Lisa Hayes - First Robotech War

First Robotech War

In February 2009, Lisa takes her position as First Officer with the rank of lieutenant commander aboard the SDF-1 as it prepares to launch approximately 10 years after it crashed on Earth. However, the sudden arrival of the Zentraedi in Earth orbit marks the beginning of the First Robotech War. In the initial battle, Lisa played a major role in the survival of the SDF-1, as it fought against Zentraedi forces. After a miscalculated fold maneuver transported the SDF-1 and Macross City past the orbit of Pluto, Lisa time and again saved the ship with her quick thinking and actions, as well as her continuous attention to detail and duty as First Officer. During a battle near Saturn, Lisa created the Daedelaus Maneuver as a means of attacking and destroying an enemy Zentraedi vessel.

When the SDF-1 was trapped on Mars by gravity mines, Lisa set the power generators of Sara Base to overload. The ensuing explosion took out the gravity mines, allowing the fortress to take off. Lisa doesn't expect to survive this operation, but she is rescued by Rick Hunter, whom she still regards as immature and brash. The rescue earns Rick a medal and he is promoted to Group leader, much to the initial dislike of Lisa.

Lisa proves her physical, as well as emotional, strength when she, along with Rick Hunter and Ben Dixon, are captured by the enemy Zentraedi and interrogated by Supreme Commander Dolza, Breetai and Exedore. Lisa, suspicious as to why Dolza doesn't just order his massive fleet to attack the SDF-1, yells that Dolza doesn't have the power to attack and that the SDF-1 is far superior to his "bucket of bolts." Dolza, infuriated, slams his hand on the table with enough force to cause the captives to lose their balance. Dolza then extends his hand and grasps Lisa, lifting her up in front of her face. He orders her to tell him by what process humans become human-size. Lisa, defiant, refuses to respond, and Dolza tightens his grip around her until she screams in pain. Rick, fearing that Dolza will kill Lisa, yells at him to stop squeezing her and explains that humans are born, at their current size, when a man and woman love each other. When Breetai asks how "this love" is often expressed, Rick responds that it is often done by kissing one another. Demanding a demonstration, Dolza suggests that Rick and Ben kiss one another, but Rick refuses. As Dolza threatens to crush all of them if he doesn't see a demonstration, Lisa says she will demonstrate. After Dolza returns her to the table, Lisa orders Rick to kiss her, an action which shocks Dolza and the other Zentraedi present. This kiss, ironically, is the start of Rick and Lisa's difficult romance and the beginning of the love triangle between Rick, Lisa and Lynn Minmei. After being rescued, Lisa shakes off the event and immediately returns to duty, but she cannot help the feelings she is now developing for Rick, and soon becomes jealous of his obsession with Minmei. Lisa and Rick's personal relationship would continue to mature, and would eventually progress into an uneasy friendship. Rick is initially uncomfortable around Lisa, not only because she is a superior officer but also because she is five years older than he is. Rick remains fixated on Minmei, hanging her posters in his home, much to the dislike of Lisa (who turns one of the posters upside down in annoyance). Yet despite Rick's feelings, Minmei's music career and her cousin Lynn Kyle, make their romance more and more difficult.

Before the battle against Dolza's grand fleet, Lisa returns to Earth to meet with her father and finds herself prohibited from returning to the SDF-1. During this time she is promoted to the rank of a full commander. Lisa is working as an operations/communications officer at the underground Alaska base when the battle begins. Although the base survives the initial bombardment, which devastates 95% of the surface, the base is hit hard by secondary hits, trapping Lisa deep inside the heavily damaged base. Rick, in his damaged but flyable Veritech fighter, leaves the battle in space after picking up Lisa's distress call. Rick flies deep into the base, despite the danger of energy blasts and structural collapses and reaches Lisa. The two run to each other's arms and hug before jumping back into Rick's fighter. The two barely escape and fly together in each other's arms to safe location and watch the SDF-1 land after its victory.

