No Need for Destiny
Chapter 10
No Need for Plans
Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.
I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.
As the sun continued its early morning rise over the skies of Selene, the Queen of Selene and the Queen of Venus were enjoying an early morning brunch. Though both looked like death warmed over due to the fact that the first night of the party had just completed, the details of their discussion were of the most serious of acts.
"This is most disturbing," said Serenity.
"Agreed," said Venus. "Even they believed that they had been sent to their future, and not their own distant past."
"And they just now noticed that this red giant was there instead of a nebula?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.
Venus sighed. "They were saving such an event for when they returned home. And do remember that Jurai has labeled large sections of space as off-limits due to our own emergences as galactic powers, as well as others. So it is as much as a shock and attack to them as it is to us.
"I do wonder however, why Sailor Pluto has not warned us of such an event."
"She won't, even if ordered to," sighed Serenity. "Her duty is to protect the time stream, but she is allowed to warn us of natural disasters. The very fact she has not warned us of this could very well mean we will sooner or later face an enemy who will destroy the magical umbrae supporting the Kingdoms."
"Except for Earth," Venus sadly said, noticing the half-Earth peeking still over the horizon.
"It was the only natural biosphere here when our ancestors arrived," said Serenity.
"So what can we do?" asked Venus. "We could import the technology that they use to create biospheres, but will it be enough? All it would take to destroy ours would be the death of the Royal Line."
Serenity nodded. "I will see what I can get from Sailor Pluto about a possible time frame. But we should not only increase our military strength, but back-up the environmental systems on our worlds."
"Before they went to study the Crab Star," said Venus, "I mentioned part of the Treaty to them, stating about building a joint research post in the Alpha Centauri system. Perhaps it would be best to make this place large enough to hold survivors, should our efforts fail."
Serenity nodded. "We have over seventy billion people in Sol, Venus," she said. "Could they actually construct such a place in whatever time we have?"
"I'm certain that Seniwa would support it," said Venus. "They went to the Crab Star to see how much time we have."
"It wouldn't be against regulations to pray that the answer is a few million years, would it?" asked Serenity.
"Not at all," said Venus. "But I do fear we will have to tell the other rulers."
"That won't be pretty," grumbled Serenity. "I'll see about setting up the meeting after the festivities end. I'm sure if we offer another party afterwards, it'll help take off the pressure a bit."
"Perhaps," said Venus. "But learning that the planet you rule will soon either be a lifeless spec of dirt or a floating ball of gas, it won't be a happy ending, no matter what."
"Better have more liquor on hand then," sighed Serenity.
"But there was some good news last night," smiled Venus.
"And that would be?"
"I nailed Ranma."
"WHAT?" Queen Serenity yelled, nearly spitting out her drink.
"I did," smirked Venus.
"But what about his lovely wife?" asked Serenity, not believing what she had heard.
"Oh she has such slender and soft hands, and makes the cutest noises when she has an orga—"
"What are you, mad?" yelled Serenity.
"Hell no, that was the best time I've ever had in the sack," smirked the Queen of Love. "He was even better than that General that visited from Neptune."
"I don't care if he—really? Better than General Shell?"
"Much," smirked Venus, seeing the former shock and anger turn to intrigue. "The guy seemed to know the female form like a true Master of the Art of Sex."
"Well, they have been married for ten thousand years," offered Serenity, not knowing of Ranma's gender curse. "Odds are he would have learned something about pleasing his partner. I'm just shocked that a married couple would do such a thing."
"Oh don't be a prude," said Venus. "For some, monogamy is perfect. For others, it is the more the merrier. I fall into the latter category, while you fit into the former."
"There is nothing wrong with monogamy."
"I never said there was," smirked Venus. "I just said it wasn't for me at the moment."
She stood up, wiping her lips with the napkin provided, the meal finished. "I'm going to get some sleep before the party begins later on. Afterwards, we can discuss your sex life if you want."
"You joke at a time like this?" said the shocked Queen.
