Protectors of the Moon: Silver Genesis
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon in any way, shape or form. Sailor Moon is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. All original characters and content are my own.
Usagi Tsukino and her guardians arrived at the Silver Genesis School at three in the morning, Lunar Standard Time on March 7, 2094. Tired-looking attendants in slightly rumpled uniforms quickly separated the girls by grade level while carrying trunks and bags and vainly attempting to explain the schedule for the upcoming day.
"Breakfast is served from six until ten every day in Uke Hall, however tomorrow you will have to attend the orientation for beginning students at nine."
The girls nodded numbly and muttered incoherent responses.
"You will receive your class assignments and be given some basic information to help you get acquainted with campus and living on the moon. Ah, here we are." The attendant stopped in front of a large building of white and gray stone. "This is Temel Hall, one of the dormitories for junior high-level students. Should you wish to move in with another student or petition for a different room, you may do so at the end of the first term. Miss Cere Cere, if you will follow my colleague, he will take you to your room in one of the high school dormitories." Cere Cere followed the attendant wordlessly down the path while her friends entered the building.
One of the attendants led the Jun Jun, Ves Ves and Palla Palla away down a long hallway while one of the others led Usagi and Diana down another to their room and placed a pair of keys on a chest of drawers inside.
"Here you are. Is there anything you need for tonight?"
Usagi shook her head, eyelids drooping.
"Right then. Goodnight." The attendant turned quickly just as he was closing the door behind him. "Just one thing, Miss Tsukino. There appear to be some rather large scratches running along the outside of the shuttle in which you and your friends arrived. We will repair any serious damage before we send it back to Earth, of course, but—"
Usagi cut him off flatly. "Our shuttle was grazed by a small asteroid. Goodnight." Usagi closed the door behind him. She and Diana collapsed onto their unmade beds and did not wake until the next morning, when they were greeted by the sound of insistent pounding at their door.
"Diana! Usagi! Wake up!" Ves Ves's voice pierced the dense wood of the door, rousing the girls from their sleep.
"It's past eight! You're going to miss breakfast," Jun Jun yelled.
"Hurry up! We have to make orientation by nine or we won't get seats," Palla Palla squealed.
Usagi looked at Diana through bloodshot eyes as Diana held her head in her hands.
"With friends like these...," Diana moaned while Usagi opened the door. They were immediately set upon by the three excitable girls, all speaking at once.
"How can you still be sleeping?"
"Weren't the attendants last night cute?"
"How could you tell with your eyes all crusted-over?"
"They were not!"
The trio was soon fighting animatedly amongst themselves with Usagi still holding the door. As if suddenly noticing her surroundings for the first time, Ves Ves stopped in her tracks as she noticed her disheveled companions.
"What...did you sleep in your clothes? C'mon, time to get ready, there's lots to do today!"
Usagi gave a small smile and dashed about the dormitory to shower and dress. Diana dragged herself along, ritually going through the motions of preparing to face the world. In record time, the group made its way to Uke Hall. Once inside, Usagi and Diana ate a quick breakfast of tamago kake gohan, a dish of egg and rice, and tea. Looking considerably more lively, the girls then rushed to Benten Auditorium, arriving just in time to find seats at the back of the room.
"Where's Cere Cere?" Usagi whispered.
"Down in front somewhere with some of the other 10th graders," answered Palla Palla. "She saw some guy this morning and has been flirting with him ever since. We probably won't see that much of her until this afternoon."
"What happens then?" asked Diana.
"Nothing; after we get our class assignments, we can go to the Welcome Carnival and sign up for activities and stuff."
"But later tonight, there's going to be a Welcome Dance," interrupted Ves Ves.
"How did you find all of this stuff out?" asked Usagi.
"I overheard some of the other kids talking about it."
"And they probably heard it from a teacher or somebody like that. Gossip is the fastest information service in the galaxy," Jun Jun said with a wry half-smile.
"Shh, it's starting," said Usagi, motioning toward the front stage.
The auditorium grew silent as a statuesque woman with hair like ebony walked up to a podium in the center of the stage. Her glasses glittered under the bright theater lights.
"Good morning. I am Dr. Tomoko Gescheit, Head Mistress of the Silver Genesis School. On behalf of the faculty and staff, welcome. We are pleased to receive such a large number of promising students for our opening year. I know that a few of you didn't make it in time to be greeted and given a tour of the campus yesterday, but don't worry. You will soon find your way around."
"I will keep this short. The Silver Genesis School is the only human settlement on the lunar surface. Obviously, living here will be very different from your lives on terraformed worlds. As of now, we import anything that we cannot make or grow ourselves, and water is very precious. It is our responsibility to use everything we have as efficiently as we can and not waste anything. Everything under the dome is recycled to conserve resources. We must all work cooperatively to ensure our survival."
