fanfic_name = What If

chapter = Chapter VIII

author = Knights Templar

Rating = AP15

Type = Adventure

fanfic = What If

A/N: Well I have to thank my small loyal fan base, in particular Lord Destroyer and a few others. I know this may not be the most interesting story, but I do enjoy writing them and I am glad to see a few people enjoy reading them. So anyway enough talk, on to Chapter 8.

Jacob ran around in the halls of the SDF-1 looking desperately for any sign of life. Panic started to set in as Jacob could see that there was no one around and that he was alone on a huge ship.

Room after room was empty and Jacob could feel his eyes start to water, he was alone again and he got that feeling he had had ever since he was a young boy who had been abandoned by his heavy drinking, addicted mother.

Jacob went into his quarters on the now empty SDF-1, and sat down on the couch and started to sob, he was alone again. He felt so overwhelmed by the feeling that he didn't notice a shady figure in the corner. "Lisa!"

"Yeah, it's me Lisa," the figure said with a sneer and contempt in his voice. "Why are you crying you weak loser. I never thought I'd see a Hayes cry, you don't deserve to be a Hayes, you're too weak." Jacob felt as if he was drowning his whole new world being turned upside down.

But as if having Lisa there wasn't bad enough his father, Donald Hayes, appeared as if magic out of nowhere. "I can't believe that Lisa took enough pity on you to let you come up here. That's all you'll ever get from anyone pity, you pitiful loser." Jacob began to tremble, it couldn't get any worse. But as soon as he thought that his mother appeared too.

"Look at you Jacob; I am ashamed to have birthed you. I should have listened to your father here, and aborted you. You're not worth the trouble to have birthed and raised for eleven years." With that all three figures laughed derisively at Jacob and they faded off. Again Jacob was alone and felt the loneliness in his heart swell and he let out a cry, "NOOOOOO!!!!!"

Jacob woke with a start and saw that he wasn't in his room, his bed, with his comforts. He sat up and put his head in his hands and shook his head as the days events played over in his head. He looked at his watch and saw that it was almost two-thirty in the morning.

"Jacob! Jacob, what's wrong? We heard you yell." Lisa asked coming out of her room. He looked at her and saw that she was dressed in a shirt and a pair of sweat pants. "Where's Rick, he was here when I feel asleep." Jacob asked looking around to see if he could find Rick. Then he saw Rick poke his head out of Lisa's room, an Jacob smiled a knowing smile.

"I'm sorry did, I interrupt something?" Rick blushed and Lisa turned a shade darker, "No, nothing happened, but you did interrupt a good dream," returned Rick. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you; I'd better get back to my quarters."

Jacob got up and made his way for the door, but Lisa grabbed his wrist, "No Jacob, what was the problem, why'd you yell?" Jacob didn't want to talk about it, but he was the concerned look in Lisa's eyes and looked at Rick an saw a curious but concerned look.

"I just had a bad dream is all, I have them a lot, which happens when you've dealt with a few of the thing I've had too." Lisa looked at Jacob and gave him a look that said, "Spill it all," and Jacob went back to the couch and sat down and sighed.

Jacob sat on the couch for a minute sorting out his thoughts, an looked up and saw the patient, yet expectant faces of Rick and Lisa. Jacob smiled and told them about his dream and all the feelings that where associated with it. The feeling of emptiness and the tones of all who where in the dream, an when he finished he saw the grim face of Rick and the distraught face of Lisa.

"Jacob, I don't know what you'd have a dream like that, but I wouldn't alienate you for something like that. I can understand what you have had to deal with an I wouldn't ever make you feel small about that for any reason." Lisa finished and Jacob saw sincerity in her eyes and smiled.

Jacob got up and walked over to Lisa's fridge and opened it and got out a soda, he opened it and sat down, "Well I guess it's time I told you Lisa about what has happened to me, it'll make me feel better to tell someone." When Jacob finished he saw Rick get up to leave but told Rick to sit down.

"Rick, you don't have to leave, it's just something that I've needed to do. An to be honest I don't care if you hear or not. I'd think if you've gotten this close to Lisa, you are a good person." Jacob saw the smile exchanged between Rick and Lisa.

