fanfic_name = The Sit. Room Incident

chapter = 23

author = Dwparsnip

Rating = AP15

Type = Angst

fanfic =

 

“Lisa!”

 

Lisa rolled over onto her side, using her left arm to prop her up on the thermal blanket. ‘Max?’, she asked herself, and for a moment she thought she was hearing things.

 

“Lisa…can you hear me?”

 

Hope flared in Lisa’s heart. She stood up quickly as she saw a light bouncing off the cave walls and called out eagerly, “Max!”

 

A moment later Max shone a light towards her when he was in sight and called excitedly, “Lisa!”

 

Lisa watched with sheer joy as her friend ran to her. When he reached her she couldn’t help but throw her arms around his neck and squeeze him. “Oh Max…I thought I’d never…”

 

“Don’t worry, Lisa”, he interrupted. He released her, flashed her a smile and bent down to work on the shackle that still kept her confined to the cave. As he worked he said, “We’ll have you out of here before you can say blazing battloids.”

 

She felt the pressure ease on her ankle as the shackle let go. She hugged Max around his neck again when he stood up and whispered tearfully, “Thank you, Max. How did you know…”

 

He gave her a small squeeze and replied, “You’re welcome, Lisa, and there will be time for all of that later.” He released her and put his left arm around her shoulders. “Now let’s get you home.”

 

She cried freely as he led her out of the prison that the cave had become. He kept his arm around her shoulders as he guided her to the shuttle he had waiting, almost in the exact spot that he had landed the shuttle when they rescued Rick and Sue Graham during the MED. Lisa only barely took notice to the dozen or more armed security officers that had taken up positions along their route.

 

A few feet from the shuttle Max called out, “Here we come, Jean!”

 

Jean poked her head out the shuttle door and Lisa saw a mile wide smile form on her friend’s lips. When they reached the shuttle Jean stepped outside and hugged Lisa. Lisa was just about to tell Jean how good it was to see her when a red Alpha roared overhead. Lisa watched as Miriya flew on, and before she could say anything, Jean pulled her inside and placed her gently in a seat. Max smiled at Lisa before going into the cockpit.

 

“It’s damn good to see you, Admiral”, said Jean still smiling.

 

Lisa laughed as the tears fell and replied, “Not as good as it is for me to see you, Doctor.” The security guards were beginning to file into the shuttle, moving to the back of the craft.

 

Jean began looking over Lisa looking for any signs of injury. “How are you feeling, Lisa? Any wounds…cuts, scrapes…anything?”

 

“No, Jean. All things considered I feel fine…and very happy. No injuries at all.” Lisa sat back and let her head lay against the headrest.

 

As the thrum of the engines increased indicating a power up, Jean handed Lisa a bottle of water.

 

“Drink this slowly.” Jean sat down next to Lisa and did up her safety harness.

 

Lisa looked to Jean. “Jean”, she said softly, “how’s Rick?” Lisa saw a flicker of something dark in Jean’s eyes. It was only there for an instant though, and Lisa wasn’t totally sure if she saw it or imagined it.

 

“He’s…he’s okay, Lisa.” She smiled and repeated, “He’s okay.”

 

Lisa didn’t like the sound of that. “Jean…”

 

“Roy misses you terribly”, interrupted Jean. “I can’t wait to see his face when he sees you.”

 

Lisa laughed again as the shuttle lifted off the moon. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She imagined walking into her quarters and jumping into her husband’s arms and smothering him in kisses. Then she imagined the excitement that she would undoubtedly see in the eyes if her son. Images of Rick and Roy flashed through her mind.

 

Before Lisa knew it Max was announcing over the speakers that they were approaching the SDF-3. Lisa could feel her heart begin to race in anticipation of being home, seeing Rick again and being in his protective embrace.

 

Lisa felt the shuttle lurch forward as it gently impacted the hangar deck, and as soon as Max gave the all clear she was up and to the door which had opened automatically.

 

“Lisa”, said Jean warily, “take it easy. There’s something…”

 

“Tell me later, Jean”, called Lisa as she jumped through the door. Lisa took off in a sprint towards her quarters. She could hear Max and Jean running behind her, though she never looked back to confirm it. Finally she reached her destination and without hesitation she threw the door open and rushed inside, only to confront a sight that made her blood boil.

 

Rocking in a rocking chair in her living room was a woman with long black hair. The woman was back on to Lisa, but there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that the woman in the rocking chair was Sue Graham.

 

Lisa’s hands clenched into iron fists, ready to strike at the person who had so deeply wronged her and those she loved. Lisa walked slowly around the rocking chair, letting the anger build to the point where it was almost all that she felt.

 

Lisa drew her hand back, ready to strike when her breath caught in her throat. Her arm fell to her side and she took a step back at the sight before her. Lisa brought her hand to her mouth and began to shake her head.

 

‘It’s impossible!’, she shouted to herself. ‘I wasn’t gone that long! Was I? It’s not possible…it just isn’t…no…’

 

Sue Graham sat in the chair, humming a lullaby to the baby she held to her right breast. After a moment Graham looked to Lisa and slowly, oh so slowly her lips formed a bone-chilling smile.

 

“Sue”, came a familiar voice. “Do you need a blanket?”

 

Lisa turned to see Rick walk out of the bedroom carrying a blanket, which he brought to Sue.

 

As he covered Sue and the child, Sue said to him, “We have company, darling.”

 

“They can wait”, he said lovingly. “You have my complete and undivided attention…”

 

 

Lisa opened her mouth to tell him to stop, but she couldn’t say a word. She tried to go to him but her legs failed to lift off the deck. She was still trying when her husband leaned down to kiss Sue on her venomous lips…

 

…And Lisa woke up, heart racing and nauseous. She scrambled upright with her legs pushing her away from the apparition of Sue Graham holding Rick’s child until her back hit solidly against the rock wall of the cave. The pain caused by the collision brought her sharply to reality. She remembered where she was and how she got there. Even as the relief washed over her it was immediately engulfed by the sadness and hopelessness that her imprisonment forced upon her.

 

She brought her hands up to her face in a vain attempt to stem her tears.