"Detailed rules for the school are in the handbooks you will all receive as you leave the auditorium today, but let me take a moment to go over the most important ones. Number one: We do not give letter grades. Instead, students are expected to demonstrate knowledge and progress through creative thinking, projects and demonstrated ability when presented with a task. This may sound easy, however it is much more difficult to gain and retain comprehensive knowledge than it is to memorize facts for a test. Number two: Do not, under any circumstance, leave the dome without a faculty or staff member to escort you."
"We have great expectations for you all and know you will make us and your families proud."
Within the Crystal Palace on Earth, King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity exited a conference room and walked down a marble hallway into a sunlit garden. Endymion stretched his back, raising his arms above his head and groaned.
"I didn't think that was ever going to end."
"I know. I could barely concentrate. All I can think about is Small Lady," said the Queen, pausing to look at a bough budding with delicate pink cherry blossoms.
"Our Small Lady is strong; she will overcome any obstacle." Endymion smiled. "Just like her mother."
Serenity blushed. "I know she will, but I can't help but worry. We sent her and the others up there without any instruction or labeling the safety equipment on that shuttle, just so she could learn to be a great leader that can keep her head under pressure. But, even so...I hope that the trip was safe and quiet."
"You're thinking of those readings we've been getting from the area around the Moon. They've been worrying me, too. It's almost certainly a new enemy, and she and the Sailor Quartet will have to face it without our help. She will have to become a real solider much sooner than the rest of us did. But she can do this." Endymion's face was sharp and determined. "She must. For the sake of her kingdom, she must."
Taking each other's hand, the King and Queen stared up into the sky, imagining they could almost see the pale moon hanging in the blue afternoon sky.
Usagi, Diana, Jun Jun, Ves Ves and Palla Palla walked beneath a canopy of early spring greenery and blossoms. On either side of the stone footpath, stalls with food tempted their senses while students called out to them to join various clubs and teams. Cere Cere stood beside a fountain featuring the King and Queen, with the Princess notably absent. Engraved into the fountain were the words:
For the future of all worlds
Cere Cere waved the girls over to her. A boy of about 15 sat on the rim of the fountain, gazing up at the serene faces of the statue.
Everyone, this is Evrard! He is starting the 10th grade this year," Cere Cere said, her eyes sparkling. "Evrard, these are my sisters, Palla Palla, Jun Jun and Ves Ves, and our friends Usagi and Diana." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Isn't he cute? I'm trying to get him to ask me to the Welcome Dance tonight."
Evrard brushed the auburn hair from his eyes as he greeted the girls in a pleasant French accent. "Hi. Check out this statue. I guess maybe the rumors are true about the Princess, huh?"
"What rumors?" asked Usagi.
"Oh, you know, about the Princess being dead. No one's seen her in years, not since she was a little kid. It's like one day, she was just gone."
"Gone? Gone where?" Diana wore a thoroughly convincing look of confusion.
Palla Palla took Usagi's arm and held it, giving her a significant look.
"Well, back in the early 2000s, people said that she had stopped growing," Evrard continued. "Like, for no reason. So, then people started saying that maybe she had some kind of disease, and then, shortly after that, you just didn't see her anymore. No photos, no appearances, nothing. It's like she disappeared and never came back. So people have started to think that she's probably dead."
Usagi was stunned into silence. Her people believed she might be dead, and there was nothing she could do or say to set things right without revealing herself. A million thoughts raced through her mind, and she found herself unconsciously sitting upon the edge of the fountain, unable to stand. Diana immediately sat next to her and placed an arm around Usagi's shoulder.
"Hey—what's the matter? You look pale," said Evrard, his face flooding with concern. "Are you okay?"
"Mm hmm...Just felt a little dizzy suddenly. I'll be okay in a second."
Jun Jun tried to draw attention away from Usagi. "So, what kinds of clubs are there at this school? It looks like the kind of place that only has stuff like polo and croquet."
Evrard laughed. "No, there are lots of things to do here. For example, I signed up for the fencing team."
"Yeah, Jun," said Ves Ves. "You really ought to take a look at that handbook they gave out today during the assembly. I was thinking we could all join the gymnastics team together."
Cere Cere gave an exasperated sigh. "Who cares about clubs when we have more pressing things to worry about? Evrard, are you going to the Welcome Dance with anyone tonight?" She batted her eyelashes and made a show of trying to look charming, leaning into the boy until she was nearly on her toes.
"Dance? Uh, yeah, I'm going. But it's just going to be me and some of the guys from the dorm going together." Evrard began to look nervous. "You're all going too, right?"
"Of course! We wouldn't miss it," Cere Cere answered in her perkiest voice. Palla Palla rolled her eyes and faked a gag.
"Uh, right. Well, I, uh, guess I'll...see you all there, then. Listen, I have to get going. I still have to straighten a couple things out with classes and stuff."
