fanfic_name = Beyond the Stars

chapter = 3

author = AP

dedicate = Carl Macek

Rating = AP

Type = Adventure

fanfic = Beyond the Stars: Part 3

By Admiral Price



Rick sat in the Doctor's office, very worried. Lisa had just collapsed in his arms, and he had to find out why. He waited patiently in the small room, until finally the door opened and the doctor came in.



"Well Captain, I have good news and bad new. Which would you like first?" the doctor asked.



"Whichever you'd like to give me first, doctor," Rick replied.



"It's nothing major, really. Her shoulder is a little weak, and she's suffering from shock and post-traumatic stress. But she will need to stay in the hospital for at least a week," the doctor said.



"What?! Why?" Rick exclaimed.



"If you look at her medical history, you will find that Miss Hayes has been careless with her health. She never follows our advice. She never listens to doctors. After the Mars Base incident, she was told to rest her shoulder. It's been over two years Captain, and she still hasn't rested it once!" the doctor explained. "Because of this, she will be staying in the hospital so we can keep an eye on her. You can visit whenever you want to. Also, there is one other thing."



"Yes doctor?" asked Rick, very worried about what 'the other thing' would be.



"We're going to let you tell her," the doctor said with a smirk. "Her temper is legendary, and I don't have time to recover from wounds she may inflict."



Rick and the doctor shared a little laugh, and the worry drained out of Rick's face. He shook his head and stood from his chair. The doctor called for a nurse, and she led him to Lisa's room. She was sleeping calmly, and, not wanting to disturb the rest she needed, Rick merely sat next to her. The thoughts of the last few weeks came to mind, and he sighed over his foolishness. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he see how much Lisa loved him? And, even now, at this point, did he tell her he loved her out of sympathy, or did he really mean it? All Rick could do was rest his head back and think, about the past, the present, and the future.



Minmei. It seemed like a million years ago that she and he had been stranded in the lost corridors of the ship. Twelve days- wow. They had stayed there for twelve days, and he had grown to like her very much. She had shown such strength, such resourcefulness. She was beautiful, helpful, and kept herself busy. When he was out trying to find a way to get out, she built a tent, cooked the food, and helped in any other way possible. When he came back, she did her best to comfort him, to help him, to share his load. He had felt responsible for them being trapped in there, and then felt responsible for taking care of this girl who was only fifteen. He had one day looked deep into her eyes and remembered that she was then the most beautiful girl he knew, and that he was beginning to fall for that Minmei. But Minmei in private was much different than the Minmei in public, the Minmei who had a reputation to uphold. In public she was fickle, easily swayed. She treated him with complete indifference, even though she knew he felt something for her. He was her "good friend" in public, never letting on to the fact that she liked him a lot too. But her concern was evident when she sent Roy to make him feel better. And he could even love that Minmei. It would be harder, but he could do it.



And then came the Miss Macross contest, and that changed just about everything. She went from popular to famous over night, and for a personality like hers, it was too much for her to handle. She became conceited, too sure of her beauty and talents. No doubt that she had ample amount of both, but she began to neglect her responsibility to him because of it. He was a fighter pilot, meaning that he was constantly afraid he'd die, and he was also very busy. Still, he made time for her. She, however, had no idea of what he was going through. When Ben died, all she could talk about was herself. She had no concept of pain, only happiness. When Rick was injured, she came to visit only when Roy asked her to- she didn't even know before that! - and fell asleep on his bed! At that time, when he was infatuated with her, it seemed okay. Looking back at it from his new perspective, he saw how heartless it really was. She could only think about herself. And then there was the movie. After that, he knew he had lost her completely. Selfishness became her creed, even when she came to his house a few days ago. All she could think about was herself. She had interrupted his life, and thought only about what would please her. Rick shook his head. How could he have ever loved a creature like that? But was that really the question? Could he have lived with the Minmei like the one he had been with for twelve days? Probably, though he'd never admit it to Lisa. But even with all those faults, Minmei had her virtues. She was kind and generous, singing without charge and sharing the profits with the poor. She really did care about Rick, and it showed over the past few days. And finally, perhaps she acted selfishly only because she was so insecure inside. Could he provide her that security? He didn't know. Oh, he was so confused. He still felt something for her, but he wasn't sure what. It wasn't love, and that was the only thing he knew for sure. But who did he love? Was he even in love at that moment? Did he really love Lisa?



