June 2008... "Good morning, Lieutenant," Roy said cheerfully as Ranma entered his office. "Morning, Sir," Ranma said apprehensively. "Something on your mind?" Roy asked her. "Sir, about last night..." Ranma began. "I won't lie to you, Lieutenant, it's weird," Roy sighed. "I'm not sure how to interact with you. Male, female? I don't know. One thing I am sure of, your record speaks for itself. You're a solid combat pilot. You're not afraid to mix it up and you've displayed courage and heroism under fire. You're the type of pilot I want flying with me. And one more thing I'm sure of. I admire you greatly. Most people would have let what happened to you beat them, but you didn't. You sucked it up and by force of will and determination chose to make the most of the situation you found your self in. That took guts and a great deal of inner strength. Don't worry about it, Lieutenant. We'll find our groove as we work together." "Thanks, Sir," Ranma said. "That eases my mind a bit. And if it helps, you don't have to treat me any different than you would have yesterday. For all intents and purposes, especially professionally, I am female. It used to bug me when people treated me like it, but after the first couple of years I got used to it and accepted it. It is mostly who I am now." "Understood," Roy nodded. "So are you ready to start learning your new bird?" "Absolutely, Sir," Ranma grinned in anticipation. "Outstanding," Roy smiled. "The VF-1 Valkyrie is like nothing you've ever experienced before. It's almost 90 percent based on classified tech we obtained from the Visitor. With this aircraft you will be able to do things you can't imagine. It's powered by an all new power source that we barely understand even now. The level of pilot interface that can be achieved is so incredible that if you can manage it, you will hardly need controls to fly it..." Roy spent the next couple of hours extolling the virtues and abilities of the VF-1. "An aircraft that will transform into a destriod-type mecha?" Ranma said in wonder as Roy wound down. "That's amazing." "It occurs to me that the two of you should get along pretty well, Lieutenant," Roy laughed. "After all, you both share a transformational ability." Ranma snorted and rolled her eyes. Roy stood up and grabbed a 12 inch stack of three flight manuals, dropping them in Ranma's lap. "You need to study all those and become familiar with the systems. Now, would you like to see a VF-1? Currently we only have a few of the D models that we are using for flight trainers. The S, J, and A models are not expected to reach operational deployment for several months, but we have the D models and the simulators to get the pilots up to speed for when they are cleared for operations." "I'd love to see one, Sir," Ranma said, warily eyeing the thick books in her lap that she just knew were loaded with dry bore-me-to-tears technical info. "Don't worry, Lieutenant," Roy chuckled, seeing her looking at the manuals, "you won't be expected to go through all that on your own. You have a couple more days while we wait for a few more transfers to arrive and then I'm going to be starting the class that will make up Skull Squadron, my command. It wouldn't hurt to get a jump on it though." "Roger that, Sir," Ranma said in evident relief. "Let's go gawk at a Valkyrie, Saotome," Roy laughed. (oO\O/Oo) Ranma looked up from her contemplation of the stack of tech manuals on her coffee table when she heard a knock on the door. It was just after 10 am and she had stalled studying the manuals for most of the morning. She had gotten up at 7 and proceeded to the mess to have breakfast. After that, she went to the gym and spent the better part of two hours in a grueling workout session which had included sparring with a couple of the marines she had trained with before. At 9:30, she had returned to her quarters and had been sitting there looking at the manuals for the last half hour trying to get herself in the right frame of mind to study them. Sighing, she rose and answered the door. Lisa Hayes stood on the other side holding a large beach bag, dressed in a tank top and a pair of shorts. Ranma could see the straps of a bikini top underneath the tank top. "Hi, Ranma," Lisa said. "I was just heading out to the beach. I know you have some down time before you start Veritech training classes so I thought I'd ask if you wanted to join me?" "Hi there, Lisa," Ranma said, looking from Lisa to the stack of manuals on the table. "The beach, huh? Well, I was told to study those manuals..." "You can always bring them with you," Lisa suggested hopefully. "Hmmm," Ranma