"Great! I'll—I mean, we'll be looking for you!"
"Right." Evrard turned to wave as he walked off. "Feel better, Usagi!"
"Nice going, Cere Cere," Palla Palla said sarcastically. "If you'd tried to be any sweeter we would have all OD'd."
Cere Cere's eyes shone like stars. "You just don't understand the ways of a woman's heart, Palla Palla. You're still such a child..."
"I'm only a year younger than you!"
Jun Jun shook her head and put a hand on Palla Palla's shoulder. "Forget it, Jun. She won't hear it. Let's all just go off and have fun at the Welcome Carnival. We can go ride the yo-yo or something."
The quartet of girls walked off, leaving Usagi and Diana still sitting at the fountain.
"Dead. I was hidden away for so long, I may as well be dead," Usagi thought to herself.
That evening, Usagi, Diana and the Quartet walked into a lavish, dimly lit ball room. Marble pillars rose to embrace a glass-domed ceiling, revealing a sky shimmering with rivers of stars. A DJ was set up in a corner with two turn tables, blasting music while colored lights twisted and flashed in intricate patterns across the floor and walls. Crowds of students dressed in vibrant colors danced in time to the music and huddled in corners, forming a vivid kaleidoscope of form, light and sound.
Usagi felt a thrill of excitement surge through her chest. "My first dance," she thought to herself. She looked over to her friends, who were smoothing their skirts, fussing with their hair and gazing about the room in awe. A smile spread across her face.
"Well, we didn't come here just to look at it, everyone. Let's get out there and be fabulous!" Usagi's friends smiled broadly and nodded in unison, each heading off in a different direction to take in the party. She began to walk toward the refreshment table. In mid step, she felt something tap her shoulder. Turning around, Usagi found herself facing Evrard.
"Evrard!"
"Hi. I see you finally made it. Are you feeling better?"
"Oh—yes, much better, thank you."
"Did you come with your friends?"
"Yeah, they all went off on their own. You?"
"The same. I wanted to talk with you more this afternoon, but I guess we didn't really get much of a chance. Anyway...you look really nice."
Usagi flushed. "Thank you. You look nice, too." She found herself unable to look away from his face.
Evrard smiled softly and took her hand. "Would you like to dance?"
Usagi felt a pang of guilt and spotted Cere Cere out of the corner of her eye. She was chatting animatedly with a group of boys from the high school, and waved at Usagi. Usagi smiled inwardly, relief easing her tense muscles. Turning back to Evrard, she nodded. He led her to the dance floor where they moved to the rhythm of the music, flirting and feeding off of the energy in the room. Eventually, the music slowed and Evrard pulled her to him and whispered in her ear.
"Come on, let me show you something."
Usagi felt herself being led away from the ballroom and outside in to the courtyard.
"Where are we going?
"To meet some friends of mine. We found a way to get outside the dome without anyone noticing."
"What? You want to go outside?"
"Just for a little peek. No one will ever know. C'mon, don't you want to see what's out there?"
"Well...yes, but, what if we get caught?"
"We won't, trust me. Everyone is at the dance."
The pair ran to a far end of the dome. Through the glass, Usagi could see that the wall of the dome was surrounded by crater walls of thick gray rock up to the dome's midpoint. A group of three junior high students waited beside a shuttle lift that had been left unlocked. Inside the shuttle were several space suits.
One of the students, a boy with dark hair gave a half smile as Usagi and Evrard approached. "Well hey there, Evrard. And who have you brought with you?"
"This is Usagi. She wants to see outside, too. Usagi, these are some guys from the dorm. Eddie, Ichiro and Juan."
"How did you manage to pick up such a pretty girl?" laughed Ichiro, a boy with brown hair and eyes.
Usagi blushed slightly as she greeted the group.
"All right, guys, let's get going so we can be back before the dance lets out. If we get caught, I don't know what they'll do to us," said Evrard.
"Yeah, about that...," Juan started hesitantly. "We've been thinking and...Well, we're actually going to stay down here. We don't want to get expelled or something."
"Are you serious?"
"We'll keep watch while you and Usagi go out there."
Evrard let out a disappointed grunt. "All right. Usagi, let's go on in. We won't stay out long, I promise."
Usagi and Evrard boarded the shuttle and zipped space suits on over their clothes. The shuttle lift stopped at a small platform which led through a door to an airlock chamber. Once inside the chamber, Usagi pressed a button to open a door to the lunar surface. She took a step forward into thin air. Expecting to fall, she instead flailed wildly as she fought regain her composure.
"Hit the button on your wrist to activate your jets," Evrard's voice patched into her helmet. As she did so, Usagi was immediately able to steady herself. "C'mon," he said. "Let's check out that ridge over there. Before Usagi could protest, he had jetted off. He was nearly out of sight when Usagi saw a strange red flash in the space where Evrard had flown. It was unsettlingly familiar to the flash she had seen the previous night when she and the Sailor Quartet had been attacked.