 

It had been the worst nightmare yet. She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and tried to erase that sickening image from her mind, but she couldn’t. Long, agonizing minutes slipped by and Lisa took several deep breaths as she forced herself to calm down. She began to remember the time when it was her holding a baby to her chest in their quarters. As the image of Graham and her baby began to fade, to be replaced by the image of her and Roy, she could feel her heartbeat finally slow down.

 

She basked in the memory of her and Rick. The warmth of the memory was like a warm embrace that enveloped her, giving her strength. When enough of that strength returned to her, so did her determination to get through this little hell that Sue Graham sent her to and back to those she loved.

----------------------------------

The ship’s observation deck, a massive room usually reserved for relaxation, contemplation and just looking at the stars, became the focal point for the Robotech Expeditionary Force’s final good-bye to Admiral Lisa Hunter. The stage had been set up in front of the room’s gigantic observation port, and after much discussion and mind changing among the officers in charge of the service, the stage was converted into a shrine for Lisa. The location for the service, the observation deck with its view into space became meaningful in a number of ways. One, Lisa Hunter had given her life to working on and commanding space vessels. Two, she died in space. And three, the audience would be able to see the salute to Admiral Hunter by the Alpha squadrons.

 

In the center of the stage stood a one and a half meter by one and a half meter Tirolian marble pedestal, the top of which was covered by a black velvet sheet upon which certain items would be laid during the ceremony. Someone had worked overtime to carve the image of the chief’s decal, the star/heart/H image, into the base of the pedestal, and while it was done in a hurry, the work was exemplary and pristine.

 

To the left of the pedestal, Lisa’s official military portrait rested on an easel. In the photo she looked every bit the serious Admiral. Her hair was up in a bun, only the barest glimpse of a smile graced her beautiful lips and her eyes were narrowed. To those that knew her best however, Lisa’s true caring and happy nature could be seen in her shining emerald eyes, and only Rick and the photographer knew that just after the photo was taken she had burst out laughing because Rick had been making funny faces at her, trying to get her to break down in hysterics.

 

To the right of the pedestal, on another easel was a family portrait. In that photo, even a stranger could see the love between Rick and Lisa, as well as their love for their son. Neither Rick nor Lisa wore their uniforms, opting for civilian clothes. Rick wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt and red tie and Roy looked adorable in a diminutive replica of his father’s suit. Lisa wore an elegant cream colored, spaghetti strap dress, with a neckline that went just low enough to drive Rick insane, but managed to give everyone else a conservative feeling, especially when her long brown hair hung down around the front of her shoulders, as it did in the picture. They stood side by side with Roy in front and in the middle of them. Rick had his left arm around Lisa’s shoulder, and Lisa had her right arm around his waist. On Roy’s shoulders they rested their free hands: Rick’s right hand on his right shoulder, and Lisa’s left hand on his left shoulder. They all had the most heart-warming smiles, and it was plain for all to see that Roy was born of the two of them. Engineers installed spotlights above the stage, aiming them downward onto the area where Lisa’s memorial was set up. A single spotlight illuminated each portrait, while another high-powered spotlight illuminated the pedestal. When the lights were on, a majestic aura permeated the area.

 

A lectern stood on the stage at the far right next to the stairs, as not to intrude on the ambience the memorial intended to create. Its lighting came from a smaller spotlight recently installed into the ceiling. The front and side edges of the stage were draped in the same black velvet that covered the top surface of the pedestal, and several crewmen were tasked with keeping the velvet absolutely spotless up until the service was to begin. On the lectern was the insignia of the REF, and underneath it was the coat of arms of Admiral Hunter’s command: the SDF-3. On the deck to the right of the stage was the flag of the REF on a stand-alone flagpole. On the other side of the stage stood an identical flagpole holding a flag of the government that was in charge when the REF left Earth, the United Earth Government.

 

The couches, lounge chairs and tables usually found on the observation deck for the use of the crew were gone…removed to make way for the hundreds of chairs required for the large number of expected guests. Representatives from the Sentinel worlds, Tirol and a number of other systems where the REF had done humanitarian work were coming to pay their respects. Then of course there were representatives from the Council, each REF base, squadron, unit and department, crewmembers and of course, family and friends.

 

Rows and rows and rows of chairs filled the deck, with enough space on either side of the deck for one person to walk, and a passage from the main entrance through the middle of the sea of chairs leading up to the stage, wide enough for three people to walk through side by side.

 

It was in one of these aisle seats in the right column near the back that Lieutenant Angela Marques had seated herself. Sue sat beside her on her right, shifting uncomfortably in her seat every few minutes. Marques took a sidelong glance at Graham. It was easy for anyone who knew Graham to see that she was edgy, especially after her lip started to bleed again on the way to the observation deck. It wasn’t much, but it seemed to royally irritate Graham.

 

‘Maybe I should have tried to keep her away from here’, Angie thought with a sense of irony, ‘instead of her trying to keep me away.’

 

Angie began to look around the room. It had filled up considerably since they had arrived. In fact as far as she could tell the only seats left vacant were the one’s reserved for Admiral Hunter’s family up in the front row of her column of seats. She noticed the Karbarrans, the Garudans, the Spherisians, the Haydonites and the Praxians all sent high-level delegations, as did the Tirolians. Near the front in the left hand column of seats Angie could see the REF brass: Reinhardt, Forsythe, the base commanders from Tirol and numerous department heads and ship commanders. It struck her that it was odd to see so many dignitaries and command staffers so mixed together with, for lack of a better term, ordinary crewmembers. ‘Of course’, realized Angie, ‘she didn’t make that distinction. This is most definitely how she would want it.’ She was surprised not to find the Grants or the Sterlings, but after a few moments she realized that they would be coming with Admiral Hunter and his son.