said thoughtfully. "Let's see, hang out on the beach with my best friend, or sit in my quarters and read boring tech manuals...decisions, decisions...Okay, let me get changed and we'll go." Ranma invited Lisa in to sit on the couch and disappeared into her bedroom. She came back out a couple of minute later in a pair of black BDU shorts and a baggy blue t-shirt with an F/A 18 in flight depicted on the back of it. Her flame red hair was gathered in a ponytail and pulled out the back of a hat with a similar F/A 18 on it. "You have your swimsuit on under that, right?" Lisa asked when Ranma came in. "This is my swimsuit, Lisa," Ranma laughed. "I see I still have some work to do," Lisa said contemplatively as Ranma gathered the manuals and stuffed them in a gym bag. "What's that mean?" Ranma asked. "Remember what we talked about, about taking pride in yourself?" Lisa asked. "Yeah," Ranma said, uncertain where this was going. "Well, you look like a reject from a grunge band," Lisa commented. "Gee, thanks, Lisa," Ranma quipped. "Well, I can see before we hit the beach we are going shopping," the taller woman announced. "You have a fantastic body, Ranma. You should show it off properly." "Shopping?" Ranma groaned. "You mean I should wear a bikini? Sorry, Lisa, but I think that would attract the wrong sort of attention. I don't want to haveta fight off every guy on the beach that thinks he's god's gift, you know?" "Nonsense," Lisa dismissed. "Sure you might have to deflect a few advances, but you might also attract the right sort of attention as well." "Heh, like there is a right sort of attention for me, Lisa," Ranma sighed. "You know how I feel about that. Any woman that was interested in me like this would be interested in a deception." "Oh, so that body is not really female?" Lisa asked rhetorically. "Well, yeah, it is, you know that," Ranma admitted. "But I was born a guy, no matter what I am now. What woman would be interested in a sex changing freak like me?" "Some would be," Lisa sighed. "But I see your point. You can't tell them the truth without risking your career and you don't feel like you can be in a relationship without them knowing the truth." Ranma nodded. "You must be incredibly lonely." "Yeah, well, I have my career," Ranma replied, "and I accepted long ago that my career would have to be enough for me." "Ranma, I..." Lisa trailed off with an unreadable look on her face. "You what?" Ranma prompted. "I understand," Lisa said finally. "When Karl left, I dedicated myself to the SDF-1 program. I suppose I was hoping to get up there to Mars to see him again. Then he...we lost contact with Mars Base Sara. I thought all I had left was my career. At least I still have my friends, you and Claudia." "Always, Lisa," Ranma said with a smile. "I'll be there for you whenever you need me." "Thank you, Ranma," Lisa said with her own small smile. "Right now I need you to come shopping with me for your swimsuit." Ranma groaned but acquiesced to the inevitable. (oO\O/Oo) "I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Ranma said again in disbelief, tugging at one of the shoulder straps of her bikini top now worn under her tee. "So where are we going anyway?" Lisa giggled from the driver's seat of the blacked out government sedan. "You looked amazing in those bikini's we bought you," Lisa defended. "You know you did, and you liked it or you wouldn't have bought them. Admit it. We are going to a hotel that has an agreement with the base here. They let military officers have access to their facilities, the pool and deck, the beach loungers, the restrooms and showers, and even the tiki bar." "You go there often?" Ranma asked. "I try to go at least once a month when the weather is good," Lisa replied. "Once a month, huh?" Ranma deadpanned. "So often? How do you find the time?" "Oh and like you are any better, Little Miss Hide-in-my-quarters-when-not-in-the-cockpit," Lisa shot back. Ranma laughed. "Touché," Ranma conceded. "We're here," Lisa grinned as they pulled into the parking lot of the rather luxurious hotel. "Wow, nice place," Ranma said. "It is," Lisa agreed as she shut off the car. "Let's hit the beach, girlfriend." "Roger," Ranma said, stepping out and grabbing her gym bag full of manuals and beach accessories out of the backseat. The two women headed toward the gate to the beachside of the hotel where there was a hotel security agent stationed to keep out non-guests. Lisa produced her military ID and Ranma did the same. The guard, dressed in a pith helmet, a crisp white shirt, black shorts, long white socks covering his calves, and white