Over the next few days, Lisa delegated remaining concert security to her two lieutenants. She also found herself attending the birthday party of one of the postal workers downstairs, confirming yet again that life's little twists and turns set you down in the oddest places.

The day before Minmei was due to return from her tour, Lisa had the command center to herself, for which she was grateful. The very stillness of the air seemed to bear the weight of her pending decision. And it was her decision, no one else's, so it was fitting that she be alone.

It's not every day you choose a path for two entire species. A path which would seal the fate of all humans and all Zentraedi, one way or another, for every generation to come, forever.

Which way to salvation? It all came down to her. Lisa Hayes, by dumb fate assigned as first officer aboard the SDF-1, by dumb fate surviving a war which killed almost everyone around her, tossed and blown by the vagaries of history to end up here and now in this tiny command center above a post office, wielding more power than anyone in history, more than anyone should ever be cursed with.

She had read every analysis and heard every opinion. Multiple times. But the decision was hers.

Everyone on the planet, humans and Zentraedi alike, were trying to form a new Earth republic, but it was proceeding about as quickly as you would expect from a committee of ten million. Until a new government was in place, the military retained direct control. She had solemnly vowed, as Admiral Gloval had before her, that the military would cede control the moment a majority-approved functioning government was formed.

But that was at least several years away, and the decision about the SDF-3 needed to be made now. Even if she could wait until a government formed, it would take several more years of debate to reach a decision. The Robotech Masters would come and go while they were still discussing the issue, and some of the politicians probably wouldn't even notice.

Admiral Gloval had been emphatic about humanity leaving its cradle and ascending to the stars. But that was when he had the luxury of two battle fortresses to stay behind and guard the Earth. Would he have held the same opinion in these new circumstances? Whether he would have or not, did she have the right to allow her affection for Admiral Gloval, and her deep respect for his opinion, to bias her decision? Could she even remove that bias if she tried? Should she try to remove it? Was it not acceptable to lean on those wiser than she would ever be?

Clutching at wild ideas, she thought about the decision in an abstract way. She allowed her mind to drift through the problem and focus on things at random. It sort of worked, for she instantly realized that she had already made up her mind. She was just desperately looking for traps before committing, like a chess player who's made their move but isn't confident enough to take their hand off the piece because they know there's something they're not seeing.

But what if she really could see everything and was just being paranoid?

She tried another tactic: thinking small instead of big. If she brought the matter down to a personal level, maybe she would see something new.

So she thought about Rick, and Minmei, and their little house, and funerals, and dreams, and best friends who knew you were in love with someone before you did and shamelessly pranked you from hidden dimensions.

Minmei. Somehow, the universe seemed to revolve around her, as if she'd been born for a reason. It was her voice which had saved Earth, as much as any weapon ever invented. No Minmei, no defections; no defections, no victory. It was that simple.

Lisa thought about her concert at the Monument Dome, how Minmei had brought the entire world together and put them back on their feet in the way that only she could.

Suddenly, with crystal clarity, Lisa remembered Minmei's words on stage that night.

Because we haven't been robbed of our dignity, nor have we been robbed of our right to spread our wings and take our place among the stars.

Tears sprang to Lisa's eyes. Minmei. Of course. Born for a reason.

There was no doubt that some cosmic force – perhaps the protoculture, as Admiral Gloval had long theorized – had always acted through Minmei, using her as a beacon of guidance and peace in a harsh universe, even when she didn't know it herself. And Lisa suddenly knew with absolute certainty that it was so again here. Through Minmei, this force spoke to her now, in this quiet moment. And she had her answer.

She took her hand off the chess piece. She felt more at peace than she had in a long time.

At that moment, the door opened and Exedore walked in. It was as if the universe, having given Lisa her space, was acknowledging that she had made her choice and thus felt it was time to tick back to life and intrude once more.

Lisa turned to face him.

"You look cheerful, Admiral," Exedore said.

"I am. Which is why you are forbidden to ruin my good mood."

Exedore smiled. "That's not an order I could obey naturally, but we are both fortunate, as your good mood is in no danger from me." He handed Lisa a thin binder. "I wanted you to see this report before anyone else."

Lisa flipped it open and scanned the first few paragraphs. The report confirmed that the attackers who destroyed the SDFs were Khyron and Azonia. Remains recovered from the wreckage had been identified using DNA analysis.

Khyron's confirmation was basically a formality – their attacker couldn't have been anyone else – but seeing Azonia's name was a relief. The chances were high that she had accompanied Khyron to his death, but until they had proof of her demise, they had had to assume she was still a threat. Confirming her death lifted a great weight off Lisa's shoulders.

Every Zentraedi commander in the universe was now officially confirmed as either dead or an ally.

The war was over.

"Thank you, Exedore. May I keep this copy?"

"It's yours, Admiral. The remaining senior staff will have their own copies within the hour. I also wanted to bring an unofficial idea to your attention."

"Yes?"

"Bron, Rico, and Konda have had an excellent idea for mitigating the problem of Zentraedi who occasionally rampage because they still feel the ancient call to violence."

"Oh, wonderful. I love ideas. Lay it on me."

 

"Boxing leagues?" Rick asked.

"Boxing, or MMA," Lisa said, snuggling next to Rick on the sofa and laying her head on his shoulder. "They haven't decided which. Organized into teams with owners, and contracts, and televised events with paying spectators. They'll have a giant league and a micronized league. It solves two problems at once: it creates jobs and gets some economy moving again, and more importantly, it provides an outlet for the Zentraedi who are screaming inside because they're genetically designed to fight and can barely control their urges. Hopefully, pounding the snot out of each other will get it out of their systems and we can have peace."

"That's a fantastic idea! I'm...really kind of upset no one thought of it earlier. We could have saved hundreds of lives if we'd just told the Zentraedi to go out into the desert and hit each other months ago."

Lisa sighed. "I know. I wish I'd thought of it. It's so simple. In fact, Exedore says Bron, Rico, and Konda constantly argue about who mentioned it first." She laughed. "They'll probably never agree. But regardless, someone thought of it, and those three are the best people to be in charge of this. They know their fellow Zentraedi, and they need something to take their minds off their grief."

Rick put his arm around Lisa. "I've been thinking about your proposal to have a three-way relationship with Minmei, and I've decided that...I think I'd like to give it a try."

"You don't sound sure."

"Well...it's still weird to me. And also...although I love you dearly, I was having a hard time letting Minmei go, and I had just reached the point where I was finally comfortable getting her out of my head when you came along with your idea."

Lisa let out a tiny laugh. "My timing was perfect. As always."

"Yeah. So, you see, I had to suddenly reverse my thinking again. And if this doesn't work out, then I'll have to re-reverse it. Again. Or...yeah, whatever. You know what I mean."

"I do." She reached up to touch his chin, turned his face toward hers, and gave him a kiss.