Well, folks, here's chapter four, and sorry for the long delay to anyone who was waiting for it…. ; Thanks go, as always, to my wonderful beta-reader Syrinx, to Dragon Knight Slade for his advice, and to Naoko Takeuchi for letting us play in her universe.
Lurker 5/10/04
"Is she still asleep?"
Rei carefully let the door to Sere's quarters slide shut. "I don't want to wake her.
Do you?"
"No, but someone will have to." Makoto sighed. "I don't think she'll take the news
well."
"Would anyone? Don't worry, I'll tell her."
Rei stepped into the room quietly. The atmosphere on the ship had been somber
ever since word of the pirate attack had reached them – but their princess,
characteristically sleeping late, had heard nothing of the news yet.
As Rei approached the bed, she noticed that Sere looked pale and tense, even in her
sleep. Her golden hair was matted up with sweat on the pillow, and Rei could see a
frantic flicker of movement beneath her eyelids. She bolted upright with a cry, her eyes
wide. Rei was immediately by her side.
"Serenity? Serenity! Are you okay?" Rei put an arm around her and rubbed her
shoulder.
"Just…. just a dream. I'm okay." Sere's pulse gradually returned to normal, and
she took a deep shuddering breath.
"Are you sure?" Rei didn't want to let Sere's obvious strain go so easily, but her
task and news were more important. She paused for a moment, trying to plan her
words. "We – I need to tell you something. What do you remember about the Guiardo
Pirates?"
"Let me think…. They're raiders who've been operating just outside the Silver
Millennium's jurisdiction, so we haven't been able to do anything about them. They
tend to hit small outposts, or remote communities, generally just grabbing any
valuables in a lightning strike, not waiting for extended engagement." Sere scratched
behind her ear thoughtfully. "Ah – Rei, what's this about? Surely you didn't come in
here just for a quiz?"
"No. Serenity, the Guiardo Pirates attacked Charon." Surely it was better just to get
it out and done with, Rei thought.
"Was it… bad?" Sere's head was low, so Rei couldn't make out her expression.
"Bad enough," Rei said. "There have been near two hundred found dead."
Sere winced at the words, but nodded. "Go on."
Rei steeled herself to continue, delivering the information in a near monotone. "The
wounded count is at five hundred, with more than half the outpost still unexplored.
Your mother has deployed all available Guards to assist Pluto. The Healers are sending
every volunteer they can find. How – how much do you want to know right now?"
Serenity stared up at her friend, her face even paler than before. Unshed tears hung
in the corners of her eyes. "Everything. Tell me all of it."
As Rei kept on, describing destroyed mines, buildings now in rubble, emergency
evacuation ships and the makeshift cemetery being dug just outside of the main outpost,
Sere's tears began to fall. When Rei told her of the civilians who'd volunteered to go
with the Guard to set up a makeshift care facility for the children who'd been orphaned,
the tears turned into a flood. Sere hunched over on the edge of her bed, holding her gut
with arms wrapped tightly around herself, sobbing.
Rei put her arms around her princess and held her as closely as she could.
"Rei." Sere looked up, her face a mixture of pale white and blotchy red. "We have
to go help."
"You know we can't."
"We have to! What else matters right now?"
"Serenity, listen to me." Rei took a firm hold of her shoulders. "Earth has sent
reinforcements to hunt for the Guiardo Pirates. Earth! And it's all because of your
engagement to their prince. There are only five of us. We couldn't make a difference
on Charon – but Earth can. The best thing we can do for them is continue on." She
watched Sere carefully.
With a hiccup, the princess nodded. "You're right." She brushed at the tears that
continued to fall. "You're right." Sere leaned into her friend's embrace.
The room was large, but crowded with papers, bulky furniture, and what Jadeite had
selected for props – namely, random objects that had been selected to fill in for crowns,
thrones, and even people during what Mamoru was coming to think of as "snob
training." He wasn't at all sure he liked the character of the prince he was supposed to
emulate.
As soon as Jadeite had secured Mamoru's cooperation, he had whisked Mamoru off
to the rear quarters for drilling, leaving Zoisite to oversee liftoff preparations. The
lessons hadn't gone well so far, as evidenced by Mamoru's frustration and Jadeite's
growing exasperation….
