In the Reborn Kingdom, Ch 54, Aftermath of Actions
The morning dawned and by all accounts it appeared it was going to be an average day, well at least until the news got out. Raids of the magnitude of what happened the night before had never occurred on the Moon, and for those that lived in the area it was the source of many a conversation that lasted well into the night for a few. The house was now secured and it was being guarded by members of the local police force and the officers were instructed to gently refer any questions to the district headquarters.
The ICU had been seeing patients on a more or less regular basis, but thankfully they were never filled to capacity. Sure the occasional daredevil who had more nerve than sense ended up there, as well as the occasional motor vehicle accident victim as well, but by and large this was a quiet duty for those that worked there. Two occupants had been brought in last night, no more than an hour apart, and the work began down in the ER. Both had been brought in and examined both by doctors and by law enforcement as well. Multiple injuries had been documented, and some appeared to be years old.
By far however the one had been far worse off thanks to the beating he received. The tests had come back and now they had the boy, at least judging by his size, had a serious infection running rampant through his blood stream. So for now he was on full facemask oxygen and they were, by medical standards, pouring fluids into him intravenously along with some strong antibiotics. He was being kept unconscious for the moment as well, considering they had a catheter installed to help his kidneys purge as well.
The palace however was a hive of activity this morning as it was time to take care of issues. Setsuna had done her research a few days ago regarding the young men and their captor, and the past as it was found was not pleasant at all. This was not the first time the man had struck, and because of the seriousness of the crime the judiciary that had been established deferred to the Queen, King, and Senshi.
The initial proceedings had taken place yesterday, and the man, to use the term loosely, had stood in the dock as the testimony was received. Haruka and Michiru excused themselves from the proceedings as was allowed by Lunarian Law, but it was their own opinions as witnesses and participants would cloud their judgment, therefore the others would have to make their decision without them.
Setsuna would also not give her judgment as well, considering she testified as to what she had found, and the lawyers had received the imagery of what the time gates had found. The lawyers involved also had copies of everything, and the defense council could only advise his client to keep his mouth closed, which said client did not.
So this morning found Ranma and Usagi walking down the hall, each flanked by a concerned mother. "So did you two sleep okay last night?" asked a concerned Ikuko.
Usagi gave her mother a wan smile, "As good as can be expected Mom." She was silent for a few moments, "I guess I was never really prepared to hear what I did yesterday, and it shook me up Mom."
"Me too," added Ranma as they continued their walk, "Even with everything Pops and I saw, something like we learned about yesterday is something beyond imagining. I knew there were some bad people in the world, but this?" His question hung unanswered in the air, and no one really had an answer for his question.
Further down the hall a familiar figure stood but was leaning up against a wall. Paul was in his dress uniform for today, as he had been given a particular charge that he carried out somewhat reluctantly. He heard the approaching footsteps and approached the group with a warm smile. "Good morning Mom," greeted Paul. "Your Majesties," he continued with a firm tone, but a smile was on his face as he greeted the Queen and King. He faced Ranma and with a wry smile added, "Now before you ask we are all packed and ready to go on vacation. Shingo dropped Hotaru's things off earlier."
Paul got a serious expression on his face, "Everything is set as requested. Volunteers were plenty and the final thirty were chosen by lot. The independent booths have the countdown clocks and the keyed switches are one to a booth with a timer. The switches are chosen at random and the function is achieved when three out of the ten active at any particular switches are activated. The ten active switches are chosen in a random rotating sequence, so no one will know if their switch is active."
Usagi understood what she had asked of Paul, and he carried out her request no questions asked. Finally knowing what was to come, a change came over her face, and for all intents and purposes she was Serenity. "Thank you," she replied. She snagged Ranma's arm and together the group walked to the ante-chamber that was one of a series that was for the use of the individual queens prior to gatherings of such magnitude. Paul bowed and took his leave as he was headed for the gallery.
The Judgment Chamber was seldom used in the ancient days and it had been rebuilt mostly as an afterthought, and the fact that the bots were building according to old plans when they had planned for the evacuation of people prior to the Battle of Tokyo. The chamber was packed to the rafters, and the proceedings were being recorded by pool video for the local networks, with some coverage from Earth as well.
