(A/N: I know having Ranma in the pageant isn't the most original idea in the world and at first I wasn't going to do it, but after much discussion, it was decided that it was pretty much obligatory. Sorry if you don't like it. This chapter is pretty light and mostly fluff which is a nice break for how heavy the previous chapters have been. A note on battle aura...some of you have pointed out that I got the colors wrong. I disagree. Ranma hasn't learned to focus her ki though emotions yet, at least not consciously. However, this Ranma has a lot of anger and fury inside her, hence the blue aura when it manifests, usually when someone ticks her off. Ranma's confidence aura in the anime was usually yellow/gold, not blue. Akane's aura when she was extremely furious was blue, ergo, Ranma's aura is blue, representing her fury. Thanks everyone for reviewing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "Gunsight 1, Wild Rose Lead, we have inbound enemy attack force 3 o'clock relative," Lisa said on the Tac-net. "We are scrambling fighters to intercept. They'll get there faster than you will. Maintain your patrol off the port side of the ship against the possibility of a sneak attack. Vermillion Squadron will be joining you shortly." "Roger, Gunsight 1," Ranma said. "Alright, you heard her people. Look alive and keep your eyes open for a possible sneak attack." "There they go," Marissa said as explosions began to bloom in space on the opposite side of the SDF-1. "Vermillion Lead, Wild Rose Lead, we are in route to your position," Rick said over the Tac-net. "Roger, Vermillion Lead," Ranma acknowledged as the screams of the dying began to come over the Tac-net. "Take up a position half way between us and the SDF-1. You take out anything that might get by us." "Roger, DL, you got it," Rick said. "Hey boss, the fighting's over there, how come we gotta be over here to baby sit a bunch of girls?" Ben asked. Rick groaned. "Shut up, you idiot," Rick said. "Those 'girls' happen to be the top rated squadron in the RDF. And the reason we're here is because we were ordered to be here and not there. And those 'girls' are probably babysitting us." "Contact! Inbound 10 o'clock relative," Marissa said. "Roger, Storm," Ranma said. "Wild Rose, break and engage. Rickhead, stay put and catch whatever gets though us." "Roger DL," Rick said. "Alright people, stay on your wingman," Ranma ordered. The enemy battle pods came screaming in and began exploding as Wild Rose began to dance through them. Akane stayed glued to Ranma's wing as they took the right flank of the force while Vicki and Max took the left flank. The other Rose flights took the top and bottom of the enemy formation and began to tear apart the outer pods. "Come on, Boss," Ben said. "Look they're getting through. I'm going in!" "Moose, get back here...ah, man," Rick said. Suddenly a brown Veritech charged right into the middle of the enemy formation and immediately had four battle pods on its six. "Oh crap, I can't shake'em!" Ben said, starting to panic. Suddenly two Veritechs came in and laid waste to the four battle pods about to annihilate Ben's Valkyrie. "Hey thanks!" Ben said. "Yeah? How's it feel to owe your life to a couple of girls?" Akane asked, amused. "Get the hell out of the middle of the formation, you moron," Ranma said. "We can't keep them off you forever." "Oh yeah, sorry," Ben said, going back to rejoin on Rick who had followed Ben in but stopped short of entering the formation. Wild Rose continued to battle it out with the enemy, breaking up their formation into a swirling dogfight. The enemy battle pods were no match for the elite squadron, but there were a lot of them. "Hey, Rickhead, since you're here, you might as well bring your boys in to play," Ranma said. "Just try not to get in our way." "Roger that DL," Rick said. "Alright Vermillion, let's engage, but stay on my wing." "Ah ha!" Ranma said, "And just where do you think you're going mister officer's pod." She had spotted a unit intel had designated an officer's pod and about ten battle pods trying to sneak around them. "Wild Rose Alpha, join on me. We are going after the officer's pod and his company. Everyone else, the others are all yours." "Gee, thanks, Mom. You're so generous," Marissa quipped. "I try," Ranma replied. "Okay, listen up Wild Rose Alpha. The officer's pod is mine. You guys take care of the rest, got it?" "Roger, Mom," Akane said. Ranma flew in and launched her missiles at the officer's pod. The pod deftly evaded and began to return fire. Ranma jinked around the return fire and shifted to battloid mode, firing a burst from her cannon which scored a hit but only caused minor damage to the pod's armor. The swirling fight carried them to the surface of the SDF-1. The pod landed on the surface and whirled around to fire a burst of energy bolts at Ranma. Ranma leaped