DISCLAIMER:
Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi and other
companies. I don't own her (Grrr), and this story is written with the sole
purpose of entertainment without any intention of commercial gain. No
copyrights infringement is intended. ((Translation: I don't have any money, so
please don't sue me, I'm poor!))
What has happened before:
Thanks to both her special metabolism and the advanced
medicine techniques used, Usagi regained her health in record time. However,
when faced with the prospect of returning back to her life, she felt depressed.
Seeing this, the ship's doctor spoke with the captain, ending with making Usagi
an offer to join their world. After some soul-searching, she accepted. Seeing
this as a new beginning for her, Usagi changed her name for Serena Moon.
* = Change of Scene
( ) = Thoughts
+ + = Computer Responses or Electronic Communications
COMMANDER
GALOS
CHAPTER 3: THE FUN IS IN THE JOURNEY.
Serena was seated on one of the observation decks of the Lucky Star. For the last four days, she had been thinking of what she was going to do once she reached her new friends' planet. The answer, so far, had eluded her. The first day, after dinner with ensign Sylpheed, she had asked to him to show her the view of outer space from one of the observation decks, but he said no.
"Sorry, ship's regulations." He had explained. "It's just to
prevent stress fatigue on the windows. You understand, right?" she didn't, but
accepted the explanation anyway.
She was remembering that when she felt someone tapping her
on her shoulder. Turning slightly, she saw that it was Syl. "Oh, hi. What
brings you here?"
"Nothing much, really. Can I seat next to you?" getting a
nod, Syl sat next to her. "Still trying to see the exterior, eh?"
"Yeah. There's nothing much to do for me here." At that
moment, she remembered something she had asked during the last couple of days.
"Say, what do you know about my petition?"
"About taking some training at the Academy?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Smirking, Syl said. "Good news on that front. You were
accepted! Of course, you'll have to take some freshmen courses, but I don't see
any troubles for you in that respect." Seeing her beam with happiness, he felt
bad for what he had to say. "But… are you sure you want to do it? I mean,
school will be hard enough. The training is one of the hardest in the quadrant.
I've seen many people enter the basic training, and more than half just quits
during the first semester."
Serena just clenched her fists at hearing that, feeling
somewhat insulted. Without looking at him, she replied "So… you think I don't
have what it takes to make it then? You think I'm weak, someone that needs to
be sheltered and protected?"
"Nonononono, nothing like that!" Syl waved his hands in
front of him in denial, suddenly contrite at her reaction. "I'm just stating a
fact here. I'm not exaggerating; that is going to take a lot out of you. Of
course, if you can manage to pass the first semester, the rest will go by like
a breeze!"
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she let her temper go.
"All right… I can see what you mean. But you'll see! I'm going to be the best
cadet you'd ever seen!" she made her opinion clear waving her finger in his
face, the action eliciting a chuckle from his part.
"With an enthusiasm like that, how can I doubt it?" in that
instant, the warning lights on top of the closed window turned from red to
green. "Hey, we're out of the hyperjump! Do you still want to get a look
outside?" getting an enthusiastic nod as an answer, he smiled. "Very well then,
get ready for the sight of your life! You'll see your new home first-hand!" As
if his words were the signal, the bulkheads began to retract upwards, allowing
them to see the exterior.
"Oh good! Looks like we got assigned a corridor outside of
the elliptic! That's the best view, in my opinion. What do you think?" he was
so happy of returning home that it took him some time to notice that Serena
hadn't said a word. Turning his head in her direction he couldn't help but
chuckle at her expression: eyes wide, mouth open and a curious wheezing coming
out of it.
"Yes, I know. Nothing much I admit, barely the size of
earth's orbit, but it's a little something we like to call home." That little
remark did the trick, getting Serena out of her stupor.
"Little something? Little something?!?! LITTLE SOMETHING?!?!
But… but… but… that thing is HUGE! No, 'huge' hardly begin to describe it! And
I thought that the drawing on your uniforms was just something decorative!"
"Well yes, it can be impressive the first time you see it I
admit…" Syl conceded the point, still smiling. "But once you live in there for
some time, you get used to it. Nothing to it, really."
Shaking her head at his words, Serena decided to say nothing
else and turned her attention back to the incredible view in front of her. She
didn't know at the moment, but the distance was at least 4 astronomical units,
so she could see the whole thing in all its glory.
