Fanfic Name / Nombre del Fanfic: Choices and Aces

Chapter / Capitulo: Chapter Three

Author / Autor: Anonymoose_Au

Rating / Clasificacion: AP15 (For Teenagers = Para Adolescentes)

Romance

Action / Accion

Alternate Universe / Universo Alterno

Fanfic: “You know what? You can take your gifts and your bravado and shove it! Find some other poor foolish girl to go out with you, because I won’t be!” Remark attributed to Cadet Claudia Grant to Lt. (j.g) Roy Fokker while both were stationed at Jackson Air Base, Wyoming 
 
 
Claudia worked on the pineapple salad as she waited for Roy to arrive, but her mind was not on it, she was instead trying to calm herself down, so she wouldn’t start yelling at her fiancé the moment he walked in. 
 
But in all honesty, Claudia wasn’t sure if he didn’t deserve it! It was bad enough that as leader of the Skull Squadron, Roy threw himself into the line of fire more than any other pilot on the ship. To think he would actually volunteer to go on a mission was beyond belief! 
 
Claudia took a bite of pineapple as she thought about what she could possibly say that wouldn’t sound completely unfair. 
 
“Where are you, anyway, Commander Fokker?” She muttered to herself, checking her watch, it was only five minutes past seven, which wouldn’t really count as late in Roy Fokker’s book, but she worried. 
 
'What if he’s been hurt…what if he’s-' 
 
Fortunately, she never had to finish that thought because at that moment there was a knock on the door of her quarters. 
 
Wiping her hands on a tea towel, Claudia hurried over and pulled the door open before Roy could open the door with his key. 
 
“Hey, Claudia,” Roy gave her a smile. 
 
“Hey, Claudia, indeed!” Claudia spluttered. 
 
“Uh, what?” Roy looked so confused, she almost felt bad for him, she took his arm and pulled him inside. 
 
“You know…”Claudia began, then paused, wondering if this really was the worst time, but she was never one to keep her mouth shut about things, so she went on. “I had no idea you had appointed yourself as Rick’s replacement, I could hardly believe it when I heard you out there.” 
 
“Well…” Roy ran a hand through his blond hair, which was even more unruly than usual. “They are Rick’s men, his friends; I wouldn’t want them going into a sortie with just anybody at the helm.” 
 
“Well, that would have been fine if they were Coast Guards, but they’re not! Why do you always put yourself in danger like that?” 
 
“It comes with the job,” Roy shrugged, and flopped down on her couch, “what can you do? I didn’t join the RDF because of the quiet serenity it offered.” 
 
Claudia suppressed an urge to laugh; she knew if she did they’d never get to the bottom of this. 
 
She decided she would be better off if she continued making the pineapple salad, so she returned to the small kitchenette. 
 
Roy had picked up his guitar, which he had left there and began to strum a tune. 
 
“Look, Roy, it’s just that I don’t think you appreciate how scared I get when you go out there. You pilots act like its some wonderful game you’re playing every time you go out in your veritechs.” 
 
The strumming stopped. “It’s never been a game, Claudia,” she heard Roy say, almost too softly for her to hear. “I hope one day you understand that.” 
 
Claudia felt a stab of guilt…she did know that, after all, Roy had told her many things, his deepest fears…But still he hardly acted like a man who understood the gravity of combat situations. 
 
“Kramer tuned out today,” Roy said, suddenly. 
 
“What?” Claudia almost knocked the salad bowl off the counter as she turned to face him. 
 
Roy was staring straight ahead, and had begun strumming the guitar softly again. 
 
“Captain Kramer,” Claudia repeated, “he…he died out there?” 
 
Roy heaved a sigh. “Yeah.” 
 
Claudia felt horrible and a whole lot more guilty that she had been so glad Roy was all right, she hadn’t stopped to considered the men who hadn’t returned. 
 
And Captain Kramer…Claudia hadn’t exactly been best friends with the guy, a rather crusty old veteran of not only the Global Civil War, but the Gulf War that had proceeded it. Kramer had always been by the book; in fact sometimes he even made Lisa seem laid back! Initially he and Roy hadn’t got on at all, but they had grown to respect each other and Claudia knew that Roy was a lot more upset by his death than he showed. 
 
“I’m sorry,” was all she could think to say, as she added the last pieces of pineapple to the salad. “But you understand how I feel, don’t you? I know you care about your men and their safety, but I care about yours.” 
 
“I know,” Roy replied in a louder voice, “and I am sorry to scare you like that. But, I can be just as afraid for you, I mean, it’s not exactly a safe haven up there on the bridge either.” 
 
“It’s not really the same,” Claudia objected. 
 
“Fear is fear.” 
 
Claudia decided to drop the subject, after all, time together wasn’t something they had often and she didn’t want to ruin it with an argument. 
 