over the bolts and cut loose with her cannon. The cannon rounds stitched up the pod's right arm and blew it off at the mount. The enemy pod responded by leaping off the surface of the SDF-1 and coming down from above Ranma, firing all its remaining weapons in an attempt to overwhelm her. She wasn't falling for it. Ducking and somersaulting forward she came up facing the back of the pod and ripped another burst of cannon fire into it. This time one of the legs blew off and it fell to the surface of the SDF-1 thanks to the artificial gravity field that surrounded the ship. Ranma stalked up to the enemy pod and was about to administer the coup de gras when something really odd happened. All the enemy pods in the area began to disengage and leave. She was so surprised that she missed her chance to finish the officer's pod as it too managed to fly off. "Hey they're all leaving," Vicki said. "That's strange," Marissa said. "Usually they don't quit until they are all destroyed." "Wild Rose Lead, Gunsight 1, enemy is breaking off, should we pursue?" Ranma asked. "Negative Wild Rose Lead," Lisa said. "Let them go. All squadrons, disengage and return to the ship. Good work people." "Roger, Gunsight 1," Ranma said then switched to the squadron channel. "Alpha flight, status?" "Wild Rose Two, fully operational," Akane said. "Ammo down to about 50 percent." "Wild Rose Three, took some hits, but superficial damage only," Vicki responded. "Ammo down to about 40 percent. You should have seen Maxine go though. He's good. Almost as good as you and Fury, Mom." There were a few snickers at the nickname over the comm. "Wild Rose Four, fully operational," Max said crisply. "Ammo down to 25 percent. Maxine?" "Don't worry about it, Four," Ranma chuckled. "It's called acceptance into the ranks. It was an all female squadron until you came along." "Roger...Mom," Max acknowledged. "Bravo Flight, status?" Ranma asked. "All units operational, Mom," Marissa said. "Took some hits but not bad. Ammo's down to around the 25 percent range." "Charlie Flight, status?" Ranma continued. "Took enough damage to keep the maintenance crews busy for a while, but everyone is moving," Natalia reported. "Ammo also around the 25 percent range." "Roger, Ice," Ranma said. "Good work, Kids." She switched to Vermillion's channel. "Hey Rickhead, how'd your boys do?" "Three got shot up pretty bad," Rick replied. "I'm dragging him back. I think he'll live though, even if his Veritech is scrap. Two did great. Minor damage to both of us. Low on ammo though. I have to admit, you guys are something else. Saved our butts a couple of times in that furball." "Roger, I'll pass that on," Ranma said. "I need to talk to you when we get back aboard." "Roger," Rick said glumly, figuring he was going to get a strip torn off about Ben's behavior. "I'll meet you at your office." "Roger," Ranma said. (oO\O/Oo) "Yo Stick!" Max looked around to see some of his veteran female teammates bearing down on him. "Stick?" he asked. "Well, yeah," Marissa grinned. "Vicki was telling us what a 'hot stick' you are." She made control stick movements with her right fist. "And, you are the proverbial rooster in the henhouse," Natalia smirked. "And since you didn't have a callsign," Erin said. "Your callsign is now 'Stick'," Cassie finished. "Hope you like it, cause you're bloody well stuck with it now," Vicki giggled. "I was pretty good, wasn't I?" Max bragged. "You kept up," Vicki grinned. "But don't get cocky. Mom and Akane don't like cocky guys and they can both still fly your wings off. Akane takes particular pleasure in crushing male egos for some reason." "Um...yeah...okay," Max said nervously. "Yoohoo, Maxiiiiine," a man called out in falsetto. "Didn't you look just adorable in your little pink flight suit?" The man's buddies laughed. "Oh thsop," one of them lisped. "He waths the height of fathsin. Fit right in withs the rethst of the girlths." Again around of laughter. "Guess he couldn't handle being in a real man's squadron so he had to fly with the girls," another chuckled. At this point Wild Rose closed ranks around Max. Erin took one arm and Cassie took the other. "Don't listen to them, Stick," Marissa said. "They're just jealous that they don't get to fly with not only the best pilots in the RDF, but the most beautiful too." "Heh, like we would want to fly with a bunch of silly girls," the first guy said. They were all new ensigns and probably knew Max from training. "Like we would LET a goober like you fly with us," Natalia sneered. "You couldn't keep up. Ask some of the real pilots in your unit and they'll tell you why Wild Rose is an elite squadron." "That's right, Peters," a man said from another group that walked up, obviously veteran pilots. "Wild Rose is the top ranked squadron on the ship. They consistently beat every other squadron in enemy kills and out right