 

Her eyes reluctantly came to study the memorial on the stage. She noticed the portraits when she first walked in, but she hadn’t had the nerve to actually look at them carefully. Now she had to…there was nothing else to look at and as her eyes moved in the direction of the first portrait her stomach began to protest. She studied Lisa’s official portrait and saw the commanding presence she brought with her wherever she went, the presence that automatically made people respect her. At least that was the way it was with Angie. The protest in her stomach intensified dramatically as her focus shifted over to the other portrait on the stage: The family portrait. Angie could see the happiness in Lisa’s eyes and smile as she stood next to her family. Angie shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she imagined Lisa now, chained to the wall of the cave…so far away from those she so obviously loved. Angie’s stomach began to churn as she looked at the wonderful smile on the face of the little boy next to her. ‘You poor little man’, she thought sadly. ‘I’m so sorry.’ She looked at Rick in the picture and Angie almost cried. ‘He looks so happy and…alive’, she thought. ‘Not like when I saw him in his quarters.’ Finally Angie studied the marble pedestal. Angie really liked the chief’s design, and she heard that it might become the coat of arms for the first Shadow fighter squadron.

 

Angie used the palms of her hands to rub the tears from her eyes before Sue noticed. As she rubbed them, Lady Macbeth’s cry rang out in her mind, ‘Out, damned spot! Out, I say!’ When she finished the thought she lowered her hands to her lap and asked herself, ‘I’m just like her aren’t I? I’ll never be able to wipe the blood and guilt away, will I?’

 

Angie buried those thoughts, glanced at her watch and saw that it was time for the service to start. She took another sidelong glance at Graham when she heard Sue sigh. Graham had in her hands a blood stained tissue. Angie looked upward and saw that the bleeding hadn’t eased up at all.

 

She leaned over and whispered, “You’re going to have to go and get that lip looked at, Sue. There may be some kind of infection that’s keeping it from healing.”

 

It was then that the doors opened. Rick Hunter walked in and everyone’s head turned towards him.

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When Sue had walked into the observation deck she too noticed the stage and the memorial on it. Unlike Angie however, she studied the portraits immediately. She saw the smugness of Lisa Hunter in the picture, and it made Sue despise Lisa more than she thought was possible. Then she looked at the family picture. Rick looked so handsome. ‘Rick and I should have a family, as she noticed the striking similarities between Lisa and Roy. We should have a son, not him and her.’ Then her eyes found that damned engraving on the pedestal and her stomach tightened up into one big knot.

 

She glanced around the deck. ‘Everyone who’s anyone is here’, she thought disdainfully as she noticed the numerous dignitaries and REF brass. ‘REF, Sentinels, Tirolians…’, she thought. ’Everyone wants to say good-bye to the old woman.’ She took a moment to observe Reinhardt as he spoke quietly to Forsythe. A moment later her heart skipped a beat when she looked farther up the column and saw Major Woods chatting softly with Captain Michaels from Base Alpha. She scrutinized their actions and facial features. They were smiling and they looked relaxed. She decided they weren’t talking about work, and she breathed a small sigh of relief.

 

She felt her lip get moist again and she cursed to herself. ‘Damn this lip of mine anyway!’ She thought that it had turned the corner and begun to heal, but on the way to the service it began to bleed…again, apparently for no particular reason. She used the tissue she had taken from one of the many boxes of tissues that had been laid out around the deck to wipe the blood from her aching lip. Evidently, someone thought there would be a fair of tears shed within the next little while.

 

She lowered the tissue to her lap, realizing that she would soon need another one... it already had a dozen little stains on it. She looked to her watch and then folded her hands together on her lap, and she couldn’t stifle the sigh that worked up to her mouth.

 

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Angie look over and heard her say, “You’re going to have to go and get that lip looked at, Sue. There may be some kind of infection that’s keeping it from healing.”

 

Sue was about to say that Angie was being silly, but she never had the chance as everyone’s attention shifted towards the door…and the man she loved enough to kill for.

----------------------------------

Rick remotely noticed the guards at the doors of the observation deck come to attention as they approached. He never even had the presence of mind to acknowledge them, but Max, always on the ball and ready to act, saluted the guards and told them to stand down.

 

Kingsley got to the doors first. She turned and faced him, and for the first time Rick noticed that her eyes were watery and dark from the emotional stress placed on her.

 

“Are you ready, sir?”, she asked quietly, her voice full of compassion and sympathy.

 

Rick opened his mouth to speak, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He was anything but ready for this. He had butterflies fluttering around in his stomach, but they weren’t the almost pleasant and nervous butterflies he had the day he got married. No…these were the butterflies the size of bats he felt whenever something terrible was about to happen. He never thought the day would come when he would be saying good-bye to the woman who had been with him through so much, that he loved so deeply. It didn’t help matters that he could feel her so strongly. It didn’t help that whenever he closed his eyes he saw her; whenever he walked into a room he felt her; whenever he let his mind wander he heard her; and whenever he slept he dreamt of her. It felt as though she was still with him, like she could be waiting for him on the other side of the door ready to ask what all the fuss was about.

 

“Daddy.” The way Roy said the simple word calmed Rick gave and him some sense of purpose. Roy’s voice was reassuring to Rick and when he looked to his son, still up in Miriya’s protective embrace, Roy nodded his head once. Rick smiled, taking the strength he needed from the simple and confident gesture from his son. It was the type of thing Lisa would do. It was the type of thing she had done a dozen times before in meetings where she just looked at him and gave him the push he needed to get through it.

 

He turned back to Kingsley. “Let’s go, Commander”, he said a little more loudly than he had intended. He cleared his throat and said more quietly, “Proceed, Commander.”

 

“Aye, sir.” Kingsley’s eyes were sad and her voice was full of sympathy for Rick.

 

Rick watched as Kingsley took a deep breath and opened the doors. He wasn’t sure what to expect from inside the observation deck, but he wasn’t expecting to see hundreds of heads turn to him as he stepped up to the door. ‘It’s a packed house, Lisa’, he thought. Jean took Rick’s arm, which he appreciated immensely, and led by Commander Kingsley they began the walk up to their seats.

 

Rick walked slowly, with purposefully deliberate steps, lest he stumble from the flood of sadness that kept surging farther into his heart with each and every step. As he tried to gulp down the lump in his throat, Jean gave Rick’s arm a gentle yet supportive squeeze. He didn’t look to her. He couldn’t. His eyes had become glued to Lisa’s portrait on the stage in front of him. He slowed his pace without even realizing it; he was so entranced with the picture. He had seen it before, of course. He was there when it had been taken. ‘No way would she laugh until the picture was taken’, he remembered with a twinge of laughter.