Lisa. There was another question all together. She fought with him consistently. Even when they first met it was on bad terms. He smiled lightly as he though back to that day. He even remembered the call-sign of the plane: VT-102. 'That old sourpuss.' Ever since that day, he called her 'that old sourpuss' when he talked about her with Roy. Truth be told, she really was an old sourpuss back then. She had no life whatsoever outside of her job. Even Claudia, Kim, Vanessa, and Sammy were her friends because they were co-workers. She really was in love with the ship. Captain Gloval was like a father to her, but she only let him draw so close because he was the Captain. Again, her job was the only thing that mattered to her. But underneath all that lay the truth: she was an insecure, tired woman who was just trying to keep from getting hurt. Her rocky relationship with her father had led her to believe she could not be loved, and her heartbreak with Karl Riber had led her to believe that she was cursed. She was cold and distant only to protect herself. Rick knew that now, but back then he had wished she would stop screaming at him for every little mistake! He couldn't really blame her though. Back then, he was immature, brash, and really, really wet-behind-the-ears. But as he matured, she became more and more attracted to him; she also became more and more mean to cover it up. But sometimes she slipped up, and he could see the warmth in her personality. When they were trapped in Dolza's ship she was authoritative and down right mean. As thing drew on, though, he could see the vulnerability in her personality. He was originally freaked out when she started crying about dropping the camera, but later on he understood that her job was the only security she had in her life. By dropping the camera she felt she had failed not only in the mission, but also in life. Afterwards, however, she saved his life and even shared a little bit of her personal side with him. Ever since then, he began feeling a strange attraction to her. She was so vulnerable, and yet she was so commanding. She seemed to be a woman of oxymorons, as if she had two personalities. She was just so confusing. But he had really grown to like her. To lose her was a thought he couldn't bare. She had led him through so many missions, saved his life so many times, and helped him sift through his feelings so many times. But did that mean he loved her? Did that mean that he could spend the rest of his life with her? Life was just so damn confusing!



"Hey Rick," came a voice. Rick turned to see who it was and found Greg Steinberg staring at him. He was startled out of his thoughts and shook his head vigorously to clear his mind before responding.



"Hi," he finally said weakly. "How long have you been there?"



"Long enough to know that the rumors are all wrong: you do have a brain," Greg responded with a smirk.



Rick looked at him, and found that his name was most unbefitting. He was a good height, probably 6'1", and was in pretty good shape. The most striking thing was, however, that he was Indian. How an Indian got a name like 'Gregory Steinberg,' he didn't know.



"You're staring," Greg said, amused.



"Oh, sorry," Rick replied, again shaken out of his thoughts. "I was just thinking."



"You're very thoughtful today," Greg said, smiling like a mad man out of amusement. "What's wrong with you?"



"What, I can't think?" Rick responded, getting kind of annoyed.



"Oh no, no, it's not that," Greg said, deciding not to push him too much before they became better friends. "It's just that the way she described your personality didn't give much time for deep thought."



"Oh," Rick said, realizing that he had overreacted. It was true: outwardly he wasn't very thoughtful, but inside he was a very deep person. "What are you doing here anyways?"



"I heard that my sister had landed herself in 'sick bay,' so I decided to go check on her, seeing as I'm here myself," he explained.



"Oh. Umm.I hope you don't mind me asking, but I was just thinking about how an Indian might receive a name like 'Greg Steinberg,'" Rick said.



"It's a long story," Greg responded. "Want to take a walk?"



"Sure, but shouldn't you be resting?" Rick said, pointing at his bandaged arm and head.



"Oh don't worry about me," Greg said smiling. "I'm not going to be bed-rested because of a small scratch."



"Okay then, let's go," Rick said. He stood, and the two of them began walking towards the exit.



The doctor Rick spoke to spotted Greg walking and came over immediately. "Where are you going Lt.?" he asked sternly.



"Umm.bathroom?" he said with an innocent face.



"That's not funny Greg. You know you have to rest your head," the doctor scolded.



"Oh don't get you undies in a bundle, I won't go too far for too long," Greg tried to reason.



"Fine, but this is the only time I'm allowing this," the doctor said, finally giving in.



"Thanks doc, I owe you one," Greg said with a smile. Rick and Greg started walking down the hallways, until they reached the cafeteria. Rick ordered a coffee, and Greg ordered a 'chai'- Indian tea. They took a seat on one of the empty tables and sipped their drinks.



"Firstly, I'm not Indian, I'm Pakistani," Greg began. "There are only about 250 Pakistani Jews, and I'm one of them. My great grand parents emigrated from Germany to India just a little before world war two. They had family down in India, as it was called then, and so they built a life there. Just like in Germany, though, they had to keep hidden that they were Jews. When India and Pakistan parted, they were in the side that became Pakistan, and there was too much already there for them to just up and run, so they stayed. Their wealth and power protected them from persecution, and they built a kind of Jewish community around them. Because Islam is so similar to Judaism, it was easier to live there than in a country of idol worshipers.