shoes, looked them over. "Commander, Lieutenant, it's a pleasure to have you here," the man said politely. "You ladies enjoy yourselves." "Thank you," Lisa said as they entered. Lisa led them out on to the sundeck of the most elaborate pool Ranma had ever seen. It would have looked more like a lagoon than a pool if it weren't for the blue Marcite bottom. The long pool coiled around a couple of different rock islands that were beautifully landscaped with tropical vegetation. It had a very natural feel to it. The sundeck itself was bordered by immaculately manicured grass and landscaped with more tropical plants and ubiquitous palm trees. The beachside was delineated by a low wall and a shallow stream of flowing water for the purpose of keeping as much of the beach sand as possible off the deck and out of the pool. Off to one side was the mentioned tiki bar. "So do you want to head out on the beach, or set up on the deck?" Lisa asked. "What do you usually do?" Ranma asked. "Sometimes I do the beach, sometimes I do the deck," Lisa replied. "We can do the deck today. It's closer to the bar anyway." Ranma nodded and the pair found themselves a couple of vacant loungers. Lisa showed Ranma where to get hotel-provided towels to lay down on the chairs' cushions. After securing and preparing their positions, Lisa pulled a small radio out of her bag and placed it on the low table between their chairs. Giving Ranma a smile she then stripped off her tank top leaving her upper half clad in only a bright orange bikini top that displayed her well-formed but modest breasts fetchingly. Turning away from Ranma who was seated on the edge of her chair watching Lisa, she proceeded to slowly take off her shorts, in the process practically sticking her orange high-cut bikini clad bottom in Ranma's face. Ranma, unable to look away, gulped and blushed as she got a great view of Lisa's beautiful derrière. "Like what you see?" Lisa grinned as she sent a smoky look over her shoulder, having paused before stepping out of her shorts. "Beautiful," Ranma said absently then turned red as a lobster as she realized she was caught staring at Lisa's bottom. Lisa smirked and finished removing her shorts. "Your turn," the taller woman chirped. Ranma gulped nervously. "Do I have to?" Ranma stalled. "I'd feel like I was running around in my underwear." Lisa's reply was a half lidded glare. "Oh alright," Ranma said after sweating under the glare for a moment. Ranma stripped off her shirt, careful not to dislodge her hat and glasses. 'Turn about is fair play,' she thought as she stood nervously to remove her BDU shorts. 'Not like it's gonna have the same effect, though.' Ranma proceeded to give Lisa the same show that Lisa had given her. She nearly fell over when she glanced over her shoulder and saw Lisa's eyes were glued to her butt as much as her own where to Lisa's. Lisa grinned brightly when she saw she was caught looking. "Well, you are gorgeous, you know," Lisa giggled. "I...um...thanks," Ranma said, flustered. "You too." She stepped out of her shorts and nervously adjusted the high-cut red, yellow, and blue tropical floral print bikini bottom. Ranma felt extremely exposed and vulnerable. Her eyes darted around the deck, which was, perhaps, a mistake since she noticed several male eyes facing their way. She wanted to find a hole to crawl into. "Now lay down on your tummy," Lisa said, pulling out a bottle of sunscreen and distracting Ranma from her impending flight. "I'll do you back and you can do mine." Ranma swallowed again and mutely complied. Lisa came over and sat on the edge of Ranma's chair and undid the back of her bikini top. "Hey! What are you doing?" Ranma hissed. "Quiet you," Lisa said, clearly amused. "It's easier to put the sunscreen on this way. I'll put it back when I'm done." Ranma felt Lisa's hands begin to run the cool protective cream on to her back. The other woman's hands began to knead and massage the rigid well defined muscles of Ranma's back. "My goodness, you're so tense," Lisa said as she attacked a knot, digging into it and loosening it. Ranma whimpered a little but began to relax and enjoy what Lisa was doing. She was feeling like an over-cooked noodle but she was brought back from her nearly asleep state when she felt Lisa's hands travel down her sides and rub the sides of her breasts where they were being squeezed out from beneath her chest. Ranma put it down to her imagination when the hands lingered a tad longer than necessary. The brunette's hands moved on though. She nearly squealed when Lisa's hands began to rub the lotion on to her bottom and dipped