 

He tore his eyes from the portrait, only to have them land on their family picture. Only for Jean gently pulling him along he would have stopped, and quite possibly fallen to his knees. It had been such a happy day when that picture had been taken, and on such a sad and dreadful day it seemed out of place. ‘She wore that dress just to tease me’, he recalled. ‘She looked so damn good in it.’ He felt the tear leave his left eye and drift ever so slowly down his cheek.

 

Finally…mercifully…they arrived at their seats at the front of the right hand column. Vince sat in the aisle seat, followed by Jean, Rick, Miriya and Roy and finally Max. Rick looked over to check on Roy, who was sitting up on Miriya’s lap, facing him.

 

Before Rick could ask Roy whispered, “I’m okay, Daddy.”

 

‘I wish I could say the same thing, Roy’, thought Rick, as he managed a little smile for his son. Miriya looked to Rick and he could easily see that her eyes were moist, as were his own. He looked to his left at Jean. She still had her arm through his and she cuddled into his shoulder. Vince held her free hand, and their clasped hands rested on Jean’s lap.

 

When Kingsley saw that her charges were settled she stood in front of Rick, saluted and then turned to walk up onto the stage, making her way to the podium.

 

“Ladies and gentle...” Kingsley’s voice cracked and she brought her hand up to her mouth and coughed softly. “Ladies and gentlemen. My name is Lieutenant Commander Natalie Kingsley and I am the chief protocol officer of the SDF-3. It is my solemn duty and honor to guide you through the order of proceedings for the memorial service of Admiral Lisa Hunter.” Kingsley looked down to the papers she had in front of her and tried to calm the butterflies that were running a race inside her stomach. She looked up and said, “Would everyone please stand as the honor guard enters the room.”

 

Everyone obeyed, even Miriya as she still held Roy in her arms.

 

When the doors of the observation deck opened, one of Kingsley’s people next to the door played a boson’s whistle to call everyone’s attention to the door. As the whistle sounded three REF officers in full dress uniforms began a slow walk towards the stage. The three officers walked side by side by side down the walkway. With no casket such as would normally be found at a funeral the three officers, a male in the middle and one female on either side, escorted only a pillow.

 

The pillow itself was the length of a body pillow, with the female officers holding one of the edges each and the male officer holding the pillow in its center. It had to be that size to carry its abundant and precious cargo.

 

The pillow’s shell was made of black velvet with gold colored trim around the edges. On the pillow, sat the numerous medals, bars and ribbons of Admiral Lisa Hunter. From edge to edge the pillow was covered with Lisa’s decorations to the point that the black velvet was barely visible. Dozens of decorations, RDF service medals, Medals of Valor, Medals of Honor, Purple Hearts, REF service medals and many more.

 

The eyes of many REF personnel bulged in surprise and appreciation as the pillow bearers slowly passed them. Several even saluted. All were teary eyed…with at least one exception. Sue Graham didn’t cry or salute. She used all of her will power to keep from leaving.

 

‘That’s what Kingsley wanted them for’, thought Rick, referring to Lisa’s medals as the honor guard passed him. He wasn’t sure about giving them to her when she had asked for them, especially when she wouldn’t tell him why she wanted them. He was even more worried about the whole thing when he looked up on the stage and couldn’t see the medals anywhere. ‘Lisa would have liked that.’

 

He watched as the honor guard slowly walked up the steps, and with careful precision and utmost care placed the pillow onto the pedestal. Once the pillow was secure, the three officers took a single step back, saluted, then walked off the stage to take their seats at the end of the same row that Rick sat in.

 

Kingsley stepped back up to the podium. “Please be seated.” After everyone retook their seats she continued. “I would like to call on General Reinhardt to say a few words on behalf of the REF. General?”

 

Reinhardt left his seat and walked up onto the stage. After taking his place behind the podium he looked down to Rick and began. “Rick, Roy, friends and comrades. I consider this one of the saddest duties I have ever had to perform in my life, if not the saddest. Now, everyone here knows the basic facts of Lisa’s life, and if you don’t you can find them neatly catalogued in her REF official bio. I would like to share with you some of my personal dealings with Lisa instead. I have known Lisa Hunter for as long as I can remember, since she was a teenager just entering the academy and I was in my final year. She easily impressed anyone who met her with her compassion, her focus, her determination and her intelligence, and that was certainly the case with me. From our first meeting in her first Diplomatic Protocol class, I was amazed at her knowledge and the confident way in which she carried herself. If she was right, she fought to prove it. If she was wrong, though it happened infrequently, she admitted it.” Reinhardt paused for a moment and his eyes scanned the crowd. “She graduated at the top of her class, and the focus she had in her academy days followed her onto the SDF-1. I heard Henry Gloval say on more than one occasion that he would not have been able to accomplish all the things that he did without her.”

 

Reinhardt cleared his throat and continued. “When Admiral Gloval came to the General Staff with his idea for the Expeditionary mission, there was only one name on his list to command it: Lisa Hayes. For those of you who didn’t know Admiral Gloval, it was an indication that he would not accept anyone else, and everyone on the General Staff knew it, not that there needed to be much convincing. We had all worked closely with Lisa. She was the logical choice, and her work over the years with the REF has more than demonstrated that Henry Gloval’s list of one was right on the money.”

 

Reinhardt’s face became soft and a trace of a smile graced his lips. “I still remember when Captain Lisa Hayes came to me not long after the destruction of the SDF-1 and the SDF-2, demanding that the Expeditionary mission go ahead, that it was essential to the survival of the human race…and when I say demanding, that’s a mild way to put it.” Reinhardt waited for the small spatter of laughter to fade. “She spoke logically and eloquently about the need for the mission, adding scenarios and arguments that even Henry hadn’t thought of. She was determined to have the mission proceed and she even managed to convince those that had originally thought the mission might not have been worth it. She seemed to have found a new sense of purpose despite the grief she was experiencing.”