flying, even Skull squadron. So I'd shut my pie hole, Cherry." "Come on, Stick," Erin said. "We're all going to the White Dragon for dinner. Just think, you get to have dinner with a bunch of beautiful women, while that loser over there has to have dinner with his loser buddies." With that the Wild Rose's walked off in a group, Erin and Cassie still wrapped around Max's arms. The Veteran pilots winked and grinned at him, while Max turned up his nose haughtily at the ensigns that were teasing him. The ensigns also received dark glares from the rest of the Wild Roses who had joined them by this time. "Kid must be pretty good for them to have closed ranks like that this soon," one of the vets said. "Hey, Peters, since you're a cherry and all, I think you need a heads up. There's a list of people on this ship that you DO NOT want to antagonize. The CO of Wild Rose is the first one on the list. Not only is she a master level martial artist and the best hand to hand fighter on this ship, once she gets done kicking your ass, you have to deal with Commander Hayes, the ship's XO. She'll make your life hell by seeing you assigned to every shit detail there is. Besides her, if you antagonize the Dragon Lady, you will have a pack of rabid Marines that are fiercely loyal to her out looking for you. The second name on the list is Commander Hayes, because if you piss her off, you also piss off the Dragon Lady. See note one. Captain Gloval and the CAG come further down the list, but you don't want to piss them off either." "Yeah, right," Peters said. "It can't be that bad." There was a general chorus of scoffs from the vets. "You don't think so? Ask Rickhead Hunter about how bad it is," the vet chuckled. "And he had the benefit of being an old friend of the CAG. Who's gonna save you?" (oO\O/Oo) 'Rickhead' Hunter was currently waiting outside Ranma's office for her to arrive. He soon spotted Ranma coming down the corridor and he came to attention, saluting. "Lieutenant Rick Hunter, reporting as ordered, Ma'am!" he said crisply. He relaxed slightly when he saw Ranma smirk. "At ease, Lieutenant," Ranma said returning his salute. "Ma'am, I'd like to offer my apologies for Ensign Dixon's behavior," Rick said. "He was out of line." "That he was Lieutenant, but don't worry about it," Ranma said, leading Rick into her office. "I'm not mad at you about it. We are here to discuss Ensign Dixon's behavior though. Have a seat." "Yes, Ma'am," Rick said, sitting. "What did you want to talk about?" "You need to step on Dixon for what he did out there today," Ranma said. "And you need to step on him hard, before he gets himself killed." "Ma'am the poor guy's in sickbay, already," Rick said. "Doesn't matter," Ranma said. "If you don't hang paper on him at least for disregarding orders, he'll continue to just charge in until one day somebody won't be there to bail him out. I know you want to be pals with your pilots. I'm the same way. But it's better to have a living pilot that may not like you than a dead pal because you didn't establish who was in charge when you should have. Believe me, writing letters to parents explaining why you allowed their child to die sucks big time." Ranma's eyes looked haunted for a moment. "You're his CO, so you need to take care of the discipline in your squadron. Roy would be telling you the same thing I am." "So what would you do, Ma'am?" Rick asked. "Well, I'd call him on the carpet and have a serious discussion about the chain of command," Ranma said. "I'd point out that he's at the bottom and isn't privy to some information that those further up the chain are. I'd also point out that whether he thinks so or not, people above him have more experience than he does and can better judge the tactical situation. You could also point out that charging into the middle of an enemy formation is tactical idiocy. Then I would tell him that I was putting an official reprimand in his file for disregarding orders. And then..." Ranma trailed off and grinned wickedly. "You'd have him cleaning the heads for a month," Rick finished. "You got it," Ranma said, with a bright smile. "See, I knew you'd learn eventually. Look, I'm not saying you should do this just because the guy ran his mouth and I want him punished for it. I'd do that myself if I felt it was necessary. I'm giving you advice to keep the guy from getting killed by his own stupidity. We, as fighter pilots, are brash by nature. We have to be to do what we do, but there's a limit to how brash we can be before it becomes stupidity. I'm sure you know that line well by now." "Okay, Ma'am," Rick said. "I'll talk to Roy about it and see what he says." "By all means," Ranma said. "Just be careful what you take to Roy if you want to keep it 'in house'. I know Roy is your friend and mentor. He's the same for me, but if it's something serious, he may feel that he has to step in in an official capacity to take action." "Understood," Rick said. "Thanks, Ma'am." "No problem," Ranma said. "I meant what I said about being available if you have questions. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet the kids for dinner." (oO\O/Oo) November 2009... "I can't believe you talked me into this," Ranma griped as she and Lisa looked at the video commercial for the Miss Macross Pageant. "It's embarrassing putting myself on display like that." "You don't seem to mind in our quarters," Lisa teased, making Ranma blush. "Yeah, well, that's different," Ranma replied. "Oh lighten up, Sweetie," Lisa smiled. "It'll be fun. You'll see." "Riiight," Ranma said. "Just like a root canal. I don't understand why everyone feels compelled to put me in the spotlight." "It's because you are a beautiful, charismatic, vibrant person," Lisa said. "You have an inner light that shines from you that makes everybody love you and want to see more of you." Ranma raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Are you done, or should I go get a shovel?" Ranma quipped. "'Cause it sure is getting deep." "Hey!" Lisa protested. "It's true you know." "Sounds to me like you just described yourself pretty well, but I don't see people trying to force you to make a spectacle of yourself everywhere we go," Ranma argued. "Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Lisa asked. "Obviously you haven't. I'm plain compared to you. Your body screams for attention. You have bright scarlet silky hair, really nice breasts, a tiny little waist, classic baby making hips and the most beautiful ocean blue eyes. That's enough to get you noticed, but the clincher is when they talk to you. You're intelligent, friendly...most of the time, you have an air of confidence, like no situation is beyond your control, yet at the same time you have an air of vulnerability. You have a fantastic singing voice. You're real, and honest, with a strong sense of honor, but not innocent." "Wow, is that really how you see me?" Ranma asked with a sense of wonder. "Well, yes, Silly," Lisa said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Why do you think I love you so much?" Suddenly, Lisa found herself glomped. Ranma held her tightly and buried her face in Lisa's breasts and trembled for a minute, overcome with the emotions and love she felt for this woman. "God, I love you so much," Ranma said at last, giving a slight sniffle and wiping under her eyes with the back of her hand. "Sometimes I feel like I'm going to explode from the intensity of it." "I feel the same about you, love," Lisa said stroking Ranma's hair. "Come on, we have to get to rehearsal." "Thanks, Lisa," Ranma said softly. "For being you. For loving me." "You make it very easy, love," Lisa said with a gentle smile. They walked off down the street, holding hands and leaning into each other. (oO\O/Oo) December 2009... The lights dimmed at the Macross City Amphitheater and the Miss Macross theme music began to play. The crowd watched excitedly as a laser holographic lightshow played out above them before finally spelling out 'Miss Macross' above the stage. "Welcome everyone, to the first annual Miss Macross Pageant," the announcer said. "Tonight ladies and gentlemen, you will see 28 of the most beautiful women found anywhere compete for the title of the very first Miss Macross! The contestants will be scored by our panel of judges in three events: Personality, the Swimsuit competition, and the Talent competition. Once the judges have selected the five finalists it will be up to the audience and the viewers to vote for their favorite girl. The girl with the highest number of votes will crowned the very first Miss Macross and will win this prize..." A sleek two seat personal ducted fan jet rose up out of the stage. "This sleek little two seater is the very latest in Robotechnology," the announcer claimed. "Designed by the top Robotech designer and produced right here in Macross City, this little bird can reach nearly the speed of sound and has intercontinental range. It also has limited out of atmosphere capability although it must be carried into orbit and can't reenter on its own. "But that's not all, ladies and gentlemen; Miss Macross will also receive contracts with the music and movie industry. Now let's meet our contestants." The fan jet sunk back into the stage as the curtain rose to reveal a line of 28 women all dressed casually and in different poses. The announcer began to introduce them, beginning with their contestant number and giving a little blurb about them. "Contestant number 10, Miss Ranma Saotome," the announcer called. The clapping and cheering from the audience was noticeably louder than for the previous contestants. Ranma gave a bright grin, a little wave and flashed a victory sign as she stood in her typical black uniform, with