"Evrard? You okay?" There was no response. "Evrard?"
"Usagi...it's—oh God! Help me!"
"Evrard? Hold one, I'm on my way!" She activated her jets while simultaneously alerting the Quartet with her wrist communicator. When she reached the point where Evrard had disappeared, she let out a small gasp. He was facing an enormous demon-like creature with hairy yellow fur. Its face was that of an antelope and it carried a pair of thick, curling black horns on its brow. It noticed Usagi almost immediately, throwing the boy aside. He landed motionless against a rock formation. Usagi transformed quickly and unzipped her space suit. So long as she was on lunar soil, her powers as a Sailor Soldier would allow her to move and breathe in the vacuum of space unharmed. The monster charged toward her and swiped at her with its claws. Jumping back in the nick of time, Usagi tried to look for a weak point on the monster's body. The fur covering its thick muscles belied no such vulnerability.
At that moment, an arrow composed of energy flew through the air, accompanied by the battle cry "Amazoness Jungle Arrow!" The arrow hit the monster squarely in the snout, causing it to step back and claw its face in pain. Usagi whirled around, smiling in relief.
"Everyone, you made it! That was amazingly quick!"
Cere Cere crossed her arms of her chest. "I'll have you know that I was making time with a couple of very hot German guys. You'll have to find a way to make it up to me."
"Never mind your love life, Sailor Ceres, we have bigger worries," exclaimed Sailor Juno. "Sailor Vesta, let's catch him in a pinch!
"Got it!"
The two girls ran along either side of the beast and launched their attacks.
"Forest Union!"
"Jungle Inferno!"
No sooner had the words left their lips than had vines wrapped around the beast's legs and ignited, trapping it in a billowing pyre. Sailor Pallas vaulted herself onto it's head, delicately balancing on one leg as Sailor Ceres called a rope out of thin air and tossed it to her. Sailor Pallas wrapped the rope around the demon's neck and tossed the remainder back to Sailor Ceres. Sailor Pallas jumped back down to Ceres and began trying to pull the monster to the ground, but to no avail.
"Sailor Juno, Sailor Vesta, help us! It's too much for us," cried Sailor Ceres. Yet, even the collective strength of the Sailor Quartet was not enough to bring the creature to the ground. "Sailor Chibi Moon, we can't hold him, we have to hit him now!"
Sailor Chibi Moon nodded and removed her tiara, crying out, "Pink Moon Tiara Slash!" The tiara flew from her hand and slashed through the demon's skull. Blood sprayed onto the ground as the yellow-furred beast collapsed, heaving in the throes of death and disintegrated. Sailor Chibi Moon rushed over to Evrard's motionless body.
"His suit and helmet are undamaged," said Sailor Chibi Moon. "Everyone, head back to the dome—I'll meet you back there. I have to change back into that suit to talk to him."
In a flash, the Quartet was gone, leaving Usagi to crawl back into her suit. She lifted Evrard in her arms and shook him gently. "Evrard? Evrard, can you hear me?"
The boy moaned and fluttered his eyes. "My head... What happened?"
"I'm not sure. It looked like you hit your jets too hard and you went flying into this ridge here. I guess you must have run into a wall or something. Cmon, can you get up? We should get back. We've been out here a while."
They made their way back to the dome and back inside quickly and quietly and were met by Evrard's three friends.
"What happened to you guys? You were gone forever!" Eddie pulled them behind the shuttle lift when it landed, away from prying eyes.
"Nothing," grinned Usagi. "We just tooled around."
"She ran me ragged, that's for sure," said a slightly embarrassed Evrard. "I'm going to walk her back to the dorm and then call it a night."
The two walked back to Temel Hall, casting quick glances at each other the entire way. At the large doors of the Hall, Evrard turned and looked down at his companion. "I don't know what happened out there tonight, but you really looked out for me."
"It was no problem, really."
"Maybe that's true, but...thank you anyway. See you around school?"
Usagi nodded, her cheeks flushing a pale pink.
"All right then. Evrard leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Goonight, Usagi."
"Good—goodnight, Evrard." She waved as he turned and walked toward his dorm.
"Hey hey, Usagi, I thought he was supposed to be my guy," said Cere Cere with a good-natured smile.
Usagi turned and saw her friends waiting for her behind an large azalea bush.
"Man, leave the girl alone, Cere Cere," said Vesta, giving her oldest sister a push.
"Yeah, if all the guys you looked at twice were off limits, there wouldn't be any guys left." Diana wore an enormous grin.
Usagi laughed a shook her head. "Goodnight, guys. I'll see you all in the morning. See you later, Diana." Usagi crossed the entrance and closed the doors behind her.