"You're doing it all wrong," Jadeite complained. "Prince Endymion doesn't walk
like that at all. It's kind of – if you move your – try like this." He made several false
starts at walking across the room, and then gave up. "Damn. Nephrite, you can do it.
Come show him."
"I don't care to," Nephrite said from behind a news printout. "You got yourself into
this, after all, and it's hardly the first harebrained scheme you've come up with."
"Yeah, but it'll be your neck too if we show up back on Earth with no Prince…."
Mamoru shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He was already starting to regret his
commitment to help these strangers, and the perceived animosity between the two men
who were supposed to be teaching him didn't much improve his mood.
"Fine." Nephrite tossed his paper aside. He stood, brushing at his shirt
absentmindedly. "Watch me, repairman."
As Mamoru watched, Nephrite underwent a complete change in manner. His chin
stiffened, his eyes narrowed, and he clomped across the floor as if he were trying to kill
beetles under his shoes. He halted not six inches from Mamoru's nose and stared at
him coldly until Mamoru decided he'd had enough.
"Out of my way." He shoved past Nephrite and flopped into a chair.
"Ha! I knew you could do it." Jadeite clapped Mamoru on the shoulder. "Now just
keep that attitude up, and you'll have Endymion down in no time."
"What? You can't be serious. You mean your prince really does act like that?"
"Oh, not all the time. This is just what you might call a base template." Nephrite
settled back to his observer's post. "The real Endy is much more complex and
intriguing – at least, when he wants to be."
"I don't know if I can do this," Mamoru mumbled. Jadeite caught the quiet words.
"Of course you can. You have to." Jadeite handed Mamoru a computer printout.
"Here's a list of Endymion's favorite things, his least favorites, relationships, old girls,
current girls…. Am I leaving anything out, Nef?"
"Enemies whose girls he stole…."
"Right, right. I'll put those on the end here." Jadeite poked through the pile of junk
on the end table until he found a stylus. "Lessee…. The Duke of Sicily, Lord Charles
Bentley, Baron Leslie Richards…."
"Baron Richards is on extended vacation at his country house, remember?"
Nephrite said.
"Oh, that's right." A knowing smirk spread across Jadeite's face. "He told
everyone it was for his wife's poor health. Hah! More like his poor health when she
found out about his chere amour! Anyway, Nef's right. You won't have to worry
about him." He scratched the name out.
"I'm… confused," Mamoru said. Actually, with the way he felt, confused wasn't a
strong enough word. 'Completely lost' might have better described his state of mind.
"Don't concern yourself about it," Nephrite offered. "Endymion's usually too busy
causing gossip to pay much attention to anything that doesn't concern him
personally…. And by the way, Jadeite. You call me 'Nef' one more time, and they'll
never find your body."
"I… Ah… Uh-huh." Jadeite looked about to shoot off a wisecrack, but said nothing
else.
"So this is what I have to learn?" Mamoru reached for the sheets in Jadeite's hand.
Well, he thought as he flipped through them, it couldn't be too much worse than the
studies he'd been taking in preparation for the Collegium. At least, he hoped not. Then
again, the es in medicine and healing had never conveyed with them this same
acute sense of penalty should he fail….
Jadeite nodded. "That'll do for now. If you'll start looking those over, I'll go check
on Zoisite. I don't quite trust him to handle liftoff by himself. Oh, and Nef, would –
uh, Nephrite," he corrected himself at the cold flash in his fellow general's eyes,
"Would you mind helping him out? Just a little, in case he has any questions."
"I don't see that I have much of a choice."
"Thanks, you're a pal. I'll be up in the control room, then."
As Jadeite disappeared through the doorway, Mamoru turned his full concentration
to memorizing the information before him. As long as I've got to be a prince, he
thought with a wry smile, I might as well do it right.
Molly Guiardo settled back into her command chair, quite satisfied with the day's
work. Her crew had performed well, seizing enough of the processed Parcian ore to
power their engines for the next year. Since the ore deposits were fairly rare, and the
mineral itself was vital in providing energy for cost-practical spaceflight, Molly was
surprised that the mines hadn't been better protected.