"I have to," offered Venus. "We can do nothing at the moment, and I've already sent word to the proper channels to begin a military buildup as well as order the machinery from Jurai and Seniwa to start a backup to the magical umbrae. My accountants are already looking into where we can gather funds for the research project in Alpha Centauri. For now, I've done all I can. And should I die tomorrow, I'd rather have some enjoyable last moments. Wouldn't you?"
Serenity could only look away as her friend left. "Maybe after I have ensured my people will survive this coming storm."
"This is bad," muttered Nabiki, going over the readings that their probe was sending back to PI as they orbited the star that would one day explode to form the Crab Nebula. Their ship had exited into normal space outside the gravitational range of the huge star before them. "The hydrogen in the shell outside the core is reaching low levels. I don't think this star as many centuries left."
Ranma sighed. "These readings are narrowing our time window. We'll be lucky to have a few thousand years if this is right."
"All those people," muttered Nabiki.
"We'll save all we can," whispered Ranma, taking his wife's hands, their earlier bout of alcohol induced hysteria replaced thanks to some medicine to negate the effects of the drug. For the moment, they needed to work with clear heads.
"This just sucks," growled Nabiki. "We finally make it home, to discover we'll be witnesses to the greatest humanitarian disaster never to be recorded! These people weren't even recorded by the ancient empires of Earth, and Atlantis was just a legend in our time. Hell, you think someone would have found something on those worlds in our time to know people once lived there!"
"Where?" asked Ranma. "From what you told me, Mars was a giant sand storm at times, Venus's atmosphere would have burned anything out, and the sun would have scorched anything remaining on the moon. Where else could they have looked?"
"I don't know!" cried out Nabiki. "I ... I just don't want to see so many people killed by something we might be able to stop!"
"We'll do what we can," whispered Ranma, taking Nabiki into a strong hug. "I know we might not be able to save everyone. But we'll do what we can."
"How can we explain this to Junpei?" she sobbed. "We need to station military divisions in the Centauri systems! We need to establish a massive bio-construct. There's so much we have to do, and we don't even know how long before it happens!"
"It'll be all right," he said, trying to console the woman. Inside however, he was just as distraught as she was, even as his mind tried to come up with some sort of act that would require such a withdrawal or massive die-out in Sol. "We know we have at least sixty three hundred years before our time," offered Ranma. "And since it hasn't exploded into the nebula yet on this end, we still have hope.
"Well," sniffed Nabiki, "that does offer us that it hasn't happened for a while. The Sumer civilization in Mesopotamia won't arise for a while."
Ranma nodded. "So we have some time. I mean, how long does it take before something becomes lost as even a myth? We know Earth survives, and they had to have left some record."
"We have finished calculating the time before the Star will achieve supernova status, as well as will be viewable in the year indicated by Lord Kuramitsu, from Earth."
The two turned to the holographic interface, still showing the data coming from the star. "Go ahead, PI," said Ranma, as the dual voices of the two Space Trees responded.
"Time will be approximately nine thousand, two hundred, and fifty seven years, Earth Standard calendar before the nova explosion can be witnessed from the Sol System."
"Not much time," sighed Nabiki. "Not much at all."
"It'll have to do," said Ranma. "PI, forward the resource request and all of our information to the proper authorities within Jurai and Seniwa who have the authorization."
"Understood."
"So we're roughly now ten thousand years in the past," mused Nabiki.
Ranma nodded. "Well, I guess this means will eventually get to go home."
"Assuming we don't fuck up and prevent ourselves from being born."
"We'll work on that when we get to it," he chuckled. "We better get back to Sol. As soon as Junpei reads that report, I have no doubt he'll want to meet with us and the rulers of Sol."
"You think we can save them all?"
"We'll certainly try," stated Ranma with absolute conviction. "We will certainly try."
"Are you certain?" asked the Emperor of Jurai, sitting on his throne, and communicating over a secured line to PI.