At a predetermined time a trio of warriors, one Musk, one Amazon, and one Phoenix escorted the man in and stood him in the dock, which resembled one that could be found in courtrooms in London. The man appeared stoic to those who looked on, and he was well dressed and clean. His lawyers were off to his right, while the prosecution was to the man's left. Finally after all the players were settled, a young Musk warrior entered and called in a loud and firm "All rise!" and everyone did.
The Queens came in followed by their husbands, if married, in the order of planets from Mercury out to Pluto. Technically Makoto, Hotaru, Michiru, and Haruka were still only considered Princess Regents, but their title still bore the same burden as a Queen would. The last to come out and taking position in front of the center-most seat was Serenity, with Ranma standing by her side. In one motion, and as one group the women sat, with their husbands by their sides, also sitting. Crowns appeared on their heads, and each showed their status of their current title and positions.
"You may be seated," said Serenity, and everyone but the guards of the accused sat. Looking around the room for a few moments she caught several familiar faces. Hidden from the general view were selected VIP balconies where the families of the reborn royals sat, each offering their silent support.
"In the annals of Silver Millennium history there were always crimes of varying magnitude, and they were dealt with in their own particular way. However there were in some instances when the Crown would become involved, and usually it would be reserved for the most heinous of crimes. Evidence has been gathered and shown, and testimonies given, and the past shown." She paused for a moment and took a breath, "It is a past that is most horrific. The kidnapping of children at their most vulnerable, imprisoning them, and using them for your perverse gratification is very horrific. The two that were rescued were not your first, but they are most assuredly your last. Even now law enforcement in Japan and across Earth are fanning out to gather others at this very hour, or they are exhuming the bodies you thought buried."
"In spite of all your assertions and denials the evidence speaks otherwise, and now it is time for judgment and sentencing."
Ami began first, "With the evidence presented I vote guilty."
Minako was next, "With the evidence presented I vote guilty."
Rei paused for a moment, and then she added, "With the evidence presented I must vote guilty."
Makoto was next, "I too vote guilty."
Hotaru was next, "Guilty."
Haruka was next in line, "It is because of my direct involvement I must abstain from casting judgment."
Michiru was next, "I must abstain as well."
"As must I," added Setsuna.
Serenity paused for a moment, and she finally added, "With the weight of the evidence presented I too must vote guilty. That makes six votes of guilty with three abstentions." She sighed and again paused before continuing. She noticed that with the abstentions the light above the three outers had dimmed, relegating them to observers. "Through all these proceedings you have repeatedly denied, tried to twist, or obfuscate. Do you have anything to say before the verdict?"
The man was drug to his feet and he remained silent. His lawyer stood up and addressed the Queen, "Your Majesty, my client declines to make any comments at this time."
"Thank you councilor," replied Serenity, giving the man and his staff a warm smile. "Husband."
Ranma now addressed the group, "For the multiple counts of abuse, torture, rape, sexual abuse, and murder the law of the kingdom in the past allows for death. It is the decision that the Queens and Princess Regent of Saturn must come to."
"Thank you my husband," stated Serenity. "For now I am going to adjourn these proceeding until one hour past noon." With that she and the others rose, and each exited by the door they came in, leaving those in the gallery to their own devices until then.
Hotaru sat heavily down in what she was beginning to think of as her chair, and a young Amazon girl and Musk boy promptly poured her a cup of steaming tea and uncovered a meal for her to pick at. With a bow they excused themselves and walked out holding hands. A knock came at the door and before she could call a familiar face poked in, and Shingo Tsukino stuck his head in. "You are supposed to wait for me to invite you in you know," she quipped.
He gave her a warm smile and replied, "Yeah but I knew you'd let me in anyhow." Hotaru gave him a small glare but gestured for him to have a seat nearby. Shingo fixed a small plate and handed it to her.
"I'm not really hungry you know," she stated in a quiet tone.
He just smiled and replied, "Perhaps, but you still need to eat. You and the others are going to have to decide on a sentence."
Hotaru sighed at his statement, "I know Shingo."