It wasn't that important, although the lack of security puzzled her. With no
organized resistance facing them, her people had managed to accomplish their
secondary objective, destroying buildings and factories with a vengeance even though it
wasn't a part of their normal operations. That in itself made her realize that she'd better
watch them carefully during the next few missions, to make sure they didn't get used to
creating wanton mayhem. The relative lack of civilian casualties throughout her crew's
operations was likely the only reason interplanetary authorities in one system or another
hadn't made an all-out effort to hunt her ship down. If it hadn't been for the lucrative
fee offered to her for this one job….
That reminded Molly, and she swiveled her chair a half-turn to face her second in
command. "Jenkins, get our friend Richelieu on the screen. I'm sure he's heard the
news by now, and I want our bonus."
Jenkins nodded and 'commed down to the systems room. After a few brief
moments, the main screen buzzed to life. Molly waited, tapping her fingers against the
armrest of her command chair until a figure appeared there.
Molly Guiardo had never actually seen the face of her client. She assumed he was
male, from the voice, but distortions in the signal made even that conclusion suspect.
He always appeared for their conferences dressed, as now, in a dark red robe with a
hood that covered his face in fabric and shadow. Richelieu, as he had asked to be
called, was apparently someone who greatly valued his privacy.
"Mission accomplished," Molly said with a grin. "You've heard the newscasts?"
"Yes. I am quite impressed. You did destroy each of the processing factories?"
Molly nodded. "The factories, the warehouses, and we blocked all the mine
entrances." Richelieu had been very insistent, when he first commissioned the job, that
every possible mining and manufacturing facility had to be ruined. Molly had
wondered then, and on some occasions since then, what the purpose was. Maybe he
owned a rival Parcian mine somewhere? But then, it didn't pay to speculate too much
in Molly's line of work. That could lead one to an "accident."
"Very good." The hood bobbed, and Molly could only assume that somewhere
within its folds Richelieu was nodding his head. "No less than I expected from such
distinguished individuals."
She couldn't tell if Richelieu was making fun of her from behind his cloak or not.
"And the payment?"
"Will be waiting for you, as agreed, on Station Twelve. Perhaps we shall do
business again." With that, the display winked out.
Molly couldn't manage to completely repress her shudder as she swiveled her chair
back to face her lieutenant. Temporary employer or no, Richelieu had an eerie effect
on her. "Jenkins, you heard the man. Buzz down to navigation and set course for
Station Twelve."
High heels clicked in unison as Haruka and Michiru strode, in perfect
synchronization, down the nearly deserted hallway leading to Queen Serenity's
chambers. A palace guard stationed outside nodded to them as they approached.
"You're expected inside, Your Highnesses," he said as he rapped once on the door,
then pulled it open. "The Queen wanted you to go right in."
Michiru glanced at her friend, then nodded. The two stepped together through the
doorway into the receiving room where Queen Serenity sat. The queen's white gown
caught the dim light and reflected it, making it look as though Serenity were glowing
softly. As she turned to face them, the two princesses could see that her face was pale
and tear-streaked, and her eyes were red.
"Your Majesty?" Haruka stepped forward to kneel. "We are at your service."
Behind her, Michiru copied the motion – no easy maneuver, in their gowns.
Serenity waved her hand, motioning them both up. "Please. Sit."
They did so, drawing comfortable chairs up to the couch where the queen sat. As
she did so, Michiru wondered what Serenity could want from them. They'd heard of
the attack, of course, as had everyone in the palace, but neither Haruka nor herself had
any large amount of influence or power on the moon. To be quite honest, Michiru had
little pull even on her own planet – Neptune was ostensibly a monarchy, but the
Council of Commons controlled all the law-making and enforcement. Michiru herself
was in effective exile, on permanent delegation to the Moon Queen's entourage while
the Council worked to reduce the efficacy of the nobility even further. She wished
there were something she could do to help, but could think of nothing.
"I'm glad you've both come," Queen Serenity began. She seemed all right, but
Michiru could tell that speaking was difficult. Her voice seemed strained as she
continued. "I want you to know, first of all, that I am not commanding this of you. I
am asking. And if you refuse, there will be no penalty. Either way, however, I will
expect you to remain silent on the subject of this meeting."
Michiru glanced at Haruka, only to see her friend looking back at her. The emotion
reflected in Haruka's eyes was the same, Michiru was sure, as she herself was
displaying. With that silent assent, Michiru spoke.
"If we can do anything to help you, or the Silver Millennium, we'll do it. Just tell us
what you need."
