She felt the material of her suit become rigid as the hatch beneath her
feet opened up, venting the last wisps of the atmosphere into the void of space
and leaving her in a complete vacuum. A simple glance down revealed the gentle
curvature of her slightly purple world, the glittering expanse of the northern
polar ocean taking up most of the view.
A very icy puff of air tickled her nose a moment later, the liquid oxygen
tanks strapped to her arms inside her experimental suit reacting to the drop in
pressure. The amount of breathable air stored in the tiny tanks wouldn't last
for a great length of time, but it would be enough for her needs as long as she
didn't waste any time.
<Corona to Mission Control,> she said, activating the implant in the base
of her throat. The faceplate of her suit seemed to flicker slightly with each
syllable, the narrow band over her eyes reacting to her voice for some reason
that had yet to be figured out.
<We read you, Major,> the embedded speaker in her ear replied. <Your
telemetry is solid and all systems are green.>
<I'm ready to begin my descent,> Corona reported as she double-checked the
readings on the caspule display. <Request permission to perform the drop.>
<Copy, Major,> the voice replied. <Permission to drop is granted. We've
activated the recording implants and will speak to you once the halo fades.>
<Copy,> she replied, making a face at the thought of the recording implant
that had been carefully nestled in her uterus. The so-called 'black box' would
record the input from the other implants in her body so that the data wouldn't
be lost if she failed to complete the jump successfully. Re-entry into the
atmosphere would create an ionized shock-front around her, jamming all forms of
electronic communication and thus necessitating a recorder to collect the data
as she made her way down from a height of three hundred miles.
A simple touch on the control panel turned most of the systems off, no
longer needed now that she was in orbit and getting ready to leave. The module
would be de-orbited in a couple of days and burnt up in the atmosphere so as
not to clutter any orbital paths.
<Charging the rails now,> she informed the ground team as she hit a rather
prominent toggle. The rest of the lights in the module dimmed, save for a bar
of flashing red lights positioned inside the confines of the hatch. She did a
modified flip in the micro-gravity to turn around and floated towards the open
void, the black material of her suit still fairly flexible despite the changes
it underwent upon exposure to a vacuum.
<See you on the ground, Major,> the voice said. <Mission Control out.>
Corona just sighed quietly as she moved into proper position, nestling
herself between the coils in the walls. When activated, they would produce a
single electromagnetic pulse that would catapult her outside the module like a
giant railgun projectile. Even with the speed boost, it would still take her
several minutes to reach the edges of the atmosphere. Gravity would have a
firm hold on her by then, and the rest was up to the laws of physics.
The bar of red lights suddenly turned yellow, indicating that the charging
process was completed. She waited for a moment to make absolutely sure she was
ready for this before reaching out to press her hand against a glowing square
on the wall. The square flashed blue and the yellow lights began to wink out
one by one, warning her that the timer was now activated.
Her environment abruptly changed as the last light went out, triggering
the pulse and ejecting her into the void in literally the blink of an eye. She
didn't feel much of the acceleration due to the micro-gravity, but the small
slice of her homeworld suddenly seemed to explode outwards into full view, all
but blocking out the sight of everything else.
There was no sound out here, only the soft rasping of her breathing and
the steady mantra of her pulse audible to her as she sailed through space at a
speed that would have been all but impossible to achieve unaided by machinery
and rocketry in an atmosphere.
A virtual display popped up in her field of vision, reporting her status
and telemetry. The speed she immediately ignored, as that would change once
she encountered enough air molecules to create friction. Then the true test of
her experimental suit would begin, trying to see if it could withstand the raw
force of re-entry without burning up.
She wasn't worried about what re-entry would do to her, as her powers of
Chaos let her create a heat-shield of sorts that would absorb the worst of the
shock-front. Doing something about her extreme velocity would be another issue
entirely, but that was another part of the suit's test. An experimental type
of drag-chute had been incorporated into the unique material, appearing to be
little more than a series of four vertical ridges running along her back. They
wouldn't deploy until she was in the breathable part of the atmosphere and was
designed to slow her down so she didn't slam into the ocean like a meteorite.
Or at least, it should do that if it remained intact on the trip back down this
time, unlike the last experimental suit she had tested....
She cleared the thoughts from her mind as she enjoyed the pristine view of
her world from space, knowing she had a few moments to do so. Only one of the
Negaverse's three moons was visible, part of the golden moon of Power peeking
out around the western horizon. She knew that one of the remaining two was
behind her somewhere, and that the third had just slipped over the eastern edge
of the planetary horizon. Positioned as such, their tidal influences on the
local gravity field were fairly balanced and wouldn't complicate matters. Or
at least not for another hour.
"Ouch," she whispered to herself as she cast a glance at what for her was
the northern edge of the planet. The wide ring of clouds was still clearly
discernible just above the visible equator, having been blown into that shape
by the nuclear detonation that had taken place recently. It would probably be
a full day before the wind currents reorganized themselves and closed that
almost perfectly circular formation.
Curious, she started to look around for other objects that were visible
from orbit. The geographic features were easily discernible, the dark green
swath of the Western Forest standing in contrast to the dark blues and browns
of the Northern Mountains and the sandy yellows of the Eastern Frontier. The
Outreaches were all but hidden in darkness at the moment, sparing her the sight
of their sickly grays and dark purple hues.
"Well, I'll be damned," she whispered to herself as she studied the small
network of mountain valleys spread out before her in a wide circle, surrounding
the cold expanse of the polar ocean. Two of the valleys were desert terrain,
modest blotches of yellowish-orange standing out in contrast to the surrounding
dark landscape. And in the larger of the two valley areas she could make out
what could only be a man-made shape, the metallic gray oval seeming to reflect
the sunlight just slightly as it turned in what seemed to be very slow motion.
[Warning: Encountering Atmospheric Resistance]
Corona blinked as the message suddenly flashed in front of her eyes, the
spidery red lettering spoiling her view of the Dragoon Legion's SMT. Already?
she sighed, casting one final glance of appreciation at the oval shape before
turning her full attention to her virtual displays. The readings were starting
to twitch slightly, indicating that she was indeed starting to enter the upper
edge of the atmosphere.
So now the real fun begins, she thought. She wouldn't try to activate her
heat-shield unless her suit started to fail, knowing that the entire purpose of
the drop was to stress-test it under real-time conditions. Granted there was
a lot they could simulate and replicate in a laboratory environment, but there
was simply no substitute for the actual conditions.
She glanced up at her hand as she spread her fingers out, the quarter-inch
thick material appearing to be perfectly fine. She could feel the resistance
around her hand as the atmosphere slowly started to thicken up around her. She
continued to stare at her fingertips until she began to see just the faintest
traces of motion around them, tiny ghost-like disturbances caused by the air
being compressed and displaced by her hyper-sonic passage.
Half-hour, she thought as she returned her focus ahead of her. The wide
expanse of the ocean was very slowly growing larger as more and more of the
horizon began to recede. The disc of the planet all but blocked the rest of
space now, masking the golden moon's presence behind an ever-increasing veil
of atmosphere.
[External Temperature Increasing - Internal Temperature Nominal]
So far, so good, she thought as the thermal properties of the suit held up
to the design specifications. Even though it was only a quarter-inch thick,
the new material had the amazing ability to 'repel' heat without absorbing too
much of it itself. She had asked how it was done and was promptly given a very
long-winded lecture on multi-dimension quantum physics that left her with a
truly massive headache. She finally decided that as long as it worked, she
really didn't need to understand how the material could be dimensionally folded
in on itself without actually breaking any established laws of physics.
A faint disturbance could be seen forming in front of her, the beginnings
of the shock-front that would accompany her trip through the atmosphere. The
front would soon ionize into incandescent plasma as it continued to heat up,
turning her into a bright streak of light that would be clearly visible to all
who were watching.
[Warning: Ion Levels Above Threshold - Communication Link Inoperative]
That was to be expected, as only the most energetic of particles from the
ground would be able to pierce the energy halo that was continuing to build up
around her. The front was clearly visible now, a slightly elongated oval of
compressed air. She carefully spread her arms and legs out, seeking to create
the maximum amount of drag possible and deliberately testing the limits of her
experimental suit.
The resistance on her limbs was incredibly strong now, only the tensile
strength of the suit's material keeping her arms and legs from being torn out
of their sockets. The corona in front of her likewise changed shape, widening
out into a roughly circular mass that was less than a foot away.
A bright flash of light heralded the ignition of the air in front of her,
the halo finally passing the ionization point and becoming plasma. Now the
thermal properties of her suit would be fully tested, exposed to temperatures
that would start to boil most metals and would instantly crisp organic flesh
the microsecond it became exposed.
The internal temperature readings had risen three degrees since she last
glanced at them, a fully expected development. There was no cooling mechanism
in the suit, unless you counted the super-cool air inside her faceplate as the
liquid oxygen in her tanks started to evaporate. That prompted an unpleasant
memory about how she had to eject them when her first suit had disintegrated,
not wanting to be near the tanks when they were heated from a few degrees above
body temperature to a four-digit value that started with the number three.
Her visor turned black as it compensated for the now-blinding glare of the
shock-front blazing away in front of her. She was flying blind now, having to
rely on the implants in her body and the tiny sensors woven into her suit to
determine where she was. This was the most dangerous part of the descent, as
she had to stay on a proper course if she was to land in the ocean. Granted
she had a fairly large target ahead of her, but there were a few small islands
here and there that could complicate matters, to say nothing of what would
happen if she were to drift over firm terrain.
The sensors said she was still on the right course, however, so she tried
not to worry too much about it. She had a limited ability to adjust her course
at this point, but it wouldn't do her much good until she descended enough for
the air resistance to be truly useful.
The air inside the suit felt warm now, perhaps being just a few degrees
below her normal body temperature. She wouldn't start to truly worry until it
rose into the triple-digits, at which point she would have free rein to use her
heat-shielding ability. She would rather not use it unless she had to, as it
would then invalidate any further data collected after that point.
[Warning: Altitude 220A - Course Nominal]
Almost there, she thought with a quiet sigh. She would attempt to deploy
the new drag-chutes at one-hundred thousand feet up, giving them plenty of both
time and space in which to attempt to work. She still had a number of doubts
about the functionality of the design, but had also witnessed the test results
herself in the wind tunnel trials. They would have been fully tested on the
last drop if her suit hadn't disintegrated before she could reach a suitable
height to have tried deploying them.
The crimson glow of re-entry was visible even through her darkened visor
now, the bright reddish-white glow of extreme heat. She could feel the wind
starting to have a strong influence on her course, not just from the intense
halo of super-compressed air in front of her but from the icy current that was
the highest level of atmospheric jet-streams. The thickness of the air was
starting to slow her down as she encountered a greater amount of resistance.
[Warning: Altitude 125A - Course Drift +0.22N -0.01W]
Corona arched her back slightly, trying to change the angle of resistance
pressing against her chest. It wasn't the first time she had encountered a
slight vertical drift on descent, as being a woman meant her chest wasn't as
aerodynamic as would otherwise be possible with a male jumper. Of course, she
mused with a mental sigh, men didn't have large cavities in their bodies where
implants could be nestled without having to undergo radical or otherwise very
invasive surgery. It was a trade-off of sorts, but she didn't mind too much
given the extreme lengths the R&D team went to make sure that she couldn't feel
the slightest hint that she was carrying anything extra.
Wait for it, she thought as she kept an eye on the altimeter reading. It
slowly counted down until it reached 100A, pausing for just an instant to flash
a far-from-subtle reminder on her display to deploy the new drag-chutes. A
simple mental command directed at the implant in the base of her skull set the
experimental device on her back into motion.
She frowned as she felt the back of her suit rip as four rubbery tendrils
suddenly ballooned out, quickly elongating into very long loops. The loops
immediately stiffened up as they dried out, flattening out at the top ends to
increase the amount of surface area.
The change in inertia was felt immediately, doubling her over as her waist
was jerked backwards. The pain registered an instant later, telling her that
she had just torqued the living hell out of her back muscles. It wasn't bad
enough to suggest that anything was broken or torn, but it would certainly make
moving around a lot more complicated until the damage was regenerated.
[Danger: Suit Breach - Danger: Drag-Chute Structural Integrity Failure]
Corona knew that she was likely in serious trouble now. The suit breach
was already being dealt with, encasing herself in the bubble-like barrier of
her heat-shield to prevent the super-heated air from burning her alive. The
unknown failure of the drag-chutes, however, was beyond her immediate powers.
She blinked in surprise when her visor cleared up, becoming what passed
for normal transparency as the halo of plasma around her faded away. A quick
check of her display revealed that her forward velocity was still dropping at
a steady rate, meaning that the drag-chutes were working for the most part.
Huh, she thought as she found herself plummeting through a high bank of
thin clouds. Perhaps this might not be so bad after all....
[Danger: Collision Warning - Objects Within Projected Landing Radius]
"Oh, k'ves," she muttered softly as her blood turned cold. The problem
was made evident as she finally cleared the clouds and could see what was below
her. The wide expanse of dark blue ocean was a welcome sight, as that meant
she wasn't about to leave a crater on dry land. The feeling of relief lasted
for precisely two seconds before she spotted the cluster of naval vessels in
the middle of the ocean, appearing to be a heavy carrier and a support group
of smaller surface ships.
Of course, she thought with a mental sigh. Untold millions of ke'shels of
open ocean, and they just *have* to park where I'm going to splash down. I'm
almost tempted to aim for one of them just to piss off those p'tais in the
Navy. Stupid bunch of.... huh, she added as she drew close enough to make out
the details. That doesn't look like one of ours. Deck rotors on a carrier?
Who still uses those things?
[Danger: Altitude 005A - Course Drift +0.31N -0.03W]
[Danger: Altitude 004A]
[Danger: Altitude 003A]
You know, maybe they'll be nice enough to fish me out of the ocean, Corona
thought before even the gray hulls became blurs around her. Assuming I happen
to survive this one. Oops, I hope that's just a shadow and not....
* * * *
It took Darian a moment to finally realize that the gentle sensation he
was feeling wasn't part of the dream anymore. That was enough to draw him out
of the depths of slumber, reawakening his senses one by one until he was more
awake than asleep.
A soft grunt rose up from his throat as the feeling registered again, a
soft but persistent nudging of his bare shoulder. It seemed to take forever
for his eyelids to part, feeling awfully heavy for being a pair of very thin
membranes. The room was still fairly dark, but there was just enough light
available to let him focus on the face leaning over him. "Mergph," he muttered
softly as he allowed his eyes to promptly close.
"Don't be a wuss," Rei said softly as she nudged him again. "Wake up."
"Do you even know what time it is?" he sighed as he felt the last vestiges
of sleep quietly drift away from him, leaving him fully awake. He paused as a
sudden thought occurred to him and he cracked one eye back open. "And why are
you in our room, anyway?"
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Would you prefer I let the demon wake the
two of you up?" she countered in a faintly edged tone.
Another soft grunt rose up from his chest as he thought about it. "Let me
get back to you on that one," he muttered as he opened his other eye and tried
to focus on the ceiling. He saw Rei's expression change out of the corner of
his eye, turning his head to look at her a little more closely before following
the line of her gaze.
"She really does look like an angel when she's asleep like that," Rei said
very softly as she studied the sleeping blonde's peaceful expression. "I wish
I could enjoy sleep that much."
"And why don't you?" Darian inquired, keeping his voice equally as soft so
as not to disturb Serena. The sheets had fallen down to around her waist as
she lay cuddled against him, her feminine curves barely concealed by the way
her arm was half-thrown across his chest. The realization that he had also
fallen asleep in the nude caused him to cast a side-long glance at the raven-
haired priestess, both to see what she was wearing and to make sure that none
of his own anatomy was accidentally out on display.
The front of her white robe was parted slightly but not indecently so, the
soft lines of her deep cleavage flexing gently as she absently shrugged her
shoulders in helplessness. "I don't know, I really don't," she sighed. "I'm
not even sure I actually sleep anymore, just losing myself in deep meditations
for what feels like an hour or two only to be startled when the alarm clock
goes off in the morning."
"Try going to bed without meditating?" he suggested carefully.
"That's like going to bed without brushing your teeth," she muttered as
she gave him a slightly unpleasant look. "You can do it, but you still get a
rather nasty feeling. Or at least it is with me," she amended as she shifted
her position on the edge of the bed.
Darian just grunted quietly, acutely aware of the fact that he had fallen
asleep last night before he had been able to take care of that personal hygiene
issue. He had fully intended to do so, but the herbal tea Susan had given them
had simply been too strong to resist.
A very soft and gentle sigh tickled his chest as Serena stirred slightly.
She seemed to stretch her legs for a moment before cuddling back up to him and
drifting back off to sleep. The gesture tugged on the sheets wrapped around
them, dragging them down another inch or so.
"So that's it," he mused with a very soft chuckle, finally realizing how
the sheets had wound up all bunched together at the foot of the bed yesterday
morning. He caught the uncertain look on Rei's face and added, "We had this
problem of migrating sheets yesterday."
"Ah," she said simply, glancing down at the white linens. She paused to
study just how far down they were, not quite at the curves of Serena's hips yet
but at the same time almost down to Darian's navel, before looking back up into
his dark eyes again. "So you awake now?" she prodded gently.
"Now," he echoed ruefully with a quiet sigh.
"Want to talk, or are you going to wake her up now?" Rei asked softly.
Darian paused for a moment to regard her carefully. "Talk about what?" he
asked in a very cautious tone.
The priestess sighed and turned her attention to the wall in front of her,
carefully tucking one leg beneath her. "I haven't had much of a chance to
think about what happened last night," she said quietly. "I guess I'm still
trying to sort everything out."
"There shouldn't be a whole lot to sort out anymore," he pointed out in a
cautious tone. "We're good friends, Rei, and that shouldn't have changed. Or
are you still rethinking the 'I'm giving up on him' mantra?" he prodded.
She cast a somewhat unfriendly glare in his direction before sighing and
looking back at the wall. "You know my feelings on the matter," she said in a
soft tone.
"And you know mine," he countered gently.
"Feelings can change," she said in an even quieter tone, still looking at
the wall with a slightly haunted expression.
"That they can," Darian admitted with a half-shrug, making sure not to use
the shoulder Serena was using as a pillow. "But your feelings can change just
as easily as mine can, and I really doubt that there will be any sudden changes
from either of us."
Rei sighed quietly and tilted her head back slightly, looking up the wall
to where it joined with the ceiling. "Probably not," she muttered.
He paused to regard her carefully before sighing softly. "So are you
going to tell me what really brought you here, or are we supposed to just go
over the same concerns again until Serena wakes up?" he said in a neutral tone.
The priestess continued to study the ceiling joint in silence for a few
moments before sighing heavily and tilting back, carefully reclining against
his lower waist. "I'm scared, Darian," she said very quietly. "The Imperium
Silver Crystal won't talk to me. I can't even hear my mother's voice now, and
I'm.... I'm afraid it will refuse me when I go to transform into Sailor Mars."
"Why would it refuse you?" he inquired, thinking very carefully about the
wisdom of letting Rei stay in position. Not that she was crunching anything of
importance, but he would rather not have to try to explain anything to Serena
if she should wake up and notice that the bed was just a little more crowded
than when she went to sleep. "If it would refuse anyone at this point, it
would be Serena simply because of how she's changed. Physically, at least,"
he added, giving in to the impulse to reach out and very lightly run his hand
across the blonde's bare back.
"I just find the sudden silence to be.... disquieting," Rei murmured as
she closed her eyes.
Darian glanced down at Serena as she stirred again. He blinked hard as
she started to stretch again, his free hand darting down to grab the edge of
the sheet just as it was drawn down even further. He managed to snag it just
as it slid past his navel, barely keeping his modesty preserved.
Rei lifted her head up with a frown as the sheet moved beneath her head,
turning slightly to cast an irritated glance at the slumbering blonde. She
paused as she noticed Darian discreetly tugging the sheet higher up, a faint
blush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks. "Problem?" she asked in a guarded
tone as she sat back up.
"Yeah, we're not exactly dressed for company," he muttered.
Rei just rolled her eyes and leaned back down, allowing more of her weight
to rest on his legs and effectively pinning the sheets in place. "Honestly,
after what happened last night?" she said in a pointed tone. "Does it really
matter at this point?"
"It might," he countered in a flat tone, drawing a faintly surprised look
from the priestess. They both blinked as Serena yawned quietly, making a very
disgruntled sound to herself as she cuddled even tighter against Darian.
Darian and Rei exchanged glances before Rei sighed quietly. "Serena," she
said in a bored tone, reaching up above her to nudge the nearest part of the
blonde's body. "Wake up, meatball head."
"Let her sleep, Rei," Darian said quietly.
"I want to get this over with," Rei replied tartly as she prodded Serena
again. She was answered with a petulant groan of protest as Serena rolled over
onto her other side, resulting in the majority of the sheets being dragged
along with her in a none-too-gentle tugging motion.
Both Rei and Darian sat up in the same instant, the former because of the
minor friction burn she was getting along the back of her neck and the latter
because of the fact that what was left of the sheets now barely covered his
ankles. His arm came down to grab the edge of the sheets when it was gently
intercepted, her hand taking hold of his forearm to halt him in mid-motion.
There was a slightly uneasy moment as their eyes met, Darian acutely aware
of the fact that he was completely naked and exposed to her gaze. "Rei," he
said in a warning tone, his eyes narrowing slightly.
She continued to stare into his eyes before reaching out with her other
hand, gently shaking the blonde's arm. "Serena," she said flatly. "Wake up."
"I'm awake," the blonde muttered, still three-quarters asleep.
"Good," Rei replied tartly. "So give Darian the sheets back before I have
to take them from you myself."
"Rei?" Darian sighed quietly as he tugged himself free from her grip. He
reached behind him to grab the pillow, quickly setting it in his lap to cover
his groin. "Leave her alone. Hey, easy!" he yelped as Serena suddenly sat up
and came perilously close to falling off the edge of the bed.
"Huh?" Serena mumbled, trying to shake off the mantle of sleep and focus
on her surroundings. It took a few moments for the fog to lift from her blue
eyes, a pair of hard blinks finally allowing the situation to register on her
fuzzy mind. "What...?"
"Good morning," Rei said in a faintly edged tone as she scooted back, one
hand absently retucking the robe around her.
"Rei?" Serena said in confusion, pausing for a moment to yawn. "What's
going.... on...?" she said, her voice slowing down as she realized that Darian
was sitting next to her with just a pillow in his lap to preserve his modesty.
The fact that Rei was sitting next to him and seemed to be quickly adjusting
her robe shut was a rather disturbing discovery, making her wonder just what
she was waking up to. Or worse, what she had missed while she was asleep.
"Serena?" Darian said with surprising calmness. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Wait," Serena said slowly. "Why are you...? HEY!" she yelped as Rei
leaned over Darian's legs, grabbing the edges of the sheets and giving them a
fierce yank. A truly startled yelp filled the air as the force of the tug not
only unwound the sheets from Serena's body but sent her tumbling into Darian,
winding up in a truly compromising position.
Rei paused for a moment before sighing quietly and shaking her head to
herself, knowing that the scene was definitely not what she had in mind. The
only thing that kept either Serena or Darian from waking up any further was the
fact that the pillow was squished between them, providing a cushioned landing
for the blonde's groin. "My bad," she muttered as she fluffed the sheet out,
draping it as best she could over them and sitting back down on the edge of
the bed with a faint blush.
"Don't move," Darian said firmly in an iron voice. He waited until the
surprise factor wore off and Serena's momentary panic-attack had left before
very carefully twisting around, gently setting her back down on the bed. He
breathed a sigh of relief as the situation was remedied without injury to his
anatomy or further embarrassment to them both. He leaned over to give her a
soft kiss before sitting back up to cast a dark glare at Rei.
"Sorry," Rei muttered as she looked away, feeling the blush on her cheeks
darken by at least three shades.
"Darian?" Serena said in an uncertain tone as she sat up, absently keeping
the sheets tucked beneath her chin. "What's going on?"
"Let's just call it a rough morning and leave it at that," Darian replied
with a quiet sigh. "Don't ask me why Rei decided to wake us up like this."
"Look," Rei countered with an impatient sigh. "I already told you, I only
came in here to wake you up because otherwise Susan would have done so. That,
and I wanted to talk to you for a few minutes. That's all."
Serena blinked and gave Darian an uneasy look, still not entirely sure
what to make of the situation. All three of them blinked and glanced towards
the door as there was the sound of a gentle knock, followed by the whispering
sounds of the door being eased open a few inches.
"Your Highness?" Susan said very quietly, edging just enough of her head
into the room to see what was going on. She paused as she realized that both
Darian and Serena were not only still in bed but were likely far from dressed
as well.
"I said I would take care of it," Rei growled, casting an unfriendly look
towards the slightly unsettled succubus. "We'll be out when we're ready."
Susan blinked at the priestess' tone, glancing over at both Darian and
Serena to make note of the startled looks on their faces. "Very well, your
Excellency," she said in a neutral tone, casting the briefest of glances over
at Rei. "Please do not take too long, as the others are waiting outside."
Darian and Serena traded looks before Darian sighed quietly. "You're in
a mood this morning," he said as the door was gently closed, giving Rei a flat
look. "Or are you still having a few lingering cramps?" he prodded.
"Stuff it," Rei growled.
"You going to tell me where, or do I get to pick this time?" he shot back
in a partially-amused tone, causing Serena to blink hard and Rei to almost slip
off the edge of the bed in shock.
"Umm...." Serena said slowly.
"I think you know where, Darian," Rei muttered, looking away as the blush
returned to her cheeks.
"Not this one again," he replied with a smirk. "I know you sometimes have
a singular focus in your meditations, Rei, but you really need to clear your
mind out on occasion. One-track minds tend to get old fairly quickly."
"What's going on?" Serena whimpered in confusion as Rei sighed heavily,
leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees and put her face in her hands.
"Like I said, just a really bad morning," Darian assured her, leaning over
to kiss her bare shoulder. "We're awake now, Rei, so you can leave us in peace
to get dressed and all."
Rei lifted her head up to give him a neutral look before leaning down to
scoop up his robe from the floor. "Here," she said simply as she tossed it to
him. "You can make new clothes once we're outside in the Ether."
Darian cast an idle glance down at the robe before looking back up at the
priestess. "Rei?" he said gently. "We'll meet you outside."
Rei said nothing, looking over at him in stony silence before glancing
over at the still-confused Serena. She sighed quietly and stood up, smoothing
out the edges of her robe before heading towards the door. She seemed to pause
for a brief instant before reaching for the handle, quietly twisting it open
and slipping outside without looking behind her.
"Darian...." Serena said slowly once the door had closed. "Is she okay?"
Darian sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, Serena," he replied as
he leaned over to give her a gentle hug. The embrace was returned with quiet
warmth, enjoying one another's company but both still quietly worried about
Rei's state of mind. "Come on, let's get this one over with," he said in a
resigned tone, unconsciously echoing Rei's earlier words.
"Get what over with?" Serena asked in confusion as Darian eased himself
off the bed. Her gaze reflexively shifted down to his exposed backside, eyeing
his firm masculine curves before the robe was slipped on and tied in place.
"This morning's stress-test," he explained in a faintly dry tone as he
made his way around the bed to her side. "Susan wants to test us, remember?"
"Oh, yeah," Serena grumbled as she untangled the sheets from her legs and
climbed out of bed. She paused for a moment to stretch, flexing her back as
she briefly rose up on her tip-toes. The stretch very quickly blurred into a
deep kiss as Darian took advantage of the distraction, sliding his arms around
her nude body to draw her into a fairly intimate embrace.
"Heh," he murmured softly once the kiss was broken and her soft monotone
hum of pleasure had faded away. "Good morning, my love."
She giggled quietly and pulled him down to her for another soft and fairly
protracted kiss. "Good morning, my prince," she whispered back to him when he
finally edged away.
"For once, at least," he pointed out as he briefly bent down to scoop up
her discarded robe. He had to fight the impulse to study her body as he stood
back up straight, knowing that he could easily lose five minutes simply gazing
at the nearly-flawless smoothness of her skin. Had they awoken like this back
on Earth on a weekend, things would most likely certainly be different. And
not just because of a lock on the door, he thought wryly as he held the robe
open for her.
He kissed her neck softly as she turned around and leaned against him, her
arms slowly coming up to slide into the sleeves. "Thank you," she purred in a
soft and dulcet tone as he reached around her waist to tie the white fabric
closed for her. She turned around once he was finished for a final kiss before
they both headed for the door, figuring that they would have plenty of time to
make the badly-rumpled bed after breakfast.
Rei opened her eyes as the bedroom door opened up, lifting her head up to
watch Darian and Serena emerge from the room. She immediately noticed the soft
smile on the blonde's lips, a clear indication that Darian had gone out of his
way to make the princess forget that she wasn't a morning person. Granted it
wouldn't take much in Serena's case, most likely no more than a tender kiss or
two given her emotional nature and tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve,
but it was still not something that the priestess wanted to think about.
"You two ready?" she asked quietly as she pushed herself off the wall and
stood up straight, absently fluffing her dark hair behind her.
"We should be," Darian replied in a careful tone, absently rubbing his
hand across Serena's lower back.
"I hope so," Rei replied calmly as she turned to head for the far end of
the corridor.
"Rei, are you alright?" Serena asked tentatively.
Rei sighed and came to a halt, reaching up to rub her sinuses with her
fingertips. "I'm scared, Serena," she said in a quiet tone. "I'm scared that
the Imperium Silver Crystal is going to reject me when I try to transform for
some reason. I haven't sensed anything from it since that outburst yesterday,
and the silence is.... disturbing."
"So what if it does?" Darian spoke up, causing both girls to abruptly stop
in mid-motion. "Honestly, Rei, do really think the Crystal would go to all the
trouble of making you Regent only to turn around and ignore you in the morning?
I doubt it. I can only see one of three scenarios happening in a few minutes,
assuming nobody's tried to transform yet. Either everybody transforms, nobody
transforms, or everybody but Serena transforms."
"What?" Serena blurted out, giving him a startled look.
He sighed quietly and turned to face her, reaching down to hold her hands
in his. "I'm only saying that because you haven't tried to become Sailor Moon
since your denizen blood woke up," he said in a gentle tone. "I honestly don't
think it will refuse you, Serena. After all, you're still the Moon Princess
with the exact same blood you were born with. The only problem I see is if
there is something wrong with the Imperium Silver Crystal as an entity, which
means that everybody should have the same problem calling on its powers."
"You're overlooking one thing," Rei pointed out. "I have dominion over
the Crystal right now, not Serena. That might be screwing everything up."
"So give it back if you're that worried," Darian countered, giving her a
slightly irritated look. "I really don't understand you sometimes, Rei. From
what I've both seen for myself and heard from the others, you've been wanting
a chance to have the cosmic power for yourself since you first put on Mars' red
skirt and fired up the power in your soul. Now that you actually have it, you
suddenly don't think it's a hot idea anymore?"
"So maybe I was wrong all this time," the priestess replied in an empty
tone, giving him a level look. "Perhaps I just needed to be taught a lesson
about coveting power. Tell me, Prince Darian, haven't you ever had a desire
for something, only to realize it really wasn't what you thought it was once
you got it? Or worse, realized that you never truly wanted it to begin with?"
"I have," Darian admitted with a somber nod.
"I will return control of the Crystal to Serena when this is over," Rei
said, giving Serena a neutral look. "That's really up to Susan, however, as
she's the one harboring the souls of Queen Serenity and Captain Raijen. But
one thing at a time," she added as she turned away and resumed walking at a
measured pace.
"Come on," Darian said to Serena in a gentle tone, briefly squeezing her
hand before setting out after the raven-haired priestess. Serena immediately
followed him, keeping pace in uncharacteristic silence as the three of them
made their way through the ground-level foyer towards the main doors of the
keep. The dim lights in the room suddenly winked out without warning as the
heavy iron doors began to swing inward, briefly plunging the foyer into total
darkness before the soft pink glow of the Ether became visible.
"Well, well," Sailor Uranus said as she turned to look for the source of
the heavy creaking sound. "Look what the succubus dragged in. Morning, you
three!" she called out with an idle wave of greeting. She was holding her Soul
Saber in her off-hand, carefully twisting her wrist around to try to loosen it
up beneath the weapon's weight.
"Leave 'em alone," Sailor Jupiter grumbled quietly as she continued to
stretch and roll her shoulders. A simple wooden quarterstaff was laying at her
feet, the center portion of the weapon having been solidly bound with a thin
cloth ribbon for traction.
"Morning," Darian replied calmly as he gently ushered both Serena and Rei
onto the slightly damp grass. All three of them made a slight face at the cool
sensation beneath their bare feet. They all halted after a few paces and cast
startled looks around the immediate area, finding the terrain to be vastly
different than they had last remembered. "Hey, what's all this?" he asked with
a gesture to the series of booth-shaped tents that had been set up in a large
ring like a carnival fairground.
"Sue's idea of a training ground," Uranus muttered sourly. "She's playing
the warped-physics game again so it just looks small on the outside. Go ahead
and stick your head in one, you'll see what I'm talking about."
Darian, Rei, and Serena all traded uneasy glances before Darian strode
over to the nearest tent. It was roughly the size of a portable toilet and
decorated much like a pavilion tent, complete with a colored banner quietly
flying from a tiny spire at the very top. He cautiously poked at the material
for a moment before prying the flaps apart, seeing only utter darkness inside.
He cast a wary look at Uranus before leaning forward to put his head past the
flaps, remaining motionless for a number of moments before slipping his head
back out.
"You've got to be kidding me," he said, his eyebrows arched clear up to
his head in a blatant display of surprise. He took a step back and moved to
the side to let Rei examine the tent for herself, taking another step back as
she stuck her head inside to look around as well.
"What the hell?" Rei demanded in amazement once she pulled her head back,
giving Uranus a startled look.
"It's Sue's way," Uranus replied with a shrug of dismissal.
"You have to admit it's a neat trick," Jupiter added as she bent down to
scoop up the quarterstaff. She held it horizontally and pumped it up and down
a few times like she was working with a barbell before twirling it around in a
gentle pattern.
"So where's everyone else?" Darian asked as he watched Serena step past
Rei to poke her head in the tent. Although it only appeared to be tiny on the
outside, the inside of the tent was as roomy as a full pavilion tent, holding
a fairly large combat ring. A series of mats had been laid down and decorated
with paint in a few odd patterns, while a small row of bleachers lined either
side of the ring. The tent was empty for the moment but it appeared to easily
be capable of holding everyone together at once.
Uranus gestured to a pair of dark red tents at the far end of the circle.
"Neptune's setting up the water-works, or so she claims, and Mercury is still
talking to Susan about the warm-up exercises we just did."
"Okay...." Darian said slowly, glancing around at the tents again. "So
call me paranoid, but where's Sailor Venus?"
"Right behind you," a coy voice spoke up, causing both Darian and Rei to
spin about sharply. "I had to use the bathroom," Venus explained with a smile
as she gestured behind her. "Please tell me you're not going to try to fight
in that...."
Darian cast a reflexive glance down at his robe before glancing over at
Rei. "We just got here," he pointed out, looking over his shoulder as Serena
finally pulled her head out from the dimensionally-warped tent.
"Wow," Serena breathed in awe, looking over at them with wide blue eyes.
"That's amazing how Susan got all that space into this tiny little tent. Hi,
Venus," she added.
Venus chuckled quietly and winked at her fellow blonde. "Good morning,
space cadets," she said in a cheerful tone. "You three ready for a physical
exam to see how capable you are? I'm sure our dark demoness is ready now...."
"Depends on how invasive it is," Darian muttered, giving Venus an uneasy
look. He paused as a thought popped into his mind and he glanced over at Rei.
"I think this answers the question about transforming," he said to her.
Rei looked at him and nodded, seeming to relax just slightly. "Yeah, I
was just thinking about that. But still...."
"You worry too much," Darian said, cutting her off with a gesture. "And
if you're really all that worried, Rei, then go ahead and transform. No use in
putting it off, right?"
"I suppose you're right," Rei sighed quietly in resignation as she reached
behind her to open up her Lunar Space pocket. Her hand came back up a moment
later holding the silvery Mars Wand. She seemed to hesitate briefly before
holding it up towards what passed for the sky in the demiplane. "Mars Power!"
"See?" Darian said calmly as everyone stepped back from the sudden vortex
of fire surrounding the priestess. "You girls worry too much sometimes."
"Worried about what?" Venus asked as she watched the fiery transformation
sequence. The crimson flames soon faded away to reveal the visibly relieved
expression on Sailor Mars' face, a faint blush tinting her cheeks as she turned
to look over at Darian and Serena.
"I'm sorry," Mars apologized very quietly.
Darian made an idle gesture of dismissal. "Don't worry about it. Good
morning," he added as he saw Susan and Sailor Mercury stepping out of one of
the dark red tents.
"Good morning, your Highness," Susan replied in a cordial tone before she
turned her attention back to a visibly disturbed Mercury. "As I said, I will
attempt to reload the relevant portions of the databases from the archives once
we return to the present, assuming the archives are still intact, but the loss
of information should have no impact whatsoever on the program functions."
"But where did it come from to begin with?" Mercury persisted, her face
half-masked by her Virtual Visor. The broad expanse of the blue-tinted device
was all but blotted out by several screens of images superimposed over her line
of vision, making everyone else wonder how she could possibly see straight at
the moment. "And why didn't I ever notice it before?"
Susan gave the upset vampire a patient look. "I suspect that you simply
didn't explore the software environment to its fullest," she said calmly. "I
assure you the program was in place long before your grandmother was born, so
it is hardly a new development. Keep in mind that you are not the only one who
has capabilities you were not previously aware of. Sailor Venus and her own
Virtual Visor, for example," she added as she cast a mild glance towards the
orange-skirted blonde.
"Oh, yeah, that," Venus said as she reached up to tap the orange garnet
gemstone nestled in the center of her tiara. A band of orange light promptly
formed over her eyes, solidifying into a Virtual Visor that was identical to
Mercury's visor in every way except color. The blonde promptly blinked hard as
a message flashed in her line of vision. "Wait, what's it doing?" she blurted
out. "Synchronizing? With what?"
"Hey!" Mercury protested as yet another display window opened up on her
already-crowded visor. "Establishing connection.... with Venus?! Susan, what
the hell is it doing now?" she demanded as she brought her miniature computer
out of her Lunar Space pocket and flipped the cover open.
Susan paused and glanced over at Mercury. "I do not mean to be harsh or
disrespectful, Sailor Mercury, but perhaps you should observe what it does and
try to discern its functionality on your own," she suggested archly.
Darian exchanged slightly wary glances with the rest of the group before
sighing quietly. "Okay, maybe I spoke too soon about it being a good morning,"
he muttered dryly. "Venus, you alright?"
"Hey, I'm fine," Venus replied casually, still glancing up at the tiny
display window in the corner of her field of vision. "I don't know what it's
doing, mind you, but it's not in my way or anything. Dunno about looking at
the world through an orange filter, but I can handle this," she added as she
cast an appraising glance at the rest of the group.
"Let's hope so, babe," Uranus said as she casually tossed her saber in the
air, watching it flip end-over-end several times before catching the hilt in
her right hand.
"Hey, watch where you toss that thing," Jupiter growled as she took a step
away from the sword-wielding Viking.
Uranus paused to give the brunette an odd look. "I was watching it," she
pointed out. "What, you think I'd just toss this in the air at random? Like
I'd want a blade this sharp to come raining down without warning."
"Whatever," Jupiter grumbled to herself as she put some distance between
her and everyone else. She hefted the quarterstaff again and started to slowly
whirl it around in a fairly wide arc, apparently trying to further loosen up
the muscles in her upper arms.
A startled yelp caused everyone to suddenly whirl around as a panicked
Sailor Neptune scrambled out from inside the other dark red tent, her eyes as
wide as dinner plates. She immediately launched herself into a rolling dive
away from the tent flaps, the red material barely closing behind her passage
before the entire tent suddenly ballooned outward as if something had exploded
inside. The now-spherical tent started to lean to one side, making a very
ominous creaking sound as the fabric started to strain.
"Mich!" Uranus yelled as she darted over to where Neptune was gingerly
rising to her feet, her complexion dangerously pale. "What the hell happened?"
"Lady Neptune," Susan said flatly as she cast a distinctly unhappy glare
at the tilting balloon-like tent. "I explicitly told you not to disturb the
stasis field surrounding the planar portal."
"I didn't touch it," Neptune panted as she grabbed onto Uranus' arm for
support. She glanced up at the irritated woman and paused to brush a stray
lock of aquamarine hair out of her face. "Something came through the gate when
I was standing there and tried to talk to me. I couldn't understand her, and
when I tried to explain that I couldn't hear her voice too well, she started to
poke at the stasis field."
Susan's eyebrows promptly arched up in surprise. "Something came through
the gate?" she echoed. She got an uneasy nod in response and closed her eyes
to think for a moment, oblivious of the slew of very uncertain looks being
exchanged among the rest of the group. "Humanoid, pale blue skin, with blue or
greenish hair and eyes?" Susan finally asked as she opened her eyes.
"I think so...." Neptune replied.
"A marid, probably," Susan sighed as she pulled her staff from its niche
in Time and rested her weight on it. The movement was so fluid and casual that
the rest of the group was caught off-guard to see the silvery staff suddenly
appear in literally the blink of an eye without warning. "Odd, they usually
don't go poking around tiny dimensional gates like that...."
"Wait, a what?" Uranus asked carefully.
"A water genie, I think," Venus spoke up in a cautious tone. "Umm, guys?
Can we discuss this in a few moments? That tent doesn't look too good...." she
said as she made a gesture towards the still-spherical red tent.
Susan barely glanced at it before making a gesture with her staff. The
tent suddenly seemed to implode inward, twisting and folding in on itself until
it simply vanished in a bright spark of light. A very sharp popping sound was
heard a moment later, followed by a small deluge of somewhat warm water being
sprayed in all directions from the tiny point of light.
"Hey!" Jupiter growled as she felt a few droplets splash across her face.
"I guess we shall save the swimming test for later," Susan said casually
as she stood up straight and sighed. "No matter, we should be ready to begin
now that we are all here together."
"Umm, excuse me," Venus said, waving her hand around gently. "I don't
mean to be rude here, but do you think you could explain to us just what the
hell happened?"
"Not to mention what you're going to put us through," Jupiter muttered,
drawing sour nods of agreement from Uranus and Mars.
"A simple series of tests to ascertain your skills and the strength of
your domain powers," Susan explained calmly as she drew her Pluto Wand from her
Lunar Space pocket. "I had intended to add a few tests to assess your physical
attributes, such as strength, agility, resilience, and endurance, but it seems
that it may be wise to wait until later. Sailor Mercury, are you finished yet,
by chance?" she added in a faintly reproving tone.
"Wait a minute," Uranus said slowly as everyone looked over at Mercury,
realizing that she was still working on her tiny computer and didn't appear to
have been aware of what had just transpired a few minutes ago. "You guys were
serious about this attention-span problem of hers, weren't you? Goddamn...."
Venus just sighed quietly and crossed her arms. "What, thought we were
kidding?" she grumbled. "Focus is nice, but not when it could get you killed
because you're not paying attention to a small riot erupting around you. So
who's turn is it this time?"
Jupiter eyed her quarterstaff for several seconds before grunting. "Nah,"
she muttered to herself before looking over at Venus. "I took care of her when
we ran into the vep'tera earlier, so someone else can handle this one."
"You people are such wimps," Uranus sighed as she moved forward, shifting
her saber to her other hand.
Venus shot her an irked look. "Hey, there are just some things you don't
want to do lightly and disturbing a preoccupied vampire ranks up there with
mooning a werewolf. Not a wise thing to do regardless, but.... whoa, wait!"
Everyone suddenly cringed, first in surprise as Uranus' hand darted down
in a grabbing motion, then in pain as Mercury promptly squealed at the top of
her lungs. The miniature computer in her hands was sent on a ballistic path
that would have bounced off of the stone walls of the keep if Darian hadn't
reached out to grab it as it sailed past him.
Mercury immediately whirled around, both hands darting back to cover her
backside while she gave Uranus a genuinely shocked look. "What are you DOING?"
she demanded in a voice that was two full octaves higher than her usual pitch,
a bright crimson blush crossing her cheeks.
"Getting your attention, babe," Uranus replied calmly. "You awake now?"
"That was wrong...." Venus muttered quietly. "Effective, but wrong. Hey,
is this a compass?" she added, tapping the topmost edge of her Virtual Visor.
The display had changed slightly when she moved her head, only now realizing
that it had been there the entire time.
Darian just shook his head as he took a few steps forward, holding out the
miniature computer to the still-shocked Mercury. "Yeah, I spoke too soon about
it being a good morning," he muttered. "Here, you dropped this."
"Thank you," Mercury said absently, giving Uranus a truly glacial look.
"Settle down, babe," Uranus replied with a roll of her eyes as she went
back over to Neptune.
"Anyway," Mars said calmly, looking around the circle of tents. "Can we
get this thing over with? I'm starting to get hungry."
Susan looked at the group for a moment before sighing quietly to herself.
"Perhaps that would be best," she said before she held her wand up. "Pluto
Power!"
"Yo!" Jupiter yelped as Susan was suddenly engulfed in a mass of swirling
vapors, the charcoal-gray coloring lending an air of darkness to the process.
Her eyes widened slightly as a low, almost mournful sound reached her ears,
seeming to be a haunted whisper of pain and agony. "What the hell is making
that noise?"
"That's just Pluto for you," Uranus said with a shrug, having seen the
transformation countless times before. "I told you she's a spooky bitch when
she's in a mood."
The looped end of a staff suddenly cut through the swirling wall of dark
vapor, causing the shroud-like veil to fall away and reveal the black colors of
a Sailor Suit. A second whispering-moan could be heard before both it and the
last traces of the dark mist faded away, leaving behind the striking figure of
Sailor Pluto holding the Key to Time in her hands.
"Wow," Venus breathed quietly. "That made my hair stand on end."
"Damn...." Jupiter said in a low tone, shaking her head.
Pluto paused for a moment before casting a sidelong glance at Uranus. "I
suppose it would be entirely too much to ask if you would have the good grace
to keep your commentary to yourself, Lady Uranus?" she said archly.
"Whatever, Sue," Uranus replied with a shrug.
"Anyway," Mars muttered, casting a glance at both Darian and Serena. "You
two want to get dressed now? The sooner this is over with, the sooner we can
go get something to eat."
Darian paused and gave her a leery look. "You're still in a mood?" he
ventured in a cautious tone. "I thought you'd have settled down by now."
"I'm hungry," Mars replied in a flat tone.
"Come on, guys," Jupiter sighed quietly as she rubbed the bridge of her
nose with her free hand. "Let's just try to play nice for awhile. Serena, go
ahead and transform."
"Alright," Serena said quietly as she squeezed Darian's hand before moving
a few feet away from him. She took a deep breath and raised her hand up to the
demiplane's sky, focusing her mind on the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal.
"Moon.... Crystal.... POWER!"
The rest of the group unconsciously held their breath, a feeling of horror
slowly filling the air as nothing happened. "Uh-oh," Venus whispered softly as
Serena's eyes tripled in diameter at the realization that she couldn't feel the
cosmic power transforming her.
"Wait," Pluto said quickly, moving forward so that she was in everybody's
line of vision. "This is not an unexpected development once you consider all
that has happened in the past three days. Your Highness, listen carefully....
you are not at fault here."
"Hold up," Jupiter interrupted as she tapped the quarterstaff against her
shoulder, a dark frown marring her face. "Serena suddenly can't transform and
you say this is expected? What the hell is going on here?"
Pluto sighed and held up a hand. "Consider this, Lady Jupiter," she said
in a measured tone. "The Princess is, strictly speaking, not a true Sailor
Scout. Let me finish," she added as she heard at least three deep breaths
being drawn to argue. "She is of royal blood and as a courtesy is empowered
as the rest of us are. The key to this is the realization that she was not
being granted this power because she is a princess, but rather because she had
dominion over the Imperium Silver Crystal at the time."
The rest of the group blinked hard and turned to look at Sailor Mars. The
priestess gave Serena a startled look as she reached behind her, removing the
quiescent Imperium Silver Crystal from her Lunar Space pocket. She brought the
gemstone forward and looked at it, trying to figure out what Pluto meant.
"Chancellor...." she said slowly. "Does that mean.... I can transform
into Sailor Moon?"
"It may be possible," Pluto allowed in a very guarded tone. "However, as
you are already empowered by virtue of belonging to the House of Mars, I would
rather forcefully recommend against you attempting to do so. Or at least not
by calling on the power directly," she added.
"Hey, now wait a minute...." Venus started to say.
"Go on," Mars said calmly, staring down at the Crystal.
Pluto seemed to choose her words carefully as she spoke. "The situation
being what it is, you are the Regent, second only in power and domain control
to the Crown Princess. That the power is currently under your full control is
a transient situation and thus should not be relied upon to persist for a great
length of time. However, your status as Regent is permanent and thus may be
sufficient cause for the cosmic power to consider augmenting your powers if you
so request it. I should like to point out that this is pure speculation on my
part as I have no personal knowledge of such a situation happening before."
Mars remained silent as she studied the spherical gemstone in her hand,
her face an unreadable mask of emotionless contemplation. "Serena," she said
very quietly. "What did you do to transform into Sailor Moon the first time?"
"Hey!" Venus protested sharply. "You can't just.... OW!" she yelped as
she was suddenly jabbed in the thigh by a quarterstaff.
"Cork it, girl," Jupiter growled. "Let them work this out."
"W-What do you mean?" Serena said slowly, giving Mars an uncertain look.
"The words, Serena," Mars said, still studying the Crystal. "You didn't
use Moon Crystal Power at first, did you? That only came after our battle with
General Rune and the merging of the two crystals."
Five sets of eyes suddenly blinked hard in unison as the realization sank
in. "You're right...." Serena breathed, her expression changing.
Mars looked up at her and nodded slowly. "So if the Crystal has gone back
to being what it was, without any denizen influences...." she started to say.
"It should be what it started out as!" Serena finished for her, her blue
eyes wide with surprise and hope. She blinked and became perfectly still for
a moment before her expression started to crumple. "Umm...."
"Noooooooo," Venus muttered softly to herself, turning around to rest her
forehead on the nearest solid object. "Don't say you forgot what it was, no,
no, no, no, no...." she said, thumping her head repeatedly.
Uranus gave Neptune a sidelong glance before carefully shifting her saber
to her other hand, holding it well away from Venus' body. "Get off me, babe,"
she muttered to the now-depressed long-haired blonde.
"Prism, Serena," Mercury said in an audibly strained tone.
"Oh, yeah," Serena replied with a deep blush. There was a brief moment
where everyone seemed to sigh quietly in unison before Serena raised her hand
up towards the sky again. "Moon Prism Power!" she intoned.
"Yes!" Venus cheered with a pumped fist as Serena was suddenly enveloped
in a dazzling nimbus of radiant energy. She suddenly paused as the white aura
quickly faded away, leaving Serena standing there with a truly startled look on
her face. "What?" she blurted out.
"Ow...." Serena whimpered quietly as she lowered her arm and looked at the
palms of her hands. "That.... that hurt...."
"Sailor Pluto, what am I seeing?" Mercury quickly asked, her eyes nearly
double their usual diameter as she read what was being displayed on her Virtual
Visor. "Transformation failed, energy sequence failure? What *IS* this?"
Jupiter and Uranus exchanged weary looks, both girls seeming to age a few
years in the blink of an eye. "Honest question, hon," Uranus said quietly to
the brunette. "Do I look as bad to you as you look to me right now?"
That resulted in a slightly awkward pause before Jupiter just sighed. "If
you want me to say you look good to me, I'll have to ask Sailor Neptune to slap
you silly," she grumbled.
"Bah," Uranus sighed. "That's not what I meant."
"Sailor Mercury, I ask your indulgence in deferring your question until we
have this current situation rectified, as I am at a loss to explain why the
Princess' transformation request was effectively denied," Pluto said calmly.
"Everyone be quiet," Mars said sharply, causing the rest of the group to
blink at her tone. She wrapped her fingers around the gemstone and brought it
up to her face, holding it only a few inches away from her. "You are really
starting to piss me off now," she said to the Crystal. "I know I have both the
power and the will control you, and I am not shy in exercising them. As the
Regent of the Moon Kingdom, I command and demand an answer from you. *NOW!*"
The Crystal remained quiet for a number of seconds before a very faint
glow started to seep out from the depths. A collective intake of breath from
the rest of the group caused Mars to lift her head up, blinking at the sight of
a gauzy white shape starting to form in front of her. The shape continued to
strengthen until it was resolved into a very translucent humanoid figure.
Mars blinked as the spectral queen turned to look at her, seeming to be
somewhere in her late thirties. A soft mane of peach-colored hair flowed down
her back to the base of her spine, a lock of hair at each temple woven into a
small but tight braid. Her eyes, however, were a featureless black as empty as
the void of space itself.
"You do not know what you are asking," the ghostly image whispered, her
soft voice seeming to freeze the blood in everyone's veins.
"Of course we don't know," Mars countered as calmly and as evenly as she
could, trying very hard to shake off the effects of a sudden anxiety attack.
"Nobody is telling us anything anymore. Will you answer my questions?"
The image of the past queen slowly looked around the group, her empty eyes
seeming to linger on Serena, Mercury, and Pluto. "Depending on the questions
you ask," she finally said, looking back at Mars. "Just be warned, Regent," she
added, putting an emphasis on the title, "Your capacity to compel us is not as
strong as you think."
Mars glanced over at Pluto as she approached, the succubus leaning over to
very quietly whisper in her ear. "I've never met this queen before," she said
almost too softly for even Mars to hear. "That means she is one of the ancient
ones and should be treated with the utmost respect. Please, tread carefully.
I suggest three questions, no more."
"Thank you, Chancellor," Mars said in a neutral tone before turning her
attention back to the spectral image in front of her. She paused for a brief
moment to glance at the rest of the group, making note of the uneasy looks on
their faces at the sudden development. She sighed softly before drawing in a
deep breath, looking back at the projected soul.
"Your cooperation is appreciated, your Majesty," Mars said carefully. "I
hope you will forgive us for being concerned about the situation. Would you
please tell me your name?"
The queen seemed to tilt her head slightly at the shift in tone. "I am
Queen Nectaris, although I suppose that after this long I have indeed earned
the title of Ancient One," she said, giving Pluto a measured look. A faint
smirk touched her ghostly lips as Pluto bowed her head with an abashed look on
her face. "And I believe we can permit three questions without prejudice."
Mars glanced over at Serena before looking at the queen. "Why did you
suddenly fall silent yesterday?" she asked carefully.
Nectaris closed her eyes briefly before opening them again, focusing on
the dew-damp grass before looking back up at Mars. "We felt the summons from
the time-stream," she said calmly. "The Chosen One had.... will...." she tried
to say before sighing heavily. "Oh, how I hate these time paradoxes," she said
in a weary tone.
"Your Majesty...." Pluto started to say before being silenced by a raised
hand from the monarch.
"We will, in the near future, receive a summons from the Chosen One," the
queen said in a very deliberate manner. "For whatever reason, there were no
moderating influences present at the time and the request was granted. The
magnitude of the event was of such significance that it sent an aftershock into
the temporal flow, which we were able to feel yesterday. The realization of
what it meant resulted in a.... lively debate within the cosmic consciousness
that continues at this very moment. The current consensus, which I do not
presently agree with, is that the power of Sailor Moon shall be kept sealed
until we are satisfied we understand the situation."
Mars looked over at Serena, feeling a slight twinge in her abdomen at the
look on the blonde's face. "Thank you, your Majesty, I think that clears up a
lot for us," she said carefully before looking at the spectral figure again.
"If I may ask, can my own powers be augmented because I am the Regent?"
"Goddamn it," Venus muttered quietly, leaning over to bounce her forehead
off of Uranus' shoulder again, drawing a very unamused look from the Viking.
"Hon, you do that one more time and you're going to be eating this thing,"
Uranus growled as she made a gesture with her Soul Saber. "Now get off me."
Queen Nectaris nodded slowly. "They can be, if you truly wish to call on
them. It will have to be blended with your elemental domain, however, as your
Chancellor is only partially correct about the nature of Sailor Moon's powers.
Had one of my advisors tried to tell me that I was not a true Sailor Scout, I
would have taken him or her out to the courtyard in the middle of the night and
given them a solid taste of my elemental power," she added, giving Pluto a look
that was just as reproving as it was amused. "Granted the domain of Life is
not as potent as the domain of Death when it comes to dealing out raw pain and
justified suffering, but we can certainly make it seem to be solely an issue of
semantics."
"Duly noted, your Majesty," Pluto replied with a chastised curtsey.
"Heh," Uranus chuckled very quietly to both Venus and Neptune. "It's not
every day we get to see someone putting Sue in her place. I like this Queen,"
she added, drawing a frown from Neptune and a rather dark glare from Pluto.
"I would be careful if I were you," Nectaris said in a warning tone to
Uranus. "Belittling those who have considerably more knowledge and experience
than you may lead to a significantly harder life."
Mars sighed quietly and looked over at Serena again, noticing that Darian
was absently rubbing her lower back. She knew she could probably get away with
asking a number of questions but something in the back of her mind was telling
her not to push the case. And having already asked two questions, she only had
one more to go. The real question now, however, was which one to ask.
Why are you here instead of my mother? she thought to herself as she cast
a quick glance around the group, trying to gauge their reactions to the current
situation. Why are you afraid of the future? What is this Chosen One person
that has both you and Queen Andromeda so bothered? Why must Serena's power be
isolated all of a sudden? If it happened in the future, why all this now?
"I sense a little indecision on your part, Regent Mars," the spectral
figure said lightly, causing the priestess to blink.
"Why is this all happening now?" Mars blurted out, her mind latching on to
the most recent thread of thought. "If what you are worried about takes place
in the future, why is this all falling together now?"
Nectaris nodded slowly in understanding. "It is simple, really. We...."
Everyone blinked as the queen suddenly trailed off, a dark frown forming
on her face as the faint glow from the Imperium Silver Crystal suddenly flared
up. It didn't become as bright as earlier instances, but the change in the
strength of the light was still noticeable.
"I will answer because that was what we agreed to," Nectaris said in an
edged tone as she glared at the gemstone. "Three questions without prejudice
or bias, and this is the third one." She paused once again as the glow began
to pulse, causing the golden sign of the Moon to appear on her translucent
forehead. "If you wish to step forward to answer in my place, so be it. No?"
she added when the glow suddenly dimmed in intensity. "Then hold your tongue
and let me speak."
The image of Nectaris sighed heavily as she rubbed her face for a moment.
"Simply put, Sailor Mars, we sensed the future summons from the Chosen One and
panicked. Sailor Pluto can probably explain the mechanics of time travel and
the unique nature of temporal paradoxes far better than I could, but we could
tell that the source of the summons was close. Exactly how close is beyond our
power to discern at the present, but the general consensus is within a year if
not sooner. This consensus I do agree with," she added in a solemn tone.
"A year?" Pluto blurted out, her eyes going wide. "But the Silence isn't
supposed to start for another...."
"Enough," the queen said as she raised her hand. "We are all aware of
what events the future suggests will happen and when. However, you and I both
know that the future is extremely malleable and subject to change. As I have
said, we became panicked at the summons and the current consensus is that we
cannot permit the call to be answered when we reach the proper point in time.
The problem at hand, however, is that we are presently unable to discern the
difference between the summons of Princess Serena and the call of the Chosen
One. Rather than run the risk of making a fatal mistake from confusion, any
such call will be denied until a way is found to tell the two apart."
Everyone looked over at Serena for a moment before exchanging glances, not
liking the current situation one bit. The sound of someone spitting on the
ground in disgust made heads turn, the rest of the group quickly focusing on
the dark look on Sailor Jupiter's face.
"What a load of crap," the brunette snarled.
"Sailor Jupiter...." Pluto started to say in a warning tone.
"Look, she's right here, okay?" Jupiter said, gesturing with her free hand
at Serena. "Is this Chosen One everyone keeps talking about right here too?
I didn't think so," she added as the image of Queen Nectaris remained silent.
"So let's use some common sense here, okay? If you hear a call in the next ten
seconds, you know it's Serena doing it and not this other girl you're getting
all bent out of shape over, so you can safely answer it. Serena, try again,"
she added, giving the spectral image a look of contempt.
"One moment, your Highness," Nectaris spoke up quietly, making an absent
gesture to the blonde girl. She stared at Jupiter for a moment before turning
her attention to Mars and the Imperium Silver Crystal. "I think what was said,
however tactlessly it was phrased, is worth consideration, don't you agree? I
will add my consent and encourage the others to do so as well if the consensus
is modified from a blanket denial to approval strictly on a case-by-case basis.
I accept that it will necessitate a delay, which could prove.... untimely in a
crisis, but it is still far more reasonable than a simple blind rejection."
The Imperium Silver Crystal promptly lit up like the core of a star, the
glow intense enough to force everyone to look away from it. Serena's sigil lit
up a moment later, the golden crescent shape glowing strongly and seeming to
pulse in time with her heartbeat. Both the Crystal's glare and her sigil faded
away after a few seconds, leaving the group wondering what was going on.
"Very well," Nectaris said softly as she nodded her head. She turned to
face Serena and gave her a gentle look. "Should you wish to transform, your
Highness, we can accommodate you at the moment. Once you are finished with the
power, however, you will be unable to call it back on a moment's notice. To
safeguard ourselves, we will have to stop and verify the identity of the one
who summons us first before making a decision. This is a trivial task at the
moment, being so isolated in this dimensional pocket, but once we are returned
to the present it will not be so easy."
Serena blinked hard and nodded slowly. "I.... think I understand."
"Take it easy, beloved," Darian murmured softly to her, gently squeezing
her shoulder. "We'll get through this mess somehow."
"We hope you do, Prince Darian," the ghostly queen said in a pointed tone.
"Otherwise, the future will be.... not worth contemplating. I must point out
that you both have changed," she said to Darian and Serena. "As such, the key
to your powers will have to be changed as well. The power of the Moon is still
very much yours to call upon, but using the Crystal as a focus as you once did
before will not be sufficient. You must be able to draw upon your own powers
and use what the denizen Chaos has embedded inside of you. As your body and
blood have compromised with your origins, so too shall our powers work out a
compromise with yours. Divided as we are in our opinions about you, Princess
Serena, we are unanimous in our belief that you are indeed an angel. Perhaps
not an angel of this world, but an angel nonetheless. Use that image to draw
upon your inner-self and the path to the power of the Moon shall be opened for
you. This time," she added in a warning tone. Her spectral image seemed to
flicker slightly before it faded away completely, leaving behind only a very
faint glow within the depths of the Imperium Silver Crystal.
The silence that followed lasted for almost a full minute before Venus
quietly cleared her throat. "See, I told you she was an angel," she said to
the group at large. "Go ahead and give it a shot, Serena, I want to see what
happens."
"Indeed," Pluto said in an unusually quiet tone.
"Uh-oh," Uranus muttered softly, reaching up to sheath her saber in the
dimensional scabbard on her back. "I really hate it when she gets all quiet
like that. Sue, you want to tell us what's on your mind?"
"No, I do not," Pluto replied calmly, causing the blonde to blink hard.
"Your Highness, I would strongly advise you to attempt to transform as soon as
you are ready, given the.... seemingly delicate.... nature of.... the....
situation," she said, absently trailing off as she focused on what Mercury was
doing.
The group's attention shifted as a single unit to the blue-haired girl,
several sets of eyebrows rising up at the realization that she holding her
computer with her fingertips and was using her thumbs to type away at the tiny
keyboard at a speed almost literally faster than the human eye could follow.
The display on the inside edge of her Virtual Visor had cleared up and now was
composed of a pair of screens, lines of text slowly scrolling up on the upper
display as she continued to type at a furious pace.
"Okay...." Venus said slowly, not sure what to make of Mercury's burst of
activity. "Should we grab her attention or just let her take care of whatever
it is she's doing and have Serena transform? Yeow, that looks like it hurts,"
she added, looking down at her own thumbs and trying to wiggle them back and
forth as fast as she could.
"Leave her alone," Jupiter sighed in a bored tone, tapping the bound shaft
of her quarterstaff against her shoulder. "Let's just get this over with so we
can prepare for the next surprise. Besides, I thought you'd be getting cold by
now wearing just a robe out here," she added.
Darian and Serena traded glances before they both blushed lightly at the
reminder of their state of near-undress. He leaned over to give her a gentle
kiss of encouragement before taking a few steps back, giving her plenty of room
in which to try to call on her powers. "Go for it, Serena," he said gently.
Serena took a deep breath and nodded at him, turning her focus inward for
a moment to think. "Okay, let's see.... Umm, anyone have any ideas?" she said
in a faintly embarrassed tone as she looked up at the group.
"Ideas for what, starlight?" Uranus asked in a guarded tone. "You're the
one who knows how to do this sort of thing on your own."
"Well...." Serena hedged. "Not really...."
"Serena," Mercury said calmly without looking up from her task or slowing
the motion of her thumbs. "Consider this for a moment.... your powers of the
Moon are intact, only the source of the call has changed. Considering the fact
that she said you need to use your denizen powers, and that you are in essence
an angel, it would make sense if it were to be along the lines of Angel Moon
Power or something similar."
Everyone exchanged glances as Jupiter edged closer to Mercury. "Decided
to pay closer attention to your surroundings this time?" she ventured.
"I'm coding, not thinking," Mercury replied in a level tone, not missing
a beat as she continued to rewrite a particular program.
Jupiter cast a look of patient suffering at the rest of the group, drawing
a shrug of indifference from Darian. "Hey, if one of you girls grabbed my butt
like that, I'd be keeping an eye on the rest of you too," he pointed out.
"Whatever, Darian," the brunette replied with a roll of her eyes.
"Your Highness?" Pluto prompted gently.
Serena looked over at her before nodding. "Alright, I'll see if that does
anything," she said before taking a deep breath and raising her hand up once
again. "Angel.... Moon.... POWER!"
"Oops," Venus said quietly as Serena was surrounded by a halo of light.
Her white robe seemed to disintegrate in an instant, leaving her standing naked
in a spotlight of sorts. The thought of her nudity was quickly pushed aside
as her denizen wings suddenly exploded out from her back, flaring out into a
classic butterfly-shaped pattern in an instant.
A brilliant white glow started up in her diamond-like nails, rapidly
spreading across her arms and legs to solidify into elbow-length white gloves
and knee-high red boots. The glowing ribbons of light sprouting from her back
swept forward, wrapping themselves around her torso to solidify into a very
familiar white-and-blue Sailor Suit. A glowing crescent moon sigil flared into
view on her forehead, quickly expanding outwards and shaping into her silvery
tiara. Tiny sparks of light started to bloom around her, weaving together into
a pair of bows on her chest and lower back while the rest gathered together to
form a pair of ruby barrettes adorning her unique hairstyle.
"Oh, wow...." Sailor Neptune breathed in awe as the white glow faded from
around Sailor Moon's body. "I've never seen it do that before...."
"Dammit," Mercury grumbled as she paused in mid-type, scowling at what was
being displayed on the lower half of her Virtual Visor. She blinked as the
text sank in, causing her to look over at Pluto with a truly puzzled look on
her face.
"Just think of it as a way to keep tabs on action in a combat situation,"
Pluto said in a gentle tone, not presently in the mood to try to explain the
history behind the analysis program that was currently loaded into memory. "It
can be tied into Venus and Neptune's visors as well to obtain multiple points
of view at once and thus make the information more accurate."
"Oh...." Mercury said very quietly, turning to look over at the orange-
visored Venus. "So that's what it was doing. Interesting...."
Venus blinked and gave her an uneasy look before glancing back at Sailor
Moon. "You feeling okay there, girl?" she ventured, not sure what to make of
the queasy look on her face.
"I'm.... not sure," Sailor Moon said quietly. "Something feels.... odd."
"I do not believe you should be overly concerned just yet, your Highness,"
Pluto spoke up. "As it is essentially a new empowerment for you, it would make
sense for things to feel slightly different to you."
Sailor Moon carefully tugged on the front of her blouse before making a
slight face. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said. She paused for a moment
before looking up at Mars, her eyebrows arching up slightly as she realized
something. "Oh, wait, no wonder.... you've got the Crystal," she pointed out.
"For what it's worth," Mars muttered quietly before sighing. She looked
up at Sailor Moon for a moment before casting a curious glance back down at the
Crystal. She carefully brought the gem up to her chest, lightly tapping it
against the maroon bow attached to her Sailor Suit.
Uranus just shook her head as a burst of light erupted from beneath Mars'
fingertips, encapsulating the Imperium Silver Crystal in a silver brooch that
was shaped like a stylized torch with wings. "You know, I really shouldn't be
surprised by what happens anymore," she grumbled to the rest of the group. "I
mean, what hasn't happened to us in the past week?"
"Tell me about it," Jupiter sighed. "Right now, I'd be willing to give an
awful lot to have a normal day from start to finish."
"Just one, Jupiter?" Darian asked carefully.
Jupiter shrugged in dismissal. "I just figured that asking for a full
week was somewhere between asking too much and just being greedy. It's your
turn to transform, Darian, although with the way things are going I'm almost
afraid to ask what sort of mess you'll wind up making," she pointed out.
"Heh," Darian chuckled as he started to head towards the fog-like border
that surrounded the tower-like keep. "I shouldn't laugh, you just might be
right. Hang on, let me go grab a.... oh, thanks," he said, stopping abruptly
as Venus pulled a rose out of her Lunar Space pocket and held it out to him.
"Don't read anything into this, okay?" she said impishly as he carefully
accepted the thorny stem. "I just figured you needed a prop or something."
"It helps," he replied with a shrug. He took a few steps back to make
sure he wouldn't bump into anyone before closing his eyes and turning his focus
inward.
Everyone blinked hard as he was suddenly enveloped in a white curtain of
light, a visual effect that they couldn't remember ever seeing before. The
veil of light started to wrap around him like fabric, draping across his body
and molding against him before the glow faded away.
"Okay," Jupiter said in heavy resignation as she stared at the white-robed
individual standing before them. "Honest question here.... did I really jinx
things with that comment, or is this a new headache?"
"Uh...." Darian said as he looked down at what he was wearing.
"Definitely a Maalox moment," Venus muttered with a wrinkled nose.
Uranus and Neptune exchanged confused glances. "Okay, so he's back to
wearing his desert garb again," Uranus said slowly. "What's the problem?"
"Darian?" Sailor Moon said tentatively as she studied the loose desert
robes surrounding him. His face was hidden behind a white veil, leaving only
his hands and a narrow band over his eyes exposed. A gleaming scimitar hung
from his belt, half-hidden by the edges of his off-white cape. A pair of dun-
colored boots were visible beneath the flowing edges of his pantaloons, making
him look like a desert corsair from ancient Arabia.
Pluto sighed quietly before clearing her throat, causing everyone to look
over at her with varying degrees of trepidation. "I think I am able to make a
sufficiently educated guess as to the.... unexpected nature of his Highness'
transformation. Bear in mind that Prince Darian is most assuredly not a Sailor
Scout or is otherwise enabled to directly call upon the power of the Imperium
Silver Crystal...."
"That's what you said about the Princess," Uranus muttered, drawing a very
light swat on the ankle from Jupiter's quarterstaff.
"The Princess can call upon the Crystal," Pluto replied firmly. "Prince
Darian cannot. But what he apparently can do is draw upon the power of the one
who presently has dominion over the Crystal. The suit that Darian wears as
Tuxedo Mask was what he was wearing when he met the Princess for the very first
time in the Moon Kingdom. What he wears now, however, is the traditional garb
of his homeland, which was what he was wearing when he first met Sailor Mars."
"Oh, boy...." Venus said softly as she regarded the white-robed figure in
a new light. "And seeing how Mars is holding the keys at the moment...."
"Hence his present state of empowerment," Pluto finished for her.
Uranus shrugged to herself. "There shouldn't be any difference, right?
Okay, so he's just wearing a new set of underwear, big deal. You feel anything
different, D?" she called out to him.
He looked down at the billowy fabric of his tunic and pantaloons before
giving her a pained look. "I feel gay wearing this," he complained quietly.
He sighed quietly and looked around the group as both Jupiter and Uranus began
to laugh loudly at his statement.
"You.... you'll be alright...." Jupiter gasped as she tried to stand up
straight, leaning hard on her quarterstaff for balance.
"Hey, I like it," Venus protested, edging closer to study him. "So what
do we call you now? Obviously Tuxedo Mask doesn't apply at the moment...."
"Darian will suffice," he said in a tone as dry as any desert.
"If I may, your Highness?" Pluto spoke up. "You once led a small group
of askari into a difficult battle, and it was said that on the night before you
had gathered them together upon a dune and gave them a rallying speech. From
what I've heard, you timed it to coincide with the rising of the full moon on
the horizon behind you. So awed were they by the image and so inspired by the
passion of your words, they took to calling you the Moonlight Knight. None to
my knowledge have ever openly called you that, but when the name was whispered
among the desert tribes there was very little confusion about the identity of
the one being talked about."
"OoooOOOOooo," Venus purred. "I like the sound of that."
"Anyway," the desert prince said, casting uneasy looks at both Sailor Moon
and Sailor Mars. "So I take it this is going to persist until the power of the
Crystal is back in the hands of Sailor Moon?"
"It would be a reasonable assumption," Pluto replied.
"This afternoon," Mars said quietly to Sailor Moon. "Once we get back to
Earth and everything has a chance to settle down. Such as it were," she added
as she once again cast an appraising look at Darian's white robes.
"What?" Darian inquired, giving her a slightly unhappy look.
Mars glanced up at the dark pools of his eyes before shrugging. "I think
you look good in that," she said calmly. "Don't know about the sword, but I've
never really cared for big weapons to begin with."
"Bah," Uranus spoke up with a chuckle. "It's not the size of the blade
that counts, but.... back off," she suddenly added in a low tone as she found
Sailor Jupiter's face only a few inches away from her own.
"Do us all a favor and don't go there, okay?" Jupiter growled, pointedly
thumping the end of her quarterstaff on the ground. "Just let it go and nobody
gets hurt. Now I don't know about you, but my muscles are starting to get all
stiff from just standing around listening to everyone play with themselves."
"Umm...." Venus started to say.
"Don't start," Mars sighed quietly.
"Indeed," Pluto said dryly. "I believe we are all ready to begin now, so
if you would all be so kind as to follow me?" she said as she went over to the
dark red tent, pulling the flaps aside and making a gesture for them to enter.
"You alright?" Sailor Moon said quietly to Darian as the rest of the group
started to file into the dimensionally-warped tent.
Darian just shook his head to himself, already able to feel the beginnings
of what would most likely become a very solid headache start up in his frontal
lobes. "Ask me later," he replied sourly. "Let's just see if we can get this
over with before any new surprises have a chance to pop up."
She nodded in understanding and followed him over to the tent, unable to
keep herself from studying his desert-robed figure. "Darian?" she said quietly
just before he started to enter.
"Yes?" he said, pausing in mid-motion.
"I think you look good in that, too," she admitted with a faint blush.
"Thanks," he replied dryly as he started to slip inside the darkness of
the open tent. "But honestly.... let's see you walk around dressed in what
feels like a bunch of bedsheets and not feel just a little fruity...."
* * * *
"The first test is simple and straight-forward," Pluto said as they all
sat down on the row of bleachers. Behind her was a fairly long target range
where a series of rectangular drones hovered in mid-air. "Each of you will be
asked to use your elemental powers to attack the targets. They are programmed
to record the intensity of the blasts for comparison and analysis, so you are
expected to hold nothing back.
"To augment this exercise, I have asked Sailor Mercury to make use of a
rather specialized combat analysis program that makes use of her Virtual Visor.
Since Venus and Neptune's visors can be linked to form a network, I'm asking
them to leave their visors on for the duration of this exercise."
"Umm, 'scuse me," Venus said, waving her hand around while Neptune calmly
activated her own Virtual Visor. "Tell me again how these things work? I know
Bubbles over there uses hers all the time, and probably Neptune as well, but
nobody told me I had this thing until the other.... day.... HEY!"
"Wait," Mercury said, sitting up straight as she saw the message flash
across her own visor. She quickly consulted her computer and typed in a new
command, resulting in a slew of data being displayed on the tiny screen. "I
think it's a classic client-server model," she spoke up to the group. "If I'm'
reading this right, only my visor has the actual capacity for analysis. The
rest of you just have recording sensors and a shared display capability."
"Like we understood a word of that," Uranus grumbled as she leaned back,
resting her arms on the row of bleacher seats behind her.
"Just get on with it," Mars said in an edged tone. "I'm not kidding about
being hungry. Who's first?"
Pluto smiled slightly and made a snatching motion at the air, pulling her
staff out of the temporal flow. "If I may demonstrate while I am up here?" she
said lightly as she turned around to face the range. She paused for a moment
to single out a drone at random, narrowing her eyes slightly as she focused on
it. "Pluto...." she intoned, raising her staff. "Lost Soul.... SCREAM!"
Everyone except Uranus and Neptune leapt to their feet in unison as a dark
wave of energy gathered around Pluto's staff. The energy promptly exploded
outwards towards the drone, a truly haunting moaning-cry filling the air as the
wave of energy crossed the distance. The drone was struck in the center and
reeled back, a series of lamps lighting up to indicate it was hit.
"WHOA!" Venus yelped, her attention torn between the staggering drone and
the lines of text scrolling up on her orange-tinted visor.
"Settle down," Uranus grumbled, nudging Venus with her boot. "Damn, you'd
think that you've never seen her do that before or something."
"Hello, we haven't," Venus countered, giving her an irritated look. "We
don't remember the Moon Kingdom like you do, you know. Mercury, did you see
what I just saw in your visor?"
"I did," Mercury replied as she sat back down, balancing her computer on
her thighs while typing away at the tiny keyboard at a furious pace. "So that
is what this program does. I was wondering what this database was used by...."
"Next," Mars said calmly.
"Heck with it," Jupiter said as she stood up, casually tossing the wooden
quarterstaff over to Mars. She ignored the dark look she got from the raven-
haired priestess and moved over to the line where Pluto was standing. "So it's
just pick a drone, any drone?" she inquired as she flexed her fingers.
"Indeed," Pluto replied demurely as she took several steps back to give
the brunette enough room to work with. "Whenever you're ready, Lady Jupiter."
"Eenie meenie miney moe...." Jupiter said quietly as she crossed her hands
over her chest, extending her second and fifth fingers. A slender rod unfolded
from the center of her tiara and began to spark as it became charged.
Venus quickly scrambled over the row in front of her to quietly whisper in
Mercury's ear. "You keeping track of the charging times, by chance?" she said
quickly, keeping one eye on Jupiter's back. "Sparky there packs a mean punch,
but I know it takes her a few seconds to fully gas up...."
"I got it," Mercury replied.
"Jupiter Thunder...." Jupiter intoned as she focused on her chosen target
drone. She waited for an extra moment to make sure she was fully ready before
letting the tiara discharge itself. "CRASH!"
A streak of lightning surged down from the ceiling to strike the extended
rod, quickly being redirected into a smaller bolt that shot forward to where
she was aiming. The bolt clipped the side of the target drone hard enough to
send it spinning end-over-end for a few moments. Several threads of energy
could be seen rippling across the surface, quickly fading away as the drone
righted itself and returned to its position.
"Dammit," the brunette grumbled to herself, clearly disappointed with her
electrical performance.
"Umm...." Darian started to say in a delicate tone.
"Yes, I know," Jupiter sighed. "Stationary target and I damn near missed
it. I still hit the bastard, though," she added, tossing a level look over her
shoulder at him.
"First potshot of the morning, sweetie," Uranus called out. "Settle down,
we all tend to blow that one."
Jupiter made a face as she sat down, leaning back against the edge of the
bleacher seats behind her and putting a mild strain on the front part of her
Sailor Suit. "Yeah, whatever," she grumbled. "You go take a shot, then."
"Sure, hang on," Uranus replied as she gingerly sat up straight. She
paused to lean over and kiss Neptune's cheek before making her way over to the
firing line, slowly rotating her shoulder. "Okay, honey, come to mommy," she
said to herself as she singled out a floating drone. "Uranus Shockwave...."
she intoned as she made a fist, gathering a ripple of visibly-excited air
around her hand. She wound up like a baseball pitcher before throwing the ball
of energy forward toward the drone. "IMPACT!"
The drone promptly resonated like a heavy bell being rung as the ripple of
air slammed squarely into it, knocking it back several feet and causing almost
every single light to flash brightly.
"So much for blowing the first shot," Jupiter muttered darkly. "Thanks,
I feel a whole lot better now."
"Sorry, babe," Uranus said with a shrug of indifference as she sat back
down, reclining once again and idly scratching Neptune's back. "You want to
go next, hon?" she said quietly to her lover.
"Sure," Neptune said as she stood up and carefully made her way down the
bleachers. She gave Pluto a slightly uneasy glance as she passed her and went
up to the firing line, taking a moment to select one of the drones. She took
a deep breath and raised her arms up to shoulder-level, reaching just slightly
behind her. "Neptune Tidal Wave...." she said as she focused her powers.
"HeyheyheyheyHEY!" Venus blurted out as both she and Mercury were nearly
soaked by a wall of sea-green water rushing up from the ground just inches in
front of them. The geyser quickly lost form as Neptune whirled around, her
eyes going wide at the realization of where her powers were focusing.
"Sorry!" she apologized, a vivid blush crossing her cheeks.
"We just had a bath last night, thank you," Venus protested, giving her a
look of only partial-amusement. "And beaches are nice, but I'm not one to go
playing in salt water. Careful where you fire that thing up, please?"
"I'm sorry," Neptune said again, her blush darkening slightly. She paused
for a moment as she noticed the look of open impatience on Mars' face before
moving back up to the firing line. She sighed quietly before she refocused
her mind again, repeating her earlier motions. "Neptune Tidal Wave...."
A wall of sea-green water rose up behind her, reaching up to almost brush
the high canopy of the tent ceiling. The roaring sound of rushing water very
quickly reached a crescendo before Neptune threw her arms forward. "SUBMERGE!"
she yelled as she released her hold on the salt water.
The geyser of sea-water lunged forward, neatly splitting into two columns
around her body to surge against the drone from two angles at once. The drone
immediately began to spark as it was washed halfway down the firing range, the
lights flashing wildly along its surface as it was short-circuited by exposure
to the salt-laden water.
"Wow!" Sailor Moon said in awe, watching as the ruined drone started to
emit a thin stream of smoke.
"Heh," Venus chuckled as she leaned back to look at Jupiter. "Hey, you
remember what I said back in the Negaverse about how Neptune had to flush the
toilet on a bunch of guards? That's what I was talking about," she said as she
flashed a grin at Neptune.
"Damn," Jupiter said, her eyebrows arched up in surprise. "That must've
sucked for somebody."
"Next," Mars said.
"Patience, young Jedi, patience," Venus sighed as she rose to her feet.
She winked at Neptune as they passed, causing a light blush of embarrassment
to cross her features before she sat down next to Uranus. "Okay, so maybe I'm
starting to feel a few early-morning hunger pangs as well, but we can still be
civilized here. Hmm, so many handsome young drones to choose from...."
Uranus just shook her head in resignation. "Not even going to ask."
"Venus Crescent Beam...." the blonde intoned as she leveled a fingertip
at a drone. A pair of glowing crescent shapes formed from the air and merged
together at her fingertip, creating a bright point of light. She narrowed her
eyes for a moment as she made sure she was aiming right before commanding the
energy to lash out. "SMASH!"
Her chosen target drone made an electronic spluttering noise as the beam
of light lanced completely through it, burning a finger-sized hole a few inches
away from the center. The lights embedded in it flashed wildly for a moment
before the entire drone went dark and dropped like a stone, clattering hard
against the floor.
"Tag, Bubbles, you're it," Venus cooed to Mercury, blowing a puff of
imaginary smoke off of her fingertip before sauntering back over to her seat in
the bleachers.
Mercury looked up at the blonde, giving her a dark look at the reference
to her fog bubbles. "Thank you," she said in a slightly frosty tone as she set
her computer aside and stood up, moving forward to stand on the firing line.
"Hey, Mercury?" Jupiter called out, causing the blue-haired girl to pause
for a moment. "You think you want to blow an ice bubble for this? Call me
crazy, but I don't think throwing some fog into the arena is going to do much
against those drones."
"I suppose," Mercury replied, casting a weary glance at the drones.
"Excuse me," Pluto spoke up, causing everyone to look over at her. "If I
may ask, what exactly are these 'ice bubbles' Jupiter made mention of?"
Venus just sighed and leaned back, lightly thumping the base of her skull
against the bleacher behind her. "Oh, god, that's right," she moaned. "Who
wants to tell her what Luna and Artemis did a few months ago?" she asked the
room in general, clearly not wanting to have to explain things on her own.
"We were given a supercharge of energy when we went into the Negaverse
with Tolaris awhile ago," Mercury explained. "The idea was to try to augment
our powers in case we ran into more trouble than we could ordinarily handle.
I was given the ability to blow.... I mean, to cast a new type of bubble," she
said, giving Jupiter a sidelong look. "It's filled with supercooled water and
will freeze the target on contact."
"Interesting," Pluto commented, tilting her head at a fairly steep angle.
"What sort of effect did it have on the rest of you?"
"We'll show you in a bit," Mars interrupted. "Mercury, go ahead and take your
a shot already. You forgot this," she added as she pitched the quarterstaff
over to Jupiter.
Jupiter scowled as she caught the weapon, casting a dark look at Mars.
"You want to simmer down, pyro?" she grumbled. "If it's that bad, I'm sure we
can ask Pluto to find you an orange to munch on until we're finished."
Mercury cast a concerned glance over at Mars before sighing softly and
clearing her mind. Her usual bubbles required little effort to cast, but the
ice bubbles were a slightly different story. "Mercury Ice Bubbles...." she
said slowly as she concentrated, forming a small bubble in front of her. The
iridescent sphere quickly grew in size as she continued to gather her powers
together, swelling up until it was the size of a large beach-ball. The color
darkened a moment later as the supercooled water condensed inside, turning the
sphere a deep blue color. "FREEZE!" she yelled as she released her hold on the
overcharged bubble, letting it dart forward to pop against a drone.
"Holy crap!" Uranus blurted out in awe as the splash of water flash-froze
into a solid coating of ice. The drone began to buzz harshly as it tried to
fight against the added weight of the frozen water, slowly tilting over to one
side as it sank towards the ground.
"Interesting," Pluto commented in a mildly intrigued tone. "I believe you
are next, your Excellency," she added with a gesture to Mars.
Mars said nothing as she stood up, her expression calmly slipping into a
featureless mask of concealed emotions. She completely ignored Mercury as they
passed one another, walking up to the firing line and staring at one drone in
particular. "Mars Fire...." she said in a neutral tone, clapping her hands
together and extending her index fingers. A spark erupted at her fingertips,
quickly expanding into a small ball of fire. "IGNITE!"
Several sets of eyebrows were raised as the ball of fire shot forward to
slam against the drone, tiny tendrils of flame splattering around the curved
shape to leave behind several streaks of carbon. The drone rocked slightly
from the impact but otherwise remained in place, only half of the sensor lights
becoming illuminated by the contact.
"That's it?" Uranus whispered very quietly to Neptune. "What the hell?"
"Mars...." the red-skirted Sailor Scout said a moment later as she stood
perfectly still, narrowing her eyes even further. Another ball of fire formed
at her fingertips, slowly starting to grow in size as she continued to pour as
much spiritual energy into it as she could. "Firebird...."
Jupiter sighed quietly and moved back a row as quickly as she could, one
hand still gripping her quarterstaff. "Great, here comes the mood swing...."
she muttered to the room in general.
"STRIKE!!" Mars roared as the sphere of fire seemed to explode in front of
her. The fiery burst seemed to collapse in on itself before expanding once
again, unfurling into the shape of a screaming phoenix. A shrill cry filled
the air as the flaming bird spread its wings, swooping into the air for a few
moments before dive-bombing the carbon-scorched drone she had first tried to
destroy.
"Holy crap, what the HELL is that thing?" Uranus gasped as she shot to her
feet, her blue eyes unusually wide. Beside her, Neptune's eyes were just as
wide as she stared in open-mouthed awe at the sight of the firebird.
Pluto remained perfectly silent as she watched the phoenix open its beak
to devour the drone in a single chomp. A minor explosion occurred a moment
later as the intense heat basically cooked the drone, half-melting the outer
shell and making a complete ruin of the electronics inside. The flaming bird
seemed to pause to belch a stream of smoke before throwing its head back in a
shrill victory cry, flapping its wings as it soared up towards the canopy. It
vanished in a dazzling burst of fire before it could get close enough to burn
the tent fabric with its heat, leaving behind only a very faint cloud of smoke
and ash that quickly dispersed into the air.
"Unique," the succubus finally said as she glanced over at Mercury. "How
did the program register that one as?" she inquired.
"What? Oh, umm, one moment," Mercury replied as she picked up her tiny
computer and typed a few commands into it.
"A second-level attack," Venus spoke up, tapping her orange visor. "It
doesn't have a name for it yet. It did the same when Mercury blew that ice
bubble of hers, too."
Uranus sighed quietly and looked over at Neptune, trying to read the tiny
messages imprinted on the inside of her aquamarine visor. "You have any idea
what the hell's going on, hon?" she asked in a weary tone.
"I think it's just simple data collection," Neptune said hesitantly as a
second screen of text started to scroll up in her line of vision. "It looks
like Mercury is making a combat record of what we do and how."
"Indeed," Pluto said with a nod. "I will review it later when I have the
time, as the information will help me design a better training program suited
to everyone's individual needs. I take it the rest of you likewise possesses
an alternate mode of attack?"
"I know Jupiter and I do," Venus spoke up. "I'd use mine, but I think I
should wait until everyone's finished taking potshots at the drones since I'm
liable to crater them all."
"Or so you hope," Darian spoke up calmly. He had removed the veil from
his face but was otherwise still fully engulfed in the loose desert robes of
his accidental Moonlight Knight transformation.
"Hope my backside," Venus snorted in contempt. "I seem to remember it
doing a damn good job of turning an avalanche into a cloud of dust and saving
us all from a really nasty case of road-rash."
"True," Darian conceded with a bow of his head. "But fragmenting rocks
might be a little easier than melting holes through metal."
"I think I nailed the drone pretty easily," Venus countered archly.
"Get a room, you two," Jupiter grumbled as she set her quarterstaff aside
and stood up, moving forward to the firing line. She paused and cast a glance
at Mars as she brushed past without a word, returning to her seat up in the
bleachers. "Yeah, breakfast is going to be fun to cook this morning," she
muttered to herself as she crossed her wrists over her chest again, beginning
the somewhat lengthy process of charging her tiara. The slender lightning rod
promptly unfolded from its housing and began to crackle quietly, tiny arcs of
energy rippling along its length as more and more power was gathered together.
"Huh," Uranus said very quietly to Neptune. "Is this really something she
uses in combat? It sure takes awhile for it to build up...." she said after a
good thirty seconds had passed.
"Jupiter Thunder.... DRAGON!!" Jupiter roared suddenly, throwing her arms
out as a truly massive bolt of lightning ripped down from the ceiling. The
bolt was quickly redirected outwards, the field of plasma seeming to expand in
an instant and taking on a vaguely reptilian shape. A harsh roar of fury was
heard a moment later as the electrical dragon opened its mouth, lunging forward
to snap at the nearest target drone.
"Woo...." Venus shivered, rubbing her upper arms as the backwash of energy
made her hair stand on end. She flinched a moment later as the drone exploded,
filling the air with the stench of fried electronics and melted metal. A roar
of victory lashed their ears as the dragon cried out before disappearing with
a ground-shaking clap of thunder.
"Ow," Uranus protested, rubbing her ears. "Damn, that was a big beastie.
Okay, so maybe it's worth taking a time-out from battle to bring it into play,
but still.... I'm not sure I'd want to be holding myself for that long."
"Like I can help it," Jupiter grumbled as she reclaimed her seat, idly
picking up her quarterstaff and resting the back of her neck against the bound
center portion. "Truth be told, I've only had to whip it out a few times, but
that's why you have friends providing cover-fire while you're busy juicing up
the big guns."
"It's not as kinky as it sounds," Venus added casually. She had to jump
to the side to avoid being swatted by Jupiter's quarterstaff a moment later,
looking up at the brunette with an amused twinkle in her blue eyes. "Oh, take
it easy, I'm just teasing."
"Mercury, just bite her or something," Jupiter growled as she sat back
down, pointedly twirling the quarterstaff around in one hand.
"Next," Mars said in a flat tone of barely-concealed irritation.
"Umm...." Venus said slowly as she looked around the group. "I think that
should be it for us, unless you want Sailor Moon to start playing frisbee with
the drones or just outright blowing them up with her.... umm.... wait, what
sort of powers do you still have?" she asked, giving Sailor Moon a suddenly
uneasy look. "I know your Moon Tiara should work fine, but...."
"Moon Tiara?" Uranus echoed, trading confused looks with Neptune.
"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me," Venus sighed as she buried her face
in her hands for a moment. "Don't you girls know *anything* about what we've
been doing in the past year or so?"
"Perhaps a demonstration would be in order," Pluto suggested calmly as she
leaned on her silvery staff. "If her Highness has learned a new technique on
her own, I would of course be most interested in witnessing it for myself."
"Oh, umm.... I haven't used it in awhile," Sailor Moon admitted as she
stood up and walked over to the firing line.
"Bah," Jupiter grunted, waving her free hand in dismissal. "We've all
seen you playing frisbee before, so we know you've still got what it takes. Of
course, that's why we still have our first House Rule of Sports," she added,
giving the blonde a quiet chuckle.
Neptune calmly patted Uranus' back as the short-haired blonde put her
face in her hands, sighing quietly. "Will you explain it for us, please?" she
asked carefully, trying to ignore the muttered comment from the weary Viking.
"So far we have two House Rules of Sports," Jupiter explained as she set
her quarterstaff down and leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "The
first one is Serena isn't allowed to ask anyone to play frisbee with her. The
second is that Maze can't ask anyone to play darts with him. You can ask them
to play if you want, but it's only a good idea to if you're in a mood to have
your butt handed to you. See, they're not allowed to ask so nobody's feelings
get hurt when the other guy remembers how badly they got stomped the last time
they tried to play along and refuses the offer of public humiliation."
"Ahh, I see," Uranus said as she leaned back, absently reaching out to rub
Neptune's leg. "Kinda like playing tennis with Mich here, right?"
"Quiet," Neptune said primly, giving Uranus an upset look. "It's not MY
fault you kept using the edge of the racket instead of the webbing."
"Reflexes, babe," Uranus protested, giving Neptune a hurt look. "What am
I supposed to do when it's the exact length and weight as my saber?"
"You're supposed to hit the ball back instead of slashing at it," Neptune
shot back, the edges of her lips turning down in a frown. "What I don't get is
how you can serve so perfectly like that, then suddenly panic when the other
side returns the ball to you."
"NEXT," Mars said acidly, all but gritting her teeth with impatience.
"Mars?" Jupiter said with a heavy sigh. "I'm not going to say this again.
Settle down, alright? Sailor Pluto, can you do us all a favor and take her
back inside to find a banana or something? Anything to shut her up...."
"I shall attempt to make this as brief as possible," Pluto replied in a
neutral tone. "Your Highness, please proceed," she said to Sailor Moon.
"Wanna play pinball?" Venus said to Sailor Moon, giving her a wink. "See
if you can ricochet it a few times, might rack up a high score."
Sailor Moon giggled quietly before nodding and turning her attention to
the floating drones. She paused to give them a measured look before deciding
that she could probably indeed cause her tiara to rebound several times if she
threw it just right. She reached up to grab her tiara, slipping it off her
forehead and concentrating as she held it by the prominent gemstone.
The golden tiara started to glow with energy before seeming to melt and
reform into a vibrant white disc, hovering just over her fingertips. "Moon....
Tiara...." she said as she lined up the shot. "MAGIC!" she cried as the disc
was cast with a flick of her wrist.
Several sets of eyebrows rose up as the frisbee-like object sailed through
the air, striking a glancing blow off of the side of one of the drones. The
drone tilted off at a steep angle, several of the lights along its surface
lighting up to indicate a fairly moderate hit. The whirling tiara caromed off
in another direction and promptly struck a second drone, resulting in another
series of flashing lights.
The tiara was sent spinning in a new direction, the plane of the disc
still remaining fairly level. That changed as it struck a third drone, sending
both objects flipping end-over-end to collide with another pair of drones. The
last encounter caused the tiara to spin wildly about on all three planar axes
of motion, seeming to shoot up towards the ceiling in an off-kilter spiraling
loop before soaring back down to land in Sailor Moon's outstretched hand.
"Jackpot," Venus purred with a quiet chuckle.
"Hot *DAMN* your Highness!" Uranus blurted out as her jaw sagged open.
"Told you," Jupiter replied with a casual shrug. "And now you see why we
don't bother trying to beat her at frisbee."
"That was.... rather impressive, your Highness," Pluto managed to say in
a remarkably calm tone, despite the fact that her eyebrows were arched clear up
to her hairline.
Mars made a quiet huffing noise to herself. "What I don't get is how she
can pull off a shot like that, yet still can't walk and chew bubblegum at the
same time without falling flat on her face," she grumbled.
"Hmmph," Sailor Moon said as she crossed her arms and looked away with her
nose in the air. "You're just jealous because you can barely throw a frisbee
in a straight line."
"Hey, hey, girls, none of that," Venus interjected quickly as she hopped
down from the bleachers. "C'mon, put your tiara back on and have a seat, you
can hash out your differences in private later.
"Hey, I want to hear this," Uranus spoke up with a wicked chuckle. "Rei,
all you gotta do is pull out your bow and do the bull's-eye trick until you run
out of space again. Starlight there can hit the target too, but not like you
can, so it should even everything out."
There was a slightly awkward pause as Mars looked at her in confusion for
a few moments. "What bow?" she said in a guarded tone.
"Huh?" Uranus said, blinking hard. "What do you mean, what bow? The big
red one you've got with you."
"What, this?" Mars asked incredulously, tugging on the maroon chest bow
attached to the front of her Sailor Suit.
"No, you twit," Uranus countered flatly, giving her an irritated look.
"The kind you fire arrows with. You know, the one you nicknamed Sniper?"
Mars just looked at her for a moment before turning to face Sailor Pluto,
pausing as she saw the visibly uneasy expression on the other woman's face.
"What am I missing here?" she asked in a very leery tone.
"If I may, your Excellency," Pluto said in a delicate tone, "Would it be
safe to presume that you are not presently in possession of a large elemental
longbow, nor were ever aware of having possessed one at any point in time?"
"No...." Mars replied very slowly. "Should I have?"
"Uh-oh," Venus muttered, trading uneasy looks with Jupiter. "Why do I get
the funny feeling we're about to encounter yet another problem of some kind?"
"Sailor Jupiter," Pluto said in an uncertain tone as she glanced over at
the brunette. "Do you happen to have a pair of copper wrist-bracers that form
spines when you flex your wrists in a certain way?"
"Sure don't," Jupiter replied in resignation.
"Let me guess," Uranus said sourly. "Venus doesn't have her whip with her
and Mercury doesn't have her harp in her back pocket either, am I right?"
"No whips or chains here, but having one sounds like fun," Venus replied
in an odd tone, giving Jupiter a sidelong look.
"Bad idea," Jupiter muttered, shaking her head as she tried valiantly to
clear her mind of the mental image of a gleeful Sailor Venus wielding a whip
with reckless abandon. "Bad, bad, BAD idea. Christ, I'm getting chills just
thinking about her holding a whip...."
"Oh, don't be such a meanie," Venus sighed.
"I've never even touched a harp before," Mercury spoke up, giving Pluto a
slightly startled look. "I take it I'm supposed to both have one and know how
to play it?"
"That was the general presumption, yes," Pluto said in a weary tone.
"Susan, do you think they got left behind in the Moon Kingdom when we....
when we all died?" Neptune spoke up in a hesitant tone.
"It's possible," Pluto replied with a soft sigh. "I will go search for
them when I have the time to do so. I must confess that this is.... not the
most welcome of developments, as it means that the four of you have not been
utilizing your full elemental potential."
"Sailor Pluto?" Darian spoke up carefully as Sailor Moon quietly leaned
against his shoulder. "I think you're being too critical at the moment. Stop
and consider this.... the five of them defeated Queen Beryl last year, and they
didn't have any supercharged powers to rely on at the time. They certainly
didn't have these weapons you're talking about or the value of your centuries
of experience to aid them, so it's not like they're just blundering around in
a blind alley without a clue or any training."
"Yeah!" Venus said as she stood up straight, putting her hands on her hips
with a large smirk. "See, we're doing just fine as it is. Tell 'em, girls."
"We're still breathing, aren't we?" Jupiter pointed out, idly tapping her
quarterstaff against her ankle. "Two trips into the Negaverse before you three
showed up and we've only got minor scars to show for it, so that should tell
you something."
"If I understand the full story correctly," Pluto countered in a faintly
edged tone, "Your first excursion into the Negaverse proved to be distinctly
fatal for the four of you. Indeed, had Queen Beryl not felt it necessary to
summon the Princess to her directly, the situation might have been resolved
with a vastly different outcome."
"So where were you?" Jupiter shot back as she rose to her feet. "Look,
I'm not trying to bust on your skills or anything, but I really don't like it
when people who weren't even there try to second-guess what we went through."
"Ladies, please," Darian said as he rose to his feet, making a gesture to
both Sailor Scouts. "There's no need to get all riled up, what's done is done
and thankfully is in the past."
"The point, your Highness, is to learn from the past in order to train in
the present and thus prepare for future engagements," Pluto said smoothly.
"Granted it is obvious that they have managed to either retain or reacquire a
significant degree of skill, but it is also obvious that there is still a fair
amount of room for improvement. I should also like to point out that, while
they have demonstrated an ample skill in defending both themselves and each
another against the Negaverse, we as an organization were not created just for
the sole and singular purpose of repelling an extra-dimensional invasion."
"Don't look at me, babe," Uranus said quietly to Mercury as she noticed
the quizzical look she was getting. "I've got nothing to do with this one.
Mich here and I have been basically training since we could walk straight, so
it's second nature to us. Granted all we've run into are little spats on Earth
that needed a little extra muscle, Negaverse issues notwithstanding, but it's
still something that makes sense to us. Hell, I've noticed that I've gotten a
bit edgy lately because I haven't had a chance to practice in a few days," she
added, reaching up to brush her knuckles against the hilt of her saber. The
metal seemed to sparkle briefly before becoming invisible again with a slight
ripple effect.
"Training is good," Mars pointed out in a flat tone. "But there's no need
to be pushy about it. If you want to play with your sword, that's fine with
me. I would just appreciate being given a few days to make sure everything has
settled down and the world starts making sense again before we start tromping
off to play in the virtual mud. And if you insist on being pushy, Chancellor,
I'm more than willing to push back," she said in a blatant warning tone.
Pluto looked at her in silence for a few moments before slowly nodding her
head. "Very well, your Excellency," she said in a neutral tone. "Unless there
are no objections, I will defer any further attempts at assessing your level of
training until I've had the opportunity to consult with Luna. As that means we
are essentially finished here this morning, I believe there is little point in
remaining here or otherwise prolonging breakfast."
"What a bunch of wimps," Uranus muttered as she stood up, making her way
down the bleachers and heading towards the tent exit. "You kids go grab a bite
to eat, I'll catch up with you later. Sue, you mind if I go borrow one of your
empty tents to practice for a few?"
