SAILOR MOON: BREAKING TRAINING
By
John O. Smith
Introduction
Okay, okay, I understand: this should have been written before Sailor Moon of the 30th Century. However, you can't say enough about fans. Sometimes, they can spot things you don't catch, or should have caught, and one fan suggested that I did some kind of a story that dealt with the time between. In other words, we have a jump from our heroes going from entering college to leading the Solar System, and the system navy. People want to know where this came from, and this is a story that will help provide this. However, don't think that this is going to be without adventure, because, indeed, as we all know, trouble could come from anywhere, and absolutely keep our heroes busy! Therefore, be prepared for some great comedy, as well as great adventure, as we watch our friends take on yet another threat, and face the greatest challenge they have ever seen in their civilian lives: officer candidacy school training!
Prologue
It was a cruise ship that the newlywed Chibas and Reichmanns had used to take their honeymoon. The ship had dropped off their passengers, and it had just taken on a new load, as it was to head through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean. The cruise was a typical one, loaded with newlyweds, lovers looking to make a deeper bond, and those having anniversaries looking to enjoy the love that they all had. None had any idea how fate was to play her hand.
Not hours after the ship had left, over the Caribbean was seen what was assumed a shooting star. What they did not see was where it landed in the water. Because it settled in, rather than struck the water, no one paid it any mind. The thing drifted down and landed in some coral. Once this happened, things started to form fast, and before long, a small island began to rise out of the water not too far from Bermuda. Because of the nature of what had come to that area, tropical plant life began to grow at an alarming rate. However, no one could see it, because that which caused it to be also caused a constant fog about it to obscure things. By the time the ship arrived in that area, there was a massive island. This, of course, the ship knew nothing of, and as a result, headed right into the fog. Once they did, they turned on their beacon, and the island swung into full view on the equipment. The captain began to call for a course change, and started to ask his navigator why this had never been seen before. Yet, before there could be a response, a faint but extremely beautiful singing could be heard. Everyone stopped to hear the singing, and someone opened up the window to hear it better.
Meanwhile everyone on deck milling around that evening also began to hear the singing and stopped themselves. People in their cabins then began to notice the thunderous silence that now replaced the din of partygoers that had been moving around outside. They too came out, and then they became entranced with the singing as well. The crew on the bridge even seemed to be pushing the boat towards the sound as if anxious to get to it.
It would be the last time that ship would be seen afloat.
Chapter 1
They had not been long home from the double honeymoon, and the start of college sat before one of them. Usagi Tsukino Chiba was about to start at the college from where her new husband had graduated, and, though she normally dreaded the start of any kind of school, this time it was different. It was college, which now meant no more school uniforms, and she could set her schedule. She could set a schedule to where she would be able to get all the sleep she wanted and still get to class on time. It was more laid back in atmosphere, in that, by this point, all the pupils there were considered responsible adults, and they now could answer for their own doings. No longer did they have the whole honor thing crammed down their throat: honor for the school, honor for the family name, and other such things. It was not such that they were not expected to pass classes, but attendance to class was the responsibility of the student, and whether or not he or she passed or failed was strictly on the shoulder of the student. Further, it was not six days a week like before. They could set it up for a few days a week, in fact, as certain classes were only taught so many days of the week. The other days could be left to study. Because of the study habits Tom had taught her, being lazy about study had become a thing of the past for Usagi, though she still had to be pushed a touch from time to time. She had already gotten her books and her supplies, so now she could spend the few months before she started setting up shop and basking in the afterglow of her honeymoon and how the two had now become one.
Ami was going into her last year of medical school and she was looking forward to her year of apprenticeship in the hospital under the tutelage of her mother. Because of all her time in extra classes and her extra study, she was able to graduate school early, cut some time out of college, and was now where she was. All her hard work was paying off, and her dream was going to come true for sure. Rei had taken over the temple from her grandfather, who was yet only in semi-retirement, and refused to have anyone else come. He knew she could handle things, and it seemed that her psychic abilities had only become stronger over time. She spent her time in meditation and prayer, trying to, not only in order to become a better priestess, but also to become a better Sailor Scout. As far as she was concerned, that would forever be an ongoing mission, as well as her mission to protect the princess. Tom, Minako, and Makoto were now major singing stars, yet, that did not stop them from pursuing other things. Because of the money they had made, Makoto was able to open up her combination flower shop and bakery, and have a large apartment right above it for her and her new husband. This was also good for Tom because, though he was a "star", he still had his obligation to the United States Marines to fulfill. Minako, however, dove into the starlet life head first, buying a nice mansion on the outskirts of Tokyo, large swimming pool, limos, and everything that goes with fame. However, she now also saw how lonely a life like that could become, and she was grateful that she had the friends she did, because they kept her head out of the clouds, and taught her to be generous with all the good things she had gained.
Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru all still taught at Juban High, and Hotaru still lived with them. She, however, was attending the same college as Usagi now, being that, though she was now about 16, she was smart enough to attend. She started to take her classes on nursing, which thrilled Ami to hear of that, because that meant, when she finished college, she would then spend a couple of years first becoming a registered nurse, and then a licensed practicing nurse, and would spend time working in the same hospital with her. Her dream had always been nursing, and now it had a chance to come true. Yet, of the scouts, they were the most active, considering that, because their forte was one day going to be military intelligence, and they already had some of that skill now, (and due to the dual citizenship all the scouts held, as well as now being members of the United States Navy,) they went on many missions for the Navy of which the other scouts had no knowledge. Things were seemingly moving as smooth as silk for everyone, yet that was all about to change.
Ravalli had since been promoted to Rear Admiral, but he was still the commandant of the local U.S. Navy base, and he had been overseeing the scouts and their use ever since the Princess Lin-Lin incident. However, an inspection came down one day from Washington, and though Uncle Sam was well aware of the scouts, (due to the awards they had received a few years back,) they still had no official files for them, (called the Department of Defense form 214, or the DD-214 for short,) and Washington wanted to know what their credentials were, where they gained their officer's rank, and so forth. Ravalli explained that the scouts names were actually code names, because their identities being known could endanger many people. However, that was not enough for Washington, because some big wig in DC said that, though they are what they are, if they were going to be a part of the Navy, they had to go through the same things everyone else had. This meant, at least, Officer Candidacy School. When Ravalli explained the issues that it might cause, especially with the identity issues, secretary of the Navy then told him that they would go under their true names, but once their DD-214 files had been created, the information would go straight to Washington to be seen by no other eyes than his, Ravalli's or the president himself. He was not sure how wise this was, but orders were orders. Ravalli then explained that one was actually a civilian who the Navy hired because he was not exactly a Sailor Scout, but he did work closely with them. He also said that one of them was already a United States Marine officer who had been to Quantico for his school in his alter ego, and thus his DD-214 would stay on file with the base. The secretary allowed this, but he insisted they be sent as soon as possible. Ravalli sighed and conceded, thus calling up everyone who would have to go.
Usagi was actually up early that morning, fixing Mamoru breakfast, long ago learning to keep her cooking simple, lest she make her husband sick. She had tried a couple of times before and nearly burned out the kitchen in the process. However, with some help from Makoto, she was able to get things down to where, at least, she wouldn't poison Mamoru, blow up the apartment, or kill herself making chow. She had set Mamoru's coffee out with the newspaper as she prepared breakfast, and she was so focused she didn't see Mamoru slip up behind her. He gently put his arms around her waist and held her close as he kissed the edge of her ear. "Good morning, Dumpling Head," he said, which was now a term of affection between them.
She smiled and leaned her head back as she said, "Mamoru…" dreamily, not using the honorifics now that they were wed. She then teased, "I just hope that I don't end up looking like a dumpling soon the way you have been lately!"
"Oh?" he said, "And I thought that you wanted to see Chibiusa again."
She just playfully growled and said, "I don't think I want to see her that soon, and in that way just yet. You keep telling me college is first."
He kissed the top of her head and went to the table as he said, "Hey, isn't Tom always the one saying that we have to make our own futures?"
"Yes," she conceded, "But if I don't finish college, then certain other ones won't happen. Let's just take it slow. That would be fine with me."
He chuckled as he looked at the paper, and the headlines began to speak of a cruise ship that disappeared without a trace in the Bermuda area. He then said, "Say, wasn't that where we had just been?"
"True," she said, "What was the name of the boat?"
Mamoru looked, and then he was amazed when he saw the name, and said, "Baby, it's the same one we just left!"
