[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Claudia was.
Still, Sammie insisted, "But there must be something you can do,
Captain. Please tell us you're not going to accept this quietly. You will
change their minds, won't you?"
"Won't you, Captain?" Kim added pleadingly.
Gloval cleared his throat in the way he did when he'd heard enough and
expected to be obeyed. "Your lack of discipline is only compounding the
problem, so get back to your duty stations immediately. I appreciate your
concern, but right now I have to begin deciding how to break the news to the
Macross survivors and the rest of the crew."
He stood up from his chair, brushing past them. "You will excuse me."
Shifting her glasses nervously, Vanessa couldn't help calling a last
desperate objection after him. "Captain, can't you-"
Gloval cut her off stiffly. "That will be all, Vanessa."
"Yes, sir," she said contritely.
"Try to understand," Gloval said softly over his shoulder to them just
before the hatch closed.
Vanessa removed her glasses to wipe away a tear of anger. "But-it's not
fair!"
"That's absolutely true," Lisa said, speaking up for the first time.
"But you can't blame the captain for something headquarters did. Everybody has
a right to gripe, but you should at least be mad at the right people."
"Okay, okay-the captain needs our support, right?" Claudia said soberly.
"Yes. He knows he can't possibly succeed without it," Lisa answered.
The bridge hatch opened, and the relief watch started filing in. Kim let
her breath go with a rasp. "All this talk isn't going to change anything, and
I'm hungry," she declared, careful to mention nothing specific in the
outsiders' presence.
Sammie took the cue. "Let's go into town and eat lunch!"
Vanessa nodded energetically. "Yeah, let's go down to the White Dragon;
I'm starving."
Page 51
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
At the White Dragon, the front doors slid aside. Minmei's aunt Lena
quickly went to greet the first customers of the lunch rush, bowing
hospitably. The restaurant was braced for a busy day; people were boisterous,
in a mood to continue their celebrating even though a lot of them were getting
restless and edgy with the delay in disembarkation.
It didn't disturb her husband Max very much; "People will always have to
eat," was his motto. But Lena knew a certain sadness. In spite of the dreadful
things the SDF-1 and Macross had gone through, the rebuilt restaurant held a
wealth of happy memories.
"Welcome," she said, "welc-oh !"
A ghost had come through the door, surrounded by a cloud of brilliance
from the brighter EVE "sunlight."
Her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh, Kyle, is it really you?"
He took a step closer. In the well-remembered, soft, clear voice, he
said gently, "Yes, Mother; I'm home. And I've missed you very much."
Dimly, she was aware of the traffic passing by on the street outside and
of Minmei and Rick Hunter waiting a few paces back. Minmei was barely keeping
herself from weeping. Rick was straightfaced, showing no emotion; but he
envied the Lynn family their connectedness and their warmth, Minmei's tantrums
notwithstanding.
When he thought about it, Rick realized that the closest thing he had to
family was Roy Fokker and-to a slightly lesser extent-his wingmen, Max and
Ben. So Rick endeavored not to think of it.
Lena walked haltingly to her son. "Kyle, is this a dream? I can hardly
believe my eyes! Oh, my baby!" She cupped his face in her hands.
"No, it's not a dream, Mother; it's me."
Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I've missed you so." Lena threw herself
into his arms.
"Gee," Minmei said, wiping away moisture from her eyes. "I'm so happy,
I'm gonna cry."
Lena truly noticed Rick and her niece for the first time. "Oh, dear!
This is no way to welcome you two home!"
Minmei was snuffling and sobbing openly now. "Aw, don't worry about us,"
Rick said.
Lena said, "Now, now; come in!" She kept her hold on her son's shoulders
as he took another step into the White Dragon. Minmei had assured him that in
virtually every detail it was an exact duplicate of the old place, the one
that had been destroyed on Macross Island. But this was astounding!
There was a clatter of bowls and a rattle of chopsticks over by the
pickup counter. Lynn-Kyle essayed another of his gentle smiles. "Father. I've
missed you, too. You're looking well."
Max snorted gruffly, looking the boy over. Gathering the last of the
bowls with an irritated grunt, he vanished back into the kitchen.
Lena went to plead with him. "Now, dear! Please don't be so-"
But Kyle had caught her wrist, pulling her back. "Mother, don't get
upset, I beg you. Father's always been that way around me, you know that."
Washing up the last of the dishes, Max scarcely knew what he was doing;
his mind was far away, on the years and the rift between himself and his son. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]