"If you wish," Pluto replied in a diplomatic tone. "The green tent with
the blue pennant has already been set up as a close-quarters combat arena, so
you may find what you are looking for in there."
"Hey, hang on a sec," Venus said quickly as she scooted up to the firing
line. "Lemme show Pluto here how to take down multiple targets at once. It's
a fun trick, trust me," she added with a wink.
"Just as long as you don't pass out on us this time," Darian reminded her
in a warning tone. "It might be pretty to watch you blitz the horizon, but it
won't be pretty if we have to scrape you up off the floor again."
"Mmmmm," Venus hummed quietly to herself, casting an appraising glance at
the array of drones in front of her. "Bah, you're never really ready for your
first time, despite what everyone says. Ain't that right, Sailor Moon?" she
added with a saucy wink.
"Umm...." Sailor Moon said, promptly blushing like a neon light. "I, er,
don't know what you're talking about," she stammered.
"Let me know if you need me to explain it to you," Mars muttered darkly.
Jupiter just sighed quietly and thumped the base of her quarterstaff on
the bleachers in front of her. "Can't you two ever play nice?"
"It was pretty nice in the pool last night," Darian spoke up with a quiet
chuckle. His moment of humor quickly faded as he had to dodge a casual swat
from Sailor Moon. His evasive action proved to be unwise, as his quick motions
brought him within range of Sailor Mars. The rest of the room winced in unison
as Mars delivered a somewhat solid blow to his shoulder, almost knocking him
back across the bleachers to where Sailor Moon was.
Venus just sighed theatrically and shook her head. "You asked for it,"
she said to him before turning around and pointing her finger. "Venus...." she
intoned quietly. The twin crescents formed at her fingertip again, sending a
faint tingle shooting throughout her entire arm. "Meteor.... SHOWER!!"
The Crescent Beam promptly lashed out from her fingertip, crossing the
distance to the drones in an instant. It suddenly split apart before it could
strike the first target, dividing again and again until there were just as many
beams as there were drones. The cluster of beams continued forward and began
to slam into the drones, each one blasting a small hole in some portion of the
protective armor.
"Bah," Venus grumbled as less than half of the drones were completely
cored by the beams, producing only a handful of exit holes on the far side of
the damaged target drones. The majority of the floating devices wound up on
the ground in a matter of seconds, however, and even those that remained seemed
to be struggling rather hard to remain both stationary and aloft. "Okay, so
I'm trading power for coverage here, but I still nailed them all. Better than
what a shotgun can do, right?" she inquired with a glance over her shoulder.
"Peachy, babe," Uranus said quietly before turning around and slipping out
between the pair of tent flaps.
Venus made a face as she gestured to the exit. "What's her problem?" she
inquired, giving Pluto a somewhat irritated look.
"If the situation permits such a trade, it can be most beneficial," Pluto
observed in a calm tone. "I'm actually rather pleased that your powers seem to
have been given an improved level of versatility because of this augmentation."
"Thanks, I think," the blonde replied, pausing to watch Neptune stand up
and quietly leave the confines of the tent after Uranus. "You know, maybe it's
just me here, but I'm starting to sense a major disturbance in the Force, if
you know what I mean. What exactly is the problem, Sailor Pluto?"
Pluto looked down at the ridges on her staff for a moment before looking
back up at her. "I believe part of it stems from a.... difficulty in adjusting
to how the six of you have changed since.... we became separated in the Moon
Kingdom," she said in a delicate tone. "I must confess to experiencing some of
that myself in dealing with you, simply because you obviously are no longer the
same young ladies I helped raise. Even Prince Darian, whom I have had far less
contact with back in the Moon Kingdom, is hardly the same young prince that I
helped introduce to the Princess."
"Don't know what to tell you," Jupiter spoke up with a casual shrug.
"Quite frankly, neither do I at this point," Pluto replied calmly.
"How about leaving us alone until you do?" Mars suggested as she stood up
and started to head for the door.
Venus just sighed as she reached up to tap the orange garnet in her tiara,
causing her Virtual Visor to melt into a band of orange light that faded away
after a brief moment. "Mercury, are you sure there's nothing wrong with her?"
she asked in a low tone once Mars had left the tent. "I know she can be just
as pissy as the rest of us when it's that time of the month, but this is really
starting to make me wonder."
"How well did she sleep last night?" Darian spoke up before Mercury could
open her mouth to reply.
"I don't know, I was asleep the whole time," Venus replied with a shrug.
"Hell, I was probably cranking z's before she returned to the room. What?" she
added in a leery tone as Jupiter snorted quietly to herself.
"If you were snoring again, that might explain why she's acting like she's
short on sleep," Jupiter muttered. "Hate to break this to you, Blondie, but
I've ran this one past Artemis and he agrees with me.... you're not exactly a
peaceful angel when you're sleeping."
"Excuse me!" Venus blurted out in an indignant tone.
"Anyway," Darian said calmly as he stood up, absently flicking his white
desert cape behind him. "If we are finished here, I'd like to go see if I can
make some new clothes from the Ether before heading up to breakfast. Sitting
down at the table wearing just a robe or a bedsheet like this just isn't my
thing," he added, tugging on the front of his tunic.
"Oooo, good idea," Venus suddenly said in a low tone, casting a sidelong
glance at Jupiter.
"Go away," Jupiter growled.
"What, I didn't say anything...."
"You didn't have to."
"Guilty conscience, then?"
"Look, I'm about to shove this stick right up your...."
Pluto sighed heavily and looked over at Mercury. "I believe it is safe to
say my case has been amply demonstrated," she said in a weary tone.
Mercury looked up at her before shrugging and deactivating her own Virtual
Visor. "Everything seems normal to me," she pointed out. "At least when it
comes to those two," she amended with a gesture of her computer to where Venus
and Jupiter were casually arguing.
"And Sailor Mars?" Pluto prompted, turning to watch Darian and Sailor Moon
quietly slip outside.
Mercury took a moment to choose her words carefully. "Perhaps it would be
best if you were to worry about Uranus and Neptune's reactions. I think the
rest of us can find a way to deal with Mars' current concerns without any undue
influences. Excuse me," she said softly before tucking her computer in her
Lunar Space pocket and heading for the tent exit.
Pluto said nothing as she turned around, idly surveying the carnage of
damaged and destroyed target drones littering the ground. The thick layer of
ice covering Mercury's chosen target showed no signs of melting anytime soon,
despite having been in close proximity to Mars' Firebird for a short period of
time. Neptune's water-shorted drone had quit smoking at some point, but there
were still plenty of wisps of smoke visible as they drifted up from the slew of
drones Venus had managed to destroy with her Meteor Shower.
She knew it wasn't power that the others lacked, far from it. But power
was next to useless without proper control, and from what she had just seen
both on the firing line and behind it, they still had a very long way to go if
they were to be restored to their previous level of ability and skill. And as
for the Princess....
Enough, she told herself as she shook her head. We must take this one
step at a time. Serena's powers will likely be restored once she regains full
dominion over the Imperium Silver Crystal, and for that to happen her mother's
soul must be retrieved from the soul prison. Recapturing it would be easy, as
all she had to do was empty the prison into a waiting soul-rune. Separating
the soul of Queen Serenity from Raijen's soul once they were bound to the rune,
however.... that was going to be a little more complicated. But one step at a
time, she repeated with another sigh as she watched Jupiter chase Venus out of
the tent with her quarterstaff in hand.
This is going to be a very long day, she thought in resignation as she
wearily followed them out of the tiny dimensional bubble and back into the only
marginally larger bubble-domain that was her keep in the Border Ethereal.
* * * *
Mars looked up at someone called out to her, just in time to make out the
spherical shape of a grapefruit being tossed in her direction. She reached out
to catch it with her left hand, her right hand still held up to her mouth as
she munched on a vibrant green apple. The off-handed catch was more than a
little awkward and left her slightly unbalanced, but she managed to recover
without dropping the fruit on the grass.
She looked up at Jupiter, giving the brunette a slightly unsettled look as
various fruits continued to be dispensed in ballistic arcs from a large basket.
"I've already got something," she said around a mouthful of apple, holding up
the half-eaten core to emphasize her point.
"So give it to someone else," Jupiter replied tartly as she sent a banana
whizzing through the air towards a startled Sailor Venus.
"Hey!" Venus protested as she made a near-perfect catch by pure reflex.
"Shut up and eat," Jupiter said in a clipped tone as she estimated the
distance between her and Sailor Mercury, carefully hefting an orange.
Mars just shook her head and resumed eating her apple, not wanting to try
to figure out what was irritating the brunette this time. She looked around
the circle of tents and picked one at random, not paying attention to the color
as she slipped inside with the intent on finding a quiet place to both eat and
meditate.
The tent flaps had barely sealed themselves behind her before the sound of
roaring water registered on her ears, looking up to find a column of seawater
in the shape of a half-circle rising up from one side of the matting. Neptune
was standing in the center of the geyser, her eyes closed and her arms held out
as she continued to both summon and maintain the wall of sea-green water.
Uranus was clearly busy on the other side of the matting, her Soul Saber
drawn and engaged in a duel of sorts with what appeared to be a pair of ghosts.
It took Mars a moment to realize that they were actually holographic images of
swordsman, somehow enhanced so that the outlines of their weapons had enough
physical substance to make Uranus' saber ring with each blow.
Mars simply stood still and watched the swordswoman for a moment, barely
able to follow the blurred tip of the saber as it moved with frightening speed
and almost unearthly fluidity. Uranus was flanked on both sides by the images
and was actively engaging both at the same time, striking at one outline before
whirling around to parry the blow of a second, then launching a counter-strike
of her own before whirling back to deal with the first projection.
The sheer amount of skill and effort required to accomplish such a feat
made the priestess stop and seriously reconsider her opinion of the blonde, or
at least parts of it. She knew that one didn't achieve such a singular focus
like that without being well and truly dedicated to the cause, which Mars took
to mean in this case the defense of the Moon Kingdom as a whole and of Serena
in particular.
So perhaps you do believe you were born to do this, she thought to herself
as she continued to observe Uranus' training battle. And what of you, Neptune?
she added as she turned to study the other girl, still deeply focused in her
exercise of concentration. The seawall had grown slightly since Mars had last
looked at it, the edges arcing around even further from a half-circle shape to
more of a three-fifths circle. The strain on Neptune's face was quite clear,
however, and Mars doubted that the wall of water would be able to expand much
further without collapsing.
What do the two of you see your fate as? Mars mused, absently munching on
her apple. Born to live and die defending your kingdom and your Princess? And
now that the kingdom has fallen and your Princess reborn as someone else, what
will you do now? Can you change, adapt to your new surroundings? Will you be
able to remain so devoted now that things have changed? Or will you start to
wonder about your own lives now, what your own future will be? Do you even
care about the future, or is it enough for you to have your Princess to guard?
The change in Uranus' attacks happened so quickly that she would have
missed it if it hadn't been for the sharp battle cry. The Soul Saber was drawn
back past her shoulder before it lashed out again, the glittering tip leaving
a razor-thin line of blue energy in its wake as it clove through the image of
the first warrior. Uranus used her momentum to launch into a vicious whirling
attack, tracing an almost perfect circle of blue energy in the air as the saber
whipped around to neatly decapitate the second hologram. Not content with such
a decisive blow, Uranus brought the blade down in a low arc as she spun around
once more to face the first hologram.
Mars blinked hard as she watched the blonde launch into a rising-slash,
resulting in a blow that would have gutted a living opponent from crotch to
throat. The first part of the energy trail had faded away, but enough still
remained for her to see the path the saber had taken as it spun around before
flashing high into the air. The movement lifted Uranus completely off the mat
for what seemed like a full second before her feet came back down with a soft
thump that could be clearly heard across the tent.
Uranus breathed hard for several moments as she tried to calm down, idly
watching the holographic projections wink out of existence. A drop of sweat
blurred her vision a moment later, causing her to stand up straight and try to
wipe the minor curtain of moisture off of her head. The tiara usually did an
excellent job of keeping the sweat out of her face, but sometimes there was
simply too much for even that to block.
The wall of seawater was expected, of course, but it took her a moment to
realize that the dark streak she was seeing wasn't just a sweat-blurred mirage
but was in fact someone else. "Hey," she called out as calmly as she could,
her breath still heaving in her chest. She blinked as something was thrown in
her general direction, reaching up with her free hand to grab the spherical
object. "Wait, what's this?" she called out to the dark-haired figure.
"Breakfast," Mars replied calmly.
"Eh? Oh, cool, grapefruit," Uranus said as she finally focused on what
she was holding. She casually tossed the fruit up in the air and took a swipe
with her saber at just the right moment. The two halves of the fruit fell back
into her hand with only a tiny splash of juice, a distinct improvement over the
last time she had tried that trick with a ripe melon. "Thanks, hon."
"Welcome," Mars replied indifferently as she nibbled on her apple. She
went to swallow and almost had it slip down the wrong pipe as a splashing noise
filled the air, followed by a fairly light spray of salt-laden water rushing
past them both. A glance over her shoulder revealed a dejected Sailor Neptune
standing in a huge puddle of water with her arms still outstretched.
"So how'd it go this time, babe?" Uranus called out in a calm tone.
"I think I did good," Neptune replied as she lowered her arms and sighed,
the pool of water at her feet evaporating at a rapid pace. "I think I might
have gotten to the three-quarters mark before it slipped."
Uranus nodded in approval as she slid her saber into the invisible sheath
on her back. "Sounds good to me. Here, catch," she added as she lobbed one of
the grapefruit halves across the tent.
"Thank you," Neptune replied as she caught the sliced fruit.
"So what brings you here, Rei?" Uranus inquired as gingerly peeled apart
her half of the grapefruit and began to nibble on it.
"Honestly?" Mars replied with a snort before taking another bite of her
apple. "I just wanted to find a quiet place to sit down, but obviously I took
a wrong turn."
Uranus paused for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Story of your life,
hon, or are you still in a pissy mood for some reason?"
"Alex!" Neptune said sharply.
"Just asking, babe, don't get your panties in a wad," Uranus replied with
a casual shrug as she took a deep bite of grapefruit. "I mean, she'sh shill
here sho she mush have sum'shin on her mind."
Mars gave the blonde a flat look for a moment before snorting quietly in
remote distain again. "Given all the changes that have happened in my life in
the past week, I think I'm allowed to be a little 'pissy' as you put it," she
said in a faintly edged tone. She moved to take another bite of apple only to
pause in mid-motion as Uranus suddenly spat out a mouthful of fruit pulp.
"A few changes and you start blowing a fuse?" Uranus asked sharply, one
hand coming up to wipe away the streak of juice that dribbled down her chin.
"Rei, are you sure you're a Sailor Scout and not someone who just happened to
trip over that white suit and decided to try it on for size?"
"Alex, stop it!" Neptune said, her face marred by a deep frown. "What's
wrong with you, why are you trying to start a fight?"
Mars raised a single finger, ignoring Neptune entirely. "Yes, Uranus,
that is exactly what happened. I was doing just fine for fifteen years on my
own, just me and my grandfather living at the temple, when this blonde brat
comes to the temple with her blue-haired friend. Then next thing I know, I'm
swept up in some mad alternate reality where cats can talk and aliens from some
other world are trying to invade us. I wasn't born into the life of a Sailor
Scout, I haven't trained since birth for any of this, and I don't give a damn
what anyone else tries to say, I know for a plain and simple fact that I was
*NOT* asked if I ever wanted to have any part in this!"
Uranus just looked at in her in silence for a few moments before picking
another slice of grapefruit out from the rind and popping it in her mouth. "So
what am I supposed to do about it, babe?" she asked in a neutral tone. "You
want me to turn my back on you and leave you alone? Go tell the others, 'Rei
doesn't want to play anymore, so we should just go on without her?' Honestly,
if you're whining about why you're here, what do you really want from me?"
"You can dispense with the arrogance, for one," Mars muttered.
Uranus studied the priestess for a moment before plucking out another bit
of fruit. "Arrogance," she said quietly. "Alright, Rei, let's try it like
this. What were you doing seven days ago?"
Mars paused as the question caught her off-guard, trying to remember just
what indeed she had been doing before the current chaos started. "I'm trying
to remember," she said slowly. "I don't think anything special was going on,
just the usual work at the temple and studying for school."
"Peachy," Uranus replied calmly. "So let me tell you what I was doing
seven days ago. I was living a rather peaceful life back in the Moon Kingdom.
You know, serving as Princess Serena's maiden-of-arms, helping guard the Moon
Kingdom, practicing swordsmanship with the others, making out with Mich in dark
corners most nights...."
"Alex," Neptune muttered in a resigned tone as she started to blush.
"You know, just generally minding my own business," Uranus continued as if
Neptune hadn't spoken. "Then the day after that, all hell breaks loose as the
Negaverse invades us. So six days ago I lost damn near everything I had ever
valued. My mother, my friends, my Queen, my kingdom, my whole way of life just
up and destroyed in a few hours. And you know what? Maybe it's simply because
I still have the love of my life at my side, maybe it's just because Sue is
still around to keep me straight, or maybe it's only because Princess Serena is
alive and well, but despite everything that I've suffered through, everything
that has been forever taken from me.... I honestly think I've managed to keep
my marbles in the same bag and not collapse into a sobbing wretch.
"Now tell me something, Rei," she added in a steel tone as she stepped
forward until she was almost nose-to-nose with Mars. "Just humor the blonde
Viking for a bit. Am I really that hardcore, that callous to not have had a
complete and total breakdown after how my life has changed? Or are you just
that much of a freaking wuss for getting all 'pissy' after the paltry changes
your life, such as it is in this time period, has undergone? Who died in your
life, Rei? What was taken from you that can't ever be restored?"
Mars stood as still as a statue, trying to weather the storm that Uranus
was subjecting her to. The tone was fairly hostile, which was both expected
and easily brushed off. What she found all but impossible to ignore, however,
was the solid ring of truth to the blonde's words. What indeed had she lost
that could compare to what Uranus and Neptune had lost?
She glanced over to her side as she felt a light touch on her elbow, just
above where her white gloves ended. Neptune was standing there, reaching out
to touch her skin with a saddened look in her eyes. "And what do you have to
add to this?" she found herself asking the other girl without thinking.
Neptune blinked in surprise and cast an uneasy look at Uranus before
taking a deep breath. "Rei, this isn't easy for any of us," she said gently.
"We've known you and the Princess all our lives, and we've suddenly had that
all change for us faster than we can follow. It's taking a toll on everyone,
not just you, and everyone reacts differently to severe stress."
"C'mon, babe," Uranus spoke up with a sigh. "Be that as it may, I know
walnuts that don't crack this easily."
"You probably are friends with a few nuts, too," Mars pointed out, not
paying attention to the change in Neptune's expression.
"Oh, and I suppose you're not friends with Mina?" Uranus countered darkly.
"At the moment, she seems to be the biggest nut we've got."
Mars stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Okay, I'll give you
that much. I'm worried about her sanity, too, but at least she's not up in
everyone's face with a confrontational attitude."
"What, you want me to run from a problem like you seem to want to do?" the
blonde growled back. "Want to run home crying to mommy?"
Whatever retort that formed on Mars' tongue was completely unintelligible
as a fierce torrent of water suddenly slammed into them without warning. The
surge knocked both girls off of their feet, sending them tumbling across the
mat almost to the other side before the current abated enough to let them get
control over their motion.
"Plergh!" Uranus said as she spat out a mouthful of salty water before
looking up to find a very irritated Sailor Neptune standing on the other side
of the mat with her arms crossed. "What the hell are you doing, Mich?" Uranus
demanded as she rose to her feet.
"Cooling you two hot-heads off," Neptune replied in an icy tone.
Mars flexed her abdomen to bring herself into a sitting position, grunting
quietly as her wet hair promptly whipped around to lash herself in the face.
She glanced down at her hand and saw how soaked the apple had gotten, sighing
in resignation and tossing the now-salted fruit over her shoulder. "I suppose
we asked for that," she muttered.
"We?" Uranus echoed in a dangerous tone.
Mars paused and looked up at her, one eyebrow arched up to her hairline.
"You think your own girlfriend would blast you if she didn't think you needed
to shut up as well?" she pointed out.
Uranus glared at her for a moment before glancing over her shoulder at
Neptune. "I suppose you have a point," she muttered.
"I try to have a point when talking about something," Mars said as she
gingerly stood up. "It tends to cut down on arguments."
"Peachy, babe," Uranus replied as she wiped the worst of the water off of
her chest bow. "So tell me again what your point was in bothering us in the
first place? Or was it simply to deliver the grapefruit? Oh, yuck, speaking
of which...." she added as she saw the half-eaten fruit lying in a puddle of
seawater.
"Try this for a point," Mars said evenly. "If we don't seem to measure up
to the yardstick you've been using, the problem might be with the stick and not
the actual measurement. We're not who you think we are, so don't go getting
all bent out of shape when we don't conform to your opinions of how we should
talk and interact."
"I suppose that's fair," the blonde said slowly, reaching up to rake her
fingers through her now-wet hair. "I don't suppose you'll turn the stove down
a notch or two on your end in return? I know I'm not the only one who's not
overly happy with the way you've been acting lately. And we just went through
that whole song and dance routine about how your life has changed, so don't
bother repeating it."
"We'll see," Mars said simply as she turned to walk away. She stopped as
Uranus reached out to snag her elbow, gently pulling her back around.
"Hang on, babe," Uranus said in a quiet tone. "I can understand being a
little out-of-sorts with what's happened to the Princess. Just between you,
me, and Mich here, I'm still stressed out over the fact that she's half-denizen
and grew wings on us. This nonsense with the Imperium Silver Crystal really
isn't helping the situation one bit, and I'm still too afraid to ask what the
hell rattled Sue's cage like that when you were fussing at that past Queen.
But something tells me that this mess isn't what's got your panties all in a
really tight knot. So is there anything in particular on your mind that's been
ruffling your feathers, or should I just be a nice bitch and let it go?"
Mars remained silent as Neptune approached them, edging up behind Uranus
and slipping her arms around the blonde's waist. "Let's just say that I'm a
little unsettled by how things are going between Darian and myself," she said
in an emotionless tone after a few seconds of thought.
Uranus just shook her head as she absently reached up to rub Neptune's
hands. "Explain to me why you're even bothering with that?" she said wearily.
"I mean, those two have been class-A lovebirds since they met."
"In the Moon Kingdom, maybe," Mars said neutrally. "It wasn't always like
that, however."
Both sets of eyebrows rose up in unison at her words. "Oh?" Uranus said
as Neptune gave Mars a startled look. "You know, I've got a bad feeling about
this one. You want to humor us for a moment and tell us the short version of
the story?"
Mars sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "From what I've been
told, Darian and Serena first met in a hospital after he was getting over some
sickness or something and she was waiting for her brother to be born...."
"Uh, wait," Uranus said as she blinked hard. "Did you just say Serena has
a brother?"
Mars looked at her for a moment before rubbing her sinuses. "Yes, she has
a brother named Sammy," she said in a weary tone. "I'm not surprised that the
subject hasn't come up yet, as they both fight like typical siblings. Anyway,
so that was their first meeting, and they never really got along since. Hell,
they used to be mean and nasty to one another even after this crazy Negaverse
nightmare started, so don't go telling me they've always been lovebirds. So
there they were, hating one another's guts, and after watching Darian from a
distance for awhile, I decided to ask him out on a date."
"You what?" Uranus said, her eyes widening. She looked like she might
have said more if Neptune's hand didn't come up to clamp over her mouth to keep
her effectively silenced.
"Go on, Rei," Neptune said quietly.
"So Darian and I ended up dating for awhile," Mars said, looking away from
them as the flashbacks quietly returned once again. "It was.... nice. Serena
didn't care for it, as she and I weren't exactly the best of friends either,
and she eventually started throwing wrenches into our relationship."
"Whaaaaaat?" Uranus gasped. "You're trying to tell mmmmppphhhh?"
"Let her finish," Neptune said pointedly.
"Darian and I broke up after a few months, but.... part of me thinks that
it was only because of the dreams he was having," Mars continued softly. "The
dreams he was having as Tuxedo Mask and of a woman calling out for him. His
Moon Princess," she added in a bitter tone. "We wouldn't discover that Serena
and the Moon Princess we sought were one and the same until later, but things
had already started to change by then. Darian had started to drift away from
me as the dreams got worse, despite the fact that.... that I had fallen in love
with him."
Uranus and Neptune exchanged glances before Uranus carefully pulled the
hand off her mouth. "So I take it that you still feel that way, hon?" she
asked in a quiet tone. "I mean, I know you said earlier that you still love
him and all, but even after all what's happened between him and the Princess in
this little pocket-world of Sue's?"
Mars sighed and closed her eyes. "If you got to experience what I did,
felt the warmth of his emotions reaching out to you, got to feel the depth and
sincerity of them in his kiss.... wouldn't you still want that?" she whispered.
"Maybe," Uranus countered gently. "If Mich here decided to leave me for
someone else, it would hurt like you wouldn't believe.... but I'm not about to
mope around and pine for something that's not meant to be. I don't know what
to tell you, babe, I well and truly don't. Granted a lot of what you've said
and done lately makes a hell of a lot more sense now, but still...."
"So what am I supposed to do?" Mars demanded without rancor as she turned
around to look the blonde squarely in the eye. "Would you have me give up any
and all hope? To back down, to 'run home crying to mommy' as you put it?"
"Ouch," Uranus muttered as she found herself suddenly confronted with her
own words. "You know, hon, I'm not too sure about the details here, but I'm
pretty sure that there was some sort of run-in between you and Darian back in
the Moon Kingdom somewhere along the line...."
"It's in the past and not really important," Neptune suddenly spoke up in
a firm tone. "Besides, neither of them should remember it happening, so that
really doesn't count anymore."
"Susan made mention of it last night," Mars sighed quietly. "Something
about how Darian and I wound up in a quiet corner of the palace before he got
a chance to meet Serena."
"Sounds like fun," Uranus commented. Her eyes closed an instant later as
Neptune jabbed her in the kidney, producing a sharp wave of pain that left her
speechless for several moments.
Mars nodded in understanding. "Actually, it does. I'm a little upset
that I don't remember it, but Neptune is right about it being in a past I never
had and thus not counting for much of anything. It is.... an ironic musing if
nothing else."
"Rei?" Neptune asked carefully. "Isn't there anyone else in your life to
consider? I don't want to sound mean or hurtful, but I really don't think that
Darian would be the right kind of guy for you, even if he wasn't in love with
the Princess."
Mars raised a raven-haired eyebrow at her. "Are you sure?" she countered
in a faintly edged tone. "Like I just got finished telling Uranus here, I'm
not the same person you knew a thousand years ago."
"Let's try it like this, babe," Uranus said with a cough, reaching behind
her to rub the spot where Neptune had jabbed her. "You're not exactly a pure
and proper virgin these days, are you?"
The priestess just sighed as she easily saw where this was going. "No,
I'm not," she replied quietly. "And no, Darian had nothing to do with it. And
before you ask, I still haven't decided if I want to forgive Chad or not for
the way things happened that night. The only reason I didn't bother filing a
police report for rape was because I was begging him to take me at the end."
"Rei, what happened?" Neptune asked softly, reaching up to gently massage
Uranus' back as the blonde's eyes widened dangerously.
"It was rough, that's all," Mars muttered, able to feel the rush of blood
going to her cheeks. "A lot rougher than I would have cared for, and certainly
far more rougher than I know Darian would have been had he been the one. Now
do you see why I'm a little hesitant to turn back to Chad for the kind of love
and tenderness that Serena gets from Darian?"
"Want me to kill that punk for you?" Uranus said in a perfectly calm and
rational tone. "It'd be a pleasure, as I still owe you one for what you and
Sue did for me awhile ago."
It took Mars a moment to throw off the chill at the realization that the
offer was both genuine and sincere. "Umm, what did I do for you?" she asked in
an uncertain tone, not entirely sure if she wanted to hear about it.
"Well, let's just say that you and Sue paid a visit to the punks who raped
me and Leda," Uranus said with a shrug, the edges of her mouth turning down in
a frown as she was all but crushed by Neptune's embrace. "Sue literally ripped
the heart out of one chest and you burned the other one alive. Then while you
did something about the mess, Sue took their souls into Hell herself and saw
that they were cast into the Lake of Fire to suffer for the rest of eternity.
Mich, I love you dearly, but I need to breathe here," she added with a sigh.
"Well...." Mars said, pausing for a moment to think, "I don't remember any
of this, of course, but I can see myself doing that if I get really pissed off
enough. And no, Chad doesn't deserve to be killed for what he did. Solidly
beaten with a blunt object, perhaps, but not killed," she added.
"Trust me, babe, that can be arranged," Uranus replied dryly, still trying
to discreetly extract herself from Neptune's protective grip.
"We'll see," Mars said with a shrug of dismissal. "I'm not worried about
it, so I don't see why anyone else should."
"Bah," Uranus grumbled as she finally got enough space to take a solid
breath. "That's what friends are for, babe."
Mars remained perfectly motionless for a few seconds, casting a sidelong
glance at both Uranus and Neptune. "Are we friends?" she inquired in a tone
devoid of any semblance of emotion.
"Damn," Uranus sighed. "You're *still* in a mood? Alright, try this one
on for size and see if it unkinks anything. We're all on the same team, so we
get to be friends by default. Okay, so apparently we're not best friends, but
we don't need to be parked in each other's laps like Mich and I tend to be in
order to get along. As long as we're both working to help protect Princess
Serena and one another, that should be all the reason we need to be friends."
"I suppose so," Mars replied with a shrug as she turned to leave.
"You know, Rei," Uranus said in a low tone, causing the priestess to pause
for a moment, "For someone who controls elemental fire, you seem to have an
awfully cold streak in you."
Mars simply looked at her in silence for a few moments before her parting
her lips to reply. "You know, Sailor Uranus, for someone who is a lesbian, you
sure don't seem to understand women's feelings very well," she said calmly
before turning around again and leaving the tent.
Uranus turned to give Neptune a deeply puzzled look. "Was calling me a
lesbian supposed to be an insult or something?" she inquired carefully.
Neptune blinked in surprise before leaning over to rest her head against
her lover's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Alex," she whispered in a tone
laced with heavy resignation. "It just means that she's right.... we really
don't know who they are anymore."
"So what's that mean?" Uranus persisted with a slight scowl. "We're not
supposed to trust them or be friends anymore?"
"I don't know," Neptune whispered back with a deeply saddened look. "All
I can say is that we'll just have to wait and see. Come on, let's go."
"Great," the blonde muttered as she allowed herself to be led by the arm
towards the tent exit. "The Princess has become a denizen angel, the Imperium
Silver Crystal is throwing a fit, something shocked the living hell out of Sue
earlier, which we both know is neither easy nor good, and now it seems we can't
even be friends with the others. Please tell me that the rest of the day isn't
going to get any worse...."
* * * *
Venus looked up as she caught motion out of the corner of her eye, turning
her head to notice Uranus and Neptune approaching her. "Welcome back," she
called out in a hushed tone, making a gesture to the nearly-empty basket of
fruit. "There's still some fruit left if you're hungry," she added absently as
she turned back to look at what was going on.
"Thanks, babe," Uranus replied as she started to reach for the basket,
pausing in mid-motion as she realized what Venus was looking at. Her eyebrows
arched up in surprise as she saw Jupiter and Pluto engaged in a duel of sorts,
the brunette using her wooden quarterstaff while Pluto was using the silvery
Key to Time. "Hey, wait," she said in a low tone as she straightened back up,
looking over at the orange-visored Venus. "Did Sue piss Leda off, or is it the
other way around?"
"Nah," Venus replied with a flick of her hand. "Pluto asked why Jupiter
went to all the effort of making a quarterstaff, one question led to another,
and before we know it they're both squaring off. I'm pretty sure it's friendly
for the most part, but I think Jupiter's fuse is starting to light up."
Uranus and Neptune exchanged uneasy glances before looking over at where
the duel was taking place. It became obvious to the both of them that Pluto
was testing Jupiter's skill with the staff, spending most of her time blocking
and parrying than counter-attacking. Jupiter's face was a mask of focused rage
as she lashed out, relying on a full-range motion style to deliver blows rather
than Pluto's near-stationary point-defense technique.
"Hey, question," Uranus spoke up as she continued to watch the battle.
"Leda's not used to using a stick to fight, is she?"
"Not really," Venus replied. "Keep in mind she's already a black-belt in
karate and recently started working on aikido, neither of which are very heavy
on weapons-training. She's obviously got a few basics ironed out, however, and
you missed the way she put Pluto on her butt once at the onset."
"Huh," Uranus said slowly as she picked a banana out of the basket and
started to peel it open. "Sue's usually not that careless.... hey, wait!" she
blurted out as Jupiter grabbed Pluto's staff and tried to bring her own weapon
inside the perimeter.
The battle quickly shifted tone as Pluto's right hand came off her staff
and swung outward at a sharp angle, seeking to block Jupiter's quarterstaff
with her forearm. Jupiter let go of her weapon just as it hit and heaved as
hard as she could against Pluto's staff, ripping it free from her grasp. Both
weapons promptly spun away from the two combatants as the brunette's wrists
whirled around in a tight circle, grabbing the front of Pluto's Sailor Suit and
flexing backwards in a fluid motion.
"Whoa!" Uranus yelped as Jupiter landed flat on her back, one leg coming
up to press against Pluto's abdomen. A simple heave essentially tripled the
succubus' forward momentum, sending her flipping head-over-heels to land hard
on her own back behind Jupiter.
Jupiter immediately brought her knees up to her chest, giving her own body
some momentum as she basically curled into a ball. The gesture allowed her to
roll backwards, her hands reaching up to brace against Pluto's prone shoulders.
What followed next was best described as a curled back-flip, Jupiter's knees
arcing over her body to slam down on either side of Pluto's hips in a pinning
motion. The final result was that Jupiter ended up straddling Pluto's waist
with both hands free to act as she choose. A simple fist thrust downward to
impact the ground an inch away from Pluto's ear drove home the point that she
was now in complete control of the situation.
"Holy crap!" Uranus gasped as her jaw sagged open. Beside her, Neptune
made a startled whimpering noise of disbelief, amazed at how Pluto had been
both disarmed and pinned like that.
"And that's why you don't pick a fight with her unless you're ready for a
major beat-down," Venus said calmly, eating another tangerine wedge.
"I must say," Pluto panted quietly as Jupiter moved off of her and stood
up, reaching down to help her to her feet. "That was.... most unexpected."
Jupiter huffed for a moment as she braced against Pluto's weight before
trying to reply. "That's the idea. I'm surprised I managed to hold out for
this long before pitching that stupid thing in a corner and trying to kick the
crap out of you."
"You did remarkably well, I assure you," Pluto said dryly as she dusted
herself off and plucked her staff out of the temporal flow. The reflexive
gesture seemed to startle Jupiter, having just seen the staff lying on the
ground only a few moments ago.
"Dammit," the brunette grumbled as she went over to her discarded weapon
and leaned down to scoop it up, thrusting one leg out behind her for balance.
"So what'd we miss?" Uranus called out to the others as she resumed eating
her banana. "Before Sue got flipped like a pancake...." she added.
Pluto shot her a faintly unamused look. "Nothing of significance," she
said as she absently fluffed her hair out behind her. "The others have gone
back up to the residential area to finish eating, so it is just the six of us
out here at the moment."
"Six?" Uranus echoed as she frowned and started counting heads. "You, me,
Mich, Leda, and screwball here makes five...."
"Sorry, I was testing something," Mercury said quietly as she suddenly
became visible next to Venus, her steel-blue eyes partially masked by the blue
band of her Virtual Visor. She blinked hard and gave Uranus a startled look
as the blonde yelped in shock, leaping back and trying to draw her saber only
to collide with an equally-startled Neptune.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Uranus demanded, her eyes almost tripling in diameter.
"I'd say it still works," Venus replied with a casual shrug before eating
another peeled wedge of tangerine.
"Ami?" Neptune panted softly, still trying to control her breathing and
calm her pulse from the shock. "How did you do that?"
Mercury glanced at Venus before sighing softly. "Hypnosis," she explained
in a subdued tone. "It's.... it's one of my vampiric powers. I'm not really
becoming invisible, I'm just using hypnosis to make you forget that you can see
me. I've never tried it with my visor activated and I thought the polarization
effect from the blue tint might render it ineffective."
Uranus glanced at Neptune before taking a guarded step forward. "Run that
past me one more time, hon," she said in a wary tone. She blinked hard as
Mercury suddenly seemed to vanish right in front of her, causing the blonde to
quickly take a step back. "What the hell?"
"You'll get used to it," Jupiter said as she came over to where Venus was
standing, casually bending over to grab the last dark red apple from the fruit
basket. She took a deep bite out of it before gently swinging her quarterstaff
out in a wide arc behind her.
The staff suddenly halted in mid-motion as it seemed to encounter a solid
object. Mercury became visible a moment later, one hand grasping the end of
the weapon and casting an unamused look at the brunette. "Watch it," she said
in a faintly edged tone.
"See?" Jupiter said calmly as she tugged her staff free from Mercury's
grasp and rested it against her shoulder. She paused in mid-chew to look at
the expression on Uranus' face before sighing quietly. "Relax, she's not the
kind of girl who goes sneaking around in the shadows like a thief all the time.
Blondie here would at the drop of a hat, but not Mercury."
"Leave me alone," Venus huffed quietly. "It's not my fault I had to learn
how to be a taffer just to survive. Besides, it's come in handy quite a lot
since then. You can't hit what you can't see, right?"
"What's a taffer?" Uranus whispered to Neptune, drawing a blank look and
a shake of her head in response.
"Perhaps I am wrong," Pluto spoke up as she joined the group, "But I am
led to believe it is a slang term for a common criminal or petty thief."
"A common criminal?" Venus gasped in outrage. "A petty thief? Ohhh, you
need to go back and double-check your source on this one, demon. A taffer is
a practitioner of the skills one needs to dwell in the dark realm of city
streets and dimly-lit corners. Maybe it's not a noble profession, but it's
useful."
"Here we go again," Jupiter muttered before loudly crunching her apple.
"Would you please care to explain?" Pluto inquired with a slight tilt of
her head, absently leaning against her staff.
"Thieving-skills without stealing," Mercury spoke up in a flat tone.
"Oh, pipe down," Venus sighed. "You're just as ignorant as the rest of
them up there," she said, making a gesture to the upper levels of the towering
keep. "Okay, look, when I was in England visiting my grandmother two years ago
and the Negaverse started making trouble, I learned the hard way that it was a
very healthy idea to move about the city at night as quietly as possible so I
wouldn't be seen until I was ready to kick the crap out of them. I had a bit
of a chance encounter with a gentleman in a dark alley one night, and after I
ended up saving his life we sat down to talk about a few things and he agreed
to teach me the in's and out's of his trade.
"So I must've spent a good three weeks with this guy learning how to do
things like pick locks, make use of the shadows, how to move quietly, and most
importantly, how to move around unobtrusively in broad daylight. A little bit
of legerdemain here, a bit of misdirection there, and you can get away with a
hell of a lot without anyone noticing. Except security cameras," she added as
an after-thought. "Trying to spoof them is a whole different can of wax."
"Umm, I think you mean either can of worms or ball of wax," Jupiter said
in a cautious tone.
"Leave me alone, you know what I mean," Venus grumbled quietly.
"I see," Pluto said with a nod. "Perhaps a more suitable term for that
particular profession, such as it were, would be a rogue?" she suggested.
"Nah," Venus replied with a wave of her hand. "Any goofball can act like
a rogue, but it takes true skill and style to be a taffer," she said with a
twinkle in her blue eyes.
"Thieving-skills without stealing," Uranus echoed to Mercury with a nod of
understanding. "Still, if you're putting them to productive use for a good
cause, I don't see why people would get a pissed-off bee in their bonnet."
"You forgot picking pockets," Mercury spoke up, giving Venus a sidelong
look as she pulled out her miniature computer.
"That falls under sleight-of-hand," Venus replied with a dismissive wave
of her hand. "And I haven't stolen anything from anyone who didn't deserve it.
Or are you going to throw a fit over what I pulled on ol' Jedyt the other day?"
she prodded.
"Heh," Jupiter chuckled as she shook her head. "That was beautiful."
"Having such skills is definitely an advantage," Pluto spoke up, causing
Mercury to blink hard. "I myself have.... encountered a number of situations
throughout Time in which relying on such techniques had been the best course of
action to take. And it is not the skills themselves that taints the public
perception of them, but the way in which they tend to be applied," she added,
giving Mercury a reproving look.
"Trust me," Venus cooed as she edged over and put her arm around Mercury's
shoulder, drawing a very uneasy sidelong glare in response. "Bubbles here
would make a great taffer if she ever stopped to think about it. I mean, she's
as smart as a whip to begin with, and her hypnosis ability means that very few
people would see her in broad daylight, let alone in the shadows. Put the two
together and turn her loose, we might end up with a real force to be reckoned
with once she develops the right skills."
"I'll pass, thanks," Mercury replied in a voice cold enough to turn oxygen
molecules into a frozen slush, slipping out from beneath the blonde's casual
embrace.
"Peachy," Uranus muttered as she traded wary looks with Neptune at the
reminder of Mercury's vampirism and hypnosis abilities.
"So let me ask you something, Pluto," Jupiter said around a mouthful of
apple. "What's the deal with all these tents?"
Pluto sighed quietly and cast a quick glance around the circle of small
tents she had constructed earlier. "The premise was to develop several unique
challenges to run everyone through for assessment purposes. Given the limited
space I have available on the physical terrain, I thought it best to utilize a
number of 'pocket' domains to render the space constraints moot."
The rest of the group blinked as Pluto made a wide sweeping gesture with
her staff, causing the tents to collapse in on themselves and vanish with a
series of popping sounds. "As they are no longer needed, however," she added
casually, "There is little point in allowing them to persist in a physically
stable form."
"Hey, how'd you do that?" Venus inquired, quickly glancing around to see
if any of the tents remained. She blinked as she spotted a number of small
pyramid-shaped objects lying in the grass where the tents had been. "And what
are those things?" she added with a pointed finger.
Uranus turned to look before a deep scowl crossed her face. "Oh, THOSE
things," she said in a flat tone. "You know, Sue, I'm not ready to accuse you
of breaking a promise just yet, but you want to explain to us why you've got a
bunch of those soul-whatevers lying around?" she demanded, casting a dark glare
at the green-haired woman.
Pluto raised an eyebrow in response to the blonde's tone, causing Mercury,
Venus, and Jupiter to exchange wary glances. "If you would be so kind as to
take a closer look, you will notice that they are all unoccupied," she replied
in a faintly edged tone. "What I was doing was turning their innate powers
inside-out, as it were, to project a miniature bubble-dimension that could be
freely accessed in either direction. I have not broken my promise to you, Lady
Uranus, nor do I intend to as long as you and Lady Neptune insist on keeping me
bound by it."
Venus carefully walked over to the nearest pyramid and crouched down, her
head tilted slightly as she examined it. She paused to cast a curious look
over at Pluto, getting a nod of understanding in reply. Venus blinked for a
moment before she turned her attention back to the device, reaching down to
very carefully pick up the marble pyramid.
"Huh," Mercury said quietly to herself as she moved over to another small
pyramid and started to scan it with her computer. "It appears to be an energy
collector of some sort, although it seems to be inert at the moment."
"That's one way of looking at it," Uranus muttered. "Go ahead and ask her
what it's used for, and I'm not talking about cheap tent construction, either,"
she added, giving Pluto another dark glare.
Venus gave Jupiter a wary look as she carried the pyramid over, carefully
holding it like it was brittle glass. "Okay, I'm curious now," she said in a
leery tone. "Sailor Pluto, what is this and what is it used for?"
Pluto sighed quietly to herself and leaned on her staff. "What you are
holding is an empty soul-rune, and the primary purpose of such devices is to
house a living soul that has been freed from the body."
"Whoops," Venus said softly as she immediately knelt down to put the empty
device on the ground. She stood up and backed away from it, carefully wiping
her hand on the edge of her skirt. "Okay, so much for that one. Do I even
want to speculate why these things exist?"
"If I can attempt to explain without any hostile interruptions?" Pluto
spoke up in a moderate tone, casting level glances at both Uranus and Neptune.
"Sure, Sue," Uranus replied in an empty tone, moving over to Neptune and
rubbing her back gently. "Go ahead and tell 'em what you use them for."
Pluto sighed again and seemed to age a few years before turning her focus
back to the others. "As I said, the purpose of a soul-rune is to house a soul
once it has been freed from the body. The energy fields of the rune create a
sort of micro-world that the soul can exist in and sustain itself without being
subject to the fading effects of the passage of Time or the lure of the Astral
plane. The innate power of the soul can then be drawn forth and harnessed by
another if need be, although care must be taken not to draw too heavily upon it
lest the soul become exhausted or consumed."
Venus turned pale as she exchanged horrified glances with Mercury. "I'm
sorry I asked," she muttered. "Sailor Pluto, please tell me that you don't use
this sort of power on a routine basis...."
"When I have a valid need to," Pluto replied calmly. "As a succubus, I am
occasionally called upon to escort a soul into the Underworld for reasons that
I will not bother attempting to justify to you. Some souls, once Judged, are
cast aside and thus denied a continuance of existence. These lost souls, if
you wish to call them, tend to be devoured by other demons for sustenance. I
will sometimes capture one or two for myself and imprison them within a soul-
rune, thus granting them a sort of stay of execution from oblivion. They are
permitted to exist in a microcosm of their own making, and in exchange I am
able to draw upon the power of their soul for whatever purpose I so desire. I
tend to take great pains not to exhaust or otherwise harm such a soul in my
collection, so I view it as an equitable trade."
"I think I'm going to throw up now," Venus whimpered in a small voice.
"Would you prefer I allowed them to be annihilated?" Pluto replied in a
tone of casual indifference. "Then they would be truly lost, simply a bit of
exotic energy broken down to its most fundamental components and used as mere
organic fuel. When kept in limbo as such, both the soul's conscious mind and
its knowledge are retained for referencing. Or have you not yet realized what
the Imperium Silver Crystal is?" she prodded.
"Uh...." Venus said slowly, giving her a dubious look.
"The Crystal is a soul-rune," Pluto continued gently. "Simply on a vastly
larger and more powerful scale. It houses, with few exceptions, all the souls,
accumulated knowledge, and personalities of all the Queens and Sailor Scouts
since its creation. It is a vast reservoir of power that draws upon every soul
within, and since there are so many sources of energy it only needs to use a
tiny fraction from each one. The power of many focused as one. Think of it as
the ultimate example of teamwork in action," she added lightly.
"Wow...." Venus said softly, looking down at her suit before glancing up
at the rest of the group. "You know, maybe I'm not going to feel too bad about
this one after all. I mean, we've all chipped in a little of this and that at
various times to get something done, and it didn't hurt us too bad...."
Mercury knelt down to carefully pick up the soul-rune that Venus had set
down a few minutes earlier. "So what exactly is on the inside of this?" she
asked in a careful tone, trying to analyze the marble shape with her computer.
"Physically, nothing," Pluto replied. "It is a solid construction, and
one that requires a fair amount of effort to properly shape, I might add. As
for what the soul encounters once sealed inside.... quite simply, it finds
whatever it wishes to find. It is a microcosm that is defined by the soul's
will and shaped as desired, much like the Ether can be shaped by our wills."
"Huh," Jupiter commented as she looked around the group. "So basically
it's like this little pocket-world of yours, just smaller?"
"In essence," Pluto said with a nod. "As you saw earlier, even when it
isn't housing a soul it can be used to project a small dimensional bubble of
sorts to be shaped as desired."
"Susan?" Neptune suddenly spoke up, her face slowly losing most of its
color. "Umm, that isn't what sustains this keep.... is it?"
"Oh, hell," Uranus sighed as Pluto remained silent. "Sue, I thought you
said you weren't going to use those damned things!"
"What I said," Pluto replied testily, "Was that I would no longer create
or use any new soul-runes without a justifiable reason for doing so. All the
devices you see here were fabricated long before I made that promise to you,
and the network of runes that powers this keep were set into place six hundred
years before you were even born. Pre-existing runes and their usage for very
specific tasks are thus exempted from the promise. I understand your concerns
and distaste for them, but I say again that I have not broken my promise to you
since it was made."
"Whatever, Sue," Uranus muttered softly as she glanced away, still rubbing
Neptune's lower back in gesture of comfort.
"You know...." Venus said slowly as she knelt down to scoop up another
marble pyramid, "If they can create a little bubble of reality where the one
inside gets to make the rules.... that sounds like the perfect fantasy world."
"Some might suggest that," Pluto said carefully, giving the blonde a very
curious look. "If I may, Lady Venus, what exactly are you thinking about?"
"Well...." Venus hesitated, giving her an uneasy look.
"Oh, lord, here it comes," Jupiter muttered softly as she put most of her
weight on her quarterstaff.
"You want to use one to create a fantasy playground, don't you?" Mercury
spoke up in a quiet tone, still staring at the marble device in her hands.
"It'd be nice," Venus mused with a longing sigh. "I mean, don't get me
wrong here, I'd just as soon not see this thing put to use imprisoning anyone's
soul simply because it's an evil thing to do. However, if we put it to a good
use instead, such as making a little room or two inside the cathedral without
having to dig through the walls...."
"Interesting suggestion," Pluto said, nodding her head as she contemplated
both the wisdom and merits of the notion.
"Just think about it," Venus said, her voice starting to get excited as
she went on. "We could build ourselves a spa-room like the one Pluto has, we
could make a sort of study room to keep Mercury happy, we could make a huge
greenhouse to see if we can grow some denizen plants without having to worry
about contaminating the local flora, we could mmmprph!"
"Easy, Blondie," Jupiter sighed as she put her hand over Venus's mouth.
"I think you're getting way ahead of yourself here."
"You know...." Uranus said in a low tone to Neptune, "That might not be
such a bad idea after all. Think, if we use up all of Sue's spares for this
and she can't make any more...."
Pluto laughed very softly to herself as she shook her head. "As I said,
I am bound not to craft any new soul-runes absent a just cause. Should a need
arise for one, however, you may rest assured that I will not hesitate to have
the required amount fabricated as soon as possible. In fact, I intend to use
an empty soul-rune later today once we are ready to retrieve Serenity's soul
from the temporary haven I have created."
"Huh?" Uranus blurted out. "Wait, slow down and back up...."
"The souls of Serenity and Raijen will need to be placed somewhere once I
empty the dimensional haven," Pluto explained in a patient tone. "The easiest
solution is to empty it into a waiting soul-rune. Serenity's soul can then be
extracted and returned to the Imperium Silver Crystal, while at the same time
providing a permanent and stable place of residence for Raijen's soul. Or
would you have me consign his soul to oblivion?" she added in a pointed tone.
Jupiter shrugged to herself as she took a final bite out of what was left
of her apple core. "Hey, that sounds like a justified reason to me," she said.
"Besides, I don't see it going over well if someone tried to tell Serena that
we can't keep her father's soul around."
"Hmm," Uranus said quietly, exchanging looks with Neptune.
"I think it's justified," Neptune pointed out in a soft tone.
"Probably," Uranus sighed in reply. "Even if he is a denizen...."
"Hey, hey, hey, none of that," Venus huffed. "Only a handful of denizens
are grade-A buttheads deserving a round to the skull. The rest are just fine,
once you both get to know them and get used to them. You really can't try to
lump Tolaris and Maze in the same basket with dipwads like Rune and Beryl."
Uranus shrugged in dismissal. "We'll see, babe."
"Can I keep this?" Mercury suddenly asked, causing everyone else to blink
in surprise.
Pluto looked at her for a moment before nodding. "You may, but I ask that
you not attempt to experiment with it in any way. I would also ask that you
not allow it to come near either Myst or Sailor Mars as they are both sensitive
to spiritual energies. Neither is likely to do anything, but Myst may panic if
she thinks she is in danger of being trapped within."
"Heh," Uranus chuckled as she looked around the terrain. "Now there's a
visual for you. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty...."
"Alex!" Neptune protested with a frown.
"Aw, c'mon, babe, I'm just kidding," Uranus replied with a smirk.
"Speaking of the little furball...." Jupiter spoke up as she looked around
the immediate area. "I haven't seen her since genius here dunked her in the
tub last night and let her wander off."
"Hey, she didn't seem to mind," Venus pouted.
"Maybe not, but do you remember how badly she reeked?" Jupiter countered.
Pluto just shook her head to herself. "Myst is with Maq'i at the moment
in the residential area," she said calmly. "In fact, if we are indeed finished
here, I think it would be best if we were to return there to prepare for our
return to the present era. Venus, you may put that down," she added calmly.
"I will return to collect them at a later moment."
Venus looked at the soul-rune in her hand before glancing over at the one
held in Mercury's hands. "Hey, how come she gets to keep one and I can't?" she
protested.
A delicate green eyebrow rose up in response to the question. "I have no
doubts about Sailor Mercury's ability to control her curiosity and not attempt
to experiment with the soul-runes as she promised to do," she explained in a
diplomatic tone. "Your sense of curiosity, however, is far more.... potent and
hence exceedingly prone to impulsive experimentation."
"I'm not that bad," Venus said as she started to pout.
"Anecdotal evidence, both past and present, suggests quite the contrary,"
Pluto replied dryly with a soft smile.
"Anyway," Uranus said with a yawn as Venus knelt down to put the pyramid
back on the grass, muttering something impolite beneath her breath. "So now
that we're finished playing games for the morning, think we can go find some
real breakfast? Fruit is nice for starters, but unless you're going go dig up
a whole orchard for us we're going to need a lot more than a couple of natural
juice-balls."
"Heh," Jupiter chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I suppose I could fire up Pluto's
stove and make something a little more substantial. Alright, let's.... wait,
what?" she suddenly said as Mercury reached out to gently grab her arm.
"I have one more question for Sailor Pluto," Mercury said carefully as she
tucked the soul-rune in her Lunar Space pocket. "And I'm not sure if this is
something I'd rather have Sailor Moon or Sailor Mars wondering too hard about
just yet. Call it a hunch," she added in an odd tone.
"Great, now *I'm* worried," Venus sighed.
Pluto regarded Mercury carefully for a moment before nodding. "That all
depends on the nature of your question," she said in a neutral tone.
Mercury looked down at her miniature computer for a moment before closing
the lid with a sigh and returning it to her Lunar Space pocket. "What exactly
is this 'silence' you mentioned earlier?" she asked, reaching up to deactivate
her Virtual Visor.
"Well, shoot, that didn't take long," Uranus muttered quietly to Neptune.
"Thing is, I'm not sure I'm ready to hear about it...."
"Door's over there if you don't want to stick around," Jupiter said with
a casual gesture over her shoulder. "Otherwise, have another bite of fruit and
keep quiet so we can hear this one."
The rest of the group paused as they heard Pluto's soft sigh, the youthful
lines of her face seeming to briefly crease with age and the weight of some
unknown burden. "I will attempt to explain it as best I can, but I ask that
you hold off on your questions until I am finished with my explanation. The
Silence is, in essence, a sinkhole in the flow of Time."
Pluto paused for a few moments to apparently gather her thoughts before
speaking once more. "The exact nature of the Silence is unknown to me. Time
flows through it unabated, but I am unable to access what lies within it. I
cannot see into it nor can I travel into it.... or rather, I hold no confidence
in being able to return from it should I make a concerted effort at entering
it. The center is impossible to pinpoint, but the scope seems to vary from
moment to moment which is not altogether unexpected given the fact that it lies
in the future and that future events are not cast into a rigid mold. Usually,"
she added in a soft tone.
"When is it?" Mercury asked quietly once she was sure Pluto had finished
talking for the moment.
Another heavy sigh rose up from the succubus' chest before she opened her
mouth to answer. "If we use the Moment as a reference point, the soonest I've
encountered the chronopause would be roughly two years from now. I should like
to clarify, however, that it is exceedingly variable and that the median time-
frame would be between four and seven years. The latest I've noticed it would
be ten years from the Moment, as anything later than that is certainly within
the effects of the Silence."
"What?" Venus said in a startled tone. "You mean we've got ten years at
the absolute most before this thing hits us?"
Uranus grunted softly to herself as she reached out to brush her fingers
across Neptune's arm. "Now I know why she flipped out when that Queen Nectar
or whatever her name was said it would be within a year," she muttered darkly.
"Do not panic," Pluto said in a stern voice, cutting off anything else
that might have been said. "Lady Venus, listen very carefully to what I just
said. The flow of Time will not be affected by the Silence, only my ability to
travel freely within it. I very strongly doubt anyone not associated with the
flow of Time will be affected by it or to even be able to notice any changes.
Time will not be stopped by it, as no power in the universe can ever stop Time.
Slow it down, perhaps, but it can never be stopped completely."
"So what causes this thing again?" Jupiter spoke up in a leery tone.
"Unknown," Pluto replied calmly. "Given the expanse of the Silence, I am
categorically unable to determine a source, cause, or trigger for it. As with
all temporal phenomenon, I suspect there is an epicenter of sorts that radiates
the dampening effect in both directions. I have long had the feeling that the
dispersal pattern is distinctly biased in one direction, but I have not been
able to successfully discern when the chronopause ends. Although now that I am
significantly closer to the event in temporal terms, perhaps another attempt
may be in order...." she added in a thoughtful tone, her voice trailing away
to a mere whisper.
"Dammit," Jupiter sighed quietly, resting her weight against her staff.
"Problem, babe?" Uranus inquired carefully.
"Maybe," the brunette replied. "You ever get the feeling that you've got
a really large puzzle in front of you, and that the only thing that's keeping
you from seeing it finished is a single missing dot that needs to be connected
somewhere?"
"When dealing with Sue? All the time," Uranus said dryly, drawing a sigh
from Pluto and a far-from-gentle poke in the ribs from Neptune.
"Okay, Mercury," Venus spoke up in a cheerful tone. "You're our resident
genius and master puzzle-piecer, you take a shot at this. What's the piece we
seem to be missing here?"
Mercury shot her a mildly irritated look before studying Pluto's weary
expression for a number of moments. Four to seven years, she thought, but she
reacted with shock to the notion of it happening in less than one. "But that
wasn't what she reacted to...." she whispered softly to herself, causing the
rest of the group to blink hard.
"Umm...." Venus said carefully.
"Just spit it out," Jupiter said gently.
"You're looking in the wrong place," Mercury said quickly, fixing Pluto
with a firm gaze. "You said you expected the Silence to be here within a few
years, but when you mentioned it to Queen Nectaris she was talking about a call
the Imperium Silver Crystal expects to receive in a year.... the call of this
'chosen one' both you and Queen Andromeda mentioned earlier."
Pluto closed her eyes as she turned her focus inward, rifling through the
virtual library of cataloged memories and information she had gathered over her
seven-hundred-plus years of life. "The prophecy of the Chosen One supposedly
predates the creation of the Moon Kingdom," she said very slowly and carefully,
still trying to locate the exact memory she sought. "I have seen the original
text which was written and preserved, but I will have to review it before I can
state whether or not that may have an influence. The way it was explained to
me interpreted the words as describing the coming of a Chosen One who will set
into motion the end of the world. Whether that means a literal end, such as
the destruction of Creation or at least the planet itself, or a figurative one
is very much open to debate. None, however, dispute that the event will be
anything less than a complete and total catastrophe for everyone concerned."
"Oh, lovely!" Venus gasped, her face completely devoid of color. "And so
this is what's coming down the pipe in the next decade?"
"Mina, please," Pluto whispered quietly, her voice seeming to be strained
by some inner burden. "You must understand, the future has not yet been cast
into a permanent form and nothing is guaranteed. While the Imperium Silver
Crystal possesses unprecedented wisdom and foresight, it is not an omniscient
entity and cannot see into Time as others can. Queen Andromeda may have built
a consensus around the opinion that the Chosen One will soon arrive, but that
event lies in the future and simply cannot be determined with any accuracy. I
myself have seen the world end no less than four times by viewing future events
through the time-stream, and yet we are all still here today."
"Do we want to ask?" Jupiter spoke up in a guarded tone.
Pluto shrugged in dismissal. "As with all defining moments in history,
there are at least two roads to be taken, if not more. One such case was the
Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, where the United States of America was locked in
a very tense situation with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I'm sure
you are aware of how it was ultimately resolved, but when it was viewed a full
millennium before it actually came to pass, the thread I saw was.... decidedly
different. The missiles were launched and the world was eventually sterilized
of multicellular life through the use of nuclear weapons."
Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter all traded sour looks at the thought. "Eww,"
Venus said softly. "I don't think I'll be going near a microwave oven again
anytime soon."
"We never wanted you near one to begin with," Jupiter muttered darkly.
"Okay, so what does this all mean?" Uranus asked in a pointed tone.
"Sailor Pluto...." Mercury said in a worried voice, "Are you absolutely
sure the two aren't related?"
Pluto paused for a moment before shaking her head gently. "No, I am not
sure," she said quietly. "Bear in mind that the last time I tried to study the
Silence was well over a thousand years ago, as I had little reason to worry
about an event that was a considerable distance away even by a time-traveller's
perspective. Indeed, given the amount of energy required to traverse the flow
of Time and the strain it puts on the body, I am limited in the distance I am
safely able to travel from the Moment. The limitation in question works out to
about a thousand years in either direction before I encounter a considerable
amount of stress and strain. Therefore, I.... yes, Lady Uranus?" she sighed as
the blonde suddenly started waving her hand around.
"Is there a point to this, or should I go head upstairs to hunt for some
breakfast now?" Uranus said in a bored tone.
"Perhaps it would be best for you to do just that," Pluto replied in a
diplomatic tone, the edges of her mouth tugging down in a slight frown. "I'm
sure the others will be able to assist you in finding something to eat."
Jupiter just rolled her eyes and sighed. "We can't take you anywhere, can
we? Tell you what, you can come with me and I'll see if I can't whip up some
honey oatmeal to keep that mouth of yours busy. Mercury, do you think you can
follow along with what Pluto is saying and break it down for us later?"
"I should be able to.... I think," Mercury said hesitantly.
"We trust you," Jupiter replied with a nod before hefting her quarterstaff
and heading towards Pluto's keep. "Come on, you blonde barbarian, let's go.
See you girls inside," she added to the others.
"Hey, whoa, stop the music, wait a minuet," Venus protested.
Jupiter paused and cast a very leery glance over her shoulder. "You mean
wait a minute, right?" she ventured.
"I know what I said," Venus countered. "We're talking about the possible
end of the world in a few years, and you just want to wander off to go cook
breakfast?"
Uranus snorted quietly as she brushed past the long-haired blonde. "So
come tap me on the shoulder when it's time to do something about it, you'll get
my attention then. If you're just going to gripe and groan about something
even Sue isn't sure about, however, leave me out of it. If I want a headache,
believe me, I can find a way to make one happen. You coming, babe?" she said
to Neptune.
Neptune visibly hesitated before Pluto spoke up in a gentle tone. "You
need not be worried, Lady Neptune, I have no reason to believe that the world
will end anytime soon. In any case, there is little that can be done at this
point in time, so it does not make any sense to delay breakfast further. We
can discuss this again if you desire to do so at a later date."
"Okay...." Neptune said in a faintly uncertain tone before she glanced at
Mercury. She seemed to sigh quietly before quietly heading after Uranus and
Jupiter as they made their way over to the open keep doors.
Venus looked up at the empty sky before shaking her head. "Am I the ONLY
one here who is worried about this?" she said wearily.
"I assure you the concern is mutual," Pluto said calmly. "What I suspect
we do not share, however, is the degree of anxiety over it. Perhaps you are
allowing your religious background to color your perception," she suggested in
a gentle tone.
"Look, here's the way I see it," Venus said flatly. "A few years from now
we hit a cosmic dead-spot where something happens that you can't see or even
predict. Just for the sake of argument, let's pin the tail on this donkey at
seven years. I don't know what you'll be doing in seven years, but something
tells me that some of us will very likely be happily married by then and will
be actively looking at the decision of starting a family. Wait," she said in
a tone of dread as Pluto suddenly blinked very hard. "Don't tell me that just
now occurred to you...."
"Keep going," the succubus said in a flat tone.
"Well," Venus hedged, "Andromeda said, for what it's worth, that Serena's
daughter will be the Chosen One, right? And if that's the case, a few years
from now seems to be extremely reasonable for such a birth to take place. You
know, right around the time this Silence thing is supposed to hit? HEY!"
"Pluto!" Mercury cried out as Pluto suddenly staggered as if hit, sinking
down to one knee and clutching her staff in a white-knuckled grip. She began
to move forward to help her before halting abruptly as the red gems adorning
the staff suddenly lit up with a truly fierce glow.
"One moment," Pluto rasped as she closed her eyes, holding the staff as
hard as she could. A veil of fog began to surround her, swirling around in a
tight orbit at a frightening speed. A cascade of sparkles began to flow out
from within the looped end of her staff, washing across Pluto's face like so
many microscopic raindrops. Her red eyes snapped open a moment later, glowing
like a pair of red-hot coals drawn from the depths of a roaring blaze.
"I don't like this," Venus said in a low tone, taking a step back from
the temporal maelstrom surrounding Pluto.
Mercury frowned as an odd humming sound started to register on her ears,
pitched at an extremely low frequency and seeming to come from the Key to Time.
"Sailor Pluto, what are you doing?" she called out as she watched her stare
into the stream of sparkles that seemed to surge out from the staff's loop.
"Amazing," Pluto whispered. "The Silence has a definite span, ending some
four hundred years after it begins. The majority of the threads I see emerging
after that epoch reveals that the world is quite intact in a geophysical sense,
but forever changed in so many ways. Absolutely fascinating...."
"Great," Venus muttered as she looked over at Mercury. "Soon as we get
back, I'm going to have to spend some time at a church. Sounds like what they
said is true.... Jesus is coming back, and boy is he gonna be pissed."
"Somehow, I don't think that's going to be the case," Mercury rebuked in
a moderate tone.
"You know what I mean," Venus replied with a truly heavy sigh. "You back
with us now?" she added as Pluto suddenly stood up, both the stream of sparkles
and the curtain of dark vapor quickly dissipating around her.
"I believe so," Pluto replied calmly with a nod of her head. "I am more
than a little displeased with myself for failing to consider the prospect that
the two could be related, which I must point out that I have yet to decisively
determine, but the likelihood of just such a scenario is.... greater than what
it was five minutes ago," she admitted. "Shall we go join the others now? I
believe that enough time has elapsed for breakfast to have begun in earnest, if
only on the stove if not at the table yet."
"HOLD IT!" Venus screamed loudly, clenching both hands into fists and her
face suddenly turning a vivid shade of purple. "We just figured out that the
world is going to be worked over in a few years, and you want to just go trot
on upstairs for a freakin' blueberry muffin? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
Pluto just sighed quietly and waited for Mercury to quit massaging the
outer portions of her ear canals. "Lady Venus," she said in a very slow and
patient tone, "I should like to remind you of two things. The first being that
nothing is set into stone in the future, which means events may or may not come
to pass as expected or predicted. Second, even if we were to base our reaction
on the presumption that the Silence will be upon us when the Chosen One is born
and that Serena is now pregnant with her, we still have at a minimum seven full
months to devise a course of action and set it into motion.
"Also, as this would be an event of cosmic significance, you may both
expect and rely upon the full power and intervention of the pantheon of gods to
aid and assist us. Such an action would have to be coordinated with them ahead
of time, of course, and I assure you that they will be duly notified as soon as
we return to the present. As that has already been planned, I see no intrinsic
value to be derived from an uncontrolled emotional outburst. Please calm down
and attempt to think like the rational individual that I have every faith you
can be when you desire to."
Venus just stared at her for a moment before turning to Mercury, reaching
up to furiously massage her temples in the process. "You want to translate
that for me?" she asked in a weary tone. "The throbbing of my pulse in my ears
is making it difficult for me to follow along."
Mercury paused to give Pluto a very uneasy look before drawing a very deep
breath. "Would you worry about a mid-term exam in Calculus that's scheduled
for three years from now?" she suggested. "What I think she just said is that
it's entirely too soon for worrying. After all, you might end up not taking
Calculus at all."
"Umm, that's not a good example," the blonde pointed out carefully. "I
know for an absolute fact that you're studying calculus on your own right now
and that you won't be taking the class for another two years."
"Do you understand the basic premise?" Pluto spoke up. "I myself am just
as concerned about this situation as you are, but I also know that an almost
incalculable number of events can happen between now and then that could very
easily change the final outcome. What if Serena miscarries? What if she is
injured and cannot bear children? What if Darian has another child first?
What if either one of them dies before then? All are possible, if unsavory,
prospects for the future.
"Also, that doesn't take into account the fact that we are operating on
several assumptions that could be wrong. What if Serena's child is not the
Chosen One? What if the summons is received within a year as expected and the
Silence is still several years away? Keep in mind that the Negaverse and its
influences lie outside our universe and thus their actions cannot be safely
factored into the equation one way or the other. What if they invade Earth?
There are simply too many plausible what-if's to permit us to make any sort of
definitive judgment on what is to come, and that doesn't even begin to take
into account all the other unknown variables inherent to existing. When the
picture becomes clearer, Lady Venus, I swear by my mother's lost soul that
action *will* be taken, but until then.... what use is it to, as it is said,
run around like a chicken with her head cut off and a lit stick of dynamite
crammed up her bum?"
Both Mercury and Venus gave her pained looks before the blonde shook her
head in resignation. "Thanks for the visual," she muttered. "I think now is
a good time to head back upstairs and find some steel wool so I can scrub that
one from my mind."
"Behind the sink, on the right," Pluto said lightly.
"You know, I'm really beginning to understand what Uranus' problem is when
it comes to dealing with you," Venus grumbled. "Oh, whoops, the end of the
world is a lot closer than I thought! Oh, well, pass the strawberry jam? I
think I need a cigarette or something," she sighed as she turned around and
began to wander off towards the keep's open doors.
Mercury sighed softly before looking up at Pluto, taking a moment to make
note of the sudden profusion of tiny wrinkles and stress-likes that were now
visible around the edges of her otherwise youthful face. "Sailor Pluto...."
she said in a cautious tone.
"What would you have me do, Ami?" Pluto said quietly.
"Save the world from a disaster?" Mercury replied pointedly.
Pluto raised a delicate green eyebrow in response. "An excellent course
of action, if I may say so," she replied in a measured tone. "As we are in
perfect agreement and you having made the initial suggestion, I should like to
consult the depths of your knowledge and wisdom to ask one question.... How?
I sense by your sudden hesitation that you do not yet know how," she added as
Mercury remained silent. "I myself do not know how, either, and it is this
hurdle which we must first overcome before we can worry about other events."
Mercury sighed and reached up to rub the bridge of her nose. "Pluto, do
you have any idea how contradictory you sound at times?" she said in a very
weary tone. "You say we have all this time to figure something out, but you
yourself have pointed out in the past that time is not always in as abundant a
supply as we may believe. You seem to possess great amounts of knowledge about
past and obscure events, yet when we need information the most you are unable
to provide it. When you do provide an answer for us, usually it's couched in
cryptic terms that renders it useless for an immediate application. And when
someone finally calls you on it, you get sarcastic and snippy," she finished,
giving the green-haired woman a moderate glare.
"I ask again," Pluto replied with a soft sigh. "What would you have me
do? Shall I remain silent when I encounter a situation in which I have a fair
understanding of its nature? Shall I keep my personal knowledge to myself and
spare you the experience of having it related? I sincerely hope you will be
able to forgive me for persisting in such activities, as I have spent some six
hundred years serving as an advisor to a succession of Queens and Princesses.
As such, sharing my knowledge has been one of my primary duties. Old habits,
as it is said, are not so easily dismissed. Neither you nor any of the others
are under any obligation to take heed of my advice, but I should like to point
out that I will most assuredly not take kindly to accusations of maliciously
withholding such information once I've been asked to cease volunteering it."
Mercury simply closed her eyes and slowly exhaled through her nose. "You
have a valid point," she said softly.
"Believe what you will, I do understand your concerns," Pluto explained in
a gentle tone. "However, I do not believe you understand my perspective. I am
not a full-blooded human as you are, but a hybrid trapped between two worlds.
I am forced to see things through two sets of eyes, judge things according to
two sets of standards, things such as rules and laws and traditions and social
expectations. I was condemned since birth in more ways than you could possibly
imagine, ageless and eternal, charged with duties that not only lie in the
world as you know it but in a world that you've never encountered before or had
reason to even believe truly exists. I am the Guardian of Time, a duty which
supersedes my duties as a Sailor Scout, and as such my concerns and approaches
to a given situation must reflect that."
"Guarding time from what?" Mercury inquired in a slightly wary tone.
"Improper influences," Pluto replied as she made a gesture, heading off
towards the doors of her keep at a slow pace. She waited for Mercury to fall
into step beside her before continuing. "Those who do not have physical access
to the Portal of Time and wish to traverse the Flow must go through me first.
Only the pantheon of gods and their most trusted minions can gain entry to the
chamber that houses the Portal without my knowledge and consent, and not even
they can prevent me from sealing the Portal if I deem it necessary to do so.
Such a duty bears a tremendous amount of responsibility, as you can imagine,
and the price for failure is.... nothing to be taken lightly," she said, her
voice softening to a pained whisper.
Mercury remained silent as they entered the keep, coming to a halt just
inside the iron doors and waiting for them to close behind them. They did so
with a heavy boom, causing the array of glowstones set in the chandeliers to
suddenly illuminate. "Has it always been like that?" she finally asked as they
resumed their journey through the keep.
"Like what?" Pluto inquired absently.
"That your family has guarded this.... portal," Mercury explained, her
voice trailing away as they encountered a stone wall where the hallway used to
be. Sailor Venus was leaning against it, her arms crossed over her chest and
a very dark look of brooding on her face. "Oops, they took it upstairs, didn't
they?" Mercury said to Pluto.
"Yup," Venus said in a flat tone. "And I couldn't find a staircase in
this stone monstrosity, either. That's a building-code violation, you know,"
she added as a warning.
"A trivial matter," Pluto replied with a shrug as she held out her staff.
She waited until both Mercury and Venus had reached out to touch it before
turning her focus inward, commanding the staff to open a very short and narrow
conduit into the flow of Time. Traversing the blue stream took literally less
than a fraction of a second, the walls of the foyer seeming to suddenly become
the walls of the residential area in a momentary pulse of light.
"Oh, there you are," Uranus called out as she was momentarily startled by
the sudden appearance of the three women. "Just in time, too, although that
really isn't a shocker or anything," she added dryly before scooping up another
spoonful of oatmeal.
"Eh?" Jupiter said as she stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Oh, hey,"
she added. "Hang on, three more bowls, coming up," she promised as she ducked
back into the kitchen.
Mercury frowned slightly as Venus brushed past her, moving over to plop
down in the beanbag behind her synthesizer. The device was immediately powered
up and the volume dialed down, the blonde's fingertips starting to wander over
the keys in a seemingly random motion as she toyed with the settings.
A quick glance around the room showed that Sailor Moon was sitting on the
floor with Myst curled up in her lap, the gray kitten appearing to not have
been disturbed in the slightest by Pluto's dimension-shifting. The back of her
Sailor Suit had been cut open by something, allowing her to release her denizen
wings to lazily drift around. Maq'i was kneeling behind her, one hand resting
on Sailor Moon's exposed back with a faint white glow surrounding her fingers
as she checked her condition.
Uranus and Neptune were curled up on their L-shaped couch while Darian and
Mars were sitting on the other couch, all four of them contentedly eating their
bowls of oatmeal. The smell of honey, vanilla, and oats was easily discernible
in the air as Jupiter returned to the main room with three large plastic bowls
casually perched on a wooden serving tray.
"Here," Jupiter said as she casually set a bowl down on the synthesizer's
keyboard. The gesture produced a flat squeal of harmonics, drawing a truly
dark look and a soft snarl from Venus before the bowl was all but tossed onto
the floor beside her.
Jupiter blinked and regarded her carefully for a moment before heading
over to where Mercury and Pluto were standing. "I see someone's in a mood,"
she grumbled as she offered a bowl to Mercury. "I can't find what I did with
the jar of cinnamon, so you'll just have to cope until I figure out where it
wandered off to. Toast should be ready soon," she added.
"Thanks," Mercury said, only slightly disappointed about the lack of one
of her favorite spices. She paused and looked up at Pluto as a thought popped
back into her mind. "You haven't answered my question yet," she reminded the
succubus. "About guarding the portal you keep talking about."
"Babe, don't ask," Uranus spoke up around a mouthful of oatmeal as Pluto
silently made her way over to her armchair. "If it has anything to do with
Time as an entity, you really don't want to ask her to explain anything unless
you want to get a serious headache."
"To answer part of your question, Sailor Mercury," Pluto spoke up in an
unusually quiet tone as she sat down, "The Key to Time has always been in the
hands of my House, much as the Soul Saber has always been entrusted to the
House of Uranus and the Soul Mirror placed in the care of the House of Neptune.
That I was.... appointed as the Guardian of Time, however, is another matter
entirely."
"Yeah, hold that thought for a few," Jupiter said as she quickly headed
back into the kitchen.
Mercury looked around the room for a place to sit, frowning slightly as
she realized that her options were to either borrow the webbed cup-like chair
Serena had made, sit on the cushion in the circle of candles Rei had created,
or wedge herself between Darian and Mars on the couch. "Mars, do you mind if
I borrow that for awhile?" she asked, making a gesture to the cushion.
"Here," Mars said simply as she stood up and moved over to the cushion.
The priestess sat down without another word, freezing in mid-motion as the
candle wicks promptly reignited with dark green flames without warning. She
cast a deeply suspicious look at them before seeming to sigh in resignation,
idly fluffing out the pillow before returning to the casual task of scooping
mouthfuls of oatmeal out of her bowl.
"Thanks," Mercury said in a carefully-pitched tone, warily eyeing the now-
vacant couch cushion next to Darian. He had gotten rid of the white desert
robes at some point and was casually dressed in a shirt and jeans, seeming to
keep one eye on Sailor Moon and Maq'i as he ate his oatmeal. Mercury sighed
quietly to herself as she sat down, unobtrusively trying to keep as much space
between her and Darian as was politely possible. She knew that he wouldn't be
a hazard to her or anything, but his quiet confession of once having had a sort
of crush on her and the recent issues between him, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Mars
had left her feeling slightly unsettled with his presence for some reason.
"Toast's ready," Jupiter announced to the room as she came back out of the
kitchen with a bowl of oatmeal and a small serving tray stacked with what had
to be at least a full loaf of moderately-toasted bread. A small bowl of butter
and a blunt-tipped knife accompanied the towering pile as it was carried over
to Venus' synthesizer and carefully perched on the corner, positioned so as not
to be in the blonde's way.
Jupiter paused as she glanced up and caught the momentary change in Venus'
expression. "You alright?" she asked in a careful tone, feeling a slight chill
form in her blood. She blinked as Venus simply reached out to grab a slice of
toast, rudely dragging the corner of the crust across the top of the butter
before jamming fully half of it into her mouth. "Okay...." the brunette said
in a dubious tone as she stood up straight, casting an uneasy glance over her
shoulder at the rest of the group.
"One of those mornings, it seems," Pluto said with a shrug of dismissal.
"Right," Jupiter replied, clearly not convinced. She glanced around the
room for a moment before making her way over to the webbed chair, nudging the
frame with her knee. She frowned slightly at the way it rolled back on its
mount, muttering something undecipherable beneath her breath as she carefully
held it steady before sitting down in it. "So if you don't mind my asking, can
you tell us about these toys we had back in the Moon Kingdom?" she called out
once she was sure her weight wouldn't cause the chair to roll around.
"I suppose I could," Pluto replied calmly. "However, it may be easier for
me to simply relate a condensed version of the history and origins of both the
Sailor Scouts and the Moon Kingdom, as that should answer both your question
in full and Sailor Mercury's question in part. The other part of the question,
however, I am.... not so eager to answer given the fact that it is without
question the most painful memory of my seven centuries of life."
The rest of the group suddenly sat up a little straighter and started to
exchange uneasy glances. "You mean about you becoming the Guardian of Time?"
Mercury ventured in a cautious tone.
"Indeed," the green-haired woman replied with a somber nod.
"Humor me for a moment, Sue," Uranus spoke up between bites of oatmeal.
"I've had a hard time lately keeping up with your definitions of things like
good, bad, and painful. Give me a quick run-down of your idea of painful?"
Pluto looked at her for a moment before sighing in resignation. "Painful
is being raped by a demigod for the explicit purpose of bringing me to brink of
death in order to be able bind my soul to the very foundation of the fabric of
space-time, thus Damning me to an eternity of suffering once I pass from this
mortal coil," she said quietly, her voice starting to waver ever so slightly
with barely-controlled emotion.
Virtually everyone flinched in unison as Venus immediately choked hard on
her oatmeal, resulting in a minor explosion of honeyed oats onto her keyboard
that very narrowly missed coating the stack of toast. "WHAT?!" she rasped the
instant her throat was free enough to talk, her blue eyes tripling in diameter.
"I will explain in due course," Pluto said softly, her face seeming to be
unusually pale. "However, let me begin where all stories should, at the very
beginning of it all in an era where both the gods and mortal men were still a
relatively recent development to the firmament of Creation...."
* * * *
For all the gifts the pantheon had bestowed upon humankind, there existed
the belief that man's capacity for development and self-improvement was not
being fully explored despite their potential for intelligence. A faction arose
in the pantheon who believed that this was caused not by a lack of knowledge,
but by failing to retain that knowledge for subsequent generations. While some
tried to ensure that such information would be preserved in what today would be
called conventional terms, others thought it best to try to create a central
repository for such knowledge and wisdom.
A receptacle was created from the very threads of Chaos that once gave
rise to the gods themselves, a glittering sphere intended to house the minds
and souls of the greatest of human scholars. This sphere would thus be able to
preserve their knowledge and wisdom, imparting it to others as was needed to
further the development of mankind.
The pantheon was aware of the fact that knowledge is power, however, and
took steps to ensure that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands where it could
potentially bring ruin to both man and god. It was finally decided that this
receptacle would be located away from the planet, enshrined in a hidden place
on the Moon instead. And so an artificial kingdom was constructed, using the
knowledge of divine science to permit life to exist and thrive in the otherwise
empty void.
Keeping the Moon Kingdom totally isolated, however, would defeat the whole
purpose of its construction, and so a Bridge was built to span the distance
between the Earth and the Moon. Still impressed by the epic efforts of ancient
druids, they anchored the Earth-bound end of the Bridge to the great monolithic
structure called Stonehenge. The construction and binding was such as to allow
the portal in the Moon Kingdom to open either at Stonehenge or at any point on
the planet directly beneath it when the portal is activated.
Much like a temple of worship, the new kingdom needed to be protected by
dedicated warriors and run by an undisputed authority. To that end a summons
was issued to bring forth mankind's finest female warriors of the era, all rare
sights in a world still dominated by men. A number of applicants responded to
the call, priestesses and maidens and warriors coming from all walks of life
around the entire planet. From this gathering the pantheon selected nine of
the best women, all with stout hearts and pure souls, to represent them and
serve as their chosen avatars.
They offered the crown of the Moon Kingdom to the one with the purest of
souls and most humble of natures, a devout holy knight who had been born a mere
peasant into a harsh life of poverty and had risen through the ranks through
sheer force of virtue and pious character. Many were surprised when she sought
to decline the honor, saying that she herself was unworthy of the role. When
asked about her decision, she confessed that it would be honor enough to serve
as an instructor and guide to the new queen and that she sought no higher role.
Impressed by her humility, the pantheon decided to hand the throne not to her
but to her daughter instead, explaining that the new queen could find no better
or more noble an instructor to have than her own mother.
To the others was offered a similar role, to impart upon their children
all the skills and knowledge and virtues that they had learned. In exchange,
the pantheon would empower their bloodlines to enable them to serve their new
kingdom and queen as few mortals could. One by one the gods came to their new
avatars, blessing them with their gifts and imprinting their souls with their
powers to be passed along the female bloodline. Thus were the nine Houses of
the Moon created, and as a sign of faith each was entrusted with an artifact
cast from the finest of materials and shaped upon the Hellforge by the hand of
the lame god Hephaestus.
The House of Mercury was founded by the god Hermes, who gifted his chosen
avatar with the power of elemental water and blessed her with a keen intellect
to be able to analyze a situation and swiftly deliver the report to her queen.
He sought to provide her with a replica of his herald staff, the snake-entwined
caduceus to further augment her abilities, but his avatar declined because she
did not care for reptiles. Instead, she was given the silvery Aqua Harp, the
delicate chords able to entice water to bend to her will and soothe even the
stoutest of hearts with gentle melodies.
The House of Venus was created by the goddess Aphrodite, bestowing upon
her new bloodline the power of elemental light as well as gifting them with
both divine grace and extraordinary beauty. A specially-crafted whip was given
to the new warrior, the Love Chain, consisting of extremely fine gold links
each carefully bent into the shape of a heart. The weapon's tip was forged
from the seed of a star, neither physical nor spectral, focusing the power of
light to deliver either burning pain or the warmth of pleasure as the wielder
desired.
The god Ares took charge of the House of Mars, imbuing his chosen avatar
with the burning fires of war and the ability to draw upon that element in both
physical and spiritual terms. His avatar spurned his offer of a spear as a
weapon, preferring instead to rain death upon her foes from a distance, and so
was the flaming Sniper Bow crafted to be her unerring ally on the battlefield.
Zeus, the King of the Gods, laid claim to the House of Jupiter, vesting
his avatar with the power of elemental thunder that he too favored. He filled
her body with strength and power, the better to smite all who dared cross her
path. It was said that Zeus himself toiled upon the Hellforge to craft a pair
of copper wristbands for her, the Thunderclaps. Each one consisted of fifty
miniature spines in the shape of the jagged bolts he uses, so that when needed
she could call upon the fury of a hundred thunderbolts to aid her in battle.
The House of Saturn was formed by the god Cronus, Zeus's father, who gave
his chosen avatar some of his powers in the harvesting domain of Death. The
intense power in her blood weakened her, however, limiting her ability to use
her dark gift and thus forcing her to only call upon it when truly needed. To
aid her, she was given Silence, a glaive-like polearm tipped with the blade of
a scythe that was said to be able to cleave the soul of any living being struck
by the dark metal.
Ouranos, the sky god and grandfather of Zeus, laid claim to another avatar
and founded the House of Uranus. He infused her with the power of the winds,
allowing her to call upon their stinging fury when in need. He also granted
her blood a measure of the wind itself, allowing her to run faster and longer
than most others. Impressed with the power of Saturn's Silence weapon, he had
a sword crafted with similar properties and called it the Soul Saber, keeping
the deathly edge but reshaping it into a far more versatile form that could be
wielded with greater speed and agility.
The House of Neptune was created by Poseidon, god of the sea, who gave his
chosen avatar the ability to call upon the power of the ocean's deeps. They
both felt that such power should never be used offensively, and so a special
mirror was crafted for her, the Soul Mirror, that could passively ward off or
even deflect hostile powers that were sent in her direction.
The last of the Houses, the House of Pluto, was founded by Hades, Lord of
the Underworld. To maintain the mystique of his domain, he infused his avatar
with the power of elemental darkness and shadows so that none would truly be
able to see past her. The souls of the dead were bound to her command, to be
called upon to vent their immortal fury toward her opponents as she wished. A
political decision was made to entrust her bloodline with the Key to Time, to
serve as a moderator for those who would traverse the eternal flow. When first
given, it had the ability to project a Soul Shield, an impassible barrier that
could protect all who stood behind it from direct harm.
Finally, the Royal House of the Moon was created with the birth of the
first Queen. The Imperium Silver Crystal, the intended receptacle of all the
knowledge that was to be imprinted upon it, was given to her and bound to the
power of her blood and pure spirit. The others were in turn bound to the power
of the Crystal, forming a balanced circle of nine entities that persisted over
countless centuries that we are all descended from today....
* * * *
Pluto sighed softly to herself as she looked up at the rest of the group,
part of her taking comfort in the looks of rapt attention on their faces. The
rest of her, however, was turning deathly cold at the prospect of relating the
story of the single most painful and darkest hour of her entire existence.
"When the first avatar died," she continued to explain, "The Queen mourned
her loss so much that she refused to allow her soul to be taken down to the
Underworld. Instead, she had it drawn into the Imperium Silver Crystal where
she could have access to both the knowledge and personality that she had come
to love as only a true friend could. Ever since then, the souls of the Sailor
Scouts have been drawn into the Crystal to be preserved. When the Queen passed
away as well, her daughter also bade the Crystal to open up to receive her
soul, forming a tradition that has been largely unbroken to this very day.
"As the centuries passed and the souls of the Houses began to accumulate,
the Crystal began to take on a life of its own. Fueled by the innate powers of
the deceased and governed by the combined consciousness, it soon evolved into
a sentient free-willed entity. As it was forged from the very same threads of
Chaos that binds Creation together, it began to have an influence on the fabric
of space-time that persists to this day. The power has become such that the
world as we know it can no longer exist without the Imperium Silver Crystal, a
consequence the pantheon did not foresee.
"The realization that even the Gods were now bound by this cosmic force,
kept in check solely by the will and spirit of a single mortal bloodline, was
enough to cause a sort of internal rebellion within the pantheon. The deities
began to exert their own influences on their avatars, trying to 'improve' the
bloodline and make it less susceptible to weakness or destruction.
"It was during this initial 'panic' episode that new powers were given to
certain bloodlines. The latent spiritual energies of the House of Mars, the
power of astrology to the House of Saturn, and the innate sensory awareness of
the House of Neptune are only three of the more obvious examples of.... not so
much divine intervention so much as.... divine tinkering."
"Innate sensory awareness?" Uranus echoed as she turned to give Neptune a
slightly confused look. Neptune blinked and gave her a helpless shrug before
turning her attention back to Pluto.
"I can explain it later if you wish," Pluto said quietly. "In any case,
I will not be so bold as to suggest that the circumstances of my birth were
consciously or deliberately set up as a genetic experiment of some kind, but
neither will I simply dismiss the prospect out of hand. Regardless, my birth
was allowed to come about when it could easily have been terminated, so now the
pantheon has been able to determine what sort of good and ill can come of such
a thing.... as well as the repercussions and consequences."
The rest of the room started to exchange uneasy glances at the visible
change in Pluto's mood. "You mean your role as Guardian of Time?" Mercury
spoke up in a hesitant tone. She blinked as her question was met with a very
soft laugh of distinct irony.
"My role...." Pluto echoed in a pained whisper before the bitter chuckles
finally passed. "Perhaps I used the wrong words earlier to describe the exact
nature of my situation. One isn't appointed as the Guardian of Time, but is
instead condemned to it. I will attempt to explain, but I ask that you bear
with me as the memories are.... not pleasant."
"Think some tea would help?" Jupiter offered as she tried to get up from
the webbed chair. The shift in weight caused the base to roll backwards on the
mount, almost throwing her head-over-heels onto the floor. She grabbed onto
the frame by pure reflex, keeping herself in place through sheer arm-strength
alone. Her sense of balance quickly caught up with her, allowing her to very
gingerly ease her legs forward until they rested on the solid ground.
"Not a word," she growled to the rest of the group as she stood up.
"The offer of tea is appreciated, Lady Jupiter," Pluto said quietly.
"Not a problem," the brunette replied as she started to head towards the
kitchen. "Anyone else want anything while I'm up?"
Maq'i nodded as she rose to her feet. "If you are offering, I would like
to ask for some tea as well," she said gently.
"Just make a pot," Mars spoke up from her cushion.
"Figures," Jupiter chuckled quietly as she disappeared around the corner.
Pluto sighed quietly and looked over at both Maq'i and Sailor Moon. "I
trust that the Princess is not showing any signs of illness or injury?" she
asked as the blonde started to rise to her feet as well, still holding Myst in
her arms.
Maq'i chuckled quietly as she made her way over to the eggshell-shaped
chair she had crafted earlier. "She's in remarkable health, given the events
of the past few days. I can say with virtual certainty that the Chaos Factor
has indeed run its course and that her body is quite stable. I don't think her
denizen blood will be adding any new surprises anymore, although I have to
point out that it only applies to new latencies and not what she already has."
"Meaning?" Uranus asked in a wary tone. She paused as she watched Sailor
Moon's exposed wings reaching out, grabbing Darian's arm and all but dragging
him off the couch. "Okay, I'll admit it, that's a nice trick," she muttered to
Neptune as Darian was deposited in the webbed chair with a powerful flick of
the glowing ribbons.
Maq'i waited for Sailor Moon to curl up next to Darian before shaking her
head and explaining. "She will not develop any new powers, but she might find
new ways to use what powers she currently has, whatever they might be. That is
often the hardest part of surviving the Chaos Factor, not just determining what
you can do but how to do it without harm. A classic example would be seeing if
it would be possible for her to fly. She has wings, of course, but it would be
up to her to see if she can achieve flight."
"Wings alone are not enough to achieve that," Pluto pointed out gently.
"There are other factors to consider, such as surface area and body weight."
"If we were to use conventional metrics, that would pose a problem," the
elderly Healer countered. "However, I must remind you that the Chaos Factor is
not limited by the laws of physics as we know it. Granted we can usually show
a definitive biological reaction within the cells that lead to an outpouring of
energy that is then shaped to produce a given reaction, but the exact chemical
mechanism for shaping that power and how it is applied is very much beyond our
level of medical science."
Everyone blinked as there was a muted squeal from the webbed chair, all
eyes turning towards a rapidly-blushing Sailor Moon. Behind her, Darian was
lifting his head up from the back of her neck, giving her a somewhat unamused
look. "What?" he asked in a quiet tone, acutely aware of the room's focus.
"Your lips were cold," Sailor Moon muttered softly in a triple-tone voice,
her blush darkening by at least three shades. She glanced around the room for
an instant before she focused her gaze on the ball of gray fur in her lap,
running her fingertips through Myst's fur at a rapid pace.
"Been there, done that," Uranus replied with a shrug of dismissal, pausing
as she found herself on the receiving end of a rather dark glare. "Wait, don't
look at me like that, you know I didn't meant it like that," she protested.
"I know how you meant it," Neptune responded primly.
Darian coughed loudly as he gently leaned Sailor Moon against him. "So
you're saying it's possible she can fly?" he asked Maq'i, more out of genuine
curiosity than as an attempt at staving off an argument between lovers.
"It is the Chaos Factor, your Highness," Maq'i replied with a soft sigh.
"Who can say what form it will take or the results it will bring?"
"Do you think the NegaForce might know?" Mars spoke up quietly, causing
the rest of the room to blink virtually in unison.
Darian and Maq'i exchanged glances in heavy silence before she cleared her
throat gently. "I very strongly doubt it, dear child," she said, seeming to
choose her words with care. "While it is certainly a higher power, there are
a few known limitations to what it can do. If it could shape or otherwise have
an influence on the final configuration of the Chaos Factor, surely it would
have already done so with the royal bloodline."
"Beryl's powers weren't what you'd call flashy or spectacular," Darian
spoke up in a dry tone, a faint smirk tugging on his lips. "Trust me, she had
plenty of raw power and the ability to throw it around with effect, but there
was very little grace or style to it. What?" he added in a very soft tone as
Sailor Moon twisted around to look at him, her golden eyes seeming to be filled
with unease.
"Do I want to ask?" she inquired carefully.
"Hey, at least when you turn someone to moondust, you not only do it with
a little flair and style but you also clean up the mess left behind," Darian
replied with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
A soft snort rose up from the floor cushion. "You're pushing the terms,
Darian," Mars muttered as she closed her eyes.
"I'm not the one who was given a DustBuster as a Christmas gift after a
particular battle when you turned someone into charcoal dust," Darian replied
with a languid grin.
"A particular brand-name for a hand-held vacuum cleaner," Pluto spoke up
as Uranus started to open her mouth.
"Oh, okay. Thanks, Sue," Uranus replied.
"So that was you," Mars said, opening her eyes to glare at Darian.
"I told you, I'm not the one who gave it to you," Darian reminded her.
There was a slight sloshing noise as Jupiter came to an abrupt stop, the
steaming liquid in the teapot coming dangerously close to spilling out. She
paused for a moment to steady the serving tray before giving both Darian and
Mars uneasy looks. "You know, I really hate it when I walk into conversations
like this," she said slowly as she carried the tray over to Pluto. "Do I want
to ask who gave what to Mars?"
Pluto sighed as a very awkward silence promptly ensued, fully aware of the
way that the words could be twisted and misinterpreted. "A holiday gift after
a particular incident, it seems," the succubus said as she accepted an empty
cup that was promptly filled with herbal tea.
Jupiter thought about it for a moment before casting a glance over her
shoulder. "Don't tell me you're still upset about the DustBuster joke," she
said as she gave the priestess a measured look.
"Just pour the tea without burning anyone," Mars replied in a voice as
flat as paved concrete.
Jupiter just muttered something to herself about pyromaniacs and scalding-
hot liquids before carrying the tray over to Maq'i, ignoring the reproachful
look of amusement on Pluto's face. "Here," she said to the Healer, "This is
just ordinary green tea with a little honey, it shouldn't bother you at all."
"I should hope not," Maq'i replied with a quiet chuckle as she accepted
the offered cup and waited for it to be filled.
"Uh, hang on a second," Darian spoke up in a slightly edgy tone. "You do
remember what happens when you give green tea to denizens, right?"
"You mean what happens when Maze drinks green tea," Jupiter countered in
an unusually patient tone, giving Maq'i a reassuring look. "Nobody else had
any problems with it, and Ra'vel's digestive system is a little more sensitive
to such things than the others are."
"If you insist," Darian replied warily as he sat back, clearly not very
convinced.
Maq'i paused for a moment before glancing down at the cup of steaming tea
in her hands. "If I may, dear child...." she started to say.
"Maze had a full bladder to begin with, and the tea just made it worse,"
Jupiter explained over her shoulder as she carried the tea pot over to where
Mars was sitting and gently set it down on the floor in front of her. "To make
a long story short, he swore to us with a rather serious expression that after
drinking the tea he promptly spent a full five minutes in front of the toilet
dehydrating himself."
"Ah," the elderly Healer said in a calm tone of understanding. She seemed
to pause for a contemplative moment before giving Mercury an intrigued look.
"If I may, do you think it would be possible for me to take a number of your
human foodstuffs back to the Negaverse with me for study? I believe I just
might be able to put some of them to medicinal and therapeutic use, providing
I can test them for safety beforehand."
Mercury blinked in surprise at the request. "You mean the tea?" she asked
in a careful tone.
"Samples of everything that have elicited unexpected reactions from your
denizen friends," Maq'i clarified. "I realize that it would amount to a rather
large list of items, given all the anecdotes you have told me lately, but I'm
sure it would be worth the effort to analyze even a fraction of them for uses
in my field."
"Hey, now there's a thought," Venus spoke up, seeming to suddenly slip out
of her dark mood as if a switch had been thrown. "I wonder if we could set up
a sort of export business? Think about it.... if we start shipping lots of tea
and chocolate to places like the Imperial Castle, they'd be kept busy in either
the bedroom or the bathroom and won't be able to bother us...."
"Venus!" Sailor Moon exclaimed with a badly-muffled giggle.
"Heh," Jupiter chuckled as she sat down on the couch next to Mercury and
casually stretched out. "I think I could throw together a basket of goodies
for you from the kitchen once we get back. Nothing lethal, of course, and we
can ask Mercury here to draw up a descriptive list of what everything does.
Don't look at me like that," she added as Mercury gave her a mild look. "You
know your handwriting is a lot better than mine, and I can't scribble down
those dead spiders they call a language like you can."
"What?" Neptune suddenly asked, sitting up a little straighter with an
uneasy look on her face.
"Relax, not literal spiders," Jupiter said with another quiet chuckle.
"Remind me later and I can show you an example of what the written denizen
language looks like. Most of us agree it looks like a horde of tiny spiders
that all got run over by a truck," she added with an amused smirk.
"Oh, okay," Neptune replied, seeming to relax slightly. She caught the
look of amusement on Uranus' face and sighed, leaning against her lover with a
faint blush of embarrassment.
A gentle silence fell around the room for a few moments before it was
broken by an unusually heavy sigh from Pluto. She glanced up as she realized
that she had done so far louder than she had intended, sighing softly again
before giving the room a very faint and wan smile.
"My apologies," she said quietly. "I must confess that I am.... more than
a little distracted by the memories. It was.... the singular most painful and
defining moment in my entire life, and not just because of the consequences of
my actions."
"Yeah...." Venus said slowly, suddenly seeming to return to a mental state
that was somewhere between horror and depression. "About what you said earlier
about some demigod or something...."
"I will explain in a moment," Pluto replied softly.
"If this is just because I asked about being Guardian of Time, you don't
have to explain anything if you don't want to," Mercury quickly spoke up.
Pluto shook her head gently before taking a sip of her tea. "No, I think
the time has come to both unburden the remains of my soul and allow you a brief
glimpse into one of the many events that have shaped me into what I am today.
Perhaps once you hear about it for yourselves you will not be so willing to
simply dismiss my words of advice or understanding out of hand."
The rest of the group seemed to blink in unison at the shift in her tone,
exchanging slightly uneasy glances with one another before absently making
themselves comfortable. Pluto sighed again and paused to empty her teacup
before taking a slow and measured breath.
"I was nineteen at the time, a literal lifetime ago given my current age,"
she said calmly. "To put things in perspective, it was the late third-century
A.D. and the global civilization was.... I wouldn't say rudimentary, but hardly
advanced. My mother and I were taking a stroll through what is now known as
the Black Forest in Germany. I had the Key to Time with me, of course, as it
was the birthright of my House and was therefore my duty to guard it. It had
been explained to me what it could do and how I was permitted to use it.... as
well as what I was forbidden to do with it.
"I was.... young and inexperienced. Even though I was a few years older
than you are now, I was still somewhat childish inside. Perhaps that was due
to my demonic heritage, which had been awakened only three years earlier and I
had yet to fully comprehend, let alone control. I was getting better at it as
the days and weeks passed, but I was still a fairly impulsive individual.
"We were set upon by bandits halfway through our stroll, four of them in
total. I immediately unleashed my demonic form and powers to try to hold them
at bay, not thinking that it would have been wiser for me to use my powers as
a Sailor Scout since I was already transformed. The sight of my demonic wings
ripping out from the back of my Sailor Suit terrified the bandits into using
their crossbows against us at point-blank range, two of them getting off shots
before I could strike them down.
"My mother...." Pluto said, pausing to take a deep breath before trying to
speak again. "My mother was struck in the throat by a bolt, and I knew from
the blood and the sounds she was making that it would be a fatal wound. In a
panic, I thought about what I could to do save her, not realizing that it was
already too late. I suddenly remembered about the staff in my hands, having
the inaccurate impression that it could control Time. Without thinking about
the consequences, I opened a conduit and sent myself back in Time five minutes
with the intent of warning my mother about what lay up ahead."
Pluto paused to try to take a sip of tea, staring into the already-empty
cup with a truly dejected look on her face. "That simple action, done solely
on impulse without thought, resulted in a violation of the most fundamental of
principles of Time travel," she whispered in a voice that was barely audible.
"Two temporal versions of the same person or object are allowed to exist in the
exact same physical location, providing they do not do so at the exact same
moment in Time. The inverse is also permitted, two versions sharing a common
and identical point in Time at long as they do not attempt to share the same
space. However, a given four-dimensional point in Space-Time cannot be shared
with or even allowed to be in proximity of two temporal versions of the same
entity simultaneously.
