snip
Rick was in no mood for taking any more insults, so, purposely rising
his voice slightly, he asked, "Who's this old sourpuss, Roy?"
The woman recoiled at hearing this, as if someone had punched her
square in the face. It wasn't long, though, before her features contorted in
barely-contained rage.
Rick had touched a nerve, Roy noticed, and couldn't help but laugh
aloud. "That," said Roy, a smirk plastered on his face, "is Lisa Hayes, the
ship's First Officer. And I wouldn't call her old, Little Brother. Women are
like good wines: the more mature, the better; you should know that already."
Ranma decided that was the right moment to get in the conversation,
and commented to Rick, "He's right, you know; she's not that old! I mean,
I'm probably older." Lisa started to relax, but only for an instant, as
Ranma continued talking.
"But she does look like a sourpuss, I'll give you that," he concluded,
not really knowing what he was saying and unaware of the danger he was in.
Lisa couldn't take it any more, and snapped, "Argh, that does it! What
is your name, you uncouth moron?!" she yelled at a confused Ranma, shaking
with anger.
If there was something Ranma had learned throughout the years was to
recognize the instant a woman was trully and dangerously angry, and this was
one of those. Of course, he had never learned what to do to appease that
anger, but no one is perfect.
Another lesson Ranma had learned was that first impressions were most
important; so if he wanted to ever be able to enter the SDF-1, he had better
stay in good terms with its First Officer--whatever that was. Thus, Ranma
hastened to answer in the most friendly tone he could manage, "Ranma
Saotome, Ma'am." He offered her a winsome smile, but it had no effects in
the young woman. �Damn, that's supposed to melt her like fire to ice,�
thought Ranma, disappointed.
"Listen to me, y--"
"RANMA!"
Mighod, the thought of possibibly the only person with a bigger ego and less
diplomatic kill the Rick Hunter
---
Henry Gloval was a troubled man.
After knowing of Armor Two's grim destiny, he was convinced of the
fact that the Super Dimensional Fortress One was the only one that could
face the offworld enemy. Unfortunately, that didn't make his actual
situation any less gloomy. He was going to fight a probably unequal battle
against an enemy of unknown recourses, with an untried ship and an
inexperienced crew. Bad odds, indeed.
Besides, as the captain of the SDF-1, it was his duty and his
responsibility to face this new threat. He knew that if something went
wrong, he would be the one to blame. That was a lot of pressure, even for a
seasoned captain as him.
So, in order to stay calm and rational, he focused in the tasks at
hand: Macross' inhabitants were already safe, and by sending the evacuation
order in time, a carnage had been avoided. The next step was to
counterattack, as ridiculous as that might sound when faced with the number
of ships of the enemy fleet.
But, even through this ordeal, Gloval couldn't help but think of a
more personal business. He had been supposed to meet and old acquaintance
that day. He was the son of one of his best and oldest friends, and though
he hadn't seen him for the longest of times, there had been a time when he
had been like a son to him. He could still remember that cute, innocent
face; those beautiful blue eyes, that kept going this way and that for
hours, seemingly wanting to look at the whole world at the same time; that
ever-present cheerful smile, or the little ponytail that fluttered about as
the little rugrat ran free around his legs. Those had been the times...
Unnoticed by his bridge crew, a nostalgic smile crept to his face as
Gloval indulged himself with a moment of remembrance. His eyes gazed at one
of the situation monitors, but his mind was miles and years away. He had
made the arrangements for him to be allowed inside the ship during the
celebrations. For some reason, the boy hadn't shown up, and nobody seemed to
know his whereabouts. �I should've known this could be a dangerous day,�
Gloval silently berated himself. He just prayed for Ranma to be safely
waiting in the shelters. If something happened to him, he would never
forgive himself...
Besides, Nodoka would kill him. Literally.
Bwaa, Haa Haaa, I loveit, As time goes on i would suspect that the katana
might seem like a good alteranive
Something detracted him from his musings, and he looked up to see what
was going on. Apparently, there was some kind of discussion going on in the
bridge. He paid attention, and was able to hear a voice he had never heard
before--a male voice. For some reason, though, it seemed awfully familiar.