When WWIII started, my father joined the Pakistani military to prove his loyalty. Can't say he wasn't discriminated against, but he still loved his country. He was killed in action, and when the Indian military captured our town.they did unspeakable things. I was educated in a British school in Pakistan, so my English has always been good. Because of that, I was able to join the Robotech academy's first class. They taught me basic flying, and then I decided I wanted to go into engineering."



  "Wow," Rick said. "That's quite a story."



"Eyep," Greg agreed. "Now it's my turn to ask a question, if you don't mind. What were you thinking of so intently back there?"



"Oh, that." Rick said, a little flustered. He needed to get it off his chest, and with the absence of Roy, he needed someone who was intelligent and wise, as well as understanding. From the stories Lisa told him of Greg, he was sure that he could trust him. For some reason he wanted to tell Greg everything, and so he began. "I'm not sure if I love Lisa."



"Is that all?" he asked sincerely.



"What do you mean, 'is that all?!'" Rick exclaimed. "I just told you that I may have lied to Lisa!"



"Well, you see, love is something so elusive, you can never be sure about it," Greg said. "You have strong feelings for her, and are very attracted to her, but you can't love someone you know next to nothing about. You need to get to know her better."



"That's true. I mean, I know so much about Minmei. I've been through so much with her. Maybe that's why." Rick began, but couldn't bring himself to end the sentence.



"You can't stop thinking about her, can you?" Greg asked sincerely. He set down his cup and smiled at Rick. "Do you love her?"



Rick thought about it for a while, trying to decipher his feelings. "No," he finally said. "I mean, I like her a lot. She'll always have a special place in my heart. But I don't love her."



"But if she came to you needing help, you'd protect her. If she needed support, you'd give it to her. But if she needed your love, you couldn't give it to her. You couldn't start a family with her, live your whole life with her," Greg said, describing Rick's feelings. "Yes.you love her, but as a friend. As a very good friend, but not as a lover. When you're young and naïve, it's hard to distinguish between that and love."



"How do you know?" Rick asked.



"I've been there," Greg said. "A girl from the academy, a Jennifer Smith. She was beautiful, kind, sweet, loving. But I didn't love her, I just liked her a lot. I was probably infatuated with her for a while, but I kind of mistook that for love. I learned the hard way that love is not like that. Love is selflessness, and those who can't look past themselves can't love. Love is wanting the other to be happy, even if that means you're not going to be. That's what Lisa feels. She was willing to give you up if that meant you'd be happy with Minmei. She was willing to sacrifice her life to give you happiness. If you don't love her, that's fine. But let's just keep that between you and me. Make sure she doesn't find out you don't love her yet. Get to know her better, and I swear to God and all that is holy that you'll fall for her quick."



"You swore to God," Rick mused.



"Yep," Greg said.



"Aren't you Jewish?" Rick asked.



"I don't practice," Greg said with a smile.



"Oh," Rick said. "Sorry."



"Now I think she should be waking up soon. We should head back," Greg stated.



"Okay," Rick agreed, standing.



"Oh, Rick, can I ask you for a favor?" Greg asked. "I don't have much influence, but you do. Can I take a peek at the list of patients in the hospital? I'm looking for a particular one."



"Sure, no problem. I owe you one anyways," Rick said.



"You have no idea," Greg smiled.



"What do you mean?" Rick asked curiously.



"I'll tell you later. Let's get back quick," Greg said.



Throwing their empty cups away, the two hurried back to the medical center, passing several nurses who stopped to stare at the two handsome men walking down the hallway. When they finally arrived back in the 'sick bay,' Rick arranged for Greg to look at the list of patients. Rick noticed that Greg had a hard time hiding his nervousness and anxiousness to get a hold of that list. He put it in the back of his mind so that he could think about it later. As Greg looked down the list, his eyes lit up.



"Hey! Looks like Lisa got a promotion!" he exclaimed and pointed to the name 'Admiral Hayes.' The doctor, drawn to the noise, came quickly and looked at Rick accusingly.



Eager to change the subject, Rick said, "So, Lisa got a promotion, huh?"



The doctor tilted his head, not understanding what Rick meant. Greg then gave him the list and pointed to the name 'Admiral Hayes.'



"Oh, no, no," the doctor said. "That's not Captain Lisa Hayes. That's her father, Admiral Richard Hayes."



============================== =============

Author's Notes:



Dun dun dun dun! I wonder how Lisa'll react when she finds out her father is still alive. So, I hope you guys like the way this story is going. Once again, feedback will be appreciated. Thanks! Hope you enjoyed.



Yours truly,

Admiral Price



State = Continuará/To Be Continue

feedback = Sí/Yes

email = AdmiralPrice786ATaol.com