"I emerged from the temporal conduit exactly where I wanted to be, five
minutes before we encountered the bandits. My mother was there, of course....
but so was I and so was another Key to Time. The close proximity of the Keys
set up an instant temporal resonance effect, ripping the fabric of Space-Time
apart at the seams and sending shockwaves throughout all of Creation.
"Lord Hades, ruler of the Underworld and master of my House, immediately
tore a new hole in the fabric of Space-Time to craft a wormhole that would
bring him to the disturbance in a cosmic instant. Even so, the sinkhole effect
of the resonance had already started, collapsing multi-dimensional space around
itself to form a singularity.
"What followed next took place in the blink of an eye. Hades realized the
sinkhole was caused by a temporal paradox, and so he destroyed the Key to Time
that was closest to him. Then before the shattered Key could explode, he then
grabbed the remaining Key, the one that I was holding, and fled through the
wormhole, sealing it as he went and dragging me along with him into the Portal
room in the Underworld.
"The explosion that followed the collapse of the singularity didn't occur
in three-dimensional space for some reason, which is why the world as we know
it is still largely intact. However, the Flow of Time was not spared from it,
resulting in an eruption of energy from the Portal that served as a physical
conduit into the Flow.
"Hades used the Key to seal the Portal shut to wait out the repercussive
effects, knowing it would probably be years before it could be reopened. Once
he was certain that neither Creation nor the Portal would be destroyed by the
aftershocks, he turned to me...."
* * * *
The looped end of the silvery staff lashed out at a speed far greater than
her mortal eyes could follow, feeling the crushing blow against her cheek long
before her ears detected the sub-sonic roar of the air parting around it. The
blow sent her literally spinning through the air, the world rotating around a
blurred axis several times before the ground caught up to her. It seemed an
eternity passed before the pain finally registered on her senses, warning her
that something had just been broken if not completely shattered.
The world grayed out for a few moments before it abruptly returned to very
sharp focus, finding herself being lifted off the ground by an iron grip on the
front of her Sailor Suit. The sight of a pair of literally smouldering eyes
not even three inches away from her own registered next, the pain of her broken
cheekbone making it hard for her to focus on the face of her lord and master.
He then called her name, a word that was only known to five mortals, using the
power and knowledge of her true-name to bring her senses back into relative
clarity.
"What.... have.... you.... done?" Hades said through gritted teeth, making
sure to say every syllable slowly and distinctly.
"Hades!" a feminine voice called out sharply in horror as she ran into the
room, her breath heaving in her throat.
The dark god paused to cast a sidelong glance at his queen. "You need not
worry, my sweet, I think the danger is past," he said in a level tone. "The
Portal has been sealed for the moment, and I was able to stop the formation of
the temporal singularity. Everything is fine now."
Persephone frowned as she drew closer, still extremely upset at the whole
situation. "I think you're right, but...." she started to say before falling
silent as no less than six divinities suddenly appeared in the Portal room by
various means.
"What is the meaning of this?" Zeus thundered an instant later.
"I don't know, dear brother," Hades replied in a dangerously calm tone,
causing the Thunder God to blink in surprise. "Why don't you make sure that
the Portal is properly sealed while I go ask my avatar what she did? I should
be back in a few minutes," he said before wrapping a dimensional veil around
both him and Pluto.
The veil seemed to fall away an instant later, depositing them at the foot
of Hades' throne deep inside the Underworld. Pluto barely had enough time to
realize where she was before her senses became disoriented again, the walls
blurring past her before she slammed into the floor several feet away from the
still-enraged deity.
"Do you know what you just did?" Hades said to her in a deceptively soft
tone, tightly holding the silvery Key in a white-knuckled grip.
"M.... my lord...." Pluto managed to gasp before the entire right side of
her face erupted in white-hot agony. She tried to sit up before a surge of
pain along her spine forced her to hold still, briefly wondering what had been
damaged this time and how long it would take to heal.
Hades remained silent as he stared into the looped end of the staff, his
face marred by a deep and frightening scowl. A quick flurry of golden radiance
washed across the staff before fading away, resulting in an even more furious
expression.
"You.... utter.... fool...." he hissed softly as his eyes started to glow
once again. "Do you know how close to annihilation your mistake brought us?
Do you not understand why you cannot try to change the past? Oh, you utterly
foolish demon, you simply cannot imagine how much I wish I could simply kill
you where you lay and be done with this...."
The fires of pain that had been burning in Pluto's body suddenly became
dangerously cold at the realization that her life was probably going to come to
a very abrupt end in the next few minutes. Perhaps that was best, she thought
to herself as even the icy chills faded away to be replaced with numbness. I
failed to save her, and it's all my fault....
Hades stood perfectly still for a number of moments, the only steady rise
and fall of his chest indicating that he was alive. "In all this time, I have
never had an avatar fail me as badly as you just now have," he whispered in a
voice that was empty of all emotion. "Were it anyone else under my domain who
had made such a colossal error, I would be using their soul to scrub the filth
from the heels of my boots. However, right now you are the last of my mortal
blood-avatars, and I would rather not lose the bloodline, pathetic as it stands
at the moment," he snarled.
"M-my lord," Pluto whispered as she eased herself into a sitting position,
ignoring the sheen of blood coating the right side of her face. "P-please....
wh-what of my m-mother...?"
"Your mother?" Hades echoed, arching his eyebrows up in mock-surprise.
"Your mother is now dead, you fool. No, no, let me correct myself," he added
with a sneer. "Your mother is worse than dead. Her soul is lost forever now.
Oh, yes," he added at the change in Pluto's expression. "It and the souls of
all who fell into that singularity are lost to us now, so you'll never get to
see or hear from her ever again. Not even in death, which at this point would
be too good for you," he added darkly.
The air in Pluto's lungs left in a soft whoosh as she flopped back to the
ground, stunned beyond words or coherent thought. Of course her mother could
not have survived the situation, her physical body reduced to atomic fragments
by exposure to the temporal singularity if not by the explosion of the Key that
he had destroyed in order to collapse the anomaly. But the complete loss of
her soul....
A deep chill flooded her veins as she thought about how he had simply
annihilated the Susan Meiou that was closest to him, a fifty-fifty chance that
could easily have been her. Just how close had she been to oblivion as well?
Or for that matter, how many seconds of existence did she have left?
"No, death is not for you anytime soon," Hades continued, slowly shaking
his head as his rage settled down into something far more cruel and sinister.
"Far better for you to live a great, long life so that you can look back and
reflect on this day. Better still that you be reminded of it every day that
you are permitted to roam the mortal plane as my avatar. Oh, my little half-
blood succubus, how you will soon wish to die, and how you will soon learn it
is impossible to escape your punishment as easily as that...." he whispered.
The deity suddenly paused and looked up as a shrouded figure entered the
throne room in perfect silence. "Charon," he called out with a scowl, "Now is
not a good time. Return to your duties, I will come see what you want later."
The Boatsman of the river Styx came to a halt, a pair of pinpoints of
burning red light the only features visible within the depths of his cowl. "I
would speak with you, my Lord," he said in a deep rumble.
"I said not now," Hades replied in a warning tone.
"I would speak with you anyway," the Boatsman said, seemingly unfazed by
his master's temper.
Hades paused for several moments, his eyes narrowed dangerously. He knew
what it meant for the demigod to leave his post even for a moment, entrusting
the task of ferrying the souls of the Dead across the river Styx to his array
of lieutenants and minions. That he was now openly defying his master and thus
risking his wrath was also something of significance, making Hades wonder what
the purpose of the visit was.
He cast a poisonous glance at Pluto's huddled form before returning his
gaze to his most unexpected visitor. "Very well, Charon," he said in a flat
tone. "Speak."
"Thrice you have come to me in the past to thank me for my eternal service
to you," the Boatsman rumbled quietly. "Thrice did you offer me anything that
I wished that you could grant as a boon, and thrice have I asked to be allowed
to call upon your favor at a time of my choosing. Is this not so, my Lord?"
"It is so," Hades replied with a slow nod of his head. "Of all those who
have come to serve me for whatever reason, your service has been valued above
all others. For unlike others, you have yet to fail me in the slightest," he
added with another glare at Pluto.
"I am aware of the situation you are now in," Charon spoke up. "And I am
aware of the need to punish your avatar for what has transpired. I ask that I
be allowed the honor of seeing to her punishment."
That caused both Hades and Sailor Pluto to blink hard in surprise. "You
wish to punish her in my place?" Hades echoed incredulously. "Why?"
"With all due respect, my Lord," Charon rumbled quietly, "My reasons are
my own. I heard your words earlier as I entered, and I believe I understand
what it is you desire to see done."
"Do you, now?" Hades replied, visibly intrigued by the sudden development.
He listened quietly as the Boatsman began to speak in an eldritch language, one
that he could easily understand but would be well beyond Pluto's comprehension.
"That is, I must confess, along the lines of what I was thinking," he said once
Charon fell silent. "And you would accomplish this how?"
Again the ruler of the Underworld was answered in a language that Pluto
was unable to follow, which was probably for the best. She was fairly certain
that she would be allowed to live and thus learn from her mistake, but at the
same time it only made her feeling of dread all the worse. The horrors of the
Underworld were still new to her, having only first seen the Lake of Fire three
years ago when her demonic wings emerged and was escorted by her father, but
she had already learned that there were far worse things to be experienced than
the blissful embrace of Death.
"Why, Charon, you surprise me," Hades said in a mildly bemused tone, his
eyebrows arching up slightly. "You mean you've existed for all this time and
have yet to...?"
"My reasons are my own, my Lord," Charon repeated calmly, cutting off the
rest of his master's musing.
"Very well, my faithful servant, I shall grant your wish," Hades said, a
very chilling smile forming on his face as he turned back to look at Sailor
Pluto. "She is yours to do with as you requested, and I shall grant you the
power you need to accomplish your task. This should be most entertaining to
watch," he added quietly to himself, giving the bleeding succubus a look that
sent an even colder chill through her hybrid blood.
"There can be no audience," Charon spoke up, causing the god to blink in
surprise and whirl back around to face the Boatsman. "The power involved is
delicate, as you are well aware of, and I should not like to have any external
influences present that could cause a disruption."
Hades gave the shrouded figure a very hard look for a number of seconds
before finally nodding his head. "Very well," he said in a flat tone. "You
shall have the privacy you seek. Take as long as you need in order to see that
she is properly punished for this and return her to me once you are finished,"
he said, casting another chilling glare at Sailor Pluto. "Should she resist
you, even in the slightest...."
"She will not," the Boatsman said in a calm tone with the eerie sense of
finality that usually only accompanied death.
"Very well, take her away," Hades replied as he tossed the silvery Key to
Time through the air. The staff landed solidly in Charon's outstretched hand,
seeming to sparkle slightly at his touch. Hades then turned around and moved
to sit on his throne, briefly turning his back on his visitors.
Pluto blinked and looked up as the massive figure approached her, moving
in perfect silence as he seemed to glide across the stone floor. Part of his
shroud seemed to peel back and reach for her, a canopy of impenetrable darkness
flowing over her face for a brief moment before withdrawing.
She blinked again as she suddenly realized that they were now somewhere
else in the Underworld, inside what seemed to be a natural lava bubble of some
kind. There appeared to be no exits of any sort, and a cursory dimensional
probe revealed an incredibly strong barrier surrounding them that would quite
effectively prevent her from attempting to plane-shift herself out of the room.
"Stand," Charon said calmly, the heavy tone of his voice seeming to burn
through her soul.
Pluto closed her eyes for an instant to gather her strength before trying
to rise to her feet. Her lungs felt like they would combust at any instant,
not from heat or lack of oxygen but from simple terror at what she knew was
coming. It wasn't the impending pain that she feared, or so she told herself,
but rather the still-unknown method it would be applied.
She blinked as he spoke her true-name, suddenly feeling the dread triple
in intensity. He had absolute control over her demonic side now, and she had
very few doubts about her human side's capacity for resistance at the moment.
"Do you know why you are here?" he added after only a brief pause.
"To be punished," she managed to whisper, every motion of her jaw sending
white-hot lances of pain through her broken cheekbone.
"For what?" the Boatsman prodded calmly.
"For breaking the sacred rules of time-travel," she replied slowly, her
vision starting to blur around the edges from the pain of talking.
"So you understand why this must be done," he said, his deep voice still
sounding eerily calm. He made a slight gesture with the staff, causing Pluto's
Sailor Suit to suddenly glow white before fading completely as her powers were
drained away.
Susan gasped softly as the protective effects of her transformation left
her, leaving a slightly empty feeling in her soul. The clothes she was left
with, worn when she had transformed earlier and woven from ordinary cotton
imported from Earth instead of a native Underworld variety, immediately began
to succumb to the heat-warping effects that permeated the entire fabric of the
fiery plane.
It took only a handful of seconds for the fabric to ignite and start to
burn away, the low-heat flames warming her skin but otherwise failing to harm
her. She knew that she was spared injury only because of her demonic blood,
being naturally resistant to such flames, but she found that detail to be of
very scant comfort at the moment. She stood perfectly still as she became
exposed to the Boatsman's unflinching and unblinking gaze, the veil of ashes
falling away to reveal the smoothness of her skin and near-flawless tone of her
now-naked body.
"My lord...." she started to whisper quietly.
"Silence," the demigod said. He didn't raise his voice or alter his tone,
but the simple command was more than enough to deter her from trying to speak
again for the present. "You have failed in your duties, and you have failed
our Lord and master. Take the Key in your hands," he instructed as he held the
silvery staff out to her.
She hesitated for a moment before doing as commanded, reaching out with
both hands to grasp the staff. A surge of energy shot through her the instant
her fingers closed around the metal, causing the green sigil on her forehead to
light up with the strength of a magnesium flare. Her breath became tangled in
her throat an instant later as her muscles locked up, preventing her from being
able to let go of the staff.
"For your failure, I hereby Damn your soul for all eternity," the demigod
intoned, his words causing Susan's eyes to widen as much as was physically
possible. "You who violated the tenets of Time will now be inextricably bound
to them, condemned to guard it for the rest of your mortal days. Even the cold
embrace of Death will bring you no succor, for even when released from the
bonds of flesh your soul will remain anchored to that which you so carelessly
disregarded. The peace of eternal rest is no longer yours."
The staff was suddenly shoved forward against her chest, breaking a pair
of ribs and throwing her backwards into the air. She landed hard on her back
on a slab of jagged basalt, the edges tearing open her skin in dozens of places
as her wings were half-crushed beneath her own weight. The inhuman cry of pain
that rose up from her throat seemed to echo unnaturally loud in the bubble,
echoing and re-echoing until it sounded like a dozen voices screaming in a most
hideous symphony.
"Your soul will be bound to the staff you now hold," Charon said as he
drew off his shroud and cast it aside. "To do so, Death himself will come to
you with scythe in hand, severing the threads of Life that keep you bound to
this realm until but a single strand remains, frayed and one moment removed
from snapping. You will know pain like you have never known it, and you will
beg to taste Death's dark kiss upon your bloody lips."
Susan managed to open her eyes enough to look at him through the watery
veil of her tears. Her dark red irises widened at what she saw, the gaunt and
skeletal figure of the Boatsman looming before her as if he were indeed the
Archangel of Death himself. Even as she stared at him in horror and absolute
dread, the whiteness of his bones became filmed over by threads of muscle and
sinew. Pulsing veins of blood crept over his body, merging into a mass of
flesh that spread across his entire frame.
She started to sit up before he lifted his head just slightly, a single
glare from the burning red pinpoints of light in his empty sockets being all it
took to stop her breathing completely. The flesh continued to form around his
body until it solidified into skin as black as the night itself, leaving the
demigod standing before her as if a mortal man might. His body was devoid of
hair and his bulging muscles seemed to have been sculpted from stone, hinting
of immense physical power. His eyes, however, continued to burn as a pair of
bright red points of light.
"You who gains the most from the pleasures of the flesh will not find any
to be had this night," he warned as he approached her, his massive manhood
already swelling up with lust. "Your flesh shall be rent, your body broken,
your spirit crushed, and your soul forever bound in unbreakable chains before
the dawn comes. I have taken many a demoness before, but never a succubus.
That shall be remedied tonight, and it shall be a night neither of us will ever
forget. To the brink of Death you must be brought for your soul to be bound,
and by the very same pleasures of the flesh which you crave that this will be
done so. Prepare," he added in an ominous tone, reaching for her as her unholy
screams of terror beyond all mortal comprehension began in earnest....
* * * *
Pluto lifted her head up as she felt a touch on her arm, all but blinded
at the moment by her tears. The watery image of Sailor Moon's angelic visage
hovering over her finally registered on her senses, bringing with it a slight
feeling of relief. She paused to draw as even a breath as she could before
attempting to resume her story. She would never share the details with another
soul, living or otherwise, but she could at least try to relate what she went
through that night.
"To say I was raped would be an understatement," she said, the gentle grip
on her arm firming up as her voice audibly shook. "Sex was hardly an unknown
to me, even at that age, and I had already been.... violated, if you will, by
an incubus who was not in a mood to be gentle. But what took place that night
was.... not just a violation of my body, but of my very soul."
"Sue...." Uranus pleaded in a frightened whisper, curled up in a tiny ball
on the small couch. Neptune was holding her tightly, trying to calm them both
as they listened to the mortal agony in Susan's words.
"You cannot imagine what it is like to be literally torn inside-out, taken
so brutally that your pelvic muscles are torn free from the bones," Pluto went
on, momentarily ignoring the warmth of several glowing wings enfolding her as
she spoke. "Nor can you imagine being seared on the inside, streams of acid
flooding your womb to dissolve your flesh. You cannot know what it was like to
have your wings all but shorn off as you lay on a bed of broken volcanic rock,
the skin of your back ripped to shreds with each thrust, or to be forced to lie
still as a lake of your own blood forms around you, flowing from a thousand
ragged wounds...."
"Goddamn it, Sue, stop," Uranus begged, her voice all but inaudible as she
shuddered violently.
"You need to listen the most, Alexis," Pluto said quietly as she closed
her eyes, ignoring the feeling of her tears streaming down her cheeks. "How
many times have I tried to comfort you, to ease the pain of the memories that
you bear? And how many times have you cast me aside, yelling, screaming at me
that I couldn't possibly know what you went through or how you felt?"
She sighed and remained quiet as she only heard the blonde's sobbing in
response. She could barely make out the super-soft words Neptune was trying
to whisper in her lover's ear, knowing that they would be of far more comfort
to Uranus than anything she might have been able to offer.
Pluto finally opened her eyes as she felt a pair of feather-light touches
on her face, able to see the glow of Sailor Moon's wings through her closed
eyelids as they wiped her tears away. "Please, your Highness," she said in a
soft tone as she looked up at her, "You need not worry about me."
"H.... H-H-How c-can you...?" Sailor Moon tried to say before her triple-
tone voice failed her, tears streaming out of her golden eyes.
"How could I recover from that?" Pluto finished for her, guessing at what
the unspoken words might have been. "What's done is done, Serena. I survived
my punishment, despite my fervid wishes to the contrary at the time. It took
a full day of rest before I could even move and another two before I was able
to walk again. The rest of my body healed within a week, although it was quite
a long time before my sex drive recovered as well. The pain is still with me,
of course, as you can plainly see," she added with a very soft chuckle as she
wiped a half-formed tear away. "But I survived. Forever changed, of course,
but the changes are not sufficiently dire enough to prevent me from wishing to
continue on with my life."
"Sailor Pluto...." Venus said very softly, her complexion as white as the
fabric of her Sailor Suit. "What you said about being damned...."
"It's simple," Pluto explained as she took another deep breath, gently
starting to tug her wrists and arms free from the ribbons of light securely
wrapped around her. "When my death comes, my soul will be drawn back down to
the Underworld instead of being allowed to join the Imperium Silver Crystal.
Please, your Highness, you need not be concerned for me," she added quietly to
Sailor Moon as the wings tightened around her.
She paused to look around the room, not surprised in the least to see the
looks of shock and horror on everyone's faces. Darian was stroking Myst at a
very rapid rate, both human and Shinma having distinctly haunted looks on their
faces. Sailor Mars was still sitting on her cushion surrounded by the candles
of green fire, looking to be precisely six seconds away from throwing up. Both
Jupiter and Mercury were as chalky white as Venus was, the brunette holding
onto the couch cushions in a white-knuckled grip while Mercury was half-curled
into a protective ball. Maq'i was slumped in her chair with a truly weary look
on her face, seeming to be more saddened by the story than horrified.
"Alex," she spoke up quietly as Uranus remained curled up as tightly as
she could despite Neptune's attempts at soothing her.
"Just.... give me a moment," Uranus whispered as she shuddered violently
yet again. "Go ahead and f-finish your story."
Pluto shrugged to herself and resumed trying to extract herself from the
wings still gripping her. "There is little left to say, really," she replied.
"When he was finished, my soul was bound to the Key to Time and I became its
guardian. Lord Hades had very little to say about the matter afterward once I
was able to both see and hear my surroundings properly, and only a few of the
pantheon have ever asked me about my new role. I have, of course, taken the
lesson to heart and made quite sure that such a situation never arose again.
Your Highness, I must ask you to release me at once," she finally said with a
soft sigh. "I sincerely appreciate your comfort and sympathy, but I believe I
am starting to experience a reaction to being in protracted physical contact
with your wings. Thank you," she added as the wings abruptly let go of her.
She sighed softly as she stood up, pausing to give the winged princess a
gentle smile of understanding before crossing the room to kneel down in front
of the L-shaped couch. "Alex, look at me," she said softly as she reached out,
cupping the blonde's face. "Now do you believe me when I say I've understood
your pain all this time?"
"Sue.... why didn't you say something?" Uranus asked almost inaudibly as
she struggled to throw off the veil of horror that was chilling her very soul.
"Why didn't you tell me this from the start? All this t-t-time.... and...."
Pluto looked at her sadly for a moment before letting her hand fall to her
side and standing up. "The pain was too great, Alex," she whispered as she
turned away, not looking up at anyone. "I couldn't bring myself to do it, to
verbally relive that.... event, just for your sake."
"So why now?" Mars spoke up very quietly from her cushion, her face still
figuratively green with barely-respressed nausea.
"Why?" Pluto echoed as she returned to her seat and sat down, absently
squeezing Sailor Moon's wrist in a gesture of comfort. "I felt that I could
relate the story now for the sake of many. To help Alex, of course, but also
to answer Ami's question about my role as Guardian of Time as well as offering
yet more evidence that my advice and wisdom should be heeded as I really do
know what I am talking about in most instances. Mina's distrust of my nature
and subsequent dismissals of my assessments of current events, for instance."
"Sailor Pluto...." Venus started to say in a very quiet voice.
"We can speak later in more detail, if you wish, Lady Venus," Pluto said
in a gentle tone, pausing for a brief moment to examine the faint red marks on
her arms where Sailor Moon's wings had touched her bare skin earlier.
"Humor me for a moment, Sue," Uranus said as she uncurled herself enough
to allow Neptune to pull her into a sitting position. She sighed heavily and
wiped the worst of the tears away before looking up at the green-haired woman,
the corners of her mouth still sharply tugged downward in a frown. "Tell me
just how exactly making me remember my own pain in vivid detail is supposed to
be helping me."
"The help is showing you the depths of my own pain, both then and now, and
offering a contrast between them as proof that one is quite capable of making
a solid recovery from the experience," Pluto explained gently. "Or will you
now say that you don't believe I was ever wracked with intense nightmares of my
own for a period of time?"
"Funny, I don't remember hearing you ever mention those," Uranus muttered
in a quiet tone, surrendering to Neptune's protective embrace.
Pluto sighed quietly and rubbed the bridge of her nose, keenly aware of
Sailor Moon's presence hovering right next to her elbow with a deeply worried
look on her face. "Your ears hear my words, Alex, but you seldom listen. I
have tried to explain it to you numerous times before, only to be rebuffed in
typically harsh terms. Princess Serena, I assure you that I am quite alright,
and that your continued efforts are starting to drive me to distraction," she
added calmly as she felt Sailor Moon's gentle touch on her shoulder yet again.
"I'm sorry," Sailor Moon whispered quietly, her iridescent wings starting
to droop around her like wilted flower stems. "I just...."
"It is quite alright, your Highness, I assure you," Pluto replied gently,
reaching up to take hold of her hand for a few moments. "Yes, the memory is
quite painful and rightfully so, but it has lost most of the hold it once had
on me much in the way Alex's nightmares continues to exact a toll on her...."
A heavy sigh of frustration rose up from the L-shaped couch as Uranus let
her body finally relax into a less-stressful position. "Alright, Sue, I get
the picture," she grumbled. "Go ahead and share your advice."
"Serena," Darian called out gently, making a gesture to the empty webbing
in front of him. Sailor Moon cast a final look of unease and sympathy towards
Pluto before making her way over to the cup-like chair, her denizen wings all
but dragging along the ground behind her.
Pluto waited until Sailor Moon had curled up in the chair next to Darian
before turning to look at Uranus. "As a succubus, it is a biological need for
me to achieve sexual release on a regular basis," she explained in a somewhat
delicate tone. "The psychological trauma was enough to permit me to put off
that requirement for a few months through sheer force of will alone, but soon
even that proved to be insufficient. In order to cope with that, I sought the
aid of a man I explicitly trusted beyond all thresholds to help re-initiate me
to the pleasures of the flesh as it was intended to be. I will confess that he
was the same one I had surrendered my virginity to three years before, but that
only made it marginally less difficult to ask for his help. I was wounded in
spirit, though fully healed in body, and I needed someone I could trust. And
as before, his tender touch and understanding did not let me down, so it wasn't
too long afterwards that my libido was able to finally and completely heal."
"Right," Uranus muttered, staring down at the floor and doing her best not
to shiver at the thought. "Far easier said than done, Sue."
"Believe me, I am fully cognizant of what that would entail," Pluto said
gently, keeping her focus on Uranus and not on the sudden change in Darian's
expression. "And yes, it will be a very difficult experience for you in an
emotional sense, if nothing else. But that is my advice to you, Alex, and as
always you are free to disregard it at your leisure," she added casually as she
sat back. She almost leapt out of the chair as Myst silently hopped up on the
armrest next to her, the tip of her tail lashing back and forth in a slow and
steady tempo.
"Oh, god," Venus moaned softly as she leaned forward to rest her forehead
against the edge of her synthesizer. "You say it's cool for her to ignore your
advice, then get all bent out of shape later when she doesn't listen to it. I
think I'm getting motion-sick just listening to you change stances every five
minutes like a politician during election year."
"Master Healer?" Jupiter spoke up in a cautious tone. "You look like you
want to say something," she ventured. She paused for a moment before saying to
Mercury in an almost inaudible tone, "Either that or she's got gas."
"Quiet," Mercury murmured back just as softly.
"If I may," Maq'i spoke up carefully, waiting to see if there would be any
objection. Seeing none, she took a deep breath and continued to speak. "I am
no stranger to such.... sexual violence, if you will. I have not experienced
it personally, for which I am distinctly grateful, but I have treated countless
victims of such acts. Both male and female," she added, casting a brief look
towards Darian. "The body I can heal easily enough, but the mind is an entity
beyond my skills. There are such therapists who specialize in that particular
form of healing, however, a number of whom are very skilled and deeply trusted
associates of mine, and virtually all would agree with Sailor Pluto's advice as
a method of easing the trauma. It is not a cure-all, of course, and it is best
used as part of a healing regimen, but it is still therapeutic under the right
conditions. Trust, as Pluto has said, is very much an integral aspect of it."
Uranus lifted her head up to look at Maq'i for a number of moments before
casting a very brief glance at Darian. She then turned her focus to Pluto for
another few moments before sighing heavily. "Maybe," she muttered as she let
her gaze drift down to the tips of her dark blue boots.
"Sailor Mercury, I trust that answers your question in enough detail?"
Pluto said as she idly began to run her fingertips through Myst's silky gray
fur. She looked up just in time to catch Mercury shivering fairly hard, only
a hint of color visible on her expression.
"Yes, it does," Mercury sighed quietly, giving the succubus a deeply
apologetic look. "And I really didn't mean for you to...."
Pluto simply raised a hand to forestall further lamentations. "As I said,
I felt it was the proper time to unburden myself. You need not be of the mind
that I was unduly influenced by your question."
"That helps," Jupiter spoke up with a sour look on her face. "I don't
know about the rest of you, but I have a sudden urge to take a shower now."
"Ditto," Venus sighed quietly.
Pluto nodded in understanding, feeling more than a little unclean at the
moment as well. "Be that as it may, while the shower has been unclogged and
restored to full functionality, you may wish to postpone doing so as we will be
returning to the present in roughly an hour from now. While we still have some
time, I should like to ask that you all ensure that you recover everything that
was in your possession when I brought you here, as it is unlikely that you will
return here anytime soon. Also, be advised that any Ether-based constructs
will immediately decay upon leaving this demiplane, so it would be prudent to
remain in your Sailor Suits until you can reverse your transformations in a
suitably private location."
"Whoops," Jupiter said as she rose to her feet. "Yeah, that sounds like
a good idea. Maq'i, do you need any help finding your original clothes?"
"Unless they have moved of their own accord from where I left them in my
bedroom, I should think not," the elderly Healer replied with a faint chuckle.
"Hope you've kept up with the laundry then," Darian spoke up with a laugh,
causing everyone but Uranus to smile to one degree or another in amusement.
"Heh," Venus said with a smirk as she rose to her feet. "From what I've
been told, Darian, you don't have any room to talk."
Darian blinked in surprise and traded slightly confused looks with Sailor
Moon before regarding the other blonde carefully. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, just some anecdote about Dyvach sorting the laundry bins stacked next
to the washing machine one day and almost passing out when he took the lid off
of your dirty sock hamper," Venus said airily.
"Busted," Uranus muttered softly to Neptune, prompting a quiet giggle and
a fierce hug from the other woman.
Darian simply raised an eyebrow in response. "Sure they were my socks?"
he countered as Sailor Moon eased herself out of the webbed chair. "I'm sure
you know how strong of a punch Maze's socks pack after one of his workouts."
"No need to remind me," Venus replied in a flat tone, making a face at the
memory. "Sailor Pluto, can I...? Nevermind, it can wait," she sighed as she
saw the way Myst had made herself quite comfortable in the succubus' lap.
"Hmm?" Pluto inquired absently, looking up at her.
"I'll bother you later when you don't have a cat in your lap," Venus said
as she reached out to casually stroke the kitten. A faint smile formed on her
face as Myst purred softly by instinct. "Heh, she makes a great cat for being
a demon. Bah, whatever," she said to herself as she headed off towards the
residential hallway.
Pluto said nothing, content to slowly stroke the kitten as the rest of the
group quietly left the room to retrieve their original clothes. She was fully
aware of what had gone through Uranus' mind when she repeated her suggestion of
spending a night with a man she completely and utterly trusted, as well as the
implications it would have for the rest of the group.
"I do not envy Alex's dreams tonight," she murmured softly to the Shinma,
closing her eyes for a few moments to try to relax. "But by the same token,
neither do I look forward to having my own once sleep calls to me. Do we not
suffer enough in our lives when awake that we must also suffer during the few
hours we have in which to seek solace in the world of sleep and dreams?" she
mused quietly. She paused as she felt a gentle tug on her spirit and glanced
down, raising an eyebrow as Myst began to quietly and unobtrusively siphon off
the copious amount of dark energy currently emanating from her soul.
"No matter," she said dismissively as she closed her eyes once again. She
knew that Alex would eventually listen to her, perhaps sooner now than later,
at which point things would get either get better or significantly worse, not
just for her but for the rest of them as well. "Even for one so attuned to the
Flow as I, there is only so much I can do to influence events around me. Only
Time, as it is said, will truly tell the tale, both present and future...."
* * * *
"What?" a startled voice said from behind her. "Aw, k'ves! *CHIEF!*"
Octane snarled quietly as she eased her head out of the QuadStar's access
hatch. "I'm right here, Mint, no need to...."
"INCOMING!" Mint screamed as she started to back-pedal at a rapid pace,
frantically pointing to the visible ripples of sand approaching them.
"What?" Octane echoed before the realization sank in. "Shockwave! GET
CLEAR OF THE GEAR!" she roared to the rest of the team as she darted away from
the heavy weapon frame, scooping up Mint with two of her tentacles. She put a
good fifty feet between her and the frame before throwing herself onto the
ground, covering her head with her hands and burying the other four tentacles
as deep into the sand as she could.
The shockwave ripped past them a bare second later, shaking the ground
with enough force to bounce the super-heavy QuadStar frame around on the shock-
absorbers like it was a child's toy. A minor tidal wave of sand arrived next,
trailing behind the edge of the shock-front as the ground surged and dropped
like the surface of an ocean. The sand was compacted so much by the pressure
that it acted more like a solid than a liquid, smoothly flowing beneath Octane
and pushing her up over the crest instead of washing over her and burying her
beneath countless tons of sand.
"ERRRKK!" Mint gagged, struggling to breathe as the tentacles holding her
tightened instinctively.
"Shut it and hold on!" Octane yelled over her shoulder, actively trying
not to take a breath lest she inhale a lungful of sand. A series of heavy
jolts quickly followed, rattling their teeth as the landscape seemed to bounce
around again. The aftershocks were far less intense than the initial shockwave,
however, and the terrain soon settled back down after a few seconds.
She waited until she was absolutely sure the air was still before drawing
in a badly-needed breath, bringing her hands to her face to try to keep the
worst of the sand out. She succeeded for the most part, but enough sand made
its way into her airway to trigger a half-choking spasm of harsh coughs. She
felt Mint start to splutter for air as well and released her hold on her as
gently as she could, wincing slightly as the petite mechanic promptly landed
on her back right where her lowermost tentacles emerged.
"Ow <cough> <cough>, get <cough> off of <cough> <cough> me...."
<Everyone alright?> Taffy's psionic voice echoed in her mind a moment
later, reassuring the Master Chief that at least half of her team was still
alive and in one piece. A truly booming series of coughs could be heard a few
moments later before a raspy voice loudly replied in the affirmative. Has to
be Gravija, Octane thought even before she could place the voice, knowing that
only the heavy-set woman could cough *that* heavily without tearing something.
"Hey!" Octane called out, wincing as she started to cough for another few
seconds. "Everyone yell out so I know who's hurt! Glitter, where are you?"
"Ay'cha navidshi," a hoarse voice spat as a dark-skinned figure slowly got
to her feet. "See, I told you that it'd create an earthquake when it landed,"
she growled, trying to brush a full coating of sand off of the circuitry on her
hairless scalp.
"We're here, Master Chief," T'Del's voice called out a moment later. "Is
Mint still with you?"
Octane breathed a heavy sigh of relief and almost started coughing once
again. "Yeah, unfortunately," she called back as she carefully worked herself
free from the sandy floor.
"Hey!" Mint protested out of pure reflex as she stood up, trying to brush
the dust from her dark green hair.
"Stuff it, kid," Octane sighed as she stood up, looking around to make
sure that she could see everyone. The rest of the team were already on their
feet, T'Del helping Glitter remove the sand grains from the silver filigree.
Gravija was already tromping back over to the QuadStar frame, a look of deep
worry etched on her less-than-beautiful face. "Taffy, where are you?" Octane
called out as she started to make her way back to the frame as well.
<Still in the bore,> the psionic voice replied calmly. <Don't worry, I'm
fine. T'Del might have to re-weld the struts, however, since there seems to be
a slight tilt now.>
"Screw the struts, just make sure none of the barrels got bent," Octane
grumbled as she quickly looked over the heavy frame for damage. She could see
that two of the support braces had indeed been jarred out of alignment, but it
would probably take Gravija all of two minutes to rip them out so T'Del could
weld new ones in place.
"Screw what?" Mint piped up out of curiosity as she paused in mid-motion,
one finger still trying to clean the sand out of her ears.
Octane just shook her head to herself and rubbed her face. "Mint, you're
a slut, you know that?" she sighed. "Go help Glitter dust herself off so she
can check the interface connection from the inside. T'Del!"
"Chief?" the redhead said as she looked up from her task.
"See if you can raise the Dragoons on the comm-gear and make sure they're
still in one piece," Octane instructed. "No use in playing with this thing if
they've got worse problems all of a sudden."
"Copy," T'Del replied as she headed over to the ground transport.
"Like we could help them anyway," Glitter spoke up. "Can't get near them
because of the radiation, remember?"
"Don't argue with me," the Master Chief sighed wearily as she turned her
attention back to the QuadStar. "Well, at least everything else seems to be
largely intact, for what it's worth...."
Gravija grunted in dismissal as she braced her shoulder against the frame
and heaved, tilting it up at an angle so she could get a good look at what was
left of the shock-absorbers. "We do quality work," she reminded her boss.
"Mint, come here," Glitter spoke up, reaching out to grab a handful of her
green hair. She then rolled the hank of hair into a brush of sorts, using the
fine strands to sweep tiny grains of sand out of her fingernail implants.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Mint protested sourly with a pout.
"Sector Seven to DCX-Zero.... Sector Seven hailing DCX-Zero, please
respond, over...."
* * * *
It took a few moments for the world to return to focus after having been
thrown across half the room, somehow managing to avoid cracking his skull open
on the console as he sailed past it. "Ay.... ay'cha...." he started to say.
"Sir, are you alright?" Tactical said as he tried to stand up, wincing as
a flare of pain shot down his leg.
"I'm alive, Lieutenant," Tolaris said as calmly as he could as he waited
to make absolutely sure the room was finished spinning around. "That will have
to do for the moment. You?"
"Copy, sir," the other officer grunted as he succeeded in standing up. He
then thumbed a toggle on his console and leaned towards the nearest microphone.
"Tactical Operations to all stations, damage report," he ordered, listening
intently as various departments called back in.
"Ow...." Commander K'tal groaned as he peeled himself off of a console, a
thin trickle of blue blood seeping out of his nose. "Everyone alright?" He
sighed in relief as he was answered with various affirmatives, pausing as he
also caught a very soft whimpering sound. "Wait, who's hurt? Asrial?"
"I'm.... fine.... Commander," the Felinoid growled very slowly, her voice
perfectly flat. She alone was able to remain in a standing position at her
station, both sets of claws having been embedded in the metal surface of the
console. "Someone.... apparently.... stepped on.... my tail...."
"Broken?" the Communications lieutenant asked softly.
"No," Asrial growled back, her voice undercut with a soft whimper. "Just
kinked. Paaah!" she snarled as she started to work her claws free, succeeding
after a few seconds of effort.
"D'Nina!" K'tal called out, casting a worried glance at the tiny alcove
where the Master Chief was still firmly seated, her expression still blank as
she remained connected to the central computer core.
<Helm and navigational systems are off-line,> D'Nina's voice reported over
the speakers, sounding just slightly odd. <Thrusters are presently unavailable
for flight operations. All internal systems operational. Warning: Reactor-3
coolant pressure unstable, possible conduit fracture.>
"That's not good," K'tal said in a worried tone as he reached for the
communications panel. "K'tal to Engineering!"
It seemed to take an unusually long time before the speaker make a soft
clicking sound. "Engineering, we're working on it, stay put, out," a very
harried voice blurted out before the channel was abruptly closed.
"That's even worse," K'tal sighed as he looked around Operations. "While
we seem to have a moment, is everyone sure they're alright? System status?"
"Moderate shock-damage throughout the facility," Tactical reported, still
keeping most of his focus on the stream of status reports coming across the
various channels. "So far the worst appears to be an acid spill in the dining
hall, a crate of raw ertu eggs was crushed by something. The deck plates are
a mess but they assure me that it's under control and that the superstructure
is still intact. Medical reports a lot of heavy bruises but only a few broken
bones, nothing overly serious or life-threatening."
"Great," K'tal said, his whole body sagging with relief. "Radiation?"
<External shields holding,> D'Nina's voice reported. Her voice seemed to
pause before it suddenly switched tones. <Level 1 Emergency,> she said in a
loud and urgent tone as the lights suddenly took on a red cast. <Coolant leak,
level five, section eight. Evacuate immediately. Level 1 Emergency: Coolant
leak, level five, section eight. Evacuate immediately.>
"K'ves!" K'tal spat as he dove for the communications link. "Operations
to Engineering!"
"Move it!" the speaker immediately crackled back harshly, not seeming to
be replying to K'tal. A loud klaxon could be heard in the background, along
with D'Nina's voice urging an immediate evacuation of the compartment. "Get
those containment fields up! G'zel, idle the reactor, we should be able to
keep it running idle as long as we don't stress it! Maze, you and T'Kern get
the service drone running and see if you can pin down this leak before it eats
through the plating! Are the fields up yet? Good, you three, get out of here
and make sure everyone else is okay. If it's just in the conduit, we should
be fine, but if it ruptured out in the open and those containment fields fail
on us...."
"Chief?" K'tal said carefully.
"Who the...?" the speaker growled before there was an intake of breath.
"Not now, Commander, I'm still trying to get an idea of what the problem is,
aside from a leak somewhere. Wait, say that again?" he suddenly yelled, the
force of his voice causing everyone in Operations to wince slightly.
<Reactor-3 is now idled,> D'Nina reported calmly. <Coolant pressure has
been stabilized. Warning: Coolant pressure for Reactor-3 is currently below
specified minimums for safe operation. Atmospheric contamination in level
five, section eight has been contained, attempting to initiate ventilation
protocols.>
"Well, don't just stand there holding your k'vesan, PATCH IT!" the voice
from the speaker yelled. There was a slight pause in which a female voice was
heard in the background, followed by a very disgruntled and heavy sigh from the
Chief Engineer. "Look, just fix the p'tai, okay? I will personally build you
your own k'vesan to play with later if you want, just.... thank you," he added
with a truly large sigh of relief. "Engineering to Commander K'tal."
K'tal paused to cast a sidelong look at the rest of the group before very
delicately clearing his throat. "Go ahead, Chief," he said calmly, acutely
aware of the distinctly crude nature of the conversation taking place down in
Engineering and the embarrassed looks on everyone's faces at overhearing it.
"Sir, I believe we managed to contain the coolant leak," the Chief said in
a measured tone. "It seems to be a small one and I think we got it before it
could damage anything else, but it'll still be awhile before we can clear the
air and get a team down there to seal it shut. I'm going to idle all three
reactors so as to put the least strain on the coolant pipes as possible while
still keeping the radiation shields charged up. Best guess is we'll be here
for a few days."
K'tal very slowly let his breath out. "Copy that, Chief. Casualties?"
There was a soft snort of contempt that needed little translation. "We
have stringent safeguards for a reason, Commander," he reminded him. "Nobody
is hurt from anything that can be blamed on the coolant leak. Got a pair of
broken bones and a few conked heads down here from our landing, but everyone
is still alive and well. The tractors are a different issue entirely, as we
had one blow out on us which is why we landed so roughly, and I'm not too keen
on the idea of ramping up the thrusters again anytime soon. I've already got
six intakes clogged with liquefied sand, so I hope you'll understand why I'm
not looking forward to finding out what got drawn into the main ducts."
"Copy, Chief," K'tal replied with a nod of understanding. "Take care of
that coolant leak first, then worry about our structural integrity second, and
the radiation issue third. Once we have that sorted out, then you can go play
in the silicon puddles outside."
"Thank you, sir," the Chief Engineer replied dryly. "Engineering out."
"He's got a point about that," Tolaris spoke up as the channel was closed.
"The backwash from the thrusters probably melted all the sand within a good
twenty-ke'shel radius."
"It can wait," K'tal said with a shrug of dismissal. "Unless it's oozing
inside the hull, I'm not in a mood to care right now. Chief D'Nina?"
<Venta,> the computerized voice promptly replied.
"You think now would be a good time to disconnect from the computer, or
should it wait a few hours?" he inquired in a careful tone.
<Diagnostics indicate possible shock-damage to main computer core,> she
replied calmly. <Attempting analysis at this time.>
"I believe it," Asrial growled very softly, gingerly trying to flex her
tail without screaming in pain.
K'tal sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Let me know when you're
done with that, Chief."
<Acknowledged, Commander.>
"Sir?" the Communications lieutenant spoke up. "We're being hailed by the
mechanics from Sector Seven."
K'tal traded wary looks with Tolaris for a moment before making a gesture
to the elder Dragoon. "Tell them we're fine," Tolaris said to the lieutenant.
"They're still more than welcome to attempt to cleanse our hull if they want,
and there aren't any new external problems we are aware of. Make sure to ask
if they're alright as well," he added. "I imagine our rough landing was enough
to shake up the entire valley."
"Copy, sir," Communications replied as she turned back to her panel.
"Soon as you're finished with that," K'tal spoke up, "Hail General Olox
again and inform him of our current situation. I don't expect to be able to
attempt to fire up the mains for a week given the reactor situation, so he
shouldn't start drawing up plans for us to be anywhere anytime soon. And once
you have that finished, try hailing the Imperial Castle again just for kicks.
Who knows, we might actually get lucky for once," he added lightly.
"I think we stressed our luck pretty hard so far," Tolaris muttered, more
to himself than to anyone around him.
"Which is why I'm not worried about stretching it even further for this
one," K'tal replied smoothly with a chuckle. "If we reach the Castle, great.
If not, so what, it's not like we're completely isolated from everyone else."
Tolaris gave him an odd look for a moment before just shaking his head in
resignation. "Alright, I suppose I can go along with that one. Lieutenant,
are you sure you don't need that looked at?" he said, giving Asrial a concerned
look as she continued to quietly make pained whimpering noises to herself.
"It's not broken, Commander," she reassured him, slowly curling her tail
into a loop. "I think the nerves got pinched for a moment, that's all."
"Take it down to Medical anyway," K'tal suggested as he turned his focus
back to his console. "I'm sure someone can kiss it and make it better. So,
now that we're ptanka-first in the sand, now what?" he inquired, missing the
distinctly venomous look Asrial cast in his direction before likewise returning
to her own console.
"Cleaning up shouldn't take too long," Tolaris spoke up after a moment of
careful thought. "At least on the inside. Stop and think, everything that
wasn't nailed down to begin with was shaken loose when we took off, so there
really shouldn't be a significant amount of new internal damage."
"True," K'tal replied with a nod of his head. "Okay then.... give it a
full day for internal cleaning, another day to scrub the glowing paint off of
the hull, assuming those ladies in Sector Seven don't beat us to the punch, and
after that.... what?" he added quietly as he glanced up to see the thoughtful
look on Tolaris' face.
"Hmm?" Tolaris replied after a moment, realizing that he was being stared
at by the other Dragoon.
"Something on your mind, Commander?" K'tal prodded gently.
"Remember that all-hands meeting we talked about earlier?" Tolaris said
carefully. "If the engines will take several days to flush out and return to
operational status, and we really don't have a lot to do to keep us occupied
in the interim...."
K'tal nodded in understanding. "Sounds good to me. Think you can make
the arrangements on your end?"
"Assuming they're all fine, most likely," Tolaris replied softly.
"Worried about them?" K'tal inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Wouldn't you be?" Tolaris sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I have a great
deal of respect for their abilities, but sometimes events can overwhelm even
the most prepared of people...."
* * * *
"Freya?" General Nop'tera said softly as she continued to listen to the
idle broadcast chatter the various sensors were picking up. The encrypted
messages would take some time to decipher, of course, and the computers were
already working on that, but there was still a great deal of 'in the clear'
communication going on.
Nop'tera paused as she heard nothing and was about to call out again when
her slave entered the room with a cup of hot tea. "Ah, thank you," she said
gratefully as the gentle scent of her favorite tea blend drifted past her. She
nodded her approval to the pale-haired woman and absently dialed up the volume
on the speaker a notch.
"We copy, Zero," the speaker crackled softly in a rather pleasing feminine
voice. "We should be ready to test the modifications in an hour and hope to
begin the actual scrubbing of your hull shortly afterwards."
"Acknowledged," another female voice replied. "Feel free to take your
time with that, as we're not going anywhere for a few days. Once we get our
hull decontaminated, we might have to ask for your help cleaning our intakes.
I'll have to ask the Chief Engineer for the details, but it sounded like we
didn't so much land as splash down in a lake of molten sand."
A soft grunt could be heard over the line. "I'll pass that one along to
our chief, Zero, but one problem at a time. We'll keep you informed of any
changes in our situation, over."
"Acknowledged, Seven, we appreciate it. You girls be careful out there."
"Copy, Zero. Sector Seven clear."
"Something wrong?" Freya inquired quietly as Nop'tera eased herself into
a half-reclining position in the chair. The medical IV was still hanging on a
stand behind her, continuing to slowly drip a pale green solution into her
fluorescent yellow blood.
"It's amazing what one can learn if you simply stop to listen," Nop'tera
mused quietly to herself, taking a cautious sip of the hot tea. "I will have
to ask Communications to verify the signal sources for me, but I believe that
was a conversation between the Dragoon Headquarters Complex and one of the
repair facilities in the Northern Mountains. It of course means that our dear
Dragoon brethren survived the attack as well. Interesting," she purred softly.
Freya said nothing, knowing that her mistress was prone to introspective
moods at times and tended to think aloud. The details tended to confuse her at
first, not being as completely aware of the situation as Nop'tera was, but she
usually could manage to put a significant number of the pieces together on her
own if given enough time.
"I wonder if they know?" Nop'tera murmured to herself, snapping Freya out
of her brief introspection. "And if they do.... what will they do about it?"
Freya continued to remain silent, knowing that she probably could have
received an answer if she dared to ask what Nop'tera was talking about. She
was still acutely aware of her recent punishment, however, and felt that it
would be unwise to draw attention to herself unnecessarily.
They both reflexively braced themselves as the deck started to gently tilt
to one side, taking on a noticeable incline for several seconds before slowly
returning to a level position. It had been an almost unconscious instinct,
having gradually acquired it after living aboard the airborne carrier for so
long. The feeling was far worse when they were settled on a waterway and were
subjected to the rolling effects of ocean waves, more often than not prompting
Freya to retreat to the relative sanctity of the bathroom where only Nop'tera
would be aware of her sea-sickness.
"Freya," Nop'tera suddenly said as she lifted her head up, studying her
slave with a curious look. "Start a search of the databases we were able to
access from the central networks earlier. See what you can tell me about this
Sector Seven repair facility."
Freya bowed her head for a moment before crossing the room to sit at the
computer terminal. She keyed in her codes and was given immediate access to
virtually the entire system, hardly a surprise given her unobtrusive role as
the general's hidden hand. A few simple queries to the computer resulted in a
momentary delay before the information she sought started to scroll up on the
crystalline display.
"Sector Seven is a surface-vehicle repair facility specializing in both
desert and custom modifications," she reported as she summarized the report.
"It is administratively designated as a Northern Mountain Division unit, but it
seems that all their supply and logistical work is handled by the Training
Division."
"Oh?" Nop'tera said, carefully easing herself into an upright position.
"That would be.... Colonel Azi'mar's division, correct?"
"I believe so," Freya replied as she did some quick cross-referencing.
"It seems that they also handle the logistical work for the construction yard
Sector One, the aviation maintenance bay Sector Five, and what appears to be a
heavy-liquid storage complex called the Dome. From what I can tell, this was
done purely for efficiency reasons due to their proximity to the main Training
complex near the border with the Central Plains."
"Efficiency, you say?" Nop'tera purred softly, a look of sly amusement
crossing her face. "With as long as I've been in the military, I have yet to
encounter a situation where things done 'purely for efficiency reasons' were
just that. Two repair facilities, an aviation facility, and a liquid storage
facility, and I will be quite surprised if there isn't an aircraft runway or
landing strip under the sole domain of one of them. Interesting. What can you
tell me about the crew assigned to Sector Seven?" she inquired.
Another few seconds of focused typing resulted in a fairly lengthy delay
before the screen display changed, splitting up into six windows. "They're an
all-female unit," Freya explained as she read the text blurbs as quickly as she
could manage. Even after a thousand years of doing so, it still took her an
extra fraction of a second to translate the spidery characters of the written
denizen language. "The current ranking member is a Master Chief Octane, fairly
solid reputation for quality repair work. A notation in her general file says
she is not the most personable of chiefs, but that nobody has ever encountered
a problem with her work or the work of her team."
"Ahh, the universal repair chief," Nop'tera chuckled softly to herself.
"Surely you know what I'm talking about, Freya. They are usually as coarse as
raw metal ore and love their machines more than their life-mates, but they do
know what they are doing and are absolutely indispensable in an emergency. How
many others are on her crew?"
"Six in total," Freya replied. "They each seem to have differing fields
of expertise, almost all of them confined to ground transports, although one
has extensive experience with remote drones of all kinds and another is...."
"Hmm?" Nop'tera inquired patiently as Freya suddenly trailed off and began
typing away at a furious pace on the keyboard.
"Sorry, I was just double-checking this," the pale-haired woman said, her
eyebrows arched up in surprise. "They have a specialist on the team, T'Del,
and according to her personnel file has a third-level degree in applied nuclear
fusion. Among other things," she added in an audibly surprised tone as she
continued to read the file.
"A third-level degree?" Nop'tera echoed, giving her slave a startled look.
"And they have her doing simple ground vehicle repair?"
"Applied Nuclear Fusion, Third Degree," Freya started reading aloud from
the report. "Particle Waveform Physics, First Degree. N'Then'an Academy of
Arts and Sciences graduate, full honors. Declined an Imperial Commission when
she enlisted in the military.... declined twice," she added. "A notation says
she was personally asked by the Northern Mountain Division commander if she
would reconsider. Thirty years in a classified position, was later transferred
to a maintenance unit at her explicit request."
"Amazing," the Dark General whispered as she sat back, idly taking a
contemplative sip of her tea. "Can you access her biometric and psychological
files, by chance? I would imagine that the military would want to keep a very
close eye on one like her," she mused, mostly to herself.
Freya carefully typed in a command and waited to see what the response
from the archive computer would be. She blinked hard as a warning message was
promptly displayed, informing her that the information she was seeking had been
sealed by no less than three different security codes and protocols. "The
records are sealed, mistress," she said in a pained tone, giving Nop'tera an
upset glance. She knew that it wasn't her fault, of course, but she was also
fully aware of the vampire's occasional tendency to vent her frustrations to
the bearer of bad news.
"Expected," Nop'tera replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "No
matter, I'm sure she has her reasons for doing so. Or perhaps not," she added
as a thought came to her. "Our one-eyed Training colonel happens to not only
oversee a few additional facilities that technically lie outside his command,
but can also gain access to a very interesting and likely capable individual as
well. Odd," she continued, her tone changing to one of deep thought. "The
missile also came out of the north. Coincidence, perhaps? Interesting," she
whispered as she eased herself back into a half-reclining position again.
"You need to quit moving so much," Freya spoke up in a gentle tone. "You
might tear the stitches if you don't take it easy."
Nop'tera gave her slave an amused look before taking another sip of her
tea. She knew that the damage done by the light acid applied during surgery
would have to heal on its own, which meant it would be at least two weeks
before she could dispense with the medical oversight. A few days spent inside
a medical stasis field would repair virtually all the damage and possibly even
avoid leaving a scar, but with the situation being what it was between her and
General Rune....
A soft snarl rose up from her throat at the memory of their confrontation.
I will have both her head and her blood for this, she swore to herself, the
edges of her lips unconsciously pulling back to bare the tips of her fangs.
She sighed softly and closed her eyes a few moments later as she felt Freya's
gentle touch on her temples, lightly massaging the skin in small circles. She
chided herself for not hearing her slave move, realizing that she was allowing
herself to become distracted by something she couldn't control. At least, not
yet, she added with an inaudible grunt.
She had just started to allow herself to relax at her slave's touch when
the door chimed quietly, resulting in a repressed groan of weary resignation.
"Enter," she called out loudly, opening her eyes as Freya withdrew. It was not
unknown for her to continue her ministrations whenever company came, but the
general had yet to figure out a pattern or discernible reason as to how she
made her decisions when and when not to do so.
It was all but impossible to mistake the sound of Ar'kanis' armor for
anything or anyone else, his heavy steps seeming to thump across the floor in
a steady mantra as he entered. "My general," he rumbled quietly. He waited
for Nop'tera to incline her head slightly in a gesture of acknowledgement at
his intrusion before continuing. "Communications has picked up a communique
from the Visage to a military liaison of the D'Mal seaport," he said, holding
up a slender storage crystal. "You may find it to be.... interesting."
"Oh?" Nop'tera said with genuine curiosity as she immediately sat up in
the chair. A line of fire briefly ran across her chest as the gesture tugged
on the stitches, but she did her best to ignore it. "I don't suppose that it
has to do with that orbital re-entry that almost cratered their deck plates?
Our dear Brigadier V'Laei would certainly not let that one pass without having
a few words with someone," she mused with what might have been a twinkle in her
featureless yellow eyes.
"Among other things," Ar'kanis rumbled as he moved over to the display
console. He gently inserted the crystal into the slot and tapped a command on
the panel, causing half of the wall to light up. The display remained in a
'waiting for signal' status for a few seconds before resolving into the image
of a woman wearing the uniform of a Red Wing brigadier.
"This is the Imperial Red Wing carrier Visage, hailing the D'Mal seaport
authority," the dark-haired woman said, her expression perfectly composed. Her
beauty was best described as glacial, the distinctly pleasing aesthetics of her
face very much offset by the stern mien that seemed to be perpetually frozen in
place no matter what her mood.
She waited for a few moments and seemed to be ready to repeat her hail
when the other half of the display lit up, forming into the image of a major
assigned to the Port Authority's military liaison section. "This is the D'Mal
Port Authority, Major Cern," he replied in a slightly wary tone. "We read you
loud and clear, Visage, go ahead."
Nop'tera couldn't help the small smile that tugged on the corners of her
lips. She could easily imagine the tension in the rest of the military right
now given the events that had taken place a few hours ago, and to be a junior
field officer having to take a call from a flag-rank naval officer was never a
casual event. At least, not to the junior officer. And that doesn't take into
the account the stress most men experience when talking to a beautiful woman
like V'Laei, she thought with an almost sadistic degree of amusement.
"Major, I will admit to being new to this world," V'Laei said in a fairly
clipped tone, letting her mood clearly show. "Therefore, I would appreciate
your honesty in answering this question for me: Are the people of this planet
in the curious habit of dropping things upon others from orbit?"
"Ma'am?" the major replied, giving her a distinctly surprised look.
"Oh, my," Nop'tera muttered to herself as her eyebrows promptly arched up
to her hairline. "That time of the month already, Brigadier?"
"First a nuclear warhead comes out of the sky to land next to the Imperial
Castle, and now some woman performs a solo re-entry and all but lands on the
deck of my carrier?" V'Laei said with a heavy scowl. "What is the meaning of
this insanity? And dare I ask what you have planned before dinner?"
"Ma'am, we can explain...." the major said, spluttering slightly as he
started to visibly sweat. "Major Corona works for Research and Development,
and she was drop-testing a new re-entry suit...."
Nop'tera gave Ar'kanis a studious look as he reached out, hitting a button
and causing the display to freeze in mid-motion. "Interesting," Nop'tera said
as she eased herself back into a half-sitting position. "Usually such details
about R&D's activities are kept quite confidential," she mused.
"They are," Ar'kanis said, his amused tone echoing slightly more than was
normal inside his helmet. "I suspect that our field major had a slip of the
tongue in his haste, and may suffer a slip of his career as a result. V'Laei
is a shrewd woman and no doubt will now seek to gather as much information
about both her guest and her gear as possible. However, that information is of
secondary importance at the moment. Look at the console in the background,
just behind V'Laei's left shoulder, and watch it as I resume the recording."
Nop'tera nodded her head in understanding as the recording was set back
into motion, blinking in surprise as she realized that it was showing one of
the squiggly characters of the Renn alphabet. "....and the flight for this was
booked over three weeks ago," Major Cern continued to explain.
"Major?" V'Laei said in a deliberately patient tone. As she spoke, the
image in the background started to change every few seconds, showing one Renn
character after another in a slow but steady progression. "Let's try it like
this. Contact your base commander and have him, her, it, or whatever send out
a small cruiser to collect your free-falling adventurer. She survived her
ordeal, though she might be wishing otherwise at the moment, and we currently
have her in medical stasis pending the arrival of someone to take her back to
whatever division she came from. While you're at it, make sure the cruiser is
accompanied by someone who is capable of giving a calm, reasoned, and rational
explanation for recent events, including what looked to us like a nuclear
missile strike on our flagship carrier," she added ominously.
"Ma'am, I'm not sure I...."
V'Laei paused and leaned closer, her already darkened expression turning
even darker. "Excuse me, Major, but do you have a hearing defect? I shall
speak louder if you need me to. SEND SOMEONE OVER TO EXPLAIN THIS!" she said
in a very loud and flat voice. "I do not care if Admiral Si'ren herself has to
fly out here, I want SOMEBODY with authority to explain matters to me. Are we
perfectly clear on this, Major?" she added.
Cern paused for a fraction of a second to glance at someone off-screen
before taking a deep breath and looking square at the dangerously-upset naval
officer. "Yes, ma'am, we are clear on your request," he said in the robotic
monotone all juniors used to reply to upset senior officers not in the mood to
listen to anything but crisp, affirmative responses. "We will contact you as
soon as we can make the transport arrangements."
"Thank you, Major," the Red Wing brigadier said in a calm and cool tone.
"In the meantime, we shall be doing our best to ensure that your Major Corona
is given the best medical care possible given our limited facilities. Our
medical staff expects her to make a full recovery given enough time."
"Thank you, ma'am," the major replied, still using the monotone voice.
"The Harbormaster has asked me to inquire on her behalf if you need anything
loaded onto the requested transport before it leaves the yards."
V'Laei seemed to blink in surprise at the request before recovering her
composure. "No, thank you," she answered in a gracious voice, a faint hint of
a dark smile crossing her lips. "I don't want to be served anyone's head on a
platter or otherwise need a sacrifice of blood made in my name for appeasement.
I leave that for those who have a taste for it. Just a simple explanation will
suffice, Major, though I do thank both you and the honored Harbormaster for
asking. Visage out," she said before both images winked out of existence.
Ar'kanis gave Freya a bemused look as Nop'tera started laughing softly to
herself, slowly easing her body back into a sitting position. "Oh, V'Laei, you
are too cruel sometimes," the Dark General said to herself, trying to strike a
balance between the urge to laugh against the pain in her chest of doing so.
"Perhaps I should have a photograph made of the look on his face. Poor child,
that one," she said before laughing softly once again.
"The path we tread is not always easy to walk upon," Ar'kanis offered in
mild sympathy, remembering his own time spent as a low-ranking officer.
"Perhaps," Nop'tera allowed with a slight nod of her head. "I'll be
honest, I was listening more to her than trying to follow along with whatever
it was she was trying to tell us. Very, very shrewd indeed," she added with a
smile of approval. "I doubt anyone outside of the Red Wings has had enough
exposure to the Renn's culture to pick up on their language. I trust one of
our sharp-eyed communication experts wrote it all down for us?"
"All is well," Freya suddenly spoke up, causing both denizens to blink in
surprise. "Can recover half flight, Veil other half, tank drones ready in two
days, awaiting orders."
Ar'kanis glanced down at the small printed note that was all but hidden
in his massive hand. "Impressive, Lady Freya," he said somberly. "I myself
watched the recording twice and still wasn't able to keep up with it, let alone
translate that rapidly. That is indeed what was intended to be said."
Nop'tera gently twisted around to give her slave an intrigued look. "To
this day, I still don't understand how you can follow along with their language
so easily, Freya," she said lightly. "The squiggles are often so subtle that
you could easily mistake one word for any six others at first glance." She
paused before clearing her throat as quietly as she could. "Or is that merely
more of your language's influence?" she said, using the same Earth language she
had used earlier with the Sailor Scouts and marked with an Arabic accent.
Freya glanced away, her pale violet eyes studying the floor. "They are
very similar," she replied using the common denizen dialect they all shared.
"Learning the Renn language was not difficult for me."
Nop'tera looked at her for several moments before returning her attention
back to the armored tank general. "I presume this means that both the Visage
and the Veil are prepared to house our aircraft for the time being?" she asked
slowly. "I would imagine that between their own wings and half of ours, space
in the hangars would be at a rather vicious premium...."
"There is sufficient space," Ar'kanis assured her. "Perhaps not enough to
permit heavy flight operations, but both Sor'en and the Quartermaster say that
it can be done if you know how to creatively park the aircraft in the bays. I
suspect that they intend to make an attempt at retrieving the armored units as
well, but I must confess to being at a loss to explain how they might do so or
where they would find enough space for them."
Nop'tera nodded in understanding. "Yes, the mention of tank drones is an
oddity as well, but I think she knows what she's doing. Nonetheless, we shall
find out for ourselves soon enough. Interesting situation," she mused as she
turned her attention back to the now-dark monitor.
The door chimed softly again, causing Nop'tera to look back up at Ar'kanis
with a slightly surprised look. "Enter," she called out, leaning back slightly
to try to see behind the general's heavy armor and massive wings. She blinked
in amazement to find the wiry form of her Chief Engineer standing just inside
the doorway. "Evening, Chief Sen," she said to him.
"Ma'am," the engineer replied with a crisp salute. "Sir," he added with
a respectful bow of his head to Ar'kanis. "I apologize for disturbing you, my
general...." he started to say.
"Chief, please tell me nothing of importance just broke," Nop'tera gently
cut him off with a gesture, wondering what else could be important enough for
him to leave the sanctity of the engine spaces.
Sen paused and gave her a look that was best described as wary irritation.
"No, ma'am, the repair work on the sensors is going quite well, and both the
gravity shields and the evasion screens are in perfect order."
Nop'tera nodded her head in understanding. "That is of more comfort to
hear than you know," she said lightly, giving him a soft smile of appreciation.
"I should hope so, my general," the Chief Engineer replied after a brief
pause. "Ma'am, one of the portside air processors quit working after the nuke
blast earlier, and one of my boys just now got around to taking it apart to see
why it broke. Apparently we had a stowaway onboard hiding in the ducts, and
when the EMP wave hit.... well, let's just say the air got nice and ionized
inside," he explained with a distasteful expression.
"A stowaway, hmm?" Nop'tera said slowly, casting a brief glance at Freya.
"Chief, this wouldn't by any chance happen to be a morph, would it?"
"Truthfully? We can't tell," Sen replied in a frank tone. "Soon as the
access hatch was opened, this pool of protoplasm gushed out and splattered all
over the deck. A medic looked it over and said it was both organic and still
alive, so she asked someone to vacuum it up into a holding tank. They should
be done any minute now and will bring the bucket over to sickbay for them to
analyze or.... something," he added with a helpless shrug.
"Perhaps things are going to be even more interesting than I thought,"
Nop'tera mused with a faint smile. "Chief, contact Medical before you return
to your station and have them keep our liquid guest in a magnetic containment
unit until she awakens. They need not use a physical seal, as I'm sure she
needs air like the rest of us, but treating her like anti-matter is the only
way I am aware of to keep a metamorph confined to one place."
"A metamorph?" the chief echoed in surprise. "Yeech. I will make sure
our Chief Medical Officer understand that completely, ma'am." He seemed to
pause for a moment before looking back up at her with an uneasy expression.
"Umm.... begging the general's pardon for asking this, but.... with all due
respect, ma'am, why aren't you in medical stasis?"
Nop'tera paused to cast a faintly reproving glance at Ar'kanis before
sighing softly. "Now is not the time, Chief," she said in a neutral tone. "I
will rest once the danger to us is past, and not before."
Chief Sen just shook his head to himself in resignation. "You've been
saying that for the past fifty years, ma'am," he muttered. "Well, if you're
going to be stubborn about it, my general, you can at least have the good grace
to keep your medical bag full of whatever it they're giving you," he said with
a pointed gesture of his chin to the empty IV hanging behind Nop'tera's chair.
"We don't need the boys and girls up on the flight deck think you're flying on
fuel vapors, you know, that might put a dent in your reputation...."
The vampire cast an unamused glance over her shoulder at the empty bag.
"Thank you for your concern, Chief, I promise you it will be tended to in the
next five minutes," she said in a faintly edged tone. "Just make sure that the
sensors are repaired as soon as possible, something tells me that we might be
needing them soon."
"Yes, ma'am," the Chief Engineer replied with a salute before leaving the
Dark General's quarters.
"Something amusing, General?" Nop'tera inquired archly as her sensitive
hearing picked up an almost silent laugh echoing inside Ar'kanis' helmet.
"Are we not allowed to be concerned about you?" Ar'kanis asked calmly as
Freya quietly left the room.
"The concern of my command is of course appreciated," Nop'tera replied in
a dry tone. "What is not appreciated is having everyone hover over me like a
vep'tera dealing with a day-old hatchling. I have been wounded before, and I
am quite confident that I will live to be wounded once again in the future,"
she added with a faint note of ironic humor.
"Be that as it may, my general, you still need to conserve your strength,"
Ar'kanis countered gently. "Perhaps you know something I do not, but I am of
the opinion that we do indeed have time to rest for the moment. Not even the
rest of the fleet knows where we are, which I am sure concerns them very much.
That also means that General Rune's forces likewise do not know where we are,
so how can one attack something when you don't know where to start searching?"
"You would be surprised," Nop'tera replied in a flat tone. She glanced
over at Freya as she returned to the room, carrying another IV pouch filled
with more of the green medical solution. "Freya, do you know what that stuff
is doing to my bladder?" she grumbled as her pale-haired slave started to swap
the empty bag for the full one.
"Medical orders, my general," Ar'kanis reminded her. "Or would you prefer
to be formally relieved of command until you convalesce?" he prodded in a tone
that carried just the faintest hint of warning. "We both have been in this
situation before, so do not think I am unaware of how you feel. I hated it
just as much as you do, but I nonetheless endured for the sake of my soldiers
if not necessarily my own. One warrior to another, Nop'tera.... rest now while
we still have the time, lest you run the risk of resting in eternal peace."
"Is that a threat, Ar'kanis?" Nop'tera asked in a flat tone, her yellow
eyes narrowing to mere slits as she stared at the armored warrior.
A soft sigh of resignation drifted up from the confines of his helmet.
"If you thought I was a danger to myself or anyone else, you would have me
relieved of command in an instant, and rightfully so," he said very slowly.
"Should the same apply to you, would you have me ignore all that you yourself
have taught me and instead stay my hand, putting others at risk? Or would you
have me place you upon a pedestal and proclaim you to be above the law?"
Nop'tera looked at him in silence for several seconds before looking away,
studying one of the many knick-knacks that decorated her quarters. "I am not
an invalid, General," she growled softly. "Nor will I simply lounge about in
my underwear when we are clearly in a dangerous situation."
Her head snapped around to look at him as he leaned over her, his hands
reaching out to take hold of the edges of her robe. A simple tug parted the
upper half of it to expose her bare chest. "Then with all due respect, my
general," Ar'kanis said in a cold and impersonal tone, "Quit bleeding."
She immediately glanced down, blinking hard at the sight of a dozen tiny
streaks of fluorescent yellow seeping out from where her blue flesh had been
stitched together. "Damn it," she snarled softly, ignoring for the moment the
fact that her breasts were also clearly exposed to his helmeted gaze.
"What?" Freya gasped as she also saw the yellow streaks of blood.
"Freya," Ar'kanis said calmly as he took a step back and turned his gaze
away from Nop'tera's chest. "Contact the Chief Medical Officer and have him
personally tend to this. If nothing else, perhaps this will impress upon our
general the need to rest as much as possible," he added casually.
"Ar'kanis, I don't have time for this," Nop'tera protested with a flat
growl, the edges of her lips pulling back to show the tips of her fangs.
"Mistress, please," Freya pleaded in a half-panic, darting across the room
to grab a disposable towel to try to wipe up the blood. "Don't move, you're
only going to make it worse!"
"We have the time for the moment, my general," Ar'kanis said softly. "As
I said, I know this does not sit well with you, but you must stop and rest. Or
do you no longer have any faith in us to keep ourselves alive and intact until
you can return to take your rightful place at the forefront of this?"
Nop'tera glared at him for a moment before sighing in surrender. "Damn
it," she snarled quietly again. "What?" she added sharply as she heard his
soft laughter echoing in his helmet.
"Look at it like this, my general," he said in a bemused tone. "Think of
this as a learning experience for future events."
A single white eyebrow rose up as she looked at him. "Alright, Ar'kanis,
humor me for a moment and explain to me what I should be learning from this."
Another soft laugh rose up from his armored chest as he turned to leave.
"Learn to dodge faster," he said calmly before bowing his head and departing
the room.
Nop'tera just looked up at Freya as the door hissed shut, doing her best
not to give in to the rueful impulse to chuckle softly at his parting words.
"I suppose I deserved that one," she mused very quietly. She saw the worry in
her slave's pale eyes and sighed, gently plucking the towel from her hand. "I
can take care of this, Freya, you should do as he asks and inform the Chief
Medical Officer of this. I'm sure he will be delighted to have an opportunity
to take me to task and be able to get away with it."
She closed her eyes and sighed as Freya promptly darted over to the wall
console, furiously opening a channel to sickbay. Damn it, she thought yet
again in a quiet rage. It shouldn't be like this, not now. What was Rune
thinking? And why won't she even consider the NegaForce's plan for Princess
Serena to become the Queen-Regent? Speaking of which, I need to send someone
to Earth to make sure both she and Prince Darian are safe, she added, flipping
a page in her mental notebook.
Interesting, she thought, tuning out the conversation Freya was having in
the background. If that is M they vacuumed out of the conduit, and if she's
able to recover from whatever happened to her, surely she would be the best
person to send to Earth. And perhaps.... just perhaps Freya as well....
Yes, she thought as she felt her slave's gentle touch on her bare chest
once again, cleaning up the blood that still oozed from her wounds. Things are
going to get very, very interesting indeed....
* * * *
"Is that everything?" Sailor Uranus asked in a bored tone for the third
time, holding the tiny bundle of her clothes beneath one arm.
Jupiter paused and cast an unamused look over her shoulder. "Settle down,
willya? Damn, you'd probably be this impatient to get to your own funeral."
"Patience, Alex," Pluto said gently. "As I said, I want to be absolutely
sure that nothing is left behind."
"Aside from a few attitudes?" Jupiter muttered quietly.
"You first, babe," Uranus replied with a smirk. "Is that everything, your
Highness?" she called out as Darian entered the room, followed by Sailor Moon
and Sailor Mars.
"If not, I can live without it," Darian replied with a casual shrug. He
had reversed his 'Moonlight Knight' transformation and had gotten dressed in
the clothes he had worn before they had been drawn into Pluto's Border Ethereal
keep. Sailor Moon had nothing else with her, having been wrapped only in a
sheet at the time, while Mars held a small but neatly folded bundle.
"Peachy," Uranus replied as she glanced around the room. Both Neptune and
Mercury were talking quietly in the corner with Maq'i about something, both
girls holding onto the bundle of clothes they had been wearing earlier while
the denizen Healer had changed back into her white robes. "So I take it we're
just waiting on the screwball, huh?"
"I heard that," Venus grumbled as she entered the room, likewise holding
a small bundle of clothing. "You know, that's starting to annoy me. Just
because I think a little different than the rest of you doesn't mean I've gone
crazy or anything, okay?"
"A little different?" Darian echoed, giving the blonde an amused look.
"Oh, don't you start," Venus replied with a flat glare.
Pluto cleared her throat gently. "I will admit to a certain degree of
concern myself given the admittedly chaotic nature of your Sailor V persona,"
she said in a measured tone. "While that in of itself may not be an indicator
of a mental health issue, her apparently whimsical and impulsive nature fails
to instill a reasonable belief that she is in thorough possession of a stable
and sound mind."
"Hey, Sue?" Uranus said quickly before Venus could deliver a retort, "You
say that like there's a difference between them."
"I believe there is," Pluto replied calmly, pausing for a brief moment as
Venus seemed to all but choke on whatever it was that was on the tip of her
tongue. "Just as there are differences between who we are as normal people and
who we are as Sailor Scouts. For you and I, the variances are.... subtle and
not so easily observed," she said carefully. "For the Princess and those who
were reincarnated along with her, however, the changes are a little more.... I
hesitate to say readily apparent, but they are visible if you know precisely
what it is that you are looking for."
"Such as...?" Jupiter prompted in a faintly-edged tone.
"A natural-born tendency for violence and an unusually loud voice?" Darian
suggested with a dead-pan expression.
"Shut up, cape boy," the brunette grumbled.
"Well, he's got a point about your voice, hon," Uranus said thoughtfully
as she scratched her cheek. "Don't know who you had to kill to get a pair of
lungs like that, but you can be pretty damn loud when you're in a mood...."
"So?" Jupiter inquired archly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Uranus shrugged helplessly. "I'm just saying that you're a hell of a lot
louder than I remember, that's all. Nothing wrong with that, babe."
"Anyway," Mars spoke up in a slightly flat tone. "I take it we're ready
to return to Earth now, or are we still waiting for something?"
Pluto glanced around the room with a slightly uneasy look on her face.
"Indeed we seem to be ready, although I am not sure where Myst went."
"Dammit," Uranus sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. "Mich, do you
know where the cat wandered off to?" she called out to the other side of the
room.
There was a slight pause as Neptune exchanged glances with Mercury and
Maq'i before shaking her head. "No, I thought she was with Susan," she said
carefully as the three of them moved over to join the rest of the group.
"Typical," Uranus muttered dourly.
"Maybe she's doing that dimension-shifting thing again?" Venus ventured.
"It's possible," Pluto allowed with a slight nod of her head. "I have no
way of being able to verify that, however, nor do I know of a way to convey a
message to someone shifted into another dimension."
"Think your computer can pick something up?" Darian said to Mercury.
"I can try," Mercury replied as she dug her miniature computer out of her
Lunar Space pocket and flipped it open.
"Hmmmmm," Venus hummed softly to herself, casting a studious gaze at the
open window and the mass of the slightly-pink Ether swirling outside. She
flinched along with the rest of the group there was the sound of a deep breath,
followed by Jupiter's voice rattling the cement mortar.
"HEY MYST, WHERE ARE YOU?!" she yelled up towards the ceiling.
"Ow," Uranus protested quietly as she rubbed her ear. "Damn, babe...."
"Lady Jupiter," Pluto said in a calm and unruffled tone, "I assure you
that sound will not propagate through a dimensional barrier. If she is indeed
in a phased dimensional state, she will not be able to hear you."
"Bah, so much for the direct approach," Jupiter sighed.
"Any luck?" Darian asked Mercury quietly.
"No," Mercury replied with a soft sigh. "The only thing I'm able to pick
up are Sailor Moon's wings, and I'm not seeing any unidentified matter, either.
If she is phased out, she's in a state I can't detect."
"Okay, time to get creative," Venus said as she headed over to the window.
"Oh, hell," Jupiter groaned quietly.
"Hell's over there, babe," Uranus said, pointing to Pluto.
"As I keep reminding you, Alex," Pluto said in a patient tone, "Hell and
the Underworld are not the same entity. You will find Hell in the Underworld,
true, but only as a discreet subsection and not as an equivalent identity."
Mars blinked in surprise and gave the succubus an uneasy look. "Wait,
say that again? You say Hell and the Underworld are different?"
"They are," Pluto replied with a nod. "I will explain later if you wish,
but for the moment we.... MINA!" she suddenly said sharply. "What in the name
of the Moon are you doing with that?"
"WHOA!" Jupiter blurted out as she saw what the blonde was oh-so-casually
tossing back and forth between her hands. "Are you insane? Get rid of that
before you kill us!"
"Relax," Venus said with a wave of her hand, still idly toying with the
olive-green grenade in her other hand. "We won't feel a thing from this. If
Myst is lurking around here in another dimension, however...." she added with
a disturbingly evil smile as she held the grenade upright and yanked the pin.
"Venus...." Darian said in a warning tone as he gently edged Sailor Moon
behind him. "Are you absolutely, positively sure you know what you're doing
with that thing?"
"Trust me," Venus cooed as she let the the spoon-trigger spring away from
the egg-shaped device and casually tossed it into the corner. She shot an odd
look at the group as the majority of them flinched and edged away, hearing at
least two different profanities muttered in the expectation of encountering a
violent demise in a few seconds. The grenade bounced once before rolling into
the corner, coming to rest against the wall at an angle. It remained perfectly
still for a moment before it seemed to wink out of existence with a very soft
sound, as if it was nothing more than a soap bubble being popped.
Sailor Moon made a very startled yelp of surprise as her wings were blown
behind her as if caught by a powerful gust of wind. The shrill sound was very
quickly followed by a pair of surprised protests as both Mars and Uranus found
themselves becoming thoroughly entangled in the glittering ribbons of light.
The wings continued to flutter sharply for a few moments before going limp,
slowly falling down towards the ground at a steady pace.
"Your Highness!" Neptune blurted out, her eyes dangerously wide.
"Hey!" Sailor Moon protested, turning around to look at her wings.
"You okay?" Darian carefully asked the upset blonde.
"Umm.... I think so," she replied. "That.... that really didn't hurt or
anything, but still...."
"Good," Mars said tartly as she tried to pry a pair of ribbons out from
where they had gotten badly tangled in her mass of raven-black hair. "Now get
off of me."
"Brilliant move, screwball," Uranus said acidly as she likewise tried to
unwind the mass of glowing ribbons wrapped around her arms and legs.
"Sorry about that, Sailor Moon," Venus apologized with a faint blush. She
was about to say something else when a patch of darkness started to form a few
inches away from Mercury's boots, quickly solidifying into the shape of a very
disgruntled gray kitten. "Aha! See, told you it would work!" Venus said in a
triumphant tone as Myst promptly sneezed hard.
"Lady Venus," Pluto said in a distinctly unamused tone. "While it seems
that your.... unorthodox methods have indeed resulted in a success, I should
like to point out that they also put the Princess in danger of bodily harm to
her wings. Also, I should like to point out that part of the mortar in this
keep is likewise phased into the Ethereal plane and thus could have sustained
damage from your efforts, and I shall be most displeased if I am now required
to repair any damage done to it."
"It was only a concussion grenade," Venus said carefully, trying to assess
the situation and determine just how much trouble she was now in.
"Thanks a lot, Venus," Sailor Moon muttered, giving her fellow blonde a
dark look. "You could at least have warned me, you know."
"Umm, sorry about that...." Venus said with a fairly moderate blush.
Darian just shook his head as he bent down to scoop up Myst. "You okay?"
he asked as he stood back up, carefully scratching the kitten's ears. He came
dangerously close to dropping her as she sneezed hard again, the sheer violence
of the sneeze causing Mercury to briefly fumble her computer.
"Goodness!" Mercury gasped as she got a firm grip on the device again.
"Yeech," Uranus said sourly as she finished removing the last of Sailor
Moon's wings from around her leg. "That sounded like it left a mark."
"I hate you people," Myst rasped, flicking her ears flat against her head.
"Just put me down and leave me alone before you manage to hurt me again...."
Darian shrugged to himself as he knelt back down to put her on the ground.
"Suit yourself," he said as he stood back up and took a step to the side.
"Are you alright, Myst?" Pluto inquired calmly, keeping a wary eye on
Venus as she carefully approached Sailor Moon with a deeply apologetic look on
her face.
"Put me back in the Dark," Myst said flatly, her tail lashing back and
forth like a whip as she gave Pluto an unhappy look. "I know now that it's not
a prison but a safe haven from these humans. You people are the most chaotic
entities I have ever encountered in my entire life," she growled as the rest of
the group. She blinked hard as Jupiter stepped over and leaned down, picking
up the Shinma by the scruff of her neck.
"Listen, kitty," Jupiter said in a level tone as she held Myst up at eye-
level. "You're not exactly a bowl of Rice Krispies yourself. We were waiting
for you to quit playing with yourself in that side dimension or whatever it was
that you said you discovered earlier. You're the one who ran off when you knew
full-well that we were getting ready to leave this place, and nobody knew of a
way to find you, let alone poke you to get your attention. If you want to get
all pissy on us, that's cool, Sailor Pluto can take you home once she takes the
rest of back to our home on Earth. Me personally, I like you, Myst. You're
just as strange to me as I am to you, but that's part of the fun. Anyway, just
do us all a favor, stick your tail in your mouth or something and stay quiet so
we can get this road trip over with, okay? It's either that or we leave you
behind and it'll be a good three hundred years until you're back to where you
started from. So what'll it be?"
Myst just looked at her in silence for a few moments, her body twisting
slightly as she continued to be held by the scruff of her neck. "You're just
as strange as that one," she finally said, arcing her tail towards Mercury.
"But at least you're not giving off a strange scent-vibe."
Jupiter gave her a slightly leery look for a moment before turning around
to cast an odd look at Mercury. "You forget to use deodorant this morning or
something?" she ventured in a careful tone.
"It is most likely the influence of the soul-rune she has with her," Pluto
spoke up before Mercury could reply to the brunette.
"What?" Mars suddenly said as she froze in mid-motion, her hands still
untangling a glowing wing from her maroon chest bow as she looked up at Pluto.
"Yo!" Jupiter yelped as Myst suddenly melted out from her grasp, fading
away into the air. She glanced down at her hand and flexed her fingers slowly,
giving the rest of the group an uneasy look. "Man, that felt weird...."
Mercury sighed and reached behind her, tugging open her Lunar Space pocket
to extract the pyramid-shaped object. "I think she means this," she said as
she held it up so Mars could see it.
"Oh, yeah," Uranus said in a flat tone. "That thing."
"Wait," Mars said slowly as she finally freed the wing from her chest bow
and carefully approached Mercury. Her bottomless black eyes narrowed down to
mere slits as she reached out to touch it, brushing a pair of fingertips along
one of the smooth surfaces. "Why do I feel like I've seen this before?" she
whispered, mostly to herself. "Chancellor.... what is this? Hey!" she yelped
as Myst faded back into view, standing directly beneath Mercury's outstretched
hand and starting at it intently.
Pluto sighed very softly to herself, absently readjusting the grip on her
staff. "It is a soul-rune," she explained calmly. "A haven, if you will, for
a living soul where it can be sustained and referenced."
"Used, you mean," Uranus added darkly.
"We've discussed this numerous times, Lady Uranus," Pluto said in an edged
tone. "I cannot help it if you categorically refuse to understand the true
nature of it."
"Believe me, Sue, I already know it's nature," Uranus retorted coldly.
"It's a trap," Myst said as she finally understood, starting to edge away
from the device. "A prison for souls. Like the Dark," she added with a sour
expression.
"Sailor Pluto...." Mars said in a distinctly uneasy tone, casting a very
disturbed glance at the green-haired woman.
"Stop and think for a moment, your Excellency," Pluto said in a firm tone,
causing the rest of the group to blink. "We need to find a haven for the souls
of Queen Serenity and Captain Raijen once I recover them. I will empty the
trap into that rune where they can be safely stored until we can extract Queen
Serenity's soul and return her to the Imperium Silver Crystal. That rune will
then serve as the permanent residence of Raijen's soul, as his original life
crystal no longer exists. Or would you have me simply cast it aside into the
maw of oblivion as Andromeda sought to do?" she added in a pointed tone.
Mars blinked at the undertone of emotion to Pluto's words before nodding
her head in understanding. "I see what you mean," she replied, casting an odd
look at the device in Mercury's hand. "I'm not sure what else it can be used
for, and something tells me I really don't want to know, but I don't see a
problem with using it like that."
Uranus snorted quietly as she reached out to take Neptune's hand in a soft
grip. "I see Sue's right, ignorance really is bliss," she muttered.
"You must be having a life-long orgasm, then," Jupiter added under her
breath, drawing unamused looks from both Mercury and Pluto.
"Hey, Sailor Moon?" Venus spoke up. "This is just how I see things, but
you might want to consider putting your wings in your back pocket or something
before we return to Earth. I don't know about you, but I can picture Artemis
taking one look at you and piddling on the floor in shock, and I'll leave it to
you to decide what Luna might do."
"Eww," Sailor Moon replied with a faint shiver, her triple-tone voice
clearly resonating with emotion at the thought.
"A wise precaution indeed," Pluto spoke up. "Is everyone ready, then?"
"One sec," Venus said as she darted over to the window to pick up the pile
of clothes she had set aside earlier. She scooped them up with a fluid motion
and returned to the group, absently tucking her underwear deeper into the pile.
"Hang on, babe, I want to watch this," Uranus murmured to Neptune as she
kept her eyes on Sailor Moon's exposed back. She blinked hard along with the
rest of the group except for Darian, Mars, and Pluto as the angelic wings began
to gently pulse with light. The pulsing glow grew stronger with every second
before they shimmered out of existence, seeming to ripple slightly as they
faded from view.
"Oh, cool!" Venus gushed, giving Sailor Moon a warm smile. She blinked as
she noticed the change in her eye-color and smiled again. "Hey, the baby blues
are back again, eh?"
"Fortunately," Sailor Moon replied in her normal voice.
"What, don't like the gold look or something?" Jupiter inquired.
"It's.... something I'm still not used to," Sailor Moon answered softly.
"Bah," Uranus said with a dismissive shrug, still holding her clothes in
one hand and Neptune's hand in the other. "It still looks really good on you,
starlight, I wouldn't worry about it."
"Would everyone take hold of my staff, please?" Pluto said as she held out
the silvery Key to Time. "I should warn you that the displacement effect will
be just as intense as before if not more so. Remember, we are not just out-of-
phase by three hundred years but are also three days out of synchronization
with the Moment," she warned.
"Whatever, Sue," Uranus sighed as she let go of Neptune to grab the staff.
"Up you go, cat," Jupiter said as she bent down to scoop up Myst in one
hand. She carefully perched the kitten on the bridge of hands already holding
the staff before finding a place to grasp the metal shaft herself. "Dammit,"
she sighed as everyone crowded around the staff. "Venus, I like you a lot, but
you're standing on my toes again. Move before I hurt you."
"It's not my fault," Venus protested. "I've got someone's backside all up
against my stomach. Again," she added with a faint note of acid.
"Please," Uranus scoffed. "Take a good look, babe, my butt is about as
flat as my chest is."
"ANYWAY," Mars said in a tone as flat as an airport's tarmac.
"Is everyone ready?" Pluto said as Myst's tail coiled around the looped
portion of her staff. She waited an extra moment to make absolutely sure that
all eleven of them were in firm contact with the staff before closing her eyes
and commanding the Key to draw them into the Flow of Time.
The world around them quickly dissolved into a nimbus of blue energy as
they were swept into the Flow, slipping through the summoned conduit and into
the stream of infinite energy as a ship would sail through a harbor to reach
the open seas. Pluto immediately began to chart a five-dimensional course back
to their point of origin, requiring far less effort than had been needed on the
initial journey.
As before the three physical dimensions, the so-called X, Y, and Z axes,
were simple to plot as she decided to return them to the room containing the
Star Mosaic in the cathedral. The fourth dimension, the temporal component,
was even easier to plot as she was aiming for the Moment, the point where the
'present' existed and thus the single most powerful influence in the Flow of
Time as it crept along at a steady pace. The fifth dimension, what was known
as the planar component, was likewise easy to locate given its prominence as
the material focus of Creation.
Charting the path was easy, but the effort it required for Pluto to keep
them on course was far from trivial. Cosmic forces battered the tiny pulse of
energy that was their existence as they sailed the Flow, buffeted by currents
and eddys from other significant events throughout Time. So too did she have
to carefully thread her way among thousands of other conduits, each one caused
by some other entity from some other point in Space-Time likewise travelling
the Flow. Some were caused by temporal versions of herself on various trips,
but many others were not. While the transition seemed to take several seconds
from her perspective, it was only a cosmic instant before she finally reached
her destination and slipped into the large conduit that opened before her.
The physical world reformed around them with a very hard flash of blue
light, caused by the exotic particles of the Flow of Time instantly decaying
outside of their usual eleven-dimensional environment. The surge of temporal
energy that quickly followed was best described as a cosmic resynchronization
of their bodies, the threads of Space-Time that they were composed of trying to
rebalance themselves to the current temporal state of existence.
"Ohmygod," Venus blurted out as the tingle ran through her very being.
"Ick," Mercury wailed, releasing her hold on the staff as her arms began
to twitch of their own accord like a pair of spasming wings. "Ick ick ick...."
Pluto sighed as she waited for the effects to wear off, knowing that the
feeling was far more intense than was normal. "Everybody remain calm," she
said in a gentle and reassuring voice.
"Yeah," Uranus coughed out. "That feeling. Umm, D, you okay?"
"Hang on," Darian said in a rather uneasy tone, one hand firmly gripping
the crotch of his pants.
"Prince Darian...." Pluto started to say.
"No, no, I'm fine," Darian quickly said. He continued to hold himself for
a moment before letting out his breath and very carefully letting go. "Okay,
I think my bladder is cool now, everything's under control...."
"Wow," Jupiter said as she took a step back and glanced down at the front
of her Sailor Suit. "I think I know a few people who would pay some serious
money for a ride like that. Damn...."
"Your Highness, you alright?" Uranus inquired as she gently started to
massage Neptune's upper back.
Sailor Moon glanced down at the exposed skin of her arms and legs, trying
to see if it was really crawling around like it felt it was. "Eww," she said
in a low tone.
"Yeah, that about sums it up," Uranus sighed, giving Mars an uneasy look.
"A decent shower with some fairly hot water usually makes the feeling go away.
Rei, sweetie, you're not going to throw up, are you?"
"Probably not," Mars admitted. "But that was not a pleasant trip."
"Agreed," Maq'i said in an unusually brittle voice. "By the NegaForce,
that was a most unusual experience. Is everyone alright?"
"A shower," Venus said slowly. "A shower sounds like a real good idea
right about now. Oh, man, I am *so* glad I used the bathroom before we left."
Everyone turned around as the double doors opened up, allowing Whisper and
the cats to enter the room. "You're back!" Luna shouted as she darted across
the floor. "Where is...? Serena, thank goodness you're alright!" she blurted
out as she leapt into the air towards the long-haired blonde.
"Whoa!" Sailor Moon gasped as she was almost bowled over. She quickly
wrapped her arms around Luna to keep her from slipping, giving the black cat a
somewhat fierce hug in turn. "Easy, Luna, I'm fine."
"Hey, fuzzy, long time, no see!" Venus said cheerfully as she held her
arms out. Artemis promptly leapt up into her waiting embrace, making a quiet
purring sound as she nuzzled his cheek. "Miss me?"
"Well, apparently the reactor didn't blow up on us," Jupiter said to the
telepath as she approached the group.
"Thankfully not," Whisper replied with a nod. "Is everyone alright?"
"Peachy," Uranus replied casually.
"We are indeed," Pluto said with a nod of her head. "As you can see, the
Princess has fully recovered from her ordeal."
"You had us worried to death," Luna chided Sailor Moon as she heaved a
truly large sigh of relief. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Sailor Moon seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding. "I'm fine,
Luna," she repeated. "It's been a rough few days, but everything's fine."
"Few days?" Artemis echoed, giving Venus an uncertain look.
"It's been three days for us," Venus said slowly. "Why, how long were we
gone from your view?"
"About five hours," Whisper spoke up with a slight frown as she glanced at
Sailor Moon. "Are you girls sure you're okay? You look like you've been in a
fight or something."
"Bah, that's just the after-effects of Sue's time-bending trick," Uranus
said with a wave of dismissal. "It's rough, but nothing we can't handle."
"So what ripped Sailor Moon's blouse in the back?" Whisper inquired.
"Prrrm?" Luna said as she hopped up onto Sailor Moon's shoulder to look
down. "Huh? Sailor Moon, how did that happen?"
"Let me see," Artemis said as he hopped out of Venus' embrace. He trotted
over to get a good view at the blonde's back, his eyebrows arching up at what
he saw. "Whoa, someone did a number on your suit," he said in an uneasy tone.
"And believe me, I know how resistant those suits are to being sliced."
The rest of the group briefly traded uneasy looks before Uranus sighed.
"I did it," she said to the white cat. "I had to cut it open with my saber
earlier so Maq'i here could get a look at her shoulderblades."
Luna opened her mouth to say something when she turned to get a good look
at Sailor Moon's expression. A slight frown tugged on her lips as she leaned
forward, very carefully sniffing the skin of her throat. "Serena, are you sure
you're alright?" she ventured in an uneasy tone. "I don't want you to take
this the wrong way or anything, but you smell different for some reason."
"Umm, well...." Sailor Moon started to say in an unusually quiet tone.
"Hey, Sailor Moon?" Venus spoke up quickly. "Hold that thought for a sec,
okay? How full is your bladder?" she said to Artemis, gently nudging his leg
with the tip of her orange sandal.
"Oh, great," the white cat sighed heavily. "What happened?"
"Just answer my question," Venus said in an impatient tone. "We really
don't need to be cleaning up a mess in here, okay?"
"I'll be back," Artemis promised in resignation as he started to head for
the door. "Luna, do you...?"
"Serena, please," Luna said quietly. "Tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing is wrong, Luna," Mars spoke up in a calm tone. "Things are just
a little different right now, that's all. I'll be right back," she added as
she started to head for the door.
"Hey, where are you going?" Jupiter inquired.
"After that little trip we just took, I need to use the bathroom as well,"
Mars said in a matter-of-fact tone as she continued to walk across the room.
"The shower can wait, but this one can't. Excuse me," she said as she slipped
out the door and into the cathedral proper.
Darian cast a sidelong glance at Pluto before sighing heavily. "Yeah, I
know what she means," he muttered as he started to walk towards the door as
well. "Luna, you and Artemis can relax, okay?" he said as he paused to pick
up the white cat. "We're all fine, I promise, and nothing is so urgent that
it can't wait ten minutes for us all to get situated properly. C'mon, we can
talk on the way to the john if you're that worried," he muttered to Artemis.
"Indeed," Pluto agreed with a nod of her head. "Perhaps a quick break
would be advisable, as it would also give us a chance to change clothing."
"Hey, all the reason I need," Jupiter said quickly as she headed towards
the door, acutely aware of what she was wearing beneath her Sailor Suit. "See
you girls in the living room in ten," she promised.
"Sailor Moon," Whisper said quietly as she approached the blonde. "May
I conduct a quick scan of your mind? I just want to make sure there isn't any
lingering trauma from earlier." She blinked as Maq'i said something to her in
a denizen dialect, causing the telepath to give her a truly odd look. "As you
wish, Master Healer," she said slowly.
"We can talk later, if you wish," Maq'i said calmly. "But for now, I ask
for you to be patient. Please, your Highness, take your time," she added to
Sailor Moon.
"C'mon, meatball head, time to get changed into something substantial,"
Venus said lightly as she picked Luna up and set her on the ground. "Just give
us a few, Luna, we'll be right back."
"You really need to quit calling her that," Uranus growled quietly as she
allowed Neptune to lead her by the hand, gently dragging her towards the door.
Pluto waited until the others had departed, leaving her alone in the large
room with Whisper, Maq'i, and Luna. "You need not be concerned," Pluto said to
them in a gentle tone. She held up a hand to forestall the questions that both
Whisper and Luna seemed to be ready to ask. "Serena is fine in every aspect,
despite what she underwent recently, and the rest will be explained in a few
moments."
"Sailor Pluto?" Luna spoke up with a frown. "Where is the Crystal?"
"Rei has it for the moment," Pluto said in a delicate tone. "We had a
few.... complications earlier which I will explain in due course. To summarize
things, Rei was ordained as Regent and thus gained dominion over the Imperium
Silver Crystal when Serena.... died," she said after a noticeable pause.
"*WHAT?!*" Luna yelled, her eyes tripling in diameter.
"As I said, she is fine now," Pluto said in a faintly edged tone. "When
Rei's bloodline became empowered, she used the power of the Crystal to bring
the Princess back. Surely you recall how Serena had to do that for the others
during their initial Negaverse intrusion to rescue Prince Darian," she reminded
the deeply-shocked Lunar cat.
"Oh, dear god," Luna whimpered quietly, closing her eyes.
"Your princess is in excellent health, I assure you," Maq'i spoke up in a
gentle tone. "Granted the shock of the experience took a toll on her, but she
has fully recovered in every regard."
"There is a great deal more to the story, of course," Pluto said as she
gently picked Luna up. "But that will be explained in due time. Come, let us
join the others in the living room, they should have mostly recovered from the
journey by now."
"Pah," Maq'i grunted softly as she followed the succubus out of the room.
"No disrespect, Sailor Pluto, but if I ever have to experience a method of
transportation like that again, it will be entirely too soon, if not the death
of me," she said with a faint grimace.
"I doubt you will be required to undergo the experience ever again," Pluto
replied demurely with a faint hint of a smile. "Regardless, you have my most
heartfelt thanks for accompanying us, both to Earth and to my keep."
"I assure you, the journey was worth it," Maq'i replied with a gracious
smile. "And not just because of your Moon Princess. If I may, Captain," she
said as she turned to look at Whisper, "Do you by chance know of what has
transpired in the Negaverse since our departure? I would imagine that things
are still quite chaotic...."
"Well, I...." Whisper started to say before almost running over Pluto as
she came to an abrupt halt.
"Where's Myst?" Pluto blurted out as she whipped around, still holding
Luna in her arms.
"She disappeared as soon as we returned here," Maq'i spoke up. "I'm not
sure I would have noticed either if I hadn't been looking directly at her the
instant we became aware of our surroundings again."
Pluto heaved a soft sigh of relief as she turned back around to head over
to the living room. "Thank you. I imagine the journey was not pleasant for
her either, and given her mood it makes sense for her to try to seek an avenue
of escape for a period of time. My apologies for interrupting you, Captain,"
she added to Whisper with a slight bow of her head.
"To be honest, I have no idea what's going on over there," Whisper sighed
quietly. "The network connection was broken when we returned and it hasn't
regenerated yet. I put a sensor next to the phase link module to make sure
nothing is leaking through in terms of random air molecules, but it hasn't so
much as twitched yet so I take that to mean that the physical conduit hasn't
been destroyed by anything. Or if it has, nothing like smoke or other carbon
compounds are getting near our end of the link."
"How big is this phase link?" Pluto inquired carefully.
"Eye of a small needle," Whisper assured her. "Just large enough to run
a pair of shielded monofiliment wires through to connect General Nephlyte's
computer to one of his networks back home. We can use conventional machinery
based on the composition of Silkworm crystals to poke stable macroscopic holes
in the dimensional barrier, but that's pretty much the limit. The energy
requirement is pretty much exponential in proportion to the wormhole's size, so
anything larger means we would need to use a real Silkworm crystal."
"Interesting," Pluto commented as they reached the living room. She cast
a quick look around before settling down in one of the armchairs, absently
scratching Luna's ears as she made herself comfortable to wait for the return
of the others. She paused for a moment before she looked up at Whisper. "You
may wish to have a seat on the couch, Captain," she advised gently.
Whisper paused to cast a sidelong glance at Maq'i before staring back at
Pluto. "What am I being set up for?" she inquired in a very wary tone.
Pluto said nothing as she looked up, a faint frown crossing her face as
she saw Rei walking into the room. The stylized brooch still hung from her
neck, leaving the Imperium Silver Crystal exposed to glitter very faintly in
the ambient light. "Do you feel better, your Excellency?" she called out.
"For what it's worth," the priestess replied calmly as she sat down in
front of the empty fireplace. She cast a measured look at the layer of ash and
carbon inside before sighing quietly and turning her back to it.
Luna looked at her for a moment before she glanced up at Pluto with a very
unhappy look on her face. "I've got a bad feeling about this," she muttered.
"It's alright, Luna, I promise," Pluto said soothingly.
