Far below the city of Tokyo, in an opulent neoclassical chamber, a
conspiracy brewed. A gathering of the most powerful men in the world-
politicians, journalists, generals, businessmen, and members of wealthy
families-waited on the arrival of arguably the most powerful man in the
world. Tension ran high as this concentration of power discussed within
its ranks how each of them would fit into the new world order that their
enigmatic host planned to create. Would any of them obtain membership from
the new government? Might some of them rise to be governors,
parliamentarians, or even heads of state? What would the regulations
concerning business and corruption be?
Amidst this tension, two men strode confidently through the elaborately decorated door to the left of the assembly. The one out in front, a dark- haired man who was the taller of the two, wore black denim pants, motorcycle boots and gloves, a white T-shirt, a well-worn leather jacket, and retro sunglasses. The assembly looked at him with a mixture of shock and revulsion, and it appeared he returned the favor. The other man, a dark-haired, dark-eyed, well-muscled man sporting a well-trimmed mustache, was clad in a blue army officer's uniform complete with officer's cap, the rank pips of a general, and a jacket weighted down with all the military medals it bore. He held himself with dignity and poise, and it showed in the reaction of the audience towards him. They made their way to the stage, which only added to the shock when the man in black took his place at the Commander-In-Chief's Podium. If this commoner was the leader of the mysterious conspiracy, then who was the other, better-dressed man behind him?
This question was laid to rest when the man in the leather jacket spoke in his rich, Southern-accented baritone: "Howdy, y'all!! I'm Jim McAllister, Commander-In-Chief of the Terran Homeworld Defense League, and this here is Vladimir Oumorov-Minarovich, head of our SpecOps Division and my loyal second-in-command."
"As you are well aware, you have been gathered here today to discuss our organization and your place in it," Vladimir added in a clipped, Russian- accented bass.
"At its inception, our organization's sole purpose for existence lay in its challengin' the forces of magic that loom above us every day without our knowledge; however, as of late, we have also devoted ourselves to the inception of a new world order based on peace, justice, and lovin' your fella man," McAllister beamed, smiling widely. His audience winced at the last bit of what he had said; that sort of talk had never, in their experience, led anywhere but name-calling and socialism.
"But I've had enough of this bantering; let us get down to the business at hand," Vladimir suggested, setting himself at ease.
"Very well, then, here we go! We have fought many wars in the name of an unknowing and ungrateful humanity, but this here one shall be the war to end all wars!! Never before in our long and checkered history have we encountered an enemy that was so determined!!" McAllister declared, shouting at the top of his lungs and accentuating his last word by pumping his right fist in the air. "Summon the spycam unit linked to the shared dormitory of Usagi Tsukino & Minako Aino at Azabu Juuban Community College," Vladimir ordered, making a shooing motion as if to tell McAllister to be quiet, much to McAllister's chagrin. A small floating camera appeared and displayed a picture of a dorm room whose in habitants were two fairly short, but highly attractive, blond girls talking to one another about the trials and tribulations of postgraduate life; one of them wore blue jeans, a red sweater, and laceless Sketchers sneakers and letting her straight, golden-blond hair run down to her shoulders, while he other wore black leather pants, a tight blue T-shirt, and boat shoes and wore her hair in a style that was basically a bun on each side of her head with a pigtail running down from each to her knees. The thought of these two ordinary girls being the biggest threat the THDL could come up with was so incongruous that one of the delegates made the stupid mistake of shooting his mouth off: "I don't know about the rest of us, but the only way I can see those two being a threat is if your organization is entirely made up of fraternity brothers!!"