Roy had started playing the guitar again and Claudia turned with the completed salad in her hands. “Voila!” 
 
Roy looked up from his playing, seeming surprised that she wasn’t going to continue the discussion. 
 
“Well, come on, were you raised in a barn? Normal people eat at a table you know.” 
 
Roy ginned as he got to his feet. “Actually, funny you should mention a barn...” 
 
“Oh, just get over here, you,” she scolded him, putting the salad down. 
 
He gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am!” 
 
*** 
 
Lisa paced restlessly in her quarters, wondering and worrying. 
 
She walked to a table at one end of the room, where a photograph stood; she picked it up and stared. 
 
“Oh, Karl,” she murmured, tracing the outline of his face with her finger. “I promised I’d love you forever, but…” 
 
She didn’t finish the sentence, instead, she put the photo down, and paced to the other end of the room, where the phone was, beside it, a piece of paper on which was written a phone number and a room number. 
 
Rick’s phone and room number. 
 
Lisa picked up the phone, her fingers hovering over the keypad. 
 
“I can’t call him, what am I going to say? It’s not like we can go out to dinner…” She shook her head, and slammed the phone down. 
 
She reached out for the receiver again, planning to call Claudia, but remembering Roy’s strange pineapple salad comment, realized that they probably had a date. 
 
“Some of us should be so lucky,” she muttered to herself, turning her back on the phone. 
 
“This is why I always put my career first,” she said to the room, “emotions are overrated.” 
 
The room had no answer however. 
 
Hoping to distract herself, Lisa went to her bookshelves. 
 
She had planned on taking something thick and fictional from the shelf, but instead her hand landed on something else. 
 
An old photo album. 
 
“I don’t know why I kept this,” Lisa muttered to herself, but nevertheless took it from the shelf and went to sit on her couch, opening the book on her lap. 
 
The first page was a family photo, taken during happier times, Lisa, her father and her mother – looking pale and ghostly even then. 
 
But they were all so happy, so what did it matter? 
 
Lisa sighed, going through the album, as the photos went on the happiness diminished more and more until it was just a façade, except for one photo. It was out of focus, but Lisa knew the happiness in it was real. 
 
“Karl, why didn’t I get to follow you? I should have died on Mars too.” 
 
In the months since the SDF-1 had landed on Mars, Lisa had thought this, but now she was not as confident in the statement. 
 
Because she could not think of that day on Sara Base without thinking of Rick, who had rescued her from certain death. 
 
She had been furious at him at first, but she couldn’t really stay angry at him, since he couldn’t have known her pain. 
 
Of course, that didn’t mean they hadn’t fought any less, at least…until they, along with Max and Ben had been captured by the Zentraedi. 
 
The kiss in front of the Leader of the Zentraedi, Dolza. 
 
It was only supposed to be a ‘demonstration’…but it had been such a long time since Lisa had kissed anyone…and despite the fact he was infuriating and five years younger than she, he wasn’t so bad at it…not at all. 
 
Lisa snapped the photo album shut and looked up at the clock in the room. 
 
'Just ten hours I can get back to the Bridge.' She thought to herself and she couldn’t wait until then. 
 
*** 
 
Both their forks reached for the last piece of pineapple at the same time. 
 
“Hey, I should get it, I’ve had a hard day,” Roy objected, giving Claudia his most beguiling grin.  
 
“Chef’s privilege,” Claudia challenged him, arching her eyebrow. 
 
“Should we arm wrestle for it?” 
 
Claudia laughed. “Please.” 
 
“Oh, all right, ladies before gentlemen,” Roy gave in, withdrawing his fork. 
 
Claudia winked as she popped the last bit of pineapple into her mouth. 
 
“You know, you were supposed to object,” Roy rolled his eyes. 
 
“Pft, you know me better than that, I hope.” 
 
“Hmmm…” Roy reached out and took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. “I know you all right.” 
 
Claudia giggled, then tried to affect a serious look. “Don’t be so cocky, I’m still angry at you.” 
 
“Well, you don’t play fair then, because I could be just as angry at you,” Roy returned, but didn’t let go of her hand. 
 
“But then, we have better things to do then argue,” Claudia said in a low voice. 
 
Roy gave her a wicked look at her. “Oh, I agree, much better things,” he got to his feet, pulling her up with him. 
 
Claudia though, still seemed to be upset with him. “I suppose you’re planning on heading back to your own barracks, after all, you never know when the next sortie will be.” 
 
“Oh come on, Claudia, don’t be like that. I’ll have you know, I’m free as a bird until…well…at least until the morning. And in our line of work you’ve got to take them when they come wouldn’t you say?” He wriggled his eyebrows at her. 
 