Everyone looked up as Darian entered the room, carrying a visibly weary
white cat curled up in a small ball. They both remained quiet as Darian made
his way across the room, sitting down in the empty armchair and perching the
cat on the armrest. "What?" he asked carefully as he noticed the rest of the
room's attention focused on him.
"Nothing, your Highness," Pluto replied with a faint smile. "It is, as
has been said, merely one of those days."
"Weeks," Rei spoke up in a weary tone. "One of those weeks."
"Tell me about it," Darian sighed as he glanced over at the hallway. He
gave Mina an odd look as she bounded into the room with an overly cheerful look
on her face, casually scooping up Artemis on her way to claim a seat at the
table. "Feeling better?" he inquired cautiously.
"A good cup of hot chocolate will do that for you," the blonde replied
with a brilliant smile.
Darian suppressed a groan as he looked away, trying not to imagine just
how hyper she was going to be for the next few hours. He blinked as he saw the
rest of the group emerging from the hallway, all of them having reversed their
transformations at some point and were now dressed in casual clothing. Serena
was wearing a one-piece swimsuit and jeans, apparently the only thing she could
readily find that left her back open. "Feel better?" he murmured softly as she
drew near him and sat on the edge of the armrest.
"Ask me that in ten minutes," she said softly, staring down at her bare
feet. She wiggled her toes for a moment before sighing and looking up at Luna
with an uneasy expression on her face.
"Dibs on the shower when this is over," Leda called out as she and Ami
took seats at the table. Michelle appeared to move to sit at the table as well
before Alex gently tugged on her elbow, guiding her over to the empty cushion
on the couch. She gestured for her to sit down and moved behind the couch,
leaning her elbows on the back as she lightly toyed with Michelle's hair.
"Very well, then," Pluto said softly as she leaned back and closed her
eyes. A dark haze immediately surrounded her for a moment before fading away,
bleeding away the excess energy as she reversed her transformation. "As I'm
sure everyone else would like to rest for the remainder of the day, I shall
endeavor to keep this as brief as possible. As you can see, Princess Serena is
perfectly fine after her ordeal in the Negaverse. However, there have been a
few changes to the situation, both hers as an individual and ours as a group."
"The Chaos Factor?" Whisper spoke up in a flat tone, giving Serena a very
uneasy look. "That's the only thing I can think of."
"Indeed," Susan said softly as Serena sighed and glanced away. "Serena,
I think you are worrying too much over this," she called out.
"I'm just.... tired," Serena whispered as she briefly closed her eyes.
She opened them again a few moments later and sighed, slowly rising to her feet
and putting a bit of distance between her and everyone else.
"Serena, are you...?" Luna started to say before her jaw became almost
physically unhinged as several dozen glowing ribbons exploded out from behind
the blonde. A muted protest rose up from Susan's throat as Luna reflexively
extended her claws, trying to retain as firm a grip on her surroundings as she
could. There was another sharp sound of protest from the table as Artemis'
claws likewise splayed out in shock, leaving twenty perfectly-shaped gouges in
the wooden surface. If there was any further noise after that, however, it was
completely drowned out by the psionic shockwave that echoed inside everyone's
mind as Whisper shot to her feet.
"Ah, ow, ow, dammit!" Alex yelped as everyone winced in pain.
"Whisper!" Maq'i said in a sharp tone. She didn't even blink as she was
rewarded with a near-panicked stream of fricatives in the Outreaches dialect of
the denizen tongue, standing up to her full height and grabbing the telepath's
arm. "At ease, Captain!" she snapped.
"B-B-But...." Whisper spluttered, her eyes still dangerously wide as she
stared at a visibly startled Serena. The telepath's complexion was as white as
freshly-fallen snow and she seemed to be laboring hard to breathe.
"Settle down, child, there is no need to worry," Maq'i said.
"But if she is of the ar'kanis...." Whisper said in a profoundly shaken
voice. "Then the legends...."
"Uh-oh," Alex said very softly, casting a worried glance at both Serena
and Susan.
"Sit," Maq'i said firmly as she grabbed Whisper's wrist and half-tossed
her back down onto the couch cushions.
"Take it easy, Serena," Mina sighed as she stood up and started to pry
Artemis off of the table. It took three measured tugs before she managed to
unbury his claws, carrying him across the room to hold him in front of Serena.
"Okay, so she's a little different now, it's no major deal. Just take a deep
breath and repeat after me. Angel...." she said very slowly and distinctly, as
if speaking to a child. "Go on, you can say it. An-gel...."
"Serena...." Artemis started to say before his voice failed him.
"I'm all right, Artemis," Serena said quietly, the sound of her triple-
tone voice causing his eyes to widen even further. She reached up to gently
take him from Mina's grasp, bracing him against her forearm as she reached out
with a pair of wings to stroke his fur.
"An angel?" Luna finally managed to say as her conscious mind successfully
restarted itself after the fourth attempt. "Serena, you've become an angel?
That's incredible...."
"Is that really a surprise?" Rei spoke up in a calm tone.
Serena said nothing as she shifted Artemis' weight, wrapping three of her
floating wings around his body to brace him as she crossed the room over to
where Susan was sitting. She wordlessly reached out to Luna with another pair
of her wings, lifting the startled cat into the air before holding her in her
arms.
"Master Healer...." Whisper said in a very soft voice, looking at Serena
with an expression rarely seen on someone who wasn't on their deathbed. "Is
she the one the legends speak of? Ie ay'chen Ar'kanis il' Hal'al?"
"I have no idea," Maq'i replied calmly. "I am a Healer and not a monk.
Neither, for that matter, are you," she added in an edged tone, causing Whisper
to blink hard. "Perhaps you can consult the K'maal il' Hal'al at Ka'an-Nul
once things calm down, both here and in the Negaverse, but for the present I
am not concerned about it in the slightest. If she is then she is, and we both
know that then there is nothing we can do."
"Uhh, Whisper?" Mina spoke up in an uneasy tone. "Is there something we
should know about this? I mean, granted I can see how Serena's new angel look
can be a major surprise, but it's nothing to be having a cow over."
"Wait, wait, wait," Alex said in a slow tone, giving both Whisper and
Maq'i a deeply suspicious look. "I think spending so much time with Sue there
and figuring out her riddles has clued me in to a few things. Now call me a
paranoid bitch, but why do I think that your world just *happens* to have some
sort of ancient, obscure legend about some angel-like woman dropping in on you
and doing something catastrophic like blowing your world into tiny bits?"
"Okay, now *my* vibe detector is going off," Leda spoke up as both denizen
women remained perfectly silent. "And I'm not anywhere close to being able to
feel such things like Rei here is. Whisper, you want to sit down before you
pass out and explain to us why you almost wet yourself when Serena brought her
new denizen wings out?" she suggested in a guarded tone.
Whisper heaved an unsteady sigh as she gingerly sat down, still keeping
most of her attention on Serena. "As the Master Healer has pointed out, I am
not a monk and thus have no formal training in ancient religion," the telepath
explained in a very cautious tone. "I do have, however, a passing knowledge of
some of the ancient prophecies, one of which being how the world will end."
"What culture doesn't have that one?" Darian pointed out with a faint hint
of humor to his otherwise somber tone.
"Okay, I can buy that one," Alex said quietly to Michelle with a shrug of
her shoulders.
"According to what I've read," Whisper continued, "The end of the world
will be set into motion with the arrival of the Four Heralds of Chaos, led by
the Ar'kanis il' Hal'al."
"The Archangel of Light," Ami spoke up as she glanced at the translation
offered by her miniature computer.
"Wait, wait, wait," Mina said in a somewhat dangerous tone. "Four Heralds
of Chaos, you say? Sounds a lot, and I do mean a lot like the Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse legend that we've got around here somewhere."
"Not this one again," Leda sighed quietly, burying her face in her hands.
"Mina, don't tell me you think the two are related somehow...."
"Got any better ideas?" the blonde shot back in a flat tone.
"Mina," Susan said calmly, making a gesture towards the table. She waited
for her to sit back down before drawing a deep breath and looking over at both
Whisper and Maq'i. "I must admit to finding this revelation to be more than a
little discomforting," she said slowly. "I am quite familiar of our version of
this 'four horsemen' prophecy and know it to be thousands of years old. Does
yours, by chance, mention the aspects of war, famine, and pestilence as those
who accompany the Archangel of Death?"
"No," Whisper replied with a firm shake of her head. "They are.... let me
think of the proper translation," she said carefully. "The hidden hand of the
Red Star shall guide the other Heralds to the brink, where the White Water's
true innocence shall be tested. Only then can Time bear slow witness as the
Black Lady's veil is torn aside by the Archangel of Light, allowing true Chaos
to erupt and finally collapse the sky onto the ground," she quoted in a rather
ominous tone.
Darian grunted softly. "Great, now I'm getting a chill," he muttered.
"Be that as it may, your Highness," Susan spoke up, "That does not sound
remotely close to any of the apocalyptic legends and prophecies I am aware of."
"I think I have to agree with that," Mina said in an uneasy tone. "Okay,
so maybe four is just a nice, neat, fairly round number for such things."
"Four makes a square, babe, not a circle," Alex spoke up.
"Whatever," Mina replied with a roll of her eyes.
"As I said, I know very little of the ancient legends," Maq'i said in a
calm tone. "And I suppose at my age, I am close enough to the end of my life
that such.... religious stories no longer concern me. Should they be of that
grave a concern to you, Whisper, then as I said, take her to see the K'maal il'
Hal'al once you are sure you can make the journey without putting her in any
danger."
"Ami?" Leda spoke up without looking over her shoulder.
"The Order of Light," Ami translated after a brief delay.
"Huh," Alex said as both she and Michelle suddenly straightened up. "Hey,
Sue, where have I heard that name before?" she inquired.
Susan sighed quietly, casting a very brief glance at Rei only to find the
priestess looking directly at her. "The Order of Light is one of the oldest
religious organizations on Earth, based in the mountainous region of China."
"Tibet," Rei spoke up calmly.
"Precisely," Susan replied with a nod of her head. She jumped slightly
as a dark blur hopped up onto the edge of the armrest, just inches away from
her. "Ah, there you are," she said once she was sure she could speak in a
calm and collected tone. "Feeling better, I trust?"
"That was not pleasant," Myst muttered darkly as she curled up in a ball
and made herself comfortable, casting a leery glance at the way Serena was
still holding Luna and Artemis.
"Serena," Darian called out gently, gesturing for her to join him. He
scooted back as she approached, making room for her on the front half of the
cushion. "You alright now?" he asked as she sat down, gently plucking Artemis
out of her winged grasp and setting him down on the armrest.
"I think so," Serena murmured softly, setting Luna down in her lap and
slowly running her fingers through her dark fur.
"That's a rather interesting voice you have, Serena," Artemis spoke up in
a careful tone. "Have you tried singing with it yet?"
"Maybe later," the blonde whispered, suddenly feeling extremely self-
conscious about her angelic form. She jumped slightly as she suddenly felt
Darian's hand lightly touching her jaw, gently twisting her around and bringing
her lips into contact with his for a decidedly deep kiss.
"Don't worry about it, my beautiful angel of a princess," he murmured very
softly to her once they could both breathe again. "You are who you are, and we
all still love you very much for it."
"Thank you," she whispered back with a soft smile before she leaned in to
kiss him again.
The rest of the group exchanged idle glances of what might have been faint
traces of amusement and boredom as they patiently waited for the two lovers to
finish. "You know," Rei spoke up in a distinctly casual tone after several
seconds had passed and neither Darian nor Serena showed any signs of stopping
in the immediate future, "Maybe I'm going to have to throw up after all."
"Rei!" Ami blurted out in a faintly shocked tone as Darian and Serena
abruptly broke apart to give Rei startled looks. The priestess looked back at
them impassively for a moment before her expression finally changed to one of
amusement, letting them know that she was only giving them a hard time.
"Heh," Darian chuckled quietly as Serena's complexion suddenly flushed a
moderate shade of crimson. "Bet your stomach wouldn't be nearly as queasy if
someone was smooching you like that, now would it?"
"I have no idea, why don't you come over here so we can find out?" Rei
replied without missing a beat, a perfectly straight expression moving in to
replace her humorous mien. She promptly blinked hard with the rest of the
group as there was a sudden explosion of activity as Serena's wings darted out
to try to grab Artemis as he slipped off the edge of the chair. The end result
was a brief instant of frozen motion where the white cat was dangling from a
single set of rear claws before he was hoisted tail-first into the air and very
carefully deposited into Darian's lap.
"Ow, ow, ow, hey.... thanks," Artemis blurted out as his brain caught up
with his senses. "Sorry about that, guess I kinda slipped for a moment there,
heh heh...." he laughed weakly as he gave Rei a slightly uneasy look.
"And here I thought cats were supposed to be graceful," Alex muttered to
Michelle with a smirk.
"It's Artemis, enough said," Mina spoke up with an overly large smile.
"Not in front of the children," Luna sighed quietly as Artemis started to
mutter very unkind things to himself under his breath.
"I hardly think they qualify as children," Maq'i spoke up gently.
"Especially after what we just went through," Leda added with a very faint
growl. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't think children would
have made it with the stress of running against a nuclear clock, then trying to
do something about Serena, then trying to figure out just what the hell we had
gotten ourselves into once we got her back. And don't ask me about all the
problems with the Crystal, that's still way over my head."
"Oh?" Luna asked as both she and Artemis bolted upright into identical
sitting positions.
Susan paused to give Leda a withering look for a moment before clearing
her throat gently. "As I said earlier, there have been a few changes to our
situation as a group. If you would be so kind as to hold off your questions
until I am done, I shall attempt to explain what precisely happened to us once
we arrived in my keep in the Border Ethereal."
Luna and Artemis traded uneasy glances before the black cat sighed softly,
her whiskers seeming to droop slightly. "Very well," she said as she curled up
into a ball in Serena's lap. "Artemis and I will not say a word until you are
done with your explanation. Right, Artemis?" she added sharply as her hearing
picked up more unkind things being muttered in a near-silent whisper.
"Sure," the white cat replied flatly before turning around to glance up at
Darian. "Thanks for letting me take that whiz earlier," he whispered softly.
"No problem," Darian replied with a faint smirk of understanding.
Susan seemed to pause to compose her thoughts for a moment before drawing
a deep breath. "As you know, the Imperium Silver Crystal is a fully-sentient
entity under the domain of the Royal House of the Moon, comprised of all the
souls and personalities of past Queens and Sailor Scouts. When the spirit of
Captain Raijen was added to the amalgam, it triggered a sort of uprising within
the Crystal that manifested itself in the form of Queen Andromeda. She made
another appearance, not too long after we arrived in my Border Ethereal Keep,
and that's when Rei was named Regent. Andromeda expelled Captain Raijen's soul
from the Crystal moments later, and I was able to provide a safe haven for both
his soul and the soul of Queen Serenity. The sudden departure of her mother's
soul from the Crystal was traumatic for the Princess, so much so that the shock
was sufficient to quite literally kill her."
"*WHAT?!*" Artemis suddenly yelped, his fur puffing out sharply enough to
make an audible popping sound. Darian might have smiled for a fraction of a
second if pain hadn't suddenly run through his upper thighs as all twenty of
the cat's claws splayed out again, getting an extremely tense grip on both his
pants and his skin.
"Hey, easy on the claws, pal," Darian said in a slightly strained voice.
"Just keep talking, Susan," Luna said in a very weary tone, looking like
all she wanted in life right now was a cigarette and a bowl of alcohol to soak
her head in. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily as she felt the tips of
Serena's fingers glide through her fur as gently as possible.
"When the Princess died, I removed her soul from her physical body," Susan
continued, pausing as she heard Luna's fur audibly puff out in shock. "I did
so for a reason, I assure you. In doing so, the power of the Crystal was able
to transfer itself to Rei's bloodline, giving her dominion and enabling her to
not just expel Andromeda's soul from the Crystal but to resurrect Serena's body
and reunite her soul with her flesh."
"Don't look at me like that," Rei said flatly as both cats shifted their
focus over to her. "I was just repaying the favor after what she did for us in
the Negaverse last year. I'd be more than happy to give this damn thing back
to her just as soon as Susan retrieves Queen Serenity's soul from wherever it
is stashed away."
"Rei?" Darian spoke up in a slightly uneasy tone as the rest of the group
exchanged startled glances. "You sound bitter all of a sudden...."
"I'm tired, Darian," the priestess replied with a soft sigh as she closed
her bottomless black eyes. "Tired of this burden. It's pathetic, really. I
mean, I've wanted this power for myself for how long now, and three days after
its mine, I can't wait to get rid of it?"
"And what burden would that be, your Excellency?" Susan inquired gently.
Rei's eyes slowly opened and focused on the succubus. "You ever have the
power of the entire universe at your fingertips?" she asked softly as her hand
moved down to touch the brooch around her neck. "I know now what this thing
can do, and what's worse, I know how important it's become. Did you know that
I can easily shatter the Crystal if I truly wanted to? I have the power to,
since I've got control of it now. I can hand it to Leda and she can bounce it
off the sidewalk all she wants, but it won't even scratch the Crystal. With a
flick of my wrist, however, I can turn it into a thousand tiny shards.... and
in doing so condemn this world to utter destruction in a week."
"Yo, whoa, waitasec," Leda quickly blurted out, her eyes wide.
"I am aware of that," Susan said simply with a nod of her head. "Just as
I am aware of what it would truly take for you to will its destruction, as well
as the consequences it would have for this universe. I do not fear for the
Crystal in your hands, just as I have never feared for the Crystal in Serena's
hands."
"Because it wouldn't have crossed her mind to even think of doing so?" Rei
prompted in a neutral tone.
"Among other things," Susan replied calmly. "She is not tempted by the
cosmic powers that lie within it, and I daresay that after having tasted that
same power for yourself, neither are you."
"Are you sure about that?" Rei said in a dangerously soft tone.
"Rei?" Mina spoke up in a careful tone. "Why would you be so eager to get
rid of the Crystal if you don't want its power?"
"Because you feel you would use that power?" Susan spoke up before Rei
could draw in enough breath to reply.
A soft rush of air escaped Rei's lips as she breathed out, her dark gaze
locked on Susan's composed expression. "Wouldn't you?" she whispered.
"Had you asked me that when I was your age, I would," Susan admitted in a
perfectly calm tone. "However, as I have already explained, I was taught a
rather harsh lesson about being responsible for the powers I was granted, and
I assure you that the lesson was very much taken to heart. I think, however,
that you yourself need not experience such a lesson for you to gain a measure
of understanding of what it means. Am I afraid of my powers and duties as the
Guardian of Time? No, and neither am I afraid of my responsibilities as such.
I respect them, of course, but I do not fear them."
"Not anymore, perhaps," the priestess suggested.
"I will grant you that much," Susan replied softly, looking down at the
gray kitten in her lap for several seconds. She sighed gently to herself and
looked back up at Rei. "You need not run from your role as Regent anymore than
you need to run from Serena's trust and love. The power of the Crystal is in
your hands for now, and it may be handed to you again in the future. We all
have just as much trust in you to do the right thing as we do in the Princess,
and that is a fact that you can never simply run away from."
"I know you trust me," Rei said very slowly. "But what if I don't trust
myself?"
"Then you wind up like me, Rei," Darian spoke up in a faintly bitter tone,
still absently trying to calm Artemis down to a point where he could make an
attempt at picking him up without ripping any new holes in either his skin or
his pants. "You get to spend a few days or weeks living in your own personal
hell while life blows past you without looking back. What's worse, you could
end up dragging your friends into it, making their lives hell as well. Is that
what you really want?"
"Settle down, you two," Mina huffed quietly, leaning back in her chair and
crossing her arms over her chest with a sour pout. "No need to get all gloomy
and doomy on us. If Rei doesn't want to hold the Crystal any more, that's her
business. I'll hold onto it myself if you want until Queen Serenity's soul is
returned to the Crystal. Speaking of which...." she added, giving Susan a
meaningful look.
"After that stunt with the grenade, I'm not sure I'd want you holding onto
a pair of my socks," Serena muttered quietly, almost causing Darian to fall
out of the chair as he furiously tried to suppress a laugh.
"Uhh, that didn't sound right," Artemis said very slowly, twisting around
to cast an uneasy glance at the vivid blush of embarrassment on Mina's face.
"What stunt with what grenade?"
"I shall explain later," Susan said lightly, making idle note of the looks
on everyone's faces at being reminded of the dimensional concussion grenade and
the fallout that had resulted. Her attention returned to the quietly haunted
look on Rei's face and sighed softly to herself, knowing that she was simply
stalling in the face of an unpleasant task. Very well, let us get this over
with, she thought with another quiet sigh as she gently picked up Myst and
deposited her on the armrest.
"Ami, if you would be so kind?" she said as she stood up, unconsciously
commanding the Key to Time to appear in her hand.
Ami blinked in surprise and gave her a slightly confused look before she
suddenly remembered. "Oh," she said as she stood up, quickly extracting the
empty soul-rune from her Lunar Space pocket. "Here," she said as she carried
it across the room and started to hand it to the succubus.
"No, that is fine," Susan replied with a gentle shake of her head. "Just
hold it out like that for me, if you please. Thank you," she said softly as
the pyramid-shaped device was carefully cupped in both hands and held up. She
reached out to brush a pair of fingertips against it, her fingernails lightly
scraping across the polished surface before they abruptly sank in to create a
visible ripple of energy.
"Hey!" Ami gasped in surprise as the soul-rune immediately became warm to
her touch.
Susan said nothing as she closed her eyes, drawing her powers inward as
she raised her staff slightly. She wouldn't need to assume her demonic form
for this, as she would be relying solely upon the energies of her spirit to
act as a conduit. Taking a deep breath, she rapped the end of her staff hard
on the ground, commanding it to open a purely Astral connection into the Deep
Ethereal demiplane where she had sent Serenity and Raijen's souls earlier.
Her senses promptly blurred around her as her spirit was projected across
the dimensional barriers, zooming along through a silvery conduit that appeared
to be as fragile as a strand of spider-silk. She knew that the Astral conduit
was far more resilient than that, of course, but she also knew that the silver
strand was all that was keeping her soul attached to the body she had just left
behind in the material plane.
The Astral journey seemed to take an unusually long time before she was
finally deposited into a small bubble-like domain, a tiny haven neatly trapped
by the fibers of the Deep Ethereal plane and thus prevented from being drawn in
by the incessant tugs of the Astral plane's "spiritual gravity".
She began to project a ghostly mirror of herself as her spirit entered the
bubble, a silvery echo to give her some semblance of substance as she looked
around. Even as close to the Astral plane as they were, there was still enough
cohesion in the Deep Ethereal's structure to allow small strands of Ether to be
woven together into a psuedo-reality that could then be shaped at will. That
had obviously been done already, as the bubble seemed to be a somewhat spectral
mirror-image of Queen Serenity's bedchambers back in the Moon Kingdom. As for
the Queen herself....
Susan blinked in surprise before immediately turning to study a portrait
on one of the walls, loudly clearing her throat and deeply wishing she didn't
have to intrude. I should have expected this, she thought with a soft sigh of
resignation. Being trapped here is probably the first time they've truly been
alone together in a thousand years, so of course they would.... pick up where
they left off, she thought with another soft sigh. She would have been more
than willing to return at a later point in time, but the strain of the Astral
projection was already starting to take a toll on her.
"Susan!" Serenity yelped in surprise as she yanked the sheets up as high
as she could. Raijen immediately froze in mid-motion, casting a look over his
bare shoulder that was somewhere between surprise and resentment.
"I hope you will forgive the intrusion, your Majesty," Susan said in a
weary tone as she continued to study the portrait instead of the bed. "But I
have come to return the both of you to Earth. I.... regret that I am not able
to simply depart and return at another point in time, so I must ask that you
get dressed as soon as you can."
"How is she?" Raijen demanded as there was a brief but furious burst of
activity before half the sheets were tossed aside.
"Alive and well," Susan replied calmly as she leaned close to study the
gilded ridges in the painting frame, doing her best to ignore her peripheral
vision. She blinked as he did something she didn't expect, turning her head to
properly focus just as he reached her and grabbed her arm in a grip that was
not overly gentle.
"The Chaos Factor," he said urgently, not seeming to care in the slightest
that he was stark naked and still obviously thinking of Serenity. "What has
happened to her?"
Susan looked into the depths of his blue eyes for a moment before nodding
in understanding, her peripheral vision able to clearly differentiate the color
of Serenity's cheeks from the rest of her nude body as she discreetly slid out
of bed to make a grab for her clothes. "There has been a change," she said in
a very careful tone. "Only two denizens have seen her so far, but both reacted
with shock at seeing how she has changed. Captain Whisper said she thought
that the Princess was.... forgive my accent, as I'm not used to your language,
but I believe she said she thought Serena was the one her legends speak of, ie
ay'chen Ar'kanis il' Hal'al."
"What?" Raijen hissed, his complexion turning as white as his backside.
"Susan, what has happened to her?" Serenity said breathlessly as she came
over, still tugging her underwear into place. She absently handed a pair of
undershorts to Raijen, her cheeks tinted a curious shade of pink as her rather
violent blush was diluted by the pale countenance of a worried mother.
"In short, your Majesty, the Princess has become a denizen angel," Susan
said as she edged past her to scoop up the forgotten gown. She fluffed it out
slightly and snapped it once to remove any casual dust before tugging the
zipper completely open. "You will, of course, see for yourselves in short
order, so it is best not to waste time. If you would be so kind?" she added
casually as she gestured for Serenity to step into the gown.
Serenity and Raijen traded deeply embarrassed looks, dark blushes once
again coloring their faces as they started to get dressed. "We're glad to see
you, Susan," Serenity said in an abashed tone as she was helped into the gown
as if it were just another ordinary evening in the Moon Kingdom.
"Your timing, however...." Raijen rumbled quietly as he finished tugging
his undershorts into place and went over to the pile of discarded armor.
"That couldn't be helped, Captain," Susan apologized in a calm tone as she
gently zipped Serenity's gown into place. "As you can see, I am projecting
myself Astrally to reach this place, and there is no known way to 'look before
you leap' when using such a method of projection. I assure you, had I known I
would be intruding I would have waited until later."
"Still," Serenity muttered as she fanned herself, feeling the skin on her
face all but melt with the heat of her blush. She paused as she heard a soft
rasp behind her and turned to look, her brow furrowing slightly as she caught
the pained look on her Chancellor's face before it could be removed. "Susan,
are you alright?"
"Astral projection is.... not easy," Susan admitted calmly, trying to
ignore the way her senses were starting to blur around the edges. "However, I
assure the both of you that I have enough strength to return you to Earth. I
must warn you, however, that this journey may be somewhat uncomfortable for the
two of you. I will first have to transfer your souls into a soul-rune while I
return to my physical body. Afterwards, I will attempt to draw out Serenity's
soul to return to the Imperium Silver Crystal while Raijen's soul remains in
the rune. It's the only way I can think of to house his soul intact," she said
gently. "Rejoining him with the Imperium Silver Crystal is.... not an option,
as we have all learned."
"Susan, wait," Serenity said quickly as Raijen's head shot up in surprise.
"You mean you're going to have to separate us again?"
"It can't be helped," Susan replied softly with a shake of her head. "All
I can do is ensure that his soul will be protected against the Astral plane and
readily accessible to the Princess whenever she desires. I'm not sure if I can
arrange a direct link between the Crystal and a soul-rune, but with a little
help it may be possible to allow him to project his spirit outside the confines
of the rune, just as you can do outside of the Crystal."
"But...." Serenity protested, her lower lip trembling slightly.
"Serenity," Raijen admonished quietly as he hefted the chest-piece of his
armor into place. "We have been fortunate to have had this much allotted to us
when we were both prepared to face oblivion. To demand or even expect anything
further would be ungrateful, and I have no wish to be as such. To even exist
for another few moments is a blessing, and to be given the hope that I will be
able to be with you again, even if only for brief instants of time, is enough
to sustain my spirit for I will always have your love to sustain my heart."
Susan couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face as she saw the
way Serenity's unease seemed to melt away like a dusting of snow beneath a warm
summer sun. "I can make no promises, of course, but I daresay that the two of
you will be able to enjoy far more than brief and transient moments together,"
Susan said. "I might even be able to arrange a private suite for you...."
"Susan!" Serenity gasped as her vivid blush of embarrassment returned with
a vengeance.
"With all due respect, Serenity, grow up," Susan replied with a look of
amused reproachment. "We are all adults here, and I doubt anyone can blame you
for wanting to enjoy some of the finer pleasures of being in love. As in the
past, I shall protect you from public embarrassment about such things, so you
need not worry in the slightest. Do you need a hand with that, Captain?" she
inquired calmly over her shoulder, pointedly ignoring the strangled sounds of
mortified embarrassment Serenity was actively trying to suppress.
Raijen grunted quietly as he locked a shoulder-guard into place. "I am
almost finished, Chancellor," he said. "Unless you cannot spare another two
minutes."
"I most certainly can," Susan replied with a bow of her head. She paused
for a moment as the gesture created a sort of sensory sloshing effect, making
the room blur out of focus for a brief instant before solidifying again. Or
perhaps not, she thought with a faint sense of unease as she felt the tension
in her Astrally-projected body become worse.
"Susan, you will tell us about everything that happened after we left,
right?" Serenity asked carefully as she squeezed the other woman's arm.
"When we have the time, yes," Susan promised. "It will take a few hours,
however, and it is likely that most of the salient details will have already
been made apparent once we return. Serenity...." she said slowly before she
lowered her voice to a near-whisper. "I really am sorry for interrupting."
"It's alright," Serenity murmured in reply as she looked away, her cheeks
almost literally glowing a cherry red color. "I'm not sure how long we've been
trapped in here, but.... the time has been put to good use."
Both women glanced over at Raijen as he approached, the weight of his
armor making his footsteps seem unusually heavy. "I believe I am prepared,
Chancellor," he said calmly, reaching out to gently brush an armored hand
against Serenity's arm. "Please, let us go see our daughter now."
Susan nodded and reached out to them, her hands dissolving into halos of
silvery light as she touched their foreheads. She then closed her eyes and
took a deep breath, steeling herself against what was about to come. "I must
apologize in advance if this is.... uncomfortable," she warned them in a gentle
tone. Then before they could react, she grasped the cores of their souls as
hard as she could and leapt back into the silvery strand leading back to her
material body.
The return journey was like trying to swim in a river while carrying a
sack of rice in each hand. The strain on her spirit was incredible, the pull
of the Astral plane threatening to overwhelm her as she left the sanctity of
the Deep Ethereal. She would have gritted her teeth if she had any, doing her
absolute best to keep a steady pace as she followed the Astral thread back to
its source. It seemed to take an eternity before the nimbus of light appeared
before her, telling her that she was finally back. She would be able to enter
it, of course, as that was her body on the other side, but the souls of Raijen
and Serenity would be another matter. Fortunately, she had already forged a
new link before she left....
Heads snapped up as Ami screamed at the top of her lungs, the blue sigil
of the House of Mercury exploding into brilliance on her forehead with the
strength of a supernova. The soul-rune in her hands suddenly lit up with raw
energy as well, white-hot sigils burning themselves into the surfaces as it
became occupied by a pair of souls.
"Susan!" Alex yelped as Susan's eyes snapped open in the same instant, her
red irises burning like coals and the dark green sign of Pluto flashing into
view on her forehead. Susan snatched her fingertips away from the now-searing
soul-rune only to lunge forward again, trying to catch the device as Ami's
reflexes kicked in and heaved the superheated rune away from her.
Susan could feel the heat wash over her as she successfully caught it, the
white-hot sigils slowly cooling down as the trap stabilized itself. The pain
was enough to make her wince, but she knew that it would only be minor damage
at best and would probably heal before the device returned to room-temperature.
"Hey!" Leda protested as she shot to her feet with the rest of the group,
completely startled by the sudden burst of activity.
"Ami, hold still," Susan instructed as she refocused on the rest of the
room around her. Ami's hands and wrists were still spasming hard as she waved
them around in pain, bright red burn marks clearly etched into her palms. Her
lips were drawn back to expose her tiny vampiric fangs and her breath was being
drawn in sharp hisses that clearly denoted the pain she was in.
"Why didn't you warn me?" Ami demanded as she struggled to calm down as
best she could. She glanced over her shoulder and tried to hold still as Maq'i
approached her, the Healer's fingertips already starting to glow white as she
gathered her healing powers together.
"Soul-runes don't usually do that," Susan replied in a somewhat flat tone,
acutely aware of the burning sensation in her hand. She started to carefully
toss the pyramid-shaped device from hand to hand like one would a hot potato.
"Someone grab an oven-mitt," Mina said over her shoulder.
"Hang on," Leda said as she darted into the kitchen.
"Well?" Alex prompted carefully, trying to examine the still-glowing soul-
rune being tossed back and forth.
"I believe everything is in order," Susan replied calmly, casting a brief
glance to her side as she became aware of the truly evil glare Ami was giving
her. "With the exception of a few unexpected burns," she amended. "Had I any
idea it would do that, Ami, I assure you I would not have asked you to hold it
for me. Master Healer?"
"You'll be fine, child," Maq'i told Ami in a soothing tone, both her hands
and Ami's hands encompassed in a gentle white glow. "In fact, your powers of
regeneration are working faster than I can keep up. All I am able to do is
blunt the worst of the pain while you heal on your own."
"Thank you," Ami said in a brittle tone as she cast another glare towards
Susan, clearly unhappy with the situation.
"Susan!" Leda called out as she pitched an oven mitt through the air.
"Thank you," Susan replied in a grateful tone as she caught the padded
mitt in her left hand. She quickly slid it on and transferred the glowing
soul-rune onto it, a faint sense of relief spreading through her once she was
no longer able to feel the still-dangerously hot runes etched into it.
"Honestly, Chancellor," Rei spoke up calmly from her spot on the floor.
"After trying to contain Serena's soul for a few moments, did you really think
that something would be able to hold Queen Serenity's soul without some sort
of backlash?"
Susan shot Alex a withering look as the blonde promptly buried her face in
the crook of Michelle's shoulder and muttered something, causing a pained look
to cross the other girl's face. "A reaction was anticipated," she said as she
turned back to look at the priestess. "That it would result in a rapid and
extreme increase in the surface temperature of the soul-rune was not."
"You alright, Ami?" Darian inquired as the glow faded away from Maq'i's
hands and she took a step back.
"I think so," Ami said in a leery tone, glancing down at the palms of her
hands before carefully flexing them. She winced slightly at the tightness of
the newly-regenerated skin before looking back up at the rest of the group.
"Just give me another few minutes before you ask me to hold anything, though,"
she added, casting yet another sidelong glance at Susan.
Susan glanced down at her right hand, one eyebrow twitching upwards in
surprise as she could clearly see a pair of sigils formed by the light pink
lines of burnt-but-healing skin. She then glanced at the soul-rune itself,
her other eyebrow arcing up to join the first as she saw two distinct colors
of spiritual energy seared into the sides of the rune.
The golden crescent of the Royal House of the Moon shone the brightest,
seeming to pulse and fade like the ghost of a heartbeat, but the glow couldn't
completely mask the darker red outline of a sigil that was clearly of denizen
origin. "Interesting," she commented as she studied the spider-like lines.
"Unless I am mistaken, I would say that I've seen this particular character
before. Do any of you recognize it?" she asked as she held it up higher for
the rest of the group to see.
"Dragoon," four voices promptly replied in unison.
"That's the official uniform insignia of the Dragoon Legion," Ami added.
"Ah, I understand now," Susan said with a nod. "Hardly unexpected given
the fact that he was the driving force behind its founding.... I wouldn't try
to touch it just yet, your Highness," she admonished gently as Serena moved
over to look at the soul-rune.
"They're together, aren't they?" Serena whispered quietly, staring at the
way the two runes were seemingly blended together. They retained their own
coloring, but there was a sort of bleeding effect at the points where the lines
of Raijen's soul-symbol crossed over the golden crescent of Serenity's sigil.
"They are," Susan replied with a nod. "They have been since your father
merged his life crystal with the Imperium Silver Crystal. Even when Andromeda
expelled his spirit, Serenity went after him and they both ended up together
in the haven I created. Is everything alright?" she added softly as she saw
the look of uncertainty on the blonde's face.
"Susan, must we.... I mean, do I.... have to disturb them?" Serena asked
very carefully, her triple-tone voice seeming to resonate with her caution.
"I mean, if they're alone together and they're safe.... do we really need to
keep them apart in separate.... separate places?"
It took the succubus a moment to clear her mind of the image she had seen
when she first intruded into the bubble-haven. "I'm sorry, Serena," she said,
unable to prevent the faintest hint of a blush from tinting her cheeks, "But
your mother's rightful place is within the Imperium Silver Crystal. I will
have to do some research first, but I believe there is a way to enable your
father's spirit to project itself outside the soul-rune and manifest himself,
just as your mother's spirit could do from within the Crystal. For now, both
you and your parents will have to be content with the current situation."
"I know," Serena replied sadly. "It's just that.... I thought they...."
"Believe me, your Highness, I understand," Susan said gently, giving the
winged princess a meaningful look of understanding.
"So now what?" Rei spoke up quietly, one hand absently toying with the
stylized brooch hanging around her neck.
"Patience is a virtue, sweetie, or so Sue keeps claiming," Alex said with
a smirk as she absently rubbed Michelle's temples.
"I got rid of my virtue months ago. Next," Rei replied in a slightly flat
tone, causing the rest of the group to wince slightly.
"Objection, your honor," Mina sighed as she let her forehead hit the table
with a muted thump.
"Sustained," Artemis muttered.
"Think someone should offer Rei a beer?" Darian spoke up in a remotely
amused tone. "Lord knows I'll be asking for one if things keep going at this
rate. Wait, maybe I should ask if we even have any first...." he said as he
turned around to look at Leda.
"Don't look at me," the brunette protested. "Tolaris wouldn't let Maze
show me where the storage pool is in this place."
"Behind Dyvach's nest," Ami spoke up in a slightly disturbed tone. "He
likes to sleep on top of the heat sink."
"Nothing wrong with finding a warm spot to snooze on, right?" Alex said
carefully, trying to gauge Ami's mood.
"Depends on where that warm spot is," Ami replied with a sigh.
There was a slightly uneasy pause from the rest of the group as they all
exchanged glances before Mina sighed quietly. "Okay, where else did you find
our lovely crystalline spider?" she inquired with guarded curiosity.
"Inside the dryer," Ami replied flatly.
"Nothing wrong with toasty underwear in the morning," Darian commented.
"I can deal with Dyvach doing my laundry for me," Ami replied, her cheeks
turning a moderate shade of red. "I don't even mind him folding my underwear
for me. But I certainly mind it when he spends half the cycle curled up in a
ball inside the dryer with them."
There was another uneasy pause from the group as they exchanged glances
before Artemis and Darian looked at one another. "Eeech," they both muttered
in identical tones. "I see your point," Darian added with a sour look.
"At least they were washed first," Artemis muttered with a flick of his
tail. "I'd hate to imagine what it must EERRRKK!" he gasped as a hand grabbed
him by the scruff of the neck and hoisted him into the air.
"You, ah, got something to say about the laundry, my friend?" Mina said in
a distinctly dangerous tone as she held him up to eye-level.
"Do you ever see me playing with your socks?" Artemis replied.
"You stole my fresh-from-the-dryer underwear once," Mina pointed out.
"And that was what, *after* you spritzed me with that perfume of yours?"
"I don't think you ever explained that one, you know," she reminded him.
The white cat looked at her for a moment before sighing and deciding to
just get it over with. "Well, you wouldn't let me out of your room, and my
nose was really starting to burn, and your box of tissues was empty from that
chick-flick video you saw earlier, so I needed something to scrub it out...."
"*ARTEMIS!!* Mina yelled, her face turning as red as her hair bow.
"I stuffed it in the dirty hamper!" he protested. "It's not like I just
put it back on the pile you left on the AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
Everyone gasped in horror as he was thrown the full length of the room,
tumbling head-over-heels in a fairly low ballistic arc. He was a fraction of
a second away from smashing a hole in the wall when he suddenly jerked to a
complete halt in mid-air, seeming to be held in place by an invisible force.
"Mina," Whisper said in a reproving tone as her powers of telekinesis
gently lowered Artemis to the floor.
"Oooooooooohhhh," Mina fumed, her face still dangerously red. She glared
at the panting ball of fur on the ground and stormed back over to her chair,
throwing herself into it hard enough to make it creak ominously.
"See what you did, D?" Alex said with a faint smirk.
"*I* did?" Darian echoed incredulously. "What do I have to do with this?"
"You started it by asking about the beer," Alex said with a languid smile.
"Which, come to think of it, sounds like a really good idea right now...."
"You're not having any," Michelle spoke up in a somewhat glacial tone.
Alex blinked and seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon. "Mich, babe,
I'm not going to get drunk or anything, I'm just...."
"No," Michelle said firmly.
Darian just leaned back in the chair and chuckled very quietly to himself,
absently reaching out to stroke Luna's dark fur. "And people say I'm whipped,"
he murmured to her.
"She better have you whipped," Luna replied dryly.
"Thanks, Luna," Darian sighed heavily as Leda almost hit the floor from
laughing so hard. Rei looked like she was biting her tongue and trying not to
smile while Alex's head was buried in Michelle's shoulder again, the blonde's
shoulders shaking hard with muffled laughter.
"Ow...." Artemis muttered as he unsteadily made his way over to the couch,
the tip of his tail wobbling back and forth in an uneven rhythm. "Thanks," he
said to Whisper as he hopped up onto the coffee table in front of her.
"Susan, are you alright?" Serena asked carefully as Susan started to lean
heavily on the staff that had appeared in her free hand without warning.
"Just a bit of a headache, your Highness," Susan replied with a faint and
distinctly wan smile. "Astral projection takes a heavy toll on both the body
and spirit, and I must confess that the current social environment is.... shall
we say, less than conducive to casual relaxation."
"I told you these humans are dangerous," Myst muttered from her position
on the armrest.
"Settle down, kitty," Leda gasped as she finally managed to sit upright
against the wall, wiping a stray tear of laughter out of her eye. "Like I
said, we're not that bad. And if we really are, then I'm sure Susan there can
drop you off at wherever it was that she picked you up if you ask her nicely."
"That reminds me," Alex said quietly to Michelle. "Wonder what happened
to Mephisto?"
"Wait, who?" Mina said as she suddenly snapped out of her funk.
"Tell you later, babe," Alex replied with a shrug of dismissal.
"A Shinma we met while in the Dark," Susan explained calmly. "I strongly
doubt he is the demon-lord you are most likely thinking of."
"Right...." Mina said slowly, seeming to return to her quiet fuming.
Susan glanced down at the soul-rune in her hand and touched her fingertip
against it. "I believe it is cool enough now," she said as she set her staff
aside and switched the soul-rune to her free hand.
Rei just shook her head as she watched the staff casually fade out of
existence as if was the most natural thing in the world. "Susan, how do you
keep doing that? The staff," she added as she got a curious look.
"The Key is an integrated part of Time," Susan explained as she slipped
the oven mitt off and set it aside. "In fact, the natural state for it is to
be within the Flow itself. Unless I command it to manifest, it will return
there of its own accord until needed again. After having used it for so long,
the process of summoning and dismissing it has become instinctive and no longer
requires a cohesive thought."
"Cogito, ergo sum," Mina muttered.
"In essence, yes," Susan replied with a nod. "Serena, I wouldn't...."
The soul-rune suddenly lit up like a flare as Serena's fingertip brushed
over the pair of etched runes. Her sigil likewise began to glow strongly, the
golden crescent moon shape seeming to burn on her forehead as her golden eyes
promptly doubled in diameter.
"Hey!" Leda protested as she leapt to her feet. "Serena, you okay?"
"I can feel them," Serena whispered as her eyes half-closed. "Rei?"
Rei looked at her for a moment with open unease before sighing softly and
rising to her feet. "Do you feel anything?" she asked Susan as she moved to
stand next to the blonde. She blinked as she was promptly wrapped up in fully
half of Serena's wings, winding around her arms and legs like so many warm
snakes that squeezed her gently.
"Only the power of the soul-rune itself," Susan said calmly, keeping a
very careful eye on both Serena and the rune. "Your Highness?"
"Touch it, Rei," Serena whispered in an almost dream-like voice. "You
should be able to feel it too. The Crystal should be able to help them...."
Rei paused for several moments with obvious unease before she gingerly
reached out to brush her fingertips over the etched surface of the soul-rune.
Her eyes widened an instant later as her own sigil suddenly flared into view,
the deep red arrowed-circle of the House of Mars briefly visible before it
melted into a red crescent moon shape.
Who is that? a voice seemed to brush against her mind's ear. Rei?
"Release them," Rei whispered to herself, her voice suddenly seeming to no
longer be her own. "In the name of the Moon, I command you...."
Susan blinked hard at the whispered voice and was about to ask what she
meant when she realized that the priestess wasn't talking to her but to the
vibrant glow spilling out from inside the Imperium Silver Crystal.
"Such impetuousness," a soft voice said as a pair of spectral forms began
to manifest on either side of her. They resolved into the figures of Lady Mars
and Queen Nectaris, a look of open relief evident on Aria's face while the
empty void of Nectaris' featureless eyes seemed to contain just the slightest
hint of amusement. "And an imperial attitude to go with it," the past queen
added lightly.
"Your Majesty," Susan said quietly with a bow of her head, still holding
the fiercely-glowing soul-rune in her hand.
Nectaris just shook her head, a gentle hint of a smile tugging on the
corners of her mouth. "If the situation weren't so dire, my dear, I think I
might actually be entertained by her manners. No matter, we have far more
important things to tend to at the moment," she sighed as she reached forward
and brushed her spectral hand over the rune's surface, giving both Serena and
Rei deep chills as she came into physical contact with their flesh.
The polished surface of the soul-rune seemed to explode in an instant, a
surging geyser of energy erupting outwards in a wide arc before coalescing into
the familiar forms of Queen Serenity and Captain Raijen. They both blinked and
took a brief moment to reorient themselves to their surroundings before their
gazes fell on Serena.
"Oh, Serena...." Serenity gasped as she immediately reached out to her
daughter, her lavender eyes widening as her mind registered the changes Serena
had gone through. She looked like she might have said something else but was
suddenly distracted by the heavy clanking sound caused by Raijen collapsing to
his knees, his eyes dangerously wide.
Rei took one look at the situation and quickly backed up, trying to give
the family reunion some space and untangle herself from the glowing ribbons of
Serena's wings in the process. She blinked and paused as the wings suddenly
tightened around her, refusing to let go.
"She said...." Raijen rasped quietly, his voice dangerously raw as it left
his throat. "She said that you had become a denizen angel, my daughter, and
now I see that she is right. S-S-Serena...." he whispered before his voice
failed him completely as his eyes started to flood with tears.
Susan said nothing as she edged back a step, watching in silence as most
the room started to cry as Serena lunged forward, wrapping one arm around her
father's torso and the other around her mother's waist. The majority of her
denizen wings followed suit an instant later, looping and coiling around arms
in tight grips as her own tears started to fall. Several of the glowing wings
continued to grip Rei's arm tightly, causing the priestess to cast an uneasy
glance at her arm and start to worry about the restricted circulation of blood.
Susan looked around the room as the soft sobbing started, knowing it would
be several moments at a minimum before anything coherent would be asked. It
failed to surprise her in the slightest to see that only Darian, Artemis, and
Myst weren't crying to one degree or another, knowing that such reunions tended
to touch the hearts of women far more easily than men. Or demons, she added
with a silent sigh as she knew that she herself was rarely moved by witnessing
such things despite her wishes that she could be.
"Look closely, all of you," Nectaris said softly, not appearing to be
talking to anyone in particular. "Can you not see the depth of the love in her
hybrid heart? Do you sense any hatred she holds, any ill-will towards anyone?
Look closely and tell me if you still see a threat in her."
Everyone blinked as the Imperium Silver Crystal suddenly lit up with a
bright glow, causing golden crescent moon sigils to appear on the heads of both
Serenity and Nectaris. A red crescent began to glow on Lady Mars' forehead an
instant later, matching the hue and intensity of the mark on Rei's head.
She still poses a danger, Rei heard a voice whisper in her mind's ear.
The call has yet to be given, and it will be with her blood. We must not allow
ourselves to answer the Chosen One. Her power must remain sealed.
"What?" Serenity suddenly said, her head snapping up in surprise.
"We have a deal, do we not?" Nectaris said in an edged tone.
"Guys, I don't like this," Alex whispered very softly to Michelle and
Whisper as they watched the way the glow of the Imperium Silver Crystal and the
five crescent sigils all pulsed in unison.
We will answer when we know who calls us, Rei heard. That is the deal.
The peach-haired queen nodded and seemed to sigh quietly. "As you can
tell, Serenity, things have gotten.... unsettled since your.... departure," she
said as her expression twitched for a moment as if she had suddenly been forced
to suck on a lemon.
"I'm sorry," Serenity whispered as she brushed a ghostly tear out of her
eye, reaching out to lay a hand on Raijen's shoulder. "But you know why I did
what I had to do."
"You shall not find my voice among those who would fault you for it," the
Ancient One replied calmly as she moved over to a visibly leery Rei. "Had it
been the one I loved enough to draw into my bed, I might have easily done the
same. No matter, though, as you have come to rejoin us once again. You have
done well in guarding the Crystal for this long, dear child, but I'm afraid I'm
going to have to ask you to return it to me," she said gently to Rei.
Rei glanced over at Serena for a moment before returning her gaze to the
spectral queen and nodding in understanding. She started to reach up to undo
the brooch's clasp when the wings wrapped around her arm gave a somewhat sharp
tug, jerking her hand away from the silvery chain. "Hey!" she protested with
a startled look.
Serena said nothing as she unwound her wings from her parents' arms, the
glowing ribbons of light absently arranging themselves in a butterfly-shaped
pattern behind her as she approached the priestess. Gold eyes stared deep into
bottomless black eyes before Serena took another step forward, wrapping Rei in
a tight hug and cocooning them both in her angelic wings.
Rei blinked hard as she felt her chest become dangerously warm, an almost
liquid sensation flowing across the front of her robe as the Imperium Silver
Crystal was pressed between them. The hug lasted for several seconds before
Serena finally released her and stepped back, both girls glancing down to see
a familiar golden brooch securely pinned to the front of Serena's swimsuit top
with the exposed Crystal calmly glittering in the center.
"Typical," Rei found herself muttering quietly as she glanced up at the
long-haired blonde. She sighed in resignation at the look of warmth and love
being directed back at her, knowing there was simply no way she would ever be
able to truly resist the depth of Serena's friendship and feelings for her.
"You're welcome," she added with a faint hint of sourness.
"You'll be alright, my dear," Nectaris said calmly to Aria as she gasped
very softly, the red crescent sigil on her forehead slowly melting back into
the familiar sign of Mars. "Rei, however, will always retain the power of the
Regency inside her soul."
"I know," Lady Mars replied in a subdued tone, looking up at her with a
soft sigh. "And thank you," she whispered softly, unable to prevent a soft
smile from crossing her face as Serena hugged Rei tightly again. A dark red
crescent still shone brightly on Rei's forehead, seeming to match the remotely
unhappy expression on her face as she yielded to the fierce embrace.
"Are you alright?" Serenity murmured in Raijen's ear as she knelt down
next to him, starting to grow concerned at the deeply haunted look on his face
and the thin trickle of tears that continued to fall.
"She survived the Chaos Factor," Raijen replied gently, audibly trying to
rally himself. "That alone is a minor miracle, and for her to be so.... so
beautiful, every bit as radiant as our love for one another.... Serenity, what
have I done to deserve this?" he asked, looking up at her with a deadly serious
expression.
"What?" she said, clearly startled by the question.
"Three times now I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams after my
death ages ago," he whispered fiercely. "To meet you, then to have a child,
then to see her become a child of prophecy.... what have I possibly done to
be given so much?"
"Aw, crap," Alex muttered to Whisper. "Here we go with that prophecy
stuff again. Doesn't sound like he thinks it's a bad idea, though...."
Susan smiled gently as she took a step forward towards Raijen. "If I may,
Captain, we have a saying in our world. Don't look a gift-horse in the mouth,"
she said lightly.
Raijen blinked and gave her a startled look before giving Serenity a very
confused look. She opened her mouth to explain when Ami spoke up from her spot
next to Susan's armchair, giving him the equivalent translation in the denizen
language as best she could.
The armored figure looked at her for a moment before looking back up at
Susan, a rueful smile touching the edges of his lips. "Very well, Chancellor,
I will not question your wisdom too deeply on this account," he rumbled as he
carefully rose to his feet.
"And Maze says denizens don't learn fast," Mina muttered quietly.
"Mina!" Ami hissed softly, a delicate blush forming across her face as
Raijen glanced at them both before shaking his head in amusement.
"Ahem," Whisper said casually, giving Mina a look of identical amusement.
"I know humans tend to pick up on things faster than denizens do, but there is
no need to be arrogant about it. Besides, Maze is a special case anyway...."
"Heh," Leda chuckled softly as Mina turned a delicate shade of pink.
"Serenity," Nectaris said gently. "Don't give me that look," she sighed
as Serenity glanced over at her with a heart-rending look on her face, one hand
reaching out to grip Raijen's tightly. "You know just as well as I do that it
is simply not possible. How things managed to progress for this long before
Andromeda was able to usurp control is beyond me, but most would settle for
writing it off as you having a particularly strong willpower. The soul of your
beloved will be quite safe where it resides, and you have my word that I shall
do my best to see it remains protected. I said *my* word," she snapped as the
Crystal suddenly became markedly brighter, seeming to hum gently from where it
hung from Serena's top. "I did not ask for your consent because it will not be
needed. I can still do quite a lot on my own, thank you."
Both Serenity and Serena's eyes widened slightly as they heard the voice
of the cosmic consciousness inside their heads, seeming to argue with Nectaris
for an unusually long time. "Are things that bad that there is no longer any
consensus?" Serenity whispered as her face grew pale.
"They didn't care to have me as their spokesperson," Aria spoke up in a
faintly bitter tone. "The ejection of Andromeda's soul into oblivion didn't
help matters, either."
"What?" Serenity gasped as her complexion turned completely white.
"Things are a mess," Nectaris admitted calmly, "But as soon as you care to
rejoin us, perhaps you can put that willpower of yours to use in imposing order
once again. And I dare you to tell me we don't need it," she added in a dark
tone as the Crystal's glow flared up again.
Serenity looked at the Crystal for a moment before sighing heavily and
turning to look at Raijen, glimmers of tears starting to form in the corners
of her soft lavender eyes again. She sighed and closed her eyes as he reached
up to lightly stroke her face.
"Duty calls, my beloved," he said quietly. "And you know that few more
than I understands why the call must be answered above all else. Take comfort
in knowing that I will always be near you, and that either you or our daughter
need only reach out to find me."
"I know," she whispered as she leaned over to kiss him soundly.
"Alright, what is it with the Royal House and kissing?" Alex muttered to
Michelle after watching Serenity and Raijen kiss for several seconds. "They're
just as bad as these other two love-birds. Think we should find them a room?"
"Alex!" Michelle gasped in a mortified tone as the kiss was abruptly
broken, Raijen's head coming around to cast an unamused glance towards the
couch while Serenity's face suddenly exploded into a crimson blush.
"That will be quite enough, Alex," Susan said in a strained tone, doing
her best to keep a neutral expression.
"Indeed," Raijen rumbled softly, his tone causing Alex to quail slightly.
"Perhaps it is best you rejoin your ancestors and take care of matters among
your court while I have a short conversation with Prince Darian."
"Huh?" Darian said as his head snapped up. "I didn't do anything...."
"That's not what I heard," Alex muttered softly to Michelle. Her blue
eyes bulged dangerously as Michelle's fist swung back, nailing her square in
the solar plexus and driving most of the wind out of her lungs. She sank down
onto the back end of the couch a moment later in perfect silence, but her words
had already been heard.
"Oh?" Raijen said, his eyebrows arching up in mild surprise at the look on
Michelle's face and the swift violence of her action.
"Leave him alone," Serena spoke up, her triple-tone voice catching both
Serenity and Raijen by complete surprise.
"Serena, your voice!" Serenity exclaimed, blinking hard.
"I know," Serena sighed, briefly glancing away. She glanced back at them
for a moment before closing her eyes completely, turning her focus inward.
All four sets of spectral eyebrows arched up in surprise as Serena's wings
began to glow in pulses before they shimmered out of existence, leaving just a
faint trace of disturbed air before vanishing completely. "Impressive," Raijen
rumbled calmly as Serena opened her eyes, revealing their usual blue color.
"Better?" Serena asked carefully in her normal human voice.
"Oh, honey," Serenity sighed as she moved forward to hug her daughter.
"You don't have to change or hide anything from me, it's a beautiful voice."
"Certainly a unique voice," Nectaris commented in a kind tone. "Your
Lunar friend is right, it would be interesting to hear that voice sing," she
added, making an absent gesture to the white ball of fur curled up on top of
the coffee table.
"Maybe later," Serena whispered softly as the hug was broken.
"Prince Darian," Raijen started to say before falling silent as he felt
Serenity's hand touch his arm.
"One moment first," Serenity said in a slightly suspicious tone. "I may
not be his mother, but I know hidden guilt when I see it. Is there something
on your mind, Prince Darian? You look uneasy about something...."
"It's just been one of those weeks, ma'am," Darian said in an edgy tone.
"Ma'am, is it?" Serenity echoed in a tone that most children dreaded to
hear from their parents. "The last time you called me ma'am was when...."
"Excuse me, your Majesty," Susan suddenly spoke up. "But you need not be
overly concerned about whatever it is that is weighing upon his mind. As he
has truthfully said, it has been an extremely rough week for all of us."
Serenity blinked and turned to face her best friend. "Oh, and all of a
sudden you intervene," she said in very wary tone. "Now I know I am being set
up for something. Out with it, Chancellor, what has happened?"
"Queen Serenity, I...." Susan started to say before the Crystal began to
glow brightly again. Nectaris glanced away to study the walls while Serenity's
eyes widened in shock. She quickly whipped around to see a mortified blush of
embarrassment and shame spreading across Serena's face, having heard the voice
for herself.
"Prince Darian!" Serenity said as her temper promptly ignited.
"Serenity, we have had this conversation before," Susan spoke up, having
a fair idea of what the Crystal had told her.
"Susan, but...!" Serenity blurted out as she turned to face Susan.
The green-haired woman simply held up a finger, waiting patiently for her
to fall silent. "You will not speak to either of them about it," she said with
an air of finality. "Or do you need a reminder yourself as to why?"
The rest of the group traded uneasy glances as Serenity's face underwent
an amazing transformation of colors in the span of several seconds, displaying
all sorts of shades of reds, pinks, and purples. "Alright, Chancellor," she
finally said in a voice as flat as milled steel. "I will not speak to them of
this. Raijen, would you be so kind as to have a few words with Prince Darian
for me?" she asked in a somewhat chilled tone as she glanced over her shoulder.
The Dragoon blinked hard and gave her a distinctly unsettled look, trying
to get a feel for the situation. "As you command, my Queen," he rumbled in a
very uncertain voice.
Serenity glared at him for a moment before exhaling hard through her nose.
"Men," she growled quietly before casting another dark glare at Susan.
"Princess Serena," Nectaris spoke up in a faintly amused tone. "Would you
please open the Imperium Silver Crystal to your mother's love? I think it is
time she rejoined us again," she said as she held her hand out to Serenity.
"Go," Raijen said simply as Serenity turned to look at him. "And always
carry my love with you as I have carried yours in my heart of hearts." She
sighed heavily and nodded, leaning over to give him a final kiss before turning
back to face Nectaris.
"Cosmic Moon Power...." Serena whispered as Serenity's hand reached out.
The Crystal immediately seemed to ignite like the core of a star, a whirling
maelstrom of almost painfully-bright sparks of light taking shape around the
edges. A deep humming sound filled the air as it floated out of the confines
of the brooch, hovering in front of her.
Serenity gasped hard as her outline flickered, a bright pulse of light
leaping out from the side of the soul-rune and crossing the distance between it
and the Crystal in an instant. The golden crescent mark on the rune promptly
winked out and vanished, the material smoothing itself out as if the shape had
never been etched in it to begin with. The queen's outline solidified a few
moments later as she grasped Nectaris' offered hand, the golden crescent sigil
on her forehead pulsing brightly for several moments.
The whirlpool of energy surrounding the Crystal faded away, leaving the
gem hovering in mid-air for a moment before it abruptly plummeted towards the
ground. Serena tried to grab it and missed, the Crystal being saved from an
encounter with the floor only by Rei's quicker and more accurate reflexes. A
deep haunting moan filled the air as it landed in her palm, sending a decidedly
dark chill through everyone's blood before it faded out like the whisper of a
ghost's memory.
"I never could get used to that sound," Nectaris commented sadly as she
drew Serenity into a brief hug. "Even when it welcomes the return of one of
her daughters, it cries out in mourning. Welcome back, my child."
Serenity sighed quietly as she returned the hug, letting her head rest on
her ancestor's shoulder for a moment before she suddenly lifted it back up
again. "Oh, my...." she said softly, staring over Nectaris' shoulder with a
startled look on her face.
"I told you things were a mess," Nectaris said calmly, casting a sidelong
glance at something only she, Serenity, and Aria could see. "I think it would
be best if we were to try to sort this out immediately. Your daughter and her
court will very much still be here once we are finished."
Serenity gave her an uneasy look before sighing softly and nodding in
resigned understanding. "I think you're right," she said. She sighed again
and looked around the room with saddened eyes. "It may be some time before I
can talk to you all again, surely not until tomorrow at the earliest, but do
not think that I will let you out of my thoughts nor forget for an instant how
much I am in your debt for all that you have done to help both the Crystal and
Serena."
"It is a pleasure to serve, your Majesty," Susan said demurely with a bow
of her head.
"For the most part," Rei muttered quietly, drawing startled looks from
both Serena and Serenity. She paused as she became aware of their focus and
glanced away with a faint blush on her cheeks. "I wish I could have skipped
getting tossed around like ice in a glass back when the nuke went off outside
the Imperial Castle," she explained.
"Amen, babe," Alex spoke up in a somewhat sour tone.
"See, we told you guys to come back to Earth with us," Mina pouted.
"And leave the Crystal behind?" Alex countered.
"Admit it," Mina said with a sigh as she looked up at the ceiling. "You
didn't stay behind to grab the Crystal, did you?"
"I stayed for my friends," Alex growled back. "Rei's the one who wanted
to stay behind to grab...."
"As you can see, your Majesty," Susan spoke up quickly and in a somewhat
loud tone, "Things are rather back to normal now, so you need not worry about
us for the present."
"The truly frightening aspect of this is that I have to agree with her,"
Nectaris said in what had to be the most emotionally-controlled diplomatic tone
ever used in the better part of a century. "Come, Serenity, let us tend to our
House and leave your daughter's court to tend to hers."
"We'll be back," Queen Serenity promised softly as her spiritual image
began to fade. It seemed that she cast a distinctly unamused glance towards
Darian before both she and Lady Mars vanished completely.
"What's the worst thing about being dead?" Nectaris said absently to the
room in general, shaking her head gently. "The wine tastes sweet and one can
taste distilled spirits that could put hair on even a woman's chest, but alas,
it becomes impossible for the senses to be blurred into pleasant numbness for
even a moment's respite," she sighed before her projection vanished as well.
"Umm...." Leda said slowly as everyone looked at one another.
"Aw, crap," Alex groaned as she buried her face in Michelle's shoulder.
"Now I can't even look forward to bliss in the afterlife. Great, I really
needed to hear that."
Raijen paused to cast a sidelong glance at Susan before shaking his head
to himself. "Were I one to drink deeply of such things, I don't doubt that I
would become depressed myself at the notion," he rumbled softly. "But she is
right about the flavor of the wine," he added with a wistful look. He stared
off into space for a moment before shaking his head hard and refocusing on his
surroundings again. "No matter, such things are for when there is time to rest
in comfort and not when business is at hand."
Darian started to sweat as he noticed both Raijen and Luna turning to look
at him with somewhat piercing eyes. "Leave me alone, Luna," he whispered to
the black cat, his lips barely moving.
"When he is finished with you, I should like to ask you a few questions,"
Luna replied in a somewhat darkened tone, having put a few pieces together in
her mind and not liking the final picture.
Raijen chuckled quietly to himself. "Fear not, my Prince, I had wanted to
speak with you before Serenity bade me to do so, though I have yet to truly
discern what she would have me say. I have my suspicions, however, but before
I would seek to act upon mere suggestion alone I would first speak with you, my
daughter," he said gently, turning to look at Serena.
Serena blinked in surprise before a faint blush crossed her cheeks. She
nodded her assent and followed the armored figure over to a corner of the room.
The rest of the room watched in uneasy silence as he leaned over to whisper a
question in her ear, resulting in a hard blink from the princess before a very
vivid blush swept over her features. She seemed to try to speak before she
settled for a simple nod of her head, the dark pink hue on her cheeks turning
progressively darker with each passing moment.
"I don't suppose you have anything to say for yourself, Darian?" Luna said
in a very low tone as she glanced over her shoulder, her tail lashing back and
forth at a brisk pace.
"As a matter of fact, I do," Darian replied in a slightly dark tone as he
sat up and leaned forward. "Back off and mind your own business," he said in
a very calm manner. He remained stone-faced as Luna immediately became a blur
of motion, her claws digging into the fabric of the chair for traction as she
whirled around to face him.
"Serena *is* my business," Luna said in a very dangerous tone, causing the
rest of the group to blink at the intensity of her demeanor. "Her health, her
well-being, her state of mind, and her future are all *very* much my business."
"No!" Serena suddenly said loudly, causing heads to turn. The dark red
color of her blush was replaced with a slightly pale pallor, her blue eyes wide
with shock as she stared at her father. "Of course not! How can you...?"
"Peace, my daughter, please," Raijen pleaded quietly before lowering his
voice even further so only Serena could hear him.
"Let me speak plainly, then," Darian said quietly as Luna glanced back at
him. "You're not her mother, either in the past or the present, and neither
are you my mother. What goes on between us is just that, between us and nobody
else. I'll answer to Queen Serenity and Captain Raijen if I have to, but I'm
not going to have any other human, denizen, demon, cat, or whatever crawling up
my backside about it. And if you feel obligated to threaten me if I ever hurt
her, take a swipe at me with your claws without a damn good reason and see what
happens," he added in a distinctly edged tone.
The air was strangely silent and deathly still for a moment as Luna's tail
abruptly froze in mid-lash, the fur along her spine suddenly spiking into a
perfect ridge. She stared hard at him for several seconds before she made a
visible effort at getting her temper under control. She opened her mouth to
speak when she was gently hoisted into the air by the scruff of her neck.
"Settle down, Luna," Leda sighed quietly as she gently cradled the black
cat in her arms. "We've all been through hell recently, despite Susan's words
to the contrary, and we're all still pretty thoroughly keyed up about it. Let
it go, you can hash it out with him later. And you need to take a chill pill,"
she added, giving Darian a reproving look.
"Tell me about it," Darian sighed as most of the tension seemed to drain
from his body. He paused and leaned to one side to glance behind her, most of
the tension immediately returning to his body as he saw Raijen heading over to
him with a visibly embarrassed Serena hovering behind him. "Uh oh...."
"You're evil," Artemis grumbled at Mina as the blonde absently began to
hum the opening bars of Haydn's Funeral March to herself, drawing a poisonous
look from Ami and a slightly curious look from Michelle.
"Prince Darian," Raijen rumbled in a tone that seemed to be both amused
and unamused at the same time. "Would you be so kind as to come with me? I
believe there is much to talk about, more so now than before."
"Sure," Darian said as he stood up with all the calmness of one who was
facing potential execution. He paused to cast a sidelong glance of warning at
Luna before he headed over to the sliding glass door that led outside to the
balcony.
Everyone watched as the armored figure followed him in relative silence,
his heavy footsteps seeming to be the only audible sound before there was the
gentle scraping-hiss of the glass being slid open. It slid shut again after a
momentary delay, leaving the rest of the group to privately speculate as to
what might be said outside.
"Serena," Luna said in a very leery tone as the long-haired blonde sat
down in the empty armchair and sighed softly.
"I don't want to hear it, Luna," Serena muttered with a weary sigh.
"Perhaps it is best to let the matter rest for the present," Susan spoke
up in a gentle tone as she sat down in the other armchair, absently setting the
still-glowing soul-rune aside on her left and lightly stroking the silky gray
kitten sitting on her right side.
Luna glared at the succubus for a few moments before sighing heavily to
herself, ignoring the feel of Leda's fingertips running along her spine in an
attempt at relaxing her through massage. "Alright, then," she finally said in
a measured tone. "But they still have a lot of work to do, preferably before
dinner."
"Whaaaaat?" Leda said as both Ami and Mina blinked hard. "Work? After
what we just went through?"
"Oh, damn," Rei hissed very softly to herself, her eyes darting towards
the door as her thoughts suddenly turned to her work at the temple. "What day
is this?"
"It's Sunday, which means you girls have school in the morning," Luna
reminded them archly. "And I don't think any of you has even cracked open a
textbook since Friday, let alone done any of your homework."
"Whoa, slow down," Alex spoke up as Mina sucked in her breath and made a
rather hideous and protracted gasping noise. "What's the problem, babe?"
"Oh, man, and I've got a buttload of homework, too!" Mina moaned as she
shot to her feet with a sickened expression on her face. She paused and waited
patiently for Serena to quit wailing in despair at the realization of likewise
having a lot of work to do with little time to do it in. "Yeah, my sentiments
exactly. What time is it?"
"Four in the afternoon, give or take," Artemis replied from the coffee
table, craning his neck to try to see the kitchen wall clock.
"We can do it," Mina said with a measure of confidence as she crossed the
room, reaching out to grab both Serena and Ami by the wrists. "But we really
need to start booking it though, pardon the pun. Ami, about the science lab
assignment...." she said at a rapid-fire pace as she dragged them both into the
residential hallway.
"Oh, man," Leda groaned as she gently set Luna down on the floor. "This
is going to bite the big one. Umm, can someone take care of dinner for me? I
can't cook and process history at the same time," she apologized as she made a
hasty exit to grab her school books as well.
"Grandpa is going to kill me," Rei sighed as she stood up and dusted off
the front of her robe with one hand, the other still holding the temporarily-
forgotten Imperium Silver Crystal. She paused in mid-motion and turned to cast
a measured look at Susan, an idea starting to form in the depths of her mind.
"Chancellor Meiou...." she started to say.
"I cannot permit any form of time-travel," Susan said firmly.
Rei paused for a moment, one raven-haired eyebrow arching up in response.
"That's nice," she said in a neutral tone. "If memory serves, you made mention
awhile ago about how you did a lot of time-travel and thus can explain a lot
about historical events, correct?"
"Heh," Alex spoke up with a soft laugh. "Trust me, sweetie, if you need
someone to guide you through the pages of history, Sue's your demon."
"I believe I may be able to be of assistance," Susan replied with a soft
smile on her lips.
"Do you remember being that young?" Whisper said to Maq'i in the denizen
language as Susan followed Rei out of the room, leaving just the two denizens
alone with Alex, Michelle, and the three cats. "To have to study for those
yearly inquisitions?"
"At my age, I'm fortunate if I remember how long it has been since the
laundry was done," Maq'i replied with a soft chuckle. "But yes, I do have my
own memories of harsh teachers and rather exacting lessons. I think our winged
Princess will make a good Queen some day," she mused. "Especially if she has
her friends to help her along."
"For which world, though?" Whisper said in a low tone, trying to ignore
the looks of uneasy suspicion from Alex as she tried to figure out what was
being said in what to her was a very alien language.
"If she is to be Queen, my child.... would it matter?" the ancient Master
Healer said, almost too softly for even the telepath to hear.
* * * *
The sliding glass door had barely closed behind Darian before he heard a
sharp intake of breath from the armored figure. "What has happened here?" he
demanded as he strode forward, his expression turning hard as he gazed on the
destroyed portion of the railing and the dark splotches scattered over a good
portion of the deck.
It took Darian a moment to remember what to him were the events of four
days ago. "Oh, yeah, that," he replied in an uneasy tone. "We had a visit
from another succubus the night Serena.... disappeared," he said, seeming to
choose his words carefully. "The others managed to drive her off, but she had
somehow stolen Queen Serenity's brooch and made off with it. I'm glad you
reminded me, that's something we need to tell her about," he said as he turned
to head back inside the house.
"That we will in due time, Prince Darian," Raijen said in a flat tone, his
steely gaze still studying the broken and stained wood. "There are, however,
other matters that you and I will speak of first. This looks like blood," he
said with a gesture to the now-black splotches.
"It is," Darian replied, drawing a sharp look from the Dragoon. "Susan's
wings were pretty thoroughly ruined in the fight and the blood is hers. We
haven't had time to clean up yet, since by all rights it only took place less
than a day ago. This time-travel thing has us all confused," he added with a
hollow noise that was more of a cough than a laugh.
"I see," Raijen rumbled quietly as he moved over to an undamaged portion
of the railing and leaned on it. He then looked out towards the horizon, his
breath suddenly catching in his throat a moment later as the view registered on
his brain.
Darian paused and regarded him carefully, not entirely sure what to make
of the abrupt change in his demeanor. He cast a brief glance in the direction
Raijen was staring at, trying to see if there was anything out of the ordinary
that might have caught his attention. "Is.... something wrong?" he finally
ventured in a wary tone, unsure of his present situation but not at all eager
to move things along.
"I have never seen your world from the surface like this," Raijen breathed
in awe. "I have seen how blue it looked from the Moon Kingdom, and the few
times I have been reanimated in my daughter's presence were all indoors. To
see a blue sky like this when you expect purple, or a yellow sun to hover in
the place of a red one.... this truly is a remarkable and beautiful world."
Darian nodded in understanding, having seen more than a few late afternoon
skylines during his stay in the Negaverse. "You should stick around to see the
sunset, then. Sometimes it seems that the entire sky is on fire with reds and
oranges before settling into purples and blues."
A soft grunt rose up from the spectral image's chest. "That I will do, if
the situation permits. As I told Serenity, every such moment I am allowed to
savor beyond my death is a gift of its own and should be treasured as such."
A gentle silence enfolded them as they gazed into the treeline, watching
the snail-like process of the sun as it ever-so-slowly crept towards the edge
of the horizon. The wind began to stir slightly, producing just the faintest
hint of a breeze that tickled their senses.
"There is much I would speak to you of," Raijen finally said in a rather
somber and quiet tone. "I should like to begin with the matter Serenity bade
me to talk about and the questions I had asked of my daughter. I asked her
three questions, the first being if she had taken you to her bed," he said, his
gaze still turned outward to study the small forest surrounding them. "She
could not bring herself to reply verbally, but the answer was nonetheless an
affirmative one."
Darian suddenly felt a dangerous chill flood his veins as Raijen fell
silent, making him wonder was was going through the denizen's mind. It was
obvious to all that the Dragoon valued honor above all else, perhaps save for
love, and it didn't require a stretch of any imagination to conclude that he
could easily take great offense at the notion of someone being intimate with
his only daughter. And after spending a few months with Tolaris and Maze, it
was also pretty obvious as to how serious violations of honor were more often
than not met with drawn weapons and a steadfast challenge.
The silence stretched on before Raijen sighed and drew in another breath
to speak again. "I then asked her if she felt that you had been forceful with
her or otherwise taken advantage of her innocence. Her reply was made known to
all, and in an extremely firm negative. Had she said yes, a third question of
her would not have been necessary, as I would have promptly taken the issue up
with you then and there," he said, his tone becoming somewhat dark to deliver
a clear warning. His eyes, however, remained focused on the landscape instead
of turning to Darian and seeing the distinctly uneasy look on his face.
Again a heavy silence surrounded them as the Dragoon fell silent, turning
his thoughts inward to compose and recompose them before once again drawing a
breath to speak. "I then asked her if she felt your intentions were honorable
and true, and without hesitating she said yes," he rumbled quietly. He finally
turned his head to look at Darian as he heard a soft sigh of relief, one blond
eyebrow arching up to his hairline in slight curiosity. "You sound as if you
expected her to say otherwise," he said in a neutral tone.
Darian just shook his head gently. "Of course not," he replied. "I know
the love we share has been sorely tested lately, but I believe that it has been
tempered even stronger than ever now. Keep in mind that even by our laws she
is too young for such things, but I have every intention of taking her as my
wife when she is older. My life-mate in your words," he added.
"I know the meaning, my Prince," Raijen said calmly. "While I welcome
your words on the matter, I still have yet to be told why you thought she might
have questioned your honor after taking you to her bed."
"Trust me, it's not her I was worried about," Darian muttered, feeling his
cheeks tint pink. "I was more worried about how you and Queen Serenity would
react to hearing about it...."
Raijen just laughed to himself and turned back to study the blue sky and
blazing yellow sun that was now starting to become half-hidden by a bank of
extremely fluffy white clouds. "I cannot speak for Serenity, of course, but I
believe we are all aware of her feelings on the matter. Indeed, what mother
wouldn't be.... less than pleased to hear of such news in regards to her only
daughter? But as for me, young man.... you need not fear any wrath on my part.
Had Serena said your actions were dishonorable, I indeed would have sought to
make you pay a most terrible price for your deed. But as long as there are no
questions or doubts about honor, both yours and my daughter's, then my own
honor forbids me from seeking to rebuke you for any.... indiscretions," he said
as a small smile crossed his face.
It took Darian a moment to realize that he was very much off the hook, or
at least with the Dragoon. "Umm.... thank you?" he said, still somewhat unsure
of the situation.
His words elicited a soft laugh from Raijen as he turned to cast a mildly
amused glance at the younger man. "It is a simple enough matter, my Prince, as
I am not a hypocrite. My own youth contains a small number of such incidents
where the degree of discretion taken was found to be wanting. That was largely
dispensed with once I found my calling in life and learned of the true meaning
and value of honor, but even as a soldier and later a Dragoon there was the odd
and rare visit to the bed of a willing woman. There were no illusions about
where such consensual dalliances would go, and so honor was not brought into
question, but I am nonetheless no longer qualified to rebuke others for their
own minor misadventures done within the bounds of honor. Or love," he added
before his expression turned serious. "But you will not repeat my words to
anyone else, man or woman, as I have spared Serenity such details of my past."
"I understand, sir," Darian replied with a nod of his head.
"Sir," Raijen echoed in remote amusement before looking out once again at
the local terrain. "Do not think that I cannot tell when the word is spoken
out of formality and when it is with genuine respect. You need not bother with
such formalities with me, Prince Darian, simply because of your own status if
not for my own respect for you. That you have become my daughter's consort
amid the same bonds of love that I share with Serenity is of no concern to me
as long as it remains with the bounds of that very same honor and love, for I
have studied you and found little that does not meet with my approval."
"Thank you," Darian said, still more than a little uncertain about where
the conversation was going.
"I confess my approval of both you and your intentions, and yet you still
sound ill at ease," Raijen rumbled softly, giving the younger man a studious
look. "We shall speak plainly then, one man to another. What is on your mind
that bothers you so much, young Prince?"
Darian blinked at the shift in mood before taking a deep breath. "What do
you want from me?" he asked in a level tone, gazing back at the other man with
a hint of steel in his dark eyes. "With all due respect, I don't think it was
to shoot the breeze about my honor or intentions."
"Part of this conversation was indeed to be about that very same topic,"
the spectral figure rumbled in a slightly ominous tone. "However, that has
already been dealt with and to my satisfaction. As for what remains to be said
between us.... it is not so easy to speak of," he admitted as he turned away to
stare out at the horizon again.
Darian remained silent at the Dragoon seemed to compose his thoughts for
several seconds before turning back to face him with a soft sigh. "I would ask
of you two favors, though the first is of far more importance to me than the
other. I know that now is not the time for this, but I ask that you promise me
that, once the worst of the chaos has settled, you will take Serena to the holy
temple at Ka'an-Nul. The K'maal il' Hal'al *must* be allowed to examine her,"
he blurted out, his expression turning to one of unease and worry. "It matters
little which Herald she turns out to be should she be deemed one, but we must
know if she is indeed a child of prophecy, for then we would have to be on our
guard for the arrival of the others.... or for the actions of those who would
panic at her presence and seek her death out of ignorance and fear."
An icy chill settled around Darian's heart as he stared at the spectral
figure, suddenly getting the feeling that far more was now at stake than they
had realized before. "That won't be easy," Darian cautioned him, his eyes
narrowing slightly. "Beryl took me there once, and I remember that we had to
do a fair amount of travel because of the wards that prevented wormholes and
psionic jump-gates. The terrain is pretty sparse out there, too, so we'd be
stuck out in the open for a lot longer than I'd care to be, and that doesn't
even begin to take into consideration how the military might react."
A hollow grunt rose up from Raijen's armored chest. "I am aware of what
sort of difficulties you may and will encounter," he replied in a soft voice.
"Regardless, I still ask you to promise me to take my daughter there. Go at
your own pace and on your own terms, but I ask.... I beg of you, take her to
the holy temple. If she is not one of the Heralds of Chaos, then if nothing
else you will be able to enjoy the scenery together, for it is unlike anything
else either of our worlds has to offer."
"And if she is?" Darian prompted in a guarded tone.
"Then she is," Raijen stated calmly. "Then there is little else to do but
protect her from harm and wait for events to play out as is it said they were
meant to do."
Darian raised an eyebrow at the note of resignation and acceptance in the
Dragoon's words. "You sound like you expect your world to be destroyed," he
observed in a neutral tone.
"Regardless of what the ancient prophecies say, my Prince, the mere fact
of my daughter's existence will change both our worlds," Raijen replied with a
casual shrug of his shoulders. "She is the first of her kind, for never before
has a child been born to a human and a denizen, despite...."
"Despite...?" Darian prompted in an uneasy tone as Raijen's voice trailed
off without warning.
"Despite the number of captives taken during the invasion of the Moon
Kingdom," Raijen said, his voice barely more than a pained whisper as he turned
and stared out at the landscape once again. "I know little of what transpired
in my world after my departure from the Moon Kingdom, but I have become aware
over time of more than a few dark secrets kept hidden by the Dragoons. Some
four dozen prisoners were taken in total, most of them women, and it is my
understanding that more than a few.... experiments were carried out," he said,
his face twisting into a sour grimace of shame and distaste.
Darian blinked hard at the confession, knowing that such information would
be more than a little upsetting for the others to hear. Especially Alex, he
thought with a silent grunt as he could easily imagine the blonde Viking going
full-tilt ballistic with rage. "Does Tolaris know about this?" he said without
stopping to think about it.
"Perhaps," Raijen rumbled softly. "He is a very resourceful man, and I
would not care to put much past him, but such secrets are often buried in very
dark corners among deep shadows, and are rarely encountered by accident unless
one is actively looking for where they lay hidden. Regardless, would it really
change your perspective of him if he knew?" he inquired gently.
"It would be just a little unsettling, I'll admit," Darian answered as he
idly scratched a sudden itch on his jaw. "And I know that the others in there
would be less than pleased to hear of this," he added, jerking a thumb towards
the sliding glass door behind him.
"Yes," the denizen warrior agreed with a slow nod of understanding, "I can
see how your Chancellor Meiou would not take kindly to the notion."
"It's not Susan I'd be worried about," Darian muttered to himself.
"Word of advice, my Prince?" Raijen said as he leaned forward slightly.
"I would be," he said simply.
Darian said nothing as he looked around the deck, idly making note of the
way the railing had been splintered by a tremendous force. You know, I'd bet
Dyvach could fix that in a few hours, he thought to himself. Come to think of
it, I think he's the one who fixed it when Ami broke it awhile ago. I wonder
what the little guy is up to over there in the Negaverse...?
"I'll talk to the others," Darian finally said aloud, turning back to look
at the armored figure. "About taking Serena into the Negaverse. I'm not going
to make any promises or anything, but I will at least see if we can come to an
agreement on just what such a trip would be worth and how much risk we'd be
willing to take."
Raijen looked at him carefully for several moments before finally nodding.
"Very well," he said in a somewhat neutral tone. "That will have to suffice,
for it would indeed be most unwise to simply charge into my world without a
plan of action or any preparations. However, having said that, I do not think
you understand the importance of having her examined by the K'maal il' Hal'al."
"And with all due respect, Captain," Darain replied with a faint edge to
his voice, "I think you are underestimating the danger we'd be in. Rune wants
Serena dead, that much is pretty obvious, and I think a good portion of the
military would be more than happy to start taking potshots at us if they caught
even a whiff of our presence. Yes, some of them might think twice once they
get a good look at her new angelic side and all, but that doesn't help the rest
of the Sailor Scouts. Hell, even I had problems back there, and I'm supposed
to be their Crown Prince!" he added, gesturing towards the open air.
"So deal with someone other than General Rune," Raijen suggested in a mild
tone, as if he were slightly amused by something. "Someone you believe you can
trust.... or not," he added in a slightly nonplussed tone as he suddenly found
himself on the receiving end of a truly unamused glare.
"Trust?" Darian echoed very slowly. "You don't ask for much, do you? As
I already said once, I wouldn't trust the Negaverse military with a tank of
goldfish. You really want me to trust one of them with something like this?"
"Would that, by chance, include the Legion?" Raijen inquired calmly.
"No, but the Legion doesn't run the military like Rune does," Darian shot
back with a quiet growl of frustration.
Raijen nodded in understanding. "So we are back to my initial suggestion,
find someone in the chain of command other than General Rune," he replied.
"That leaves Al'vexi out," Darian sighed, casting a dark glare towards the
cathedral. "You can't expect to brain-wash me into becoming Beryl's pawn and
then expect to be trusted again."
"Odd, I thought you trusted Captain Whisper," Raijen pointed out.
Darian snorted quietly in contempt. "Whisper's made a few amends since
then and seems to be apologetic for her role in that. Al'vexi, however, has
made no such attempts. No, I'm not going to deal with her unless I have to."
"So who else is there?" Raijen prodded him gently. "Surely you've met the
other flag officers and division commanders during your stay. Surely there is
at least one among them you found.... pleasant to deal with, if nothing else."
Another soft snort of contempt rose up from Darian's chest. "If you want
pleasure, try Brigadier Zan'zemet from Hospitality," he muttered. He blinked
and looked over at the armored figure as he heard soft laughter in response,
finding a distinctly amused look in Raijen's blue eyes.
"I remember Hospitality in my era," Raijen mused, seeming to be trying to
sit on a smug grin and not having much success. "Courtesans all, even the men,
but few things inspired weary ground troops to march on like the promise of a
visit to one of their facilities. All were treated equally, men and women,
field sergeants and full generals and all in between, given equal comfort and
respite regardless of who they were, for what was the difference between them
once the uniform was taken off for a brief respite? Tell me, Prince Darian,
that you have at least been bathed in one of their facilities if nothing else,"
he mused with open curiosity and humor.
Darian gave him an uneasy look before glancing away, feeling a faint hint
of a blush rise up to his cheeks. "I have," he admitted. "You forget, I was
the Queen's consort for awhile and so more often than not we were tended to
together. I was bathed alone a couple of times, if you can call it that," he
added, his blush darkening slightly. "But they feared both Beryl and myself,
and so they didn't stray outside the bounds of what was asked of them. Not
that they didn't offer," he muttered as he closed his eyes, trying to cool the
burning heat on his cheeks through sheer willpower alone.
"It is good to know that little has changed in that regard," Raijen said
with a soft chuckle. "A soldier of Serenity's once explained to me how the
nobles were bathed in the Moon Kingdom, and though the exact details were not
too clear to me, it sounded no different to me than what Hospitality offered.
At least in terms of purely hygienic services," he amended with an amused grin.
"Right," Darian said slowly, not sure what else to say at the moment.
"We are digressing from our original purpose," Raijen pointed out with a
soft sigh. "Is there no-one you would feel comfortable talking to among the
senior staff in the Imperial Castle? Someone who could counteract or at least
moderate General Rune's influence in events? Someone who is, shall we say, a
somewhat more reasonable officer?"
Various names and faces started blurring past Darian's mind's eye, not
necessarily together at the same time. General Malachite, returning from his
trip to the Western Forests to lay his beloved General Zoicite to rest, his
dark eyes tainted with bitterness for both Sailor Moon and him.... General
Rune's unhappy visage as she bowed to her Queen, being ordered to return to the
Central Division Headquarters annex to oversee the local defenses instead of
being named Commander-General as Malachite had just been.... General Al'vexi's
cold face as she seemed to watch his every move, eyeing him like a spider would
study a fly's movements as it tried to escape a woven web.... Various other
faces brushing up from the darkness of suppressed memory, Whisper, Shar-Tei,
Azi'mar, Mal'ek, Zan'zemet, T'shal, D'mer, V'Kreeth, Moirah, Ra'en, Olox,
Ne'tan....
"Admiral Si'ren," Darian suddenly whispered to himself as the memory of
the white-haired admiral surfaced, surprising Beryl with her presence at the
castle instead of being at sea onboard a Navy cruiser, saying that something
had come up and that a personal meeting was needed....
"An admiral?" Raijen echoed, giving him a slightly surprised look.
"*The* admiral," Darian emphasized as he quickly considered his options.
"Fleet Admiral Si'ren. We met shortly before Serena and the others invaded to
get me back, apparently there was some sort of research project underway that
required a face-to-face meeting with Queen Beryl. We didn't talk much, but I
got the impression that she was quite the reasonable type, or at least for a
flag officer," he amended with a faint snort of derision. "At least, I never
saw any contempt on her face when she spoke with me, unlike the vast majority
of the denizens I had to deal with."
"Interesting," the Dragoon commented, giving him a studious look. "It was
rare for me to encounter any of our naval brethren beyond the borders of the
coastal ports and bases. That is not to say I have not delivered reports or
briefings to them directly, but only that it was almost always done by a video
link or holographic projection. And if she is the Fleet Admiral, then she is
second only to Rune herself in terms of military authority and can most likely
make your life easier if she wishes...."
"Or make it all that much more difficult," Darian countered carefully.
"Let's take this one step at a time first, okay? First I have to find her, and
the odds are she'll be either at sea or in one of the seaports, both of which
are a fair distance away from where we'd want to be. Then I have to find a way
to get a message to her, then convince her to meet with me, then convince her
to have the entire Northern Division develop a collective eye problem and look
the other way when we all start tromping over to Ka'an-Nul, which might turn
out to be beyond her powers since she's Navy while everyone else is Army."
"One step at a time, my Prince," Raijen said in a gentle tone. "Again, go
at your own pace and on your own terms, for time is not truly a factor in this.
If she is not a chid of prophecy, then we have nothing to fear, and if she is
then events have already been set into motion and there is nothing to be done
regardless. But I would know for sure either way so that both our worlds can
prepare accordingly for whatever lies ahead, be it peace or ruin."
Darian paused and gave him an uneasy look. "You seem to be awfully calm
for somebody who's looking at having his entire world destroyed," he observed.
"Is it to be destroyed?" the Dragoon replied, one blond eyebrow arching up
in studious response. "We do not know that yet, and indeed we shall not until
the Heralds of Chaos arrive. Give me irrefutable proof of a fact's existence
and I will act on it, my Prince, but I will not do so for mere speculation."
"I suppose I can go with that," Darian agreed with a slightly sour nod.
He sighed quietly before turning to gaze out at the horizon, idly noting that
the sun was now brushing the treeline and would probably set in another hour.
"Alright, I'll see what I can do about getting in touch with Admiral Si'ren,
though I'm not sure what to say. 'Excuse me, but do you mind if we take Sailor
Moon to Ka'an-Nul to see if she is one of your Heralds of Chaos who will end up
destroying your world?' Yeah, that'll go over well," he scoffed.
"I would ask that you make the attempt regardless," Raijen said quietly.
"Like I said, I'll give it a shot," Darian sighed, wrinkling his nose at
the thought of the likely response he would receive.
"Then I shall leave the matter in your hands, Prince Darian," rumbled the
spectral image as he too turned his attention back to the skyline. A veil of
silence surrounded them as they lost themselves in their respective thoughts
before Raijen cleared his throat gently. "There is one other request I would
ask of you, but as I said earlier, it is of far less significance than having
my daughter escorted to Ka'an-Nul."
Darian waited for him to explain further, casting a sidelong glance at the
armored figure when he remained silent. "Go on," he prodded gently, more than
a little leery of what else was going to be asked of him.
"I ask that you take me with you when you leave this place," Raijen said
in a gentle voice, bowing his head just slightly as he closed his eyes. "When
I was part of the Imperium Silver Crystal, I was always keenly aware of the
fact that I was the sole male presence among hundreds of other women. It was
distinctly uncomfortable for me, constantly feeling as if I were trespassing on
sacred ground and violating the purity of their sanctuary. There were no such
true incidents that I am aware of, for I only directly encountered Serenity's
spiritual presence, but I knew the others were there somewhere, and they knew
of my own intrusion. They avoided Serenity as well, much to her distress, and
so part of me welcomes the solitude once again, for it means that they will no
longer openly shun her as they did before.
"But at the same time, my Prince.... after spending so much time alone in
my crystal shard of a prison, only aware of the outside world when it was held
or touched, I have little desire to be alone again. Nor, for that matter, do
I desire to be drowned in feminine influences again," he added with the softest
of ironic chuckles before he looked over at Darian. "I ask that you take my
new home with you, so that I might be free of such things yet still be within
easy reach of my daughter if she should need me. As I have already confessed,
there is little about you that I find lacking my approval, and so I feel that
I would more than welcome being under your influence for the visible future."
Darian blinked in surprise before a half-smirk crossed his face. "I'm not
sure whether to laugh or cringe," he said, drawing a surprised look from the
denizen. "Believe me, I know exactly what you mean about being a little....
overwhelmed by so many women all gathered in one place. You should listen to
Artemis grumble about living with Mina, I think his situation is even worse.
But to be honest, I'm also just a touch uneasy at the thought of having my
future father-in-law move in with me to share the bathroom and all," he added,
giving the Dragoon an openly amused look to indicate he was only joking.
"The better to keep an eye on you, young man," Raijen rumbled with a smirk
of his own. He laughed softly for a moment before his mood lessened by several
degrees. "I will be honest with you, Darian. I know of your upbringing and I
must say that you have done remarkably well for having lost your father at such
a young age, but part of me believes that you could still use a moderating
influence, or at least an advisor of sorts."
"Like Serena has Luna, and now Susan, right?" Darian suggested, giving him
a slightly uncertain look.
"In part," Raijen replied with a slow nod of his head. "However, I also
am of the opinion that you could use a friend at times. Another man, one you
know will most likely understand your true feelings instead of how women view
them. Someone who also knows what you have been through. I know you have a
good bond with the kitten, Artemis, but I sense sometimes that isn't enough."
"Kitten?" Darian echoed with a soft laugh. "You might want to take a
closer look at him, he's quite the adult cat now."
"He was a kitten when I last held him," Raijen pointed out with a faint
smile. "And I must say if it wasn't for him, it might have taken far longer
for me to end up in her Majesty's good graces, if at all."
Darian just shook his head to himself in amazement. "Funny how the little
things in life can have the biggest consequences," he mused.
"Indeed," the Dragoon agreed.
Darian looked up at him for a moment before nodding. "I think I know what
you mean by needing a good friend every so often," he said. "Granted it would
not take much to end up tossing a few beers back with girls like Leda and Alex,
but there's still a few quiet landmines to watch out for. I've got no problems
with taking you with me and all, but I'm going to be just a little upset if I
come home from work one day and find you wandering around in a pair of boxers
and drinking all my beer while you're watching television," he chuckled.
"I assure you that will not happen," Raijen said dryly. "And not just
because I have very strong doubts about my ability to consume anything that is
of a purely physical nature."
"Heh," Darian said as he shook his head. "Gives new meaning to finding a
bottle of spirits to drink, eh?"
Raijen snorted softly in amusement. "Perhaps you should leave it at that
and rejoin the others," he suggested lightly. "Unless, of course, there is
something more you wish to speak about."
Darian thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, I
can't think of anything off the top of my head," he replied. "I'll let you
know if I think of something, however. Heh, the others are probably worried
that you're impaling me on your symipa or something by now," he said as he
turned to open the sliding glass door.
"If I may, your Highness," Raijen said slowly, causing the other man to
pause and look back at him, "I would like to remain out here for awhile. I am
very much enthralled by the landscape and wish to observe the sky as your day
begins the evolution into night. That, and I suspect that some of the others
would like to speak with me privately about their own concerns," he added in a
gentle tone. "Call it the gut instincts of one who is a leader of others and
has learned much about picking up on subtle signals."
"Not a problem," Darian replied with a nod of understanding. "I'll make
sure to tap you on the shoulder before I get ready to go home. You, umm, want
to be called for dinner?"
"That will not be necessary, your Highness, but I thank you nonetheless,"
the armored figure replied. "Perhaps I will try to sample your human foods
another day, but not tonight."
"Alright," Darian said, giving him a slightly awkward look before nodding
his head and reaching for the sliding glass door. Man, what am I thinking? he
thought as it slid open with a soft rasp. I haven't had a roomie since I was
in college, and the mess the apartment is in right now.... Yeah, things keep
getting all the more interesting around here, don't they?
* * * *
Everyone looked up as the lights suddenly winked out, plunging the room
into near-darkness. The console displays remained active, however, casting an
odd kaleidoscope of color around the room. The usually super-soft sound of the
air vents stopped a moment later, seeming to moan like an upset ghost as they
faded away.
"Uh, Chief...?" K'tal said in a very uncertain tone.
"Give it a moment, Commander," D'Nina whispered softly, her voice sounding
unusually loud in the dead silence. The silence was broken a moment later as
both the lights and the air vents started back up again, the overhead speakers
emitting a series of odd harmonics to indicate that the central computer core
was still processing something.
"Status?" Tolaris called out to the room in general.
"External sensors still off-line," Asrial reported in a flat growl. "They
should restart in another few seconds."
"Reactors still idled and are running fine," someone else reported. "Both
the outside radiation shields and the containment fields in Engineering are
still intact and holding."
"Communications are down," T'Pri grumbled quietly.
"You'll be fine, Lieutenant," K'tal said soothingly. "Chief?"
D'Nina carefully eased herself out of the chair, obviously favoring a few
stiff joints. "I'll be fine, Commander, my legs are just asleep," she assured
him as she started to slowly walk around.
Both Asrial and T'Pri looked down as their respective consoles beeped at
them. "Sensors are back online," Asrial purred.
"Communications, too," T'Pri added half a second later.
"Glad to hear it," K'tal replied with a nod. "So I take it the entire
computer core is working just fine now? Aside from that one corrupted node."
"It's being worked on," the Felinoid said with a weary growl, keeping one
eye on her panel. "It seems to be a physical problem rather than an actual
corruption of the node matrix. Probably unsocketed something when we landed."
K'tal nodded again. "Well, tell them to take their time and do it right,
we're not going anywhere anytime soon. At least, not without a really decent
scrubbing of the main engine intakes...."
"Good luck to whomever gets that assignment," the Tactical officer said in
a low tone. "I hear melted sand is a royal p'tai to clean up once it cools."
K'tal just chuckled quietly to himself as he rubbed the bridge of his
nose. "Tell me about it. I'd rather handle kitchen duty personally before I'd
want to tackle that job. Still, someone has to do it, and Engineering is busy
with that coolant conduit repair...."
Everyone glanced around in obvious unease before T'Pri cleared her throat
gently. "Sir, do you think we could ask Sector Seven to handle that? Ask them
nicely, of course, but it stands to reason that being a desert unit and all,
they would have the tools readily available and would be far more capable than
if we tried to do it ourselves...."
"One project at a time, Lieutenant," Tolaris reminded her gently.
"Speaking of which...." K'tal said slowly as he kept a close eye on the
way D'Nina was still limping around, "Any word from them as to when they plan
on testing that hull-scrubber of theirs?"
T'Pri quickly consulted her communications log. "Sir, last I heard from
them was half an hour ago when they said that they had a problem with the sand
intake and that they were working on it. I'm still waiting to hear otherwise."
"Sand intake?" the Tactical officer echoed in a curious tone.
"That's what they said," Communications replied with a shrug as the door
hissed open. "Don't ask me about it, I'm a communications technician, not a
grease gor'bet."
"I heard that," the Chief Engineer smirked as he strode into Operations,
both arms coated up to the elbows with pink goo.
"Leave the grease gor'bets alone, they're busy trying to save our ptankas
from radiation exposure," K'tal said lightly as T'Pri blushed a rather fetching
shade of blue. "Oh, hello, Chief, what can we do for you today?"
"Two things," the Chief Engineer grunted. "First, you can go ahead and
drop the external radiation shields. Half of the contamination is being held
in place by the shields themselves, so getting rid of the energy field will let
it start to drift down. You'd have to drop them anyway if you want those girls
in Sector Seven to start hosing down the hull."
"And that won't increase the radiation hazard?" K'tal asked in a slightly
uncertain tone.
"It might expose the hull to a few more points, but keep in mind that we
are well clear of the original radiation zone," the Chief pointed out. "We're
not going to get anything new unless someone pops a fresh one overhead. And I
just finished checking the internal sensors. We do have a hull breach, but it
is in the tractor housing that blew up on us and it's buried beneath a nice,
thick layer of molten glass. Nothing's getting through it until we melt it
back off, so there's no danger there. Aside from the temperature," he added
with a dismissive shrug.
"Copy, Chief," K'tal nodded. "And the second thing?"
"Second thing?" the Chief echoed, giving him a confused look before he
remembered. "Oh, yeah.... you kids need to smile when you say grease gor'bet,"
he said lightly with a twinkle in his eye. "It's an insult to some and a label
of pride to others, so kindly let us know ahead of time how you mean it so we
don't have to beat the intention out of you with a plasma welder."
"Duly noted, Chief," K'tal replied with a perfectly straight face.
The Chief Engineer chuckled quietly and turned to leave, pausing to give
T'Pri an amused wink before heading towards the door. It hissed open as he
reached the sensor and he started to walk through it before pausing, casting a
slightly concerned glance towards D'Nina. "Chief, are you alright over there?"
he called out.
"A large headache and a stiff joint aside, I am," D'Nina replied with a
sigh of patient suffering. "I think I am getting just a little too old for
this one after all, or at least my knee is."
"Chair not cushioned enough?" the engineer inquired.
"For sitting still, yes," D'Nina said. "For being tossed around during a
hard landing, perhaps not."
"Ouch," the Chief Engineer sighed. "I'd offer to carry you to Medical,
since it's on my way back down to Engineering, but I'm a little...." he trailed
off, gesturing with his goo-coated arms.
"We'll take care of her for you, Chief," Tolaris assured him.
"Such gallantry," D'Nina muttered in a flat tone as the door hissed shut.
"Stop and think, Chief," K'tal said casually. "If you get seriously hurt
or otherwise can't reconnect to the computer, trying to fly this thing back to
the Castle is going to be a very interesting adventure to say the least...."
"I'll fly it," Asrial promptly spoke up, the tip of her tail seeming to
quiver in excitement at the thought. "I have taken the qualifications."
"Yes, but you haven't passed them yet," someone muttered quietly, drawing
a flat growl from the Felinoid.
"I don't see YOU trying to learn," Asrial countered in a dark tone.
D'Nina, Tolaris, and K'tal all exchanged glances before seeming to sigh in
unison. "Maybe a nap would be appropriate," D'Nina mused as she continued to
try to work the kink out of her leg.
"Sir?" T'Pri suddenly called out as her console beeped. "We're being
hailed by Sector Seven. They say they're ready when we are."