He just couldn't put his finger on it, but he was certain he was missing
something really obvious. In fact, he could swear that he had just heard the
owner of the voice saying his name was Ran--
"RANMA!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, shocked. Gloval, almost
running, came to Lisa's board, where two different screens were displayed.
One of them showed Commander Fokker's familiar face, trademarked nonchalant
look included. Of course, Gloval knew appearances could be deceptive,
especially in Roy's case. He had known the young fellow for more than a
decade now; actually, Roy had been one of the few survivors of the group
that had explored the SDF-1 when it had first crashed. He couldn't be
considered his friend, not at all--but he knew perfectly that flying wasn't
a game in the blond youth's mind. Sometimes, he knew, you had to build a
facade in order to keep the horrors of war at bay.
The other screen was cramped with three startled faces. Two belonged
to teenagers: a boy and a girl. A mop of dark hair covered the boy's
forehead, and he was staring at him with his big brown eyes. In his opinion,
the kid was in desperate need of a comb--he would never understand this
obsession young men had with messing up their hairs. It seemed all his
pilots wore long hairstyles, regardless of their rank. Hell, he was certain
they would mutiny if he ever forced them to visit the hairdresser's.
The girl was entirely another matter. She had jet black hair, and such
a charming face he wished for a moment to be a couple of decades younger.
Whoever this beautiful girl chose would be a happy man, that was for sure.
The third face's owner was a man. Gloval didn't doubt for a second
that he was Ranma. His face was sterner, having lost its baby fat long ago,
and a pig-tail had replaced the pony tail; but there was no confusing those
blue orbs that stared right back at him, perplexed and questioning.
"Yes," answered the man uncertainly. Yet, a glimmer of recognition
showed in his gaze then, and he continued hesitatingly, "Uncle Henry...?"
Uncle Henry, If you really want to get him Ranma would be better off with
something like "Uncle Gumby" or "Glovely", or
even "Henry-chan"
He had been right, he was Ranma. �Thank God he's fine.� Gloval
sighed, relieved. But, a second later, he winced, as he recalled how Ranma
had called him. He could already see the members of the bridge bunnies
covering their mouths with their hands, trying to stifle sudden fits of
giggles. Only Lisa seemed serious, although she was looking at him with
wide, incredulous eyes.
�Why'd he have to remember _that_?� he thought, cursing inwardly.
Years ago, Ranma had given him that nickname. He hadn't said a thing at the
moment, of course--but, in his opinion, it was silly and embarrassing.
Gloval looked around, and the women that formed his crew hastened to put
straight faces. He could still see the mirth in their eyes, though.
Drat! He would never live that down.
"Yes, Ranma, it's me," he said, smiling warmly. As an afterthought, he
added, "Captain Gloval," putting special emphasis in the "Captain". Maybe
he would get the hint...
"Great to see ya, Uncle Henry! I thought I'd never find you!"
Okay, maybe not.
"Do you know him, sir?" asked Lisa in a strange tone.
"Yes, of course, Lisa. Why do you ask?"
"No special reason, sir."
Switching his attention back to his "nephew", Gloval said, "Come to
the ship, Ranma. You'll later tell me what happened to you." Ranma nodded,
and Gloval turned to Roy, "Bring Ranma back safely, Commander." There was no
time to take Ranma to the shelters back in Macross. Besides, if the enemy
was as dangerous as he thought, then Ranma would as safe in the SDF-1 as
anywhere else.
"Done, sir." Roy looked at Lisa and said, grinning all the time, "You
heard Uncle He--I mean, Captain Gloval, Lisa; give us a bay number, over."
More giggles could be heard, as Lisa responded, "Roger. Bring your
plane into bay zero-niner."
Roy nodded. "Thanks--you old sourpuss," he said, and signed off, the
screen going black.