Claudia burst out laughing. “You look like an idiot when you do that, you know.” 
 
“Gee, thanks,” Roy remarked, dryly. Then he her a wicked smile and drew her close. “Now, do you want me to get lost, or…” 
 
Claudia gave a wicked grin of her own and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. 
 
“Does that answer your question?” She asked when they parted. 
 
“It certainly does…” and with that Roy swept her up in his arms.  
 
*** 
 
Rico, Konda and Bron were three Zentraedis in a very strange situation… 
 
Plenty of Zentraedis had been micronised before, but not in the name of a spy mission. Most Zentraedi would refuse such a thing, since it would remove them from the glory of the battle. 
 
But after seeing the Miss Macross Contest from their recon ship and hearing the stories of Dolza, Rico, Konda and Bron had changed. 
 
And they had changed even more since the great Miriya had inserted them inside the SDF-1. 
 
Initially, they were meant to observe the micronians only, and stay as far away from their ‘society’ as possible, but the three had found that impossible. Especially whenever they heard the songs of the female called Minmei. 
 
The Zentraedi had never heard music before, and the light hearted songs stirred something within them. They began to wonder if their life really was the glorious one they’d always believed. 
 
And now they were sitting around a small fire in an unused corner of the SDF-1, near an extremely odd contraption that was slowing taking the shape of a battlepod. 
 
The three were watching a small doll walking across the floor in front of them, singing in a small voice. 
 
“I spend my days alone, chasing a dreeeam.” 
 
“I can’t believe we have to leave in just a few weeks,” Bron suddenly spoke. 
 
“Well, we have our orders,” Rico muttered, but his voice did not hold the conviction it once would have had. 
 
“But…I like it here!” Bron suddenly burst out. “The micronians know how to…what’s that word? Have fun!” 
 
“We’re Zentraedi,” Konda said, brushing back his purple hair, “we live for battle not for fun.” 
 
“Hmpf,” Rico muttered. 
 
“What about those females we met?” Bron pressed. “Sammie, Vanessa and Kim? We’ll never see them again.” 
 
This time neither Rico nor Konda could respond with typical Zentraedi phrases. They were remembering Sammy, Vanessa and Kim too. 
 
Earlier that day, when the three had snatched the Minmei doll, not having the ‘money’ as the micronian’s called it, and ran from the vendor, they had run straight into these females. 
 
At first, they had been quite sure their cover had been blown; Sammie had even asked them what planet they were from! Fortunately, it seemed that was just another one of the micronian’s odd expressions. 
 
And while Rico had been stuttering and trying to come up with something to say, Konda had burst out with a micronian expression of his own. 
 
“We work over there!” And had pointed out a strange building with bright lights. 
 
The females had been almost beside themselves with excitement, apparently the building contained what they called a ‘disco’ and they had insisted on Rico, Konda and Bron taking them. 
 
Of course they didn’t actually work there, but Sammie, Vanessa and Kim seemed to forget about that, and had even paid the large man who guarded the door of the place to let them in. 
 
Rico had assumed that with all this trouble, the building would contain some sort of secretive micronian weapon, which had reminded him of what he was supposed to be doing for his commanders. 
 
But if the ‘disco’ had been a weapon, it was one that the three spies had never encountered before. Inside were dozens of micronians, all wearing very different uniforms to each other and moving in an entirely non-combat fashion. 
 
And many of them were paired male and female as micronians so often seemed to be. 
 
The three spies had hardly been able to believe their eyes, and the next thing they knew, each of the females had grabbed one of them and pulled them into the crush. 
 
Rico had danced with Sammie, a small girl with long red hair and an infectious laugh. She had kept taking his hands and trying to show him what she called ‘dance moves’. 
 
“Have you ever danced before?” She’d laughed at him at one point. 
 
“Uhh…” He hadn’t known what to say. 
 
Sammie had not waited for him to answer, thankfully and had instead twirled under his arm. 
 
After a while, Rico had actually picked up some of the ‘dance moves’ and had even tried some of his own, which Sammie had found quite amusing. 
 
All too soon, an alarm had sounded, everyone in the building stopped their ‘dancing’ and Vanessa and Kim had run over with Bron and Konda in tow and with apologies had told the three that they had to leave. 
 
“Duty calls,” Vanessa sighed. 
 
“But we had a great time!” Kim added, holding Konda’s arm and then too his shock she placed her lips to his cheek! 
 
Before either Rico or Bron could really take it in, Sammie and Vanessa had done the same to them and then…they were gone. 
 
Since then Rico had had trouble thinking of much else, never in his life had anything like that happened before. Zentraedi rarely made physical contact and certainly none that had involved lips on cheeks. 
 
“What do you think it means?” Konda had asked as they walked to their hideout. 
 