There, surrounding a yellow sun was a gargantuan artificial
construct. A ring the size of Earth's orbit and ten planet earth's wide, with
blue and greens and whites on its inner face, with myriads and myriads of tiny
light specks coming and going from and towards the outer face. A series of
black rectangles were seen on the inner face at some distance from the surface,
their purpose clear after some time watching: those were the only means to
provide a 'night cycle' for the inhabitants.
As the Lucky Star got closer, Serena once more lost her
voice. When she first took a tour around the ship, she thought that it was
enormous, big enough to carry almost all the population of Tokyo if needed.
Now, in front of the starport they were heading at, she saw ships that made the
Lucky Star look like a tricycle compared with an eighteen-wheeler. If the Lucky
Star was big, those others were floating cities by their own right! And still,
they paled compared to the size of the starport.
She didn't knew how long it took for the Lucky Star to
finally dock, but it was Syl's hand what took her out of her stupor. "Hey, are
you all right? You look a little pale here."
"I… I'm fine. I… I never imagined… how big is your world
anyway?"
"Big enough, that's for sure!" he chuckled at his own joke.
Seeing Serena not sharing his humor, he cleared his throat. "Ok, bad joke. But
don't worry! You'll have more than enough space to explore with the Academy.
Now, shall we go? We have to deliver your papers, not to mention for you to
have a medical examination."
"Another one?" Serena whined. She had to stand being
examined by the ship's doctor once she was back on her feet, and the prospect
of having to endure one more galled at her.
"I know, I know, I don't like them either. But it's for our
own good! Besides, with it comes a crash course in Galact. You won't need me as
your interpreter once it's done!"
Serena looked down at her feet, sighing softly. "Are you
tired of my presence? You want to get rid of me?"
"Of course not!" replied Syl, shocked. "What makes you say
that? No, it's just for your own comfort, that's all. Besides…" he couldn't
help but smirk at the thought. "It just wouldn't look good if I were to
translate all your classes for you, right?"
"Ok, point taken. Now, shall we go?" with that, Serena took
Syl's arm and let him guide her to her next destination.
* * * *
"Well, here we are!" opening the door to her room, Syl
helped Serena to get installed in her new quarters. "I hope you don't mind, but
these dorms are shared, so you'll have to bunk with a roommate."
"No, it's ok.
I can deal with that." She then took a look at the place. There was a living
room, a small dinner table, four chairs around the table, a small kitchenette,
and three doors. She imagined that one was for the bathroom and the others for
their rooms. "I like it. Looks comfy!"
"Oh, it is! I enjoyed my stay at the Academy when I was a
student here. I'm sure you'll like it as well!" sighing, he added. "Well, this
is it. I wish you luck with your classes and training. Remember, you start in
three days, so don't be late! Now, if you excuse me I have to go now. I have to
report back at my own dormitory, and don't worry! I'll visit you as soon and
often as I can, deal?"
"Deal." Walking next to him, Serena couldn't help but give
him an embrace, which he returned. "Thanks a lot. For everything."
"Hey, it was nothing. I wish I could have done more."
Releasing his embrace, he headed towards the door. "See you around!" with that,
the door closed behind him.
Once alone, Serena took a look around her new place. As she
suspected, the door nearer to the entrance was the bathroom. She was pleasantly
surprised to notice that there was a shower, a bathtub and a linen closet in
there. And the best part, it all worked with water! (Great! I don't want to use
an ultrasonic shower as long as I can avoid it!)
Looking next at the rooms, she saw that both were furnished
the same: a bed, a desk with a computer terminal on it, an empty bookshelf, and
a closet. Always a person with priorities, she took the room closer to the
kitchen. Granted, her priorities were somewhat… different from what others
might use, but there's no doubt that she had them!
Going back to the small living room, she sat at the couch
and grabbed the small packet that was given to her once she left the hospital
at the starport. Closing her eyes, she recalled the last hours after she
arrived.
First of all, she learned that the ringworld she now
inhabited was called Reality Base 1. When she asked about the name, she was
more than shocked to learn the truth of the people that now accepted her.
Apparently, the original builders had learned about parallel universes. Using
that as the corner stone of their whole form of life, they developed ways to
travel to those other universes. Their main objective was to learn from all those
other worlds in order to prevent themselves from making the same mistakes. For
that purpose, they named their whole society as the Multiple Reality Monitoring
Agency, or MRMA, or the Agency for short. At the same time, they began the
construction of a huge space fleet to explore their own home universe. From
there, came the contact with other sentient races… and the beginning of a
series of alliances between them, to work in cooperation and harmony. Of
course, their history wasn't a completely peaceful one, but that was a given.