That comment didn't sit well with McAllister; he drew a Colt revolver out of a hidden jacket pocket and, moving faster that the brain could process, located the smart-ass in the audience and delivered a fatal shot to his head. "Does anybody else feel like makin' light out of the grave danger that those girls pose to our way of life?!?" McAllister shrieked, pointing the revolver at a random member of the audience. Now fearing for their own lives, and also stunned at how quickly the affable Southerner who led the THDL could become violent so quickly, the audience was dead silent. Seeing that no one else had any smart remarks to make, McAllister stored his revolver as quickly as he had drawn it. "Now, as I was about to say, I have upon my person incontestable proof that those two girls are Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus!!" McAllister grinned, reaching for something- probably said evidence-in a different pocket. He pulled out an official- looking document and an ancient sheet of papyrus on which there was writing of some sort. "In this document, I have genetic proof that the odds of my claims not bein' true are 20 billion to one!!! Any skeptics in the audience are free to come up and see the evidence firsthand.but first, Vladimir shall read y'all a primary document from the misty past!!" This stunned the audience; maybe the man wasn't a quack after all!!
Jim handed Vladimir the papyrus, and he began to read off of it: "7 Jul 1493, Moon Kingdom Reckoning: The war between the Negaverse and the Moon Kingdom has been an unmitigated disaster. In alliance with the rapacious, plundering armies of Nemesis, the Negaverse has broken though the defensive perimeter around the inner part of the Sol system and seized Phobos and Deimos, which are being used as staging points for assaults on Terra and Luna. We are setting up another defensive perimeter around them, but we've been totally unprepared since the beginning of this war and have only gotten worse since then. I fear for how this war will turn out: that our children's children shall know nothing but slavery to the whim of Beryl and her traitor generals, that death, if they ever let it come to us, will be a blessing, that our handsomest sons and most radiant daughters shall be forced to serve the lewd desires of our enemies.
But I think too hard on this: of course we shall be victorious, for my line has ruled for 300 years and has seen the Kingdom though more resolute foes than this.Oh, no!!! The Negaverse's forces have broken into the palace!! If I fail to do something soon, the galaxy shall be lost to evil forever!!! I shall send the princes & princesses of the planets of the Sol System into the year 2493 and use whatever power I have left to lock Beryl and her legions back into their own realm for 1,000 years!! This shall almost certainly cost me my life and destroy the kingdom my forefathers put their blood, sweat, and tears into building, but it's the only way that goodness shall be preserved in this universe!! I bid you an eternal farewell!!!" The audience, moved beyond words at what they were hearing and Vladimir's impassioned deliverance of it, began to weep softly for the passing of the Moon Kingdom. One of them, however, was able to speak clearly through her tears: "So what you're saying is that the Sailor Scouts will try and reestablish the Moon Kingdom which fell so long ago??" "Ding-ding-ding!! We have a winner!!" McAllister smirked.
"But from what little you've told us, the Moon Kingdom seemed to be a benevolent government, full of caring for its people! Why are you trying to keep that from happening again??" she pleaded, sobbing for effect.
"I appreciate your sentiments, and the Moon Kingdom of yesteryear was indeed kind and benevolent. But let me tell you somethin': it was a monarchy, which basically made it a one-man show, and in this day and age, the consent of the governed is a much stronger meme than the divine right of kings-or queens, as the case may go. Faced with such strong dissent, and sure that it will fall if it permits it, wouldn't the Moon Kingdom be forced to crack down in the name of stability? That's why I oppose the rise of any totalitarian government, however benevolent it may try to be," McAllister countered, obviously believing what he was saying.
"I see," the woman replied, stroking her chin thoughtfully, "and I appreciate freedom as much as you do, Gen. McAllister, but what the rise of this Kingdom offers-peace and tranquility-cannot be discounted so easily. Besides, the legends I have heard of the Kingdom say that its rise is written in the stars! In all likelihood, attempting to resist it will only result in disgrace and defeat for you!!"
"And I oughn't even to try to fight the good fight for freedom and liberty on account of the odds are ag'inst me?? This whole organization was founded on precisely the principles of noble resistance and defense of freedom at all costs which I now defend!!"
"I assume this "freedom" you speak of refers to democracy. Well, let me inform you, Mr. McAllister, that the Japanese people did not see their greatest days as a democracy, but as an empire! And furthermore, your nation has not been entirely true to its principles, either!!"