 

“Perhaps the one attribute of Lisa Hunter that best shows why she was the best person for this job was her humility. In all my years around her, I never once heard her take credit for anything that had been accomplished. Not even the Daedalus Maneuver, which is known by all to have been her idea. With Lisa, everything was a team effort. She always sought opinions when time permitted, and whether or not she acted on those suggestions she declared it a team effort. I heard her say once that Lisa Hunter never won the war and it wasn’t Lisa Hunter that defeated the Regent. It was the team she was fortunate enough and very proud to be a part of. The only exception to that was when there were problems. Like a true leader, when something didn’t work she took the blame. The responsibility was hers and hers alone. She always managed to find that balance between what almost always seemed like impossible opposing forces.”

 

“I…Lisa Hunter was a professional soldier, a very wonderful person and a true friend. We are all diminished by her loss.” Reinhardt bowed his head for a moment and whispered, “I will miss you very much, my dear friend.”

 

He lifted his head and walked down off the stage. As he walked towards his seat he stopped in front of the stage in front of the pedestal. He straightened up and saluted. When he lowered his arm he turned and went back to where Rick was sitting.

 

Reinhardt held out his hand. Rick looked the offered hand, his mind in such a jumble of intense emotions that for a moment he didn’t realize what Reinhardt was doing. When it finally clicked inside his mind Rick took Reinhardt’s hand appreciatively.

 

“I don’t have the words to tell you how sorry I am, Rick”, said the elder man sadly. He shook his head slowly and lowered his eyes to the deck. “I…I just…don’t.”

 

“Thank you”, was all that Rick could manage.

 

After a moment, Reinhardt released Rick’s hand and walked back to his seat and sat down, obviously very shaken.

 

Kingsley walked back up to the lectern and said softly into the microphone, “Thank you, General Reinhardt. Ladies and gentlemen, Lieutenant Darren Ross and his bagpipes will play one of Admiral Lisa Hunter’s favorites, ‘Amazing Grace.’”

 

Off to the left of the stage stood Lieutenant Ross, holding in his arms the biggest set of bagpipes Rick had ever seen. He thought they made the most ungodly of sounds, and it always amazed him the amount of pleasure that Lisa took in his discomfort when they were played around him. Those situations were made even more absurd by the fact that Lisa loved them so much, and as Kingsley said, ‘Amazing Grace’ was her favorite. ‘I’d listen to it every day if it meant you could come back to me, Lisa’, he thought sadly.

 

Rick folded his hands together on his lap and closed his eyes as Ross began the song. As the melancholy notes washed through his soul, Rick thought of Lisa. He remembered the first time he found out that she loved the bagpipes, when she dragged him almost kicking and screaming to a Scottish festival in New Macross during one of his many Minmei depression cycles. She did her very best to get him out of the depressing funk he was in. She succeeded, as she almost always did, this particular time by getting him to try to play the pipes. He resisted, which only made her try harder to get him to do it. She never got tired of using the superior officer routine and she finally ordered him to try them. He never got tired of playing the rebel and he threatened to resign. They both knew he didn’t mean it, and after a few moments of her looking at him like he was a spoiled child he caved in and tried to play the bagpipes. He blew into the blowpipe and he squeezed bag when it filled with air, and the musical laughter that came from her beautiful lips at the squeals he produced made him laugh as well…and Minmei was forgotten.

 

Remembering that episode hurt Rick in a deep down place in his heart that he very rarely visited. He had come to terms with the fact that he had hurt Lisa a lot back then, when she had feelings for him and he was hung up on Minmei. Lisa told him many times that it was the past and that they should look to the future, and he tried his best to do just that. ‘But that’s the problem now, isn’t it?’, he thought. ‘There is no more future, all I have is the past. How much time with you did I waste, Lisa, all because of a…because of an infatuation?’ Rick shook his head at the thought. No matter how many times she told him it didn’t matter and to forget about it, he couldn’t. He couldn’t forget and he couldn’t forgive himself either, and now he would never be able to. How much time with Lisa did he just throw away, time that would now mean so much to him? The thought was beginning to overwhelm him when he felt Roy’s tiny hand on his arm. When Rick opened his eyes and looked at his son, the tears that were in his eyes fell down his cheek.

 

“Mommy don’t want you to be sad, Daddy”, came Roy’s innocent whisper.

 

Rick wiped his eyes and whispered back, “I know, buddy.”

 

Roy turned his attention back to the piper just as he finished the last note.

 

Rick instead looked up to the lectern where Kingsley stood. As the last echoes of the music faded she said, “I would now like to call upon Queen Bela to say a few words on behalf of the Sentinel worlds.”

 

Moments later Bela, Queen of the Praxians stood behind the podium. Actually, she towered above the podium. For a millisecond Rick laughed at the sight of Kingsley, who was tall by human standards, standing next to Bela, who was by human standards freakishly tall. Bela made Kingsley look terribly tiny.

 

Rick studied Bela for any changes in her appearance since their last meeting years earlier. ‘She hasn’t changed much’, he thought with a hint of admiration. Her long fiery red hair still draped over her shoulders like a cloak and had only the smallest hint of gray in it, and her ice blue eyes still tended to pass through whomever she was looking at. Her age hadn’t affected her musculature at all either and her medieval era attire gave him plenty of opportunity to see it. She was still in incredible shape, and Rick couldn’t think of anyone aboard the SDF-3 who would be able to beat her in fight. The only person he could think of that may hold his own against her for a while was Vince, and that was only because of Vince’s massive size.

 

Bela looked around the room, demanding with her regal gaze the attention of all, finally settling her gaze on the front row at Rick. “When we of the Sentinel worlds decided that someone should offer our condolences to Rick Hunter, it was I who requested the honor of speaking.”

 

“We Praxians were not surprised by the fact that a woman commanded your forces like some of our Sentinel comrades. For us, that is a natural thing and I confess, at first we did not think that much of it. It was only after serving with humans for some time, learning about your culture and your ways, that we were able to understand just how much of an accomplishment it was for Lisa Hunter to command your forces. While her position as commander of your REF automatically demanded respect from us, our respect for her increased a thousand fold when we realized the difficulties she went through to achieve command. I have come to see, I have come to know, that Lisa Hunter was more than an Admiral…more than a commander. To Praxians, a Queen is a leader who leads her people through the good times and bad with dignity, wisdom and courage. She is a teacher, she is an advisor and she is a protector.”