Gloval saw how Lisa clenched her fists, as her eyes narrowed. He made
a mental note to degrade Roy, and proceeded to think of ways to overcome the
current crisis.
---
As Roy drove them along the famous starship's interior, Ranma arched
his neck back, trying to get a glimpse of the distant ceiling. He couldn't.
"I'll leave you in the Captain's quarters. Stay there. The Captain
will probably have to stay at the bridge for a while, but I'll let him know
you're waiting for him, 'kay?" said Roy, accelerating. The engine roared,
and the green and brown troop vehicle raced into yet another empty
compartment.
"Sure, no problem."
They traveled for a few more minutes, constantly entering new holds of
titanic dimensions. Rick and Minmei, both sitting in the rear seat, remained
quiet, mesmerized by the sheer vastness of the ship. What could they use so
much space for?
With no warning, Roy jammed on his brakes, and the vehicle abruptly
skidded to a halt. Rick and Minmei gave a yelp of surprise, thrown off
balance. Ranma, though, remained impassive, apparently unaffected by the
inertia. Being a top-class martial artist had its advantages; he had long
ago learned to bend _some_ of the laws of Physics.
However, his sensible ears were hurt by the squealing of the brakes,
and Ranma couldn't help but wince at the high-pitched sound. �Oh, can't win
'em all,� he thought, rubbing his sore ears. Rick sent Roy a hateful look,
but didn't say anything as he helped Minmei back on the seat.
"This is your stop, my good friend. That hatch over there leads to
Gloval's chambers, but I'd wait outside if I were you--the Old Man likes his
privacy," said Roy, and Ranma hopped off, taking his backpack from the back
seat.
"Bye all," said Ranma as Roy started the engine once again.
"Bye, Ranma." Minmei smiled and waved as the car sped away.
"See you later!" yelled Roy, not looking back. Rick just grumbled
something, teeth locked.
Ranma waited patiently for some time, a pleased smile in his lips. In
his mind, the same mantra was repeated over and over again: �My Uncle's the
captain! My Uncle's the captain!�
He couldn't believe his luck; Uncle Henry was the captain--the
captain, dear gods, the CAPTAIN--of the SDF-1. If he played his cards
correctly, he would be able to stay in the ship for as long as he wanted, do
his business and leave with his conscience clean.
While he stood brooding on the strange twists of fate, the ship's PA
system blared out, "All hands to emergency stations. All hands, emergency
stations. This is not a drill; I repeat: this is not a drill. Prepare for
fold operation in T minus five minutes and counting. Mark!"
At first, Ranma didn't know what to do of this unexpected
announcement. Whatever a fold was, it sounded important--maybe even
dangerous. Perhaps it would be better if he looked for his Uncle. As the
officer in charge, he, more than anyone else, had to know what was
occurring, right?
�Umm, where would be this 'bridge' place?� asked Ranma to himself. He
didn't know anything about spaceships--or about ships in general, for that
matter. The only bridges he knew were the ones built over a river...
�Let's try the Ryoga approach,� he decided, and started walking in a
random direction. He wandered along the cold halls for some minutes, his
footsteps resounding soundly in the metallic floors. Apparently, that area
of the ship was deserted, and so Ranma wasn't able to find anyone who could
help him.
what no idiot soda vending widget.
The SDF-1's internal speakers went on again, and a female voice
reverberated throughout the whole spacecraft: "Attention, all hands. Fold in
T minus two minutes and counting."
�I'm running out of time! What'm I gonna do now?� He ran a hand
through his hair and looked upwards, frustrated. There, hanging on the
steel-blue wall, a sign read in big, bold letters: "BRIDGE"; a red arrow
pointed towards his right. Ranma blinked twice, and then blinked one last
time; the sign remained in its exact same place, so he concluded that it
actually was real. Turning right, Ranma resumed walking, shaking his head in
disbelief.
One day, he would find out why these things always happened to him.