K'tal nodded and briefly rubbed his hands together. "Good. Okay then,
let them know we're dropping the shields now and that they're more than welcome
to do whatever it is they're going to do."
"Copy, sir," the Communications lieutenant replied as she turned back to
her console.
"Any idea how they're going to do this?" K'tal asked aloud a moment later,
causing the rest of the group to exchange uneasy glances.
"Umm, sir?" the Tactical officer suddenly spoke up, his eyebrows arching
up in surprise. "Sensors are picking up a QuadStar weapons battery that just
rolled out from behind a hill, and it looks to be coming this way...."
"Oh?" K'tal replied, his own eyebrows arching up to his hairline.
"I think it's a drone, sir," the officer reported as he cast a sidelong
glance at the console next to him. "See if you can get me an overhead image of
this thing," he whispered. "Either there's too much sand in the sensor dish
and I'm getting a crazy echo, or is something really wrong with this one."
Tolaris leaned over his shoulder to read the display for himself for a
moment before he reached out to tap the screen. "Take it easy. See this?"
"Heavy water echo," the officer replied. "And that's what has me worried.
Last I checked, you only find concentrated deuterium in reactor tanks."
"Or when you run water through a radiation filter and end up drawing off
the heavy water molecules," Tolaris explained. "See, I bet this is where they
have the filter attached, this is probably the echo of the feeder line, and
*this* one is where they pipe it into the bores."
"Let's hope so, sir," the officer said before his display suddenly turned
six shades of red. "They're firing on us!" he blurted out.
* * * *
T'Del paused her visual examination of the Dragoon SMT and cast a sidelong
glance towards Octane. "You really shouldn't do that, Chief," she admonished
as she returned her attention to the binoculars.
"Hush," Octane said as she finished lighting the half-crushed and three-
quarters-burnt remains of a cigar. She took a deep drag on it before letting
her breath back out, releasing a neon-blue cloud of smoke. "Damn, we do good
work," she said in satisfaction as she watched the modified QuadStar belch out
powerful water slugs at a rapid clip.
"Another project has indeed been completed," the flaming redhead agreed as
she observed the way the jets of water splattered against the SMT's hull. "And
perhaps a celebration is indeed called for, but to do so by putting your health
at risk is unwise. Or the health of others," she added calmly.
"So stay upwind," Octane grunted as she took another protracted puff from
her cigar. "Besides, would you prefer I go try to get laid like Mint is no
doubt fantasizing about at this very moment?"
It took T'Del a moment to decide the best way how to respond to that. "I
see no need to speculate about Mint's disposition for wanton promiscuity," she
said in a delicate tone. "Nor, for that matter, will I speculate on whatever
intimate relations you wish to pursue. My sole preference for the moment is
for you to contemplate the eventual price you must pay for such an indulgence.
T'Del to Glitter," she said as she held up a commlink.
<Go ahead,> the speaker crackled.
"If you are currently aiming for the centerline, you are falling short by
an estimated seven feet," T'Del explained as she continued to observe the way
the water slugs were splattering against the SMT's hull.
<Copy,> Glitter said. <Moving forward to compensate.>
A heavy thrum started up in addition to the constant staccato pulses of
the water slugs and the monotone whine of the rotating bores. The QuadStar
began to lumber forward at a slow pace as it continued to fire, leaving a pair
of deep tire tracks embedded in the sand.
"You have your vices, T'Del, and I have mine," Octane said dismissively
with a gesture of what was left of her cigar. She only had a small handful of
them left after an electrical fire had destroyed the container she had kept
them stored in, and so she only lit one up when she was in a truly celebratory
mood.
T'Del paused again to cast another sidelong glance at the Master Chief,
her vibrant green eyes seeming to be slightly confused. "And what vices do I
possess, Chief?" she inquired out of genuine curiosity. "I do not drink as
Gravija does, I do not let electrical fields alter my state of mind as Glitter
has been known to do, I do not seek the pleasures of the flesh as Mint does,
and I do not smoke as you do."
"Two words, my friend," Octane said with a causal puff. "Biased Bastard."
T'Del's entire head turned to properly look at the tentacled mechanic.
"And the performing arts compares to the others how?" she asked in an odd but
still respectful tone.
"My vice is something you wouldn't do, your vice is something I wouldn't
do," Octane said calmly, giving the other woman a meaningful look. "At least,
that's how I see things. But then again, I'm just a dirty mechanic," she added
with a dismissive shrug, absently running her free hand through her curly mane
of dirty blonde hair. "They'd probably be paying me to keep my clothes on."
T'Del said nothing as she brought her eyes back to the electronic lenses
of the binoculars. "May I remind you that I do not perform for pay?" she said
in a faintly clipped tone.
"Hey, easy," Octane said, giving the other woman an unhappy look. "I'm
not trying to give you grief over it, okay? You asked me what vices I thought
you had, and stripping in a bar full of sleazy p'tais is the only one I can
think of. To you and others like you, it's an art-form. To others like me,
it's just hiana and k'vesana," she said with a shrug. "I've seen you perform
and you obviously like being on stage like that, so just ignore the crusty old
chief and do whatever it is that relaxes you on your off-time."
<So when's your next performance?> the commlink in T'Del's hand suddenly
crackled, almost causing her to drop the device in surprise.
T'Del paused to cast a brief glance at Octane before bringing the device
near her lips. "Actually, I think I have one scheduled for either tonight or
tomorrow night," she told Glitter. "I will have to check when we return. I
take it you would be interested in accompanying me to Sector One?"
<It's either that or you bring back a couple of bottles for me,> the drone
specialist replied with an audible shrug of indifference.
"Poor Mint," Octane said with a note of humor to her voice. "Does she
stick around to bed a few Dragoons, or does she thumb a ride and take her pick
from the usual dregs of the Biased Bastard crowd? Oh, the choices...."
<I think she heard that,> the speaker crackled with laughter.
<I know I heard that,> Taffy's psionic voice gently intruded into their
minds. <You need to quit being so mean to Mint.>
"Glitter, you may want to start traversing to the right," T'Del spoke up
as she magnified the optics of the binoculars. "I'm starting to see chips in
the paint, so it would stand to reason that non-imbedded radioactive particles
are indeed being removed."
<Copy,> Glitter replied. The monotone whir of the rotating bores changed
pitch slightly as the mount was very slowly swivelled to aim the steady stream
of water slugs elsewhere along the SMT's hull.
"Humor me for a second, Glitter," Octane spoke up as she flicked a small
measure of ash into the sand at her feet. "Which would you pick for a little
nocturnal entertainment, Dragoons or the crew at the bar?"
There was a slight pause before the speaker started to crackle softly to
itself. <Are you smoking something new today, Chief?> the voice replied with
a faint note of scorn. <Dragoons, of course. They tend to have just a little
more class than those p'tais at the Biased Bastard, not to mention that Mint
probably already went through the entire list twice by now.... Mint? Yell in
my ear like that again and I'm going to pitch you into the sand hopper,> she
suddenly growled.
"Play nice, you two," Octane sighed, reaching up with a pair of tentacles
to massage the back of her neck. "How are the intakes holding up?"
"T'Del to Gravija," the redhead said as she changed frequencies.
<Go ahead,> the heavy voice grunted.
"What is the current status of the intakes?" T'Del inquired.
<Holding,> the other woman replied. <There's an awful lot of heavy water
being trapped by the filters, though. We might have to stop to drain the tank
at some point if this keeps up, otherwise everything is fine.>
"Now there's a thought," Octane mused. "T'Del, do you think we would have
any use for a supply of heavy water?"
T'Del paused to consider the thought. "For reactor operations, of course
not," she finally said. "However, depending on how much is collected, I may be
able to distill it to the point where I could attempt to fabricate a small
measure of a solid deuterium alloy."
"Oh?" Octane said as she quit rubbing her neck, turning to give the fusion
specialist a surprised look. "Now that might be useful indeed. Gravija?" she
said loudly, leaning over towards T'Del's commlink.
<Chief?>
"See if you can find a storage jug or something for that heavy water," she
instructed the heavy-set mechanic. "If we're pulling this stuff out of the
river in measurable quantities, we might as well try to put it to good use."
<Copy, Chief,> Gravija replied with a soft grunt.
<There is an empty drum in the cruiser,> Taffy's voice echoed in their
minds. <Well, it didn't feel all that heavy when it rolled over on me, so I
*think* it's empty,> she amended with a psionic blush after a brief pause.
"Do I want to speculate?" Octane muttered to T'Del.
"Perhaps it is best if we don't," T'Del suggested.
"Right," Octane said as she took a deep drag from the stub of her cigar,
trying not to wonder what was going through the other woman's mind. "One thing
at a time. How long do you think this is going to take, anyway?"
"Long enough that I sincerely hope I am not scheduled to perform tonight,"
T'Del replied demurely. "The barmistress dislikes having a disappointed crowd
on her hands, and I must confess I do not like missing appointments either."
Octane just shook her head to herself. "You're a piece of work, T'Del,
you know that?" she sighed.
"Thank you, Master Chief," the redhead replied gracefully. "T'Del to
Glitter, you may wish to traverse to the right a little more."
<Copy,> the speaker crackled as the QuadStar frame started to move again.
* * * *
"That sounds bad," someone muttered to the room in general as they all
heard the series of deep resonating echoes caused by the high-pressure jets of
water pulsing against the outside hull. The actual sound of the water wasn't
audible, but what could be heard was the metal of the superstructure starting
to resonate slightly from the vibrations.
"Sounds like deep-sea soyo song," T'Pri commented as she closed her eyes
to better focus on the sound that was somewhere between mournful and haunting.
"Who cares what it sounds like?" K'tal replied with a shrug. "Just as
long as it works and nothing gets shaken loose. Speaking of which.... is it
working?" he asked as he turned to look at the Tactical officer.
"Umm...." Tactical hesitated as he eyeballed his console readings. "Sir,
can you ask me that question again in a few minutes? The spray is creating a
rather odd scatter-effect on the sensor dishes and webs, which is resulting in
some.... unusual readings at the moment."
K'tal blinked and traded surprised looks with Tolaris. "What, we get a
little water in the sensors and we're blind?" he said incredulously.
"A little water, no," Tolaris replied with a shake of his head. "But to
put things in perspective, the dishes are basically being hosed down directly
along with everything else. For all intents and practical purposes, they're
flooded at the moment and they weren't designed to work underwater."
A soft grunt of remote amusement rose up from D'Nina's chest. "Perhaps we
should ask them to keep away from the engine shrouds, then," she suggested.
K'tal chuckled quietly as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "With all due
respect, Chief, if they're smart enough to know how to turn a piece of heavy
artillery into a giant water cannon, I'm sure they're also smart enough to know
not to squirt water into a recently-used thruster vent."
A soft purring-growl rose up from Asrial's chest as she flicked her tail.
"They seemed to be competent the last time we met them," she observed.
"Sir?" the Tactical officer spoke up as his readings started to change.
"One of the dishes is starting to clear up, and from what I can tell the vast
majority of the radiation is being washed off. We'll probably have to take the
paint off to get the rest of it out, but so far everything seems to be working
rather well."
"Excellent," K'tal replied with a smile. "I might have to wander down to
Engineering in a few hours and try to find another illegal brewery so I have
something to properly thank our Sector Seven hosts with."
"Try the crawlspace between Reactor-1 and the thermal conduits," Tolaris
suggested. "There's a spot on one of the heat sinks that radiates a constant
temperature which has proven to be perfect for distillation."
K'tal paused and gave the other Dragoon a leery look, much to the quiet
amusement of the rest of Operations. "You know, Tolaris, for someone with a
reputation for strict discipline, I am sometimes frightened by a number of the
things I've heard you've knowingly let others get away with."
Tolaris shrugged in response. "I had several people point out to me how
the heat dispersion effects can't be avoided since any reactor that operates
above a certain temperature would have to dump so many degrees of heat through
the sinks when it went into the exchanger. Someone even sent me the specs for
this facility and showed me just where such hot-spots would occur, along with
all the thermal equations required to prove it. Do you have any idea just how
many such spots there are in total?"
K'tal paused and cast a sidelong glance at D'Nina. "Why do I feel like
I'm being set up for something?" he muttered before sighing quietly. "Okay,
Commander, how many 'perfect' heat spots are there in this facility?"
"Two hundred and sixteen," Tolaris said simply. "Of course, some of those
are only viable when the weapon arrays are being used, some when the mains or
thrusters are fired up, some can't be accessed by anything short of a drone,
and others are simply too small to work with, but the number of ideal spots is
somewhere around ninety or so."
"So let me guess," K'tal said slowly. "Instead of wasting your time and
energy chasing various alcohol enthusiasts all over the superstructure, you set
up a sweetheart deal with a few people to keep it all reasonably controlled in
a few key locations and thus kept well below the visible horizon?"
"That, and I made it perfectly clear how hard I would come down on anyone
who reported for duty drunk or otherwise failed to report because of it," the
elder Dragoon replied calmly. "I thought it was an acceptable balance."
"Not to mention it significantly improved the quality," someone muttered
in a very low tone to his partner, drawing a few discreet looks from the rest
of the staff.
"You're a piece of work, Tolaris, you know that?" K'tal sighed. "Anyway,
I think a chat with the kids in Engineering should be enough to procure a few
bottles for those ladies outside. Speaking of which, any idea how long it will
take to finish cleaning the hull? I'm not in any rush, mind you, but I'd hate
to be trying to sleep and have that noise influencing my dreams," he said with
a gesture to the walls, still able to hear the very low and deep tones of the
vibrating superstructure.
The Tactical officer consulted his display before sighing quietly. "You
might want to find some earplugs then, sir," he said glumly. "Assuming they
stay at their current pace, this should last well into tomorrow afternoon."
"I imagine they'd want to get some sleep tonight as well," Tolaris spoke
up in a gentle tone. "If we ask them to focus on one of the bays, they should
be able to take enough off of the hull to allow us to open it up and send out
a few of our own teams. One team takes over control of that QuadStar so Sector
Seven can go home and get some sleep, another team or three starts scrubbing
the hull to get rid of what's left. Most of the radiation is casual fallout
anyway, so there shouldn't be too much that was actually imbedded."
K'tal nodded in understanding. "Maybe I should have asked D'Nina to take
us through a storm cell first before we landed," he said with a chuckle. He
abruptly stopped in mid-chuckle as a thought slammed into him, causing him to
blink and whirl around to face Tolaris. "Hey, wait a minute...."
Tolaris just sighed, having thought of the idea back when they were busy
transiting the mountain pass. "Think very carefully about this one, K'tal," he
said in a warning tone. "Can I create the equivalent of a minor hurricane to
wash our hull off? Probably, depending on how much water is in that river and
how arid the desert is. However, that will also create a visible lume that
will essentially announce my presence to the rest of the military, or at least
to anyone paying attention to the weather overheads."
"What's a lume?" Asrial quietly asked T'Pri, her tail twitching slightly.
"Acronym," the Communications lieutenant whispered back. "A localized,
unnatural meteorological event."
"Wonderful," K'tal grumbled. "Just how much control do you have with this
sort of thing? Think you can make it look like our transit through the region
stirred something up and caused a raincloud to form? I don't think we need a
massive downpour for this one, just a short but steady rain."
Tolaris winced slightly. "That's going to be a pretty heavy stretch...."
"Sir?" Asrial growled gently. "Perhaps not. Radar is showing an increase
in cloud density along the mountain corridor we just went through, and the jet
stream is just a little unsettled at the moment. Most of the computer models
show the clouds breaking up on their own in a few hours, but two of them show
some potential for further development and even possible precipitation."
"And we all know how fickle the weather can be when it's disturbed," K'tal
spoke up in a casual tone. "After all, how many weather models are designed to
take super-heavy plasma exhaust into account?" he added with an exaggerated
gesture of his eyebrows.
"Actually, sir, they...." Asrial started to say.
"Thank you, Lieutenant," K'tal said without missing a beat.
Tolaris gave him a very guarded look. "You sure you want to risk this?"
he said very slowly. "Just between you and me, I'm sure that more than a few
eyes will be firmly on us for awhile given what happened back at the Imperial
Castle this morning."
K'tal just held his hands up. "It's up to you, Commander, you're the one
who would have to do the heavy work with this. I think it would be nice from
a safety standpoint to get this stuff off of our hull as soon as possible. Do
we have a solution already in place? Somewhat, yes, but the less time we spend
on this problem is more time we get to spend worrying about other things."
"Alright," Tolaris said quietly. "I'll see what I can do, then. Asrial,
can you get me the.... what?" he trailed off as he saw the look on her face.
"Ask me in a few minutes," the jet-black Felinoid growled in a flat tone.
"They just started washing some up the upper sections and it's messing with my
sensor webs."
Tolaris cast a sidelong glance at K'tal as the other Dragoon just shook
his head to himself and muttered some comment to D'Nina. "Be that as it may,
Lieutenant," Tolaris said gently to Asrial, "Can you show me what you saw a few
minutes ago?"
"Oh, right," Asrial replied with a hard blink. If she blushed, it was
hard to tell given the thickness and tint of her fur. "Here you are, sir."
"Only in the Dragoon Legion," the Tactical officer muttered to T'Pri, "Can
a situation be so screwed up and yet be so normal at the same time...."
* * * *
Admiral Si'ren said nothing as she listened to the conversation, if she
could call it that, between the military liaison at the D'Mal seaport and the
commander of the Red Wing carrier sailing in the northern ocean. The recorded
broadcast played through before ending as both images winked out, leaving the
small room eerily silent.
"And?" Si'ren finally said in a weary tone as she closed her eyes. The
front of her dark blue tunic was parted, exposing a white undershirt that did
quite a lot in terms of emphasizing her womanly curves. Behind her stood a
young woman wearing the casual dress-robes of the Hospitality division, both
hands slipped down the back of the admiral's tunic to massage the visible knot
of tension that had taken up residence in her neck muscles.
General Al'vexi raised an eyebrow in reply, carefully regarding the Naval
officer. "Surely this development concerns you," the telepath prodded gently.
"Not really," Si'ren replied calmly. "Colonel Wiki can handle this one
himself," she said, referring to the shadowy and somewhat reclusive head of
Research and Development. "He needs a little time out in the sun anyway, and
a short sea voyage will do him some good. Besides, it's his test-pilot or
whatever Major Corona is, let him clean up the mess for once."
"Wiki can explain the R&D drop," Al'vexi countered in a careful tone. "I
doubt he can explain the missile strike to their satisfaction."
"And I can?" Si'ren retorted, her eyes opening to glare at the retired
telepath. "We haven't even figured out what action was taken after Rune gave
her orders, aside from the obvious launch. The only thing I can think of doing
right now is simply showing them the recording of Rune's orders, and if that's
all that can be done, I'm sure Colonel Wiki is smart enough to know how to use
a display terminal and a message crystal together. I fail to see what it would
accomplish if I personally went," she growled as she closed her eyes again and
tried to relax.
Al'vexi remained silent for a number of moments as she studied the white-
haired admiral very closely, starting to realize just how much of a toll the
stress was taking on her. The massage from the Hospitality attendant was only
a stop-gap measure at best, intended to provide a few moments of relief in a
situation where time was in somewhat short supply.
"Stop and think for a moment," Al'vexi said in a gentle tone. "Brigadier
V'Laei is in command of one of Nop'tera's carriers. That alone says that much
about her loyalty to her. If you go in person, you will be sending the message
that you are neither involved in this mess, nor are you afraid of Nop'tera's
division. You are the Fleet Admiral, and whatever occurs in the oceans is very
much under your jurisdiction."
"I know my job, Al," Si'ren grumbled sourly. "And in case you haven't
looked outside lately, the current weather isn't what you would call ideal for
travelling. Just a little lower, please," she murmured to the attendant.
Al'vexi made a gesture of dismissal. "That's why radiation shields were
invented," she pointed out. "And I'm sure they have scrubbing facilities at
D'Mal if you have a warm hull when you arrive."
"General Al'vexi, why are you trying to get me to leave the Castle?" the
admiral sighed in a bored tone. "We are in a crisis situation, and as the
highest-ranking officer not under house-arrest, it is my job to remain here to
tend to the situation to the best of my ability."
The telepath paused to take a deep breath, briefly indulging in a calming
meditation for a few moments. "I'm trying to get you to understand how the
mind of General Nop'tera works," she explained. "She is what Prince Darian
would call old-school: born, raised, and trained in a past era where certain
values were much different back then than what they are today. She respects
power, she respects fairness, she respects honesty, and to be a little blunt,
she also respects someone with enough k'vesan to look her square in the eye in
a situation and not back down."
"Another reason to send Colonel Wiki," Si'ren said with open amusement.
"I've no idea what his k'vesan is like, but I'm sure it will be enough to see
to her needs for a few hours."
Al'vexi decided to let that one pass entirely. "The point is that if you
go out and face V'Laei directly, word will most definitely get back to Nop'tera
somehow and she will then understand that we had nothing at all to do with
Rune's insanity. Once she realizes that it's a personal issue between the two
of them, Nop'tera will most likely leave us alone and not deliver a return
strike against us."
"In exchange for what, though?" Si'ren sighed softly, gently rolling her
shoulders to try to ease the fierce ache at the base of her neck. "I will not
just hand Rune over to her for summary judgment or execution. If necessary, I
will convene a full military tribunal after Internal Review has finished their
investigations and will see that the law is fairly applied. And if that is not
enough for the Dark General, then I'm afraid she is not the kind of woman I'd
care to see leading our military forces," she added in an ominous tone.
"So explain that to her," Al'vexi suggested. "And before you say that you
can't find her because her carrier is still hidden, you can just give a copy of
your speech to Brigadier V'Laei and let her worry about communicating with her
superior."
Si'ren resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Your persistence is starting
to chafe, Al," she grumbled.
"Keep in mind that by all rights you outrank Nop'tera," Al'vexi pointed
out in a careful tone. "She might have contempt for Rune, which just between
you and me I can easily understand, but she seemed to have a great deal of
respect for your position as the commander of the entire navy. That could be
another useful factor to consider when dealing with her."
Si'ren opened her mouth to vent her irritation when the pair of hands on
her neck made a slight twisting motion, resulting in a truly loud popping sound
as the knot of tension was finally undone. A bolt of white lightning darted
across her vision as the pain registered, and for one brief instant she thought
that her neck had been snapped. Both the tension and the pain drained away a
moment later, producing a truly deep sigh of blissful relief.
A soft gasping noise filled the air as Al'vexi indulged in a full-body
cringe, shuddering briefly in a reflex at the unholy sound. "Ay'cha navidshi,"
she breathed in a shocked whisper. "Si'ren, are you alright?"
"I think so," Si'ren sighed as her muscles seemed to turn to putty in the
hands of the attendant. "Thank you, Lal, I've been trying to get rid of that
one for hours now."
"You're more than welcome, Admiral," the Hospitality worker purred as she
continued to massage her upper back.
"Are you sure?" the telepath prodded carefully. "That sounded like it
must have hurt something fierce...."
"Al'vexi, go away," Si'ren sighed wearily. "I will be back in Operations
in another few minutes. I will give your suggestion some thought, but I will
not expose myself to a high radiation zone. Yes, a cruiser can probably shield
me from it all, but keep in mind that we'd have to first get one from another
region as all of ours are thoroughly contaminated on the landing fields. Or
what's left of them," she added archly.
General Al'vexi grunted very softly to herself, deciding it was probably
not a good idea right now to point out that a few of the smaller cruisers had
been stored in various repair bays and had thus been fully shielded from the
blast. "Very well, Admiral," she said in a faintly cool tone. "I will see if
I can get in contact with R&D to coordinate something for you."
"Al?" Si'ren said, pausing as she suddenly yawned. "Worry about finding
a way to deal with this radiation first. Speaking of which...."
"Weather skills are exceedingly rare," Al'vexi reminded her. "Granted we
have Security Lieutenant Tempest and Field Sergeant Alani from Sciences to aid
us, but Tempest's powers are somewhat limited, even with Alani's enhancement
abilities. Oh, and you'll be drafted to assist us should we get a plan worked
out," she added calmly.
"Hmm?" Si'ren replied in surprise. "Oh, yes, my control over water. I
had almost forgotten about that. I can't influence large bodies of water, you
know," she pointed out.
"We're still working on it," the general sighed. "I would prefer not to
concentrate the contamination in the runoff of a major rainstorm, as that would
only end up poisoning the local water tables until it all decayed. We might
not be affected, but most of the civilian population around here relies on
well-water and aquifer taps, and I strongly doubt they would be able to hold
out very long without a clean water supply."
Si'ren grunted softly to herself. "All the more reason to do something
with this radiation and soon. Damn her," she growled quietly. "Why did Rune
have to use a nuclear warhead for this? Even a conventional ballistic missile
would have forced the V'ral to move or be cratered...."
Both Al'vexi and Si'ren jumped as a commlink chittered loudly, the noise
seeming to sound unusually harsh in the relative quiet of the room. Al'vexi
quickly checked the spot where hers was clipped onto her uniform belt, making
a face as she noticed that the signal light was still dark. "Yours," she said
casually as the chittering noise repeated itself.
Si'ren muttered something profane beneath her breath as she grabbed the
device off of her belt, missing the blush of embarrassment that crossed her
Hospitality attendant's face at catching the comment. "Admiral Si'ren," she
said in a weary tone as she flicked the channel open.
"Ma'am, this is the Operational Duty Officer," a male voice replied in a
level tone. "The long-range radar nets are picking up what appears to be a
small personal cruiser that is on an inbound course directly for the Imperial
Castle. The cruiser has already entered the outermost edges of the radiation
field and appears to be carving a tunnel of some sort through the field. It
passed directly over a sensor node and the node is reporting a significant drop
in the level of radiation surrounding it."
"Oh?" Si'ren said, both eyebrows promptly arching up to her hairline.
"Keep a close eye on it, I'm on my way."
"Copy, ma'am," the voice replied. "Operations out."
"Interesting," Al'vexi commented as Si'ren stood up, forcing the attendant
to hastily remove her hands from the back of the admiral's tunic. "I don't
suppose someone developed a new type of atmospheric scrubber?"
"We'll find out soon," Si'ren promised as she started to seal the front of
her tunic. "Lal, thank you so much," she said to the attendant. "I'll be sure
to let Brigadier Zan'zemet know how much I appreciated your services."
"You are more than welcome, Admiral," the attendant replied with a bow.
"Interesting," the telepath repeated casually as she started to follow the
other woman out the door. "Perhaps there will be some good news for today
after all...."
* * * *
Darian paused as he suddenly noticed the heavy bustle of activity inside
the living room of the denizen cathedral. "Umm...." he said slowly as he slid
the sliding glass door shut behind him. "Is everything okay?"
"Not now, cape boy," Leda growled without lifting her head up.
"They just remembered about their school assignments," Susan explained in
a calm and patient tone.
"We kinda lost track of time," Mina explained, absently chewing on her
pencil's eraser as she studied the page of chemistry equations she was trying
to understand. "Ami, are you *sure* this one is an endothermic reaction and
not an exothermic one?"
"If it was exothermic, it would be giving off heat," Ami said patiently as
she processed her own equations. "If you'll notice, the reaction requires an
infusion of twenty-seven joules of energy for the bonds to separate, hence it's
an endothermic reaction."
"Twenty-seven jewels, eh?" Alex said in a causal tone as she peered over
Mina's shoulder, trying to make sense of the lines of scribble. "I bet that
would make one pretty diamond tiara. What's this?" she added as she tapped a
finger against one of the longer equations.
"Nothing you want to have dropped in your lap," Mina replied after making
note of the amount of carbonic acid formed during that particular reaction.
"OW!" Serena yelped as she was poked in the wrist by a claw. She twisted
back around in her seat to give the black cat an upset look. "Luna, what'd you
do that for?" she whined.
"To get you to quit looking in the kitchen and pay attention," Luna said
crisply. "You can worry about eating once it is ready, but for now you have to
finish your math homework."
"But I'm hungry and it smells good...." Serena protested.
Darian just shook his head as he sat down on the empty corner of the couch
next to Maq'i. "Yeah, I'd say things are pretty much back to normal," he said
with a rueful chuckle.
"I'll say," Artemis muttered as he continued to be gently stroked by the
ancient Healer. "Leda's right, though, it sucks that they have to rush through
all this after what they've been through recently."
"Yeah," Darian agreed with a weary sigh. "No rest for the wicked, eh?"
"Be nice," Artemis chuckled. "That really only applies to Mina, anyway."
"I heard that," the blonde grumbled from the table as she carefully wrote
down what she thought was the next link in the chain of chemical reactions.
Darian paused as he did a quick head-count and came up short. "Hey," he
said softly. "Where's everyone else?"
Artemis yawned and flicked his tongue over his whiskers. "Michelle is in
the kitchen with Whisper," he explained in a slightly sleepy tone. "Myst did
some spooky stunt and melted into the chair cushions, and Rei went home."
"What?" Darian said, giving the white cat a startled look. "She left?"
"Your friend said she had a lot of work to do at her temple," Maq'i spoke
up in a soft tone laced with audible weariness. "She thought it was best to
try to finish her studies after dinner, once time permits."
"Meaning she'll be up past nine trying to do her homework by torchlight,"
Darian sighed softly, shaking his head to himself.
"Candles aren't enough for her anymore, eh?" Artemis inquired warily.
"Figure of speech," Darian replied as he glanced over at Maq'i. "Are you
alright, Maq'i?" he prodded gently.
"Just the chains of old age, your Highness, nothing more," the elderly
Healer assured him with a wry smile. "I am starting to think that it may be
time for me to return home, as it were. No doubt I will be interrogated most
thoroughly about my absence, and the Security division is not known for their
allowances for those who have earned their gray hairs the traditional way."
"Whoa, wait, hold up," Leda said as her head snapped up. "Run that past
me again? Who's going to interrogate you about what?"
Maq'i sighed softly as the rest of the room's collective focus suddenly
fell on her with varying degrees of concern. "They will not dare question me
as vigorously as they might a young field soldier," she assured them with an
absent gesture. "They will observe proper protocol and show me the respect
that I am due as both a Healer and as a woman who should have had enough sense
to retire a few centuries ago, but at the same time they will not relent in
their questions until they are fully satisfied with all the answers. I think
that if I returned now, before the evening meal, they should be ready to end
the session when the evening becomes true night. I doubt I shall miss too much
sleep from it," she added casually.
"You sure about that?" Leda persisted with an unhappy look.
"I am sure, my young friend," Maq'i chuckled as she gently set Artemis
aside and started to rise to her feet. "I have found it quite a pleasure to
spend as much time with you humans as I have, and circumstances permitting I
would very much like to do so again in the future. But for all the failings
it has, my world is still my home and there is no doubt much work to be done
given what was happening when I left."
"It is a sentiment we can all appreciate," Susan spoke up in a diplomatic
tone. "I am sure that your associates will not look too unkindly on you for
all that you have done for the sake of one of your patients. After all, you
did accompany us at our request to tend to the Princess, correct?" she added
in a fairly light tone.
"My aides and fellow Healers would fully approve," Maq'i replied with a
somewhat sly smile. "It's the senior military officials that I think would
find my disappearance to be.... problematic. Nevertheless, as I said, they
will not harm one such as I. I don't know their precious military secrets or
the like, as I am simply a physician who tends to the wounded and infirm. And
should too great a commotion be made, I can always retire," she added with a
quiet laugh. "Those who serve in the military and live long enough to retire
from it never seem to be able to escape the plots and plans of those whom they
leave behind, but precious few Healers are ever bothered for one never know
when you might be needing their services yet again."
"After watching some of the things the military has done, that's actually
pretty scant comfort," Darian muttered quietly. "Trust me, if you really piss
someone off, they'll never let you forget it. I think General Al'vexi is a
perfect case in point, or at least she was last time we met."
"Al'vexi," Alex echoed slowly, almost as if the name was leaving a faint
aftertaste on her tongue. "She's that old chick we met outside that long stone
tunnel to the NegaForce, right? Where we met those two guards holding really
large can-openers? You should've seen them, Sue, you'd have loved it...."
"I will ask about it later, Alex," Susan said absently.
"Yes, that's her," Darian said with a soft sigh. "I'll explain later," he
added as he caught the look of tepid curiosity on Serena's worried face.
"Excuse me," Whisper said as she stuck her head out of the kitchen with a
slightly confused look on her face. "What's this about General Al'vexi?"
"Our current poster-child for the failure of retirement to free you from
the webs of military politics," Darian summarized in a tone as dry as any arid
desert.
Whisper snorted quietly in contempt. "Isn't that the truth," she sighed.
"Have we figured out yet where you want us to drop you off?" Leda said as
she stood up from the table. "I wouldn't want you any where near the Imperial
Castle right now even if we could open a wormhole next to it."
"Mar'ken is a good place, right?" Mina spoke up. "I mean, it's way out
west so it wouldn't be near any of the fallout, even if the winds were blowing
pretty hard, and Uncle Aerlin seems to be quite the friendly type...."
"Actually, I thought we had already agreed that it would be best if I were
to pay a visit to Reish'id," Maq'i reminded her.
"Well, yeah, but...." the blonde protested with a longing sigh.
"Admit it, babe," Alex chuckled. "You just want to play with that large
bird again, don't you?"
"But he was sooooo cute," Mina whimpered in a plaintive tone.
"It was a vep'tera," Leda explained to Serena as she reached out to tap
Ami on the shoulder. "Hey, you've still got that Silkworm crystal, right? The
one Tolaris used to get us into the Negaverse?" she asked the blue-haired girl.
Ami blinked before she looked over at Darian. "I think Darian still has
it," she said in a slightly uncertain tone. "I gave it to him back in the
medical ward."
"Oops," Darian said softly as he stood up and started patting his pockets.
"Let me see if I remember what I.... oh, here it is," he said as he fished the
purple gemstone out of his pocket.
"May I?" Maq'i said with a pointing gesture. She reached out to touch it
as he carried it over to her, pressing a withered fingertip to the crystal's
surface as she focused her thoughts on extremely familiar terrain. A swirling
maelstrom of energy was ripped open in a spot near the wall, revealing what
looked to be the inside of a cave beyond the sparkling vortex.
Eyebrows arched up all around the room as a soft rasping noise could be
heard, sounding like seriously rusted machinery trying to start itself only to
fail rather miserably. "Wow," Mina said in a hushed tone as she stepped around
the table to peer inside the wormhole. "And I thought Artemis could crank some
really hard Z's. Is he alright?" she asked Maq'i.
"That is, I'm afraid to say, quite normal," the elderly Healer replied in
a dry tone. "Reish'id!" she called out as she stepped near the vortex. She
paused to listen for a response and sighed. "Reish'id!" she called out again.
"Cozy place," Alex commented as she studied the mass of fur pelts that had
been piled in front of the gently crackling fireplace. "A little heavy on the
stone-age look, but a couple of couch cushions and maybe a painting or two on
the wall could brighten things up."
"The couch, I must say, is quite the lost cause," Maq'i muttered. "And I
see that he is probably not too far behind, either."
"He sleeps like the dead, eh?" Darian inquired in a cautious tone.
"After thirty-two centuries of life, so would you," Maq'i pointed out.
"He's how old?" Mina gasped, her eyes widening.
"Stand back," Leda said as she stepped over to the open wormhole. She
waited for the elderly denizen to edge back before she took in a deep breath,
not noticing how the gesture immediately caused the rest of the group to very
quickly plug their ears. "*HEY FURBALL, WAKE UP!*" she roared, the force of
her voice creating a deafening echo inside the lair.
An ear immediately perked up on the largest fur pelt, causing the rest of
the group to realize that it wasn't a pelt at all but a fairly large Felinoid
curled up on his side as he slept. The ear twitched backwards to orient on the
open wormhole before a very deeply-pitched growl of protest filled the cave.
"Ho.... ly.... crap...." Alex breathed in awe as Reish'id rolled over, a
pair of purple-on-yellow eyes opening up to cast a bleary glance at what had
disturbed his sleep. "Mich, you gotta come see this," she yelled over to the
kitchen. "This has to be the biggest damn cat I've ever seen...."
"Fair evening, old friend," Maq'i called out calmly, one eyebrow arched up
in slight amusement. "I apologize for disturbing your afternoon nap, but I'm
in a rather unusual situation."
Reish'id blinked hard as his brain fully woke up and allowed his senses to
properly focus. "Maq'i," he said as he quickly rose up on his hind legs and
walked over to the wormhole. He moved with a slightly stiff gait, as if his
muscles were still half-asleep. He paused as he reached the wormhole and was
able to see who else was around. "Leda?"
"Good morning," Leda said dryly as she stepped back. "Mind if we grab
your attention for a few minutes?"
"Indeed," the Felinoid growled softly as he glanced around the room. He
hesitated for a brief moment before he stepped through the wormhole and into
the cathedral's living room. "I heard about the attack on the Imperial Castle
and I'm quite glad to know you're alive and unharmed," he purred softly as he
leaned over to brush his tongue across the side of Maq'i's neck.
He paused in mid-motion as he heard a very shrill sound of shock, lifting
his head up to see Michelle standing in the archway of the kitchen. Her eyes
were as wide as dinner plates and she was visibly trying to stifle the urge to
scream in abject terror at the top of her lungs. Whisper poked her head out
from the kitchen to see what the problem was, giving the aquamarine-haired girl
a look of gentle reassurance.
"Relax, that's just a Felinoid," the telepath explained calmly.
"Let's get this over with," Leda sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her
nose. "Guys, this is Reish'id, a friend I made when I was in the Negaverse a
few months ago. Yes, he's a Felinoid, so try not to get your panties all in a
knot about it. He's harmless, I promise."
"And this is your boyfriend?" Alex said incredulously, her eyebrows arched
clear up to her hairline. "Goddamn, that's a big cat...." she commented as
Michelle made a very uncertain whimpering noise to herself.
"Alex, please try to control yourself," Susan sighed quietly.
"And these are what passes for my friends here on Earth," Leda added in an
extremely dry tone.
"Hey now," Mina protested sourly, still casually eyeing Reish'id's dark
fur with open admiration. "We're not that bad. Hi, I'm Mina," she said with
a friendly smile.
"Mina," Reish'id echoed softly, casting a sidelong glance at Leda. "Then
you would be Sailor Venus, correct?"
Mina just looked at him for a moment before sighing softly and casting an
unhappy glance over at Leda. "You talk too much sometimes, you know that?" she
muttered.
"And we didn't pretty much blow all our identities the other day when we
transformed in the middle of a crowded denizen marketplace?" Leda shot back.
"Besides, you have absolutely no room to talk about some of the things that
your motor-mouth has revealed about others...."
"If it is any consolation," Reish'id interjected quickly, "I must say that
I have heard very little mentioned about you in the negative sense," he said
to Mina.
"Ummm.... thank you?" Mina said, giving him an uncertain look.
"Anyway, this is Alex," Leda said as she started gesturing around the
room. "This is Ami, that's Serena, I'm sure you're familiar with Darian by
this point...."
"What denizen isn't?" Reish'id said dryly as he bowed his head to Darian.
"Well met, your Highness."
"Afternoon," Darian said as calmly as he could manage.
"This is Susan, you might know Captain Whisper of the Psi-Corp, behind her
is Michelle," Leda rattled on, "Luna is on the table, Artemis is on the couch,
Rei went home earlier, and don't ask me where Myst is," she finished. "Oh, and
I think Captain Raijen is still out on the back deck," she added casually.
Reish'id's ears perked up and he cast a reflexive glance over his shoulder
towards the sliding glass door. "Captain Raijen?" he echoed. "Of the Dragoon
Legion? But...."
"It is a long story, my friend," Maq'i spoke up calmly. "I will explain
it to you later. What is the latest news about the attack on the castle?"
"Madness," the Felinoid said in a clipped tone as he carefully made his
way over to the couch, studying Artemis intently. "There is still much chaos
and confusion, and of course the regional networks for the Central Plains area
are all non-functional. Hello," he said as he dropped to all fours and edged
closer, carefully sniffing at the white cat.
"Hi," Artemis replied in an uneasy tone, watching Reish'id very carefully
but otherwise holding his ground.
"Ah, so you would be an Earth cat, yes?" Reish'id inquired politely.
"Nope, Lunar cat. Earth cats can't talk," Artemis replied with a subtle
flick of his tail.
"My apologies," Reish'id purred softly. He studied the cat for a moment
before edging backwards and standing back up again. "From what I have been
able to gather from the unencrypted military nets, orders are currently being
issued from the commanding officer of the Southern Division."
"Southern Division," Whisper spoke up slowly. "That's still General Olox,
right?"
"Indeed," Reish'id replied with a nod of his head. "So far, he has made
no public planet-wide statements aside from assuring the population that he is
in temporary command and that the military is mobilizing to ensure that there
are no further disruptions. A number of armored units have already stationed
themselves in various population centers to ensure that there are no panics or
riots over events."
"Standard post-disaster procedure," Whisper explained to the humans.
"What about the Dragoons?" Ami blurted out in a tone that was somewhere
between deep worry and borderline panic. She blinked hard as Reish'id simply
laughed very softly to himself, his tail flicking back and forth for several
moments before absently looping around Leda's wrist.
"Ah, yes, the Dragoons," he purred, giving Ami a look of amusement. "You
need not fear for their safety, for they are quite safe. I was shaken out of
my afternoon nap earlier by the transit of a super-massive transport along the
western aerial passage through the mountain peaks. One merely had to listen to
any of the open channels for Air Traffic Control North to learn that the SMT
was none other than DCX-Zero, the Dragoon Legion Headquarters Complex itself in
mobile mode."
"It was what?" Mina echoed, her jaw falling open.
"Tolaris wasn't kidding, was he? They really moved the whole building?"
Leda added in open amazement.
"I was able to catch a brief glimpse of it from the entrance of my lair,"
Reish'id said with a nod of his head. "It was a rather awe-inspiring sight,
to be honest, for it is rare that something that large takes to the skies."
"Jesus H. Christ," Mina breathed, still in moderate shock. "Maze and I
went through the full length of the complex back when we were clearing a path
for Tolaris and you guys to come get his stuff, and it felt like it was about
the size of the mall downtown."
Whisper nodded her head in agreement. "It is a rather large facility,
although I can't say that I've ever seen it mobilized before. Now that I stop
and think about it, I think only R&D has a movable facility that can compare in
terms of size and raw tonnage."
"Flying buildings, huh?" Alex said as she edged closer to Reish'id to get
a better look at his dark fur. "I know Sue said something about learning how
to drive a flying machine a few years ago, but I don't think that's what she
had on her mind. You mind?" she added, reaching out to touch his arm.
Reish'id gave Maq'i a look of patient suffering before nodding to Alex,
holding his arm out to her so she could run her fingertips through his fur.
"Piloting a small aircraft is easy," the Felinoid pointed out. "Piloting a
full-sized cruiser is more of a challenge. I almost shudder to think what sort
of skills would be required in order to safely and successfully direct an SMT
of that magnitude."
"Damn, you're soft," Alex cooed quietly. "Mich, you gotta come feel his
fur, this is better than the mink pelt Sue had the other year."
"Alex," Susan sighed heavily. "Need I remind you that you are referring
to a sentient entity and not some household pet?"
Alex glanced over at Susan for a few moments before she looked back up at
Reish'id. "Have I offended you?" she asked simply.
A soft but deep laugh gently rose up from Reish'id's chest. "Of course
not," he purred, absently giving Leda's wrist a gentle squeeze.
"See?" Alex promptly said to Susan, giving her a vindicated look. She
smirked as the succubus simply shook her head to herself and buried her face
in her hands with a soft but heavy sigh of resignation. "Anyway," the blonde
said with a dismissive shrug.
"Leda, will you keep the wormhole open?" Ami said as she briskly made her
way over to the swirling blue portal.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Leda inquired in a very wary tone, casting a
sidelong look at Ami as the vampire breezed past her. "Hey, Ami!" she said as
Ami promptly stepped through the wormhole and into Reish'id's lair, her hand
going to the small of her back to open her Lunar Space pocket.
Ami ignored her as she studied her communicator display, trying to get a
solid reading on the signal strength of the trio of transponders it was now
picking up. The signals from the other Sailor Scout communicators all started
to waver as their transmissions were dampened by the tunneling effects of the
wormhole, but what she was interested in were the communicators that had been
given to their Dragoon allies.
"Ami to Tolaris," she said as she thumbed open the Lightning channel.
"Gotta give her credit for persistence," Mina said with a shrug as she
went over to the table. She gently scooped up Luna and carried her back over
to where Alex was still petting Reish'id's arm, holding the black cat up for
the Felinoid to see. "Hey, Luna, have you met Leda's boyfriend yet?" she said
in an overly cheerful tone, giving her a charming smile.
A very soft purring noise rose up from Reish'id's chest as he uncoiled his
tail from Leda's wrist. "Hello there, little sister," he said quietly as he
carefully sniffed at Luna.
"Er, um.... hello," Luna replied in an uncertain tone.
Reish'id studied her for a moment before frowning slightly, leaning over
to sniff her fur a little harder. "Odd," he rumbled softly, his eyes becoming
narrow. "There is a scent on your fur that is.... most unusual. It is not
your own, of course, but still.... it almost smells like you brushed up against
something.... alien."
"D'oh," Mina grumbled quietly as she discreetly checked her armpits. "So
maybe its time for another shower or something."
"Ami to Maze," Ami said in a slightly impatient tone as she tried opening
a new channel. She was quite oblivious to Alex's presence as the short-haired
blonde stuck her head through the wormhole to look around before moving to step
inside the cave completely.
"Alex!" Michelle hissed, mortified at the intrusion without having asked
the Felinoid for permission to enter his home.
"Wow, this is actually pretty nice," Alex said as she looked around.
Reish'id leaned over to take a cautious whiff of the air around Mina, his
tail flicking back and forth. "It is not you," he assured her before he began
to test the air. "Strange, it smells like it is still here...."
"It might be Myst," Darian suggested with a shrug. "She was just here a
few minutes ago, so she might have left some sort of trail...."
"No, it's me," Serena said in a soft whisper, giving Reish'id a somewhat
uneasy glance. "It's me you smell, isn't it?"
"Your Highness...." Susan started to say in a careful tone.
"Highness?" Reish'id suddenly echoed, his ears flicking up in surprise.
His eyes quickly darted over to Darian before returning to Serena, making sure
that there wasn't any misunderstanding about to whom Susan was talking to. He
very carefully leaned forward to test the air around her, blinking hard as the
realization finally sank in. "It's you," he breathed softly. "You are the
Moon Princess everyone was talking about, aren't you?"
"Eh?" Leda said, her eyebrows arching up. "What, did you fall asleep on
me when I told you about her a few months ago?"
"You didn't tell me that your Moon Princess and Sailor Moon were one and
the same," he growled softly, his attention still focused on Serena. "When
they said that the Moon Princess was in the Imperial Castle and to expect the
Sailor Scouts to attempt to retrieve her, I didn't realize that you would be
searching for one of your own. Master Healer...."
"All is well, old friend," Maq'i reassured him. "They came to get her,
and as she still needed medical assistance I returned with them of my own free
will. Now that she has recovered, my services are no longer needed and I am
free to return back home without harm or incident."
Reish'id nodded in understanding, his tail starting to lash back and forth
as he thought about it. "So that is why you are here on Earth," he mused as
he glanced back at Serena. "This explains much, but at the same time...." he
trailed off, leaning forward to gently sniff Serena's skin-scent again.
"Ami to Ra'vel," Ami said in a slightly panicked tone as she opened the
last available frequency. A visible mask of tension remained on her face until
the channel opened a few seconds later, resulting in a heavy sigh of relief.
"There you are, I couldn't raise the others and I was getting very worried,"
she blurted out. "Are you guys alright? Is everything okay? Where are you?"
"Damn, honey, slow down," Alex said, giving her a mild look as she knelt
down to study the pile of askiri pelts in front of the fireplace. "Give the
owl a few moments to answer your questions, alright? Good luck trying to sort
out the chirps, though," she muttered quietly.
Reish'id exhaled through his nose very softly, absently flicking his ears
back as he briefly preened his whiskers. "If you will forgive an indelicate
question.... what are you?" he asked Serena in a soft whisper.
Serena glanced away from for a few moments, sighing quietly to herself as
she felt Darian move up behind her and gently rest his hand on her shoulder.
"A union of two worlds," she replied softly, looking back up at the Felinoid.
"My mother was human, but my father was a denizen."
Eyebrows all around the room arched up as Reish'id's tail abruptly coiled
into a tight helix, looking like a large corkscrew. He dropped to all fours a
moment later before sitting back, his hindquarters sinking down to the ground
with a very muted thump. "A hybrid," he said in tone devoid of any emotion as
he stared at her, his cat-like irises widening into unusually large ovals.
"Reish'id," Maq'i said in a warning tone, recognizing the classic signs of
a Felinoid slipping into severe shock.
"C'mon, furball, settle down," Leda sighed as she crossed the room to run
her fingertips through the fur along his upper back. "Why is it every single
denizen we meet who learns about this damn near wets themselves on the spot?"
she grumbled.
"Such a thing is unheard of," Reish'id replied as calmly as he could, very
gingerly rising back up so he was standing on all four paws. He blinked as
Serena impulsively reached down to touch him, very carefully scratching him
behind the ear.
"There you go again," Leda said with a smirk as Reish'id's eyes seemed to
close of their own accord and a deep purring noise started up. "Be glad you're
among friends, otherwise your reputation would be sooooo ruined right now," she
teased as she squeezed his still-coiled tail. "A big, bad, Felinoid warrior
and hunter becoming all cuddly and helpless just because he's getting his ears
scratched by a little human girl...."
"I assure you that it is not a new development," Maq'i spoke up lightly,
trading looks with a visibly amused Susan. The succubus tilted her head to one
side but otherwise remained silent, apparently content to observe the situation
from an uninvolved distance.
"I need a camera," Mina chuckled in a wicked tone as she cradled Luna in
her arms. The smile on her face got larger as the heavy purring sound grew in
volume, both of Leda's hands scratching the fur on Reish'id's back while Serena
was gently rubbing the sensitive spots behind his ears. "Not that I'd be able
to show the pictures to anyone, but still...."
"Reish'id," Maq'i said, using a tone that got everyone's attention. "I
have examined the Princess myself, and she is indeed a human-denizen hybrid.
I would tell you more if I didn't fear for your health right now, but you must
know this much: she could very well be the Ar'kanis il' Hal'al."
"OW, GODDAMMIT!" Leda yelped as Reish'id's hindquarters promptly dropped
down to mash her toes. "Get *OFF!*" she snarled as she tried to both yank her
foot back and shove his heavy bulk forward. The gesture threw her dangerously
off-balance, causing her to windmill her arms furiously before her center of
gravity shifted and she tilted back.
She would have fallen if it wasn't for the profusion of glowing ribbons of
light that suddenly exploded out from Serena's back, whipping forward so fast
as to be a blur before completely cocooning the upper half of the brunette's
body. A simple tug stabilized her balance, allowing her to stay on her feet
and quickly recover her senses.
The coffee table was knocked over and almost shattered as the Felinoid
scrambled back in shock, his fur puffed out at right angles to his skin and
crouching as low to the ground as possible. It wasn't the posture of a cat
about to pounce, but rather the cowering pose of one who was clearly shocked
and awed by what he was witnessing. His purple irises were now completely
circular against their yellow backgrounds, his body utterly motionless except
for the quivering ends of his whiskers and an uncontrollable series of spasms
that twitched the tip of his tail.
"Ooof, g'd'mit," Leda mumbled as she tried to remove the pair of wings
tightly wrapped around her mouth. "Bleagh," she panted as they fell away.
"Damn. Thanks, Serena."
"Reish'id!" Maq'i snapped as she strode over to him and knelt down, her
hand taking on a faint glow as she touched the spot between his shoulderblades.
The spasm in his tail immediately calmed down, but the tips of his whiskers
continued to quiver as he stared at the angelic blonde.
"There's no need to be afraid," Serena whispered in her triple-tone voice
as she carefully knelt in front of the shocked Felinoid. She reached out to
very gently scratch his ear as a pair of wings drifted forward. They lightly
brushed against his muzzle before moving downward to caress his paws, resulting
in an abrupt spasm of his hands.
Maq'i sighed and shook her head to herself, still directing her calming
and healing energy into his spinal column. "Be mindful of the floor," she
murmured to him as she noticed that his claws were now firmly embedded in the
wooden flooring. "Speak, you old rakketh, so I know you're still alive."
"Hey!" Alex yelled from the wormhole, a dark scowl crossing her face as
she realized what was going on. "What's with him? Ami, quit talking to the
owl and pay attention, we might have a problem," she added over her shoulder.
"I can't remain here very long," Ami said to Ra'vel, not paying attention
to Alex in the slightest. "Just have either one of them call me as soon as
possible, okay? There's been a few developments we need to talk about, and I
think they're fairly serious. I suppose," she added in a weary tone as she got
a rather uncertain chirp in response.
"You.... are not mistaken, Master Healer," Reish'id whispered in a very
faint tone, still staring hard at Serena's denizen wings. "If she is not the
Ar'kanis il' Hal'al, then no-one is."
"You are not a monk, old friend," Maq'i reminded him gently.
"I don't need to be," the Felinoid replied as he very carefully began to
uncoil his tail, his irises slowly relaxing to a more oval shape. "Nor do the
vast number of the uninitiated. She has merely to walk down the street of any
city or village like this and they will come for miles to bow at her feet. Can
you not feel her presence?" he said as he slowly rose to his feet. "Can you
not feel an aura around her that shines like a beacon?"
"Maybe it's a good thing Rei isn't here," Mina muttered to Luna as she
hugged her tightly. "This would really set off her jealous side...."
"Why do you say this?" Serena gently asked as she sat back on her heels,
a slightly weary expression crossing her face as she flicked her wings behind
her and let them float around at random. She didn't glance back as she felt
Darian's presence kneeling behind her, absently wrapping a few wings around
his body at various points.
Reish'id sighed quietly and licked the tips of his whiskers, the sudden
motion of his tongue briefly startling her. "I say it because it is what I
feel," he explained softly. "Should you wish to see for yourself, you have
only to visit a village and make your presence known. If you are indeed what
Maq'i claims, born of both the Negaverse and Earth, then you can only be born
of legend and prophecy. In the tens of thousands of years in our history there
has never been a mixing of bloodlines, no hybrid children born to those with
different origins who lay together. Denizens, Felinoids, avians, and the dark
shadow-kin, several of each have tried with the other and always failed. And
I assure you, a great deal of science and medical effort has gone into these
various attempts," he added in an extremely serious tone.
"I believe it," Darian muttered quietly. He glanced up as he noticed the
rest of the group giving him curious looks of varying degrees and he felt a
faint blush rise to his cheeks. "From what I understand, avian physiology is
not the most conducive to cross-species relations given the fact that they're
designed to lay eggs, but the others are.... readily compatible. And I'm told
that the avian issue isn't too difficult to overcome either, if both parties
are suitably determined."
<Prince Darian, do I even want to ask?> Whisper's telepathic voice echoed
quietly in his mind's ear.
Darian cast a quick glance at the kitchen, realizing that she must have
broadcast the question to everyone else as the rest of the group was likewise
casting odd and uncertain glances in the telepath's general direction. A pair
of glowing wings reached up to lightly brush across his face, causing him to
close his eyes. "Let's just say that Beryl thought it was amusing to teach me
a few things about ordinary life in the Negaverse," he muttered, feeling the
blush on his face darken by at least five shades.
"Interesting," Susan commented quietly, glancing over to her side as a
white blur hopped up on the edge of her chair. She absently reached out to
brush her fingertips through Artemis' fur as she glanced back at Darian.
"Anyway," Leda said in a slightly flat tone, exchanging glances with both
Mina and Maq'i. Serena cast a sidelong glance at Darian without moving her
head, her expression changing to one of uneasy suspicion.
<Dinner will be ready in another minute,> Whisper telepathed to the group.
<Maq'i, you and Reish'id are more than welcome to stay and eat with us if you
like,> she offered.
Maq'i looked at Reish'id before shaking her head gently. "The offer is
appreciated, Captain, but I think it is best if I were to return," she called
back to the kitchen. "And I believe that our furry friend here is now in need
of another nap after the shock of today's events."
"Lazy bum," Leda teased as she rubbed her ankle against Reish'id's flank.
Reish'id looked over at her before sighing softly. "I can not avoid it
like I used to," he replied in a soft tone, causing the brunette to blink. "I
am a solid three millennia removed from my youth, after all. Hmm?" he purred
in a curious tone as Mina simply shook her head.
"Nothing," the blonde muttered.
"Spit it out, blondie," Leda prodded her.
"It's just the denizen age thing," Mina sighed, looking up at the ceiling.
"Maze is five hundred, Tolaris seven hundred, Whisper is eight hundred, and it
seems that every denizen we meet is older than the last. Maq'i is over two
*thousand* years old, and I thought that was pushing the limit. Now we hear
that Reish'id is *three* thousand years old?"
"Three thousand two hundred and forty-four," Leda recited casually.
"Oh, wow," Mina replied with open sarcasm. "Let's see, I was only off by
what, the square of my own age?
"Damn, that's old," Alex commented as she stepped back through the still-
open wormhole and into the cathedral.
"Alex," Susan sighed quietly in resignation.
"Hey, I'm just saying," Alex protested calmly as Michelle crossed the room
to gently hug her. "So how long do you think you'll be with us, anyway? In
terms of the rest of your expected lifespan," she amended.
Reish'id and Maq'i looked at one another in uneasy silence for several
moments before the Felinoid sighed quietly. "I have every reason to believe I
will live to see thirty-two fifty," he rumbled quietly. "I have no illusions,
however, of any more than that."
"Hey, wait a minute," Leda suddenly said as a frown crossed her face.
"I am old, Leda," the Felinoid sighed as he laid down. "I've lived far
longer than my species usually does, and that is solely due to my capacity for
cellular regeneration. That power of Chaos is waning now, and with it goes my
ability to sustain my ever-aging body. Do not look at me like that, you know
as well as I do that is it entirely natural to grow old and eventually die."
"Dammit," Leda sighed as she suddenly felt a tear start to well up. "You
can't be telling me that you're going to kick the bucket soon, you're pretty
damn healthy for an overgrown cat."
"I'll say," Alex added. "You don't look like you're ancient."
"Michelle, go find her a pretzel before I hurt her," Leda growled.
"Hey, guys, take it easy," Darian spoke up in a gentle tone. "It sounds
to me like the big guy is going to be with us for quite awhile, so there's no
need to start planning his funeral or anything, you know?"
"That has already been taken care of," Reish'id said with a soft chuckle.
He flicked his ears back and sighed as Maq'i calmly rapped her knuckles on the
top of his head.
"There is no need to discuss such things," the elderly Healer pointed out.
"In any case, you are far from dead yet, old friend, so unless you intend to
expire in the living room I suggest we should get going. There is much work
to be done, both in our world and theirs, and it will likely be the kind that
people such as you and I would be best served observing from a calm distance."
"Speaking of distances...." Mina said as she balanced on one leg to peer
past Alex and into the wormhole, "Don't tell me she's still trying to talk to
Tolaris. Yeesh, I know zodiac Tauruses who aren't that persistent. Hey, just
how long can these wormholes be held open, anyway?" she inquired, turning to
give Maq'i a curious look.
The elderly Healer shrugged in reply. "Unknown," she said simply. "They
tend to collapse on their own if left unattended for longer than a minute, but
as long as your thoughts remain focused on sustaining it, it should persist
until you will it to close."
"Relax, I've got it," Darian assured Mina.
"Oh!" Ami suddenly blurted out, her eyes going wide. The outburst caused
the rest of the group to turn in unison to look at her through the swirling
vortex of the wormhole. "Umm.... I'm looking for Tolaris," she said to the
image on her communicator.
"Uh-oh," Leda said quietly. "Sounds like someone else just picked up the
other end of the line to see what kept making it beep."
"Is he safe?" Ami inquired breathlessly. She paused to listen for a reply
and sagged with open relief when she got one. "That's good. Wait, what about
the rest of you? What happened after the blast?"
"It can't be too bad if she's willing to talk to the guy," Darian observed
casually as he carefully stroked Serena's glowing wings. "At least, assuming
it's a guy. It could be his executive officer, for all we know. What was her
name again?" he asked the room in general.
"I think he said D'Nina," Mina replied. "I'm not sure, I was a little
preoccupied at the time," she added, giving Alex a mild glare.
"What's with the evil eye, hon?" Alex asked warily. "Rei's the one who
brained you with the wand, so the headache you bitched about for damn near the
entire length of the tunnel wasn't my fault."
"No, but the wedgie I got from being carried like a sack of wheat is very
much your fault," Mina grumbled as her cheeks took on a faint pink tint.
"We need to meet with him," Ami explained to the communicator image. She
blinked as she was interrupted with a question before nodding. "Yes, she's
very much alive and well. In fact, that's one of the things I need to talk to
him about. What? Oh, umm.... I've still got the data, but there's no way for
me to transmit it across these communicators like that. I'd need a physical
data interface at the very least, and probably a direct link to the computer's
processor as well. Yes, Maze should have a fair idea of what I need. Where is
he, anyway? HE'S DOING WHAT?!"
"Oh, hell," Mina sighed heavily as Ami's voice tripled in volume. "That's
definitely not a good sign. It's been what, six? Seven? Seven hours or so
since we split up at the tunnel and already he's getting into trouble?"
"Is everyone alright?" Ami demanded, her eyes wide with worry. She seemed
to calm down as the image carefully explained what had happened earlier after
the Dragoon Legion Headquarters Complex had gone on full alert after the launch
of the missile. Her expression seemed to change every few seconds before she
finally calmed down. "Well, that's good, it means they won't bother you for
some time. We.... huh? Umm...." she said hesitantly as she glanced towards
the open wormhole.
Ami blinked hard as at least four people waved hello at her with varying
degrees of amusement on their faces. "The Dragoons want to arrange a meeting,"
she called out to them. "All of us and all of them."
"Hold that thought, Bubbles," Mina cooed as she spun around to face the
rest of the group rapidly enough to make Luna queasy from the sudden motion.
"So, what are you girls doing Friday night?" she drawled with a sly smile.
"Ask me Thursday," Leda replied with a faint edge to her voice.
"Everyone together in one place, eh?" Alex added in an audibly wary tone.
"That doesn't exactly sound a comforting thought, if you know what I mean.
Especially if he means over there on his side of that swirling blue doorway."
"I'm afraid I must agree," Susan spoke up. "While I have a reasonable
measure of faith and trust in Tolaris, Maze, and Ra'vel as individuals, I have
yet to be given the chance to assess the Dragoon Legion's trustworthiness as a
single entity. That is not to cast doubt on their honor or intentions, but
merely to express a personal reservation," she added in a careful tone as she
cast a reflexive glance towards the sliding glass door.
"Oh, listen to you guys," Mina fussed as she made a sour face. "I haven't
met a Dragoon I didn't like so far, and you'll have to trust me when I say I've
been introduced to a boatload of them. Remember, Maze and I drugged a good
number of them into unconsciousness a few months ago, and they all seemed to
think I made a cute niece. At least, up until we jabbed them with a needle,
but we won't get into detail there...." she added with a faint blush.
"Umm...." Darian said slowly. "I think we need to do this. Take Serena
into the Negaverse to meet with the entire Dragoon Legion," he explained as the
rest of the group turned to look at him. "Part of what Raijen and I talked
about outside was his rather fervent desire to escort Serena to Ka'an-Nul and
have her meet with the monks. He seemed pretty serious about it," he murmured
softly in Serena's ear, gently stroking her angelic wings.
"Ami!" Mina called out through the wormhole. "See if we can strike up a
deal. We meet with them first, then they can take us to that Ka'an-Nul place.
Nobody should mess with us if we have the entire Legion as an escort, right?"
she added over her shoulder to the group.
Leda sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You're not listening,"
she grumbled. "First of all, there's no guarantee we'll be able to go play the
world-hopping game Friday after school. Second, I'm with Alex, I'm not overly
keen on how the numbers play out, either. Eight of us, assuming Darian comes
along and both Whisper and Susan stays put...."
"Which will not be necessary if I am to remain here," Susan interrupted
with a slight gesture of her hand.
"Fine, nine," Leda said, making a gesture of dismissal. "There are still
going to be a LOT of denizens on the other side, though, and even if they're
all as friendly as Tolaris, you gotta factor in the shock value of not only
seeing Serena walk in there with wings, but hearing about who her father is.
If they don't know that one already," she added in a warning tone. "Furball
here about pissed on the floor, so I can only imagine just how chaotic the rest
of them will react."
A soft growl rose up from Reish'id's chest. "I think you are overlooking
the centuries of military discipline instilled into the Dragoons," he advised.
"There will be reactions of shock, I assure you, but I doubt few, if any, will
openly take action more involved than sitting down before they fall down."
"They said they can do it without a problem," Ami suddenly called out,
causing half the group to blink.
"Hang on, I think we just had a conversation disconnect," Leda sighed.
"Timing is everything," Artemis pointed out with a faint chuckle.
Alex just shook her head. "And people say I don't listen well?" she said
to Michelle, drawing a gentle hug in response.
"That's just because you tend to have your head up your exhaust, dearie,"
Mina cooed. "Just as long as they understand the timing could be iffy," she
called back to Ami, scratching Luna behind her ears and pointedly ignoring the
dark look she was getting from the Viking. "See? That was rather painless,
now wasn't it?" she added over her shoulder.
"Hang on, babe, I can dig up some pain for you if you want," Alex grumbled
as she ran a knuckle against the hilt of her saber.
"Save it for later, okay?" Mina sighed. "Rei's not here and she's the one
who likes a little *OW!*" she suddenly yelped.
"I was waiting for that," Artemis murmured softly to Susan, drawing a
subtle nudge of rebuke from the succubus.
"Are you finished, Mina?" Luna said mildly as she retracted her claws.
"Oh, man," the blonde sighed as she studied the claw marks on her wrist.
"That'll take a day or two to heal. Thanks a lot, Luna."
"Been there, done that," Darian grumbled quietly, glancing around the room
to see if he could locate Myst.
"Excuse me, hot pots coming through," Whisper said as she entered the
living room. Behind her hovered a small armada of steaming pots and bowls, all
kept in a neat formation by her telekinetic powers. She reached the table and
suddenly paused as she realized that it was still cluttered with various books
and homework assignments. "Whoops. Umm, I don't suppose I can get you girls
to put away the study materials for the time being? Unless you think dinner
can wait," she added in a careful tone.
"D'oh!" Mina grumbled as she quickly set Luna down on the couch and darted
over to start clearing the table. "C'mon, guys, gimme a hand here unless you
want soup stains all over the chemistry homework."
Reish'id and Maq'i traded looks of patient amusement before the Felinoid
nodded in silent understanding. "I believe that it is time for us to depart,"
Maq'i said to the group. "As you have access to Silkworm crystals, you should
be able to keep in touch with me through the use of Reish'id's stolen military
communications unit. He can reach me in my office without a problem, assuming
I'm allowed to return there tomorrow."
"It is not stolen," Reish'id growled quietly, giving his long-time friend
a look of patient suffering. "It was a unit that was properly decommissioned
and sold as non-military surplus. It isn't my fault that they neglected to
remove several key components that allows me to access the military networks."
"Aha, so that's why you keep it hidden in a cabinet," Leda smirked. "I
was wondering why you went to all the effort of making it look like another
part of the wall."
"Leda!" Mina barked from the table, still gathering various papers and
textbooks together. "Unless you want your history assignment to really become
history, come help me move this stuff before Whisper sets the mashed potatoes
on it!"
The brunette looked over at Reish'id and sighed heavily. "Just make sure
to keep in touch, furball," she said in an unusually subdued tone as she leaned
over to nuzzle the fur on the side of his neck.
"Damn, he even snuggles like a cat," Alex observed to Michelle as Reish'id
returned the affectionate gesture. "What do you think, Mich? Should we see if
we can pick up one of those at the next denizen bazaar we visit?"
Michelle blinked and gave her a wary look. "I'm not adopting a cat who is
going to grow up to be bigger than twenty pounds," she said firmly.
"Bah, it was worth a shot," Alex sighed as she glanced over at where the
dishes were still hovering behind Whisper. "Damn, that smells good...."
"Thanks again for all your help," Leda said to Maq'i with a warm smile.
Maq'i bowed her head slightly. "It has been most interesting, I assure
you. Your Highness," she said as she turned to Serena. "If you ever need my
services again, you have only to call for me and I shall assist you without
question. And if my hunch is correct, so will a vast majority of the denizens
you meet now," she added in a cautioning tone.
"Thank you," Serena replied quietly as her wings arched forward to wrap
around the Healer's arm, squeezing it gently.
"Look," Mina said forcefully, causing heads to turn. "You know how she
gets if someone messes with her homework. I'm not touching it, period. She
can come get it herself if she's finished playing phone-tag with.... just who
*is* she talking to in there, anyway?" she called out to the room in general.
"Dragoon Commander K'tal," Ami said as she stepped through the wormhole to
rejoin the rest of the group. "He said that Tolaris is up on the roof trying
to summon an inconspicuous rainstorm to finish washing the radiation off of
their hull, and Maze is still busy in Engineering with a Level 1 Emergency as
they try to patch a reactor coolant leak. Other than that, everyone is fine,"
she added in a tone that was just as dry as it was brittle.
The stack of textbooks in Mina's hands promptly clattered to the table as
her blue eyes tripled in diameter. "HE'S DOING WHAT?!" she yelped.
"Is there an echo in here?" Alex muttered. "I could have sworn Ami was
shrieking those exact same words, and at roughly the same pitch, too...."
"They'll be fine," Whisper assured them. "I'm willing to bet it's under
control and they're just waiting for the scrubbers to finish clearing the air
of coolant vapors before downgrading the situation to something more stable.
Stop and think, he wouldn't be talking to you if there was a life-threatening
situation happening at the moment, now would he?"
Ami paused and blinked, visibly mulling over the telepath's words. "I
guess I can see your point," she finally said. "He didn't sound too worried
about it, so maybe you're right. Leda!" she suddenly said sharply.
"See, I told you," Mina hissed to Leda in a very low tone as the brunette
slowly backed away from Ami's science textbook, holding both hands up to show
that they were empty.
"C'mon, Ami, the soup is getting cold," Leda protested.
"It is a pleasure finally meeting all of you," Reish'id said to the rest
of the group, his tail flicking back and forth at the almost casual chaos going
on around him.
"Likewise, kitty," Alex replied with a half-smile.
"Thank you once again, Master Healer," Susan said as she stood up and made
her way over to the table.
"I'm sure we will meet again," Maq'i replied with a slight nod of her head
before she gently pulled away from Serena's glowing wings. She gave the blonde
a soft smile before bowing her head and walking over to the wormhole. She
seemed to hesitate for a brief moment before she strode through it and back
into the world she called home.
"Princess Serena," Reish'id said in a somewhat gravelly tone. He waited
until she looked over at him before taking a deep breath. "I should like to
say that I...."
A bright flash of light erupted from the far side of the room without
warning, triggering a rather loud alarm. "Level 2 Danger," the computer said
in its flat monotone. "Tachyon particle warning, jump-gate activated inside
sensor perimeter."
"Whoops," Lisa said in a quiet tone as she realized that she has shifted
into a crowded room yet again. "Sorry about that, I'm still trying to figure
out how I'm supposed to.... oh, my...." she breathed as she caught sight of
what to her appeared to be a giant black panther standing on his hind legs.
She then promptly did a very hard double-take as she caught sight of Serena's
wings floating behind her like so many weightless ribbons of light.
"So much for fixing the alarm," Whisper grumbled.
"Try searching for concentrations of life-energy first," Susan suggested
dryly. "Reish'id, this is my youngest sister Lisa. As you can tell from her
wings, she is a succubus like I am. Lisa, this is Reish'id, a Felinoid from
the Negaverse I told you about. He will not harm you," she added in a casual
tone that made it quite clear he had damn well better not even think about it.
"Fair evening," Reish'id said in a mildly intrigued tone.
Lisa barely heard him, her focus completely on Serena. "You...?" she
breathed in shock as she recognized her. "You're the one they had to rescue?
But.... but...!"
"This is going to be a very long week, isn't it?" Mina muttered to Ami.
"Lisa, what is the...?" Susan started to say.
"You never said they were going to go rescue an archangel!" Lisa blurted
out in a horrified tone, whirling around to stare at Susan.
"Lisa, calm down," Susan sighed quietly. "Nobody could have anticipated
that the Chaos Factor would manifest itself like that. In any case, she is
not literally an angel, as she is very much still a mortal human woman."
"Bull feathers!" Lisa shot back, seeming to be struggling to breathe as
she continued to stare at Serena's glowing wings. "No mortal has wings like
that, period. She *can't* be human!"
"Hey, you want to tone it down a little?" Leda growled as she took a step
forward, putting herself between Lisa and Serena.
A soft sigh could be heard as Maq'i poked her head back through the open
wormhole, trying to see what was delaying Reish'id. "Reish'id, what seems to
be the...? Oh, hello again," she said, not seeming to be surprised in the
least to see Lisa again. "You have interesting timing, dear child."
<Excuse me,> Whisper's voice echoed in their minds. <I don't mean to be
a rude p'tai, but this food is starting to get cold, and I still need to have
the table cleared off.>
"Lisa, perhaps it would be best if you were to return later," Susan said
in a gentle but firm tone, making it clear that it wasn't a request. "We still
have company and will be eating dinner very soon. Mina, if you and Leda would
please finish with the table so Whisper can set the food down? I'm sorry for
the delay, Master Healer, we shall not detain you and Reish'id any further.
The rest of you should go wash up while we still have a few spare moments," she
said, not seeming to pause for breath as she dispensed the instructions with
crisp efficiency. "I understand why you're wearing a swimsuit, your Highness,
but you really should change into something a little more substantial. I will
assist you in locating a few open-backed dresses later if you so desire."
There was a collective pause for a moment before Alex just shook her head
to herself. "And that, guys, is the sound of Chancellor Meiou's whip being
cracked yet again. Trust me, you'll get used to it. C'mon, hon, let's go find
a bar of soap or something," she muttered to Michelle as she started heading
back towards the residential wing.
"I am merely trying to restore order to a rapidly-degenerating and highly
chaotic situation," Susan explained patiently as she moved over towards the
couch and put the coffee table back on its legs.
"Indeed," Reish'id purred with open amusement.
"Reish'id," Maq'i prompted in a slightly impatient tone.
"We'll harass you later, furball," Leda promised as she resumed clearing
off the table. "You two take care now."
"Come on," Darian said softly to Serena as he gently took her arm. He
cast a slightly leery glance at Lisa before he began to guide Serena towards
their bedroom in the residential wing.
Lisa said nothing as she watched them depart, shortly followed by Ami.
"Susan, are you absolutely sure she isn't an archangel?" she whispered in a
soft but fierce tone to her elder sister, still deeply bothered by the glowing
ribbons of light that were Serena's denizen wings.
"Reasonably sure," Susan replied calmly. She was momentarily distracted
by the wormhole as it closed behind Reish'id, seeming to flare briefly as it
spiraled in on itself and vanished. She then blinked as another disturbance
became visible, a small ripple-effect almost at the exact same spot where the
wormhole had been.
"So there she is," she mused as the ripple solidified into the shape of a
small gray kitten. Her eyebrows arched upward as Myst turned around, a very
sour look on the Shinma's face as it became obvious that some great force had
forced her back into normal four-dimensional space. The fur on the forward
half of her body was all neatly blown backwards, kinking her whiskers into a
rather unnatural curved shape.
"Huh?" Leda said as she cast a quick glance over her shoulder. "Oh, her,"
she said before shrugging in dismissal and clearing off the last of the stacks
of school books. "I figured she'd show up sooner or later. Cats tend to do
that when it's time for dinner."
"Hey, now," Artemis protested with a muted grumble.
"Table's all yours, Whisper," Leda said as she carried the books over to
the coffee table and dumped them into a semi-neat pile. "C'mon, shake the lead
out, they're not that heavy," she said to Mina as the blonde staggered beneath
the weight of the rest of the textbooks.
"Thank you," Whisper replied as she began to direct the various cooking
and dinner utensils through the air to settle into various positions.
"Please," Mina grunted. "I'm carrying the weight of history here, okay?
Besides, you should be carrying this one, it's your damn assignment...."
Susan just shook her head to herself and glanced over at Lisa. "It will
be best if you came back after dinner," she said quietly. "I should have the
situation well in hand by then. I think it would be best if you used the time
to write down any questions you may have, either your own or on behalf of Lord
Hades. We can talk at length once they have gone home or otherwise went to bed
and thus be free of any potential interruptions."
Lisa cast a lingering glance at the hallway as Leda and Mina made a hasty
exit to wash up before dinner. "Yeah, I think I'll do that," she said in a low
tone. "I'm sure Lord Hades will have plenty of questions, too. Alright," she
sighed before looking up at Susan. "I guess I'll see you tonight, then."
Susan smiled and leaned forward to kiss her. It wasn't a deep or overly
protracted kiss, but it was enough to impart a feeling of warmth to her sibling
and fellow succubus. "Your cooperation is greatly appreciated," she murmured.
"Let's hope so," the purple-haired succubus muttered before she turned her
focus inward and plane-shifted out of the room. That triggered a rather loud
alarm and a strident warning from the computer before Whisper instructed the
central computer to cancel the alarm in a rather clipped tone.
"I have *got* to get that fixed," the telepath sighed to herself.
Susan nodded her head in understanding, having grown just a little tired
of hearing the alarm herself. "I'm sure it was put in for a good reason and
can be rectified without any undue difficulty," she assured her.
"Uh, Susan?" Artemis spoke up in a very cautious tone.
"Yes?" she replied absently, looking around the room to make sure that the
chaotic situation had been essentially restored to order.
"Excuse me for being dense, but did you just kiss your sister?" the white
cat ventured, looking to be somewhere between intrigued and faintly nauseated.
Susan just gave him a gentle smile. "It is...." she started to say before
pausing to think of the best way of phrasing things. "It is best to think of
it as being a cultural habit among succubi. Or as Mina might so cavalierly
phrase it, 'it ain't nothing but a succubus thing.'"
"Right...." Artemis replied, clearly not convinced.
"What is?" Mina inquired as she came back into the room just in time to
catch the latter portion of Susan's statement.
"Kissing one's sister," he replied with a flick of his tail.
"A little sibling love never hurts," the blonde said with a dismissive
wave of her hand as she claimed a seat at the table. "It's okay to love your
sister, you just can't *love* your sister, if you know what I mean. Ooo, this
smells good," she purred, trying not to drool at the smell of fresh cooking.
Artemis just looked at her in silence for a moment before glancing back
towards Susan. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Why don't we go with that one and let
it rest, eh?"
"A prudent choice," Susan said demurely as she headed towards the hallway
to wash her hands. "I will return in a moment. Excuse me," she added as she
dodged to the side to pass Michelle heading in the opposite direction.
"Whatever," Artemis muttered to himself. He glanced over to his side as
Myst hopped up onto the other armrest, looking like she had stuck her head into
a wind-tunnel running at full speed. "Hey," he said nonchalantly in greeting.
He raised an eyebrow as he got a dark growl in reply, the kitten clearly not
happy with life at the moment. "Bad fur day?" he inquired casually.
"Is there no peace in this world?" she grumbled as she tried shaking her
head hard. The gesture whipped her whiskers back and forth at a frantic pace
but otherwise failed to return them to their normal straight shape. "Energy
portals opening at random, space being folded into bizarre shapes as someone
else plane-shifts, I'm still not sure I want to ask what were those strange
life-forms I sensed earlier, and your gloam friend is a constant distraction
with those flickering and writhing wings of hers."
Artemis very discreetly leaned over to sniff her fur. "That time of the
month for you or something?" he inquired in a wary tone, unable to detect any
sort of changes to her scent.
"What?" Myst said, giving him a confused look.
"Nevermind," Artemis replied with a feline shrug. He looked at her for a
moment before he leaned over to very carefully lick her shoulder, trying to
groom the fur back into place. "You need a hand with that?" he asked as he
edged back to gauge her reaction.
He blinked hard as the skin beneath her fur began to visibly ripple. The
unsteady motion persisted for a few moments before becoming still again, the
gray fur above largely restored to proper positioning. "I think I can manage
my own form, thanks," the Shinma replied with an air of mild contempt. She
flicked her tail absently, accidentally brushing against the forgotten soul-
rune still perched on the armrest. She immediately whirled around as she felt
a spectral jolt, the motion causing her tail to whip around as well and very
solidly slap Artemis across the face.
"Sorry," she muttered as she edged away from the rune, her fur starting to
spike of its own accord as she felt the energies tugging at her.
"S'all good," Artemis said, wincing in pain. "I was expecting something
like that anyway."
Myst blinked and regarded him carefully. "You expected to be hit?" she
asked in a confused tone. "Why?"
"You learn to expect the unexpected in this place," the white cat sighed
as he laid down and tucked his front paws under his chest, keeping a casual eye
on the group starting to assemble around the dinner table. "Like I keep trying
to tell you, you'll get used to the chaos around here."
"We'll see," Myst said sourly as she tried to straighten her whiskers out
yet again. "Expect the unexpected, indeed," she added with a soft snarl.
* * * *
"Interesting indeed," Admiral Si'ren said quietly to Al'vexi as they both
stared at the main display in Operations. The icon representing the Imperial
Castle was still surrounded by a sea of dark red, showing where the field of
radiation was still well above lethal levels, but a swath of white was being
left behind like a wake by the passage of the personal cruiser. "Can we hail
the pilot yet?" she asked over her shoulder without turning.
"Working on it, ma'am," the Communications officer replied in a tone that
had just the faintest hint of irritation to it. "If he passes low enough over
one of the dishes, I can probably squeeze a signal through. The problem is
he's still a good thousand feet up in the air, and the tunnel-effect he's got
going isn't all that wide."
"Ma'am?" one of the Tactical officers said as she looked up from a sensor
console. "I can confirm that however he's doing it, it's not an air-scrubber.
I'm not getting any readings to indicate an unusual intake or venting of air."
"Landing protocols," a second Tactical officer spoke up in a warning tone.
"His engine output just dropped and I'm starting to see changes in the airflow
along the wing pylons. I think he's.... wait.... yes, he's starting a shallow
descent now. Looks like he's aiming for.... ay'cha navidshi, if he sticks with
his current profile, he'll be landing at the edge of the eastern airfield. Or
what's left of it," he added in an uneasy tone.
Si'ren blinked and glanced over her shoulder at Al'vexi, seeing the same
look of realization mirrored in the telepath's own eyes. "Can we get a visual
of the.... I guess we can still call it the eastern landing field, right?" she
said with a somewhat awkward shrug. "I'm almost afraid to see what it did,"
she murmured to Al'vexi.
"One way to find out," the general replied with a resigned sigh.
"Just a second, ma'am," someone called out. "The cameras are burnt out on
the east side, and the rest of them are still having servo problems. I'm still
trying to get a decent overhead feed from one of the dishes that the inbound
cruiser passed over. Hey, are you using this data path?" he asked his partner,
making a gesture to part of her display screen.
"Go for it," she replied as she took a step back.
"Thanks," he said as he started typing in a series of commands. The main
display screen went blank for several seconds before it resolved into a fairly
clear satellite picture of the planet as seen from geosynchronous orbit. The
image promptly began to blur as it started to zoom in, creating the disturbing
sensation of falling forward at a very high velocity.
"Urk!" his partner gasped as she grabbed onto the railing in a tight grip
that turned her knuckles white. "Dampen the feed when you do that!"
"Sorry," he replied as the display quit zooming and settled into a steady
image. There was a minor pixelation effect as the magnification and focus were
adjusted slightly before it resolved once again. "There, that should do it,"
he said as he stepped back over to his own console.
"By the NegaForce!" Si'ren hissed softly as she saw the crescent-shaped
crater. The Imperial Castle was nestled almost directly between the tips of
the moon-like shape, surrounded by a perfect circle of what appeared to be
almost untouched terrain. The rest of the land for a full mile away from the
crater was a charred and blackened wasteland, dotted with still-smoking ruins
of buildings. Several pockets of protected land remained, however, each one
still encompassed by glowing shields that repelled the surrounding radiation.
"In another time and place," Al'vexi said very slowly, "I would be among
the first to stand in line to buy Rune a bottle of whatever she wanted for the
way her ForceWard barrier saved us and the Castle. Given the circumstances,
however...." she trailed off. She paused as an icy chill suddenly ran down her
spine, turning her head to look at Si'ren. "Admiral?" she said in a careful
tone as she realized that Si'ren's face was now as white as her hair.
"Al, what does the crater look like to you?" Si'ren whispered, seeming to
be having a hard time breathing all of a sudden.
Al'vexi blinked and glanced back at the display screen, the chill in her
spine spreading to the rest of her body as the significance suddenly clicked in
her mind. "A crescent moon," she replied after a moment of silence. "Si'ren,
surely you're not suggesting that...."
"We had her here, Al," Si'ren said as she closed her eyes and focused on
breathing. "We had the Moon Princess held captive, and all of a sudden we have
this seared into the landscape. A moon shape."
"Coincidence," Al'vexi said firmly. "Stop and think, Rune didn't think of
using a missile strike against the V'ral until well after the Princess had gone
catatonic. Even if she *could* have influenced the missile, which I simply
cannot believe, she was in no condition to do *anything*."
"And the Imperium Silver Crystal?" Si'ren replied in a level tone as she
lifted her head up to look at her long-time friend. "Rune herself told us what
the Princess said to her. 'If you kill me, you shall only bring ruin to your
world.' You yourself said she was all but brain-dead after Rune's stunt, and
that looks like a lot of ruin to me," she said with a bitter gesture to the
image on the screen. "You held it for yourself, tell me that you don't think
the Imperium Silver Crystal can't be on the same level as the NegaForce. Look
me in the eye and tell me you don't think the Imperium Silver Crystal sensed
the apparent death of the Princess and took advantage of a situation to bring
ruin to this place," she demanded.
It took Al'vexi a few seconds to calm down to the point where she trusted
herself to speak again. "I think, Admiral, that it might be best to wait and
see what Internal Review has to say about what precisely happened when the
missile was prepared for launch," she said in a measured tone of reason. "Do
I think it is within the realm of possibility for your theory to have happened?
Yes, I believe it may be possible. I find it to be an unlikely scenario, but
as I said, I should like to wait for Internal Review's assessment first before
making judgments. In any case, our current focus needs to be on our immediate
situation, namely the radiation and our mysterious cruiser pilot. What is he
doing now?" she asked the Tactical officers.
"Landing," one said with a causal gesture to the monitor. "His thrusters
are in hover mode, and I think he's just looking for a flat place to park. Can
you tighten the focus any more?" she asked her partner. "I've got a hunch that
this guy is going to pop the hatch and just walk on outside, and I want to get
a real close look at whomever it is."
"Right into the radiation, huh?" he inquired in a dubious tone.
"Not if he's neutralizing it around him," she reminded him.
The Tactical officer just shook his head as he did his best to zoom the
focus a little closer. "That's some serious k'vesan regardless, believe me,"
he muttered.
"And if the pilot happens to be a woman?" Al'vexi spoke up in a mildly
amused tone.
"It wouldn't be the first time the Chaos Factor made a slight mistake when
it came to handing out generous amounts of k'vesan," the officer replied in a
casual manner, drawing a not-entirely-amused look from his female partner. The
screen pixelated again before resolving once more into a slightly closer focus.
"Okay, this is the best I can do without dropping into another orbital path,
and that's not really an option since this is one of the geostationary ones."
"Contact," the Communications officer suddenly called out. "Ma'am, the
cruiser is a civilian transport on a chartered flight, supposedly originating
from Ka'an-Nul. Just the pilot and a lone passenger, and the pilot is asking
for emergency clearance to land."
"Granted," Si'ren replied without hesitation. She then paused for a brief
moment before adding, "From Ka'an-Nul, you say? That's odd."
"Do you know who this lone passenger is?" Al'vexi spoke up.
The Communications officer quietly spoke into his headset and stopped to
listen for the reply before turning to give the retired general a look of utter
amazement. "Ma'am, he says that he's got a monk onboard who apparently has the
ability to rapidly accelerate the decay of radioactive particles. Apparently
the monk has been in a meditative trance since they left the mountain since he
hasn't said a word so far. Judging from the sensor readings we're seeing, I
don't think he's joking," he added with a gesture to the tactical displays.
"Neither do I," Al'vexi stated as she moved over to stand next to him.
"Notify Security about this. I want him escorted up here the instant he sets
foot on the ground and he is not to be delayed for any reason. I also want
Field Sergeant Alani from Sciences brought up here as well. If this monk's
powers are indeed granted by the Chaos Factor, she should be able to act as an
amplifier for him. I think our luck is starting to improve for once," she said
over her shoulder to Si'ren.
"Umm, ma'am?" one of the Tactical officers ventured in a careful tone.
"The ForceWard barrier collapsed twenty minutes ago, but the radiation shields
are still up given the current situation. I really don't recommend dropping
them until the entire perimeter is radiation-free."
"Damn," Si'ren muttered. "Al, who do we have that can teleport?"
"Certainly not me," Al'vexi replied with a soft grunt. "I could barely
grab my box of cigarettes the other day. I know Ael'ien doesn't have any
psychoportation powers either, and I've got the feeling neither does her aide.
Besides, teleporting yourself is one thing. Teleporting someone else with you
is something else entirely."
"Silkworm, then?" Si'ren suggested.
"Unless you can poke a man-sized hole through the castle shields," Al'vexi
replied dryly before turning to the Communications officer. "Notify Security
and see if they can either find a normal Silkworm crystal or realign one of the
waypoints. It should have enough power to open a stable portal just outside
the shield perimeter without overstressing the matrix." <We might have to use
a waypoint after all,> she privately telepathed to the white-haired admiral an
instant later. <We used to have one or two of the larger Silkworms here in the
Castle, but I've done some thinking about it and believe that they might have
all fallen into the hands of the Sailor Scouts. I'll explain later.>
Si'ren glanced over at her and gave her a very subtle nod of understanding
before returning her attention to the video display on the monitor. She could
see the cruiser turning slightly to the left before the ground around it was
stirred up by the thrusters, creating a billowing cloud of dirt and debris.
"Final approach," one of the Tactical officers reported. "His gravity
shields are spinning down, and.... touchdown. Right into seven hundred and
thirty-four points of radiation," he added with a shake of his head. He paused
in mid-motion and jerked his head back just slightly. "The radiation count
around the cruiser is dropping. Quite rapidly."
"I know objects that free-fall slower than that," his partner muttered as
she shook her head. "Four hundred. Two hundred. Seventy. Twenty. Zero."
"You think monks drink?" he mused. "I'd buy him a round just for taking
care of that one spot by itself."
"Trust me," she replied. "If this guy is for real, he'll be back here in
a month being annointed by one of our flags as a Champion of the Negaverse."
A faint smile crossed Si'ren's face as she traded looks with Al'vexi. "If
he can neutralize the radiation around us, I will personally pin the ribbon on
his robes," Si'ren spoke up. "And yes, monks are allowed to drink."
"Hatch," someone called out, drawing everyone's attention to the image on
the giant display. The starboard hatch was indeed opening and a ramp was being
unfolded from inside the lower hull. The ramp had barely settled into place
when a lone individual walked out, wearing the ash-gray robes of a senior monk
of the extremely reclusive K'maal il' Hal'al.
"Interesting," Al'vexi commented. "When he said his passenger was a monk,
I thought he meant one of the ordinary ones. I thought the K'maal il' Hal'al
took vows to remain in seclusion at Ka'an-Nul as long as they served?"
"They do," Si'ren replied, absently chewing on her lower lip as the monk
seemed to take his time shuffling down the ramp. "However, I'm sure that they
can make an exception for times of great need. Al, do you have any ideas yet
on how we're going to handle this one?"
The telepath shrugged. "We need to talk to him first to get an idea of
the limits of his abilities. As I said, I'm going to assign Alani to be his
escort so she can augment his powers, but one step at a time. Tactical," she
said to the two officers manning the consoles. "Set up a simulation to give us
an idea for how long this will take. You can use the data from his entry as a
baseline for the radius of his powers. Run three variations to account for the
unknown increase in his powers from Alani's enhancement effect, and use the
recorded cruiser speed as a baseline for how fast he can move from one point to
the next."
"Understood, ma'am," both officers replied in unison as they immediately
started to gather the required data together.
"General Al'vexi?" the Communications officer spoke up. "Security reports
that they'll have to realign a waypoint, which will take four minutes. They
also report that Sergeant Alani is standing by."
"Thank you," Al'vexi replied with a nod of her head.
"Wait, what is he doing?" Si'ren said in slight confusion as she watched
the monk step off of the ramp and start walking towards the edge of the crater.
He was holding his hands out to the sides at shoulder level with his palms
facing up, seeming to be in a sort of meditation as he walked.
"I don't know, ma'am," the female Tactical officer said slowly, "But he
might want to watch his step. That crater is still hot, and I mean literally.
The hottest spot is still a good two thousand degrees or so, and you can see
where some debris is glowing not too far in front of him."
"The radiation in the crater is starting to drop," the other officer spoke
up after a moment. "It's doing so slowly, though, and it seems like his powers
don't extend across the entire area. He might be having a few problems with
the extreme concentration of radiation in there."
"What's the radiation reading directly behind him?" Al'vexi spoke up.
"Nominal," someone replied. "It looks like he carved a sphere out of the
surrounding field, but the radiation seems to be starting to creep back in at
the outermost edges."
"Have Security open the wormhole there and send Alani through it," Al'vexi
instructed. "I want her to augment his powers as soon as possible. If he's
going to tackle the biggest concentration of it, we might as well give him all
the help we can. The radiation seepage might prove problematic," she added to
Si'ren in a quiet tone. "It won't do much good to go a drill hole in something
only to have the tunnel start to fill in behind you."
"You know...." Si'ren said very slowly as a sudden idea blossomed in her
mind with the strength of a supernova. "What if we could gather all of the
fallout together? Not so much purge it from the air but collect it? I'll bet
our new friend there could probably cope with it or at least put a serious dent
in the radiation count."
Al'vexi blinked and regarded her very carefully for a moment. "That might
work to some extent," she said. "Let me start with an idea Tempest had: She
creates a tornado that goes around sucking up the fallout. Aside from the fact
that this would destroy the landscape, that might funnel all of the airborne
radiation and fallout together. The rest of the fallout, the dust and stuff
that has been embedded or otherwise won't be removed by a casual breeze, will
still remain behind. Best guess for that scenario is a fifty percent reduction
in the radiation count, still more than enough to be a very serious threat."
"Torrential rain," Si'ren replied after a moment of deep thought. "She
can summon a heavy squall in a localized area, that will scrub both the air and
the terrain. Depending on how small an area she covers, I might stand a good
chance of being able to keep all the water together in one place if Alani can
boost the effective range of my powers. That will buy us enough time for the
monk to neutralize the radiation contained in the water."
Al'vexi nodded in understanding, able to see the logic in that. "So just
how large of an area can you control?" she inquired. She blinked as she got a
slightly abashed look in response and sighed softly. "That bad, eh?"
"I can probably excite the water keeping a small cruiser afloat at sea,"
the admiral murmured quietly. "With Alani's help, I might even be able to have
an influence on the volume of water displaced by a seaborne carrier. I'm not
going to pretend I could do it for very long, however, as I'd pretty much be
trading endurance for volume at that point. The most I can do without taxing
myself would be a volume of water the size of a standard swimming pool. And I
mean a normal-sized one, not the indoor lake that Zan'zemet maintains over in
the Hospitality annex," she added dryly.
"Indoor lake indeed," Al'vexi smirked. "Still, you have to admit it is a
nice facility to take a swim in."
"I'll grant you that," Si'ren admitted with a quiet sigh. "This isn't
going to be easy, you know, especially seeing how Alani can only amplify one
person at a time. Unless we can find some way of letting her split her focus
to multiple individuals at once," she added. "That would probably weaken her
powers, however."
"A network effect?" Al'vexi said very slowly. "If we were talking about
psionics, a group of telepaths could form a web of sorts to utilize their minds
as a single entity instead of as a collection of individuals."
"I don't suppose that'll work with the Chaos Factor?" Si'ren said in a
hopeful voice.
"That'll be the day," the telepath snorted quietly. "If there was such a
power, I think we'd know about it since the power needed would...."
Si'ren blinked as Al'vexi suddenly trailed off without warning. "Al?" she
ventured carefully as the other woman's eyes narrowed, obviously thinking about
something that had just occurred to her.
"Power can be naturally amplified by crystal," Al'vexi said very slowly,
looking down at the railing but not seeing. "It has to be the right kind of
crystal, of course, and usually a lot of it would be needed. If you understand
how harmonics and wave-forms can be made to interact properly, it can be done.
This is how the ForceWard barrier works, the main controlling crystal is used
to cause the others to resonate in such a way as to create a series of echoes,
if you will, and the convergence of the echoes is what creates the barrier."
"Keep going," Si'ren said calmly and quietly.
"It might be possible, and I stress that this is only an educated guess at
best, to set up a similar arrangement that could, in theory, act as a sort of
collective focus for various denizen powers depending on their nature. This is
all based on my experiences with psionically-attuned crystals," she added in a
clear warning tone. "I am far from an expert in crystals."
Si'ren looked at her in resignation for a moment before nodding. "But we
both know who is," she said in a muted tone. "General Rune."
Al'vexi shrugged in dismissal. "You're the one who had her arrested, you
go talk to her," she replied in an off-handed manner. "I'll lend whatever help
I can, of course, but want no part in the politics of this one. I've got more
than enough of that to deal with already," she added with a faint growl.
"Ay'cha navidshi," one of the Tactical officers suddenly breathed, causing
both Si'ren and Al'vexi to refocus on the situation outside. "Look at those
numbers drop! If that Field Sergeant can have *that* much of an influence on
the Chaos Factor, maybe I need to ask her out to lunch one of these days."
"You wish," his partner replied with a smirk. "The heat spots are cooling
down as well, which means that they were being fed by concentrations of heavy
isotopes. If this keeps up, he should have the whole crater cooled down to
ambient temperature in another five or ten minutes."
"Progress is always good," Al'vexi observed calmly. "Tactical, how goes
that simulation I asked for?"
"Ma'am, the computer is still chewing on the variables, but the overall
projection doesn't look good," the female officer reported. "The absolute best
case scenario is four days, but that assumes he has his powers running at full
capacity non-stop the entire time. The more realistic models show eight or
nine days, and that allocates some time for both the monk and Field Sergeant
Alani to rest and sleep."
"More like ten or twelve," her partner muttered in a low tone. "According
to Alani's file, that amplifier power of hers takes a heavy toll on her and she
doesn't have a good track record for feats of amplification endurance."
"Huh? What file are you looking at?" she demanded as she leaned in front
of him to glance at his console. She paused for a moment before looking up to
give him an uneasy look. "How the hell did you dig this file up, and how the
hell did they find this information out in the first place?"
"Is there a problem, Lieutenant?" Al'vexi spoke up in a crisp tone.
Both Tactical officers exchanged glances before the male coughed lightly.
"Ma'am, I pulled her personnel file from the Dragoon archives," he explained in
a cautious tone. "They have a section that analyzes her Chaos Factor powers."
Al'vexi and Si'ren traded wary glances, suddenly reminded of their concern
about the role the Dragoon Legion might have played earlier in the day. "Now
you've got me wondering what exactly their files say about me," Al'vexi said in
a fairly neutral tone.
"They let me review my file when I screened for Captain," Si'ren spoke up
with a faint hint of amusement in her tone. "Trust me, you would be absoutely
surprised at what information winds up in there."
"I believe it," the telepath muttered darkly.
"Contact!" the Communications officer suddenly called out. "Admiral, one
of the repeater arrays just came back online and it's punching a fairly solid
hole through the radiation. I'm starting to get reliable locks on the overhead
communication satellites and a couple of the channels seem to be responding."
"Perhaps this situation might be starting to improve after all," Si'ren
murmured to Al'vexi before she cleared her throat. "Excellent. See if you can
open a channel to General Olox."
"Working," the officer replied as he got to work. "Oh, come on, don't do
this to me now.... yeah, that should.... close enough. Ma'am?" he said in a
louder tone. "The channel is steady enough, but I'm still picking up a fair
amount of interference in the signal. It should still work, or at least be a
definite improvement from the last time I tried this."
"Something is better than nothing, Lieutenant," Si'ren pointed out.
"No argument, ma'am," the officer agreed. "Okay, getting a return signal
now.... there's the synchronization.... and there's the feed," he said as he
flipped a toggle on his panel, routing the channel through the main display.
The overhead image of the outside terrain suddenly shrunk down in size
before it moved off the main screen and onto a smaller side display. The now-
empty screen was lit up with an 'incoming signal' test pattern for a moment
before changing yet again to resolve into the image of an avian wearing a pair
of black armbands decorated with the twin starbursts of a Lieutenant-General.
The image was shot through with a moderate amount of static, but the visual
otherwise held firmly.
"Southern Division, General Olox," he said in a firm tone. The audio was
distorted slightly from the radiation-induced feedback in the signal, but the
words could easily be understood. "It is good to see you, Admiral."
"Likewise, General," Si'ren breathed in relief as she leaned against the
railing. "The Imperial Castle is fully intact, save for the loss of a Security
annex. The radiation is still heavy outside, as you can tell by the signal,"
she added as there was an audible burst of static and the visual wavered for a
moment. "But we're working on it as we speak."
"Excellent news indeed," Olox said with a soft chirp, fluffing up most of
his feathers. "I've been in contact with the other divisions. Aside from an
initial communications blackout there are no reports of damage or problems.
The Dragoon Legion's SMT has safely transited the western aerial route through
the Northern Mountains and has touched down in a desert valley to work on their
hull. There have been no reports of the V'ral's whereabouts or condition, nor
have any debris fields been detected. The other Red Wing carriers have put to
sea and are keeping to themselves, no signs of hostile intent or activity."
Si'ren just grunted softly, feeling a heavy twinge take up residence in
her abdomen. "Acknowledged, Olox," she replied in a slightly weary tone, still
more than a little impressed with the avian's ability to not just speak in a
fluent manner in the Central Plains dialect but to do so coherently as well.
"The situation here is.... I'm not about to say perfectly stable, but it is
being worked on. I think that it would be best if you were to retain command
of the rest of the military for the present, as our communication systems are
still just a little uncooperative."
"So I've noticed," Olox said dryly, able to see the soft hissing and lines
of static for himself. "Do you know where General Rune is?"
Si'ren paused for a moment to cast a sidelong glance at Al'vexi before
taking a deep breath. "General Rune has been relieved of command pending an
investigation into the missile strike," she said in a flat tone. As expected,
the avian general to blinked hard as he was surprised by the declaration, his
feathers making an audible sound as they puffed out. "I have assumed command
of the Central Division for the duration of this crisis. I will not order you
to keep Rune's status secret from the rest of the division commanders, but I
ask that you not go out of your way to advertise it, either."
"Understood, Admiral," Olox replied after a moment of hesitation. "Do you
have any specific orders for the military or the general populace?"
Si'ren shook her head. "No, only to stay put and keep in touch with one
another as best as possible. If the Dragoon Legion could survive the blast,
then I don't see why the V'ral wouldn't be able to either. The fact that they
haven't launched an attack on us means they're in a wait-and-see mode, and I'm
not about to do anything that would unduly attract their attention. Just keep
the civilians calm, let them know that the Imperial Castle still stands, and
assure them that this is an isolated incident."