Tears sparkled in the corners of the queen's eyes, and she took a deep breath. "I
thank you, Michiru. However, you may change your minds once you hear my request,
so please understand that I would not hold that against you." Opening the locket she
wore on a gold chain around her neck, Serenity took out the Ginzuishou. It glittered in
the faint light, and Michiru caught her breath. The crystal was not a sight one
encountered every day – or, for that matter, every year. The last time Michiru
remembered seeing it was three years ago, when the queen had used it to endow each of
the four princesses of the inner planets with the magical powers of a senshi….
"The Guiardo Pirates attacked Charon, destroyed the outpost, and killed many
people," Serenity said. "I will not allow them to escape. If you agree, I would send the
both of you out of the system, to find the pirates and infiltrate their organization.
However," she forestalled the princess's reactions by raising a hand, "I would not send
you unprotected. The powers of a senshi would do much for you."
Haruka shook her head. "We would be proud to serve you, Your Majesty, but why
us? My family has never been particularly supportive of your reign, and so I can't see
why you would trust me with this power."
"Your family, perhaps, I would not trust overmuch. You yourself, however…."
Serenity leaned out to take the younger woman's hand. "You have been a part of my
court since you were young. You have proven your loyalty to me over the years, and it
is you, Haruka, to whom I would entrust this burden. Not to your family, but to you."
Michiru knew that it would take Haruka a moment to fully comprehend. On her
home planet of Uranus, family loyalty was above all – it was all. It would be hard for
the sandy-haired woman to separate her concept of herself, as a trusted member of
Serenity's inner court, from her family's subversive actions, and to realize that in the
queen's eyes, those actions did not reflect on Haruka herself. It would be hard, but
Michiru had faith in her friend.
After a few moments, Haruka raised her head and nodded slowly. "Thank you,
Serenity." It was the first time she had called the queen by name, with no title, and
Serenity accepted it somberly as the gift of friendship that it was.
"And you, Michiru?" she asked, turning her head toward the Neptunian princess.
"Are you willing, as well, to accept this task?"
Michiru wasted little time in thought. She'd never enjoyed the back-stabbing and
subtle warring the royal family on Neptune engaged in during their fights for power
against the Council of Commons – part of the reason she'd been so long on the Moon.
Accepting the responsibility of a senshi would ensure she would never have to return
home… and would allow her to fight for a just cause this time. "I would be honored."
Queen Serenity nodded, a look of pride shining through the sadness in her eyes. She
stood, and, raising the Ginzuishou, began to focus energy within it. Instinctively,
Haruka and Michiru rose from their seats to kneel before her.
Serenity's eyes closed in concentration as the light from her crystal grew. It danced
over the two princesses, bathing them in a warmth like none they'd experienced before.
Michiru felt as if her soul were expanding to the very limits of her skin, basking in the
power of the Ginzuishou; as if nothing were impossible as long as the hope of that light
existed. She felt ocean waves crashing over her, drenching her hair and body, and yet
felt completely dry. It was a sensation she knew she would never forget.
As the light faded, Michiru opened her eyes to find herself dressed in the garb of a
senshi, in dark blues and greens, but with a few alterations from the uniform she'd seen
on Minako or the others. The bows were longer, and the brooch a heart shape instead
of the round gem she'd expected….
Queen Serenity smiled a bit in answer to her silent question. "The younger girls will
have to grow into their power. You can handle more than they, and so I gave you a bit
of a head start. You should find the use of your abilities to be nearly instinctive; I'm
afraid there are no manuals on this sort of thing."
Michiru glanced toward Haruka to see how she was taking all this. The newly
appointed Sailor Uranus was dressed much the same as Michiru herself, but in s of
navy and gold. Michiru wondered whether she'd felt the same ocean waves during
their transformation.
"You won't be needing these alter-egos all the time," Serenity continued. "In fact,
since you'll both be undercover, I expect using it will be something of a very last resort.
However, you'll probably want to find someplace private, where you can test
yourselves and discover the extents of your powers." She sank back into the couch,
drained. Michiru thought with a guilty start that granting them senshi powers must
have taken quite a bit of the queen's personal energy, not only the crystal's.
"Before you do that, I'd like to explain some things to you." Serenity said as she
returned the Ginzuishou to its hiding place within her locket. "You'll have to rely on
your own judgment once you leave the system, but I have some information and some
directives for you... and someone you'll need to meet."