"Well," Jacob began taking a sip of his drink, "as you know my father is Admiral Donald Hayes, an he didn't want me when I was born. But not to be unfair, there was a good reason for that, my mother was his reason for not taking me."

Jacob looked at Lisa and saw that she was listening, "My mother was only twenty-two when she had me, an she had a lot of problems. She was a heavy drinker and had addiction problems with drugs." Jacob heard Lisa gasp.

"Yeah, when I was born I had all sorts of addiction problems because of my mother's problems with drugs. The doctors said I used to go through some of the most terrible withdrawal's that they where afraid I was going to cry till I passed out, which I did frequently anyway." Jacob looked up at Lisa and saw a piteous look.

Jacob's insides hardened and he felt a rage sweep over him, was she pitying him? Jacob couldn't help it so he got mad and snapped, "Don't pity me god damn it! I hate pity, I don't want to go through life with everyone looking at me with a piteous look and thinking, 'It's such a pity he grew up that way,' so save your pity for someone who needs it and wants it!"

Lisa was taken aback, one second ago Jacob had been discussing his past then all the sudden he snapped at her for pitying him. She sort of understood the feeling; he didn't want to be the object of everyone's pity, so she respected that and sat there with a neutral look.

Jacob looked at Lisa with a hopeless look on his face and realized he had gone a little too far, "I'm sorry Lisa, it's just that I have been pitied so much I can't take anymore." Lisa nodded her head in silent acceptance of his apology.

"Well, when I was four, the city took me away from my mom because of her addiction, an that's when I first lived in an orphanage. It was ok, except I was picked on by everyone for being so tall. I was effectively isolated out." Jacob shuttered a little, all the bad memories coming back in such a rush.

"Well I spent about a year in an orphanage and my mom got herself cleaned up and they gave me back to her. Life with my mom was terrible; she had a different man every night and did all sorts of drugs only months after getting me back. Then the state found out a few years later when they finally caught up with her, but at this time the Global Civil War had started an abusive, addicted mothers weren't as much a concern, but the reason that I was found was because my mother got caught in a sting operation and since this was her second offense she would never see me again."

Jacob studied Rick and Lisa's face alternately; Lisa seemed to be appalled by his mother's life style and treatment of him. Rick just sat there with a disgusted look on his face shaking his head.

"So I was about ten or eleven when I was put in another orphanage, this time something happened that would change my life. I didn't know who my father was at that time an my mother never told me, so one day when I was at the orphanage, I was called in to be looked at by a 'possible' parent. Well it was a military man, older, with a daughter..." Jacob's word's trailed off and he watched Lisa.

Realization set in on Lisa rather quickly, she wasn't dumb and saw what he was getting at. "T-th-that was you at the orphanage?" Lisa's eyes grew wide and Jacob just nodded his head solemnly.

"Yes, that tall, downtrodden, dirty little boy of eleven you saw was me. I remember you thought like it was yesterday. You where all dressed up in your uniform, you looked so professional and when I saw you in the uniform I knew what I wanted to do from that moment on. I wanted to be like you. I wanted to be in the same uniform and share the same pride that you seemed to radiate."

Tears welled up in Lisa's eyes as she remembered the little Jacob she had seen. The little boy was a mess, he had ruffled hair, looked as if he had been abused and neglected. She felt genuinely sorry for what he had been through.

"Jacob..." Lisa managed to say his name before she was overwhelmed with emotions of anger. Why hadn't her father taken the little boy in, why hadn't he gotten the little boy and brought him into a home that would have cared for as best as they could.

Jacob stood up and walked to the window in Lisa's room and looked out and saw the Earth hanging in space, 'That's my home, that's what I'm fighting to protect.' Jacob sighed and walked back to the couch.

"My mother heard about Admiral Hayes trying to come and adopt me so she went crazy and tried to come and get me, but she crashed and killed herself. So that was the end of my family as I knew it. But once I enlisted and hacked into the main data computer I did a little searching and found I had family left...well the rest is un-important."

A silence fell over the room and everyone looked at each other and Rick remembered that Jacob had something he needed to talk to him about. "Jacob, earlier today before our...encounter, you wanted to tell me something, you said it was important. What was it?"