 

“Lisa Hunter taught us about the struggles of human females, and how they overcame many obstacles to take the places that they now occupy. She taught us of the value of relationships, which before were something that if thought about at all was only in passing and with some contempt. We saw how she gained strength from her relationship with Rick Hunter, and we have come to realize that we too can have that extra source of fortitude. For that we owe her much.”

 

“I have seen many times with my own eyes the dignity with which she carried herself; the wisdom that she possessed and brought to every problem; and the courage with which she faced numerous daunting situations. Lisa Hunter may not have had the title of Queen, but she was one in every sense of the word as used by we Praxians. She was every bit the warrior a Praxian is expected to be, and she was as much a Queen as the Praxians have ever had.”

 

“So much we respect her, that she is mourned on our world as a fallen warrior Queen. When a warrior Queen dies, it is a time for great sorrow, for when such a woman is lost a part of us all is lost as well. My Sentinel friends tell me that they all likewise respected Lisa Hunter. So I say now that if there is anything we can do to help our human friends, you need only to ask.”

 

“I would like to say now a Praxian prayer that is meant to honor a fallen warrior Queen.” Bela stopped and looked to Rick and added, “With your permission, Admiral.”

 

Rick had been so moved by Bela’s beautiful tribute to his wife that it took him a moment to answer.

 

After Rick nodded his assent Bela bowed her head and said solemnly, “Mother, we ask that you send your mighty steed to bring to your palace the warrior Queen whose death we mourn today. Call to your side Lisa Hunter, who is as worthy as any Queen who has come before her, and is as worthy as any Queen can ever be. Let it be known to all, my Mother, that she is with you and she will be waiting for us to join her when the time is right. I ask these things in your name, the Mother of all things.”

 

Bela lifted her head and said, “This day has been declared a day of mourning on all Sentinel worlds. As a further tribute to Lisa Hunter, the Spherisians have created life size statues of Lisa Hunter out of the crystal of their world. These statues will be placed in the capitals of all our worlds in places of honor.” The doors to the observation deck opened, and as the crowd of mourners turned to see what was happening, Bela continued. “We have brought with us the first of these statues to be created as a gift to Admiral Hunter.”

 

Murmurs of appreciation rippled throughout the assembled people as two massive Karbarrans carefully carried the statue up to the stage. They placed the statue on the deck by the stage in front of the pedestal. Their task completed, they moved with a grace that should have been impossible for their size to the left side of the deck.

 

Rick looked at the statue. He couldn’t speak, and after a few moments he thought he was losing his sight. It wasn’t until he felt the tears dripping from his cheek onto his hand that he realized that the tears were what were interfering with his vision. The statue was a perfect representation of Lisa

 

She was standing up with her head held high, proudly, looking straight ahead. Her hands were clasped together in front of her and she had that drop dead gorgeous smile upon her face. Rick had seen the Spherisians do some wonderfully amazing things with crystal, but everything else paled in comparison to the statue. They nailed every tiny detail, from the way her hair fell around her shoulders all the way down to the wedding ring on her finger.

 

Suddenly Rick’s view of the statue was interrupted. He looked up into the piercing blue eyes of Bela. He didn’t even realize she had left the stage. Before he could get up, Bela knelt down in front of him, and because of her immense height her eyes were still above his. Bela reached in and took Rick’s hands in hers and said softly, “She will never be forgotten. The Sentinels will not permit it.” Her eyes showed unwavering resolve as she added, “I will not permit it.”

 

With that she released his hands, stood up and walked back to her seat.

 

Rick was struggling to keep control over his emotions, and he was losing the fight until Kingsley’s voice broke through the emotional fog and gave him something besides the grief to focus on.

 

“At this time I would ask you to turn your attention to the main view port, where the Alphas of the Skull and Eagle squadrons will perform a series of maneuvers in honor of Admiral Lisa Hunter.” She stepped back and turned to the view port just as the twelve Alphas of the Skull screamed by the window from the left.

 

They circled out to a short distance from the ship, where they lined up in two rows of six, one row directly beneath the other. Out of nowhere shot the twelve Alphas of the Eagle squadron from the bottom of the window heading up. They too circled around, but they formed two side-by-side columns, which intersected the rows of the Skull in the center. Together the squadrons lined up to form a cross.

 

They held that position for ten seconds then broke out of formation. All the Alphas but two Skulls left the field of vision of the people on the observation deck. Those two Skulls switched configuration, going to Battloid mode and spacing themselves many meters apart, with their canons secured in their massive hands.

 

One by one, the rest of the Skull squadron came back into view, assuming a formation above their two fellows. They too were in Battloid mode, but instead of holding their canons in their hands, they held something else. Only the pilots and some higher ups knew that they were reflective shields mounted onto the forearms of the Battloids. When the Skulls were in their formation, the Alphas of the Eagle began coming into view.

 

They lined up with six Alphas on each side of the Skull formation. Their position put them around the middle of the Skull formation, and when they settled the Eagles were spaced an equal distance from each other. The first Eagle in each of the two rows pointed their canons above and towards the center of the Skull formation with every second Eagle after them doing the same. The second Eagle in each row, as well as the remaining Eagles pointed their canons below and towards the center of the Skull formation.

 

The two Skulls that had their canons in their hands moved next to the two bottom Skulls that had the shields. They pointed their canons at the shields and in perfect unison fired their weapons. From the two Skulls shot two silver pulses. The other Skulls had their shields positioned in such a way as to reflect the pulses towards each other, and what resulted was a spectacular display. The pulses bounced and bounced at a break neck pace, showing everyone in the ship the pattern of a gigantic silver star.

 

There were murmurs of awe and admiration at the sight of such precision flying and marksmanship. Even Rick was shaking his head at their accomplishment. They had so little time to work out the angles and practice…it shouldn’t have been possible. ‘Then again’, he thought proudly, ‘it is the Skull we’re talking about.’

 

Suddenly the space around the silver star created by the Skull was lit up. The Eagle squadron had fired their weapons. The red beams from half of them went up and intersected above the Skull, while the other red beams went down and intersected beneath the Skull, forming a diamond shape around the Skull.

 

More exclamations of surprise and appreciation came from the people on the observation deck.

 

For three minutes the area in front of the observation deck window was ablaze with the silver star and diamond light show. When the Battloids finally stopped the show, they all moved closer to the window and lined up in four rows of six. When they achieved that formation, they all saluted in perfect unison and then moved upward and out of sight.