dark gray shoulder stripes and collar with vivid purple piping between them. The black skirt came to just above her knees and on her feet were her standard black flats. "Miss Saotome, at 24 years old, is an ace fighter pilot and the commanding officer of the top ranked Wild Rose Squadron. In addition to that, she is also a master martial artist and a 'pretty good cook'." The crowd cheered wildly. "Contestant number 11, Miss Lisa Hayes," the announcer continued. As with Ranma, the cheering and applause was noticeably louder for Lisa than it had been for the previous girls. Lisa was also wearing her typical white uniform with blue piping and a yellow collar. Her skirt was a little longer than Ranma's and she wore white low-heeled pumps. "Miss Hayes, the ship's First Officer, is the highest ranking female officer about the SDF-1. A product of over a hundred years of Hayes family military tradition, and at 25 she is the youngest female officer ever to reach the rank of Commander and be the first officer aboard a ship." The crowd cheered for Lisa as she gave a shy smile and waved to them. "Contestant number 12, Miss Lynn Minmei," the announcer announced. The cheering and applause for Minmei matched that for Ranma and Lisa. Minmei smiled a beatific smile and gave the crowd a wave as she stood on the stage in her modest green dress. "Miss Minmei, originally from Yokohama, moved to Macross to help her aunt and uncle run their Chinese restaurant called the White Dragon. At 16, she attends Macross High and wants to be in the entertainment industry. Her hobbies are singing karaoke and writing her own songs." The crowd cheered loudly for the young woman as the announcer finished her blurb. Moving on the announcer introduced the remaining contestants each receiving a lesser degree of cheering and applause with the exception of the last one, the famed actress, Jan Morris. However, not everyone was thrilled with the actress's presence on the stage. "Gee, did you hear that applause?" Akane asked. "Mom might actually win this thing." The Roses, Roy, and Rick's squadron had all sat together. "Nah," Ben said. "That Minmei sure is cute and she got just as much applause as Lt. Commander Saotome did." "Neither of them will win," Roy said knowingly. "What do you mean?" Marissa asked. "Well, isn't it obvious? This whole thing is just a publicity ploy to promote Jan Morris," Roy sneered. "Someone like that shouldn't even be up on the stage. She should be an honorary judge or something." "So you think this contest is fixed?" Max asked. "Nah, it can't be," Ben dismissed. "After all, the audience gets to pick the winner." "We'll see," Roy said. "Well, I'm still rooting for Mom," Akane said. (oO\O/Oo) "Contestant number 10, Miss Ranma Saotome," the announcer announced. The music played as Ranma gracefully strutted cat-like down the runway to stand before the microphone. She was wearing the same black dress she had worn to the Thanksgiving party and looked devastatingly sexy. The audience seemed to agree as they cheered loudly. During this portion of the competition, the three judges, Mayor Tommy Laun, Captain Gloval, and Commander Brett Kingsley would each ask a question in which the contestant would have a given time to answer. Ranma didn't think she had a snowball's chance in a firestorm given that at least one of the judges knew for sure what she was. As she swayed her way up to the mic and positioned herself, she awaited the first question. "Miss Saotome," Mayor Laun began, "tell us how you feel about being a soldier fighting in the war?" "Well, Mayor, I've trained to be a warrior nearly all my life," Ranma said. "My desire to use my skills to protect people and make a positive difference in their lives has been the only thing that kept me going at times when everything else had been taken from me. While war is an ugly thing, I believe it is the duty and honor of a warrior to be the one to sacrifice a small amount of his or her humanity to protect others from those with ill intent and spare them that sacrifice. Though I don't enjoy the fact that we are at war, I feel my purpose is being fulfilled each day I go out and defend the people aboard this ship to the best of my abilities." The crowd applauded and cheered wildly as Ranma finished. "Miss Saotome," Captain Gloval said in his Russian accent as the cheering died down, "how do you feel about being a woman?" Ranma could almost hear the smirk in his voice. She smiled and answered. "To be a woman is to potentially be many things," Ranma answered. "A woman has many roles in society, a mother, a sister, a lover, a protector, a provider. She has the power to become whatever she wants to be. As a mother, she has the ability to give and nurture life. As a sister she has the ability to give her love and support freely to those around her. As a lover she has the power to stand