The door behind her closed and almost immediately she dropped the regal walk she had and settled for a waddle. A familiar form was at her side, and her step-daughter Karin took an arm and guided the very pregnant Queen to a seat in which said Queen parked herself in and immediately put her feet on a comfortable stool. "Oh! So that is where my feet went," groused Setsuna.
Karin chuckled a bit and stated, "Bet you have been feeling them most of the morning."
Setsuna gave the young woman an annoyed glare that melted into a smile, "Just wait Karin, your time will come."
Karin rolled her eyes, "I know Mom. However I still have to get through college first."
Setsuna smiled warmly for the young woman for a moment before her eyes began to dart around. "Hey where is Yuhii?"
Karin's eyes went to Setsuna and she just shook her head, "Guess you forgot her boyfriend is graduating from the Royal Marines Boot Camp today?"
"That was today?" exclaimed Setsuna. "Now that just sucks. I wanted to go."
Karin smiled, "Well Daddy is there representing the Crown. Yuhii promised to get a picture of them together with Stephan in his dress uniform." Karin paused for a moment and in a quiet tone she asked, "So what do you think the sentence will be?"
"Appropriate Karin, it will be appropriate."
It was right on time and the chamber was packed again, and again the Queens and Princesses filed in and took their seats, though the lights over three of the outers were dimmed, as they were observers in this process. Serenity sat in her chair and called the proceedings back to order. "In all my experiences, as a girl, teenager, Sailor Moon, and now Queen I have never known such depravity or someone who would try and blame his choices on others. You have sought out the most innocent among us and used them for your own perverse gratification. It is only by luck and a bit of fate that the two who were once in your clutches are now recovering from their physical wounds. Kami only knows how long it will take for the mental and emotional wounds to heal."
She paused for a moment and then fixed the man with a cold gaze that spoke volumes to those that truly knew the young woman, "It is now time to announce your sentence."
Again the process began with Ami and worked the way out, leaving Serenity as the final vote. "Death," was announced by each, and the light above each extinguished.
Finally the only light left on was above Serenity, and her face was expressionless. "My vote is for the imposition of the death penalty. You have shown no remorse for your actions or for the lives you have taken. The sentence shall be carried out in one week's time. I pray your soul finds peace. These proceedings are adjourned."
In a move that was unexpected the guards and now convicted man disappeared, dock and all, into the floor and the hole closed up. The chamber was emptied within fifteen minutes.
It was late in the day and the War Room was filled with selected individuals. Ami, Minako, and Rei had arrived first with Ryoga, Mu Tze, and Herb in tow of course. Makoto arrived minutes later being escorted by Matthew who was visiting on a break from his work on his Master's Degree. Haruka and Michiru arrived next having come from the hospital. The last to arrive were the trio of Setsuna, Ranma, and Usagi as the couple helped their very pregnant friend in. Before the doors could close Setsuna's husband Hidekai came in and took a seat behind his wife.
"Okay," began Usagi as the doors closed and the room went into secure mode. "Paul, Nabiki, Hotaru, and the children are on Okinawa for a vacation with the Othime family, and my brother is on his way to the US for some studies with the cadets at West Point. So that leaves us."
Setsuna attempted to rise, but being as pregnant as she was she decided against it and took the floor at it were. "I've been able to confirm that Kim Jong Il's two eldest sons are in China at the moment. His paranoia is in full swing and he is jumping at shadows in his own mind. His youngest appears to be just as delusional and actually believes himself to be the reincarnation of his grandfather. Unfortunately the amount of support he has at the upper levels of his government does not leave us with many options."
"What of the Chinese?" asked Ranma.
"Standing on the sidelines," added Makoto. "They know of what he had done and I gave them copies of all the evidence. The members of the central committee are understandably furious."
"Our other assets?" asked the Queen.
"In place and ready to go," added Ami. "The tunnels have been located and mapped out completely. They can be detonated at a moment's notice."
"The aftermath?" asked Serenity.
Setsuna smiled a bit, "I have some interviews to make prior to the zero hour, and I'm taking Okoi and Tenzin with me. They have the skills that may be needed in some instances. So hopefully the aftermath won't be too bad."