 

As they moved upward, Rick thought, ‘I wish you could have seen that Lisa…you would have really loved it.’

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There was someone who didn’t fully appreciate the amazing display. Sue Graham thought she was going to be sick. ‘As if the speeches weren’t enough dribble’, she thought angrily. She looked up towards where Rick was sitting and said to herself, ‘He never even wore his dress uniform.’

 

Next to her, the display elicited the opposite reaction. Angie Marques was deeply moved by both the display and the speeches of Bela and Reinhardt. The more she heard about Lisa Hunter the more she came to admire and respect her. She was very careful however, not to let that be known by her companion.

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Kingsley spoke softly into the microphone. “I would now call upon General Maximillian Sterling to say a few words. General.”

 

Max walked up to the stage and slowly walked up the steps. When he got behind the podium he looked down and took a deep breath before speaking.

 

Rick couldn’t help but smile. He knew Max really wasn’t that comfortable speaking in front of large crowds at the best of times. Now, with his emotions running so high, Rick figured Max was wound up pretty tight.

 

Max looked up and began. “General Reinhardt and Queen Bela have already spoken about the leadership qualities of Lisa Hunter. They have spoken of her wisdom and her sense of duty. I would like to take a moment to talk about another side of Lisa. I have known Lisa for”, he smiled as he thought about the amount of time, “for a very long time. The only person around now that I’ve known longer is Rick. Anyway, I could tell the very first time I met Lisa that she was a kind and warm soul, who would help you if she could. No matter how much someone ticked her off, she would always be there for them if they needed her.”

 

Rick bowed his head and closed his eyes. He was the perfect example for what Max had just said, and he couldn’t help but wonder if that had been Max’s point.

 

“More than once over the years Lisa has helped me and my family, no matter what was going on with the ship or in her own life. She was that kind of special person who would come if you called, no questions asked and that was it.” Max stopped and slipped his right index finger underneath his glasses to wipe away the buildup of water in his right eye.

 

“General Reinhardt spoke of Lisa after the destruction of the SDF-1 and how she seemed to have a newfound sense of purpose.” Max smiled and nodded. “She did. While Admiral Gloval’s mission was a part of it, the biggest reason for her determination, was her love for Rick. It was during that terrible time that they found each other. It was out of that very horrible time that something good was born, and the positive changes that came over the both of them were incredible to witness. It was like their love was something worth fighting for…worth doing anything to make sure it survived.”

 

Max looked above everyone on front of him, fearing that if he made eye contact with anyone that he wouldn’t be able to hold it together.

 

“Even after her promotion and the work was overwhelming, she still had time for those she loved, and I count myself very lucky to have been one of those fortunate people.” Max pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and took the opportunity to calm his breathing down. “It has been that way ever since as well. If you needed her and she didn’t have the time to help, she would make the time.”

 

“In the last few years, Lisa found another reason to fight the good fight: her son.” Max looked down and smiled when Roy looked up at him and waved a little wave. “She loved her son so much, and would do anything to protect him.”

 

“The same zeal that General Reinhardt described in Lisa’s work ethic was the same passion that she loved her family and friends with. She was the warmest, kindest and most loving soul I have ever known bar none, and all you had to do to see it was look into her emerald green eyes. They always sparkled. What I will miss about Lisa Hunter is the wonderful way she could make people feel just by being around them. I will miss her smile, her laugh, and I will miss the love she brought into our lives. I will miss the way she made my best friend…how she made him walk on the clouds when she was around him. I …I will just miss everything about her.” By the time he had finished, his last sentence was barely more than a whisper.

 

Max walked down the stairs and went straight to his seat without looking at Rick and Miriya. Once seated, he was forced by necessity to remove his glasses so he could wipe the tears from his eyes again.

 

Rick wiped his own tears away from his eyes. He wanted to thank Max for his wonderful words, to thank him for his support and tell him that Lisa would have loved what he said about her

 

But he couldn’t.

 

He knew that if he told his dear friend those things that Max would be deeply moved, perhaps even break down a little. If Max fell apart, Rick would immediately follow.

 

Instead, Rick listened to something that was echoing in his mind…

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Lisa sat on the thermal blanket, her back against the wall of the cave with her knees brought up to her chest and regarded it scornfully. The folder that Graham had brought on her last visit had stayed where Lisa had thrown it that day. No matter how much it gnawed at her soul, she just couldn’t bring herself to look at the memo inside. That didn’t mean she didn’t think about it though. On the contrary, it was constantly on her mind…right behind Rick and Roy.

 

Four people were dead because of her. ‘No’, she admonished herself, ‘not because of me. Because of Graham.’

 

Her mind drifted to each of them. She had no problem placing faces with the names; she knew them all well. She remembered each of them: Hunt, Styles, Finch and Montgomery and couldn’t stop the tears of utter sadness.

 

She bowed her head and promised, “I will never forget you, I swear.” She clenched her fists together and added, “And I promise Sue Graham will pay.”

 

Even as she made that promise to herself, a warm feeling washed over her. It felt as though Rick was holding her in his strong embrace…and she imagined for a moment that he was.

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‘Something isn’t right’, realized Rick after he thought about it for a moment. Something was missing…something that wouldn’t be missing if Lisa were there.

 

Kingsley stood at the lectern and said, “That concludes the service. I would like to extend…”

 

“One moment, Commander”, interrupted the voice of Rick Hunter. Rick sat with his eyes closed and his head bowed down thinking about Lisa and what she would want. He knew everyone was waiting. ‘Let them wait’, he told himself.

 

After contemplating what to say, Rick opened his eyes, raised his head and tried to stand up. He was almost up when his strength failed him and he began to sink back down into his seat. Before he reached it though, Jean was out of her own seat like a bolt of lightning and kept Rick upright by discreetly grabbing and holding onto his arm.

 

Rick whispered, “Thanks, Jean”, and he rubbed her hand in appreciation. “Take your seat”, he told her as he gave her a reassuring look. “I’ll be fine.”

 

He could see by the concern in her eyes that she was far from convinced about that, but she did as he asked and sat down after releasing his arm.