"First off, America is not a democracy; it is a republic, so please get the terminology right! Secondly, this is not a conflict of nation against nation; it is an all-out war between those of all nations who believe that freedom and justice are the best way, if not the only way, to achieve the peace and stability that you so value and those of all lands who believe that the ends justify the means! Now, I must ask you: which side are you on??"
Perfect!!, Vladimir thought to himself. He's trapped her between the rock of being the malefactor and the hard place of abandoning her fight!! I shall have all the funding I could possibly need!
Vladimir was not the only one who knew the woman was defeated; she herself seemed to recognize this fact, as did McAllister's spellbound audience. Donations came forth, grudgingly at first, but, over the course of 30 minutes, growing more liberal and more sizable. By the end of the night, $170 billion had gone into the war chest of the League.
"Well, then, I suppose that's all that needs to be said!! Thank you and good night!" McAllister concluded, stepping off of the stage.
The next morning, Jim and Vladimir discussed last night's meeting. "All in all, I must say I was.impressed," Vladimir stated pensively, smiling weakly. "However, you almost lost our audience, along with their money, at several points-most notably when you shot one of them in the head," Vladimir criticized, sighing annoyedly. "I done got our money, di'n't I?" Jim argued, obviously annoyed at having last night's incident brought up. Vladimir sighed heavily. Just keep our support flowing, imbecile, and then, in your moment of glory, your most trusted officer will be there-to shoot you down in the name of a new order which will last the test of time!!, he thought to himself. "Well, I must be going now; I have a very important conference to make," Vladimir ended, getting up as he spoke.
A few minutes later, Vladimir arrived in the same conference hall where his superior had spoken the other night; however, instead of throngs of people, there was only one other person in the entire room-a fair-skinned, radiant woman who appeared to be around 25. White-blond hair cascaded down to her waist, while her gray eyes seemed to pierce right into Vladimir's soul; the violet dress she wore clung to her, and her matching high heels were propped up-she was obviously quite relaxed. Vladimir, however, felt a lump rise in his throat, which was a new sensation for him. Here, every month, he was to report the doings of himself and a coterie of officers who believed that McAllister's leadership, though well intentioned, was hopelessly behind the times and hoped, with support from Nemesis, to install more decisive leadership. If McAllister ever found out, he'd brand the officers as traitors-but what did Vladimir care for the opinion of that moronic rube anyhow? He braced himself for the report and the berating he knew would follow.
"Here, Princess Krystallia, Queen of Darkness and One True Lady of Nemesis, is my report," Vladimir began, standing at attention. Krystallia eyed him, waiting patiently. "McAllister has been in the middle of a campaign to raise funds for the League by bringing the powerful interests of the world over to our side," he continued.
"Was it successful?" Krystallia asked, her right hand supporting her head as if she were tired and would rather be elsewhere.
"Yes, he has raised well over $100 billion, and I have been able to direct over 20% of that into SpecOps, where I have enjoyed much recent success in gaining converts to our cause," Vladimir beamed, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of her being pleased.
However, he was severely disappointed: "Why are we gaining new converts at a snail's pace among the regulars in the army and navy??" Krystallia growled, clenching her perfectly manicured left hand into a fist.
"I apologize, Madame; McAllister himself was an army corporal before his accession into our halls of leadership. Besides, with all the elite forces lining up behind us, the regulars will be cut down before anyone figures anything out," Vladimir responded, smashing his right fist into his left palm for effect.
"You'd best be right-for both our sakes," Krystallia sighed, left fist pressed against her forehead as if in pain.
"What are your orders, mistress??" Vladimir purred, kneeling on his right knee.
"Tell McAllister he should order immediate attacks on the Sailor Scouts of Azabu Juuban, as they are the only ones to have fought Nemesis and won; however, as control over the League slowly slips from him and accumulates in your lap, concentrate less on killing the Scouts and more on torturing them. This will serve to ruin the League's reputation, thereby nullifying the possibility that any new League Administration formed by revolution against you will be a nexus of popular resistance," Krystallia explained, rushing through in order to be done with Vladimir.