Neptune and Uranus resumed their seats by the couch, ready to listen to their queen.
Lurker 5/10/04
"Is she still asleep?"
Rei carefully let the door to Sere's quarters slide shut. "I don't want to wake her.
Do you?"
"No, but someone will have to." Makoto sighed. "I don't think she'll take the news
well."
"Would anyone? Don't worry, I'll tell her."
Rei stepped into the room quietly. The atmosphere on the ship had been somber
ever since word of the pirate attack had reached them – but their princess,
characteristically sleeping late, had heard nothing of the news yet.
As Rei approached the bed, she noticed that Sere looked pale and tense, even in her
sleep. Her golden hair was matted up with sweat on the pillow, and Rei could see a
frantic flicker of movement beneath her eyelids. She bolted upright with a cry, her eyes
wide. Rei was immediately by her side.
"Serenity? Serenity! Are you okay?" Rei put an arm around her and rubbed her
shoulder.
"Just…. just a dream. I'm okay." Sere's pulse gradually returned to normal, and
she took a deep shuddering breath.
"Are you sure?" Rei didn't want to let Sere's obvious strain go so easily, but her
task and news were more important. She paused for a moment, trying to plan her
words. "We – I need to tell you something. What do you remember about the Guiardo
Pirates?"
"Let me think…. They're raiders who've been operating just outside the Silver
Millennium's jurisdiction, so we haven't been able to do anything about them. They
tend to hit small outposts, or remote communities, generally just grabbing any
valuables in a lightning strike, not waiting for extended engagement." Sere scratched
behind her ear thoughtfully. "Ah – Rei, what's this about? Surely you didn't come in
here just for a quiz?"
"No. Serenity, the Guiardo Pirates attacked Charon." Surely it was better just to get
it out and done with, Rei thought.
"Was it… bad?" Sere's head was low, so Rei couldn't make out her expression.
"Bad enough," Rei said. "There have been near two hundred found dead."
Sere winced at the words, but nodded. "Go on."
Rei steeled herself to continue, delivering the information in a near monotone. "The
wounded count is at five hundred, with more than half the outpost still unexplored.
Your mother has deployed all available Guards to assist Pluto. The Healers are sending
every volunteer they can find. How – how much do you want to know right now?"
Serenity stared up at her friend, her face even paler than before. Unshed tears hung
in the corners of her eyes. "Everything. Tell me all of it."
As Rei kept on, describing destroyed mines, buildings now in rubble, emergency
evacuation ships and the makeshift cemetery being dug just outside of the main outpost,
Sere's tears began to fall. When Rei told her of the civilians who'd volunteered to go
with the Guard to set up a makeshift care facility for the children who'd been orphaned,
the tears turned into a flood. Sere hunched over on the edge of her bed, holding her gut
with arms wrapped tightly around herself, sobbing.
Rei put her arms around her princess and held her as closely as she could.
"Rei." Sere looked up, her face a mixture of pale white and blotchy red. "We have
to go help."
"You know we can't."
"We have to! What else matters right now?"
"Serenity, listen to me." Rei took a firm hold of her shoulders. "Earth has sent
reinforcements to hunt for the Guiardo Pirates. Earth! And it's all because of your
engagement to their prince. There are only five of us. We couldn't make a difference
on Charon – but Earth can. The best thing we can do for them is continue on." She
watched Sere carefully.
With a hiccup, the princess nodded. "You're right." She brushed at the tears that
continued to fall. "You're right." Sere leaned into her friend's embrace.
The room was large, but crowded with papers, bulky furniture, and what Jadeite had
selected for props – namely, random objects that had been selected to fill in for crowns,
thrones, and even people during what Mamoru was coming to think of as "snob
training." He wasn't at all sure he liked the character of the prince he was supposed to
emulate.
As soon as Jadeite had secured Mamoru's cooperation, he had whisked Mamoru off
to the rear quarters for drilling, leaving Zoisite to oversee liftoff preparations. The
lessons hadn't gone well so far, as evidenced by Mamoru's frustration and Jadeite's
growing exasperation….
"You're doing it all wrong," Jadeite complained. "Prince Endymion doesn't walk
like that at all. It's kind of – if you move your – try like this." He made several false
starts at walking across the room, and then gave up. "Damn. Nephrite, you can do it.