beside her love and together make each of them more than what they could be apart. As a protector, she has the power to not just give life but to make the lives around her a little safer and a little more secure. As a provider, she is able to give warmth and comfort to those around her, providing for their needs and easing their hurts. To be a woman is to know the true power of humanity." Again the crowd cheered long and loudly. "Miss Saotome," Brett asked as the applause died down, "who do you look up to and respect most in your life?" "That's an easy one," Ranma smiled. "That person would be Lisa Hayes. She's very intelligent, professional, elegant, and sophisticated. She physically one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, but that pales when compared to her warm, caring personality. Lisa, in many ways, has long been my role model." Ranma turned and swayed her way off the stage to the cheers of the audience. As she exited she paused and hugged Lisa who was to be the next out. "Wow, that's going to be a tough act to follow," Lisa smiled at her. "Nah, you do me one better," Ranma gave her a bright smile. "Contestant number 11, Miss Lisa Hayes," the announcer called out and Lisa walked out on to the stage. She was also wearing the same dress that she had worn to the Thanksgiving party. She swayed sexily down the runway to stop before the microphone to the cheers and applause of the audience. "Miss Hayes," the mayor asked, "As the highest ranking woman on this ship, how do you view yourself?" "Stressed?" Lisa smiled jokingly, and the audience laughed. "But seriously, I see myself as having a great responsibility to the people aboard the SDF-1. I have to handle the day to day problems that come up with the running of the ship so that the captain can stay focused on bringing us home safely, but not only that. I also assist in planning for the defense of this ship and all aboard her while efficiently directing our forces in combat to assure they are as safe as possible and not taken by surprise. In spite of the power of my position, I view my role as serving others and helping them to perform duties that we all depend on." The crowd applauded. "Miss Hayes," Gloval said as the applause died down, "what do you feel is your most important duty?" "Professionally, that would be ensuring the safety and comfort of those aboard this ship," Lisa answered. "Personally, my most important duty is providing support and comfort to the one I love deeply. God forbid I would ever have to choose between the two." Again the audience applauded. "Miss Hayes," Brett began as the applause died down, "who has inspired and influenced you most in your life?" Lisa smiled broadly with a mischievous glint in her eye. "That would be Ranma Saotome," Lisa said confidently. "She has shown me that nearly any hardship can be overcome with determination and perseverance. Though having a harsh and brutal childhood, she has come through it with a strong sense of honor and is one of the kindest, strongest, most caring people I know." The crowd applauded wildly as Lisa turned and strutted off the stage. "Contestant number 12, Miss Lynn Minmei," the announcer introduced. Minmie walked gracefully down the runway in a purple cheongsam, looking very cute. The audience showed their appreciation loudly. "Miss Minmei," the mayor asked, "tell us about your dreams for the future?" "Oh, I want to be a professional singer," Minmei said. "And I want to find a handsome boy to love and who loves me and have a large family." The crowd applauded. "Miss Minmei," Gloval asked, "have you any prospects on this particular boy?" "Maybe," Minmei said, blushing cutely. "But I'm far too young to be considering that just yet. I'm still in high school." Minmei smiled brightly and the audience laughed and applauded. "Miss Minmei," Brett asked. "If you had to choose between your dreams of career and love, which would you choose?" "Well, my career wouldn't mean a whole lot without someone to share it with," Minmei said thoughtfully. "But if he truly loves me then he wouldn't ask me to choose." Minmei left the stage to the wild cheers of the audience. The judges cycled through the rest of the contestants, ending with Jan Morris. Surprisingly, the audience was less than impressed with Morris' answers because they appeared slightly shallow and hinted at her superior opinion of herself. Still, when the judges eliminated the first 13 women, Jan Morris had made the cut. (oO\O/Oo) Ranma felt naked as she walked out on stage in her black bikini. The bottoms were high cut and made her taut legs seem to go on forever, and the waist darted down in the middle emphasizing her flat tummy and cute belly button. The top emphasized that she was indeed gifted with a competition set of breasts as it revealed a moderate amount of cleavage. In spite of her self-consciousness, she