"Sadly, yes," sighed Ranma, rubbing his temples. "We have no idea what time frame we have, but we need to begin building and stationing of troops now. The leaders here have agreed to keep the information about this to themselves, not even telling their children. We have no idea where the attack will come from, so we're taking every precaution."
"By Tsunami," said Junpei, "do you know the firepower necessary to scour life from a system as powerful as Sol?"
"It doesn't need to be much," said Ranma. "The magical bio-constructs are mainly anchored by the Royal Lines. Kill them, and the constructs will slowly begin to fail. Give it a year, and they'll collapse completely."
"Well, that explains the massive teraforming and biosphere support systems you've requested," said Junpei, looking over the list. "There are several fleets I can rotate through Alpha Centauri during the construction of the research center. I can claim it is in response to several detections that discontent elements threatening to destroy it. If we make them joint exercises, it will appease several of the factions against our cooperation, offer proof we are not enemies."
Ranma nodded. "It would offer us a faster method to transfer survivors to the base. But even pushing our subspace pocket generation systems, it'll be pushing it."
"Are their any local life forms in Alpha Centauri that we should be worried about?"
Ranma shook his head. "There are a few solid planets, but they're mostly deserts, not enough water to offer life, and the environments don't offer much in the way even for inorganic life. But I still would like to avoid using the planets there. Last thing we need is an unknown making itself known. I would suggest several survey teams to fully study those worlds."
"Agreed," said Junpei. "The scientific community has been knocking down my door for permission to study the sealed territories. I can offer them this at least. But keeping such a construct quiet will be hard."
"Then we don't," said Ranma. "We could make it into an eventual resort system after the first phase is complete. Then we simply say that afterwards, the three parties will turn the system into a resort for all three to gather, relax, and work out further agreements. It'll be a neutral territory."
"Could work," mumbled the Emperor. "Where do the Sol rulers stand on these issues?"
"They said to do what I feel is best," he muttered. "Do we even have the resources to pull this off?"
"Barely," said Junpei. "By ourselves, we wouldn't. We can only hope for the time needed.
"I'll make these proposals to the Royal Senate and see what they say. Most of these requests will require their approval."
"Same here," said Ranma. "You know, whoever said being the ruler was easy, never had to deal with this much red tape."
"We aren't dictators," said Junpei.
"It'd be easier some times if we were."
"Do you think it was one of us?" asked Endymion.
"One of us?" asked Queen Nova.
"That wiped everything out," supplied Endymion. "I mean, hell, our planet was reduced to barely being loose tribes once again, little to no magic, and no trace of our kingdoms."
"Not likely," said Queen Saturn. "None of us would bother wiping everything out. Trust me, I know my military strategy, and whatever did that ... will do that ... whatever ... was not a military force. It was a plague of death and destruction, for no other purpose than such."
"She's right," said Queen Neptune. "Mutually assured destruction aside, whatever happened left no one to pick up the pieces. We can at least assume that whatever will attack us has no other intent than to wipe us out."
"So what now?" asked Queen Jupiter. "Do we prepare to die? Do we prepare to live?"
"Why is everyone looking at me?" asked Queen Pluto. "My daughter is charged with the Gates of Time now."
"Can't Queen Serenity make her talk?" asked Endymion. "I mean, her ancestor made the rule, surely she can alter it."
"It is not that simple," said Pluto.
"Then do explain," asked Queen Mercury, as she sipped on her wine.
Queen Pluto sighed. "Very well, think of the Gates of Time as a lens. Now, this lens can see very well into any ordered event, events that destiny deem to happen no matter what, such as environmental disasters, and certain processes which follow a basic law of Order.
"But the lens can be confused, fogged over, as it were. These are events that are chaotic in nature. The more chaotic these events are, the harder they are to see by the Gates. In fact, if the perpetrator of these events carries with them an aura filled with nothing but chaos, then their actions will be all but invisible to the Gates."