Come show him."
"I don't care to," Nephrite said from behind a news printout. "You got yourself into
this, after all, and it's hardly the first harebrained scheme you've come up with."
"Yeah, but it'll be your neck too if we show up back on Earth with no Prince…."
Mamoru shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He was already starting to regret his
commitment to help these strangers, and the perceived animosity between the two men
who were supposed to be teaching him didn't much improve his mood.
"Fine." Nephrite tossed his paper aside. He stood, brushing at his shirt
absentmindedly. "Watch me, repairman."
As Mamoru watched, Nephrite underwent a complete change in manner. His chin
stiffened, his eyes narrowed, and he clomped across the floor as if he were trying to kill
beetles under his shoes. He halted not six inches from Mamoru's nose and stared at
him coldly until Mamoru decided he'd had enough.
"Out of my way." He shoved past Nephrite and flopped into a chair.
"Ha! I knew you could do it." Jadeite clapped Mamoru on the shoulder. "Now just
keep that attitude up, and you'll have Endymion down in no time."
"What? You can't be serious. You mean your prince really does act like that?"
"Oh, not all the time. This is just what you might call a base template." Nephrite
settled back to his observer's post. "The real Endy is much more complex and
intriguing – at least, when he wants to be."
"I don't know if I can do this," Mamoru mumbled. Jadeite caught the quiet words.
"Of course you can. You have to." Jadeite handed Mamoru a computer printout.
"Here's a list of Endymion's favorite things, his least favorites, relationships, old girls,
current girls…. Am I leaving anything out, Nef?"
"Enemies whose girls he stole…."
"Right, right. I'll put those on the end here." Jadeite poked through the pile of junk
on the end table until he found a stylus. "Lessee…. The Duke of Sicily, Lord Charles
Bentley, Baron Leslie Richards…."
"Baron Richards is on extended vacation at his country house, remember?"
Nephrite said.
"Oh, that's right." A knowing smirk spread across Jadeite's face. "He told
everyone it was for his wife's poor health. Hah! More like his poor health when she
found out about his chere amour! Anyway, Nef's right. You won't have to worry
about him." He scratched the name out.
"I'm… confused," Mamoru said. Actually, with the way he felt, confused wasn't a
strong enough word. 'Completely lost' might have better described his state of mind.
"Don't concern yourself about it," Nephrite offered. "Endymion's usually too busy
causing gossip to pay much attention to anything that doesn't concern him
personally…. And by the way, Jadeite. You call me 'Nef' one more time, and they'll
never find your body."
"I… Ah… Uh-huh." Jadeite looked about to shoot off a wisecrack, but said nothing
else.
"So this is what I have to learn?" Mamoru reached for the sheets in Jadeite's hand.
Well, he thought as he flipped through them, it couldn't be too much worse than the
studies he'd been taking in preparation for the Collegium. At least, he hoped not. Then
again, the es in medicine and healing had never conveyed with them this same
acute sense of penalty should he fail….
Jadeite nodded. "That'll do for now. If you'll start looking those over, I'll go check
on Zoisite. I don't quite trust him to handle liftoff by himself. Oh, and Nef, would –
uh, Nephrite," he corrected himself at the cold flash in his fellow general's eyes,
"Would you mind helping him out? Just a little, in case he has any questions."
"I don't see that I have much of a choice."
"Thanks, you're a pal. I'll be up in the control room, then."
As Jadeite disappeared through the doorway, Mamoru turned his full concentration
to memorizing the information before him. As long as I've got to be a prince, he
thought with a wry smile, I might as well do it right.
Molly Guiardo settled back into her command chair, quite satisfied with the day's
work. Her crew had performed well, seizing enough of the processed Parcian ore to
power their engines for the next year. Since the ore deposits were fairly rare, and the
mineral itself was vital in providing energy for cost-practical spaceflight, Molly was
surprised that the mines hadn't been better protected.
It wasn't that important, although the lack of security puzzled her. With no
organized resistance facing them, her people had managed to accomplish their
secondary objective, destroying buildings and factories with a vengeance even though it
wasn't a part of their normal operations. That in itself made her realize that she'd better
watch them carefully during the next few missions, to make sure they didn't get used to
creating wanton mayhem. The relative lack of civilian casualties throughout her crew's
operations was likely the only reason interplanetary authorities in one system or another
hadn't made an all-out effort to hunt her ship down. If it hadn't been for the lucrative
fee offered to her for this one job….