"So we hope, Admiral," Olox pointed out in an oddly muted tone.
"Cheer up," Si'ren replied with a soft laugh of bitterly ironic humor.
"If anything new does happen, they'll be aiming for me and not you. As I said,
just make sure everyone stays in touch with everyone else so we don't have any
misunderstandings about who does what. I'll inform you if our situation gets
any better, which the NegaForce willing, should be happening fairly soon."
"Understood," Olox said with a somber nod. "And in regards to the V'ral?"
Si'ren raised a delicate white eyebrow. "If you happen to find it, by all
means let me know. If it shoots at you, by all means defend yourself. Aside
from that, however, I would not recommend doing anything that might piss off
the carrier's commander," she said in a cool tone. "As I said, I don't want
anyone doing anything that would attract undue attention."
"Understood, Admiral," Olox said crisply. "I will have my Communications
team perform line checks every half-hour. I will let you know of any changes
in status, ours or anybody else's. Good luck with the cleanup, Admiral, our
thoughts are with you. Southern Division out," he said before his image winked
out of existence.
Al'vexi raised an eyebrow as Si'ren seemed to slump against the railing.
"Are you alright?" she asked in a low tone.
"Just tired, Al, that's all," Si'ren murmured. "And it looks like it will
be quite some time before I can go try to grab a nap or something. You have
the floor, General," she said as she stood up straight. "I will be having a
conversation with General Rune about your crystal amplifier network idea."
"Understood, Admiral," the telepath said in an empty tone, watching in
silence as Si'ren wearily made her way towards the door. It hissed open as she
approached, making an equally soft and calm hissing noise as it slid shut once
she had crossed the threshold.
"Ma'am?" one of the Tactical officers spoke up in a hesitant tone. "With
all due respect...."
"Denied," Al'vexi said briskly, cutting off whatever else he might have
tried to ask. She had a hunch it would have been about Admiral Si'ren, and at
the moment she really didn't feel like discussing it with anyone else. "What
is the status of the radiation field in the crater?"
There was a slight hesitation before he returned his attention back down
to his sensor readings. "The overall radiation count is below two hundred and
the ambient temperature has cooled to roughly four hundred degrees. I'm fairly
sure that he is starting to become exhausted by the effort," he ventured.
Al'vexi nodded absently to herself. "Very well. As soon as both he and
Sergenat Alani are finished, have Security escort them up here to one of the
conference rooms. Have Lieutenant Tempest meet them there as well," she said
as she turned to the Communications officer. "Admiral Si'ren will join them as
soon as she can, and hopefully between the six of us we can work out a plan of
action for dealing with the rest of this radiation. I will be right back," she
added as she headed towards the door that led to the Operations restroom. "If
anything happens, I'm sure you can handle it on your own for five minutes."
The rest of the Operations staff exchanged wary glances as the retired
general stepped out, each of them knowing that the senior staff was under an
incredible amount of stress and wondering just how long they could handle it
before something broke. And what the consequences would be when it did....
* * * *
Rei quietly walked into the room, trying not to disturb her grandfather as
he meditated in front of the open firepit. Her attempt at stealth lasted for
all of six seconds before he opened his eyes, focusing on the crackling fire
before looking up at her with a perfectly unreadable expression.
"Hi," Rei said in a whispered tone, not sure what else to say. She knew
that he was most likely a little upset with her for not coming home Saturday
night, but she could only guess at how else he might react.
Her grandfather nodded his head in polite acknowledge but otherwise stayed
silent. He seemed to study her for several seconds before making a gesture to
a spot on the opposite side of the fire.
Rei felt her stomach turn into slush as she moved to sit as indicated, not
looking forward to the situation in the least. A simple lecture she could deal
with, but her grandfather had a way of instilling a feeling of deep shame that
often lasted for days at a time. She stared into the contained blaze in an
attempt at calming her thoughts before she glanced up at him.
He seemed to be ready to speak before he sighed very softly to himself,
his impassive gaze boring through her as he stared at her through the veil of
heated air that separated them. His eyes seemed to narrow slightly before he
finally inhaled enough to speak. "Are you alright?" he asked in a soft and
perfectly composed tone.
"Of course," Rei replied, seeming to be unable to use more than a soft
whisper. A deep chill was creeping down her spine, making it somewhat hard for
her to keep a calm mind.
He nodded slightly as he continued to study her. "I know I've said this
several times before," he said in a soft tone, causing Rei's blood to chill in
anticipation of another soul-burning lecture, "That I probably don't ask as
many questions as I should be asking. Again, that is because I trust you are
not doing something you know better than to be doing. However, there are a few
questions that I think it is time I finally asked."
Oh, god, Rei thought as a truly dark shiver ran down her spine. Here's
where I have to explain to him that I'm a Sailor Scout and everything. This is
going to be ugly....
"You're not out sleeping with a boy, are you?" he asked calmly, his dark
eyes not even seeming to blink for an instant.
The question was not even close to what she expected, and so it took a
moment for her brain to shift gears. "What? No, I'm not," she replied, not
bothering to conceal her surprise at the question. She wasn't worried that he
would think she was lying, for he had always seemed to be able to tell in an
instant whether she was being truthful with him or not.
He nodded his head slowly in acceptance of her answer. "And you're not
doing anything illegal, like drugs or alcohol?" he prompted.
"Of course not," she replied, allowing just a hint of indignation to color
her tone. A small part of her subconscious mind coughed quietly and reminded
her about the tendency for wine to be served during meals at the cathedral, but
she quickly dismissed it as being done in moderation and good taste.
Again he nodded his head slightly before he sighing very quietly again.
"That is comforting to hear," he said quietly. "You will forgive me, I trust,
for expressing my concern for your health and well-being, and sometimes that
will override my respect for your privacy. I have taught you what I know of
right and wrong, Rei, and I have made sure that the lessons have sunk in, but
we are all free to choose our own paths in life so long as we are prepared to
accept responsibility for those choices. I am.... glad to hear that you have
yet to stumble in that regard."
Rei said nothing as she bowed her head slightly, staring down into the
blazing core of the fire. A feeling of relief washed over her as she realized
that he wouldn't directly ask her what she had been doing with her time, the
first question that most other parents would have asked the instant they knew
she had returned. She knew that she would break down and tell him if he ever
did ask, but that situation was apparently going to be put off for another day.
"You had a visitor earlier," he said after a small stretch of silence,
causing her to blink and lift her head up. "I'm sure you remember Jed."
It took Rei every ounce of her self-control not to visibly react to her
grandfather's words. "Oh?" she said in a perfectly emotionless tone as the
memories came rushing back. Jedyt had started working at the temple using the
name Jed for a short period of time, trying to blend into the city as he laid
yet another energy-stealing trap for innocent people. The end result had been
a confrontation between him, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Mercury, with her caught
squarely in the middle. That had led to the realization that she was really
Sailor Mars and thus changing her life forever. "Did he say why he came back?"
A very soft chuckle rose up from his chest as he turned his attention to
the firepit. "He said he was in town for a day or two and wanted to apologize
for having to run off without warning last year," he explained. "That, and he
said he wanted to talk to you for a bit."
His words produced another rush of memories, memories of events that had
taken place three days ago from her perspective but were really only a day old
when you took the time travel experience out of the equation. "I don't suppose
he said what he wanted, did he?" she ventured in a wary tone.
He lifted his head up to look at her. "I didn't ask," he said simply.
A soft grunt rose up from Rei's chest, knowing that her grandfather's
inherent respect for the privacy of others sometimes cut both ways. So that
means he'll be back soon, she thought darkly.
"He did, however," her grandfather continued without noticing the change
in Rei's expression, "Offer to handle your chores since you weren't around to
do them yourself. I said that I couldn't pay him for that, and he said that he
felt like he owed me that much. So you need not worry about staying up late to
take care of your chores, Rei, as Jed has already done them for you," he added
with a very faint twinkle of humor in his eyes.
Rei blinked hard at his words, not expecting to hear something like that
in the least. Part of her had been hoping that her grandfather had taken care
of them himself or at least would offer to let her take care of them before she
went off to school so she could try to get some sleep, but this one came as a
complete surprise to her.
"That was.... awfully generous of him," she admitted, trying not to blow
a mental fuse thinking of Jedyt as being anywhere close to generous in that
regard. Well, he was generous with his traps, I'll give him that much, she
added with a mental sigh and another dark shiver.
"Indeed it was," her grandfather said with a soft laugh. "Perhaps just a
little too generous, in my view, but it's none of my business. The important
thing is that the work got done. It might be best if you were to ensure that
this situation doesn't arise again," he said in a slightly cool tone as he very
gingerly rose to his feet.
"I'm sorry," Rei whispered quietly, feeling a faint chill forming in the
pit of her stomach.
He made an idle gesture of dismissal. "I was your age once too, hard as
it may be to believe, and on occasion I found myself to be slightly distracted
by something at less-than-opportune times. As long as this does not become a
habit, Rei, and as long as the work is done in a timely manner I will not waste
too much energy worrying about it. Letting me know ahead of time or leaving a
note should help the issue," he added calmly. "Just in case."
Rei nodded somberly, feeling her cheeks grow warm at the gentle rebuke.
She watched him as he started to shuffle off towards the residential part of
the temple, feeling an icy trickle down her back as he seemed to pause and look
at her curiously. He appeared to be ready to say something again before he
turned away and resumed his quiet trip elsewhere, his face becoming a very odd
mixture of composed peace and stern impassiveness.
He knows something, Rei suddenly found herself thinking. He *knows* that
I'm disappearing for a reason, but he won't ask me why or even what I'm doing.
Could it be he knows who I really am? Did I make a mistake somewhere and let
slip the true identity of Sailor Mars? Jedyt knows, she suddenly remembered,
a truly icy chill flooding her veins. Could he have said something, dropped
some sort of obscure hint that Grandpa picked up on?
The chill in her blood suddenly migrated to her spine, producing an icy
shock that was both alien and familiar at the same time. The Negaverse! she
thought in a slight panic. A soft footfall reached her ears a moment later,
causing her to blink hard before whirling around as quickly as she could.
"A little edgy this evening, aren't we?" Jedyt observed in an amused tone
from the doorway.
"What do you want?" Rei demanded in a low tone, actively debating using
the Emergency channel on her communicator again.
He shrugged in dismissal and started to walk across the room, giving her
a noticeable berth as he moved over to the opposite side of the firepit. "The
same thing I wanted yesterday," he said casually. "Just to talk, Rei, nothing
more. Preferably just you and I this time," he added with a smirk. "Don't get
me wrong, it was interesting to meet all of you together in one place, but it's
not exactly conductive to a quiet chat. Well, it was interesting to meet most
of you," he muttered as he sat down and made himself comfortable. "I notice
Sailor V is still as annoying as ever, and the one with the sword didn't seem
too happy with my presence, either. Strange, now that I think about it, that
sword looked awfully familiar...." he said, trailing off as he began to stare
into the fire as he searched his memories.
Rei scowled at him through the shimmering curtain of heated air that rose
up from the fire, serving as a physical barrier between them. The intellectual
part of her mind figured that having the fire between them was really the only
thing that kept her from panicking again at his proximity to her, knowing that
it would be enough to keep him well beyond arm's-length.
She continued to stare at him in heavy silence, trying to figure out just
why he had returned. Perhaps it indeed was simply to talk as he suggested, but
something in the back of her mind was warning her that there was far more to it
than that. Her gaze remained on him until he looked up from the burning core
of the fire to focus on her.
"Anyone ever tell you that fire really suits you?" he observed casually.
"Not that it isn't patently obvious at this point, but I mean in an aesthetic
sense and not a spiritual one."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rei asked in a perfectly flat tone.
Jedyt just looked at her for a moment before sighing and shaking his head.
"If I could draw or paint, I'd show you," he replied in a slightly sour tone.
"Let's just say that I find the contrast appealing and leave it at that for the
present. I trust everything is well with you?"
A very dry noise rose up from her chest, more of a cough than a weak laugh
trying to make itself known. "Up until three minutes ago," she said darkly.
The soft laugh that he made in response was almost as dark and bitter as her
mood, which only served to make her even more upset.
"Come now, Rei, it could always be worse," he pointed out with a smirk.
"Just think, you could still have two hours of chores to do before going to
bed. Not that I expect any gratitude or anything, as I had my own reasons for
taking care of them myself, but you can at least admit that I made your life a
tiny bit easier today."
"For once," Rei growled.
"There is that," he allowed with a faint nod of his head. "As I said, I'm
finished with being a thorn in your collective backsides. While I might not be
making your lives any easier from this point forward, you can rest assured that
I won't be making them any harder. At least, not deliberately," he added with
a faint grumble of discontent.
"Thanks for the warning," Rei replied with heavy sarcasm.
Jedyt lifted an eyebrow at her tone. "Such hostility," he mused lightly.
"If I didn't know better, Rei, I'd say that you don't like me."
"Sailor Uranus doesn't like you," Rei corrected him, unable to prevent a
faint sneer from crossing her face. "I simply hate your living guts and would
like nothing more than to watch someone slowly eviscerate you in front of me
using a rusty ice-cream scooper and a termite-infested popsicle stick."
Jedyt paused with a slight frown on his face, one eyebrow arched up as he
studied the intensity of her facial expressions. "So I suppose reconciliation
is out of the question?" he inquired in an unusually guarded tone.
Rei's eyes promptly narrowed. "Reconcile what?" she demanded acidly.
He remained silent for a long time, studying her visage through the veil
of haze separating them. "Maybe I was wrong after all," he finally said in a
quiet voice that was almost lost among the gentle snaps and crackles of the
burning fire.
Rei narrowed her eyes even more as she suddenly got the impression that
she was missing something. "Wrong about what?" she asked suspiciously.
"You do remember what it was like when I worked here before, correct?" he
asked gently. "In the weeks before things got.... chaotic."
She stared at him as her mind briefly delved into the all-but-forgotten
memories of her life before her awakening as Sailor Mars. "That was a literal
lifetime ago," she reminded him.
"But you do remember, yes?" he prodded her.
"Some things," she replied in a guarded tone.
He nodded gently in response. "So do you remember how well we got along
back then?"
Rei blinked and sat up slightly, surprised by the question. "What? You
have to be kidding me," she spat as the memories returned in full force. "Even
then you creeped me out for some reason, though I couldn't say it was anything
definite you did. You did your work and I did mine, that was it. Yes, you
were polite with both me and Grandpa, but that was expected. And since you
didn't actually do anything creepy until those last few days, I didn't have a
need or a reason to pay attention to you any more than was necessary."
The denizen general remained motionless as he listened to her somewhat
blistering tirade, his expression perfectly impassive. He stared into the dark
depths of her eyes before his own closed, a faint hint of a smirk touching the
corner of his mouth. "I suppose you're right," he murmured calmly. He opened
his eyes a few moments later to stare into the burning embers that had fallen
to the bottom of the firepit, studying them carefully before lifting his head
to look at her once again. "Which, of course, means I was wrong. No matter,"
he said as he got to his feet.
Rei blinked at the sudden change in his mood, not entirely sure what had
prompted it or what he was going to do next. She turned her head to follow him
as he made his way over to the open door in complete silence, able to sense a
sudden veil of guarded emotion forming around him. A thought suddenly clicked
in her mind, causing her to blink hard and whip her head around to stare into
the core of the fire.
"Jedyt," she said quietly when the worst of the icy shock wore off. She
didn't receive a response, but the soft footsteps suddenly came to a halt at
the sound of her voice. "You thought I liked you, didn't you?"
Again she heard only silence, seeming to stretch on for a minor eternity.
She twisted around to look over her shoulder, feeling her heart lurch against
her ribcage at the look on his face. "That's why you came back, isn't it?" she
whispered as it finally dawned on her. "You thought that I had some sort of
lingering interest in you?"
"The thought had crossed my mind," Jedyt replied in a voice that was just
as empty and hollow as it was flat. "It wouldn't be the first time I've been
proven wrong."
Rei had no idea why she didn't burst into laughter on the spot, part of
her wanting to simply lean back and laugh herself into unconsciousness at the
sheer irony of the situation. Something deep inside her kept her in control,
however, keeping her face perfectly impassive. "Even if for some odd reason
that I did, what truly makes you think that I'd be willing to forgive you for
all the times you've tried to kill me and my friends?" she inquired in a level
tone without betraying what she was feeling inside.
He looked at her and sighed quietly, seeming to age a few centuries before
her very eyes. "Honestly, Rei," he said in a weary voice. "At what point in
this whole mess did I get the chance to figure out who Sailor Mars really was?
Not until the bitter end, as the saying goes. Tell me I've lifted so much as
a finger against you since then."
The thought slammed through Rei's mind with the force of a freight train,
leaving her feeling deathly cold inside. "What about the last time you showed
up here?" she pointed out in a distant tone.
"What about it?" he replied indifferently. "I seem to recall saving you
from third-degree burns, which I think is vastly different than from trying to
bring bodily harm to Sailor Mars again."
"You hurt Darian and Serena," she pointed out in a flat tone as her mind
returned to normal operation.
"I restored Darian's memories," Jedyt countered with a faint edge to his
voice. "They would have returned on their own, as not even the strongest of
mind-blocks can last forever. By unlocking them I proved how he was now a very
important person to us and thus safe from harm. Or at least as safe from harm
as one can be in my world," he amended with a faint grumble.
"And Serena?" Rei whispered.
Jedyt closed his eyes and sighed softly, leaning against the open doorway
for support. "Okay, so I intentionally needled her yesterday. Just think of
it as one last parting shot from an old adversary who is still just a touch
bitter about getting run over with a passenger jet. Had the tires been a few
inches to either side I'd be quite dead right now, and you tend to have such
close calls seared into your memory. How is she doing, by the way?" he asked
as he glanced up at her. "I'd ask her myself, but I don't know where I can
find her these days. That, and I'd rather not have to deal with her new friend
with the sword again."
"She's fine," Rei replied in a dangerously calm tone. "The Chaos Factor
ran its course and left her with wings, but other than that she's fine."
"Wings?" Jedyt echoed, his eyebrows arching up in surprise. "Really...."
"Really," Rei said, not sure why she suddenly felt like explaining it to
him. "Everyone says she looks like an angel now. Of course, all the denizens
who've seen her since have all needed CPR after the first glimpse of her wings.
I think the term they kept using to describe her is Ar'kanis il' Hal'al."
Jedyt suddenly bolted upright, the change in inertia almost throwing him
off-balance. "What?" he blurted out, his eyes widening.
"Yeah, they all reacted like that," she pointed out, a dark smile crossing
her face as she made a casual gesture to his expression. "I'm not sure what it
means, of course, but I'm sure someone will get around to telling me about it
one of these days."
She blinked hard and tensed up as he strode over and knelt in front of
her, his eyes still dangerously wide with shock. "Take me to see her," he
demanded in a breathless tone. "Please," he added, almost as an afterthought.
"Go to hell," Rei said with a soft snarl, the hair on her arms literally
standing on end at how close he was to her. She blinked as he suddenly reached
out, taking her hand in his in a grip that was both surprisingly gentle and
dangerously warm.
"Rei, please," he whispered as a faint tremor started up in both his hands
and his voice. "If she is who you just said she is.... please, I must see her
at once. I don't care if you have me tied to a chair with that swordswoman
standing over me and her blade at my throat again, just as long as I see Serena
for myself."
The intensity of his words was enough to unnerve her, leaving her in a
state of momentary paralysis. Being touched by him wasn't helping either, her
mind screaming itself hoarse that she was in very grave danger at the moment.
She could see a spark of some deep emotion in his eyes, however, giving her the
impression that he was extremely serious about his offer to be bound and kept
under constant watch if it meant that Serena would allow him to see her.
"Back off," she finally said in a low tone that was scarcely more than a
whisper. She waited until he complied, letting go of her hand and sitting back
on his heels, before she reached behind her and slipped her communicator out of
her Lunar Space pocket.
She brought the device into her peripheral vision, keeping both eyes on
him for even the slightest hint of movement as she thumbed open a channel. She
blinked as she saw a flash of blue light where she expected gold, realizing a
moment later that she had accidentally opened the Mercury channel instead of
the Moon channel. She was about to reset the device when the connection was
opened and Ami's image appeared on the tiny display.
"Evening, Rei," Ami's voice could be heard. There was a slight pause as
her expression suddenly became concerned, apparently not liking what she saw
being displayed on her own communicator's monitor. "Are you alright?"
"Jedyt's here at the temple," Rei said calmly, still keeping most of her
attention squarely on the denizen general. She waited for half a heartbeat as
Ami's eyes suddenly tripled in diameter before continuing. "He wants to meet
with Serena and see her new angelic side for himself."
There was a sudden silence from the speaker as Ami's complexion turned as
white as a sheet, glancing over at someone next to her. "Rei, what did you
tell him?" Ami finally said after a few moments.
"Just give me an answer," Rei replied, allowing her irritation to color
her tone. "Either she says yes or she says no. Pick one."
She blinked as the tiny image became a blur, obviously a result of Ami's
communicator being grabbed by someone. Serena's face filled the display an
instant later, her blue eyes as dark as stormclouds and her mouth set into a
perfectly flat line. What followed next was a very terse set of instructions
that was to be given to Jedyt, the nature of which causing Rei's eyebrows to
almost entirely leap off of her forehead and turning her cheeks a solid shade
of candy-apple red.
"I.... can tell him.... that if you want," Rei stammered, hardly believing
that she had just heard those words coming from Serena's mouth. She could see
it coming from Leda after having a very heavy object dropped on her toes, but
certainly not the long-haired blonde.
"If he does *anything* at all, I'll open a wormhole and send Alex through
it to kill him," Serena replied, her voice as cold as liquid helium. She cast
a quick glance off to one side and nodded. "In fact, I'm going to send her to
the temple right now. Just hold still for a moment...."
"No, don't," Rei replied with a soft sigh. "That's only going to cause a
scene which we really don't need. I can handle this one on my own. Trust me,"
she added as Serena blinked hard. "I'll talk to you guys in a bit. Bye," she
said as she thumbed the channel off. Serena's image winked out a moment later,
but not before Rei caught a glimpse of the blonde's eyes widening in shock.
She heard a heavy sigh and looked up, blinking at the sour expression on
Jedyt's face. "You don't need to repeat any of that," Jedyt grumbled, "I heard
every word of what she said. She doesn't normally use that kind of language,
does she?" he inquired carefully.
"She likes you even less than I do," Rei pointed out, still acutely aware
of the raging blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. She cast a quick glance
around the room, half-expecting Serena to ignore her request and open up a
wormhole anyway. She blinked as her attention was suddenly drawn back to the
denizen general, feeling just the lightest of touches against her cheek.
"Thanks for trying," he said quietly as his fingertips lightly brushed
across her skin. "It is.... appreciated."
"Get off me," she said in an equally soft tone, tilting her head back and
away from his gentle touch.
A faint smirk crossed his lips as he withdrew his hand and edged back
several inches. "I take it that means you wouldn't be interested in helping me
with what your silver-tongued Moon Princess suggested I go do?" he asked in a
languid tone.
"I'm sure I can find a dull knife for you if you want," she replied in a
truly glacial tone, her eyes narrowed down to mere slits. "I can even help you
out by shoving it sideways up your...."
"Now, now," he interrupted her with a gentle wag of a finger. "Pretty
young girls shouldn't be saying such things. You've made your point, Rei, so
I guess I'll leave you in peace now. Thanks for the conversation," he added as
he stood up and turned to leave. He was almost to the open doorway when he
suddenly paused and turned back around to look at the priestess.
"Oh, one last question," he said calmly. "And I do mean last question,
since I now know just how you feel about me. You haven't seen a small purple
gemstone lying around, have you?"
Even if she had truly wanted to, there was simply no way she could have
kept the somewhat evil smirk off of her face. "Aww, lost your little Silkworm
crystal, have you?" she mocked him in a very soft and somewhat dulcet tone.
Jedyt blinked hard, not having expected that particular reaction in the
slightest. "Rei...." he said in a faintly warning tone.
"I don't have it," the priestess replied with a gesture of dismissal.
"So who does?" he prodded darkly. "If you know what it is, then you also
know what it does and what it means for me to be without it."
"It means you're stuck here on Earth," Rei smirked, feeling a dark thrill
running through her veins as she needled him. She didn't know if it was long-
overdue payback for all the trouble he caused her in the past, but at this
point she simply didn't care. He had a very significant problem on his hands
and they both knew it.
"So who has it?" he demanded in an ominous tone.
"Sailor V," she replied with a faint smile.
"Sailor V?" he echoed with a hard blink. "And how, pray tell, did she
manage to get her grubby little fingers on that?"
"It was a work of art," Rei whispered, feeling the darkest part of her
soul rejoice in being able to toy with him like this. "You remember when she
gave you a little card?"
His hand immediately came up to pat his chest pocket, blinking hard enough
to almost be physically heard. "Ay'cha navidshi," he breathed as an odd smile
crossed his face. "She picked my pocket, didn't she? That little blonde slut
grabbed it right out from under my nose...."
"That's what she said," Rei said lightly. Deep inside, however, she was
more than a little nonplussed by the look of apparent amusement on his face at
the thought.
"Amazing," he said as he shook his head, still smiling oddly to himself.
"The sheer *k'vesan* of the woman. I really must commend her on that little
stunt when I see her tomorrow."
"I'd go easy on her, if I were you," Rei warned him in a casual tone.
"After all, her little sleight-of-hand trick probably saved your life."
"Oh?" Jedyt said in a neutral tone, his sense of remote amusement suddenly
vanishing. "And how do you figure that one?"
"Oh, that's right," Rei said absently. "If you were stuck here on Earth,
then you wouldn't have known about the missile strike on the Imperial Castle."
Her own mood suddenly dissolved back into a simmering caldera as he strode back
over to her and knelt down, one hand coming up to gently but firmly capture her
chin in a solid grip. "Get off me," she growled very quietly.
"Rei?" he said with deliberate slowness, his eyes seeming to be devoid of
any hint of emotion. "What missile strike on the Imperial Castle?"
"When you hurt Serena, she ran off into the night," Rei whispered in a low
tone. "Shortly after that, she was kidnapped and taken into the Negaverse."
"What?" he gasped, his eyes widening. "Kidnapped? Rei, I...."
"We know it wasn't you," she interrupted him. "Sailor V said she had been
following you since you left the temple, so we know you had nothing to do with
it. Anyway, it was past nightfall and we thought it was best to wait until the
morning before trying to rescue her. While we were in there, somebody launched
a missile at some carrier parked outside. A nuclear missile," she added.
As close as he was to her, she could easily see the way his pupils seemed
to explode outward in horrified shock, dilating so wide that they essentially
blotted out the color of his irises. She could feel the physical shock as it
ran through his body, causing the hand on her chin to twitch sharply before it
fell away as he sat back to land hard on his backside.
"She didn't...." he breathed, his eyes wide but not seeing. "She launched
a nuclear missile at the V'ral? While it was parked next to the castle? Rei,
tell me this is just a joke," he said as he refocused on her. "That you're
just having a little fun at my expense...."
"We got Serena out before the blast hit," Rei said flatly. "The Imperium
Silver Crystal was still with the Negaforce, however, so Darian, Sailor Uranus,
and I all stayed behind. We were in the medical ward when it went off."
"No," Jedyt said, shaking his head slowly. "No, no, no she didn't...."
"The way I look at it," Rei continued as the dark part of her reveled in
seeing his pain, "If V hadn't picked your pocket earlier, you probably would
have tried to go home for lunch or something today and would have walked right
into Ground Zero, or at least been close enough to the crater to count. How
long do you think it would have taken for you to die from radiation exposure?"
she inquired in a tone of forced curiosity.
She fell silent as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and
putting his head in his hands. "Why?" he whispered softly to himself, his tone
audibly laced with despair. "Rune, you fool, what were you thinking? Wait,
you said you were in the castle when it went off?" he said as his head snapped
up to look at her.
Rei nodded somberly. "We heard along the way that Rune was trying to use
some kind of barrier to protect the castle," she explained in a subdued tone,
no longer feeling a dark desire to inflict further pain on him. "It withstood
the blast, obviously, since I'm still around to tell you about it. Don't ask
me what it did to the outside, however, as all we cared about at that point was
getting both Serena and the Crystal back to safety on Earth."
"Have you heard anything about Lex'eri?" Jedyt inquired in a muted tone.
"Who?" Rei said, giving him a confused look. "Al'vexi?"
"I guess not," he sighed. "No news is good news in this case, perhaps.
You're wrong in the sense that I would have tried to enter the Imperial Castle,
as not everybody is aware of the fact that I'm still alive. No, I'd have gone
back to my quarters at the Lex'eri storage facility, which is both underground
and in another geographical region entirely. But still.... Rune, you idiot,"
he muttered to himself with another depressed sigh.
The priestess remained silent as she watched him, able to feel the waves
of quiet pain and sorrow seeping out from inside his veil of emotions. Part of
her very much wanted to see him suffer like this, but at the same time there
was another part of her that was sick of seeing all the suffering caused by the
actions of the Negaverse. Even if it was done to themselves....
A frown crossed her face as he lifted his head up to look at her, seeming
to silently study her. "What?" she finally asked in a quiet and low tone. She
blinked involuntarily as she was answered in a denizen dialect that she wasn't
entirely able to translate. She was able to recognize a poetic term Tolaris
tended to use when talking about Ami's beauty, seeming to have several meanings
depending on what else was used with it. "That's nice," she said in an openly
indifferent tone.
"Tell me you understood that," he inquired in a dry tone.
"Not really," she admitted without so much as blinking. "Sorry if I don't
have a burning desire to study an alien language from another world that seems
to constantly be bringing pain and strife to this one."
"I believe the human expression is touche," he observed with an ironic
chuckle. He gazed up at her for several seconds before he reached out, very
lightly brushing his fingertips against her cheek.
"Touch me again and I will kill you," she promised in a very quiet tone.
"Funny how we keep trying to do that to one another," he mused softly.
"You mean how you keep trying to kill me," she replied archly. "The last
time I finally got serious about killing you, you went home crying about tire
tracks on your shirt. Like I said, touch me again and see what happens."
"Humor me for a moment," he said after a brief silence. "Explain to me
just how exactly you pulled that one off."
A faint smirk crossed her lips for a cosmic instant. "You're the fool who
used your powers to turn on the jet engines," she pointed out. "I just used a
spiritual ward that turned their focus from us to you. If you had used some
basic common sense and turned off your powers when you lost control of where
they were going, the aircraft would have stopped moving."
"Probably," he agreed with a deep grunt of dissatisfaction. He paused for
a moment before looking up at her. "But what if I said that I was more than a
little distracted by the discovery of who Sailor Mars really was?" he suggested
in a very careful tone.
She paused for a moment and regarded him very carefully. "I'd say that's
your problem," she said in a decidedly cool tone. "That, and you're starting
to really creep me out now."
He blinked in surprise for a moment before sighing very quietly through
his nose. "So much for flattery," he grumbled quietly.
"Don't make me throw up," Rei retorted with a snort of contempt. "Trust
me, after all that's happened in the past week my stomach is so unsettled I'm
amazed I've only had to puke once."
"So grab an antacid tablet," he suggested dryly.
"I did," she replied in a flat tone as she glared at him. "But having you
on the same planet with me isn't helping matters."
A quiet grunt rose up from his chest. "I'd rectify that if I could," he
pointed out in a dark tone. "But thanks to Sailor V, I'm a little limited at
the moment when it comes to crossing dimensional boundaries, now aren't I?"
"My heart bleeds for you," she sneered.
"So what would you have me do then?" he demanded. "Hitchhike?"
"Take a hike, for one," she answered. "A long walk off of a short pier
should do wonders for your situation."
Jedyt just rolled his eyes. "I'm fairly sure that particular expression
is older than your grandfather," he pointed out. "I don't suppose you can come
up with something a little more original than that?"
"I think Serena said it well enough," Rei reminded him. "Crudely, yes,
but then again you never struck me as being a polished individual anyway."
"Rei?" he said in a somewhat weary tone. "Perhaps you should let Sailor
V handle the personal insults, she seems to be better at it. At least I find
her so-called wit to be a little more entertaining."
"I'm not trying to amuse you," she said in a glacial tone. "If you're not
going to curl up and die anytime soon, at least get the hell away from me. How
plainly do I have to keep saying this?"
He looked at her in silence for a number of moments, obviously trying to
keep his emotions in check as he listened to her. "In all this time," he said
slowly and carefully, "There is one question you haven't bothered to ask me."
"Like what's taking you so long to leave?" she inquired archly.
"You never asked me why," he said softly.
She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish. A very muted
growl of frustration rose up in her throat as she realized that he wasn't going
to explain without further prodding. "Alright, Jedyt," she said sourly, seeing
the bait for what it was. "What have I never asked you 'why' about?"
"Why the change in tactics," he said softly. "Why I suddenly spent most
of my time studying you humans in disguise, often for weeks at a time, before
I set a plan into motion to harness all of that vibrant and seemingly limitless
energy you as a species seem to possess. Surely Serena and Ami told you about
our previous encounters before you became drafted into this as Sailor Mars."
"Not really," Rei replied in an audibly wary tone. "Serena seemed to
think that you had run out of simple traps and had to resort to something far
more complex, and Ami wasn't much for casual conversation back then."
"You know, funny you should mention your dear, sweet Ami," Jedyt said in
a casual tone that immediately raised the hair on Rei's arms. "I believe I
know exactly what you mean, too. I hardly heard her over Sailor Moon's loud
mouth during our first few encounters, but by the time the airport incident
came around she was just as vocal as the rest of you girls. Gee, I wonder what
could have possibly changed her like that?" he mused to the open air.
"Get to the point, Jedyt," Rei said in a quiet but deadly manner.
"It's the strangest thing," he said, still using a casual tone. "There
was a point where Queen Beryl had called me back to the Negaverse and had a bit
of a chat with me about what I was doing. While I was left to cool my heels in
the Imperial Castle for a few days, it seems that the Dragoon Commander took it
upon himself to personally travel to Earth to update our intelligence on who
these Sailor Scouts were and what they were doing."
"You mean Tolaris," Rei stated quietly as she suddenly felt a dark chill
seeping into her veins.
"Indeed," he replied with a nod. "Now I'll be honest, Commander Tolaris
and I didn't exactly see eye-to-eye on many things, but he was a very reliable
officer with a solid record of loyalty to the throne. So when all of a sudden
I'm witnessing his admittedly brief trial for treason two days later, I was
just as shocked as everyone else was. His confession made me stop and wonder
exactly how dangerous you humans could be if you put your minds to it."
What might have been a ghost of a smirk touched the edges of her lips for
a brief moment. "I think you got to see that one for yourself," she said in a
perfectly neutral tone.
"Actually, I did," he confessed. "Twice. Being three-quarters killed and
left for dead on the airport tarmac was the second time," he said lightly.
The icy chill in Rei's blood suddenly thickened up at his words. "Okay,"
she said slowly, feeling like she was being set up for something. "Alright,
Jedyt, I'll take the bait again. What was the first time?"
She scowled as he leaned over towards her until their noses where almost
touching. "The first time," he said in a soft whisper, "Was when I started to
work here as your grandfather's assistant and spent some time observing you."
"Go on," she said in an absolutely flat tone, her throat constricting a
moment later and preventing her from saying anything else.
"I don't know if you kept track of the calendar like I did, but I came to
this temple a week after Tolaris returned from Earth and was imprisoned in the
Wastelands," he explained. "His words were very much on my mind, about how he
had met a human girl and how it had permanently changed his views on life. I
decided that I would try to study a few of them to see if I could determine
what had happened and why so I could avoid the same fate."
It took Rei a concerted effort to speak. "And?" she said, only able to
force her voice box to pronounce that single syllable.
"What can I say, Rei?" he murmured, seeming to edge even closer to her.
"I tried to study you, but you weren't exactly open and friendly towards me.
Despite that, however, I started to like what I saw. Determination. Passion.
Focus and dedication. And yes, energy," he whispered. "I was sent to Earth to
collect human energy because I have a natural inclination for it. I can sense
strong concentrations of it from a distance and can even exert an influence on
it if given enough time. I was their best collector for such energy, and you
stood out like a shining beacon to me. In fact, you were so vibrant with it
that I'm surprised you never seemed to have problems from static electricity.
So of course I was just a little.... drawn to you from the beginning," he said
in a soft murmur.
He reached out to touch her, his fingertips making just the lightest of
possible contact with her chin. "Ironic that you would turn out to be a third
Sailor Scout," he said, his voice all but a whisper now. "Perhaps in hindsight
it should have been plainly obvious to me, but it seems that as Ami blinded
Tolaris, you started to blind me to the clues. And what frightens me now is
how I am still a little.... enchanted by you, even after all the hate and pain
and general animosity between us."
He paused and looked into the depths of her bottomless black eyes, seeing
some unknown emotion reflected in them. She seemed to be in a state of shock,
her mind running on autopilot and leaving her body numb with paralysis. Her
words of warning echoed loudly in his mind even as he very lightly stroked her
cheek, watching intently for even the slightest indication that she would try
to carry out her promise of fatal bodily harm.
"What do you want?" she finally whispered, only her lips moving as she
continued to stare at him. Her expression was utterly unreadable, save for a
lingering look of shocked numbness.
"What indeed," he murmured softly. "I've heard how Ami and Tolaris are
together these days, and I figure that having the same with you is asking just
a little too much. I'll settle for peace between us, Rei," he said as his
voice became softer with each word. "No hatred, no fighting, just gentle peace
and quiet...."
Rei's brain completely shut down a moment later as he leaned forward, just
enough to brush his lips against hers in a feather-light kiss. Left to its own
devices, her body defaulted to simply holding perfectly still, not resisting
the gesture but not reacting to it either. Conscious thought returned a few
moments later as he sat back to study her, an unknown emotion seeming to form
in his eyes.
"Just something to think about," he said quietly before he scooted back
and stood up. He edged back another pace and looked down at her, seeming to
slip into a deeply disquieted mood. "Hopefully we can talk again later. That
is, if you're in the mood to talk. Good night, Rei," he said quietly as he
turned around and departed, leaving her still sitting on the floor with a truly
shell-shocked look on her face.
She had no idea how long she sat there, her mind jammed in a loop as she
listened to his words echo over and over again. She dimly remembered hearing
her communicator chirp for attention and had only the faintest of memories of
telling Ami that she was fine, Jedyt was gone now, I will talk to you in the
morning at school, now shut up and leave me alone so I can go to bed.
He's serious, she finally decided as she stared up at the ceiling in her
bedroom, not caring how she got there or even when. And every time a denizen
had expressed an interest in a human, it turned out to be an extremely serious
affair. Usually literally, she thought with a deep shiver. And look just what
it all led to between them. Raijen and Serenity. Tolaris and Ami. Maze and
Mina. Reish'id and Leda, if what she saw and heard the other day was what was
truly meant. Even Queen Beryl and her interest in Darian....
A wave of revulsion and nausea promptly swept through her as she thought
about what *that* had led to, resulting in a mad dash to the toilet that was
made with precisely three seconds to spare. The upheaval served to clear her
mind and pointedly remind her that she had somehow skipped dinner.
Just like Jedyt, she thought sourly as she looked around for the bottle of
mouthwash. He sure knows how to leave a bad taste in my mouth. Why am I even
wasting my time thinking about this? she thought, spitting both mentally and
literally into the sink. Letting Jedyt try to snuggle up to me? Hah! And I
can't believe that creep had the nerve to try to kiss me! I should have used
my dagger and ran the bastard through that black heart of his when I had the
chance. Maybe I should have asked for Alex to be sent over as well, she would
have given him a little 'tough love' to savor for the rest of his life. All
four seconds of it....
She grumbled quietly to herself as she padded back to her room, casting a
brief glance at her grandfather's door and hoping that she hadn't woken him up.
That's all I need, him asking what's been upsetting me so much that I'm tossing
lunch down the toilet the hard way. Maybe I should ask him not to let Jedyt
back onto the temple grounds, that should.... *WHAT?!* she mentally gasped as
she glanced at her alarm clock. Three in the morning *already*? Oh, man, she
moaned as she flopped back down on the bed, her previous train of thought all
but derailed. School tomorrow is going to be a major drag. Oh, damn....
It wasn't quite the last thought that drifted up from her conscious mind
before it slipped into the gentle haze of sleep, but it was one of the few that
she could remember thinking. The other thought she could remember, however,
was what exactly she would tell Mina if she had her little meeting with Jedyt
as Sailor V and something ended up being mentioned that would ultimately set
off the chaotic blonde's extremely intense curiosity.
It was enough to ensure that her dreams, broken and fragmented as they
would be for what was left of that night, were far from pleasant ones.
* * * *
"Si'ren," someone said for the third time, finally breaking through the
veil of her thoughts and causing her to lift her head up. It took a moment for
the room to return to focus, seeming to be little more than a collection of
dark blurs that took their time in resolving into the other individuals in the
room with her.
"Mmm?" Si'ren murmured as the mental fog immediately began to creep back
in around the edges.
"I think we need to continue this in the morning," Al'vexi said quietly to
the rest of the room. "I realize the urgency of the situation, but as both
Sergenat Alani and Pa'an Vol are exhausted, we might do more harm than good by
trying to keep everyone going."
Vol bowed his head to her, both hands clasped in front of him. "I am able
to continue for another hour or so, if the threat is great," the monk said in
a serene, almost whispering voice. "Beyond that, however, I will indeed need
several hours of rest."
"The offer is appreciated," Al'vexi replied. "But we are going to need
both you and Sergeant Alani to be as rested as possible for tomorrow. General
Rune and I will continue working on the plan for the crystal network, as that
will need to be taken care of before we can begin."
"It will take several hours to structure the crystals," Rune warned. She
was still wearing her military uniform and the quadruple-starburst insignia of
a Commander-General, a momentary concession by Si'ren during their discussion
earlier in Rune's quarters. "I've already generated the seeds, but the amount
of mass I'm going to end up with is not exactly trivial. That, and I'll have
to grow them outside on one of the turrets."
"I can neutralize the radiation before you begin," Vol spoke up calmly.
"It is best if I were to do this before resting and drawing upon what energy I
have now, rather than to draw upon what I will regain by tomorrow."
Tempest cleared her throat gently, her security instincts keeping one eye
on the way Si'ren seemed to be dozing off again. "Once he clears the outside
air, I can probably start building up a storm front overnight," she said. "I'm
going to have to do that anyway, and right now the weather patterns are all
still nonexistant from the blast. Admiral, are you alright?" she added in a
tentative voice.
"Hmm?" Si'ren murmured as her head snapped up, only to start to sink back
down a few moments later.
"I shall see that she is put to bed shortly," Al'vexi replied. "Captain
Ael'ien, Lieutenant Tempest, and Sergeant Alani, the three of you are released
from your other duties for the duration of this crisis. Lieutenant, if you
would escort the Pa'an to the outer perimeter to clear out one of the turret
platforms?"
"Ma'am," Tempest said with a nod as she stood up.
"I'd suggest the north tower," Ael'ien spoke up. "That should give us a
fairly large area to work with in terms of available floor space."
A quiet grunt rose up from Rune's chest. "I might need that much space,
too," she muttered darkly, glancing down at the handful of tiny sparkles that
were taking shape in her palm. The crystal seeds were already double the size
they had been ten minutes ago, being fed very slowly by her powers to ensure
that they would form properly before allowing them to grow at a far more rapid
pace where a single mistake could ruin the entire lattice structure.
"The two of you are dismissed," Al'vexi said to Ael'ien and Alani. "Try
to get as much rest as possible, Sergeant, as we will need every ounce of power
that you can give us."
"Understood, ma'am!" the Field Sergeant said with a crisp salute.
Rune remained quiet as she watched half the group file out, the ash-robed
monk making very little noise as he followed Tempest into the hallway. The
door hissed shut behind him, leaving her alone in the room with Al'vexi and
Si'ren. "So what do you think, Al?" she asked quietly as the telepath sat back
down in her chair with a heavy sigh.
"I'm retired," Al'vexi reminded her. "I'm not paid to think anymore."
Rune resisted the urge to grumble at her and cast another glance over at
Si'ren. She blinked as she heard a very faint rasping noise drifting up from
the admiral's chest, suggesting that she had fallen asleep. "Si'ren," she said
in a slightly raised voice.
<Leave her alone,> Al'vexi's psionic voice gently echoed in Rune's mind.
<She has been under an incredible strain since this nonsense started. She will
not be needed until tomorrow, so let her rest until then. I think she's earned
a few hours of sleep at this point.>
"So now what?" Rune said in a low tone, casting a glance at Al'vexi.
<I think you know what comes next,> the telepath said, a faint hint of
crispness to her mental voice. <Once Vol is finished neutralizing the field of
radiation surrounding the turret, you are going to carry those crystal seeds of
yours over there and begin growing them into the proper shape. And if it takes
all night, I'll have someone bring you a pot of ma'cha.>
"Such kindness," Rune muttered darkly.
<Spare me your words, Rune,> Al'vexi thought just as darkly. <We wouldn't
be in this situation if it wasn't for your personal vendetta against Nop'tera.>
Rune blinked and scowled at the other woman. "You're out of line," she
warned in a dangerous tone.
<And you are relieved of command,> Al'vexi countered. <Let us speak very
plainly for a moment, and you need not worry about Si'ren. She is quite asleep
at the moment, so much so that I can almost sense her dreams from here.>
"Alright, then," Rune said as she leaned back in her chair, still absently
feeding the crystals minute amounts of energy. "Speak your mind, General."
<Word of advice, one flag officer to another,> Al'vexi telepathed calmly.
<Cultivate some tact and do it quickly, for your lack of tact is your biggest
failing. There was no need to confront Nop'tera the way you did in the medical
ward, and certainly not with the point of a sword. Nor, for that matter, was
it truly necessary to traumatize the Moon Princess into catatonia, which just
might have played a part in this disaster. Have you seen what the crater looks
like from orbit yet?>
"I have," Rune said in a very wary tone. "Are you trying to suggest that
the detonation was Sailor Moon's doing?"
<I am suggesting nothing,> Al'vexi replied as she took a deep sip from a
glass of water. <There are those like Admiral Si'ren, however, who are not yet
ready to brush it off as a mere coincidence. I myself would like to see what
IR says about their investigations before coming to a conclusion, but at the
same time I am forced to admit that I am still open to the possibility of some
sort of external influence having been exerted. Such as the Imperium Silver
Crystal reacting to the apparent death of its Crown Princess.>
"So perhaps this incident really isn't my doing after all," Rune pointed
out with just the faintest hint of vindication to her tone.
<Perhaps, perhaps not,> Al'vexi conceded with a gesture of dismissal. <As
I said, I will wait for the official report first. However, regardless of what
it turns out to be, there is still the matter of General Nop'tera.>
"I will not be threatened by anyone," Rune growled in a dangerous tone.
<Nor will she, or has that not been made obvious by now?> Al'vexi retorted
sharply. <Get this through your k'vesi head before you get us all killed, she
is not some inexperienced junior officer you can intimidate! She commands a
full division of warriors who have never set foot in this world before, despite
their denizen origins, which means they are all loyal to her personally instead
of to the military as a whole. A military you no longer control.>
"So you keep reminding me," Rune said acidly. "Is that what this is all
about, Al'vexi? A power-play to remove me and have someone else put in charge?
Someone you can easily influence, like.... say.... Fleet Admiral Si'ren?" she
said, her voice dropping in pitch as she suddenly leaned forward with a very
dangerous look on her face.
"I would be very careful with saying that aloud, Rune," Al'vexi hissed in
a sharp whisper. "A mental health expert might believe you are suffering from
extreme paranoia, which is grounds for a permanent removal from service. Let
me tell you this much, General," she spat with a snarl. "I was really starting
to enjoy my retirement until you started this. Now all of a sudden my home is
threatened by a haze of lethal radiation and I'm caught in a political storm
between two egos, yours and Nop'tera's. I want nothing more for the remainder
of my life than to live it in peace, and the sooner this catastrophe goes away
the better. If you are so afraid of Nop'tera that you are starting to see dark
shadows in every corner, then there is very little I can do for you now."
Rune stared hard at her in strained silence for what felt like an eternity
before she slowly sat back in her chair. She glanced down at her hands, first
at the one cupping the tiny amplification crystals, then at the one that was
still bandaged from her attack on Nop'tera. "So what can you do for me?" she
finally asked in a neutral tone, looking back up at the retired telepath.
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to keep you and everybody else
alive," Al'vexi explained quietly. "Right now, we have two.... no, three very
dangerous problems on our hands. First and foremost is the radiation outside.
We can play the blame game all we want until the last isotope decays on its own
in fifty thousand years, but that won't help us in the slightest so we might as
well worry about it later.
"The second problem, of course, is what General Nop'tera might do. We
have no idea where she is at right now, and I have every reason to believe that
the V'ral is both fully intact and combat-capable. Granted their tactical
fighters and ground units are not with them and probably can't even be used,
but the carrier itself is most likely still fully able to launch an attack on
its own. Remember the Hinterland missile strike," she reminded Rune darkly.
"I remember," Rune replied calmly. "And our third problem?"
Al'vexi cast a quick glance at Si'ren, checking to make sure she was still
quite asleep before sighing heavily. "Our third problem is that it is now very
likely that we will have a civil war on our hands soon, if it hasn't started
already."
"You mean the Dragoon Legion," Rune observed as she leaned further back in
her chair. A faint smile crossed her face at the startled look on Al'vexi's
face. "Oh, I know what's been going on, Al. I may be stripped of command and
under house-arrest, but I'm not completely deaf or blind yet."
Al'vexi nodded sourly in acceptance of Rune's statement. "Yes, I am more
than a little fearful of what the Dragoons might do at this point," she said in
a careful tone. "However, I am just as worried as to what Jedyt might do. I
know you released him from his Eternal Crystal prison," she added as it was now
Rune's turn to blink hard in surprise. "He told me himself when he came to my
estate the other day."
"Damn him," Rune snarled softly. "I told him to keep a low profile. Do
you know where he is now? I haven't seen him since Nop'tera's arrival and his
absence is starting to worry me now."
"Knowing him, probably starting trouble," Al'vexi replied in a tone as dry
as any desert region. "Rune, why him?" she sighed with genuine weariness.
Rune raised a dark eyebrow. "I figured I would need all the help I could
get against Nop'tera," she replied archly. "What?" she added as the telepath
moaned quietly and buried her face in her hands.
"Rune, I will be honest with you," Al'vexi said very quietly. "I am not
a certified mental physician, but I think it is safe to say that I have spent
more time immersed in other people's minds than any other denizen still alive
today. I have yet to be offered a glimpse into the workings of your mind, but
I am starting to well and truly believe that you are slipping into a state of
paranoia about this."
"General Nop'tera wants to take control of the Negaverse," Rune said in an
icy tone. "Or am I truly the only one who thinks that?"
"You are not," Al'vexi replied quietly. "But you must face this simple
fact, Rune.... you are not in power anymore. It no longer matters if Nop'tera
becomes the Commander-General. It will not change your situation. You have to
step back and accept that, Rune, otherwise you will only drag us all down with
you as you struggle against reality."
"And if I don't?" Rune said in a dangerously calm tone.
A soft sigh of frustration rose up from Al'vexi's chest, almost completely
masked as Si'ren began to snore very quietly. "You are still a full general
and will most likely remain as so. You're younger than I am, so your active-
duty career is far from over.... unless you feel the need to resign. I don't
feel that is necessary, however, or at least not at this point in time. As I
keep saying, everyone needs to wait until IR has completed their investigation
first before calling for blood."
"I will not resign," Rune said firmly.
"Nobody asked you to," Al'vexi pointed out. "The only thing I am asking
you to do is not to try to bully entities that you can't control. We both know
how effective that was with a young girl like the Moon Princess," she added in
an ominous tone. "Do you honestly think you can bring Nop'tera to heel with
brute force, someone who is older than all three of us put together?" she said
with an absent gesture to Si'ren. "For the love of the NegaForce, Rune, stop
acting like a petulant child who isn't getting her way and use your brain!"
It took Rune a concentrated effort not to crush the crystal seeds nestled
in the palm of her undamaged hand. "I am growing extremely tired with your
tone, Al'vexi," she said in a very low voice. "If you are going to lecture me
on tact, you had best display it yourself lest I ignore you entirely."
Al'vexi closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, visibly trying to get a grip
on her temper. She indulged in a very brief mental exercise designed to calm
her body's physical processes, focusing on the soft mantra of rasps and snores
drifting up from where Si'ren was sleeping.
"We are all at a dangerous point," the telepath finally said very quietly.
"You, me, Si'ren, Nop'tera, everyone. If we are to prevent this situation from
getting any worse, we must all take a collective step back and not permit our
tempers to flare. I believe it is still possible to end this without further
bloodshed, but only if you do not press the issue of who is in charge. For the
moment, let Admiral Si'ren handle administrative command. Nop'tera seems to
respect her, both for her rank as Fleet Admiral and for her seemingly neutral
role in matters, and I doubt she will act against her without a very good and
obvious reason."
"I've been relieved of command, as you keep pointing out," Rune said with
a quiet growl. "I don't have a choice in this one, now do I?"
"The choice, Rune," Al'vexi said carefully, "Is whether or not you accept
the consequences of your decisions with dignity and honor. Consider this....
what if it is proven that the detonation is not your fault beyond all doubts?
If you cooperate fully during the investigation...."
"Which will solve nothing," Rune interrupted. "She will not let a strike
at her pass without retribution of some sort, of that there is no doubt."
"What if you tell her the truth, Rune?" Al'vexi suggested. "That you were
frightened by the confrontation in the medical ward and reacted badly. Yes, I
am asking you to swallow your pride," she said at the sudden change in Rune's
expression. "She respects honor and integrity, Rune. If you show your spine
by admitting you were wrong, that just might convince her not to ignite another
global war."
"What if," Rune echoed in a dark tone. "Might. Possibly. Could. May.
You don't sound very sure of yourself, Al, and quite frankly I don't see why I
should place any faith in such uncertainties."
"Rune?" Al'vexi said in a resigned whisper. "Do you have a better idea?
If so, I'd love to hear it. Quite frankly, I don't see too many viable options
at this point. The key word being viable," she amended. "Granted we could
always offer you up to Nop'tera as a sacrifice, but Si'ren won't permit it and
I'm not exactly comfortable with the appeasement option myself. Yes, Si'ren
stood up for you," she added as Rune blinked again. "I really don't think she
wants to be in charge of the entire military any longer than she has to, but
that's the thing.... right now, she feels that she has to due to the situation
between you and Nop'tera."
Rune frowned as she glanced over at the white-haired admiral, still very
much asleep. Her face was still marred with lines of exhaustion and stress,
as if she wasn't finding much comfort and respite in whatever dreams she was
experiencing at the moment. "Alright," Rune said quietly. "Let's say, just
for the sake of discussion, that I go along with this and leave Si'ren in full
control of the military. What would you have me do?"
"Take a step back and do absolutely nothing," Al'vexi said calmly. "Let
the situation play out on its own without undue interference. She has already
given Olox instructions not to do anything that would upset the remaining Red
Wing carriers, only to take defensive action if it is obviously warranted. I'm
sure we have a day or two to stop and think, as I believe Nop'tera will remain
in a wait-and-see mode until she figures out what happened. Si'ren told me
that she spoke with General Ar'kanis just after your exchange with Nop'tera in
the medical ward. It's her opinion that he is a very level-headed individual,
and that it might be best to try to deal with him first. Sometimes it is wise
to let the aides handle the negotiations rather than the principal players,"
she added gently.
"We will see," Rune replied in a perfectly emotionless tone. She paused
as Si'ren's snoring started to grow louder, becoming a somewhat harsh rasping
sound that was often associated with rusted machinery trying to start itself.
"She needs to be put to bed," she observed.
"As do we all," the telepath sighed quietly as she stared down at the
table. A sudden thought popped into her mind and she glanced up at Rune. "Oh,
you probably don't care much about this, but Master Healer Maq'i contacted us
a couple of hours ago. She's alive and well, and apparently was dropped off at
Mount Arachen in the company of an old associate of hers."
Rune raised an eyebrow in reply. "Interesting," she commented. "I trust
she is being thoroughly questioned about her ordeal? Gently, of course, as I
doubt she could handle a typically robust investigation at her age."
"She is cooperating, of course," Al'vexi replied. "Security won't have
the report ready until the morning, but I understand she wasn't placed in any
danger or was otherwise harmed in the slightest."
"And Sailor Moon?" Rune prompted in a guarded tone.
"Fully recovered," the telepath said with an absent gesture.
"A pity," Rune intoned without the slightest hint of sincerity.
"What if she became our Queen-Regent?" Al'vexi said impulsively, her mind
flashing back to the conversations she had with Jedyt.
A dark smile crossed Rune's face as she leaned forward slightly. "That
will never happen," she promised lightly.
"Rune? Humor me for a moment," Al'vexi said in a tone that made the other
woman sit back and blink hard. "Say she does, and that the rest of the planet
accepts her as the Queen-Regent. Don't you think Nop'tera would listen to what
she had to say? I think she would," she added as Rune remained silent.
"What are you suggesting, Al?" Rune said after several long moments of
heavy silence, broken only by the steady mantra of Si'ren's mild snoring.
"Why not put her on the throne?" Al'vexi said in a careful tone. "This
will accomplish several things, the least of which is peace between us and the
Sailor Scouts. This is what Nop'tera seems to want as well, which will keep
her pacified. And if you could convince Sailor Moon to keep you around as the
Army's Commander-General, I doubt Nop'tera will try to go against her wishes."
"Nop'tera wants the monarchy back," Rune corrected her. "And she seems to
be of the mind that using Sailor Moon would be the fastest way to do so. But
stop and think, is that really the best way?"
Al'vexi paused and raised an eyebrow. "As I said before, I'm open to new
ideas and suggestions if you have them," she said before taking a fairly deep
sip of water.
"What if I were to become Queen-Regent?" Rune said lightly. A dark smile
crossed her face as Al'vexi immediately choked, spraying a good measure of the
liquid across the surface of the conference table.
<How?> she telepathed simply as she started coughing hard.
"I have somebody working on that as we speak," Rune assured her with a
slightly languid smile.
<Please don't tell me THAT is why you freed Jedyt from his prison,> the
other woman thought as she tried blotting the worst of the moisture from the
front of her uniform. She froze in mid-motion as she saw the smirk on Rune's
face, feeling a dark chill settling into her own veins at the realization.
"That isn't why I did so," Rune admitted as she sat back, idly toying with
the cluster of grape-sized crystals in her hand. "But he said that he would be
setting the stage for that very scenario."
"Rune?" Al'vexi said very slowly. "I think you might want to talk to him
about the details. When he came to my estate the other day, he was the one who
suggested putting Princess Serena on the throne as Queen-Regent."
It took moment for the words to truly sink into Rune's brain. "What?" she
said, giving the telepath a startled look.
"Unless I am mistaken," Al'vexi said in a guarded tone, "The only way for
someone to become Queen-Regent at this point is to be carrying the child of our
Crown Prince, who happens to be Prince Darian. Ay'cha navidshi, Rune...." she
sighed at the look of comprehension she suddenly got. "You mean you honestly
never stopped to think about what would have to take place?"
"I'm going to kill him," Rune whispered to herself, feeling a very sudden
and burning desire to know where exactly Jedyt was at the moment. "He lied to
me, didn't he? That p'tai is trying to use me...."
"Trying?" Al'vexi murmured softly, mostly to herself. "Rune...."
"I am going to *kill* him...." Rune hissed. "After all that I shared with
him, after all that I gave him? He *dares* to use me like that?"
"Rune!" Al'vexi said sharply, drawing Rune's focus out of her momentary
rage and interrupting the steady snoring sounds. She waited until she was sure
that Si'ren would remain asleep before speaking again. "Save your anger for
when you can truly make use of it. Now is not the time to let it color your
judgment. We can deal with him later, but right now we have to focus on our
current predicament. How are those crystals coming?"
Rune blinked and looked down at her hand, almost dropping them as she saw
how large they had become during her fit of anger. "They seem to be growing
just fine," she observed as she peered closely at them. She hesitated for a
moment before sending a brief surge of energy into them, causing the seeds to
abruptly double in size with a series of soft snaps and cracks. The change was
a little more drastic than she had anticipated, resulting in a hard blink that
made Al'vexi suddenly uneasy about the situation.
"Rune?" she prodded.
"Feedback," Rune said suddenly, glancing over at the telepath with a less-
than-thrilled look. "This might end up being harder to do than I thought. I'm
going to have to be extremely careful with their energy levels, as they might
start creating feedback echoes in the lattice structure."
"What's the danger?" Al'vexi inquired carefully.
Rune just shrugged in dismissal. "They're designed to be amplifiers, so
of course they're going to react to energy pumped into them. Too much and you
get a runaway reaction that will probably destroy the entire structure. Don't
ask me to speculate about what that will do to the surrounding environment,"
she added in a dark tone. "That all depends on just how much energy winds up
being amplified before it comes apart."
Al'vexi just sighed and put her head in her hands again. "Just be careful
and try not to get us all killed again, okay?" she said in a soft tone.
"Such faith, General," Rune said absently as she stood up, gingerly using
both hands to hold the golfball-sized crystals. The door hissed open as she
approached it, revealing a pair of Imperial Guardsman standing at attention.
Behind them waited V'Kreeth and Moriah, as well as the striking figure of the
Imperial Guard Captain that Rune once had as a partner when she herself was a
member of the Imperial Guard.
"T'shal," Rune said by way of greeting, not really knowing what else to
say. The dark-haired woman had never been one for casual conversation, and the
current situation only added to the feeling of unease and awkwardness.
"General," T'shal replied in a neutral tone.
"I'm taking these to the northern turret," Rune informed her, making a
gesture with the crystals.
T'shal simply nodded once. "Guards," she said in a monotone, moving back
to let them fall into step next to Rune.
Al'vexi remained quiet as Rune moved away from the doorway under armed
escort, allowing the door to close again with a soft hiss. She knew that she
was fighting a very steep uphill battle in trying to defuse or at least dampen
the dangerous situation between Rune and Nop'tera. It only got worse when she
thought about what rogue elements like Jedyt might do. Or, for that matter,
the Dragoons and the Sailor Scouts.
Of course, she suddenly realized as a truly deep chill ran down her spine,
there is always the question of what truly happened in the Northern Mountains.
Rune's order to remove the fuse had been as explicit as it could be, which made
absolute sense until she stopped and remembered that the fuses and the physical
warhead were two different components. The warheads were stored in the tip of
the missile, of course, but the fuses were stored elsewhere and required a very
conscious and deliberate act to insert. Which meant that somebody *wanted* the
nuclear warhead to detonate.
"Si'ren?" she said quietly as her mind started to race, wondering why she
just now thought of this. She blinked as she received a soft rasp in response,
indicating that the admiral was still very much asleep. She gave very serious
thought to waking her up to use as a sounding board before she hesitated for a
moment. "Nevermind, you need your sleep," she sighed softly. "We'll discuss
this in the morning. You missed a good one, though," she added, talking more
to herself than to the sleeping woman. "Rune thinking that she could be Queen-
Regent. If you can call it thinking, that is, seeing how she didn't seem to
realize that she would have to...."
Al'vexi suddenly stood perfectly still, her voice trailing away as it hit
her with the force of a supernova. "Si'ren?" she said very carefully. "I know
Nop'tera won't act against whatever a Queen-Regent says, but what about a Crown
Prince? What if, just what if we can convince Prince Darian to get involved in
this dispute? Will Nop'tera listen? Will Rune?"
She blinked as Si'ren suddenly snored hard, seeming to half-choke on the
lungful of air as it went it. It was enough to rouse her into a fractional
state of consciousness before she just as quickly slipped back into a fairly
deep slumber, her breathing evening out after a few seconds.
"I trust that's not an omen of sorts," Al'vexi said dryly before shaking
her head. "Bah, I should try to get some sleep as well. Too much more of this
and I'll wind up talking to myself...."
* * * *
"Well?" Leda prodded gently as Ami gingerly put her communicator away.
"Rei is.... just fine," Ami replied after a visible hesitation. "I think
she's still just a little rattled at the moment, that's all."
Alex and Serena exchanged glances, both blondes seeming to be more than a
little uneasy as well. "Sure you don't want me to go lop his head off for you,
your Highness?" Alex asked yet again in a somewhat wary tone. "It would be a
pleasure, I assure you."
"I'm telling you, he's not going anywhere," Mina said without looking up
from her homework, still trying to scribble down what she thought was a factual
answer to the current question.
"He's still wandering around and pestering Rei," Alex pointed out.
"Rei can handle herself," Mina sighed. "Look, just cut the pyro a little
slack, okay? She has about as much experience dealing with Jedyt as I do, so
if she says she doesn't need someone to make a scene for her, then I say leave
her alone like she just asked Ami to do."
"If you can call that asking," Leda muttered, having overheard the way Rei
had phrased the rather impolite request.
Ami shrugged in dismissal. "It could have been worse," she said, casting
a sidelong glance at Serena. The gesture didn't go unnoticed, resulting in yet
another dark blush from the long-haired blonde.
"What?" Serena asked in a small voice.
"Bah," Alex muttered with a curt gesture. "Nothing wrong with telling a
diaper-wipe like him how you truly feel. What?" she added as she was prodded
in the back by Michelle.
"You don't need to encourage her," Michelle muttered in a low tone, her
own cheeks still pink at the memory of the distinctly profane outburst.
"Indeed," Susan said dryly from the armchair, absently scratching both
Artemis and Myst behind the ears. "While I will readily admit that there are
times in which forcefully expressing yourself might be appropriate, one can
still achieve that utilizing proper, socially-acceptible terminology."
"Funny," Alex said slowly, "I seem to remember you apologizing for just
such an outburst a few days ago. You know, when Whisper told us that Darian
was the Negaverse's Crown Prince? Yeah, that's what I thought," she smirked as
the succubus closed her eyes, briefly searching her memories before opening
them again with a look of slight guilt look on her face.
"Yes, I.... believe I remember what you are referring to," Susan murmured
in a faintly abashed tone.
"Actually, according to the rules, that one doesn't count since nobody
else understood it," Leda observed casually as she took a sip from her mug of
tea. "At least, I know I didn't have a clue what that meant, aside from it
probably not being polite."
"Whatever," Alex said with an absent gesture. "Don't change the subject,
hon, I want to see Sue try to wriggle her way out of this one...."
"Alex," Michelle sighed quietly.
"I am not perfect, Alex," Susan sighed in a slightly weary tone. "Nor
have I ever claimed to be. As such, it is unreasonable to expect others to be
immune to the odd and rare lapse of judgment when under unusual duress. Notice
that I have not taken her Highness to task over her outburst, instead merely
issuing a pointed reminder about her manners and largely letting the matter
rest. She, like I, does not make it a habit of speaking as such and can thus
be forgiven far more easily than someone like you, Alex, who makes regular and
routine usage of such profanity. The key is a sense of repentence for having
said such things, something which her Highness continues to display even now
whereas you tend to categorically fail to indicate possession of the emotion."
Alex just rolled her eyes and made her way over to the couch. "Don't you
just love how she can turn a defense of her hypocrisy into a personal attack
against me?" she grumbled as she plopped down on a cushion. "I have *NOTHING*
to do with this one for once, Sue, and yet I'm dragged into the middle of it.
And you honestly wonder why I sometimes don't bother paying attention to you?"
"Alex, need I...?" Susan started to say in a patient tone before falling
silent as Artemis coughed loudly. "Are you alright, Artemis?" she inquired in
a calm tone that had just the faintest hint of an edge to it.
"Oh, me, I'm fine," Artemis said quietly, casting a sidelong glance at
Alex. "However, I think she might have a valid point this time. Okay, so she
isn't suited for the Diplomatic Corps, but she doesn't exactly need to eat a
bar of soap either. A good slug of mouthwash, perhaps, but as you just pointed
out who doesn't need that every once in awhile?"
"Very well, Artemis," Susan replied with a slight crispness to her voice.
"I shall not pursue the matter further unless it becomes raised once again."
"Oh, hey, that reminds me," Mina said as she continued to finish her last
homework assignment. "We're low on bathroom supplies. We've still got toilet
paper out the.... well, you know," she amended with a faint blush. "But we're
down to the last box of soap in the storage bin and the last bottle of denizen
shampoo has migrated elsewhere."
"We already told Whisper about it," Michelle spoke up. "We grabbed it for
our bathroom, as well as the last pair of towels from the closet downstairs."
"Last pair?" Mina echoed, lifting her head up from her assignment. "Are
you sure? Usually there's a good half-dozen or so stacked in there. What?"
she added as Leda gently nudged her in the shoulder.
"You're forgetting one thing," the brunette reminded her. "Dyvach usually
handled the laundry around here, and he's still busy in the Negaverse."
"D'oh," Mina groaned. "We're going to have to work something out, then.
Being out of clean sheets and towels is not a cheerful situation to be in, to
say nothing of running out of clean underwear."
Artemis just rolled his eyes as he flicked his tail in disdain, resulting
in a completely accidental encounter with the softness of Susan's chest. He
failed to notice the brief glare cast in his direction, thinking that his tail
had brushed against her arm instead. "Heaven forbid you should have to do your
own laundry," he muttered quietly.
His white fur promptly puffed out in surprise as a fairly loud chime was
heard. "Level 4 Caution," the cathedral's computer said in a monotone voice.
"Unknown aerial life-form detected on an inbound track. Defensive systems now
enabled in passive mode."
"Uh, that.... sounds bad," Leda said slowly as she looked over at Ami.
<Everyone stay calm,> Whisper's psionic voice gently echoed in their minds
a moment later, accompanied by the quiet clatter of dishes being dumped into
the kitchen sink. <It means that the wheel array has detected someone who can
fly heading in our general direction, but is still a fair distance away. If it
gets significantly closer and appears to be hostile, the computer will let the
defenses go active and try to handle it on its own.>
"Let me see," Ami said as she grabbed her miniature computer and flipped
the cover open. She typed in a series of commands and waited for it to make a
connection with the cathedral's computer.
"Guys?" Darian said as he walked into the living room with Luna carefully
perched on his shoulder. "What's up with the warning this time?"
"I think we've got company coming," Mina said as she got up from the table
and moved over to Ami to peer over her shoulder. "What's it look like?" she
asked in a low tone.
"Single target, moving fairly rapidly," Ami reported as she studied the
telemetry readings. "She's staying within the clouds as much as possible."
"She?" Darian echoed, giving her an odd look. "What makes you say that?"
Ami glanced up at him for a brief moment before returning her attention to
her computer display. "Aerodynamics," she said with a faint blush.
"Ami? How the hell can you pick up on something like that?" Mina demanded
as she leaned even further over the blue-haired girl's shoulder, staring hard
at the readings for herself. She blinked as Ami simply tapped a fingertip on
a series of numbers, which highlighted a slight discrepancy in the return echo
of the radar pulse used by the wheel array. "What, that's it? You look at a
change of maybe three-hundredths of a point and say that means it's a she?" the
blonde said in an incredulous tone.
"A large-breasted woman," Ami summarized, the tint on her cheeks growing
darker. "Probably a full C-cup. Oh, and it looks like a succubus," she added
almost off-handedly, causing the rest of the group to blink hard. "The wings
span from here to here," she said, tapping more purely numerical readings as if
it was blatantly obvious. "That would put it at roughly thirteen feet from tip
to tip. The airflow is also just a little rough, which means there aren't any
feathers attached to smooth it out."
She glanced up at the rest of the room and blinked hard at the looks of
disbelief on their faces. "At least, that's what I think it looks like," she
quickly added as the blush on her face turned bright pink.
"Okay, I'll say it this time," Leda sighed, making a gesture for Mina to
keep quiet. "Ami, we have GOT to get you out more often."
A soft chuckle rose up from Susan's chest as she idly stroked Myst's ears.
"I would not be so quick to disparage Ami's capacity for data analysis," she
said lightly. "Nor would I suggest that it is indicative of possession of a
less-than-experienced social awareness. In any event, if this indeed another
succubus making her way here, perhaps it would be advisable to instruct the
computer not to take any harmful defensive action until we are able to identify
her for ourselves?"
Alex made a soft noise of contempt. "If it's anything like the last visit
we had from another succubus...." she muttered darkly to Michelle.
"Guys, I need a decision," Ami warned. "She's almost within the aerial
perimeter, and that's when the computer decides on its own what to do."
"Let her land," Serena suddenly spoke up, taking everyone by surprise.
Darian blinked and moved over to her. "You know something we don't?" he
murmured softly as he kissed her shoulder.
Serena looked up at him as she chewed on her lower lip for a brief moment.
"No, just call it a hunch," she finally admitted.
"Oooookay, starlight," Alex replied with a shrug. "Hope your gut insticts
are a little bit better than mine, since mine are telling me to blow her out of
the sky and be done with it. Remember, Sue's sisters didn't bother taking the
long way here," she pointed out.
"Wait, I thought Megan did at first?" Michelle spoke up cautiously.
Everyone looked at Ami as she cleared her throat and addressed the main
computer in the denizen language, giving it specific instructions about how the
defenses were to remain in their currently passive status until she ordered
otherwise. The speakers chittered quietly to themselves before replying with
a single word of acknowledgement and falling silent again.
"Sweetie, I don't see how you can speak their language like that," Alex
complained sourly as she rubbed her throat. "Hell, I can't even keep up with
you in German without sounding like I'm choking on a hairball."
"Maybe she should ask Michelle to shave, then," Darian muttered in a very
soft voice so that only Luna and Serena could hear him. The end result was a
pair of extremely wide blue eyes and a deep crimson blush on Serena's face, and
a strangled gasp of shock from Luna accompanied by a truly solid thump to the
back of his head from her tail.
"Perhaps her experience with the glottal stops inherent to the Germanic
language has made it easier for her to speak their language," Susan pointed out
in a gentle tone. "Or to use a simpler explanation, practice makes perfect."
"Goodness!" Ami gasped as she watched the readings suddenly change rather
dramatically. "She's almost directly overhead and just went into a very steep
dive. Ick, my stomach just dropped just thinking about the G-forces...." she
added with a light shiver.
"Probably trying to limit her exposure out in the open," Susan suggested.
"If that is the case, I suspect she is approaching us from the east to keep her
silhouette against the twilight-darkened sky."
Ami blinked and traded looks with Mina. "Bingo," the blonde murmured.
"Someone want to open up the front door?" Ami suggested as she glanced at
the readings. "She should be touching down outside.... now."
"Here," Darian said to Serena as he carefully picked up Luna and passed
her over to the long-haired blonde. He then strode across the room towards the
main cathedral door, almost reaching it before the soft sound of the doorbell
echoed throughout the room.
"Excuse me, your Highness," Alex said quietly as she stepped in front of
Serena, putting herself between the blonde and the front door. The rest of the
group seemed to unconsciously spread out, putting a little extra distance
between one another so as to have plenty of room to maneuver if things turned
out to be distinctly unpleasant.
Susan glanced across the room as she stood up, making note of the shadow
cast from the kitchen as Whisper edged near the doorway. The front door was
opened up a moment later, letting Darian get a good glimpse of their unusual
visitor. She could hear a very quick conversation taking place before he came
back into the room with a young succubus in tow, her chest still heaving from
exertion.
"Lady Susan?" the girl called out without preamble, absently trying to
smooth a wrinkle out of her form-fitting leather attire. It was every bit as
revealing as the ribbon-like adornments Susan and Megan had worn earlier, but
with a little more substance in the chest and groin areas. Not to anyone's
great surprise, the front of what passed for her shirt seemed to be under a
fair amount of strain from her large breasts.
"Yes?" Susan replied as she took a step forward.
"My name is Deidra," the succubus panted. "Your sister sent me to warn
you that the Countess of Glenmont is coming here to see you."
"What?" Susan said sharply, causing the rest of the group to exchange a
series of uneasy and unsettled glances.
"She says she was going to stall her for time so you could prepare, so she
asked me to come here and deliver the message," Deidra said, still obviously
quite winded. "I got lost coming here, however, so I'm not sure how much time
is left. Hello," she added meekly to the rest of the group.
"Hey," Leda replied in a somewhat hollow tone.
"Did the Countess give any indication why she was coming here?" Susan
inquired with a barely-controlled sense of urgency.
Deidra leaned forward to rest her hands on her knees, unintentionally
giving the rest of the group a clear line of sight down her mostly-exposed top.
"No," she said, trying to breathe deeply. "I was just asked to find you and
warn you that she's coming. Megan sounded to be one degree short of a panic,
so I figured this was one of those short-notice warnings and tried to fly as
fast as I could. This place isn't easy to find, you know," she added as she
stood back up and brushed her sweat-soaked mane of coal-black hair out of her
field of vision.
"Nor should it be," Susan replied absently as she started to think. She
looked up as Whisper strode into the room holding a glass of water, handing it
to the succubus without comment.
"Thank you," Deidra said gratefully as she promptly tossed back half of
the contents in a single gulp.
"Alright, Sue," Alex said in an audibly uneasy tone. "Let's just skip the
lecture part and get to the point. What do we need to do?"
"Remain inside and let me handle this," Susan said firmly.
"Whew, damn," Deidra gasped as she drank all but a mouthful of the water.
The remaining portion was promptly splashed against her throat and chest in an
attempt at cooling herself off. "Thank you so much," she said as she handed
the glass back to Whisper. "Look, I gotta go, I'm only supposed to be away for
a few minutes and it's going to take me a bit to get back."
Susan nodded in understanding, knowing that most of the succubi were bound
in the service of other demons and powerful entities. "My sincerest thanks for
the warning," she said with genuine gratitude. "I shall attempt to repay the
favor once this is over."
"Nah, s'okay," the young succubus replied with a dismissive wave of her
hand and a flexing of her massive wings. "I owed Megan a favor anyway, so I'm
just levelling the balance. Thanks, though." She started to turn away and
paused for a moment, glancing back towards Serena. "Excuse me, but.... don't
I know you from somewhere?" she asked tentatively.
"Umm.... I don't think so...." Serena said with audible edginess.
Deidra continued to look at her for a moment before shrugging. "Oh, well,
no matter. I love your hairstyle, by the way," she added.
"Thank you," Serena said after a slight hesitation, holding Luna in a grip
that was starting to make the cat quietly gasp for air.
"You guys take care," Deidra said with a casual wave before she left the
room. The soft thump of the door being closed behind her could be heard a few
seconds later, causing the rest of the group to exchange uneasy looks again.
"Anyway," Leda said slowly.
"She looked kinda cute," Alex observed with a shrug. "She also looked
like she flew across half the planet to get here, but that's just my view."
"Susan?" Mina spoke up before anyone else could get a word in edgewise.
"Humor me for a moment here, okay? This Countess of Glenmont person that she
mentioned.... please don't tell me that's who I think it is."
Susan paused and raised an eyebrow at her. "And whom might that be?" she
inquired, the back of her mind trying to figure out just how she wanted to
handle the situation. Ideally she would try to meet the Countess' carriage on
the paved portion of the street at the end of the cathedral's gravel driveway,
but something was also warning her that she might have to put up with having an
audience as well.
"A vampire by the name of Elaine MacDara," Mina said in a perfectly flat
tone, resulting in eight very hard blinks from the rest of the group. The only
ones who didn't seem fazed were Myst and Susan, the former simply giving the
latter a deeply curious look.
"Now wait one moment," Leda started to say.
"Then you would indeed be correct in a sense," Susan replied calmly. Her
words resulted in a deep silence so sudden that it almost echoed. "Before the
rest of you start to become gravely concerned...."
"Too late," Mina, Leda, Alex, and Darian all said in perfect unison.
Susan sighed quietly and rested her weight on her staff, causing the group
to reflexively blink at its sudden appearance. "I will explain once this is
over," she said in a patient tone. "Everyone is to remain here indoors. If it
makes you feel better you can activate the perimeter defenses, but I strongly
doubt that the Countess will attempt to enter this building. Most likely she
will meet with me for a purpose and then depart back to her realm without any
undue delay."
"Susan, wait," Ami suddenly spoke up, her voice seeming to be unusually
quiet and subdued. "You're going to be meeting a vampire? A real one?"
Alex snorted quietly to herself. "As opposed to what, a fake vampire?"
she muttered to Michelle and Serena.
"Where'd I leave the holy water?" Mina sighed as she started to cross the
room towards the residential hallway.
"Mina!" Susan said sharply, causing the blonde to pause and glance over
her shoulder. "I cannot sufficiently stress the gravity of the situation," she
warned. "If you attempt to provoke her, she just might respond and I can more
than amply guarantee that you will not find the results to your liking. You
and the others will remain inside to guard the Princess. I will meet with the
Countess and see what it is that she wants."
"All alone, eh?" Mina replied in a somewhat dry tone. "Not open to the
thought of taking a friend or two as witnesses, if not for simple backup? If
she is as dangerous as I'm starting to think, surely it would be wise to give
her the impression that starting anything would cost her...."
"Uh, Mina...." Leda started to say in a worried tone. "You, uh, want to
stop and think about this for a moment? Okay, I know I don't know beans about
vampires, Ami notwithstanding," she added, prompting a faint look of guilt from
the blue-haired girl. "But why don't you take your own advice for once, okay?
If Rei says she can handle Jedyt because she knows him, then perhaps Susan can
handle this vampire person on her own because she knows her."
"Please," Mina replied dismissively. "I'm not going to start anything, I
just want to have a look for myself what this vampire is like. I've heard all
sorts of things about her, of course, but I've never gotten the chance to meet
the woman for myself. I'm more than a little curious about it now."
"Great," Serena muttered quietly, drawing several surprised looks at her
rather uncharacteristic outburst. "Mina, I don't think you should ask Susan to
let you go with her."
"Hey, that's cool with me," Mina said with another dismissive shrug.
"Finally," Leda murmured.
"I wasn't asking her for permission anyway," Mina continued lightly.
"Dammit," the brunette sighed, burying her face in her hands.
"Mina," Susan said in a somewhat weary tone, "I am compelled to point out
that you would be putting yourself in significant danger by doing so. While I
am reasonably certain she has no intention of doing harm to myself or to anyone
else, there is still a grave risk in dealing with her and her kind. She is not
like Ami," she added gently.
"Artemis, do you remember where I put that silver crucifix necklace I got
on sale at the jewelry store last month?" Mina inquired as she started to turn
back towards the residential wing again.
"Mina?" Susan called out in a resigned tone, causing the blonde to pause
yet again and cast a sidelong glance back at her. "If you have every intention
of being recalcitrant about this, then I only ask that you go change into an
evening gown. Countess MacDara is a genuine noble, after all, and it is best
to be properly attired when greeting her."
"I'll see what I can dig up," Mina promised as she continued on her way
and disappeared around the corner.
"Excuse me, Susan, but is this wise?" Whisper spoke up once the blonde was
out of earshot.
Susan simply shook her head. "Far from it, Captain. However, as it is
obvious that she has little faith in my wisdom and refuses to heed my repeated
warnings, there is very little I can do short of physical force to deter her.
I will simply have to do my best to keep her from harm, though I cannot and
will not accept total responsibility for what happens to her. Now if you will
be so kind as to excuse me, I too must change my wardrobe."
"I'm coming with you," Ami spoke up quietly, causing Susan to freeze in
mid-motion.
Susan blinked hard and glanced down, seeming to stare into the empty air
for a brief moment before sighing and looking over at her. "Ami, surely there
is no-one else in this room, save perhaps for Luna and Captain Whisper, who by
all rights should be able to grasp the concept that this is not an endeavor to
be encouraged in the slightest. Even if I were to categorically dismiss your
intellectual curiosity as a whole, I should like to point out that the origin
of your vampirism is not of this world and thus cannot logically be compared to
that of the Countess in any manner."
"I know," Ami replied in an almost silent whisper.
The succubus looked at her in silence for a number of moments before very
quietly sighing to herself. "Very well, then," she said softly. "The rest of
you are to remain here, however," she added, raising her voice as an element of
steel became clearly audible. "While the danger to everyone inside is far less
than the danger in venturing outside, there is still a degree of risk that I
simply cannot overlook. Everyone else will remain inside to protect Serena in
the unlikely event that things go awry."
"Not a problem," Leda said dryly.
"Don't worry, your Highness, we've got you covered," Alex assured Serena
as she casually withdrew her Soul Saber from the dimensional sheath, the jewels
embedded in its length seeming to glitter slightly in the light.
"I shall return momentarily," Susan said as she started heading towards
her bedroom to change.
"Umm, quick question here," Leda spoke up before Susan could leave. "What
are we supposed to do if someone knocks on the door and you've still got your
dress around your ankles?"
"Answer the door politely, of course," Susan said as she slipped past her.
"Explain that I will be with them in a moment or two. But do not invite her
inside," she added in a warning tone. "While she is hardly barred by any such
mythical compulsion from entering a dwelling absent a formal invitation from a
resident, as Mina's legends incorrectly suggest, I should not like to tempt
Fate any more so than necessary. Excuse me," she added as she slipped around
the corner, followed by a very quiet Ami a few moments later.
"Oh, that's comforting," Leda grumbled darkly.
"Easy, babe," Alex said softly to Michelle, reaching out to rub her back
with her free hand.
"I'm fine," Michelle replied softly, reaching up to scratch Luna's ears.
She paused and looked up at her lover before sighing quietly. "But I do wish
all this nonsense would stop. First we have to worry about what the Negaverse
is up to, now we have to worry about this?"
"Yeah, things are getting just a little chaotic around here, aren't they?"
Artemis spoke up with a dry laugh.
"A little?" Leda said archly.
"Guys, take it easy," Darian said as he gently took Serena's hand in his.
"This one appears to be under control, so like Susan said, let's not tempt Fate
by talking about it. You finish your homework yet?" he asked quietly.
Serena blinked and cast a brief glance at the table, her cheeks taking on
a faint pink hue. "Umm, well...." she hedged.
"Back to work, Serena," Luna said in a resigned tone.
"But Luna, this stuff isn't easy!" Serena whined quietly.
"What's left to do?" Leda inquired, casting a glance of her own at the
sheaf of papers spread out across the table.
"Math," Serena sighed.
"Heh," Leda chuckled. "Good ol' blonde kryptonite, eh?" she teased as she
took Serena by the elbow and gently guided her back over to the table. "C'mon,
meatball head, I might not be the best at history or science, but I'm fairly
good at math. Well, straight linear equations, at any rate. Just don't ask me
about geometry," she muttered.
"Hon, you really need to quit calling her that," Alex growled as they all
clustered together to try to help Serena with her homework. "What the hell is
kryptonite, anyway?" she whispered to Michelle, resulting in a helpless shrug
in response.
Darian just shook his head in amusement. "The next time you do something
stupid which gets you kicked out of the cathedral overnight and you have to
crash on my couch again, I'll fire up the VCR and let you watch the Superman
movies I have. That should explain everything."
"Thanks, Darian," Alex grumbled quietly.
"Or you could always bring the VCR and tapes over here and hook them up to
the television for movie night one weekend," Leda said over her shoulder as she
tried to think of the best way to walk Serena through the quadratic equation
she was working on.
"So Mina can hijack it after the first movie?" Darian countered. "Why do
you think one hasn't been let in here so far? Those of us with testosterone in
our blood would be driven insane after the second chick-flick, assuming her
constant prattle about what goes on during the movie doesn't force us to tie
her up and leave her locked in a dark closet first."
"Amen," Artemis chimed in rather vehemently from the armchair.
"I think he's got a point," Serena muttered quietly.
"Focus on the homework, Serena," Luna said archly before she moved to sit
on the corner of the table. "And the rest of you need to quit distracting her
from her studies," she said in a very pointed tone.
"You, uh, might want to seriously consider doing this at home," Darian
said carefully as he glanced at the wall clock. "It's getting pretty late in
the evening, and with it being a Sunday and all...."
Alex cleared her throat quietly, idly tapping the blunt edge of her saber
against her shoulder. "Sorry, D, but Sue said we need to stay inside and guard
the Princess. I don't know what the hell is going on, to be honest, but after
seeing the look on Sue's face after being told she was going to have company,
I'm not about to let Serena out of my sight. Not until their little meeting is
over and Sue says everything is fine."
"Relax, Darian," Leda spoke up. "We can always just crack open a wormhole
and drop her off in the neighbor's yard if she needs to get home in a hurry.
Just settle down and go park your butt on the couch or something, okay? Now,
Serena, you're going to have to take this one step at a time, and you always
start with whatever is in the parentheses first."
Darian grumbled quietly to himself and headed over to the collection of
furniture. He cast an appraising glance at the armchair on the other side of
the coffee table and headed towards it. He nudged the cushioning with his leg
before gingerly sitting down, making sure not to squish either Artemis or Myst
in the process.
"Keeping Susan's seat warm?" Artemis inquired casually with an idle flick
of his tail.
"I figured it was a good place to park as any," Darian replied as he got
comfortable and rested his elbows on the armrests. Not surprisingly, it put
him within easy scratching distance of both cats. "So how are you feeling?" he
quietly asked Myst as he gave in to the sudden impulse to stroke her tail.
"Ask me when this is over," the Shinma replied sourly. "This entire world
of yours has been nothing but one complicated situation after another since I
got here, and I don't see an end to this madness coming anytime soon."
Darian just chuckled. "It could be worse, you know."
"D, you fool, don't jinx us!" Alex yelled across the room.
"Just think," he continued, ignoring the blonde's outburst. "At least you
have another world you can go back to, or wherever it is that you came from.
Me, I'm from this world so I'm pretty much stuck here."
Myst just shook her head slowly. "You're right, it could be worse," she
agreed as she started to preen her whiskers.
<If you think that is bad, Prince Darian,> Whisper's psionic voice softly
echoed in his mind, <You could always try living in my world for awhile.>
"I already have, Captain," he muttered to himself, drawing odd looks from
both Artemis and Myst. "What scares me is that I might end up back there on a
more permanent basis soon."
"You, uh, feeling okay there, big guy?" Artemis inquired cautiously, not
having heard Whisper's telepathic words to Darian.
A very soft laugh rose up from Darian's chest as he reached out to rub the
white cat's fur in a friendly manner. "Like the kitten said, my friend, ask me
when this is over," he said in a resigned tone. "Ask me when this is over...."
* * * *
Tolaris blinked and looked over his shoulder as the access hatch hissed
open, letting a rather petite avian climb out onto the roof. She had barely
stepped away from the ladder when another avian scrambled out after her, soon
followed by a third and then a fourth.
"Uh, Q?" he said to the petite avian, casting a slightly uneasy glance at
the steady stream of avians spreading out across the decontaminated part of the
facility's roof. "I don't mean to be rude here, but this whole region is about
to be flash-flooded into a soggy morass in the next three minutes...."
"We know, Commander," Thorn said with a soft click of her beak to indicate
amusement. "V'Lan ask if we can enjoy rain, K'tal say yes, word spread very
quickly to rest of Dragoon tribe. Hope you not mind company."
Tolaris cast a quick glance at the horde behind her and just shook his
head to himself, figuring that most if not all of the Legion's avian population
was now gathered together on the roof. "Not at all, Chief," he said as he made
sure his waterproof jacket was snugly and securely sealed shut. "I'd suggest
that everyone hunker down for a bit, however. The initial rain will be about
as torrential as I could make it, but it will slowly lighten up after several
minutes. Remember, the whole idea is to make it hard enough to wash the rest
of the contamination off of the hull," he pointed out.
"We know, Commander," she repeated with another soft click. She fluffed
up her feathers and called out to the rest of the group, using a series of very
piercing whistling-clicks that made Tolaris wince in pain. A chorus of chirps
and whistles answered her back as they all fluffed up and seemed to squat down,
their talons spread as wide as possible for maximum traction.
"Alright, Big Q," Tolaris replied with a shrug, using the tongue-in-cheek
nickname given to her by the rest of the Dragoon Legion. It had started with
people calling her younger brother V'Lan "Little Q" for his imposing size and
status as the Dragoon Legion's Quartermaster. When people realized that his
sister was about as short as an avian can get without being called a midget,
the "Big Q" nickname was born and she had been largely stuck with it since.
Neither she nor V'Lan seemed to mind the nicknames in the slightest, and most
Dragoons made it a point to only use such names among themselves.
The air was already thick with impending moisture, and one could almost
feel it condensing further with each passing second. It was no longer being
actively managed by Tolaris, now that it had been sufficiently formed, which
meant that the rain would now fall on its own without further intervention on
his part. He still wanted to keep a very close eye on it, however, which is
why he had suited up to brave what would very soon be a downpour of almost
biblical proportions.
He paused as a low roaring sound started up, tickling the very edge of his
hearing before slowly growing louder. Thinking it was some sort of machinery
being activated, he frowned and started to glance around for the source. He
blinked and froze a moment later as he realized that it wasn't a machine being
turned on but the sound of an almost literal wall of rain starting to come down
on the desert sand in the distance.
"Uhh, Commander?" Thorn said slowly as she cocked her head to listen.
"That not sound good. What is noise?"
"Okay, so maybe I over-did it this time...." Tolaris said quietly as he
made a pointing gesture behind the avian. She turned around and made a very
soft squeaking noise to herself, almost as if a mouse was being stepped on.
"That not rain, that airborne ocean!" she protested in shock.
"Everybody hold on!" Tolaris called out as the approaching front reached
the far end of the Headquarters Complex. He decided it was better to be soaked
than to be swept across the length of the roof to the edge, and so he sat down
to brace himself as best he could.
The sound of heavy rain reached a deep and almost frightening crescendo as
the leading edge of the curtain of water swept across the roof where they were
at. He remembered Ami telling him how Leda had once described a heavy downpour
as "raining cats, dogs, and large wharf rats", but right now it felt like an
entire zoo of animals was falling from the dark sky above him. The waterproof
jacket held out for all of six seconds before he began to feel the unusually
warm water seeping inside to soak his tunic.
Thorn tried to say something to him, but her voice was quite literally
drowned out by the thunderous cascade of heavy rain. A slight vibration from
his belt suggested that his comm-link was beeping for attention, but the sound
was likewise completely and utterly lost amid the cacophony. There was very
little wind in the storm, which relieved him greatly as he had every reason to
believe that even a little gust could wash him off of the roof at that point.
Whether the lack of wind was due to a very low pressure difference on either
side of the front or if it was simply being beaten down by the rain was a minor
mystery to him, but he wasn't about to bet against the latter being the truth.
It seemed that several very long minutes passed before the aerial flood
began to abate, easing off in intensity and volume until it was merely a very
heavy rain. 'Just' a heavy rain, he thought to himself with an ironic grunt of
remote amusement as he lifted his head up to look around. None of the avians
seemed to have been dislodged or otherwise washed away, but every single one of
them presently looked like a drowned rat.
"Maybe this not smart after all," Thorn chirped loudly at him once the din
had faded enough to let them hear one another.
"I warned you," Tolaris called back as he tried wiping his eyes. It was
a lost cause at the moment, as the rain was still coming down hard enough to
blind him again after a quarter-second.
"We recover," she said in dismissal as she puffed up her feathers out and
fluffed them as hard as she could. The end result was a momentary explosion of
water in all directions and not a few feather fragments winding up on the roof
to be carried away by the sheets of water cascading towards the edges. "Ouch,
rain still too hard," she grumbled.
"Patience, Chief," Tolaris said as he carefully rose to his knees. The
rain was continuing to ease off, but at a very slow and casual pace that showed
no signs of ending completely anytime soon. A simple glance off to his side
revealed the startling sight of a desert valley completely flooded with water,
making it look like a shallow lake instead. "Oops, now I know for a fact that
I over-did it. I know the river drains into the ocean further down the line,
but I really hope this won't be a flooding hazard for someone else...."
That prompted a startled chirp from the avian. "You not check downstream
for villages?" she inquired.
"Of course I checked," Tolaris replied. "I just didn't think that I was
drawing THIS much water into the storm," he said with a gesture around them.
Thorn leaned to one side to get a better look at the surrounding terrain,
carefully puffing her feathers up to try to unstick them from one another. "Is
desert plain," she chirped with a physical shrug. "Dry sand not absorb water
very quickly. I give ten minutes, can see sand again. Very wet sand," she
added with a series of chirps that sounded suspiciously like giggles. "Maybe
we make new beach for day or two?"
Tolaris shook his head at the mental image of several uniformed Dragoons
playing in the sand and making sand castles. "Only if you want to spend a week
combing all that sand out of your feathers," he said dryly.
"Good shower clear sand out," Thorn replied as she braced herself and
fluffed hard again, resulting in another large explosion of water and broken
feather particles. "Ahhhh, much better. Good cleansing of under-feathers,"
she cooed as she started a gentle series of shivers and shakes that kept an
almost constant spray of water in the air.
Tolaris just shook his head as he glanced around, noticing that the rest
of the avians were all doing the same thing. "Humor me for a moment, Chief,"
he said to her as he watched the Dragoon 'tribe' bathe themselves. "Taking a
shower like the rest of us doesn't do anything for avians?"
"Shower good for simple cleaning," Thorn explained. "But sometimes tribe
need good, deep, relaxing cleaning. You soak in steaming bath, we perch out in
rain. Mild rain best kind," she added with a chirp of humor. "Heavy enough to
soak, not heavy enough to drown. We take oil bath on occasion, but water bath
not good for under-feathers."
"Ah, I see," Tolaris said with a nod of understanding. "So I take it this
is basically a special treat for you?"
"Is fair comparison," she agreed with a click of her beak. "Rain come
often to Central Plains, but not last very long and often on-duty when falls.
Most of tribe not needed for duty now, can enjoy good rain together like proper
avian tribe."
"So who's missing, then?" Tolaris wondered as he scanned the crowd of
shivering and fluffing avians.
"Three," Thorn replied. "Hatch and Ra'vel assisting with Engineering,
As'pel say she have head cold and not want rain to make her worse."
"Makes sense," the Dragoon commander agreed as he looked up to study the
layer of clouds. The rain was starting to taper off now, presently little more
than a very heavy drizzle. He figured that the drizzle would last for another
five or ten minutes before ceasing entirely, giving the flooded desert a chance
to begin draining itself into the river. The river itself was completely lost
to the eye, but he thought he could make out a current of sort starting to form
in the distance.
The comm-link on his belt made a very sick buzzing sound, causing Tolaris
to blink in surprise before removing it. He shook it gently and blinked again
as a measure of water sloshed out, followed by another decidedly unusual noise
as it beeped again. "So much for being waterproof," he grumbled as he braced
himself and flicked his thumb over the switch. "Tolaris here," he said once he
was sure that he wasn't going to be electrocuted by the device.
"That not good," Thorn observed as the speaker made a series of empty
clicks and buzzes, indicating that the electrical components inside were most
likely flooded out.
"Signal again, please," Tolaris said loudly into the microphone. "I think
this thing has some significant water damage."
"...ze...r...tk....bl...."
"They not made like they used to," the avian chirped in amusement.
"I'll be down in a few minutes," Tolaris said into the defunct comm-link
before he switched it off and put it back on his belt. "You know, I think this
is the first time I've seen one break like this," he mused. "Granted I've had
to replace mine a few times, but that was always because they were shorted out
by an electrical field, were squished beneath something truly heavy, or simply
blown-up outright by someone shooting at me. I've never flooded one before."
"K'tal should be amused," Thorn pointed out. "V'Lan more so."
"At least until he has to do the paperwork," Tolaris replied with a quiet
chuckle. He looked around the flooded terrain for several moments before a
soft sigh rose up from his chest. "I should go see what K'tal wants," he said
quietly as he started to turn towards the sealed stairwell.
"One moment, Commander," Thorn said as she reached out to gently grab his
elbow. "While we out here and away from others, I have small question about
what you say earlier. About Moon Princess," she added in a hushed tone.
"What about Princess Serena?" Tolaris inquired calmly.
"You.... are telling truth about Captain being father?" the petite avian
asked in a very hushed tone, almost as if she found it impossible to fathom.
Tolaris nodded somberly. "Chief, if it turns out that Captain Raijen is
*not* Serena's father, after all that I've seen and heard about it, then I'm
going to have to be committed to a mental institution due to insanity. I might
even end up with a room next to Commander Obelisk," he added with a note of
what some might call gallows humor as he mentioned the Dragoon commander who
had been forced to resign after the stress of the Mintaka Campaign had exacted
an extremly heavy toll on her sanity.
"That not funny, Tolaris," Thorn said in a flat tone.
"Neither is our situation," Tolaris said pointedly. "I am fully convinced
beyond all doubts that she is not only Raijen's daughter but the only one who
can save our world from itself. Prince Darian of Earth is our Crown Prince,
and I have every reason to believe that Princess Serena will become his bride
within a decade, barring a major catastrophe," he added, doing his best not to
think of the high tension between Darian and Serena the last time he saw them
together. "A new Crown Princess won't be too far behind that, and she will be
OUR Crown Princess," he emphasized. "The one who will accede the throne and
rule over our world. If nothing else, Chief, I think helping re-establish the
monarchy is a worthwhile enough goal."
"We meet her soon?" she inquired cautiously, fluffing up and shivering for
a reason that had very little to do with the light drizzle still falling around
them both.
"I'm working on that," Tolaris said quietly. "Her communicator signal
vanished several seconds before the blast, which means that the Sailor Scouts
were able to successfully rescue her and returned to Earth. As soon as I'm
done up here, I'll sit down with K'tal and discuss our options for trying to
get in touch with them. I'm pretty confident that a meeting of some sort can
be arranged. And even if we can't do that, I know that we will be able to get
a copy of the genetic analysis Sailor Mercury ran on her shortly before this
mess started. A simple gene comparison to what we have in the database should
definitively clear up the picture one way or the other."
Chief Thorn clicked her beak softly for several seconds before she looked
up at him intently. "So you would make her Queen?" she ventured softly.
"No, I wouldn't," Tolaris replied. "I wouldn't seek to make her anything
she isn't. If she in time becomes the Queen-Regent, so be it. And if she
steps back and permits Darian to make another woman the mother of his child, as
he briefly did with Queen Beryl, then we will have a different Queen-Regent.
I will not seek to force the role on anyone, but instead ensure that Princess
Serena has the option available to her if she desires to take that path. We
have to keep in mind that the true key in this situation is Prince Darian."
Thorn fluffed up and shivered again. "You think we might have problem
with Prince being forced on someone?" she ventured. "Power of Queen-Regent
strong temptation to some, strong enough to act upon. Remember, you say mind
of Prince broken once before, can be broken again for same purpose."
"Don't give anyone any ideas," the Dragoon commander muttered sourly. "I
don't see that happening, to be honest, as the Sailor Scouts would probably
react just as badly to any such attempt on him as they did when Serena was
kidnapped yesterday. It doesn't seem like yesterday, does it?" he added in a
distracted tone.
"It very long day," Thorn suggested casually.
"That's the truth," Tolaris sighed heavily. He looked up as he noticed
that the rain had finally ceased entirely before glancing around the landscape
once again. "Wow, I'm impressed," he admitted as he noticed that most of the
temporary lake had drained away or otherwise been absorbed. Huge puddles still
remained here and there, and the entire valley was now a dark brownish color
from all the moisture. The valley's river was visible again as well, rushing
towards the northern ocean in a somewhat dangerous torrent of raging water as
the valley finished draining into it.
"You not spend much time in desert terrain, do you?" Thorn teased him.
"I spend full decade in Lex'eri region as air-scout before joining Dragoon
tribe, I see many rains and flooding. You get used to sight. One question
before you see K'tal," she added, her voice dropping in tone. "You spend much
time on Earth with Sailor Scouts. What Earth like? I not get chance to ask
Ra'vel yet, so I ask while you here."