"What about time travel?" asked Saturn. "Can she not go back to our time and warn us?"
"Then we get into issues about how if we know the future, is it still the future," said Pluto, lifting up her drink to take a large sip. "By Serenity, I'm glad I don't have to watch that damned thing. Even it has its own rules, and one cannot tell their past self something that couldn't be learned otherwise from the Gates themselves. So it'll prevent her from warning us of what really happens."
"Well fuck," said Endymion.
"That's another option," mused Venus.
The others gave a weak laugh at that.
"So what can we really do?" asked Nova. "How can we prepare for something we can't know about, without becoming the very thing we fear?"
"Be vigilant, observe caution, and enjoy each day as if it was our last," said Endymion. "Personally, I plan to spend more time with my son."
Nova nodded. "Little Beryl has been wanting to see the snowy mountains north of the castle. Maybe now is the time to see them."
"And what of this shelter being considered for Alpha Centauri?" asked Queen Jupiter.
"Would a new royal line need to be created there?" asked Endymion. "I mean, I figured you all would keep the Serenity Line as your rulers. But the Earth survivors would never accept that. Hell, many still are paranoid about the other kingdoms."
"Sad but true," said Queen Nova. "The good news about the recent negotiations with the Seniwa/Jurai group has alleviated this somewhat. After all, a group that can wipe you out without a second thought tends to put worthless fears into the proper perspective."
"This will not be easy," said Queen Mars. "If anything, we must also prepare for the stupidity of the survivors. They will most likely bicker among themselves, trying to claim more of the refuge for their own whims rather than work together at such a time. If we have survivors of the Royal Lines, some of the populous might not accept a new ruler, even with consent."
"Never underestimate the human capacity for stupidity and selfishness," said King Endymion.
"Sadly also true," sighed Queen Nova.
"So all we can do is hope for the best, plan for the worst?" asked Queen Neptune.
"It would seem that way," said Queen Pluto.
"No matter what, we must ensure the legacy we have made of this system, from the time our ancestors arrived, does not get lost in the annuls of history," said Queen Serenity.
The others slowly nodded.
Queen Venus sat in a room of the Royal Physician's Office, awaiting her test results.
It had been roughly a month since that fateful meeting at the Moon Palace, since the day they had discovered that in the future, their system would nearly be purged of all life.
But there was a bright sign on the horizon, aside from the fact that Refuge was now under construction and likely to be completed in five years. That bright sign was symptoms many women dreaded: morning sickness being chief among them.
It wasn't as if she didn't know who the father was. There had only been one man whom she shared a bed with in the last years, longer since her last liaison with the opposite sex had been when she was still the Senshi of Venus, and not its Queen.
Truthfully, she didn't know how she was going to tell him; after all, it had been the furthest thing on any of their minds during the ordeals of that week.
Of course, the pressures of an ensuing death did little to quell a drunken libido. She supposed it had something to do with the rise of the mating instinct in situations where death was imminent.
Or it could be that time and life had to go on, and they wanted anything else to think of besides that gruesome destiny.
She did enjoy herself, and she did have an emotional connection, so it wasn't like it had been simply sex. And she did invite them for a 'reunion' of sorts when they returned to Sol once again. Since the offering had been reciprocated, it hadn't been a meaningless fling for them either.
"I do need to tell him, though," she said, leaning back in the chair she was sitting in, waiting for the doctor to return.
He did deserve to know after all. It wasn't like they had planned this.
But she wasn't about to let this end. No, she wanted this child. It didn't matter to her who the father was, or even if the father could be a father. She wanted this child because she ... wanted a child. After all, her fondest memories, even when the duty of Senshi fell to her upon her grandmother's death ... was with her own mother.
And she did want a daughter. It had to be a daughter; the first born of any Royal Line was always female, something about the need for a Senshi and influence of the planet's mana, or something along those lines. She wanted someone to raise, to guide, and to experience the universe with.