inside the edges of the bikini. They didn't linger here long though. Lisa then attacked the redhead's legs, massaging each calf muscle thoroughly before moving ever higher. As the brunette reached her upper thighs, Ranma began to feel a warm glow of heat between her legs. She felt an electric jolt run through her tummy as a hand inadvertently brushed across her intimate area. She was brought out of her daze of relaxed arousal as she felt her top being reconnected and her bottom patted. "My turn," Lisa said brightly. Ranma shakily got up and noticed, to her chagrin, that her nipples were rock hard and visibly poking through the cups of her bikini top. Luckily, the print of the top camouflaged this unless someone was standing close to her. Glancing around, she noticed that several of the guys that had been sitting around the deck were now in the pool. Shrugging, she turned to Lisa, who was now laid out on her tummy awaiting Ranma's attention. Ranma surveyed the woman before her. Lisa wasn't a martial artist, but she did work out regularly. While she had none of Ranma's lightly defined muscle mass and her curves were softer and smoother, she still had a trim and taut athletic figure. Her limbs were long and shapely and her lightly tanned skin was smooth and perfect. She could have been a successful model if that had been her interest. 'She my best friend,' Ranma reminded herself as she sat on the edge of Lisa's chair. 'I shouldn't be thinking about her like this. Besides, she likes guys.' Ranma's hands shook slightly as she reached out to begin applying the lotion. This was as intimate as she had ever been with anybody and it was going to be torture for her, she realized. 'Just a friend,' Ranma reminded herself, attempting to suppress her attraction to the brunette. "Don't forget the strap," Lisa reminded as Ranma began to rub the lotion on. Ranma swallowed several times, wanting nothing more than to just smear the cream on and be done with it, but she knew that wouldn't be fair to Lisa. She had to give as good as she got which meant taking her time and massaging the lotion into the brunette's skin in a slow torturous process. Rubbing in what she had on her hands, she deftly unhooked the back strap of Lisa's top and returned to the torture of caressing and kneading Lisa's soft skin. Trying not to think about what she was doing, she concentrated on turning each muscle group into relaxed putty. Lisa's soft moans of pleasure weren't doing her composure any good though. Ranma skipped over Lisa's bottom and proceeded to her lower legs, massaging and kneading the muscles and skin as she worked her way up. She hesitated when she reached the woman's upper thighs. "Don't be shy," Lisa giggled as she felt the redhead hesitate. "Take your time and finish. That feels really good." The brunette spread her legs a little to allow Ranma better access to her inner thighs, inadvertently allowing Ranma a good view of the contours at the apex of her legs under the bikini bottom. Ranma wanted to sob from the sweet agony she was in. Did Lisa not understand how torturous this was for her? What Ranma didn't know was that Lisa was in a similar state. The redhead had no clue how close she was to being thrown down and ravished. Only Lisa's lingering feelings for Karl and her sense of wonder at being this strongly attracted to another woman was keeping her in check. She had always felt a connection to the little redhead and felt very comfortable around her. She didn't feel the need to hide behind the disciplined façade of a military officer around Ranma. As she had felt with Karl, she felt free to be Lisa Hayes the young woman with Ranma, instead of Lisa Hayes, the scion of a hundred years of Hayes military tradition. When Karl was in the picture, she and Ranma had been close friends. Now that closeness was rapidly turning into a strong attraction. Lisa seriously doubted her control had Ranma been in that delicious male form of hers. She quickly suppressed an image of her slithering over that strong masculine body like some kind of sensual snake. As Ranma's tentative feminine hands caressed her ever closer toward the source of pleasant heat emanating from between her legs, Lisa began to realize that her attraction to Ranma made very little distinction between Ranma's two forms. She might have been more comfortable with the idea of wanting Ranma in male form, but she was forced to accept the idea of being intimate with Ranma's female form was just as powerful and intriguing. It was almost a relief for both of them when Ranma finished and refastened Lisa's top. Lisa sat up and began