In 2012, following the defeat of the Zentraedi fleet, Lisa settles down in New Macross City and works toward rebuilding Earth after the devastation from the war. However, Lisa continues to struggle with the feelings she has for Rick which are not returned as Rick continues to pursue Minmay, despite everything that he and Lisa have been through together. Lisa is frustrated that even though Rick knows how she feels about him, he continues to fixate on Minmay despite the fact that she barely spends any time with him. As her jealousy of Minmei grows, Lisa begins to realize just how lonely she truly is. In early 2013, while sitting at an outdoor cafe, she contemplates the love triangle between the three of them when she overhears two men talking about how women were "dealt all the aces" when it comes to relationships, to which Lisa says to herself "that's all you know...here's one woman who would trade every ace in the deck for one Rick Hunter." Lisa then spots her friends, Max Sterling and Miriya Parina Sterling, happily walking together while pushing a baby carriage. The Sterlings stop for a moment and Max, proudly smiling, reaches into the carriage and lifts little Dana Sterling, their new baby, into his arms while Miriya watches with joy. Max then makes a funny face and Dana smiles in response. Lisa thinks to herself "they look so happy, I can just imagine how it must be. If only Rick could understand" and momentarily, in Lisa's mind, she sees herself and Rick in place of Max and Miriya. Lisa's thoughts are then interrupted when she hears Minmay's songs on a portable radio being carried by two soldiers nearby. One of the soldiers states that he would give a month's pay just to meet her. Lisa gets up and walks away, thinking to herself "There doesn't seem to be any way I can escape you Minmei. I guess some women really were dealt all the aces."

In June 2013, Lisa, newly promoted to the rank of captain, along with Rick, Max, Miriya and Claudia participate in an operation under Breetai to capture the last remaining Zentraedi Satellite Factory in deep space. During the mission, Lisa tries to talk to Rick about their troubled relationship but they are interrupted when Breetai's ship defolds near the factory. As a diversionary tactic, Breetai suggests that Rick and Lisa kiss on screen in front of the hostile Zentraedi (who have had no exposure to human emotions) to disorient them long enough for the rest of the plan to be executed. Rick initially refuses but Lisa forces him to kiss her, much to his dismay.

In the fall of 2013, when Rick rescues Minmei and Kyle after they are kidnapped by Khyron, Minmei runs to Rick's arms and the two embrace while Lisa, visibly upset, watches with anger and sadness and the two get into a fight. After a failed attempt at reconciling, Lisa then decides that Rick will never be with her due to his feelings for Minmei, and she gives up and decides to resign her military career after nearly suffering a nervous breakdown from the whole ordeal.

In January 2014, Lisa would earn command of the Super Dimensional Fortress Two which would require her to leave Earth; before leaving Lisa stops by Rick's home to tell him of her promotion and tells him that, despite it all, she truly loves him. Unfortunately, this command would be short-lived, as the SDF-2 would be destroyed in a suicide run by Zentraedi renegade Khyron. Lisa is nearly killed in the crossfire as she tries to get to the SDF-2, but Rick comes to her rescue and helps her the rest of the way. The SDF-1 was also destroyed in this battle. Lisa is the only member of the Bridge crew to survive - Admiral Henry J. Gloval, Commander Claudia Grant, Lt. Vanessa Leeds, Lt. Sammy Porter and Lt. Kim Young die at their posts. Lisa only survives because Admiral Gloval pushes her into the only remaining functional escape pod.

Following Khryon's final attack, Rick and Minmei's relationship is ended as Minmei begs Rick not to leave her during the battle. Rick tries to explain that his job as a soldier requires him to fight, something which Minmei cannot understand or accept and Rick must tear himself away from her to join the battle. At the end of the battle, Rick realizes that he could never be with Minmei and that Lisa, who shares his commitment to the military and the defense of Earth, is the one he loves. Minmei, although sad, accepts that she and Rick can never be together due to his dedication to his military career and her dedication to her music career. Rick and Lisa, finally together, spend the next eight years overseeing the rebuilding of Earth and the construction of the SDF-3. Despite the long and rocky start, Rick and Lisa form a strong and lasting romance that lasts for the rest of the Robotech Saga. In Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles, (set in 2043-2044) the two are still in love, despite all the challenges they have faced during the last three decades.