strode gracefully down the runway in her black, three-inch heels to do a couple of turns. Her martial arts had left her body toned and tight, displaying just a little more muscle mass than the other girls. That didn't detract from her beauty if the audience's obvious appreciation was any indication. She gave them a bright smile and returned to the back of the stage to take up the pose they had been taught, angled toward the end of the runway, right leg back, toe pointed outward with the left leg in front, knee slightly bent inward and the toe slightly outward, left hand on her hip with her right arm at her side. She watched with no small amount of interest as Lisa made her way down the runway. Ranma felt her lust rising as she watched the way Lisa's derrière moved under her yellow, high-cut bikini bottoms. She admired the way her love did her turns elegantly and confidently and then enjoyed the way Lisa's more modest breasts jiggled slightly in her yellow top as she made her way to take her place beside Ranma. Ranma had to resist panting in desire as her eyes traveled along Lisa's seemingly endless sleek legs that ended in a pair of yellow heels. Minmei came out next in a far more modest green, one-piece suit. She strutted gracefully down the runway and did her turns. On her way back toward the others, she had disaster befall her. Ranma felt crushing sympathy for the girl when one of her white heels broke and she took a spill. She was proud of Minmei though when after a few moments to collect her dignity she rose and bravely moved to her assigned place and stood with the rest of them. Amazingly, when the names of the ten women that would be advancing to the next round were announced, Minmei had made the cut. So had Ranma, Lisa, and Jan Morris. (oO\O/Oo) The next phase was the talent phase. Ranma was actually looking forward to this part. She had something special planned. When her turn came, she walked out onto the stage in an azure-blue, sequined mini-dress with matching heels. Her hair was done up in an 'up doo' and her make up was dramatic. "I will be singing a song called 'Blue' written Yoko Kanno," Ranma said as she stepped up to the mic and removed it from its stand. "I would like to dedicate this song to all the friends we've lost in this war." The amphitheater lights dimmed and a single spotlight illuminated Ranma, giving her an ethereal look. She was looking down at the floor as the song began with a choir singing a capella. Ranma stood unmoving during this part as if in prayer. Then the music began with a simple percussion beat accompanied by a blues guitar. On cue, she began to sing the lines in her smooth mezzo-soprano voice, at first not changing position. "Never seen a bluer sky, Yeah I can feel it reaching out, (Ranma, still not looking up, extended her right arm skyward then made a fist as if grasping something before pulling her hand back down to shoulder level.) And moving closer. There's something about blue. (Ranma let her arm go back to where she was holding the mic with both hands) Asked myself what it's all for You know the funny thing about it I couldn't answer No, I couldn't answer (She shook her head as if in denial, still not having looked up) Things have turned a deeper shade of blue and images that might be real may be illusion Keep flashing off and on (Suddenly, Ranma looked up toward the sky and extended her free hand with her fingers spread wide as she belted out the next lines as the music exploded with energy and power) Free... Wanna be free, Gonna be free (She brought her free hand back to the mic, and leveled her gaze at the audience) and move among the stars You know they really aren't so far (She again reached for the sky with her free arm, her voice rough and powerful with emotion as she sang the next two lines) Feels so free... Gotta know free... Please... (Her hand and gaze came back down but her voice was still heavy with emotion) Don't wake me from the dream It's really everything it seemed (Ranma made a fist as if holding on tightly to something and held it to her shoulder like she was holding something to her) I'm so free... No black and white in the blue (Her voice came back down and smoothed out as she sang the last line and looked back down at the floor. The choir began to sing again over the continuing music and Ranma added her voice in wordless accompaniment. Slowly, the choir stopped and the music became softer and more peaceful as it was at the beginning) Everything is clearer now Life is just a dream, you know that's never ending I'm ascending" (The last lines were sung with a reverent feel as her mezzo-soprano softened smoothly) Ranma held her pose for a few moments after the music stopped. When she looked up the audience leaped to their feet and cheer wildly. She replaced the mic in its stand and bowed a few times before turning to leave