Usagi was just putting breakfast on the plates and preparing to bring it to the table when she looked with amazement and said, "Oh, those poor people! Oh my, that could have been us!"
"That is scary."
"Do you think it was the Bermuda Triangle thing?"
"Baby, I don't think there is any truth to that. I think they debunked that one long ago."
"Still, it's odd that it happened there."
Mamoru laughed and said, "Sadly, it might get people talking that way again."
She nodded and they began to eat and generally kept silent as they did, and that was when the phone rang. Mamoru picked it up and said, "Moshi, Moshi."
"Hi, Mamo-san," said Makoto, "I just got a call from Tom."
"Okay," he answered, "What's going on?"
"He said he just got done talking to Admiral Ravalli, and he was told to relay this to everyone."
"Is it an emergency?"
"Not exactly, but, it does involve the United States Navy, and I am glad Usagi will have the time before she starts school."
"Time for what?"
There was a bit of silence now coming from Makoto's end, and she said, "I am not sure how to say this, but, according to the powers that be in Washington DC, all the Sailor Scouts are going to have to go to Officer School…the same one to which Tom went."
Now there was silence from Mamoru's end, and then he said, "You can't be serious!"
"As a heart attack," responded Makoto, "They want some kind of affirmation that we have the proper credentials to be in as we are. DC knows that they have to keep things hush-hush, so, they are sending us under are real names, and then sending the paperwork straight to DC under our Senshi names, as if they were code names, and meant only for certain eyes."
"And this includes Usa?"
"That's what I fear. I am not sure how she would handle military treatment."
"Well, how hard is it?"
"Tom told me all about it. It is not quite like the training new recruit enlisted people get. It will be harsh at times, but not as bad: we will have rooms, weekends off, a week's break in-between it all, and then we will have the option to take specific job training at a future date of our choosing."
"How long will it last?"
"It's 13 weeks, not including the break, which will put Usagi right before the start of her college."
"Well, I guess that's not so bad, but I just wish those bureaucrats would have kept their noses out of things."
"Do you think she could handle it?"
"You mean, Usagi?"
"Yep, that's it."
He turned and looked at her stuffing her face and laughing hysterically at the funnies, and then went back to the phone and said, "That's a good question."
Makoto thought for a moment, and then she said, "It wouldn't hurt her."
He sighed and said, "Well, I guess I have to break the news to her. This is out of my hands. Oh, wait…what about me?"
"Well, you have a military ID, but they look at you more as a civilian contractor in a sense, so you won't have to go through."
"Now I know this might kill her. My goodness…we just got married. How is Tom taking it?"
"Well, you're not going to like this, but, Tom is temporarily being assigned there to go through the Marine Corps Martial Arts instructor program. Since he already knows Krav, he won't need much else, and then he's going to instruct while we finish up."
"So, you get to be near him and I have to be apart."
"Not exactly: because they are concerned the danger others may get into, I am going in as if I was not married, and that will be the same way for Usagi. We will be able to see each other on the weekends, but we can't really do much lest people get suspicious."
"This really stinks. Maybe I should call Ravalli and get this changed."
"That will do no good. As long as we work for the Navy, this is going to have to happen."
"We can just get out."
"I think we are in too deep for that now."
He was growing angrier by the moment, and he said, "I just don't like this!"
"Neither do I, but I figure, if one day we will be in an actual Navy, then this might be good for us."
That gave Mamoru pause, and he suddenly realized that there was something to that. Maybe this was a good thing. A little discipline never hurt anyone. He then said, "Wait, what about Hotaru?"
"They told Ravalli they are going to fudge her age so she can go through as well. She hates running, but she's just going to have to deal with it like the rest of us."
"Well, I guess I'd better tell Usagi. Wish me luck, because this may not go smoothly."
"I'll call the others. Hopefully, they won't be too upset."
"Hard to say: this is rather sudden after all, and I just don't like the smell of it. They are completely disrupting our lives."
"Being a Sailor Scout does that enough."
"Okay, well here it goes. Take care."
He hung up and went to the table again. He finished breakfast and Usagi began to clear the table. At that, Mamoru took the chance to tell her about the call, and explained all that it would entail. Usagi just stood there with the dishes staring at Mamoru blankly, twitching an eye and her lip. When he tried to ask her if it was all okay, she went tail-over-head and passed out. No, she didn't take it well at all.
5