"But what happens if someone finds out about our plans and a secret society within our secret society, but with a command structure completely independent of it??" Vladimir noted, resting his chin on his hand.
"Then you must simply be careful with choosing whom you trust," Krystallia replied fluidly.
Amidst this tension, two men strode confidently through the elaborately decorated door to the left of the assembly. The one out in front, a dark- haired man who was the taller of the two, wore black denim pants, motorcycle boots and gloves, a white T-shirt, a well-worn leather jacket, and retro sunglasses. The assembly looked at him with a mixture of shock and revulsion, and it appeared he returned the favor. The other man, a dark-haired, dark-eyed, well-muscled man sporting a well-trimmed mustache, was clad in a blue army officer's uniform complete with officer's cap, the rank pips of a general, and a jacket weighted down with all the military medals it bore. He held himself with dignity and poise, and it showed in the reaction of the audience towards him. They made their way to the stage, which only added to the shock when the man in black took his place at the Commander-In-Chief's Podium. If this commoner was the leader of the mysterious conspiracy, then who was the other, better-dressed man behind him?
This question was laid to rest when the man in the leather jacket spoke in his rich, Southern-accented baritone: "Howdy, y'all!! I'm Jim McAllister, Commander-In-Chief of the Terran Homeworld Defense League, and this here is Vladimir Oumorov-Minarovich, head of our SpecOps Division and my loyal second-in-command."
"As you are well aware, you have been gathered here today to discuss our organization and your place in it," Vladimir added in a clipped, Russian- accented bass.
"At its inception, our organization's sole purpose for existence lay in its challengin' the forces of magic that loom above us every day without our knowledge; however, as of late, we have also devoted ourselves to the inception of a new world order based on peace, justice, and lovin' your fella man," McAllister beamed, smiling widely. His audience winced at the last bit of what he had said; that sort of talk had never, in their experience, led anywhere but name-calling and socialism.
"But I've had enough of this bantering; let us get down to the business at hand," Vladimir suggested, setting himself at ease.
"Very well, then, here we go! We have fought many wars in the name of an unknowing and ungrateful humanity, but this here one shall be the war to end all wars!! Never before in our long and checkered history have we encountered an enemy that was so determined!!" McAllister declared, shouting at the top of his lungs and accentuating his last word by pumping his right fist in the air. "Summon the spycam unit linked to the shared dormitory of Usagi Tsukino & Minako Aino at Azabu Juuban Community College," Vladimir ordered, making a shooing motion as if to tell McAllister to be quiet, much to McAllister's chagrin. A small floating camera appeared and displayed a picture of a dorm room whose in habitants were two fairly short, but highly attractive, blond girls talking to one another about the trials and tribulations of postgraduate life; one of them wore blue jeans, a red sweater, and laceless Sketchers sneakers and letting her straight, golden-blond hair run down to her shoulders, while he other wore black leather pants, a tight blue T-shirt, and boat shoes and wore her hair in a style that was basically a bun on each side of her head with a pigtail running down from each to her knees. The thought of these two ordinary girls being the biggest threat the THDL could come up with was so incongruous that one of the delegates made the stupid mistake of shooting his mouth off: "I don't know about the rest of us, but the only way I can see those two being a threat is if your organization is entirely made up of fraternity brothers!!"
That comment didn't sit well with McAllister; he drew a Colt revolver out of a hidden jacket pocket and, moving faster that the brain could process, located the smart-ass in the audience and delivered a fatal shot to his head. "Does anybody else feel like makin' light out of the grave danger that those girls pose to our way of life?!?" McAllister shrieked, pointing the revolver at a random member of the audience. Now fearing for their own lives, and also stunned at how quickly the affable Southerner who led the THDL could become violent so quickly, the audience was dead silent. Seeing that no one else had any smart remarks to make, McAllister stored his revolver as quickly as he had drawn it. "Now, as I was about to say, I have upon my person incontestable proof that those two girls are Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus!!" McAllister grinned, reaching for something- probably said evidence-in a different pocket. He pulled out an official- looking document and an ancient sheet of papyrus on which there was writing of some sort. "In this document, I have genetic proof that the odds of my claims not bein' true are 20 billion to one!!! Any skeptics in the audience are free to come up and see the evidence firsthand.but first, Vladimir shall read y'all a primary document from the misty past!!" This stunned the audience; maybe the man wasn't a quack after all!!