Jacob froze and his gaze drifted to Lisa, "What? Oh yeah, well I um...I don't think this is a good time. It's something that I needed to tell you, directly to you." Jacob gave a glance at Lisa and saw anger rising in her.

"Fine! If you don't trust me enough to tell me too then I will just leave." Lisa got up and stormed into her room and slammed the door. Jacob sighed, laughed an then got up, 'She act's like me when I'm mad, were definitely related.'

Jacob went to her door and knocked and was greeted with a harsh, "Go away," and he heard that Lisa was moving around.

"Lisa, I suppose I can tell you what this is about since it has mostly to do with you," Jacob said trying to calm her and she opened the door.

"What do you mean has mostly to do with me? What are you talking about?" Lisa had a look of sheer puzzlement on her face.

Jacob knew she would take this hard so he told her to sit down, "Sit down Lisa, please," Lisa sat down next to Rick who had settled on the couch.

"Lisa, what I am about to tell you and Rick is very important," Jacob let out a sigh, "Lisa, you remember Karl right?"

Lisa tensed and felt sadness set on, Rick saw this and felt suddenly protective, "Why are taking about Karl?"

"Because Rick, it is relevant to what I am about to tell you." Jacob saw Lisa perk up a bit and look at him. "Lisa, Karl didn't die on Mars, he ran away from his post when he heard about 'the Visitor'. He managed to find his way back to Earth right about the time the SDF-1 disappeared." Lisa gasped and felt herself getting dizzy. "Karl, he's alive?"

Jacob gave her a nod, "But when he found out that you had disappeared and he couldn't find you he grew cold, bitter and joined the Anti-UEG rebels. He was the one that attacked my plane in the South Pacific. He was the leader of the group that bombed the military base in Rangoon. He's the one I spent two years chasing all over the planet." Jacob finished what he was saying and say Lisa looking at him.

"So...so Karl's alive?" Lisa gave him a shocked look and she looked at Rick who had a sad, sorrowful look on his face. Lisa figured out what his look meant, "Oh Rick, I know what you're thinking, but don't worry, Karl won't change us."

Rick looked at Lisa with a pained expression, "But you and Karl where engaged to be married. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Rick was suddenly frantic, he finally had Lisa in his life and here comes Karl, her supposed dead fiancé. Lisa looked at him and tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Maybe this is a good time to mention that he is not in control of his mental faculties. He is completely off his rocker. Lisa, the point I am trying to make is that he doesn't want to marry you; he is so anti-military that his over driving goal is to exterminate all military people by any means of force necessary. He's become so blind by his belief that he has become more aggressive than the people he hates. An from what I got from interrogation is that you and your father are at the top of his list of people to kill, followed by me."

Lisa looked at Jacob, "Yes he knows as well, but he is keeping that to himself surprisingly, guess he is gonna wait for the right moment." Jacob remembered chasing Riber all over the planet. He was a sick twisted person who would stop at nothing to kill all military people.

"Rick I guess you should know that by now he knows about you and Lisa." Jacob let that settle in and tuned to Lisa, "Lisa, Riber may not want to marry you, but he is obsessed with having you. He has even admitted this, so he will stop at nothing to kill Rick, You and I, but I think you'd have the worst of anything he could do."

Lisa cringed at Jacob's words and knew immediately what he meant. Karl would have his way with her and then kill her. Lisa was completely shocked by how Karl had changed; he had gone from the peace loving man whom she had fallen in love with, to the horrible, blood-thirsty man that Jacob described.

"Jacob, what made Karl change? Why did he go mad?" The look on Lisa's face told Jacob that she wanted to know it all. Jacob knew that there'd be no way out of this one and sat down.

"Lisa, when Karl ran from Sara Base, he made a run for it in a escape capsule, but what he didn't expect was Sara base to be attacked shortly after him running from it. He floated in space for a few weeks and finally made his way to Earth and was picked up by one of the ARMD's and was thought to be a survivor of the Sara Base attack. So when he got back and found that you had disappeared he became jealous that you had left him for someone soldier you had met, so his loathing of the military started, and when they wouldn't allow him to Macross he began his crusade to kill all military persons."