the stage. The audience continued to cheer and applaud for a couple of minutes after Ranma had left the stage bowing. "That was beautiful," Lisa said, hugging Ranma as she came backstage. "I'm starting to think Minmei and I got the short end of the stick, having to go behind you." "Why's that?" Ranma asked receiving a hug from Minmei. "Because after you, it's really hard to make an impression," Minmei pouted teasingly as Lisa headed out on the stage. Ranma watched her as Lisa dedicated her song to 'the one she loved dearly'. The brunette did a very nice Diana Krall style rendition of the old Billy Joel song 'Just the Way You Are'. "Knock'em dead, Kiddo," Ranma said to Minmei as she hugged Lisa. Minmei winked at her and went out on stage. The raven-haired girl sang a song she had written called 'To be in Love'. The audience loved it and Minmei received a standing ovation as well. (oO\O/Oo) "And now ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've all been waiting for," the announcer said. "Introducing our five finalists for the title of Miss Macross! Contestant number 10, Miss Ranma Saotome!" Ranma came out on stage still in her blue sequined mini-dress, and bowed a couple of times as she took her seat on the stage to the applause of the audience. "Contestant number 11, Miss Lisa Hayes!" Lisa came out, also still wearing the black satin, spaghetti-strapped gown she had worn for her song. She bowed a couple of times as the audience cheered her. "Contestant number 12, Miss Lynn Minmei!" The crowd cheered loudly as Minmei took the stage, bowing as she moved to her seat beside Lisa. Ranma reached over and squeezed her hand in congratulations. "Contestant number 23, Tara Wingate!" The strawberry-blond girl came out as the audience applauded her. Minmei congratulated her as the girl sat beside her, as did Ranma and Lisa. "Contestant number 28, Jan Morris!" Morris came out blowing kisses to the audience as she took her seat with the others. "Now it's up to you, the audience, to choose who will be crowned the first Miss Macross!" The announcer said. "You will now have five minutes to make your selections." Three of the women that sat on the stage were calm and collected. Two were nervous and eager. Ranma and Lisa sat quietly chatting, neither expecting to win. Jan Morris sat haughtily keeping her own council, no question in her mind that she would win. Minmei and Tara were practically vibrating with excitement. For them, the five minutes seemed to stretch out for eternity. "Ladies and gentlemen, you votes have been tabulated," the announcer said finally. "And the results are...Fourth runner up, Miss Jan Morris!" Morris' eye widened in shock as she heard her self named fifth place behind these...these...nobodies. As the information was slowly processed in her brain she burst into tears and ran off the stage. "Third runner up, Miss Tara Wingate!" the announcer said. Tara stood and bowed to the applause of the audience and then sat back down, receiving the congratulations of the other three. "Second runner up, Miss Lisa Hayes!" Lisa stood and bowed to the audience as they cheered her loudly. As she sat back down, Ranma reached across her and took Minmei's hand reassuringly as the girl appeared to be about to faint. "And the winner and new Miss Macross is..." the announcer made a dramatic pause as a drum roll sounded. "Miss Ranma Saotome!" The crowd exploded, on their feet cheering and applauding. Ranma's eyes got big as saucers. She nearly fainted with embarrassment at having been named Miss Macross. She also felt incredibly guilty that she had taken this away from Minmei when she didn't even want to be here in the first place. She just sat in shock until Minmei and Lisa pulled her up out of the chair and gave her hugs of congratulations. "Oh Minmei, I'm so sorry," Ranma said. "You should have been the one to win." "Don't be sorry, Ranma," Minmei said cheerfully. "I finished second, which was a heck of a lot better than I expected to do. I am so proud of you!" "So am I," Lisa said warmly. "Now get down there. They're waiting for you." Ranma, still in a partial daze from the shock, moved out onto the runway. The officials came up to her and placed a sash around her that read Miss Macross. She was given a large bouquet of long-stemmed roses and a sparkling tiara was placed in her hair. "Miss Saotome, what would you like to say now that you've been named Miss Macross, the most desirable woman on the ship?" the announcer asked her cheerfully. "I...I...don't know what to say," Ranma stammered. "This was...so...unexpected. I really don't deserve this...honor." "And she's modest too, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer said brightly. (oO\O/Oo) Dictionary of Acronyms and other Jargon 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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