Jim handed Vladimir the papyrus, and he began to read off of it: "7 Jul 1493, Moon Kingdom Reckoning: The war between the Negaverse and the Moon Kingdom has been an unmitigated disaster. In alliance with the rapacious, plundering armies of Nemesis, the Negaverse has broken though the defensive perimeter around the inner part of the Sol system and seized Phobos and Deimos, which are being used as staging points for assaults on Terra and Luna. We are setting up another defensive perimeter around them, but we've been totally unprepared since the beginning of this war and have only gotten worse since then. I fear for how this war will turn out: that our children's children shall know nothing but slavery to the whim of Beryl and her traitor generals, that death, if they ever let it come to us, will be a blessing, that our handsomest sons and most radiant daughters shall be forced to serve the lewd desires of our enemies.
But I think too hard on this: of course we shall be victorious, for my line has ruled for 300 years and has seen the Kingdom though more resolute foes than this.Oh, no!!! The Negaverse's forces have broken into the palace!! If I fail to do something soon, the galaxy shall be lost to evil forever!!! I shall send the princes & princesses of the planets of the Sol System into the year 2493 and use whatever power I have left to lock Beryl and her legions back into their own realm for 1,000 years!! This shall almost certainly cost me my life and destroy the kingdom my forefathers put their blood, sweat, and tears into building, but it's the only way that goodness shall be preserved in this universe!! I bid you an eternal farewell!!!" The audience, moved beyond words at what they were hearing and Vladimir's impassioned deliverance of it, began to weep softly for the passing of the Moon Kingdom. One of them, however, was able to speak clearly through her tears: "So what you're saying is that the Sailor Scouts will try and reestablish the Moon Kingdom which fell so long ago??" "Ding-ding-ding!! We have a winner!!" McAllister smirked.
"But from what little you've told us, the Moon Kingdom seemed to be a benevolent government, full of caring for its people! Why are you trying to keep that from happening again??" she pleaded, sobbing for effect.
"I appreciate your sentiments, and the Moon Kingdom of yesteryear was indeed kind and benevolent. But let me tell you somethin': it was a monarchy, which basically made it a one-man show, and in this day and age, the consent of the governed is a much stronger meme than the divine right of kings-or queens, as the case may go. Faced with such strong dissent, and sure that it will fall if it permits it, wouldn't the Moon Kingdom be forced to crack down in the name of stability? That's why I oppose the rise of any totalitarian government, however benevolent it may try to be," McAllister countered, obviously believing what he was saying.
"I see," the woman replied, stroking her chin thoughtfully, "and I appreciate freedom as much as you do, Gen. McAllister, but what the rise of this Kingdom offers-peace and tranquility-cannot be discounted so easily. Besides, the legends I have heard of the Kingdom say that its rise is written in the stars! In all likelihood, attempting to resist it will only result in disgrace and defeat for you!!"
"And I oughn't even to try to fight the good fight for freedom and liberty on account of the odds are ag'inst me?? This whole organization was founded on precisely the principles of noble resistance and defense of freedom at all costs which I now defend!!"
"I assume this "freedom" you speak of refers to democracy. Well, let me inform you, Mr. McAllister, that the Japanese people did not see their greatest days as a democracy, but as an empire! And furthermore, your nation has not been entirely true to its principles, either!!"
"First off, America is not a democracy; it is a republic, so please get the terminology right! Secondly, this is not a conflict of nation against nation; it is an all-out war between those of all nations who believe that freedom and justice are the best way, if not the only way, to achieve the peace and stability that you so value and those of all lands who believe that the ends justify the means! Now, I must ask you: which side are you on??"