The silence that followed was deafening, Lisa sat on the couch with a horribly distraught look on her face. Rick leaned over and pulled her into a hug and held her as she began to cry. Jacob saw that she needed some time with just Rick, "Hey you two, I am going to go, I need to be in my own quarters."

Rick looked at Jacob and Jacob saw that Rick understood why he had told her and him about Karl, "Don't worry Jacob, I won't leave Lisa. She's with me an I'd die before I let someone hurt her." Jacob nodded his head and gave a half smile, "Twas the idea my dear friend." Jacob turned and left closing the door softly.

Lisa sobbed into Rick's chest for what seemed like an eternity and Rick let her get it out. Rick rubbed Lisa's back and hair and took in the smell of her hair and felt her convulsing in his arms. She seemed to fit so perfectly in his arms.

Lisa finally calmed down and looked up at Rick with her beautiful emerald eyes and Rick could see clearly in her eyes and saw love, pain, compassion, and loss. "Lisa, don't worry, I'm here, and I'll protect you. I'd do anything for you because I love you, Lisa you are my life, I don't know what I would do without you."

This only made Lisa cry again but Rick silenced her, "Enough tears for one day Lisa," Rick didn't hesitate, he pulled Lisa close and kissed her with all the compassion and love he could muster. He felt Lisa melt in his arms and when they finally broke the kiss Lisa had settled down. They fell asleep in each others arms on the couch.

Rick woke to the smell of coffee and saw Lisa sitting in the chair with a cup of coffee in her hands. "Rick Hunter, do you have any idea how cute you are when you're asleep?" Rick laughed and looked at his watch: 5:45. Rick had an hour and fifteen minutes till he had to report for duty.

Rick gave a small smile and remembered that Jacob was now assigned to his squadron. Then he thought of Jacob more and remembered his story from last night and all the things that he had told Lisa and him. Rick got up and walked over to Lisa and hugged her and felt safe. Lisa was pleasantly surprised.

Rick let go and gave Lisa a quick kiss and told her that he would go make something to eat. Rick walked over to the kitchen and saw that Jacob had left his soda open and left it on the counter before he left. He decided to call Jacob and have him swing by Rick's place to get some clothes for him.

"Hey Lisa, do you want to invite Jacob over? It might be a good idea after last night." Lisa gave him an approving smile and nod. So Rick gave Jacob's quarters a call and was surprised to find that their was no answer. Rick called the officer on duty and he told him that Jacob hadn't reported to duty and he hadn't seen him.

Rick then decided to call Jacob's cell and it rang a few times before Jacob answered it, "Hello," Rick felt relieved after he found Jacob, "Hey Jacob, its Rick I was wondering if you'd like to have breakfast with me and Lisa?" Rick listened for a moment as Jacob shifted and sounded like he looked for something.

"Well Rick, I don't eat breakfast, but do you have coffee cause I don't have any an if I don't get it I am not a pleasant person." Rick laughed and told him they did and asked him if he would get Rick his change of uniform. "Sure," Jacob said a little too enthusiastically and before Rick could tell him the code Jacob hung up. 'Uh oh,' was all Rick thought.

A few minutes later Jacob knocked on the door and Lisa opened to door to see her freakishly tall brother in his uniform with a rather tired look on his face. Jacob walked in and set Rick's clothes on the coffee table and made his way for the kitchen and Lisa heard Rick say, "Hi," but didn't hear Jacob respond.

Jacob came out of the kitchen and sat down in front of the window looking out on Earth and sat there drinking his coffee. Rick and Lisa exchanged puzzled looks and Rick shrugged it off. Lisa decided that Jacob needed his coffee, and let him alone.

Rick and Lisa ate breakfast without saying much watching Jacob stare at the Earth and finally Lisa had enough, "Jacob, what's wrong? You're being so quiet and distant." Rick had stopped eating and Lisa had put her fork down and Jacob shifted in his chair and got up and walked over to the TV and turned it on. Both Rick and Lisa where shocked by the headline.

