I wonder where her brain is,” Kim said and giggled with Vanessa because they knew exactly where her brain was—in the clouds!

“Come on girls, lets join the party,” Lisa sighed and followed Sammie over to the little curbside café and Fokker’s table.

“Lisa, I don’t believe you’ve met the newest member of Skull. Rick this is Commander Lisa Hayes. Lisa, Corporal Rick Hunter,” Roy said in his smooth-talking voice and turned to smile at Sammie, Kim and Vanessa as they each pulled up a chair.

“Ma’am,” Rick said and automatically saluted her.

“There’s no need to salute me, Corporal Hunter. We’re not on base and we’re off duty,” she said and gave him a smile that made him focus on her mouth.

“Rick, just shake her hand and sit down,” Roy said and gave Lisa an apology grin but his blue eyes danced with laughter.

The mischief sparkled in Fokker’s eyes automatically had Lisa’s senses on red alert for she just knew she was the butt of some raunchy jokes between the two pilots. But for the life of her, she could not figure out why.

Rick wished the enemy would attack right at that moment and put him out of his embarrassment. He couldn’t believe it that he’d made a total basket case of himself and in front of Lisa too!

Great going Hunter! Now she’s going to think you’re not only a kid but a babbling idiot too.

Nervously he grabbed Lisa’s outstretch hand for a quick handshake and… just like that, his world shifted.

Her eyes, they were hazel—browns and grays and greens all intermingled, shot with gold light that matched her hair. He saw now that her hair was dark blond, not the brown it had appeared before. More so, she vibrated with warmth and strength.

Lisa stood rigid with shock, disbelief and confusion.

The electric shot that had transferred from him to her when their hands touched was almost blinding. She felt paralyzed as she stared at him, held immobile by a frightening excitement that knotted her stomach and set her heart to pounding.

This can’t be happening! She prayed but it was and his eyes, they were blue—dazzling and vivid blue…. like Texas bluebonnets.

She felt herself being sucked into those eyes, seduced by that smile and the fact that he was staggeringly handsome didn’t help. Not Fokker’s slick good looks, but a devastating combination of boyish charm and would-be maturity. His black hair was just a little too long, falling over his forehead and she suddenly felt a need to brush it aside with her hand.

“Rick! You can let Commander Hayes’ hand go now,” a voice boomed into his ear and as if in slow motion, he turned to look at who had yelled at him.

Looking down, he saw four pair of eyes staring up at him and Lisa. The emotions he read in the four pair of eyes varied from amusement to shock and surprise.

He went white, then red, then white again.

He wanted to run from them and hide but stopped himself when he realized that he was still holding Lisa’s hand. Ignoring Roy and the rest of the girls, he slowly let go of her hand and pulled up a chair from the next table for her as if nothing had happened.

Just breathe, Hunter, he told himself and managed a weak smile for the bunnies as he sat down.

Sitting down, Lisa felt her knees shaking.

Nothing happened! She told herself and tried to steady her hands by clenching her hands tightly together under the table. Nothing happened! She repeated to herself again and had to look away from the curious stares of Sammie, Vanessa and Kim, and found herself staring at Rick.

His eyes met hers and that’s when she realized that she was physically attracted to him--Corporal Rick Hunter, a pilot and an immature one at that, and too cocky for his own good. Every ounce of modesty she possessed was outraged.

My god, Lisa! she admonished herself. He’s barely out of diapers!

Claudia paused by the bridge door, her attention caught by the young woman sitting so still at her station, with her hands folded in her lap. She sat staring at nothing, motionless. She knew without asking that something was wrong.

In all the years that she had known Lisa, she’d never seen her so pale, cool and controlled, with a face as blank as marble. Then she corrected herself for she had seen Lisa like this once before—after Riber’s death.

“Lisa?”

“Hi, Claudia, good morning,” Lisa said and smiled warmly.

“Something wrong, Lisa?”

“No.”

“Lisa, tell me—“

“Really, it’s nothing, Claudia.”

“Lisa…”

“Oh, all right, you’re never going let me be if I don’t tell you,” Lisa sighed in aspiration.

“Do you know a pilot name Rick Hunter?”

Claudia smiled in relief and took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart for she’d thought that Lisa’s problem was something life and death but now…

“Yes. He’s Roy’s friend. I believe he was just out of boot camp and is now with Skull squadron. Roy calls him his little brother. I don’t think they’re related by blood but by all that matters, they are brothers.”

As if a light had just turned on in her head, Claudia suddenly paused and her eyes widened in surprised.

“It’s not what you’re thinking, Claudia,” Lisa protested when she saw the change in Claudia.

“What it is, then?”

“It’s just that... I don’t know, Claudia. I met him for the first time two weeks ago and ... and now I can’t stop thinking about him!” Lisa finally finished, her cheeks burning.

Finally her eyes darted to Claudia’s in panic and confusion.