Of course, she wasn't looking forward to some things that she had experienced when she had visited the then Sailor Mercury, as her daughter was born.
Senshi magic did not protect you from the smell of a dirty diaper.
But source of nookie and a bouncing baby girl aside, she did acknowledge one dark component about it all: she needed an heir, someone who would assume the throne when her time came, and would keep the mana tap for their world open, so that life could exist.
"My child's life will not be reduced to such a trivial thing..." she muttered.
"That is always good to hear an expecting mother to say," smiled the doctor, as he entered the room.
"So I am with child," she said.
He nodded, looking over the data. "Yes, a very healthy child, I might add. We have a genetic reconstruction ready for you to observe," he said, as an image formed on his desk.
"I love her hair," said Queen Venus, as an adult image of her future child formed in the hologram. "Though her bust-line could use some shifts..."
The doctor coughed into his hands. "It is too early to make those types of changes at this point," he said.
Queen Venus sighed. Darn, I was really hoping she'd inherit that from her father. "I love the eye color," she mused. Blue was much better than the black she had. "Her hair is a little blonder than mine; must get that from her father as well. Reflexes are good, and..."
She stopped, turning to face the doctor as certain bits of information that scrolled at the bottom of the image caught her attention. "Are these correct?" she asked hesitantly.
"That is something I wanted to talk to you about," he said, holding up a data pad. "We ran a series of tests, and felt we needed to run them again. As you can see; certain results ... well, they can't be right."
She sat back down in her seat, her legs feeling very weak, as she read the results of the tests. These ... these can't be right.
If they are...
Chibi-Ranma sighed as he floated in the vacuum among the stars.
His love was destined to die. It was as simple as that.
It wasn't that death itself bothered him. During his stays with his birth mother, he had seen many beings come to destroy her temple for the flimsiest of reasons.
But he hadn't loved them. Sure, he cared for their wasted lives to believe that attacking his Mother's Temple would do something. But he hadn't known them or loved them.
Not like Sailor Saturn.
"And I can't tell her," he sighed. "I can't tell her that her world, her people, her very way of life ... is doomed to die out."
As much as he wanted to tell her, to warn her, his parents had sadly been right. The less people who knew about this, the less chance that whoever did this would be alerted to what they were doing. He knew about the possible paradoxes that could be created by what his parents were attempting to do. Sailor Saturn would be told in time, but now was not that time.
And if he did, what would it change? Nothing, sadly. She would have that weight upon her shoulders.
No, he wanted her to be happy for as long as she could be.
He hated the fact that someone was going to take someone very dear to him ... from him. He had searched for what he felt now for the Senshi of Silence, for as long as he had been alive, ever since he noticed what Mikumo and Miyuki. How long was he supposed to look?
He didn't want two wives. He didn't want a myriad of relationships. He just wanted one woman, one woman that he could love for eternity, someone who would stand by his side, loving him as well. He wanted what his half-brother and step-sister had.
"Am I to always be alone?" he wondered. "Can I not save this love I have found, or am I forced to lose it?
"She isn't a standard mortal by any means," he continued debating. "Sure, her life is enhanced by their magic, but still, she is not a standard mortal.
"Can I do nothing to save her?" he wondered. Sure, he wasn't able to tell her outright what his parents and family now knew. He couldn't tell her that sometime in the next ten thousand years, her system would be purged of most life.
"I have to help her," he said, his hand clenched, nearly having his nails cut into the palm of his hand. "I have to give her the best chance she has to survive."
Sure, he couldn't tell her, but he was never forbidden from making her stronger in what ways he was limited to.
Sailor Saturn stood in the gardens of Saturn Palace, waiting for her love to return to her.
He had been distant these last few weeks, his mind elsewhere.
She didn't know what could do such to the child of a Goddess, nor did she wish to guess.
But she did wish that he trusted her enough to tell her what troubled him.
Is this what true love is? Does this mean I am in love with him?
It has been so long. And I can admit I was very lonely until he came into my life.