 

Rick smiled at her and then carefully walked to the end of the stage. He hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, trying to find the strength to do what he knew she would want him to do. The memory of his strong willed wife gave him the strength he needed, and he walked up the stairs and walked up beside Kingsley. She looked to him and was about to ask him if he was sure that he wanted to speak, but his eyes answered the question for her.

 

Kingsley stepped aside and Rick moved to the lectern and closed his eyes for a moment as he placed his hands on the top edges of the podium. He hoped that no one noticed that his knuckles had turned white from holding it so tight.

 

Rick slowly opened his eyes and looked out at the hundreds of people and took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I can’t find the words to describe to you just what it was and how much my wife means to me. I’m not even going to try. General Reinhardt, Queen Bela and Max have spoken more than eloquently enough about just how special my wife is…about her strength, her courage, her kindness, her warmth and her…love.” Rick lowered his head and fought back the wave of emotion that surged in his chest.

 

As he lowered his head he caught sight of the Spherisian’s statue of Lisa in front of the stage. ‘I have to do it…for her’, he thought. When he looked up, it was with a sense of utter determination. He still didn’t understand where the strength came from, but come to him it did.

 

“No, I want to do something now that I know my wife would want me to do, something that she would do if she were here right now. While I know Lisa would be deeply moved by this service and the tremendous support and honor showed to her today, I am equally certain that she would be mad as hell if her”, he swallowed the lump in his throat, “death…was the only one mourned here today.”

 

Rick cast a quick glance to Max and watched as he slowly nodded his head and a knowing smile came to his lips.

 

“Four other people died that …that horrendous day”, continued Rick. “They died in the service of the REF…in their performance of their duty. They died with her…and for her.”

 

Rick took a long moment to search the second row on the left, where he had told Kingsley to seat some special people. Finally he found the eyes of Lieutenant Commander Courtney Hunt, the wife of the shuttle pilot, Commander Brendan Hunt.

 

Rick looked only at her as he spoke, and when he did speak his voice was sincere and calm. “Commander Brendan Hunt was perhaps the finest shuttle pilot in the fleet. He could accomplish feats with those things that would boggle the mind, and Lisa felt absolutely safe under his care. More than that though, Brendan Hunt was a husband and soon to be father.” Rick smiled as he remembered. “When Lisa and I first found out that the Hunts were expecting, we joked with him that if the baby was a boy, Rick was a fine name. We also said that Lisa was an equally acceptable name for a girl. He took it all in stride. He was a respected leader, a superb officer and a very good man. He will be deeply missed.” Courtney Hunt mouthed a thank you to Rick, and he nodded to her.

 

Several seats down Rick’s gaze rested on Lieutenant Elizabeth Hart, the fiancé of Lieutenant Paul Styles, the shuttle’s copilot. ‘So young’, thought Rick sadly. “Lieutenant Paul Styles was engaged to be married, and he had asked Lisa to perform the ceremony, which she was deeply honored to do. Lisa told me he was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs the day he proposed to Elizabeth, and she couldn’t help but tease him about it. He was so looking forward to spending his life with you, Elizabeth. He was an exemplary pilot, and like Brendan, Lisa had full confidence in his piloting skills. He was always cracking jokes, smiling and keeping the atmosphere around him loose and happy. He too will be sorely missed.”

 

Next to Elizabeth Hart Rick found Dr. Jacob Finch, the husband of Lieutenant Commander Jane Finch. “Lieutenant Commander Jane Finch was the escort squadron’s second in command, resident mother hen and a hell of a poker player. She could bluff anyone…and on that I’m speaking from experience. She was a kind-hearted woman, who loved her husband and her job. She was the Mom of the flying men and women of the SDF-3, and she would help anyone with any problem if she could. She is…she is irreplaceable.”

 

Three seats down from Dr. Finch sat the parents of Lieutenant Scott Montgomery. They were retired REF Captains themselves who Rick knew personally. “Lieutenant Scott Montgomery was following in his parents footsteps, and doing it with professionalism and class. He worked hard and flew straight. Scott liked to read and build those tiny little model ships inside bottles…a hobby he picked up from his Dad.” Rick smiled as he looked at Montgomery’s father. “I asked him once how he managed to do it. He told me that if you can fly an Alpha without hitting anything, you could build a ship in a bottle. He smiled after he had said that, and I knew that it was because he realized that I had crashed my aircraft…more than once.” Rick paused as a ripple of quiet laughter went through the observation deck. “He was soft spoken, but his flying and work ethic spoke volumes. He was the finest example of a pilot.”

 

Rick let his eyes drift around the room. “They will all be missed…by their loved ones, by their squad mates and by us all.”

 

Admiral Rick Hunter released the lectern and slowly, carefully walked down the stairs to the deck, and made his way back to his front row seat. When he was seated, Max leaned over and whispered, “Very nice, Boss. Very nice.”

 

Rick simply nodded and watched as Kingsley made her way up to the lectern. Even from where he was sitting and through the tears in his eyes, he could see that she had been crying. “That’s concludes the service. On behalf of Admiral Hunter, I would like to thank you all for coming. I would also ask that you remain seated until Admiral Hunter and his party leave. Thank you.”

 

Kingsley left the stage and walked down to where Rick was seated. She saluted and said quietly, “At your discretion, sir, I will escort you to your quarters.”

 

Rick stood up, looked over to check on Roy and Miriya and then looked back to Kingsley. “Now would be a good time, Commander.”

 

Kingsley stepped to the aisle and waited as her charges stood up and walked towards her.

 

Rick watched Jean and Vince move to stand behind Kingsley. Miriya then stood up and, with Roy still hugging her neck walked over there as well, but not before Rick leaned in and gave his son a kiss on his cheek. Max came up beside him and held out his arm to tell Rick to go ahead. Rick walked a couple of paces and found himself looking into the crystal eyes of the statue of Lisa. For a moment he could see Lisa’s sparkling green eyes…but just for a moment. He tore his eyes away from the representation of the love of his life, and walked up behind Miriya.

 

As Rick and his family followed Kingsley down the aisle towards the door to the observation deck, Rick couldn’t help but think, ‘I will never say good-bye, Lisa…never.’

 

 

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