Once that brief history lesson was over, she was then once
more under the scrutiny of the doctors to determine her health, and to see if
she didn't had in herself any microorganisms that might be dangerous to
introduce in the ringworld. Fortunately, she was soon given a clean bill of
health, being told that she was the healthiest person to cross their doors in a
long time. What gave her the jitters was having the 'Galact crash-course', as
they called it. It consisted in using advanced hypnotic techniques to 'cram' in
her brain the knowledge of the language. She almost bolted out of the hospital
wearing only the flimsy paper robe they gave her there!
After some reassurances from both the doctors and Syl, she
relented and took the therapy. Her fears were unfounded, since after just a
couple of hours, she was able to both speak and understand the language as a
native. Even more, she was able to both read and write the language!
Immediately after leaving the hospital, she and Syl went to
the administrative building to deliver the last batch of papers they got from
the hospital. After filling a few more forms, the attendants gave her a small
packet, which contained a booklet with some basic knowledge about the Academy,
the rules that governed the place, and a small map. In a separate packet were a
small wallet with her new identification and, to her immense joy, a credit
card!
Syl warned her that the state was going to assign her a
certain amount of credits each month, so she had to establish a budget. After
saying that she was going to do it, she grabbed his arm and literally dragged
him to the nearest maglev station heading towards the shopping district. The
experience was something she was eager to repeat soon. There were stores with the
most incredible things she had ever seen in her entire life! Samples of
merchandise from all over the ringworld and the galaxy were there for the
shoppers. Just the dresses were something to die for, in her opinion!
After shopping some clothes and having lunch in a nearby
restaurant, [and she thought that only 133 flavors of ice cream was a dream
come true… some of the desserts for sale were something that defied the
imagination.] they headed towards the Academy itself. She was starting to feel
tired of being shocked so much in one day after arriving.
The Academy was a city just by itself, with everything
needed to be self-sufficient. Everything from living quarters to industrial
parks, from lecture halls to complete research buildings, from office buildings
to shopping centers, all contained in an area two times the size of Japan! She
felt apprehensive at the sheer magnitude of the place, but once more Syl put
her fears to rest. This time, the paperwork in the main administrative building
went by like a breeze. Using only her new ID card, the whole process was done
in mere minutes. After she got the keycard for her new living quarters, she and
Syl went there.
And that's where she was now. Taking a break from an
exhausting first day. Keeping her eyes closed, she thought. (Oh dear… I hope I
have no more surprises today. I don't know if I can stand one more shock!)
She was starting to doze off when something soft and furry
began to caress her left cheek. By reflex, she batted the nuisance with her arm
and went back to sleep, but as soon as she was getting comfortable once more,
the same soft sensation came back. Dreamily, she murmured. "Luna, I'm tired…
just five more minutes…"
"Grrrr…"
[Hmmm? Since when does Luna growl to me?] Puzzled, Serena
opened her eyes… and stared right into the biggest, meanest set of fangs she
had ever seen.
"GAAAAAAH!!!! DON'T EAT ME DON'T EAT ME!!!" following her
words, she tried to stand up and move back from the fearsome sight… with the
predictable results. With an amazing display of serendipity, Serena ended up
turning the couch on its back… with her on it. She ended up with her legs
sticking up in the air, at the same time hearing little birds chirping happily
around. Soon enough, the chirping was replaced by… laughter?
Regaining as much dignity as she could muster under the
circumstances, Serena stood up and looked at the new arrival. She had to blink
a couple of times to make sure that her eyes weren't playing a trick on her.
Laughing like there was no tomorrow was a tall, well,
feline. Although feline wasn't the right word to describe it. It was as tall as
Makoto, with black fur covering all its body. Its appearance was roughly
humanoid, with the main differences being a clearly cat-like face with two
feline ears on top of the head, long, slender hands that had some mean looking
claws partly retracted, and feet with vicious looking claws as well… the nails
painted red. Curiously, that last point was what draw Serena's attention the
most.
With the initial surprise wearing off, she noticed that it
had a long, slender black tail protruding from the small of its back. With a
more detail observation, Serena finally noticed the final piece of the puzzle:
the new arrival was obviously female. Giving her a more critical look, Serena
couldn't help but think that, if the feline was human, she would have had a
body most men would have killed for. (Figures…) she sighed for herself, (even
the aliens here have to look better than me. It's not fair.) The final thing
she noticed was that she was wearing something that looked like a one-piece
swimsuit made in a red material.