But with him ... I can admit what my heart wants, I can admit to what my mind now knows. And I can admit ... that what I wish ... is to be with him forever.
If not for the damned law, I would take him as my husband now.
But I have to wait.
I will wait. For him, I would wait an eternity, as long as I knew he would wait for me at the end of it.
But why do I feel this way about him? I have known him for such a short time, and yet I feel as if my place is with him. Does this mean ... that he is my other, the other side of my soul, the key to my heart?
"Do you always drift off like that when you think?"
She blinked, as she turned to face the dual-colored eyes of the very man she was thinking about. "Chibi-Ranma!"
He cringed at that. I really need to try and think of a new name. But with how they act, I doubt going by Chaotica would be a good idea.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked with a hint of worry.
"Not really," he said. "But you think at my age, I would have a name beside Little Ranma," he said, chuckling slightly.
"Can I call you Ran then?" she asked.
He smiled, noticing how it cheered her up. "I will only let you call me that."
She nodded happily, before she relaxed. "So, why the sudden visit?"
"Training."
"Training?" she asked with surprise.
He nodded. "I have permission to begin your training in the ways of Lighthawk and Infinity School," he added, surprised at the name he used. Infinity School? I know we use Anything Goes, but where in the Galactic Core did I get such a stupid name?
"That sounds like a powerful school of fighting," said Saturn in awe.
He could only blink at that. Dad is right; it really is all in how you present it.
"So, you really think I could master it someday?" she asked. She certainly wasn't in a hurry to test out her skills, especially if powerful beings like him and his father laid in wait outside of the safety of Sol and the other aligned Senshi systems. But the training would mean she'd get to spend long hours with him, training along side him, having him correct her moves...
"Are you okay?" he asked, as he noticed her face become very red.
"I-I'm fine," she finished, shaking the perverted images from her head. "When can we begin?" she asked, smiling.
"Right now if you would like."
She nodded again. "Oh, and before you leave, my mother wanted to talk to you about ghople and possibly importing them. She wants to serve them at the next Social Dinner we have."
She didn't see him cringe at this, nor see his eyes as he recalled an incident when he was younger.
It'll never leave me alone, will it?
Then again, I am the one that gave her, her first taste of it.
I still say it is a good meal.
But why the Hell is that show still on the air! Damn reruns...
"You can not be seriously considering this, my Queen," said an exasperated Sailor Pluto, having just heard Queen Serenity's plan.
"And may I ask why not?" she responded. "Of the Kingdoms, I am the only one either without an heir or one on the way. Should I not take advantage of a possible windfall and seek a prime candidate to help sire an heir?"
"You are not talking about prime candidates," said Sailor Pluto. "You are talking about a married man whom the Gates of Time cannot track."
"And your point would be?"
Pluto could only blink. "I can't believe we're even having this conversation."
"We are, and I have not changed my mind," said Serenity. "Aside from his inability to be seen by the Gates, as well as the fact he is originally from the future of Earth, do you have any other reasons against my choosing of him?"
"BUT ... HE ... IS ... MARRIED!" yelled Pluto.
Serenity shook her head, before handing Pluto a folder. "I want you to take a look at the latest test results for the unborn child that Queen Venus is carrying."
Pluto looked over the information, seeing mainly what she expected.
That was, until she looked at the power readings. "That ... this is not possible," she said in awe.
Of the Royal Line, or to be truthful, any line which is born with the ability to use magic, the energy necessary for it forms during the development of the fetus within the womb. As such, measurements could be taken to determine the potential of a child, and even if there were abnormalities in the developing child's magical abilities that needed to be corrected.
And the developing princess's energies were well within acceptable parameters ... for an eight year old prodigy. Considering the fetus was only three months along, to say that result was astounding was an oversight. "These results must be wrong."
"They aren't," said Serenity smirking. "Right now, Queen Venus is carrying perhaps one of the most powerful Senshi in existence, and the potential to perhaps even go further than any before her.