to apply the sunscreen to her front side. Ranma noticed that, like hers, Lisa's nipples were rock hard and the solid color of her top did little to hide this. Both women were flushed and breathing a little raggedly as they completed the application of the sunscreen, and neither spoke of what they were feeling. "I...um...need something to drink," Lisa said shakily. "You watch the stuff and I'll go get us a couple drinks." Ranma nodded mutely and watched her taller friend as she moved off to the bar. Ranma resisted the urge to slap herself as she realized she was watching the way Lisa's derrière moved as she walked. Flopping down on her tummy, she dug out one of the manuals she had brought and proceeded to read, hoping the dry boring techno-babble would take her mind off of her inappropriate feelings for her friend. She didn't understand why she had suddenly allowed herself to be so captivated by the beautiful brunette. She didn't even realize that she was so distracted that she had forgotten to be self conscious about her attire, or lack there of. "Here you go," Ranma looked up from the same page she had read for the seventh time and still not registered a word of to see Lisa standing there holding out a plastic cup with some sort of frozen drink in it. "What is it?" Ranma asked, taking a sniff. It smelled fruity and very much alcoholic. "It's a frozen Rumrunner," Lisa grinned. "Be careful, it's almost all booze. It's good though." Ranma took a tentative sip through the straw and grimaced a little. "It's strong." "It is at first, but it gets better once the ice melts a little," Lisa explained. "It is good though," Ranma admitted. Lisa lay down on her tummy and laid her head on her arms watching Ranma. "So do you think they got the message?" "I'm sorry?" Ranma asked. "The guys," she clarified with a small jerk of her head toward the men that were just now starting to come out of the pool. "What message?" Ranma asked confused. "That we're off the market," Lisa explained. "After that little show we put on it should be pretty clear that we're together." Ranma blinked once then twice. "We're together?" Ranma asked growing more confused by the minute. Lisa blushed. "Well, yeah, we are," the brunette grinned. "Probably not how they're thinking, though." 'Yet,' Lisa added mentally. Ranma felt hope die a brutal death. "Oh, I see," she said. "So that's what that massage thing was all about? Declaring we are off limits by leading them to believe we are a couple?" "Well, a small part was," Lisa admitted. "But it was mostly because I wanted to and I enjoyed it." She fluttered her eyelashes at Ranma and asked in a smoky voice, "Didn't you?" "You're teasing me, aren't you?" Ranma asked with a giggle. "Just a little," Lisa grinned and winked, surprised at herself with how aggressive she was being. "It's not very nice, you know," Ranma commented, turning serious. "Why's that?" Lisa said suddenly concerned she had offended her friend. "Cause you know I like girls," Ranma explained. "And who wouldn't be attracted to a woman as beautiful as you. Knowing the situation I'm in, it's kinda mean to tease me. I mean I know you like guys so it's kinda like flaunting something in my face that I don't have a chance at." Lisa just gave her a mysterious smile. 'You have no idea,' Lisa thought. Still, she did feel more than a little guilty. It was cruel of her, she supposed, to tease Ranma like that when she wasn’t prepared to follow through. 'Yet,' she again added mentally. "I'm sorry," Lisa said after a couple minutes of silence. "Don't be," Ranma smiled warmly at her. "It was nice to feel attractive to someone like you, even if it was just an illusion." Lisa bit her lip in thought. After a few moments of inner conflict, she spoke, "It wasn't as much of an illusion as you seem to think. I was...not unaffected by touching you. I'm not ready to be in a romantic relationship with anyone just now, so maybe it was a little unfair of me to tease you. That said, it's only fair that you know that I do find you attractive. Unsurprisingly, in your male form, but I'm very surprised to find that your female form intrigues me nearly as much. I've never felt an attraction to another girl before, but after what we did a bit ago, I can't deny the desire I felt when touching you." Ranma watched her for a moment. "This is awkward, isn't it?" the redhead asked finally. "It doesn't have to be," Lisa sighed. "Ranma, you're my best friend and I love you. I feel more comfortable around you than anyone before or since Karl, but I still have some unresolved feelings for him and it wouldn't be fair of