---
As Gloval stood unmoving next to his seat, the bridge gang struggled
to keep the doubts they had about the usage of the fold system out of their
faces. It was an untested device, one of the most complex of those found in
the ship. Gloval's decision to take the SDF-1 down over Macross Island was
also risky, and he mutely prayed not to be making a mistake.
A thousand things could go wrong, and all of them--Gloval
included--knew this. So they waited silently, the tense atmosphere killing
any possible idle dialogue. Just then the hatch opened with a hiss, and a
smiling young man entered quickly.
"Wow, I thought I wou--" started Ranma, but was promptly stopped short
by a fuming Lisa.
"What're _you_ doing here?! This is no place for civilians!" snarled
Lisa.
Ranma crossed his arms. "Hey! I came to visit my uncle; d'ya have a
problem with that?!"
"Yes! You better leave this place immediately or--"
Gloval broke in, barking, "No time for that, Lisa! You too, Ranma!"
Both Ranma and Lisa looked at their feet, ashamed. "Be quiet, or leave!"
"Sorry, Uncle Henry," said Ranma meekly.
"But sir, he can't stay here. It's against the regulations for a
civilian to stay in the bridge," Lisa reminded Gloval, glaring hatefully at
Ranma.
Gloval took in a deep breath. "I know what the regs say, Lisa, but
there's no time to take Ranma back to the quarters. He'll have to stay here
until this crisis is over."
"But--"
"That will be all, Lisa!" Gloval cut in, hotly.
"Yes, sir," said Lisa with a straight face.
"Serves her right," muttered Ranma under his breath. Gloval glared at
him, and Ranma decided that being quiet was the most intelligent thing to
do. Seeing this, Gloval turned around and sullenly headed to his seat.
The seconds slowly ticked away as everyone waited in complete silence
once again. After what looked like a year, Claudia, the SDF-1's brown-faced
Bridge Officer, began the countdown: "We will enter fold in ten seconds...
nine..."
"I hate you," said quietly Lisa, looking at Ranma from the corner of
her eye.
"...eight..."
Ranma snorted, "Oh, yeah? Well, I'm not too fond of you, either."
"...seven..."
"Hmph!"
"...six... five..."
"Hey, Lisa."
"...four..."
"Lisa!" hissed Ranma.
"...three..."
"What?!"
"...second..."
"I just wanted to know... What's a fold?"
"...one..."
Lisa allowed a small smirk to reach her lips. "You'll find out soon
enough, won't you?"
"...ZERO!"
---
A glove of energy surrounded the SDF-1, so bright that hundreds of
sailors--witnessing the event from the supercarriers Prometheus and
Daeladus--were blinded by it and forced to close their eyes. With the same
intensity as a hundred supernovas, the glove expanded, soon containing the
whole island of Macross. The city, the harbour, the shelters; all of them
were swallowed by the white energy and lost in an ocean of light.
Then, without warning, the incandescent sphere disappeared. For a
second, everything seemed to stop, as the elements waited frozen around the
sudden vacuum. It didn't last long, though, and water and air wrathfully
rushed in, filling the gap produced by the SDF-1's departure in mere
moments. Soon, no traces of Macross were left.
In a small pond, in a valley somewhere between one of the largest
Chinese mountain ranges, a bright mote of white-blue light shone for a
second, and then was gone.
And in a secluded village, not far from there, an old, wizened woman
halted in mid-step and looked at the black clouds that were slowly gathering
in the sky. �Bad omen,� she thought, and strode off to her hut.
And in a dojo, a beautiful young woman stopped sweeping the floor as a
chill ran through her body.
And in a forest somewhere in the south of Japan, a traveler put away
the map he had been holding and, pulling back his worn-out hood, gazed
seriously towards the ocean. Or, at least, towards where he thought the
ocean was.
The SDF-1 had left the Earth. And it had taken Ranma with it.
---
To be continued...
--
.---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List---.
| Administrators - ffml-admins@fanfic.com |
| Unsubscribing - ffml-request@fanfic.com |
| Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject |
`---http://www.fanfic.com/FFML-FAQ.txt ---'