Crossing her arms, Serena then waited for the feline to stop
laughing. After the first minute, her nerves were a little on edge. "Well… are
you done yet?"
"Hehehehe… a moment… hahahaha… hehehe." With a visible
effort, the arrival finally gained control of her mirth. Clearing her throat,
she finally spoke clearly. "Sorry about that… it's just that I couldn't resist!
You looked so peaceful and defenseless there… oh, you should have seen your
face, it was priceless!"
"Yes, I imagine." Deadpanned Serena. "So… what brings you
here?"
"What do you mean by that?" asked the stranger, her
expression showing her puzzlement. "This is my room! What are YOU doing here
anyway?"
"Well, this is my room too!"
As soon as Serena said that, both stopped their nascent
argument. The impasse didn't last long; in unison each pointed a finger at the
other and made the same question. "YOU ARE MY ROOMMATE? NO WAY!"
The first one to speak freely was the new arrival. "Oh
great! Of course, those jokers had to put me with a human child! They must
think this is pretty funny!" turning her head towards the ceiling, she shouted.
"IT WON'T WORK, DO YOU HEAR ME?? I'M NOT GIVING UP, NOT NOW, NOT EVER!! I'LL
SHOW YOU! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?!? I WILL PREVAIL!!"
"Hey, hey, calm down!" seeing the outburst, Serena tried to
calm the strange feline. "I don't know what you're talking about, but this is
my room as well. So, let's try to get along together, ok?"
"Yeah right!" snorted the feline. "If you want it so much,
YOU keep the room! I'm going to get another one!" turning around in a huff, she
left the room, leaving a stunned and puzzled Serena wondering what had
happened.
It was an hour later when the feline returned to the room.
Serena was in the kitchen fixing herself a sandwich when she saw her new
roommate enter with a scowl on her face, and then sat down hard on the couch.
With a sigh, Serena put her sandwich on the refrigerator and
went to the small living room. Being the kind person she was known on her past
life on earth, she decided to make the other feel welcomed and make the best
out of the situation. "Hey, are you ok?"
The feline growled at her, but Serena stood her ground,
waiting patiently on the other side of the couch. [She wasn't going to risk
being hurt on her first day, after all!] It was five minutes later when the
feline being finally spoke to her.
"Well? When are you going to start?"
"What?" Serena inquired, puzzled. "Sorry, but I don't
understand."
The being turned around at those words, staring fixatedly at
Serena, who didn't even flinched. After a minute of deep observation, the
feline noticed that Serena was actually confused. "You… really don't know?"
seeing Serena shaking her head in the negative, she finally relaxed a bit.
"Sorry… I guess I'm being a little paranoid."
"No harm done." Said Serena, relaxing as well. "Mind if I
seat next to you?"
"Go ahead."
Sitting demurely on the other side of the small couch,
Serena waited for her new roommate to speak. Her patience was soon rewarded.
"So… coming to study or train?"
"Both, actually. And you?"
"Same." Taking a deep breath, the feline being looked
straight at Serena. "You don't look like the type who wants to become one of
those gung-ho types. You look more like those little prize girls that most guys
want to have by their side."
Serena tensed immediately at the remark, clenching her fists
until the knuckles went white. Returning the gaze a thousand fold, she said.
"Don't you EVER say that again. EVER!"
"Hey, hey! Sorry about that! I didn't know it was a sore
point, really!" the feline being raised her hands in a placating manner. Taking
deep breaths, Serena finally relaxed once more.
"No, I'm the one that should apologize. You didn't know… it
was hard to leave everything behind, but…" At this point, Serena couldn't help
but let a tear run down her cheek. "It had become unbearable back home. Nobody
took me seriously, always saying how worthless I was… and when this chance
presented, I… I simply had to take it! You understand?"
Silence reigned for a few uncomfortable minutes on the room,
nobody saying a word. Finally, the feline being broke the silence. In a calm,
subdued voice, she said. "Yes… I know too well." Finally raising her gaze from
the fascinating view of her hands, she looked once more into Serena's eyes, her
faze filled with sympathy and understanding.