That reminded Molly, and she swiveled her chair a half-turn to face her second in
command. "Jenkins, get our friend Richelieu on the screen. I'm sure he's heard the
news by now, and I want our bonus."
Jenkins nodded and 'commed down to the systems room. After a few brief
moments, the main screen buzzed to life. Molly waited, tapping her fingers against the
armrest of her command chair until a figure appeared there.
Molly Guiardo had never actually seen the face of her client. She assumed he was
male, from the voice, but distortions in the signal made even that conclusion suspect.
He always appeared for their conferences dressed, as now, in a dark red robe with a
hood that covered his face in fabric and shadow. Richelieu, as he had asked to be
called, was apparently someone who greatly valued his privacy.
"Mission accomplished," Molly said with a grin. "You've heard the newscasts?"
"Yes. I am quite impressed. You did destroy each of the processing factories?"
Molly nodded. "The factories, the warehouses, and we blocked all the mine
entrances." Richelieu had been very insistent, when he first commissioned the job, that
every possible mining and manufacturing facility had to be ruined. Molly had
wondered then, and on some occasions since then, what the purpose was. Maybe he
owned a rival Parcian mine somewhere? But then, it didn't pay to speculate too much
in Molly's line of work. That could lead one to an "accident."
"Very good." The hood bobbed, and Molly could only assume that somewhere
within its folds Richelieu was nodding his head. "No less than I expected from such
distinguished individuals."
She couldn't tell if Richelieu was making fun of her from behind his cloak or not.
"And the payment?"
"Will be waiting for you, as agreed, on Station Twelve. Perhaps we shall do
business again." With that, the display winked out.
Molly couldn't manage to completely repress her shudder as she swiveled her chair
back to face her lieutenant. Temporary employer or no, Richelieu had an eerie effect
on her. "Jenkins, you heard the man. Buzz down to navigation and set course for
Station Twelve."
High heels clicked in unison as Haruka and Michiru strode, in perfect
synchronization, down the nearly deserted hallway leading to Queen Serenity's
chambers. A palace guard stationed outside nodded to them as they approached.
"You're expected inside, Your Highnesses," he said as he rapped once on the door,
then pulled it open. "The Queen wanted you to go right in."
Michiru glanced at her friend, then nodded. The two stepped together through the
doorway into the receiving room where Queen Serenity sat. The queen's white gown
caught the dim light and reflected it, making it look as though Serenity were glowing
softly. As she turned to face them, the two princesses could see that her face was pale
and tear-streaked, and her eyes were red.
"Your Majesty?" Haruka stepped forward to kneel. "We are at your service."
Behind her, Michiru copied the motion – no easy maneuver, in their gowns.
Serenity waved her hand, motioning them both up. "Please. Sit."
They did so, drawing comfortable chairs up to the couch where the queen sat. As
she did so, Michiru wondered what Serenity could want from them. They'd heard of
the attack, of course, as had everyone in the palace, but neither Haruka nor herself had
any large amount of influence or power on the moon. To be quite honest, Michiru had
little pull even on her own planet – Neptune was ostensibly a monarchy, but the
Council of Commons controlled all the law-making and enforcement. Michiru herself
was in effective exile, on permanent delegation to the Moon Queen's entourage while
the Council worked to reduce the efficacy of the nobility even further. She wished
there were something she could do to help, but could think of nothing.
"I'm glad you've both come," Queen Serenity began. She seemed all right, but
Michiru could tell that speaking was difficult. Her voice seemed strained as she
continued. "I want you to know, first of all, that I am not commanding this of you. I
am asking. And if you refuse, there will be no penalty. Either way, however, I will
expect you to remain silent on the subject of this meeting."
Michiru glanced at Haruka, only to see her friend looking back at her. The emotion
reflected in Haruka's eyes was the same, Michiru was sure, as she herself was
displaying. With that silent assent, Michiru spoke.
"If we can do anything to help you, or the Silver Millennium, we'll do it. Just tell us
what you need."