“Welcome back to the living, girlfriend!” Claudia said and could not stop herself from being excited. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed you, Lisa. We have to go shopping now, after work, for your closet has been seriously neglected since you went into isolation and we need to give you a make over, it’s been years since you’ve had a hair cut.”

“I’m serious, Claudia!” Lisa cried in dismay.

“He’s… he’s so young and cocky and a loud mouth to boot … and he scares me, Claudia. He scares me to death because I’m so unbalanced and distracted in his presence,” she finished in a shaky whispered.

“Oh, Lisa,” Claudia sighed and smiled at her friend with warm sympathy.

“Stop think about her,” Roy said as he sat down across from Rick.

“I’m not thinking about anyone, Roy,” Rick replied.

Roy made a faint scoffing sound and grinned to himself.

“I’ve heard that she’s manipulative.”

“So are you, Roy,” Rick murmured.

“She’s domineering.”

“I like strong women.”

“She’s arrogant.”

“Isn’t everyone?”

“She’s a very pretty woman, Rick.”

“I’m interested in the woman behind the pretty façade.”

Torn between exasperation and laughter, Roy considered the best way to deal with Rick and his problem– Commander Lisa Hayes.

“Goddammit, Rick, just ask the woman out! And get that silly smile off your face. It’s unbecoming of a Skull.”

Leaning back, Rick frowned as he contemplated Roy’s outburst. It had never occurred to him before because he hadn’t thought he could. She was after all, his CO and there are rules… but now, the possibility that he could…

“Rick! Hello!”

“I’m thinking, Roy,” Rick mused aloud.

“What are you going to have?” Roy asked impatiently.

Looking up, Rick saw that the waitress was waiting for his order with an annoyance look on her face.

“Ummm…… I’ll have… no, just give me whatever he’s having,” Rick said and handed the menu to the waitress. She took it without saying a word but he saw her rolling her eyes.

“What’s there to think about, little brother? You either ask her out or you don’t. It’s as simple as that,” Roy snorted once the waitress left with their orders.

“It’s not as easy as that,” Rick snapped and his gaze dared Roy to offer an opinion to the contrary.

“Afraid she’ll turn you down, little brother?” Roy asked amusingly and laughed.

“Damn it, Roy, you’re not helping at all,” Rick said beneath his breath, experiencing, for the first time in his life, the gnawing fear of losing something he wants badly.

“Commander Fokker?”

They both turned and saw Minmei walking up to stand next to their booth. She was dressed in a red silk qi pao that showed off her bountiful assets beautifully. Her long blue black hair was traditionally styled on top of her head to match the qi pao. She was stunningly gorgeous and sexy.

“Miss Minmei,” Roy said as he stood up to greet her and gave Rick a quick kick under the table to do the same thing.

“Oh, please, Commander, don’t get up. I just wanted to come over to thank you again for saving my life. If it hadn’t been for you, I would not be here today to enter the Miss Macross pageant which is tomorrow night. You are coming, right? And you should bring all the guys from your unit too. I’m going to need all the help I can get…”

Then she noticed Rick.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot your name? I’ve met you before, haven’t I?”

Clearing his throat, Rick answered. “Yes. We met the day Roy saved your life.”

“Of course,” Minmei said with a smile and batted her lovely blue eyes at him. “I’m inviting you too and I want you to bring all your friends, flyboy.”

Without waiting for a reply from Rick, she turned her attention back to Roy.

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, Commander Fokker, my uncle says you can eat for free here anytime you want. He’s also very grateful to you. I have to go now because I have to do another practice walk before the big day,” she finished and turned to leave but stopped and turned back to Roy, giving him flirtatious smile.

“I will look for you there, Commander Fokker. And you too,” she said as an after thought to Rick and rushed off.

“That girl can’t be sixteen!” Roy said shaking his head as Minmei disappeared from their sight.

The corner of Rick’s mouth twisted mockingly as he watched his big brother. “She is definitely your type. Regretting your commitment to being a one woman’s man? Shall I inform Claudia?”

Rick saw that Roy actually shifted in his seat and he smiled amusingly.

“You do, and you’ll be pulling extra shifts for the next six months,” Roy said with a frozen glare.

Rick laughed. “Yea, whatever.”

“Come out, Lisa,” Claudia said impatiently.

Lisa pushed open the door and stepped out of the dressing room. Immediately she saw the sparkle of a mischievous glint in Claudia’s eye and as if by reflect, she braced herself for anything and everything that might befall her for agreeing to Claudia’s suggestion that they update her civilian wardrobe.

“Now, turn around.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

She did as Claudia commanded and when she looked at her friend again, the gleam was even brighter.

“Claudia, whatever it is that you are planning—“

“Lisa, you’re a beautiful, sexy woman, you truly are, you know, and it’s time to celebrate it.”

“No, please, Claudia. I agree to a few purchases, not a makeover. I’m fine and happy the way I am.”

“Trust me, Lisa. I know what I am doing.”

Looking at herself in the mirror, Lisa sighed in defeat.