"The South Koreans are ready and will be going on alert with their American counterparts," offered Rei. "They are readying humanitarian aid as we speak."
"So it is all on us then?" asked Serenity in confirmation. Grim yet silent nods were uniform around the table. "Then the operation is a go."
They hung silent in space, invisible to most but the most technologically advanced. Three had been built and launched, with three more being planned and one currently under construction. Most were inhabited by Musk, Amazons, or Ninja, however over the past five years there had been more additions of former Tokyo residents who were willing to work to not only defend their new home, but there was the prospect of helping the people still on Earth in crisis situations. However the briefings that had been given filled them with a resolve that spoke volumes.
Everyone aboard knew who the King and Queen were, and in all honesty they found that they liked the young couple immensely. They were fair and even when in trouble judgment was accepted during disciplinary hearings, and they all knew that the Queen and King were quite serious about discipline, and discipline was well maintained aboard the three orbiting platforms. They had been built as a line of defense from outside threats mostly, however today they were responding from a threat originating from Earth. They all knew quite well who the commander was of the HMS Excalibur, and he was knee deep in the development of the platforms that they were calling home. Oh they had no official names but the crews, is a fit of alcohol induced inspiration, took to calling them the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. In some way they considered themselves as the current day Columbus, but unlike the sailing ships these platforms were in the final stages of merging into a single platform.
Once done all seemed silent, unless you knew what you were looking for. Ports opened up and small one and two man ships began their launch and descent into the late night sky over the eastern part of Asia. Their descent through the atmosphere would take ten minutes, and then there would be the time needed to get from where their descent would end over the northern part of the East China Sea, to their targets within the area of North Korea.
The descent was flawless, and the Search and Rescue groups were moments behind. The fighters, now configured for air operations were streaking over the ocean at low altitude, well below the target's radar, and travelling at supersonic speeds, each pair of fighters had a specific target to hit before breaking off and heading back to base.
Setsuna and her escort appeared in the bedroom of a high level member of the People's Republic of Korea Army. General Dai Yung Kim was not related to Dear Leader, but recent events were leaving him with a bad taste about his station in life. There was the "capture" of what Dear Leader referred to as "The Evil Spy of the Bitch on the Moon" and the aftermath of all of that. The loss of the prison and the records that it contained gave the man great pause, and after that there was the response of the Chinese allies. Things had gotten cold and strained, if not outright hostile. He was worried and sleep was not an easy thing, even with his wife helping him to rest.
He woke with a start and his eyes were open in an instant scanning the room. He went to rise until he felt the press of cold steel against his throat. A cultured voice called to him, "Good evening General." He could tell the voice was female, and her features were hidden in the dark.
His eyes narrowed as he regarded the interloper and watched as she approached the bed to step into the light provided by the outside and the full moon above. "You are one of them, aren't you?" he asked in a matter of fact tone.
"I am," she admitted, "I am the Queen and Guardian of Pluto." A hand came to rest on her rotund belly and she unconsciously began to lightly stroke her mid-section.
General Kim's eyes went wide, knowing the signs too well. "You are pregnant." A nod was his only answer. "Why are you here?"
"To talk, and to warn," she admitted. "The actions of Kim Jong Il in ordering the kidnapping of the brother of the King has serious consequences, and now those consequences are bearing fruit. Right now all your military installations are being destroyed as well as other key assets that your leader coveted. He and his youngest son will not survive the night, and his bodyguard is being destroyed to the last man."
"But our revolution…"
"Was built on lies, and the truth is being given to the people you supposedly protect," she interrupted in a firm and cold tone. She paused for a moment then added, "Your forces are attempting to fire on Seoul, however you are cut off from the world for now and no rounds that are fired will reach their targets."
"What do you want from me?" he asked.
"To lead for a time," she answered, "to help the people rebuild after the tyranny of the Kim family."
"What of his other sons?"
"They are in the care of the Chinese government, and no harm will come to them. I myself will be meeting with the both of them later."
"But the goal of unification?"
"Under the guise of communism is gone," she interrupted. "You must understand that the people were suffering greatly while you who were in power lived the life of luxury. You are no better than the tyrants of the past who you claim to fight against. The decadence within is worse than others."