On the TV there was live video feed of a devastated military installation and all around where the dead, mutilated bodies of soldiers, pilots, techs, and scientists. Rick finally became aware that this was not a normal station for Macross and heard the reporter's words, "This is Andrea Yarbrough, live from Denver and the scene of a terrible butchery of lives. It would appear that a terrorist group attacked the base sometime during the night and killed all personal on the base. While early reports are conflicting, the casualties are said to range anywhere from one to two and half thousand dead. Another question remains, why would terrorists steal shuttles used for flight to space, and the question this reporter has is how could a top of the line military base be annihilated with everyone killed?"

Jacob turned the TV off and looked at Rick and Lisa and saw shock registering on their face, "That was no terrorist group, that was Riber's men. They took that base, killed everyone and stole the shuttles. An I guess that means I don't have to tell you what he intends to do?"

Both Rick and Lisa knew fully well what Karl intended to do with these shuttles, he was planning to come to the SDF-1 and fulfill his vendetta against the men and women who served aboard the SDF-1. Rick looked at his food and lost his appetite. He looked at Lisa and saw that she too also seemed to lose her appetite.

Rick got up and collected Lisa and his plate and headed off the kitchen to clean them. Rick came back out and with out saying a word went and showered. As the three of them walked to their respective duty stations they all knew what this meant. They'd have to watch each other and prepare for the worst.

Lisa got to the bridge and Rick and Lisa exchanged a kiss and said their good bye's and Rick came back to Jacob and they walked and talked as they made their way to the hanger. They may have talked more but the alert klaxons sounded and all pilots made a rush for their fighters. Rick and Jacob were among the first to arrive and they say Roy running to his fighter and Jacob felt as if he was in the presence of a god. Roy looked at Jacob and smiled, "Hey, about time we god another pilot above six foot," Roy joked.

Jacob was tall but Roy had him beat by three inches. Jacob got to his fighter and saw a the Vermillion sign on it and for the second time in a less than twenty-four hours he felt complete. Jacob climbed the ladder to his fighter and taxied it to the Prometheus.

The cat crew gave him a thumbs up and Jacob threw them a salute and felt the gee's push him into his seat. He was flying in space with the RDF, his dream since he was eleven.

Vermillion team formed up with Wolf, Skull and Pearl squadrons and lined themselves up to intercept the Zentraedi. The ranks of the RDF Flyers had increased with the arrival of the Cadets and the fighter wing was mixed with a sprinkling of new and old, rookies and old hands.

The VT's and BP's met head on in a dance of death and mayhem. The BP's had the early advantage as the new pilots not used to such tactics had to adapt to fighting the Zentraedi, but for many it was too late. Jacob saw Max and was in awe of his flying skills. The man was a genius.

Jacob found himself pursuing a BP's and got a lock on it and fired a missile and made contact and felt a forgotten elation that one got with their first kill. But Jacob soon learned that one couldn't think when fighting the Zentraedi and found himself trying to out fly three BP's. Just as Jacob was about to give up Max came roaring by and flamed the BP's on his six.

Jacob pulled the G lever and thought his way to Guardian mode and felt the change and found himself flying something slight reminiscent to a bird of prey and started to fly his way through the melee. Jacob fired of some missiles and destroyed a few BP's and started to fire his gatling cannon at the other BP's that were coming at him from two o'clock high.

But the BP's where getting to close and Jacob couldn't fend them off fast enough so he pulled the B lever and thought his way to Battloid mode and found himself piloting a fifty foot tall robot. Jacob aimed him Gatling cannon much like a trained infantryman does and began to spray the BP's with devastating results. Two BP's flamed an the rest seeing the accuracy in which Jacob fired his cannon backed off and took off towards from where they had come.

Jacob smiled, 'Six isn't bad for a first time,' Jacob smiled and pulled the F lever and started to head back to the SDF-1 in fighter mode and as he got closer to the SDF-1 he saw the welcoming decks of the Prometheus. He also heard Lisa's welcoming voice.

A/N: Well like I promised you got your action, it wasn't a lot, but all you action junkies will feel vindicated when I get to the Force of Arms part. So anyway to all those who guess Karl Riber, kudos. Anyway, R&R thanks.

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