“I think it is a symbol of the ‘great’ time they had,” Rico spoke slowly. 
 
“Well, I’d like to have a lot more great times, then!” Bron had declared. 
 
Rico and Konda had quieted him. 
 
Now Rico heaved a sigh. “We have our orders,” he said, “once the battlepod is done, we are to leave and that’s all there is to it.” 
 
He gave Bron a particularly hard look and whilst Bron was by far the tallest and biggest of the group, he was more of a follower and he nodded. 
 
“Right,” Konda spoke, almost faintly, “for the glory of the Zentraedi.” 
 
*** 
 
“You gonna eat that?” 
 
Max looked up, he had almost forgotten where he was and saw Ben pointing with his fork at the steak on his plate. 
 
“Oh, naw,” Max pushed his plate over to his friend, “they make these big don’t they?” 
 
“All the more to enjoy,” Ben laughed and dug in. 
 
“Hmm,” Max took a sip of water, his mind still on that day’s battle, those alien mecha had been very impressive and it had been a very challenging battle. Max’s mind though, was full of the leader of the group, the few brief seconds he had seen of him at least. 
 
He wasn’t sure why, but he felt he would meet with that alien pilot. 
 
“You know, I got one of those battle suits today,” Ben remarked then. 
 
“Really? That’s great, Ben,” Max smiled at his friend. It had to be said that Ben wasn’t the ace of the fleet, but he was certainly getting better lately. 
 
“What about you, huh?” Ben nudged him with his elbow. “What did the Blue Baron get?” 
 
“Oh come on,” Max laughed, his cheeks slightly red, “I’m nothing like that.” 
 
“You are, and you know it,” Ben shot back. “But come on, give us the numbers.” 
 
“I got at least four,” Max finally said. 
 
“Damn, you’re good,” Ben shook his head. “But I beat you in the steak eatin’ huh?” 
 
Max smiled and nodded. “For sure.” 
 
Once Ben had finished off Max’s steak and the two had paid they headed off into the city. 
 
“You know what’s missin’ this evening?” Ben said as they walked. “Babes, where are all the women?” 
 
“What do you mean, there were about twenty of them back in the restaurant.” 
 
Ben made a face. “I meant babes, those girls were…well…you know, just normal lookin’.” 
 
Max thought that was a rather unfair assessment, he hadn’t been taken with any of them, but they were pretty enough he through. 
 
“Well, I’m sure they were all nice.” 
 
Ben gave a loud laugh. “Well, I’m not really interested in their personalities at the moment.” 
 
Max shook his head. “Will you ever be serious about women, Ben?” 
 
“Serious? You mean like gettin’ engaged or somethin’ like that?” 
 
“Well, not that, I thought more like…going out more than just once.” 
 
Ben shrugged. “Eh, who has time for that sort of thing? We’re pilots after all.” 
 
“So?” Max didn’t really understand what he was getting at. 
 
“Well, you never know…I mean, what sort of woman would want to put up with that? It would just be depressing…” 
 
Max didn’t know what to say to that, Ben was right. 'Which is a shame, because I wouldn’t mind having a date…or two…' 
 
“Hey,” Ben put a hand on Max’s shoulder. “What’s say we go to the Bamboo Hut, that place is always goin’.” 
 
Max wasn’t really a fan of disco, but it did have some energy to burn, so why not. 
 
“Why not, just as long as you don’t get me with your two left feet,” he said with a laugh. 
 
“Hey!” Ben objected, but the two continued on towards the Bamboo Hut. 
 
*** 
 
Captain Gloval was relieved to be off the Bridge and back in his quarters. This was happening more and more lately. In all the previous commands he had had he may not have always wanted to be on the Bridge, but he had never been desperate to get off it. 
 
'Chalk it up to hopelessness.' Gloval thought to himself, he did not feel entirely hopeless, of course, he was surrounded by good men and women and that was perhaps the problem. As time went on, he had less and less of them. 
 
And now he had to contend with the Brass refusing to assist even the innocent civilians aboard the ship. He still couldn’t believe the orders he’d been issued, to leave earth as soon as practicable, civilians and all! What was he supposed to tell those poor people when the time came? 
 
It was over yet, in some ways this was the worst part of his day, on his desk sat a report, a detail of those wounded and killed in that day’s battle. 
 
It was time to write the condolence letters, even though many would not reach the intended recipients, since as far as they knew, everyone on the SDF-1 had been killed more than year ago. 
 
But there were more and more pilots and soldiers coming from the pool of civilians, whose families waited and prayed for them, but the prayers had not been answered. 
 
It had to be done, though. 
 
With another deep sigh, Gloval sat down and picked up his pen, looking at the first name on the dreaded list. 
 
Dear Mrs. Kramer….he began.

Continue / Continua: Yes / Si