"It was the exact same thing for me in my world too. Females
like me are always looked down, seen only as cub factories… never listened,
only things to be owned. Sure, we can be as fierce as the next male, but they
always turn us down. And my own family… they expected me to be the perfect mate
for a guy that I simply detest! When openings to join the Academy opened up, I
jumped at the chance and grabbed it with both claws…
"Everybody was shocked with my decision, naturally. My
father disowned me, my mother was ashamed of me, my brothers… well, they
laughed at me for a long time. Nobody was at the starport to see me go. So yes…
I understand you."
At this point, Serena couldn't help herself and embraced her
companion. The feline being returned the embrace, soft purrs coming from her
throat. After some time in that position, Serena let go of the embrace, but
kept her hands on her roommate's shoulders. "We are so similar, you know?"
"Yes, I can see that… now. Sorry for being so rude with you
at first. It's just that, on the whole voyage here, the other felinoids just
kept making passes at me, and upon learning of my intentions, they played so
many practical jokes at my expense…"
"Sshhh… it's ok, I understand." Finally releasing her new
friends, Serena stood up and presented her hand, smiling sunnily. "Well, let's
start again, shall we? Hi, I'm Serena Moon, your new roommate."
Shrugging, the felinoid decided to play the game. Standing
up as well, she took Serena's hand and shook it gently. "Nice to meet you
Serena. My name is…" she then made a sound that was like a cross between a purr
and a growl.
Serena blinked at the strange sound. She then tried to
imitate it, but ended up coughing. Once she recuperated from her fit, she
asked. "And… does it mean something?" Her new friend looked down at her feet
and mumbled something. "Excuse me? I couldn't hear you."
Reluctantly, the felinoid repeated the name. "I said… it
means… mnktty."
"Say what?"
"I said MOONKITTY, all right?" turning around, the felinoid
added. "When I was born, the three moons on my world were shinning brightly, so
my mom named me that!" without looking back at Serena, the felinoid sat back on
the couch and covered her face with her claws. "Gods, I hate that name! It
sounds so… so… CUTE! As if I was a house pet!"
Taking her place back on the couch, Serena place her hand on
her friend's shoulder. "Hey, it's ok. I'm not laughing, if that's what you
fear. At least, your name somewhat suits you. My old name… well… now THAT was
more embarrassing!"
Hearing that, the felinoid lift her head and looked at
Serena. "Really?"
"Really. My old name meant 'Rabbit of the Moon.' How's that
for embarrassment?? I think that because of it, nobody took me seriously back
home."
Once more, silence set back on the room, but this time it
wasn't oppressive. It was more comfortable, amiable. This time, Serena broke
it. "Say… if your name bothers you so much, then why not change it?"
"Can't do. Too much hassle. Besides, I'm used to it."
"Well, I'm not going to name you moonkitty! Not to mention
that trying to pronounce it in your native language will leave me without
throat in no time at all!" Serena fingered her throat at the memory. "I have an
idea! Why don't I call you Luna?"
"Luna? And why that?"
"You see… back home, I had a friend named like that. She was
a very special one, always trying to make me react and grow up… she could be a
pain sometimes, but she was a very loyal and good friend." At this point,
Serena's smile acquired a melancholic quality.
The felinoid seemed to think about it for a couple of
minutes, her expression frowning deeply. Finally, she smiled. "Yes… Luna. I
like it! It carries a certain ring to it, don't you think?"
"Yes it does. And it fits you like a glove!" Serena said,
smiling broadly.
Luna smiled at her, her grin somewhat a combination of
ferocity and tenderness. "Thank you. That's the first nice thing someone has
done for me in a long time." She then
pointed in the direction of her discarded bags, lying forgotten near the
entrance. "Say, can you help me unpack?"
"Sure! After all, what are friends for?"
And with that note, Serena made her second friend in that
strange, new world. Two souls, separated by the dimensions, had gotten
together. Each one finding in the other the support and friendship they so much
wanted and needed.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Notes.
Well, who could have known? Another chapter ready! And this
one didn't take months to be written! WOOHOO!!
Thanks a lot to all the wonderful people that have e-mailed
my way to give me the push to continue writing, as well as all those who took
the time and energy to review on fanfiction.net. This story wouldn't be
possible without your support.
And last but not least, my deepest thanks to Yohann
DeSabrais, who by being my pre-reader has helped me immensely with his support
and kind words. (Not to mention pointing out my grossest mistakes! Thanks a lot
my friend, you0're a real pal!"
Before closing, sorry for this chapter being so short. This
marks the end of the introductory arc for any new characters that may appear.
If (and when) others appear, they will be self-contained, and they won't need
so much introduction.
That's all for now… Later!