Tears sparkled in the corners of the queen's eyes, and she took a deep breath. "I
thank you, Michiru. However, you may change your minds once you hear my request,
so please understand that I would not hold that against you." Opening the locket she
wore on a gold chain around her neck, Serenity took out the Ginzuishou. It glittered in
the faint light, and Michiru caught her breath. The crystal was not a sight one
encountered every day – or, for that matter, every year. The last time Michiru
remembered seeing it was three years ago, when the queen had used it to endow each of
the four princesses of the inner planets with the magical powers of a senshi….
"The Guiardo Pirates attacked Charon, destroyed the outpost, and killed many
people," Serenity said. "I will not allow them to escape. If you agree, I would send the
both of you out of the system, to find the pirates and infiltrate their organization.
However," she forestalled the princess's reactions by raising a hand, "I would not send
you unprotected. The powers of a senshi would do much for you."
Haruka shook her head. "We would be proud to serve you, Your Majesty, but why
us? My family has never been particularly supportive of your reign, and so I can't see
why you would trust me with this power."
"Your family, perhaps, I would not trust overmuch. You yourself, however…."
Serenity leaned out to take the younger woman's hand. "You have been a part of my
court since you were young. You have proven your loyalty to me over the years, and it
is you, Haruka, to whom I would entrust this burden. Not to your family, but to you."
Michiru knew that it would take Haruka a moment to fully comprehend. On her
home planet of Uranus, family loyalty was above all – it was all. It would be hard for
the sandy-haired woman to separate her concept of herself, as a trusted member of
Serenity's inner court, from her family's subversive actions, and to realize that in the
queen's eyes, those actions did not reflect on Haruka herself. It would be hard, but
Michiru had faith in her friend.
After a few moments, Haruka raised her head and nodded slowly. "Thank you,
Serenity." It was the first time she had called the queen by name, with no title, and
Serenity accepted it somberly as the gift of friendship that it was.
"And you, Michiru?" she asked, turning her head toward the Neptunian princess.
"Are you willing, as well, to accept this task?"
Michiru wasted little time in thought. She'd never enjoyed the back-stabbing and
subtle warring the royal family on Neptune engaged in during their fights for power
against the Council of Commons – part of the reason she'd been so long on the Moon.
Accepting the responsibility of a senshi would ensure she would never have to return
home… and would allow her to fight for a just cause this time. "I would be honored."
Queen Serenity nodded, a look of pride shining through the sadness in her eyes. She
stood, and, raising the Ginzuishou, began to focus energy within it. Instinctively,
Haruka and Michiru rose from their seats to kneel before her.
Serenity's eyes closed in concentration as the light from her crystal grew. It danced
over the two princesses, bathing them in a warmth like none they'd experienced before.
Michiru felt as if her soul were expanding to the very limits of her skin, basking in the
power of the Ginzuishou; as if nothing were impossible as long as the hope of that light
existed. She felt ocean waves crashing over her, drenching her hair and body, and yet
felt completely dry. It was a sensation she knew she would never forget.
As the light faded, Michiru opened her eyes to find herself dressed in the garb of a
senshi, in dark blues and greens, but with a few alterations from the uniform she'd seen
on Minako or the others. The bows were longer, and the brooch a heart shape instead
of the round gem she'd expected….
Queen Serenity smiled a bit in answer to her silent question. "The younger girls will
have to grow into their power. You can handle more than they, and so I gave you a bit
of a head start. You should find the use of your abilities to be nearly instinctive; I'm
afraid there are no manuals on this sort of thing."
Michiru glanced toward Haruka to see how she was taking all this. The newly
appointed Sailor Uranus was dressed much the same as Michiru herself, but in s of
navy and gold. Michiru wondered whether she'd felt the same ocean waves during
their transformation.
"You won't be needing these alter-egos all the time," Serenity continued. "In fact,
since you'll both be undercover, I expect using it will be something of a very last resort.
However, you'll probably want to find someplace private, where you can test
yourselves and discover the extents of your powers." She sank back into the couch,
drained. Michiru thought with a guilty start that granting them senshi powers must
have taken quite a bit of the queen's personal energy, not only the crystal's.
"Before you do that, I'd like to explain some things to you." Serenity said as she
returned the Ginzuishou to its hiding place within her locket. "You'll have to rely on
your own judgment once you leave the system, but I have some information and some
directives for you... and someone you'll need to meet."
Neptune and Uranus resumed their seats by the couch, ready to listen to their queen.