"Then it is as I feared then," admitted Kim. "What will happen to us?"
"Most of the populace is working day and night to survive, so your first focus must be on them. All of your military assets are being destroyed as we speak, the only thing that will remain untouched will be the infrastructure so that food and clothing may be supplied."
"What of China?" he asked.
Setsuna smiled softly, "They now understand that trading openly with others is far more beneficial, and they are looking forward to doing business with a unified Korea."
"Some of us will have much to answer for," he admitted.
"Perhaps," she admitted, "However their crimes are known to myself and Queen Serenity and the evidence of those crimes has been supplied to the governments involved."
Kim regarded Setsuna for a moment and then asked, "I am not the first one that you have talked with this evening, am I?"
"No you are not," she admitted, "It was not hard to work through the command structure and deal with those who are the most rabid. You however are not rabid, but a realist and a pragmatist when needed."
"So there are some deaths then among the high command." It was a statement and the nod of Setsuna's head confirmed his statement. "What will happen?"
She smiled, "We will leave and your phone will ring. You must work to calm your field commanders when they find out they have been completely disarmed. You people have been given the truth through their dreams this night, and they will no longer trust the current structure of government. Your troops are also getting the same as they sleep. It is only the leadership that we have left mostly untouched. Their families have also been shown the truth as well, and those leaders that survive until morning will have to make some important decisions. Know this, we will be waiting and watching." She nodded and the steel that had been kept against his form was removed and sheathed, and the dark dressed forms stepped back and flanked Setsuna.
"Ninja!" he breathed in amazement. "I thought ninja were only a legend in stories."
"They prefer it that way," she agreed with quietly, "and we would prefer it stay that way."
He looked with understanding and replied, "I can appreciate that." He paused for a moment as he formed his next question, "How many more will you visit this night?"
"Quite a few," she admitted, "I won't have some overly ambitious colonel attempting something foolish."
"But that would take too much time!" he protested.
She gave the man an enigmatic smile and remarked with a simple question, "Have you heard the ticking of your clock recently?" She watched as his eyes went wide with realization, "I bid you a good evening then. Follow the right path, or our next meeting will not be pleasant. The King and Queen are watching." With a wave of her staff the trio disappeared into the night, and once again General Kim heard the ticking of his clock. His phone rang not more than five minutes later.
The operation was flawless in its execution and all the fighters and support craft were heading skyward again, heading towards their waiting platforms. The shield surrounding the northern portion of the peninsula would remain in place and the only place where negotiations would take place would be the one site where both sides in the decades old conflict maintained an active presence. There, in that single building is where the two sides would meet, and only when agreements were made and honored is when the shield would come down.
Morning came to the moon and Serenity and Ranma were walking back from the war room to their quarters where waiting. Serenity sighed and rolled her head and there were some audible pops. "Well at least all our people made it home, and there were less than a dozen causalities for the areas our direct strike forces hit."
Ranma sighed as well and he captured Usagi's hand. "Yeah but Setsuna and her team didn't have it easy," he added, "Tenzin and Okoi went through a lot last night. I think they need some time to recover after what we asked them to do."
Usagi just hummed as she continued to relax and yawn a bit. "I'm going to send them off to Minako for a bit. I think the sights and sounds of Venus would help them to relax for a bit. That and they haven't taken a vacation for a while."
"Agreed," replied Ranma, "So do you want to tell our moms or do you want me to." A wide grin spread across their faces at the shared thought.
"Let's tag-team our moms, because the results will be something to watch." She smiled at her husband and picked up her pace, "Now I want to get some rest, it has been a long night.".
The hospital ICU was in daytime operations and one of their patients had woken up and Detective Kakashi Hatake was there interviewing the young man, "So Shiro, do you know where you are originally from?"
"I don't know sir," replied the young man in a soft and quiet tone, "I've only really known him and my brother and whatever place we lived in at the time." He was silent for a few moments and then he asked, "Where is Hideaki? Is he okay?"
Kakashi smiled at his question, "He is in the next room and he is recovering, just a bit slower than you are." He regarded the young man for a moment and then stated, "Tell you what, I'll talk with the charge nurse and see if we can get you over to see him."