A quiet smile crossed Tolaris' face. "It truly is a beautiful world to
behold, Q. The sky is an azure shade, which takes a little getting used to at
first. Their sun is younger than ours, so it's still fairly yellow. Sure,
they have their own species of flora and fauna, most of which is not anywhere
close to being as dangerous as what we've got, but the true beauty of their
world lies in the humans themselves. Physically they look like us, but there
is a sort of.... controlled chaos, if you will, around them that sort of takes
your breath away with the sheer energy behind it. Human life is extremely
dynamic and several aspects change almost on a day-to-day basis. If not more
frequently," he added as he thought of Mina's tendency for mood-swings.
"You like Earth?" Thorn asked carefully.
"It's almost impossible not to," Tolaris admitted. "Honestly, there is
just something about life among the humans that makes it worth the hassle and
occasional stress of dealing with them. Their food is absolutely delicious,
although you really have to be extremely careful about what you eat. Most of
the food-related problems can be dealt with easily enough, but some things are
just simply too toxic for words. If you're ever on Earth, don't eat anything
made by General Tso," he added wryly.
A sharp chirp of laughter made several avian heads turn to look at her.
"I doubt I ever see Earth," she said to him, still highly amused at the notion.
"I not look like human, they probably panic when see me."
"It all depends on where you go," Tolaris said gently. "The Sailor Scouts
have kept me company for months, and they're all quite used to Ra'vel. Granted
she only got to leave the cathedral grounds once, and even then the disguise we
used wasn't perfect, but it was enough to let her see part of the city. That
reminds me, I really need to see if I can identify that device Serena used," he
said, more to himself than to the avian.
"Would Sailor Scouts want to meet me?" Thorn asked, her head tilted almost
completely sideways as she regarded him very intently.
Tolaris paused and looked up at her. "I don't see why they wouldn't," he
replied slowly. "They well and truly are friendly people, Chief. Granted some
have a few rough edges, like Sailor Uranus and sometimes Sailor Jupiter when
she's in a grumpy mood, but what living being doesn't have occasional moods?
And like I said, they're quite used to things like avians and weavers and even
Felinoids. Just give them a chance, you'd be surprised by how adaptable those
humans can be."
Thorn studied him for a moment before nodding in understanding, clicking
her beak quietly. "I think I understand, Commander," she said. "I wait and
see how situation turn out first."
"A good idea," Tolaris agreed with a nod of his own. He glanced around
the region for a brief moment before sighing quietly. "Well, I think that's it
for the rain. Hopefully it took most of the radiation off of the hull with it.
The rest of you might not want to linger out here for too long, just in case
there are still a few hot spots," he warned her.
"Night already here, desert air not going to warm until dawn," she said
with a casual gesture. "We shake off worst of water and head back inside soon
as we finished cleaning under-feathers."
Tolaris simply nodded and started to head towards the hatch, which had
been thankfully closed by some thoughtful individual before the rain had hit.
He paused as a sudden thought popped into his mind and he cast a slightly wary
glance over his shoulder. "Oh, one thing, Chief.... try to dry off as quickly
as possible once you come back inside. I know Asrial is allergic to vep'teras,
but I'm not sure how well she'd react to encountering what a flock of very wet
avians smells like...."
"We take care of that soonest, Commander," Thorn chirped in a tone as dry
as the desert sands were fifteen minutes ago. "Rain-soaked denizen not smell
too appealing to tribe, either. Should have brought soap."
"Thanks, Q," Tolaris chuckled as he briefly clapped her shoulder before
heading over to the hatch. He could almost hear his underwear squishing as he
walked, trying not to think about how long it would be before he could take a
properly-heated shower and change into new clothes. Clothes that he would have
to borrow from the general linen supply first....
General D'Azer's Third Rule of Operations and Warfare, he thought as he
clambered down the metal ladder. Always, always, always know where your clean
underwear is stashed. You can fight without ammunition, you can fight without
a proper weapon, you can even fight without any clothing, but it is a basic and
fundamental understanding of warfare that fighting in wet underwear will very
quickly lead to defeat. You know, he thought with a chuckle, now that I stop
and think about it, maybe that explains why she water-bombed the Second Plains
Shock Division before the counter-attack during the Fifty Waves Campaign....
* * * *
"Ooof! Ergh, ow, ow, dammit, slow down," Mina complained as she gingerly
walked down the gravel path. She had finally asked to borrow Alex's white gown
after not being able to find something suitable of her own. It was a fairly
close match to her own measurements, if she ignored where the hemline came down
to, and she only needed a quick bit of minor safety-pin alterations for it to
fit just right. The shoes were her own, however, and she was starting to gain
an understanding of just how dangerous it was to try to walk on a surface of
loose gravel while wearing two-inch stiletto heels with your dress hitched up
several inches so it wouldn't drag on the ground.
"I warned you," Susan said simply. She was wearing low-heeled shoes and
a black evening gown that left her back open. Her wings were out and neatly
folded against her back, her dark green hair tied up in a bun that left the
remainder to neatly fall in the space between her wings. "It is, of course,
not too late to return to the cathedral if movement is too difficult for you."
"Give it a rest, demon," Mina sighed in a weary tone as she glanced over
at Ami. The midnight-blue dress that she was wearing was new to the blonde, or
at least she couldn't remember seeing it before, and it looked to be more than
a little form-fitting around the hips and chest. "You alright, Ami?" she asked
carefully as she notice the slightly haunted look on the other girl's face.
"I'm fine," Ami replied quietly without looking up. She suddenly came to
an abrupt halt without warning, blinking in surprise before she lifted her head
up and cocked it slightly. "Wait, what's that sound?" she asked.
"What sound?" Mina inquired as she likewise paused to listen. She focused
intently for a moment before she could hear the faintest of clomping sounds off
in the distance. "Hmm, sounds like horses or something," she ventured.
"It should be," Susan said calmly. "If memory serves, the Countess tends
to favor using a horse-drawn carriage whenever she leaves her demiplane."
"Wait, what?" Mina said, blinking in surprise. "Demiplane? I thought she
was rumored to dwell somewhere in the Scottish Isles?"
Susan sighed quietly and turned around to face the blonde. "Perhaps now
you understand that your supposed knowledge and lore is lacking when it comes
to the situation at hand?" She ignored the way Mina bristled at the comment
and pressed on. "While I do believe she has a castle on the Isle of Skye in
Scotland, her primary place of residence is in a demiplane that is partially
anchored to the Plane of Shadows. She may be a noble vampire, but she is also
a planetar who can travel to various planes of existence. I will explain later
if you wish," she added as the sound of horses grew both louder and closer.
"Alright, alright," Mina fumed quietly. "Yeesh, you make one mistake and
you'd think the world would come to a cataclysmic end or something. Uh, Ami?"
she said as the air temperature suddenly dropped by twenty degrees, causing a
light fog to start seeping out of the ground. "Please tell me that one of your
Mercury Bubbles got away from you just now...."
"I didn't do anything," Ami protested in an uneasy tone.
"Chancellor?" Mina inquired in a very wary tone.
"Silence would be appreciated, Lady Venus," Susan sighed as she tugged a
wrinkle out of her gown and quickly picked up the pace. They were almost to
the end of the gravel driveway and thus only had another ten yards or so to go
before it met the paved street.
They reached the end of the road just as a horse-drawn carriage came into
view, pulled along by four black steeds as dark as the night itself. The air
became even colder as it approached, causing the fog to thicken up until the
surface of the road seemed to become submerged in a sea of swirling mists.
"Jesus," Mina breathed softly as she felt the chill starting to seep into
her bones. She briefly rubbed her upper arms before glancing over at Ami, not
liking the sudden change in her expression. "Good thing you like cold, huh?"
she asked in a soft whisper, frowning as she only got a brief glance in return
before the blue-haired girl refocused on the approaching carriage.
A massive golem-like man could be seen holding the reins as the carriage
drew near. A simple flick and a low whistle caused the horses to slow their
pace and settle into a casual trot, the sound of their hooves seeming to have
a faint metallic echo as they pulled the carriage behind them. The carriage
continued to roll forward until the horses were stopped by another deep-pitched
command, leaving the carriage door virtually even with Susan.
"Good evening, Cale," Susan called out, giving the manservant a bow of her
head in recognition.
"Lady Susan," he replied in a voice deep enough to make Mina shiver just
a little bit on the inside. It was the kind of depth that bass singers would
kill for, able to reach the lowest of tones that were audible and capable of
making your bones vibrate slightly if you listened long enough.
The carriage door opened up a moment later, swinging outwards to allow a
small set of stairs to unfold from within. The carriage tilted to one side as
a weight was shifted before a woman stepped out, wearing a rather thick fur
cloak with the hood drawn back. She seemed to be in her mid-thirties as she
stepped down to the ground, absently keeping the cloak tucked around her.
"Countess MacDara," Susan said quietly as she took a few steps forward and
briefly knelt in front of her.
"Susan," the Countess said with surprising warmth, giving the succubus a
genuine smile. "It is good to see that you've finally returned to us. Come,
enough of that, my dear," she said as she made a gesture. "I see Megan managed
to warn you of my visit, though I was honestly trying to make it a surprise."
Susan rose to her feet and regarded the other woman very carefully. "With
all due respect, my lady, some surprises are best avoided as they more often
than not lead to unpredictable results," she said in a diplomatic tone. "In
this case, advanced notice of your visit was greatly appreciated."
"Stuffy as always," the Countess observed with a faint smile. "Well, I
suppose that's good, as it means you haven't changed in your absence. I trust
you will take the time to explain that to us one of these days? Forgive me if
I seem a little.... irritable with your absence, but having the Portal sealed
shut for so long has had.... consequences."
"Consequences?" Susan echoed, giving her a startled look. "But Lord Hades
assured me that...."
"Consequences for me, at least," Elaine amended quickly. "I ended up
becoming ensnared in the Mists for a number of centuries until I figured out
another way to give them the proverbial slip. But enough about me, my dear, I
see you have a few friends with you. Good evening, ladies," she said to Ami
and Mina.
"Countess," Mina replied as she made a rather graceful curtsey.
"Oh, my," Elaine murmured in approval. "If I didn't know better, I'd say
you have more than a little English in you."
"This is Mina Aino, avatar of Lady Aphrodite," Susan said with a small bow
of her head. "And this is Ami Mizuno, avatar of Lord Hermes."
"Ah," the Countess said with a nod of understanding. "Your fellow avatar
sisters, I really shouldn't be surprised. You always did keep some of the most
interesting company I've ever been in. But you ladies are so young...." she
added, almost as if in disappointment.
"Age, as Susan keeps saying, is merely a state of mind," Mina replied with
a faint smirk.
"Mina," Susan said quietly in a faintly warning tone.
"Oh, but she is quite right, my dear," Elaine said to Susan as she moved
over to where Mina was standing. Ami seemed to edge back a pace but the blonde
held her ground, keeping her attention squarely on the chestnut-haired woman as
she approached. "In fact, now that I can get a better look at you, I'm quite
sure you've got some strong English blood in you."
"I should hope so," Mina replied with a charming smile. "You and I have
never met, of course, but I believe you know who my grandmother is. I'm told
you had a run-in with her in Lochaber, Scotland a good fifty years ago."
"Mina...." Susan started to say before falling silent as Elaine raised a
hand, making a slight gesture for silence. The Countess waited to make sure
she would remain silent before she narrowed her green eyes and studied the soft
lines of Mina's face very carefully. Her gaze then fell on the rather ornate
gold crucifix that hung from Mina's neck on a well-worn silver chain.
"There are few humans I have met who would have cause to remember such a
thing for themselves, let alone pass down as family history," she finally said
in a measured tone, staring hard at the crucifix. "Fewer still in such a land,
as I do not venture there very often. Only three such people stand out in my
own memories of that night, and of them only one was a woman. It was she who
tried to use this against me," she said, reaching out to very carefully lift up
the crucifix with a manicured nail. "I remember this well, as I do the one who
was foolish enough to try to harm me. You do not look like your grandmother,
dear child, but I don't doubt that the blood of Estelle Harker-Williams flows
in your veins. Does she still live?"
"Very much so," Mina replied calmly. Her composure was perfect on the
outside, but inside she was chilled to her very core at the realization that
the vampiress wasn't fazed in the slightest by the crucifix. She had the other
one discreetly tucked in her right hand, the silver one she had picked up when
she was in a whimsical mood and had it concecrated by a local priest, but she
had thought it would be far less effective than the one given to her by her
grandmother and supposedly blessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury himself.
"Odd," the Countess mused quietly. "I find myself actually quite pleased
to hear such a thing. How very interesting. If I were to write a letter and
have a minion deliver it to you, do you think you could see that it makes its
way to your grandmother?" she inquired, finally turning her attention away from
the gold crucifix to study the blueness of Mina's eyes.
Mina blinked hard as the blood in her veins seemed to turn into slush.
"I.... will consider it," she finally managed to say, actively fighting the
impulse to withdraw the vial of holy water from her Lunar Space pocket. She
continued to remain in a near-panic on the inside, starting to have very strong
doubts about the usefulness of the sanctified water given the failure of the
crucifix to deter the vampiress from touching her. A memory suddenly bubbled
up from the depths of her mind, reminding her that she still had the borrowed
plasma sword in her immediate possession. That led to a small sigh of relief
as she realized that the super-heated plasma would most likely be enough to
provide an adequate means of defense. If given enough time to pull it out and
ignite it....
The blonde had to literally bite her tongue to keep herself from making a
horrified sound as the Countess smiled gently, revealing the very tips of her
elongated fangs. "You need not worry about anything, dear child, I don't hold
a grudge against her. Foolish people tend to make foolish mistakes, and I for
one have always tried to give them a chance to learn from such mistakes. The
majority of my peers don't agree with me, of course, but then again they have
always described me as being a bit of a free-spirited rogue. This needs to be
cleaned, by the way," she added lightly, lifting her finger up to show Mina the
crucifix. "The passage of time tends to tarnish many, many things."
"I'll look into it," Mina promised in a quiet tone.
Elaine smiled at her again and laughed softly to herself, a quiet and deep
sound that made Mina shiver just slightly despite her best efforts. She let go
of the crucifix and watched as it fell back against the hollow of the blonde's
throat before she turned away to study Ami very carefully. "And what do we
have here?" she asked in a very quiet whisper, a slight frown crossing her face
as she sensed that everything wasn't as it seemed to be.
"My lady...." Susan started to say.
"Patience, Guardian," the Countess interrupted gently. "I know your time
is important, but you are as eternal as I am, which means there is really no
need to be so impatient. We will discuss what I came here for soon enough, but
first I would like to get to know your fellow avatars just a little. Your name
is Ami, yes?" she said as she turned back to the blue-haired girl. "I haven't
seen hair like yours since the planar portal at Stonehenge mysteriously quit
working one dark night. You have the prettiest eyes to match too, that's a bit
of a rarity as well."
"Thank you," Ami said very quietly.
"Oh, come now, there's no need to be quite so shy," Elaine cooed back in
a gentle tone. "Contrary to what your fellow avatars might have said about me,
I don't bite strangers or even casual acquaintences. I'm not as greedy as the
rest of my kind is purported to be."
The Countess fell silent as she continued to study Ami, still unable to
shake off the feeling that she was missing something. "You look like you have
something rather heavy on your mind, my pretty," she finally said softly. "I
will not try to pry it from you, of course, but if you have a question you'd
care to have answered you are very much invited to ask."
"What exactly are you?" Ami asked in a very hesitant tone.
"Now there's a heavy question," Elaine sighed quietly to herself. "The
short explanation is a vampire, of course, but I think you already knew that.
Indeed, I would have thought that your demonic friend here could explain the
details just as well as I can," she added, glancing over at Susan.
"I had planned on addressing the issue at a slightly more convenient and
less tense point in time," Susan intoned in a perfectly neutral voice.
The Countess merely shook her head to herself. "Susan, Susan, Susan," she
sighed quietly. "I don't mean to be rude or offensive here, my dear, but has
anyone ever told you that you are awfully starchy for a succubus?"
"On a daily basis," Susan replied dryly. "Hourly if the avatar of Lord
Ouranos happens to be involved in the conversation."
"Well, at least you are aware of it," Elaine sighed again. "No matter.
To answer your question properly, my pretty, would take several hours. Suffice
it to say that I am someone who has lived a significantly long life and have
every intention of continuing to exist for as long as humanity as a species
exists. Should you wish to discuss the finer details, I'm sure I can arrange
to have you escorted to my castle for an informal gathering. I'd even be more
than delighted to host your fellow sisters-in-arms as well," she added, giving
Mina a genuinely amused smile.
"No doubt that you would, my lady," Mina replied with just the faintest
hint of acid to her otherwise charming tone.
"That will be enough, Mina," Susan said in a clear warning tone before she
silently cleared her throat and turned to the Countess. "With all due respect,
Countess, I should like to inquire as to precisely why you sought to visit me
here in the mortal realms. Surely if all you sought was an audience regarding
access to the Portal to Time, a simple request through an intermediary or sent
by a messenger would have been enough to secure my attention and services in a
timely fashion."
"If that is what I sought, then you would be correct," Elaine said as she
turned away from Ami to face Susan, her mood visibly shifting. "As you seem to
be unusually impatient for some reason, I shall not waste your precious time
any further."
"My lady...." Susan started to say in a conciliatory tone.
"I understand you had a rather unpleasant encounter yesterday with one of
my minions," the vampiress said, ignoring her words. "A succubus by the name
of Lorelei who was apparently attempting to steal a relic of some value."
Susan paused and regarded her carefully, suddenly wary of the situation.
"The name means nothing to me, my lady, for I did not stop to ask what her name
was when I intervened to prevent her from assassinating the avatar of Lord
Posiedon," she said crisply.
"Settle down, Susan, I am not here to accuse you of anything," Elaine said
in a calm and quiet tone. "I have only recently become aware of what she was
doing, and I assure you that it was not done with my sanction. I have learned
much in the past day, and what I have discovered disturbs me greatly. She was
performing tasks for a planar entity whom I have yet to identify, the latest of
which being the recovery of a golden brooch of an unknown origin. I have not
seen this brooch for myself, but when I finally located her she was in the
company of an old associate of yours. Amman Tobin," she added darkly.
"The Pharaoh of Time?" Mina blurted out before Susan could say anything,
her blue eyes dangerously wide. "But the legends...!"
"Are wrong, of course," Susan said, giving the upset blonde a sidelong
look that was described as somewhere between dark and blistering. "If you will
be so kind as to refrain from interrupting, I will explain the true story to
you at a later date. He has the brooch, then?" she asked of the Countess as
she turned back to face the other woman.
"I would imagine he either has it or knows where it went," the Countess
replied with a shrug of indifference. "Had I been aware of it at the time, I
would have asked him about it when I was picking up Lorelei. I must say, you
really did a number on her," she added with a faint smile. "I've never seen
bones warped quite like that before."
Susan sighed quietly and looked down at the fog-covered ground for a brief
moment. "Thank you for telling me about this," she said softly. "I will go
have a conversation with him in very short order, I assure you."
"Oh, I don't doubt that in the slightest," the vampiress replied, seeming
to be amused by something. "I don't have much of an idea of what is going on
around here, but my woman's intuition is telling me two things. The first is
that Lorelei was only a minor pawn, a single cog in a much larger machination
that will take some time to discover and discern before it becomes apparent to
the rest of Creation. The second feeling, however, is the disturbing sense
that no matter what comes of this, it will not bode well for any of us. As you
will no doubt seek to unravel the mystery behind this theft and attack against
your fellow avatar, I urge you to tread with the utmost care and caution."
"A wise suggestion indeed, my lady," Susan said with a bow of her head.
"I think that about covers everything," Elaine said with a smile. "Rest
assured I will keep you informed if I happen to encounter anything on my own
related to this incident. Oh, and I have a small gift for the one whom Lorelei
sought to attack. A minor token of apology on my part, as she was one of my
minions. Cale!" she called out over her shoulder.
Susan blinked as the massive man-servant reached under his seat to remove
a medium-sized and extremely ornate wooden box. "Countess MacDara, I'm sure
that such a gift isn't necessary...."
"Eeep!" Mina gasped as the wooden box suddenly exploded into a cloud of
tiny brown bats. The horde seemed to swirl around madly for a moment before
they converged on where the vampiress was standing. She held her hands out as
they flocked together, merging into a single mass that reshaped itself into the
elaborate box that Cale had been holding only moments earlier.
"What, that surprised you?" the Countess inquired lightly as she felt the
weight of the box settle into her hands. She paused to glance at the looks on
both Mina's and Ami's faces before laughing quietly to herself. "I will admit
it is a rather nice trick I learned during my stay in the Dread Realms. Don't
let it fool you, heavy objects are quite a pain in the backside to relocate in
that fashion, so it's best to restrict it to smaller items. Here," she added
as she held the box out to Susan. "Please accept it with my apologies. Your
friend may rest assured that such an incident will not be repeated."
Susan gave her a slightly uneasy look as she accepted by box. It was made
from a rare kind of wood and decorated with surprisingly intricate designs, all
inlaid with gold and silver filigree. Even without identifying the presently
unknown contents, it was obvious that the box was worth a considerable amount
of money. "My lady...."
"You may open it if you wish," the Countess said with a soft smile. "I'm
sure you can appreciate the gift just as much as the lady avatar should."
Susan blinked hard and regarded her very carefully before casting a quick
glance over at Ami and Mina. The blonde seemed to be intensely curious about
the box, but Ami seemed to be more than a little uneasy for some reason. A
small flag went up in the back of Susan's mind as she glanced back at the odd
smile on Elaine's face. She then turned her attention to the small latch on
the box lid, absently noting that it seemed to be genuine platinum. A simple
flick of her thumb was enough to open it, letting her hold the box in one hand
as she used the other to ease the lid open just enough to peer inside.
She stared hard into the box before she very gingerly closed the lid and
secured the latch. "Countess MacDara, this is.... not necessary," she said in
a very delicate tone, giving her a clearly unsettled look.
"Perhaps not from your point of view, my dear," Elaine replied calmly.
"I, however, view such a betrayal as a very grave offense. You should at least
see that the lady avatar is given the box, if nothing else. While I am not
completely responsible for what Lorelei has done, as it was done without my
knowledge or sanction, I think the least I can do is make sure that she won't
be doing such a thing in the future. And as she likewise attacked you, I'm
sure your demonic side can appreciate the sentiment behind the gift."
"I will see that Lady Neptune is given the box, my lady," Susan said in an
unusually subdued tone.
"Thank you, Susan," the Countess replied with a slight nod of her head.
"Now then, as I'm sure you and your companions have much to talk about, I think
it is best if I returned to my realm. Don't get me wrong, I'm still amazed at
what this world has become over the centuries, but I don't feel too comfortable
amid all these steel buildings and noisy vehicles," she said, casting a glare
over her shoulder to the glow of the city behind her.
"Technology isn't your cup of tea, I take it?" Mina spoke up, drawing a
piercing look of warning from Susan.
Elaine simply laughed softly to herself and gave the blonde an amused
smile. "I'm old-fashioned, dear, I can't help it. The ninth century was just
such an utterly fascinating epoch that I wound up a little behind the curve of
progress and never bothered to truly keep up. Don't get me wrong, things like
modern plumbing and carriages with shock-absorbing suspension are just absolute
godsends and I shudder to think of having to go back to life without them. But
I will pass on your televisions, steel towers, and microwave ovens. I am not
so impatient that I cannot wait for a meal to be properly cooked," she added,
giving Susan a faintly coy glance.
"How old are you?" Ami asked in a very quiet whisper, causing everyone
else to blink at the sudden question.
"Ancient," the Countess sighed quietly. "Truly, you are asking a lot if
you want me to remember with any precision. I do remember the rise and fall of
the so-called Holy Roman Empire in my youth, however, so that should give you
some indication of my age. Of course, my memories of my youth are more than a
little decayed these days," she added. "Much like our demoness here, I'm sure
what constituted my youth spanned several centuries in of itself."
"Jesus H. Christ...." Mina whispered in shock.
"A very interesting man," Elaine said absently. "A little sanctimonious
at times, perhaps, but very charismatic. Powerful, too. I couldn't get even
remotely close to him without my blood turning warm. That was a rather unique
and unsavory experience, I'll admit. No matter, he is.... no longer hanging
around with the rest of us," she added lightly, giving Mina a smug smile.
"Don't," Ami said very softly to Mina as she saw the look in her eyes.
"In any case, my dears, I have no wish to overstay my welcome," Elaine
said as she turned back to Susan. "I do thank you for your willingness to meet
with me like this, especially on such.... short notice. Indeed, perhaps Megan
was right to warn you of my visit," she admitted with a soft chuckle. "I shall
have to ask how she did it, as there was only the span of maybe five minutes
between our parting and my arrival here."
"We succubi have our ways," Susan allowed with a bow of her head and a
small smile that was just a little on the mischievous side.
"Yes, you certainly do," Elaine said dryly. "That's probably the only
reason why I go to all the trouble of keeping a few in my service, as there are
not many entities who can perform certain tasks like they can. No matter. I
shall be off now, thank you for the audience, my dear."
"Thank you for the information regarding what has happened," Susan replied
with a deep bow of her head. "It is greatly appreciated, I assure you."
"Just be careful when you start looking into dark corners," the vampiress
warned in a soft tone. "I'm serious, Guardian, I do not like the feel of this
one in the slightest. Tread carefully with Amman, he can be a testy bastard if
you get him riled up enough."
A small smile brushed against the corners of Susan's lips. "I am quite
aware of the pharaoh's temper," she said demurely.
"It was good to meet with you girls," Elaine said as she turned to face
Ami and Mina. "I have the disturbing feeling that we will meet again in the
none-too-distant future for some reason, though I can't say that I have any
inkling why. Call it a hunch. Oh, and I should have a letter written for your
grandmother within a week," she added as she looked at Mina. "It will take a
day or three to pen properly, as I need to sit down and consider how I want to
phrase things, but I shall have someone deliver it to you once I complete it.
Sealed, of course, as what I have to say is not for prying eyes. Unless, of
course, she decides to share it with you, which is certainly her prerogative."
"We'll see," Mina said in a neutral tone.
"I see you have your grandmother's charm," Elaine observed with a smile.
"Let me guess, she tried teaching you the same misconceptions that she herself
was taught about being a so-called vampire hunter? A pity," she added as she
saw the subtle change in Mina's flat gaze. "She was fortunate enough to have
survived her foolishness when many of her comrades-in-arms were not so lucky.
I would have hoped that she would have learned something from that incident.
I shall have to ask her about it in the letter. Regardless, it is good to see
that her life has had some positive meaning."
"Thank you," Mina replied, not knowing what else to say.
"Come, Cale!" the Countess of Glenmont called out as she strode over to
the carriage and started to climb back inside. "Let us depart this realm and
head back home. You girls take care," she said as the stairs were pulled up.
"My lady," Susan said, giving the carriage a brief curtsey as the door was
closed and fastened. The golem-like manservant waited for several seconds
before he lifted the reins and made a sharp whistling sound, causing the dark
steeds to start in on a gentle trot.
"Well now, that was.... interesting," Mina commented once the carriage was
well out of earshot. The dark chill that had surrounded them started to fade
away after a few seconds, allowing the low-lying fog to dissipate on its own.
"So what's in the box, anyway? Uh, Susan...?" she said, trailing off as she
caught a glimpse of the expression on the succubus' face.
"Lady Venus," Susan said in a very soft tone that was audibly strained.
"I distinctly remember asking you, repeatedly, not to do anything that would
upset or otherwise provoke her. You have not only ignored my advice, but have
deliberately gone out of your way to antagonize her. I well and truly believe
you do not understand the gravity of the mistake you have just made, and I pray
with absolute sincerity that it does not come back to haunt you as I fear that
it will in the very near future."
Mina cast a sidelong glance at Ami before taking a deep breath. "Okay,
Chancellor Meiou, educate me on the mistake I just made," she said warily.
"You reminded her of the incident involving your grandmother," Susan said
flatly, causing the blonde to blink. "You simply do not know what the Countess
is like. While she may seem to be friendly and reasonable, her mannerisms mask
her dark nature disturbingly well. While I don't doubt her stated preference
for giving people the chance to learn from a mistake she views as foolish, I
very strongly doubt that she extends that view to those who have attempted to
kill her. Remember, she said it was fortunate that your grandmother survived,
rather than deliberate or intentional. If I were you, I would seek to contact
your grandmother as soon as humanly possible to warn her."
Mina blinked again and regarded Susan carefully, suddenly not feeling so
certain about the situation. The bone-deep chill that had accompanied the dark
carriage was gone now, but an icy feeling still lingered deep inside her. "So
what was that speech about sending her a letter, then?" she inquired carefully.
"I do not know, I am not privy to her thoughts," Susan said crisply. "As
I said, I sincerely hope for your sake that nothing negative results from what
has been said this evening."
"Thanks," Mina replied, feeling her temper flare around the edges at the
rebuke. "So like I said, what's in the box? It's pretty fancy, I'll give you
that. You really plan on giving it to Michelle?"
"The box, yes," Susan said, glancing down at the box in her hands. "The
contents, certainly not."
"And that being...?" Mina prompted archly.
Susan sighed quietly, her wings starting to twitch in annoyance. "I find
your continued persistence to be most irritating," she said in a soft growl.
"The veracity of my advice has already been validated numerous times tonight,
and yet you insist on not just openly but blatantly running contrary to it. I
understand your sense of curiosity, Mina, I truly do. However, I strongly
believe it is not in your best interest to inquire about what presently is in
this box. I assure you that I have no intention of allowing Michelle to see
for herself, as it would be rather traumatic for her."
"Even though it is by all rights her gift?" Mina pointed out. "Oh, how
noble it is of you to protect her from any unpleasantness...."
"Mina, stop it," Ami whispered quietly.
"Very well, Lady Venus," Susan said in a tone as cold as liquid nitrogen
as she thumbed the clasp open and held the box out. "Come see what lies within
for yourself if you wish, since you quite obviously do not trust my judgment."
"Mina...." Ami warned as the blonde marched forward, absently struggling
with the high heels on the gravel again. She reached out to lift the lid up,
leaning forward to peer inside. She promptly let out a shrill sound of fright
as she leapt back, tripping over herself and landing hard on her backside with
a truly horrified look on her face.
"MOTHER OF GOD, WHAT THE HELL?!" she demanded in a high-pitched voice, her
voice audibly shaking.
"Much like Alex," Susan said in an emotionless and empty tone, "Your ears
hear the words spoken by others, but you fail to listen. Did she not say how
she viewed the betrayal of her minion as a grave offense? Did she not say that
she would make sure that such a deed wouldn't be happening again? And do you
now realize just what sort of person you were needlessly antagonizing? This is
not just an apology, Mina, but also a message on several levels. Perhaps next
time you will care to listen to me when I advise against a course of action,"
she said, her tone turning icy as she secured the latch on the box.
"Jesus Christ...." Mina whispered quietly as she very carefully got up and
brushed off the back of her borrowed gown. "Okay, I'll admit I wasn't really
prepared for that one. And yes, you're right.... Michelle would absolutely
freak if she saw.... that. Jesus," she said again as she struggled to catch
her breath and calm her pulse.
Susan looked at her in silence for a few moments, her expression utterly
unreadable, before she finally glanced over at Ami. "Are you alright, Ami?"
she asked in a somewhat concerned tone. "You appear to be rather unsettled."
"Gee, I wonder why," Mina said sarcastically as she fluffed out her mane
of long blonde hair.
"I'm fine," Ami said softly, still looking at the box with open unease.
"Susan.... what exactly is in there?"
Susan sighed quietly and seemed to age at least a full century within the
span of a single second. "Ami, believe me when I say that...."
"Ignore her," Mina interrupted, making a gesture of dismissal over her
shoulder. "Put it like this, Ami, the Countess wasn't kidding around when she
said that we won't have to worry about that succubus trying to attack us ever
again. Trust me."
"Actually," Susan said in a glacial tone, "I believe asking Ami to place
a measure of faith and trust in my words is precisely what I have advocated
from the beginning. You, on the other hand, wish to forbid her to do what you
yourself have sought to do. I believe that is a classic example of open and
blatant hypocrisy."
Mina paused and cast a sidelong glance behind her before looking back at
Ami. "Fine. Do you really want to know?" she asked in a resigned tone. She
waited for a reaction from Ami, finally getting a very hesitant nod after what
seemed like a minor eternity. The blonde then made a simple and quick slashing
motion over her throat with a fingertip, causing Ami's eyes to nearly triple
in diameter.
"Oh, my god...." Ami breathed in a horrified whisper as her complexion
lost virtually all color.
"Yeah, it's definitely a kick in the pants," Mina agreed with a sour nod.
"Like I said, I just wasn't prepared for it, that's all. Hey, were are you
going?" she said as she heard footsteps, twisting around to find Susan heading
back up the gravel road.
"To dispose of this first," Susan said curtly. "As I said, the box will
be given to Michelle once it has been properly cleansed."
"Hey, wait, I got an idea," Mina blurted out as she started to hurry over
to the succubus' side. She took all of four steps before her stiletto heels
lost traction, causing her to slip and fall down on one knee. "Ow, goddamn it,
why'd I have to pick these damn things?" she snarled as she reached down and
slipped the shoes off.
"With all due respect, Lady Venus, I'm not sure I would care to hear about
any ideas you might have at the moment," Susan replied stiffly.
"No, really, trust me," Mina protested as she gingerly rose to her feet.
"Why should I trust you if you will not trust me?" Susan demanded as she
turned around, her red eyes taking on a faint luminescence as her temper began
to flare.
Mina stared at her for a moment before sighing theatrically. "So much for
open-mindedness," she said to Ami.
"Stop it, both of you," Ami said quietly, suddenly seeming to be tired.
"Let's not put anything to waste if we don't have to," Mina said to Susan
as she carefully walked over to her, wincing slightly at the painful sensation
of sharp gravel beneath her bare feet. "Why not let Alex have a peek first,
seeing how she's a little vindictive? The box goes to Michelle, Alex gets a
little satisfaction for herself, and they both have something to smile about.
Let her explain to Michelle why the box is empty."
Susan's eyebrows promptly arched up in surprise, her expression changing
as she briefly pondered the suggestion. "I suppose there is some merit to what
you suggest," she finally allowed in a neutral tone.
"See?" the blonde cooed as she pulled her communicator out of her Lunar
Space pocket. She then had to scramble to grab the small vial that slipped out
by accident, making a frantic motion with her fingertips and only making brief
contact with the glass container. "Oh, damn it all to hell," she sighed as she
heard a faint tinkle when it hit the gravel.
"Dare I ask what that was?" Susan inquired archly as Mina retrieved the
vial with a graceful ballet-like movement that briefly left her balanced on one
foot. She blinked as the vial was promptly pitched through the air in a very
shallow arc towards her, forcing her to quickly balance the box in one hand in
order to grab it with the other.
"You tell me," Mina said as she thumbed open the Jupiter channel on her
communicator. "Mina to Leda."
"Ah, I see now," Susan said in a slightly resigned tone as she could feel
a curious warmth from the slightly cracked vial that had absolutely nothing to
do with its physical temperature.
"Took you long enough," Leda's voice said as her image winked into view.
"Blow me," Mina replied casually without even thinking about it. "Wait,
forget I said that. Look, have Alex meet us outside by the front door, we've
got a little something for her that she might enjoy. Nothing to worry about,
honest, it's just one of those things that might upset others who have far more
delicate sensibilities. Trust me."
"Right...." the brunette said slowly in a very wary tone.
"Cool, see you guys in a few," Mina said as she flashed a dazzling smile
at the display before closing the channel with another flick of her thumb.
"If I may, Mina," Susan said as she made a slight gesture with the vial,
"I believe now I understand part of your perceptional issues. Do you honestly
believe that this would pose a significant threat or deterrent to someone like
Countess MacDara?"
Mina paused for several moments before slowly tucking her communicator
back into her Lunar Space pocket. "What, holy water quit working on vampires
recently and someone forgot to give me a copy of the memo or something?" she
inquired in a very guarded tone.
Susan sighed quietly and knelt down, setting the box on the ground. She
then stood up and unscrewed the vial's lid, tilting it at a slight angle to
allow a few drops of the liquid to splash against the palm of her hand. She
then raised her hand towards the blonde, letting her see the faint pink marks
that were forming where the holy water had come into contact with her skin.
"First and foremost, to say that the purity and sanctity of this sample is
lacking would be a monumental understatement," Susan said calmly. "Second of
all, while a full-strength sample would very much garner the attention of a
noble vampire, it would only irritate them at best. They are not nearly as
succeptible to such 'divine blessings' as a nosferatu vampire would be. If you
are unaware of the differences between the two and fail to modify your tactics
accordingly, I assure you that you will be devoutly wishing for an extremely
quick death in very short order should you sufficiently enrage either one."
"Ooooo.... kay...." Mina said as if she were speaking in slow-motion,
suddenly looking like she was feeling more than a little nauseous.
Susan gave her a deeply reproving look as she screwed the lid back on the
vial and made a flicking gesture with her hand. She had failed to notice Ami
edging closer to her to get a better look at what the holy water was doing to
her skin, but that oversight was immediately corrected as Ami promptly yelped
in pain when a droplet splashed against her arm.
"Ami, don't!" Susan said sharply as Ami reflexively moved to wipe it off
with her fingertips. "I sincerely apologize for that," she said as she very
quickly used the edge of her sleeve to blot up the droplet, leaving behind a
bright and angry red mark plainly visible on Ami's skin.
"It stings like acid," Ami hissed in a low tone, her lips pulled back to
expose her tiny fangs. The shift into her vampiric form had happened in an
instant, the shock of being burned by the holy water catching her completely
off-guard. "And it's still burning."
"Well, that answers one question I had," Mina muttered as she watched
Susan finish wiping Ami's arm with her sleeve. "I figured I'd ask you to be a
guinea pig one day just to see what it would do, but at least I would have
given you some advanced notice first."
"It was entirely unintentional, I assure you," Susan said calmly as she
stepped back, frowning slightly at the red blotch on Ami's arm. She paused as
she thought she could see a slight fading effect around the very edges where
the red was slowly turning to a dark pink color. "I think your regeneration is
capable of processing the damage on its own, which is rather remarkable," she
said to the still-upset vampire.
Ami said nothing as she glanced at the scorch mark, her lips pressed into
a flat and bitter line. She then looked up at Mina, her metallic blue eyes
barely able to mask a dark glare of accusation. "Get rid of the rest of it,"
she demanded in a low tone.
Mina paused and regarded her coolly, one eyebrow arched up in studious
contemplation. "Don't look at me, Susan's the one holding the vial," she said
in a somewhat casual tone. "And seeing how it's cracked, she might as well go
ahead and pitch it in the trash anyway."
The blonde nearly leapt out of her borrowed dress as Susan simply made a
fist, a fierce glow of seething red energy forming around it. She discharged
the Blood Star into a tree a moment later, allowing the wave of energy to carry
the vial with it and explode into fragments on impact. A soft hissing noise
could be heard a moment later as both the holy water and the sap in the tree
were boiled in an instant, resulting in a steaming crater in the bark.
"Great," Mina grumbled quietly to herself. "Throw slivers of glass all
over the place when I'm in my bare feet. I like how you think, demon, thank
you so much. Remind me not to ask you to take the trash out anytime soon."
"I doubt any fragments of glass survived to pose a hazard," Susan replied
calmly as she knelt down to retrieve the wooden box. "Of course, as you do not
seem to be inclined to trust me, you are free to put your shoes back on if you
feel you are in danger of injury."
Mina opened her mouth to deliver a retort but quickly closed it again as
she heard the sound of running footsteps, turning around just as Alex charged
into view holding her Soul Saber. The short-haired blonde rapidly covered the
distance and almost literally skidded to a stop as she looked around wildly.
"What, where is it?" she panted quickly.
"Where's what?" Mina asked in a very wary tone.
"Whatever Sue was shooting at," Alex replied as she continued to hold the
saber in a tight grip.
Susan sighed quietly to herself. "There is no danger, Alex," she said in
a calm and reassuring tone. "The Countess has departed without incident. What
you heard was me disposing of a vial of holy water that Mina had dropped and
decided was no longer of practical use."
"Goddamn it, Sue," Alex sighed as she leaned forward, resting her free
hand on her upper thigh. "All I heard was this blast of some sort, saw the red
glare from your energy whatever, and thought everything had gone to hell."
"My apologies if you were unduly alarmed," Susan said quietly with a bow
of her head.
Mina snorted quietly to herself. "Relax, she scared the bejeebers out of
the rest of us as well," she muttered in a low tone.
"Whatever, babe," Alex puffed as she reached up and slid the saber back
into its dimensional sheath. The jeweled blade seemed to twinkle for a moment
before it vanished from sight with an odd rippling effect. "Nice box," she
added as her gaze fell on the ornate box Susan was holding.
"A gift from the Countess," Susan explained in a very careful tone. "It
is intended for Michelle as an apology, as the succubus who attacked us was in
her employ. However, I only intend for the box itself to be given to Michelle,
as the contents are.... liable to cause emotional distress."
"Oh, yeah?" Alex said, suddenly tensing up again and looking at the box as
if it were a poisonous snake. "Let me guess, one of those things where I'm
really better off not knowing, right?"
A small smile crossed Susan's face. "Ordinarily I would agree with you.
However, as Mina has already seen the contents for herself, she is presently
of the mind that you would appreciate it far more than Michelle would. I will
warn you that you may nonetheless find it to be disturbing, but otherwise I
will not object if you wish to view it for yourself providing that you do not
let Michelle hear of it."
"Right...." Alex replied in a very uncertain tone, casting an uneasy look
over at Mina and Ami.
"Just to give you a head's-up, if you will," Mina said casually, drawing
a remotely amused look from Susan. "It's a bit gory, but I figured it would be
right up your alley."
Alex held perfectly still for a number of moments, only her eyes moving
back and forth between the look on Mina's face and the neutral mien on Susan's.
"You know, babe, I hate it when I'm set up for something," she finally said in
a guarded tone. "Tell me what's in the box first?"
"Vengeance," Mina whispered loudly with an evil smile.
"Right," Alex repeated. "Sue, this isn't like Pandora's Box or anything
dangerous, right?" she inquired. She hesitated as she was answered with a
simple shake of a head and sighed quietly. "Alright, let's have a look, then."
Both Ami and Mina held their breath as Susan lifted the lid, allowing Alex
to take a step forward and peer inside. The blonde jerked her head back in
surprise for a moment before leaning forward once more, a truly dark smile of
satisfaction slowly spreading across her face.
"Oh, yeah...." she purred quietly as she reached inside. A startled gasp
could be heard from Ami as Alex lifted the severed head out of the box, holding
it by the hair. "And it's not even my birthday or anything. Sue, you're an
absolute sweetheart. This is her, alright. Damn shame I couldn't have been
the one to shorten her name like this. You know what her name was, by chance?"
she asked absently, still gazing at the head with satisfaction.
"Lorelei," Susan replied calmly.
"Heh," Alex chuckled to herself as she hefted the head higher so she could
look into to the lifeless eyes. The succubus' face was frozen in a permanent
mask of horror, her lips parted as if screaming. "Welcome to Earth, bitch, I
hope the trip was worth it. Hey, idea.... I don't suppose we could put this
over the fireplace as a sort of trophy? You know, sic semper tyrannus and all
that, or whatever it is you keep saying in Latin?"
"Alex," Susan said in a reproving tone.
"Just asking, Sue, just asking. Let me guess, you're going to go throw
this in a bog or something and let the worms have a feast?" Alex inquired as
she half-tossed the head back into the box.
The succubus shrugged, her wings idly flexing with the gesture. "I was
considering a simple incineration and scattering of the ashes."
"Let me know when you do, I'll be sure to have a full bladder waiting for
when you go put the fire out," Alex said with a satisfied smirk. "I don't know
who said it, but they were right. Revenge is indeed a dish best served raw."
"I didn't need that visual, thanks," Mina sighed, drawing a sour nod of
agreement from Ami.
"Hey, I didn't see you out on the porch when the bitch came to visit,"
Alex pointed out in a flat tone. "Trust me, if you had been out there with Rei
and I after Sue went over the edge, you'd be more than a little satisfied to
see a little cosmic justice done. And believe me, I see nothing but justice in
this one. Enjoy the dirt nap, hellspawn," she said into the box with a dark
smile as she closed the lid.
Alex looked up at Ami and seemed to be ready to say something when she
blinked and paused. She cast a brief sidelong glance at Susan before she went
back and opened the lid again. She tilted her head at several angles before
she lifted the decapitated head out by the hair again, leaning forward to peer
into the bottom of the box.
"Is there a problem, Alex?" Susan inquired cautiously.
"I just realized something," Alex said, suddenly not sounding too pleased
with the situation anymore. "There's no blood anywhere. I mean, yeah, cut off
a head and let it hang around for a few hours, it'll drain out pretty well, but
there should be some sort of fluid left that will continue to ooze out as it
stiffens up. Right? That's why the liner is here, correct?" she added as she
reached in to remove the perfectly dry padding.
Susan looked at her for a moment before sighing patiently. "As I said to
Mina," she explained slowly and clearly, "You have to keep in mind just who you
are dealing with. In this case, you are dealing with a noble vampire. I am
reasonably sure that Countess MacDara would not allow even a drop of blood to
'go to waste' as some might put it. Are you alright, Mina?" she inquired in a
calm tone as the blonde promptly shivered hard.
"Oh, dear Christ, I didn't need that visual," she moaned as she shivered
again. Next to her, Ami seemed to almost physically withdraw into a shell at
the notion, looking away from everyone and keeping her vampiric eyes focused on
the gravel road.
"Peachy, Sue," Alex muttered as she set the liner back in the box and put
the head on top of it. "Anyway, that's still a nice box, regardless of what
it presently holds. Mich is going to love it. The box, I mean, not the head,"
she amended quickly.
Susan nodded and closed the lid. "I will ensure that it is empty before
it is given to her. In fact, I think it is best that I attend to that now.
The three of you should return indoors, I will rejoin you in a few minutes."
"Do me a favor," Mina spoke up as Susan made a snatching motion, pulling
the Key to Time out of the temporal flow.
Susan paused and regarded her coolly. "Given your attitude as of late,
Lady Venus, I am not overly inclined to do any such thing. You may ask once I
return, assuming I am sufficiently distracted by my task and subsequently in a
more amiable mood. Excuse me," she added as she disappeared in a muted flash
of light.
"Great," Alex sighed, giving Mina a dour look.
"What?" Mina demanded crossly.
"Sue's pissed about something," Alex replied with a sigh. "You can tell
because she's getting snippy, which also means she'll be in a mood all night.
So what took a whiz in her breakfast cereal this time?"
"How am I supposed to know?" Mina growled quietly. "If I understood her,
we wouldn't have half as many problems with her as we do now."
A hollow laugh rose up from Alex's chest. "Amen to that, hon. Come on,
let's go back before Serena starts getting upset again. Ami, are you alright?"
she added as she caught the look on Ami's face. "You're not going to get sick
or anything, are you?"
"I'm fine," Ami said in a quiet tone as she started moving past them.
"Sure about that, babe?" Alex persisted. She paused and frowned as Ami
continued moving without another word, her soft footsteps barely audible even
on the loose gravel surface. "Is she alright?" she asked in a low tone as she
leaned over to Mina.
"I'm not sure," Mina replied softly. "I think she said all of ten words
since this started, and she got extremely quiet after she asked the Countess
about her age. At least, quieter than how she usually is, which is saying a
fair amount," she amended. "She'll open back up sooner or later, relax."
Alex shrugged to herself. "If you say so, hon. Anyway, let's go. Eh?"
she added as she noticed Mina suddenly moving very carefully. "Wait, what's
with the shoes? Not that I can see how you can wear them to begin with, let
alone walk in them, but you shouldn't be on this kind of road in bare feet."
"You shouldn't be on this kind of road in stiletto heels, either," Mina
groused as she gingerly padded her way up the road. Her feet were quite sore
by the time she reached the front door of the cathedral, briefly sitting on the
shallow steps to brush away tiny stone fragments that had pierced her skin and
stuck around.
"Hey, everything alright?" Leda said as she stuck her head out the door.
"Fine," Mina grunted as she removed the last stone.
"What, break a heel or something?" the brunette observed as she peered
over Mina's shoulder. "Bare feet on gravel is a bad idea."
"Thanks, Leda," Mina said in a glacial tone. "I don't know what I would
do without you."
"She's fine," Leda said over her shoulder in a slightly flat tone as she
went back inside.
Mina sighed as she stood up, absently brushing the dirt off of the back of
her gown before picking her shoes up and heading inside. The tiled flooring
of the entranceway felt rather cool and soothing to her as she made her way
through the living room and into the residential wing to change. She emerged
back into the main area a few minutes later dressed in a pair of comfortable
jeans and a simple T-shirt that was snug enough to accent her curves without
putting anything out on display.
"Feel better?" Artemis inquired from the back of the couch.
"I need a shower," Mina admitted as she plopped down in one of the large
armchairs. She promptly shot back to her feet with a sharp yelp, lurching
forward half a step before whipping around to look at the cushion. "Ow, bloody
hell, who left this here?" she demanded as she leaned forward to pick up the
soul-rune that housed Raijen's spirit.
"Oops, that's probably my fault," Darian confessed as he quickly moved
forward to take the pyramid-shaped device from her. "I must have bumped it
when I sat down earlier. Sorry about that."
"Ugh," Mina moaned as she flopped back down onto the now-empty cushion.
"This is definitely one of those days. Alex, tell me you washed your hands,"
she added as she glanced over at the couch and saw how Michelle was curled up
in front of the short-haired blonde.
"Are you kidding?" Alex snorted. "Ask Mich, first thing I did was head
into the kitchen to grab the soap."
"Wait, what were you doing?" Michelle suddenly asked as she turned around,
giving Alex a faintly suspicious look.
"Helping Sue dispose of some roadkill, love, nothing major," Alex replied
in an off-handed fashion. "It happens."
"Eww," Michelle moaned quietly, making a sour face.
"So," Leda said slowly as she crossed the room and claimed a seat on the
other side of the couch. "You guys going to tell us what happened or what?
Better not touch me with that cold nose," she added softly as Artemis walked
across the back of the couch to curl up behind her, letting his tail drape
over her shoulder. She smirked he made a disgrunted huffing noise to himself,
reaching up to give his tail a playful tug before idly stroking his soft fur.
"I'll let our resident demon and Knower-Of-All-That-Is handle that one,"
Mina grumbled. "Just to warn you guys, however, she's probably in a piss-ant
mood right now for some reason. I think it's just a weed growing out of her
butt that needs yanking, but I'm just a blonde so what do I know?"
"Apparently not as much as you think you do," Susan said crisply as she
briskly strode out of the residential hallway. She still carried the Key to
Time in one hand and had the ornate box nestled in the other. "I apologize for
the delay, but there was a minor errand I had to perform in the Underworld.
Your Highness, please tell me you are finished with your studies," she added as
she noticed Serena and Luna still sitting at the table, both hunched over an
open textbook and several pieces of equation-covered scratch paper.
"Last one," Serena promised as she continued to draw out the equation at
what for Luna was a rather tortured pace. "Hey, what's that?" she added as she
lifted her head up to stare at the box.
"Serena!" Luna said sharply, causing the blonde to wince. "You're almost
done, no stalling now. Worry about the box later, just finish the problem."
"Eergh," Serena muttered, casting a sidelong glance at the ornate box
before sighing heavily and refocusing on her homework.
Susan smiled gently to herself as she glanced around the room, noticing
that Whisper had cleared away the far end of the table and was sitting calmly
with a mug of what looked like tea in her hands. There was another mug in the
middle portion of the table in front of an empty chair, presumably where Darian
had been sitting earlier. Alex, Michelle, and Leda were all sitting on the
couch, while Mina and Ami had claimed the armchairs. All Susan needed was one
look at Ami's face, however, to know that something about the whole experience
of meeting the Countess was deeply bothering her.
"Ami," Susan said quietly.
"I'm fine, Susan," Ami replied in a sullen tone, looking down towards the
floor. "I'm just.... tired, that's all. It's been a long day."
"Amen to that, babe," Alex spoke up, drawing nods of agreement from the
rest of the room.
"Finally," Serena panted as she leaned away from the homework assignment.
She waited nervously for Luna to finish looking it over before heaving a sigh
of relief as the black cat sat back as well and simply nodded to her.
"That was pretty good, Serena," Luna said gently. "See, I told you that
you could get the hang of it if you kept trying."
"Well done indeed, your Highness," Susan murmured with a nod of approval.
"I will readily admit that such things as linear algebra and calculus are more
easily understood and grasped by some and can pose a challenge to others, but
the vast majority can indeed overcome those hurdles with perserverance and a
measure of patience."
A dry chuckle rose up from Darian's chest as he reclaimed his seat at the
table and reached for his mug of tea. "Yeah, I remember suffering through that
stuff when I was in school. I'll tell you what, though, I have yet to find a
use for calculus in my life. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it gets used on a
daily basis by somebody, but that doesn't help me with the mundane stuff like
balancing the checkbook every month."
"One is expected to use simple tools for simple jobs, Prince Darian," the
winged woman reminded him gently. "By learning advanced mathematics such as
calculus, however, one is simply ensuring that they have a more complex tool
available should they encounter a suitably complicated problem."
"Okay, Ami," Leda spoke up in a dry tone, "How often do you end up using
calculus with your toy computer? Umm, Ami?" she added after a brief pause as
she realized that Ami wasn't paying attention. The blue-haired girl was still
staring down at the floor with a vacant and sullen look on her face, one hand
absently holding her arm where the bright red burn mark could still be seen.
"Alright, what did you guys do to her this time?" Leda demanded as she cast a
dark glare at Susan.
Mina shrugged and sat back in the chair. "Holy water and vampires don't
mix very well, it seems," she said calmly. "Although Susan would try to have
me believe otherwise...."
"You know nothing of vampires!" Susan said sharply. "Yes, I've heard
about you and your grandmother, and I mean no disrespect to her but what she
thinks she knows is only half-truths and conjecture. Surely you have already
realized that by this point given what you yourself have recently witnessed."
A scowl promptly formed on Mina's face at Susan's tone. "Really," she
replied in an acidic tone. "And of course being a hellspawned demon means you
know *everything* about them, right?"
"Careful, Mina," Darian warned quietly, drawing a piercing look from the
agitated blonde.
Susan sighed and started to pace the room, her wings twitching slightly
as she absently tucked the box under her arm. "I know more than you do," she
said flatly. "And that is not arrogance but simple statement of fact," she
added as she cast a glare at Alex.
"Hey, what are you glaring at me for?" Alex protested from her spot on the
couch with Michelle curled up against her. "I didn't say a damn thing. What's
with the box, anyway?" she added, trying to defuse or at least momentarily
distract Susan's flaring temper.
Susan paused in mid-pace and glanced down, her expression changing as she
suddenly remembered she had it. "Oh, yes. This is a gift for Michelle," she
explained as she carried the box over and set it down on the coffee table.
"It seems that the succubus who attacked us was in the employ of the Countess,
although she assures me that her minion's actions were not sanctioned in the
slightest. Countess MacDara felt obligated to reassure both us as a group and
Michelle as an individual that the incident will not be repeated. She asks
that you accept this as a token of apology," she explained to Michelle as she
sat up, her eyes widening in wonder.
"Oh!" Michelle breathed as she carefully leaned forward to examine it.
"It's absolutely beautiful. It looks expensive, too," she added. "Did she say
what is inside?"
"It is empty," Susan said as the aquamarine-haired girl reached for the
platinum clasp. "You can probably use it to store whatever jewelry and the
like that you happen to acquire here on Earth. It should go well with the box
of earrings I managed to recover from the Moon Kingdom," she added lightly.
"Definitely," Michelle agreed with a smile. She peeked inside the box for
a brief moment just out of simple curiosity before she looked back up at Susan.
"Thank you. Although this means I will have to go shopping soon. I mean, I
can't just let this sit around empty forever, right?" she added with a definite
twinkle in her eye.
A dry laugh rose up from the chair where Mina was sitting. "Trust me, I
think we can arrange a group shopping trip to the mall one of these weekends.
I could probably use a new pair of shoes and maybe a cocktail dress, depending
on what I can find on sale. Want to tell us where you found that dress, Ami?"
she added, casting a mildly curious look at Ami's form-fitting gown.
"Ami, your arm!" Michelle blurted out as she caught sight of the red mark.
It took Ami a few seconds to react, blinking once as if snapping out of a
daze and lifting her head up just enough to glance at Michelle. "Yes?" she
asked in a muted whisper.
"Look, what the hell happened out there?" Leda demanded flatly as she got
up, almost throwing Artemis off the back of the couch in the process. She
crossed the room and took Ami's arm in a gentle but firm grip, leaning close to
get a better look at the red splotch. "What the hell? This looks like a burn
mark," she said, looking up to stare into Ami's steel blue eyes. "Ami...."
"Leave me alone, it's nothing," Ami replied quietly as she tugged her arm
free and half-curled up in a ball.
Leda scowled at her for a moment before she twisted around. "Mina, what
did you do to her?" she asked in a low tone.
"*I* didn't do a goddamned thing," Mina shot back, the harshness of her
tone catching the rest of the group by surprise. "Why don't you ask *Susan*,
since *she's* the one who was careless with the holy water and splashed Ami by
mistake."
"Guys, everyone needs to just settle down, okay?" Darian spoke up warily.
Artemis sighed heavily as he let his head thump against the edge of the
cushions. "Mina, tell me you didn't use that vial you kept in the back of your
sock drawer...." he moaned.
"I told you, I didn't use it!" Mina protested loudly.
"You were prepared to, however," Susan pointed out. "And seeing how you
are apparently still operating under the mistaken belief that it would have had
the result you desired, I can assure you that you are most fortunate that the
opportunity to wield it against the Countess did not arise."
"Alright, demon," Mina said as she turned to face the succubus. "Since
you've been chomping at the bit since this started, go ahead and teach us the
'truth' about vampires. By all means, feel free to enlighten us," she spat as
she sat back and crossed her arms over her chest with a truly dark scowl.
"Not counting denizen vampires like Ami, how many types of vampires are
there walking the land at this very minute?" Susan challenged.
Mina blinked hard at the question. "There should only be one kind," she
said in a guarded tone as she cast a sidelong glance at Ami.
"Then I suggest you shut up and listen, child, as you obviously have a lot
to learn about vampires if you believe that nonsense," Susan replied harshly as
she started to briskly pace the room.
"Hey, what the hell is with you two?" Leda demanded as she stood up.
<Leda,> Whisper's psionic voice echoed in their minds. <Please, just sit
down and let Susan try to explain matters. It would be best if the rest of you
were to refrain from interrupting her as well.>
"Thank you, Captain," Susan said archly with a nod of her head.
<It wouldn't hurt if you were to take a deep breath and calm down either,>
Whisper added gently as she busied herself with a protracted sip of her tea.
<What I know of vampires only applies to the ones in my world, so there is very
little for me to contribute. I am, of course, curious to hear about the ones
that apparently exist in this world and would appreciate a calm and rational
explanation.>
"It's easy," Mina spoke up before Susan could continue. "They have very
sharp and pointy teeth, they don't like sunlight, and you can kill them by
ramming a sharp object through their black hearts. Which is why I keep this
handy," she said as she stood up, reaching behind her to grab the stiletto from
her Lunar Space pocket before holding it up for everyone to see.
"She calls that a weapon," Alex muttered quietly to Michelle with open
amusement and a faint note of contempt. "Now this, *this* is a weapon," she
added as she casually withdrew her Soul Saber and laid it on the empty cushion
next to her.
"Peachy, babe," Mina mimicked in a voice that dripped sarcasm.
Susan stopped pacing and fixed the blonde with a dangerous glare. "Lady
Venus," she said coldly, "If you don't know what kind of vampire you are going
to go up against, you will be dead in very short order. The information I am
about to impart to you will probably go a long way in saving your life should
you have either the extreme misfortune to accidentally or abject stupidity to
deliberately encounter a vampire, but this will only help you if you bother to
hold your tongue and pay attention long enough to remember it. Now sit down."
"Mina, please," Darian urged her quietly. The blonde was visibly shaking
with anger as she put her stiletto away and tossed herself back onto the chair
cushions a snarl. She made a very low growling noise as Myst hopped up onto
the edge of the armrest a moment later, the kitten seeming to regard her very
carefully before sitting back and making herself comfortable.
"What?" Mina demanded.
"Mina," Serena said softly, causing everyone to look over at her. "Just
listen, okay? Something isn't right here and we need to find out what went on
outside. Please?" she added as she began to absently stroke Luna's dark fur.
"Fine," Mina huffed as she sat back and crossed her arms again, keeping
one eye on Susan's movements and the other on Myst as she started to preen her
whiskers. "Your whiskers are bent," she pointed out to the kitten, getting an
unamused look in response before Myst seemed to ignore her entirely.
It took Susan several seconds to calm down to the point where she could
speak. "There are three kinds of vampires," she said evenly as she resumed
pacing the room. "The first are nosferatu, the so-called undead. They are
known as the common vampire, but that is not in reference to their numbers,
which are thankfully limited. This is the type of vampire that most people
think of, supposedly rising from graves and coffins in the still of the night
to gorge upon the blood of innocent and unsuspecting travellers.
"There is, unfortunately, a partial truth to this. The nosferatu are not
dead per se, but humans who were brought to the point of death and subsequently
infected with a dark blood-curse by a noble vampire. Nosferatu feed on living
blood, not for the blood itself but for the life-energies it contains. Their
bodies lose the ability to sustain itself directly and quickly decays into a
corpse-like state. This 'dead' body only serves to house two things.... the
spark of intelligence they retain, and the core of absorbed life-energy which
sustains what remains of their physical form. As such, they can survive a
great deal of physical injury with no ill effects.
"The nosferatu seem human, but there is always something bestial about
them. They cannot hide their fangs as Ami can, so they are careful when they
talk to the unsuspecting. Because their body is essentially dead, they are no
longer bound by biological constraints and can learn to reshape it to their
will. Thus you hear of them becoming bats or wolves, which is entirely true.
They tend to prefer their original form out of habit as that is the easiest to
maintain, but they can appear to be like anyone they choose, male or female.
The older ones have learned to vaporize and condense their bodies, being able
to assume a gauzy shape like smoke or fog.
"A nosferatu's body is essentially immortal, as their mutable flesh can be
regenerated almost as soon as it is cleaved. The simplest way to destroy them
is to rupture their energy core, usually the unbeating heart muscle, and then
physically separating their head from their body to disconnect the spark of
intellect from any residual energy in their core. It is far from an easy task,
mind you, but the simplest. Nosferatu need to fear only those wounds which
impale or inflame, as incineration of their core will serve just as well. As
their physical bodies are held together only by their unholy auras, holy water
will scorch them like acid, and they are quite devastated by sunlight's touch.
"Their spark of intelligence is powerful, but not fully cohesive. The
nosferatu as a whole are uniformly corrupt and twisted. Calling them evil is
an understatement, but do not underestimate their cunning. Some of them are
quite insane, driven mad by their burning hatred of life, and they are the most
destructive type of vampire you will meet. They have the strength of twenty
men and can move with frightening speed. They often kill when they feed and
their bite carries the same type of dark infection that sustains them. Kill
a person bitten by a nosferatu and they too will rise as one. And unlike what
Mina's legends would have us believe, killing the one who bit the victim will
not cure the infection. The only cure for that plague is oblivion."
The room was deathly quiet as Susan paused her narration to try to breathe
deeply and relax. The stress was most evident in the muscles of her neck and
back, giving them the appearance of chisled stones beneath her taut skin.
"So how many of those beasts have you killed?" Alex inquired quietly.
Susan shivered for a moment. "Two, and I almost didn't survive either
encounter. My Blood Stars are laughably useless against them, as there is very
little life energy in their bodies to polarize."
That thought sent a shiver down everybody's collective spine. They had
all heard first-hand what her demonic powers could do to mortal flesh, bright
red balls of seething energy that could cause individual cells to violently
explode. Alex shivered the hardest, remembering what it had done to the other
succubus during the fight on the outside deck and wishing she wouldn't have to
observe it ever again.
"Charming," Alex muttered as she curled her legs beneath her and rubbed
Michelle's arm gently.
"The second type of vampire are the so-called nobles," Susan went on to
explain. "Unlike nosferatu, their bodies are very much alive and a great deal
harder to discern from normal humans. Some have speculated that they are a
distinct species of humans, although nothing conclusive has ever been proven.
They prefer solitude or the company of others of their kind, giving rise to
what they view as a noble society. It is a great irony in my opinion that most
noble vampires are literal nobles, members of human society with high cultural
standing and influence. The legendary Count Dracula was regarded as the most
respected noble vampire of them all. And yes, Mina, he did exist," she added
as she saw the look on Mina's face. "However, I doubt the stories and rumors
you have heard about him are factually accurate, and those that do approach a
level of accuracy only do so fleetingly.
"Nobles are quite fewer in number than nosferatu and they prefer to keep
it that way. They try to keep 'pure' bloodlines by breeding among themselves
as humans do, or in the odd case bringing in a commoner, as they call us, into
the family and making him or a her a noble vampire.
"They can walk freely in the daylight, but only with great care as their
powers are quite restricted during such times. Hence, they categorically tend
to live nocturnal lifestyles. They are rumored to be unable to change their
bodies as nosferatu do, but this is something I have never been able to prove
one way or the other to my satisfaction. Noble vampires still retain their
powers of intellect and reason, thus making them far more dangerous than the
nosferatu. They have the innate ability to charm and use hypnosis against most
people, preventing virtually all casual discoveries of their existence. They
often surround themselves with slaves and minions, most of which whom are loyal
to the death to their master.
"Nobles also require the life energy in human blood, but very rarely kill
to get it. They rely more on seduction and romance rather than brute force to
draw their prey to them. As they are also sexually active, it is not uncommon
for them to take a human lover for a protracted period of time, feeding on them
until the human becomes ill or they otherwise grow tired of one another.
"As far as killing a noble, they are every bit as difficult to destroy as
the nosferatu are. Again, piercing their hearts and decapitating them are the
most direct methods, but total incineration will work as well. Water does not
bother them in the slightest, and holy water is only a mild irritant. Exposure
to acid is also effective, but it must be a prolonged event. And as for the
light of the sun, they have to be weakened to the point of death before they
will succumb to its searing touch."
Mina quietly spoke up for the first time in several minutes, her face pale
with unease and worry. "So how vulnerable are they to spiritual energy?" she
inquired cautiously. "You know, to things like sanctified blessings and Rei's
paper wards?"
Susan thought about it for a moment. "I guess it depends on the type and
nature of the energy. Rei's wards might pose a problem for them, and I stress
might, but I can assure you they would be utterly unfazed by your crucifix.
Especially when you take the strength of your personal faith into account. You
are an avatar, Mina, the physical embodiment of elements of a divine entity.
It is quite literally impossible to reconcile the truth of your existence as a
Sailor Scout to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Whatever spiritual
force of will you might have acquired from your faith is overwhelmed by the
innate power of the House of Venus. This not only renders it ineffective but
actively dampens the sanctity of such sacraments. That is why the holy water
you possessed was weaker than you expected and why the Countess had no problems
touching your crucifix directly.... it wasn't for a lack of faith, Mina, but
simply because you are empowered by a completely different spiritual reality.
I'm sorry," Susan added softly at the look of complete and utter shock on the
blonde's face.
An uncomfortable silence seemed to enfold the room as Mina slowly eased
back, absently scooping up Myst and cradling her in her lap. "So all these
years, I've been wasting my time in church?" she asked, her voice seeming to be
disconnected from her mind.
"Faith is never a waste, Mina," Susan said gently. "The teachings may be
incorrect from a purely factual standpoint, but anything that serves as a sort
of brace for the spirit, a driving force that keeps you going even when you are
at your limit or even beyond, that is far from a waste. Religion has a role in
the lives of people, and that role should never be simply dismissed out of hand
or otherwise overlooked. If it has brought you inner peace for this long, then
I would say that it has served its purpose well.
"Consider this, Mina," she continued as she reached out, laying a hand on
the blonde's arm. "The physical topology of the afterlife is indeed as it is
written according to the combined Greek and Roman mythologies. However, the
souls that enter the Underworld will find what they expect to find. There is
indeed a part of the Elysian Fields that is modeled after the Christian idea of
Heaven, complete with pearly gates and guarded by Saint Peter. Those who truly
believe in such a thing will find it waiting for them in the afterlife. If you
wish, I can escort you there for a short visit one of these days when time is
not in short supply and our situation is not as stressful."
It took Mina a very long time to figure out what to say. "I.... I'll
think about it," she finally managed to say, her voice barely more than a soft
whisper. The corners of her blue eyes were wet with tears, seeming to be ready
to spill over at any moment.
"You know, Sue," Alex commented, leaning back against the couch cushions
as she gently massaged Michelle's neck and shoulders, "Maybe I just don't get
the big picture here, but those noble vampires you mentioned don't sound nearly
as evil as the first bunch you talked about."
Susan shot her an unamused look. "Nobles are every bit as evil as the
nosferatu," she warned. "They are merely far more careful in concealing their
contempt for humanity and controlling their destructive impulses in order to
keep their society hidden from ours."
"Sounds like one of those conspiracy theories," Darian said, deliberately
trying to inject a note of humor into the conversation to break up the sudden
veil of gloom hanging over them. "You know, aliens are among us and all that
nonsense."
There was a sharp bark of laughter from Alex. "Hello, aliens do live
among us," she said with a smirk. "They're called denizens, remember?"
"Excuse me," Whisper said dryly with a faint hint of a smile.
"That's enough, Alex," Susan said, pausing to glance over her shoulder as
she noticed Ami seeming to withdraw even further into her shell. "As I said,
noble vampires rarely live among humans, but that doesn't preclude occasional
interaction when necessary. Ami?" she prodded softly.
"I'm fine," Ami said quietly, still looking down at the floor.
Darian and Serena traded looks before Darian inclined his head towards the
armchair just slightly. Serena nodded in understanding and gently set Luna
down on the table before they both got up. They silently made their way over
to where Ami was sitting and knelt down on either side of the chair, both of
them reaching out to take Ami's hands in theirs.
"Ami, look at me," Darian said softly. He waited until she hesitantly
lifted her head up to look at him before he continued. "I know I'm just a good
friend and all, and perhaps I don't know you as well as Serena does, but even
I can tell that something is really bothering you about this mess. Please,
just tell us what's wrong so we can try to help you. That's what friends are
for, after all," he added softly, bringing her hand up and brushing his lips
across her knuckles.
Ami blinked at the gesture and glanced over at Serena, blinking again as
she only saw a look of deep concern and love reflected in the blonde's blue
eyes. A gentle smile crossed Serena's face as she squeezed Ami's hand in a
grip that was tight enough to comfort but not tight enough to constrict. "We
know something hurts, Ami," she whispered softly. "But we won't know how to
help make it better if you don't tell us what happened."
"I can't help it," Ami breathed in a broken whisper as she closed her
eyes, a single tear starting to form. "When I looked at her, listened to her,
I.... I felt like I was looking in Michelle's mirror again. It was like a....
a glimpse into the future, a vision of.... of what I will become."
"Ami...." Darian said gently.
"She had to be two thousand years old, if not older, but she seemed to be
in her thirties instead," Ami continued in a brittle tone, ignoring him. "She
said she was as eternal as Susan.... which is what I will be. Already I'm
feeling it, feeling my body slow down. I used to be regular, I could almost
set a watch by my periods, but each one takes a day longer than the last to
start now. I want to have kids, I want to grow old with my friends, I don't
want to be frozen in time like this!" she cried out, gripping them both tightly
as the tears started in earnest.
Susan said nothing as she watched Darian and Serena try to comfort Ami.
She was all too aware of Ami's pain, having suffered it herself for most of her
seven centuries of life. The worst was watching her childhood friends grow old
around her while she remained a physical teenager, seeing them bear children in
turn and watching them likewise grow into adulthood to leave her behind once
again. It had taken two centuries for her body to finally mold itself into the
adult shape she currently possessed, and it would be several thousand years
before it would show the ravages of time as a normal human would after a mere
thirty or forty years.
It was a tiny measure of comfort to still have her periods, spaced out as
they were, as it meant that she could still bear a daughter to one day take her
place as Sailor Pluto. The one thing that prevented her from doing so was the
fear that her daughter wouldn't be eternal, that she would have to watch her
child grow old and eventually die from age while she remained as youthful as
ever. She didn't think she could be able to bear it, having the pain be that
close to her heart and soul instead of enduring the more distant pain of the
passing of friends. Friends she had never tried to truly reach out to since
her childhood.... except for Serenity and Amelia. And now it was the bitterest
of ironies that her best friend's daughter would now suffer the very same heavy
burden that she herself had carried all these years....
It was pure impulse that caused her to lift her hand up and grab at the
empty air, not so much reaching into the temporal flow as coaxing her staff out
of it. It materialized just as her hand closed, making it seem that she had
simply pulled it out of nowhere. She then held it close to her, peering into
the hollow part of the looped end as she willed the Key to Time to open a tiny
window into the eternal stream.
The rest of the group all paused and blinked in surprise, first at the
sudden-yet-expected appearance of her staff as if by magic, then at the stream
of golden sparks that suddenly washed out of the looped end to bathe her face
in an eerie light. They waited in silence for her to finish whatever it was
she was doing, not sure what to make of the way Susan's red eyes narrowed as
she watched something only she could see.
"Ami," Susan said quietly, closing her eyes as the stream of sparks faded
away. "I ask that you bear in mind the fact that I am as eternal as you fear
you will be, which barring a fatal accident for either of us, means that we
will have one another for company until the literal end of time." She paused
to raise a finger and level it at Alex just as the blonde opened her mouth,
freezing her in a less-than-flattering tableau. "While I admit that it might
not be an appealing prospect for everyone," she said, waiting an extra moment
for Alex to close her mouth before continuing, "I believe that you and I are
like-minded enough that a good friendship should be more than possible. As I
have said, my greatest fear in life is that I will one day be completely and
utterly alone. If that is one of your fears as well, then I think that we can
both take comfort in the friendship that we currently share."
"She's right, you know," Darian said softly, still holding Ami's hand in
a gentle grip. "And you'll still have denizen friends like Tolaris and Maze
and Whisper," he added with a slight gesture of his chin over his shoulder.
"You're not going to be completely left alone, not by any stretch."
"And what of my body?" Ami whispered back, visibly fighting to get her
tears under control. "What of my chances of having a child, a family?"
"Ami," Susan said with a faint smile, causing both Ami and Darian to blink
hard at her apparent mood. "I will be honest with you, the future is not even
close to being set in stone, and any attempt at viewing events that have yet to
occur to gain specific information is simply an academic exercise. However, it
is possible to glean a very generalized sense of events given the frequency in
which a given instance is observed. Between that and time-travel, which when
visiting the future is equally as inherently unpredictable, is how I am largely
aware of events and society as it is in this era.
"I have just viewed fourteen different permutations of the future, all
taking place in the next several years just before the chronopause comes into
effect. At the end of all but three of them, or at least before the Silence
took hold and blinded me, the final scenes I was able to observe were of the
same or at least similar nature. The exact details were always different, of
course, but it seemed to be a group-gathering for coffee or something else to
discuss something of minor significance. Think of it as a gossip session, if
you will. Two details stood out: Mina's advanced stage of pregnancy...."
"Say what?" Mina blurted out, her eyes almost popping out of her head.
"Quiet," Leda growled quietly an instant later.
"...And Ami holding her newborn daughter," Susan finished calmly.
The only thing that kept Ami seated in the chair was the simple fact that
both Darian and Serena were still holding onto her. "WHAT?" she gasped, her
eyes becoming as wide as was physically possible.
"I have every reason to believe that, before the Silence is upon us, it is
likely that you will have already borne a child and that Mina will be only a
month or three away from doing the same," Susan explained. "As I have said,
this is only what I am able to gather from reoccuring images and that while it
seems likely that events will come to pass as such, there are certainly no
guarantees. A miscarriage in one permutation, for example," she said with a
slight gesture of her staff.
"So there's hope for her after all, eh?" Darian said as he turned back to
Ami, gently squeezing her hand again. "Sounds to me like you just need to hang
in there for a few years and occasionally give Tolaris a reason to smile."
"Darian," Serena admonished him as both she and Ami promptly blushed.
It was sheer coincidence that only Whisper was able to catch the slight
change in Susan's expression, a brief faltering of her smile before she could
mask the look of unease in her red eyes. "Indeed," Susan said demurely as the
edges of her lips curled up again into a gentle smile. "And it appears that
the same goes for Mina and Maze."
"Say nothing," Mina said in a low tone to the rest of the group, obviously
in a state of mild shock. "Don't even think nothing. Maze and I will discuss
this one when we're ready, so any talk beforehand is just gum-flapping. I SAID
don't THINK anything," she added with a growl, casting a dark look at Artemis.
"What?" Artemis protested, giving her an unhappy look.
Darian just sighed quietly. "If you picked up a vibe of someone imagining
you with a bun in the oven and looking like you ate a beach-ball, that was me,"
he said calmly, causing several sets of eyebrows to promptly arch up. "You'd
probably carry it better than Ami would, however. Hey, I'm just saying you
have a small frame, that's all," he amended quickly as Ami blinked hard enough
to be heard and gave him a very startled look.
"Darian!" Serena gasped in a mixture of shock and outrage.
"Smile, Ami," Darian said with a quiet chuckle as he kissed Ami's hand.
"I'm just teasing you. It's either laugh or cry in this world, and I figured
you had enough of Option B for today, so...."
Ami paused and glanced over at Serena, getting a look in return of mild
amusement and resigned understanding. She then glanced back at Darian just in
time to catch him wink, causing a faint ghost of a smile to cross her face.
"Thanks," she whispered quietly as she felt her mood start to lighten slightly.
"So when do the rest of us get knocked up?" Leda inquired as she reached
up to pluck Artemis off of the back of the couch, setting him in her lap and
running her fingertips across the full length of his spine.
"Hey, speak for yourself," Alex promptly spoke up with a sour look.
"Unknown," Susan said simply with open amusement. "As I said, I am not
able to see past the chronopause and was unable to discern any other reoccuring
instances of anyone else becoming pregnant or otherwise having a child during
the time-period I was able to view."
"Reoccuring instances, eh?" Alex said in a slightly leery tone. "Sounds
to me like you saw one or two things pop up somewhere along the line."
"There were," Susan admitted in a neutral tone. "I won't go so far as to
say they were abberations or anything, but as the future contains literally an
infinite amount of choices stemming from a near-infinite number of loci where
decisions are made, it is not unreasonable to encounter anything that is in the
realm of possibility when viewing as I have just done. Note that possible in
this case has absolutely no bearing on whether it is a probability or not."
"So tell us what you saw anyway?" Leda suggested.
Susan seemed to hesitate slightly before sighing quietly to herself. "I
would rather not indulge in a discussion of future events that do not appear to
be likely or otherwise probable," she said in a delicate tone. "It would be
little more than an academic debate that may cause unnecessary and uneeded
worry or concern. Suffice it to say that, yes, I did notice singular instances
of pregnancies among us as a group in the short-term future, though I cannot
even begin to speculate the details of the circumstances as I only caught very
brief and transient glimpses of them. The only patterns I was able to notice
from viewing to viewing were the two already mentioned."
"Dammit," Mina sighed quietly. "Now you've got me curious."
"Oh, hell," Leda moaned softly, leaning back to rest her head against the
back of the couch. "Mina, *please*, just give it a rest. Hey, why don't you
finish your story about the vampires?" she added as she straightened up and
looked over at Susan. "I thought you said there were three kinds, and so far
you only mentioned two."
There was a long pause as the general mood of the room seemed to darken as
if a switch had been thrown. Ami seemed to start to withdraw again even as
Serena and Darian squeezed her hands, while Mina's expression returned to one
of simmering fury as she glanced over at Susan. Susan glanced at her for a
moment before sighing and making her way over to the couch, absently folding
her wings behind her as she picked up Alex's saber and handed it to her. She
then sat down on the center cushion, keeping her wings drawn in as tightly as
possible so she wouldn't brush up against either Alex or Leda.
"If you wish," the succubus said quietly. "As I have said, the noble
vampires are essentially a separate species as they are able to breed among
themselves as humans do. They are also able to interbreed with humans, the
result being called...."
"A dunpeal?" Mina suddenly spoke up as she sat up straight.
"There are many names for such beings, but that is one of the more common
ones," Susan said slowly. "Forgive me, but I thought you said you knew of only
one kind of vampire earlier?"
"In reality, yes," Mina replied as she suddenly seemed to be sick to her
stomach. "But I thought dunpeals were purely fictional, the work of a few
rather creative story-writers and animators. You guys know what I'm talking
about, right?" she said as she turned to look at the rest of the group. "The
anime-movie 'Vampire Hunter D' and the Raven fanfiction stories?"
There was a slight pause before Darian cleared his throat. "I remember
hearing you guys tell me about the first one," he said cautiously, "But I've
never heard of the other one."
"Never heard of it?" Mina gasped. "You live under a rock or something?
There's this guy who.... sent me the draft and never got around to working on
it again, nevermind, crossed wire," she babbled at a rapid pace, her cheeks
taking on a dark pink tint. "Sorry, blonde moment."
"You're telling me, babe," Alex muttered quietly.
"Anyway," Leda sighed. "So you're saying that dunpeals like D exist?"
"Dunpeals exist," Susan said. "I very strongly doubt that anything that
is depicted in movies or on television exists in reality. At least not likely
in a form that even remotely approaches the truth," she amended with an absent
shrug. "Excuse me," she added as the gesture caused her wings to brush against
Leda's shoulder.
"That's it, I'm going home now," Mina sighed as she stood up. "It's been
fun, kinda sorta, but it's time for me to go to bed and scream into my pillow.
I'll catch you girls tomorrow at school," she promised as she began to extract
her textbooks from the pile on the coffee table.
"Ergh," Serena sighed as she glanced over her shoulder, trying to see the
wall-clock. "I don't want to go home," she whined softly to Darian and Ami.
"Mom and Dad are probably going to kill me, I don't want to have to put up with
Sammy stinking up the bathroom again, and I *really* don't want to have to get
up for school in the morning!"
"It could be worse, Serena," Darian replied with a shrug. "You could have
four Sisters with iron rulers lording over you, three Brothers, another eight
or nine clergy helpers, and have to sleep in an open bay with nineteen others
as roommates."
"Wait, what the hell?" Alex inquired, giving him a startled look.
"I grew up in an orphanage, remember?" Darian said pointedly, giving the
short-haired blonde a mild look.
"Eww...." Alex muttered beneath her breath, drawing a not-overly-gentle
elbow to the ribs from Michelle. "Twenty guys all together in the same room?
And I thought a gym smelled bad.... *OOOOF*, goddamn it," she hissed in pain as
Michelle's other elbow was rammed into her other set of ribs.
"Luna?" Susan spoke up as she pointedly ignored the momentary instance of
spousal abuse between Alex and Michelle. "You are, I trust, taking care of the
Princess while she is with her Earth-born parents?"
"Since she and I met here on Earth," Luna replied dryly, giving Susan a
knowing look. She cast a quick glance at Artemis and caught a very subtle look
of agreement as well, knowing that he was most likely dealing with Mina's
parents in the same way that she was dealing with Serena's. "Yes?" she added
as Serena twisted around to give her an odd look. "Don't look at me like that,
Serena, *somebody* has to make sure you wake up on time so you're not late for
school. At least, more so than you already tend to be," she added dryly.
"Thanks, Luna," Serena replied in a resigned tone.
"Heh," Darian chuckled as he let go of Ami's hand and reached out to very
gently squeeze Serena's wrist. "Cheer up, Serena, she's just trying to help.
C'mon, I'll give you a ride back home so you don't have to walk. Same goes for
the rest of you girls, should be enough space in my jeep. What?" he asked in
a cautious tone as Ami suddenly coughed.
"You didn't drive here, remember?" she reminded him carefully.
He looked at her before the memories returned. "D'oh," he said quietly,
his expression briefly turning to one of surprised embarrassment. The change
was enough to cause both Ami and Serena to smile, and if he hadn't been looking
directly at Ami at the time he wouldn't have noticed the steel-blue shade of
her eyes fading away to be replaced by their usual medium-blue coloring as her
vampiric nature became dormant. "Sorry, girls," he apologized.
"It's okay," Ami said quietly as she very gently tugged her hand free from
Serena's grasp and eased herself out of the chair.
"So another day comes to a close, eh?" Leda sighed as she set Artemis down
on the coffee table and stood up as well.
"Close enough to count for government work," Darian agreed as he stood up
and helped Serena to her feet. "You want me to walk you home or something?"
he offered quietly.
Serena shook her head before leaning forward to kiss him softly. "No, I
think I need to walk for a bit and get some air. Luna will be with me, so I'm
sure there won't be any problems."
Leda chuckled quietly to herself as she retrieved her backpack from behind
the couch. "Anyone have this image of Serena screaming in terror at a barking
dog, holding Luna out at arm's-length and waving her around frantically while
screaming for her to scratch its eyes out or something?" she teased.
"HEY!" Serena protested sharply, giving the brunette an unhappy look. She
scowled at Mina as the other blonde made a strangled sound akin to a very hard
cough, obviously doing her best to keep herself from laughing aloud. "Oh, shut
up," she muttered as she heard Ami starting to giggle beside her.
"I'm.... sorry...." Ami managed to say in a tone that, if overheard, could
be easily mistaken for one of genuine apology. The look on her face, however,
clearly showed that she was anything but apologetic for finding the mental
image to be both somewhat realistic and vastly amusing.
"Like I said, Serena," Darian said cheerfully, drawing a fairly poisonous
look from her. "It's either laugh or cry in this world, so we might as well
give Option A a shot for a bit."
"I love you too," Serena pouted quietly as she began to gather up her math
homework and textbooks.
Susan scooted over to the end cushion Leda had vacated, giving Alex and
Michelle a little more elbow room. She paused as Michelle was half-tossed out
of Alex's lap and onto the empty cushion beside her, resulting in a truly dark
look on Michelle's face. "Are the two of you finished?" Susan inquired in a
somewhat cautious tone.
"We're done for the night, Chancellor," Michelle said in an icy tone as
she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Look, Mich," Alex said in a faintly edged tone, "I don't mind being poked
in the arm on occasion, but this elbow to the ribs stuff has got to go. Pain
has its uses, it lets you know you're still alive and that something is wrong,
but otherwise it's something to be largely avoided."
"So quit being mean!" Michelle growled.
"And using me as a punching bag isn't?" Alex countered.
"I see someone's sleeping on the couch tonight," Darian muttered to Serena
as he helped her stuff the books in the pink backpack.
Susan glanced over at Alex for a brief moment before shaking her head to
herself. "That is not likely to be the case tonight, your Highness, as I will
probably be conversing with Lisa later tonight once she returns, and as we are
both half-breed succubi with vastly reduced needs for sleep, our conversation
is liable to last until close to sunrise. If a need for an alternate sleeping
arrangement arises, Alex can make use of the bed in my room as I will not have
a need for it for several more days."
"You're kidding me, right, Sue?" Alex said incredulously. "Don't get me
wrong here, the offer is appreciated and I'm sure your bed is every bit as nice
and soft as ours is, but do I want to ask what's been done on the sheets since
you last changed them? OW, DAMN YOU, QUIT THAT!"
"See, you're being mean again!" Michelle pointed out in a flat tone.
"Hey, guys...." Darian started to say.
"Look, Mich," Alex growled, "I love you dearly and all, but I'm going to
have to return the favor soon if you don't knock it off."
Everyone except Susan blinked hard as Michelle reached out and grabbed the
front of Alex's shirt, jerking her forward until they were almost nose-to-nose.
"Go ahead and try it," Michelle said in a very soft and low-pitched tone, her
eyes narrowed to mere slits.
"Damn, she's giving *me* the willies," Leda whispered to Artemis as she
hefted her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. "And I'm the one they keep
calling the Psycho-Killer. Hey, guys?" she said in a louder tone. "I'll see
you all later tomorrow."
"Take care, Leda," Whisper said from the table, still sipping on her cup
of tea as she observed the impending domestic violence from a distance.
"Yeah, likewise," Darian said as he gently and unobtrusively as possible
ushered Ami and Serena towards the door. "C'mon, girls, let's get going before
it gets ugly. You coming, Luna? Luna? Hey, where'd she...?"
"I'm right here, Darian," Luna sighed from her position in Ami's arms.
"Oh, whoops," Darian said with a faint blush. "Sorry, didn't notice you
moving earlier. You going to be alright, Mina?"
"Probably not," Mina admitted with disturbing casualness as she scooped up
Artemis and cradled him in one arm. "But I'll make it. Probably with less
bruises than Alex is going to have come sunrise...."
"Mina, if I may...." Susan started to say.
"Denied," the blonde replied crisply. "Thank you for the information on
vampires, though, I'm sure it'll come in handy one of these dark days. Catch
you girls later in class," she added with an overly cheerful smile that was
quite obviously faked and a flashy wave before she headed for the door.
"Mich," Alex said as Michelle calmly rose to her feet and stalked towards
the residential wing. "Wait! Hey, Mich! Michelle!"
"Word of advice, Alex?" Darian said as he glanced around to make sure he
had everything of importance with him. "Stay on the couch tonight, it'll be
both emotionally easier and physically safer for you. Trust me. Night, Susan,
Captain," he added with a brief wave of his hand.
"Sleep well, Prince Darian," Whisper replied with a bow of her head. The
telepath watched in calm silence as the room was emptied in short order until
it was just her, Alex, Susan, and Myst in the area. "Well, that was.... more
than a little interesting," she observed with a chuckle, mostly to Susan.
"Chaotic, you mean," Myst said sourly with a flick of her tail.
"Chaos has its uses," Whisper replied with a shrug as Susan moved off of
the couch to claim her usual armchair. "And as Maze keeps saying, it really
does make life interesting."
"Bah," Alex huffed quietly as she leaned back against the couch and rubbed
her face. "Sue, isn't there a Chinese saying to go along with that? Lady Mars
used to say it every so often, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment...."
"May you live in interesting times," Susan quoted calmly. "And in China
it was viewed as being a curse rather than a saying."
"Yeah, that's it. Thanks, Sue."
Susan just shook her head as she reached out to absently run her fingers
through Myst's soft fur. "You should consider going to bed, Alex," she spoke
up gently. "The past few days have been stressful on us all, which is most
likely one of the motivating factors behind your current predicament. While I
have a fair amount of work to do tomorrow once the business day begins, I do
not forsee anything of significance in store for you or Michelle. It may be
wise for the both of you to rest for the day. Unless, of course, Whisper is
able to find something low-stress that will keep you duly occupied while I am
elsewhere...."
"That's easy enough," Whisper said with a chuckle. "As Mina pointed out,
Dyvach isn't here to do the laundry anymore, so I guess it will be up to me to
handle it. And seeing how teamwork makes certain chores all the easier and
quicker to accomplish...."
"Gotcha," Alex sighed in resignation. "Yeah, we'll be there. Not like we
have anything else to do around here. Got anything I can throw my saber at?"
"Of course," the telepath replied calmly, causing the blonde to sit up.
"We do have a modern training room downstairs, after all. I'm sure I could let
you borrow a shielded plasma sword and let you take on a few target drones. I
might have to sit down and try to figure out how to get the replicator to work,
though, since our supply of pre-made drones is a little low. Maze already had
to take it apart once before, so hopefully it won't be a difficult task."
"Interesting," Susan said absently. "How does it work?"
"It's basically a recycling unit for drones," Whisper explained. "You
sweep up the broken parts, dump them into the holding bin, close the lid, and
tell it to start processing. A few hours later you should have the bulk of the
drones recreated and ready to work again. It's not perfect, however, as it
needs a fresh supply of raw materials every so often. Dyvach usually took care
of that as well, given his ability to rework molecular structures. You have no
idea how useful he is," she added as she drained her teacup.
"Heh, a giant crystal spider," Alex chuckled. "That's still fairly high
on my list of weirdest things I've encountered in my life, and after spending
so much time with Sue here, that's actually saying quite a lot."
"For once, Alex, I'm actually inclined to agree with you," Susan observed
in a mild tone, casting a neutral glance at the blonde. She blinked hard as a
pillow came flying out from around the corner of the residental wing, spinning
end over end like a lopsided discus that ultimately bounced off of Alex's leg.
"Good night, everyone," Michelle said in a cool tone, dressed in a rather
sheer nightgown and obviously little else.
"Sleep well, Michelle," Susan replied calmly. She glanced over at Alex as
Michelle stalked back into the residental wing, making note of the thoroughly
dejected look on Alex's face. The sound of a door being closed fairly hard was
heard a few moments later, and Susan had little doubt that she would have been
able to hear the click of the lock being engaged if she had been close enough.
"Alex, perhaps...."
"Don't want to hear it, Sue," Alex murmured softly as she picked up the
pillow and tossed it in the corner of the couch. She then stripped off her
shirt and laid down, leaving her naked to the waist. The shirt was promptly
folded into rectangle draped across the upper part of her head, acting as a
sort of mask to blot out the light.
"Alex," Susan sighed quietly.
"Night, Sue," Alex replied in a faintly bitter tone as she proceeded to
ignore the rest of the world around her.
<Perhaps we should let her be,> Whisper suggested telepathically as she
quietly rose to her feet and carried the few remaining cups and plates into the
kitchen. <I'll probably be up for another couple of hours, so I might as well
quit stalling and work on the sensor arrays again. Hopefully I can get that
alarm fixed before your sister returns so as not to disturb anyone else.>
"Very well," Susan said quietly as she stood up. She paused to glance at
the way Alex's petite breasts were left prominently exposed and simply shook
her head, reaching down to pick up Myst.
<Would you come with me for a moment?> the telepath inquired as she made
her way towards the residential wing, pausing to turn the living room lights
off. <There are a few questions I'd like to ask you, if you're inclined to try
to answer them for me.>
Susan simply nodded and followed her down the hallway, absently studying
Whisper's short mane of light-green hair as they went. The internal lighting
system seemed to shut off behind them as they walked, plunging the corridor
into near-darkness that was broken only by the strong light coming from the
open door of the hallway bathroom. The computer room was lit just as dimly,
the overhead lights switched off and the room illuminated only by the soft glow
of the crystal-like display.
<I will be honest with you,> Whisper explained as she sat down in front of
the terminal and started working on it. <I am not too surprised to hear about
vampires in your world seeing how they exist in mine, and neither am I all that
surprised to hear it stems from a sort of.... infection, if you will, as that
too is largely how ours are created. I don't believe we have the equivalent of
succubi in our world, however, and until you arrived we had never been bothered
by either vampires or succubi. I have no wish to be rude, Susan, but I have to
be concerned with the defense and welfare of this facility, and quite bluntly
I am worried about what your presence here means in terms of future visits from
such beings.>
Susan sighed quietly as she sat down in the unoccupied chair. "I am....
aware of your concerns, Captain, and I assure you I am not offended by them.
My role as Guardian of Time means I am well-known to a number of dimensional
and planar entities of varying degrees of power, and as such it is not entirely
unreasonable to expect an occasional visit from either them or their emissaries
to request my services. Given the fact that both of my sisters are succubi as
well, it is also expected for them to visit on occasion for either business
purposes or simply for a social visit. If you feel this will pose threat or a
security concern, I will seek another place of residence that is sufficiently
removed from here to limit or negate the concern."
<I'm just trying to get a feel for what to expect, that's all,> Whisper
replied with a casual shrug. <I can put a delay on the jump-gate warning to
give it a few seconds to try to identify the target, and I think I have enough
information from previous scans to tell your sisters apart from anyone else,
but I'm not about to issue a blanket ignore statement for succubi in general.
That would defeat the purpose.>
"I certainly don't have any problems with that, Captain," Susan observed
as she idly scratched Myst's ears. "I would not be concerned with visits from
Megan or Lisa, but as with Deidra, a warning that another succubus is in the
immediate area or otherwise approaching would be greatly appreciated in case I
do not sense her myself."
<I can deal with that,> Whisper thought as she continued to reconfigure
the sensor settings. <You know, I'm not sure I'm following along very well
when you talk about your time-travel abilities, but something tells me that you
aren't exactly very forthcoming with information about it. You can call it a
hunch, if you like,> she added, casting a sidelong glance over her shoulder.
"Answer me this," Susan said simply. "Red or green?"
<Green,> Whisper replied after a brief hesitation.
"With that simple question, I have created several dozen permutations of
possibility within the time stream," Susan explained. "Each one would be a
separate and distinct.... reality, if you will, that could lead to a different
future than what had taken place. What if you said red instead? Or what if
you said both, or nothing? What if you had looked at me and asked what I was
talking about? What if you had decided I was insane and attacked me? We both
know that the last scenario I just suggested is highly unlikely, but it was
still a theoretical possibility. The moment I asked that question, the instant
a decisional locus was created, so were the permutations.
"Now step back for a moment and look at Time as a zipper, if you will,"
she continued, drawing a slightly surprised look from Whisper. "The past, that
which is already done, is the part of the zipper that has been fused together
into a solid object. The present, the 'Moment' of continuity, is the center
where the threads are merged together to form the solid object. The future,
however, consists of a near-infinite number of permutations, each one a thin
thread of possibility that means nothing until it is captured by the Moment and
becomes reality. Only then does it take meaning and have a bearing on how we
exist, how we live and interact.
"What I did earlier was briefly glance over a few of those threads, a very
tiny sampling of the permutations of a possible future. There was just enough
similarity among what I saw to conclude that it was not just possible but most
likely probable that Ami would bear a child before the Silence is upon us. I
may be wrong, however, as fourteen threads out of the literally infinite number
of others is, statistically speaking, a very poor sample. However, as there
are more threads than I could ever possibly view, I am forced to rely on such
generalizations. And it is because it such an imprecise and uncertain method
of.... forecasting, if you will, that I do not feel comfortable with trying to
shape the present or otherwise influence it based on what may or may not come
to pass in the future."
Whisper studied her for a moment before nodding in understanding. <When
you take the time to explain it like that, it sounds reasonable to me,> she
said in a faintly cautious tone. <However, I am starting to understand some of
Alex's frustrations when you speak of a somewhat complicated topic where the
underlying methodology hasn't been adequately explained yet.>
"Perhaps you are equally as cognizant of my own frustrations in trying to
educate her," Susan replied dryly. "I assure you, if she has yet to grasp the
mechanics of time-travel and temporal physics, it is not for a lack of lessons
dispensed or learning opportunities made available on the subject."
<No arguments there,> the telepath agreed with an audible chuckle. She
seemed to sober up a few moments later with a soft sigh and another sidelong
glance at Susan. <Again, this is only a hunch of sorts, but I have the feeling
that some of what you saw earlier when looking at these 'future threads' was
enough to disturb you.>
"Possible does not equate with probable," Susan said softly. "Bear in
mind that each moment of decision generates literally countless permutations
that propagate at a rate that is well beyond exponential, as each thread that
is created tends to spawn another loci within seconds, thus creating additional
branches that repeat the cycle. Each one is unique in some way and each one
has an equal chance of being randomly selected when I attempt to view a given
point in Time. Sometimes the results are expected, sometimes they are not."
<Anything in particular that bothered you?> Whisper inquired.
"As I said, Captain, I prefer to avoid speculation or discussion about
what may or may not come to pass," Susan said in a quiet tone. "While I cannot
help reacting on an emotional level to some images, I see little to be gained
in a positive sense by raising the suggestion that they might come to pass,
especially if I only encounter them once during repetitive viewing attempts."
<But you'll discuss Ami's future child as long as it gives her hope, even
if it may or may not come to pass?> Whisper pointed out. <I believe the Earth
term used is cherry-picking your results.>
"Or perhaps filtering out unnecessary pain and suffering," Susan replied
in an even quiter tone. "As I said, I genuinely believe that Ami will, in due
time, conceive and bear the daughter she yearns for."
Whisper paused in mid-typing and twisted her head around to look directly
at the winged succubus. <I noticed earlier that you seemed to be more than a
little uncomfortable earlier when Darian mentioned how Ami simply needed to
give her relationship with Tolaris time and proper intimacy. And I sense even
now that you do not feel comfortable with my mentioning it again,> she added as
Susan seemed to sigh and wilt slightly.
"I have every confidence that her love for Tolaris is genuine and that it
will be continue to be returned in kind," Susan said delicately. "I also have
every confidence that Ami will be able to bear his child when the time is right
for such an event to take place."
<So what's the problem, Susan?> Whisper prodded her.
"Captain, please, there is...."
<Susan,> the psionic voice said simply in reproval.
Susan sighed heavily and closed her eyes, hugging Myst against her chest
without thinking about it. "I viewed fourteen permutations," she said in a
tone that seemed to creak under the weight of her weariness. "In two she had
a miscarriage, in one she failed to conceive at all. Of the remaining eleven
instances of the conception of her daughter, I could only attribute seven of
them to Tolaris, either directly or indirectly."
<And the other four?> Whisper inquired, her voice softening considerably.
"One was unknown entirely," Susan replied, almost in a whisper. "The
other three were the result of a sexual union with Darian, only two of which
were consensual and I have.... reservations about that second one. Please, you
must bear in mind I only caught fleeting glimpses of events and most often
without the proper background or context to clarify them," she added quickly.
Whisper blinked hard and sat back, suddenly feeling a dark chill creeping
down her spine. <I think I see why you would find that to be.... disturbing.
Especially since it appears to be more than a singular and isolated instance.>
"I have little reason to suspect that such a thing will come to pass,"
Susan said briskly as she tried to rally herself. "Darian is a decent man, of
that we both know there is no doubt. And as I said, whenever a locus is formed
it spawns a near-infinite number of permutations that go on to spawn further
permutations. The closer one is to the Moment the fewer there are, but as each
such locus can occur every few seconds, if not sooner, attempting to view the
distant future means one is sifting through a literally infinite sea of such
possible threads. And as I keep stressing, possible in this case simply does
not equate with probable. Is it possible he would do such a thing? It is, I
will admit that. Is he likely to do such a thing, or even to consider it? I
very strongly doubt it. To put another perspective, it is possible that you
would attempt to sexually assault him? Again, it is possible, but I think we
both know the likelihood of that ever coming to pass is exceedingly remote, if
in the realm of actual probability at all."
A soft laugh rose up from Whisper's chest as she gave Susan a look of mild
amusement. <I think your point about possible versus probable has been well
and duly made,> she telepathed as she shook her head to herself. She paused
for a brief instant before a light blue blush spread across her face. <Unless,
of course, you count the rare fantasy dream, but I'm sure we've all had that
about various males we've met in various points in our lives.>
"Without question, Captain," Susan observed with a faint smile of her own.
"I think it is best that we let the discussion rest as it presently stands and
move on to another topic."
<Actually, I think that about covers it,> Whisper admitted with another
absent shrug. <I'm still a little.... numb, I guess, over what to make of
Serena and her denizen form, but as Maq'i said, that will be addressed in due
time as well. I'm worried about what is going on in my world, of course, but
I don't expect that you will be able to help me much in that regard. For the
moment, I think Alex actually has a good idea, just lie in bed with the lights
out and wait to see what tomorrow brings. However, I'm not about to try to go
to sleep with my hiana hanging out for the world to see, closed bedroom door or
no,> she added with a faint chuckle and a shake of her head. <I'm surprised
she does that given what she says her dreams are like sometimes....>
"Alex is healing in her own way," Susan said as she stood up. "As she has
been sleeping in a state of undress for essentially her entire life, I am not
about to fault her for continuing to do so. I myself find sleeping in clothing
to be a little restrictive and confining, but that can be attributed more to my
demonic nature than anything."