"That alone should be enough for you to drop any qualms you have about my pursuing this."
"Perhaps," said Pluto, still in awe. What potential there is here! And all of this due to the paternal influence, according to the scans.
But why? What allows him to offer this? I know Chibi-Ranma should have this effect, if for nothing else than the fact that he is a child of a Goddess.
But could this be the true potential of Ranma Kuramitsu himself? I will need to have their blood tested myself to ensure that this is not a false reading. For all we know, his own changed structure might be altering the test results.
"There is something more, isn't there?"
"I don't know what you mean," said Serenity, looking off to the side.
Pluto had long since grown to know when her Queen was lying to her, having spent some time with her before she became the current Queen Serenity. But what could have... "Queen Venus told you about her experience with them, didn't she?"
"..."
Pluto blinked as her friend and Queen slowly became red in the face. "VIDEO?"
Serenity sighed dreamily. "You should have seen it. It was a bit weird with them being slightly drunk at the time, but you could see the true passion, the desire... It was poetic imagery in motion..."
"You watched a damn porno staring your best friend and two ambassadors..." muttered Pluto.
"Be that as it may," said the embarrassed Serenity, "I have considered my options in this matter very careful, despite the obvious benefits to just give into my hormones.
"With the coming storm of death," she said with a heavy sigh, "I must do what is best not only for my Kingdom and its subjects, but for all of Sol at large. And to do that, I must ensure that not only do I have a strong heir, but one who will be able to deal with that storm if it occurs during her reign."
"You know I cannot say anything more than what the Gates show me."
"I know this all too well," said Serenity. "I spent several days discussing this with your mother, and she stood at the Gates the longest of any Pluto. I know well the limits it places upon you, as well as the rules governing it, placed upon by my own line."
"Are you certain he will even agree to this?" asked Pluto. "From what I have gathered, Queen Venus has yet to inform him of his impending fatherhood via her. How will he react to your request to carry his child? How will Lady Nabiki react?"
"I doubt she will react too poorly, considering his current record and her acceptance of such a thing," said Serenity. "But it doesn't mean I will do so without their permission.
"I have called them here from Alpha Centauri. They should be here within the hour. At which point, I plan to make my request," said Serenity.
"I can't talk you out of this?" asked Pluto.
"No, I have made up my mind," said Serenity. "I do find though I will be hesitant to inform the public of who the father is. I have no doubt that many in the Court may see it as an attempt for Seniwa to lay claim to Sol."
"That is entirely possible," agreed Pluto.
"It is yet another thing I will have to discuss with them upon their arrival," she sighed.
"Is this really your only option?"
Queen Serenity smiled. "No, but it is not only the best option I have, but the one that shall be the most enjoyable."
"I swear, you're becoming as bad as Queen Venus," murmured Pluto.
"Well, that recording didn't help, I can tell you that much," smirked Serenity. And to think I was the one to say such a thing would never change about me.
"Then there is no way I can talk you out of this?"
"Not a one," smiled Serenity. "Of course, if you don't agree with me, go watch the recording. I have it cued up over here," she finished with an innocent smirk.
Pluto sighed. "Not like you'll let me go without seeing it, will you."
"Not a chance."
"I swear, my Queen, you are becoming a pervert."
"Judge me after you see it," she said smiling, as she stood up. "Meet me at the landing bay when you finish. I wish to meet them for their arrival."
Pluto watched her leave, only shaking her head. "She makes it sound like he's a Kami in bed."
She almost skipped down the hallway to the landing bay. "Really, she needs to loosen up more. Even her mother wasn't that uptight."
Queen Serenity smirked as she paused. "Maybe she'll even search him out?
"Nah, she'll live in denial. I doubt she'd even know what to do."
Smiling as she saw PI lowering itself to the ground, she picked up her pace towards the bay. "Well, time to meet my prince."
Of course, she was a little bit worried. It wasn't everyday she asked a married man if she could carry his child.