Perfect!!, Vladimir thought to himself. He's trapped her between the rock of being the malefactor and the hard place of abandoning her fight!! I shall have all the funding I could possibly need!
Vladimir was not the only one who knew the woman was defeated; she herself seemed to recognize this fact, as did McAllister's spellbound audience. Donations came forth, grudgingly at first, but, over the course of 30 minutes, growing more liberal and more sizable. By the end of the night, $170 billion had gone into the war chest of the League.
"Well, then, I suppose that's all that needs to be said!! Thank you and good night!" McAllister concluded, stepping off of the stage.
The next morning, Jim and Vladimir discussed last night's meeting. "All in all, I must say I was.impressed," Vladimir stated pensively, smiling weakly. "However, you almost lost our audience, along with their money, at several points-most notably when you shot one of them in the head," Vladimir criticized, sighing annoyedly. "I done got our money, di'n't I?" Jim argued, obviously annoyed at having last night's incident brought up. Vladimir sighed heavily. Just keep our support flowing, imbecile, and then, in your moment of glory, your most trusted officer will be there-to shoot you down in the name of a new order which will last the test of time!!, he thought to himself. "Well, I must be going now; I have a very important conference to make," Vladimir ended, getting up as he spoke.
A few minutes later, Vladimir arrived in the same conference hall where his superior had spoken the other night; however, instead of throngs of people, there was only one other person in the entire room-a fair-skinned, radiant woman who appeared to be around 25. White-blond hair cascaded down to her waist, while her gray eyes seemed to pierce right into Vladimir's soul; the violet dress she wore clung to her, and her matching high heels were propped up-she was obviously quite relaxed. Vladimir, however, felt a lump rise in his throat, which was a new sensation for him. Here, every month, he was to report the doings of himself and a coterie of officers who believed that McAllister's leadership, though well intentioned, was hopelessly behind the times and hoped, with support from Nemesis, to install more decisive leadership. If McAllister ever found out, he'd brand the officers as traitors-but what did Vladimir care for the opinion of that moronic rube anyhow? He braced himself for the report and the berating he knew would follow.
"Here, Princess Krystallia, Queen of Darkness and One True Lady of Nemesis, is my report," Vladimir began, standing at attention. Krystallia eyed him, waiting patiently. "McAllister has been in the middle of a campaign to raise funds for the League by bringing the powerful interests of the world over to our side," he continued.
"Was it successful?" Krystallia asked, her right hand supporting her head as if she were tired and would rather be elsewhere.
"Yes, he has raised well over $100 billion, and I have been able to direct over 20% of that into SpecOps, where I have enjoyed much recent success in gaining converts to our cause," Vladimir beamed, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of her being pleased.
However, he was severely disappointed: "Why are we gaining new converts at a snail's pace among the regulars in the army and navy??" Krystallia growled, clenching her perfectly manicured left hand into a fist.
"I apologize, Madame; McAllister himself was an army corporal before his accession into our halls of leadership. Besides, with all the elite forces lining up behind us, the regulars will be cut down before anyone figures anything out," Vladimir responded, smashing his right fist into his left palm for effect.
"You'd best be right-for both our sakes," Krystallia sighed, left fist pressed against her forehead as if in pain.
"What are your orders, mistress??" Vladimir purred, kneeling on his right knee.
"Tell McAllister he should order immediate attacks on the Sailor Scouts of Azabu Juuban, as they are the only ones to have fought Nemesis and won; however, as control over the League slowly slips from him and accumulates in your lap, concentrate less on killing the Scouts and more on torturing them. This will serve to ruin the League's reputation, thereby nullifying the possibility that any new League Administration formed by revolution against you will be a nexus of popular resistance," Krystallia explained, rushing through in order to be done with Vladimir.
"But what happens if someone finds out about our plans and a secret society within our secret society, but with a command structure completely independent of it??" Vladimir noted, resting his chin on his hand.
"Then you must simply be careful with choosing whom you trust," Krystallia replied fluidly.