<Just making an idle observation, nothing more,> Whisper replied with a
shrug of dismissal. <Some might think that Alex is.... extending an invitation
of some fashion, but I know that isn't the case. At least consciously.>
"Oh?" Susan said, turning towards the door and pausing in mid-motion.
<Subconsciously, she might be leaving herself open to Michelle,> Whisper
explained as she resumed typing away on the denizen keyboard, filling one of
the coding windows with lines of spidery text. <But that's just a wild guess
on my part. I don't know, and quite frankly, I really don't care. I'll toss
a blanket over her before I go to bed.>
"Thank you, Captain," Susan replied with a nod of her head. "Sleep well."
<I was going to wish you the same, but I just remembered that you don't
sleep,> was the dry response. <Enjoy the conversation with your sister once
she arrives.>
Susan nodded again before she turned around and left the computer room,
absently navigating her way along the darkened corridor and finally arriving in
the bedroom she was using. She paused as she thought she noticed something out
of place, realizing a moment later that she had forgotten to seal one of the
jars of paint from her earlier attempt at painting a portrait of Lisa holding
Artemis. She absently set Myst down on the bed and corrected the mistake,
noting with minor relief that only the topmost layer of paint had dried out to
form a cap of sorts. She made sure the cap was on tightly before beginning to
shake it vigorously, trying to entice the dried layer of paint to break down
into a liquid again.
"You look tired," Myst spoke up quietly, taking her by surprise.
"I suppose I am," Susan admitted softly. "Although it is not for a lack
of sleep or energy, but rather simple weariness of my burden in life. Ami has
every right and reason to be less than enthusiastic about her eternal lifespan,
as it is simply that much more pain and suffering she must endure before it is
her time to rejoin the others as part of the Imperium Silver Crystal. If that
is even possible anymore," she added in a soft whisper. "I'm afraid, Myst, I
fear for Ami's soul. While the Crystal is largely a benevolent entity, it does
not have an encourging history of forgiveness for those who have fallen from
grace for one reason or another. I know what my fate is and have known it for
my entire life, but her fate.... is not so clear to me, and with the Silence
coming in a few years...."
"That's what bothers you the most, isn't it?" the kitten inquired softly.
Susan paused to think for a moment before she sighed and nodded, absently
unzipping her dark evening gown. "I will not argue against that," she said in
a muted whisper. "I have learned much by viewing the future, even as chaotic
and unpredictable as it is, and to know that I will soon be blinded by the
chronopause, perhaps even denied access to the Flow of Time.... yes, that is a
very frightening prospect indeed."
Myst remained silent as she watched Susan undress completely and select a
simple outfit that was best described as 'casually comfortable' among succubi.
"So now what?" she finally asked once Susan had finished changing and tugged
all the wrinkles out of her ribbon-like attire.
"So now we wait as all of Creation must," Susan replied simply. "None can
alter the progression of sands through the hourglass of Time. Granted we can
make it seem like Time elapses at a different rate in a localized area, but not
even the pantheon of gods can influence it directly. Lisa will return here
soon, and until she does we can only wait. Or did you have something in mind
that you would care to do?" she inquired.
The Shinma just shook her head slowly. "Not really," she muttered in a
faintly bitter tone. "Every time something does happen around here, it turns
out to be even more chaotic than the previous incident. If waiting is the only
respite I will get from the chaos of being among these humans, then I'd rather
wait than try to encourage it."
A soft smile crossed Susan's lips despite her current mood. "I am sure
you will get used to it soon enough, my friend," she said. "And if you become
that disillusioned with this realm, I can always return you to the Dark if you
truly desire."
"I'll think about it," Myst muttered as she started to preen her tail.
"Yes, feel free to think about it," Susan said, mostly to herself. "After
all, what else is one supposed to do when waiting but think of what lies ahead
among the strands of the dark and uncertain future?"
* * * *
Ar'kanis paused warily as he saw nobody in immediate sight. He knew that
Nop'tera and Freya were still there after his brief conversation with the Chief
Medical Officer, but the fact that the bedroom door was closed suggested that
it would be wise to return at a later date.
He was about to turn around and leave when the bedroom door hissed open,
letting Freya slip outside to quickly seal it shut behind her. The gesture was
done with obvious haste, causing him to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "I
apologize if I am intruding, Lady Freya," he rumbled softly. She was still
fully dressed, which made him stop and reconsider his earlier theory about what
was going on at the moment.
"General Nop'tera is indisposed at the moment," Freya said quietly as she
stood in front of the sealed doors, almost protectively.
"How so?" he asked in a very careful tone. "She has not become ill from
her wound, has she?"
Freya visibly hesitated before shaking her head slightly. "No, it is not
that," she assured him in a tone that was more than a little edgy.
Ar'kanis studied her carefully for a moment, absently flexing his draconic
wings. "I have an update for her on the status of the metamorph's condition,"
he said slowly, his helmet giving his words a chilling and sepulchral echo.
"She has asked to be kept appraised of the situation. Would it be possible for
you to pass along a message for me?"
The pale-haired slave seemed to recoil slightly before sighing and shaking
her head slowly. "It is not," she whispered, seeming to be genuinely upset to
have to reply in the negative.
"Freya," Ar'kanis said as gently as he could, "What is wrong with her?"
Again Freya hesitated before edging back, pressing herself against the
sealed doors. "They gave her some form of tranquilizer," she said, her voice
barely a whisper. "Her body started fighting it, so they had to increase the
dosage until it took hold. She's awake but not lucid, she isn't aware of her
surroundings. They say she will snap out of it in a few hours, but until she
does I can't let you or anyone else see her. Not.... not like this. Please,"
she pleaded. "Let her rest."
"A tranquilizer?" the armored general echoed, giving her a startled look.
He fell silent for several moments as he struggled to remember the details of
a previous incident he remembered from his earliest days as a soldier in the
Red Wings. Recovering from an unexpected allergic reaction to a tranquilizer
had been the true reason Nop'tera had accompanied the damaged carrier back to
the Negaverse for decomissioning, rather than simply to deliver a secret report
in person to Queen Beryl as was reported to the rest of the Red Wings. "They
didn't give her a dark blue substance, did they?" he finally spoke up as the
memory finally resurfaced. "I don't remember the proper name for it, but the
field medics in my battalion call it the Dark Kiss of Bliss." He sighed softly
as Freya replied with an eight-syllable word that triggered the rest of his
memories. "Yes, that is it. Surely they knew she is allergic to it?"
"What?" Freya gasped. "She's having an allergic reaction?"
"It is not so much a physical reaction as a psychological one," Ar'kanis
replied as he moved towards the closed door. "It will, however, take her some
time to fully recover her physical strength. Find me several lengths of cord
or rope, preferably as non-abrasive as possible, and stand aside."
"Wait, what are you doing?" Freya demanded as she pressed herself even
harder agains the door, refusing to get out of his way.
"Freya, do not fight me in this," he said in a very gentle tone. "You
must trust me to deal with her, for I have had to do so once before. Her mind
is under assault from within, not in the sense of a telepathic attack but in a
physical sense from her blood fighting the chemicals inside her. Soon she will
begin to struggle and lash out, if she has not started doing so already, and I
doubt you have the physical strength necessary to keep her restrained. I do.
Now stand aside and find me something to help keep her tied down before she
gets out of hand."
Freya blinked hard at his words, her already-pale complexion losing what
little color remained. "Ar'kanis.... please," she whispered. "She isn't....
dressed for company, I don't want anyone to see her like this."
"As I said, I already have," Ar'kanis replied. "Or do you think that she
was never tended to by anyone before your arrival in her life? I have a great
deal of respect for you, Lady Freya, both as an individual and for your service
to Nop'tera in a uniquely personal capacity, but I will not permit you or any
other entity to stand between me and my commander when she needs my help. I
will not say this again, my lady. Stand aside."
Freya gave him a heart-rending look as she hesitated before finally edging
to one side, a trembling hand reaching out to key open the lock on the door.
It hissed open as he approached, allowing him to take a pair of steps into the
darkness of the room and promptly come to a jarring halt.
Nop'tera was lying on the bed, her eyes open and staring up at the ceiling
but obviously not seeing anything. There was a discernable luminescence to her
featureless yellow eyes, giving the rest of the room a faint cast of light.
She was completely naked, the sheets all tossed aside in a heap as she twitched
and writhed around with restlessness. Her lips were pulled back to expose her
fangs, seeming to hiss and whisper to herself in broken fragments and senseless
syllables that were barely audible.
"Find me some rope, Freya," Ar'kanis said calmly. "Then secure the door
and let nothing in or out until you hear from me. Coherently," he added in a
moment of dark humor. "If you hear me screaming, I doubt you will truly want
to find out why."
"Ar'kanis, please," Freya pleaded in a deathly whisper.
"I will take care of your mistress, of that you have my word," he promised
as he drew his broadsword and set it aside. As used to the weapon's weight on
his belt as he was and as comforting as he found its presence to be, he would
vastly prefer that Nop'tera not get her hands on it or anything sharp during
the violent fits of uncontrolled rage that would shortly be forthcoming.
He blinked as Freya squeezed past him to enter the room, darting to the
far wall to open up the closet. He cast a wary glance at Nop'tera as she made
a soft keening sound to herself, one hand coming up to hold her throat tightly
as if she were being choked by something. The gesture suddenly reminded him of
her denizen powers of Chaos and how she was able to turn the air poisonous with
only a minimum amount of focused thought and concentration. It was doubtful
that she would be able to focus her mind long enough to trigger the process,
but he also remembered reading a classified report about an incident where a
psionic attack on Nop'tera had resulted in an accidental poisoning of dozens of
soldiers and civilians around her....
"Here," Freya said softly as she darted back over to him, handing him what
had to be the sashes of every single robe in the closet.
Ar'kanis glanced down at the lengths of fabric and nodded. "This will
suffice," he said quietly. "Now please, leave us and lock the door. I will
protect her reputation if you will protect mine, for I will not be able to do
this while entombed in this armor. I will inform you if there are any changes
to her situation, either for the better or worse. Now go."
"General Ar'kanis.... please, be careful," Freya whispered, seeming to be
only three seconds away from bursting into tears. She then bolted from the
room, literally squeezing past his armor again and sealing the door behind her
with a sharp hiss and a deep click.
"Nop'tera," he said softly to the darkened room. He sighed as he heard a
soft fragment of song in response, a brief humming of some tune that he might
have been able to identify under far less worrisome conditions. "You will, I
trust, forgive me in the morning," he intoned as he set the sashes down on the
corner of the bed and removed his helmet.
He quickly and methodically removed his armor one piece at a time, leaning
the heavier pieces against the wall and letting the rest sit on the floor. As
always, the front-and-back plates of his chestpiece were the most difficult to
remove without machinery, as he had his massive draconic wings to cope with and
he didn't want to simply let the back piece clatter to the floor. He settled
for pressing hard against the wall, carefully discarding the front plate and
crouching down to let the back plate fall free under its own weight. Even as
careful as he was, the plate still made a loud noise as it fell the remaining
few inches to the floor and bounced off one of his gauntlets.
Ar'kanis froze as she suddenly bolted upright into a sitting position, her
yellow eyes narrowed dangerously as she slowly looked around the room. "What
noise do I hear?" she purred quietly, her words slurred and seeming to have a
faint lilt to them. "Has he come for me at last? Speak, I command you!" she
yelled as she started to lean to one side.
"Nop'tera," Ar'kanis said quietly as he finished unclasping the rest of
his armor, leaving him clad only in a decidedly skin-tight gray undersuit.
"Nop'tera...." she whispered softly. "I know this name. Where?" she
murmured before beginning to hum softly to herself, sinking back down onto the
bed with a distinctly dazed look. She paused in mid-hum and lifted one hand,
pointing up at the ceiling. "You there, tell me.... has he come for me?"
"Whom do you seek?" he said, keeping his voice as soft and gentle as he
could while he rose to his feet. Freed from the echo of his helmet, his voice
had a rather pleasing timbre that seemed to draw her attention.
A languid smile crossed her face as she twitched gently. "You know who,
Freya," she purred softly, her hands coming up to pass over her stomach and
brush against her breasts. "I won't let him touch you, however, not unless....
unless.... Since the dawn of time, she wrote, on the wings of light...."
Ar'kanis raised an eyebrow as Nop'tera started to sing very softly, unable
to stop himself from studying her nude body. He had seen her before in a state
of undress on several occasions, although almost always purely on accident or
after something had happened to her uniform. He shook his head to himself to
refocus his thoughts, studying the way she was laid out on the bed and trying
to decide how best to restrain her.
He grabbed one of the sashes and moved to the top of the bed, very slowly
reaching out to grab her right wrist. He knew that she was right-handed and
that it would probably be best to start there. He could feel a burning heat in
her skin as he touched her, holding her as gently as he could while he tried to
loop the sash around her wrist.
"There you are," Nop'tera suddenly said as she suddenly twisted around.
Even as prepared for a reaction as he was, Ar'kanis simply wasn't able to keep
track of what precisely happened. When his brain caught up a quarter-second
later, he realized that she was holding him tightly against her with one hand
and using the hand that he had just tried to tie down to grip the back of his
neck hard enough to make him wince in pain.
"What have we here?" she hissed, her lips curling back to reveal a pair of
very sharp vampiric fangs. Her featureless eyes seemed to be on him, but they
were obviously unfocused and glazed over as her mind teetered on the brink of
a drug-induced hallucination.
"A loyal soldier, my general, nothing more," he replied as resolutely as
he could manage. He didn't fear being bitten by her, as she had done so once
before only to inform him that that his blood was more than a little sour and
thus quite unpalatable. What he did fear, however, was having his throat torn
out by a vampire who wasn't in the mood to feed.
The answer seemed to soothe her, causing the iron grip on the back of his
neck to slacken slightly. "Did he send you, then? Is he on his way here?"
He had no idea who she was talking about, but he had learned from his last
experience with her under such circumstances that it was best to play along so
as not to jar her exceedingly fragile state of mind. "He is busy seeing to the
ship," he explained carefully, hoping that she still had enough lucidity left
to latch onto the concept of duty.
"The ship?" she echoed in a curious tone. He was at a slightly awkward
angle at the moment, being held against her in such a way as to offer her very
easy access to his throat, but even so he thought that he could see her eyes
clear up for a brief instant. "Yes, he is, isn't he? He's on the bridge...."
Ar'kanis blinked hard as her mood suddenly darkened into one of deep rage.
"She attacked us," Nop'tera snarled, seeming to forget about his presence for
the moment. "I will have her, I swear. Her life, her blood, her very.... she
will.... her...."
"Nop'tera," he said quietly as she suddenly seemed to forget what she was
saying. He blinked as she turned and looked at him, furrowing her brow in
confusion.
"How did you get here?" she inquired. "Did he send you?"
This is going to be a long night, he thought to himself before he nodded
as best he could under the circumstances. "He did," he said simply.
"Really...." she purred, suddenly turning coy and playful. She eased her
firm grip on his neck a little more but still held onto him, trying to study
his face and skin. "Odd, you almost look like him, too...."
Ar'kanis said nothing, knowing all too well what the Chaos Factor had done
to him. He figured it was an absolute blessing that her mind wasn't in proper
working order at the moment, unable to ever forget her reaction when he had
taken off his helmet after being ordered to do so. The order had never been
repeated, and she had made it known that nobody else was to harass him for his
desire to always remain enshrouded in armor.
"Does he know?" Nop'tera whispered very softly in his ear, her lips very
lightly brushing against his skin as she spoke.
"Yes, he does," he replied calmly, trying to assess just how well she was
coping with the reaction this time. It didn't appear to be nearly as bad as it
was the first time so long ago, but the sudden fits of violent rage had come
without any hint of warning.
"And he sent you to take his place," she murmured, laughing very softly to
herself as she nuzzled his ear. "And do you think you can keep up with me?"
A bright orange flag suddenly went up in his mind at both the soft words
and the tone used to deliver them. He was suddenly mindful of the fact that
she was entirely naked and that he was being held firmly against her while clad
only the undersuit and what was commonly referred to as 'night-duty shorts'.
"I am not here to take his place," he said after a noticeable hesitation,
trying to think of a way out of what looked to be an unconfortable situation
without jarring her state of mind. He gasped as the hand on his neck suddenly
tightened hard and jerked him a few inches downward, leaving his throat barely
an inch away from the point of her fangs.
"Then why are you here?" she demanded in a tone of pure steel.
"I am here to make sure you are ready for him," he said as a spark of
inspiration suddenly ignited. He held his breath and waited to see if it would
be enough to keep him alive for another few moments, or at least long enough
for her mercurial mood to change to something less hostile.
"Ahhhhh," she purred sleepily as she slowly sank back down onto the bed.
Her grip on his neck remained firm but eased off slightly, just enough to let
the blood in the constricted veins flow once again. Her eyelids drooped for
a number of seconds before closing completely, the hand abruptly falling away
from his neck to land on the bed with a soft whumph.
"Nop'tera?" he asked quietly, feeling a trickle of ice flood his veins at
the sudden change.
"Will he come for me?" she whispered very softly, only the faintest glint
of soft yellow visible between her eyelids.
"He will come for you," he assured her as he briefly rubbed his neck.
"Then I will wait," she murmured, a sleepy smile slowly spreading across
her face. "I have waited for him all this time, so it will not matter if....
if I.... Freya, who do you wait for?"
He took a deep breath as he carefully took hold of her wrist again and
tried to loop the sash around it. "She is not here," he said softly. A very
quiet sigh of frustration rose up from his chest as she snatched her wrist out
from his grip and sat up, staring off into the distance with a startled look.
"What? Where is she?"
He thought quickly for a moment before deciding he had little to lose at
this point. "She is making sure he is ready for you," he said carefully.
Nop'tera promptly tilted her head to one side, almost looking sideways at
the open closet door. "Really?" she asked in an incredulous tone. "Freya is
doing that?"
"She knows what he means to you," Ar'kanis suggested.
"Really...." she repeated as she slowly looked around the room, as if she
had never seen it before. She paused and studied the scattered pieces of armor
laying against the wall before a dark frown crossed her face. "That looks like
his armor," she said in a very suspicious tone. "Is he here, then?"
Ar'kanis froze as a very big flashing red light went off in his mind. "He
is getting ready for you," he said carefully.
"Ahhhhh," the vampire breathed, nodding her head slowly in understanding.
"So why are you here, then?" she said as she turned to look at his shoulder.
"I am here to get you ready for him," Ar'kanis explained patiently, hoping
that things weren't going to get as complicated as he feared they might be.
A coy laugh rose up from her chest as she slowly sank down on one elbow.
"What if I am already ready for him?" she said as she reached out to run her
hand along his jaw.
He began to sweat for a moment before a truly bright flash of inspiration
hit him. He figured he would pay and pay very dearly for it if things didn't
go as planned, but if her mind slipped into a psychotic rage before he had her
restrained it might end up being a very moot point.
"He wants to try something new," Ar'kanis said in a soothing tone.
"Does he?" Nop'tera purred as she leaned back on her elbows, leaving her
chest thrust forward in a very direct and openly suggestive fashion.
He simply couldn't help glancing down at her bare breasts for an instant,
wincing on the inside as he could still clearly see the exposed stitches from
the stab wound. They were covered in a thin layer of skin sealant, giving her
cleavage a slightly glossy look that was rather hard to miss in the dim light.
"He does," he said as he glanced back up at her and tried to refocus his mind
on his current task.
"And what does he want?" Nop'tera demanded softly. Her words were both
coy and amused, but there was also a noticeable undercurrent of steel to them
that suggested her mood wasn't stable anymore.
"This," he said simply as he quickly tied the sash around her wrist and
started to secure it to the edge of the bed. He froze in mid-motion as she
quickly sat up and looked at him curiously, watching him intently as he very
carefully resumed his task of tying her down.
"Is he serious?" she asked with a startled blink.
"He is," he said as he picked up another sash and reached out to take hold
of her left wrist. He blinked as she snatched her hand out from his grasp and
grabbed the front of his undersuit, yanking him close until they were almost
nose-to-nose.
"What does he think I am?" she hissed, her eyes narrowing down to thin
yellow lines. "Does he think me a slave he can bind to his will? Dare I ask
what he is doing to Freya at this moment?"
"It was Freya's idea," Ar'kanis said quickly, hoping that it would jar her
mood just hard enough to return her to a more reasonable frame of mind.
"Freya's idea?" Nop'tera echoed, her white eyebrows arching up.
"She knows," he said softly.
"Freya.... knows?" she repeated, seeming to be a little confused. She let
go of his undersuit and turned to look at her right wrist, gingerly tugging on
it to test the bond. She paused for a number of moments before tugging on it
again, as if unsure of what it was or how it even got there. "Blue," she said
in a very soft whisper as she blinked and looked up at him. "It's blue."
He cast a quick glance at the dark gray terry cloth sash and suppressed a
sigh. "That it is," he agreed in a neutral tone.
"But.... but...." Nop'tera started to say before falling silent. Her face
remained frozen in a mask of confusion as she studied him, her featureless eyes
seeming to follow the movements of his hand as he reached out to grab her left
wrist again. "But it's blue!" she suddenly said sharply as he started to tie
the sash in a knot. "Don't, it's blue!"
He paused in for a moment as he sensed a shift in the situation, wondering
if her mind was starting to reassert itself. "Nop'tera?" he asked softly.
"FOOL, NOT THE BLUE!" she suddenly screamed, her eyes seeming to explode
with frightening rage.
He reacted by pure instinct, tugging the knot closed around her wrist and
putting his entire weight behind a sharp yank that pulled the material as taut
as possible. It then became a simple test of his strength against hers as she
struggled to free her arm, flailing around on the bed like a wild creature.
Once he was absolutely sure the knot was going to hold, he leaned forward
to pin the sash to the bed with his shoulder. That allowed him to secure the
loose end to the frame as quickly as he could, mindful of the fact that her
legs were still free and thus had a very real chance of being able to kick him
in a number of sensitive areas.
Having pinned her arms down and largely immobilizing her, it was only a
matter of time before he was able to tie her legs down with another pair of
robe sashes. There was a close call at one point where her leg shot out just
as he tied the knot, coming perilously close to punching a hole through his
right wing. He had flinched by reflex, moving his wings back just enough so
that her toenails only scratched the taut skin over one of the tendons.
The next hour was one he would rather forget, doing little else aside from
going corner to corner every few minutes to make absolutely sure that each of
the knots was secure and that they would hold out against Nop'tera's vast
strength. The sounds he was hearing from her were another matter entirely, a
truly dark tirade of pure rage and unholy fury as she struggled. Had the
circumstances been slightly less dire he would have simply sat back to listen,
hearing more than a few profane words in ancient dialects that were new to him.
He gave serious consideration to gagging her at several points, knowing what
her fangs could do and dearly wishing she would cease raving like that, but he
felt it was too dangerous for him to try and was worried about the risk of
suffocation if anything happened.
An icy chill slid down his spine as her violent struggles abruptly ceased
as if a switch had been thrown, leaving her lying perfectly still and panting
for breath. An embarrassed blush spread across his face in a moment later as
he realized that her nude body was now tied down and spread open in a way that
most would view as being dangerously tempting. He glanced around the room for
a moment before he found where the discarded sheet had fallen off the bed. He
scooped it up and very carefully draped it over her in an attempt at preserving
what remained of her modesty.
"Nop'tera?" he said softly as he tucked the sheet beneath her chin. He
blinked as he realized that he could see tears trickling out from the corners
of her eyes, and that the heaving of her chest was not from exertion but from
a series of silent sobs.
"He's not coming, is he?" she whispered in a broken tone. "He knows, he
won't come here, he knows...."
"Nop'tera," he said again before he blinked and sat back. He cast a quick
glance at the helmet in the corner and briefly debated the merits of putting it
back on to talk to her, not sure if he would be soothing her or simply stoking
the fires of her temporary insanity.
He closed his eyes and sighed as he listened to the soft sounds of her
voice, starting to whisper and murmur fractured syllables and broken words to
herself. He looked up after a few minutes and gingerly rose to his feet, very
carefully making his way over to the discarded armor to pick up the heavy metal
helmet. He cast a brief glance over his shoulder at her, studying the yellow
corneas of her eyes before sighing again and slipping the helmet on.
"Nop'tera," he said calmly, feeling a familiar weight settling around his
shoulders at the hollow echo produced by the helmet. It wasn't the weight of
something physical or tangible, but rather the ethereal weight of a burden that
he doubted he would ever be able to free himself from.
The reaction to his voice was almost instantaneous. Nop'tera blinked hard
and became perfectly still, her breath seeming to catch in her throat before
very slowly leaving her in a soft exodus. "Ar'kanis...." she breathed as she
closed her eyes again.
"I am here, my general," he said simply as he moved over to the edge of
the bed. He had to brace his helmet with both hands to keep it from tilting to
one side and ruining his field of vision. Had he been wearing his chestplate
the helmet would have simply locked on and stayed in place, but of course the
rest of his armor was still lying against the wall.
"They...." she panted softly, suddenly seeming to be unable to breathe.
"They did it to me again. The Dark Kiss."
"I know," he replied calmly, the echo-effect making his tone sound cold
and impersonal.
Her eyes opened slowly as she turned to look at him. The featureless
expanse of her eyes were still fairly glazed over, but he got the impression
that there was now a definite spark of focus and lucidity to them. "I can't
see," she whispered softly, causing him to blink hard. "I see shapes and all
sorts of colors and things I thought are impossible, but I can't see you."
"You are hallucinating," he replied calmly. "It is the effects of the
drug, they will pass in time."
She nodded sleepily and closed her eyes again, seeming to wilt. "I can't
feel the rest of my body," she murmured faintly. "I can feel you, oh how I can
feel you, but my arms and legs won't move...."
"That, too, will pass," he assured her. "You are still in the grips of an
allergic reaction, my general, you must not fight it as that will only delay
your recovery."
"Cold," she murmured, her words suddenly slurring. "Have you left me so
soon? It is so cold in here, so cold without.... Ar'kanis?" she suddenly said
in a normal voice, her eyes snapping open with startling clarity.
"My general?" he inquired warily.
"What.... what just happened?" she asked.
"You are under the influence of a tranquilizer," he explained carefully.
"Your body is trying to fight it with only partial success."
She remained silent for a number of moments before she turned her head to
look squarely at him. She then glanced down at her legs, trying to flex them
slightly before looking over at her arms. "General Ar'kanis?" she finally said
in an uncertain tone. "Explain to me, in precise detail, why am I naked and
tied to the bed like this before I draw my own conclusions and decide I have to
kill you with my bare hands."
"Do you remember seeing the Chief Medical Officer earlier?" he inquired in
as calm and rational a tone as possible.
She blinked and cast a startled glance at him before squinting her eyes.
"You came in with a taped message," she said, mostly to herself. "The Chief
Engineer came in as well and said something about a stowaway. You opened my
robe.... ah, because I was bleeding, yes," she said as she closed her eyes.
"Freya called down to sickbay, they came up here to talk to me.... and...."
"And gave you a dose of the Dark Kiss of Bliss," Ar'kanis summarized in a
dry tone.
"He did what?" Nop'tera demanded as she tried to sit up. She winced as
the attempt twisted her shoulders painfully, forcing her to lie flat again.
"Don't they know I'm allergic to that stuff?" she growled. "Aren't they aware
of what happened the last time they tried to calm me down with it?"
"Apparently not," he pointed out. "And as that predated Freya's arrival,
she of course knew nothing about it and thus couldn't warn them before they
tried to sedate you."
"Damn it," the vampire snarled softly. "How much did they give me?"
"I do not know, but I suspect not as much as the last time," he replied.
"You seem to have largely recovered at this point, and without requiring nearly
as much restraint as before."
"Ah," she replied flatly, tugging on one of the bonds. "I suppose that
explains half of my concerns."
"And the other half being...?" he prompted carefully.
She paused and glanced back at him with a very wary look. "Explain to me
why I'm naked and you are nearly so?" she prodded. "If I didn't know better,
I might think that you were getting ready to take advantage of me. Assuming
you haven't done so already," she added in an edged tone.
"With all due respect, my general, you should know me better than that,"
Ar'kanis said with a soft chuckle of amusement. "You were undressed when I
arrived, and I removed my armor so as not to hurt or otherwise bruise you when
I attempted to restrain you."
"How kind of you," she muttered. "I suppose I should be gra...."
"Nop'tera?" he said as she suddenly fell silent in mid-word.
"Damn it," she hissed in a very soft voice. "I can still feel it trying
to flare up again. Of all the times, why now? Damn it," she whispered.
He said nothing as he studied her face, seeing lines of extreme weariness
appearing as if by magic. He knew that the allergic reaction would continue to
ravage her bloodstream for a few more hours, but that the worst part of the
experience had already run its course. All that should be left were a series
of hot flashes and chills that would come and go in rapid succession, playing
absolute havoc with her body and ultimately leaving her in a state of extreme
exhaustion.
"Ar'kanis?" she said in a weary tone as she looked up at him.
"My general?"
"Why am I still tied up like this?" she said pointedly.
"You wish to be unbound, I presume?" he replied with open amusement.
She paused and raised an eyebrow at him. "I suppose that it pleases you
greatly to see your division commander naked and tied down like this?" she said
in a low growl. "I have a sense of humor too, General, and perhaps one day I
might even laugh about this as well, but now is not the time. Now untie me at
once. Well, wait," she said just as quickly.
"With all due respect, my general, make up your mind," he said calmly.
"Your helmet," she said softly as she realized that he had to use both
hands to keep it held in place.
A faint metallic grunt could be heard inside the confines of his helmet as
he suddenly realized the situation as well. "If you wish, I can summon Freya
to release you," he suggested. "Then while she tends to you outside, I can don
my armor so as not to disturb either of you."
"Wait, where's Freya?" Nop'tera blurted out.
"Outside," he said simply. "I asked her to leave and seal the door, just
in case I failed to restrain you properly. I.... did not wish her to witness
either of us in this situation," he admitted softly.
Nop'tera blinked and glanced down at the sashes restraining her, suddenly
glad that her slave hadn't seen her in this position. Not that she feared she
would take advantage of her, as she had momentarily feared Ar'kanis had, but it
was still nonetheless a situation that she found to be somewhere between deeply
embarrassing and outright humiliating.
"Your foresight is.... appreciated," she said quietly. She paused as she
suddenly remembered something, a ghost of a memory bubbling up from the depths
of her mind. Whether it was from the distant past or something more recent was
unknown to her, as her mind was still more than a little foggy from the effects
of the allergic reaction. "Ar'kanis.... while I was.... hallucinating...."
"Whatever was said is of no consequence and will not be repeated," he said
in a gentle but firm voice. "I will make no attempt at remembering any of it,
so you may rest assured that whatever happened will remain in here between the
two of us. Should Lady Freya have heard or seen anything, I am sure she will
likewise keep it to herself."
"That was never in question," she replied, absently chewing on the edge of
her lip as she tried listening to what her body was telling her. "I.... am not
calling your honor into question, Ar'kanis, but.... while you were trying to
bind me.... are you sure you didn't...?" she tried to say in a hesitant tone.
"As I said, I did not take advantage of you," he said in a firm tone.
"Then.... it was all a dream?" she whispered.
"As I said," he said very slowly and clearly, "I did not take advantage of
you. If you are of the mind that I touched you any more than was necessary to
secure your arms and legs, then that is the influence of the hallucination. I
do not mean to be cruel, Nop'tera, but I doubt your mind was in any condition
to fabricate a proper dream."
"I-I-I see," she breathed in a whisper before she squinched her eye shut.
"Oh! Oh, damn, hot," she hissed as she began to struggle. "Damn it, my blood
feels like it just caught fire. V'tek'ka t'zarn.... ah," she panted as she
slumped with relief. "Don't tell me I'm going to have hot flashes like that
again. I am going to kill the p'tai who gave me that stuff without having the
basic common sense to check my k'vesi medical records first. Damn it!" she
snarled as she tugged on the bonds again. "Ar'kanis, get me out of these."
"General Nop'tera, perhaps I should summon...."
"Look," she said tersely as she closed her eyes. She paused as a solution
crystalized in her mind and she almost sighed. "Just.... turn the lights off,
okay? I'm sure we can both handle being in the dark for a short while."
She kept her eyes closed until she heard the faintest of tapping sounds
and the room was plunged into utter darkness. She opened them a moment later
and paused when she saw absolutely nothing but the darkest of voids. A very
soft clanking noise told her that Ar'kanis had taken his helmet off and set it
on the floor, but she had no idea where he was until she felt the corner of the
bed creak slightly as he stumbled into it.
His touch was surprisingly gentle on her leg, first blindly feeling around
to get a good idea of where everything was at, then working the knot until it
came undone. He briefly rubbed her ankle where the sash had been tightly tied
before he slowly made his away across to the other bottom corner.
"Thank you," she said softly as her other leg was freed, allowing her to
draw them up and twist to the side. She wrinkled her nose slightly as her legs
promptly became tangled in the sheets, dragging them down to expose her bare
breasts. She wasn't worried about him seeing them, as he had already seen them
several times before even if there had been enough light in the room to permit
another viewing, but it was still the thought of vulnerability that counted.
"It is a pleasure to serve, my general," he said quietly, the timbre of
his unhelmeted voice taking her by complete surprise.
"Ar'kanis?" she said quietly, causing the hand that was tracing the edge
of the bed upward to pause for a few moments. "You.... you spoke to me earlier
without your helmet, didn't you? When I was hallucinating."
"I did," he said calmly as he resumed trying to feel for the corner.
The chill struck her just as his hand brushed against hers, resulting in
a reflexive grasping action. She held onto his hand tightly as her body was
wracked with a series of icy shivers that would have had her curling up into a
ball if her arms hadn't been tied down. She focused on the warmth of his hand
as she tried to ignore the tremors, repeating over and over in her mind that
the chills were just a transient feeling and that it was all in her head.
"Nop'tera, are you alright?" he inquired softly once her grip on his hand
finally relaxed.
"Damn it," she sighed. "Just a brief chill, that's all."
"I suggest you prepare for a long night, then," he advised with a note of
humor as he carefully unbound her left wrist.
"Was that what you said before you tied me down?" she inquired absently.
She paused as she thought about what she had just said and glanced over at him,
or at least where she thought he was in the impenetrable darkness.
"Nop'tera," he sighed in blatant resignation in a tone that might have
drawn an official rebuke under more normal circumstances. "Why are you of the
mind that I have done something to you?"
She remained silent for several moments as he finished untying her wrist.
"If...." she finally managed to say before her voice briefly failed her. She
closed her eyes and tried to summon the willpower to speak about what she had
experienced while under the influence of the tranquilizer and the subsequent
hallucinations. "If you truly did not touch me, then.... then it was the most
vivid dream I experienced in several hundred years."
A soft chuckle emerged from the darkness as his weight left the corner of
the bed. "I am almost envious of such a dream," he said as he felt his way
along the edges of the bed towards the other side. "I am likewise just as
tempted to ask if it was good for you, since I obviously missed out."
"Envious, Ar'kanis?" she inquired softly.
He suddenly froze in mid-motion as he realized just how his humorous words
could be taken. He remained still as he heard the soft rustling of sheets as
she rolled over onto her side, followed by the faint rasping noises of the last
sash being untied.
"Bah," she hissed softly in the the darkness. Her eyes suddenly took on
a very faint luminescence without warning, letting him know exactly where she
was. He realized a moment later that they were narrowed down to mere slits as
she tossed the sheet aside, seeming to be panting for breath. "If these are
the same kind of hot flashes women get during menopause, then I am all the more
grateful my cycle quit working after that Bloodmoon Conjunction," she groused.
He grunted softly to himself, having heard various complaints from his
female soldiers about such things during the course of his tenure as a leader
of others. Being a male meant he knew little of such things, and thus usually
referred them to other senior women to obtain the proper advice and comfort.
"I would be of a mind to advise a shower, my general, if I thought that it
would help moderate the temperature fluctuations you are feeling," he observed
calmly. "However, I should also warn you that you should be careful in doing
so, for your strength has already been severely taxed. Perhaps it would be
best if Freya were to assist you."
"I do not need assistance in taking a shower," Nop'tera said briskly. She
made a sour face and curled up into a ball as another chill took hold, causing
her muscles to twitch and spasm gently. "Ar'kanis?" she said in a very quiet
tone as she tried to keep her teeth from chattering audibly.
"I think I have done all I can to help you tonight, my general," Ar'kanis
replied softly. "There is little I can do for what you feel on the inside."
She sighed as the tremors left her body, leaving her still curled up on
her side and feeling more than a little exhausted. "Are you leaving me, then?"
she whispered.
"Would you have me stay then, to watch you suffer from something beyond my
power to further help you with?" he replied. He hesitated for a moment before
he moved forward, feeling around until he encountered the corner of the bed.
A soft laugh rose up from her chest as she drew her legs in tighter. "Can
you see me in this darkness?" she asked in a faintly amused tone.
"You know what I mean," he said dryly as he sat down. "And yes, I can see
the faint glow in your eyes as you continue to fight the tranquilizer."
She blinked and held her hand up to her face, both eyebrows arching up as
she saw the faintest of yellow glows tinting her skin. "Interesting. I didn't
think they would be luminescing like that. I guess this is taking a harder
toll on me than I had thought," she admitted.
"Stress does that to you," he mused.
"I suppose," she said softly. "Ar'kanis.... about.... what I said...."
"Must it be mentioned?" he wondered gently.
That caused her to blink and turn to look at where she thought he was.
"Is that your way of saying you don't care, then?"
A heavy sigh drifted up out of the darkness. "All I am saying is that I
do not see a need to dissect everything and analyze it," he said carefully.
"As far as I am concerned, everything that took place tonight.... including the
conversation we are holding now.... has to be viewed in the proper context. It
is a simple statement of fact to say that you are not in your right mind at the
moment, nor will you be until the drug is completely out of your system and you
are allowed to recover from a very potent allergic reaction."
She remained silent as another hot flash seared her nerves, causing her to
uncurl and pant very softly as she tried to cool down. "I see," she finally
said once the worst of the burning sensation had left her, leaving her feeling
even more drained than before.
"Nop'tera," he said softly. "Speak to me in the morning if you wish, when
we both know that our minds are clear. I will not risk my honor or yours over
a misunderstanding, no matter how slight it may seem. To do otherwise would be
to taint the battles I have fought, the blood I have shed, and the victories I
have won, all in your name. I seek no higher pleasure or privilege than the
chance to serve you in whatever capacity you need me to."
She remained silent as the weight on the corner of the bed was lifted,
followed by the cautious sounds of someone very carefully probing the floor for
large and heavy metallic objects. "Do you need some light for that?" she asked
quietly as she heard the tell-tale clinking of pieces of armor being fit back
together.
"No," he replied calmly. "Believe it or not, I practice assembling my
armored suits in darkness so that I am not hampered when there is insufficient
light. Much like how Major Sirene practices her martial arts with her mask
removed so that she is not overly disadvantaged by the temporary blindness," he
added with a faint note of humor.
Her lips curled back in a snarl of their own accord as another icy wave
swept through her, seeming to chill her very bones. She remained motionless,
however, fighting the impulse to grab the blankets or otherwise curl up for
warmth as she continued to concentrate on the metallic sounds of his armor.
She finally heard the rasping-click she was waiting for, knowing that he had
just locked his helmet into place and could thus use the internal sensors to
let him see at least a partial picture of everything.... including her.
"Ar'kanis, I'm...." she started to say. "I'm sorry."
"Guilt, my general?" he said, his voice echoing inside his helmet once
more in that all-too-familiar sepulchral manner. "For what? Enjoying a dream
while in the grips of induced madness? What man or woman doesn't have the odd
dream of others when they sleep in a normal state of mind? As I said, speak to
me tomorrow when your mind is clear if your conscience is still troubled, for
you may find that both true sleep and the presence of your slave to be.... of
more comfort than you realize."
"I have a troubled conscience now?" she spoke up as she heard his heavy
footsteps towards the door.
"Perhaps briefly," he admitted as he felt around for the control panel.
"But as I said, you may find that resting may alleviate that well enough for
your needs. I will send a Healer to visit you in the morning to assess your
condition, and I ask that you let me handle chastising Medical for the mistake
in administering the tranquilizer to you. Freya," he said as he thumbed the
speaker unit on.
"Ar'kanis! Is everything alright?" Freya's voice blurted out without the
slightest hesitation or delay, almost as if she had been hovering near the wall
speaker the entire time.
"Your general is lucid now, but she is still fighting the drug," he said
calmly. "You will need to watch her closely, but the danger is passed. You
may release the lock now."
The door promptly clicked loudly before hissing open, letting a bright
shaft of light to spill into the room. The column of light was soon blotted
out as Freya literally ran into the room, coming to a dangerously rapid halt
once she realized that the lights were compeltely off. "Mistress!"
"Not so loud, Freya," Nop'tera sighed as she rolled over onto her other
side, wincing against the sudden light. She paused and peered back over her
bare shoulder as she heard Ar'kanis' footsteps once again, leaving the room as
quietly as was possible given his armor. "Ar'kanis...."
"If it helps, my general," Ar'kanis said as he picked up his broadsword
and secured it in the sheath without turning around, "I am aware of what really
happened in the V'ral's storage pool during the extended maintenance cycle at
Hannshok. Fair evening to the both of you," he said before he moved far enough
away from the door to allow it to hiss shut.
"Are you alright?" Freya asked softly as she sat down on the edge of the
bed, reaching out to take hold of Nop'tera's arm.
"I will be, Freya," Nop'tera replied in a muted tone, feeling a deep chill
in her blood that had absolutely nothing to do with her current situation. "I
keep having chills and hot flashes, however, and it is.... not pleasant. I'm
allergic to the Dark Kiss of Bliss," she explained with a forced chuckle.
"Ar'kanis told me," the pale-haired slave said quietly. "Mistress, I'm
sorry, I didn't know, otherwise I wouldn't have let them...."
"Enough, Freya," Nop'tera sighed, wincing as her blood temperature seemed
to jump forty degrees in an instant. "It should have been in my medical files,
which will be reviewed in the morning. If Ar'kanis keeps his word and gets to
them before I do, then I will leave the matter in his hands. Otherwise, I will
make sure that this.... oversight does not happen again," she promised darkly.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Freya whispered, reaching up to touch the
Dark General's forehead to test her temperature. She hissed in shock as she
almost burned her fingertips and immediately sat up. "You're overheating!"
"Give it another minute," Nop'tera sighed quietly. She had to suppress a
groan as Freya all but catapulted herself across the bed and darted over to the
wall, dialing up the lights just enough to permit them both to see properly.
"Freya, don't panic, it's not a fever...."
"Mistress, please," the human vampire pleaded quietly. "Let me try to
cool you off in the shower."
Nop'tera just closed her eyes and yielded, letting Freya pull her off of
the bed and half-drag across the room to the shower unit. Her mind began to
disconnect itself from the details of what was going on around her, partly as
a defensive measure against what the repeated hot flashes and chills were doing
to her. The other reason, however, was to try to dampen the words that were
continuing to echo inside her mind.
I am aware of what really went on in the storage pool, he had said. Which
meant that he had known for years, centuries even, and hadn't said a single
word to her once. Why? Did he not care? Or had something prevented him from
speaking up? Was it duty that kept him silent? Honor, to protect them both?
It was a question that she couldn't find an easy answer to, and compared to the
brief period of insanity she had just undergone, she found that she actually
preferred to be immersed in the disjointed realm of madness rather than have to
listen to the soft words repeating inside her skull.
At least in there, you don't expect things to make sense, Nop'tera thought
to herself before the sudden shock of the icy water from the shower thoroughly
erased both her train of thought and her immediate short-term memory.
* * * *
"Wait, slow down," Lisa sighed in resignation as she leaned forward and
buried her face in her hands. "You're giving me a headache."
Susan paused to glance at her before resuming her painting. "Perhaps if
you tell me which concept you are failing to grasp, we can begin there," she
suggested calmly as she made a slight dab on the canvas.
"Start over from the beginning," the purple-haired succubus muttered.
"How far back in Time?" Susan inquired dryly as she made another dab.
"Okay, wait, let me think here," Lisa said as she sat up straight, rubbing
her sinuses gently. "Let's start with this Negaverse thing again, I'm still
having a hard time trying to picture this one."
Susan calmly made a series of delicate strokes before she took a deep
breath. "The Negaverse is a distinct and separate dimension that is not linked
to our universe in any way, shape or form. It is populated by four distinct
species of intelligent life-forms collectively known as denizens. While our
world and theirs are not related, it is possible to bridge the gap between them
using a special crystal that originates inside the Negaverse. It is through
the usage of those Silkworm crystals, as they are called, that allowed them to
cross over to our world. The first instance of this is unknown, but they did
make contact with the Moon Kingdom shortly afterwards. The Moon Kingdom was
invaded fifteen years later and still lies in abandoned ruin to this day."
"Okay, I'm with you so far," Lisa said carefully.
"It was during that first-contact situation in the Moon Kingdom, when our
culture first encountered theirs, that events played out that led to Princess
Serena's conception and later birth," Susan reiterated.
"A conception between a human woman and one of them?" Lisa prodded.
"Indeed," Susan replied with a nod. "Queen Serenity and Captain Raijen."
Lisa paused and scratched her cheek absently. "Despite the fact that he
was.... what, a ghost or something? This is where I'm losing it, Susan, the
dead don't have much of a sex life outside of certain morgues, and even then it
doesn't lead to someone having a child."
It took Susan a fair amount of effort not to make a mistake at the way her
younger sister had phrased things. She remained perfectly still until she was
sure she had recovered before attempting another series of delicate strokes.
"Captain Raijen was dead in body, granted," she explained. "But his spirit was
still very much intact and housed inside a shard of crystal. That shard was in
the possession of Lieutenant-Commander T'Cer when she arrived in the boundaries
of the Moon Kingdom and thus within range of the Imperium Silver Crystal."
"So it was the Crystal that made all this possible?" Lisa concluded.
"That is, unfortunately, only a partial truth," the green-haired succubus
admitted with a gentle fluff of her wings. "It was through the actions of the
Crystal that Captain Raijen's spirit became reanimated into a physical form,
but it has yet to be determined how he was able to impregnate Queen Serenity."
That drew a hard blink from Lisa. "What, you're a succubus and you have
to ask how that happened?"
Susan paused and cast an unamused look at her sibling. "I assure you I am
fully cognizant of the raw mechanics inherent to the biological processes of
insemination and conception," she said in a dry tone. "What you are assuming
is that they are compatible to begin with. Bear in mind that Queen Serenity
was fully human in every aspect and that Captain Raijen was a denizen warrior
from another universe entirely. The difference in the chromosome count alone
between his seed and her eggs is enough to biologically preclude any sort of
successful fertilization from taking place without an external influence."
"So how did they wind up with Serena, then?" Lisa prodded carefully, one
purple eyebrow arching up as she was answered with a truly heavy sigh.
"That, Lisa, has yet to be determined," she explained patiently. "That it
was done successfully by some means is without question, as you have only to
look at the Princess herself as proof. The mechanics of her union, however,
are unknown, nor are they likely to be known for some time. What we do know is
that it was *not* the actions of the Imperium Silver Crystal, as it has already
clearly stated it has no power whatsoever to influence the Chaos Factor."
Lisa nodded her head in understanding as she leaned back on her elbows,
frowning as the gesture put a considerable strain on the front of her dark
leotard. She quickly sat up and wriggled out of the top half, pausing for a
moment to glance at Susan before stripping it off entirely. "Okay, wait, I
think I've got this one," she said slowly as she leaned back on her elbows once
again, now wearing only a pair of boots that came up to mid-calf. "So it's
because she has this Chaos thing in her blood that she has wings, right?"
"Exactly," Susan replied with a nod and a careful flourish on the canvas,
not bothered in the slightest by her sister's nudity. "Bear in mind that the
changes wrought by the Chaos Factor on the genome are unique and not passed
down from one generation to the next. As far as we are able to determine, the
fact that she evolved into the equivalent of a denizen angel is completely and
utterly random, suggestions of apocalyptical prophecy notwithstanding."
"Evolved, huh?" Lisa said, arching one eyebrow up.
"I fail to see why that term is inappropriate, given the fact that her DNA
has been extensively modified by the process," Susan replied calmly.
"So she's really different that what she started out to be, isn't she?"
Lisa said as she flexed her abdomen hard to quickly bring her into a sitting
position.
The elder succubus paused for a moment before setting her brush down and
turning to face her younger sister. "In body, perhaps," Susan said in a very
careful tone. "I don't believe the change was any more metamorphic, if you
will, than what you or I experienced when our bodies matured into adulthood and
our wings manifested. In our case, it was fully expected and the changes were
already encoded in our genomes. In the case of the Princess, however, we had
no reason to suspect she would possess the Chaos Factor, and even the denizens
are unable to tell if there is a genuine mutation of the DNA at puberty or if
the template for change is already encoded and thus pre-determined.
"What is of far more importance to us, however, are her mind and sanctity
of spirit. The Princess is still who she was a week ago, a young woman who is
on the cusp of true adulthood and possessing the power of the Royal House of
the Moon. While she may have a new physical form to adapt to, her heart hasn't
changed in the slightest and neither has the purity of her soul. If I may be
so bold, I would think that her transformation into an angel, even a denizen
one, has only made her all the more powerful and humble at the same time. I
doubt she will flaunt her heritage or otherwise use it with malicious intent."
"I hope not," Lisa muttered quietly as she drew her legs up to her chest
and stared down at the sheets. She paused for a moment before sighing quietly
and slipping off her boots, setting them down on the floor by the bed.
"I sense the pantheon was concerned about that?" Susan inquired carefully
as she turned her focus back to the painting and picked up the brush again.
"The pantheon is concerned about a lot of things at the moment," a brisk
voice said as its owner strode into the room.
"Hey, sis," Lisa murmured quietly as she stared down at her toenails, her
wings arching around to wrap around her in a cocoon of sorts.
"I see Captain Whisper was able to retune the sensors," Susan observed in
a casual tone as she glanced over at the new arrival.
Megan barely glanced at Lisa before she sat down on the other half of the
bed, absently unlacing her boots in the process. "I don't mean to be rude,
Susan, but this place smells funny to me," she sighed. "That, and it has a
really alien feel to it. I don't see how you can spend so much of your time
here, even if it's in the company of the other avatars."
Susan paused slightly before she returned her attention back to her half-
finished painting. "I remain here for several reasons, Megan, the least of
which being precisely because of the presence of the others. That I have yet
to secure an independent residence of my own on Earth is a minor issue at best,
as tomorrow I will be setting up the financial arrangements for myself and the
others. My identity paperwork was seeded in England long ago, so securing the
proper documentation will be a trivial task at best. It will most likely take
another day for Alex and Michelle's paperwork to be sorted out, but that again
will be a simple task of creative administration."
"Ah, yes, red tape," Megan mused casually as she slipped off her boots and
made herself comfortable. "Everyone I've talked to said that you were better
at it than most. A natural-born bureaucrat," she smirked.
"Another reason I remain here is because of the apparent situation in the
Negaverse," Susan adding, deciding to ignore the back-handed compliment. "As
Sun Tzu once wrote.... keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."
"The Art of War," Lisa piped up. "Very interesting reading."
"Expecting a battle, are we?" Megan inquired archly.
"Not at the moment," Susan admitted as she applied another stroke to the
canvas. "The nuclear strike on the denizen's Imperial Castle will probably
keep their military, or at least General Rune, preoccupied for a few days and
thus likely precluding any significant Earth activity. Moreover, if I properly
understood what Prince Darian was saying, the NegaForce has agreed to a deal
where Earth is left alone for the visible future in exchange for Darian giving
it an heir within a reasonable timeframe. In any regard, should any denizen
military forces arrive here on Earth, they will most likely be all too aware of
the fact that we are occupying one of their former staging grounds and might
seek to contact us directly. Hence the current need to maintain a presence of
sorts here in the cathedral."
"Which would then explain all the warnings about intruders," Megan added
dryly. "If you don't mind my saying so, Setsuna, this is an interesting mess
we're in at the moment."
Susan paused and cast a sidelong glance at her sibling. "If I were you,
Megan, I would watch my tongue most carefully while visiting the mortal planes
and within potential earshot of others," she said in a faintly chilled tone.
"And while I will admit ignorance as to the exact scope of your duties to Lord
Hades, should you even be in his service at all as I am, I fail to see how you
personally are involved in this 'interesting mess' at the moment."
"Hey, guys?" Lisa spoke up softly. "Just.... settle down, okay?"
Megan raised a green eyebrow as she glanced over Lisa's nude figure. "A
little early in the evening to be starting, isn't it?" she inquired lightly.
"Huh?" Lisa said, giving her sister a confused look.
"Megan, why exactly are you here?" Susan asked calmly as she finished a
rather intricate stroke and dipped her paintbrush in the rinsing solution to
clean it.
"To let you know that your life and the lives of your fellow avatars are
about to become extremely complicated," Megan replied lightly, giving Susan a
gentle smile as the paintbrush came dangerously close to slipping out of her
fingers.
Susan sighed softly and absently wiped the brush tip clean on a rag before
carefully dipping it in another jar of paint. "I'm listening," she said with
a faint edge to her tone, keeping her eyes focused on the canvas.
"Has anyone told you which relic was stolen the other day?" Megan inquired
idly as she leaned back to rest on her elbows. "The one Lorelei was sent to
recover?"
"Queen Serenity's transformation brooch," Susan said in a perfectly calm
and unconcerned tone, almost as if she were discussing the weather. "I believe
it may be in the possession of Amman Tobin at the moment."
"It was," Megan sighed. "It apparently was handed over to.... a higher
power," she said after a slight hesitation.
Susan froze in mid-motion, the tip of her brush barely an inch away from
the canvas. "Oh?" she said in an unreadable tone, giving the full-blooded
succubus a sidelong glance that was more than a little wary.
"The entire pantheon reported feeling a.... vibe, if you will, all at the
same time less than an hour ago," Megan explained in a muted tone, causing both
Lisa and Susan to sit up straight. "They believe the brooch has been corrupted
somehow and activated."
"Activated?" Susan said as she very carefully set the paintbrush down.
"Yes, activated," Megan repeated. "As in used to create a new avatar."
"Susan...." Lisa whispered in a warning tone as she watched her sister's
complexion become completely and utterly white in the span of three seconds.
"A new Sailor Scout?" Susan breathed as she struggled to remain firmly
seated on the stool. The shock was still echoing inside her mind, threatening
to send her into a nervous seizure as her brain became dangerously overloaded.
"So it seems," Megan stated flatly. "One outside the control of both the
pantheon *and* the Imperium Silver Crystal. A rogue, if you will. This, of
course, has the pantheon in an absolute uproar. Zeus' underwear is knotted so
tightly at the moment you can almost literally count the short hairs. The rest
of us are surprised he isn't literally pissing lightning right now."
"Uh...." Lisa said slowly, giving Megan a dubious look as she tried very
hard to clear her mind of the mental images.
"Lisa, get dressed," Susan said as she rose to her feet. She had to grab
her staff out of the temporal flow and use it as support to avoid falling back
down on her tailbone. She waited until she was certain her leg muscles were
done spasming before standing up straight again, flexing her wings rapidly as
she briefly considered her options.
Lisa blinked and gave her an uneasy look. "Wait, where are we going?" she
asked tentatively as she reached for her leotard.
"Visiting our lord and master right now is not wise," Megan spoke up with
a wry look on her face. "I was conversing with Lady Persephone when he stormed
into the throne room looking like he had a bad case of crawling skin. I'll not
pretend to understand what they said to one another, but I do believe that our
Underworld Queen will be trying to calm our King down in a somewhat traditional
fashion soon, if they haven't started already...."
Susan paused for a brief moment before she nodded in understanding. "Very
well, then, I shall not disturb him. To answer your question, Lisa, 'we' are
not going anywhere. You are going to return to the Underworld. I am going to
have a rather direct meeting with Amman Tobin and ask him what he knows about
both the brooch and whom he gave it to."
"Huh?" Lisa said as she paused in mid-motion, the dark leotard barely up
to the smoothness of her sheath.
"Susan, you surprise me," Megan said calmly as she idly reached out to run
her fingertips along Lisa's still-exposed backside. "You are going to confront
the Pharaoh of Time, all by yourself? Surely you know how dangerous that is."
"I am aware of the risks," Susan replied patiently. "His lordship and I
have dealt with one another before, and I believe he is still deeply regretting
the experience to this very day."
"Ah, yes, the time sink," Megan smirked, gliding her fingertips higher to
caress the base of Lisa's dark crimson wings. "I imagine he would still be a
little peeved about that. All the more reason to take someone with you," she
added as her voice took on a measure of steel.
"The company is appreciated," Susan admitted, casting a sidelong glance at
Lisa as she remained frozen in place. A faint look of bliss was evident on the
purple-haired girl's face as her wings were expertly stroked, causing her to
briefly lose her focus on the situation. "Lisa," she said calmly.
"I'm coming with you too," Lisa announced as she seemed to snap out of the
pleasure-induced daze. She edged away from Megan's hand and quickly tugged her
leotard back into place, smoothing out the wrinkles as she went.
Susan blinked and regarded her youngest sister carefully, knowing that it
was likely that her powers weren't nearly as strong or as developed as her own
or Megan's. "That may not be wise...." she started to say.
"Two is company," Megan purred as she reached for her boots. "But three
just makes for a very long night of fun indeed."
Susan just shook her head to herself. "I do not believe that dealing with
Amman will even remotely approach anyone's definition of fun," she observed.
"In fact, should the situation degenerate into open hostilities, I forsee more
than a little pain and suffering being visited upon us that might take years to
heal, if at all."
"Make sure it doesn't come to that?" Lisa muttered darkly to herself.
"If you are concerned, Lisa, you are more than welcome to return to the
Underworld as I had initially suggested," Susan pointed out.
"Awww, but...." Lisa started to protest before falling silent as Megan
began to chuckle very softly to herself.
"Susan, Susan, Susan," the full-blooded succubus said in an amused tone,
causing the hair on her elder sister's neck to stand up. "Has anyone ever told
you that you're awfully starchy for a succubus?"
"Megan?" Susan said very slowly with deliberate calmness. "Why do I have
the suspicion that you were eavesdropping on my conversation with the Countess
of Glenmont?"
Megan shrugged in dismissal, absently flexing her massive wings. "I was
in the carriage the whole time," she explained. "I figured by riding along
with her, I would at least be in a position to help you out if things took a
turn for the worse. That, and we were still discussing the situation about
Lorelei and what it all meant. I.... didn't know about the box or I would have
had Deidra warn you about that as well," she added in a faintly abashed tone.
"I gather that the contents were unpleasant?"
A delicate green eyebrow rose up in response to Megan's words. "Finding
a severed head wrapped as a gift is never a pleasant experience," Susan replied
in a distinctly cool tone. "Especially when it is meant for someone who would
most certainly not appreciate that particular gift in the least."
"What, she killed her?" Megan said as she sat up as straight as possible.
"I was under the impression that the Countess was still questioning Lorelei."
"Apparently not anymore," Susan observed dryly.
"Damn," Megan fumed quietly, glancing off towards the window as she pouted
for a few brief moments. "I had a few questions I'd like to have asked her now
that we know what became of the brooch. Or suspect what has, at any rate," she
sighed. "Lord Hades was pretty upset, Susan. I've got a bad feeling about
what this all means now."
"Frankly, so do I," Susan said as she fluttered her wings before folding
them flat against her back. "And with all due respect, I think I understand
far better than you do what it means to have a Sailor Scout in existence who is
not beholden to the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal. Are the both of you
certain you wish to accompany me to confront Amman Tobin?" she asked in a very
guarded tone.
"Getting the brooch back is now my highest priority, or so says our lord
and master," Megan muttered darkly. "I think asking our fallen Pharaoh what he
did with the brooch is a fairly reasonable idea at this point."
"I'm ready," Lisa said as she finished lacing her boots and hopped off the
bed to stand next to Susan. "So how are we doing this?"
Susan sighed and simply held out her silvery staff. "As I said, we are
going to use the direct approach. Please take hold of my staff," she said.
"The Key to Time," Megan purred, her eyebrows arching up as she curled her
fingers around the shaft and was rewarded with a fairly strong tingle of power.
"I've heard about it, of course, what demon hasn't? But I've never actually
seen it before. Interesting."
"Whoa, powerful," Lisa gasped as she likewise grabbed the staff and felt
the intensity of temporal energy for herself. "Wait, you're not going to take
us through Time, are you?"
"Of course not," Susan replied with a shake of her head. "All that will
happen is a brief journey through the Flow of Time to change three of the four
major dimensional components. Observe," she said as she closed her eyes and
commanded the Key to open a conduit into the Flow, bathing them in a bright
nimbus of blue light.
The journey was slowed down slightly due to the fact that three people
were slipping into the conduit instead of just her, but the simple shift in the
X, Y, and Z axes of motion took only a fraction of a second to accomplish. A
very transient feeling of weightless motion was all that could be felt before
they emerged into a different conduit and reformed back in four-dimensional
space with another bright flash of blue light.
"Wow, that was cool!" Lisa gushed as she looked around the room. "Do you
think you can show meeeeEEEEEEEE!!"
Both Susan and Megan whirled around at the abrupt change in Lisa's voice,
blinking hard at the imposing sight of the towering figure looming over them
not even five feet away. Megan immediately brought her arms up, bright red
balls of energy starting to form around her clenched fists before Susan grabbed
her arm in an iron grip.
"Megan," Susan said in a calm and level tone. She waited for the glow to
fade from her half-sister's hands before making a gesture to the ancient entity
watching them with very suspicious eyes. "Lord Amman," she said in what most
would have understood to be a fairly cordial if slightly cool tone.
"Guardian," Amman said in a very low tone that confirmed her suspicions
that he was very much indeed less-than-pleased to encounter her again. He cast
a withering glare at both Lisa and Megan, watching as they edged back half a
step out of simple primal fear before returning the majority of his focus to
Susan. "You have, I trust, a reason for intruding into my domain without any
courtesy or forewarning?" he inquired darkly, the depth of his voice seeming to
make the mortar in the walls rumble and quiver.
"I do," Susan replied with a simple nod of her head. "Countess MacDara
told me how a succubus delivered a powerful relic to you, a golden brooch that
was stolen from the ruins of the Moon Kingdom. I demand an explanation of what
you have done with it."
Megan blinked and cast a sidelong glance at the other green-haired woman.
"You weren't kidding about taking the direct approach, were you?" she muttered
in a very soft tone, still keeping a clenched fist pointed at Amman.
"You are in no position to demand anything, Guardian," the pharaoh said in
a tone of clear warning, his eyes narrowing down to mere slits. "Do not think
that I have forgotten our last encounter. I was foolish then to underestimate
the extent of your powers, but I have since learned and will not make the same
mistake twice. I suggest that the three of you depart immediately while you
still can, lest I decide to take your wanton intrusion into my domain as a
personal insult."
Megan and Susan briefly exchanged glances before Megan's eyebrow twitched
ever so slightly. "What if I told you that Lord Hades himself directed me to
ask you on his behalf?" Megan ventured in a leery tone.
"The Pharaoh Amman does not answer to your god," he intoned darkly. "If
there is a power who wishes to speak with me, let them come speak with me in
person. I who was King once need not give an audience to mere peons no matter
whom they bend their backs for. My tolerance for your presence grows short,
Guardian," he added as he turned back to Susan. "Depart now, or I will entomb
what is left of your broken husks in sand and stone."
Susan merely raised an eyebrow at the threat. "Do you believe my death
will free you from the time sink?" she inquired mildly. "Or that anyone else
can do so? By all means, strike me down if you think it will free you, for
then you will only have yourself to blame for your fate."
Lisa blinked hard and cast a very nervous glance at her sister. "Wait,
what are you trying to do?" she hissed in a very soft tone, more than a little
frightened by the pharaoh's imposing figure. She was dimly aware that it was
simply a side-effect of his ancient presence, being felt on a subconscious and
primal level that made her want to simply run away screaming in abject terror.
"The time sink is your doing," Amman pointed out flatly. "Thus I have you
to blame for my fate. Thirteen centuries have slipped past me largely without
notice, thirteen centuries in which I have been denied true awareness of what
takes place outside these walls. I shall see that you will pay for it, that
every grain of sand in the hourglass placed beyond my reach will be paid for in
flesh and blood and pain...."
"SUSAN!" Lisa screamed as the bandaged figure became a blur.
"I will offer you a deal," Susan said calmly as she found herself hoisted
in the air by the front of her ribbon-like attire. It was simple luck that she
wasn't being choked at the moment, as the ribbon had been tied off in the back
with a small amount slack in the chest area. That allowed the majority of her
weight to be supported by the way it was wrapped around her hips, putting only
a small degree of tension on her neck and throat.
Amman remained intently focused on Susan, all but ignoring the succubi on
either side as they aimed fully-charged blood stars at him. His gaze briefly
flicked down to her breasts, now fully exposed given the way the ribbons were
tightly gripped together. In life he would have found them to be more than a
little tantalizing, but his interest in the pleasures of the flesh had been
thoroughly destroyed after his entombment and reanimation. "A deal," he echoed
darkly with open contempt as he contemplated the merits of partially collapsing
her trachea just to hear her struggle for breath.
A faint smile crossed Susan's lips, causing both Lisa and Megan to blink
hard at the situation. They exchanged extremely uneasy glances but remained
silent, both ready to unleash their demonic powers against the pharaoh in an
instant.
"Tell me about the brooch, and I will give you the hourglass that keeps
you imprisoned here," Susan rasped softly, seeming to be outwardly unconcerned
with the fact that she was still being held in mid-air and that the stress on
her neck was starting to make it difficult to breathe calmly. What she was
feeling on the inside was a whole different matter entirely, knowing that she
was quite literally looking death in the eye as she dangled in the grip of one
who had the power to kill her at any moment.
The glowing eyes staring back at her promptly blinked. "You lie," he said
in a low tone, gripping the fabric even tighter.
"Do I?" Susan whispered as she fought an internal battle to remain as calm
as possible on the outside. She knew that it would essentially be a lost cause
if she started to show signs of struggle, as it was likely that he would only
press his advantage to enjoy his long-awaited revenge against her.
"Listen," Megan spoke up in a careful tone, still keeping her gaze and
both energy-charged fists centered on him. "I'm not here to start anything,
okay? Whatever went on between you and Susan is none of my concern. I just
want to know about the relic. Lord Hades knows you don't have it, which is why
he hasn't sent anyone to take this place apart to try to find it. All he wants
to know is what you know about it and who you gave it to. That's all."
"And why you would release me from your trap?" Amman demanded flatly of
Susan, all but ignoring Megan.
"Your information commands a high price," Susan explained in a now-audible
rasp. "And the relic is of far more importance to the pantheon than an act of
petty vengeance on the part of one lone demon. I will bring you the hourglass
which contains the Sands of Time that has kept you mired here if you will tell
me what you know of the brooch and the one you gave it to. What do I gain by
lying, O Pharaoh Amman?" she added in a faintly mocking tone.
What little air that had been left in Susan's lungs rushed out in a mad
exodus as Amman released his grip, allowing gravity to take hold and dropping
the succubus to her knees in a distinctly painful manner. "Bring it, then," he
commanded in an ominous tone. He paused and glanced at his side for a moment
before he became a blur again, reaching out to grab Lisa by the throat faster
than anyone else could react. "Bring it or this one will be the first to die
a slow and agonizing death."
"Lisa!" Megan barked as the purple-haired succubus started to flail around
in a frenzied panic. "Hold still!" she growled, trying to find a new angle of
attack where she could hit the pharaoh with her blood stars and not risk the
danger of hitting her half-sister as well.
"Can't.... breathe...." Lisa whimpered as she tried to pry the withered
hand off of her throat.
"Pray that your Guardian of Time has enough time for her needs, then," the
ancient being intoned darkly as he watched Susan quickly rise to her feet, not
relenting his suffocating grip in the slightest. He didn't even blink as Susan
promptly vanished in a muted flash of light, reappearing in another burst of
radiance less than a full second after the first had faded away. The sight of
the ornate hourglass held in her hands, however, was more than enough to secure
his full and complete focus.
"Let her go," Susan said quietly as she set the square-edged hourglass on
a nearby table, absently blowing away centuries of dust with a simple flick of
her wings. The device was carefully lying on its side with what appeared to be
equal measures of the highly refractive time-sand in each half.
Amman seemed to hesitate for a brief instant before he relaxed his grip,
allowing Lisa to jerk her throat free and promptly start coughing hard. He
ignored the purple-haired succubus as she staggered back and half-collapsed,
brushing Megan aside to approach the table. He could tell in an instant that
Susan had kept her word and that the hourglass before him was indeed both the
source and the cause of the temporal sink that had kept him trapped in his vast
tomb beneath the desert sands for the past thirteen hundred years.
"You are correct, Guardian," he said softly as he stared at the hourglass.
"The amulet is no longer here, nor was it intended to remain in my possession
any longer than necessary. I will admit ignorance as to its precise nature,
but it was explained that once unsealed it could bring the entire pantheon of
gods to heel. All that was required of me was delivery of both the amulet and
the ovaries of the one who bore it into my domain."
"What?" Susan and Megan said in perfect unison, giving him deeply startled
looks. "Delivered to who?" Megan added a moment later.
"Megan, wait," Susan said, clearly rattled by something. She studied the
suspicous look on Amman's face before she took a deep breath to try to steady
her nerves. "Lord Amman," she managed to say in a fairly level tone despite
the sudden tremor that was visible in the tips of her wings. "Please, I need
you to be as specific as possible. What precisely did this.... entity say?"
"Explain how this works," Amman said calmly with a gesture to the stilled
hourglass.
"Who did you deliver the brooch to?" Megan inquired in an edged tone. She
paused and cast a sidelong glance at Susan as she felt the other woman's hand
on her backside in a discreet but attention-getting manner.
"Patience, Megan, we will not depart until that question is answered to
our satisfaction," Susan said calmly. "It is a simple concept, Pharaoh Amman.
The device was laid on its side while it was operating, thus halting the slow
progression of sand through the glass. Time cannot be stopped, of course, but
it can be vastly slowed on a localized scale. In this case, the halting of the
Sands of Time resulted in the formation the time sink, centered around not just
the device itself but also around an equal measure of time-sand that had been
scattered and buried among the grains of sand that enshrouds this burial site.
Breaking the device will reduce the time sink's effect, granted, but then the
Sands of Time that surround this place will forever remain in frozen motion....
and thus so will you. Only by properly resuming the flow of the sand in the
hourglass will the effects be lifted and this place returned to the normal flow
of Time. Explain to me what precisely this entity said, please."
"Very well," Amman replied, changing the pitch of his voice to mimic that
of another. "Suffice it to say that I intend to use the powers sealed away in
that brooch to create an avatar, one powerful enough to rival the others and
ultimately bring all of Creation to bow at my feet. I have spent a thousand
years setting this into motion. Ever since the opportunity arose when the
first avatar's soul was delivered into my hands, I have done everything I could
to ensure that all would be ready when the time was right. That time now draws
near, and all that I have cultivated has begun to bear fruit."
"By the Gods...." Lisa whispered softly, still rubbing her throat. "Are
you serious? Nobody has THAT kind of power to stop the ENTIRE pantheon...."
"Enough, Lisa," Susan said in a very quiet voice. "Lord Amman, there is
only one final question of importance to be asked of you, then you have my word
that you shall not be bothered by any of us ever again...."
"Who," Megan growled quietly. "Who seeks to do this?"
"Erebus," Amman said simply, causing all three succubi to take a step back
from genuine shock, their eyes widening as much as was physically possible.
"Erebus?" Susan echoed in stunned disbelief.
"Susan...." Lisa whimpered very softly.
"We will discuss this later, Lisa," Susan managed to reply in a tone that
had only a minor tremor in it. "I want you and Megan to return immediately.
To the cathedral, not the Underworld," she added quickly, glancing over at her
sisters. "There is much I would like to say before any report is given to the
pantheon."
"Excuse me, Susan," Megan pointed out in a faintly acidic tone, "But in
case you haven't noticed, there is more than a little dimensional interference
in this particular location which would make planar folding a very unhealthy
idea. Why don't we just leave the same way we came in here?"
Susan blinked and cast a quick glance around the room, only now realizing
that the full-blooded succubus had a very valid and salient point. "I see,"
she said softly before looking back at the mummified pharaoh still standing in
front of the hourglass. "Perhaps it indeed time we departed...."
She barely had time to blink before Amman had her hoisted in the air by
the front of her ribbon-like outfit again, his glowing eyes narrowed down to
mere slits. "I don't think so, Guardian," he said in a very low tone.
"Our business is concluded, Amman," Susan rasped as she discreetly reached
behind her. Her fingertips made a slight grabbing motion as the Key to Time
materialized in her hand, positioned in such a way that it wouldn't be obvious
or immediately visible to the pharaoh. "I gave you what I promised I would,
the device in exchange for your information about the brooch and whom it was
given to."
"Release the time sink," Amman demanded flatly.
"That was not part of the deal, was it?" Susan replied with a faint smile.
The smile was forced from her face entirely as Amman's other hand came up to
grab her throat directly, significantly restricting the flow of oxygenated
blood to her head. She quickly wiggled her hand behind her back, trying to get
the attention of the other succubi.
"I will not say this again," he intoned. "Release the time sink now or I
will bury you in the floor where you stand."
"Lisa," Megan said very quietly, making a very subtle gesture with her
chin towards Susan's back.
"What?" Lisa replied with an equally subtle motion of understanding.
"One.... side.... starts.... other.... reverses.... don't.... remember....
which...." Susan rasped in an almost inaudible whisper. "Too.... long....
ago.... to.... remember...."
"YOU LIE!" Amman snarled as his eyes seemed to catch fire.
"Three!" Susan managed to gasp with her last puff of air as the world
started to gray out.
Both Lisa and Megan promptly dove towards her, reaching out to grab hold
of the silvery staff. The conduit opened a literal fraction of a second later,
causing all three of them to disappear in a flash of blue light. Traversing
the temporal Flow only took an instant, but each woman would have sworn that
they heard the truly unholy roar of rage and fury erupting from Amman's lips
for that one brief moment.
Their kinetic energy remained with them as they reappeared back in Susan's
bedroom in the denizen cathedral, resulting in a very solid collision of bodies
that sent all three of them sprawling. There was a sickening crunch of wood as
Lisa encountered the legs of the easel, splattering paint everywhere and making
a ruin of the canvas. Megan was fortunate enough in the sense that caroming
off the bed largely cushioned her landing, but Susan's exposed chest rebounded
off of the stool hard enough to leave her three-quarters unconscious and very
harshly gasping for air.
"Ooof! Susan!" Lisa yelped as she struggled to get to her feet, wincing
hard as a bolt of pain shot through her wrist. She reflexively fluttered her
wings to throw off whatever it was that was adhering to them, resulting in an
array of paint splotches being scattered over a truly large arc.
Megan muttered a rude word in the demonic tongue as she felt the droplets
of oil-based paint land all over her body. A deep rasping cough caused her to
briefly forget the mess and quickly peer over her shoulder, trying to assess
Susan's condition. "Susan, try not to breathe too deeply!"
"I'm.... I'm.... fine...." Susan moaned in a very soft whisper as Lisa
helped her up into a sitting position.
"Sure you are," Megan muttered sourly as she stood up and quickly checked
her hip for signs of injury. Satisfied that she only incurred a minor bruise
from the collision, she started to head over to where Lisa was kneeling next to
their elder sister. She almost kicked the broken easel out of her way when she
realized that it would only create a greater mess, settling instead for roughly
scooting it over into the corner before tossing the torn canvas after it. "So
much for the direct approach," she muttered as she absently flexed her wings.
"Susan, what in the Burning Hells were you *thinking* back there?"
"C.... C-Couldn't.... free.... him...." Susan rasped, coughing so hard
that she came dangerously close to either tearing a lung or passing out.
"Lisa, go find her a glass of water or something," Megan sighed as she
took a step back. She nearly fell on her backside as she encountered one of
the small jars of paint, resulting in a furious flapping of her wings in order
to retain her balance. She glanced around the floor with a soft snarl before
sighing and kneeling down to begin a brief clean-up of the jars of paint that
had been scattered in every direction. "Baal's balls, what a mess. So much
for the carpet," she muttered.
"Be right back," Lisa promised as she got to her feet and darted out into
the hallway.
"Oh, now what?" Megan growled as she heard the telltale sounds of another
collision out in the hallway. She quickly cleared a path towards the door and
stepped over to it, casting a brief glance down at Susan as she passed by.
"...th' freakin' hell?" Alex moaned as she sagged against the doorway, one
hand pressed against her ribcage. "Sue, what is...?"
"Don't ask," Megan said tartly, pausing to study Alex's bare breasts for
several seconds. Could be fun, she finally decided as she turned back to look
over Susan once more. "You sure you're alright?" she inquired with a gentle
prod of her booted foot against Susan's thigh.
"Ask me.... in five.... minutes...." Susan managed to reply, still wracked
with hard coughs.
"Sue?" Alex said as her mind finally woke up to full cohesion. "Hey, are
you alright? What happened?"
"Excuse me, coming through," Lisa said as she edged sideways past Alex to
slip back into the room. She knelt down and took Susan's hand in her own, very
carefully wrapping it around the plastic cup. "Here, drink this, this should
help with the coughing," she explained quietly.
"Th-thank you," Susan rasped as she made a serious attempt at drinking the
offered water. The majority of the liquid promptly wound up splashed over her
exposed chest as she went to swallow only to start coughing again, forcing her
to abort the attempt.
"Hey, you," Alex said in a low tone. "Maggie or whatever your name is."
"Megan," the succubus said crisply, giving her a dark look.
"What the hell is going on here?" the blonde demanded.
"I will...." Susan tried to say before another coughing fit forced her to
remain silent.
"I know the mortal languages aren't my native tongue, but I'm pretty sure
that I told you 'don't ask' using the proper words in your native language,"
Megan said flatly.
"Look...." Alex snarled as she reached up and withdrew the Soul Saber from
the dimensional sheath on her bare back. She blinked and froze in mid-motion
as she suddenly found a fist less than a foot away from her nose, outlined in
the harsh red glow of a charged blood star.
"Make my day, mortal," Megan said very softly.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Lisa protested loudly. "Knock it off, you two, we don't
have time for this! Susan, just take it easy and try to breathe through your
nose, okay?" she said as she squeezed Susan's arm carefully.
"Alex.... that's.... enough...." Susan rasped before she took another shot
at drinking from the cup. She managed to get the water down before the coughs
returned with a vengeance. The tone and depth of her cough was noticeably
better, however, suggesting that she would indeed be able to recover on her own
in a relatively short period of time.
"Umm, what happened to you?" Lisa inquired carefully as she looked up at
Alex, trying not to stare too hard at the blonde's petite breasts.
"What do you mean?" Alex replied in a wary tone. "I was sleeping on the
couch just fine until I hear some sort of noise clear down the hallway. I get
up to check it out, next thing I know I'm being gut-checked by a succubus who
looks like she got her butt beat in an art gallery. What's with the bodypaint
all over your wings? And why the hell is Sue coughing like that?" she added.
"Life sometimes grabs you by the throat," Megan said dryly.
"Alex, please," Susan sighed before coughing yet again. "I will explain
in.... a moment, just as.... soon as my throat.... heals...."
The blonde blinked hard and gave Megan a distinctly uneasy look. "Why do
I get the feeling that you guys weren't fooling around with someone, aside from
the fact that Sue's tits are hanging out once again?" she ventured carefully.
"I mean, I know Sue tends to be more than a little enthusiastic when she gives
some guys a little...."
"Alex," Susan rasped in a perfectly flat tone.
"Hey, I'm just saying," Alex replied with a shrug as she slid the saber
back into the dimensional sheath. "Okay, so now I'm pretty sure you didn't do
anything to your throat that involves your favorite pastime. So explain to me
what happened and why you're still croaking like a frog?"
"Is she always like this?" Megan asked in a low tone, drawing an openly
venomous look from Alex. "It's not polite to stare, Lisa," she added absently
as she noticed how her sister's studious gaze kept alternating between Alex's
petite chest and Susan's fuller breasts.
"If you had paid closer attention to my conversation with the Countess,
then you would not need to have asked that question," Susan said demurely with
only a minor spate of coughing.
"We went to see Amman Tobin," Lisa spoke up quickly before Alex could get
a word in edgewise. She reflexively glanced down at Alex's nipples before she
looked back up, her cheeks taking on a faint pink tint of embarrassment as she
realized the momentary distraction hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Okay, wait a sec," Alex interrupted with a frown as she crossed her arms
over her chest and leaned her shoulder against the doorframe. "I heard that
vampire-lady mention that name earlier today, and Mina about pissed herself as
well. Said something about being a pharaoh of some kind."
"You would call him a mummy," Susan rasped quietly as she drained the cup
of water. "Amman is an ancient Nubian king who died over six thousand years
ago and was reanimated by some unknown entity. I trapped him in a temporal
sink after a rather unsavory encounter which I shall not bore you with by
attempting to explain in detail. Suffice it to say he tried to set into motion
a plan that would have brought ruin to many innocent lives, and that Lord Hades
saw no need to forbid my implementation of what I felt was an appropriate
solution."
Megan raised an eyebrow at Susan's somewhat long-winded explantion. "I
see your throat is better already," she observed dryly.
"I did say to ask me in five minutes, did I not?" Susan replied calmly.
"Trust me, if she can ramble on like that, she's fine," Alex said with a
smirk. "Okay, so I understand the part where you went to go see this ancient
dead guy. Hope you didn't go dressed like that," she added with a jerk of her
chin towards the crushed ribbons limply hanging from Susan's neck. They were
still largely intact but could no longer able to provide adequate concealment
for her breasts.
"And do you usually greet others wearing just that?" Megan inquired in a
casual tone with an absent gesture towards the blonde's half-nude figure.
"I was sleeping a few minutes ago," Alex muttered as she hugged her chest
a little tighter, edging back half a step. "And quit trying to distract me,
you're about as bad as Sue is when it comes to coughing up a straight answer.
Umm, such as it were," she amended as Susan coughed quietly to herself.
Susan gave her a reproving look before she closed her eyes for a moment.
"Suffice it to say that Amman did not take kindly to my presence, and at one
point I was dangerously close to having my windpipe collapsed in his hands,"
she explained calmly, prompting a startled blink from the blonde.
"What...?" Alex said in uneasy confusion.
"Ugh," Lisa muttered as she briefly rubbed her own throat. "It wasn't
just Susan he had a solid grip on, either. You know, is it just me, or does he
move awfully damn fast for someone who has been dead for a few millennia?"
"The strength of the living comes and goes," Susan pointed out in a gentle
tone. "That which exists beyond the grave, however, only grows stronger with
every passing century. Fortunately, there are very few such eternal entities
left in Creation, so it is unlikely that you will encounter one in the future
simply by random chance. You should consider going back to bed, Alex," she
added absently as she eased herself into a fully upright sitting position.
"Soon as I figure this mess out, Sue," Alex assured her as she glanced at
the ruins of Susan's painting. "Speaking of messes, that paint is going to be
an absolute bitch to get out of the carpeting...."
"Oh?" Susan said as she blinked and quickly looked around the room. She
finally saw what had happened to her painting and supplies, a disgruntled sigh
rising up from her chest as the corners of her mouth twitched. "I see...."
"I couldn't help it!" Lisa whimpered quietly.
"You didn't have to splatter the paint everywhere, however," Megan said
with a distainful flex of her wings. She glanced down at her own ribbon-like
attire and sighed darkly. "Look at this mess, do you have any idea how long it
took me to find a !t'?&^v in this color?"
"Wait, a what?" Alex said, blinking hard at the eldritch word that her
mortal ears couldn't even properly hear, let alone parse as coherent sound.
"This," Megan said crisply, tugging on her barely-concealing outfit. It
was a unique blend of blue, purple, and gray but was now thoroughly flecked
with a rainbow assortment of colored droplets.
"The closest translation would be a sari," Susan explained calmly. "It is
woven from a native Underworld plant that is immune to the heat-warping effects
of Tarterus which tends to bleed over into other regions at certain locations."
"Yeah, whatever," Alex sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"It's so our clothes don't burn off when we encounter a hot spot," Megan
summarized dryly with a faint note of contempt. "Not that being naked bothers
us, and when you're immune to fire the warming sensation can be rather pleasant
at times, but many other demons view a nude succubus as an open invitation."
"Ah, okay," the blonde said as she nodded in understanding. "Trust me, I
can see how that would suck the big one."
"It can be fun at times," Lisa piped up with a faint smile on her face.
"You kinda have to be in a mood to begin with, but otherwise being ravished at
random like that can be sooooo exciting...."
Alex blinked hard and exchanged decidedly uneasy glances with both Susan
and Megan. "Right...." she finally said slowly. "Tell you what, you just go
do whatever it is that gets your rocks off and leave me out of it, eh? Bad
enough that I occasionally trip over Sue putting a smile on some guard's face,
I don't need to hear about anyone else getting raped and liking it. I'll see
you girls in the morning," she muttered as she plodded back towards the couch
in the living room.
Lisa blinked at the unexpected and abrupt departure, looking over at Susan
to find a very weary look on her face. "Umm.... she isn't one of those really
straight-laced types who thinks sex is a sin, is she?" she inquired in a very
cautious tone.
"No, far from it," Susan replied in a very quiet tone. "However, and I
ask that you not say anything to her or anyone else about this, she was raped
a year ago which is why the notion of being taken against one's will is more
than a little.... disquieting," she said after a slight hesitation.
"Oops," Lisa said quietly as she glanced towards the empty doorway. "I
think I need to go apologize...." she said as she started to get up. She only
made it half-way before she felt Susan's hand take hold of her wrist, gently
pulling her back down into a kneeling position.
"Leave her alone, Lisa," Susan said softly. "That, and I should like to
remind you that Alex is both an avatar and already involved in a meaningful
relationship with someone else. I doubt she will take kindly to any sort of
advance, even under the guise of an apology, despite her sexual orientation,"
she admonished in a gentle but clear tone of warning.
Lisa's cheeks promptly tinted a deep shade of red. "Oh, well, umm...."
she stammered. "I was just.... you know...."
"We do know," Megan said dryly. "You're not very good at being subtle
about something that interests you. I'm surprised you had the good grace not
to openly drool while you were staring at her nipples."
"Hey!" Lisa protested with a soft pout.
"Pert pair, they were, I'll give you that," Megan purred softly to herself
as she stretched her wings. "A little small for my tastes, but we all know
that size means very little. When it comes to women, at least," she added with
a dark smile and a soft chuckle. She glanced around the room and sighed, her
moment of humor leaving as quickly as it had come. "Susan...."
"Yes, I am aware of the implications of the situation," Susan replied in
a quiet tone as she set the empty cup down and gingerly rose to her feet. "I
will admit to a greater degree of concern now than before, and I am sure that
the pantheon would like to have heard about this five minutes ago, but I would
rather wait ten minutes to make absolutely sure the three of us both understand
and are able to corroborate our memories with absolute veracity than to rush
off to misinform the pantheon."
"Agreed," Megan said simply as she stretched her wings before moving to
sit on the edge of the bed. She paused and glanced down at the splotches on
her attire and sighed heavily. "I hope this is going to come out in the wash,"
she grumbled as she untied it and started to unwind it from her body.
"It should," Susan suggested as she likewise started to dispose of the
crushed ribbons of her outfit. "Permit me to begin with a summary of what I
believe to be the overall chain of events gleaned from what we have learned,
both today and from past experiences.
"Alex, Michelle, and I were all killed by the explosion that resulted from
the snapping of the Key to Time back in the Moon Kingdom. Our souls managed to
survive the ordeal, although reduced to the barest threads possible, and sent
adrift in the Dark. Michelle's soul was apparently recovered by the Shinma
Balor and Alex's soul recovered by Mephisto."
"Oh, okay," Megan said absently as she discarded her boots and stretched
out on the bed, now completely naked. "Go on," she added as Susan gave her an
odd look.
"After Michelle's resurrection it was revealed, unfortunately only in
retrospect, that her spirit had also been harboring an umbra which took control
of her body twice before its discovery. The first instance of it dominating
her was when we were in the Moon Kingdom, just before we encountered Megan.
While I was locating our corpses and Alex was preoccupied elsewhere, Michelle
apparently went over to the Royal Palace and took Queen Serenity's brooch from
where it was stored.
"The second instance was the night Serena was kidnapped, when Lorelei came
to the cathedral to collect the brooch from Michelle," Susan said as she sat
down at the top of the bed, likewise in a state of total nudity. "That both
the umbra possession and Lorelei's arrival occured at the same time strongly
indicates some form of coordination.
"Lorelei, now gravely wounded after her attack on me, then took the brooch
to Amman Tobin. While I suspect that her instructions only made mention of the
brooch, I very strongly doubt that she would have surrendered her ovaries to
him or anyone else when she handed over the stolen brooch. Amman did not say
why he was instructed to procure them for Erebus, but I believe that Lorelei
was ultimately an unwitting pawn to be sacrificed for a greater purpose."
"Ugh," Lisa muttered as she shivered. She finished undressing as well and
carefully stretched out on the bed between her sisters, making sure her wings
didn't brush up against either of them. "That one keeps freaking me out for
some reason, and I don't mean because it sounds distinctly uncomfortable...."
"I'll go talk to Countess MacDara in the morning," Megan said in a flat
tone. "I know that Lorelei was in pretty bad shape when she was brought back,
but nothing was said about having anything extracted or missing. But then
again, when you plan on killing someone anyway, why bother stopping to figure
out why her womb is flooded with blood? I'll bet you anything she noticed, but
passed it off as Lorelei getting nailed in the guts during the fight and just
had Cale mop up the mess after the decapitation."
"But *why* would Amman need them to begin with?" Lisa inquired carefully.
"I mean, he said he was told to do so, but what in the Burning Hells would that
actually accomplish? What could be done with them?"
"Eggs, Lisa," Susan said in a very quiet tone, causing the other succubi
to sit up. "If I am correct in my assumption, and I dearly hope that I am in
error, I fear that Lorelei's ovum will be used in the creation of an avatar.
Erebus' avatar," she added in a muted tone as she looked up at them. "That is,
after all, how Amman said it was explained to him."
"Susan, don't say that...." Megan whispered.
"Serenity's brooch, while not capable of independent empowerment, is still
capable of acting as a proper conduit for such energies," Susan continued as
she picked up a pillow and hugged it to her bare chest. Her gaze lost focus as
she stared down at the sheets, her mind sifting and sorting through all of the
possible explanations but only coming up with one that made any sort of sense.
"If it has fallen into Erebus' hands," she said after a few moments of
heavy silence, "I believe he has the power necessary to break its link to the
Imperium Silver Crystal and forge a new link, possibly to his own power. Thus
enabled, anyone of the proper bloodline can then call upon the re-energized
brooch to empower themselves as an elemental avatar, essentially a new Sailor
Scout. And if he indeed has possession of Lorelei's unfertilized eggs, it
would be a trivial matter for an entity such as him to bring about the birth of
one who bears his blood.... and by extension, the power to become his chosen
Sailor Scout."
"Susan?" Megan said in a slightly unconvinced tone. "I can buy the part
where a new avatar can be created using that relic, but I'm having a very hard
time with the idea that he can bring about the birth of one less than a full
day after receiving Lorelei's eggs. The gods are powerful, especially the old
ones like Erebus, but even they are limited by Time...."
"Are they?" Susan murmured softly, causing Megan to blink in surprise.
"You forget that, while I am indeed the Guardian of Time and possess the sole
Key that permits the Portal to Time to be bypassed, I cannot forbid those who
have physical access to the Portal from making use if it, short of sealing the
Portal shut. This means that the pantheon can traverse Time as they see fit,
though by consensus they avoid doing so except in the direst of emergencies.
If Erebus were to somehow gain access to the Portal, which is very much within
the realm of possibility, he could sequester Lorelei's eggs and an incubator in
a temporal niche where his avatar could grow to maturity in a safe location.
Indeed, seeing how I just sequestered the Moon Princess and her court in just
such a niche for three days to allow them to heal, I fail to see how it would
be any more difficult or even unreasonable for Erebus to do the same."
"Susan...." Megan said in a very worried tone.
"He could do it," Susan continued absently, seeming to fall into a dark
depression without warning. "In fact, if he timed her return to coincide with
my seclusion in the past, I wouldn't have felt the temporal disturbance in the
slightest. Even if he had waited twenty years before returning her, it could
have only been felt as far back as forty years and we were three hundred years
in the past. And if the Portal room was empty at the time of her return, the
pantheon wouldn't have noticed anything either. Timing is indeed everything,"
she added in a broken, almost hollow tone.
Megan said nothing as she tried to fight off a case of the chills without
much success. She absently watched as Lisa reached up to very lightly run her
fingertips along the delicate structure of Susan's wings, ostensibly trying to
calm her elder sister down. "Susan, how sure are you of this?" Megan finally
asked in a muted tone, half-afraid of the answer.
It took Susan a second to realize Megan was talking to her and refocus on
her surroundings. "How sure am I?" she echoed softly. "I am sure that it is
a very distinct, and I daresay likely, possibility. Do I know for certain? Of
course not, this is simply.... educated conjecture. I have not sensed any odd
or unusual temporal disturbances lately."
A faint ghost of a sigh rose up from Megan's chest as she continued to
think about the situation and what it would likely mean. She was about to ask
another question when she felt Lisa's other hand start to caress the edges of
her wing, resulting in a most delightful electric sensation being sent through
her nerves.
She knew that now was not the time for such a thing, but the urge to relax
and bask in the pleasurable feeling was simply too strong. She closed her eyes
and yielded to Lisa's gentle touch for several moments, having a fair idea of
what her sibling had in mind in terms of taking the edge off the tension in the
room. Just a few minutes, she told herself as she allowed her conscious mind
to start to drift.
"Lisa," a soft voice said after an indeterminable amount of time had gone
by them. The voice was enough to bring her back to her senses, and it shocked
her to realize that the voice hadn't been Susan's but her own.
"Mmmmm?" Lisa murmured softly, her fingertips never ceasing their slow and
gentle caress of both Susan and Megan's wings.
"I need to report to Lord Hades now," Megan explained quietly, feeling a
shroud of weary gloom settling back around her shoulders as her mind cleared.
"The pantheon needs to know about this."
"He will not strike immediately," Susan said softly, her eyes still closed
as she absently ran her own fingertips through Lisa's short purple hair. "Stop
and think about it. Even if we are to assume that Erebus has indeed corrupted
the brooch to draw on his own powers and successfully created a new avatar two
hours ago, which in of itself may not be the actual case as we simply do not
know for sure yet, his new avatar will still require a period of time to become
fully acclimated to her new state of empowerment. If he has the patience to
wait a thousand years for things to fall into place, and I fail to see why he
wouldn't at this point, then he will just as likely be content to wait another
week or month to make sure his avatar is fully prepared."
"If what you say is true," Megan warned carefully, "Then he has already
bent Time once to see his objectives achieved. Who's to say that he can't do
the same trick twice?"
"Divine physics," Susan pointed out. "The creation of any avatar is a
fundamentally defining moment which can be felt by the entire pantheon, even
through the temporal Flow. If he created her in the future, then the backwards
propagation will only serve to forewarn them well in advance. If he is to take
them by surprise, as I suspect is his intention, then it would be best to do so
in the present where there is precious little time available in which to react
with any decisiveness given the relative uncertainity behind the creation. If
the pantheon collectively reported a 'vibe' of sorts, then that would likely be
the precise moment of initial empowerment. It then becomes a simple race to
determine which side can be fully prepared first, Erebus's avatar to carry out
her master's wishes or the pantheon to counter whatever those wishes may be."
"Great," Megan sighed as she took a deep breath and flexed her abdomen to
bring her into a sitting position. The sudden change in balance left her just
a little dizzy for a brief moment before her blood pressure stabilized and her
brain started functioning properly again. "I think I need to talk to our lord
and master now, and I mean right now. Even if he's still busy with our Queen,"
she added with a faint hint of what might have been amusement under far less
worrisome circumstances. "I'm sure they will understand the urgency of this
one if I happen to interrupt anything of importance."
"Wait, you're going like that?" Lisa spoke up quickly as she started to
sense the dimensional energies Megan was gathering together around her.
Megan paused and raised a delicate green eyebrow at her. "If what Susan
says is true, then we really are in a race for Time and such inconsequential
things as modesty can wait."
"Megan," Susan said in a soft tone. She parted her eyes half-way to cast
a somewhat sleepy look at the full-blooded succubus, the corners of her lips
twitching upwards into a faintly coy smile. "If your duties permit, I would
appreciate it if you could return here once you are finished informing Lord
Hades of the situation."
Megan paused again as she re-assessed the current situation. Lisa's hand
was still caressing Susan's wings while Susan's fingertips were gently sifting
through Lisa's hair, both activities that were well-known to put succubi in a
very relaxed and playful mood. "Why?" she said simply, figuring that she had
a solid idea of what it would lead to but wanting to be clear about it anyway.
Not that she had the slightest objection to it, of course, even if they were
her half-sisters. In fact, that simply made it all the more appealing.
"How long have I known the two of you?" Susan said demurely as she closed
her eyes again. "And how well? All my life I was an only child, and suddenly
I discover I have two sisters. Surely you are as curious about me as I am
about you and Lisa, and as the three of us are all succubi, we shouldn't have
many problems keeping up with one another until our curiosity is satisfied for
the time being...."
A faint smile crossed Megan's lips. "We'll see, Susan," she said as she
felt a familiar tingle take up residence in her nervous system. "One thing at
a time, however. Business before pleasure and all that," she purred. She then
completed her dimensional fold, warping out of the room with a sharp popping
sound and a burst of energy that amazingly failed to trigger a security alarm.
Lisa waited until her ears quit ringing from the minor shockwave before
glancing over at Susan. "Are you alright?" she asked softly as she reached out
to brush her fingertips across Susan's face.
"For the moment, Eliza," Susan murmured in a near-whisper. She gently
took hold of Lisa's wrist and pulled her into a fairly snug embrace, resting
her sister's cheek against the curve of her throat. The warmth of her sister's
nude body against her own was an instant comfort, soothing her nerves even as
it began to excite them in an entirely different manner.
"What's wrong?" Lisa asked as she nuzzled Susan's throat.
"A war is coming soon," Susan sighed. "One that will pit the Princess and
the pantheon against one of the eldest of gods. It will not be tomorrow, for
such things are never rushed, and it might not even be within the lifetime of
our current generation of Sailor Scouts. But it will come nonetheless. One
day. Until then, however.... until then, life goes on."
Lisa reached out and gently cupped Susan's breast in her hand, absently
studying the star-shaped freckle just below the hardening nipple. "So do we
have time for this?" she whispered, lightly brushing her thumb across the nub
of flesh.
"I'm the Guardian of Time," Susan reminded her with a soft smile. "I ask
that you trust me when I say that, for the moment, we have the time to relax in
one another's company. Certainly at least until sunrise, at which point I will
have business to attend to."
"Mmm, good," Lisa murmured as she leaned over to kiss the gentle swell of
Susan's breast. "I think that should be plenty of time for us to get to know
one another...."
The soft smile on Susan's face remained in place for quite some time, and
it wouldn't be until quite late in the evening before her mood had reason to
shift. When it did, however, things only got that much more interesting....
* * * *
EPILOGUE
The echo of his scream had long faded from the room, but it took several
more hours for the unholy fury to finally abate and leave his ancient mind in
a rational state once again. She had escaped him, twice now she had vanished
literally right out from beneath his very fingertips, and again he had somehow
forgotten the fact that as the Guardian of Time she had the ability to traverse
the time-stream seemingly at will. But now that he had the device, it really
didn't matter anymore.
He let out his breath and spent a few brief moments in meditation to try
to clear his mind of the momentary resurgence of anger. A faint glow returned
to the room as his eyes finally parted, his unflinching gaze fixated once again
on the simple glass shape holding the Sands of Time. As much as it galled him
to contemplate the notion, he had the very uneasy suspicion that Susan hadn't
lied to him when she said that she couldn't remember which end would resume the
normal flow of Time and thus end the effects of the time sink.
"Susan?" Lisa murmured softly to her sister even as Amman continued to
stare at the device, unaware of what was being said halfway around the world.
"I don't want to spoil your mood or anything, but I just remembered something.
What are we going to do about Amman Tobin?"
"Amman isn't going anywhere," Susan murmured to her sister as the pharaoh
very carefully picked up the device. He then carried it over towards the small
table next to his throne, deliberately moving at a glacial pace so as not to
disturb even a single grain of glittering time-sand.
"But if he has the device...." Lisa protested.
Amman took his time in setting the ornate hourglass down, nodding in idle
satisfaction to himself for not disturbing anything. He then moved over and
sat down on his throne, leaning back to rest against the gilded designs that
told a condensed version of his life as a King. He remained perfectly still as
he contemplated the device, wondering how he was going to determine which side
needed to be turned up to set the process into motion.
"He doesn't know which end is which," Susan explained with a faint smile
in her voice. "I honestly forget myself, and I didn't bother marking it as I
had no intention of ever allowing the temporal sink to be disabled. I know
Amman Tobin quite well. He will think about the matter most carefully, as he
is used to having Time on his side and feels that he will have lost little if
it takes him a decade or even another century to solve the problem. However,
there is a reason I kept the hourglass as far away from the time sink as was
physically possible. If placed inside the sink for long enough, the time-sand
grains in the hourglass will start to produce a feedback-effect as it resonates
with the Sands of Time buried around the perimeter of his tomb."
"Meaning...?" Lisa prompted carefully.
Amman continued to stare at the hourglass, wondering if the amount of sand
in each side had anything to do with it. If it had started out with all the
sand being in the upper half when activated, then all he needed was to discern
the precise moment it was set into motion. He already knew when the sink was
formed, and if that had been the instant it was laid on its side....
"Meaning the flow of Time will slow down even more. I know Amman will
eventually find a solution and thus cancel the time sink, but by the time it
actually collapses I think he will be more than a little shocked to discover
just how much time has truly slipped past him. Who knows, I might even still
be alive in a few thousand years to hear him curse my name once again...."
Yes, Amman thought with a faint smile, that's it. Count the time elapsed
between the moment the Sands of Time first started flowing and the moment they
were halted. That is how much sand will be in the bottom half of the device,
which would thus tell him which end was which.... and finally provide him with
the key to the lock that had kept him imprisoned underground for thirteen very
long centuries.
At long last, he thought as he closed his eyes to savor the moment. Soon
he would be free again, and once he was, she would pay. The other two succubi
were of little consequence to him, but Susan.... he would see that Susan would
pay for her crimes. He began to fantasize about taking her body apart down to
the bare bones, one strip of flesh at a time. He had been required to act with
necessary haste when he had vivisected Lorelei to extract her ovaries, but he
could take his time with Susan....
The soft smile remained on his face as he continued to think about how he
would have his revenge. Little did he realize that a thousand years would pass
before he opened his eyes to gaze at the hourglass again, nor did he understand
that the simple act of turning the hourglass on its end and watching the last
measure of glittering time-sand drain out would take another nine millennia.
At least, not until it was well too late, prompting an unholy roar of fury
that shook the very foundation as it echoed in the empty tomb long into the
cold, dark night of the very distant future....
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