me to be involved with anyone until I work though that. I thought it was only fair for you to know, since I teased you, that yes, I do find you very attractive and if some other fortunate woman hasn't managed to claim you by the time I'm ready, you would be at the top of my list of people I could see myself with. I don't want to raise your expectations, or make you wait for me, I just want you to know that you aren't as undesirable as you seem to think you are. We're still best friends, no matter what, fair enough?" "Fair enough," Ranma agreed. "And thanks, Lisa. That means a lot to me." "Just so you know," Lisa added with a mischievous grin, "I don't intend to stop teasing you. I had too much fun doing it." Ranma laughed lightly. "Just be prepared to get as good as you give," Ranma smirked. "Oh? Is that a promise?" Lisa asked in a sensuous tone. Ranma shot her a smoky look and winked. "You know it is," the redhead replied in a matching tone. Ranma found herself having more fun that she had had in quite some time. She and Lisa relaxed in the sun, swam, first in the pool then in the ocean, drove each other to distraction with reapplications of sunscreen after each dip, and flirted shamelessly with each other. The fact was; Ranma couldn't remember a time when she had more fun or felt so free to be herself around another human being. The pair alternated their drinks with water to prevent dehydration and so as not to get anything more than lightly buzzed. Lisa watched jealously as Ranma inhaled several cheese burgers prepared on the grill at the tiki bar for lunch while she limited herself to one grilled chicken sandwhich. "You're despicable, you know that Ranma?" Lisa said with narrowed eyes. "Hummm?" Ranma said, looking up from tearing into her fourth cheese burger and quirking an eyebrow in question. "You act like you haven't eaten in days," Lisa griped. "And I've seen starving wolves eat slower. How can you eat all that and keep that figure?" Ranma swallowed. "Martial arts," Ranma answered. "I NEED to eat this much because I burn so much energy when I train. If I didn't, I'd look anorexic and I couldn't train so hard because I'd run out of energy. Besides, your figure is just perfect, better than mine even, and you don't have to work at it as hard as some girls do." "Oh stop it, you," Lisa protested. "You know your figure is better than mine. Your hips are nicer and your breasts are bigger." "My breasts might be bigger but I'm disgustingly muscular for a girl," Ranma disagreed. "Yeah, right," Lisa snorted. "You talk like you're all puffed up like some sort of body builder chick. Sure you've got a little more tone than average but it just makes you more stunning." "Nope, it makes me look hard and blocky, while you look sleek and smooth," Ranma argued. "Oh yeah, well, let's just ask an expert," Lisa challenged. She turned to the bartender. "Hey, Murphy, which of us had the better figure?" Both women stood up and stepped back from the bar, each striking a pose worthy of a super model. Whump! The bartender's nose geysered blood and he hit the floor unconscious. "I think we broke him," Ranma observed casually. "Looks that way," Lisa said, looking around and seeing several other men in the area laying in spreading pools of nasal blood while those that remained conscious held their hands over their nose. Even several of the women had their hands over their nose, the ones that weren't glaring jealously at her and Ranma anyway. "I think maybe we shouldn't do that again." "Too dangerous," Ranma agreed. (oO\O/Oo) Dictionary of Acronyms and other Jargon (As requested by Lerris) 2IC--Second In Command AMRAAM--Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile APU--Auxiliary Power Unit ATC--Air Traffic Control AWACS--Airborne Warning And Control System BDU--Battle Dress Uniform (fatigues) BOQ--Bachelor Officer's Quarters CAG--Commander, Air Group CAP--Combat Air Patrol CAS--Close Air Support CBU--Cluster Bomb Unit CO--Commanding Officer ETA--Estimated Time of Arrival GBU--Guided Bomb Unit HARM--High speed Anti-Radiation Missile JSDF-- Japanese Self Defense Force LAV--Light Armored Vehicle SAM--Surface to Air Missile SDF--Super Dimensional Fortress UNEDF--United Nations of Earth Defense Force UNEDC--Untied Nations of Earth Defense Command RDF--Robotech Defense Force XO--Executive Officer (second in command) Angels in reference to altitude is a navy thing, and is a way of saying flight level, which basically means adding three zeros on the number for the altitude reference. (JRA) Port--left Starboard--right
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